Happy Sunday everyone. You bet Emily didn’t waste any time adjusting back to “bus, club, another club, another club”. And by that we mean, writing posts, prop shopping, photoshoot, another photoshoot:) It’s spring and we are as busy as ever getting you the good stuff. And some of that good stuff is right here below. Let’s link!
This week’s house tour is a 1830s-era Creole cottage modernized to have an art gallery vibe and boy did they with the most incredible 48′ hallway. Why is the hallway so special? Well, let’s just say some Velux skylights helped a lot:)
From Emily: My sweet friend and photographer Kaitlin Green surprised me with some new cool sneakers after hearing me wish for some street-style slim Nikes. These cobalt blue Pacifics check the slim “Samba” vibe but with that iconic swoosh that I’m very loyal to:) Thank you, Kaitlin!!
From Marlee: Here’s a hack – if there’s a product you want but you’re not ready to fully invest in it, just split it with a friend (obvious, but I’ve never done this with skincare before)! I just got this Ilia Face Milk and it’s GOOD… it’s a super lightweight moisturizer but it’s meant to be a skin prep step before makeup. The formula is made to sit under skin tints/foundation and other makeup products. Sometimes I feel like when I use my normal moisturizer, my makeup just melts right off my face. This gives me a super hydrated base and my makeup sits so nicely on it. It’s pricy so I split the bottle with my friend but I have a feeling I’m going to end up going back for my own. I’ve been combining it with the Saie Glowy Super gel too (they just released a new shade, warm glow) and it’s a holy combo. It literally illuminates me. 100/10!
From Gretchen: Last year, we team-retreated our butts off in Mexico and lucked out with an awesome swimsuit campaign via Summersalt. Each of us picked out a couple of suits to show off and Kaitlin snapped a million pics of us all hanging out by the pool. But these suits weren’t just for show. I really and truly LOVE the swimsuits I came home with and both of them have become staples in my swimwear rotation. What I love about Summersalt suits is that they prioritize comfort but don’t shy away from punchy colors or striking silhouettes. I really surprised myself after falling in love with this bright pink and orange one piece, because I’m pretty partial to a solid black suit (the other one I snagged and LOVE LOVE LOVE falls into that category). But something about this bright color combo, plungey neckline, and fun wrap design just makes me feel GOOD. It goes really great with a tan and holds you in all the right places. But there’s something fun and flirty about the waist tie specifically that has me still reaching for this suit a year later. Plus, I must say the material has held up super well!
From Mallory: My favorite swimsuit brand for years now is Triangl – they’re mid-priced bikinis sold in sets and they have the CUTEST styles. I just purchased this new one (this is my first one) and I’m a huge fan. You can choose how cheeky you want the suit for a lot of the styles and I love how soft and comfortable the materials are. They’re more interesting than your standard string bikini and I find these suits super flattering if you’re into a two-piece!! For a one-piece, I have to say I was super impressed with the Summersalt suits I wore in Mexico last summer – the black and red ones were my favorite over the white one. Good compression, really comfortable, and great coverage while still being flattering and fun!!
From Arlyn: Do you have some clothes that no matter how much you wash, they still kind of have a deeply embedded…stink to them? Maybe some sports bras, basically all-black leggings, the armpit area of some shirts? Well friends, do I have something for you. I’d heard the commercials for Downy Rinse & Refresh for a while but kind of ignored them because I prefer to buy less commercial brands for my cleaning agents. But I had specifically a few wireless bras where the band that sits on the rib cage always seemed to smell like I came right from the gym. I liked the bras, but felt like they were too far gone (FYI, did you know black clothes tend to stink more and hold on to stink longer than normal clothes? It’s true! It’s because of the dye…anyway). So I came across the Rinse & Refresh at the store the other day and just decided to try it and boy did it deliver! I’m not a fan of fragrant laundry detergent and this does have some, but I’m telling you, all of my clothes came out of the machine smelling truly like new and even after wearing, the yucky smells were long gone. I’m VERY HAPPY.
