I ordered a honey-walnut latte. I never order flavored coffee drinks (cannot even recall another instance), but the customer in front of me at the Grace Street Coffee window in Bethesda was asking after it, and the barista mentioned that they make their own honey-walnut syrup from scratch, and it was the last week they’d have it, and so — I ordered one. I drove home in a kind of distracted bemusement. Later, I mentioned my rogue order to a girlfriend, who said:
“Oh yeah. Once a season, I treat myself to an egg nog latte at Starbucks. It’s not even particularly good but I love the ritual.”
We decided that it’s the novelty of the order — the indulgence? The deviation from standard practice? The reaching for a small and private solo pleasure?
And maybe it’s also a realization that life is too short to “never” try something just because you’re used to something else.
A latte order is a frivolous example, but the undercurrents reminded me that you can change at any time, and with nobody’s permission. You can play against character. You can take up birding, or rowing, or needlepointing, or any interest for which you’ve harbored secret, off-brand curiosity. You can start waking up at 5 to work out, or you can stop. You can enjoy Danielle Steele and “The Golden Bachelor,” eschewing the historical tomes or documentaries with which you have been historically associated. You can admit you’re a Swiftie, or the opposite. We have too little time to worry about upholding archetypes or personality expectations set by others. You’re different; stay that way. Or, more aptly, permit yourself to be that way.
Another way of saying: let yourself stretch out, limber and loose. And tell me, as Mary Oliver put it, “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
+Cutest textured coatigan — this reminds me of my Talbots one I’ve worn all season long (now sold out), and around the same price. Celine-inspired, for sure!
+I did order these souper cubes on the rec of many of you Magpies who shared your kitchen secrets! Thank you!
+Mi Golondrina has some seriously cute new arrivals if you’re traveling anywhere warm soon. I’m obsessed with this. (PSA that there’s a good cache of gently used Mi Golondrina pieces on The Real Real, too!)
+So many of you LOVE these jeans. I’m obsessed (from afar) with the silhouette and wash, but I did order to try and they didn’t work on my petite and curvy frame. I think maybe better for taller Magpies?
+Contemplating adding one of these tote bags to my rotation. I’ve been carrying my LL Bean tote a lot this winter for casual wear but these are so fun. Especially drawn to this one with the contrast green straps.
+This blowout spray is incredible. I also use the volumizing mist from the same brand at the crown of my head since my hair is so limp / straight / volume-less and it works WONDERS. I’ve found you should only spray a small amount directly at the root just before you’re about to blow-dry for max impact.
+A few sizes of these popular jeans were restocked. Go a size down! Such a great color.
+If you have an engagement portrait or milestone family portrait coming up (e.g., newborn shoot, Baptism photos, etc) and you really want a spectacular piece to wear, you must dig through Matches’ Emilia Wickstead sale section. All of the pieces are beyond elegant, timeless, ladylike, and the tailoring on her pieces is unparalleled. Imagine this skirt and the matching top? Or this garden floral?! Move over, Princess Kate…(Also, lots of good options for mothers of the bride.)
By: Jen Shoop
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
Cheers! I’ve never seen Shopbop offer an extra 30% off its sale section before! Below, my top sale finds. Use code EXTRA30 for the extra discount! Note that this sequined nap dress will likely arrive by NYE if you’re still in the market!
Also a good time to pick up some fab Beyond Yoga fitness pieces at a discount! Can’t rave enough about these spacedye leggings. The softest and coziest!
If you want more Magpie, you can subscribe to my Magpie Email Digest for a weekly roundup of top essays, musings, conversations, and finds.
By: Jen Shoop
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
First up: Target launched a fab new collection with Studio McGee this morning, and you need to know about it. I shared all of my favorite finds here. Run! I predict that many of these items are going to sell quickly. I especially love this lamp and this large, wavy bowl, but everything is amazing! (Like these string lights?!)
Second, a roundup of fabulous home finds under $250 — almost all of which I own…
+Beadboard drying racks. I am absolutely obsessed with this drying rack. Perfect for air-drying performance running gear, anything hand-wash or not to be run through the dryer. I love the look and especially the fact that it can “collapse” so its flush against the wall when not in use.
+Bee door knocker. Every time I share this little guy, you all go crazy for him! I love the whimsy of it on a front door.
+Waffle bed blanket. We use this in our guest room and primary bed room. Perfect, ultra-soft weight. Love the visual texture contrast it offers, too.
+Sferra bath towels. Mr. Magpie surprised me with a new set of fluffy white towels last year from this Italian brand and they are divine. I also love the styles from Matouk and Yves Delorme. All three ultra-plush and long-lasting. (Towels have slowly become my go-to wedding and/or housewarming gift — who doesn’t love and need a thick stack of fluffy, splurge-y white towels?!)
+Bolster pillow in a designer fabric (seen in photo at top; full primary bed details here). These might run a tad over $250 depending on the fabric you choose, but if designer wallpaper isn’t in the home decor budget, these dramatic bolsters are a fabulous way to introduce high-end textiles into a bedroom. We just added one to our primary bedroom over the summer and it brings joy every single day. It’s also a great, semi-temporary way to test out a fabulous pattern without investing in an entire suite of new bedding. This way you can stick with white pillows / duvets / etc but change out the pillow over time. Side note: I love that this brand sells the pillows by the bed side (twin / queen / king) so you don’t need to guess at the appropriate length!
+Brookings table lamp. I bought one of these in the punchy orange hue for my son’s room. My husband told me the next day how much he loved it — how much warmth and coziness it introduced to my son’s room at bedtime. Good lighting is magic! Can completely transform a space or a corner of a space into a nook you want to relax in.
+Chappywrap blanket. We got our first this past fall and I totally understand the hype now. These are soft and big — my kids fight over it, and I love curling up beneath it while watching TV. The patterns are fabulous, too. Like the bolster pillow above, such a clever way to introduce a bold pattern or motif into a room without a huge commitment (e.g., drapes, upholstery, etc.)
