Hill House Home dropped their latest navy tartan, the Iris Tartan. I got a preview of the Iris Tartan, as I had ordered the Ellie in the “original” tartan a few months back and it was oversold. They offered this as a replacement and while it isn’t that similar to the original Navy Tartan (now referred to as the Holiday Navy Tartan), it was close enough. The Iris Tartan is billed as an all-year tartan. The plaid print is a little brighter and larger scale, and the material is thinner. I like the Caroline style, so I got that and the shorter Katherine. The Ellie had some anti-slip material inside of the shoulder straps that I hadn’t seen in prior Ellies (and because of that wouldn’t recommend the dryer).
The NodPod Weighted Eye Mask has been a recent indulgence. It helps me fall asleep more deeply (although I typically sleep well), especially if I get waken up from the neighboring construction noise. It’s great with AirPods. I got mine from Anthropologie and it’s a lighter shade (pink). The darker colors would be better for those that are more sensitive to light. They are 50% on GMA Deals through tonight. Otherwise, I recommend Anthropologie with a sitewide discount.
Image: Anthropologie
Shark WandvacOne of our favorite home purchases of 2020. It is cord-free handheld vacuum, strong, has attachments for a more targeted clean, and so convenient for quick cleanups. I got the WV201 model from Amazon. Not sure how different the WV200 model is from Walmart, which is much cheaper.
Image: Amazon
Skincare Routine. Working from home has meant time for a relaxed skincare routine in the morning and being intentional with finishing up products. It helps to put everything in my routine in a Muji container. My skin has gotten so soft after a few tweaks* and I think it’s mainly due to these products:
Sulwhasoo First Care Activating Serum. They reformulated (you can tell by the bottom of the bottle) and I don’t know how it compares with the prior formula. I am still working on my stockpile from Asia duty free. If you want to try limited edition scents, Bergdorf Goodman still has the Capturing Moment, which is similar to the Plum Blossom that I reviewed.
Note 1: Duty free deals and value sets for the luxury skincare items!
Note 2: For Korean products, I stay away from Amazon unless the brand sells directly on it. I purchase from Sokoglam or Peach and Lily (US distributors) during a sale, Costco, or a Korean e-tailer like Jolse (tip: they have free shipping promotions) or SweetCorea.
CHEF HOONI KIM‘s wagyu beef curry was the best thing I ate this week. For those in the New York City area, Hanjan delivers weekly to the surrounding area. The meal kit menu changes every week and the curry can be an add-on. It was our first time ordering the meal kit and it’s a good portion size.
I have sensitive teeth and typically use Pronamel. I started using Boka, which has n-Ha instead of fluoride. It also ‘tastes’ better than Pronamel. Boka didn’t have a sale on toothpaste this weekend, but Urban Outfitters did (and has a lower price on it in general with a sitewide discount). Sometimes Bloomingdales has it on sale. Amazon also carries it.
3 / Beauty
Mighty Hero pimple patches from Anthropologie. I’m going to give their dark spot/blemish stickers another go. Anthropologie’s 30% off is generous and they have a great curation in general, but their shipping can be painfully slow.
Beauty of Joseon serums and Acwell toner from Sokoglam. Some more Beauty of Joseon and Cosrx items from Jolse when they had a free shipping promotion.
J.One jelly pack and overnight mask on clearance at Costco.com. I think they may be available without a membership. I stocked up on the overnight mask — it worked great under a cream moisturizer. The primer was so popular a few years ago.
Christophe Robin rose hair products have an intoxicating rose scent. I recently picked up the shampoo and conditioner during the GMA deal. I like the performance of the paste the most but the shampoo/conditioner are equally fragrant.
Necessaire does not have a discount but is including a full size body serum ($45) with purchase. They also have Bergamot which is limited edition and doesn’t seem to be sold elsewhere. I like their scrub.
Tula has 25% off. I haven’t tried their products since they rebranded. I heard good reviews on the eye balm, so ordered the holiday set.
St Regis Remede hair products. My hair really likes their shampoo and conditioner. I typically get a ton of minis from the mister’s travels, but like a larger container.
H&M – I’ve had good luck with vases, marble, waffled bathrobes, and this puff-sleeved dotted dress. Things pop in and out of stock and I’ve found their notifications to work (ahem, Uniqlo). The slow processing time is painful but at least shipping and returns are free if you sign up for their rewards program.
