Beauty, Travel, Travel Products, Wish Lists and Gift Ideas

2021 Holiday Gift Guide: Last-Minute Gift Ideas (psst… it’s not just gift cards!)

Old school alarm clock with a red bow

Okay, but there are still a lot of gift cards…

Beauty, Home, Style

A Flake-Free Pout: Comparing French Girl Rose Lip Polish and Olio E Osso Lip Scrub

Two small boxes on a white background. On the left is a white box that reads "FRENCH GIRL rose lip polish" with an abstract lip line drawing. On the right is a black box with a red circle which has "Olio e Osso" printed in it

It’s the first day of winter today here in the northern hemisphere—which means it’s the first day of the season of cracked hands, itchy scalp, and chapped lips. In preparation for all the excessive moisturizing to come, I recently decided that I should add a lip scrub to my routine, in addition to making every …

Food, Home, Recipes

Five Easy Meals

A white woman's hand stirs udon noodles in a reddish sauce with wooden tongs

“What do you want for dinner?” It’s such an innocent-sounding question, even a friendly-sounding one, but you and I both know that’s a loaded question. Are you asking me to try to guess what you’re in the mood for? Are you asking me to cook? Are you thinking of getting takeout? Who’s picking the spot? …

California, Destinations, Packing Lists, Style, Travel, USA

Traveling Light: Packing List for Five Days in San Francisco

A real-life packing list for an autumn visit to San Francisco.

California, Destinations, Home Try On + In-Depth Style Reviews, Style, Travel, USA

Is This the Best Boot for Travel? A Review of the Eva Everyday Chelsea Boot from Nisolo

Alyssa is standing on rocks wearing black pants, black boots. It's a close up shot of her calves and feet, and the Golden Gate Bridge is visible in the background.

I recently had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco for work—but one of the stipulations was that I could only bring what would fit in my personal item on the plane (the bag that fits under the seat in front of you). I’m no stranger to packing light and knew that I could pull …

California, Destinations, Travel, USA

San Francisco in One Square Mile: Exploring Cow Hollow, Russian Hill, and the Marina District

A view of a typical street in San Francisco - the road is very steep!

I recently made a short visit to San Francisco with Mary of Twenty Two West to assist her in her booth at West Coast Craft. I know, what a dream gig, right? My last visit to San Francisco was with Michael in 2015, and we pretty much checked off every item on every guidebook’s list …

Home Try On + In-Depth Style Reviews, Style

Luxury Without the Labels – Chic Accessories from Italic

Alyssa is standing in front of a brick building. She is wearing a grey sweater with off-white pants, black sunglasses, a light blue belt bag, and black boots. She has her right hand in her hair and it is windy.

Recently I shared how Italic was changing its business model from a membership-only service to an open marketplace. Product accessibility is great and all, but I wanted to dive in deeper today to talk about the quality of products available on the new Italic marketplace. This post was not sponsored but does contain gifted products …

Destinations, North Carolina, Travel, USA

The Wayward Day Trip Guide to Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Alyssa wears an all-black outfit on a bridge in Old Salem

At the start of 2020, Michael and I made a New Year’s Resolution to visit a different destination in the Carolinas each month. Well, you know what happened next. This post contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking one of these links (at no additional …

Charlotte, Travel Products, Wish Lists and Gift Ideas

2021 Holiday Gift Guide: Local Gifts from North Carolina

A stamp that reads "to, from", a stamp ink pad, and a pen on a black background

Happy Small Business Saturday! In honor of the day, I thought I’d share a roundup of gift ideas from right here at home in North Carolina. We’re pretty spoiled here in The Old North State, as there are so many amazing local makers right in this pocket of the country. This post may contain commissionable …

Beauty, Travel, Travel Products, Wish Lists and Gift Ideas

2021 Cyber Weekend Deals

Two piggy banks, one is teal and one is white with polka dots. There is a stack of coins on the left.

Is your email inbox as inundated with “deals! deals! deals!” emails as mine is? I feel like I’ve edited my subscription list down to just a few, and somehow I seem to keep getting added back onto lists… In any case, I spent some time yesterday during the car ride down to visit my family …