A hairspray trick

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For my sister’s bachelorette, we basically had a sleepover at the Old Saybrook Inn and Spa. It was perfect — we got manicures and massages, lounged by the pool and fell asleep to a good/bad J.Lo movie. The best! We also swapped beauty tips and, yay, I learned something new…
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The weekend is here!

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Happy Friday, dear readers! What do you have planned for the next couple of days off? I’m Connecticut-bound for my sister’s bachelorette party. It’s a surprise, so I can’t share details here. 😉 It’s looking to be a bit rainy, but I’m hoping to do a bit of leaf peeping while I’m there. Here, to get your weekend started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

9 cutie pie kindergartners on their first month of school.

All hail George and Charlotte.

Yay for the new Sézane collection.

OMG, more Maria Semple.

How to build a plane. Whoa.

Mmmm….basil and burrata.

Meet Frances Valentine.

DIY rosé gummies.

A fall road trip playlist.

Don’t forget to register to vote!

(Photo via White + Warren)

“Manhattan” in New York

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One of my favorite lines from Woody Allen’s Manhattan is: “He adored New York City. He idolized it all out of proportion.” As I come up on nine years of living here this winter, I felt like I could use a reminder of why I moved in the first place. (Seriously, the sweltering F train in the summer is enough to make you question that decision over and over again.)

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Books Page: Fall Reading

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Well, fall—and the cool, crisp weather I love—has officially arrived, so I thought it was a good time to share a few books that I’m looking forward to reading over the next couple of months:

1. She Made Me Laugh: My Friend Nora Ephron. This book by journalist Richard Cohen sounds sweet and funny—an attempt to capture Nora’s personality through interviews with all the people (from Tom Hanks to Meryl Streep) who adored her the most.

2. Soulmates. Full disclosure, I already sped through this addictive novel by Jessica Grose (who, you may recall, wrote Sad Desk Salad) a few years back. It’s about a woman trying to solve the mysterious death of her ex-hubby at a cult-like yoga retreat. Trust me, you won’t be able to put it down.

3. The Wangs vs. The World. Jade Chang wrote this book about a Chinese-American family who had it all—then loses every last cent—and the cross-country road trip they take that binds them together. I actually discovered this thanks to this super-smart books quiz written by my colleague and can’t wait to pick up a copy to read.

(Photo 1, 2, 3)

Travel Page: San Francisco

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I’m back! I thought I’d take a minute to do a bit of trip recapping. We had such a great 10 days on the west coast visiting family in both San Francisco and outside of LA in Irvine (more on that later). Here, all the fun things we did during the roughly 72 hours we had in SF.

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