0 - WELCOME

Hello!

Wow, how are we in the last two months of 2024? It’s crazy that we are almost in 2025 because NYE 2023 did not feel like that long ago. Anyway, I hope you had a nice Halloween if you celebrated it. The last time I dressed up was a few years ago when I went trick-or-treating with my nieces. My sister told me to keep it G so I went as a bear… not that I would have shown up in anything questionable anyway!

Last month flew by so quickly — it felt like I was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I am happy to have spent half the weekends in Toronto, and I will be doing that again this month for a wedding and my younger niece’s birthday. I’ve also been traveling to Philadelphia for work almost every week, so layer that in and I’m just forever tired. I started using a Whoop 4.0, so I’m eager to see how my health stats turn out. Any Whoopers out there?

On the newsletter front, I received a lot of great feedback from you last month about themes! Many of you enjoyed the under $300 theme, which I will definitely revisit again. Thank you as always for reading.

1 - FASHION

These Boots Are Made for Walking

Every fall, I want a new pair of boots (or two) and this year is no exception. I have a robust selection of black boots already, and am looking to invest in brown boots this season. These are on my shortlist:

Jewelry

I love window shopping online for expensive jewelry — while I would never go to Boucheron or Cartier in person to pore over their pieces, I will gladly spend hours on Net-a-porter zooming in on clasps and settings. Here are the ones that I am happily adding to my dream wishlist:

Sale Season

Sale season is starting once again — it feels like everything is 25% off right now and will ramp up to god-knows-what by the time Black Friday comes around. So, now is a good time to revisit some of my tips for navigating sales:

• Shop with intention. If you approach sale season with a plan or an idea of what you’re looking for, it can save a lot of time and effort. For example, I always use Black Friday to buy my holiday presents ahead of time. I also like posing to myself the question “would I buy this if it was full price and not on sale?”. If the answer is yes, then I know the product is the right fit and that I’m not solely driven by price

• Try not to impulse buy, but if you do, make sure you can return it. I tend to shop late at night when my inhibitions are low (cue the 3 TheRealReal purchases that I’ve returned recently). Sometimes I end up regretting it, but I always have the option of returning the items

• If you don’t like it, return it immediately. Some of my styling clients tend to forget to return purchases and miss the return window. If something doesn’t fit, I always request a return label right away and set a calendar reminder to drop off the package or request a pick up

• If something is on final sale, try the item from another website first. There’s nothing worse than buying something on final sale only to find out that it doesn’t fit. What I like to do (time-permitting) is to buy the same item on another website that is returnable in order to try for fit

• If something is sold out, add it to a wishlist or sign up for back-in-stock notifications. If there’s something you want, but can’t seem to get a hold of in your size, many retailers provide back-in-stock notifications. I rely on them pretty often to snag a good deal

• Sales usually get better. Don’t fall for “private” sales on products that end up being further discounted once the sale is released to the public. The waiting game is half the fun

• Always cross-shop, even for sales. I cross-shop for every purchase. When I buy something, I always know that I’m getting the best price. Don’t pay more than what you have to!

Five Things I Bought

As usual, here are five things that I bought and loved last month:

2 - BEAUTY

Beauty Favourites

It’s been a while since I shared my favourite beauty products as of late, so here are products that I’ve been loving:

• Fara Homidi Face Compact in Ochre: I am obsessed with this and can’t recommend it enough — it gives my face a very glowy, natural look. I like using it sparingly as foundation

• Clé de Peau Lipstick in Enchantment Blooms: I really want to be a lipstick person, but I often forget to put it on before I leave the house. I got this lipstick recently and it applies so smoothly. I love that it is a softer, coral colour

• Isdin Actinica Mineral Sunscreen: I bought this on a whim after reading about it on Violet Grey, and I was not disappointed. It is lightweight and quick to absorb

• Irene Forte Rose Body Oil: My skin has been so dry lately because of the changing weather. I’ve been lathering this body oil — it smells great and the packaging is rather luxurious

• ROZ Santa Lucia Styling Oil: I always use hair oil before blowdrying as my hair tends to get a little frizzy. A little goes a long way, and the smell is lovely. I’ve been alternating between this and Sisley’s Precious Hair Care Oil

• Undo Hairwear Clips: Who knew clips could be so chic? I have been buying these for myself and others as gifts. They come in many colours — I especially love the 1” tortoise and 1.5” espresso clips

3 - OTHER

4 - PARTING NOTE

I have a sweet tooth and will eat any candy/chocolate that I can get my hands on. As a healthier alternative, I’ve been making stuffed dates with almond butter, chocolate, and a sprinkle of Jennifer Fisher Spicy Salt. What healthy snacks do you like that hit the spot?