Cheryl Shops

One of the many reasons I'm glad it's finally spring is that it's now warm enough to wear a blazer as a jacket. (You can normally get away with doing this most of the year in San Francisco, however we just had one of the coldest, wettest winters since I've lived here.) As I've said many times before, nothing makes me feel more pulled together than a blazer. If you're going to invest in an item of clothing, I always recommend channeling your funds toward a good one. That said, a few years ago when I was looking for the perfect double-breasted blazer, I discovered that even the mid-range designers (like Veronica Beard and L'Agence) made theirs in polyester. So when I found my Zara double-breasted blazer, which was a very reasonable $90, I thought, why bother spending $800 for practically the same thing? I am clearly not alone in loving this blazer, because Zara is still selling the exact same style more than a year and a half after I bought mine; in fact, they've even added more colors. I wear mine all the time IRL, and it literally goes with everything, but here are 7 of my favorite ways to wear it. 

Boot trends may come and go—ankle versus midcalf, square-toe versus pointy—but a classic knee-high riding boot is always in style. I've been looking for the perfect pair for several years now, and what's that they say about the very thing you've been looking for being right under your nose? I've been working with Sarah Flint as an ambassador for awhile now, and when it came time to pick out a new pair, I saw her Perfect Riding Boot and it was like my prayers had been answered. It's a tall order to call something "perfect" in the official name, but as far as these boots go, it's pretty accurate—spoiler alert, they are indeed perfect. I was given this pair as a gift for referring so many new customers to Sarah Flint, but the following review is my honest and unfiltered opinion. 

Now that it's been over six months since I left Sephora, I'm slowly adjusting to normal civilian life where I'm not constantly showered with free products (although I do still receive quite a bit for the blog). I've also found I'm a lot pickier when I actually have to buy something myself—it's amazing what not having a discount will do. That said, Sephora's Spring Savings Event starts today for Rouge, on the 18th for VIBs and Insiders, plus all Sephora Collection is 30% off for the entire event, now through the 24th. If you want to try something new, here are my recent favorites, plus what I'm planning to buy for myself. 

My love of black pants probably began when I was in college. I had a pair in a stretchy boot-cut polyester from Contempo Casuals, where I worked, and they made me feel very chic and grown-up. I wore them out to parties and bars, with going-out tops of course, or with a more demure sweater or blouse when I needed to look polished. Conservatively speaking, I probably own about 10 pairs of black pants at the moment, and yes, I wear them all. Some of them are skinny—a silhouette that I truly don't think will ever go fully out of style—some are straight leg, but what my closet has been missing is a true menswear-inspired wide-leg trouser. I've been searching for the right pair for awhile and have had some misfires, but I've finally found The One, and it's so good, I've been living in this pair for the last month or so. Styling wide-leg pants can be a little tricky, especially if your closet is heavy on longer tops (which look better proportionally with skinnier pants), but I'm here to help. Here's what I'm wearing with my wide-leg trousers.

While the weather hasn't quite gotten the memo that it's officially spring, I'm at least starting to think about what I want my wardrobe to look like this season. One of the most surprising yet welcome developments is that denim maxi skirts appear to be making a comeback. So how serendipitous that this month's most-repinned look from my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board features that very thing! Coincidentally, as I was putting this collage together, I realized that this look is pretty much a skirt version of the last Get the Look post I featured, so clearly you all are on a black-and-white kick. Hey, if it ain't broke...let's break it down (see what I did there?!).

Inevitably, toward the end of each season, I start to get completely tired of all my clothes and am seized with an overwhelming urge to go buy a bunch of new things. The older (and wiser) I get, the more I try to be as pragmatic as possible about this. I want to make sure I'm investing wisely, and that I'm not going to buy something, wear it for a season, then never wear it again. So before I buy anything new, I've been asking myself three questions: 1) Would I wear this even if it weren't "on trend"? 2) Is it the best quality I can afford at the moment? 3) If it truly doesn't work for me in the end, can I resell it? These three questions have definitely made me slow down and be more conscious about what I'm buying, and that said, everything in this post obviously passed the test. Here are the 5 spring must-haves I'm most excited about.