+Stainless steel Julep cups. I have these sprinkled throughout our home. I use as a pen cup, small vases, toothbrush holders, you name it! They even look great clustered together on a mantel.
+Ouai detergent. Have heard such good things about this beautifully-scented detergent from one of my favorite haircare lines. It’s in my cart as a little treat to self as we head towards the new year. I’ll reserve this for bedding and towels!
+Pottery Barn Beachcomber Basket. I have and LOVE the tall shape. I keep it in my studio for organizing packages and returns — it is enormous and keeps everything in one place (and relatively disguised). Would also be great for toys, games, throws, etc. So chic!
+Attractive step stool. I love the bold Scandi vibes of this aesthetically pleasing step stool.
+Kassatex has the most attractive bath accessories. I use them in our primary bathroom, guest bedroom bathroom, and powder room. My favorite patterns are The Scala, the Marais, and the Rattan.
+Weezie bath mats and rugs. Weezie really did their homework when designing these! I love these bath mats; the undersides have little grippies that keep them in place, but they’re still machine-washable, and have great monogram options.
+Tucker dining chairs. A Magpie reader favorite, and with good reason. I love the fun / bold colors and the fact that they have no fabric on them. If you have young children, these are your best bet for a chic, colorful pick.
+Half Past Seven rattan tray. A fabulous (large!) size for a bar area or coffee table. The scalloping calls my name. We use this on our coffee table!
+Aerin scalloped frames. These are beyond gorgeous. I love the texture and slight drama they’d add to a mantel / bookshelf / bedside table.
+Minimalist candlestick holders. I love the Scandi-inspired style. I think I might order a few to style our dining room mantel.
+Hill House patterned sheets. I usually reach for white ones, but I’m obsessed with these green trellis patterned ones (on sale!). Grandmillennial chic.
Some days it feels as though my writing manifests like candy floss, out of thin air.
Only it is not thin air at all. It is the sum total of all of the fibrous bits of my everyday life: the conversations with my husband, the midnight hours with sick children, the staring in the mirror, the kind gesture from a neighbor, the heart swells and agonies of a woman moving quietly through her life, trying to do right by the people she loves, including herself.
It is the aftermath of many days of small things: the computation of patterns — both the bruised and the beneficent — in them. Which is to say: I continue to write to make sense of the wild phenomena of living. To cut a codicillary path; to provisionally name the constellations. Ad astra.
I had not known, all those years ago, when I sat down at my tiny white desk in my Georgetown apartment, the one with camel crickets in the basement and my best friend sleeping in the room next door, what I was beginning when I impulsively tapped out the name “thefashionmagpie” and clicked “create site.” What started as unfocused creative effervescence has come to be something else entirely: the firth in which I write to know what I think, and discover, to my continuous shock, that there are other women who feel exactly as I do, or who don’t, and have meaningful feedback on the boat-lengths between us. I do not take lightly your attention, itself a kind of love.
When I wrote that I hope to find more space to stretch in 2024, I should have said that you have paved the way for this ambition. Each time I have pushed myself creatively, I have found a soft landing in you. When I have published wobbly fiction, written about something nearly too-tender to put on paper, aired my dirty laundry in a musing that reveals half-thinking or under-baked assumptions, you have said: “Keep going,” or “Go easy on yourself,” or “I’ve done the same thing.” Thank you for those grace notes.
Christmas is a day of promises come to fruition. We have been preparing the rooms for months now, and are ready for joy’s gilding entrance. When I sat down to write something a propos, I thought first from a spiritual lens but my mind kept wandering over to the foregoing paragraphs, in which I investigate the mechanics by which I have found myself on this test flight I call my creative life. Of how those mechanics are largely driven by your readership. And rather than reform those rivuletting thoughts, I decided to make space for them. So forgive me their possibly ill-timed apparition on this day that is very much not about me, but let me conclude again with a big thank you and a summative, summoning line from Seamus Heaney’s “The Gravel Walks”:
“So walk on air against your better judgement // Establishing yourself somewhere in between.”
Crediting you this Christmas for the airwalk this year, and the past many years, too.
+”…and then you unzip a pouch and find the now-forgotten selection of rocks your daughter insisted on carrying around for months on end, and you find yourself knee-deep in an emotional archaeology.” More on the agony of watching your children get older here.
If you want more Magpie, you can subscribe to my Magpie Email Digest for a weekly roundup of top essays, musings, conversations, and finds.
Shopping Break.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
+Love the color of this half-zip. Would go so perfectly with my newest Beyond Yoga leggings and tank set!
+Just saw a chic pea wearing this Acne Studios sweater and lounge pants situation and thought she looked amazing…get the look for less with this Gap top and bottom set.
+These “iconically soft,” cult-following tees are going to ship soon — buy now if you want before they sell out again! I’ve also heard amazing things about Leset’s boxy Margo tee. One is on its way to me now!
+I mentioned Tarte’s contouring “sculpt tape” in my recent beauty products post, and then I found this $20 mini kit in case you want to test your hand without making a full investment. People LOVE these products! Also found a similar-product-for-less here.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
Quelle semaine! This week, I challenged myself to let go of the inessential (the “smidgies,” as we called them); attended several fantastic holiday festivities that planted me in the holiday spirit; and — my girl lost her second front tooth! She has been on cloud nine. Visits from the Tooth Fairy and Santa in close succession?! Moments like this remind me of how small my children’s worlds are, and how urgent it is to roundly celebrate these milestones. Attention is a form of love.
I cannot get over how adorable she looks with this proud toothless grin. (P.S. – I love the design on her little soft cotton dress — part of an inexpensive two-pack from Old Navy.)
