Gee, I'm Glad I Bought That
15 things to make life easier, plus caramelized tomato soup, cozy outerwear, and more
Dear friends,
It’s already been a week. Elizabeth is under the weather and I somehow cricked my neck while attending my first yoga class since ‘05. I loved it, and I’ll be back, but I can’t comfortably turn my head to the left or right. Don’t read into that. Considering all of the above and our last somewhat serious send, we’re bringing you something light. Something breezy. Something intended to be incredibly useful without making you think, work—or crick your neck. Lately we’ve been talking about casual purchases that have made daily life exponentially easier, even better. In each case, the goal wasn’t a hack or a fix, but that’s what we got. An unexpected benefit is often the best kind, isn’t it?
Cheers,
Kate (& Elizabeth, sipping bone broth)
Life-Helping Category #1: Wipes, Swipes & Silks
Elizabeth: I am painfully aware that this is not an environmentally friendly habit, but when used sparingly, wipes save my sanity which, in its own way, contributes to the greater good. You’ve got your pet wipes for accidents and incidents; your plant cleaning wipes because this will be the fiddle leaf fig that survives; and your French face wipes for the nightstand to ensure you never fall asleep without washing your face.
Kate: I should mention that I can’t live without regular ‘ol Lysol wipes in the car. Point taken on environmental friendliness, but I feel I also use them sparingly and depend on them to tidy up walking taco residue in a pinch. In terms of removing residue that’s a little less gross, my life changed forever when I stopped spending upwards of $20 on eye makeup remover and switched to Micellar cleansing water.
Elizabeth: At least we were both a little late to the Micellar party, Kate. I just scooped up Dorance’s and love that it’s fragrance-free. Okay, and in a green bottle.
Have we discussed the next step in my evening routine? Lunya Washable Silk Sleep Mask. I don’t know if it’s weird or wrong to be addicted to this thing, but I’d rather never sleep without it again. It blocks out light completely, making it much easier to fall asleep and stay asleep (practically no 3am anxiety wake-ups!) Even if you’ve never been a sleep mask person before because so many are uncomfortable and ineffective, please reconsider for the sake of your wellbeing.
Kate: You are ahead of me in silk sleepwear! However, I know my son Sam is thrilled with the Blissy silk pillowcase I gave him as a stocking stuffer last year. If he were a guest contributor I know he’d comment favorably on its comfort, breathability and gentle effects on careful hairstyles. Also if I asked him to be a guest contributor he’d side-eye me out of existence.
Life-Helping Category #2: Sweat Sets & Cashmere
Elizabeth: When within a one mile radius of my house, chances are I’m wearing some sort of sweat or track suit. A matching set convinces me, and hopefully those around me, that I put effort into my outfit despite the fact I may have also slept in it. There are plenty on the market and a few in my closet that cost far more, but for the money you cannot beat Gap’s Vintage Soft Raglan Sweatshirt and Vintage Soft High Waisted Boyfriend Joggers. Although sold separately, they’re designed to be paired. I haven’t met a color yet I didn’t like, but sizing can be trial and error depending on the look you’re going for (everything runs baggie, IMO).
Kate: Like many of us, I’m wrestling with changes in my constitution that don’t feel great. It’s been more pronounced in the last few months. It’s age, stress and a wayward penchant for IPAs. But you know what I turn to when I don’t want to think about it? Some cozies from the Great and easy-fitting cashmere. Both are recs from friends I wish I would’ve jumped on sooner. Doesn’t mean I’m going to ignore unhealthy habits, but it does mean I’m going to observe the rule of being comfortably appointed within a one-mile radius of the home, and even extend it by five or ten.
Elizabeth: I’m with you on hazy IPAs, they are glorious, but more than one is not our midlife friend. Seconding the Great for best broken-in sweatshirt, as well as Quince cashmere!
Life-Helping Category #3: Kitchen Goods aka the Best Goods
Elizabeth: Don’t everyone get excited all at once but I can’t live without restaurant-grade food storage containers for keeping everything from homemade chicken salad to leftovers to freezing soups and stock to organizing dry goods in the pantry. They’re also the antidote for a drawful of clunky, mismatched tupperware and yes you want and will use all three sizes!
Kate: Love this because I deeply hate mismatched tupperware and yet I have a whole drawer of it! My latest kitchen a-ha moment almost feels silly to share. Since our wedding many, many years ago, we’ve had an assortment of stemware largely made up of pricey crystal. You know what happens to stemware? It breaks. Instead of replacing my beloved chardy glasses one for one, I finally realized Crate and Barrel carries a similarly shaped version for literally $5. Consider me in love.
Elizabeth: Not silly at all! We just stocked up on these stackable wine glasses after breaking two of our beloved Simon Pearce (don’t tell my mother-in-law). It feels like cheating very time I toss them in the dishwasher.
I also didn’t know how much we needed a perfectly weighted, faux-marble cutting board made from recycled plastic until we started quite literally reaching for it multiple times a day. It doubles as a simple serving board, washes up in seconds, and has replaced a pile of other boards with the exception of our butcher block for big jobs. Shout-out to
Kate: Did I ever tell you our shared girl crush
gave me a line on kitchen towels? Can’t live without ‘em.Elizabeth: Not long ago a reader specifically asked me to recommend dish towels “that actually absorb something” and I felt her pain. These look exceptional!
P.S.
Thanksgiving decor for the weary: loads of taper candles and a turmeric linen tablecloth or festive runner. Let’s all repeat after her. Good grief, this caramelized tomato and shallot soup is delicious. Also currently craving outwear with names like “changing robe coat” and “fleece cardigan”. There are goals and then there are GOALS. The final installment of Yellowstone is here sans Kevin Costner, and the second season of Bad Sisters drops today! While you wait for episodes to drip out, get your claws into Lioness—and Dave Annable’s tremendous head of hair.
Got a pressing question or confounding topic you’d like us to tackle? We’re all ears at lesfemmesq@gmail.com.