The Link Up: Em’s “Tired Mom” Makeup Hack, The Puffer Jacket Gretchen Bought Based On Reader Recs, And An Affordable Gallery Wall Frame We Love

Happy Sunday everyone. We had a HUGE announcement on Friday over on Instagram in case you missed it. Much more on that soon. We also hope you loved Emily’s new bathroom as much as we do. It’s honestly even better in person if you can believe it. Ok, onto this week’s links:)

This week’s house tour is the loft apartment of our dreams. Owned by Orior’s creative director, Ciarán McGuigan, and his wife, and with design help from Orior’s head of design, Jean Morana, this Brooklyn loft is just so special. Filled with pieces by this own brand as well as handmade pieces from other artists, and of course, vintage to create a really cool yet not overly modern or industrial home. Go check it out and have fun drooling over all the glass lighting.

From Emily: My “I’m so tired but my skin needs to look good” routine is happening more than I want it to these days. And listen, it’s hard to say that ONE THING is good for your skin when so many factors contribute to your skin health (lifestyle, diet, sleep, cold plunging:), etc. But even on the days when I wake up looking pretty darn tired, haggard, and uneven, this highlighter (Charlotte Tilbury) mixed with my Armani Luminous Silk foundation in shade 2) makes me look all glowy and dare I say healthy. Let’s call it my winter “tired mom” beauty hack. FYI the Sephora Savings Event fully starts on Tuesday unless you’re a rogue member:)

From Caitlin: AHH! Lemme put y’all onto a hair game-changer for lazy gals everywhere: this $40 thermal blowout brush. I’ve never been great at hair – I didn’t learn how to use a curling wand til 2019 and I still can’t use a traditional curling iron, TBH – but OH MY GOSH. This brush – think of it like a heated straightener-meets-round brush – HAS CHANGED THE GAME. I’m currently walking around my house with a bouncy blowout that took me MINUTES to accomplish (and nary a hairdryer in sight!). There is a bit of a learning curve (mainly where to place your hair – I kept getting it stuck in the handle during my first try, which again, may have just been because I’m so bad at hair tools) but once I figured out the process, it was quick and easy and my hair looks SO DANG GOOD. The layers are layering, folks!!! It literally looks like I just left a salon. AND IT WAS $40. AND I DID IT AT MY HOUSE. Bring on all the holiday photos!!!

From Gretchen: First, I need to issue a big, fat THANK YOU to all who commented on last week’s link up with recommendations for finding my perfect-puffy-matte-black-coat. There were so many good ones!! A few of you wrote that you have had luck with Quince, and there mayyyy have been some other items that accidentally fell into my cart, so I went ahead and bought that coat. Someone mentioned having found a great vegan coat at Noize, a brand I hadn’t yet heard of, and I thought a lot of their puffer coats looked like solid options–namely this one caught my eye. But I shopped around for a bit and instead found an awesome, non-puffer, double-breasted green coat that I just might have to snag! A couple of you mentioned Marmot and while I loved this coat, (which is on sale!) it’s a bit out of my price range, still. Then a bunch of you recommended Eddie Bauer! I found a rain jacket from them I really like the fit of (plus the fact that it’s on sale) so I’ll likely grab that for my less-cold, but still very wet Oregon days. They had another great puffer contender, so if the Quince coat doesn’t work out, I’ll probably head there for my next shot at puff-perfection! Thank you all, again, for the help!!

Also From Gretchen: My buys this week were a lot less outdoor-oriented. Lately, my at-home computer setup has been driving me nuts! Too many messy cords and a monitor mount I’ve fallen out of love with. My place is fairly old with outlets that are mostly two-prong so finding a power strip that doesn’t require a converter jutting out from the wall is tough. But I found an awesome one that not only works with my ancient outlets, but sits flat against the wall AND gives me 6 three-prong outlets! I also swapped my old monitor wall mount for this one (in white, a plus) that goes up and down so I can use it sitting or standing. I can’t wait to switch it all out!

From Mallory: If you’re looking for some last-minute Halloween candles (or just fall candles in general) these dripless ones are 4 for $8 and I’ve never seen a better deal in my life!! They’re on the skinnier side, but they’re so cute and would look great in a dining room or on a candelabra (which is where I use mine!)