If it seems like I'm traveling a lot lately, well, I am. I have always loved to travel, and the pandemic pretty much brought that to a screeching halt, so now that life has (pretty much) gone back to normal, I'm making up for lost time. My day job is also 100% remote, which means I can work from anywhere, so when Sean has a business trip in an interesting location, I tag along. And lucky him, he had a work conference in Honolulu last week! Flights from San Francisco to Honolulu were very reasonable and I had a free place to stay (thanks, Sean's work!), so it was kind of a no-brainer. (Although, to be fair, my workdays started at 6:30 a.m., which was an adjustment to say the least.) I mean, who's going to turn down a trip to Hawaii? (Not me!) Here's what I wore.

One of the things I get asked to review most by readers is eyebrow growth serum. Coincidentally, it's one of the items I get pitched most frequently by brands. In the interest of investigative journalism, I have tried many products intended to help brows grow; most of them have made little to no difference. There are all manner of brow serums on the market, at all price points (The Ordinary just came out with a version that's a very accessible $14.50), and if you read the reviews, for every rave, there's another that claims the product did absolutely nothing for them. It's a lot to sort through, so that's why I'm here to share what's given me the best results so far: RevitaBrow Advanced Eyebrow Conditioner. This product was provided to me for free by RevitaLash with no obligation to review, however everything shared in this post is my honest and unfiltered opinion. Read on to see what I thought.

Today is my birthday and I'm 45 years young. I say that because strangely enough, I don't feel like I'm in my mid-40s—I still kind of feel like I'm in my late 20s—and in terms of looks, well, let's say I'm making the most of it. When I was turning 30 (which I was freaking out about at the time, hahahaha), a friend asked me what 18-year-old Cheryl would think of 30-year-old Cheryl, which made me put things in perspective. While many things have changed since then, I remain pretty damn happy with my life overall, and I hope that shows, inside and out. Tonight I'll be celebrating with friends, followed by dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco, and here's what I plan to wear. 

Two miraculous things happened with my birthday wishlist last year: one, it was one of the most-viewed posts of the year. Two, due to the incredible generosity of my friends and family, I ended up receiving everything on the list with the exception of the Céline bag, which I had intended to buy for myself (in the interest of fiscal responsibility, I went for a secondhand Chloé Faye instead). I am not quite as optimistic about this year’s wishlist—especially since the stakes are a little higher price-wise—but a girl can dream. Here’s what’s on my radar this year. 

 Is it me or has all of the marketing around Valentine's Day gotten a little toned down recently? I feel like I used to be inundated with emails and sponsored posts and pitches and ads—and I still see them, of course—but now, if anything, the tone seems to have shifted to an empowered one (buy your own diamonds!) and/or a more low-key one (date night looks to love). I realize I've done a lot of Valentine's Day outfit posts, including a Galentine's Day last year, and since it's been a whopping six years since I've done a date-night post (and oof is that one outdated!) I thought now would be a good time for an update. Also, we rarely go out on Valentine's Day; if anything, we tend to stay in and cook a nice meal at home since restaurants tend to be a sh*tshow on V-day. So since it's still February—and still cold here—this one is on the cozy side. Here's what I'm wearing on date night. 

It's been a very rainy winter so far here in California, and when it rains, I tend to get into a wardrobe rut of skinny black pants and sweaters. (Case in point: this post.) Last week's Get the Look, however, got me thinking—as long as it's not raining, why not change it up with white jeans? I've found that wearing lighter colors in cold, dark weather really helps brighten my mood, and a little pop of white can go a long way. So with a little serotonin boost in mind, here are 5 ways to wear white jeans in winter. 

When I realized that one of the most-bought items last year was a coat I featured in a Get the Look post from 2021, I asked if I should bring back back this series and heard from a lot of you that I should...so here it is! To bring everyone up to speed, it's where I take one of the most repinned looks from my Outfit ideas for ageless style Pinterest board and break it into pieces so you can re-create the look for yourself. When possible, I try to ID the exact items, but more often than not, it ends up being a "get the look for less" spin, which I know everyone loves anyway. S now that we got that out of the way, let's get straight into breaking down this month's most-pinned look.  

