Went on a walk the other day and was shocked to see a tree already looking like this! I mean, it's gorgeous, but too soon?! I can only assume it's because we haven't gotten much rain in weeks.
My parents were matching one night out in Cascais!
We chartered a sailboat one afternoon, which was a blast!
I am back from our trip to Portugal, and it feels so great to be home and back with Henry and my bed! September and October in Pittsburgh are my favorite, so I'm going to soak it up. We are actually heading to Boston and Maine to visit friends toward the end of the month, and I'm really looking forward to it. I have been to Portsmouth, NH, which is on the border with Maine, but I've never actually been to Maine!!
I've been busy playing catch-up. I took an actual vacation and only worked about an hour or so a day! I can't remember the last time I did that, and it was so refreshing. There really wasn't much time to work, even if I had wanted to, because there was so much to do and explore! I really enjoyed Portugal and am working on my guide. I know many of you have told me you are headed to Portugal soon!
Other than reuniting with my sweet Henry and my bed and coffee, my favorite part about a return trip, specifically to Europe, is that I become a morning person for a few weeks. I have been waking up at 6am... who am I?! But I love it so much because I get so much accomplished before noon. I am going to keep this up for as long as I can!
For everyone asking where Callie (my sister) and my BIL were, they weren't invited. We don't like them!!!! KIDDING! They were in Florence at the exact same time! We missed them, but we are planning a girls' trip to Italy for (hopefully) next year!
I'm excited to take it easy this weekend. We have no set-in-stone plans, which makes me so happy. The weather has been perfect all week with cool mornings and sunny, warm afternoons. I love this time of year!
Wearing: Words are not enough to express how much I love this pullover. It's so soft, the perfect midweight, and a cozy, oversized fit. It comes in several colors. I reach for it weekly. I am wearing a size small. It runs oversized. It reminds me of the Sloppy Joes sweatshirts I love, but this one is less oversized, making it look less frumpy.
This is what I wore on my 7-hour flight from Lisbon to Boston. This set is pricey- I received it as a gift for a collaboration this spring, but I already want another color since I wear this so often. I love that the pieces can be worn separately. The top of this set is similar to the VV I'm sharing above, and the VV is much less costly- there are just no matching cropped pants with the VV set. This set is beyond comfortable, and the cut is cute and flattering, so it looks more polished than many sweat sets out there.
This is kind of a bummer, but I am glad we got a heads up! AW is retiring this cashmere wrap in the 'island green'. It's one of my favorite colors of all time. I hesitated on it for so long because I wasn't sure how much I'd wear it, because it's such a unique color. However, I've worn it SO much. So snag it now if you have had your eye on it.
I ordered these
Mary Janes for Portugal, but they arrived late, so I couldn't bring them. I got Flabelus (more on that below) on my trip. I opened these blue mary janes when I got home, and the quality is amazing- better than the pricier Flabelus! They're also incredibly comfortable and on sale for under $150.
Are you following me on the LikeToKnowIt app?! You can shop all of my outfits, favorite finds, and more in the app. I am constantly updating it with the latest! You can also access all of my posts, here, if you don't use LTK! You can also find me on ShopMy, another shopping platform! Drinking: This was my favorite sparkling Portuguese wine that I had during the trip. It was light with tons of tiny bubbles! It's called 'murganheira cuvee especial reserva bruto'. I'm assuming I won't be able to find it anywhere here, but I will keep my eye out.
Watching: I ate up The Summer I Turned Pretty season 3. I saved it for my flight, and I actually ended up watching the first few episodes on my flight to Portugal and then almost all of the episodes on the flight home. It is a cheesy young adult show, but I really enjoyed it! I have one episode left!
Listening: We went to the coolest Japanese street food restaurant, Izakaya, in Cascais, and the music was really loud- like a party/club atmosphere. It was SO much fun, and the playlist had us all dancing and singing at our seats. I loved the playlist so much that I had to ask about it, and sure enough,
they have the playlist on Spotify! It's primarily hip-hop, but also includes some other pop songs. This would be a fun car ride playlist, getting ready to go out with girlfriends, etc.
Loving: I regret not snagging this bag! The main reason I didn't get it was that the prices for name brands in Portugal were not significantly better than in the US, especially considering the current exchange rate. We visited Europe in 2022 and found prices to be considerably lower than they are now (even when you don't factor in the exchange rate). In 2022, with the 1:1 exchange rate and coupled with the lower prices in general, shopping in Rome was a bargain, especially at the luxury stores. But this year, that was not the case. I saw this bag and thought it wasn't worth lugging home since I could get it at home for a similar price anyway. Although this is a French brand, even with the VAT return, the exchange rate makes it almost a wash, so it was only worth it to get something unique/special I couldn't get at home. Case in point, I snagged some
adorable Flabelus shoes that are made in Spain! They're opening up stores in the US in NYC and Charleston! I also found
these via Amazon if you are looking for a good look for less! But anyway, it is a cute little bag and it comes with a crossbody strap. I really want them to make it in an emerald green!
