Merit Beauty Review: Clean Lash Mascara, Signature Lip Lipstick, and Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil

I can’t believe I haven’t done a Merit Beauty Review considering I’ve been gifted a couple of their items, and loved it so much that I purchased a couple more myself. I guess since Merit’s PR people are so chill (they only asked for one Instagram post and Sephora review) I never thought to put time into writing a blog post. Buuuuut since their stuff is so good that I’m repurchasing my favorite items I figured I might as well write this review.

My Best and Worst Luxury Purchases as of 2022

I had been reflecting on my expensive purchases of last year and I thought I would do a brief recap of what I thought were the best and worst purchases. The last time I did this was about one and a half years ago (My Best and Worst Luxury Purchases of 2021—and I still stand behind those choices except maybe for the Apple Watch which I don’t use as much anymore 🤦🏻‍♀️). Anyway without further ado, here are my best and worst luxury purchases as of 2022.

What I Learned From My Year Of Being Alcohol-Free

I started last year with the resolution to have an alcohol-free lifestyle for one year after having had several terrible hangovers at the end of 2021. And with some moaning and groaning, along with proud moments, I can say I did it. I went 365 days without one drop of alcohol (not even one sip), and these are some of the lessons I’ve learned along the way:

Huppy Review: Toothpaste Tablets And Plastic-Free Dental Floss {Updated February 2023}

I’ve tried quite a few sustainable products in the last year but my favorite and the most practical have been the products from Huppy. I’m a fan of their non-plastic, refillable dental floss and non-plastic, travel-friendly toothpaste tablets. I’ve also recently tried their mouthwash tablets and love those too.

The New Fairly Curated Shop

As a present to myself on my 40th year (my birthday is in a couple months), I’ve decided to try something that I’ve always wanted to do—open a (legit) online store. As much as I love reviewing things on this blog, I no longer want to be just a critiquer. I want to throw my hat into the ring (or rather marketplace).

December 2022 Recap

December (and 2022’s) recap:

Linenfox Review: Heavyweight Linen Ocean Pants

I ordered these Linenfox heavyweight linen ocean pants back in August, and even though I wore them a couple times in the summer, they really are better suited for cooler temperatures (I was wearing my linen pants from Quince on hot days). Now that we’re in the 50-60s consistently, I’ve been wearing this almost every other day, and I love them.

Brightech Review: Sky Floor Lamp

One thing about living in an older house is that sometimes there are no overhead lights. We’re used to recessed lighting so we didn’t have many lamps when we moved in. Well I finally got a lamp about 2 years after moving in because we just needed more light (though I really didn’t want to accumulate more furniture). I’m not sure how I found Brightech, a San Francisco direct-to-consumer (DTC) company, but I’m so glad I did!

Most Used Purchases of 2022

I already did my best Quince purchases of 2022, so here are my top ten non-Quince, most used items that I purchased this past year (in no particular order).

November 2022 Recap

This month we went on an Airstream trip to Pinnacle National Park, Pismo Beach, and Solvang. And I went a little overboard with the purchases 🤦🏻‍♀️

The Curated Review: The Tailored Coat

After purchasing The Curated’s Classic coat, which I loved (and reviewed here), I decided to try out another one of their coats, this time the Tailored coat (currently no longer sold). I got this one on sale at the end of the season and thus was only able to wear it a couple times before it got too warm. Now that it’s Autumn and the temps are cooling down am I reaching for this coat? Frankly, not so much.

Ree Projects Review: The Medium Wyn Bag

I had been eyeing the medium Wyn bag from Ree Projects since the beginning of summer when I saw Sherri, the owner of the boutique McMullen, carrying it around during her travels in Paris (see below). But for $750, the price was quite a bit steeper than I was prepared to pay. So I was thrilled to see it on sale on FarFetch (I paid about 40% off), and I nabbed the last one they had in stock. And I’m so glad that I did because I absolutely love this bag.

My Most Worn Quince Items in 2022 and 2023 {Updated February 2024}

I don’t know if you can tell by now, but Quince is now my go-to brand for pretty much everything. I love their quality clothing (both womens and mens), jewelry, bags, and even home goods. And I’m very lucky that many of you guys have supported these reviews by purchasing through my referral link (thank you guys! ). But after doing so many Quince reviews, which items were my most used? My favorites? Well here they are (in no particular order):

Birkenstock Boston Mules (Clogs) Review {Updated February 2025}

I originally purchased a pair of Birkenstock Boston Mules sometime last year from eBay. And one reader asked for a review…so here it is over a year later lol, I apologize for the delay 😂. But I had made a mistake in my sizing of those mules because I thought I would wear socks with them so I went one size up. Nope, those shoes ended up being way too big and didn’t stay on my feet. So back to whence they came. And finally this year, to prepare for some camping (which is where I had envisioned using these Birks the most), I ordered a pair in my current Birks size from the RealReal (for a great deal I might add). So here is the review of the Boston mules now that I’ve worn them a bit.

October 2022 Books

I read quite a few books, and a diverse selection at that, this month. Of these, my favorites were This is Your Mind on Plants and In The Distance.

October 2022 Recap

In October we went on our first trip with our dream Airstream and it was a blast!

Hahaland Review: Toddler Busy Book and Dinosaur Robot/Trucks Toy

If you’re starting to think about gifts for the kids in your life (I know it’s a tad early), then might I recommend a couple toys that I were gifted by Hahaland and that Emi loves: The Montessori Toddler Busy Book and the Dinosaur Robot/Trucks Toy.

Review of Baby Books

So you know I love me those “personal growth” (aka self-help) books. There’s something about learning something from a book that might have the potential to make you a better person that gets me every time. So it’s no wonder that the love of that genre has led me to read quite a few parenting books. Because if we could become better parents by reading a book, why not read it?

Away Two-Way Crossbody Bag Review

As I mentioned in last month’s recap, I used some of my store credit from referrals to buy the Two-Way Crossbody Bag from Away. I never really thought to buy anything except for luggage from Away (which are awesome by the way—Away luggage review here). But something led me to their site, and I have to say I’m impressed with their lineup of bags. And like I was with their luggage, I’m very happy with the crossbody from Away.

Augustinus Bader Review: The Scalp Treatment and The Essence

Though my days of Augustinus Bader credit are over (they restructured their referral credit program earlier this year), I was still able to try two more of their products with some leftover credit: The Scalp Treatment and The Essence. Here’s what I thought of them:

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