We attended a cocktails and caroling event over the weekend, and while most of the children (mine included) gathered around the musicians with maracas and bells for the majority of the event, at one point, we found my son sitting on a chair at the room’s perimeter with ankles crossed, singing earnestly. He loves, and sings expressively, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town,” and I am writing this down here to remind myself to record him singing it tonight when I tuck him into bed. We carry all the ages of our children with us, but it is a special treasure to hear their baby voices, recorded, years later. (P.S. Micro’s sweater is Trotter’s London.)
I baked the most delicious chewy ginger-molasses cookies over the weekend. They were from Jesse Szewczyk’s Cookies book, which I have referenced many times now. I find the recipes to be excellent, and slightly more interesting than your run-of-the-mill classics. These were a 10/10. Mr. Magpie loved them.
On Saturday morning, my girl woke up warm to the touch, appetite-less, and exhausted. I couldn’t believe it — we’d just gotten through the stomach bug, and Christmas was in sight! I spent most of the morning sitting on the floor of her bedroom while she dozed or quietly played with her LOL Surprise Dolls and we listened to The Magic Treehouse series on audiobook, working on my Christmas cards. (Better late than never — a smidgie kind of thing anyhow. I never think twice when a Christmas card strolls in a few days after the new year!). In a funny way, I knew even as I sat on the floor of her room that I’d never forget that morning: my girl and I huddled together on a chilly holiday morning.
Fortunately, she made one of those rapid recoveries only possible in young children who are basically regenerating their bodies every minute. By the afternoon, she was spry and running around as if nothing had happened.
Our cards are from Dogwood Hill, designed by my friend Riley. I shared my sweater in this week’s “What I Loved Wearing” post, but it deserves another shout-out. I find myself often reaching for it in lieu of a sweatshirt — it has the best weight and is ultra-soft/plush. Also a perfect match for my Beyond Yoga set! Have we talked about the Beyond Yoga leggings? They rival Aligns in my book in terms of comfort. Love the spacedye fabric, too.
The view from my desk at the top of the week. A girlfriend sent me a copy of High Vibrational Beauty: Recipe and Rituals for Radical Self Care a week or two ago. A good starting point for a week in which I was determined to “drop the smidgies.” Behind the book: Camilla Moss scripture cards and a little water color my friend Inslee painted me. Its colors draw me toward a place of playfulness when I glance over at them.
At the other end of my rickety desk (can you see it’s chipped, peeling, and quite literally on its last legs?! I’ve had this since college and continue to nurture a bizarre attachment to it): a photograph of my grandmother (I see so much of her in me now: “I saw my grandmother just now — I was looking in the mirror, and she stared straight back”) and a drawing from my son (one of the first times he wrote “MAMA”). Roots and branches. (So many of you asked where the frames were from — they’re these!)
Though these desktop companions occasionally encroach on my sense of space (every now and then, I will dramatically remove everything from my desk so I have an entirely open desktop), they are more consistently my muses. Calliopes, all. I am fortunate to be surrounded by these well-wishers.
On Monday night, I had a girlfriend over to watch the Kacey Musgraves Christmas special. I watch this yearly, with varying degrees of investment. Last year, we had a bigger group of friends over, drank martinis (some of our favorite martini recipes here), and put out an elaborate spread that included homemade Swedish meatballs (more details here), but this year, we dialed it back, and it was just as lovely. It felt like a pause in the rush of the week: low-key (mostly store-bought) nibbles, a bottle of champagne and some homemade egg nog (recipe here), and idle chatter, largely speculating on which other contemporary celebrities would or should put on a fabulous Christmas special. We decided Taylor’s would feel too produced, Miley’s too dark/irreverent, etc — and landed on Lady GaGa as the perfect performer for this kind of special. We also unpacked our twin attraction to Kacey’s show. My friend smartly observed that neither of us have any cultural reference point for this type of show (though they were very popular in the 50s, 60s, etc!), and yet we viscerally understand the kitsch and tropes Kacey deploys throughout — how? Where do we grab onto these things? Interesting, always, to reflect on how and by virtue of which inputs we piece together our impressions of various cultural phenomena, including the cult of celebrity.
Not particularly seasonally appropriate, but Mr. Magpie and I mixed up some Mai Tais this week. Sometimes you need a palate cleanser! In the background, you can see that I keep all of the holiday cards we receive in a tartan tray similar to this. My daughter loves to leaf through them on the couch.
I’m concluding this week’s diary with something a Magpie wrote in a comment this week:
“I read something a few years ago that said you could ask members of your family at the start of December what ONE activity/moment they most remember enjoying from last Christmas (you pick one too!). Work together schedule those things. Then the most important thing: let go of the other things!! And if you don’t let go of them, remember that you are doing them because YOU want to. If at some point you decide you don’t want to: take the kiddos ice skating or go to the zoo lights or bake the cut out cookies, and those things weren’t on your list…then don’t! They weren’t on the list!”
I absolutely love this rubric — a practical method for “living out what matters to you.” Using time as a tool to express your values, your interests. How you spend your days is how you spend your life…!
And, finally, on the shopping front: a girlfriend of mine wore the most fabulous gold flats to a Christmas tea we attended this week. They were by Emilia Wickstead (these, in gold, sold out everywhere but you can find variations on The Real Real) and I am now OBSESSED with her footwear. Lots of good options on sale here and here. I think I must have this pair.
A couple of other great shopping finds from the week…
Purchased my favorite weekly planning pad / agenda — it’s under $20 and no-frills but absolutely perfect for my needs. I like to have a lot of space to write my to-dos each day. I supplement with this Appointed agenda, which I use solely to map out my essays and posts for Magpie and to jot down the highest-level goal(s) for each day — 1 or 2 max. For example, if I’ve been putting off filling out paperwork for something, I will jot that down in BIG letters and circle it, as in: YOU MUST DO THIS BEFORE THE DAY IS OVER COME HELL OR HIGH WATER. Somehow seeing the top-level, highest priority item isolated on that pad, next to my planned writing for the day, helps me focus. They can otherwise get lost in my laundry list of to-dos.