I came across a comment thread recently where a woman around my age (slightly younger) was asking what to wear on a trip to NYC and was promptly cut down by someone who probably moved there six years ago from Ohio, who declared that skinny jeans with ankle boots were "a no-go" and implored the woman to trade up to rigid straight-leg jeans with platform boots. Which made me think, "You can pry my ankle boots off of my cold, dead feet," and no pair more so than my Chloe Susanna boots. A version of this style first debuted way back in 2008 but was wisely brought back in 2011 by Hannah MacGibbon, a Phoebe Philo disciple (remember, Phoebe Philo took over as Chloe's head designer after working under Stella McCartney in the early 2000s!). That's when the style really took off—I remember seeing a pair on Sienna Miller—and Chloe has brought it back every year since, cementing its status as a straight-up footwear icon. I bought my pair of Susanna boots back in 2016 (full disclosure: when they were well under $1,000; I still think they're well worth the investment) and to this day, they're one of my favorite and most worn shoes in my wardrobe. I get compliments from a wide range of people every single time I wear them, but more importantly, they just make whatever your'e wearing look that much cooler. So with that in mind, here are 7 different ways to wear Chloe Susanna boots.

Happy new year! And yes, I think it's still within the acceptable timeframe to say that ;) I have definitely moved on to 2023 mentally but wanted to take one last look at 2022—specifically, what you bought. But first, I'd like to thank you for doing so, because when you buy something from one of my links, I get a small finder's fee from each purchase (at no cost to you), and that income helps fund me and all of the magic elves (e.g. people and software services) that keep Cheryl Shops up and running. Think of it as supporting a micro-economy. And speaking of the economy, here's how you voted with your dollars in 2022. 

I've always been fascinated by which posts attract the most clicks on this blog; some get a bunch of views from Pinterest, others pull in heavy search traffic, and some are good old direct load. No matter how you're getting here, I'm glad that you've come, and I hope that you stick around. And by looking at—and analyzing—the most-viewed posts of the year, it helps me create even more compelling content for you going forward. But before we move into 2023, here are the top 10 most popular posts of 2022. 

I always love when the "best of" lists come out in December: it's a time to add more books to my reading list, catch up on music I may have missed, and watch all of the Oscar-contender movies. Last year I decided to do my own best-of post, and I found that it's kind of like when you finish a big project around the house, then sit down with a beer and admire your handiwork. While I certainly had some misses in 2022 (like last week's clogs, ooof!), I had some pretty cute hits too. So let's take a look back at my favorite outfits of the year, in no particular order. Let me know which one was your favorite in the comments below!

It's my last outfit post of the year, and while I love everything I'm wearing, to be honest, I don't think that it's all completely working together. Three of the things are new, and I wanted to get them all up on the blog as soon as possible because I'm excited about them and wanted to tell you about them. But I will admit, I think I was trying to make fetch happen a little here. It's okay—bloggers are not perfect (god knows I am not) and sometimes we make outfitting mistakes. That said, there's a lot I do love about this look. Here's how it all came together.

If you follow me on the 'gram, you might recognize this series—at the end of the month, I'd share the beauty products I finished, with mini reviews. I haven't done them for a few months, because thanks to Instagram's constant algorithm f*ckery, they're kind of a lot of work for very little return. But then I thought, why not just do them here instead? So here we are, and here are the things I finished last month. I've noted where I received items for free, however as always, the reviews below contain my 100% honest and unfiltered opinions.

Depending on who you ask, skinny pants are either dead or totally going strong; while I am definitely embracing the new loose fits, I still have skinnies in my regular rotation. Now that the weather is cooler, I've found myself wearing them even more often, because they just go so well with big, cozy sweaters (which definitely aren't going anywhere). And since I know you love my Spanx reviews, I decided to give the full honest review treatment to my most-worn pair of the bunch, the Spanx ankle backseam skinny pant. Spanx sent these pants to me for free, but as always, this post contains my 100% honest and unfiltered opinion. 

 If you're thinking, "Wow, Cheryl, you're posting early this week," you are correct. And that's because the Sephora Beauty Insider sale has come early this year. Early access for Rouge started Friday, today is the lucky day for VIBs like me (yay!), and the remaining Beauty Insiders get to shop starting Thursday. Sephora Collection is 30% off for everyone, and the entire thing goes through Monday, 11/7. And while I'm no longer working for Sephora, I still have a bunch of new favorite products to tell you about, plus a few more that I'm planning to buy. Read on for my recommendations!

