Filtered by Category: Stuff To Buy

‘The Art of Showing Up’ arrives in 16 days!

We’re rounding the corner on May (!!), which means my new book,The Art of Showing Up, will be available soon. The original publication date was May 26, but back in February, my publisher informed me that the production schedule was changing due to coronavirus; it’s now coming out on May 12, 2020. (If you pre-ordered it, you might have gotten an email that said something to this effect over the weekend.)

You can pre-order The Art of Showing Up via the following retailers:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble
Bookshop

Workman
Books Are Magic
McNally Jackson

(If you’re a bookseller, librarian, or reviewer, you can request an e-galley on NetGalley. And if you have other questions about getting an advance or want to set up an interview, you can email Jennifer Hergenroeder.)

If you want a sense of what the book is going to be like, here are some things that I think sum up the vibe pretty well (a handful of which actually appear in the book):

As far as I know, the UK edition is coming out on June 25 as originally planned. There’s also an audiobook, which I was scheduled to read at the end of March; I wasn’t comfortable traveling to or recording in studio at that point, so they went with a different narrator, which was totally fine. (The production company assured me that most professional narrators have their own at-home recording set-up, meaning they would be able to record remotely in a way that I simply couldn’t.)

Events are sort of up in the air at this point; I was originally supposed to do some in NYC and Chicago and maybe D.C., but that’s not happening now, and I’m waiting to hear whether they’ll be moved online. I’d also love to figure out a way to join in any book clubs that read The Art of Showing Up/meet virtually in June or July. Right now, I’d say that, schedule permitting, I’m totally down to call in for the last 20 or so minutes of any gathering of four people or more, and I’ll just kind of handle this on a first-come, first-serve basis for as long as I can manage it. (Email me if you’re interested!)

Promoting a new book right now is uhhhhh….pretty weird, and I don’t know exactly what the market is going to be like in May and beyond. I really appreciate pre-orders (a great way to support authors you like!), reviews on Goodreads (or wherever you bought it), and, if you enjoy the book, just sharing that information with your social network, friends, etc. The main thing I want is for this book to reach the people who would enjoy it/connect with it. ✨

🍑

If you can’t handle me at my Crocs, you don’t deserve me at my literally any other shoe

I am a proud member of Team Take Off Your Shoes at the Door, which means I’m extremely pro house shoes. And the time has come for me to admit that my current house shoes of choice are the highly controversial Crocs.

I was introduced to Crocs at the age of 19 by my friend Beth. I was visiting her in Chicago and she was wearing a kelly green pair around the city. Her explanation: “Flip-flops are disgusting, especially in a city, but Crocs are great.” This is actually 100% true and correct, but it didn’t take long for me to fall out of love with the hot pink pair I bought. After that, I didn’t really think much about Crocs again.

But then last fall, I came across some pale blue faux shearling–lined Crocs on Zappos and….……..did not hate them. They looked really cozy and weren’t very expensive, so I decided to go for it. After wearing them indoors for just a few weeks, I knew I had made the right decision, so I asked for a second pair (to wear outside) for Christmas, which my mom ended up giving me.

Feeling quite secure in my Crocs-related life choices, I also recently got two non-lined pairs: the chambray blue classics (I fully intended to buy the mint green and then just like….didn’t??? IDK?) which are for outside, and a pair of pink “freesail” Crocs that are way lower profile/lighter weight for inside.

I did not mean to make a pair of Crocs that looked like my blog; it just sort of happened.

Are Crocs ugly? I mean…I don’t think of Crocs as ugly as much as I think of them as being for children. I can’t say that I think Crocs are particularly defensible from an aesthetic POV. Though a lot of cool people and celebrities wear Crocs, and the brand manages to make them look pretty cute on Instagram, I’m not going to sit here and pretend that it looks hip or stylish when I wear them. I don’t think they look awful on me — choosing the right color goes a long way in this regard — but they also don’t look good either, you know? The vibe, on me anyway, is, I think, fairly neutral — i.e., a vaguely shoe-shaped swath of color, similar to what a cartoon or video game character might wear.

But also….IDGAF if they are cute or cool!!! You know what’s not cute? Getting a sore back from a couple hours of meal prep because you’re in your thirties now!!! My friend Augusta (who recently bought a very cute lavender pair of Crocs) wrote an ode to wearing comfortable shoes that I think about a lot, and that is very relevant here.

If it’s not already obvious, Crocs are kind of the ideal pandemic footwear. They are great for long periods of cooking, doing lots of water chores, etc. They can be cleaned and disinfected easily. They can be worn with or without socks and look correct with soft clothes. They slip on and off easily, which is great when you’ve just come inside after taking your dog out and need to wash your hands before you do anything else. They are also very clearly made for carers; when I think of Crocs, I think of healthcare workers and chefs, two tasks that are fundamentally about nurturing. So wearing Crocs right now feels appropriate and correct.

By the way, when I told my mom I was writing this blog post, she told me I had to interview her for it. This is fair; my mother is basically a sneakerhead…but for Crocs. She was into Crocs before Post Malone or Madewell were. She has 20 pairs and counting (!!), and and her collection includes some limited editions.

“The reason I only like to wear Crocs is because every other shoe I have tried is not as comfortable,” she told me. “I have advanced osteoarthritis in both knees and these are the only shoes that provide the comfort I need for being on my feet all day as an art teacher. The kids at school love them.”

Some of my mom’s favorite pairs, in her own words: turquoise with SpongeBob jibbetz (the little decorative charms); donut print; black with PacMan jibbetz; pink floral; green with working Christmas light trim; tie-dye; and Star Wars. She also has “dress” Crocs that have leather uppers.

My mom also sent me a screenshot of a message from a parent, who said her daughter (so, my mom’s student) wanted “Crocs with paint splotches on them” for her birthday because she said “her favorite teacher (you) would love them.” The parent went on: “She specifically requested these because she loves that you wear Crocs all the time and she couldn’t wait to show you!”

In other family clog news, my girlfriend bought a pair of white Dansko clogs a couple of months ago that look great on her. Danskos are a whole other ugly cool shoe story, but I like my gfs so much (way more than I expected to). I might get a pair eventually, but I do think Danskos make more sense as real world shoes vs. house shoes.

A few odds and ends:

Here is a good podcast episode about the rise, fall, and re-rise of Crocs.
I bought Teva Hurricane Drift sandals last summer and love them.
I still freaking love these Italian clogs.
The essay about fanny packs that I wrote a few years ago feels relevant to this discussion. ✨
🍑

An ode to my two favorite stain removers

Green Spray ‘n Wash stick on a blue color block blanket background

Look, I’m not trying to make enemies in the laundry industry, but when it comes to stain treatment, I think T*de pens are very much a scam. As my coworker recently said, they offer the illusion of preparedness, and not much else. As a lover of white clothes and bedding, I swear by two other products: OxiClean stain remover spray and Spray ‘n Wash sticks.

I have only had a handful of Major Incidents with regard to white fabric. The fist time it happened, I had just gotten brand-new white flannel sheets and a cozy white cotton blanket for my bed. Washing all of these items before using them is a task in NYC, and I was thrilled to finally have them on my bed because my apartment was very cold.