Finally, I stocked up on activities for the kids — I just know I’ll need some indoor activities during their winter break. I think they’ll freak over decorating/painting these peg dolls. If you are facing down a long, indoor, at-home break, some more ideas for entertaining young children here and here.
This Week’s Bestsellers.
Lots of last-minute gift purchases from this under-$50 gift guide this week! Not too late to order one or two to deliver after Christmas. (A smidgie!). Loved all the loungewear items you were into this week — I am also in the process of information-gathering as I scout out a couple of elevated athleisure pieces for true winter hibernation. I’m contemplating a few pieces from Mate, The Great, and Vuori. Any other brands you want me to review in this category?
My son has trotted out the same anecdote three or four times this season: “Do you remember last year when we were driving back from Mimi and Grandpa’s and Daddy told us to look for Santa in the sky, and I said, ‘Who’s Santa?'” He delivers this with newborn archness each time, his eyes shining and his mouth twisting into a mischievous smile. Despite the fact that I don’t understand the punchline or recall the exchange, I laugh indulgently. Its repeat performances draws to mind the topography of my own childhood Christmas memory line: years that fuse together, details that gleam almost at random. Laying on the carpet of the living room, looking up at the tree lights overhead with my sister. The itchy plaid flannel pajamas my mother mandated for several Christmas Eves in a row. My bowl cut hair; waiting at the top of the steps as my Dad fumbled with the video recorder downstairs. “Wow, it looks like Santa caaaame!” he’d yell. A pair of Joe Boxer brand plaid pajama pants — this elastic waist band, brand emblazoned on it — that I loved as a tween that I remember wearing one Christmas Eve while my brother and I played hours of Mario Kart. The record my parents played each Christmas until they upgraded permanently to CDs: “A Child’s Christmas Treasury” I think it was called. My Dad’s favorite Christmas album: Elvis’s. The scotch tape always in our stockings that perfumed everything else it touched.
I am reminded of Dylan Thomas’ “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” in which he captures so crisply the peculiar continuities and discontinuities of childhood Christmases. How some details jut out, but you can’t place the year: you must ski in on them, landing in odd embankments.
Thomas writes:
“One Christmas was so much like the other, in those years around the sea-town corner now, out of all sound except the distant speaking of the voices I sometimes hear a moment before sleep, that I can never remember whether it snowed for six days and six nights when I was twelve, or whether it snowed for twelve days and twelve nights when I was six.
All the Christmases roll down towards the two-tongued sea, like a cold and headlong moon bundling down the sky that was our street; and they stop at the rim of the ice-edged, fish-freezing waves, and I plunge my hands in the snow and bring out whatever I can find.”
I’m sitting with his words today as I watch my own children amass their own holiday memories. Which will be the details that persist, and impress? Which will blur featurelessly together?
Post-Scripts.
+J. Crew’s just-released rollneck sweaters are phenomenal. Very La Ligne-esque with the wide ribbing, and the colors/stripes are SO good. I say go with the ivory (you’ll wear it forever and ever, trendy glacial blue, or navy stripe!)
+Cutest little pouch for a baby bag. Speaking of babies: I still receive emails from Kyte (my favorite sleep sack for my children — so, so soft) and how beyond adorable is their new vintage planes pattern?! I love to give these sleep sacks and jammies as gifts. So plush and sweet and lots of gender-neutral colors. I was so thrilled/touched when one of my girlfriends brought her daughter home from the hospital in the Kyte zippered footie I’d given her!
+I’ve been on a base layer buying spree. Just discovered the brand Almina and love the look of these lettuce-leaf-edged ribbed long sleeved tees for layering beneath my fleet of cardigans. Also love this simple scoopneck.
+Into the look of these Everlane crewnecks, too. (And these jeans from Everlane also turned my head…!)
+These Uniqlo beanies sell out nearly every year — great colors and on sale!
+Gorgeous piece of furniture for a back patio. I always feel like we need a “side board” or some place (that isn’t our dining table) to put things like the speaker, mosquito repellent (Thermocell is amazing), etc.
BETTER VIEW OF THE DORSEY CRAWFORDS — NOT FEATHERWEIGHT BUT NOT SUPER HEAVY, EITHER; I LIKE THE FRENCH BACKING STYLE TO HOLD THEM IN PLACE WITHOUT DRAGGING LOBE
BEYOND YOGA LEGGINGS // ALICE WALK SWEATER // CRUMBS FROM BREAKFAST
TWAS A TARTAN WEEK — WORE THIS HHH ELLIE (SIMILAR HERE, ON SALE) TO WATCH THE KACEY MUSGRAVES CHRISTMAS SHOW WITH MR. MAGPIE AND A GIRLFRIEND // MY FAVORITE $12 RHINESTONE HEADBAND (ORDER FOR NYE!) // DORSEY CRAWFORD EARRINGS
If you want more Magpie, you can subscribe to my Magpie Email Digest for a weekly roundup of top essays, musings, conversations, and finds.
By: Jen Shoop
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
Every few months, I log onto TikTok and fall down a beauty blogger rabbit hole. I can’t explain why I enjoy this niche so much except to say that I have always loved playing with makeup and some of these women are true artists. On my most recent tumble, I emerged with a full shopping cart of new viral-ish beauty products that I’m desperate to try…
+Chantecaille Sheer Glow Bronze Skin Tint. (Selling out quickly all over, FYI!) People are saying this is like Drunk Elephant’s wildly popular D Bronzi drops or Tarte’s Sculpt Tape but with a bit more coverage (less like skincare, more like makeup). I ordered this and have been playing around with it — I’m wearing it in the photos above and below. Most of the bloggers I watched were using these kinds of products for countouring — they’d dot the product around the perimeter of their faces and then under cheekbones — and I am an amateur in this technique. I have been brushing on along my hairline/nose/cheeks, blending in, and then topping with powder bronzer (I am still hooked on Guerlain’s Terracotta Powder in shade 3) and love the effect. It truly looks like a natural sunkiss! I’m obsessed! (Dress in photos is Doen; earrings are Dorsey — exact style sold out but very similar from same brand here.)
