Desk Diaries Vol. IV

With holiday season upon us, I was thinking about how I've approached my Christmas list as a young adult. As a teenager it used to be all about the quantity, I wanted as many clothes and accessories as possible. My go-to shopping destination used to be Urban Outfitters, I loved their colorful sneakers, trendy dresses and vintage rock band tees. These days I lean towards quality when it comes to picking out a gift for myself, making investment pieces my new favorite thing to shop for. Most recently my list has included cashmere sweaters, vintage Chanel handbags and vintage Chanel tweed jackets, styles that I know I will have forever and never go out of style. Bonus points for creating memories with my Mom hunting each vintage piece down from Manhattan and Dallas consignment shops. 

Last year, I put something new at the top of my list: an investment watch. Something elegant, simple and classic to take with me into my thirties and beyond. I loved that Cartier re-issued their Panthere collection, which led me on a 4 month journey of tracking down the perfect vintage style from their original collection circa 1980s to 1990s, plus the lower price tag is always a plus when it comes to second hand investment finds! My vintage Cartier watch has become my #1 wardrobe staple, I wear it every single day without fail. I love how delicate and understated it is, but what really makes me smile everyday are the fond memories of me and my Dad looking at countless watches and finally finding "the one" at a local Dallas estate jeweler.

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Vintage Cartier Panthere Watch

Desk Diaries Vol. III

Switching things up a bit and writing this edition from my desk at Sweet & Spark. After all, it is where I spend most of my time these days. Each week is honestly filled with so many different projects, but I thought it would be sweet to share a typical day for me with you here. I usually wake up (very slowly!) around 7:30am, I spend a few minutes snuggling with my kitty Darling in bed, and a few rounds of hitting the snooze button. I wash up, take care of my morning skincare and makeup routine, then sit down for a cup of tea and cereal while I check my emails. Sometimes Jillian and I will meet for a morning coffee date around 9:00am, our usual spots are Blue Bottle, The Mill and Wrecking Ball. My go-to order is a hot chocolate or black tea with cream and sugar, I am not much of a coffee girl. Then, depending on the week, we'll pick up flowers for photoshoots on our way back to the office.

Our mornings together consist of packing up orders, checking over the week's marketing materials with our graphic designer, merchandising the jewelry collection and steaming new clothing and scarf arrivals. I love using natural light to shoot jewelry images and product photography, our studio gets great light from 11:00am through 4:00pm, so I'll spend my day shooting with intermittent breaks for emails, meetings and lunch. Towards the end of the day, Jill and I touch base on upcoming projects and discuss a game plan for the following day. Right now we are busy running our holiday pop up shop at Mudpie on Fillmore Street, you can find us here through the New Year! P.S. Jillian and I were just featured in a WWD article about Bay Area female founders, take a peek!

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Sweet & Spark New Vintage Jewelry Arrivals

Desk Diaries Vol. II

As I mentioned in my very first Desk Diaries Vol. I, I have been incorporating more organic products into my skincare routine. (I do still use a few Boscia products that I have not been able to phase out yet, they're still too good, I'm looking at you Tsubaki Glotion!) I'm pretty sure that everyone is familiar with Herbivore and French Girl by now, they have been taking over the social media spotlight all summer. If not, here's a simple rundown of what both companies stand for: natural & sustainable ingredients, plant based oils, recyclable packaging, etc. For me, if the product works and feels good, I'm in. The organic angle is just an added bonus, although I do like the fact that I know exactly what I'm rubbing into my skin on a daily basis. Plus, I am a sucker for pretty packaging.

Okay, let's get into it. I LOVE a refreshing face mist for that half way point in the day when you don't want to ruin your makeup but you could use a little moisture boost. So, I started out buying Herbivore's Rose Face Mist for this task, but have ended up replacing my nighttime toner as well. Thank goodness oils have been such a skincare trend lately, because I am obsessed. I used to use the Neutrogena body oil in high school, and sort of forgot about oils after that. I am now using French Girl's Face Oil Elixer in the am and Herbivore's Phoenix Face Oil in the pm. After bath time, I like to use the Lumiere Body Oil on my collar bones and shoulders for a soft glow, and the Jasmine Body Oil on my arms, the subtle fragrance is lovely.

On to the extras. I'll use a few spritzes of the Coconut + Sea Salt Hair Mist in the morning before styling my hair with a blowdryer, it gives my locks a fresh feel plus (again) I love the scent. Followed with dry shampoo for those lazy shower-less days. I used to exfoliate with a charcoal sponge, but I've been loving the Rose Face Polish, a little goes a long way! Most nights I just use a face oil plus retinol, but if I'm feeling a bit dry I'll add in the Creme Lumiere Face Moisturizer as a final step. That's about it for now!

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French Girl Rose Lip Polish // French Girl Lumiere Body Oil // French Girl Rose Face Polish // Herbivore Phoenix Face Oil // Herbivore Rose Face Mist

Not shown here, but recently purchased (and fallen for!) are the Jasmine Body Oil and Coconut + Sea Salt Hair Mist from Herbivore as well as the Rose Sea Polish, Creme Lumiere Face Moisturizer and Face Oil Elixer from French Girl. I've also heard good things about the Pink Cloud and Moon Fruit moisturizers.

Desk Diaries Vol. I

Hello vintage lovers! I'm starting a new mini series here called "desk diaries" where I can share more about what I am up to with work and some of my personal life as well. Thought it would be a sweet way to share how my week is going, and what I currently have laying about on my desk. This week's desk accessories consist of some bits and bobs from my vintage jewelry collection as well as my new beauty obsession. I love to mix high and low jewels together, like these fun plastic floral earrings from the 1960's and this golden Chanel choker from the 1990's. Wore this combo out to an afternoon meeting with a crisp white button down and Levi's jeans. In other news, I cannot get enough of French Girl Organics, my gateway product was their rose lip polish. I have been venturing further and further down the organic skincare rabbit hole, and will report back with my favorite products so far in my next desk diaries, ciao for now.