*Image above from Lauren Napier Beauty.
My Latest Snag: Lauren Napier Beauty Wipes.
One positive thing I can say about quarantine is that I have found myself oddly determined to stay on top of my hair and skincare regimens — almost as if in resistance to the imagined pull of “letting things slide” given how few people I have interacted with over the past many weeks. I shared a couple of incredible new-to-me discoveries earlier this week, and am eager to test Lauren Napier Beauty’s well-regarded beauty wipes (more here). I bought the rose formula.
I asked my Insta friends what other hyped products are worth it — a couple that really intrigued me and received multiple votes of support:
SKINCEUTICALS C E FERULIC TREATMENT (<<CHEAPER HERE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE)
COCOFLOSS (AVAILABLE IN INDIVIDUAL SPOOLS HERE)
CLARINS DOUBLE SERUM (APPARENTLY ONE IS SOLD EVERY 15 SECONDS? MASSIVELY POPULAR FOR DECADES NOW…I’M LATE TO THE GAME)
You’re Sooooo Popular: A Well-Priced Runner.
The most popular items on the blog this past week:
+Gorgeous, well-priced neutral runner/small rug.
+Sweet custom family portrait.
+On-trend white blouse for summer (<<selling out quickly; also consider this top or this gorgeous dress).
+Stunning statement swimsuit on sale.
+Lisa Marie Fernandez x Target magic! (Runs large!)
+Great weekend/lounge/activity shorts for your man. More father’s day gift ideas here.
+Chicest block print dress ($64!)
+Crazy cute $12 Amazon swimsuit.
+How to do the beach in style.
Weekend Musings: What Are You Doing This Summer?
Nearly all of my friends and I have been texting one another, sussing out whether or not to send children back to daycare or invite beloved caregivers into our homes, cancel that trip, begin to consider postponing a fall wedding, visit aging parents, buy a car to get the hell out of dodge, finally part ways with the family we moved in with early into the quarantine, etc. All of us are desperately hoping to be told, “It’s OK; go ahead. Do it.” The reality is murky and depends on so many individual and local factors, in addition to personal risk tolerance and the meaningful ballast of community-sensitive ethics. Even small things buckle under the weight of caution: haircuts? teeth cleaning? dry cleaning or tailoring? Where to draw the lines? Even acts of neighborliness are freighted with concern: we have lovely neighbors who are over the age of sixty and I have on many occasions considered bringing them things: treats from Hill’s first birthday celebration, a parcel of Anne of Green Gable cookies, a couple servings of the nearly four gallons of hummus Mr. Magpie overzealously made earlier this year. I hemmed and hawed over leaving them a note with my cell number on it, as I was not sure I’d ever given it to them — would the paper be a violation of their wellbeing? How far do we go with precaution?
I found this guide from NPR helpful in terms of laying out the risks of partaking in various activities this summer, especially in its articulation of how to mitigate risks–and what might escalate them.
What are you doing this summer?
Post-Scripts.
+I have been lusting after a Pippa Holt caftan for some time now, and especially love this white and blue colorway. I did find three artisans elsewhere who sell similar handmade/hand-embroidered huipils for a fraction of the price: this artisan on eBay (100% positive feedback), this boutique on Etsy (five star shop), and this Etsy shop (also five stars).
+Speaking of artisanal, hand-embroidered clothing: how beyond precious are these dresses from Luna Antigua, a boutique that sources and curates pieces from artisans in Guatemala?
+Chic white eyelet blouse for $60.
+This well-priced wicker side table is back in stock and sure to sell out again!
+This dress is so me. Bows, blue and white stripes, and smocking! Under $60.
+Jason Wu for Mini Melissa jellies for a little girly girl. In summers past, I have purchased mini Igor brand jellies — I like their Tenis style — on sale here and here.
+Perfect summer top. Would wear with white jeans.
+Ooo these snakeskin slides (under $100) are perfection.
+I usually only like white socks for my children (easier to mix and match…and bleach), but the prints on this set (on sale) are so sweet!
+These are great, well-priced crib sheets in sweet patterns — I love the stripes, bees, and gingham. Hold up well in the wash, too.
+Love a good Florence Eiseman shortall on a little boy! Even better when on sale…
+Drooling over all of the dresses from new-to-me label Mie. Hoping for a re-stock of the Corsica dress or the Gozo (those puff sleeves!!!)
+This centerpiece would be PERFECT for a little gal celebrating a summertime birthday!!! You could plan an ice cream party around just this. I mean THESE in a goody bag?!
+I think Hill needs these baby-sized RayBan-inspired shades.
+These happy floral heels are 60% off.
+Sweet eyelet hat for a baby girl (under $10).
I have Glow Screen and really love it, but am making the switch to colorescience glow sunscreen since it’s mineral based.
Summer in Phoenix is toasty to say the least, but my family is still adhering to strict quarantine. The virus hasn’t changed. No vaccine or therapeutic exists. Haircuts, vacations and dining in restaurants are not worth risking our lives. Granted, there are no kids (I’m the baby in my early 30’s), we have a decently sized house and yard, my parents are retired and I’m unemployed, so our responsibility level is less stressful than others’.
