Finally, I think this is such a chic monochromatic look at a great price: one of the fishermen turtlenecks (go up a size for this slouchier fit) and this maxi slip dress layered beneath.
Today, republishing a chapter of a fictional project I worked on a few years ago that I never finished (originally released December 30, 2020). It was both entertaining and uncomfortable to revisit, like sitting down with old friends I’ve not seen in awhile and discovering how much we’ve all changed between visits. But I thought – why not share a little escape the Monday of a holiday week when we could all do well to let go a little bit? Yesterday, I felt drawn in twenty-two directions; two days in New York somehow erased a full week of productivity, and whereas I felt ahead of the game with holiday admin before the trip, I am now drowning in it. Too many gifts to wrap, errands to run, holiday cards to address. We also have two sets of out of town guests staying with us back to back this Saturday-Sunday and then Monday-Wednesday, and are hosting a holiday party with my closest college girlfriends, and these are all the happiest things that I have been looking forward to for months, but you can imagine I am scrambling to pull it all off. This is what I tell myself when I am feeling scattered: you always get it done, one way or another, so just make a list and take it “bird by bird” (a la Anne LaMott on writing). And make time for you. I’ve shared this many times, but a girlfriend once told me: “Whenever you feel you have no time to work out, you need it the most.” Similar mantra: “Spend ten minutes outside each day, except for when you’re stressed, when you need to spend an hour outside each day instead.” So, whatever that reprieve looks like for you — reading, putting on a holiday movie, going to bed early, working out — try to prioritize at least an hour of your day for yourself this week. And let go of the inessential…! Onward!
******
We weren’t all the way gone, but we’d had enough champagne that the air swelled thick around us and I felt a profligate billow of kinship toward the rest of the wedding party, who had been — truth be told — a pain throughout the weeks leading up to the wedding in Vieste.
Violet’s friends were odd.
“They’ve always been a bunch of hippies,” Powell had offered offhandedly, inspecting his shave in the mirror, then tapping his razor on the sink’s edge in a motion I was sure he’d pocketed from his father.
“Hippies?” I turned the phrase over cautiously, though I was swayed by his casual decidedness.
“Yeah. Out there.”
There was Lele, a voluptuous platinum blond from “Philadelphia…the Main Line,” as she put it, which I took to mean “the wealthy bits” from the way she cast her eyes around the group, though I wouldn’t have known, having grown up in provincial D.C. Native Washingtonians made a point of remaining willfully under-informed about the neighborhoods in other metropolitan areas: “she lives…oh, I don’t know anything about Philadelphia,” Violet had said, waving her hand dismissively and rolling her eyes. “And who, honestly, cares?” Lele appeared to, of course, but I found myself blinking blankly nonetheless whenever she broached the subject, Violet’s shrug a benediction in my disinterest in this matter. Lele had an impressive roundup of designer handbags and was conspicuously, irritatingly negligent with fine jewelry her parents had given her. “My dad gave these to all of us at our fifteenth birthday,” she had said, never pausing to explain the plural of “us” as she tossed a wristwatch whose label I wasn’t well-initiated enough to know into a mound of soiled clothes in her leather duffel, not caring to isolate it in any way from the violence of hairbrush bristles and the like. She’d worn an Hermes scarf wrapped around her neck about fifty times like a flight attendant to Violet’s bachelorette party.
I knew I wasn’t one to judge, as I routinely slept in pearl studs and had my parents to thank for the carelessness with which I’d selected my undergraduate major (English), but still.
So that was Lele.
There was Maria Gracia, a stunning Spaniard with sun-kissed hair and hazel eyes who wore flower wreaths non-ironically and tucked her long, tanned limbs up beneath her while sitting at the dining table and usually broke into and out of lispy Spanish with such fluidity that I don’t know even she knew what language she was speaking. Violet had just met her a few months prior to the engagement. Now, the maid of honor. This came as no surprise, as Violet tended to frolic through friendships wantonly, until they bored her or failed to serve her in some way–but even still, I felt I deserved the position, having seen her through the ungainliness of puberty and the intense epistolarity that defined our college years and the self-centered inelegance of teendom and having accommodated with minimal judgment that period of time when she wore wide-leg corduroys for nearly two months straight. She, of all people, could pull them off, as she was tall and lean and purposeful and seemed to have been born middle-aged. It was all a tradeoff, a balancing act, after all. All of it. Like driving into my parents’ country club in my father’s ancient blue Subaru, its suspension sounding like a tired boxspring as it lurched over the speed bumps, accelerating all the way to the end of the lot, past the recent-year Mercedes and BMWs and Range Rovers, wearing a Lilly Pulitzer dress with my hand on a small wicker Bahama bag. And it somehow compensated. I belonged, but I didn’t. My carte d’entree was in no ambiguous terms the good fortune of being born to my parents, and at the same time, I drove a shared and non-frivolous family car from 1991 and had purchased the dress all on my own from a summer internship at The Phillips Collection, even when most of my high school friends passed their summers at the pool, and it had been me who had applied blindly to the position, unbeknownst to my parents and certainly without their hands in the matter. Well, that was not strictly true in the sense that the hiring manager had a daughter who had just been accepted into the all-girls high school I attended and so I was fairly certain I’d waltzed into a kind of unearned avuncular relationship with him, a detail I preferred to omit when reflecting on the whole thing, though I knew — I knew! — I was again the beneficiary of my parents’ largesse in this case. Regardless, I had spent the summer doing manual data entry for the Development Office using a clunky donor database amidst the soulless sobriety of a too-cold building off Mass Avenue, wearing black patent flats and pencil skirts and an over-eagerness I now regret. More than once, I had hesitated while typing out the contact information of friends of my parents. I felt a dizzying rush when I contemplated these facts: that it wouldn’t have been out of the ordinary to be invited to spend the day at the home of one of these wealthy people, and yet here I was pecking out their personal information for solicitation so that I could buy a $128 dress that made me feel relevant at the country club to which our families both belonged, the Subaru notwithstanding.