Last week, the New York Times did a profile on the "Christian girl autumn" woman, and I found her to be equally fascinating and relatable. Then again, I am one of those people who unapologetically loves fall. It has the best weather, the best food, and the best clothes. I like to be covered up—we can unpack the psychology behind that another day—and fall means you can layer turtlenecks and sweaters and blazers  and all those other cozy pieces all on top of each other. (Note: I know you can do that in winter too, but I feel like winter adds an element of needing more protective gear, which I'm not into.) This fall feels extra important to me because the last two have been marred by pandemic uncertainty, but this year feels like we're all ready to embrace capital-F Fashion once again. I've stopped doing trend reports—trends are something I don't exactly follow anymore—but there are a few things I'm particularly excited for this season. Here are my top three must-haves for fall 2022. 

Confession: I am a candle lady. I almost constantly have one burning in my apartment, and I use them like aromatherapy, to enhance or boost my mood. As with perfume, there's a subtle seasonality to candles: in warmer weather, I go for lighter, more citrusy or floral fragrances, whereas in cooler weather, I want something more spicy and warm. To be honest, fall is my favorite season for many reasons—not for the pumpkin-spice clichés, but I do love more substantial clothing (like sweaters and boots), food (give me a bowl of pasta, please), and, yes, scents—the warmer the better. I tend to gravitate toward anything rich and woody, and bonus points if it smells like a wood-burning fireplace, which, in my opinion, is one of the most cozy, comforting things ever. Now that it looks like we've had our last hot day of the year (knock on wood), here are my five favorite fall candles. 

If you've seen House of Gucci, you know that the Italian luxury house has certainly had its ups and downs over the years. Its most recent resurgence, which is still going strong, has been led by Alessandro Michele, who's been Gucci's head designer since 2015. In a stark contrast to the sleek, sexy Tom Ford years (which, to be honest, did appeal to me in my early 20s), the current era is more of a maximalist, geek-chic vibe with a healthy dose of streetwear influence. While the more over-the-top pieces don't always speak to me, I do appreciate Michele's reinterpretation of many Gucci classics. Several years ago, I had my heart set on the Princetown mule, which I discovered did not fit my foot (more on that later). Thankfully, I found the Brixton horsebit loafer and treated myself to a pair for my birthday back in 2019. To this day, they remain one of my favorite pairs of shoes, and I've featured them frequently here on Cheryl Shops. But if you're thinking about buying a pair, there are some important things you should know. Here's my honest and unfiltered opinion of the Gucci Brixton leather horsebit loafer. 

In case you missed my Croatia travel diary last week, we spent 12 days in Croatia in September, starting with two nights in Split, then a week on a chartered boat, and finally three nights in Dubrovnik. (And I actually started the trip with four nights in Vienna, but that's another post for another day!) My challenge was twofold: first, packing clothes that worked for both land and sea, and second, fitting them all into a carry-on, because I had a connecting flight in Frankfurt and had heard horror stories about lost luggage. So, yes, I managed to pack enough clothes for two and a half weeks in a carry-on—it's all about packing cubes, but I also made sure that everything I brought could be worn at least two different ways (you'll see several items get repeated here). This isn't everything I packed (swimsuits and cover-ups, for example), but these were definitely my go-to pieces. Here's what I wore on vacation in Croatia. 

A few years ago, a study came out concluding that most people derive more joy from planning a vacation than actually being on it. I am not one of those people. Travel is how I recharge my batteries, whether it's a long weekend close to home or a week-plus somewhere more far-flung. Although, to be fair, I do enjoy the planning part too. This particular Croatian vacation (or "Crocation," as we started calling it) was years in the works, thanks to various intercontinental moves, major life changes, and, oh yes, the pandemic. But it was totally worth the wait. Thanks to various circumstances, it ended up being the longest vacation I've ever taken in my life, and as a result, it was one of the most relaxing. I walked thousands of steps every day, visited places that were thousands of years old, ate like a queen, basked in the sunshine, and, most importantly, spent quality time with some of my favorite people in the world. Here's everything we did during our week and a half in Croatia. 

