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1) When you pass 30, it’s difficult to stay “in the know” about new technology. This article on Backchannel explains how many teenagers use social media, which platforms are hot, and what the future may hold.
2) H&M has some gorgeous pieces right now. This drapey blouse with a fan print is so chic. This navy dress with an asymmetric hem is the perfect day-to-night dress. And this $30 silky shift dress is perfect for traveling; just roll it up in your weekender and call it a day.
3) I bought this spiral vegetable slicer and then immediately went home to make shoestring sweet potato fries and a spicy cucumber salad. Apparently, I’m a kindergartner who needs to be tricked into eating more vegetables. But seriously, the fries were delicious.
4) Traveling somewhere warm? Ann Taylor has this chic striped pareo and candy-colored stripe swimsuit cover. And I adore the print on this navy swimsuit in either a bandeau bikini or a halter tankini.
5) Target is prepping a collection from Lilly Pulitzer. Some Lilly acolytes believe that a discount collab weakens the brand’s preppy street cred. Others are upset because the plus-size options (something readers pushed for) will only be sold online.
6) Are your sweaters pilling? This Gleener Fuzz Remover Kit is a must for taking care of delicate knits.
7) It’s a new year, so why not clean out your closet? Vogue has a decision-making flowchart that can get your head in the right space to muck out your wardrobe.
8) BCBG has some lovely dresses right now. I am absolutely smitten with this pale pink a-line dress with a pleated accent. Looking for cocktail attire? This black dress with a sleek peplum and lace details is pretty. And this white dress with scalloped lace and sheer details is incredibly beautiful.
9) Politico has a fascinating piece on jazz icon Billie Holiday and how she was hunted by the Federal Bureau of Narcotics.
10) Anthropologie has a unique and luxurious beauty department. Myron’s Goods makes “Ouch Stuff” to heal cuts, bruises, and blemishes. Do you have wavy hair? My curly-girl friends are universally obsessed with Love + Salt’s texturizing spray. And all-natural stretch mark fading cream? I bought it the second I saw it.
11) I’m considering buying a citrus tree for my apartment. The website LemonCitrusTree has a wide selection and a 3-year warranty.
12) These Loeffler Randall sneakers are positively fabulous. But spending $300 for shoes I’ll only wear to run errands seems kind of silly. For something under-$100, these Nike Internationalist sneakers and these 420 sneakers from New Balance are good options.
*image found here.
Oh, I love an indoor citrus tree! We’ve been looking into getting a mini lime tree (we are gin and tonic drinkers), and found an amazing grower. They will ship anywhere in the continental US: https://www.fourwindsgrowers.com/index.php
We are considering the Lime-Kumquat hybrid.
Apartment Therapy has some good tips: https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/growing-citrus-indoors-129910
I just got a spiralizer too! I made Skinnytaste’s shrimp scampi and zoodles this week – delicious!!
PS – I love your blog! Thanks for all the work you do for it.
I would be so happy if you documented your experience with buying a fruit tree. My roommate and I just exchanged frantic texts about how awesome our lives would be if we could have a fig tree in our apartment.
Oh, I used to love my citrus tree, especially when it bloomed! I left it in California when we moved because we had to store all our stuff between apartments. Enjoy if you get one!
Thanks for the weekly reading! This Billie Holiday piece is FASCINATING. I’m reading The New Jim Crow right now, and I’m on the chapter about the War on Drugs, so this dovetails nicely. Thanks!
If you haven’t already, also read On The Run by Alice Goffman and Locked Down Locked Out by Maya Schenwar.
That Paderno Spiralizer 3-Blade looks amazing! I see this tool facilitating a team-building dinner party where your guests do the food prep and cooking (you may need more than one of these). They will have so much fun, they won’t realize they were turned into the cooks! Another option is the “challenge” on whatever Food Network show is hot right now – chefs have to make a whole meal of “spiral” food 🙂 Have a great weekend Belle!
Please do a BPGP on the stretch mark cream!
Unpopular opinion: I feel the same way about Lilly Pulitzer items as I do about Vera Bradley items…which is how you feel about Vera items, Belle.
Pricey or budget-friendly, I’m not a fan all the same.
I don’t know how Target has handled their other design collabs in the past re: plus sizes, but I can’t really remember seeing plus sized selections for those collabs in stores in the past. Is it business-as-usual?
There’s quite a bit of tacky with Lilly Pulitzer, but there are quite a few more simple, classic pieces, unlike Vera Bradley where the tacky patterns are on EVERYTHING.
I bought a potted lemon tree from a small florist/plant shop in Capitol Hill about 2 years ago. It’s really happy outside in the summer, and does fine during the winter in front of a sunny (but chilly) window. The blooms are so fragrant, and the lemons are amaaaaaazing. Get one!!
Where on the Hill did you get yours? I’ve been waiting on Ginko Gardens for eons.