Recent Favorites

outfit linked here

It's been a while since I wrote a Favorites post, let alone a blog post sharing anything besides a travel recap! I feel like I've been in a really solid spot lately with my haircare, beauty routine, outfits, and more, and want to do a full recap of what I've been loving here.

WEARING

My recent outfits are linked on my LTK page here! 

Some highlights include...

 this incredibly chic, timeless, backless black dress I wore to the NYC Ballet, 

this giant, gorgeous, bow-back, blue dress I wore to my friend Taylor's wedding,

this denim dress under $80 that is so perfect for fall, especially if you live in a warmer climate,

and this striped sweater that I find myself throwing on almost every time I need to get dressed.

READING

I've slowed down a bit on my reading this year, but I have read a few books that were complete 5/5 stars for me, all very different: 

The Rose Code - an incredible story of three women in England who worked in code-breaking to break German codes during World War II; a fascinating story and a part of WWII I didn't know about prior.

You With a View - such a cute romance novel; after the main character's grandmother dies, she goes and finds her grandmother's old lover from when she was her age, and they go on a road trip!

I Could Live Here Forever - this book left me distraught for DAYS; a romance novel about a girl in a relationship with a heroin addict.

Far From the Tree - an amazing story of three biological siblings who were all separated into different families, and how they meet and form a relationship with one another after having very different upbringings.

I am currently reading The Night Circus, and a part of me is considering starting the Harry Potter series next! Is that crazy?! I've just never read any of the books or really seen any of the movies and I'm so intrigued...

If you're looking for a general fall book recommendation, last year I loved Eliza Starts a Rumor, Girls with Bright Futures, and The Good Sister (a thriller) 

SKINCARE

I feel so grateful that my skin has been in a good place for the past couple of years. I keep my skincare super minimal, but since turning 25, have tried to focus on anti-aging a little bit. 

Mainly, I love this gentle retinol serum and this daily SPF moisturizer. 

Both products make doing skincare easy and fuss-free, which, as a lazy girl, is important to me. I like products in a pump, I like products that glide over the skin easily and smoothly but are still effective. I love both of these and recommend them! I've listened to a lot of podcasts on skincare and believe that using nightly retinol and daily SPF will help my skin age gracefully, along with a vitamin C serum. I'm almost through my first bottle of the retinol serum, but I've purchased the SPF moisturizer multiple times over and will stick with it forever.

I currently use this vitamin C serum and like it, but I am open to trying others. This one is great but occasionally, if I get sweaty, will leave yellow/orange streaks. However, that is the only issue I have with the product and it's at a great price point for derm-grade vitamin C.

BEAUTY

There are a few exciting updates here! I am so grateful that I get to try a lot of beauty products gifted by brands, but two of the three I'm going to speak on here are products I purchased myself and will continue to purchase with my own money.

Lancome waterproof mascara: I can't begin to describe how much I love this; I even made a whole tiktok on it! Long story short, if your eyelashes don't stay curled, or you always end up with mascara smudged under your eyes, this solves both problems. 

Summer Fridays butter balm; I was gifted the vanilla beige lip balm in a PR package a few months ago, and loved it so much that I went to Sephora to purchase it in another color. Um... I officially need every single shade. The vanilla beige is actually my preferred shade because the brown-ish town is shockingly SO flattering and pretty, but I love the cherry I bought for a pop of color.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Power Pink; I was gifted this a few weeks ago and I am surprised by how much I love it. I am very much a fan of the Saie Beauty blush I've been using for about a year and a half, but I really love this Bobbi Brown shade for fall. It reminds me a lot of the blush shade Sofia Richie wore on her wedding day; it's still pink but a little more orange and I just love a more orangey color on my skin sometimes; this looks so natural to me but also adds a lovely pop of color. I love applying it with my fingers too, very easy and buildable.

HAIR

I continue to love my T3 Micro Airebrush for my at-home blowouts! Here is my tik tok tutorial.

I've also started using this heat protectant and not only does it help protect my hair, but I think it really helps my blowout last longer and leaves my hair feeling so much softer!

NYC SPOTS

Soothr is not underrated. This Thai spot in the East Village is incredible! The food, the cocktails, the vibes... wow. Joe and I didn't have a reservation so we just put our name in on a weeknight, went around the corner for a drink, and were called back to sit at the bar shortly after! Literally SO good, you have to try. I love Thai food.

Whistle & Fizz has the best seasonal coffee drinks. I love this cozy spot by Washington Square Park, particularly for their pumpkin spice latte made with real pumpkin, and the ginger latte - it's so gingery, I love it.

Enoteca Maria on Staten Island is the cutest restaurant concept ever! I went this past weekend to Staten Island with my dad and my aunt. None of us had ever been to Staten Island, but my aunt had discovered this restaurant on a podcast so we had to go! Enoteca Maria rotates between 35 grandmas (Nonna's) of the world to serve their traditional recipes of all cuisines. The food was incredible and we got to meet our Nonna of the night, Nonna Maria, who is just fabulous at the young age of 89!

The burger at Claudette is one of my favorites in the city. Those caramelized onions... yum. Just a really cute lunch/brunch spot.

I had a bouge girls' lunch with my aunts at The Bar Room at The Modern, which is a part of the MoMA. We sat in the sculpture garden and had mini hot dogs topped with caviar, a couple of salads, and more. Everything was so delicious. Really a cool spot!

LISTENING

Ok usually I am so on top of it with my monthly playlists, but lately, I've been really mixing it up and listening to just... random music. I really have been loving this rainy day playlist I found on Spotify.

WATCHING

I love rewatching Gilmore Girls while working on blog things or relaxing, but I am also watching Only Murders in the Building right now (although this season isn't really doing it for me...)

EXERCISING

I'm still on ClassPass! Here's my link for your first month free! I still go to Bodyrok regularly but also have been incorporating a Solidcore class here and there, and of course, I get my 10K steps (almost) every single day as well.

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What have you been loving lately?

xoxo