The first night I slept on them, I woke up feeling great. And also like my face was…wet? I was sitting up in bed when I touched my nose, and then looked down at my hand and realized I had my first-ever bloody nose. A beat later, basically in slow motion, I watched big, fat crimson blood drops fall from my face and land on the fitted sheet, top sheet, and blanket. Every single component of the bedding was hit.

Luckily enough, I had just read Home Comforts, where I had learned that you should use an enzyme-based cleaner on organic and protein-based stains, and I had — after realizing that I didn’t own an enzyme cleaner — ordered some OxiClean spray, which was now sitting in my closet. So I stripped my bed, while feeling pretty certain that my sheets and blanket were going to be forever marred by this. I made peace with that, but I treated them with the Oxi, let them soak in cold water, and then rinsed them… and the stains completely disappeared.

I was sold.

The second Major Incident happened at work. A visitor to the BuzzFeed office got in the down elevator with me on the 16th floor; she was carrying a lidless travel cup of coffee, and when the elevator stopped on my floor, she thought we had reached the lobby. She stepped out, realized her mistake, went to turn around to get back on the elevator, and was startled by my presence right behind her. She jolted, THROWING her coffee all over my white jeans in the process.

Looking at the fist-sized stain on my thigh, I knew what I had to do: marched to the CVS across the street from my office, bought a big bottle of Oxi spray, went to the single-stall bathroom, stripped off my Bean boots, the socks my jeans were tucked into, and jeans; treated the stain with the Oxi; and then rinsed everything out in the sink. Despite the fact that my jeans were very wet — it looked like I’d pissed myself — the stain was basically gone.

So, yes, I’m an OxiClean stan; it works great for everything, generally speaking. However, I’ve recently added the Spray ‘n Wash stick to my toolkit; I discovered it via my girlfriend, and was pleasantly surprised by how effective it is. It even got a faint coffee stain that was years old and that I’d simply given up on out of a beloved white dress. I’ve used it on other smaller stains (grease, food, even other blood drops) and it’s worked well every time.

I now go between the two, depending on the stain, and strongly recommend having both around! The Spray ‘n Wash is small and won’t leak — despite the name, it’s not a spray at all, but a waxy deodorant-esque stick ‚ so it’s a good one to keep it in your desk/bag/locker. (I’ve also used the OxiClean gel stick, and while I think it’s fine, I ultimately prefer the spray…but to each their own!)

Regardless of which you choose, you can definitely be done with T*de pens once and for all.

Get everything from Amazon: a pack of three Spray ‘n Wash sticks for $10.86, a three-pack of OxiClean spray for $16.90, and Home Comforts for $13.59.

🍑

cozy :) house :) shoes :)

If you want to feel extra cozy when tooling around town or doing chores at home, might I suggest these cozy shearling slip-ons? They are vegan, come in black shearling, and cost $12.50 at Wal-mart (on sale from $35).

I feel like they’re good for anyone who loves Jenni Kayne but doesn’t have Jenni Kayne money.

Speaking of my clog wishlist, I’m very into these muted Birks, and I love these Calzuro clogs for summer! (While this look isn’t my personal style, it’s very cute.) ☁️

🍑

The girlfriend hoodie

It’s cozy season, so it seems like a good time to plug the Gap Vintage Soft Carbonized Pullover Hoodie, which I’m a big fan of. It’s super soft and just the right weight; the creamy color is perfect; the fit is great (not too baggy/bulky, but not too slim either); it’s held up well in the wash; and it looks fairly polished. I am not really a hoodie person, but I love this sweatshirt.

It’s technically a men’s hoodie—my friend Devin owns two in black (“and that’s not even enough” he told me), and it looks great on him too. But my girlfriend was actually the one who first discovered it; she bought it for herself right before Valentine’s Day last year…in part, she said, because she knew I’d like it on her. She was right; I liked it so much that I bought one for myself! We now have four of them between us. (There was a sale, and having a backup of a beloved item is just practical!!!) My favorite way to wear it is with white Lou & Grey soft pants and cozy socks, or with white or blue Levi’s.

Vintage Soft Carbonized Pullover Hoodie.png

Thinking about this hoodie, the other clothes I’ve discovered via my girlfriend, and the items from the men’s department that I own and love, I was reminded of the 2016 Racked article “The Presumptions of ‘Boyfriend’ Clothes”:

“The idea that men and women are supposed to be certain sizes in relation and proportion to one another is reinforced by boyfriend clothing. Images of heterosexual relationships almost invariably show a woman so small she is swallowed up by her boyfriend’s clothes. All my life I’ve worked to shake the idea that my relationships don’t count because they have not looked like this. But what the boyfriend shirt is selling is that very idea, love defined by comparative body size.

Women wear, and always have worn, masculine clothing for myriad reasons, reasons to do with identity and reasons that have nothing to do with identity, reasons to do with gender and reasons that have nothing to do with gender, and reasons to do with the fact the men’s clothes have pockets far more often than women’s clothes do. I might buy a men’s shirt for a million reasons that have nothing to do with a man.”

Buy it for yourself, your girlfriend, your boyfriend, or your partner from Gap for $35. (Available in sizes XS-XXXL and eight different colors; for reference, I own the size small.)

Related: Hanes tees and girlfriend shorts. ✨

🍑

I would lay down my life for this Hobonichi Techo planner

I’d been thinking about buying a Hobonichi Techo Cousin planner ($35.04) for two years, so I finally decided to go for it this fall. It’s just such a good planner, and after four years of dot journaling in a Leuchtturm notebook, I’m ready for a little change! I ordered my Hobonichi Techo Cousin back in October, and I’m legitimately looking forward to January 1 so I can start using it.

Here’s the deal with the Hobonichi Techo, from the website:

The Hobonichi Techo is a planner notebook created by staff members of the website Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun, shortened as Hobonichi. Techo (pronounced “tetch-oh”) is a Japanese word for a planner notebook. We also describe the Hobonichi Techo as a Life Book; it demonstrates the planner notebook’s versatility and freedom that accommodates every user’s unique personality and lifestyle. It first came out as a 2002 edition, which was created when the members — who weren’t professional planner designers — decided to get together and create a brand new kind of planner that they would actually want to use themselves. There are 18 years of history behind the current book. New varieties have appeared over the years in response to customer requests, and all the techos improve every year based on these requests and feedback. New cover designs are released every year so that using a Hobonichi Techo carries an extra sense of excitement and enjoyment. In recent years people from all over the world have begun to use the techo — there are now over 780,000 users worldwide!

I was able to look at several different Hobonichi Techo planners back in late 2017, and the Cousin was my personal favorite. (It was also my favorite of all of the planners I looked at in 2017, and I looked at…a fuckton of planners that year.) It’s more guided than a dot journal — but not annoyingly so — and really nails both form and function.

I highly recommend going to the Cousin’s About section and clicking through all of the different tabs to see/read about the features, because there are a lot of them! But here are some of the things I like about it, if you’re curious…

Size

The Cousin (the A5) is the biggest of all of the Techo planners, but isn’t huge…it’s 5.8” x 8.3”, so it’s fairly close in size to the Leuchtturm I’ve been using for years. It is the perfect size for me.

