Wendy’s Picks

“Wendy’s Weekly Picks,” is a feature in which I highlight stuff I like or recommend in the worlds of fashion, gift ideas, home decor, makeup, websites, entertainment, and recipes. Of course, many of the things I link to will be affiliate products, which means I’ll receive a commission on any click-throughs or purchases you make through the affiliate links. As always, I appreciate your support! Here are my favorite finds this week:

As someone who has lost most of her eyebrows in the past few years due to a medical condition (Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis), I followed our recent eyebrow makeup conversation very closely. While eyebrow serums like this one help moderately with my brow loss (like, maybe I have a few more strands than I would have without the serum), I pretty much have to draw my brows on every day. So, per the advice on the eyebrow thread, I got this angled brush and this eyebrow powder. I’ve tried a bunch of stuff, and these two products together produce the most natural looking brow for me. I’m still super jealous of anyone who has nice, thick eyebrows (or, like, any at all), but at least with these products I can fake it a little bit.

When I got locked out of my friend’s dance performance a few weeks ago and had about an hour to kill, I wandered into the nearby Urban Outfitters, a store I hadn’t stepped foot in since I aged out of the demographics about eights years ago. But then I found these pants and now I feel young again. Or, at least, like someone who can go to Urban Outfitters and find a pair of pants that look good on her. I’ll take it.

I had time to kill again last week while Jackson was in gymnastics class (a great thing about having a kid who is past the toddler stage, besides the fact that, HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, WE’RE PAST THE TODDLER STAGE!, is that I can now drop him off for classes and get, like, 45 minutes to myself [or time with Joanie, as is usually the case]), and I popped into this boutique that smelled so incredible I had to have whatever it was they were burning or spraying to make it smell so good. Turns out, it was this candle. I can’t believe candles now cost this much, but, when you have a baby who is churning out dirty diapers by the truckload and a 4-year-old boy who thinks farts are the funniest thing ever (they kind of are, I admit), you get the damn candle that makes everything smell wonderful and call it a day.

Speaking of scents, Drew and I were at the Tribeca film festival a few weeks ago to see our friends’ film (which is getting great reviews, by the way!), and afterward a bunch of us went out for drinks. I was talking with this acquaintance of mine and was totally distracted by how incredible she smelled. “You smell incredible!” I said. “Santal 33,” she replied, matter-of-factly. (Turns out, I’m not the only person instantly distracted by the scent.) Her husband stars in a popular Netflix show you’ve probably binge-watched every season, and she said that, when she met an exec at Netflix last year, she commented on the woman’s amazing scent. Then, a week later, she received a bottle of Santal 33 in the mail from the Netflix woman. Well, we can’t all have TV star husbands and the amazing perks that come with them, but, if we save our pennies, we can have Santal 33. (Psst – a sample is only $6.)

Drew and I were out to dinner last week celebrating the 10th anniversary of our blind date. We went to the very same restaurant we met at — well, the restaurant has changed several times in ten years, but it was the same building and we sat at the same table on the same patio as we did on that first date. And as the sun set, these cool cool lights came on. They were so simple and small and romantic and now all I can think about is having a patio or some outdoor space of our own to string these everywhere. (In our first ten years, we moved in together, got married, and had two kids; in our next ten years, we hope to buy a home with an outdoor spot where I can string up some lights…).

A DW reader who is a musician creates beautiful music-box lullabies for babies, and she has a new album now available for purchase. The lullabies are simple, charming instrumental lullabies composed for and recorded with a real hand-cranked music box. This would make a wonderful and unique baby shower gift or present for a new baby. Have a listen here. And if you have a musically-inclined loved one, this hand crank music box for DIY song-making could be a great gift!

Sandal season is upon us (although you wouldn’t know it by NYC’s recent weather, UGH). These are hands-down the most comfortable wedge sandal I’ve ever tried on. I can wear them for miles and my feet don’t hurt. (For reference, I walk, on average, about 4-5 miles a day.) Plus, they both look cute and give you a little height. I’ve had a couple moms on the playground ask me about them recently, and another woman I know was recently singing their praises on instagram after she bought her first pair. Seriously, if you’re on your feet a lot and like to/need to look cute at the same time, these shoes will change your life.