Loved, Lately: Volume 2

"Please pop on a silk cami and a merino shell and find peace."

This will be short and sweet– a few of my favorite things of the past couple of months.

Erno Laszlo Sea Mud Soap

I bought this on a whim because I read that Audrey Hepburn used it (reasonable!) and I later found out that Jackie O did too… and, of course, they didn’t lead me astray. I have noticed a definite positive difference in my skin texture and tone using this as part of my daily routine (I double cleanse using my other favorite, the Versed Wash it Out gel first, and this bar second, most days). I can’t be sure if it’s also responsible for reduced acne, but it’s certainly not hurting! I like to dampen the bar slightly so that then rubbing directly onto the skin results in an almost paste-like consistency. Let it sit mask-style for a few moments, and then massage gently before rinsing. It has a light grit so it exfoliates without irritating. It has almost no scent, either. My routine is fairly simple, so to me it’s worth the price! Here is a link to the smaller bar, which is less of an investment if you want to try it out.

Vanicream Sensitive Skin Daily Facial Moisturizer

While on the topic of my skincare routine (such as it is), I use this usually twice a day. I have very sensitive skin, and after wasting money on a few other ‘clean’ moisturizers that broke me out immediately, I tried this on the recommendation of a coworker and have been very pleased. Again, no scent, just a light consistency and all day moisture. I suspect I need to find a richer night cream (fine lines are beginning to appear as I approach 26) but no luck yet. Occasionally, I’ll add a couple of drops of frankincense essential oil to a quarter-size amount before rubbing it in, which I have found helps with acne or patchiness.

Thrifted Silk under Wool

I cannot recommend enough, if you live in a cold clime, that you either go to the thrift or hop on a resale site, and find some cheap 100% silk camis, slips, tops, or even pajama sets to pop underneath cashmere or merino on these frigid days. I have been doing this constantly, and if anything I sometimes end up too warm (I am quite physically active while at work). So, if you have any sort of desk job or commute where you find yourself catching a chill, please pop on a silk cami and a merino shell and find peace. It also feels so luxurious and sexy to know you have silk underthings beneath the inevitably austere looks of a wooly northern winter. Akin to the classic “black lace lingerie under a turtleneck”, but more comfortable and practical.

If you’re hesitant because of dry cleaning, I will let you in on a secret- I never dry clean my cashmere or merino unless it’s of a markedly higher quality, or I bought it new. Instead I very occasionally wash them inside out in cold water on the most delicate cycle and of course air dry them. I rarely spend more than $20 on a sweater that I just plan to beat around in (I would rather beat up an already-used old men’s cashmere than wear a sweatshirt, most of the time) so it hasn’t been an issue for me! Wool doesn’t need to be washed that often anyway.

Tulips in Chinoiserie

One of my practical New Year’s resolutions is to buy myself flowers more often. Tulips are among my very favorites, and they’ve just started to pop up at the grocery store, so I’ve been buying a bunch every few weeks to put into my favorite vintage vase. It’s just a lovely combination.

“Middlemarch”, by George Eliot

To begin my 2024 reading list I ordered this portable and lovely multi-volume edition (created by Chris McCaffery of the Washington Review of Books, to which you should subscribe if you don’t already), and I have been flying through it. I have struggled with novels in recent years, but this one has brought me back to my younger years of plowing through Alcott, Austen, and Montgomery. A tapestry of complex, sympathetic, and witty characters, drawn at different depths and from a turning multiplicity of subtle angles, all moving in a familiar antique landscape of British country life, that I look forward to reading almost each evening before bed. I’m less than halfway through, but already I’ll be sad to see it end. However, I am anticipatory about discovering where the journey of each character is leading.

These are a few things I’ve been loving, lately! I’d love to hear what you’ve been loving as well. Till next time xx