Cheryl Shops

Right around the time Maison Kurkdijan's Baccarat Rouge 540 scent went viral on TikTok, I received a bottle as a gift. It's been called the next Santal 33 in terms of how intoxicating—and popular—its scent is, and judging by how many dupes there are on the market, I'd say Baccarat Rouge 540 has even eclipsed Santal in terms of popularity. That might also be because BR540 is $325 for a 2.6 oz. bottle, and as much as I am willing to splurge on fragrance, I don't know that I would actually pay that much for it. It's a very unique scent—the notes are a very appealing-sounding combination of jasmine, saffron, cedarwood, and ambergris—and on me, it comes across as very sweet, very expensive cotton candy. Scent is a very subjective thing, and your own body chemistry can affect the way a fragrance smells (Glossier You, for example, is amazing on everyone but me); I am honestly more a fan of Santal 33, but that's just a matter of personal taste. In the name of service journalism, however, I decided to seek out some dupes, because I know you love them. Here are a few ways to smell like Baccarat Rouge 540 for less.

Now that the pandemic is endemic, restrictions are being lifted, and we can take travel once again, it seems like we are all THIRSTY for a vacation. Anecdotally speaking, the airports were packed when I flew last week, and based on an elementary understanding of supply and demand, ticket prices are definitely reflecting that. (I'm not going to tell you what I spent on my flight to NYC, but on a normal day, it would have bought me a flight to Paris.) Having not done much air travel in the last few years, I'm a little rusty, but so far I've found it's just like riding a bike—muscle memory kicks in right away. And of all the aspects of traveling, I think I'm a particularly good packer; this may be a surprise, but I actually tend to pack light. Over the years, I've perfected my formula, and since so many of you have asked me about it over the years, here's how I pack for a trip. 

For the last year, I've been spending a small fortune on candles. For whatever reason, burning them—and being enveloped in a gorgeous scent—has brought me comfort. But I've also realized that I'm quite literally burning through money, and also that having an open flame in my apartment for 16 hours a day is probably not the best for one's lungs. We had received a diffuser as a gift (thanks, Christine!) a few years ago, but I've found that most essential oils are either too basic and/or not strong enough for my taste—until I discovered Santal oil from Doratelier on a tip from another blogger (thanks, Katwalk!). This tiny vial of delight has brought me so much joy that I couldn't wait to share all the ways I'm using it to scent my home. 

When it comes to last-minute gifts, I have nothing against a carefully selected gift card from a place the recipient actually likes to shop, but let's face it, nothing says "I almost forgot to get you something" like an Amazon gift card that you bought at the grocery-store checkout line. (And in fact, I'm not one to stop you from shopping there either—here are some of my favorite products on Amazon, most of which can be ordered with express Prime shipping.) But even if you're going to show up with or send an e-gift at the 11th hour, you can at least put a little thought into it. So here are some of my favorite last-minute gifts that aren't gift cards—all can be delivered electronically, too, which should come in handy since we're all staying at home this year, right?

Back in my late 20s and early 30s, when I had 7 or 8 weddings per year to attend, I used an Excel spreadsheet to track which dresses I wore to which events. This began in the days before social media, but I basically wanted to make sure I wasn't turning up in the same dress at every event with the each group of people. The alternative, of course, was to buy a new dress for each event, which is cost-prohibitive (and wasteful) and is what drove Jenn Hyman to found Rent the Runway. I thought RTR was an amazing idea and I know a lot of people who love it, but to this day, I've never actually used it, because the items I'd actually want to rent are way too expensive. In other words, I'd rent a designer dress for $50 or $60 (or maybe even a bit more), but not $200. There are other clothing rental companies out there (I reviewed one last year), but so far none that really piqued my interest—until now. Wardrobe is like Airbnb for clothes, shoes, and accessories: you rent items from a user's closet for 4, 10, or 20 days at a time; everything is dry-cleaned and stored in a central warehouse (and if you open a closet with Wardrobe, you can make a little extra money renting out your own clothes); and it all comes clearly labeled and nicely packaged. Most importantly, Wardrobe has everything from Alice and Olivia to Hermès, and the prices are incredibly reasonable. They were kind enough to offer me a credit to try the service for free; here's what I borrowed and my unbiased, honest review of the entire experience.

