I had a comically bad week. Our puppy ate two of the kids’ socks and had to go the ER at 3am (luckily he threw them up on the X-ray table lol). A middle-of-the-night tornado dropped a huge tree branch on my car and I’m waiting to hear if it’s totaled or not (no joke!!) We lost power and our generator broke. School closed. My son had a fever. Our puppy had more gastro issues (again, in the middle of the night, what is up!!). Work deadlines continued to loom. And so on, and so forth.
But even though I woke up too early this morning (my son’s fever is back and my husband is out of town), I felt compelled to write.
So, Happy Weekend! Here’s a little sidepiece for ya. (And please excuse spelling & grammatical mistakes bc I am not editing it in the way I usually would — writing in real time and just hitting send!)
This was originally part of my ShopMy post earlier this week, but it started to feel disjointed, so I decided to pull it and give the gifts their own moment!
Being gifted things from brands I genuinely love has been one of the most unexpectedly delightful parts of showing up on the Internet over the past year. I won’t lie, it is fun. There have been times I’ve quite literally squealed with delight. No chill!
I feel so fortunate to be in this position, but also want to be clear that while I’m always flattered when a brand reaches out about gifting, I have zero desire for extra clutter or things that don’t resonate with me. So if I say yes to gifting, I’m actually interested, and legitimately excited. And if I recommend it to you, I’m genuinely into it.
So, as a companion to my takeaways from one year on ShopMy, I thought it would be fun to share the gifted products in my current day-to-day. Or as Fanny Adams put it recently: all the gifted products I’m using now that I’d buy again.
Aurate Tennis Necklace (7ct). This one kinda blew me away. I had seen Aurate online before and have even included it in a past gift guide because I’d heard great things and was intrigued. But when it actually showed up (!), I was really impressed with the level of quality, yet approachable price (as tennis necklaces go). It has lab grown white sapphires and I got the yellow gold vermeil version because I predominantly wear yellow gold and wanted it to match my everyday. I also have (and love) the Dorsey Kate tennis necklace (not gifted), but that one feels more statement/event-y to me, versus the Aurate one is a size that I really feel like I can get away with daily in my uber casual town. I got the 7ct, 16in and to me, it’s perfect. *Code ARIANEA20 for 20% off.
Borrowed Designer Bags from Vivrelle. I am annoyed by how much I love this service lol. Vivrelle is a luxury membership that allows members to borrow designer handbags, jewelry, and accessories monthly. I am not typically a designer bag girl, not because I don’t love them, but because they don’t fit my budget or my life right now. THAT SAID, I am now definitely a borrowed designer bag girl. There is something about a designer bag you love that just instantly makes you feel cool and elevated. For my first month, I chose the Khaite Medium Lotus tote and it’s the perfect mom bag (albeit $3k if you bought…) I don’t worry about using it or wear and tear because it’s not mine!! So that’s made it even more fun to actually integrate with my life — water bottles, snacks, diapers, wipes, laptop, and all. *If you want to try Vivrelle out for yourself, you can use my code ARIANEANUSBIGIAN to get your first month free. Each day they get new inventory and you can swap out for seasons, events, whatever!
Freda Salvador Jada Ballet Flats (on sale rn!). I’ve wanted these for years and was so pleasantly psyched when they offered to gift! Freda Salvador in general is one of my favorite shoe brands for their effortlessly cool vibe without sacrificing practical comfort, and the Jada is no exception. I love the woven leather, especially for the warmer months and the colors!! Oh, the colors. It’s like my son’s Pokémon obsession: gotta catch them all! They need a little bit of breaking in at first (mostly around the heel for me), but nothing a sock around the house for a day won’t fix. MAJOR PSA: As I write this, these are 20% off for their friends & family sale (as are my favorite fisherman sandals, which were not gifted). *Code: ARIANE10 for 10% off when not already on sale.