+Kosas Cloud Set Powder. I ordered this to try in one of the mini sizes (LOVE when beauty brands offer mini sizes so you can test drive before making a bigger investment). “Unreal pressed powder for real-life dream skin. A super soft, sheer setting + smoothing powder baked with skincare actives that sweeps away shine (not glow). Feels like nothing, looks like everything.” I saw a lot of people use this to set foundation.
+Makeup By Mario Eye Shadow Palette. Next up on my shopping list. So many people have been raving about these palettes! I like this matte one — I’d wear a lot of these colors for everyday — but this “ethereal eyes” palette has been garnering a ton of love. The colors are spectacular.
+Kingmas Foundation Brush. $8 and gets lots of great reviews. Ordered! Hard to imagine anything can beat my beloved Merit brush (I realized one thing I like is its shortness/squatness — I feel like it gives you so much control over dappling and blending products). I use the Merit one for foundation, concealer, cream blush, cream bronzer, highlighter…the best.
+Charlotte Tilbury Makeup Setting Spray. I have been using setting spray the past few months, after my two girlfriends looked at me in shock when I told them I didn’t use this kind of product. (“It’s the only way to make makeup last!”) I’ve been…underwhelmed? Maybe I’m not using enough? Maybe the brand I bought just doesn’t work? It just feels like another step. The TikTok world seems to think that C.T.’s formula is the formula to use. Intrigued…anyone had good results with this?
+Huda Beauty “Easy Bake” Loose Setting and Baking Powder. Another technique that is probably far beyond my abilities: “baking.” Per Sephora, “After applying concealer, apply a generous layer of powder under the eye, on the T-zone, laugh lines, outer corners of the mouth, and chin. Let the powder sit for 3-5 minutes before dusting off excess.” Apparently these “bakes in” the concealer for long-lasting coverage.
+Benefit Gimme Brow. A few Magpies have recommended this over the years. I’ve been loving this Kosas Airbrow but want to try Benefit’s formula next. I do have to say that a BIG change in my daily makeup routine this year has been paying attention to filling in / gelling my brows. I think this makes such a huge difference in framing and balancing my face!
+Word has it these beauty sponges are just as good as the official “Beauty Blender” brand but a fraction of the price.
+Chanel Highlight Stick. I do not need another highlighter…do I?! This looks fairly similar to my Merit highlighter but people have been raving about it.
+Hourglass AirBrush Concealer. I need a new lightweight concealer. I use my Kevyn Aucoin SSE for undereyes and serious blemishes but could use something a little more blendable and heavy duty elsewhere (e.g., redness on sides of nose, discolorations, etc). This one is looking promising.
A few beauty products I’m currently testing…
+Westman Atelier Mascara. I like this a lot, but do not think it’s worth $45. I find it very similar to my longtime favorite “dramatic” mascara, Armani, which is $12 less. Both of these are inky, full-court press type mascaras. For everyday wear / a more natural look, Ilia’s remains my favorite.
+First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads. Have been really enjoying these as a last step in cleansing my skin. I feel like it really gets every last bit of grime / product off your skin thanks to the textured pad, while applying great ingredients that promote turnover.
+Rephr makeup brushes! The brand sent me an assortment to test. The fibers are ultra-soft. I am finding them great for powders, but not ideal for creams/gels. Will report back after further use!
+Goop All in One Nourishing Face Cream. Great at hydrating but does not absorb as quickly / well as other formulas I’ve tested. I’ve usually been using this at night because I’m not in as much of a rush to, for example, quickly apply makeup afterward. I like the way my skin feels in the morning. Still, not 100% in love with the consistency. It’s been a tough pill to swallow after using a gifted bottle of Augustinus Bader for the past few weeks. I really did not want to love the A.B. and when I first started using it, had a chip on my shoulder — “This lotion better not only make my skin look great but, like, take out the garbage and do the dishes too” — but it truly is an incredible product. I do not think I can bring myself to buy a new tube but might splurge when I find it on sale.
A few beauty products I’m obsessed with at the moment…
+This Merit lipstick. For most of my make-up-wearing life, I’ve avoided lip products unless going out or really getting done up. I find chapsticks just dry my lips out, gloss irritates me (hair gets stuck / lips stick together!), and with lipstick, you run the risk of a color-on-tooth incident, or having it wear out in weird ways, leaving lips filled in half-way. This year, I’ve become a lip product girlie. I love UBeauty’s lip plasma for a quick swipe of color that also fills/plumps lip, and Merit has the most satin-smooth, hydrating consistency! The shade “Millennial” is 100% perfect.
+Westman Atelier Foundation Stick. Whenever I need extra coverage (more than tinted moisturizer / the Merit Complexion stick), this is my best friend. It applies and blends so beautifully. I will never leave her! Like your skin, but perfected.
+Westman Atelier Brow Pencil. OK, I’ve come around to this product. (Thank you, Mom, for the rec!) I was initially off put by the precision it requires in application, but now I use it for a very specific reason: my brows are uneven, and one has a little bald patch. I apply this to fill in that blank and even out my brows more generally, almost like I’m coloring over them with a colored pencil. Then I use the Kosas gel to tint and hold everything in place.
Finally, a handful of random beauty-related items…
If you want more Magpie, you can subscribe to my Magpie Email Digest for a weekly roundup of top essays, musings, conversations, and finds.
