These Are A Few of My Favorite Things // 4.24.20

Should I even bother to still say happy Friday at this rate?

It’s crazy to think many of us have been staying at home for over a month now, it both feels like forever since life was normal, but the days also go by pretty fast. It’s all totally strange still… yet I’m also starting to find a pandemic routine? How bout you?

Today I wanted to share some recent favorites, some pandemic related, some totally not. Let’s dive in!

Favorite Things

Bookshop.org

I just heard about Bookshop.org from one of my favorite book bloggers and I am so into the idea: 10% of all sales on the website go towards indie bookshops. When it comes to books I personally try to steer clear of Amazon (I often times link to Amazon here on the blog because I know it’s an easy way to shop for many). I can’t even tell you how much I miss browsing the stacks at my favorite bookstore, The Strand. In normal times I go there a few times a week just to browse. Heading to The Strand will be one of the first things I do when this is all over.

I got my first order from Bookshop earlier this week: I chose Eleanor Oliphant is Totally Fine as the next book club pick for the Bar Method bookclub I’m in, and Most Likely which is written by the creator of The Bold Type.

You can shop some of my favorite books here — I’ll be continuing to update it with more favorites but right now it has my reading list from 2020 plus my uplifting recommendations for during the pandemic.

 

Fun Face Masks

(This is not meant to be medical advice — please please please be safe, stand 6 feet away from others, etc.)

Masks are now required everywhere in NYC. It still feels weird to put on a mask even to go down the hall and throw out trash, but hey it’s the current way of life.

I’ve been on the hunt for “cute” face masks. It brings me a little bit of joy to wear a cute pattern while I’m food shopping or going for a sanity walk.

I found this shop on Etsy that has cotton face masks in lots of cute patterns at a reasonable price. Also there are SO many masks to pick from on Etsy right now. Kind of amazing what people have been creating!

 

Dave

I haven’t been watching all that much TV, surprisingly, besides old Top Model episodes and new Drag Race on Fridays. I just haven’t been in the mood to watch something new.

A friend urged me to start watching Lil Dicky’s new TV show Dave and I’m officially obsessed. The show airs on FXX but is available one day later on Hulu. The show is somewhat autobiographically as Dave AKA Lil Dicky gets his career as a white, Jewish, rapper up and running in LA.

My friend and I have been “co-watching” together while on a Zoom call — we’ll go “3…2…1…” and start the episode at the same time on Hulu. It’s not a perfect method but still fun to watch with someone else and see their reaction to everything.

Sunday’s Non-Toxic Manicure Kit

If you know me you know that my nails are always painted. I’m pretty low-maintenance on the beauty front, but manicures are my guilty pleasure. It’s so dumb when there are more important things going down in the world right now, but UGH do I miss getting my weekly mani/pedi at Glosslab.

I held out as long as I could before my nails were starting to look pretty awful and it was time to give myself a manicure. I have terrible fine motor skills. We’re talking barely can color inside the lines let alone paint my own nails with a steady hand.

I bought a whole non-toxic manicure kit from Sunday’s since I didn’t even own nail clippers let alone nail polish and all the polishes you need for the base and top coat. The kit comes with ALL the essentials you need for an at-home manicure. Nailpolish remover, clippers, file, buffers, cuticle serum, quick-dry serum, the works. It’s also non-toxic.

My manicure skills are pretty mediocre, but I’m proud of myself! I’m really digging the mint green from Sunday’s. It’s very on-brand 😜 There had been a mix-up with my initial order, when they sent the right products they also kindly sent me this nude color as well. I’m all about the bright colors, but the nude is really cute as an accent color on my ring and pinkie nails.

 

Starbucks adventures

I think my *true* favorite thing in quarantine has been my daily sanity walk… which usually involves going on an adventure to some random Starbucks within walking distance of my apartment.

I’m starting to get a bit sick of walking to the same places. Granted, I don’t know why I’m pretending like I used to hang out outside of my neighborhood during normal times. BUT STILL.

Lately I’ve been opening up my Starbucks app, I’ll choose a random Starbucks that’s still open and takes less than an hour to walk to and I’ll go there on an “adventure”. Bless up for mobile ordering and that there are now a number of Starbucks open in the area. Yes, I hate myself for loving Starbucks after I just went on and on about supporting local bookstores. You win some you lose some 😂