The September Issue: The Real New Year
Back to school reinventions, 20% off brands that NEVER go on sale, and a bookclub
Read below if you saw this email in your inbox and wondered who this is?! If you know who we are and want to see how you can get 20% off of Dorsey, Snooz, BruMate, my favorite office chair, go ahead and skip!
Hi! If you are a new subscriber, thank you for subscribing! I am Sarah from the Instagram account My Sister Made Me Buy It. I started my account a year after my mom died, and my brother, sister, and I were in the throes of taking care of my dad before he passed away a year later. The account started as a shopping account but also turned into a channel for me to talk a lot about grief, anxiety, etc. It has been almost five years since I started it, and we have developed a great community. We cover everything - from plus-size and mid-size fashion to grief to pens to products that make our lives easier. We try to feature only things we have loved and tried but occasionally dip our toes into curating fashion picks. Sunday Dinner is my attempt at a weekly round-up consisting of a personal update/essay and updates or summaries of the week via shopping links. My family always gathered for Sunday Dinner and caught up with each other. We learned to speak up confidently, disagree (well, argue) with respect, and laugh with love.
What a summer! We stayed home for most of it, said yes to triple sleepovers (sleepovers three days in a row), had lots of pool days at the community pool, read on the porch, stayed up late, and went on a waterslide. While I did not take off of Instagram, I did take the pressure off of myself by taking off from “content creation,’ like this newsletter. Rebecca told me it was her favorite summer she had ever had. Mine, too, kid.
Even though I have been out of school since 2012 (technically, I went back for a Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration from 2010-2012), September will always feel like I am returning to school—a time for reinvention. I think I will create more resolutions in September than in January. I know myself—I have been and will always be a procrastinator. There is nothing like cramming all your goals into the last quarter of the year.
Time is limited, though. My seasonal depression is about to hit. I wouldn't say I like fall. October has always been a cursed month for our family - especially in an even-numbered year. 3 out of 4 grandparents died. My mom got sick before dying three weeks later. We learned my dad was in end-stage heart failure. My mom died in November, and my grandpa and dad died in December. Regardless of how much time has passed, my body knows. The feel of cool air in the morning. The sound of leaves crunching under each step. The smell of decaying leaves. The fall smell. Ugh, it gets me every time.
Yes, it is superstitious, but I can’t say that I don’t notice myself holding my breath more this year. My mind wonders, “What bad thing will happen this year?” as my anxiety tries to draw up all of the different scenarios that could occur.1 It is also one of the busiest times of year for us. Every year seems to change, but the last quarter is a third of our annual revenue. However, I also love the rush of covering all of the sales and curating my favorite picks. It is often the best distraction from my feelings.
One of my goals is to get back into a routine. I will be sending a newsletter this weekend and not overthink it. I had to send a newsletter today because we recently partnered with a new affiliate platform and there is a 20% off our entire shop sale until tomorrow night at midnight PST. So… let’s get to it.
Flagship
What is Flagship?
We have so many different affiliate platforms that we can use - a lot more choice than when I first started. This is good because it helps me diversify so that I am not only relying on one source of income, as affiliate income is our main revenue stream. 2
We use three main affiliate platforms - LTK, ShopMy and Amazon (they have their own affiliate platform). However, if I wanted to work with a lot of smaller brands, they often used Shopify Collabs because the other options were too expensive for them. That is where Flagship comes in.
Flagship is different from other affiliate platforms in that it creates a storefront of all of our favorite small brands into one place. If you want to buy from multiple different brands, you can, and do it all in one checkout. If there is an issue with your order, you only have to reach out to Flagship. We went to visit the company in San Francisco and were so impressed with their dedication to customer service! Not only is it a great experience for our followers, but it is also a great solution for a lot of the small brands we work with. 3
What does this mean for me?
You can now shop from a lot of our favorite small brands in one place! However, the reason I am sending this email today is because as part of our “grand opening,” Flagship is funding a 20% discount off of our entire shop. So brands that never go on sale, like Dorsey, you can now get 20% off until September 7th at 12 AM PST.
So let’s go through what you can find on our Flagship by starting with top priority brands - the brands that either never go on sale or are already having a juicy sale, so you can get sale on sale pricing.
Flagship Brands to shop before September 7th
I am not just saying this to create fake urgency. The brand does not do discounts. 20% off is a great deal.
From left to right:
Crawford Asscher Earrings - Missy is wearing the regular size. They look beautiful and vintage in person. They are not a hoop, although they look like one. They are a little big for my small ears, so I was excited to see they came out with a petite version (lower left photo).
