Happy Saturday, friends! And Happy March… How did we get here?? We had a pretty low-key week, which was honestly great. Save for a meeting up in Evanston, I was mainly just working here at home. Things were a little nutty on Friday so I’m just getting this week’s list out on Saturday morning. So grab a nice warm cup of coffee and settle in!
While it was a very low-key week, we did go out for a bit on Tuesday evening! A local bar in our neighborhood (Beat Kitchen) has live music most nights of the week, but I recently discovered they host Chicago Underground Comedy for stand-up on Tuesday nights. Tickets were only $10 and all of the comedians we saw were so funny! Great little date night or something to do with friends. We went on the last Tuesday of the month, which is apparently their ‘headliners’ night, which may or may not have contributed to how great everyone was and how much we enjoyed it.
PLUS! I was so shocked to find that they had Ritual Zero Proof ‘Tequila’ behind the bar!! (It’s kind of a divey bar, which just goes to show how big the sober curious movement is getting.) The bartender made me a couple of great ‘Palomas’ so I was happy as a (sober) clam. PS — I got a code for us!! You can use my code RZPJRS for the next 3 days to save 20% off your order of any of their non-alcoholic spirits!!
I know I’ve talked about it a lot on Instagram, but maybe I haven’t mentioned it here?? I’ve been drinking wayyyyy less this year. I did a mostly dry January (‘damp’ if you will) and only had wine or a cocktail on a few nights of the month. I did drink wine every day when we were in California at the beginning of February, but since we’ve been back (almost a month!) I’ve only drank on two or three occasions. I had wine on Valentine’s Day at Ralph Lauren and then two hard kombuchas when we were at Pilot Project in Milwaukee, but that’s pretty much it. I decided to do a full dry month, so now I’m two weeks in. Two more to go to officially make it a month! I’m really loving it so far, so we’ll see what happens after that.
Hope you have a lovely weekend ahead! If you’re in Chicago, enjoy the sunshine today! 😎
xx jess
What I Read, Watched, & Listened to This Week
Honestly, barely anything. I’m the worst! Just a ton of election stuff earlier in the week. I have a laundry list of podcast episodes I want to listen to, so I’ll be sure to share those as soon as I do.
I’m still making my way through The Modern Astrologer’s Energetic Guide to March… Wowza, it’s a stacked month!! So much to digest.
He has 1.2 million followers, so chances are good you’ve already seen his page, BUT Dave discovered Laurent Dagenais on Instagram and we were both very entertained. Food porn to the max!
PS: Just three more weeks until Succession!! I will say, though, I was pretty bummed to learn this upcoming season will be the very last one.
What I Shopped & Browsed This Week
If last week was all about shoes, this week was all about beauty! Maybe it’s just the time of year when you sort of feel stuck in neutral with shopping because you’re over your winter clothes, but you don’t yet want to buy spring clothes?? (Or maybe that’s just me because spring is such a tease in Chicago and we really won’t have spring weather for a few more months…) I feel like I’m gravitating toward new beauty a lot in this in-between time?!
I need to do a whole post about my natural deodorant journey because it really WAS a journey, but now I wouldn’t thinik of using anything else. Fully converted! For what it’s worth, Native is my daily go-to, but I’ve found that it really is trial and error with your body to see what you personally respond to the best. I’m obsessed with the smell of Megababe’s Rosy Pits (it’s the exact same scent as Le Labo 31, my fave), but it just doesn’t do it for me as a deodorant. Big, big bummer since I love the scent so much!
Anyway, all that to say… I’m so glad I took a chance with the new Megababe deodorant… The Cream Deo!! Aside from the Rosy Pits not working for me, I questioned buying the new Cream Deo because it’s the same packaging as their Happy Pits Detox Mask. Love the product, but in the past, I didn’t know you needed to be diligent about cleaning the applicator off after using it, and it made a huge flaky mess the next time I used it, with charcoal flakes ending up all over the bathroom. 😅
So again, that being said, I really do love the new Megababe Cream Deo! It’s not messy at all and seriously works for me. Maybe one of the best natural deodorants I’ve tried in terms of minimizing stink! And honestly, I was a little turned off by the idea of ‘cream’ deodorant because I love the convenience of a stick… just swipe and go! But since it does such a great job, I haven’t found myself needing to reapply later in the day, so it hasn’t been an issue at all. Once I apply after getting out of the shower, I just wait a minute or two before getting dressed. (Great time to apply body moisturizer!)
