Weekend Vibes: Edition No. 40

My Latest Score: The Sweater Dress.

I bought a lot over the Black Friday / Cyber Monday spread that I already shared here and here (also, can we agree that Cyber Monday sounds creepy?  I feel like it was coined by a marketer in his mid-60s trying to be *hip,* but coming off Weinstein-esque), but I’m most eagerly anticipating the arrival of this sweater dress.  I’m not usually a sweater dress kind of girl.  I prefer things with more structure (I’m petite and curvy, and slouchy things don’t usually do me many favors) and find that the sweater material adds unflattering bulk.  However.  The length, color, and styling of this dress (on sale for $78) spoke to me.  I saw it and immediately imagined myself pairing it with my Stuart Weitzman OTKs (or something like this pair, which I love) for dinner out or with my Supergas for running errands.  (Not into the dress?  Madewell has a sweater version that I like, too.)

You’re Sooooo Popular: Christmas Stockings

The most popular items on Le Blog this week:

+Our Christmas stockings!

+A very chic polka dotted dress for under $80.

+SUPER hip sneakers stylish enough to wear with jeans and not look like a tourist.

+Velvet bow loafers!

+A high-end sweater, heavily discounted and nailing the distressed sweater trend.

+The best granite cleaner.

+My go-to black pumps.

#Turbothot: Expectation-Setting.

Mr. Magpie and I attempted to see the Macy’s parade balloons being inflated the night before Thanksgiving.  We were told that “it’s what New Yorkers do — no one actually goes to the parade; we just see the balloons the night before.”  Armed with this insider info (and y’all know I like being an insider), we bundled mini up and walked about 10 blocks north of our apartment, where we were told we could wait in line to see them.

Now, I should preface this by saying that Mr. Magpie hates crowds.  Hates.  Haaaates.  He doesn’t like being touched or nudged, let alone pushed or shoved, by people around him.  If someone brushes past him a little too quickly getting off the elevator or elbows her way in front of him in the grocery line, he’s not above saying something like: “Oh, excuse me, you have more important places to be,” or, sarcastically, “Everyone, get out of her way!  She’s in a rush!”  I respect him for this, even though it makes me blush at the time.  The other day, a woman legitimately pushed me out of the way in a grocery store, and, later that week, someone cut in front of me, causing me to stop short and trip, while I was pushing mini’s stroller around the corner in one hand and holding Tilly’s leash in the other hand.  The woman then looked back sheepishly and said, “I just didn’t want to get stuck behind you.”  As if that’s an excuse for nearly making me run my daughter into a wall and fall on my face??  I wish I’d been quick-witted enough to say something that would walk the line between reproachful and civil, but I just gritted my teeth.  These moments can be learning opportunities for people, if I’m ever able to get my act together and say something.  I’ll never forget the time I was pulled over by a cop — one of THREE times I’ve been pulled over in my driving career, I’ll have you know — for whipping around the side streets of Cleveland Park a little too quickly in my parents’ borrowed car when I was about 19.  I had a huge knot in my stomach as I fumbled for the license and registration and wondered what I was being pulled over for, and what my parents would say, and how much the ticket would set me back because I really really really needed that new “going out top” from Express.  The officer said: “Where are you headed, in such a hurry?”  I gulped.  “Just trying to run some errands,” I said, honestly.  He looked me right in the eye.  “You’re driving way too fast.  Someone loves you very much.  Don’t break their heart by getting into an accident.”

Um, woah.

I’ve been a far more cautious driver since.

But, I digress.

The point is that Mr. Magpie hates crowds, but we’d both sort of agreed on the walk up — “There’s going to be crowds here.  We’re just going to go with the flow and not freak out.”  And you know what?  It made the whole night fun and adventurous rather than stressful and annoying, and it was all because we’d set our expectations appropriately.

That said, we ended up waiting in line for 45 minutes and then, when we turned the corner onto Central Park West, discovered that there was probably another 45 minute wait ahead of us.  We promptly threw in the towel and hightailed it home.  But, we weren’t deflated.  We were happy we’d tried and proud we’d not been frustrated by the experience and we ended up seeing the parade right outside our door the following morning, so HA.

Am I getting a little too into myself with these self-improvement-oriented #turbothots?  Y/N?

#Shopaholic: The Floral Maxi

+I would give my left leg for an Alessandra Rich dress like this, also shown on the lovely blondie at the top of this post.  I feel like you become an insta celebrity in it.  SO CHIC, whether with Hermes Oran slides in the summer or suede booties in the fall.  UGH.

+I recently talked about my obsession with micellar water, and I love the Dior stuff I’ve been using, but one of you emailed me and said that the micellar water from Bioderma is much more affordable and higher quality to boot.  After reading the reviews, I’m sold!  This stuff enjoys quite the cult following.  I’ll be trying this after I’m done with my bottle of Dior.

+I currently use Kopari’s coconut rose spray (which smells like a vacation, but I hate its dispenser — it shoots the water out in like a narrow hose versus a gentle spray) after I’ve applied my makeup — I like that it sort of softens the edges and sets things.  I also spray it onto my beauty blender when I’m blending in my concealer.  But I just read great things about this spray by Mac, which apparently does the job of setting/softening makeup even better.

+Stunning kitten heel booties.

+This would be adorable in a little boy’s room.

+Speaking of little boys, I like the look of these timeless sneakers for a mini lad.

+Now that mini is eating some finger foods at lunch, and I often feed her al fresco in Central Park, considering getting a set of these well-reviewed bento boxes!

+A few of you have asked where I get mini’s tights from — I love Jefferies Tights in the cableknit!