Happy first day of autumn! For many of you, it's the time of year that a cold nip starts creeping in at night, and you start thinking about boots, sweaters, and pumpkin spice everything. Unless you live in San Francisco—then it's finally summer. After months of getting pummeled with wind and fog, we now get consistently sunny days and temperatures in the 70s, and it's glorious. Of course, it's also a little weird, because it's fall and you don't necessarily want to be parading around in bright colors and airy fabrics as you would in actual summer. Thankfully, I've devised an outfit formula that feels seasonally appropriate yet warm-weather friendly. Here's what to wear in San Francisco in fall. 

Right around the time Maison Kurkdijan's Baccarat Rouge 540 scent went viral on TikTok, I received a bottle as a gift. It's been called the next Santal 33 in terms of how intoxicating—and popular—its scent is, and judging by how many dupes there are on the market, I'd say Baccarat Rouge 540 has even eclipsed Santal in terms of popularity. That might also be because BR540 is $325 for a 2.6 oz. bottle, and as much as I am willing to splurge on fragrance, I don't know that I would actually pay that much for it. It's a very unique scent—the notes are a very appealing-sounding combination of jasmine, saffron, cedarwood, and ambergris—and on me, it comes across as very sweet, very expensive cotton candy. Scent is a very subjective thing, and your own body chemistry can affect the way a fragrance smells (Glossier You, for example, is amazing on everyone but me); I am honestly more a fan of Santal 33, but that's just a matter of personal taste. In the name of service journalism, however, I decided to seek out some dupes, because I know you love them. Here are a few ways to smell like Baccarat Rouge 540 for less.

Hi, remember me? I feel like I've been slacking a lot on this blog, and literally the last thing I want to do is turn into that blogger who tapers off into nothingness. (Um, like when I ended up taking a three-year break awhile back.) The truth is that I have been working my heinie off, partly because we're neck-deep in holiday at the moment, and partly because I'm about to take the longest vacation I've had in probably 7 years. So to give you fair warning, I am going to take the first two weeks of September off and really unplug—like, not-take-my-laptop unplug. But in the meantime, I've got a few posts planned, and in the spirit of vacations, this one is all about the caftan. Caftan? Kaftan? I'm going with a C for Cheryl. Caftan it is! Here's my favorite one and how I'm wearing it. 

I've found myself inexplicably drawn to the color pink this summer, and turns out I'm not alone: Barbiecore is everywhere at the moment. As Vogue explains, it's a little Valentino fall 2020 runway, a little excitement over the upcoming Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling (!!), and a little summer dopamine dressing. Pink comes in all different kinds of shades—my last pink outfit was definitely in the bright category—and while there's a Kardashian way to wear Barbiecore, here's how I'm doing it.

I write about skincare quite a bit for my day job, so when I got Jessica DeFino's newsletter a few weeks ago, I stopped dead in my tracks. I realized how many times I've written copy along the lines of "yes, it actually works"...and the thing is, shouldn't all skincare? The sad reality is that a lot of it doesn't—or at least, it doesn't produce the results you're looking for. Again, I don't tell you about most of the products I receive for free, but when I find something that, yes, actually works, I get very evangelistic about it. My last rave review was quite spendy, so I'm happy to report that while this week's duo is not exactly a bargain, it's definitely more palatable. Read on for my unfiltered thoughts on True Botanicals Chebula Serum and Pure Radiance Oil.

Yes, this is my actual skin, in good lighting. I am not wearing any foundation.

If the words "cutout dress" give you anxiety, you are not alone. I have never had rock-hard abs, and so I've always avoided cropped tops, cutouts, deep sides, or anything else that could potentially reveal my jiggly bits. To be honest, I'd never even considered trying anything with cutouts until I saw Grace Atwood, one of my blogging heroes, in a Farm Rio dress that looked so doable—and flattering—that I had to order it. Cue "A Whole New World" because I've discovered...maybe I can wear cutouts? Here's how I wore my Farm Rio dress.

So, I was planning on not covering Prime Day at all—sifting through over a million deals is a lot of work in a very short period of time—but then I saw how good the prices were on some of my all-time favorite items, so I thought what the heck? I realize I am a little late to the game, but you've got another full day of shopping ahead of you. Here are 10 products on sale for Prime Day that I own and highly recommend, 10 that I bought today, and there are even more in my Prime Day shop. 

