Leftovers v.8

Inside: the coolest vintage necklace I have ever seen

Greetings from New Jersey!

I am so excited to be taking a few days to relax, recharge, and do a little book signing at The Big Green Barn. This is an area of the country I have not really explored that much, thrifting wise, so hoping I can get in some antique shops and estate sales while here. And perhaps uncover the joys of Taylor ham/pork roll?

Any recs for in the Morristown/Harding area? I am all ears!

This week, I’ve got some great stuff for you: like the most amazing vintage necklace I think I have ever seen? Kinda in awe, tbh.

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Night one in Jersey I wore this beautiful dress — a new piece! I love it because it’s very flattering, can be worn up (with heels) or down (with sandals) and it has a gleaming little gold shell on the chest, so you don’t even need to wear a necklace.

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• This Tata Harper lip créme is among my favorites. It’s super hydrating, the colors are great (also comes in sheer), and the packaging ensures it never gets lost in your purse.

• I cannot resist a fun sock and I just got these.

• The Adidas x Wales Bonner collabs are always so, so great and I predict these sneakers will be a sell-out.

• An excellent, boyfriend-style striped button-down (my personal style trick is to wear button-ups over a t-shirt, and unbottoned at the top, so you can wear a necklace).

• The ultimate travel pant (I wear mine so often I can’t even tell you). They do not wrinkle and can be washed at home.

• I can actually fit my laptop in this bucket bag.

• Really into vintage coin necklaces lately. This one is from the 1960s and it’s $52.

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I feel like I’m always coming across cool necklaces but this one is unlike any I’ve ever seen. It’s a fish and it opens so it’s almost like a tiny handbag. 1970s, $125. If you click on the listing you’ll see it’s actually super wearable and not as enormous as it looks in the above photo. Somebody needs this.

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I have written at length about my love for supplement brand Midi Health! I take their Berberine and Omega-3+ capsules every single day (my primary care physician recommended I take both for my genetically high cholesterol but in the years I have taken them, my hair has grown, my skin is better, and my metabolism is better, too!) They just introduced a bundle of supplements specifically aimed at targeting brain fog and it incljudes creatine, another of my daily go-tos.

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I have finally jumped aboard the U Beauty train after seeing everyone and their mom post about it. The verdict? It’s real good. I’ve been using the eye cream for about a month and it’s an excellent consistency (works well under makeup, doesn’t drip down my face, fills in fine lines, etc.) I also love the arm compound and neck and decolletage cream for a snatched jawline. This stuff is pricey, I know, but they did send me a code for readers: virginiac20 for 20% off anything.

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One of the joys (and downfalls, ultimately) of my work as a content creator is that I document everything. Which means I often photograph things I don’t buy — then, months or years later, I look back and go, Why didn’t I buy that? Such is the case with pretty much everything above, which was all at a single estate sale last year! What was I thinking?

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I will end on this: One of the great joys of my life is staying in a nice hotel. I grew up raised by a single mom (my grandmother) after my mom was shot in the head by my dad (I’m sorry but there is just no way to say that without it being blunt AF — I realize it’s wild!). My grandmother was twice divorced and always instilled in me the value of hard work and never depending on anyone else. If you wanted a nice life, you worked to give yourself a nice life. “There is no man coming to save you and if one says he will, don’t believe him.” That was her mantra.

She made her own way in life, so I needed to make mine. After she died and I took in my mom, it felt it would never happen for me. It fely, honestly, like my life as I knew it was over. So when I have these moments of reprieve — moments that I paid and worked so hard for — I feel very grateful, and very adult. I take care of my mom, and having people (i.e., hotel staff) take care of me feels like the ultimate luxury. Getting room service and eating it in bed?! Luxury! Getting dressed up and doing my hair and makeup to sit alone in the hotel lobby and just work on my Substack? Luxury and absolutely living the dream, IMO. I am so grateful that I get to write about what I love, every single day of my life. I feel like the grown-up I always wanted to be! I hope to do lots more growing.

Also: What is your go-to room service order? Mine is: turkey club, fries, maybe a Caesar salad, maybe a martini if I’m feeling really grown-up.

Love ya’ll so, so much.

xx,

VC

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