Violet, too, belonged and did not. She wore the clumsiest things and yet anyone who met her — and I mean anyone! even serious people, like my father’s stuffy lawyer friends — was transfixed by her green eyes and her quirkiness and her enthusiastic manner and the way her little rabbit nose wrinkled up with mischief. It wouldn’t have been surprising to find her thirty minutes into a chirpy conversation with the stodgy dean of students from our grade school at a cocktail reception. Wherever she went: she belonged, but she didn’t. But maybe this was what it meant to grow up, our inheritances jangling against our idiosyncrasies as we negotiated our way through things, stitching and unstitching ourselves, pausing to investigate the seams or ponder what we might look like from the outside in, until one day, we’d stop and say: This is me, this is it. I’ve materialized.
Or, I hoped, at the age of twenty-three, that day would come.
But Violet belonged and didn’t in a peculiar way. Because even sometimes when I could see the air leaving the room as she’d prattle on about this or that strange lark, she was so damned attractive — her long fingers, her dark lashes, the spray of freckles across her shoulders — that no one much cared. Oh, that’s just Violet. There was a making of space for her. She was a novelty. She was the type to dazzle the table at dinner parties with a cheeky anecdote from her travels abroad, to order a martini at lunch much to everyone’s shock and pleasure (“Hendrick’s gin, please, do you mind?” — and how did she know to ask for such things at eighteen, as though she even had the palate to discern the difference?), to run barefoot through a piazza in some ancient Italian town, to leave a devious note on a dashboard (“beautiful smile, call me —– love, v”), to prance out of a restaurant with a champagne flute in hand, to crawl into bed with you at 5:44 in the morning and tell you, sighingly, about her misadventures, her mascara smeared and her dress still damp but all of her — all of her! right down to the soles of her feet! — still somehow radiantly, winningly beautiful.
And yet she could be viciously withholding.
I could still feel the burn of her indifferently boisterous entry into the hotel suite in Vieste, arm linked with Maria Gracia–how I felt deliberately un-seen even though I was standing there at her mercy and beckon, exhausted from a twelve-hour coach trip from JFK to this small town in Italy for her wedding to a man I’d never met.
I’d just stood there, shifting feet.
So, no. I was not entirely surprised though not entirely unhurt by her announcement that the statuesque Maria Gracia would be the maid of honor in her sudden wedding to Filippo. A lump had formed in the back of my throat when I heard from Powell’s mother (!) that “oh, that Spanish girlfriend of hers that’s always hanging around, she’s the maid of honor, I think.” She had been swiping crumbs off the wooden table in their dining room, glancing through the window, momentarily distracted by the Oriole that had landed on a branch just outside. A divine contrivance if I’d ever seen one, that Oriole, affording me a split-second to arrange a smile onto my face and feign to have already known about this wounding decision of Violet’s — Vivi’s, as she currently presented herself — while meticulously erecting a tiny and imaginary chain link fence around myself. I’d crossed a threshold: apprehending, all at once, that though I might be formed and unformed by forces far greater than I, that I could still have the self-possession to distance myself from friends like Violet. We had grown up together, that was all. I owed her nothing, save for discretion in divulging some of our diablerie as teens; that seemed protected by a girl code with which I dared not tamper.
I owed myself much more.
But, Maria Gracia — of the bunch, possibly a hippie. Moreso than Lele, moreso than Georgina, a feigned bohemian. She was the type who threw open windows at parties to smoke her clove cigarettes and inevitably “wound up” with some kind of strange tiara or feathered stole that appeared more planned than I’m sure she thought — and she was loud. And at the same time we all knew that she worked for the Department of Transportation and had earned good marks in school and came from an upstanding family of God-fearing Southern Baptists and drove, dutifully, to visit her grandmother every Sunday wearing a J. Crew twinset.
Oh, it was an odd bunch.