If you want a smaller planner, the original Hobonichi Techo (A6) ($20.02) is also good. (You can also buy the original on Amazon.) I actually bought the original by accident because I got confused when I was placing my order. (One way to remember which one is which: the Cousin is the big one, much like Cousin Greg is the big one on Succession.) While the original is perfectly nice (and my girlfriend is happy to take it off my hands), I prefer one with more room to write on each day, aka the Cousin.

The paper

Ugh, this notebook. I just love it! The paper is super thin and smooth and feels so luxurious. The journal also has layflat binding (which means it will easily lay open/flat on your desk).

The cream-colored cover is lovely, and even though it’s super lightweight, it’s surprisingly durable. (I tried bending the corners of the sample one I received, and couldn’t.) You can also buy a cover for it, but I didn’t go that route; instead, I bought a mesh pouch at McNally Jackson to transport it in.

There are different colors of ink used throughout the journal (the daily pages for each month are printed in a different color, for example) but the colors still feel fairly neutral. Also, a lot of the grids and other details are designed to be guidelines that you can only see up close (similar to the dots in a dot grid journal), so those are printed in a fairly light ink.

The page design

So, the big difference between this planner and the dot journaling method is that the Cousin is pre-printed. So, the pages come with dates and other information already on them, and each day gets its own page. There is also a year-at-glance view, monthly calendar pages, a spot for goals/tasks each month, weekly pages (with an hourly breakdown that I like a lot), and then the daily pages. This isn’t ideal if you want to be able to write really long journal entries some days, or to add in a new spread about, say, your favorite books wherever you feel like it. But it’s great if you want something convenient that is kind of doing the work for you, and/or you don’t mind when your journal or planner bosses you around a little bit.

I tend to be way too picky to enjoy pre-designed daily pages, but in this case, they are designed so well and so thoughtfully that I really like them. There’s an hourly breakdown on the left side of the page if you want to use it (but that’s easy to ignore), and then there is space on the right where you can list tasks/to-dos. (There is also a light “invisible line” down the middle that you can use to separate the two if you want to.) And there is space at the bottom for journaling/notes. You can also use the daily pages as a sketchbook or regular journal…like, you can just kind of easily write or doodle over the printed page designs if you want.

Features

The Cousin has several thoughtful/cute touches throughout that I love, including the moon phase on each daily page; subtle color tabs for each month of the year; a mini monthly calendar every two pages; and a “warm up page” at the beginning where you can reflect on the past year/set the tone of the new year. In the back of the notebook, there is blank graph paper; a “Favorites” page where you can document your favorite songs, movies, books, purchases, etc.; and a “My 100” page that you can use for anything you want (wins, top moments, goals, favorites, etc.).

Another thing people seem to love about these planners is that they have a quote on each page. This is actually not my thing, but it’s sort of moot because in the Cousin, all the quotes are in Japanese, so I can’t read them.

Shopping

I will say that the Hobonichi Techo website is a tad hard to navigate, in part because there some choices to be made: you have to figure out which planner you want, and whether you’d like the week starts to start on Sunday or Monday. You can also buy the Cousin Avec, where you get two notebooks that each last six months instead of one notebook for the whole year. And if you want to pick out a cover, there are a lot of options.

Once you make your selection, you’ll get routed to a different interface to purchase, and you’ll have to make sure it’s all in USD. It’s also not the most user friendly, but it’s also not prohibitively difficult to use. And both notebooks I ordered arrived very quickly (especially considering that they were shipping from Japan).

TL;DR: The Hobonichi Techo Cousin planner is super elegant and well-designed, and I am very excited to start using mine in January! Buy the 2020 Cousin for $35.04. 🗓

🍑

Holiday gift ideas for the well-dressed, blob-loving creative in your life

Hello! I’m back with some more gift ideas for you! Sunday’s list was general gift ideas and Monday’s list was gifts for someone who reminds you of me; today’s list is gifts for someone who maybe reminds you a little bit of me, but whose taste is, say, 25% cooler and 60% more colorful. Like, this person fucks with a simple J. Crew sweater and a can of chickpeas, but also has good taste in music and wears hip art teacher earrings, you know? It is 100% inspired by my girlfriend and the things she owns/loves/has on her wishlist, though there’s definitely some overlap with my own. Anyway, if you are shopping for someone who is the Claudia to your Stacey, this list might be helpful.

Cold Picnic bathmat

I love this brand, and their bathmats are absolutely the gateway drug. I actually bought the one pictured at a sample sale in the spring, but there are a ton of other styles, including multiple boob mats. Buy it from Cold Picnic for $60.

Boy Smells candle

All the Boy Smells candles are beautiful, and the Cedar Stack is really nice but mellow woodsy smell. Buy it from Amazon for $36.

Supersoft mockneck sweater

This was in Tuesday’s gift guide, because, again, it’s so versatile. Available in 13 colors and sizes XXS-3X from J. Crew for $89.50.

Just Say No to Bullshit socks

For when you want to tell your coworkers to fuck off, but can’t. Buy them from Electric West for $15.

Face planter

You know Toilets With Menacing Auras? This planter is, like, the cosmic opposite of that. It’s charming but not overly twee, and has just good, sweet energy. Buy it from Group Partner for $65.

Nothing Fancy: Unfussy Food for Having People Over

Another gift that would definitely appeal to Monday’s homebody! This is a great cookbook — even better than Dining In — and is aesthetically and spiritually aligned with many of the other items on this list. Buy it from Amazon for $20.12 or find it at a local bookstore through IndieBound.

Fujifilm Instax Mini 9

This camera is easy to use, takes super flattering photos, and is extremely fun at a party. (You’ll get way better fun action shots than you do with a phone, honestly.) It’s also a very gentle entry point for anyone who has been thinking about getting into film photography. It comes in 10 colors; get the camera and two packs of film on Amazon for $67.86. (Urban Outfitters also has some very cute exclusive colors, including lavender, yellow, orange, and rose.)

Enamelware serving bowl

This was a purchase directly inspired by the aesthetic of Nothing Fancy, and looks way more expensive than it actually is. It’s a good size for holding a few lemons or onions and some heads of garlic. It comes in four colors; buy it from Amazon for $14.88.

Bodum French Press

This is another gift that looks more expensive than it is. It makes a single cup of coffee or tea and is really easy to use. If someone is lightly interested in getting into coffee, it’s a good place to start. The Chemex gets a lot of attention because it’s so beautiful, but it takes a decent amount of effort to make coffee with it. Meanwhile, this little press is quick/unfussy enough to use before work.

The MoMA Design Store has the Caffettiera French press pictured and a second multicolored one for $20; Madewell has a pastel version for $15; and there’s a light green one and a light blue one on Amazon for $15. If you want to gift it with some coffee, Variety Coffee tastes good and has great packaging. (In Brooklyn, you can buy it at Whole Foods.)

Yellow silicone finger grippers and lavender scraper

These are good stocking stuffers and/or a great addition to the Nothing Fancy cookbook. (Alison Roman apparently loves a scraper.) Buy them from Amazon; the grippers are $6.06 and the scraper is $5.99.

Dusen Dusen hand towels

Dusen Dusen has really unique patterns and prints, and is good for anyone who has walked into a Madewell in the past year and thought, “Boy, everyone sure is depressed, huh?” Most of Dusen Dusen’s clothing and home goods are pretty expensive, so the hand towels are fairly affordable and offer a good amount of color/pattern bang for your buck. Available in four styles; buy them for $20 each from Coming Soon.

