On My Mind: Hot Dog Chips and Velvet Mary Janes

My hunt technically started when I ran out of Wild while on a small island in Maine. Champagne problems, yes, but my options were to borrow my partner’s Malin + Goetz deodorant until I could get to Portland to buy a new one or live life au naturelfor the week. I chose Malin + Goetz. Like most things the brand makes, the deodorantdoessmell nice, but the refreshing scent of eucalyptus surrendered to body odor after a few hours. Portland couldn’t come soon enough.

I spent a good hour of my day in Portland popping in and out of Free People and Anthropologie in search of some Salt & Stone deodorant (as featured inour natural deodorants guide), but it seems everyone else did, too, because it was out of stock everywhere. Instead, I sampled every single deodorant at Anthropologie and landed on this one, which seemed to have the best combination of online reviews and smell. Like the Wild, this deodorant keeps me smelling fresh all day and doesn’t irritate my skin, but the smell is ultimately too sweet to be my everyday deodorant. (The “Father Figure” scentis on my radar, but I haven’t been able to get my hands on it yet.)

A couple of weeks later, I found myself at Sephora, where I could sniff all of Salt & Stone’s deodorants to my heart’s content. All of them smelled nice (as we’ve said in the past), but the bergamot and hinoki one — a mellow, citrus-forward scent that feels like it would pour out of a high-end hotel lobby — called to me. I wish I was able to give this one a thorough try, but it irritated my skin, most likely because of the baking soda, a common moisture absorber (and irritant) in natural deodorants. I might give thebaking-soda-free versiona try, but, for now, I’m moving on to other brands.

I’m not ready to say my hunt is done, as there are still a few other deodorants I’m curious about (namely, fromEvolvetogetherandOuai), but I’m currently happily swiping on this eucalyptus-scented one from Nécessaire. There are no white sweat stains on my clothes or irritated swaths of skin — just a whole day of odor protection whether I’m doing an outdoor Pilates class, tanning by the pool, or just having a chill day on the couch. (And for what it’s worth, the sage green tube looks nice on my dresser, too.)

I spent the second half of August in between Chicago and Michiana (as in, the pocket of Indiana and Michigan along Lake Michigan where you’ll find a bulk of Chicago’s population come summertime). From Chicago to Michigan, it now seems like you can’t walk into a foodie establishment without coming across a display of these chips. I’ve only tried the hot dog flavor so far, but I can confirm it’s all tasty toppings — mustard, relish, onions, tomatoes, pickles, sport peppers, and a sprinkle of celery salt, to be specific — without a hint of encased meat. I may be loyal to New York–style pizza, but I want to give thedeep-dish-pizza flavora try next.

I’ve come across these oyster napkins at every waterside vacation spot I’ve been to this summer. Most recently, I noticed them at a gas station turned wine bar calledOut Therea few minutes’ drive from Lake Michigan’s shore. I might be projecting my own wish list, but I think they’re the perfect host gift for the person who can’t resist a dollar-oyster happy hour.

I am not immune to the track-pants frenzy that seems to have taken over New York City. While I haven’t plunged into true Adidas territory, these track pants from BDG have become my official “cool girl pants” ever since Urban Outfitters sent me a sample last month. The waistband is stretchy enough that I can wear them high- or low-waisted depending on my outfit and mood. That makes them the perfect travel pants, too.

This May, I dragged my mom to Flabelus’s Paris store, where I (and a gaggle of other 20-somethings) ogled the velvet mary janes and espadrilles that lined the walls. Sizing was limited, so I left empty-handed, but I’m planning to give it another go at thenewly opened New York location. Perhaps, nearly six months later, these olive-green mary janes will finally be mine — and just in time for fall.

As someone who runs cold, I have a healthy collection of cardigans that I can throw over dresses and blouses during nice dinners and days at the office. Around sweater season last year, I realized the chocolate-brown cable-knit cardigan I’d been wearing for the last decade was on its last legs — matted and pilling beyond repair. Yet I couldn’t find a single chocolate-brown cardigan that matched what I was looking for: a formfitting cashmere or cotton cardigan that hits me at my waist. Now that this year’s sweaters are starting to hit shelves, I think I finally found The One in this cashmere number from Anthropologie. (Thoughthis one from Madewellis another contender.)

And, finally, as our resident Gen-Z correspondent, I’ll leave you with a report from the trenches of DormTok. After watching hours (and hours) worth of dorm-tour videos, I feel confident saying that Bath & Body Works is back — specifically on dorm-room sinks. This is definitely a by-product of Bath & Body Works’s recent Gen-Z push (it made a deal with 600-plus college bookstores to sell in its stores), but if Gen Z wasn’t interested, they wouldn’t buy it.