I've been in such a reading slump lately that I can't seem to break out of. I've only read 10 books this year...I cannot remember the last time I've read such a small amount 4 months into the year. I need to pick up the pace and find a reading groove again.

That being said, I have found a few good gems that reignited my love of reading and one of those is an older book, released in 2021, called "Talk Bookish to Me" by Kate Bromley.  

I've had this book on my Barnes & Noble Nook for years and I have never even thought of 'cracking it open'. It's a bad habit that I need to stop doing but eventually, they all get read. I was looking through my library, saw this book and decided that it was time to read a good old fashioned romantic comedy. I had to remind myself what Talk Bookish to Me was about but the minute I read the summary I was sold.

This book sent me into outer space. I was kicking my feet, squealing, crying, and over the moon with joy and sadness reading this book. I inhaled it in two days and it was delightful in so many ways.

I have never been a shoe girl; I much prefer to put time and money into my handbag and accessory collection. However, lately, I've been very into shoes, channeling my inner Carrie Bradshaw and I'm simply overwhelmed by how many shoes I am drawn too. 

Maybe it's resurgence of the ballet flat, and all the variations that come along with it that have sparked my interest in shoes. Or maybe it's the fact that ever since I bought the Hello Lover heels from SJP Collection, I want to be the kind of girl who wears heels in a casual setting. 

There are so many incredible shoes that are currently out for the spring season, for every occasion and moment, and I want them all. 

Spring has sprung but New York didn't get the memo because it's been freezing out the past few days. I knew we were in a fools spring but I was not expecting such a drastic turn  Aside from that, the week was pretty good; when I was working from home, I got up early and started a new morning routine and it felt so good. I felt so accomplished before I even sat down at my desk for work and it was honestly a game changer.

It's still early signs but the few changes feel so good and if I could keep this going, if I could just remind myself of the things that make me feel good, I'll be golden. I've incorporated stretching, meditation, getting outside before work, and doing one thing on my to-do list before getting started and it makes everything feel more smoothly. 

It's the little things, isn't it? 

Now, it's my last free weekend for a while; between now and my London trip, I have weddings, birthdays, holidays, and bridal showers so it's going to be chaotic and fun but at the end of it, it's my dream trip. Just keep swimming... 

Let's get into the roundup!

When Feud: Capote vs The Swans was first being advertised, I was all in. It looked like the perfect show for -- old New York society glamour mixed with drama, writing, and old money. I was immediately intrigued and when it premiered, it was everything I wanted it to be.

Around the same time, I was browsing the virtual New York Public Library to find a book I wanted to read when I stumbled upon a book titled "Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl" by Renee Rosen, which happened to take place around the same time -- pre World War II, and it was about a woman named Estée Lauder.

I was stunned. How did I not know about this book? I worked for the namesake brand, Estée Lauder, and my team and I were deep in the archives and history of the brand at the time. We were trying to learn everything about it (my co-worker was reading Leonard Lauder's book - he's Estee's son) and it was all we could talk about.

Of course I knew some of the story of America's sweetheart beauty brand but reading about it in a fictional sense was so interesting and fun. I loved this book so much and learned a ton, not just about Estée herself but about the time period and what it was like. 

That's what I love about historical fiction...it gives you everything you need.

After 8 months in my apartment, I finally feel completely settled in. Every part of it feels finished (aside from one corner that I cannot figure out what to do with), and I owe a lot of those finishing touches to Amazon. 

When it comes to home decor, I'm not the most consistent. I like what I like and I sort of just throw everything together. Sometimes things flow, sometimes they don't. I don't know what aesthetic of home decor I love the most. I know what I don't like or what I didn't want: farmhouse, minimalism, all grey everything. I wanted pink, and glam but not overly girl or busy. 

It wasn't until the past month or so that I settled on an aesthetic and it's what I like to call vintage glam. It's gold accents, bows, arches, and tiny details. I don't know what I like until I see it and as I acquired the last few pieces, everything fell into place. 

I did a post a while ago about my apartment and where I got my furniture, etc, and most of it came from Wayfair, but a lot of the smaller details came from Amazon, as well as a few necessities that make things so much better. That's exactly what inspired this post... and at the end, I'll include some decor pieces I have my eye on to really make the vintage glam aesthetic pop. 

I haven't done a Manicure Monday post in a little bit because I've put myself on a little bit of a nail polish buying ban. I simply have too many polishes and don't need anymore. I recently did a clean out of my collection, reorganized and rediscovered some old favorites which inspired by this post.

As we transition from winter into spring, I've begun to transition my nail polish choices. When I was reorganizing, I moved all my fall and winter polishes to the back of my drawer, and all my light colors to the front...that is always the first sign of spring for me. 

When it comes to the colors I've been gravitating towards lately, I am standing firmly in the neutral category, especially for spring and summer. Over the past few years, I have not been loving the bright, pastel colors of yesteryears. I don't really wear or buy bright blues, greens, yellows, etc. I like the elegance that comes with a sheer pink or beige for the warm weather...expect of course, Bikini So Teeny which will never leave my collection.

Also, if you haven't noticed, I've exclusively been buying Olive & June polishes for at least a year (with the exception of the Barbie x OPI collection from last year. 

All of this being said, may I present my Spring 2024 Nail Polish Edit... all the polish colors and trends that I love for the spring.

Hello Friday...what a week it has been! I saw Chicago last weekend on Broadway and it was fantastic. I've never seen it, and I didn't even really know the story so I was excited. It was even better because Ariana Madix is starring as Roxie and our seats were insane! I could see the sweat coming off of them!

I love Broadway shows and it was honestly such a great day...until Sunday when I realized the clocks changed and I've been exhausted ever since.

Because I got nothing done last weekend, I feel like I need this weekend to play catch up; I need to clean, plan outfits for events I have coming up, run errands and I have a dermatologist appointment which is always a little scary. I'm really looking forward to the weekend, even though it'll probably rain after a week of beautiful weather in New York. 

Also, what has kept me and everyone else occupied for the entire week was figuring out where The Princess of Wales has gone. I took it upon myself to put together a little presentation to explain everything going on to my friends, so if you want to take a look, here you go!

Let's get into the round up!

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