There was so much pretending and projecting that I’d had to excuse myself, dizzied, from one particularly loathsome dinner to stand in silence looking out across the Adriatic Sea. I had been loosely and superciliously aware of my own brooding performance at that moment, but I chose to disregard it. I was young and woefully self-absorbed.
Powell had been upstairs, in the hotel room, and I had longed to go to him, to flick off my shoes and flop onto the bed and distance myself from the strangenesses of the evening by letting them tumble out between us, across the bed, out into the purple-black abandon of the night.
“Hippies,” I had said again, absent-mindedly. “I don’t think that’s the right word.”
As we stood on the terrace on Violet’s wedding night, though, I hooked my arm around Georgina’s neck, and she made a purring noise.
“Hippie,” I said to her, lingering between affection and mild aspersion, the shape of the word new and not entirely unappealing in my mouth. She threw her head back with laughter and raised her glass against the blue-gray of the Adriatic in front of us. I didn’t mind much the mild disturbance we caused.
“That’s a thing of beauty coming from you.”
All at once, the moment turned ashen, the headiness of the evening dissolving into an unpleasant thrum. It was the familiar dizziness of seeing myself in a different light, as others must see me. I dropped my arm from Georgina and scanned the crowd for my Powell.
The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
+UM Tuckernuck these are so good?! Imagine paired with a black cashmere turtleneck or one of these shrunken cashmere crewnecks in the pink color? Also drooling over the skirt in the same pattern. Very Emilia Wickstead!
+LOVE this brushed cashmere cardi and this feather-embellished top from J. Crew’s latest arrivals.
+Eyeing one of these neckwarmers. It has been COLD here. I’ve been getting a ton of use out of this classic black cashmere scarf, but I like the idea of the neckwarmer for casual wear.
+Speaking of La Ligne, they’ve extended our 10% off code into the new year — MAGPIE10. I have gotten so much wear out of this classic chunky striped sweater — it is super heavy-duty, warm, insulating, cozy, long, oversized. I wore it on the train home from NYC!
+This luxe candle was restocked in the smaller size. I was intrigued by it when the ever-chic Nicole Cassidy listed it as her go-to home scent. I ordered it for my studio and it is divine!
+I find the Caldrea scents elevated — going to try this kitchen hand soap next. We use fancier hand soaps in the bathrooms but the kitchen is so high-traffic with soap I use less expensive there.
+This dress is SO flattering on and I love it in the barely there pink color. Sweet bridal shower dress.
+Hunting for a cute new puffer for my girl – she outgrew hers mid-season, so looking for something to wear this year and (fingers crossed) next. How fun is this?! A splurge but on sale plus extra 20% off right now. Really sad this is sold out in her size…but maybe this classic Gap in the fun silver will be the right ticket.
By: Jen Shoop
The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
Random flotsam from the week:
All good art has a little dash of “what the hell” in it. I am 20% into All Fours by Miranda July and I’d say this has more than a dash of what the hell in it, but I can also tell it’s true art. I am wrestling with its grip, sucked in and repelled in equal measure. I told Mr. Magpie that the book has made me feel destabilized, unsafe even. I’ve never read something that has made me feel this way — in peril? — but isn’t that the point of (some) art, in a way? Pushing you to see the world in a different way, challenging you. Cognitive dissonance. Etc. I did not read any critical material about the book in advance; a girlfriend said it was quite possibly the best thing she’d ever read, and I jumped on board. But maybe read the description first…! About half of my Magpies who read (or started to read it) said it was one of the top books they’d read in a long while, but there was agita in ever those effusive admissions; the other half abandoned it, or outright hated it. Polarizing! Cannot wait to discuss once I’m done, if I finish. I have found myself needing a palate cleanser between sessions.
I spent two quick nights in New York City this week. Such a strange sensation to visit this place that was my home for four years, and yet now feels washed clean of all references to my existence. It’s not like Georgetown, in which versions of myself collect. In New York, I strain to see anything familiar; I feel as though I was hosed away by one of the doormen on 86th Street the day I left, along with the street detritus and debris. New stores on many corners; the usual self-abnegation of wandering around Manhattan, feeling like a nobody. Have you heard that song by Celeste called “Strange”? A younger, moodier version might have dwelt on its lyrics while in New York: “Isn’t it strange / How people can change / From strangers to friends / Friends into lovers / And strangers again?” Only New York is the person; we went from strangers to friends to lovers (and occasional enemies) back to strangers again. I don’t think you ever belong to New York unless maybe you live there for multiple decades and pass multiple phases of life there, enduring its funny way of embracing and then dismissing you, sometimes within the span of a few minutes. Every time we go back, we wonder whether we’d ever move back? Maybe as empty nesters. But then if I am honest, when I imagine “getting away” from our home in Bethesda, I imagine something even more restful and bucolic — a quiet cottage in poplar or pine in which to write by a window, and play card games on an old wood table in the evenings drinking red wine out of juice glasses, and sleep beneath quilts. And so I don’t know where New York would fit relative to that compulsion. Maybe New York is just a place we visit, and a place we’ve only ever visited.
