When I was home for the long weekend, my parents and I had a huge BBQ to celebrate July 4th. As usual, my mom made her signature garden salad—with most of the ingredients picked from our backyard. Sure, it’s a basic salad, but somehow, it always tastes crisp and crunchy and looks fluffy and fresh. 

I finally asked her to share her secret: she uses paper towels to dry off every vegetable she adds to the bowl after washing them. For example, after pre-washing the lettuce, she leaves it in a plastic bag with a paper towel to soak up any excess moisture. She also lets ingredients like cucumbers and tomatoes air dry on a paper towel before adding them to the salad. What a difference this makes! 

Do you have any salad-making tricks?

Happy Bastille Day! Given my love of French culture and history, this holiday is one of my favorites to celebrate. In honor of the day, here’s a tip for anyone interested in brushing up on their French: download the Duolingo app! Remember when I took French lessons in Brooklyn last year? I wanted a way to practice everything I learned, and keep my new language skills top of mind. Duolingo turns studying into a game with daily challenges and point values you have to earn to reach the next level. I love it! I practice on my subway commute to work.

For those not interested in French, the app offers other languages, too. 

Another fun way to celebrate? Eating macarons! 🙂

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Happy Friday, my darling readers! How was your week? It was a four-day week for me after the long weekend, and it flew. by. Now, I’m hitting the Jersey shore for some much needed R&R with one of my best friends. Wishing you a terrific and relaxing weekend ahead. Here, to get your weekend started right, a few happy posts from around the web:

How to search for an Airbnb.

The glam ladies of Downton.

For the love of brussels sprouts.

The best trick for bikers who like to wear skirts.

A sweet take on relationship anxiety.

The coolest pilot ever.

Obsessed with this dress.

Tips for a novel-in-progress.

An extreme close-up of fireworks.

Words of wisdom (hang it on your wall!). 

Travel recap: Stockholm, Paris, Provence. (Next week, I’ll be posting about Antibes and more from my trip.)

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This week, as I waited for the A train in the sweltering underground heat, I glanced over at another woman on the platform. She was dry as a daisy, fanning herself with one of these—a portable, battery-operated fan. I immediately thought of all the things that I carry in my purse to be prepared (a sewing kit, a mini-flashlight, Advil, Shout wipes) but it never crossed my mind to carry something as brilliant as that.

Now, I’m totally rethinking my summertime essentials and the things I carry to get through a hot day in New York. PureWow suggests Evian mist, Shine Control sheets, and this awesome cure for ponytail hair.

One thing is for sure: I’m definitely getting that fan!

PS: An ode to summer in the city.

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Lately, my weekend look has been limited to the following: white jeans, a lightweight tee (like this l’été sans fin shirt from J.Crew), my white Birkenstocks, and a dab of this Stila Convertible Color lipstick in Sweet Pea. It’s so easy and mindless—and a great way to keep cool as the July temperatures start to hit 90…and up.

Do you have a signature summer look? Or a key piece that helps you beat the heat?

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