The Investment: Designer Clothes for Boys

I love dressing up my son in nice clothes. I know it's a harder bullet to bite when they grow so quickly. But he just looks so cute and I can't resist sharing my own love of fashion with him.

The Investment: The Row Trousers

I've been transforming my wardrobe over the last year - minimizing quantity and bettering the quality. I've sold a lot of old clothes to Crossroads LA and reinvested my earnings into higher quality pieces with timeless sensibility. A distinct shift in my approach to shopping designer recently is that I am diverting my spending to more luxury, well-designed clothing essentials that make me look polished and feel confident. For so long, we've been conditioned to spend a ton of money on designer handbags as our luxury item and I totally get that the ROI is there with an item that one would use everyday as a functional accessory of quality and status. But wait until you feel how powerful you are when you slip into a perfectly tailored pair of pants. For the same price of one iconic handbag, I've built a section of my wardrobe with foundational pieces that shake off that daily taunt of "not having anything to wear."

The Hero of My Wellness Routine

This post has been sponsored by Renew Life, all opinions are my own. As a mom, my highest priority behind taking care of my family is taking care of myself. Self care is essential, because little things like drinking enough water, eating meals on time, and feeling beautiful help make sure I am the best person I can be for those who depend on me. Part of this ritual is making sure I take my Renew Life Women’s Care Probiotics every day and I’ll talk about why probiotics are such an important step in my wellness routine.

How to Staycation with a Toddler

As parents, our roles are inherently full of stress and disarray, but to parent through a pandemic surmounts to an unprecedented level of pressure that we all collectively feel. For some families who live in urban spaces with limited access to the safe outdoor play, it’s especially harder with cooped up children.

Designer Desires for Black Friday

I perused the sales from my favorite online retailers like Farfetch, SSENSE, and Net-A-Porter to scope some designer pieces that I might add to my wardrobe. Sales can be so glitzy, thrilling, and urgent, but I've learned over so many years past that spontaneous shopping doesn't reap the most rewards. I took out my Notes app and wrote a checklist of items I've been wanting for the past few months, like basic tees but elevated, flats from St. Agni, and a showstopping dress for the day we can celebrate the end of the pandemic together. I treasure my purchases more when there's desire and quality from brands I love. Above is a roundup of pieces I thought were so elegant and timeless, that would be so worthy of a splurge at a discount.

The Heirloom Worthy Gift

 

I’ll never forget my mother’s sapphire and diamond ring that she bought for herself when I was little. I think it was supposed to be an upgrade from her wedding ring or maybe it was a gift to herself just because (as any hardworking woman and mother should do). I vividly remember how striking the deep blue sapphires were, surrounding the brilliant diamond right in the center. I’m sure she bought it just around the time the movie Titanic came out, so all I thought about was my mom wearing the heart of the sea right on her hand. My mother was so in love with the ring and so proud of it. I remember her telling me how it would look beautiful on me one day. Some years later, my mother gifted it to my grandmother so she could wear it when she wanted and feel just as beautiful as well. But then, how dreadful it was for my grandma and my mom to lose the ring in a home robbery (though we could never be thankful enough that was all that was lost). The ring is something I think about from time to time and my mother makes a small comment of remembrance and grievance every few years. It is interesting how this ring that would have very well become an heirloom piece amongst the generations of women in my family is now an heirloom memory.

French Essentials

 

A few essentials for a classic outfit from my go-to French brand, Sézane.

The Best Clean Sunscreens

The sunscreen category is innovating quickly, much to my relief. Gone are the days of inferior, thick, pore-clogging goops in tubes. I’m here for the bloom of beautiful, thoughtfully-formulated sunscreens that pair sun protection and skincare with clean, non-toxic ingredients.

New Playroom Makeover with Crate and Kids

I’m proud to share with you about our partnership with Crate and Kids to welcome a new stage of life into our home! These last two years have gone by in a blink of an eye. If I knew how quickly today would come, I would tell my younger self as a new mom to take time with everything - keep my baby in my arms a little longer, stare at him a little closer, and hold his little hands more. I know how hard it can feel in the moment with the exhaustion and postpartum, but wow I can say it's a harder, bittersweet emotion now knowing that that chapter is gone and closed. But now, Jacob, Kyle, and I are in this new phase of childhood together and it is more fun than I could ever imagine. Jacob takes off the couch cushions that are bigger than him and creates an obstacle course across our living room. He stacks his wooden blocks up tall, only to knock it down with a swift kick a la Dad’s taekwondo move. He loves to run and spin, a lot. When it's a little too quiet, we find him playing with his trucks or cooking in his little kitchen. A lot is changing quickly, especially since we are spending all of our time at home during quarantine. We found ourselves needing to re-imagine a more cohesive and multifunctional space for a very active toddler and parents who work from home. I'm grateful to collaborate with Crate and Kids, not only because I’m already such an avid shopper of their baby and kid home goods, but also because they’ve shown such incredible service from the start of the design process all the way to safe and easy home delivery and setup. I think you’ll be just as amazed as we are at seeing the before and after of our home.

Taking Care of Your Scalp with Rooted Rituals

This post is sponsored by Rooted Rituals. When we think about skincare, we instantly think about our face and everything we need for our conscientious routine. But we shouldn't forget about the skin that's all over the rest of our body, including our scalp. It was only recently I had the epiphany that my skin all over deserves the same effort and love I put towards my facial skin. Why shouldn't we be exfoliating, hydrating, and treating our body and scalp the same way we do for our face?

SUSTAINABILITY AND ORGANIC LINEN

What is one thing that you’re doing today to help the Earth? Staying in is the simplest and arguably the best answer at this time. Today I used my reusable cotton round for taking off my makeup. I'm also looking into TerraCycle to get a zero waste box for recycling my beauty products. I learned that this program makes sure that every item is diligently processed and recycled at their facility.

Holiday Gift Guide for the Family

This will be our second Christmas as a family of three  and I am even more excited for this year than the last!

A Day with Jacob

An intimate look into Jacob's day and a brand new baby product we love.

My Clean Skincare Routine

I finally transitioned to an entirely clean and natural skincare routine  and my skin is the best it has ever been in my entire life.

The Designer Diaper Bag

I'm realizing that a baby's needs substantially changes over a short amount of time and as a parent, I'm just scrambling to keep up.

Ready for Vacay

A new vacation-worthy edit from Charles & Keith.

Red Paisley

Bringing in summer.

Willow Wearable Breast Pump 2.0 Review

My pumping life has changed dramatically with the Willow Wearable Breast Pump 2.0. I'm sharing my experience below, but for a quick answer on whether this is worth it or not, scroll to the end of the post!

Baby's First Easter

Hanging with our little Easter bunny!

The New Mom Bag

Concealing all the diapers in a chic French tote.