+A SUMMER PASTA SALAD TO MAKE: This is my go-to. I just made it for a friend recovering from surgery and enjoyed a little bowl myself — it is so delicious. The pepperoncini! Do you have any other go-to pasta salads for this season? Photos below found on Pinterest and making me very hungry…! Landon’s incomparable recipe for linguini and clams here!
+CONNECT WITH THE BIG THINGS: I loved this reminder. Just the kick in the pants I needed to get outside this week!
+BOOK TALK: On the heels of my summer beach read post, wanted to share this compelling teaser for The Someday Garden: “POV: you fall in love in a secret garden by the sea.” A Magpie reader who works for a bookstore said she’d already gotten her hands on a copy and LOVED it. Cannot wait! Meanwhile, how charming is the author of Main Characters (likened to Sally Rooney’s writing)? Sort of a Jamie Fraser vibe going…and he likens himself to Belle in Beauty and the Beast! Finally, several Magpies recommended Maine Characters as an addition to my summer beach read post! (Description: “For fans of Carley Fortune and Elin Hilderbrand, this sister story set on a lush lake brims with the undeniable heart, depth, charm, and humor that have endeared Hannah Orenstein to legions of readers.”). Ordered!
+A FEW SKINCARE DISCOVERIES TO KNOW ABOUT: This Italian lemon toning spray (a rare 20% off!) — obsessed, addicted, can’t live without! Always my first step post-cleansing; primes and hydrates and tones the skin and smells insanely good; even the bottle is spectacular, almost made out of stone! — my favorite (invisible! just blends right in!) facial SPF (20% off this weekend!; I also swear by their dewy milk moisturizer, also 20% off this weekend), and these peptide patches/tape you can use on stubborn wrinkles, undereye area, etc! I’m loving the latter. You put them on before bed and look insane (you sleep with them on) but they really do target areas that need a little extra TLC. You look so rested and smooth the next day. I used this before my final book tour event this past week!
LEMON TONING SPRAY (20% OFF) // BEST FACIAL SPF (20% OFF) // PEPTIDE FACE TAPE
+ON CONFIDENCE: Where does confidence come from, I wonder? The real kind. Not the bluster and flash — the people who talk over us, who flaunt their accomplishments. (We all know that confidence is quiet and insecurities are loud.) I think that most of our confidence comes from practice, from experience, from quietly gaining strength in a skill through repeated attempts, such that your mind no longer panics when it’s in “go” mode. It says: “I’ve been here before, I’ve done this before, I can do this again.” But I think some confidence also comes from love. Self-love or the love of others. That warm mantle feeling that says: “Go on, you can try. And if you fail, I’ll look at you just the same.”
+MY FAVORITE FINDS THIS WEEK: Lots of great sales to shop (I’m keeping this section of my ShopMy updated with new sale discoveries in real time, and I have a good guide to the best deals here), but my top few picks this week:
01. MY NEW OBSESSION — THE FIT ON THIS CROPPED JACKET IS NEXT NEXT NEXT LEVEL; SOOOO FLATTERING AND CHIC AND DIFFERENT! SEE ME IN IT ABOVE…WHILE YOU’RE THERE, NOTE THAT THIS EMBELLISHED DENIM JACKET IS ON SALE PLUS EXTRA 25% OFF
02. MY SECRET TO SANDAL SEASON (20% OFF WITH MDW20 — THIS WORKSSSS)
03. THE RESTOCKED CAROLYN BUTTON-DOWN — PEOPLE RAVE ABOUT THE FIT AND FEEL OF THIS BUTTON-DOWN
04. THESE “COOL MOM” SHORTS — I ALSO ORDERED! NEED TO SEE WHAT ALL THE BUZZ IS ABOUT
05. BEST TANK, 20% OFF — TRUST ME, YOU’LL WEAR THIS ALL SUMMER LONG
+SOMETHING TO TRY THIS WEEKEND: AL FRESCO STRETCHING: Nothing novel, but this week, I took my exercise mat outside and did some stretching and light weights via Melissa Wood Health en plein air. It was life-giving! Will be doing this again! I had a few questions about the setup — when I’m indoors, I airplay my workouts from my phone onto the TV using AppleTV but when outdoors, I use a tripod. I actually hate my current tripod — it’s hard to get the phone out from the holder. I just ordered this as a replacement.
I have been really loving Melissa Wood Health this season — my neighbor introduced me to her last year, and I value how configurable her workouts are. She has lots of shorter (8, 10, 15, 20 minute) routines that you can stack or just wedge in when you have time, and you can filter them by target area, i.e., arms, core, stretching. I alternate between her workouts, Peloton rides, and the Heather Robertson programs. I find Heather Robertson my “regular drumbeat” workout — I’ll do her 30 minute strength training sessions a few times a week (they are INTENSE) — and then add these MWH ones in wherever I can / if I want to target my core or arms / if I’m low on time. They just reached out and gave us a code: JENSHOOP5 for 33% off! You can also try her program for 1 week free so you can just get a sense for the programs she offers and see how well it works in your own routine.
Honestly, these at-home programs have been such a God-send during this busy time of my life. I tried using a personal trainer for a few months last year and found it so time-intensive between driving there, warming up, driving home, and I also found myself scheduling them at 8:30 or 9 so I could be sure I’d make it after drop-off. This often meant I’d arrive at the gym at 8:10 and just kill time! With these video programs, I get home from drop-off an immediately start my workout. Just the best!
Last little note: I’m wearing the Rhone set (shorts, jacket — use code SHOOP20) I love so much in the greatest red color with one of these oversized Vuori tees. The jacket is UPF50! Brilliant. I had a lot of questions about my weights, too — they’re just these inexpensive ones! The colors are great, though. And of course the mat is Stakt (and on sale this weekend)!
+BELMONT CAMELI: That is all. As one of my girlfriends put it: “the boy is fiiiiiine.” (Is everyone else watching “Off Campus”?)
+BESTSELLERS: Everyone’s favorite Sophia dress!
01. BACKYARD BAREFOOT SUMMER DRESS // 02. “THE COOL MOM” ATHLETIC SHORTS // 03. MOST COMFORTABLE T-SHIRT BRA I’VE EVER TRIED // 04. MY FAV LONG-SLEEVE PERFORMANCE TEE // 05. GORGEOUS ONE-PIECE // 06. RIC RAC TRIM DRESS // 07. BEST LWD // 08. TURQUOISE TENNIS NECKLACE (USE CODE JEN20) // 09. KICK FLARE WHITE JEANS // 10. BEST LIGHTWEIGHT ATHLETIC JACKET (USE CODE SHOOP20)
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Re: pasta salad – I had hopes of trying this recipe today to take to my in-laws this weekend but am feeling run down with a cold, boo! https://exploringvegan.com/lemony-couscous-and-chickpeas/
Maybe my husband can be convinced to make it?? Hope you have a relaxing long weekend before we dive back into the school year home stretch!
Jen! This is super random but I first started swooning over the fiiiiness of Belmont (first name terms lawl) in the YA Netflix movie adaptation Along For The Ride. It’s SO good. Absolutely recommend! He’s so dreamy and the main character Auden is so believable. Love the whole movie including the presence of Andie MacDowell, Kate Bosworth, and Dermot Mulroney. Please watch xx