Bathing lady dish

Who is she??? This multipurpose dish (for keys, change, jewelry, etc.) is fun and kind of unusual, and has a vintage vibe that isn’t too stuck in a particular era. It comes in five colors; buy one from Coming Soon for $40.

Areaware goober candles

These candles are less “I’m burning my scented candle for self-care,” and more “I have cool blobs on my bookshelf that make me happy, and sure, I could burn them if I wanted to.” Available in four colors; buy them from Coming Soon for $26 each.

Catbird loopdie earring

This shape of these earrings — open at the top and bottom — is fairly unusual, but the earrings themselves are not fussy at all. They are basically gold hoop earrings…that fuck. (BTW, a lot of cool/weird earrings are hard to put on or take off, but these are very user-friendly.) Buy them from Catbird — $88 for the gold pair and $52 for the silver pair.

Catbird teardrop earring

Another pair of “classic silhouette, but more interesting version of it” earrings. They aren’t full-on statement pieces, but they are unique enough to communicate to the recipient “I noticed you have good style so I got you something a little bit interesting.” Buy them from Catbird — $52 for the silver pair or $88 for the gold pair.

And a year of Spotify Premium

Spotify is something most people use every single day, but it’s something most people don’t think about using every single day because it’s literally in the background. So a gift card for a Premium account (or to cover the cost of their current subscription.) ends up being a super practical gift that is still fairly unexpected/delightful. (It’s also a good one for a couple!) Get a 3-month ($30) or 6-month ($60) gift card from Target, or get the $99 annual gift card from Best Buy.

And, of course, you can’t go wrong with some of the OG gift guide items here: the hot honey, the Chups socks, and The Art of Gathering would be my picks. ✨

🍑

Holiday gift ideas for the Everlane-loving, shit-together homebody in your life

While yesterday’s gift idea list was meant to be pretty general, I thought it might also be fun to put together some ideas for people whose taste is more specific. Or, in this case, whose taste is just…mine. Though I don’t actually love/shop at Everlane all that much, I recognize that a Type exists, and I am a part of it! If you’re shopping for gifts for your sister/best friend/girlfriend/wife/some other cozy Millennial (or just…yourself…) this list might be helpful.

A New York Times crossword puzzle app subscription

This is, to me, an ideal gift, because it’s one of those things that is kind of annoying to pay for yourself, but is actually not that expensive as far as gifts are concerned. It’s also just really worth having! I have been cranking through the archives recently to get better at solving/be on Instagram and Twitter less. Buy it for $19.97.

The perfect lemon candle

This is, in my estimation, the perfect lemon candle. Buy it from Williams-Sonoma for $19.95.

J. Crew x Chups socks

These socks spark so much joy for me. After looking at them online every few weeks for like three months, I finally bought myself a couple pairs on Black Friday last year when they were half-price. They were so great that I was ready and waiting to buy them this year on Black Friday when they were 50% off. I am slowly but surely building my great sock collection. They come in four colors; get a single pair from J. Crew for $36 or a pack of two pairs for $62. (And also…definitely buy them during one of J. Crew’s many sales.)

Lodge Dutch oven

This is a great Dutch oven (it’s the Wirecutter pick) and the cream color is really lovely in person. It’s become the most-used pot in my kitchen. Buy it from Amazon for $59.90.

450-piece boob puzzle

A puzzle! With titties! Honestly, what more do you want from me? Buy it from Jiggy (a new brand that also has other, non-boob puzzles) for $40.

USB rechargeable lighter

This is one of those things that I didn’t know I needed until I saw it — during a sale, when I immediately impulse-bought it. It’s very beautiful and also the way it works is genuinely neat; instead of casting a flame, it just sort of…zaps your candle wicks and then they start to burn! Available in four colors; buy it from Food52 for $32.

Chenille throw blanket

For everyone who says, “Can you hand me that blanket?” approximately 10 times a day. Available in three colors; buy it from West Elm for $39 (FYI, it’s currently on sale for $19).

A Shhhowercap

I have had my Shhhowercap for a couple years now, and it is probably the most-used item in my home, now that I think about it. It’s a splurge, but if for anyone who doesn’t wash their hair that often, it’s absolutely worth it. Available in 13 colors; buy the dark pink one from Amazon for $43 or one of the other colors from Sephora.

Teeny hoop earrings

I have a lot of thoughts about gold hoop earrings, but the TL;DR is that these are great earrings. Get them from Catbird — $88 for the gold set and $28 for the silver set.

Supersoft mockneck sweater

This sweater has made a mockneck believer out of me! It’s cozy without being sloppy, and is simple enough that it actually fits a lot of different personal styles. Available in 13 colors and sizes XXS-3X from J. Crew for $89.50.

Velvet shell pillow

I have been in love with these pillows for nearly all of 2019, and finally bought myself one on Black Friday. They aren’t cheap, but are truly beautiful and special. Available in eight colors; buy it from Tamar Mogendorff for $90.

And jasmine mint toothpaste

I just love this fancy toothpaste. Buy it from Amazon for $10.34.

Also! A few items from yesterday’s list would be great for this person too, particularly the hot honey, salt box, The Art of Gathering, beeswax wraps, Home Comforts, and rosehip oil. ✨

🍑

Holiday gift ideas for pretty much everyone in your life

I recently read an article about the proliferation of gift guides on the internet that asserted that no writer or editor really likes making gift guides. This…is not true!!! I fuck with creating gift guides on a deep spiritual level, which is why I’m spending my Sunday putting these together. Please, I’m begging you, let me help you choose gifts.

This is the first of three gift guides I’m going to publish on Just Good Shit this year; it contains the all-around greatest hits that I think would make good holiday gifts for men or women; people you love but also people you don’t know super well; and people who are fairly hard to shop for. I own and/or have gifted pretty much everything on this list.

Mike’s Hot Honey

This was my go-to gift in 2018; it’s unique, delicious, and costs less than $10. Buy it on Amazon for $8.48.

Anomia

One of my favorite new party games! Buy it from Amazon for $13.99.

A pretty salt box

I own this (in the Artichoke color) and have gifted it; it’s an elegant way to store kosher or Maldon salt and keep it handy on your counter. (Very useful when you make a lot of chickpea pasta.) It comes in several other colors; buy it from Amazon for $25.49.

1000-piece vintage pencils puzzle

I love puzzles as a gift, and this one is very fun/good (I own it). Buy it from Amazon for $16.39. If that design isn’t doing it for you, check out Galison puzzles and Mudpuppy puzzles; those are my two favorite brands. I’m also a big fan of a puzzle mat ($12.99 on Amazon.

Heat Holders socks

These socks are GLORIOUS; they are incredibly thick/cushy/warm. They come in 29 colors/styles; buy them on Amazon for $15.99 a pair.

Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House

I will never get sick of this book, which is basically a home ec encyclopedia that I’ve been raving about for the past two years now. Get it from Amazon for $13.53 or find it at a local bookstore via IndieBound.

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

Another one of my favorite books/gifts from the past couple of years. Buy it on Amazon for $19.69 or find it at a local bookstore via Indie Bound.

A bee hotel

Bee hotel are actually good for bees, and make a nice addition to a garden/outdoor space. Buy one from Amazon for $19.97.

