February 20, 2019

Raja Ampat, Indonesia

In No Is Not Enough - one of my favorite books, and one I think about often - the activist Naomi Klein describes taking her five-year-old to the Great Barrier Reef. She was there to study climate change and the related destruction of the reef, and thought a great deal about whether to show him the vast landscapes of barren, bleached coral. Her instinct was to impress upon him, even at that young age, just how much had been lost, and how much more could be lost still.

And yet she didn't. She instead steered her child towards the most vibrant, beautiful corners of the reef, the parts still teeming with fish and coral and the kinds of colors you see only in dreams or on acid trips (or so I hear). Because how, she reasoned, can you fight for something if you don't learn to love it first?

Links & Love & Stuff

February 19, 2019

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Hi everyone, Olivia, Jordan's assistant here (fun fact: I've known Jordan since her NonSociety days, remember those?)! Jordan's still in Indonesia diving, reading, and completely off the grid, so I thought I'd pop in and share some of my favorite links&love&stuff from the 'net this week. You ready?

Someone asked on this Instagram post about great beach reads, and Jordan shared hers a few years back.
Did y'all catch Jordan's video with Tiny Tags? (I'm personally a huge Tiny Tags fan, and love how they fully understand the symbolism of jewelry)
My friend Stephanie over at Olive + Tate has an amazing post featuring budget one piece bathing suits for all body types.
Joanna Gaines and Anthropologie just teamed up for a new line of home goods and I. Am. Here. For. It.
A whole town in Massachusetts learned American Sign Language for a 2 year old neighbor. Just watch.
I'm home with my kiddos all week (hi, no school) and may try my hand at this ice cream cake recipe.
I think I have to face the fact that I need a new tote bag for work since I used my husband's old briefcase today, I love the roundup Jordan put together for luxe totes on a not-so-luxe budget.
I wrote a piece on Not Safe for Mom Group about my food addiction as a mother and was shocked how many women messaged me afterward to talk about it.
I am the WORST at doing my own hair, but Jordan taught me her messy bun trick and I've been #obsessed.
I'm also the worst at self-care, but CBD healing balm? I'm down for that.
Instagram influencers are all starting to look the same. Yep, it's true.
Still can't grasp the art of the selfie? Jordan has some helpful tips.
And finally, why not buy a mini immersion blender to turn my morning almond milk into a latte? We all know I won't get a chance to drink it hot anyway, so perhaps the froth will make it more festive (albeit cold)? Sure.

Off The Grid

February 15, 2019

Here we goooooo.

Have I ever mentioned that I'm both mildly claustrophobic and not-so-mildly anxious about flying? I am mildly claustrophobic and not-so-mildly anxious about flying (especially after this little incident).

So to say I approached the idea of a 15-hour flight to Hong Kong with some trepidation would be an understatement. I pictured low-grade panic, exhaustion, and a smattering of lower-back cramps, just for kicks.

The Story Behind The Tag

February 12, 2019

A few weeks ago, I shot a video with Tiny Tags (makers of the necklaces I wear everywhere, all the time) in which I talked about the emotional rollercoaster of these past few months. I may or may not have cried while filming it; I'm not telling.

Couch Problems, Take 4,253 (And A Solution)

February 11, 2019

Couch | Pillows | Top Rug (machine-washable) | Bottom Rug

Alright, so fiiiiiiine, the white family-room couch wasn't my smartest-ever purchase. I rationalized it because a) it's Ikea, and that's where my budget tapped out, b) there was only one Ikea style that I really liked, and c) that one style only came in dark grey (too dark), pink (too pink), turquoise (just no) and - yes - white.

But I figured we'd be able to collectively hold it together for at least the minimum of two years that I feel like you should be able to get out of an Ikea sofa. ...Right?

Style

Indonesia-Bound: A Packing Post

February 7, 2019

Me, one week from now

Next Tuesday, I leave for two weeks in Indonesia and Hong Kong with my father. It is now Thursday. Obviously this is the appropriate day to begin packing. (Can you tell I'm a little anxious about the trip? By Monday we're going to have a steady Xanax drip going over here.)

In keeping with my newfound "capsule" approach to packing - in short, giving the process actual thought rather than just throwing a bunch of crap into a bag and hoping that it turns out to be the crap I actually need - I have decided to make All The Lists. And I am going to make them here. Isn't that fun?

Makeup & Beauty

I Got A Nefertiti Lift, And Here’s What Happened

February 6, 2019

Botox...in your neck? Yup.

If you've been reading here for awhile, you know I'm not exactly shy about discussing the various beauty procedures I've had over the years (which is why the occasional "ADMIT YOU HAD A NOSE JOB, YOU LIARRRRRRR" comment I get here makes me laugh).

Take Botox, for example: I've been getting injections above my right eyebrow to help lift my lazy eyelid into a normal-ish position for years, and I've written about it pretty extensively, to the point where the magic of SEO has made me the Official Internet Authority on eye asymmetry. (As a sidenote, I get messages nearly every day asking me whether I *really* recommend Botox as a solution for this particular issue, and I do, absolutely - with the caveat that you need to find yourself an excellent aesthetician who's familiar with this specific usage.)

DIY Projects

What To Do: Hideous ’70s Linoleum Floor

February 4, 2019

Oh heyyyyyy

I spent yesterday in Malibu, doing a little renovation consult for a friend who recently purchased a trailer home right on the ocean (more on the trailer home thing in a bit; it's a super cool story). It's an interesting undertaking, because the house is going to be torn down and rebuilt from the ground up in a couple of years, so the renovation is more about making the house pretty and livable for the short term, without spending tons of money on things that'll ultimately end up getting tossed.

So. My advice was to figure out what amount of money per month was a comfortable amount to spend on general Life Happiness (meaning an amount that creates no financial stress whatsoever, but that feels "worth it" for the lifestyle improvements it'll confer), and multiply that by 24 to arrive at a budget for the mini-reno that'll take him through the next two years. Certain things are OK to spend a little more on, IMO - appliances that'll make the jump to the new place, and so forth. But when it comes to structural features, things are a little trickier.

Lifestyle

Galentine’s Day Gift Ideas For The True Love Of Your Life

February 1, 2019

Alright, so I had planned to do a whole gift guide of suggestions for him, her, either, both, whatever...and then I remembered that Valentine's Day is kind of ridiculous. But you know what's not?

Galentine's Day.

So instead of spending $300 on a prix fixe dinner on the 14th, my recommendation is to celebrate on the 13th by throwing a little something special at the true love of you life: your BFF. Girls rule, boys drool. Am I right?

DIARY

The Fifth Line

January 29, 2019

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The other day, my daughter pointed to one of the jagged lines criss-crossing her palm. What are those cracks?, she wanted to know. So I pulled up a sort of Palmistry 101 website, and we sat there, labeling each one. Alright, so that one's your life line, I told her. That spot where it divides in two - that's when something big changes, like maybe you get a really cool new job.

After we'd covered the major lines - Life, Head, Heart, Fate - we twisted our hands from side to side, looking for the smaller cracks, then scrolling through the website to find out what they meant. Those little lines in between the index finger and the middle finger represent your kids, and I showed her how I have two. That's you and your brother, I said.

City Of Angels