On Repeat in February
Ten things carrying me into the Year of the Fire Horse!
A portion of today’s newsletter was written in partnership with Brooklinen, whose sheets and robes (and now towels!) are staples in my home/life! If you are interested in collaborating with Shit I Bought and Liked on a future letter, drop me a note at priyanka.aribindi@gmail.com. All the cool brands are doing it!
Shitters! I’m coming to you live this morning two Advils and a matcha deep while marinating in a sheet mask—I believe this is what they call a flow state? On the docket today is a little belated Galentine’s Day party prep—“party” is perhaps the overstatement of the century, it’s four girlfriends having a drink before dinner!—but still, couldn’t let a good theme go to waste!
Earlier this week, I wrote to you about the newest addition to my jewelry collection. I hoped that the idea would resonate with a few of you, but I’ve been so happy to see so many people I love and admire getting excited about the idea and wanting to recreate something similar! For the record, I would love nothing more than for you all to take the inspo and run with it—all that I ask is that you send me pictures of the cool charms and clusters you come up with!
I started this “On Repeat” series on a whim last month, and decided that I want to make it more of a regular thing, so once a month on a weekend AM/afternoon, look out for this little rundown of things/practices/etc. that have been in heavy rotation! Here’s hoping you enjoy them as much as I do!
Brooklinen Plush Bath Sheets: My old towels were cute, but they snagged on my rings without fail every single night, so after a couple years, they were looking worse for the wear. In true SIBAL-fashion, this kicked off a search for a superior replacement, which obviously took me straight to Brooklinen! I’ve been a repeat customer of their bedding for years, but beyond their robes, I hadn’t actually explored the towels. Going in, I assumed I would go for the Super Plush ones—who doesn’t love an ultra thick, spa-style towel?! But after feeling them in person, I was surprised to find that I actually preferred their (non-super) Plush version?! While the Super Plush is indeed thicker, I found the Plush ones to be softer to the touch while still being thick and luxurious (and impressively durable—zero snags so far!). This is why I love seeing things in person—I would’ve never known had I just browsed online! Plus I preferred the thin stripes of this version as well. I ended up grabbing this bundle with the matching hand towels (if you haven’t upgraded to bath sheets yet, you’re not living!). Their whole site is on sale through the weekend (starting at 20% off, but some bundles are up to 50%!), so if you’ve been considering, now’s a great time!
Few things in this world are quite as luxurious as a good bath sheet. Nightly Brain Dump: I got this idea from The Wellness Process who writes often about JournalSpeak, a practice that involves regurgitating painful emotions with the goal of reducing chronic pain. I don’t suffer from chronic pain myself, but I do have a lot of difficulty falling asleep, and after hearing about this, I wondered if a version of it could be helpful for me. Basically what I do is this: Sometime in the evening before bed, I’ll open my laptop to a blank Google doc, set a timer for 15 minutes, and unleash the feelings and anxieties on my mind with brutal honesty (ex: “I’m so FUCKING FRUSTRATED that xyz,” etc.). Sometimes the feelings are about other people and things, oftentimes they’re about myself. When the timer goes off at the end, you delete the page, never to be seen again. Unlike a journal, the point isn’t to document your life—it’s to release thoughts and feelings that are stuck in your brain/ body. And without fail, usually with a minute or so left on the timer, I’ll let out an involuntary sigh. It’s happened enough times now that I don’t think it’s a coincidence—I feel like it’s my brain and body experiencing a little release. Afterwards, it’s easier for me to get to sleep without ruminating on a million and one different things like I tend to do otherwise. I do this on my laptop because my thoughts move quickly and I can type much faster than I can keep up by hand, but there’s no one right or wrong way (I do wear blue light glasses when I do this at night though!). It’s not a daily practice for me right now, but I have liked having it in my arsenal a few times a week—to me it feels like a controlled burn, or releasing a steam valve on everything going on inside.
Tata Harper Face Mask: I love a good face mask when I have the time, but there are very few non-sheet masks that I use regularly. This is the one exception—it’s seriously a miracle worker. (Dare I say the Anne Sullivan of masks, unless you find that offensive, in which case, I would not dare!!). It’s the only exfoliating mask I’ve ever tried that’s actually gentle and doesn’t make my skin feel like it’s burning (I tried one from a derm-founded line recently that made my face feel like it was on fire…), and it always leaves my skin looking incredible. To me, it’s the secret weapon I pull out whenever my skin is looking dull or uneven—after 15 minutes with this, it looks noticeably brighter and more even, and it lasts for days! I promise I would not vouch this hard for something that wasn’t this good.
Dug into the archives to find this old text from my sister. A true gem! Le Skin Serum Foundation: I mentioned this earlier this week, but this foundation is seriously insane. SO thin and lightweight, so luminous and beautiful on the skin (and not to mention the hero product behind Hailey Bieber’s flawless face at the Grammys!). I try a lot of beauty products, but this is the one that I’ve been raving about to my girlfriends lately—it’s very much worth investigating for yourself! I wear shade 220C (information that is likely helpful to none of you unless we have the exact same skin tone?), but I’ve found Sephora’s shade matching tools to be surprisingly good!
Party Coupes: I bought this set of twelve coupes before hosting a Christmas party last year because I wanted to make sure that all of my guests would be able to use actual glassware instead of plastic, and they’ve come in handy often since! They’re cute and easy for serving cocktails, aren’t super delicate or flimsy (dishwasher-safe too!), and I kept the box they came in so I can store them without having to sacrifice prime kitchen real estate. Wins all around!
At-home blowouts: There was just something about February and the freezing temps in the city that had me feeling so low-energy. Even something as small as doing my hair felt like such an undertaking. Being able to have someone come to my home and blow out my hair while I’d finish up a newsletter or catch up on email or even just page through a book or magazine I’d been meaning to read was SO nice. I love Glamsquad for this—the booking process is seamless, everyone whose come has been someone I felt safe being alone in my apartment with, and I get at least four good hair days out of it after! SIBAL always gets new customers $20 off.
Beyond Yoga Leggings: I have a few pairs of these now, but I find myself doing my laundry earlier than necessary so I can always have a fresh one ready! They’re SO supremely soft and comfortable, and my favorite charcoal color is actually on sale! (I really hope they’re not discontinuing it—it’s a little something different than black, but still flattering and easy to pair with other things in your closet.) Hands down my favorite leggings to date!
Holi(Mane) (PRIYANKA15): Again, insert every caveat about this brand’s founder, but I haven’t found another version of this that I prefer. This combines marine collagen with pearl powder for a shot of protein alongside a beauty-boosting ingredient prized in Traditional Chinese Medicine. I add a scoop to my cashew milk before heating/frothing it for my matcha (it dissolves into it and I don’t taste a difference), but you could just as easily do the same for your coffee. The discount via Violet Grey doesn’t hurt either!
Acne Boots: If there’s one thing I overindex on, it’s little black boots with low heels (sue me!!!), but these continue to be my most worn pair. They’re comfortable and easy to walk in while still being chic, polished, and elevated, and I always get compliments on them! They’re a few seasons old now, but IMO they’re still worth picking up. I’ve gotten WAY more than my money’s worth, and I bought them while they were still full price! Sizing runs true.
The Olympics!!! What am I going to do without my nightly Tara & Johnny fix, complaining about Mac Forehand and the American ice dancers being ROBBED (they were!!!!!), and critiquing things I could never do in my wildest dreams?!?! In all seriousness, watching the Olympics makes me feel like I should stand up and salute every single athlete who has trained and competed—what an extraordinary, amazing thing. I feel lucky just to get to watch, and am already counting down until LA!!!