Cadets Boys’ Sweats & Swim Trunks. Okay this is technically two things, but I seriously love Cadet’s for boys clothes, and so does my son. Tbh, when I first saw the brand a couple years ago, I didn’t get it. While I thought their styles looked cute, it’s pricey and at the time, I couldn’t justify it. But now that I’ve experienced the quality of the fabrics and craftsmanship, I’m a convert. Cadets is known for their pants that are not only adjustable in the waist, but also in length. So they truly grow with your kids and are made to last through multiple generations of hand-me-downs. In particular though, these sweatpants (with this sweatshirt) are seriously the best. They are thick and soft and I want some for myself. They wash super well, which is essential because my son ends up wanting to wear them over and over again. And then the swim trunks are just adorable and have been a weekly favorite because Luke’s in swim lessons right now. Lined and such a cute print. Not too long (a pet peeve of mine for boys’ shorts) and made of a soft, yet thick and durable material.
Koala Eco Hand Soap. Koala Eco is a non-toxic cleaning and personal care brand that was born in Australia and has more recently made its way to the U.S. The packaging is beautiful, the product is amazing (and smells incredible), and it’s affordable. Feels too good to be true, but it’s not! I’m particularly obsessed with their hand soap (which you can order in a glass version with refills or plastic), as well as their laundry detergent. I actually first started working with the Koala Eco team through a marketing client of mine and they are just lovely, so that makes me even happier to support such a great team of women.
Natura Bissé Diamond Cocoon Sheer Eye. Natura Bissé is a renowned Spanish luxury skincare brand and this one felt personal. Because I kid you not, when I was in my 20s and had no money, I would go into the luxury skincare store in my town semi-regularly and pretend I was shopping, but really just be out for free samples. And one of the main samples I always coveted, was this eye cream lol so for the Natura Bissé team to reach out about gifting was truly a dream come true. It’s not cheap, but this eye cream just makes you feel like a million bucks. It’s slightly tinted and goes on super creamy and smooth, but not cakey, so it’s the perfect am eye cream. Many times I don’t even put on concealer afterwards. I also love this eye gel for something non-tinted and I have my eye on the cocoon moisturizer next, which I’ve heard is “pure sorcery.”
Kinn Mercer Cuff Earrings. Okay full disclosure, I just got these hoops, but already love them. Kinn makes really beautiful, quality jewelry at fair prices. I’m typically a yellow gold girl, but also love a sterling silver moment. I love these earrings for their simplicity and timelessness, but they also have a boldness to them that I appreciate. Instant cool factor!
Loeffler Randall Mira Tote. Loeffler Randall is another favorite brand for me (and I’m particularly enamored with their founder Jessie Randall who is such a great follow on here!). I already own and love the larger Dina tote for travel, but the Mira tote is perfect for everyday. Another great mom bag with allll the compartments (laptop, water bottle, zippers galore) and super easy for me to wipe clean when I need.
Frame The Bow Jeans. Frankly, I didn’t need new slight barrel jeans (already have a few), but once Frame sent The Bow jeans to me, I changed my tune. These and the CoH Miro jeans (size down) are now my top barrels. I feel like The Bow jeans make my legs look super long and are just overall very comfortable and flattering. I got my normal size in these and still wear them multiple times a week, but I think if I were ordering again, I’d got one size down for a slightly better fit in the waist. If you’re looking for new everyday denim that feels effortless, yet put together, these are for you! *Code ARIANE15 for 15% off.
perfectwhitetee Ziggy Sweatshirt. Last, but certainly not least, is perfectwhitetee’s iconic Ziggy Sweatshirt. I am shocked by how much wear this has gotten — it’s now one of my top three sweatshirts. The Ziggy is a shrunken sweatshirt style (I like my larger size) that is “inside out,” meaning it’s sort of fuzzy on the outside like a sweatshirt would normally be on the inside. Truthfully, I didn’t think I’d like that look (felt like it might be trying to be trendy and different, but why?) but the truth is I absolutely love it. It’s become an elevated basic for me that does feel slightly different, but in an understated and interesting way, not in a try-hard way. I have the navy, but now I want this and this. And ps. I also love these sweatpants (and honestly anything and everything I have from them - just really great basics!).
Okie dokie, those are some of the things in my daily rotation right now! And though they may be gifted, I really really love them.
Enjoy your weekend! Fingers crossed for me lol.
xx Ariane
Ps. This post includes affiliate links, but I’d never promote anything I didn’t love!
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