By: Jen Shoop
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
A round up of the bestsellers for the entire 2023 year, excluding Amazon, which I’ll share separately. I found this list deeply compelling — I need to finally give that CE Ferulic acid a try! I love Vitamin C products but had heard it smells strange (plus, $$$). Still, so interesting that so many of you love it! I own 75% of the rest of the items on the list and adore them, too. The bra is a no-brainer — you need it in your rotation — BUT bear in mind that many Magpies have written to say that the one from Target’s diffusion line with the same brand is basically identical and less than 1/2 the price. If you’re on the less-endowed side of the spectrum, I know you will love these bralettes as much as I do. Obsessed. Butter soft and delightful.
03. THIS MAGPIE EDIT (SO RANDOM – BUT IT WAS THIS POINT THIS SUMMER THAT THE EDIT STARTED TRANSITIONING INTO MY WEEKLY DIARIES, WHICH HAVE BECOME SUCH A LOVELY RELEASE AND CONNECTION POINT)
In terms of the most-commented-upon…
01. This essay on my daughter’s forbearance in facing an eye condition that has required ongoing treatment since she was around a year old.
If you want more Magpie, you can subscribe to my Magpie Email Digest for a weekly roundup of top essays, musings, conversations, and finds.
By: Jen Shoop
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
I discovered and fell in love with so many amazing finds this year. Sharing a roundup of standouts below. Not seen: About 1/2 my wardrobe is now Doen, but their pieces sell through so quickly, it was hard to find just one to share. But I will simply say that when I go to get dressed, their pieces are exactly what I want to wear: chic but laid back, with great details and patterns. This is my latest acquisition — perfect with little booties and a cardigan while chilly, or brown leather (or gold!) sandals in warmer weather.
01. LAKE PAJAMAS RELAX SET — The most elite loungewear. These saw me through several sick days and countless sleep-filled-and-not nights. Softest, swingiest material.
02. DORSEY SMALL HEART NECKLACE — Engraved with my children’s first initials (E+H), I wear this daily. Easy to layer or wear on its own. I have it in the 15.5″ length. I normally pair it with this Jane Win necklace I got last year, engraved with my husband’s initials.
03. APPOINTED NOTEBOOKS — I do a lot of drafting and note-taking by hand. These are my absolute favorites. I love the lovely linen-effect covers, the thickness of the pages, the options (gridded, lined, blank!), and the fact that you can get a monogram.
04. VERONICA BEARD FERAZIA DENIM BLAZER — I got so much wear out of this. So chic with a white tee and jeans, or layered over a little dress. I love its button-ed up structure (and glossy buttons!), but the denim makes it feel a little less stuffy.
05. BYREDO MOJAVE GHOST PERFUME — My signature scent. Immediately makes me feel like a more interesting, well-traveled woman than I am – ha!
06. GOOP GLOW EXFOLIATOR — My favorite two-minute skin fix. Both a physical and chemical exfoliant. Any time my skin needs a reset/refresh, I use this.
07. LESET POINTELLE TEES — Can’t live without. I’m basically wearing these 5/7 days of the week beneath a rotation of sweaters (some of my favs here).
08. SENNHEISER MOMENTUM 4 NOISE CANCELING HEADPHONES — Biggest upgrade to my creative life. These are a life saver for working from home while in a good flow and needing to tune out ALL the noise. Sometimes I just wear these with no music on for muted / muffled background nose.
09. GAP KICK FIT JEANS — My most-worn jeans. So comfortable and so flattering.
10. MERIT FLUSH BALM IN STOCKHOLM — I love this glide-on, buildable blush formula, and especially in this bright and happy pink color. Wore this most days of the year. Recently been wearing the Apres color for a darker / more seasonal color but still reach for this — instant mood elevator.
11. HUNZA G PAMELA SWIMSUIT — So chic, flattering, and comfortable! I just found it on sale for $103 here! I also have the classic u neck style and love that one, too. I just my bought bestie the classic black as a 40th birthday gift. She needed to know the magic of Hunza! Love the striped options they just released as well!
12. STAPLES TRU-RED GEL PENS — The best. I’m obsessed with the flow, the fine point, the rubbery feel of the pen itself. These are scattered throughout all my bags, drawers, pen cups.
14. ROZ FOUNDATIONS SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER — A delightful new entrant into my shower routine. Similar in result / feel / luxuriousness to Oribe, but a little less expensive, and with a better lather.
15. TERRY CLOTH HEADBAND — Love this while getting ready / applying a face mask. Such a little and random joy-sparker for me (with functionality — keeps water out of hair!)
16. DORSEY CRAWFORD EARRINGS — OK, technically I’ve been wearing my Margaux earrings (very similar looking but sold out) the most (nearly every day since they arrived, no matter what I’m wearing), but these also arrived in the mail recently and they are similarly wearable. They elevate everything.
17. SLIP SILK SKINNY SCRUNCHIES — Love for pulling back hair while washing face / padding around house / etc. Don’t break/kink hair and soft enough to sleep in.
19. UBEAUTY LIP PLASMA — Fills and plumps lips in the most attractive way. Obsessed. Start with the “Rose” color while in stock!
20. DANS LA MAIN SEAGRASS KELLY — I wore this all summer and into the fall. Just SO fun but polished — unexpected and a cool shape. Other colors available.
21. WEEZIE FRENCH TERRY ROBE — I wear this every single morning over my pajamas while getting the kids out the door. Also love while getting ready to go out. A wonderful lightweight with a very long sash that doesn’t come undone.
“The saltings” of motherhood: “the sticky, swampy parts that nearly all of us footslog into and out of over the course of our motherhoods, unsure of footing, prey to unknown tides”
I am so glad you are here, Magpie. Thank you for the ride this year.
If you want more Magpie, you can subscribe to my Magpie Email Digest for a weekly roundup of top essays, musings, conversations, and finds.
