Happy Sunday, everyone. What feels like the end of summer is upon us, which always catches us a little off guard. With that said, we’ll be running into every swimmable body of water at least until Labor Day to soak up every last second. Does anyone have any last-minute fun summer plans?
This week’s house tour is “the epitome of Spanish architecture during Hollywood’s Golden Age” and was thoughtfully restored by Alexander Design. It’s the dreamiest California organic, MCM style, and you have to go see all of the details, especially the living room’s ceiling!
From Emily: This sweater felt like my gateway fall piece – chunky, layerable, classic, cropped with good details. And that cuff – she’s goooooood. It feels so high-quality and well-made. It took me a while to get into Abercrombie, but once I tried things on, I realized that many pieces are, in fact, for me.
From Caitlin: I’ve been on the hunt for some vintage or handmade kitchen ceramics – spice jars, cruets, all that jazz – and I stumbled upon the CUTEST sugar jar I’ve ever laid eyes on. (You can go peek. I’ll wait.) ISN’T THAT THE MOST DARLING LITTLE THING YOU’VE EVER SEEN? The houses! The trees! The scallops! The finishing! MY HEART IS EXPLODING. Don’t even get me started on the pitcher, the pour-over coffee maker, or the Christmas mug. There’s something so endearing about these sweet pieces, you know? You can tell that human hands made them with love – they’re just too freakin’ cute. (PS. If you throw one of them in your cart for a few days, you’ll likely score a 30% off coupon code. It worked for me!)
From Jess: I know this top won’t be for everyone (and the sizing is less than inclusive, UGH), but it’s the only thing I’ve bought in the past couple of weeks, and I’m in love. This sheer mesh tank top is going to joyfully take me through the rest of this VERY hot weather (aka until November). With my black bralette, I can totally dress this up or down, oh, and it’s reversible! So I can choose between a high neck and a scoop. I got the graphite color because I wanted a softer tone. I found this brand through Instagram, I think, and haven’t tried anything else, but I’m definitely interested.
From Mallory: I finished my 1 month living room makeover (photos are being edited and everything is coming to you VERY soon) and initially I had planned to put up a gallery wall over the sofa but we started putting it up and realized we hated it…so 1 week prior to shooting I had to find something huge to go above the sofa that wasn’t 10 thousand bucks. WELL, I COULDN’T BELIEVE IT BUT I FOUND THE PERFECT THING. It’s this absolutely gorgeous tapestry from the coolest Etsy shop based in Australia (shoutout to the seller and dhl express international shipping because she made this thing show up in 3 days for only $40, which saved my living room shoot). Huge art is so hard to find, and I felt like this pricing was reasonable considering it comes with mounting hardware and takes up SO much space. Bye bye blank walls!! If you’re looking for a large tapestry for a fairly reasonable price in comparison to other tapestries and art this size, check this Etsy shop out!
From Arlyn: I’ve got a not-very-sexy but super useful product for you today: washing machine cleaner tablets. We don’t have a front loader, but our top loader still gets so musty and mildewy smelling. I often run vinegar or bleach cycles to try to squash that, but I find these Affresh pods work best. You just throw one in, run a hot water/heavy cleaning cycle, and boom, much cleaner and better-smelling machine. They also make these for garbage disposals and dishwashers.
From Marlee: The dreamiest summer scent! I picked up this perfume from a cute little shop last winter and recently rediscovered it after it got lost in one of my bajillion bags for months. This is like if vanilla went frolicking through the woods and then stumbled upon a magical beach at sunset…You know? Not only is the smell gorgeous, so is the packaging – it’s one of those items that I where every time I use it, it feels like the first time I took it out of its packaging. It never loses its novelty! It’s totally gender-neutral, not too sweet, not artificial-smelling, and I get so many compliments on it.
Also From Marlee: Okay, maybe this is common knowledge, but I was recently put on to this stain remover bar that has absolutely changed my life. AND for less than $3! Huh?!? (Look for it at your local Ace!) Get an old toothbrush wet and scrub it on the bar, then scrub it into literally any stain – it even helped with an oil stain that had been on a sweatshirt for years (it didn’t go away completely, but much less noticeable)! This thing has made me become absolutely insufferable at Goodwill – the opportunities are endless when you know you can get that stain out at home…
From Gretchen: I’ve shared it before, and I’m more than happy to share it again…my Fenty Match Stix Contour Skinstick is the hardest-working item in my makeup kit. I don’t know what magic Rihanna put into this formula, but I know better than to question it. It is just so creamy, buildable, and blendable that it’s basically impossible to get wrong. I use this more as a bronzer, less of a “contour,” but slapping it on is just so quick and easy. I scribble some on my cheekbones, draw a couple of lines near my hairline, and hit each side of my nose with the lightest touch, before blending it all out with a big, fluffy brush. The color, Mocha, is perfection for me. The product sort of melts into my face, making my skin look so naturally tan and glowy. I’ve repurchased this Skinstick a solid three times because I can’t be without it, but trust me when I say it lasts me months and months. Ulta is doing a promotion through 8/23 with Fenty products; Spend $50 and get a free makeup bag. While I’d say grabbing two of these sticks to secure the gift bag would not be a mistake, I can also HIGHLY recommend the Fenty Cream Blush in Rosé Latte. Another super creamy, perfectly pigmented product that blends so well and gives your cheeks that perfect rosy tone.
Before you leave us today, we wanted to turn the attention to our friend Mark Weinberg. He was our incredible photographer on both of our Rugs USA shoots, and we couldn’t have asked for a more talented and kind person to work with. We just found out that he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. There is a GoFundMe to help pay for the surgery and recovery if you have any ability to donate. Thank you so much<3
Thanks for spending a little time with us today, and see you tomorrow. xx
Opening Image Credits: Styled by Getteline Rene | Photo by Mark Weinberg | From: It’s Here! Our First EHD Collection With Rugs USA (+ Why Now? And Why This?)