Compression socks

These are a good gift for runners, travelers, nurses, teachers, and basically anyone who is on their feet all day. Even my mom — who is very hard to shop for — is a fan. Available in 10 colors; buy them from Amazon for $16.67.

Mint tea tree toothpicks

Another one that I've written about! These actually look fairly elegant and would be a good stocking stuffer or gift to buy in bulk for coworkers or other groups. Buy them from Amazon for $6.74.

An electric blanket for the car

I’ve given this blanket as a gift a couple times now; it’s a good one for people who live in colder climates and drive a lot. Buy it from Amazon for 19.95.

Beeswax wraps

I love these! They smell great and feel really lovely, but are still practical and affordable. They come in four colors; buy them from Amazon for $15.

Rosehip oil

This is a such a great all-around skincare product that feels really luxurious and works for a lot of different skin types. Buy it from Amazon for $13.95.

And a 6-ft charging cable

This is a super practical gift that makes a great stocking stuffer. Buy one from Amazon for $7.99. 🎁

🍑

Everything I'm doing to be the moistest woman in Brooklyn this winter

“Slugs must always be moist, or they can die from desiccation. Desiccation occurs when something gets extremely dry and starts to shrivel and crack. When slugs move around, they must protect their body and avoid dryness by always producing slime.” —Sciencing

Same…except I can’t produce my own slime, so here we are!

Even though I love winter and feel, generally speaking, like I have the appropriate gear to make the season not just bearable but actually enjoyable, I still tend to find myself shocked by how dry it gets every single year. I’ve finally started to do a better job of properly preventing/treating dryness and am feeling very good heading into this winter. Here’s what I’m using…

Face

My girlfriend got very into skincare this year, which has been great for both of us. My face doesn’t get terribly dry in the winter, but a couple of her products have made a noticeable difference in how bright/glowy/soft my skin looks, and how moist it actually feels in cold and dry weather. I’ve been using two products in the morning after I get out of the shower: first, I pat on Cosrx Galactomyces 95 Tone Balancing Essence ($16.30 on Amazon), which I’m told is a very good SK-II Facial Treatment Essence dupe. It’s super thin/watery and I always think it’s not doing much, but then I follow it up with a couple dabs of Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid Intensive Cream ($14.60 on Amazon). This moisturizer has the best pudding-like texture. It feels amazing, and there’s something about the combination of the two products that has really been working for me (especially when I also jade roll).

I also love this Radha Beauty rosehip oil ($14.95 on Amazon) and actually need to order some more; it’s a great one-stop skincare product, and I occasionally use it as a cuticle oil too.

Hands

My hands get very red/scaly in the winter if I’m not careful…but so many widely beloved hand creams are greasy and bad! Last year, I started using O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream ($12.95 for a pack of two tubes on Amazon) and it’s great. It’s not terribly greasy, it soaks in quickly, and it just…works. I’ve also found that using cuticle oil regularly goes a long way; I like CND Essentials Solar Oil ($8.50 on Amazon).

Part of the reason my hands get so bad is because I have Raynaud’s, which makes my hands and feet incredibly cold; if I want them to look good, I have to do my best to keep them warm. I think wearing gloves is kind of a pain in the ass (I’m constantly misplacing one or both of them), but I have two pairs to recommend: first, my doctor told me that I should wear fingerless compression gloves indoors ($14.99 on Amazon), and they really do help my hands feel/look better. I don’t wear them all day, every day, but I pretty much always wear them at night in the winter, and it makes a difference.

When I’m outside, I’m wearing J. Crew’s men’s wool smartphone gloves ($59.50, but can pretty easily be bought on sale), which are so warm and cozy and make me feel like a dad coming back home with a Christmas tree for the family. While these are smartphone gloves, I actually don’t think they allow for enough dexterity needed to, say, text while wearing them, but I don’t think most smartphone gloves do that, and I’m OK with that in this case because these gloves are so nice.

Body

Instead of trying to find the perfect body lotion, I’m just committing to applying a lotion regularly before bed. Right now, that’s Aveeno, but it could just as easily be CeraVe or Cetaphil. I also have two fancier lotions in the rotaysh. The first is Blank from the Hoxton Hotel, which you can buy in their gift shop; it’s one of those fragrances that everyone who tries it/smells it loves. The other is Aesop’s Rind Concentrate Body Balm, which was a gift from my gf. Both lotions work for hands and body, and smell so nice and feel so special that they make it easier for me to talk myself into moisturizing when I don’t feel like it.

Home

The big addition to my routine this year is the Honeywell Designer Series Cool Mist Humidifier ($65.99 on Amazon). It’s not small (most humidifiers that pump out mist longer than a few hours aren’t) but it’s also not, like, a big boxy fish tank either.

My goal is to be so well-gooed that anyone less than sopping feels inclined to throw salt on me. If you see me plodding around Brooklyn on a trail of mucus this winter, you’ll know I’ve succeeded. 💦

🍑

The gold hoop earrings I wear every day

I spent a not-insignificant amount of time last fall looking for a new pair of earrings. I wanted wear-them-literally-every-day earrings (you know I’m not one for variety) because the pair I had been wearing for the past six years was feeling a bit tired/dated.

I was strictly looking for studs, but eventually started considering hoops, though I kept balking every time I’d try a pair on — because when you only wear studs, hoops will leave you feeling wildly overdressed. I looked at several different brands, clicked on every Instagram jewelry ad I got (there were many), and checked in with Catbird periodically to see if they had anything that felt right.

After a couple months of this, I was delighted to discover that Catbird was selling whisper thin tiny gold hoops ($88 for the pair). I went to the store to check them out and was thrilled to realize they were exactly what I had been looking for. Most small hoops are very chunky, but these aren’t; they are super subtle, and their texture makes them catch the light and sparkle. So…done! Sold!

While I was there, I started looking at all the other earrings, and lamented the fact that my second piercings had not been operational since...I literally could not recall? (Fun fact: I also used to have my cartilage pierced and my nose pierced!) On a whim, I decided to see if I could put an earring in the second hole, which honestly could have gone very badly, but it...worked????? My holes had not closed after all???? So I now also have a set of teeny diamond studs ($98 each) that I wear in my second piercings.

I have worn this combination of earrings basically every waking hour ever since, and I like them so much. They work with literally everything. The studs give the hoops a little extra sparkle. The hoops are a bit hard to put on/take off at first, but once you get used to them, they’re fine, and they feel very secure.

The Catbird hoops turned out to be kind of a gateway drug; I started experimenting with some other hoops in different sizes, so I have some additional recs for you!

