7 Things

the do-nothing but make it cute list, a tinted sunscreen breakdown, the ultimate al fresco dinner party menu and a share on children's grief

Hi and happy Tuesday! I’m trying something new here on The In-Between. Think of it as a little hybrid between the Sunday Weekly Edit and the deeper Thursday pieces, all wrapped up in a tidy “7 Things” bow. Consider it…the in-between of The In-Between.

A bi-weekly (I think?) note that blends culture, feelings, good reads, recipes, beauty, fashion, and more. A space to go a little deeper on the fluffier stuff, stay timely on cultural musings that can’t wait until Sunday and touch lightly on the feelier things too. Let’s take it for a spin and see how it feels, shall we?

Today’s is free to establish what’s to come but here’s how I think it will work going forward to make it fun for free subs while adding value to paid members: the first three things will live above the paywall, and the next four will be for paid subscribers. They’ll all be different, some with a theme, some a mix like today.

I hope you enjoy the new addition! As always, I truly value your thoughts and feedback. Please let me know how this feels, and feel free to share any suggestions to make it more of what you’d want. I appreciate you!

Now, let’s get into it:

1. Tinted Sunscreen Breakdown
Saie, which I was on the founding team of, launched one of the first super clean tinted moisturizers with SPF and skincare benefits (now many of them are similar but when it launched in 2020, it was major). Fun fact: I came up with the original product name “Slip Cover,” (who remembers?!) which was used for a while before being changed to “Slip Tint.” Since Saie’s launched, a handful of products have hit the market (including Merit’s recent debut) and naturally, I’ve gotten a lot of questions about how they all stack up. Here’s my take:

• Saie Slip Tint: This one’s your dewy girl. Light coverage with a radiant finish, powered by mineral zinc SPF 35 and boosted with hyaluronic acid for a hit of hydration. It’s skincare-forward and award-winning, Best Clean Tinted Moisturizer by Allure’s Best of Beauty.

• Tower 28 Sunny Days: Of the four, this has the most coverage, light to medium and build-able, something I personally appreciate as someone with melasma. It goes on smooth while giving foundation adjacent coverage (it’s marketed as a tinted sunscreen foundation), is 100% mineral SPF 30 and is formulated for sensitive or breakout-prone skin. Think: coverage without compromise. This won an Allure’s Best of Beauty as well.

• RMS SunCoverup: This is a silicone-free, daily tinted moisturizer with SPF superpowers. With SPF 50 non-nano zinc, it’s the highest protection of the four and is infused with niacinamide and squalane making it a skin-care hybrid. It’s lightweight and breathable while still hydrating which works great under makeup or worn solo.

• “The Uniform” by Merit: Merit feels like the grown-up sister of the bunch. She’s elegant, sheer to light, not dewy or greasy, and not marketed as a skincare hybrid (which you feel a difference in when comparing products), nor is it marketed as a tinted moisturizer, its a “tinted sunscreen.” With SPF 45, it offers a natural finish and Merit’s signature “less is more” aesthetic.

Final thoughts: go for Saie if you want Dewy, go for Tower 28 if you want more coverage, RMS if you want somewhere between those two and Merit for a “less is more” straight forward tinted SPF product.

2. Olive Oil > Wine
I like this idea: stop bringing wine to dinner parties and bring a nice bottle of olive oil instead. Healthier, lasts longer and same price. Some of my personal favorites for something special: Flamingo Estate or Le Marké. Local is always a nice touch if available where you are! The two in SYV that I love: award-winning Luretik and Inez.

3. Al Fresco Menu
Gaby was visiting last weekend, and one thing we love to do together is tag team a good dinner party. We documented this one and the menu was chef’s kiss! Her recipes are always the best. Everything we made works beautifully on its own, but if you’re planning to host this summer, save this lineup. It was a really good one:

• Fresh bread with radishes and French butter (I am obsessed with French butter right now)

• Farmers market green salad

• Peaches and burrata drizzled with honey

• Burst tomato pasta

• Salmon puttanesca

• Big bowls of cherries

• Juicy slices of watermelon

• Pound-cake with fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream

4. Es Vedrá Sunglasses
These under $200 sunglasses have been giving my spring/summer 2024 wardrobe the 2025 update it needed. A great shape, a great price point. LOVE LOVE!

5. Summer Bags
Summer bags are just fun! Especially this season with a great outfit (Dissh is 20% off sitewide starting today, btw!). A shiny dangly metallic thing, an interesting clutch, bag charms or a little unexpected net bag…the perfect finishing touch or the standout moment. Into:

• Fishnet: Perfect for beach days or market runs. Bonus points if it looks like you just came from a seaside village in Europe. I love this knotted shopper for something more structured, this one for a pop of color and this $35 option for a small neutral.

• Fun and unexpected: a metal shell clutch, an oragami shell, a pearl clutch, a cool beaded situation or rhinestones to be extra (almost all under $100). Perfect for your lipstick and a conversation starter.

• Metallic: The viral J.Crew metallic bag is a good pop. This shape is fun too. Also fun? This macrame sac.

• Raffia: The Khaite Olivia is a dream but a splurge, two similar options: this Etsy find or this one from & Other Stories. Also in the raffia family, the Jenni Kayne Tropez Bucket and Tropez Tote which is raffia and cane!? Soo good! (GERI15 for 15% off JK)

6. A do-nothing but make it cute list:

• Send someone a voice note just to say I love you. If you’re feeling nostalgic, toss in a favorite memory.

• Invite someone on a walk, no phones, no pressure, just fresh air and good company.

• Have a solo dance party (even if it’s in the car) to the songs you loved in college.

• Romanticize your water: add lemon, add herbs, put it in a wine glass, sip it like royalty any time of day.

• Rearrange your skincare products to make a visually appealing shelfie.

• Rewatch your comfort show with your favorite mask on.

• Take your book somewhere completely unnecessary like on a picnic blanket with a bowl of cherries, the tub, your favorite hotel.

• Wear perfume to go…nowhere.

• Stand in golden hour just a little longer.

7. And to close it out, a personal share on children and grief:
At my children’s preschool, there was a snake. A red-eyed beauty who had lived for 34 years. She wasn’t just a classroom pet, she was a quiet constant. A creature the children could hold gently in their small hands, learn about reptiles from, care for tenderly, and feel a sense of pride in helping to nurture. She was, in her own way, part of the fabric of the place.

At the end-of-year breakfast, our daughter beamed as she showed us her once again. Her stories were filled with wonder and familiarity, like you might speak of a treasured friend.

And then, just days later, the school announced that the snake had died.

They held a funeral last Thursday. A real one. For a snake. Most of the school and parents attended.

During her celebration of life, she was laid to rest beneath a sprawling old oak tree, where she would quietly return to the earth, becoming part of the garden, and part of the school forever (I sure did tear up during these words). The children brought flowers from their own gardens. Placing them gently on top of her before helping to cover her with soil.

And the tenderness of it, the reverence, the acknowledgment, the love shown to a creature so easily dismissed by the outside world was one of those moments that catches you off guard but stays with you forever. Because she may have been “just” a snake. But to them, she was not. She was known. She was loved. And isn’t that what we all want in the end?

A beautiful lesson for us all, especially our impressionable sweet children.

I hope you enjoyed this addition! Any and all feedback is always appreciated. xx

yung_pueblo

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