Sunday Coffee Talk

Post vacation blues, sales and Sarah's favorite things from April

Author: Sarah

In this newsletter: Vacation Blues + Grief Triggers | Sunday Sales | Sarah’s April Favorites

Beach naps with my nephew, courtesy of a little nap cap (linked below in sale section)

Vacation Blues + Grief Triggers

We just returned from a weeklong vacation with my family in Emerald Isle, North Carolina where we all stayed together in a 10 BR house on the beach. The house was enormous,and even though we all did our own thing, my favorite parts were the mornings together. My uncle making pancakes or bacon, or my brother making potatoes and eggs. Or the dinners together where someone would be in charge of cooking and whoever did not cook, would clean. We would hang out and laugh in the main living area. We would play games, talk, and then go to bed at 10 pm to wake up and do it all again. We have only been home since 9 pm last night and I already have a bad case of post-vacation blues mixed in with some grief. It is funny how the happiest of memories and occasions usually bring up feelings of intense grief for me. Maybe it is because I still feel my parents’ presence when I am with my family. And when we are apart, their absence is more noticed.

I remember when we used to go on vacation with my parents and how sad my dad would be when we left. He would call us 2-3 times a day afterwards. We would be like - “dad, what do you want? We just saw you for a week straight.” He would answer that he missed us and hearing us all talk and laugh together. Or the one vacation where it was just our family and he had a beer and was on the couch listening to Ben, Missy and I play beer pong. He slurred his words a little bit and said, “it makes me so happy to hear you guys talk. Just talk to each other and laugh. It is my favorite thing about vacations.”

I always answered his calls because I GET IT. It doesn’t matter who I am on a trip or vacation with, I always miss them when I leave. It is why I love taking trips with other people - I love being able to live with them again. I think I especially miss my dad because we stayed with his brother’s family. And his brother reminds me so much of him. I don’t know what is harder today - missing my family I just spent a week with, or knowing I will not get a call from my dad today.

Sunday Sales

A few worthy mentions:

• Vee Collective Totes Summer Sale¹

  

  • I love the Medium Porter and it is one of my most asked about bags. Unfortunately, my color is not on sale, but there are a lot of different colors on sale! I am also eyeing the weekender. I was gifted mine, but use it way more than I ever thought I would. I ended up buying for baby shower gifts and for my best friend because she needed a work/gym bag. It is incredibly light, has a laptop sleeve and organizer, and lots of organization and pockets, but not too many pockets. Plus it is water repellant, easy to clean and does not slip off my shoulders as much. It comes with a crossbody strap and a pouch. If you want to use it as your personal item when traveling, it will stay on your roller luggage, or you can use a Cincha strap to hold it on (I recommend the cincha strap regardless).

    • Both Missy and I had ours monogrammed by the brand. Local artisans in Berlin hand paint the monogram on. I have had mine for over a year and no chips or wearing of the paint at all!

• Nordstrom - Nordstrom rarely has sitewide sales, but right now you can get Bonus Notes back if you spend a certain amount. This is great for brands that rarely go on sale. I will be stocking up on Birkenstocks and clothes for James for Father’s Day. Bonus - if it is still in stock, you can get a black Vee Collective Medium Porter over half off.

• Macy’s Beauty Sale - I was hoping that Nordstrom would price match the Macy’s sale for double savings, but they aren’t. If you like luxury makeup, this is a good time to buy as it is 15% off and free shipping. Some of my favorites are:

Look at the glow of the blush - no other highlighter or glowy thing on! This is two layers - first layer is Burning Sun (gives that sunburn glow) and then topped with Stellar Pink

• Armani blush² - I have been loving this blush (with shimmer. It is the perfect glow without being too glittery. Every time I have worn, I have received compliments. I show how I use in my stories saved in my This Week highlight.

• Dior Star Glow - I love this stuff. Use it as a primer for a natural glow. Or mix it with your foundation. Or use it on top of your foundation as a highlighter. Or use by itself! It has skincare ingredients in it, so really sinks into your skin to look like you have a glow from within. I recommend shading up to a darker shade - I use shade 3, but shade 2 is my true shade.

• Macy’s Friends and Family Sale - If you have a dad or partner who needs new clothes and is big and tall, I love Macy’s Big and Tall selection. Lots of Ralph Lauren 30% off (my favorite hat in green included!). The men’s section is also great to shop for me - I love his oxford shirt ( B&T | Reg.) he has had for like 12 years. James is back in the office two days a week now, so he is getting a Nintendo Switch 2 and clothes for Father’s Day this year.