I found a pair of gold hoops on Amazon that come in a bunch of sizes and are great if you prefer thin hoops. I got the 16mm pair ($26) when I decided to dip my toe into the bigger hoops pool, and I like them a lot. The 10mm ones ($20) would probably make for a pretty good Catbird knockoff, though I don’t know that they’ll hold up super well over time...but if you liked that size/general idea, you could always upgrade later.
I have Mejuri’s Between Hoops ($65), which are very similar to the style from Amazon but are sliiiightly (but noticeably!) thicker, and much higher quality.
My gf has Catbird’s and gold Ear Nut earrings ($66 each), which are very pretty and sort of mimic the look of a double piercing.
I loved these Wolf Circus hoops — again, I’ve come along way with regard to earring size in the past year — but they are no longer available. I was on the lookout for a similar pair for a while, and recently decided to try Mejuri’s Idol Earrings ($69). The Mejuri ones aren’t quite as cool but I like them a lot! I wear them when I want something to make me look more pulled-together/Dressed (most often with this navy turtleneck).
I don’t own these Mejuri Crescent Midi Hoops ($65) but I like them a lot! ✨

🍑

I’m currently very into Tessa clogs

White jeans, cream socks, and dark blue Tessa clogs photographed in front of city skyline/waters edge

Earlier this summer, I spent a not-small amount of time looking for the perfect clogs. I still like/wear the pair of Hasbeens I bought on sale last summer, but I was on the hunt for a slip-on clog with a slightly lower heel and minimal hardware in a neutral color that was not black. My girlfriend also wanted a pair of clogs (she had slightly different — but no less fussy — requirements), and, well, the next thing I knew, I was 75 tabs deep in clog round-ups/options!

I like clogs for a lot of reasons. Similar to a jumpsuit, clogs make you look put-together while also being very easy/comfortable. I bought my Hasbeens because I wanted a comfortable closed-toe summer shoe, but I also appreciate that you can add socks and wear them in colder months. I’ve also been slowly phasing out my skinny jeans, and clogs are a good shoe for straighter/wider leg pants. And if you, like me, prefer to be this person instead of tying/untying your shoes, well…clogs are great in that regard, too!

Dark blue clogs, cream socks, white jeans, in front of rocks at water’s edge

During my search, I looked at No. 06, Bryr, Rachel Comey (which is the brand Aidy Bryant wore on Shrill), Charlotte Stone, Beklina, Hasbeens, Sandgrens, Lotta from Stockholm, and Madewell. While I found some good contenders, nothing was quite it. I loved the No. 06 in clover green for fall and the Bryr in Pacific gray and natural, but I really balked at the price.

Then, deep in my twentieth Strategist article, I came across a single link to Tessa Clogs. The Tessa website is A Lot, but the plain traditional heel ($84.95 + ~$15 shipping) is a good place to start — that’s actually what my girlfriend and I both ended up buying. I went with the denim blue, which reads as sort of a soft black/grayish navy in person, and she got the black, which is classic and lovely IRL.

Dark blue clogs, cream socks, white jeans shown outside in city park

Even though I wish Tessa had the color offering of No. 06 or Bryr, I love that the plain low heel clogs are super customizable (and are considerably less expensive than the other brands). You can choose from three sole colors and order them with or without a strap/snap, and with or without an edge band. (For reference, these clogs have a raw edge; mine don’t — they have an edge band.)

The website isn’t the easiest to navigate, but they have very good/responsive customer service. I emailed them to ask a bunch of questions, and they were great. They mailed me a (clog-shaped!!) swatch so I could be 100% sure on the color before I ordered, which was super helpful. My girlfriend’s clogs turned out to be a little too roomy across the top of her foot (i.e., they fit length-wise, but they weren’t snug enough to stay on her foot) and they let her ship them back so they could adjust the fit.

Anyway, if you’re in the market for clogs, Tessa clogs are very good! I like mine a lot and will probably buy another pair at some point soon.

Further clog-related reading:

The Life-Changing Magic of Clogs, The New Yorker.
In Praise of an Aggressively Unfashionable Shoe, The New York Times.
The New Mom Uniform of Park Slope, The New York Times.
Also, while working on this post, I fell down an ABBA rabbit hole because I was trying to find something to back up the claim that ABBA popularized clogs in the US in the ‘70s. I couldn’t find that, but I did find an article that says that ABBA’s costumes were designed to help them avoid paying taxes!
Why is No. 06 stepping on my neck like this??? ✨

🍑

Extremely good shit: McLeod Farms peaches

As you may know, I’m not a fan of summer. But one way I’ve been making it more bearable in recent years is by ordering a box of peaches from McLeod Farms, a South Carolina operation that came on my radar several years ago when I lived in Houston.

These peaches are awesome in the dictionary-definition sense of the word. So juicy, so fragrant, so special. Every bit of them detaches from the pit so easily and cleanly, it’s genuinely remarkable. Getting a box of them delivered has become one of the highlights of my summer.

But you don’t have to take my word for it! Here are some of the things my friends have had to say about them:

“This is truly the best peach I’ve ever eaten.”

“I should have eaten that in the bathtub.”

“That was obscene.”

“I should not have eaten that in public.” (I heard this more than once!)

The peaches go on sale every year in the late spring. They are sold by the box; you can either buy a box of 14 (for $48) or a box of 28 (for $78), and when you order, you select the week you want them delivered. (They ship in June, July, and August. Also, shipping to NYC is free, but I’m not sure if that’s the case everywhere.)

These peaches aren’t cheap, which is, for me, part of what makes them so special; I make a point to really savor them (I always try to enjoy at least one while sitting outside), and to share them with friends who will appreciate them.

Oprah once said* something to the effect of “you can find God in a perfectly ripe tomato,” and I think about this whenever I eat one of these peaches. (And, yes, then I obviously have a minor existential crisis about climate change and my own mortality. It happens at the beach, too! Summer is great!!!) They are just…sublime.

*I am fairly certain it was on the final page of an issue of O Magazine that I read like a decade ago, but I have never been able to track down the exact quote, so this could be entirely made-up!!! But if Oprah didn’t say it, then I will: You can find God in a perfectly ripe summer fruit. ✨

🍑

Anomia is my new favorite group game

I played a new-to-me game called Anomia ($14.39 from Amazon) for the first time with friends last weekend and I liked it so much, I ordered it for myself before I’d even left the party!

Here’s the high-level explanation of how it works: players take turns drawing cards; the goal is to be the first person to blurt out a word that fits the category on any other card that has the same symbol as your card does. So if you are holding a card with a yellow diamond that says “U.S. president,” and someone draws a card with a yellow diamond that says “something with wings,” then you want to shout out something with wings before the person with the other card names a U.S. president.

Anomia is mostly about concentration and creativity, and I really enjoyed it! It’s very portable (important!!!) and park-friendly, a single game goes quickly, and it’s just fun. It’s much easier to learn than Codenames (though I do love Codenames); it’s more fun than Apples to Apples; and it’s way more wholesome/SFW than Cards Against Humanity. (That said, if you do enjoy CAH, you might like Anomia X, a sold-separately version of the game that has “bad manners.”)

Per the product page, it’s for 3-6 players, ages 10+ (but there’s a kids’ version for ages 5+), and it’s possible to play it if you’re colorblind (because the colors on the cards don’t matter — only the symbols do).

Overall, it’s just incredibly low-maintenance and fun, and I’ll definitely be packing it for my family vacation next month!

Buy it from Amazon for $14.39. (There is also a “party version” that has four additional decks aka more variety for $24.) ✨

🍑

Just good summer reading

Close-up photo of the novel Valley of the Dolls being read on the beach

When I think about the best summer reading, I think of really entertaining books that you’ll enjoy enough to want to binge read (see also: this great NYT article). But I don’t think they have to be pure fluff! To me, a great summer read should feel less like eating a ton of candy, and more like eating a delicious meal made up of of assorted dips, juicy fruits, delicious crostini, a couple of amazing pasta salads, some great Trader Joe’s appetizers, and sparkling water. It’s satisfying and filling (even if/when it’s light), and consuming it brings real pleasure.