From Jess: OK, so I know that I talked about a few sweaters I was thinking of getting for my London trip a couple of weeks ago (this one and this one) and I still might add to cart. But after getting recommended this more affordable brand, Urban Revivo, I fell deeply in love with this special cardigan and immediately purchased it. My god I love that gold button. Oh, these boots are also incredible too! Now the problem with this brand is that I believe they only go up to a size 12 WHICH SUCKS. But hopefully, with online mentions like this, they will get their act together and offer a much wider range of sizing. It’s just not hard to offer more sizes and it needs to be the standard. My favorite size-inclusive brand is Wray if anyone wants to check them out:)

Also From Jess: I know Em just talked about her makeup hack but I also have some makeup recs as one of my dear friends just helped me plan my makeup look for my brother’s wedding…and the Sephora Savings Event just started on Friday if you are a Rogue member. If you aren’t, it starts on Tuesday! I am tempted to give you ALL my recs but we’d be here all day. So here are some highlights. This Patrick Ta Matte Eyeshadow Palette is so GOOD. I love matte neutrals so it’s a dream for me and the color goes on beautifully. It also comes with two gel shadows which have been so fun to play with and I wouldn’t have purchased on their own (aka I would have been scared to try). It is pricey so this is a perfect time to buy if you are interested. Speaking of the great Mr. Ta, I also got his Precision Dual Ended Sculpting Brush. I love a two-fer and for a makeup novice like me makes “sculpting” easier. I bought it with this really beautiful bronzer in light medium (which I use the less fluffy side of the brush with).

Also Also From Jess: Ok, three more recs but all lip-related. I’ve loved the Sephora Collections Cream Lip Stain Liquid Lipstick for a long time. This red (01 Always Red) is what made me a believer because it will stay on alllll night long. So when I needed a nude color I went straight to this section and found 120 Mystic Cloud. It’s so perfect (well I can only speak for my skin tone). My friend recommended I get a lip liner to go with it called “29 dressed to the 90s”. Then to top it off with a little gloss she recommended this pretty plumping serum. 10/10 lips! FYI the Sephora Collection is 30% off right now until 11/6:) The code for the entire event is TIMETOSAVE.

From Arlyn: IKEA is my usual go-to for frames as you just can’t beat that price. But recently, I feel like the quality has gone down. Has anyone else noticed the frame lifts away from the plexi in the middle when you hang them now? This has happened to me with numerous RIBBAs specifically, so maybe it’s just that line. Anyhow, I was going to hang some art and picked up this brass frame on Amazon randomly because the price was very good and the reviews were solid. And guys, it’s great! It was packed so well, has a tempered glass front rather than plexi, the brass is soft and pretty and it comes in a ton of sizes. Very happy with this purchase, for sure. (P.S. Please share if you have a good source for affordable frames!) 

Also from Arlyn: I got the itch about two weeks ago to do yoga. It kind of came out of nowhere, as I’ve never been a regular practitioner of the exercise. But sometimes, that’s just how things happen, you know? After I put the baby to sleep, I went to my room, rolled out my yoga mat and hit up YouTube for a class. I immediately found Yoga with Adriene who was totally new to me but is evidently quite popular. On a whim, I watched the first video in her “Center” 30-Day Yoga Journey and LOVED IT. I came downstairs to my husband and told him I was going to do 30 days of yoga. He’s not a stranger to my random and sudden need to embark on something new, but by the time I got to day 3, he was on his own mat in our room joining me. We’re on day 11 now (I repeated days 0-3 for Charles) and I honestly look forward to it all day. It’s my time to unwind, center myself, and get in some exercise that doesn’t feel like I’m pounding the pavement. If you’re looking to get into something gentle but challenging, this is it. Do it with me and then hit me up to let me know how it’s going (find me on Instagram!).  

Thanks for stopping by and see y’all tomorrow for Mal’s big reveal!

Opening Image Credits: Design by Emily Henderson and ARCIFORM | Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: **Introducing** Our Farmhouse Primary Bathroom Reveal (FINALLY)