One thing that fascinates me about New Yorkers (and I did a lot of people watching in the 48 hours I spent there) is their manicured insouciance. Absolutely nothing can startle a New Yorker. Faces arranged into perfect impassivity, they notice everything but act as if they’ve seen nothing. I’ve been soaking in Bethesda for awhile now, and I found it hard to suppress my own jumpiness at the beginning of this visit. I really had to push myself to clip back into the headspace — !
I am 60,000 words into my fictional manuscript. I must now turn to editing and elaborating before I embark on the long process of getting it out into the world. Someone asked me the other day “But why fiction? What would you think of pursuing the publication of a book of your essays instead?” And I didn’t have a great answer (although, maybe I can do both — ?) but I thought about what Sylvia Plath once said about writing The Bell Jar, her only novel: “I feel that in a novel, you can get into toothbrushes, and all the paraphernalia that one finds in daily life. I find that in a novel…I can get more of life; perhaps not such intense life, but certainly more of life, and so I have been very interested in novel writing as a result.” She was differentiating the writing of a novel from the writing of poetry, but I think there’s something similar going on when I conceptually compare writing creative non-fiction with writing fiction: it’s given me this new space in which to tease out some of the thematics that interest me without the constraints of essay or memoir. I can try to conjure certain things in specifics, without being bound by what’s actually happened in my daily life. I feel like I can capture more, or reflect more of the real sky.
A little ticky tacky detail: if you are in NYC and want a really good blowout, go to the Julien Farel Salon at the Loews Regency hotel. You can make an appointment online (so easy and frankly a huge selling point — quick, on-the-go booking!). I saw Wayne there and he gave me probably one of the top three blowouts of my life for $75. Plus I love that ritzy corridor on the UES.
I walked through Bergdorf’s while in NYC and the things that tempted me were the display of Ginori, a pair of ultra expensive Loro Piana gloves I don’t need (I have been wearing these $29 cashmere ones — such great colors), and this Loewe bag, which was even chicer IRL. I also saw two women carrying the Loewe bag in the larger size on the Subway this week. I love the glossy gold button, and the larger size actually looks practical for city life. Seemed to hold a lot. // This Varley cableknit puffer is nearly sold out everywhere — SO CHIC. // Today is the final day to redeem your one 20% off code at Sephora (you must be logged in to access — then use code HAVEITALL). Here is what I ordered. I’m especially excited about this eye palette on the heels of our chat about eye makeup. // Dyson Air Wrap on sale for almost 20% off here. You know my thoughts on this tool. Hair-changing, life-changing, etc. // Hunting Season sent me this gorgeous emerald green clutch and I am obsessed with it. Understated luxe. // // Julia Amory discounted her holiday linens — now is a good time to buy one of her beautiful scalloped tree skirts even if just to stow away for next year. // My sister has been hemming and hawing over which tennis bracelet to buy and I steered her towards the Dorsey James — I absolutely love this style. I own the riviere necklace version and wore the entire time in NY this week! //
Sponsored Mention: Healthy meal delivery service Sakara is offering us 20% off with code JENSHOOP. You might remember that they sent me a week’s worth of breakfasts and lunches the week before Thanksgiving and Landon and I were very impressed. (We are going to be enjoying their meal service again this week ahead, in advance of Christmas week!) The key benefits IMO are 1) not having to meal plan, prep, or exert any energy towards deciding what I wanted to eat for the first two thirds of the day (I had not fully realized how much ongoing work this is…); 2) eating healthfully and diversely in a season that tends to be excess-oriented; and 3) enjoying delicious grain and salad bowls that featured ingredients I would not normally have access to / would not think to combine / etc. We were truly impressed with the quality — better than Sweetgreen, and delivered to your door. Mr. Magpie has very discerning tastes in food and it passed his litmus.
You can configure your subscription however you’d like — breakfasts and dinners, lunches and dinners, all three, etc. — but we especially liked the lunches. I think this would be a great investment in your new year — maybe have a few weeks of lunches lined up to get you off and running in 2025, especially after holiday merriment!
By: Jen Shoop
The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation. Image via.
+THE CONFIDENCE ARC: Mr. Magpie told me this week about the Dunning-Kruger effect (see visualization below) — a cognitive bias in which people with limited competence in a particular domain overestimate their abilities, while high performers underestimate them. With time and practice, the latter eventually regain confidence, though. This is aging in a nutshell, isn’t it? In my 20s, I felt I knew everything. In my 30s, I felt I knew nothing. In my 40s, I feel I know a little about a few things. I was reflecting on a narrow manifestation of this earlier this week. At lunch, a girlfriend of mine asked for advice on cold weather running — what to wear, how to commit. For decades, I have cringed anytime calls me a runner or solicits my input on anything running related. I am not a runner. I do not run marathons; I do not run fast or far. I did not compete in high school track and field; I have never participated in a running club. I probably have poor form. And yet for the majority of the past several decades of my life, I have run several miles a few times a week. So, I thought to myself: I do know a few things. And instead of self-deprecating myself out of the question, I shared a few thoughts.