Loving II: I wore mostly all costume jewelry on our trip, and these were a few of the bracelets I wore. I got lots of questions about them! I originally got them for our Mexico trip a few years ago and was delighted to find pieces that look similar to the fine pieces I have.
Loving III: I bought
this conditioner from a pharmacy in Cascais, and I fell in love with it. I didn't like our hotel's conditioner, so I snagged this on a whim. It is SO hydrating and smells just like a mango. The second I used it, I was blown away by how nice it made my hair feel and look. I have heard of this brand before, but I don't have much experience with it (besides the dry shampoo). I googled to see if I could get it in the US, and not only can I get it here, but I can also use my SUMMERWIND discount code! What a win!
Wanting: This coat is beyond stunning and looks like Carolina Herrera or Oscar de la Renta!! I think this is such a gorgeous and timeless fisherman-style sweater. Though a rather steep price tag considering it's only 1/4 wool, and mostly acrylic. This green skirt is elegant! Tuckernuck is kilig it with their scarves!!! I like
this one and this one.
The chicest black skirt! The
80s preppy sweater of my dreams! Giving the
Boden new arrivals a standing ovation... SO good.
This sweater is adorable and would be easy to throw on with jeans! If I worked in a formal office, I'd be
ordering this! The most
gorgeously detailed velvet jacket.
This houndstooth jacket reminds me of a Me+Em coat I loved from last season.
This corduroy top with a turtleneck underneath is something I could picture Annie Banks Mackenzie sporting in FOTB2.
This fair isle cardigan has my name all over. it. T
his is a great neutral coat, yet it remains unique and interesting. I
can't stop thinking about these shoes, and I may have to splurge on them. I haven't bought a pair of Louboutins in years- I went through a phase of loving their shoes but fell out of the brand for a while. I've really been loving some of their silhouettes lately. I really love the red, but the
chocolate brown suede is also stunning.
This cardigan looks equal parts cozy and polished. Didn't even know I needed a
cable-knit headband until I saw it. Adorable.
These corduroys are the perfect pop of cherry red. The
coziest lounge set. An inexpensive and
adorable bucket for serving Halloween candy! I love tubogas-style jewelry, and
this bracelet is gorgeous and at a decent price!
This is pricey, but boy, do I love it. I just got
this barn jacket, and it is SO much cuter in person - the cut is beyond chic. It's lightweight, so it's perfect for right now.
Pittsburgh: Have you all heard of
the RAD pass? I hadn't realized it, but the Pittsburgh public libraries offer free tickets and admission to various events, including the symphony and museums. I believe any Allegheny County taxpayer is eligible. I'm going to look into it more and try to snag one!
Amazon Rec: This is such a brilliant invention. It's one of those things I wish I had thought of because it must cost pennies to produce, so the markup is huge, and it's such an easy product to ship and store in a warehouse. I always bring it on flights with me. It weighs nothing and is made of foam, with a bendable metal center that allows you to mold it however you like. It can serve as a phone stand for a tray table on a flight, or it can hang from the tray table when closed to hold your phone. It works and is so handy to just tuck into any bag. I've had this for years, so mine is the original, but they now offer 'cuter' options, which you can see where I linked!
Many hotels in Europe have converters in the rooms already. However, sometimes they don't work well or always slip out of the socket. I always bring a few with me just to be safe. These are what I use. I love that they have two USB-C and a USB so I can charge multiple things. They also have two regular plug options. The entire plug is also slimmer than any other I've ever used.
You can find more of my
Amazon favorites, here on my Amazon page where I am constantly updating it with all of my finds and top picks from home, beauty, fashion, and more!
perfume (apologies for the worst photo ever) Smelling: My mom and I fell in love with
this perfume last week! When I shared it on Instagram, many of you were quick to point out the label, l'homme, which is men's. I do realize that- I took French from 6th grade until I graduated college. We smelled the women's version and didn't love it. The men's is SO good. It's definitely a unisex scent- it's woodsy and warm but bright at the same time, which is the type of scent I prefer. The scent notes are: grapefruit accord, Damascena rose oil, clary sage, ambery woods, centifolia rose absolute, and cistus oil. You can really smell the grapefruit and the ambery woods. I don't typically like rose scents, but the rose is very subtle.
Quoting: '
If you can't be happy with a coffee, you won't be happy with a yacht.' - Naval Ravikant
// See more of
my favorites, here.
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