In this October edition of Daily Connoisseur favorites, I share what I'm watching, what I'm reading, a favorite moisturizer and makeup item. I also give you an update on postnatal hair loss.
I hope you can join me for this fun, chatty favorites video.
Mentioned in the video:
Becca Ombre Rouge palette You saw an in-depth review of this in last week's video, but it resurfaces again here as one of my favorites. I'm having a lot of fun playing with these natural shades, perfect for le no makeup look.
Origins GinZing moisturizer I have been using this moisturizer for over two months, and I love its light, refreshing quality. Its secret ingredient is coffee! Origins boasts that it boosts tired skin (which I definitely need right now!). My favorite thing about this moisturizer is its delightful citrus scent.
Nashville Flipped is a home and garden show that follows house flipper, Troy Dean Shafer, as he restores historic homes. I love his lead designer, Julie Couch's, design aesthetic. You can gain so much interior design inspiration this program. Such a fun show!
The Light Between Oceans
I know I might be the last here to read this book, as it is an international bestseller, but I must mention it here because it is such a well-written page turner. Ever since I finished Amy Snow , I've been having a hard time finding another book to read. The Light Between Oceans has drawn me in. Here is the description from Amazon:
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.
Contigo Purity Petal Water Bottle Available at Target, this beautiful glass water bottle is perfect to keep in the car or take on the go. I love that it has no plastic parts and it's beautiful to look at! This would make a great gift too. For more on Contigo, visit gocontigo.com
News
The Madame Chic Collection box set is now available! This set is so beautifully packaged, it makes a perfect gift. Just in time for the holidays!
Cedar and Bloom shares her cold weather ten-item wardrobe in her recent blogpost.
Letter of the Week
Dear Jennifer,
I have really enjoyed your books and videos. Your advice and call for a return to deportment are quite timely in this day and age. I live in Seattle which is a very casual area, to excess even.
One day when heading in to work, a woman rushed past me with her purse, jacket, flip flops, and ScubyDo pajamas. No, these were not scrubs. I work in the medical field and some staff wear theme scrubs for the patients.
That was the moment for me when I knew it was time to go counter culture and ensure that I dressed decently daily.
The idea that looking presentable and behaving politely as counter culture is also rather shocking. The question of how in just one generation did we go from an aspiration to be our personal best to being our personal worst is really interesting.
I am happy to say my employer has instituted a dress code. I love our dress code because it is very helpful in guiding my wardrobe purchases. Getting dressed for work also helps me transition mentally from home to work, and this hidden benefit may be one of the reasons our grandparents generation was so successful; the effort of getting dressed daily set the tone for their entire day and reinforced the work ethic.
Best of luck to you and thank you again for sharing your experience and skills with society.
Sigrid
Dear Sigrid, I loved receiving your letter. It's funny that the casual nature of your city has made you dress in the opposite direction. Counter culture, indeed!
This week, I would love to know... what are your favorites? What are you reading and watching? What products are you loving right now? Let us know in the comment section below, and your comment could be chosen as comment of the week.
Lastly, thank you to all of you for your wonderful support regarding the release of The Madame Chic Collection.
See you on next week for a fun mini-series on French Weight Loss Secrets!
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FTC: This is not a sponsored post. Opinions are always my own. The Contigo water bottle was sent to me to review. This post may contain affiliate links.
Like you after reading Amy Snow, I had a hard time finding a new book. However, I recently happened upon C.S. Harris at my public library and I am loving her work. If you have never heard of her she writes the Sebastian St. Cyr Mysteries and they are great. They are historical mysteries that take place in London, England during the 1800's. The stories keep you on your toes and the language and themes are "PG" which is really refreshing. She has written 12 books. :-)
ReplyDeleteI saw the movie The Light Between Oceans, didn't read the book. The movie version was absolutely compelling for the first half or so, and then it went off the rails. It became way too sentimental - not honestly plumbing the depths of human experience in the way I would expect from "literature." It turned into Chick Lit, which is not my thing.
ReplyDeleteAre you watching The Crown, Jennifer? Every time I see a promo I think of you!
ReplyDeleteThis afternoon I was at our local library checking out the book The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George and the librarian said she loved it. The book jacket enticed me and now I am even more anxious to read it!
ReplyDeleteJust recently I read, no, devoured the book "The Lost Sisterhood" by Anne Fortier. It took me a couple of pages to get into it, and then I could not put it down. In fact, I read it twice in a row, so the second time I could get more into the intricacies of the story, and it was just as captivating. The book really tells two stories that happen about 3000 years from each other. This is from the Amazon description:
ReplyDelete"From the author of the New York Times bestseller Juliet comes a mesmerizing novel about a young scholar who risks her reputation—and her life—on a thrilling journey to prove that the legendary warrior women known as the Amazons actually existed.
Sweeping from England to North Africa to Greece and the ruins of ancient Troy, and navigating between present and past, The Lost Sisterhood is a breathtaking, passionate adventure of two women on parallel journeys, separated by time, who must fight to keep the lives and legacy of the Amazons from being lost forever."
Has anyone else here read it?
As far as fall favorites go, I am glad Trader Joe's is carrying the Pumpkin Spice Rooibos Tea again. It is delicious, perfect for this season.
I just finished The Light Between Oceans - I loved it! I won't give away the ending though.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer, You look even more beautiful than ever in this video!