So with that in mind, here are some of my favorites!

Fiction

The Vacationers by Emma Straub

I haven’t read this book in a few years, but it’s one I think of as best in class when it comes to light summer reads. Reading it feels like watching a great Nancy Meyers movie; it’s entertaining and goes down smoothly and easily.

Buy it for $9.70+ from Amazon or find it at local bookstore on IndieBound.

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Every summer, I get what can only be described as a craving to read Valley of the Dolls. The book is pure camp and I love it. It also has one of the best elements of a great summer novel: rich people and their rich people problems. I might actually start reading it again tonight because it’s been a few years!

Buy it for $7.99+ from Amazon or find it at local bookstore on IndieBound.

The Neapolitan novels by Elena Ferrante

When I think about these four books — My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child — I just feel such genuine fondness and appreciation for them. (By the way, I actually didn’t really get into My Brilliant Friend until the last few chapters, but then I was all in.)

Buy My Brilliant Friend for $9.32+ from Amazon or find it at local bookstore on IndieBound.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Euginedes

The first time I finished Middlesex, I felt like I'd just read a memoir, not a work of fiction. It’s one of my all-time faves. Also, I had heard the audiobook was better than the book itself, which I found preposterous but…the audiobook is truly excellent.

Buy it for $9.99+ from Amazon or find it at local bookstore on IndieBound.

In the Country: Stories by Mia Alvar

This was one of my favorite books of 2015, and reminded me just how good short story collections can be. (Also, short story collections feel very summery to me and I don’t know why.)

Buy it from Amazon for $5.10+ or find it at a local bookstore on IndieBound.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Most of this book takes place in the summer and it has loads of “classic novel you read on summer break between junior and senior years” energy.

Buy it for $10.80+ from Amazon or find it at a local bookstore on IndieBound.

A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand

I went back and forth on including this one because I think it’s fluffier than most of my other picks…but I also really enjoyed it (and The Rumor and Beautiful Day, two other Elin Hilderbrand novels I’ve finished this week) and I think Hilderband is so good at what she does that it’s worth your consideration!

Buy it for $7.99+ from Amazon or find it at a local bookstore on IndieBound.

Non-fiction

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

I’ve read almost all of David Sedaris’s books, but Me Talk Pretty One Day is probably my all-time favorite; I think it has the highest concentration of David Sedaris lines/anecdotes that I think about a lot. Also: the audiobook version (which David Sedaris narrates) is fantastic — so good for road trips.

Buy it for $10.38+ from Amazon or find it at local bookstore on IndieBound.

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard

It took more than one recommendation from Terri for me to finally read this book, but once I did, I had to admit: it’s amazing. Like, couldn’t put it down amazing; I’m happy to report I’m now a James Garfield stan.

Buy it for $12.99+ from Amazon or find it at local bookstore on IndieBound.

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyou

By now, you’ve surely watched or listened to or read something about Elizabeth Holmes, but this book is the OG for a reason. It’s gripping (and way better than the podcasts or documentaries have been) and totally worth it.

Buy it for $12.13+ from Amazon or find it at local bookstore on IndieBound.

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy: Four Women Undercover in the Civil War by Karen Abbott

This book reads like a novel and, despite being about the Civil War, is a bit lighter than you might expect (while still being very informative). If you’re the kind of person who’d prefer to spend their summer vacation taking trips to Gettysburg and the like, this one’s for you.

Buy it for $11.99+ from Amazon or find it at local bookstore on IndieBound. 📚

🍑

I just love these Hanes tees

Earlier this month, I bought a long-sleeved T-shirt from the Brooklyn Museum gift shop. I like the design of the shirt just fine (it’s purple with bright orange text on the sleeves and back), but I love the shirt itself. It’s soft and lightweight and so comfortable; even when it was brand-new, it felt broken in. It’s the perfect weight for summer (particularly summer evenings, and/or when the AC is a tad too cold).

After wearing it constantly for a few weeks, I decided to see who made it because I was hoping to buy some plain ones in other colors. I was expecting it to be from some bougie wholesale T-shirt brand, but it turns out, it’s just a Hanes!

More specifically, it’s a Hanes ComfortWash, and it’s available in a bunch of different shirt styles and colors, and sizes S-5XL. I immediately ordered a bunch of the long-sleeved tees (regularly $18, but they have been on sale for $9 for the past week or so) and a couple of short-sleeved tees (regularly $14, currently on sale for $7, but $4 when I bought mine). You can also sign up for Hanes emails and receive a coupon for $10 off a $50 purchase, bringing the total price down even further.

I bought white, soothing blue, saltwater, and summer squash, and my girlfriend got lavender, black, white, and cypress green, and we both opted for size small. (By the way, the colors are considerably softer and more muted IRL than they look in these photos — the green, yellow, and blues are extremely “your Real Simple–reading mom’s living room decorated via the beach/boat aisle at Home Goods,” which is obviously a good thing.)

The shirts are so comfy and easy (and 100% cotton!), the fit is nice without being, like, T-shirts—For Her™ (you know what I mean???), and the colors are lovely. If you need a grown-ass T-shirt to wear with your grown-ass shorts, I highly recommend! ✨

🍑

Two cheap and easy ways to upgrade your phone charger

Here are two phone-related tips that I’ve found helpful in general, but especially during group trip season.

1. Get a 6-foot phone charger.

A long charger is just nice to have, but it’s particularly useful when you’re traveling, and may not be staying somewhere that has outlets near the bed/couch/whatever. Buy a single 6-foot charger from Amazon for $7.99, or get a two-pack (which is what I did) for $15.98.

2. Label your charger/cord with washi tape.

When you have several people with iPhones staying in the same place, it’s natural that chargers will get shared or lent out from time to time. Instead of attempting returning chargers to their rightful owners based on whose is frayed in a particular way, you can just label yours with washi tape so you can easily spot it at a glance. (I also found it helpful to do this with my work laptop charger and the phone charger I kept at my desk!)

You can get a roll of washi tape in the scrapbook section at Target or Michaels for a couple dollars, or get a beautiful set of 28 rolls from Amazon for $14.99. 📱

🍑

Very good beach shit

Last summer, I — after a lifetime of being Not Really A Beach Person — became a person who genuinely enjoys a day at the beach! The trick? Good gear. (Turns out, the secret to everything is just…having money.) In my experience, the beach isn’t a particularly comfortable place to be, and you really do need gear to offset that. Like, I can only sit on a towel reading — in direct sunlight!! — for so long before my body starts aching, you know? Having better gear made a world of difference; I was cool and comfortable and able to stay out for hours last year. And those beach days made me feel relaxed, happy, and whole, so I really am glad I found a way to make them happen.

Here’s the beach gear I love and recommend:

The Chair

I love Rio Brands Deluxe Aluminum Backpack Chair ($42.96 on Amazon). Fun fact: I liked this chair so much after sitting in one at my friend Alanna’s parents’ house that, two years later, I dug up the photos I took of it at the time so I could figure out what the brand was and order one of my own! It’s so good: comfortable, aesthetically pleasing, lightweight. I love the adjustable pillow and the fact that you can wear it like a backpack when you’re walking to the beach. (Also, the cupholder is very handy!) I really don’t think I could do a long beach day without a good chair! I have it blue, but the blue one is inexplicably $70 at the moment, so maybe go with the red?