Amazon has finally announced that Prime Day is October 13–14 (technically two days) and while I know it's popular to boycott it, I think Prime Day is kind of fun. I love refreshing the page to see what the hourly deals are, and let's be real, the deals can be pretty amazing. I do realize that Amazon undercuts small businesses, has a rather large monopoly, and probably has more data on me that I care to think about—plus there are some tax implications that need to be addressed on a federal level—but we can also thank Amazon for making user reviews, personalization, and search capabilities so widespread. Online retail wouldn't be what it is today without Amazon. I do try to buy things locally from small businesses as much as possible, but that said, I have found some amazing things on Amazon over the years. So in honor of Prime Day, here are six things that I've bought on Amazon that I love, and that I'd highly recommend. 

I tried Armoire free for a month but was not paid for this post.

In this day and age of Marie Kondo, I think we can all agree that we probably own too many clothes, especially ones we haven't worn in months (or years). It's very liberating to get rid of a lot of them. And while the concept of a super-minimalist, capsule wardrobe appeals to me, I'm only human and need a little variety now and then. Which is why I'm fascinated by clothing rental services. Do we even need to own our clothing anymore? After all, we share cars (Getaround and Turo, not to mention Uber and Lyft), homes (Airbnb), workspaces (WeWork), money (Lending Club, Kickstarter), even knowledge and skills (TaskRabbit, UpWork). My curiosity was piqued when Armoire offered me a free trial—it's billed as an "infinite wardrobe," in that you can borrow up to 8 pieces at a time and swap them out as frequently as you want, all for $149 a month. So, in the name of investigative reporting, I said yes. Here's my honest review.

This post is sponsored by Brita, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Real talk: plastic water bottles are bad for the environment. Like really bad. Americans consume 2,000 bottles of plastic water per second, and if we keep going at this rate, there will be more plastic bottles than fish in the ocean by 2050. The good news is that there's an easy solution to this problem: filling your own reusable water bottle with filtered water. It's a super easy thing to do that has a huge impact on the environment, plus you'll save money (hey, those plastic water bottles add up!) and filtered water tastes just as good as (or even better than) the stuff that comes from a bottle. Here's how I'm ditching bottled water with the help of Brita.

I'm leaving for a brief European vacation in a few weeks, and not only am I incredibly excited about it, I'm already thinking about what to pack. The last time I went on vacation—back in March, when I went to French Polynesia for my birthday—I shared my packing technique on Instagram stories and got several questions about it, so I've decided to do a two-part story here. As my boyfriend will tell you, I am a very efficient and light packer, especially considering I'm a fashion blogger. But then I will tell you that I pack light so I have more room for souvenirs. ;) I have it down to a science. Basically, think of your vacation wardrobe as a capsule wardrobe—you should be able to wear everything together, in different combinations. There are 18 pieces pictured here—mostly black, white, and gray, with pops of bright red—and if you pack tightly, you could fit all of these things in a carry-on. Which brings me to...

Of all the things I've been blessed with in life, thick hair has not been one of them. This includes my eyelashes. I've tried every mascara and lash serum (I have a favorite, but more on that later) and while I've had some success, nothing ever gives me the lashes I want—think Audrey Hepburn, not Kim Kardashian. I've even tried false lashes, both the strip and cluster kind, and I am completely inept that those. So for my upcoming birthday, I decided to treat myself to a set of lash extensions. I was a little apprehensive—I've heard the lashes start falling out right away, and I was slightly worried I'd come out looking like, well, a Kardashian—but I decided to take a chance, and I'm so happy I did.

