We’re back from vacation — our first since mini was born nearly a year ago! Ay ay ay! We visited my parents, who have a beautiful winter home in Naples, Florida, and it was balmy and sunny and we ate so well (stone crab claws! fennel-flecked italian sausage on the grill! big eye tuna in a basil marinade! juicy shrimp in butter and garlic! mint chip gelato! wedges of melon! flakey pompano cooked until crispy in butter on the stovetop, capped off with fresh lemon!) and drank so well (my mother has excellent taste in Sauvignon Blanc, or “S.B.,” as they call it) and did not sleep so well, as mini had trouble adjusting to sleep in her portable crib and woke up every two hours or so at night. On the final morning, as we scurried about, rounding up toys and packing snacks for the flight while keeping an eye on a very mobile mini, my father observed: “Vacation’s not really vacation anymore with a baby, is it?” I had been trying not to see things in that light, but the dynamic certainly has changed: we’re in a whole new season of life. Still, the trip offered a number of delicious luxuries, like an hour-long pilates class, a trip to the grocery sans baby, an afternoon in a cabana at the pool, and a four-mile walk around my parents’ palm-tree-lined development while mini snoozed in her stroller, during which Mr. Magpie and I talked about nothing and everything.
At any rate, a couple of discoveries from this trip:
+My mother let me raid her department-store-like cosmetics cabinet, and I came across a few new obsessions, and at the top of that list is the Belif True Tincture Cleansing Stick. It’s like a ginormous stick of chapstick that you glide over damp skin; it lathers up nicely and then you rinse it off with warm water. I couldn’t believe how clean my skin felt afterward — it left a feeling of squeaky clean tightness that I rather like in a cleanser. A great travel pick, since it’s not a liquid and therefore not a part of the old TSA 3 oz or less category of concern. (The price is also enticing!) I also very much enjoyed her Laura Mercier rose oil, a more affordable but no less effective variation on the Chantecaille original that I have splurged on from time to time. Finally, I found a sample of Davines’ Love conditioner (smaller sized sample here) in the shower and my hair has never felt softer — this, despite multiple trips into chlorine-treated poolwater!
+This tennis-inspired contrast-edged t-shirt brought to mind a Royal Tenenbaums vibe had to be mine. I snagged that, along with this simple henley tee in the heather gray. I have found myself living in these shirts with distressed jeans the past few weeks.
+I mentioned that Outnet has a number of chic Dodo Bar Or finds recently, and then I came across this lookalike style on sale for $87 for those of you still struggling to pony up over $300 for a dress (on sale!)
+Florida-inspired, I suppose — these heels are EPIC. Pair with a simple LBD and huge statement shades.
+OK, these espadrilles are too good. They remind me of Christina Bryant’s global chic aesthetic!
+I nearly always travel in an olive green anorak — the perfect traveling companion, as it’s lightweight enough to throw on over a sundress after the sun sets in a warm-weather location, versatile enough to weather rain or wind, and compact/easy to fold and stash when not in use. Mine is an old J. Crew style, but I really like the length and color of this $88 Everlane find (hood FTW!). I particularly appreciated the easy-to-access, sizable pockets on this trip — I stashed sanitizing wipes (<< the best; a passerby commented: “woah, this part of the plane smells like a spa!”), boarding passes, and my phone in them. I wore this, a frilly white blouse similar to this, jeans, and my go-to mules on both travel days and felt pulled-together but practically-dressed. I swapped out my usual diaper bag for my zipper-top Cuyana because it’s bigger and the zipper top is CLUTCH so you can zip it closed and toss it under the seat or throw it over your shoulder without worrying about things flying out. I also like the little pocket on the inside of the Cuyana — the right size for my phone and other must-have-close-by items.
+I saw a kid with one of these ride-on suitcases in the airport — genius and super cute.
+The most random thing ever, but I’m contemplating getting one of these for our shower, as it has no cut-out or ledge to assist with shaving. Just read the reviews!!! I also feel like it’s chic in a spa kind of way…
+Currently devouring this.
P.S. 8 things I never travel without.
P.P.S. What I want to wear RN.
P.P.P.S. That time I bowed to Caroline Kennedy…