We finished up our Christmas shopping for one side of the family this weekend, and so far have been pretty good about not buying things for ourselves in the process. Still, there are a few things I’m wishing for this year, and I thought I’d share them, as it’s become a bit of a tradition!

A. We bought a king size bed and new sheets a month or so ago, but are still using an old blanket. I’d love to upgrade to this quilt!
B. I’ve only ever asked someone what jeans she was wearing once, and these were the answer. These might be at the top of my list this year.
C. We cook at home six nights out of seven. These three cookbooks come highly recommended by friends and look like they’d keep us busy!
D. I bought these pumps for my sister as a birthday gift, then borrowed them, and now I want my own pair.
E. Still haven’t replaced my Toms – hoping someone else will do it for me! :)
F. Love the cognac color of these classic flats
G. Sigh – I know this scarf is sold out, but maybe they’ll restock it? It’s back in stock!! The J.Crew fairies read my blog! :)

What’s on the top of your wish list this year?

I’ve had a pair of gold chevron Toms for a few years, and they have sadly seen better days. Since that pattern isn’t available anymore, I’ve been considering a few different replacement options – the coral stripes, ash denim herringbone, and navy polka dot linen. I’d like something that’s interesting, but neutral enough to wear with most outfits. The gold chevron was perfect in that way!

I’m also open to a different kind of shoe, if it fills the need my Toms currently do: slip-on, more support than a ballet flat, and fairly slim in profile. I can spend hours walking around a city in my Toms and still feel okay at the end of the day. Any suggestions I don’t know about? Or, which Toms pattern would you choose from these three?

My junior year of college, I bought a canvas tote bag printed with pomegranates from a company called Ann Judge. (Sadly, I don’t think they exist anymore!) For the last six years, I’ve used it to carry my things to and from school and then work every day (including my laptop and planner). It’s been thrown in cars, toted to the beach, and tucked under countless airplane seats. If we were doing a cost-per-wear analysis on this piece, it would be in the pennies. Naturally, it’s showing its age, but I love it so much that it never occurred to me to replace it until I noticed that the previously threadbare corners had become holes.

Since that’s actually a problem, I’ve been reluctantly looking into a replacement. Reluctantly, that is, until I found Cuyana. I don’t think there’s ever been a company that has so immediately and completely resonated with me, and I know that many of y’all will feel the same way. From their website:

We believe in both beauty and intentional buying. We love the joy of finding treasures and the pride of spending wisely. Cuyana means “to love” in Quechua, a language of the Andean regions of South America, and every piece we design is imbued with our love for quality, timelessness, and beauty. We want to love every item in our closets. We want to revel in the tactile beauty of the world’s finest materials and marvel at consummate craftsmanship. We believe in style, not fashion; in quality, not quantity. We celebrate fewer, better things and strive to live a life of inspired simplicity.

WOW! Isn’t that amazing? I just love it so, so much, and feel like it applies to so much more than just clothes or accessories.

If you’re interested, here’s a little video from their site that explains their mission in more detail:

The Cuyana Story from Cuyana on Vimeo.

Cuyana is based in San Francisco, but they travel around the world to find and match the best craftsmen and materials (the same ones luxury brands use!) with each product. Because they’ve consolidated their production in one country and sell directly to consumers, they can offer pieces at a much lower cost.

I was not surprised to see that Jamie, someone I consider to have perfectly classic style and excellent taste, carries a Cuyana tote. (That’s her husband’s overnight bag, which I also love!)

I found this gal while Googling, and she looks pretty stylish, too!

I’m pretty set on the tote in caramel, but I’d love your opinion on two details:

— Tall or short? I think the tall is more similar to the shape of my current bag, but I like the look of the short.
— Foil stamping? Since I don’t particularly love my initials (EAT, yikes) or monogram (ETA), I’m considering “T” or “EM.”

What do you think?

Affiliate links are used in this post!

First things first: the Minted giveaway winner has been posted!

Now, out of the hundreds of posts I’ve written on Em for Marvelous, probably fewer than five discuss makeup. This is for a couple reasons. First, I am nowhere near an expert on the topic, and it’s not something I spend a lot of time thinking about or experimenting with. Second, I still think I’m on the hunt for my ideal products, so I don’t really feel as though I’m in a position to make recommendations.

But. In April, I posted about wanting to try Josie Maran’s Argan Oil Daily Moisturizer. I ended up buying the travel size, used it every day since, and then — the ultimate test — repurchased in September (the larger size!). I knew this lotion was special from the first day I tried it, but I didn’t want to recommend it until it passed the ultimate test :)

Everyone’s skin is different, so I have no idea if you’ll have a good experience if you try this lotion. But, if your skin sounds like mine, I’d say give it a shot! Before I tried Josie Maran, my face would be slick by the middle of the day — but then dry, sometimes, too! The JM moisturizer has made my skin drastically less shiny, and I think it’s improved my complexion a bit, too (the star ingredient, argan oil, is touted as skin-repairing and damage-reversing, for what it’s worth). And, as a huge stickler for sunscreen, I’m so happy it has SPF 40!

In case you try it, I use 3 pumps in the morning and 3 at night. It does take some rubbing in, but once it’s absorbed, there’s no white cast, which I’ve heard can be an issue with some zinc oxide sunscreens. I also think it smells good — kind of like blueberries :) And, it’s comforting to know there are no parabens, sulfates, fragrances, or dyes in it.

When I bought the JM moisturizer from Sephora, one of my samples was a Bare Minerals foundation. I ended up using it every day, too, and loved it as well! I purchased a full size Bare Minerals Ready Foundation at the same time as I reordered the JM, and couldn’t be happier. The final effect looks almost airbrushed to me — full but light and natural.

It will probably be another few years before I venture to make another skin/makeup recommendation on here, but I’ve been so happy with these two products that I had to give them a nod. I hope they might be a good solution for some of you!!

Have you found your perfect moisturizer? I’d love to hear!