Decluttering is a big New Year's resolution for a lot of folks, and while it's not one for me personally this year, I made a big push a few years ago after reading the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo (and yes, it is indeed life-changing, so I'd recommend reading it if you haven't already). That said, I am constantly getting rid of clothes—with a name like Cheryl Shops, it goes with the territory—and while donating them all to charity is by far the most noble option, I prefer to donate cash and instead sell my gently-used clothes and accessories…so I can by new ones. Here are my favorite ways to do it.

Confession: I am terrible at saving money. You might be thinking, "Well, you write a blog called Cheryl Shops, so duh," and you'd be right—I do indeed like to shop, but I don't spend money I don't have...it's just that I spend what's there. And I since I have a healthy six figures already in my retirement account, perhaps a more accurate statement is I'm terrible at budgeting, which is indeed true. But while my retirement savings are on the healthy side, my personal savings are…not. So one of my non-resolution resolutions for 2018 is to save more. Thankfully, I've discovered an incredibly easy, low-maintenance way to do it.

I've been to the gym twice this week and both of my classes have been ridiculously crowded, which reminded me that January is the time of year that people tend to hit the gym hard and perhaps go on a diet too. That's totally understandable—I've been eating and drinking everything in sight for the last two weeks, and I have put on a few extra pounds that I'd like to shed ASAP too. I know several people who are doing the Whole 30 right how, and while I've never personally tried that diet, it seems a bit too restrictive and also maybe not very scientific. So let me be that person who tells you all about my diet instead.


Last summer, I started to feel incredibly run down. I had been sick multiple times (including an incredibly bad flu that kept me home from work for the better part of the week), I had zero energy, and to put it as subtly as possible, my digestion was completely bloated and, uh, irregular. I have always been a relatively healthy eater, but I tried cutting carbs, alcohol, dairy, and so on, and nothing was helping. Then I read this article, "Could diet cure arthritis?" in Goop*—full disclosure, I have rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune disorder—and I figured well, why not give it a try? I ordered The Plant Paradox by Dr. Steven Gundry, devoured it (pun intended), and my life hasn't been the same since…in the best way possible.

My love of wine is well documented, but I also love cocktails, and in my opinion, the best cocktail on the planet is the Negroni. I love Negronis so much that when I was in Florence, Italy a few years ago, I insisted on making a pilgrimage to their birthplace, Caffè Giacosa. Here is a picture of me literally in heaven.

October, as you know, is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it's a cause that's very near to my heart—literally and figuratively. I lost a very close aunt to breast cancer three years ago, and it unfortunately runs in both sides of my family. I am at high risk for breast cancer because of this, and while most women don't need to start yearly mammograms until they're 45, I've been getting them for two years already (I'm 39). I take pretty much every precaution my doctor tells me to take, and then I go a step further. Even though the American Cancer Society has found the evidence inconclusive, I've stopped using antiperspirant and switched to a natural deodorant. The theory is that aluminum, which is the active ingredient in antiperspirant, has estrogen-like hormonal effects that stimulate breast cancer cells; my aunt's cancer was concentrated in her lymph nodes which are, you guessed it, in your armpits. So, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

The good news is that there are a lot of natural, non-antiperspirant deodorants out there. The bad news is that a lot of them don't work very well. I have tried many, and while my system is not perfect, I've found a two-step process that keeps me dry and smelling pretty darn good (or so I'm told). Here's how it works.


Step 1: absorb the moisture
Antiperspirants work because they physically prevent you from sweating; when people switch to natural deodorants, this is usually the hardest part to adapt to. I still perspire (which is a good thing—it's your body's natural way of cooling itself down!) but I've found that a dusting of talc-free powder helps keep me as dry as possible. My favorite is Lush Silky Underwear, which has a silly name but a lovely jasmine smell, and is made of mostly natural ingredients with a few safe synthetics. (Surprise, the ACS won't commit to whether or not talc causes cancer, but again, better safe than sorry.) I put a bit on a tissue and dab it under each arm until it's absorbed. Bonus: you can use Silky Underwear as dry shampoo and on your thighs to prevent chafing!




