ICYMI: The best of what I've been buying (and trying) since January

A new lip liner from a Black-owned beauty brand, Strega Nona shoes, and earbuds with a learning curve (weirdly?)

Hi Geezers!

This is an ICYMI! This post was published on Friday Feb 21, 2025.

Giving a little peek behind the Gee Thanks! closet door today with a list of products I’m — you guessed it — eyeing, trying, and buying. I feel like I want to do more breakdowns of how I try different products before I bring them to the community, what my testing process looks like (it’s sort of chaotic, and if you know anything about me you’ll understand it’s the only way), and what PR companies or brands are sending me in the mail.

It’s fun!

I’ll probably do this series once or twice a month, if it’s something we’re all enjoying. (Ideally, each iteration will include a follow up on the things I was eyeing and trying in the iteration prior. That would be my goal!)

Eyeing

(1) The Soru Charm Chain Necklace and Charms ($272 for the chain, $100-200 for each charm). This is a new-to-me brand that has come to me thanks to my years-long commitment to gold necklaces (I love Oak & Luna’s gold vermeil necklace and Hart’s charm necklace and wear both everyday!). I think I am an easy target, and that’s okay! What I am liking about the Soru necklace is that you buy the chain and then you can buy and wear multiple charms at the same time or swap them out to make multiple necklaces. As much as I love my Hart charm necklace — and I do — you can’t remove the charms easily (if at all, I haven’t tried), or add new ones. Soru seems to solve that problem, if we can even call it a problem, really. I asked the brand if they would send me something I could try. My current necklace stack pictured:

(4) Farm Rio’s printed mesh tops ($100 range, currently — though not always — on sale at Nordstrom). This sort of falls between eyeing and trying because I ordered one of the tops but I haven’t tried it on yet because it arrived today. Back in 2018 I bought a mesh floral dress to wear to my friend Bobby’s wedding. I bought it on Amazon, and it was $19, and I wore it to everything that required a dress until it literally fell apart. When I went to rebuy it, it didn’t exist anymore, and I was so sad. Suddenly, years later, printed mesh clothing is seemingly everywhere. Tops are my blind spot in my closet. I have a strong denim game, I love sweaters and own about 39 of them, I love jackets and coats. But tops elude me. I am hoping this number by Farm Rio will open some doors for me. Pictured is that dress from 2018. $19! Miss you girl!

(9) Kerastase Nutritive Heat Protectant Cream for Dry Hair ($48). At the insistence first of Lisa Barlow and then my friend Maddie, this product is the key to shiny sleek hair. Gonna steal a squeeze from Maddie next time I’m at her apartment.

Trying

(2) Bose Ultra Open Earbud Cuffs ($229 on sale). Bose sent me these earbuds after seeing that I had posted a story about how I usually traverse the city with one earbud in and one earbud out so noise cancelling technology doesn’t lead me to getting hit by a city bus I can’t hear coming. (These are my favorite headphones for that life.) The Bose cuffs do not cancel out any noise, and that has been cool. I can walk around with both of them in and still hear what’s happening around me, which makes me feel safer. The only downside so far is that there’s a learning curve to putting them on (like I literally had to watch a YouTube tutorial), and they don’t feel super secure, so I am nervous one jerk of my head or pulling my hat over my ears will cause one to pop off, even though that hasn’t happened. A genius option for living in a metropolis that requires you to be on high alert at all times.

(7) Nadia Ruched Leather Pumps by 3.1 Philip Lim ($525) I don’t know why but I have always been soooo drawn to a glove shoe. It’s not for everyone but it is for me. Even though I think these shoes are giving Strega Nona, I don’t think it’s a bad thing!

When 3.1 Philip Lim asked me if I wanted to pick out a pair of shoes to try, I instantly picked these, which I have truly been coveting forEVER. I haven’t worn them out of the house yet because of the weather, but my day is coming.

(8) Lake & Skye 11:11 Perfume ($98). I bought this myself, after having much success with their rollerball. But this version is the spray, and sometimes I think sprays and oils land differently on my skin and end up smelling completely different, despite being the same scent. I guess I’m just not like other girls…? So far, so good, but waiting to hear what the people around me say about how I smell. I am pretty loyal to Maya, after all, not sure I need another scent in my profile. (Do any of you switch up your perfumes daily? Say more!)

Buying

(3) Wunder Puff Mittens from Lululemon ($78). Recommended by my friend Eliza! When I lived in New York pre-LA, I didn’t have a dog, which meant I could put my hands in my pockets on cold days and opt of of subscribing to mitten life. Now that I am constantly in the elements and using my opposable thumbs to rip plastic bags off the leash to pick up Lottie’s poop, I realize that my hands are frequently cold, which makes me miserable. Eliza said, “you gotta get these gloves” and I said, “SEVENTY EIGHT DOLLARS?” But it’s a one and done purchase for sure, as long as I don’t lose them, which, well.

(5) The Half-Baked Harvest Pumpkin Smash Candle by Snif ($34-129). With notes of pumpkin spice, cinnamon stick, brûléed orange, salted maple, roasted chocolate, and a dash of whiskey, it’s amazing that this candle didn’t give me a migraine or make me throw up. I notoriously hate any candle that falls into the “sugar cookie” family so back in September when Snif was like, “do you want some of our fall candles?” I was like, eh fine, thinking I would give them a little sniffaroo, gag, and then gift them. WRONG. This candle literally changed my opinion on food-smell candles (because I will at least stop and smell them now and give them a fair chance!). This candle smells like everything I love about autumn, the big one burns for 200 hours and it burns CLEAN. After I burned through the candle they gifted me I spent nearly $300 to rebuy TWO more of the big guys so I could keep the cozy, homey scent going through winter.

(6) Soft Shape Lip Liner by Ami Cole ($18). I am new to lip liner, and I bought a few shades from Ami Cole, a Black-owned beauty brand, to do some experimenting. I have not perfected the art yet, but I am determined to, so I will keep you all posted. So far this liner doesn’t automatically make me look like I’m doing Debi Mazar cosplay from Beethoven’s Second. I have Petite Cola and Rose Clay and I think with the right shades of lipstick, I look cool. We are still very much in the experimenting stage, but since they are lip liners I won’t be returning them; they fall into the Buying category.

(10) No.2 The Essential Do-It-All Brush from Le Bonne Brosse ($168) I love this hairbrush so much that when Nora McInerny’s husband texted me in November asking me if he should get Nora a Mason Pearson for Christmas I told him to get her this instead. This brush is beautifully made and combines boar and nylon bristles to distribute natural hair oil from root to scalp leaving hair looking shinier and cleaner longer. It also feels so good on the scalp. Of course, Matthew listened to me, and now Nora and I both have these matching brushes that we love. (Don’t use it with a blowdryer as the heat may damage the bristles over time. This brush should last for decades when taken care of!).

I would love to know what you’re eyeing, trying, and buying! Will you let me know in the comments? Anything you think I should try on the community’s behalf? Sound off! I loved making this list, it was fun! More to come!

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