By: Jen Shoop
In recent years, I’ve wandered away from the notion of “new year’s resolutions” and instead set an “intention” for each year. (Last year’s was “flow,” and years prior have included “grace” and “gentleness.”) Intention-setting feels gentler as an approach to self-improvement, and I like the practice of using the word as a “base-line” or “recentering tactic” over the course of a day, week, month. “How well did I model ‘flow’ today?” is the perfect, lightweight-but-generative dusktime audit. (I’d give myself middling marks on this intention, if I’m honest. I still found myself bristling, rushing when I did not need to, straining against the way things unfolded. However, I did cultivate awareness in this area. I am now hyper conscious of when I am not “letting things go” / “going with the flow.” I see myself as the jutting stone around which the stream is forking. This is a promising diagnostic ability. It will take more work to instinctively, rather than retroactively, bend, though. A few big turning points for me this year were letting go of some of my parenting bugaboos (for example, letting my daughter more or less dress herself), embracing the concept of “a soft landing,” and really, truly learning that not all things in life resolve to a fine point, and that sometimes I must leave it as it lays.)
An encore of the “flow” intention would probably suit me well for these reasons, but I found myself reaching for something else:
Stretch. Not in the sense of “straining to make things work” or “reaching for bigger goals,” but rather: sitting in the center of a room, sprawling out. Shaking out my limbs, leaning elastic, unfurling into the day.
I think what I really mean is: making space. Giving myself more margin. Giving others the same. Truly being present — taking up room, focusing, bringing my whole self — in the areas that matter to me. Replacing fractions with whole numbers: I don’t want to give 75% of myself anymore because the other 25% is frittering away focus in some other, lesser important domain.
So here is my yogi-like 2024 program: stretch and make space.
Do you have a word of an intention for the new year?
Post-Scripts.
+On a more tactical level (and all of these “ladder up” to my “make space” intention!), I’d like to read a little bit every day and get outside more often.
If you want more Magpie, you can subscribe to my Magpie Email Digest for a weekly roundup of top essays, musings, conversations, and finds.
Shopping Break.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
+Love the look of this bold gold drop earrings. Look for less with these, or in fun color here.
+Wearing these jeans with a metallic turtleneck (this VB would be a major upgrade pick option — love the subtle drape) to hang with a girlfriend tonight for a cocktail!
+Chic way to display a coffee table book. We also love this (collapsible!) cookbook stand for cooking in the kitchen. Handsome enough to leave out if need be, but can also collapse flat and be stowed with cutting boards.
+My kind of every day dress for slightly warmer weather. I saw this and thought it’d also be good for post-partum — nursing-friendly, loose-fitting, but pulled together. Could be cute for a newborn photo shoot. Related: over the years, I field lots of questions about “basic dresses” that can be worn infinity ways. This navy one is one of those unicorn dresses. Dress up, dress down. Classic but not uptight.
+Love this bedside table. The pull-out tray is so clever, and I love when they offer storage — why not?! Keep everything hidden in there that need not be accessible at all times.
+Rainy day activity to tuck away for your kids when they’re on day 235 of winter break.
+Gorgeous winter dress. The hot pink velvet! Contemplating for my husband’s January birthday!
+Bar area upgrade. More of our favorite barware here.
By: Jen Shoop
We compiled all Magpie recipes into beautiful cards for your kitchen! Get the recipe card collection in your inbox here.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links below, I may receive compensation.
What are some of your most leaned-upon bits of wisdom when in the kitchen?
The first that came to my mind was the notion that the stove works for you. When I was younger, I remember frantically dicing last minute mise-en-place while the pan would sizzle, screaming hot. The stove was in control. Someone told me at some point that “the stove should work for you, not the other way around,” and I’ve never looked at a hot pan the same way. You can always remove the pan from the burner or turn down the heat. If you’re not ready to boil the pasta but the water is boiling, just reduce the heat until you are! The stove — temperature in general — is just one ingredient that you need to learn to control as you cook.
A few other random perspectives, secrets, and mini-enhancements, most of them less philosophical than the foregoing:
+Extend the life of fresh herbs by placing their stems in a water glass filled partway with water, just as you would cut flowers. Place a baggie loosely over the top. We’ve had herbs last at least 2x as long as they would in a little clamshell or just placed in a drawer this way.
+We buy spices in bulk (in the flat packs that ship free) from Spice House and then decant into jars that we sort, roughly, into two big bins (<<these are my favorite bins for organizing utility areas of the house; also great for things like batteries, light bulbs, under-the-sink, etc.) — the first for spices beginning with letters A-M, the second with spices beginning with letters N-Z. Mr. Magpie labels the jars with the spice on the lid (so easy to see from a birds-eye view) and the expiration date on the side (very easy to let spices expire — not that they usually turn “bad” or “rancid” but just lose their flavor / potency).
+On the spices front, if you buy spices in their whole pod/seed form (e.g., coriander seed, allspice berries, cumin seed), they basically do not expire. You can then just grind them (to order, or in smaller batches) using a spice grinder (we have two of these — one we reserved for coffee beans and one for spices, before we upgrade our coffee grinder to this — or you’d end up with spice-flavored coffee). This is an excellent way to prolong the lives of pricier spices.
+Soak fresh fruit in a solution of 1 tsp baking soda per 2 cups water, then drain and rinse. Baking soda acts like a mild abrasive to remove impurities and pesticide residue. There is some skepticism about the overall efficacy of this (how much are you actually removing?) but we do this for things like grapes and berries — you can really see a difference in the fruit’s skin. Especially grapes — always so dusty! Soaking them in water, period, helps, but the baking soda is an added layer.
+Read the instructions through entirely from top to bottom at least 2x before starting.
+Stow fresh bread (sourdough loaf, baguette) in a large baggie. If you stow in a paper bag, it dries out. The baggie does mean that it will lose its crispness/crust, but then we just warm in a low oven (250) for a few minutes to bring it back to life. This is the best way to enjoy fresh bread over multiple days — otherwise, it’s too stale by day two!
