I mean… the title of this post sort of says it all, right? Often, I feel like it’s so much easier to do a wish list round up and say, “hey, this is stuff I really dig and not because I actually own it, but because I just want it.” Which is all fine and good. However, when things start to venture into the world of blogging (hi), I want to keep things as authentic as possible. Yes — sometimes I am gifted things. Yes — sometimes I write about things I don’t own, but in which I still find inspiration. But at the end of the day, what I really want to share with you are a few things that I’ve actually bought with real, live money and that I truly love.
First up, my summer uniform: this tunic/dress thing from Free People, these cut offs (in both black and white), and these slides that were on super-sale at J.Crew. It’s been WAY too hot here in Seattle for me to dress like a normal person… and by ‘normal,’ I mean anything remotely clingy. The dress is perfect for when I need to look slightly pulled together because, let’s face it, I’m a freelancer and sort of don’t always have to get dressed. I’ve also been on the hunt for a pair of sandals that are not Birkenstocks for a similar reason. I’m loving the leopard, especially with my foot tattoos. And cut offs… kinda self-explanatory, no?
Then in terms of beauty, I’m keeping it super summery and simple still. I rarely wash my hair, so when I do I use a clarifying shampoo to help get rid of all that built-up dry shampoo. Avalon Organics makes a lemony one that I’ve been loving lately. For conditioning, my hair admittedly hasn’t been trimmed in wayyyy too long, so I’m trying to take good care of my ends by using this moisture masque from Macadamia Professional instead of a normal conditioner. I received a sample of it in my Birchbox a few months ago and have been hooked ever since.
For my skin, I’ve been cleansing with the sea bar from Maak Lab — it smells sooooo good. Also, I’m always pale. Always. So anything helps and lately I’ve been test driving NARS body glow. It smells amazing and gives me juuuust enough color so that I’m not pasty.
Lastly, there’s the stuff on my bedside table: books and body butter usually. Again after a Birchbox sample, I became obsessed with Perlier Revitalizing Body Butter. The almond scent is practically edible and I’m always consistently surprised by how quickly this butter absorbs into my skin. It’s like magic. In terms of books, I recently picked up a few from a really fun shop in Vancouver called Old Faithful Shop: Short Stack Editions Volume 1: Eggs and Short Stack Editions Volume 3: Strawberries, as well as Living With Plants.
What have you been loving lately? And what do you think of this new series?
photography by Jojotastic.