MZ Wallace small Crosby crossbody purse. I’m quite sad to see that it’s discontinued! I have this in navy blue and maybe this is a sign that I’ve gotten boring. I like all the pockets and find it to be super convenient and light, as well as the navy/black/gold color combination. It comes with three different crossbody straps – I like the webbed one.
Clare V’s Black Friday sale isn’t exciting, consistent with prior years, but her 20% off best sellers promotion from earlier in the week is still active with code CHEERS20. This includes all her classic styles including my favorite La Tropezienne (review). You can also click around to see if other colors are included. I’ve been waiting for the perforated items to come back but am not feeling the grande fanny.
The last Uniqlo +J collaboration was roughly around the time that I started this blog. Uniqlo didn’t have e-commerce and in NYC, there was only one place to go – the Soho store. I still have a few pieces in my closet from that collection, but sadly some of the nicer pieces no longer fit.
I totally underestimated this launch and my own memory; I should’ve set up a reminder. By the time I got on, it was 1+ hour after the US launch and most of the women’s collection was sold out. I haven’t heard of any more major restocks but have been checking daily. If you are interested in any pieces and can’t get to a physical store that has it, best to be quick about purchasing online. I’ve linked the specific pieces below of most interest. I’m not sure yet whether something could be in stock but not show up at the above link for the entire collection. The lookbook is here.
WOMEN +J ULTRA LIGHT DOWN HOODED COAT (middle) – I got this in blue in my normal ultra light down size. I love it. I’ve very happy with the dark shade of blue, cut (it is more tailored), stylish sleeves and hood, longer length, and lining. My biggest problem with ULD in recent years is that feathers poke out of the lining and are so hard to clean off of my mostly black/blue clothes. Fingers crossed that it won’t happen here. Around the same time, a H&M quilted coat arrived and its quality and shapelessness paled in comparison with this coat. It was a no brainer.
WOMEN +J DOUBLE FACE STAND COLLAR JACKET (unpictured) – I sized up because that was all that was available, and it was too boxy all around. I haven’t seen this pop back at all. It is nicely made but I am lukewarm about it, maybe the right size would help. It goes with the next item. I eventually got my normal size in black. It is still a little boxy but in a nicer, intentional oversized way. The downside of popbacks is that they are returns so this has to be steamed and delinted.
WOMEN +J EXTRA FINE MERINO TURTLENECK SWEATER (not pictured)- I sized up in this as well and it was perfect as I wanted it to be less fitted. I don’t often wear sweaters. I thought it was cut well and of good quality, which can’t be said for knits for other collabs. I later tried sizing down to my normal size and found the difference to be negligible to me, and there was a hole in the sleeve. This comes in a few colors and I got the colors I wear the most — black and navy.
WOMEN +J HYBRID DOWN JACKET (Short) (right) – I haven’t seen it in person yet. I sized down. Reviews said that it runs large and long in the sleeves/neck. This ran very large and was unflattering on me. If you have the right proportions and size, this could look amazing.
WOMEN +J HYBRID DOWN COAT (Long) (not pictured) – This also ran large. It was huge in my normal size and one size down, so I would guess you could size down 2 sizes. The overall shape is a triangle but other than that there is nothing distinctive that I could see. It looks better if you’re tall.
WOMEN +J HYBRID DOWN SHORT COAT (not pictured) – This is a favorite of the Youtubers. I haven’t been able to snag the popback yet.
WOMEN CASHMERE BLEND COLLARLESS COAT (left) – This was an elusive popback. It is comfortably oversized one size down. Watching Youtube reviews on this coat helped me notice that the collars are asymmetrical, which is a nice detail. The material is very soft. I would’ve loved the navy as well if it were in stock. This was also a victim of popback lint but didn’t wrinkle much.
WOMEN +J SILK JERSEY TURTLENECK LONG-SLEEVE T-SHIRT (not pictured) – I would say this is true to size, although I could only find it in a size up and went with that. It is a nice weight and I can see this lasting a long time (like the jersey tee I wear from the last collab).
WOMEN +J LONG-SLEEVE SHIRT DRESS (not pictured) – Also oversized but not awkwardly so. I sized down one size. I only saw it popback in black. I generally like shirtdresses and this was a nice twist on the classic design (which COS has done before) – although you have to understand that the belt is supposed to go around your waist underneath the dress and emerge in front near the sides of your waistline. You can control how tight you want it to be. If you had a nicer belt, you could integrate that. The bottom hem is also shorter in the front than back. There are pockets! The material is heavier, I don’t see this being wearable in balmy summer weather.