Bestselling Clemence Necklace - This is one of our top sellers. It is a gorgeous white sapphire necklace that just SPARKLES when the light hits it just right. I always receive so many compliments on this necklace and have influenced so many people in real life to buy it!. I think it is priced really well for the type of style it is. It comes in two different lengths - I am wearing the 17” with a 3” extender. It also comes in silver version. I also have the bracelet, but I don’t think it is as good as the necklace.
Heart ID Small necklace (top) and Heart ID Small bracelet - Our parents called all of us BUD, so we got that engraved. I have a necklace and Missy has the bracelet. You can either get gold coated silver or 14K gold.
Tennis bracelet - James is the bezel tennis bracelet (and necklace). I love how cute it is with a watch.
Tennis bracelet - Double Trillion - I am surprised how much I wear this bracelet. It looks great by itself or stacked with other bracelets. It is so shiny and easy to wear.
I also have a Kate tennis necklace as that is the one where they carry a 20”.
Branch Office Furniture- Random I know. But I LOVE their Ergonomic Chair. I had one in my home office that I kept at home after I started to rent an office somewhere else. I bought a “dupe” on Amazon, but by month ten my tailbone and lower back were HURTING after a long day. I purchased another one during Amazon Prime Day and LOVE it. I have never seen them go more than 10% off, so this is an incredible deal (10% off + 20% off). They also have stand up desks that a few followers have said are great!
G2G Protein Bars - I LOVE these protein bars. They remind me of protein cookie dough bites you can make at home. They are nut butter and whey protein based, but they aren’t dry. They are great for me as a meal substitute because they have healthy fats, fiber and protein to keep me satiated. All of my favorite flavors are in the details!
Snooz Sound Machine - If you have been around for a while, you know how much I love the Snooz Sound Machine. It sounds like a real fan and doesn’t get dusty! I put more information in the description, but if you are looking to buy multiple or buy more, this is a great deal!
BruMate - I love the Era Tumbler. You can see more in this reel here - but it is a tumbler that won’t spill or leak once you close it. These are always excluded from sales they have.
Bloc Bags- WASHABLE cosmetic bags! One of my first Instagram friends, Carrie, started a bag company because she wanted to help give back to foster care organizations after reading an article about kids in foster care detailing how they often move from home to home with their belongings stuffed into garbage bags. They decided to help by creating a one for one program we call Care Bags. For every Bloc Bag purchased, they give youth in foster care their very own toiletry bag. Right now their entire site is 25% off + an extra 20% off! Carrie gifted us a few XL versions and they are perfect for traveling - Rebecca even took to camp. They hold SO much. I also like the mini versions for my pills, but it does not look like they are in stock right now.
Beauty Favorites:
LED mask - The Currentbody LED mask is a great LED mask. Usually they go down to 35% off during the holidays, but last year their shipping got so backed up. So if you want one and have the money to buy, I would buy while they are 10% off + 20% off (28% off)!
You can also get a ZIIP nanocurrent device for 28% off
U Beauty - One of my favorite eye creams at night because it is so moisturizing!
Maya Fragrance - I posted about this fragrance a few years ago. It is a fragrance oil that can be paired with any other fragrance or worn alone. It is a skin scent - which means it just smells it smells like a musk and adjusts to each person differently. I love the Base and love to layer it with the Amber fragrance oil from Amazon. However, I was recently gifted the rose fragrance oil, and although I do not usually like rose, I love both of them together. This is a great deal!
Home Favorites
Caraway - You can check out my recent stories on the Caraway saute pan - I love it!
ChappyWrap - These are not my favorite blankets. However, I do think they have a place in your blanket pile. They are soft and great because you can easily take from indoor to outdoors. They are also great to set on the floor with a baby and play with them as they don’t lift as easily. However, I will always prefer to snuggle with a cozy knit blanket. I am who I am.
Staub - I bought the baking dish set at the recommendation of a follower a few years ago and LOVE them. So much better at temperature regulation than a Pyrex.
a.Nicoli salt - I cannot remember who posted this, but I am guessing it was Courtney Grow because she loves salt. I love their signature salt on roasted veggies and bread and butter. And the vanilla salt on top of chocolate chip cookiess, brownies, rice krispie treats and smores. SO GOOD.
Let me know how you like the experience and please DM or comment if there are any issues as I can help connect you to the appropriate team member!
I will be sending out a newsletter on Sunday of a true Sunday Dinner edition, so talk to you then!
LYLAS
Sarah
If you haven’t seen Inside Out 2, see it. It is one of the best ways to visualize and understand anxiety.
If you are a brand or creator reading this and would like more information, please send me an email!