weekly r.e.p.o.r.t. c.a.r.d. #15
chunky summer sandals, a goal-setting book that actually works, & a fashion secret
Hi! Happy Monday from cloudy NYC. I was in Miami for the past few days for work (more on that soon) plus a wedding for one of my best college friends.
I touched on this a bit earlier in the week, but I went solo—my first-ever stag wedding. If you haven’t taken the leap and gone to a wedding solo before, I highly recommend. I met new friends, commiserated about the St. John’s March Madness loss with a 75 year-old pair, and got inspired by a twelve year-old dance floor dynamo.
Though I ordered this super fun yellow, cherry-printed option, it wasn’t quite right on me (but may be perfect on you). I ended up opting for my go-to wedding guest dress, which I’ve probably worn to 10+ black tie affairs. The best!
Some wedding details. My friend Lily is an accountant by trade, but I really don’t think of her as such because she’s a creative at heart. It was fun seeing her engage her design talents throughout the wedding planning process!
Let’s dive in!
P.S. If you’re new around here—welcome to the weekly r.e.p.o.r.t c.a.r.d! It’s a weekly grab bag of the ideas, things, and people that I’m loving. Check out the last issue here. It’s a fun, light addition to the VARSITY READER fold.
Reading (book): I had a few women over for dinner this week (more on why here), and @careerhannah (a must follow!) recommended this book. It’s about how to set & keep goals in our goal-obsessed, productivity-centered world. An actionable roadmap to making change vs. the cookie-cutter “block some time on your calendar and make it happen” advice.
Eating: One of my friends is an attorney, but has influenced me to buy countless books, beauty products, snacks, and more. I’m trying to convince her to bring her influencing abilities to the masses—so as a first step, she brilliantly came up with the name Selle Woods. Selle, we’re ready for more of your recs whenever you are.
Selle gave me these better-for-you sour gummies earlier in the week. While I’m not typically a sour fan, these have the perfect amount of pucker. Just a dusting of sour (I’d say 50% less sour than Sour Patch).
The good news—they’re delicious. The bad news—this particular flavor seems to be sold out everywhere. However, I love this brand’s non-sour gummies too (especially the passionfruit & pineapple flavor).
Playing: With the ultimate travel hat. I checked my luggage at the front desk yesterday and walked around before my flight, so I shoved this hat in my bag. You can bend it, flex it, and fold it every way—and it instantly pops right back to its shape.
Here’s the hat in its usual form. Totally indestructible and adorable!
Obsessing: It’s the end of an era. I’ve had my beloved chunky silver sandals for two years, and I left them in Miami because they were on their last legs. My brother called them the “Tin Man” shoes—the perfect example of how polarizing these shoes were.
I loved wearing them casually with a matching set for the beach (above)…
or in a more polished way for a coffee meeting.
Either way, I’m on the hunt for a brand-new pair of chunky, funky slides. A few pairs that have caught my eye:
My same exact pair in a different colorway (silver-on-silver is sold out, but I love this white-and-gold or this denim-and-gold combo)
A pair with a more sculptural buckle (the imperfect buckle feels very fresh and modern)
Similarly, these gold & raffia sandals are super fun. Very well-priced too!
This pair is most similar to my OG sandals. I love the studded silver straps and the fun buckles. I’ve had shoes from this brand in the past, and they’ve all delivered on comfort. Ordered and excited to try these!
Recommending: I’m in the potions and lotions era of my life. I’m very regimented with my skincare routine (more on that here), but am always looking to level up my at-home routine with quality products.
Unlike what we’re led to believe, our skincare routine doesn’t have to be ten steps. Are you going to work out ten times this week? Probably not—and setting that goal is a fast track to disappointment.
That’s what these complicated skincare routines are doing. They’re making us feel overwhelmed and lead to decision paralysis (skipping nighttime skincare entirely!) vs. sticking to a simple, stripped-down routine that allows us to stay consistent.
Given my months-long success with Maelove’s vitamin C serum, I decided to try the brand’s collagen renewal serum. I started using it at night—moisturizer, retinol, and then this serum as the final step.
(Of course, I extend all products to my neck and chest too!)
I promise to really expose myself next week and do a before-and-after, but this serum really makes my skin glow. I was a bit beat up this week due to travel, so I also wore it solo as a bit of a nighttime “mask” before my full routine and…wow. A true glow-up in a bottle. Priced at $47.95, the formulation is best-in-class (and way more effective than the $200 formulas you’ll find at Sephora). No thank you.
Treating: I’m getting married in exactly 152 days (!), and so much of the wedding fun is the fashion. But besides your own wedding and maybe a summer white party, when are you going to wear a fancy white dress?
I cannot recommend Alteria enough. They’re a dyeing company based in Orlando, and I first turned to them this summer for my future BIL and SIL’s wedding in Italy. I wanted to wear a green dress at their welcome party and couldn’t find one that I liked, so I sent them a white dress and they dyed it beautifully. (Before-and-after here!)
Their pricing is fair (I paid $245, which included a rush fee). Knowing I have Alteria as a resource, it’s made me much more willing to splurge on white dresses for my own wedding events. When I’ve found white dresses that I’ve liked, I send them to Alteria and they give me a yay or nay as to whether they can be dyed. Whether you’re struggling on the wedding guest front or are a fellow bride, they’re the best!
Cutting: The pressure to finish a book if it’s not resonating with you.
talks about this a lot on her platform, and I completely agree—your time is too valuable to engage with a book that’s not doing it for you. Relatedly, I tried SEVERANCE three separate times before coming to the conclusion that…it’s simply not my kind of show! And that’s okay.Admiring: I’ve been loving every issue of
by . The content is fantastic (curated lifestyle & beauty recs, an advice column, and so much more), but I especially love the magazine-style layout. It feels like you’re flipping through an issue of SEVENTEEN in the best way.Daring: To know which PR person reps Tiger Woods. He announced his new relationship on IG by asking for privacy…but left comments on and shared a carousel of mushy pics. Pretty genius—because we’re all talking about it.
In case you missed it…
The peel-and-stick wallpaper that transformed my rental bathroom
Eight independent fashion designers that deserve your dollars
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Amen to the DNF!!!! And you and I are the same re: Severance -- I have tried so many times and continue to fall asleep! I feel like such a freak as everyone loves it.