April 1, 2021

This time one year ago, I was quarantining upstate, piecing together a jigsaw puzzle of Kermit the Frog, while deeply immersed in the scary-bizarro universe of Tiger King. And on Friday nights, I drank wine in the bathtub. It’s wild to think about the surreal-ness of the last year, especially with such blinding lights at the end of the tunnel. I’ve been asking myself with increasing frequency: is there anything I wish I’d done differently? But ultimately, it’s a fairly useless exercise. We didn’t know what lay ahead, and we still don’t. Even with these pulsing currents of optimism in the air, and signs of a more promising future, we’ll all be processing this past year for a long while.

That said, if anyone needs a shrink (and frankly, who doesn’t right now?), NY Mag tapped into this current zeitgeist with a deep-dive into the sweeping landscape of app-based and remote therapy.

Anyways, trying to keep this short and sweet (UNLIKE my lashes…see below).

1.

To help alleviate a recent back injury, I’ve been dipping into my CBD and cannabis product supply more routinely this last week, and thanks to some seriously exhaustive side-by-side comparisons, I have a few clear-cut favorites: Mineral’s MAISON CBD recovery salve has been great for my back and sore muscles in general, and also—surprisingly—irritated and sensitive skin. I also love its woodsy scent. There’s also Kin Slips cannabis-infused sublingual strips, available for different conditions and objectives: pain and discomfort, sleep, focus, anxiety. These are dosed out in individually-wrapped 10 mg (THC) slips, and they work FAST. I also really love Stone Road for their pre-rolled joints packed with small-batch, mom-approved, organically-grown cannabis, their chic branding, and their inclusive messaging.

2.

Rent-a-lux? After grinding to a near-halt with the onset of the pandemic last spring, clothing rental platforms (both multi-brand and individual brand offerings) are back in business. And business is booming! Earlier this week, Business of Fashion broke down some of the factors behind the dramatic upswing, as well as what the rental market could mean for the future of designer fashion in general.

3.

Don’t touch my Tucci! Ugggh. I have mixed feelings about the rest of the world sharing in my adulation for Stanley Tucci, maestro of the lockdown Negroni, Italophile and now a travel-show host. The best news relayed in this New Yorker piece, however: there’s a second season of Searching For Italy coming up, hopefully a presto.

4.

Going to bat for these lashes! Even before Covid-related protocol required wearing face masks, I’ve always wished for longer, more abundant eyelashes, mostly because I’m hopeless in all other areas requiring makeup. This legit hero product came my way via my close friend Morgan (and doubly-endorsed by Kristin), and reader: abracadabra, IT WORKS. I feel like I could generate wind energy just by blinking.

5.

I’m tearing through Norma Kamali’s book, I Am Invincible, which is both a guide to living healthfully, mindfully, and with passion, as well as a memoir of sorts. Reading it makes me realize just how ahead of her time Kamali, a long-time proponent for plant-based eating—among other things like daily exercise, meditation, yoga, etc.—has always been.

In it, she includes a recipe for yam soup-slash-pudding, which is simply a puree of cooked yams and any non-dairy milk that you can eat as is, or gussied up a bit with spices and add-ins (you can find it online here). I made a version with Japanese sweet potatoes, which have a natural, nutty sweetness when roasted with their skins on, almond milk, and half a frozen banana, that doubles as both a breakfast-smoothie and a dessert. (You guys, it’s really, really good.)

Ok, now everyone go read your Susan Miller forecasts for April. She got this month up astonishingly fast!

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