Cheryl Shops

I have always had very fine, thin hair, but in the last year or so, I've noticed in photos that it looks even thinner than ever. Thinning hair can happen for a number of reasons—illness, stress, diet, over-styling—but for many of us, it's a natural part of aging. Which doesn't make it any easier. There are a ton of products on the market to address this, with varying degrees of efficacy. The most proven ingredient for hair regrowth is minoxidil, which requires a doctor's prescription and comes with its own set of side effects. The question is, can you rely on more natural, plant-based methods to help address hair loss? Vegamour kindly sent me a package from their highly regarded GRO line to try, and the following are 100% my own unfiltered opinions. Here's my honest review of Vegamour GRO. 

I have a complex relationship with Amazon; I find shopping it to be a frustrating experience if you don't know exactly what you're looking for, because there's so. Much. Stuff. I've also really dialed back the amount of clothing and accessories I buy on the site, because, really, most of it is junk. That said, Amazon sells many legit brands and products that I use on the regular, it's incredibly convenient, and to be honest, I probably order from it two or three times a week. And because I am human—or maybe just because I'm a shopping blogger—I do get a little excited about the deals they offer during Prime Day, which happens to be today and tomorrow. As with shopping any sale, it's best not to get too emotional about it; the thing I always ask myself is whether I'd still buy something if it were full price. Which is why Prime Day is a great time to stock up on staples: beauty products, kitchen items, and gadgets that you need to replenish and won't get all dopamine-boosted about. You can shop all of my Prime Day Picks in my Amazon shop (there are more than what I've listed here), but read on for more on the items I own, use, and would highly recommend. 

It's that time of year again: the time when influencers take a stand about not covering the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale...then a few days later, cave in and share their picks. I, on the other hand, will proudly cover it from the get-go, because, let's face it, I always end up shopping this sale—proudly. First, some key dates to know:

• Icon cardmembers can shop starting today, 7/9
• Ambassador cardmembers can shop starting tomorrow, 7/10
• Influencer cardmembers (that's me!) can shop starting Wednesday, 7/11
• Everyone else can shop starting Monday, 7/15 through Sunday, August 4th. 

Nordstrom seems to have fixed their pandemic-era stock issues, or at least they did last year—I ended up buying most of what I featured—so I'm following the same format this year. First up: my shortlist Nordstrom Anniversary Sale picks for 2024. 

The idea of a capsule wardrobe is not new; I was first introduced to them by Lucky Magazine (R.I.P.) which had a recurring feature called the Lucky Closet (or something like that) where they'd mix and match a set number of pieces to create infinite outfits. Bloggers and influencers have embraced the concept in more recent years, but I've found I'm often underwhelmed by the results. Too many "classics" or "essentials" and you've got a bunch of really boring basic outfits. It is quite challenging to pick a very limited number of pieces to mix and match, and that's why I've never featured a capsule wardrobe here before—until now. I am not a stylist, but in the interest of getting more wear out of my closet this month, I challenged myself to come up with 10 outfits using only 10 pieces, and I tried to pick the most interesting (yet versatile) ones I could find. Here's what I came up with.

As longtime readers know, I love shoes, and I am frequently willing to splurge on a really unique pair, like my Chloe Susanna boots or Hermès Oasis sandals. Life is too short—and our feet are too precious—to wear cheap shoes. That said, designer prices have gotten really out of control in the last few years, and I've become very choosy on what's worth the investment or not. Case in point: the Sam Edelman Michaela flats I'm wearing in this post (they were a fraction of the price of a pair of the Alaia studded flats that inspired them), which I love. There have been several pairs that have caught my eye recently, and while they may be worth the sky-high prices in the long run, several felt way too trendy (and way too marked up) for me to commit fully. Thankfully, I found some great dupes. Here are three of my favorite shoe dupes at the moment, just in time for summer. 

I've casually mentioned this a few times in the last several months, but I co-wrote a book and it's finally available today! It's called Live Natural, and on the surface, it's a coffee table book filled with gorgeously photographed West Coast interiors. But if you actually read it—and I hope you do—it's filled with a ton of actionable tips on how to improve your indoor air quality, design and decorate more sustainably, and create a home that's healthier for you and for the planet. The author, Ali Davin, is my longtime client, and more importantly, she's an incredibly talented interior designer with an incredible eye and a deep well of knowledge on natural, nontoxic materials. I am so proud of this book (working on one was a lifetime dream of mine) and I hope you love it as much as I do.

So in honor of Live Natural's publication day—and considering it's peak beach reading season—I thought I'd share my favorite books that I've read recently. I don't talk about books much here outside of gift guides, but I am a voracious reader, mostly literary fiction. I read every night before bed, on planes, at the hair salon, or pretty much any chance I can get. In no particular order, here are my top 10 books from the last 5 years. 

