September Mood
less is more, fall handbags, brands to know, skincare must-haves and game changers for travel
For those of you that are new here, first off - welcome! So glad to have you. Second, these monthly moods are my little check-in. A brain dump of what’s happening in my world and what’s on my radar across fashion, “beauty”, and life in general. As if you emailed me and asked how life is and what’s got my attention these days. Hope you enjoy!
Bonjour mon amis! I had grand plans of sending this prior to New York, but I opted for extra sleep and well, here we are. All for the best though as I have a bevy of things to share coming off New York. More on that below and a full download coming this weekend.
Chris and I capped off August with a long weekend at one of our favorite hotels, Les Roches Rouge. It was an our third time staying - you just can’t beat the location, even if the service is so-so. (I always tell people it’s a 5 star location with 4 star service.)
We did absolutely nothing - a true, restorative, vacation. I find them even more important in our hyper connected, tech driven world. We started off most days jumping in the ocean and spent the rest of the day lounging in the sun and floating in the ocean filled pool. At night we’d either eat at the hotel or pop down to one of the local restaurants near by. I actually read fiction and did my very best to not care about taking photos or sharing on social media. It was dee-viiine.
On our way back to Paris, I stopped my scroll on this instagram post from one of my favorite human design and astrology people, Amy Lea. The post explores the themes of the recent New Moon in Virgo - balancing work and rest, refining attention and focus, using energy intentionally, the distraction of excess, and a few others in a similar vein - and ways to work with them during the New Moon. I always find her work fascinating, but what struck me most was how clearly it illuminated what I’ve been feeling over the past few months across all aspects of my life.
A desire to refine.
To be more specific with not only how I spend my time, but with what I create and put out into the world. We can’t be everything to everyone, or “do it all” as they say. In doing so, we ultimately have less of an impact, dilute our point of view and, I would venture to guess, experience less fulfillment.
September has been incredible in so many ways and I’ve absolutely loved being out in the world connecting with so many people. At the same time I’m looking forward to down-shifting in October, and getting back to writing and bringing all of the ideas I have rattling around in my head to life.
I want to lean into ease this fall. The older I get, the more I realize that less, in so many aspects of life, is truly more.
xx, Sarah
The Monthly Edit
This months edit is loaded with goodies so grab a cup of coffee (or glass of wine depending on when you’re reading this) and enjoy!
Eating - we hit all of our favorites in Paris (that were open), like Clamato and Glou when we got back in August. At home we’ve been leaning heavily on pan-seared fish (we usually do cod or salmon) with sautéed veggies and either lemon juice and olive oil or a tahini sauce (tahini, water, lemon, salt). Truly can’t wait to have my own kitchen again.
Reading - I made sure to pick up a good juice beach read before leaving Portland and landed on Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes - it’s a fun one. You can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the characters. I honestly can’t remember the last time I read a fiction book, and quickly remembered how much they help me disconnect and wind down, especially at night. Send all your favorites!
Thoroughly enjoyed
’s perspective on ‘dupe culture’. She did an excellent job of exploring the topic from various angles and considering all of the grey space in-between to dupe or not to dupe. She captured the nuance of it and left the reader diving deeper into their own psyche and relationship with fashion.Ditto
’s thoughts on personal style. I couldn’t have said it better myself.Listening - now that I’m walking more, I’m reacquainting myself with my favorite podcasts. Lately I’ve been loving Liv Perez podcast (and her rebrand). I just listened to this episode with the Millenial Decorator and loved both of their points of view on pitching yourself. So important, especially for us women who are notorious for selling ourself short - guilty!
This podcast with Cate Holstein is next on my list.
Watching - Chris and I binged watched Trying and I have zero regrets. It’s about a couple trying to adopt children after not being able to conceive as well as the many other facets of their lives - work, family, friends etc. I found it oddly comforting as I was feeling a little home sick getting back to Paris.
Also, I need to know who’s binged all the recent episodes of Emily in Paris so we can discuss.
Wearing - the weather in Paris has been absolutely lovely - cool in the morning and warm in the afternoon. I’ve been getting a lot of wear out of these Gap bermuda shorts, dressing them up for dinner with my LouLou Studio top and Toteme kitten heels and down with an Almada sweater that I picked up at Le Bon Marche. On vacation I wore a lot of old favorites from last season, but picked up this SIR tube top before leaving Portland and paired it with a pair of white linen pants. As someone with a large chest and small waist, I was shocked by how well the top fit without alterations.
Style
Lots to share coming off almost a week in NYC. Tried to keep it to the best of the best!
Emme Parson new arrivals - I’m smitten. Adore these flats (I’m partial to the chocolate brown color way), ditto the Mary Jane and these silver ones feel so fun! I’ve always been curious about this kitten heel and have had these heeled boots on my radar for a good year.