From Jess: The first thing I have to say isn’t a link but more of a PSA. Last week, I woke up at 2 am from what I thought were just painful cramps. Fast forward to the pain getting much worse, heading to the ER, and then getting emergency surgery for an ovarian torsion. Thankfully I had incredible care and support but I was very close to just staying home and “toughing it out” for a lot longer. Surgery is the only remedy for this type of medical issue and the longer you wait the more at risk you are for complications. I know that so many of us, myself included, have been very conditioned to “be strong” and that mentality could have really put me in danger. Since having the surgery, I have found out that at least 5 women I know or know of have also had this surgery. What’s nuts is that I had only heard about ovarian torsions for the first time from a TikTok video I watched somewhat recently. The ages of the women who had this happen to them range from 19 to 60 at the time of surgery. It happens all of a sudden and fast, y’all. This is all to say that if you are a “tough it out type” but start to have “irregular” pain in your lower abdomen don’t wait to get help. I know the way our medical system works also makes us want to stay away from potentially unnecessary care in fear it’s going to cost a lot of money. That was absolutely running through my mind and I am lucky to have good health insurance. IT’S SO MESSED UP I WANT TO SCREAM! So while I haven’t gotten the final bill (she says while sweating), I’m so grateful I didn’t listen to those initial thoughts. Take care of yourself!!
Fun tidbit for the Les Bunge fans: Les Bunge is an April Fools lover and has gotten my brother and me more times than I’d like to admit. So wouldn’t it be my luck that not only was he in Amsterdam the day I went into the ER but you bet he didn’t believe me until I had to text his girlfriend to get him to call me back. At least there was a little bit of cosmic humor in all of the pain that day. Ha.
Also From Jess: As you can imagine I’ve been watching A LOT of television this week. My typical nonstop partying and shopping sprees have been put on hold for the month;) But I have to say that if you haven’t been watching the non-US Love is Blind franchises you are missing out. Actually, I haven’t enjoyed the US seasons in a while but think the others are really interesting. You get to see how the dating cultures are similar and different. The newest season of Sweden is great. You have the option of dubbing with subtitles or just subtitles with their actual voices. I usually like to at least hear what their real voices sound like but then end up turning the dubbing back on for ease. There are people you love, people you can’t stand, and a very heartwarming ending! Highly recommend.
From Caitlin: I love a messy business story, and this long read on the Knot’s fake bride problem is a DOOZY that unfolds in some really surprising directions. I’ll excerpt a particularly shocking part here, in which a sales executive attempts to alert the management team that the ads her clients are purchasing aren’t being displayed on the Knot’s website: “Davidson’s colleague Rachel LaFera reported the same issue to an executive, who exploded, LaFera recalled. “She grabbed me by both of my arms, and she started shaking the shit out of me, red-faced, spitting, saying, ‘You have to stop, just stop! You’ve got to stop bringing all this up. Stop it!’ ” LaFera said. “I was so in shock.” (When I reached out to the executive for comment, she replied, “
,” and then said that she had mistook me for someone else.)“
Also From Caitlin: As a J.Crew fan myself, I wanted to alert you all that their big spring sale is huge this year. So now through 4/14 you can get 40% off sitewide. See?! GOOD!
Thanks for reading and tomorrow come back for a fun reveal. xx
Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: A Pink Breakfast Nook Of My Dreams (My Friend’s Makeover I’m Jealous Of…)
Oh my goodness, Jess. Rest up and hope you’re feeling better soon.
@Jess – the day before thanksgiving, at about noon I had abdominal pain. I had a virtual therapy appt and my therapist was trying to interpret the pain as having psychological meaning. After the session, the pain got worse so I went to bed with a heating pad and it wasn’t helping and it had moved to the right side. I really really didn’t want to go to the ED but did a bunch of ED triage tools and abdominal pain always pointed to getting urgent care. It was like 8pm and I dragged myself to the ED and it turned out to be appendicitis and I had emergency surgery. Turns out the appendix was “gangrenous.” I had not had pain before that day – so somehow it was in there getting really bad without me knowing. Anyway – all of that is to say, I very much agree that ignoring pain is not a good idea. Also, they gave me macaroni and cheese for my thanksgiving dinner (I’m a vegetarian and wanted to show I could eat so they would discharge me) and it was actually pretty good. So, my surgery+ED care was over 68K, but I had some… Read more »
Wait. Canadian here. How much of that 68k will you have to pay? I cannot imagine how hard it is to absorb an emergency cost like that.
