Pink is one of those colors people either love or hate. I’ve never been a fan of bright, in-your-face bubblegum pink but there’s something about blush / rose / this nondescript pink that’s seemingly everywhere these days that I like because in its softest forms, it works as a great neutral.

Blush or whatever you may call it also reminds me of the desert, especially spots like Joshua Tree and Red Rock Canyon where there’s warm, dusty hues everywhere. The color has gained such mainstream appeal that The Cut picked up on it, saying: “A cohort raised to distrust pink has turned contrarian and embraced a muddied, faded version of the color…we’re conspicuously reading Sweetbitter, drinking a matching glass of frosé, and Instagramming it all with our rose-gold iPhones.”

Yep. Guilty as charged.

What’s your take on the color?

Yay or nay?

Top image: socks. Middle image: bodysuit. Bottom image: coat. watch. shoes. rose water.

My favorite artist for the past year has been Chad Wys and after having a total of 5 of his pieces decorating both my office and rooms at home, I figured it was time to dedicate a post to his work because guys, it’s on another level of cool (and if you’re curious, here’s the newest piece that’s getting hung in my office!)

I’m pretty simple when it comes to art — I know what I like when I see it. Chad’s work has an eclectic mix of color, composition and humor that feels at once steeped in history but also thoroughly modern. It’s everything I love in visual form.

Not to get too off-track, but I’m also obsessed with this clothing collection he collaborated on with Lulu & Co. Ugh, I want it all.

Chad has a passion for art history along with a fascination with the impressionists so it’s been a natural evolution to see his work mix this aspect with touches of graphic design and painting to create beautiful, thought-provoking outcomes. While his brighter, color blocked work is probably best known, he has done moodier, more mysterious series like Nocturne as well.

Of his art, he explains it best when he says, “At its broadest point, my work concerns the examination of visuality: of images and objects, decorations and art and how the manifestations of the reproductions of these materials come to influence our everyday experiences.”

Someday, I hope to be in a position to buy original pieces of work from the artists I admire but in the meantime, I’ve purchased all of Chad’s pieces from his shop on Society 6. It’s super affordable and you can get it pre-framed (because we all know what a pain it can be to find frames in the right sizes). Here’s a few shots of the ones I own. You can see all of the options currently for sale here.

All art courtesy of Chad Wys.

At this point, my office has basically turned into a mini jungle (imagine 2 large palms and about a dozen various succulents and cacti calling the place home). During the first year that I was growing my collection, I picked out planters that were simple, affordable and mostly white from IKEA.

While they’ve totally served the space well and match with everything, I’ve been itching for a bit more personality. I love the black and white minimalist vibe as much as the next designer but I’m craving texture. A little bit of shine. A dash of color. Unique shapes.

With Spring in the air, I’m looking for easy ways to change up my surroundings without breaking the bank and new planters can help with that. There are so many good ones out there right now and at the very least, it wouldn’t hurt to pick up a new vase for your fresh cut flowers.

My picks: mod metal planter (also shown above in my photo!), brass watering can, luciana (boob) vase, cylinder vase, cactus vase (ordering this soon!), raya vase, case study planter, i scream vase and gem facets planters.

What about you? What’s on your Spring wish list? Are there any places you swear by for finding great vases and planters?

Though I love beauty products, I’m not usually the type to dedicate an entire blog post to a brand of cosmetics. The truth is, I have very little to say on the subject because I’m a minimalist at heart and have the same routine day in and day out, mostly consisting of products I love so much that I see no reason to ever change them out. I adore Make Up For Ever HD Foundation, MAC Studio Fix (I’ve literally worn this for two decades) , MAC Kinda Sexy lipstick (my everyday perfect nude lip color) and Grown Alchemist face cream.

It takes something really special to catch my eye since I’m not in the market for anything new in the makeup department but when I clicked on a recent Urban Outfitters newsletter and spotted Milk Makeup, it stopped me dead in my tracks.

For those of you like me who were in middle and / or high school in the 90s, CK One was the cool, unisex fragrance of the moment and I’ve always loved the crisp, no-nonsense look of the branding. It reminds me of a simpler time before social media, when it was the norm to have a free-form, less done-up aesthetic. That’s partly why I’m obsessed with the look of Milk Makeup because they nailed that casual, fun look I remember from that time so well. Think: no heavy foundation, lots of freckles, nose rings and a simple promise of achieving a day to night look in 5 minutes flat. SOLD.

If Milk sounds familiar, they are best known for their studios in New York and Los Angeles where they have a huge presence in fashion, music and photography. It makes sense that they would be able to zero in on what works and create a line that straddles the fine line between simplistic and hip.

Check out: 1. salve, 2. eye marker, 3. highlighter, 4. lip color, 5. charcoal cleanser, 6. mascara, 7. lip pigment, 8. lip stain and 9. lip + cheek color.

Learn more about Milk Makeup here.

Images: Milk Makeup and Urban Outfitters.

Who needs another notebook?

Not me.

Who wants another notebook?

Most definitely me.

Do you have a notebook addiction, too? As much as I try to stay away, another brand has just caught my eye and these are just too good not to share.

Nuuna is a German brand that’s on a mission to do away with boring notebooks. Their thought is that notebooks are meant to store our ideas and therefore, they should be creative and fun to write in.

I first spied the brand on my friend Sian’s Instagram and it was love at first sight. These aren’t just eye candy, though. The quality and attention to detail puts most brands to shame. With Swedish paper and silkscreened covers, these are pieces of art unto themselves.

P.S. I love it when brands share their behind-the-scenes process and the factory photos of these being produced are so cool.

Photos: Courtesy of Nuuna.