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The Link Up: Em’s 3-Step Simple And Effective Skincare Routine, Mal’s Cute “Good For Walking” Sandals, And Maybe The Coolest Tree House We’ve Ever Seen
Happy Sunday everyone and Happy Father’s Day! We hope that if you are lucky enough to spend it with your dad or father figure it’s a truly great day:) And what a week it’s been for the EHD team! The Portland crew is all done shooting the river house (empty), Jess got her BEAUTIFUL new custom bed from Buildlane (THANK YOU!) so she will never again sleep on the floor, and Mal is officially an LA resident again!!! Lots of gratitude all around. So to keep this happy feeling going, let’s get to these links…
This week’s house tour is maybe the most colorful house we’ve ever linked up! It’s nearly impossible to describe but will put a smile on your face so you just have to go see it for ourself. Do that here!
From Emily: I have frustratingly famously dry skin. I also hate traveling with full-sized bottles (I’m a carry-on gal) so when I’m on trips I let my skincare routine totally fall off (so dumb). Recently after I came back from a 5-day vacation, where I only put on basic moisturizer and SPF and my skin was extremely unhappy (blotchy, bad texture, and so dry). So I bought these glass capsules full of hyaluronic acid and peptides, and it’s been an absolute noticeable difference. But one thing that I’ve been told over and over is that if I don’t exfoliate enough (with a mild exfoliant) then the moisturizer or serum can’t even get into my skin. So I used these Pixi glow pads first and then followed it up with the serum, then my Summer Friday’s Cloud Dew and my skin is SO HAPPY. It’s extremely soft and smooth, totally clear, the bad texture is gone. Even Alyssa, my hair and makeup artist, was like “Woah, your skin is really happy”. I do not like a long nighttime skincare routine (I admire all of you who can do it) but this combination is easy to stick to: exfoliant + serum + moisturizer.
From Caitlin: I had a blast reading this piece in Dwell about a family who built a fully-permitted, fox-shaped, treehouse-meets-ADU in their backyard – BY THEMSELVES. From scratch. (And we’re talking scratch here – like, “hand-milled shingles with an 1800s saw blade” and “design custom lighting with a woodland theme” kind of scratch here.) You can see a few more photos of their process and of the finished project on Instagram here – I just really admire it when people go for it, you know?
From Jess: Never did I think I’d be recommending a protein drink but here we are! I’m really trying to up my protein (it’s not easy…at least for me) so when I came across these coffee protein drinks called Slate at Erewhon (don’t judge me!) I thought I would give them a try. They are plant-based, have almost no sugar plus lots of other things I liked. Oh and have 20g of protein per can:) I put them over ice and honestly really like them. I’ve only had the mocha and salted caramel flavors from my energy variety pack but so far it’s been great getting my caffeine for the day and a boost of protein in at the same time.
From Gretchen: I mentioned it last week, and I meant it–I need some new shoes!! Do I have 8 million pairs already? Yup. I sure do. But I wear my shoes to death and there are quite a few pairs that simply cannot be resurrected. For everyday shoes, I need ones that I can slip on and off easily at work. Because of this I usually gravitate toward a Birkenstock or a simple sandal (like this cute pair I just bought from Target). But sometimes I want my toes covered, you know? Sometimes I want to feel a little more “put together” without the need for a heel or a blister-inducing back-strap. So I went hunting for some polished-looking slide-on shoes and found these adorable, backless Mary Janes from Madewell! I love the material, the color (name something Spiced Olive and I’m in), plus the M.J. style is just so cute! But these are even better because they’re like mullet ballet flats, with business up front, and a slip-on-and-go (blister-free) party in the back. Score!
From Mallory: As the days are heating up, I’ve been reaching for sandals for the first few days this season and I was reminded just how much I love these summer sandals. I have them in a darkish brown and I’m thinking of purchasing them in a nude or bone because I always end up wearing them on warm summer days!! They’re SO comfortable so you can walk for long periods of time in them with no problem and they’re velcro which is ideal because I just don’t have the time or the energy for a buckle. Highly recommend if you’re in the market for some new summer sandals!
From Arlyn: It’s a prerequisite to have at least two chambray shirts in your closet as an EHD writer. I’m kidding (sort of), but my go-to button-down recently croaked so I had to replace it as it’s something I grab basically every week. I used to have a super soft one from Loft years ago, and I was so happy to find a similar one on sale. Their sizing is generous, so keep that in mind but it’s roomy without being baggy, has a split hem with a slightly longer back to cover my tushy in leggings, and feels so light in the summer heat that suddenly hit LA.
As always, thank you for reading! See ya tomorrow. xx
Opening Image Credits: Design by Jess Bunge | Styled by Emily Bowser | Photo by Sara Ligorria-Tramp | From: Jess’ Communal Patio Reveal – Beautiful Outdoor Furniture, Some Great Flea Finds, And Of Course… A DIY Dad Project
Hey Jess, I was excited to see your protein shake rec because I was actually just talking to someone about my woefully deficient protein intake, but those drinks aren’t plant-based; the protein comes from “ultrafiltered skim milk blend.” You guys might want to update this post :( Bummer!
Gretchen, those Madewell shoes make me think of Cinderella, pre glass slippers. I love them! Thanks for sharing =-)
Hi — love these links – reading has definitely become part of my Sunday routine! I have a recommendation about blisters. I got some really cute shoes to wear to a Derby party this year, but they were so uncomfortable. Tried all my regular breaking in techniques, eg, wearing around the house with socks. I saw the Mega Babe Thigh rescue recommended, so I got some. It seems so light that I thought it would immediately wear off and I was very dubious. I put it on with my Derby shoes but packed some Tevas for later. To my surprise, I could wear the Derby shoes all night! I’ve tried it again with a pair that I stopped wearing due to painful back straps and again able to wear them all night. Highly recommend!!
What a brilliant idea—I love Thigh Rescue, will def try this !!
I’m prone to blisters and finally discovered that most drugstores/big box stores sell an ‘anti-blister stick’ that works like a charm. Likely a similar product to the thigh rescue. I don’t think the brand matters. Looks like a tiny deodorant and is small enough to travel with when you’re doing a lot of walking. Game changer for me!
I tried to keep an open mind but I find that house tour to be absolutely horrendous! I’m surprised cause I’ve never found a house tour that I’ve felt this strongly bleh about. Maybe it’s just too out of the box for me? I also grew up in a 70s house that was never renovated and is forever put off by the style. I only like the exterior and the dining room. There’s a strong use of colors but none of it goes together aesthetically, also all the flimsy weirdly lengthed curtains killed me lol
Emily, you need to get some Cadence travel capsules! Their new version comes in larger sizes, I think the largest is intended for daily shampoo for a week but could also be used to refill from a full size moisturizer bottle. I’ve been using their original system for years and recently got one of the new larger capsules for my shampoo. I love not having to search for travel size versions of my normal products any more. (Not sponsored, just a fan lol)
Another colorful house tour I loved is this one:
Wow, interesting to see a similar approach from a more design-forward perspective! Love this.
Emily, thank you for the skincare routine–I’ve been looking for something with less steps than everything I’ve been seeing online! Quick question–I assume you cleanse first before these three steps? Which cleanser do you use? Thank you!