Weekend Reads for April 11th & 12th

Weekend Reads

I have a feeling some of you are going to really like these t-shirts.

Is the Image You See in the Mirror the Real You? (Oldster via Substack)

The jump rope queen of Beverly Hills. (New York Times – gift link)

Your clout is a depreciating asset. (Your Brain on Money via Substack)

I just got another bottle of this and forgot how incredible it is. I put on my knees before leg day or rowing, and apply to feet after a long day. Use code WARDROBEOXYGEN for 20% off.

On Fact & Fiction – and the Men Who Understand Neither. (Alisa Writes via Substack)

When They Rip the Rug Out from Underneath You. (Window Shopping via Substack)

Now I want my name embroidered on a denim jacket.

Sam Altman May Control Our Future—Can He Be Trusted? (The New Yorker)

Home Menopause Tests: Do They Tell You Anything You Didn't Already Know? (Menopause – The Inside Info via Substack)

How Fashion Learned to Confuse Taste with Tits. (Pleasure & Chaos via Substack)

To my bestie with the OC beach house… I think you need this.

Mom, What Were You Like in the ‘90s? (Memoir Land via Substack)

I also, coincidentally, wrote about the '90s, inspired by the trend on TikTok and Reels. (The Laundry Pile via Substack)

And I was honored to have it mentioned in this issue of Gloria!

Does red-light therapy work? Here’s what the science says. (Scientific American)

As I type this, I have this heading to my home.

The endless goodbye. (The Atlantic – gift link)

They Don't Know the Moon Like Me. (Matrixial via Substack)

If you love Liberty prints like I do, check out this collab with Lele Sadoughi!

Can Food Actually Be Medicine? These Doctors Say Yes. (New York Times – gift link)

OmeTV: Talking to strangers. (Dirt)

Why are people injecting themselves with peptides? (The New Yorker)

My daughter said I should have added this to my Sephora shopping guide. She's a fan.

Have you ever wanted to go to Marrakech but with someone who has been there before, rocks at shopping, and is a cool grown-ass woman? My friend Jenn is organizing a trip!

Style Inspo & Sale Alert

My mini capsule wardrobes have been proving very popular; I decided to make one from the New Arrivals at J. Crew Factory since I find it to be a great retailer for nice basics at a nice price and with a nice size range. And after I made it, I found out this weekend J. Crew Factory has 40% off everything + extra 60% off clearance (online only)!

Shop the collage below or at this link

I truly believe each piece will work together, there shouldn't be any weird combinations. The blazer is shaped to work with jeans, pants, and even the skirt. The cardigan will work over all three tops. All bottoms work with both styles of shoes. And how cute is that graphic t-shirt? Do you own any of these piece? My daughter has the blazer and it fits her nicely, and my friend loves the jeans.

ELEMIS has the best gifts with purchase, and I adore their products, too. This weekend only, get a travel-ready 4-piece gift (worth $112), which includes a deluxe Pro-Collagen Naked Cleansing Balm, with any full-size purchase using code REFRESH.

Maurices has 30% off + 40% off sweatshirts + free shipping on everything with code FREESHIP. I'm a Marylander so it shouldn't be a surprise I got this t-shirt!

And folks, did you know 11 Honoré was back? I don't know how this missed me, but it happened last month. Rebecca mentioned it in the Facebook community, and while many articles about it are behind paywalls, I am not surprised my friend Marie Denee at The Curvy Fashionista had an article with the deets.

See/Hear/Read

I went to T.J.Maxx to find last-minute Easter basket things for my teen and found a beautiful French blue and hot pink foil covered version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, a book I know she hasn't read, but has seen modern retellings. I added it to the other random things you try to please a teen in 2026 with (a new Wet brush, Nee-Dohs, lip gloss, gel pens) and she shared she actually saw the 2005 film. But I said read it, and I will too, and we can do a mini book club on it.

It was available on Libby and knowing my lifestyle, the audiobook would be finished far sooner than text. I downloaded it Sunday, I have finished 8%. I can't wait to see what my GenZ daughter thinks, though the timing of the book isn't the best: she's knee-deep in preparing for AP exams and the SATs and her Girl Scout Gold Award and she's now on a Youth Advisory Council… maybe our book club will meet this July…

As for what K & I are watching, we started How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (Netflix) and it is an utter delight. Many compare it to Derry Girls, which is also funny and from the same creator, but it was so much, I found it exhausting after a few episodes and DNFed it. Belfast isn't quite as manic, likely because it's a bunch of grown-ass women instead of teens.

I can't recall if it was one of you or a friend IRL, but they mentioned after watching it they can't stop using the word “class” as a complimentary descriptor. As in, the soundtrack for How to Get to Heaven from Belfast is class. I get it, I caught myself saying it just this week!

There are a lot of familiar faces in this series, even if you aren't one to watch a lot of BBC. A few were in Peaky Blinders, one was in The Commitments which has me wanting to watch that film again (it's on Pluto for free!).

For Your Entertainment

Calgary singer Kiesa Rae Ellestad, better known by her stage name Kiesza became a breakout star in 2014 with her dance hit, “Hideaway.” The video made waves for being shot in one take, even though she was dealing with a broken rib. This skyrocketed her career and was soon collaborating with artists like Diplo, Pitbull, and Duran Duran, wrote songs for Rihanna that ended up on her Anti album, and was picked to be the face of Fendi's eyewear collection.

In 2017, Kiesza suffered from a traumatic brain injury from a car accident and needed two years to recover. While she continued to make music, the pause affected her trajectory. But it didn't stop her focus. 37-year-old Kiesza is back with “When I'm Dancing,” and has an album set to come out next month and it's already getting the buzz it deserves.