Sarah’s April Favorites

If you missed it, I made a goal to consistently publish Missy and I’s favorite things from each month in Substack. However, I am never consistent. But I will still publish - even if it is a few months late. You can always catch up on our favorite things newsletters, here.

While I am standing in one of the few windows in my house with good lighting, I could not believe how good the tint was after trying the first time. This is just the tint + blush. I have combo skin and it wears really well for me! Gives such a good subtle glow

1. Milk HydroGrip Skin Tint

   1. Missy and

      Bekah Sun
      influenced me to try this skin tint. I love the YSL Skin Tint - moisturizing and helps color correct, but does not feel like you are wearing makeup. However, it is hard to find. So when Missy said I needed to try it, I bought it and fell in love. It is very similar to the YSL Skin Tint - moisturizing, light coverage and a natural, dewy finish. It makes my skin GLOW! It is a little sticky at first, but once it absorbs and dries down it is so natural on me. I wear shade 6, which is sold out at Sephora, but in stock at Ulta.

2. Hulken

   1. As a suburb dweller, I did not think I would need this schlepping bag on wheels. However, I use it WAY more than I ever thought I would. It is especially great for overnight trips (Hello, club volleyball!), weekend trips, schlepping to and from office, etc. I have the medium size and use it most frequently (still holds a lot!), but still like the large size. I took it with me to Rebecca’s Mall Overnight, and it held my zero gravity chair!

3. Experiment Molecular Mesh - MYSISTERMADEMEBUYIT10 for 10% off or you can buy on Amazon

   1. I love moisturizers - especially during winter when my skin is extra dry and prone to eyelid eczema. I have learned that if I can keep my barrier healthy, I can usually stave off my annual bout with eyelid eczema without Rx treatments. I love the Experiment Super Saturated barrier serum - I have been through a dozen or more bottles, so I knew I had to try their new moisturizer when it came out - they know moisture and hydration. I LOVE it. It is light, moisturizing and acne safe! If you like Dieux Instant Angel, it reminds me of that texture, but I like this one better. It is not as heavy, but just as repairing. I did buy these airless pumps to squeeze a bottle into because I hate using aluminum tubes, but love that they are easily recyclable.

      1. I will use this under their Avant Garde mask to help with extra dry skin or to plump (it is a silicone mask cover that actually fits my face since it comes in different sizes). The Super Saturated is sticky, but really plumps your skin. I will add a pump to moisturizer, or use 3-4 pumps under my LED mask or Avant Garde Silicone mask.

4. Aerie Joggers/Shorts

   

   Target shirt (so soft and runs way big - great for lounging and chores! | Aerie soft fleece shorts in white - sized down | Lululemon belt bag with extra long straps for plus sizes | Rothy’scasual clog

   1. I bought these after going to Aerie during Rebecca’s mall sleepover (it stayed open until 2 am so the girls could shop). I loved how soft and thin they were. I ordered online since they do not carry XXL in store, but you can definitely size down in these. I posted them and had so many DMs from people in humid climates say they are their favorite sweats because they are soft, thin and breathable. I also bought the shorts, which are equally amazing.

      1. Rebecca is obsessed with Aerie and bought the modal pajamas when she went shopping with Missy. OMG. They feel just like the Negative Underwear I tried (too small). VERY impressed. Rebecca got the tee and shorts with little blue flowers. I have not tried yet, but the tops seem to run small and bottoms run more true to size- check the comments.

5. Lululemon visor

   

   1. I sweat so much on my head.³ - it is breathable, low maintenance, can get wet, etc, but sometimes I just don’t feel like wearing a big hat in the sun. Enter this visor from Lululemon. Not only is it easy to wear and blocks out the sun for easy viewing, it also has a removeable/washable sweatband!! It is genius. They have a lot of different hats with this sweatband, so I linked them all.

Thanks for reading!

XX Sarah

1. Sponsored Mention - While it is not a true partnership (we can say whatever we want), we are being financially incentivized with a flat fee on top of commission to share this. We would have shared anyways because WE LOVE THIS BAG. I have linked to it dozens of times.

2. Yes, Armani has 30% off sitewide. But free shipping min is higher, so it is actually better to get 15% off at Macy’s if just buying the blush.

3. Although, Rebecca asks that I no longer wear it when volunteering at her school as picture here because it is “embarassing.”