Step 2: neutralize the odor
I've tried both high-end and mass-market natural deodorants in stick, liquid, and spray form—including the natural crystal kind, which made me smell like I dusted myself with cumin—and while there have been a few highly recommended newer brands in the last few years, my favorite remains Aesop spray deodorant. Yes, it's $35, but a bottle lasts me 3–4 months depending on the time of year, and I'd rather splurge than smell like beef stew. (My second-favorite is Weleda sage deodorant, although it doesn't perform quite as well for me.) The Aesop formula has 11 essential oils that all work together to mellow out any kind of sweat-generated odors in your pits; the scent is kind of woodsy but I think it blends well with the jasmine in the Lush powder. You only need one spray in each pit, and only in high summer and/or high humidity do I need a late-afternoon second spritz.



An added bonus of switching to natural deodorant is that I no longer get those gross yellow stains in the underarms of my white shirts (again, a sign that maybe the chemicals in antiperspirants are not so good for you). Your body might perspire a bit more at first when you switch over, but I also find I sweat less than I did when I wore antiperspirant. That's a win-win (and another win) to me.



One last thing: nearly every retailer out there has some sort of product whose proceeds will be donated to breast cancer charities this month. If it's something you'd normally buy, great—now's a good time to treat yourself. But the most effective way to support breast cancer awareness, prevention, treatment, and research is to make a donation directly to an organization. If you need any suggestions, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation is consistently evaluated as one of the most trustworthy ones out there.

Knowing how to arrange flowers kind of sounds like a b.s. skill, like something they'd teach you in trophy-wife school. That said, after years of awkwardly throwing grocery-store bouquets into whatever vase I had lying around and then watching them die a quick death before my very eyes, last fall I took a flower-arranging class at Workshop SF and it was, to put it mildly, a life-altering experience. Since then, not only do I treat myself to flowers, I do it with $12–$16 in Trader Joe's stems (that's the cost of one cocktail at a fancy bar, people!) and make them last up to two weeks. Here's how.

Step 1: pick your flowers
I love Trader Joe's because their flowers are incredibly reasonable, but feel free to go to your local grocery store or flower market. You want to vary the size and texture of what you choose, and aim for a unifying color scheme. Here, I picked full gerber daisies in a bright pink, smaller lilies in light pink and white, and a green wispy spray to add in a little texture. Bonus tip: if you're clueless about colors, go with all white—it always looks classy.


Step 2: strip your stems
This is the MOST IMPORTANT step if you want your flowers to last longer than a couple days. It's annoying, but it's worth it in the long run. You want to strip all of the tiny leaves from the stems, up to the neck of the blooms—really, you just want the leaves to peek out of the top of the vase. Don't worry about taking off too many leaves. Trust me, you DO NOT want leaves in the water; this is what makes the stems rot and your flowers die. This was seriously the most important thing I learned in my class!

Before:

 

After:


Step 3: put it all together
Start with your biggest blooms. Then add in the next-biggest around the edges. You want to vary the height and placement, so it's not totally symmetrical. You can kind of wrap and twist the smaller flowers around the bigger ones to achieve this. Finally, layer in the smallest blooms. If you have something leafy, that's great for propping up the larger flowers. Just play around with it and have fun!


Step 4: trim your stems
Take the vase you're going to use, fill it up with water (about 3/4 of the way), and put it toward the edge of your countertop or table. Then, with the flowers in your hand, hold them next to the vase with the bottom edge of the blossoms lining up with the opening (again, your stems should have NO LEAVES on the stalks). Eyeball how much stem is sticking out under the base of the vase—this is how much you should trim—and note it will probably be different for each. Cut at a slight angle, and remember you can always trim more if your stems are still too tall.


Step 5: arrange your flowers
All you have to do is drop them in the vase and you're done! Just kidding. Your vase probably has a slightly wider opening than your hand, so you might have to do a little re-arranging once you get them in there. But really, you're pretty much done. Just change the water every few days and trim the stems if they're getting kind of gluey. Look at you, Ms. Florist!