8 things
Some things I’m loving lately, and you might, too: Light TV viewing, girl dinners, silver accessories I'm crushing on, a holiday gift guide and more.
Bringing you some light weekend reading in case you need the distraction from a November that seems to feel a little gloomier than usual.
Last month has been the busiest so far this year—even crazier than September/the start of school. Between my workload, the kids’ activities, a million birthday parties and playdates, the holidays (Canadian Thanksgiving and Halloween) and a bit of travel, it felt like our schedules were triple booked. Amidst the exhaustion of it all, I kept questioning if this something we did to ourselves or if this is just the new norm for this life stage?
I don’t want to complain too much because a lot of it was fun stuff, but still… I’m hoping for a little more breathing room in November. Maybe you can relate—has this fall been go-go-go for you, too?
Here’s some of what I’ve been up to and things I’m loving right now.
Easy, light watching
Confession: I’m a bit of a night owl and will stay up late to watch TV, so I try to stick to light and easy viewing, otherwise I have a harder time falling asleep.
One of my guilty pleasures is Love is Blind. I’m behind on this latest season but am fully invested in the cringey moments and awkward reveals.
The other show I’m currently watching with my husband is the second season of Shrinking. I’m always surprised when I hear from friends that they’ve never seen it because I think it’s one of the best shows. So far, I’m loving it even more than season one. The acting and writing are so good—I’m amazed at how they’re able to balance such heavy topics with humour and a lot of heart. It’s one of those shows that you root for every character in it.
Another good one we finished was Mr. Throwback. The plot was a little wild and silly, but it was a fun, easy watch with so many clever pop culture references that made us laugh. Adam Pally from the Mindy Project and Happy Endings plays the main character and if you’re a fan of his, you’ll probably enjoy it, too. Although, my favourite part of the show was definitely Ego Nwodim (from SNL!)
And of course, I watched Nobody Wants This, although I have to admit it took me a while to get into the characters and storyline. Loved Adam Brody and paid close attention to Kristen Bell’s wardrobe, wondering how things, like wide-leg jeans, fit her so well when we’re similar in height. The answer is a good tailor.
What I want to watch next: Will & Harper and the Martha Stewart doc.
Girl dinners
Like I mentioned above, I did a bit of travelling last month, taking a quick weekend girls’ trip to visit my friend, Laura, in Kelowna, BC (my second trip there this year). We did some wine tastings, went out for dinner and brunch, and toured around to see the views. Kelowna is such a beauty!
One of the best parts of our girls’ weekends is always the food. It’s nothing too fancy, but we like to eat WELL and meal prep in advance so we never go hungry. Lots of snacks and Instagram recipes that definitely fall under the “girl dinner” category. This grilled croissant sandwich was the winner, but we also loved this crispy chickpea salad and olive bread dip (warm it in the oven for a few minutes and it’s to die for.)
Crushing on silver
I don’t often buy a lot of jewelry and accessories and I’m realizing now those are some gaps I want to fill this upcoming Black Friday. I’ve been feeling a little ‘blah’ about my outfits these days, and I think some new accessories can freshen them up. While I’ve always been more of a gold girl, I’m starting to have a change of heart.
I’ve been crushing hard on silver accessories and can picture myself wearing them against black, brown, grey and other neutral shades, and even with a pop of red. I have my eye specifically on this silver pendant necklace, these earrings, and this belt.
Another black and silver belt option, or this brown one.
Very into the look of cuffs layered over a long-sleeve shirt/sweater. Love this Mejuri Dôme cuff (but it’s pricey) and this Madewell one.
These are similar to the Heaven Mayhem knot hoops, but less pricey.
Saved reading
, which I immediately forwarded to my mom. I loved reading her beautiful perspective on aging and the connections she makes to the sciura (a stylish Milanese grandmother) approach to style:“I want to keep having fun dressing. I want to be like the women below, accepting the new version of themselves and wearing their time magnificently. Aging, when done masterfully, is never something to fear. It’s just time well spent.”