I am finding this such a rewarding part of this phase of life: I have opinions on things that are grounded in years and years of experience, and I can point to specific examples. A badge won the hard way, I guess.
+WINTER WHITES: Inspired by these monochromatic neutral looks from Vilma Bergenheim. Itching to recreate with what’s in my closet. I am going to pull out my ivory Veronica Beard top coat from last season — similar here, here, here, here and something a tad different but super chic here — but I’m also SWOONING over Vilma’s textured Almada coat below left. DROOL. I think because it’s in the same vein as the brushed cashmere micro-trend we’ve been loving!
+EYEING + BUYING: Completely obsessed with this head-to-toe look as styled on Tuckernuck. The wide leg jeans are my current favorite silhouette and I love the dark wash and fit of these. Will pair with my Sezane blazer, Sold Out NYC tee, Cuyana burgundy tote — just need to find a good cardigan like the one shown. Do I need this one in navy?! Love the gold buttons…
Other things I’m obsessing over…note that Hotel Lobby just launched their first fragrance in their bestselling New York scent. I love seeing this brand expand its product offerings. Great scents at reasonable prices.
The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation. Image via Mauviel.
Last week, I mentioned that we paired a bottle of Sophie James sparkling wine (*winner of wine subscription giveaway announced below!) with a miso-glazed cod dish we informally call “candy fish” in our home. I received multiple requests for the recipe! After begging Landon, he agreed to share. Below, find Landon’s version of a famous cod dish served at Nobu. He has developed this recipe over many years, referencing recipes from America’s Test Kitchen, a James Beard cookbook, Food and Wine, and one of our favorite fish cookbooks, Fish Forever. Note that you must marinate this dish for 24-48 hours. We often serve with good rice topped with seaweed salt and edamame or bok choy, but this most recent time, Mr. Magpie paired it with a sesame soba noodle salad. The sugar in the marinade, when broiled, caramelizes into the most gorgeous crust. It is outrageously delicious!
Ingredients
4 – 5oz skin on black cod fillets
¾ cup white miso
6 tbsp sugar
6 tbsp mirin
6 tbsp sake
2 tbsp soy
Process
Mix mirin, sake, and soy in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil to boil off the alcohol.
Off heat, add sugar to the sauce pan and whisk to dissolve the sugar.
Whisk in miso until the marinade is smooth.
Let fish marinate for 24 – 48 hours.
Place rack 8” – 12” from broiler. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees fahrenheit.
Place a wire rack on a baking sheet, cover the rack with aluminum foil, and spray foil with a light coating of cooking oil.
Wipe off excess marinade from fish and place on a prepared baking sheet.
When ready to cook, turn on broiler to oven.
Cook until the internal temperature reaches 125 degrees F – about 8 minutes. Turn the pan half way through. Watch closely as the sugar in the marinade can burn easily. If the fish threatens to burn, return the temperature to 425 degrees.
+Some of our favorite kitchen gear here, here, and here.
Shopping Break.
+Nordies has some really good promos right now — this set of OSEA favorites (haven’t tried the lotion but can vouch for the oil — it’s lightweight and deeply hydrating), these Kyte footies (have gifted many times…ultra-soft and stretchy!), and this tangle teezer, which I sadly just paid full price for elsewhere.
+Sneaky way to get Varley on sale: Neiman’s is offering $50 off orders over $200 — you could pair this amazing fleece with their chic lounge pants and get $50 off the bundle. I go down one size in everything Varley except those pants (take my true size in those).
Tenured Magpie parents: what is your biggest piece of tactical advice to those of us with younger children? I’m looking less for philosophical wisdom and more for fine-grained tips along the lines of curfew policies and navigating how involved you should be in your child’s social network. I’m curious about this because, over the past year, I’ve picked up two pieces of advice from older parents who have been around the block that are already informing my perspective:
The first, from my neighbor who has grown children already out of the home: “Always offer to drive the group.” He was talking about ferrying his children and their friends to homecoming, school musicals, the mall, etc. He said he has learned so much about his children and their friends when playing chauffeur and becomes privy to things they might not otherwise offer up. It has also given him better visibility into the dynamics between the friends in his daughter’s group.
The second, from a friend: “When you volunteer at your child’s school, do it in a way that is visible to your child.” Of course, schools need all kinds of help and support, but if you are (like me) limited on time, you might think about helping with a field trip, recess duty, hot lunch, bake sale, class party, etc — any venue in which your child will see you in the school and appreciate your presence there.
The following content may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
+Bottega gloves look-for-less. I think I might treat myself to these! So chic!
+On the heels of my random commentary on skin gadgets, PMD offered to send me this at-home microderm tool. I’m going to test it, along with the Current Body red light mask, the Newa, and the gua sha and will report back with thoughts, probably in January after I’ve had time to figure them out and really test them for awhile. Based on my recon, all of these tools do different things (!!), which is probably why some of you have been sharing products that do multiple things at once / have different settings / etc. It’s a whole new world. In the meantime, a Magpie reader helpfully shared this Instagram account, which provides a research-oriented approach to skin gadgets. I thought this breakdown on the red light masks was interesting and made me feel excited to keep going with the Current Body one I received.