I was incredibly fortunate to attend the Taylor Swift Eras Tour last summer in L.A. (yes, I was there one of the nights that the show was filmed for the Eras Tour movie!) and in spite of seeing the movie twice, I kind of wanted to go see the live concert again this summer. Of course, once I heard that she totally revamped the show and added a new era for The Tortured Poets Department, I REALLY wanted to go again. That's probably not going to happen for me unless I win the lottery, but for those of you who were lucky enough to score tickets this summer, I will live vicariously through you. In the meantime, you need to figure out what to wear. I have some suggestions, starting with this very sparkly blazer. It was sent to me as a gift without any obligations, and the following thoughts are my honest and unfiltered opinions. But first, here's what you need to know about what to wear to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour. 

LoveShackFancy is a brand that I tend to shop very sparingly—it's ultra-feminine, in a way that often reads young to me (and I'm not alone)—but they do a boho summer dress like no one else, and when they get it right, they're very very good. Case in point: I still wear this dress, which I featured back in 2018, all the time. That said, their dresses are on the pricey side (usually $300–$400). So when I heard talk of a good dupe from Gap, my ears perked up—given Gap's propensity for sales, chances were I could get one for a song (spoiler alert: I did). So I decided, in the name of journalism, to put it head-to-head with its reported inspiration, the Edie dress. Here's how they compare. 

Conventional wisdom—and a gazillion fashion editors—will tell you a classic white button-front shirt is a wardrobe essential. I agree to an extent; like many essentials, however, it can feel a little...boring. White shirts also tend to be problematic because they're hard to keep clean and can sometimes be see-through. Which is why I prefer a chambray shirt. It has a little more personality than plain white, but it's just as versatile. It leans a little more casual, but we're in a more relaxed day and age, so I think that's quite appropriate. I've featured my chambray shirt many times here over the years, so I thought it was time to put all my best outfit ideas together. Here are my favorite ways to style a chambray button-up shirt. 

For some reason, I didn't do a Mother's Day gift guide last year, but since my holiday gift guide was so popular, I decided to bring it back. I don't happen to be a mother, but I do have one and I'm a woman, so that at least counts for something. These are all gifts I think many women would love to receive, although of course every woman is different (and for the record, my mom wants a reading lamp this year!). Anyway, Mother's Day is less than two weeks away, so let's get to it! 

It's that time of year when the weather keeps taking big, annoying swings in every direction: rain, sun, cold, warm, wind, clouds, you name it. It makes getting dressed so unpredictable—and frustrating, especially when you just want it to be sundress season already. (Seriously, I have so many cute spring and summer clothes that I just can't wait to wear.) Transitional dressing is more of an art than a science, and it relies heavily on layering, especially if you want to start wearing those lighter spring pieces. Thankfully, I've figured out some strategies for adapting my wardrobe to the ever-changing weather. Here are four of my favorite recent spring outfits. 

I am not on TikTok, but thanks to people resharing the most pertinent stuff on Instagram, I tend to find out what's getting a lot of buzz. While there is a lot of dubious information on that platform (ahem, Tide Pods), I appreciate the no-gatekeeping spirit, and once in awhile, you uncover a life-changing gem. Versed is an L.A.-based affordable clean beauty brand that's only been around for a few years but has become incredibly popular on the platform; it's now sold in Target. Most products in Versed's line are under $25, all are vegan and cruelty-free, and they formulate to EU standards, which are the strictest in the world in terms of avoiding potentially harmful chemicals. All of which is great, but that leads us to the all-important question: Is Versed skincare actually effective? I've been using a bunch of their products for the last several weeks and I have some thoughts. While Versed sent all of these products to me for free, the following opinions are 100% my own. Here's my honest review of Versed skincare. 

I saw a meme recently that gently poked fun at Pisces for over-accessorizing, and as a Pisces who loves her accessories, I felt very seen. If had to pick just one accessory, however, I think it would be a belt (although scarves would be a close second, and jewelry doesn't really count as an accessory, does it?). If I'm wearing pants—which I am most days—I'm most likely wearing a belt too. As I've noted before, I have a very short, somewhat thick torso, so they help me balance my proportions and carve out more of a waist. They're one of my favorite things to invest in, and I will gladly splurge on a designer belt (pro tip: they tend to be way more affordable than bags or shoes, and last much longer!). Within the last few years, I've been noticing more and more influencers wearing belts by Khaite, a fairly new New York label that is very successful commercially but maybe not so much critically. I see the appeal—Khaite does classic-with-a-twist very well—but to me, the pieces are incredibly expensive for what they are. Lucky for us, they're getting knocked off left and right, and because there's not anything completely original about the designs (Western-style belts have been around for years!), I don't feel bad about it. Here are my favorite Khaite belt dupes, all under $300. 

I don't know how nearly a month has gone by already, but it feels like just yesterday we went to New Orleans for my birthday. It's always such a fun city to visit, and it had been eight years since my last trip there. While some of my favorite spots were thankfully as lively as ever (the Carousel Bar is one of my favorite places on Earth), we explored some corners of the city I hadn't traveled to before, which was really refreshing. New Orleans is such a gorgeous, unique place, but it's the hospitality that always keeps me coming back—everyone is always so warm and welcoming and friendly. We spent a long weekend in the city in early March; here's what I wore.