Hi Melinda! Did not know about Colorescience! Thanks for the intro…
I hear you. I’m also erring on the side of caution. It’s complicated without childcare but we’ve ridden it out thus far…
xx
Oooh that Luna Antigua looks like a more wallet-friendly piece compared to Mi Golondrina —which are beautiful but I can’t bring myself to fork over that much $ for a dress she’ll outgrow in less than a year.
Aaah summer plans… my brother had to cancel his Hawaii wedding this summer, particularly with family supposed to fly in from different parts of the world… and instead got married at a park with family on Zoom. We’re still waffling on when to send our daughter back to day care so I can focus on my career as it’s been on hold for 2+ years since I had her. Our area just recently loosened up restrictions a bit but I’m interested to see what the numbers look like in the next few weeks. It seems some states that reopened in May saw spikes in cases. Decisions, decisions…
Stay safe and be well, everyone!
Hi Mia – So touching that your brother went ahead with his plans to marry his bride, and had everyone dial in remotely. Such strange times but life goes on, love goes on, etc. I totally relate to your hesitation about sending your daughter to daycare. So many of my friends are grappling with the exact same thing, worrying they are being reckless if they do but going wild at home/trying to balance careers with childcare. Challenging and no right answer…
xxx
This summer is just a mess. We found out we need to move cross-country for my husband’s job early August, which, with a newborn, is not going to be fun! So those are our exciting plans, ha. But we’ll be glad to be back in the mid-Atlantic area and hope to do some low-key weekend trips this fall, should things continue opening up.
My daughter LOVES her Mini Melissas – probably because they’re really easy for her to put on and take off.
I’d be interested in your reviews of the cocofloss. I’ve been eyeing it, but the regular floss I use seems to work fine, would cocofloss really be worth it??
!!! Jennifer!!! You WILL make it through but my GOSH that is a lot to manage at once. Will be thinking of you and sending you the absolute best thoughts. One smallish positive is that you can pour what little energy you have into preparing for the move before the baby — I found it was nice to have distractions from the discomforts and nerves of the final trimester! Ahhh! You got this.
xx
Summer plans: once our state gave us the ok to travel, we rented a beach house and socially distanced there. It was great.
Seeing relatives: many states now offer rapid results testing w/o a Dr’s note. My parents did this (got results in 5 minutes) then went straight to visit a relative. Maybe a possibility for others wanting to see a loved one.
Great idea and thanks for this – will need to see whether that’s an option in NY. Would put my mind at ease if we could get tested and then hit the road immediately after.
xx
Thank you for posting that NPR piece! I found it very helpful. I have cancelled all summer travel/plans that involve airplanes (I used to take at least 50 flights a year before COVID — !) but would really, really, really like to visit my parents (who live 4 hours away) and see my brother, SIL, and niece as well (they live near my parents). Because I can plan this last-minute (I own a car), I am planning to feel this out as the summer progresses and hope to go in late July or early August, depending on how COVID cases are developing & how my parents feel about it. Sigh … we shall see! I have been super militant about quarantining since early March, so it’s also about grappling with my own feelings…
Have heard such good things about the Lauren Napier wipes! Keep us posted 🙂
xx
Hi MK! We are hoping to do something similar — visit my parents towards the end of the summer, after a little more time has passed, in the hopes that we know more about this virus or see a definitive decline…or at least until we have a sense for what these phased openings have brought with them. I am desperate to see my parents (normally see them every two months or so, I would guess). This is probably the longest I will have gone in my entire life without a hug from my mom! Just like everyone else, though. We’ll get through it…
xx
The little sunglasses for Hill would be so cute! We bought a similar pair by the brand Weefarers and we adore them. I initially found them when Mackenzie Horan had a photo of her son wearing a pair. I also bought the Glow Screen due to people raving about it but have yet to try it. I’m a huge fan of Supergoop so I’m sure it’s great. Thanks for all your recommendations and honest reviews. I can’t wait to hear what you think of Bombas. I’ve never tried them but I’m curious if they are worth the cost!
Yay! Will keep you posted. LMK what you think of Supergoop Glow Screen, too!
xx
I actually tested positive for COVID in April (with very mild cold symptoms) so we assume our four kids were exposed, yet, we can’t know for certain until there’s an antibody test available, so we are still being cautious. That said, we did bring our childcare back when my husband went back to work last month. It was an unfortunate necessity for us. But summer plans….I just don’t know. We have talked about renting an RV and doing a short road trip. I should mentioned we’re not camping people at all, so the thought is laughable, but I’m feeling like we could all benefit from a change of scenery or just being somewhere where we can momentarily forget face masks, the debate of school in the fall, and all the daily struggles we encounter.
Hi Amy – Totally. Work is going to necessitate some of these decisions for us which is both irritating and in a strange way a relief? Like, to have that decision out of our hands? Totally hear you on the need for a change of scenery and change of pace. I knew it’d gotten “bad” when I started switching up the order of activities in our day “just to shake things up.” YIKES. New low when folding laundry in the morning instead of during nap is an exciting twist. Ha!
We are getting away with my cousin and sister and their husbands in a few weeks and I am desperate for it for so many reasons — space (the house will have a backyard), extra hands (God Bless Family), and just something DIFFERENT!
xx