Based on all of our research, if you don’t do a “Monthly Favs” post on the blog on your website, you are basically nothing, so here we are. Every month, we’ll do a STIK team round up of one thing we are each obsessed with at the moment. If you know us, you know you can expect some surprises, some WTF moments, and some incredibly basic, but equally necessary items each month. We hope this series will inspire and delight you each month (or at least help us rank for SOMETHING other than “knit shit” on Google.)
We're back! Our first-ever "Monthly Favs" post was a roaring success. I'm semi joking here, but we really did get a ton of positive feedback. It appears that people are interested in our random obsessions (we'll take it!), and so we're here for another round of the latest and greatest in the STIK world!
Ever since high school, I have been a mascara fiend. My eyelashes are blonde on my left eye and black on my right, so when I’m not wearing mascara I look a little… uneven (read: weird). I’ve tried it all and when the “clean beauty” craze hit, I drank the kool-aid and switched out all of my products for natural ones. Everything from my face wash, deodorant, body oil, blush, you name it, it’s natural. The one area I wasn’t willing to make the jump for was mascara. There was just NO chance natural mascara could compete with Bobbi Brown. Oh how wrong I was!! My mom got me the Ilia Mascara for Christmas last year, and I haven’t looked back. A few reasons why I love it: it stays on all day, looks amazing, and lasts for a really long time!
Getting a little personal here, but my monthly fav is my ThirdLove bra. Earlier this month when the topic of discussion randomly went to undergarments, I heard gasps (cough, Tory) around the office when I admitted that I’ve never tried a ThirdLove bra. I thought, "okay, why not give it a go?!" After taking a very serious “fit finder” quiz (I’ll spare the details, but it includes getting real about shapes and sizes), I was told that my new size was actually completely different than what I’ve been wearing for the past 15+ years. So yes - I was skeptical. And when my ThirdLove package arrived, I was even more skeptical. The fit just didn’t “look” right - it looked too small, it looked like it’d dig into my shoulders, it looked like it had zero support. Boy, was I wrong. I’ve admittedly worn this bra almost every single day since it arrived. The reviews you see all over Instagram - perfect fit, no slippage, you’ll forget you’re wearing it - are 100,000 percent accurate. I am officially a new convert, and I may or may not force everyone I know to take the quiz so I can get them some very personal Christmas presents this year...
I realized earlier this month that I use a million shower gels, shampoos and hair products in the shower and that they're all in big plastic bottles, when really I don't need that much. Then, I was introduced to Yves Rocher’s Concentrated Shower Gels and Concentrated Shampoo, which I had never heard of before - but man, these things are great! Basically, Yves Rocher has created a formula with which you can wash your body and hair with only a tiny dose of soap. The bottles are small and the product inside is as effective as regular shower products, but in small doses. It's genius! It's very easy to carry around and perfect for any trip! These soaps and shampoos also contain more than 98% ingredients of natural origin and will not damage your hair with parabens or preservatives. Simply put, they're an amazing way of being more environmentally friendly and taking care of yourself without any drastic changes in your habits.
This month I have to give a shout out to my girls, Claudia Oshry (@girlwithnojob) and Jackie Oshry (@jackieoproblems), on one of my favorite podcasts, The Morning Toast. The Morning Toast is a millennial morning show that “delivers the top five stories you need to know before you wake up and take a bite out of your morning toast (chomp).” I have to admit that the Toast is a bit of a guilty pleasure (obsession?), but anyone who is a “Toaster” knows that the Morning Toast is way more than just a podcast. It’s a tight knit, online community of people who discuss all-things pop culture and support each other to no end. I could write an entire blog post on the topic, but I am especially thankful for The Toast this month as I’ve been in the throes of training for a half marathon (on November 3rd, eeek) and have needed to entertain and distract myself while running many more miles than I usually run. Having never been much of a pop culture guru, the Oshry sisters keep me informed on all the most important news. This month, you could often find me running along the Charles River laughing to myself while listening to the Morning Toast!
As the temps begin to drop and beanie season is upon us, things are starting to get prettyyy hectic at STIK HQ. I’m finding there aren’t enough hours in the day to get work done. This month, my fav thing is Goop’s “Nerd Alert” chews. They’re basically a cup of coffee in a flavored candy. It’s incredible. And it keeps me awake. Plus it’s cheaper than actually buying a latte so it’s a win-win to get me (& the team!) through the holiday season.
So my monthly fav is v extra, but I’m just going to own it because it’s actually changed my entire life. Quick backstory - I have an 18 month old, and as any of you who have parented/are currently parenting a young human know, getting to the gym is impossible. Driving to the gym, finding parking, getting a good workout in, driving home from the gym, showering - the whole routine takes like two hours and takes me away from spending time with my girl. So as to say, my workout routine has really suffered in the last year and a half. BUT my husband and I finally decided to invest in a Peloton bike, and I am LITERALLY obsessed. The classes are amazing - I’m actually working hard every time I get on the bike - plsu all I have to do is walk downstairs and BOOM - workout is happening. It’s worth every penny, and it’s definitely made me a happier person over the last month. You're welcome, team!
If you've ever worked in an office, you know about the never-ending battle with the thermostat. Either it's too hot, or too cold and no one is happy. I'm one of those lucky people who is always cold, so needless to say I've learned how to deal (ish) with the frigid office temperatures. Since starting at STIK this month and leaving my WFH setup (where I had FULL control of the temp), I've brought back one of my favorite work layers: my Zara scarf. This is not your average scarf - it functions more as a shawl and I love wrapping myself in this cozy piece! For now, it works but it might be time soon to bring in my personal space heater...
XO,
The STIK Team