Every year, I ask myself whether I should be covering the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. It feels like Groundhog Day in a way—many of the same items are included year after year, so much so that I always reference the previous year's post to make sure I'm not repeating the same recommendations. It also feels that every year, there are more of Nordstrom's private-label brands present and fewer designer brands. And now, this year, it looks like the discounts aren't as deep on certain items (thanks, inflation!). Can we catch a break? In a word, yes. As much as we all love to complain about how the sale isn't as good as it used to be, there are still some great deals to be had—I know because I went through literally every product that's included in this year's sale (except for kids and men's stuff, sorry). Here are my Nordstrom Anniversary Sale picks for 2022. 

Have you ever meticulously packed for a trip, only to arrive and experience a sudden change in weather? That's what happened to me last week. I had been checking the forecast for a week and having lived on the East Coast for years, knew I was in for humid, mid-80s temperatures with lots of sunshine. Except I forgot the biggest rule of East Coast summertime weather, which is that it can change at any minute, and that's exactly what happened, whoops. Thankfully I did bring layers and a few warmer things, so while this outfit didn't turn out quite like how I had planned it—in fact, it shares over half of its elements with what I wore in this recent post—I'm still pretty happy with it. Here's how it all came together.

Now that the pandemic is endemic, restrictions are being lifted, and we can take travel once again, it seems like we are all THIRSTY for a vacation. Anecdotally speaking, the airports were packed when I flew last week, and based on an elementary understanding of supply and demand, ticket prices are definitely reflecting that. (I'm not going to tell you what I spent on my flight to NYC, but on a normal day, it would have bought me a flight to Paris.) Having not done much air travel in the last few years, I'm a little rusty, but so far I've found it's just like riding a bike—muscle memory kicks in right away. And of all the aspects of traveling, I think I'm a particularly good packer; this may be a surprise, but I actually tend to pack light. Over the years, I've perfected my formula, and since so many of you have asked me about it over the years, here's how I pack for a trip. 

Amazon is many things to many people: incredibly convenient, possibly evil, a source of income, an undeniable and almost unavoidable force. It also happens to be a great source for hard-to-find yet amazing beauty products from around the world. Here are 9 of my favorite beauty products with a cult following, and you can find them all on Amazon. 

It's summer, and that means it's Birkenstock season. Well, that means it's Birkenstock sandal season, because if you're like me, you own what I call Winter Birkenstocks (aka the shearling-lined variety) as well. Then again, you can always wear Birkenstock sandals with socks year-round, so maybe let me backtrack again and say it's sockless Birkenstock sandal season. Whew, glad we cleared that up! I own Birkenstocks in all shapes, colors, and warmths, but my favorite pair to wear in the summertime is the Arizona EVA sandal in black. I actually think they're more comfortable than the traditional cork footbed—the foamy EVA material is more cushiony and absorbs impact better—and they have the added benefit of being much more affordable than traditional leather or suede. (They're also vegan, if that's important to you.) I own them in black and am strongly contemplating a pair in white, because as I'm about to prove, they're one of the most versatile pairs of shoes in my closet. The fact that they're a single color makes them a little more streamlined and sophisticated-looking than the traditional leather-and-cork combination, and I pair mine with pretty much anything. Here are 7 ways to wear the Birkenstock Arizona EVA sandals.

It finally (finally) feels like summer here in the Bay Area: the weather is warming up, my workweek ends at 1pm on Fridays, and we have a bunch of fun trips planned. I also really look forward to wearing some of my favorite key pieces every summer—they're simple yet there's something about them that just makes me feel happy and carefree. Here are my 5 summer go-tos for 2022 (and every year).