ReplyDeleteI would like to ask you and your readers if you have ever experienced hair loss from swimming in chorinated pools or from wearing a bathing cap. I have very thick healthy hair but I started swimming about 7 hours a week this summer and my hair is a weird texture and more dull and is thinning at the front hairline where the bathing cap ridge sits.
I don't know if it is a coincidence or not. Can anyone suggest a good chlorine removal shampoo or a specialty hair vitamin, please?
I love swimming so much..but don't want to loose more hair. I have an xlarge head so the bathing cap is tight and I don't think a bigger bathing cap than mine exists.
I was a lifeguard for 6 years as well as on a swim team for 11 and this is what has been helpful in my experience. Adding baking soda to your normal shampoo can help with preventing chlorine damage, and I've found that prenatal vitamins help my hair grow longer/stronger. =) I'd swim without a cap unless you're racing and need to cut down on drag. Provided you treat your hair like silk, (rinse it thoroughly, don't comb it when it's wet) you should have minimal damage from swimming.
DeleteI recently finished The Nightingale by Kristen Hannah and rated it 5 stars on Goodreads - which I rarely ever do. That one goes down as one of my all-time favorites.
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteI am experiencing what you described of not being able to get into books, after reading your three madame chic books. Your writing is so superb, and I can relate to everything that you have put on paper. It's so hard to find authors that write like you do. I am currently reading, Bringing up Bebe, (a book recommended) and it's taking me a bit to get into it as well. I wish you had more books!
Thank you for your videos, I look forward to them each week!
Ali
Thanks for sharing, Jennifer. One of my current favorites is Image Skincare. I've recently discovered this line, and am loving their Vital C Hydrating Facial Cleanser, Vital C Hydrating Repair Creme, and Iluma Intense Lightening Serum (to deal with maternity melasma). The Vital C line smells like a freshly peeled orange - delicious!
ReplyDeleteI really like The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Burrows. It's set in post-WW2 Guernsey and is written in the form of letters between the characters. It's quite a sweet story but there's a sombre edge too.
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ReplyDeleteDear Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your video. I too loved Amy Snow. In fact, I usually pass along books I have already read (to avoid clutter), but this one I put on the shelf! Thank you for your recommendation of A Light Between Oceans. I will give it a try. Please continue to recommend books you discover.
Miss Jennifer!
ReplyDeletePerhaps a month ago I preordered the box set of your books on Amazon, they appeared, to my great delight, this past Tuesday. I had thought I would wait until I finished reading to share my thoughts and the impact I felt sure your words would have on my day to day life. However, 3/4ths of the way through "Lessons from..." I find myself unable to refrain!
I'm 36 weeks pregnant, raising a toddler, keeping a home for my husband, taking care of extended family, and I have quite literally been exhausted the last two weeks.
My sister (who is in line to borrow your books as soon as I've read them) asked me via text yesterday morning what I've learned, and I replied,
"That reading with a toddler is inefficient at best ;-)
It's not that I'm discovering anything new, rather it's akin to a gentle reminder of life's importance.
In some ways I feel affirmed. For instance: Since Sunday evening I have been exhausted and have worn the same blue chiffon dress with a cardigan 4 days in a row. That, however, is a victory not a shame! The dress is clean, presentable and it flatters me.
In other ways I am reminded how essential it is to re-envoke my routines which have recently taken a vacation. My skin is breaking out, my nail beds are cracked, I'm behind on laundry and dishes, Kirk (my husband) is extraordinarily stressed, and Iz (our toddler) and I have been drugging ourselves with sugar just to make it through the day without harming each other..."
My sister and I chatted some more about the importance of routine and date nights and before I went to bed I did some laundry, cleaned my kitchen, washed my face, and took basic care of my fingernails.
The largest victory and source of my excitement comes from this afternoon after a long nap and reading chapters 10 and 11 (Use Your Best, and Live Life as a Formal Affair). I pulled out my favorite cookbook and made a shopping list, before I left the house I put on a le no makeup look and did my hair, upon returning home Iz "helped" me put together a Mediterranean Torte, make a custard to pour over some berries, and assemble a Greek salad. We set the table with china and lit a candle, then called her papa. We ate the meal in 3 courses, which was the first time Iz has experienced anything like it. When I brought out the Torte she exclaimed, "Ooo la la!" and clapped her hands. Our meal was absolutely lovely and worth every ounce the effort. We weren't lounging on our couch for comfort or staring at a screen for entertainment. I am so very pleased and blessed to share such an evening with my family and I am anxiously anticipating including more such dinners in our future.
Thank you so much for writing and inspiring each of us to be daily connoisseurs. It is a privilege to read your personal anecdotes and glean from the knowledge you cultivated through observation.
Sincerely, Kathleen
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ReplyDeleteHello Jennifer,
ReplyDeleteWhat a week! When the going gets rough, the tough focus on their favorites~ I have been enjoying the "Father Brown" mysteries produced by the BBC. I can't remember where I first heard about them. I hope I'm not repeating your own recommendation back to you. Also, I very much relished reading "Somewhere in France" by Jennifer Robson, lent to me by my friend Karen. Thanks, Karen~ This work of historical fiction takes place during WWI, and it is am extremely romantic story! I believe you would like both of these, Jennifer~ As for favorite products, I discovered a company which will permanently print a recipe, or other artwork, on a plate or serving dish. The company is Prairie Hills Pottery. These dishes make for great personalized gifts... Hope these suggestions will be useful to everyone. Warm best wishes,
Alexandra