Chic black flats for walking - A follower asked me about these Toteme flats and if they are a good option for walking a lot. For me they’ve been tricky to break in, the toe box is pretty narrow and I have narrow feet. I would opt for this style, one of the Emme Parson styles mentioned above, these or these (very reminiscent of a Khaite loafer from a few seasons ago) if you’re looking for a pointed black flat for walking.
New denim brand on my radar - I recently stumbled upon RÙADH, a new denim brand launching in October and am very intrigued. Founded by Jac Cameron who co-founded AYR and was once Calvin Klein’s global denim director, the brand is taking a smaller, more refined, perhaps even intimate, approach to fashion by focusing on craftsmanship and connection to nature (their B Corp certification is pending). They are launching with 11 pieces in what I assume will be regenerative cotton that are made in LA. One to keep your eye on if you can never have enough good denim.
Fall handbags - I’ve been honing my handbag wishlist (I like to keep a running list of pieces that catch my eye and then curate my wishlist so that I don’t end up with multiples or make unnecessary purchases) and this Little Liffner Pillow Shoulder bag keeps popping up. As does this Toteme bucket bag (also this suede - the color is delicious) I have a feeling this one is going to be the “it-bag” of the season.
A growing Agmes collection - I couldn’t resist picking up a few new pieces when I was at the Agmes showroom and walked out with these earrings (equally love the medium size), this ring (I got a medium and wear it on my middle finger) and this pendant necklace.
Black bermuda shorts - Ordered these Toteme shorts as my tailored black for fall and next year. I also liked these Favorite Daughter ones (currently on sale), but ultimately decided I didn’t want pleats in the front.
Speaking of Toteme - their pieces are significantly cheaper in Paris which is both a blessing and a curse. I also recently learned that Galerie Lafayette has the largest assortment in Paris. Naturally, I went immediately and walked out with this dress (I don’t think it’s available in the US yet?? Will look into this) and these gloves.
Róhe everything - Picked up this Róhe sweater for fall - we love some versatility! Also just saw this one and equally love! Maybe one in black and one in grey? Probably overkill. Moral of the story - don’t sleep on Róhe. Great quality for the price point.
La Ligne knits - Finally got my hands on the cropped Marin for La Ligne and it’s perfect! Highly recommend for my fellow petites or anyone with a short torso. If you are neither, or just prefer a longer sweater, then opt for the Marin instead. It’s more or less The Row Ophelia for a fraction of the price.
Beauty
The ultimate lip duo - As someone who constantly struggles with dry, chapped lips I was thrilled to get my hands on Furtuna Skin’s new lip care. I’ll admit I was skeptical about the scrub. Every other one I’ve tried has been a disaster, but this was not the case with Furtuna’s lip polish. There was an immediate difference after using it. The lip butter balm on which is literally the icing on the cake. Seals everything. It’s pricey, but I feel like it actually works. I’ve been using the polish every few days and the lip balm at night and am already reaching for my other lip balms less often. SARAHRP15 gets you 15% off your entire order!
A divine hair oil - took this hair oil for a spin on vacation and just - wow. I used it on towel dried hair (after washing with their shampoo and conditioner) before blow drying and curling (a pointless act tbh - the humidity had other plants!) my hair. My hair is always pretty soft after curling, but this styling oil took it to a whole new level. Not to mention it smells incredible.
Also picked up a bottle of Roz shampoo and conditioner while in NYC seeing as I can’t find it anywhere in Paris!
For any fellow clean beauty fans, Detox Market passed a long a code for 15% off your purchase - SARAHROSEPALM-15 will do the trick! Highly recommend the Alima Pure eyeliner if you’re not attached to one yet. I’ve been using it for years.
Update on the epilator - I’ve been testing out this epilator for a month now and I’m sold. I feel like I’m still getting the hang of it (especially around the knees), but so far I haven’t had to worry about booking a leg wax which was the goal.
Low maintenance skincare for sensitive skin - so glad I packed my Sonsie Skin serum and moisturizer for vacation. It was the perfect antidote to sun filled days and ocean dips.
My other favorite oil cleanser - I’ve been without my ZIIP for a week thanks to Air France graciously losing my luggage. Instead I’ve been starting my mornings with facial massage and oil cleansing using Living Libations Sea Buckthorn and forgot how much glow it adds to the skin. Also cleared up my breakouts in a matter of days.
Life
Good digestion - As someone who tends to get, let’s just say - backed up, this probiotic has been one of the best additions to my morning routine. Especially when traveling if you catch my drift. This combined with an extra dose of vitamin C and lots of water usually does the trick and when it doesn’t magO7 clears things right out, pun intended lol.
Must have for travel - loving this outlet adapter for travel!
AirTags. Period. - If you travel, please, please do yourself a favor and get AirTags for your luggage. Especially checked luggage. Between Chris and I, our luggage has missed flights to Paris two times now and both times we’ve been able to keep an eye on our luggage via our AirTags. Truly a lifesaver.
Chat soon!