Hoarding candles, playing tourist in my home town and the secret to drinking a G&T without needing to shudder after every sip.
Anthro Day
Run, don’t walk to your laptop and/or nearest Wi-Fi enabled device. It’s ANTHRO DAY which means until midnight tonight all Anthro perks members get an additional 25% off EVERYTHING. Need some autumnal candles to make your tiny flat smell delightful? Need some beautiful pearl earrings and pearl hair clips to commit to the Parisian girl Fall aesthetic? Need to stock up on your beloved Mario Badescu, Sunday Riley or Herbivore Botanicals beauty products? One of my favorite brands, Anthropologie, is a total one stop shop for everything you could possibly need this season and with Anthro Day discounts you are SAVING MONEY. I’m on a one woman mission to turn my bedroom into a mini Anthropologie so you know several items are in my shopping cart as I type. (Full disclosure- I’m currently working part time as a customer associate at Anthro, but these opinions are my own. Though yes being surrounded by all of the beautiful clothes and homeware gives me serious inspo!)
Bloom Gin
Having just returned from years of living in the U.K, I thought that I knew a fair amount about British culture. How to brew tea, that you have to say trousers and not pants when complimenting someone’s outfit, that “cheers” can be used in almost any situation and that the whole country has Gin and Tonic in their veins. I could never figure out why some G&Ts left an odd, bitter aftertaste in my mouth when others were perfectly delicious, and I liked every gin cocktail I had ever ordered. I thought it was just a sign of cheap gin for a long time. Over the weekend I was fixed a G&T with Bloom London Dry Gin, which distills all of their spirits with a mix of botanicals that gives it a signature fresh and floral taste. This little mixology lesson taught me that adding citrus, whether lemon, lime or grapefruit, removes that bitter taste I hate, as the citric acid neutralizes the quinine in tonic water. Three years in Britain and not a single soul ever told me this particular fun fact. It also depends on the quality of the tonic water you use. Fever Tree is the best according to everyone I’ve asked. If you were also scarred by a G&T that tasted more like paint stripper than a cocktail, I am proof that there is hope.
Season 2 Plan Coeur
You’ve heard me rave about this Paris-set, French Netflix show many a time and it’s back for a second season. VIVE LA FRANCE! I used Plan Coeur in my final year dissertation (The Fashionable French Woman: France’s Allegory of Liberté) and I re-watched it when I was interviewing for a French speaking job earlier this month. If you studied French in high school or college and want to practice ahead of a trip, this show is both hilarious and charming. For all my language challenged aspiring Parisians, never fear! English subtitles or the English dub version are well researched and still bring that ‘je ne sais quoi’. It follows Elsa, a Parisian woman on the edge of thirty, whose chronic case of ‘foot in the mouth’ has made her unlucky in love. Our story starts when her best friends hatch a scheme to get her out of her slump by hiring a male escort to date her.
Watch if you’re a fan of: Lovesick, Bridget Jones, Amelie, I Am Not An Easy Man, The Good Place, Sex in the City, Working Moms, Sex Education, Set It Up or Friends.
The Scout Guide- The Scout Guide Alexandria
As you may know, I recently moved back to my hometown of Alexandria, VA, just across the river from Washington DC! It’s been a pleasure to rediscover all the hidden gems after four years away in Europe. My secret weapon for getting settled back into the area has been The Scout Guide Alexandria. The Scout Guide is a publication and online platform that helps you live like an insider in over 60 cities. Their Alexandria chapter edited and run by Sarah Phillips – the DC based half of the blogging duo behind fashion and lifestyle blog 52 Thursdays. So far, I’ve bookmarked several cafes, local boutiques and salons that I want to try in Alexandria as I explore more of my new home! I’ve also found The Scout Guide Washington and the flagship The Scout Guide helpful for making plans further afield.
Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew at Starbucks
Like clockwork every fall I wait for the start of October and the iconic and notorious Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks. Every October I order one before remembering, meh I actually like a dirty chai latte (Chai with a shot of espresso) a lot better. Don’t get me wrong, I like PSL well enough but it’s just not as good as I expect it to be. It’s over hyped and then I’m left kind of disappointed. That is UNTIL I was recommended a Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew. It honestly left me a changed woman. With a layer of pumpkin cream on top and strong cold brew coffee on bottom it was the perfect sweet/bitter combo. So will you find me wrapped up in my coziest sweaters and scarves while sipping this iced coffee? Yes. I am now the long lost Spice Girl: Pumpkin Spice.
Furla Viva
The mini bag is still a fashion favorite, and this Fall I’ve never found my Furla Metropolis Mini more useful. It’s the perfect crossbody to sling across your layered blazers and trench coats because you’re a gal on the go and need your hands free to text, hold your re-useable travel mug and to pet any adorable dogs you might see out and about. Furla was the first luxury handbag I invested with my own money, and in the two years since I bought it on a trip to Milan, I must have gotten the cost per wear down to under 5 dollars. Accessible luxury is really important to me and Furla is such a reasonable price point given the quality. For Autumn 2019 they’ve launched an updated sister bag to compete with the bestselling metropolis: the Furla Viva. It’s a similar crossbody with a chic flap closure and striking gold monogram. Of its six different shades my personal pick has to be the rich burgundy Ciliegia, a red wine like color that works beautifully with neutrals and jewel tones alike. If I haven’t convinced you to mosey on over to their site yet- this is my pièce de resistance. Last summer in London the catch on the crossbody chain broke when I was out dancing with friends, giving me a small heart attack as my phone, lipstick, card holder and keys scattered on the floor. Luckily, I didn’t lose anything and when I went to their Regent St store the following day, they had my original purchase in their system and replaced the strap free of charge. Two minutes of my time and it was good as new- how’s that for swoon-worthy customer service!