Amanda Knox on Call Her Daddy
I’m not normally a fan of Alex Cooper’s, but she does have some interesting guests from time to time. I tuned in initially for the Kamala Harris episode, which led me to the Amanda Knox interview, titled “I didn’t f*cking do it.”
I remember seeing the horrific headlines from this case years ago about the beautiful American girl studying abroad in Italy who was (wrongly) accused of murdering her British roommate, Meredith Kercher. It was fascinating to listen to her side of the story, which was so different from what the media portrayed. It’s crazy to think that they were able to use her sexual history against her and twist it into this narrative they wanted to create.
The whole interview was captivating from start to finish, and Amanda came across as open, raw and honest in sharing her experiences. There were two parts in particular that I found to be really poignant: 1) When she talked about what kept her going in jail. 2) When she reflected on now being a mom and imagining what she would do if it happened to her daughter.
Apparently, they’re making a limited series about the case, which I’ll be tuning into for sure.
My new, random favourite thing to watch on IG…
…is @calebwsimpson’s NYC home tours. It’s the nosy part of me that’s curious to see what $1300+ a month in rent gets you in New York or what it looks like inside a funky brownstone. So many cool, charming spaces, although this one is my dream home:
What’s in my cart for the Sephora sale
As someone who tries to avoid paying full price if I can, I usually wait until the Sephora Savings Event (which happens twice a year) to stock up on makeup and skincare products. It’s 10%-20% off depending on your membership with the code SAVINGS until November 11th.
Everything in my cart this time around are products I’m repurchasing or have already tried:
MERIT’s Great Skin Instant Glow Serum and Flush Balm Cream Blush in the shade Mood. I use both daily and am currently running low.
The Ordinary Squalane Cleanser, which my girlfriend, Laura, got me into when I was visiting her in Kelowna (we only traveled with carry-ons and borrowed her products to avoid having to bring our own.) I’ve been using a gentle foam cleanser from Consonant Skin+Care for the past few years and I definitely noticed a difference using The Ordinary cleanser, which made my skin feel so soft and moisturized after.
I’m not sure why, but I’ve always felt intimidated by eyebrow products. I got the Anastasia Beverly Hills 3-in-1 Triangle Tip Easy Precision Eyebrow Pencil in the colour Dark Brown as a sample from a previous purchase at Sephora, and I got hooked on it. I’m finally purchasing it after using it for several months as I love how easy it is to apply to define and fill in my eyebrows while keeping it looking natural.
Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion—I use this as a base anytime I’m wearing eyeshadow. I find it helps with blending, bringing out the colour in the shades and keeping them in place. I only buy the mini size because I don’t use eyeshadow often and a little goes a long way.
My Sephora list is quite small, so if you’re looking for more recos,
's got a roundup that’s heavy on skincare and hair care, while also shared what’s in her cart and gift set ideas for stocking stuffers.Speaking of gifts… I’m saving this holiday gift guide for ideas
There are people who are great with gifting (like both my sisters-in-law, who always come up with the most thoughtful presents) and then there are those that need some help (that’s me.) I normally find 90% of gift guides overwhelming, but I just happened to open
's Holiday Gift Edit yesterday morning and found it to be so helpful that I wanted to mention it here as a last-minute add to the list in case you needed help with ideas, too. It includes a good mix of products (not too many) and price points for a range of categories—I’ve saved it to refer back to on Black Friday.*This post contains some affiliate links, and I may receive a small percentage from anything you purchase through a link, at no extra cost to you. Including affiliate links helps support the work that goes into these newsletters, and I carefully select recommendations based on what I love and would wear, regardless of a commission. As always, thanks for your trust and support! x
Thank you for including me 🫶🏽🫶🏽
Also adding the podcast with Amanda Knox into my list!!
Thanks for the shout out, Maria!! Nobody wants this is on top of my list xx