If you want a less expensive but still great chair, I ordered the Rio Gear Original Steel Backpack Chair ($25.97 on Amazon) and had it shipped to my mom’s house before my family’s trip to Saugatuck last summer, and it was also great. I’ll be using it again when we head to Saugatuck this summer! And if you want something similar to these two but a little roomier, this Tommy Bahama chair ($54.09 on Amazon) has a bigger seat and a maximum weight of 300 lbs.

What I really want is the white (!!!) “Rolls-Royce of beach chairs” ($141 on Amazon) with its matching canopy ($44.95 on Amazon). It’s pricey but it’s apparently built to last a decade. Someday!

The Tent

I’m obsessed with my Lovin' Summer Beach Tent ($150) and recommend it to everyone. I received mine as a PR gift back in 2015 and I love it. Every time I take it to the beach, multiple people come by to ask me where I got it; it's beautiful and just really unique looking. It's also just so practical; it provides a truly impressive amount of shade, but still allows for a wonderful breeze flow through. It's really easy to enter and exit, and it's super stable. It's also very lightweight and packs down in a bag that's similar in size to a yoga bag, so I can store it under my bed. If you go to the beach a few times a year, or if you are planning a days-long beach vacation, I think it's completely worth it.

My only caveat is that you should watch the video of how to set it up before you take it to the beach; the instructions are very confusingly written, and while the setup isn’t hard at all, it’s also not intuitive. (That said, the first time I ever took it out, I wasn't nearby when my friends set it up. When I got back to our area, it was fully assembled and they all said it was very easy!)

Anyway, because you may not get good cell service on the beach, you should watch that setup video and save some photos of how it looks when assembled to your camera roll before you head out. Once we figured out a couple crucial details, it came together really easily and quickly. (The setup and breakdown takes about 10 minutes.) You also could also easily string some battery-operated twinkle lights on the interior bar for evenings on the beach or for backyard camping type activities!

The Hat

My current summer hat is a wide brim sun visor/hat ($12.99 on Amazon, available in 10 colors). For years, I wanted a good visor; my goal was "Offred, but make it summer." I mainly wanted something that would keep the sun off my face while I'm walking to and from the train every day — so I didn't want anything overly sporty/beachy. After discovering that most cute visors cost $150 (?!), I finally found what I was looking for in this visor. This visor completely keeps the sun off my face (and means I don't have to fuck with sunglasses / can wear my glasses to the beach). Also, the bow detail in the back is really cute! But, full disclosure: by September, it was falling apart, so I will be buying another one this summer.

Some other good beach shit:

The Cooler

I bought a cooler bag ($38.95 on Amazon) for picnics and the beach a few weeks ago but haven’t taken it out yet. But it looks/seems great!

The Towel

Last summer, I started using a beach towel from The Beach People ($49.50+). This was a PR gift and it's really lovely. (The exact one I have isn't on their site at the moment.) I don't think you need a fancy towel to enjoy the beach...but as someone who loves soft things and great towels, having a big blanket-like towel (seriously, it’s so blush) that matches my general aesthetic made me pretty happy.

The Shoes

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, the Hurricane Drift Tevas ($40 from Zappos) are great, and are perfect for the beach. If you want to get them in white, my friend Marisa recommends cleaning them with a Magic Eraser, which is genius.

I’m also super curious about these Sea Star Beachwear waterproof espadrilles ($89), because I’m always on the lookout for closed-toe beach/summer shoes. (Terri also pointed out that they might be good for rainy summer days when it’s too warm to wear boots.)

The Beach

It’s Jacob Riis Beach for me! ⛱

🍑

Just good shorts

I am not, in general, a big fan of wearing shorts. I have a singular pair from Nordstrom Rack that I bought in 2015 and will wear until they are threadbare, and I found a style at J. Crew Factory in 2016 that I like/wear quite a bit (both here). But in general, shorts are not my fave garment.

But last summer, Terri came to work a few times in white shorts that I loved. Every time she wore them, I would think, Wow, those seem like the perfect shorts! Eventually, I just decided to try them for myself.

The shorts are, to be exact, the Gap 5” Girlfriend¹ chino shorts and they are great. I bought them in a couple of colors (white and anchorage cream) and I love them. They are short without being short²; casual, but still tailored enough to look nice; practical without being frumpy; and available in several colors. I’m extremely here for comfortable, practical shorts for grown-ass women who semi care about looking nice. Just good shorts!

Get them from Gap for $34 (currently on sale). (They are available in seven colors + three stripes versions and sizes 00-20; tall and petite options are also available up to size 16.) ✨

¹ The “girlfriend” label makes me think of this 2016 Racked article on the problems with the “boyfriend” clothing trend.

² My other tip for buying shorts is to pay close attention to the inseam lengths. I won’t go longer than 5 inches or shorter than 4 inches. While it bums me out to dismiss the (extremely common!!!) 3 inchers entirely, I know I won’t be comfortable in them. Anyway, figuring out your preferred inseam length can definitely save you some time when you’re shorts shopping online.

🍑

The best lemon candle is Williams Sonoma's Meyer lemon candle

A couple of years ago, I went on a mission to find a great lemon candle. I tried two options — Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena* and a lemon lavender candle from Target — and was super disappointed, as both smelled way too herbal to reasonably be called a lemon candle. (They are perfectly nice candles, but not what I was looking for.) I just wanted a pure-ass lemon candle! And much to my chagrin, no one on the internet could tell me which lemon candle was the lemon candle I was seeking.

I briefly entertained the idea of buying allllll the lemon candles from major retailers and doing a Wirecutter-esque test for a BuzzFeed post, but it didn’t actually end up coming to that! A friend suggested the Williams Sonoma Meyer lemon candle ($19.95), and without having tried any additional non-herbal lemon candles, I can confidently say that this is the best lemon candle in existence. TBH, I didn’t even know that Williams Sonoma sold candles, so I was genuinely surprised by this.

The Meyer lemon candle has a very lovely, very sweet lemon smell, and it’s not too strong. It’s my favorite candle to light after cleaning my kitchen or bathroom (one of my favorite little rituals) and just one of my favorite candles general. I also really love the look of the candle; the light yellow color is so pretty, and I just love the simple, label-free glass jar. I’ve burned through three of these since first discovering them.

Get the candle from Williams Sonoma for $19.95. 🍋

*I recently learned that lemon verbena is not lemon plus verbena (which for years I assumed — based solely on Bath & Body Works’ early 2000s Coconut Lime Verbena label — was some kind of green plant). Turns out, lemon verbena is an entirely different plant!

PS I can’t talk about candles without thinking about the viral “I MIGHT Boycott Bath & Body Works (RANT)” video and this reenactment of it, two videos my former BF team and I are lightly obsessed with. We probably re-watched those videos and cried laughing every other month, and still reference Angela and her rant all the time. So please put on your headphones and enjoy one of my personal “I think about this a lot”s!

About

Subscribe

Contact

BTW

🍑

🍑

🍑

🍑

🍑