I know I’ve been pretty light on the shopping posts this year. I’ve been thinking a lot about my (over)consumerism, and how I want to use my money to really support the causes and businesses I believe in. I established 3 criteria for any piece of clothing (excluding undergarments and gym clothes), shoes, or accessories that I purchased this year: each item must be either 1) preloved/vintage; 2) from a small/independent brand; or 3) be purchased from a small business.

I’ve been looking for an everyday animal print bag to add some interest to my everyday outfits, and I found this vintage Fendi Mama Baguette from a vintage store in NYC. It is in amazing condition, and the quality is exceptional (lined in leather)!

Here’s what I keep in it. The mini Longchamp pouch has various essentials, including masks, blotting paper, cough drops, lip balm, Tide pen, hand sanitizer, Band-Aids, and a pen. The pouch makes it so easy to transfer my things between bags, and I leave it at home if the bag is too small.

Back row: Mother Science Hero serum – great serum for overall brightness and fading acne spots; Glossier deodorant – still my favorite Glossier product; Decalt exfoliator – pretty good at keeping blackheads away; Gimme sleep melatonin gummies – the only product I buy from the Kardashian industrial complex. It really works to lull me into a gentle sleep.

Front row: Sam McKnight hair mask – got as a sample and would not repurchase. The scent was way too strong for me; Augustinus Bader cream – got to try as a travel size and would not repurchase. So expensive and didn’t notice a meaningful difference; Ouai shampoo – again, a sample that was fine but nothing special. Would not purchase.

This was my least favorite stack of books in a while. None of This is True: awful writing, trying to get by on a “thriller” plot. This genre of books is not for me. The world is stressful enough. A Winter In New York: also bad writing. Would have preferred the story to be in a Hallmark movie instead of a book. Age of Vice: pretty good, but not the best book about corruption in India (for me, that is the White Tiger). Also the story is so relentlessly sad. The Granddaughter: Interesting point of view about German politics and identity, but didn’t connect with the story at all. Also the translation in English was a bit stilted. Echo Blue: It was fine, but definitely a Taylor Jenkins Reid-lite story (not nearly as good). I couldn’t believe in the main character’s obsession with Echo.

Since I usually wash my hair every few days, it takes me forever to finish hair products. The three Milbon products in the back are from my hair salon, and I love them all. Interestingly, my former salon in NYC also used Milbon. The Ultra Violette sunscreen was amazing, but you can’t buy it in the US so I need to find a worthy replacement. The Diptyque perfume was delightful but am not rebuying, because it also takes me forever to use up perfume. Finally, the Goop hair scrub was definitely comparable to the Christophe Robin I used to use, and it can often be found cheaper during sale periods.

Long Island: Just fine. Very little plot and most of the writing are the characters’ thoughts. A Northern Light: I wanted more from this. The most interesting part was the protagonist’s descriptions of living in Greenland. Long Island Compromise: She is such an excellent writer but I found it hard to care about any of these characters. The Life Impossible: Not as good as Midnight Library but pretty good. Didion & Babitz: I really liked this. I read non-fiction about once a year, and this was a good one. The author has a very casual, conversational style and it inspired me to (revisit) Didion and read Babitz for the first time.

Glossier deodorant – still my favorite nontoxic deodorant. Shani Darden retinol – still my favorite retinol. Mother Science Hero Serum – did a good job with overall brightness and lightening dark spots, but not as good as standalone Vitamin C. Defenage Bio Serum – Will not repurchase. Not sure it does anything. Honest Beauty Hydrogel Cream – still my favorite daily moisturizer. Feels like taking a drink of water on your face. Lindsey Leigh jewelry cleaner – an excellent and easy to use jewelry cleaner. Oto pillow mist – Came in an advent calendar. I am not usually sensitive to smells but this smell gave me such a bad headache that I am tossing before finishing. Fresh Rose Face Mask – travel size that I decided to finish. Nice to use, but too expensive to buy and use regularly. Prequel Vitamin C – a very solid Vitamin C product at a good price.

I was so excited to finally go to Choosing Keeping when we were in London. I have followed them online for years, and the store was everything I dreamed out. I bought Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers when there in person, and just received another order online for art supplies, labels, and a gorgeous fountain pen.