10 Things I’m Loving in April

Anna Roufos Sosa of Noir Friday in a Dolce & Gabbana dress and shoes.

Anna Roufos Sosa of Noir Friday in a Dolce & Gabbana dress and shoes.

Anna Roufos Sosa of Noir Friday in a Dolce & Gabbana dress and shoes.

Anna Roufos Sosa of Noir Friday in a Dolce & Gabbana dress and shoes.

Anna Roufos Sosa of Noir Friday in a Dolce & Gabbana dress and shoes.

Anna Roufos Sosa of Noir Friday in a Dolce & Gabbana dress and shoes.

This April has been the pits. I don’t like to complain about the weather because everyone in Chicago is always complaining about the weather. Like allllll the time complaining about the weather. It’s too hot, it’s too cold. The wind. (We’re actually way down the list of windy cities. The Windy City moniker refers to our long-winded politicians but even some Chicagoans think the nickname is for the wind coming off Lake Michigan.) I grew up in Michigan and lived in NYC for many years after college and I find Chicago winters to be no different. It’s cold and snowy like I know winter to be. I find winter cozy. Snug. It’s not January I have an issue with.

It’s April. When winter doesn’t let up.

And boy, has winter gone on this year. It snowed the other day, April 17. And it was sleeting last night. Usually by the this time the city is blanketed in tulips. Alas, there’s not a tulip or single bloom in sight. The trees are still bare and brown. They look sad. People around the city look sad.

So basically anyone in the Midwest or East has earned the right to moan that this spring has been the pits.

Neediness to say, I’m yearning for things and places that are breezy and colorful, like Dolce & Gabbana dresses and Jeni’s ice cream. Here are 10 things I’m loving in April.

1. The H&M Conscious collection. This dress!! I’m madly in love with it. It takes me to the Amalfi coast, far far away from the longest winter on record. I would wear it as a cover-up.

2. I’m looking to wallpaper a couple of rooms and I’m loving this DROP IT MODERN wallpaper. I’m even thinking of doing a ceiling or two.

3. My skin definitely needs a healthy glow at this point. I recently tried a sample of this Charlotte Tilbury Healthy Glow tinted moisturizer and I love it. It’s a great product for every day. I would wear it by itself without foundation; it gives a nice coverage but looks really natural and is hydrating without feeling too heavy.

4. Speaking of moisturizing, I recently picked up this cleansing oil by Burt’s Bees and it’s very nice. It’s not as thick as my favorite Shu Uemera oil, but it also costs much less, plus it scored very well on the “clean” scale; see point #8.

5. Allll the pretty spring dresses. I can’t stop adding to this list of the best dresses for spring. I have never seen so many pretty dresses available at one time. I’m in love with all of the pieces in this edit.

6. I love this outdoor mat from Target.

7. And speaking of the outdoors, I’m swooning over Anthropologie’s new outdoor furniture.

8. My daughter turns seven at the end of the month (my baby!) and I always tell her she came in the spring with the tulips. How cute would this cake be?

9. The ThinkDiry app has completely changed my purchasing habits. I have been ridding our home of toxic products. I have been trying natural deodorants for weeks and haven’t found one that I like but I’m excited to try Kopari. It seems people on Instagram really like it. Stay tuned.

10. Everything and anything from new-to-me brand Steele. This Australian brand’s cool, feminine pieces have really caught my eye. I included some pieces in the recent Shopbop edit, and here’s a few more:

This set is top of my list!

About the look pictured: I bought this Dolce & Gabbana dress on sale through Matches Fashion last spring, near the tailend of the sale season when they were offering an extra 20 percent off. I found the shoes, also Dolce & Gabbana, on sale through Farfetch. They are one of my favorite pairs. I bought the Gucci sunglasses in the Gucci store in Rome. Ashley of Sed Bona took these photos outside Jeni’s ice cream on Southport in Chicago. My daughter Alexandra has this review of Jeni’s: “the best ice cream in the world.” I highly recommend the brambleberry flavor, which I’m eating in the photos.

Here’s to eating ice cream on a hot summer day SOON.

xo


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