Friday Five

Hey, it’s Friday – I hope you all had a great week! Here’s what’s up this week!

WATCHING
Love is Blind on Netflix…what a…trainwreck – as in, can’t stop watching and literally watching the season finale as I type this. The entire concept of this show and the subsequent unraveling of it all is reality TV gold and I’m here for it. The Bachelor has been so mediocre lately – this blows it out of the water. Also, one of the women on the show lets her dog drink wine…and it just gets weirder from there.

LISTENING TO
Jessica Simpson’s new book, “Open Book.” Wow. I can tell you I have cried (in my car!) every single chapter of this book. This book takes you on a journey and introduces you (whether you are a fan or not) to a Jessica Simpson none of us ever knew. Her strength, honesty and vulnerability is refreshing, though many of the truths she tells are tough to listen to – especially given that the audiobook is read by her. I don’t care if you think she’s dumb because of the Chicken of the Sea incident – this book is worth your time and will undoubtedly change any preconceived notion you had (FTR, I watched and loved Newlyweds in its day). I have been quite emotional this week and this book brings about a lot of feelings, so please take that as a trigger warning – if you have some trauma from your childhood, relationship with parents, death in the family, alcoholism, etc. – this book is…a lot.

URBAN DECAY STAY NAKED FOUNDATION REVIEW
I purchased the UD Stay Naked foundation at Sephora last weekend and used it exclusively this week so I could share my initial thoughts. This foundation was reformulated recently and I hadn’t used the previous version, so keep that in mind. To preface all of this, I’m the type to use the same foundation for a decade and never stray. However, over the last few years, I have found myself wanting to try different brands both because I want to expand my horizons and see if there’s something better out there and to review for y’all.

So far, I love the foundation and have been very pleased with the finish and the way it wears throughout the day. It has a matte finish, but doesn’t make my skin look dry at all. Having said that, if your skin is dry, this may not be the best fit for you. It feels very lightweight on the skin and looks great finished off with the Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder. I use this brush to apply it and wear the color NN20.

ROTHY’S…WITH A BOW
Be still my heart when I saw the new Mary Jane style Rothy’s released. I had accumulated a ton of referral credits (I think I’m just a few away from hitting their “lifetime maximum”) so I got three pairs – black, sapphire and rosebud. They are SO cute! I ended up ordering my regular points size, 10.5, but they felt a little snug, so I sent them all back and re-ordered in an 11. Here’s the thing about Rothy’s – they’re made from recycled plastic and are totally washable – which, when you have sweaty feet like I do, is amazing. But I’ve noticed over the last year that all of my 10.5 Rothy’s feel tighter in the toes and have actually made my feet hurt some days, even when I have a lot of desk time. There is a vast inconsistency in sizing across the brand, but several friends have confirmed that the points do indeed seem to get smaller with wear, all the more reason to order a full size up. I wash and dry them according to the instructions, so I know it’s not that. So, in the points, my recommendation is to size AT LEAST a half size up from your street shoe size and a FULL size up from your street shoe size if you are unsure or have wider feet.
On another note, some are shocked by Rothy’s pricing (the Mary Janes retail for $155). I have wasted countless hundreds of dollars over the years on flats that become so gross/smelly over time that I have had to throw them away. I wash my feet every day, use a nail scrubbing brush on my toes, tea tree oil and odor sprays – none of that matters, they still get stinky. So I would rather spend $155 on a pair of flats I can wash over and over (and over) that continue to look brand new, than to buy flats that I have to throw away. I literally throw my Rothy’s in the washer, lay them out to dry and they’re good as new. They do not fade or change in any way – it’s kind of remarkable really. Rothy’s DO make your feet sweat because of the material they’re made of, so I wear them with no-show socks now, to extend the time I go between washings.

iPad AIR
Last weekend, Kevin and I both got new iPad Airs. We were able to trade in an old one for credit and also recycle an even older one we have owned for what seems like a decade. I purchased mine primarily for work purposes, but also personal. I do not have (by choice) a company-issued laptop. They are big, heavy and bulky and if I ever need to do remote work, I just use my personal MacBook Air, which I keep at home. However, I have been struggling lately to keep up with note-taking during meetings I attend. I’m a messy writer and I hate spending time transcribing my notes after a meeting. So, the solution was to get the iPad Air, the Apple pencil (for when I want to write to-do lists, which I like to do by hand – and the kids can draw with it too!) and this bluetooth keyboard, which basically turns the iPad into a mini laptop.

It has been a game-changer. I feel more organized and efficient and I love that the iPad can basically do almost everything a laptop can. In fact, I don’t think I will even bring my MacBook when we travel since I have the iPad now. The keyboard is very comfortable to type on too – I was shocked at how easy/natural it felt even though it’s smaller.

SENREVE BAG
Given that I now carry the iPad every day, I finally accepted that my beloved LV Pochette Metis wasn’t going to cut it and it’s now my weekend handbag. I ended up ordering this Senreve Medium Maestra bag in the color “ice.” They don’t make this size anymore, it’s now called the “Midi Maestra” which is about an inch smaller. I like that it’s roomier, without being huge like my LV Neverfull GM. Whenever I carry that bag, it’s like a magnetic force and shit just ends up inside of it and I don’t even know how it all got there (but, I do ADORE it for travel).

I need a medium-sized bag that can fit my iPad, phone, a small wallet and a small pouch with lip gloss and my Invisalign stuff. I hope this bag is “the one” because I love the style/color. I was going to order all three sizes, but once I got the iPad, it made sense to get a bag that could accommodate it (it is 10.5 inches and the bag is 12.5 inches). Bonus: it can be carried like a backpack.

RUG SEARCH
I am on the hunt for an 8 x 8 rug for Lincoln’s room. Square rugs in this size are surprisingly hard to come by. Here are a few I’m considering.