Additional thoughts:
There is a Uniqlo warehouse near me, so orders typically ship in one day. With the holiday season, I was a little nervous when I saw an order with three precious popbacks “In Process” and “Pending” for days. I think it’s a good sign if you received the e-mail order confirmation and the order wasn’t immediately processed as cancelled.
This collection was generally oversized, it would’ve helped the consumer if they had the products with model sizing info. Some of the items weren’t modeled on the product page. It would have also decreased the amount of returns for Uniqlo. It has been disappointing how the warehouse hasn’t done much to delint or clear items between customers. It’s very obvious on black clothing.
Uniqlo also recently changed their return policy (link). If you purchase online, you can only return online! This is better for +J popbacks if all returns are going back to their warehouse. Their return shipping label fee of $7 is reasonable. Sometimes I claim a PayPal shipping refund (mentioned below). If it wasn’t the holiday (temp workers) or pricier +J items, I wouldn’t hesitate to combine returns for multiple orders. Although they typically will charge you the label for each order you return and you have to manually request a refund.
The CuratedOuterwear
Images: The Curated
I tried the Classic Coat and had to size up so that it was less tight around the hips. I most likely won’t tie it because I don’t like how it looks even with the sizing up. It is warm but for when it is colder, I can fit a collarless Uniqlo ULD coat underneath it. The material is so so soft. This is probably their most popular style, but I would like to say if you are bottom heavy, this style is not ideal.
There is supposed to be a new style coming next year that is similar to the Tailored Coat (more hip friendly) but shorter, which I would seriously consider.
Sephora’s annual Holiday event is ending tonight! The tiring year makes me want to splurge on myself (more than usual). I would’ve posted earlier, but encountered technical difficulties. What I got:
Tatcha Pure & Glowing Trio. This holiday set has a full size dewy skin cream and a travel size of the rice wash and silk peony cream. Of the Tatcha creams, I like the dewy cream the most and have been using it every morning. This set has been popping in and out of stock. I am looking forward to trying this rice wash. (Through 11/11, Tatcha has a great deal on their site – code SINGLES20 for a full size Violet C mask and sheet mask ($80 value) for orders over $100. They have a bunch of new holiday sets. I like the Purifying & Plumping set that has the dewy skin cream, the cleansing oil, and the rice wash.)
Fresh Mini Rose Deep Hydration Sleeping Mask. I love how there is a mini size. I have never tried this, generally like Fresh, and heard good things from my favorite, discerning Chinese vlogger.
Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare All is Bright FaceWare Pro Set. If you really want to splurge… I didn’t get this because I already have it, but it’s a good deal for the Spectralite face mask and products. I’ve been using this with the Nuface and it’s definitely gotten me out of a self-care funk.
Nécessaire The Body Exfoliator, The Body Wash, The Body Serum. I’ve tried the eucalyptus body exfoliator so far and I really like it. I also got the body serum, body washes, and exfoliator in eucalyptus and sandalwood. I like the woodsier scents.
Nest Holiday diffuser. Now that I’m home all day, I’ve been looking for diffusers for my work/living space. This seems perfect for the season. My last diffuser was the Jo Malone Red Roses, which was delicious.
Otherland Rose Daybed Candle. I can’t speak to how it burns, but can say that it smells lovely. I like cleaner, simple rose scents.
I love Hill House Home nap dresses. What is a nap dress? A comfortable, stylish house dress that some wear out (I do not, yet). I picked up a few pieces since their July release. Prints vary in each release. They have expanded its styles but I still like the original Ellie and Caroline. They are my post-work uniform of late. Generally I machine wash on delicate mode and tumble dry low.
Mini-reviews:
Ellie – sleeveless dress with ruffled shoulders. Most bras should fit under the straps. I took my normal size and found it to be still very roomy. One print I wanted was no longer available in a smaller size so I kept it in the larger size. Your bust size and distance between your bust and shoulders should drive whether to size up or down. I’m looking forward to the darker prints and layering with shirts.
Caroline – short sleeved long dress. I have it in green gingham, semi-sheer Swiss Dot, and the recent botanicals. It’s super comfy. While sizing is somewhat TTS, your shoulders/arms would drive whether to size up or down. I prefer the TTS in the opaque materials.
They have their next drop on Wednesday, October 28 at noon EST. I am personally really excited for the tartan prints. (Edit: the most popular styles sold out very quickly. You have to be logged in and have your account setup ready to check out. I found the phone to be faster than the desktop.)