Another rose-scented beauty product I’ve been applying incessantly… TenOverTen’s The Rose Oil Cuticle Treatment! It’s a clean product (natural and non-toxic) and has the best rollerball applicator that makes it so easy to apply. I’ve tried a ton of cuticle oils and this one is truly mess-free! It does smell good, but it’s not overpowering in the least. Extremely subtle on the rose front!
I’ve been obsessed with all things Saie Beauty lately… Namely, this concealer and this SPF moisturizer! Truly, obsessed with both products. (The SPF comes in a mini size if you want to dip your toe in trying it out! That’s always my strategy, haha.) I’ve been a fan of their Super Glowy Gel for years… I mix it in with my foundation for a lighter coverage look! I use the Starglow regularly and the Sunglow whenever I’ve had a spray tan or gotten some sun. (Again, they come in a mini set if you want to try the duo!)
Next up on my list… The SunMelt bronzer and this big brush! I went and got shade-matched at Sephora on one of the days they had a Saie specialist in store (I’m an actual #fangirl, haha) and she was so helpful… Since I like a ‘cooler’ bronzey look (nothing too orange!) she actually applied SunMelt very lightly in the Dark Bronze with this smaller brush, which I actually really liked, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to execute as well at home. If applying all over with the big brush, I’d use the Light Bronze shade! Naturally, I couldn’t decide at the store and it felt wreckless just buying everything in sight, but I honestly will probably end up buying it all eventually. But first, I’m going to go with this duo in light bronze.
I bought this bracelet a few weeks ago and I’ve barely taken it off since! Sort of looks like you’re wearing a Rolex… Looks fantastic on its own or even better stacked with other bangles! PS: I really love this brand‘s ethos… All our jewelry is considered waterproof and tarnish-resistant! We use IP Plating which stands for Ion plating. This is a Physical vapor deposition (PVD) process and the jewelry is plated with at least 0.1 micron of 18K Gold or Silver, plus e-coating which qualifies it to pass waterproof tests. If you wear our jewelry every single day- in the shower and the bed, then you’ll find that the color will not fade for at least six months. We do recommend removing your jewelry when you shower and sleep, and keeping it away from water and lotion only to ensure that the color of the plating does not fade over time. We stand by all our jewelry so if you have any issues with a piece you have purchased, we will replace it for you within 1 year of purchase. Email [email protected] for more details.
You’ll never guess where I found THE CUTEST blazers!! From fringe jackets to the cutest tweed toppers, all of these blazers are perfect for work and beyond. I’m obsessed!
This bench I’ve had my eye on is back in stock! Sadly, we really don’t have anywhere to put it.
Two more pieces on my never-ending decor wish list… This chair + this dresser!
What We Cooked This Week
Dave crushed it on the new recipes this week! All were from NYT so apologies if you don’t subscribe because they might be behind a paywall. FYI – he always checks the comments before he starts cooking and usually implements some off-recipe suggestions!
Baked Barley Risotto with Mushrooms and Carrots | I believe he added both white wine and sherry instead of half of the water to cook the barley. Made for wonderful leftovers all week!
One-Pan Pork Chops with Feta, Snap Peas, and Mint | This one was the most surprising! I wasn’t that jazzed about it from the name, but WOW — so much flavor and truly so delicious.
Vegetarian Skillet Chili | So simple, but so delish! The pickled onions were such a nice touch. He served it with sour cream (blended with lime zest!), as well as some sturdy tortilla chips for dipping, as it was a very chunky chili. Yum!!
Other Things of Note
I completely overhauled my Amazon Shop this week and last! Lots of new categories, so it should be much quicker to find what you’re looking for or find the right list for shopping inspo. I actually added a whole MOCKTAIL section with all of the non-alcoholic bevvies, alcohol-removed wines, NA beers, etc that I want to try! There are so many cool brands entering the space. Makes it kind of fun to try all of these new dranks!
If you enjoy reading my blog or following me on social media, I would be forever grateful if you would fill out a short testimonial. Lots more details in that blog post, but it should only take ~2 minutes to fill out!
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