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What Inspired Me This Week…
+FASHION HUMOR: My girlfriends and I circulated this hilarious reel about jeans this week. “The person that invented jeans: I don’t think you’re getting it — hard pants. Stiff, extremely stiff pants. Instead of moving with you as most clothing does, these will actively fight against you. They won’t really fit anyone correctly. They’re going to be based on the way a toddler draws a human.” We were laughing so hard about her commentary on white jeans, too. (However, she doesn’t know our little secret — these Gap jeans, which are actually comfortable and flattering and opaque and stretchy and slimming at the same time.) I loved reading through some of the comments: “Can we talk about the people who fly in jeans?! I’d be more comfortable flying in a formal gown with corset.” Ha!
+TTPD: Like everyone else, I listened to Taylor Swift’s latest album on repeat all week and exchanged feverish interpretations and hot takes with a few Swiftie friends. The discourse surrounding this album feels exhausting, so I’m loathe to add to it, but I have So Many Thoughts. At this point, despite loving several of the songs and considering the album a representation of her songwriting at its best (the layered and elliptical metaphors! the wordplay!), I don’t think I want to read anything else about this album! That said, and no one asked me, my favorite tracks are “Down Bad” (the catchiest lyrics, but is it about pregnancy loss?), “Alchemy” (I was readily imagining a teen flick about dating the quarterback montage set to this), “So Long, London,” “So High School,” and “I Can Do It with a Broken Heart.” What about you?
+THE SCENT ENCLAVE: A cluster of Magpie readers are highly informed and passionate fragrance afficianados who have weighed in on their favorite scents in the comments multiple times. I finally tried the Le Labo The Noir 29 perfume so many of you recommended and it is divine. Spicey, herby, and sweet, but also very complex — you won’t be able to identify it as “a tea leaf” smell. I was stopped twice this week about my perfume (!) and the first day I wore it, I was sitting in on my son’s speech therapy session and I kept thinking, “Gosh, someone smells amazing.” I realized I was smelling myself! (More Magpie scent recs here.)
+WEEKEND SHOPPING: J. Crew’s new arrivals are amazing! I think we all need this jacket and these pants, but there are so many great finds! Also: 20% off at Kule with code SPRING24. I have several of these striped tees — the best, cheeriest colors! Finally, Phillip Lim is running an online sample sale, and you can get an extra 20% off with 31FRIENDS20. You must check out this incredible dress for your summer wedding / summer event lineup. Originally $725, with code, it’s under $175 (!??!). I also love this white blouse — with code, $108! — as an alternative to a basic button-down. And these heels are SO fun for summer, and on sale for under $100.
+NORA AT SAKS: I love following Nora, a personal shopper at Saks, on Instagram! She offers the most amazing previews of designer bags that will be stocked, or that may sell out before being stocked. (You can DM her to order.). It’s a fun way to see what’s coming up and trending among labels like Loewe, Celine, Dior, etc.
+NEW DESIGNER: I just discovered the Milanese label Emily Levine (seen below) and I’m swooning over everything. I adore this dress, this caftan, and these pants!
+NEW/OLD SKINCARE: About a decade ago, I bought Chantecaille’s splurge-y rosewater spray on the rec of one of my best girlfriends, who was well-informed on all things beauty (and had incredible skin). I remember buying it at a little beauty boutique in Old Town, Chicago. I treasured it and used it to the last drop — I used it for a late afternoon refresh, or to soften/mist makeup after applying — but then felt guilty re-ordering given the price tag so I sort of forgot about it. This week, Chantecaille sent me a box of beauty products and I was delighted to see the rose water spray inside! I had to text my girlfriend to see if she remembered how much we loved it — a full circle / internal reference moment. Funnily enough, by total coincidence, I had Glamsquad do my hair and makeup one morning this week and the artist used rosewater spray to prime my face and then set the makeup! I am excited to reintroduce this product to my routine. I should mention that I have tried a few other less expensive rose water sprays in the years intervening, but none of them compare to the ultra-fine mist of the Chantecaille bottle. A small thing, but a good applicator is half the battle! Chantecaille also sent me their foundation and I am OBSESSED. I typically wear Westman Atelier’s Foundation stick, but this has a great gel consistency that I find easy to blend. It wears like skin, I promise! (A side note: Glamsquad is offering us a code: $20 off for new users with code JenniferS and $15 off for repeat users with code JenniferS15. If you’re local, my two favorite stylists have been Michael A. and Alexsys G. You can request through the app!)
+TENNIS FROM CIAO LUCIA: I loved these sets (and the styling of the shoot) from Ciao Lucia!
+PALM ROYALE: I’m so late to this game, but I really enjoyed the first two episodes of Palm Royale on Apple TV+. The sets, the costumes are fabulous! Making me want to buy this dress, or pants like these.
+ORDERED / ARRIVED: A few items I was particularly excited to order and/or receive this week: my Mane thermal brush (stay tuned for a full review), this Mille dress, this Anthro bag, some new whipped undergarments from Negative.
What You Loved This Week…
+A lot of conversation via DM and email about my diary on slowing down. One Magpie wrote: “My Dad is in the hospital and my mom, who I call the bopper because she bops from thing to thing and can’t sit still, has struggled to let some balls drop. I read about POLR the other day on your blog and we’ve adopted it as our mantra. Several times a day, one of us will stop the other with POLR and we reconsider the necessity of what we’re doing.” I thought that was so beautiful — sometimes a mnemonic, or mantra, can really help us stay a course, tow a line, etc. ICYMI, “POLR” is the acronym Mr. Magpie uses for “Path of Least Resistance.” When things are chaotic, there’s too many balls to juggle, and we find ourselves stretching to do something unnecessary — i.e., cook an elaborate meal, drag our children somewhere, etc — we’ll call out “POLR!” and let ourselves off the hook. The other mnemonic Mr. Magpie uses is “DNE,” as in “Do Not Engage.” If someone is acting salty, short-tempered, pushy, bizarre when we’re out and about, he’ll glance at me and say “D.N.E.”)
+Another Magpie responded to the same post to say: “I expected grief to be emotionally exhausting, but what I didn’t expect was how physically exhausting it would be. I slept so much in the two weeks after we lost Adam and had to slow down. My body demanded it, even while my brain was telling me to stay busy, be productive, etc.” Amen to this! Our emotional lives are so deeply integrated with our physical ones.
+On a lighter front, this Tuckernuck dress was the most popular item I featured this week. A perfect summer wedding guest find, and around $300 — even less if you use code YOUROCK for 20% off. This incredible SPF-packed primer/serum came in a close second. A perfect summer base layer for your face. BTW, RMS gave us a promo code — 20% off with Jen20. All bestsellers below…
01. DOEN BLOUSE // 02. THE BEST WHITE JEANS EVER (TTS) // 03. A TEE THAT MAKES YOU FEEL LIKE A MILLION BUCKS // 04. THIS PRODUCT GIVES YOU “GLASS HAIR” // 05. ADIDAS HANDBALL SPEZIALS // 06. MAGICAL SPF/PRIMER/SERUM // 07. NANCY MEYERS HEROINE STARTER PACK // 08. MY DAUGHTER’S HAIR CLAWS // 09. FAV UTILITY PANTS (TTS — 20% OFF THROUGH MONDAY) // 10. PERFECT SUMMER WEDDING GUEST DRESS // 11. TRUE WUNDERPRODUCT — DEPUFFS AND SMOOTHS THE UNDEREYE, FOR $18 // 12. MY FAV PART OF MY MORNING ROUTINE // 13. A FAB POWDER BRONZER THAT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE POWDER ON // 14. VERY FLATTERING WHITE PANTS