There is a Thing happening on the internet at the moment, and it's the Coastal Grandmother aesthetic. Think of a heroine in a Nancy Myers movie: book clubs, farmers markets, Carole King, a glass of white wine (or three), and airy linen clothing. As someone who enjoys all of the above, it's a lifestyle I can definitely get behind, especially when it comes to the clothing part. When the weather gets hot, I love a loose-fitting linen dress that the air can just breeze right through, and of course it gets chilly along the coast at night, so you'll want to have an organic cotton sweater on hand. I'll take loose and relaxed over short and tight any day—the better to eat my heirloom tomato and burrata salad in, right? Thankfully I live in a city where the Coastal Grandmother game is strong, and there's no better place to shop for it than Margaret O'Leary, which opened its first store on Claude Lane in San Francisco over 25 years ago and can now be found across the country (including in my hometown, Chicago). They invited me to pick out a few of my favorite pieces, and as soon as I put them on, it was like a glass of sauvignon blanc showed up in my well-moisturized hand and "This Will Be an Everlasting Love" started playing. Here's my interpretation of the Coastal Grandmother aesthetic.

It can safely be said that y'all love Spanx. I certainly do too—my jeans, faux leather joggers, and pants are among the most worn pieces in my wardrobe. But I recently acquired a pair of their new ankle straight leg jeans, and let me tell you, I think I have a new favorite. And while I just did an honest review last week, I figured it's never too soon for another one (especially since you, dear readers, seem to particularly love them). Spanx sent these jeans to me for free, but as always, the opinions in this review are 100% my own. Here are my honest and unfiltered thoughts on Spanx straight leg jeans. 

One of the perks of being a blogger is that I get sent a lot of skincare products—often more than even an entire family can use. Conventional wisdom says that you should try a product at least 28 days before you judge its results, but ain't nobody got time for that here. I generally give a new product a week (or less if it irritates my skin), and if it's not doing anything for me, it goes into my friends and family pile. For the record, I don't write about 75% of the things I receive—generally I believe that if I don't have something nice to say. I shouldn't put it in writing—but when something comes along that's noteworthy, that's when I decide to tell you about it. And you definitely need to know about Eighth Day skincare. Full disclosure: they sent me a full-size Regenerative Serum  and Reparative Moisturizer to try, and I was under no obligation to write about either product, but the results were so instantly, visibly amazing, I knew I had to give them a proper review. So without further ado, here's my honest, unfiltered opinion of Eighth Day Regenerative Serum and Reparative Moisturizer. 

One of my favorite parts of living in San Francisco is that it's so close to wine country. If you time it right, you can be in Sonoma County in under an hour, or a little longer for Napa County, but not by much. While wine tasting is obviously a big part of the experience, for me, the best parts is getting outside, breathing in some fresh country air, and enjoying the weather, which is usually 10–20 degrees warmer than in the city. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I go to wine country quite a bit (I call my outings #SundayWineChurch), so I feel like I've perfected dressing for the nuances in weather. Here's what I recommend wearing in wine country in late spring. 

Chicwish provided me with all of the clothing in this post for free, however all of the opinions in the following post are 100% my own. 

If you've been scrolling on Instagram recently, chances are you've seen ads for Chicwish—and if you're me, chances are those ads have followed you all around the Internet. I actually bought a Chicwish skirt on Amazon and featured it in my birthday outfit post last month; Chicwish saw that and graciously reached out with an offer to review some products of my choice. Of course I was curious to try more from this brand, so I jumped at the chance. Here's a little background on Chicwish, plus an honest review of everything I bought.

Mothers: we've all got one—possibly two, and maybe a mother-in-law, a stepmom, a couple grandmas, or even a mother figure. And while I may not be a mom, I certainly know how to shop for them, as I have a lot of them in my life. Since May 8th will be here before you know it, here are 10 Mother's Day gifts that your Mom will love. 

I've noticed a certain thing happening to my face recently, and that's if I've had anything alcoholic to drink the night before, I wake up in the morning with an alarmingly puffy face. If I've had, say, three glasses of red wine, my face looks like a pillow that someone sat on. This never used to happen to me, so I think we have dehydration, both the kind that happens naturally from aging and the kind that happens from drinking too much, to blame. While there's not a lot that you can do to prevent your skin becoming dehydrated as you age, you could, in theory, not drink—and I know plenty of women who have done that, or have at least seriously cut back. But I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner or with friends, and, as the saying goes, I'm not a quitter. Plus, your face can become puffy from eating too much salt, from allergies, and from a bunch of other things. Thankfully for all of us, I have devised a formula to combat puffiness, no sobriety required. Here's how to to depuff your face in 8 easy steps.