+Reheat takeout fries by spreading out on a large baking sheet (make sure fries have a lot of “elbow room” / aren’t squished up together / are in one layer) and spritz with Pam. Place in a 350 degree oven until you start smelling them (usually a few minutes). They are unbelievably crisp!!
+Two perhaps unexpected items we use constantly in the kitchen: our scale and our OXO funnels. For example, over the weekend, I used the funnels to pour simple syrup I’d made into a squeeze bottle and to transfer pancake batter into a squeeze bottle (you can make shapes / letters this way in the pan!). Also helpful when discarding used fry oil — funnel into a used plastic bottle to discard (not good to put down the drain).
+On the scale front: my baking results changed dramatically when I started cooking by weight. Temperature, brand of ingredient, variations in ingredients (e.g., fat percentage in butter you use, “fluffiness” of brown sugar, etc) can impact measurements! We also use to, for example, mete out dinner-sized portions when freezing leftovers. Mr. Magpie will usually freeze just enough for a dinner or lunch for two people in each baggie. That way we can grab and defrost just enough for a meal at a time.
+On the freezing leftovers front: Mr. Magpie loves his vacuum sealer. It really prolongs the life of frozen foods (no freezer burn / frost!). Also used heavily for cooking sous-vide.
+We keep our most-used kitchen implements in two places: a crock by stovetop for easy access (mainly spatulas, large spoons, and our spider whisk) and a large top drawer in our island, sorted in this organizer (quality is incredible and can expand/retract to fit your drawer’s dimensions). This top drawer includes: several sets of tongs, a whisk and mini whisk, peeler, two mini spatulas, wine key, thermometer, kitchen shears, microplane. The drawer is delightfully uncluttered so you can easily find what you need at all times. The rest of our implements (items used less frequently — chef’s presses, can opener, apple corer, different sizes of whisks, bench scraper, ice cream scoop, etc) are kept in large bins in the next drawer down.
+Speaking of kitchen implements: one unexpected one that has made its way permanently to “the top drawer” (e.g., heavy use category) is the strawberry huller. Our kids are fruit flies and we go through a lot of fruit — especially berries — each week. This strawberry huller has probably saved us hundreds of dollars in wasted strawberry tops.
+Use the reminders app in your iPhone to create shopping lists by store. We have ones for the grocery store, Costco, and beverages. That way you can just yell at Siri when you think to add something to the grocery list: “Hey Siri, add pistachios to the grocery list!” Mr. Magpie and I set these reminders lists to “shared” so we can both add to them and then whoever stops by the grocery next knows exactly what to buy.
+We always keep some butter at room temperature in our butter keeper. Makes it so much easier to spread onto toast or swirl into steamed veggies. We keep the rest of our butter in the freezer until needed. We buy unsalted Kerrygold butter in bulk from Costco. This is one of those things that is totally and 100% the “splurge.” Everything tastes better with good-quality butter. Baking, toast, etc! You will not regret it.
+Save deli quart and pint containers from takeout restaurant by running through the dishwasher. These make the best “mise en place” containers — we just label the top with contents using painter’s tape and a sharpie; you can then peel off the painter’s tape and repurpose. These containers are especially useful for stowing things like bacon fat — the plastic is pliable so you can really get every last bit out.
+Wash and dry the Kuhn Rikon peelers and any knives (we mainly have Shun for everyday use, and then. Mr. Magpie has an assortment of very fancy Japanese knives for specific purposes that I’m too afraid to touch) immediately after use. This prevents rust/corrosion. (BTW, just a random reminder that K.R. peelers are the most elite peelers.)
+Glass tupperware is generally infinitely better than plastic. There are the environmental reasons, and from a functional standpoint: glass does not warp, discolor, or take on scent. Works in microwave, oven, dishwasher. Our most-used sets are by Snapware and Pyrex. The Pyrex set has some particularly useful sizes — we use those little ones constantly for leftover small portions / cut limes or onions / etc.
+We keep lots of small cutting boards on hand. Great for dicing / slicing small amounts of things, making sandwiches, quickly cutting something in half, etc. My favorite are the hi-soft ones from Tenryo.
+Mr. Magpie regularly sharpens our knives (he will take his roll of knives up to New York to the Korin store up there!) — dull knives are a big hazard! — and oils our Boos blocks.
+A great, simple weeknight recipe. Probably best suited to spring/summer but sometimes you need a mid-winter palate cleanser. We also love this peel and eat shrimp recipe for weeknights.
+In top photo: our well-loved, dog-eared and oil-splattered copy of La Gran Cocina (our Bible for Latin cooking), a mini Epicurean cutting board, and a citrus press.
+J. Crew is running one of those epic extra 60% off sale promos. Boys pocket tees (Hill has these in tons of colors) and girls’ graphic tees (<<mini has this one) are a few dollars apiece! This is my favorite time to stock up on basics for the kids.
+I love my new Negative henley so much, but it is a tad revealing for public? I was just looking for alternative styles with more coverage. Drawn to this bodysuit style, this striped J. Crew, and this waffled one from Askk NY.
+We will have a lot of downtime in the coming weeks with no childcare, so I panic-ordered a ton of arts and crafts supplies in the middle of the night. I picked up this craft kit (Kid Made Modern ones are nicer, and make better gifts, but I figure this cheap set will be perfect for a long morning), some blank peg dolls for them to decorate / draw characters onto, construction paper, and new markers and gel crayons (I love the Ooly brand ones but was going for dazzling expansiveness with a lower price tag).
+Another idea, if you’re in the same boat: last weekend, Mr. Magpie spread a roll of Melissa and Doug easel paper out across the floor of our front hallway and pulled out all of our Ed Emberley books. The kids were hard at work for a long time drawing “a city” with different characters.
+For my resort-bound girlies: this Juliet Dunn, everything Marea (especially love this kaftan and this mini), and a new Hunza G (<<so many fun new colors / stripes / options!)
