Monday Missive: November 9

What We’re Reading and Watching

I’m reading Pretty Things by Janelle Brown right now and it’s so good that I want to cancel everything and stay on the couch until it’s done! Nina is a con artist who robs wealthy influencers as she tries to support her mother while she battles cancer. Vanessa is a gorgeous heiress hiding out at her family’s estate on Lake Tahoe. I can’t wait to see what happens when they come together! - E
I’m almost done with Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It’s not a very long book, but it’s taken me a little while to read because of how rich and dense the language is. His perspective on living in America as a black man and how he explains his history and his intellectual journey is incredibly enlightening and a very sad, but impactful read. - D

The Sephora Sale was last week and I decided to order a few new things to try-one of the is Charlotte Tilbury’s Mini Filmstar Bronze and Sculpt. I’m not one to do a lot of contouring, but I was watching Vogue’s beauty tutorials the other day and noticed that almost every celebrity was doing some version of contouring, no matter how natural their look. I decided to order this mini version of a palette that Lisa Eldridge recommends and play around with it. -E
I got the Navy Suede Clifton Dress from Tuckernuck back in September and finally had the chance to wear it this weekend. It’s funny because I live in simple dresses all summer but then I feel like it gets harder to pull them off in the fall. Now I have the perfect solution! It comes in a really cute red corduroy material too and is great with flats or heels. I wore it with ballet flats because it was so warm on Saturday, but I’m planning to wear it with boots for Thanksgiving when the weather’s cooler. -E
Like everyone else, I live in a pair of casual sneakers when I’m running around during the day, but my white Tretorns that I love so much feel a little bit too summery since they are mostly canvas. I’m eyeing this white vegan leather pair from The Drop to update my look a little bit for colder weather, and even debating the silver pair, just for fun! - D

I’m obsessed with the grain-free “fauxmeal” that Kelly LeVeque is making on Instagram. You pour almond milk into a pan on medium heat and add chia seeds, flax meal, and hemp seeds and then stir it until it bubbles and the chia gets gelatinous. Take it off the heat and add whatever toppings you would normally put on oatmeal-for me that’s protein powder, cinnamon, blueberries and sliced almonds. It’s so filling and cozy and keeps my blood sugar more stable than regular oatmeal. Here’s the video on Kelly’s Instagram. -E
My recent cooking fascination is around “brown butter” over pasta so I’ve been trying to find just the right recipe to use it with. This goodie from Half Baked Harvest is super easy, has a ton of brussels sprouts in it and hits the spot for a cozy, but easy cold-weather dinner! - D