+Last minute, effortless holiday dressing: these pull-on velvet pants and a cableknit.
+Last minute treat-yourself outfits for holiday travel: the F&E sweat sets (I own multiple styles but this one is my favorite) and the Tuckernuck cashmere hoodie and wide leg sweatpants. You’ll feel pulled together but comfortable.
+Also wanted to mention that a Magpie reader raved about this F&E sweatsuit look for less. I think the code 47DBSYTP gets you 50% off but I could have read that wrong!
+Very limited sizes left in stock, but these Valentina sneakers (more sizes here) continue to be a favorite of mine. They are shearling-lined and slip-on!!! And I love that it adds an extra inch or two to my height. Vibe for less: these New Balances, currently on sale! Pair either of these sneaks with the cashmere sweatsuit or the F&E set and you’re golden for long plane/car travel for Christmas.
+Price drop on these incense smokers so many of you loved! A fun little gift.
+My children have two of these “magic playsets” — one is a library-themed one, the other is this NYC one — and they really love them. They have replica “forms” to fill out in both sets that make them feel very grown up. My son loves to take “orders” with the food cart order form in particular.
+Have you seen Emilia Wickstead’s latest resort collection?! Wow wow wow wow. It’s thrilling to me that labels like this still exist. Clothing for princesses.
Speaking of Veronica Beard, VB is also offering an extra 20% off sale with code FESTIVE20. Don’t miss my striped blazer — now somehow $255 (orig $798). Chanel vibes. Looks fab with black jeans. Meanwhile, these popular kick flares are somehow under $100 and fully stocked. Run TTS – have a good amount of stretch. And this dress was one of my favorite dresses I wore all summer long — now somehow around $200 flat. It is SO chic. Perfect for a country club fete.
Sephora is offering 20% off one order only with code HAVEITALL. You must be signed into your account for the code to work, and you can only use it once. Eek! This is better than the tiered sale they offer periodically throughout the year, as I’m not a VIB Rouge! Currently in my cart: this Makeup by Mario palette (which I mentioned in my Monday post on eye makeup, and this pick was corroborated by this post from Hilary Kerr — thanks to a Magpie reader for sharing that post, which I found very informative!) and this Gucci bronzer, which so many people have recommended over the years and I was just reminded of while deep in a Reddit beauty subthread.
I have a full list of my Sephora favorites saved here!
Last but not least, “it” belt brand Dehanche is still offering 30% off orders over $300. Their Hollyhock belt is MAJORLY trendy and I’d love to get my paws on one. This one is beyond gorgeous. (By the way, two similar styles for less: this B-Low the Belt and this Madewell.)
+Have you heard about the Fara Homidi cream-to-powder lip compact?! I think I first heard about this from Emese Gormley, who really knows her way around cosmetics. I’m so intrigued! I’m on a beauty buying bender if you can’t tell. Also intrigued by their lip pencil. The only lip pencil I use is the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk one and my only gripe with it is that I wish it glided on a little more easily. But the color is perfection.
+If you are panicking about what to buy a tween in your life, apparently these slippers are it. Every week, I wait in Starbucks while my daughter is in her 30 minute guitar lesson and dozens of girls from a nearby high school flock in and out, and 99% of them are wearing these and sweats. And on the sweats front, apparently every tween wants the ones from this brand. Three separate moms mentioned them this week.
+Rothy’s Clogs — I can’t stop wearing or talking about these. My daughter was just wearing them around the house this morning and she said, “I get what you mean, these do kind of massage your feet.” So comfortable.
+Utz Malt Vinegar Chips — just the best. These tie with the Siete Serrano and Vinegar chips. If you are a vinegar head, especially one from the Mid-Atlantic, these are for you.
+La Double J Herald Scarf. Somehow goes with everything in my closet — black, taupe, brown. The pop of pink is so fun, too! Super warm and soft — I’ve been wearing daily.
+Rag + Bone Sofie Jeans (seen below). I’ve written a lot about these lately but they are my current favorite pair of jeans. So flattering and comfortable, and I love the way they look with a slightly pointed boot/bootie. I’m in that phase of denim obsession where I have to actively deter myself from wearing them everyday.
+Lolavie Conditioner and Glossing Detangler. Candidly, I tried the detangler over the summer and was underwhelmed by it at the time, but I’ve now been using multiple Lolavie products for the past few weeks and am totally blown away by the conditioner and detangler in particular. I don’t know if maybe my hair is drier now or just responding differently, or if using the entire system helps, but WOW. My hair feels so silky and glossy! I’m obsessed.