With insurance, it would not be anywhere near that amount. It all depends on maxiumum out of pockets. In my experience, hospitals are willing to set up payment plans for the amount due and depending on financial need, they will give a break on what is owed.
I have really good insurance plus an HSA, so that made it not disastrous financially, luckily.
I owed a bit more than 1K – I have a health savings account, so luckily had enough in there to pay that in full. It was a shock though still.
Thank goodness! I had a gangrenous appendix and then a later infection with a one week hospital stay (right before Canadian Thanksgiving funnily enough) so truly feel your pain and glad everything worked out with Mac and cheese in top!
Jess, needing an unplanned and urgent surgery brings so many emotions! Of course, your dad thought it was an April fool’s joke, so Les! I appreciate the PSA, when a person’s intuition tells them something is different, it’s time to get checked out. I work as an RN and wish our healthcare system was better too.
Now, have a nap, then more water, and a gentle walk. Wishing you a smooth recovery, – Jen
Link up idea; anyone with a favorite scent/brand of diffuser? Wanting a scent to welcome me home after the work day. : )
I have a tiny essential oil diffuser and recently started diffusing patchouli. I know that scent can be a little polarizing to some, but wow I love it. It’s so warm and rich.
Not sure if you have the brand ‘Sage’ in the U.S. – but their diffusers are beautiful and scents like Liquid Sunshine or any of their alpine scents are amazing!
Jess, I’m so sorry to hear you had surgery but I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better! As someone with endometriosis, I totally get it. Just want to reiterate that ANY kind of severe pelvic/abdominal is not normal! Endometriosis doesn’t always cause pain but often resembles natural childbirth or appendicitis. You have to advocate for yourself whenever anything feels off, ladies!
Still lots of great Target/Kendra Scott collab items in stock if you need anything for Easter, Mother’s Day or Graduation. I am forcefully restraining myself because I don’t *really* need anything.
Oh wow–I have never heard of an ovarian torsion….and I’m in my late 40’s!! Very much appreciate the PSA. Why haven’t women been told about this before??
Ultrasound tech here! I work it a hospital and we get women coming in to the ER for pelvic pain a LOT. Usually with ovarian torsion, the pain can be more on one side versus the other. The doctor will order a pelvic ultrasound exam to confirm blood flow to both ovaries in order to rule out torsion. This is considered a critical exam and gets prioritized (along with testicular torsion scrotal exams) above all others! Ovaries/testicles can and will die from lack of blood flow, so it’s not something you want to put off.
Go to an actual hospital ER and not a freestanding ER for this, bc sometimes the freestanding ERs don’t have an ultrasound tech there 24/7 and they have to call someone in, which can take awhile. Then if they do find something, there isn’t an OR on-site to perform the surgery.
Good on you, Jess, for going to the ER! Best wishes for recovery 🙏 ❤️
Heads up that ovarian torsion is a big one for pain but non-torsion ovarian cysts can also be extremely painful! I get painful, large ones every 2 years or so and one I had about 4 years ago was so bad that I was CONVINCED it was the IUD I’d recently got perforating my uterus. My OBGYN was able to get me in that day and discovered it was ‘just’ a cyst but said that it was almost golf ball sized and that she was surprised it wasn’t causing ovarian torsion yet. Before I had kids I thought it was normal to have painful stabbing like pains on one side for 2 days every so often and it was during pregnancy-related ultrasounds that they first noticed I almost always had at least one large cyst. Since then there has been a cyst on almost every ultrasound I’ve had and I’ve learned the random pains are usually them getting big enough to hurt or when they burst. It shocks me that very little education is done on this for people who have ovaries!
Arlyn, thank you so much for the Downey recommendation! I bought some and immediately washed some things that had that gross mildewy sweaty smell to them and they no longer smell. I was amazed!