+Evergreen Potpourri — my MIL gifted me this when we hosted Thanksgiving, and we put it out into a decorative bowl in the front living room. It smells incredible and looks festive — and you don’t need to be burning a candle all the time to achieve it! I love to burn candles in the evening but I will say there’s something luxe about walking through a room in the middle of the day and catching an unexpected whiff of Christmas magic. The other holiday scents I’m loving: Linnea’s Noel (burning in our family room) and Linnea’s Forest Fir (burning in our living room).
+Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Pads. Have I been living under a rock?! THESE ARE INCREDIBLE. You must try them. I swear I had new skin in a few minutes. I was so excited I made Landon try it the very night I first used them! I’m so passionate about this, I want to send some to a Magpie reader — just drop a comment and I’ll randomly pick a winner to send some of these and maybe a few other beauty goodies!
+Cranberry French 75s and Mr. Magpie’s Egg Nog. I was so inspired by Katie posting about these (the recipe she used is here) that I literally drove straight to the store that very afternoon to buy the required provisions. So festive and fun. (Ed. note: I would personally advise rounding down in the recommended measurement of cranberry simple syrup in the recipe — I would prefer something closer to 1/2 oz so it’s a tad less sweet!). And we’ve been dipping into Mr. Magpie’s egg nog, which we’ve been aging for several weeks now! His recipe here. We’ve been enjoying both of these out of my favorite coupes.
+My New Balance running vest and Tracksmith running tees. I was just talking with a girlfriend this morning about running in cold weather, and I passed on advice another runner gave to me: it’s about minimizing the amount of skin exposed and keeping your core warm. I wear a hat, earmuffs, neckwarmer, socks, gloves. And I really think a breathable vest helps keep heat in without suffocating you. I have an old NB running vest they no longer make (only avail in one size here) that I wish they’d bring back. In general, every single NB running item I’ve ever purchased has lasted forever and been my favorite in its respective category. I love their heat tech line, and wish they’d come out with more models more consistently! It is SO GOOD. For this reason, I just ordered this half-zip with the same technology as the vest. I would also consider Lululemon’s vest if you’re in the market and can’t find the NB in your size — I like that it’s specifically designed for running, which has its own requirements (needs to be breathable, water-resistant, and insulating, with cleverly positioned pockets; also has to be fairly fitted and not add much bulk). I also love the Tracksmith Brighton tees. They are thin and stretchy but insulate beautifully — and they aren’t itchy despite the merino wool! Good running gear, and stuff that works in the weather, makes the run so much more pleasant. On the running front, I can’t yet vouch for these because I’ve not yet thoroughly tested but I am over the moon — Bose is sending me a set of their open earbuds. This was crazy timing as I was just complaining to Mr. Magpie that my old running headphones died, and I’ve been using my AirPods for awhile and now only one AirPod charges well, so half of my runs, I’m listening to music in only one ear. He was doing research and said the open earbuds are getting a lot of praise because they make running safer (you can hear cars, bikes, etc), and people love the cuff style fit. I cannot wait! Will report back.
+Chef’s Steps 24 Layer Lasagna. Mr. Magpie made this over the weekend and OMG. I’m ruined for all lasagnas. We were speaking in exclamation points about it all evening! Absolutely delicious. Side note: I have had so many people comment on my holiday kitchen towels while in my home. My children were also SO excited when I first pulled them out after Thanksgiving. They are Weezie and such a fun way to extend the holiday decor to the kitchen. The exact trio set I ordered is sadly sold out, but you can still get the wreaths (seen below) here.
+Daphine Fran Earrings(seen below, alongside the La Double J scarf!). I’ve been reaching for these chunky but lightweight gold earrings a ton lately, especially for daytime wear. They look perfect — slightly modern / trendy — against a chunky knit or a slim turtleneck. I love the look, and they don’t weigh down the lobe.
+Dear Anabelle Gift Tags. My children and I spent a good chunk of Sunday afternoon wrapping gifts and I am absolutely smitten with these tags. The paper is thick and luxe, and the tag itself uses a combo of thermography and foil in the cheeriest red script. They are so special and instantly elevate the gift.
+Chip City Cookie Butter Cookie. (You can order them via GoldBelly here!) I stopped into the Bethesda Row Chip City on a total whim as I happened to be parked there and the cookie butter one is OUT of bounds. Mr. Magpie had some buddies over to play poker on Friday, and the second photo below was my sidecar while watching Netflix holiday movies in bed upstairs: glass of champagne and a Chip City sampler.
+The Outset Lip Oasis Treatment. These must have gone viral because they are now sold out EVERYWHERE, but you should put yourself on the notification list. This is definitely the best lip hydration product I’ve ever used. I had been really like the YSE lip mask but the Outset stuff lasts a lot longer / I don’t feel the constant need to reapply.
Not (yet) a favorite thing, but something on my radar at the moment — gadgets for skin. Who uses them, and what do you think? Nellie Diamond of porcelain, ageless skin was recently asked for her skin tips and she said: if you’re in NYC, go to my dermatologist; if you’re anywhere else, a red light mask. I’ve actually had a red light mask (mine is this brand) charging in my office and have not yet tried it, which I know is sinful. I keep finding it challenging to work into my routine — when do I use it? I feel like the best time would be in the morning, after cleansing and moisturizing, before makeup, but that window is SO short for me on schooldays. And then if I wait until after I work out, I’m always chomping at the bit to get to my desk and want to skip this step. Who uses these and how and when do you use? How often?! Help!
While we’re here, I’ve also been eyeing a few other technologies/gadgets for the skin. The first is the Newa, which reportedly helps with collagen production, and the second is the ZIIP, which helps with facial lifting/sculpting. Has anyone used any of these? Do you use multiple or does one override/obsolete the others? It seems like all three do different things. Help!
Last little gadget I did order and can’t wait to test — an inexpensuve gua sha tool. Do these work or was I “got” by a TikTok ad? Haha. Or are there other tools you love?
P.P.S. Widening the margins in my life. Ways I’ve brought this to bear this month: saying no to three holiday events; carving out time to exercise; and purposefully underscheduling us last weekend so we could trim the tree and wrap gifts without feeling time boxed. So glad we did that. It was such a restful and cozy weekend.
I’m all of the sudden very interested in eye shadow and eye liner. For years, I have sworn by Nyx eyeliner in black (ultra-fine-tipped; dries matte; inexpensive), a heavy hand of mascara (I have several favorites but the one I keep going back to is Tower28), and any cream shadow that can be applied with a finger. I have no idea why, but the thought of using a brush to apply a powder shadow feels like a bridge too far in my already-long makeup routine. My two favorite cream shadows / eye “bases” that I wear 90% of the time are Ilia (in the cork color — you’d think this would come out dark but it somehow just evens out the eyelid) and Laura Mercier in wheat or linen (brightens and evens eyelid). This liner-cream-shadow-mascara trio has given a very natural look — like me, but better? — and has been straight-forward to apply. All that said, I don’t know if it’s my winter pallor, overall fatigue, or age (40!) but I’m feeling like I need to turn up the volume a little bit on this scenario because I look in the mirror and see a tired and washed-out me, especially in the eye area. One thing I’ve noticed from having my makeup done every now and then by Glamsquad* is that whenever I think the makeup artist has done a good job, it’s usually because she’s spent a lot of time on my eyes, and they really look defined, contoured, accented. Help! I need to learn how!
I’ve been researching (TikTok videos) and am listing a few of the products that are on my radar below. I especially like the eye shadow sets that have a combo of matte and metallic colors — metallic feels too loud for day, and I always look for a palette that has a good nude/ivory/cream color to use as a base. I have also been obsessing over this bronzed eye liner I saw someone wearing on Instagram, hence the two listed below. Finally, Alix Earle did a video where she applied these Chanel powder shadows and I am dying to try them, too.
On the implement front, I bought this Laura Mercier eye shadow brush years ago (all of their brushes are incredible) and it is still the ONLY ONE I will ever use despite the fact that I have an entire arsenal now. It’s the perfect shape and size.
I feel like I’m set in the brows category — I still love Kosas AirBrow and the eye brow pencil and eye brow pen from BDB. The latter are SO GOOD and about 2/3 or 1/2 of the price of other products that are identical (e.g., the brow pencil is indistinguishable from Anastasia). Feel really good about that trio!
And for undereye — I did cave and order the DRMTLGY undereye corrector so many of you raved about while it was on sale during Black Friday promotions. I plan to layer this beneath my current favorite concealer, Iris + Romeo’s Best Skin Days treatment concealer, which is SO GOOD, especially when applied by this Hourglass brush, which is MEANT for undereye concealer. The Iris and Romeo concealer is what I thought Nars’ radiant concealer would be like based on all the hype, but Nars just never did it for me — it looked cakey and matte and at the same time didn’t provide good coverage? I don’t know, I did NOT get that product. Iris and Romeo’s has a great lightweight consistency but offers solid coverage and is easy to blend.
Finally, I do think that applying a good eye cream and letting it absorb for five or ten minutes before applying eye makeup is critical. I use either UBeauty’s The Return Eye Concentrate (great hydration, silky smooth absorption — my sis was just asking for my rec and I turned her onto this; use code JENSHOOP for 20% off) or this under-$20 caffeine eye cream that works REALLY well on puffy eyes. I will say that Liz Adams was just talking about how she feels like her eyelids are looking really wrinkly and saggy and that all of her followers were raving about this Avene product. I’m intrigued…
But my major secret to bright, happy eyes: these eye patches from Jillian Dempsey. I know I’m a broken record here but they really astound me each time I apply. (Do I need to apply more often?!) They are the only eye product I’ve ever used that leaves my skin visibly brighter. It’s like you’ve just slept a full 24 hours. Your undereye is luminous, moisturized, happy. Someone on Instagram described it as “undereye botox.” Use code JENSHOOP for a discount.
Your turn – please share all your eye makeup tricks and suggestions! Help!
*Reminder that my codes still work at Glamsquad! $20 off for new users with code JenniferS and $15 off for repeat users with code JenniferS15.
