What’s in my cart (and my head)

A big spring sales roundup and everything I've been wearing, liking, and bookmarking lately.

Welcome to Style Notes, a column at Downtime with curated finds, outfit inspo, Q&As, and personal reflections on getting dressed again. Free subscribers get a preview; paid subscribers get the full thing. If style content isn’t your vibe right now, you can always adjust your email settings. Either way, I’m so glad you’re here. x

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Today’s post is a bit of everything. Spring has gotten me in a more shoppy mood, and while I’m trying to be more intentional about my closet, my weaknesses are showing (a penchant for personality shoes and bags). Anyway, I’ve been deep in scroll mode and have lots to share. Let’s dive in!

(This email is long and might get cut off; you can click on the title to view it in the browser.)

xo, Alisha

P.S. If you want to see my slightly unhinged but easily browsable collection of *everything* I bookmark, it’s right here.

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First things first, I scrolled through all the sales so you don’t have to.

As you may have noticed, there are a ton of sales happening right now. I’ll keep this short and snappy and guide you through what’s good.

The Sephora Sale

My general philosophy around the Sephora Sale is that I’ll only purchase products that I already own, use, and love. At the end of the day, 15% off isn’t nothing but it’s also not a deeply discounted sale, so I think it’s best not to go crazy and just stick to your tried-and-trues. These are all mine. What are you picking up, if anything?

Here are top 3 picks in…

• Skincare: Instant glow mask, this hydrating mask, and this tinted sunscreen that I use on my lazy days.

• Haircare: Leave-in conditioner from Crown Affair (smells amazing, leaves hair soft), ROZ root lift spray that gives me VOLUME and smells nice, and I’ll rec the Ceremonia scalp scrub forever to get rid of product gunk and achieve that squeaky-clean feeling. (A special shoutout to my oval roundbrush that helps me tame my frizzball of hair in a relatively short amount of time.)

• On my wishlist: People are raving about this Iris & Romeo tinted SPF, this retinol alternative from Caudalie, and anything by Sofie Pavitt for acne-prone skin.

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The Shopbop Sale

Links to everything are right here.

Shopbop is where things typically go off the rails for me (it can get $$$), so I’m aiming to be intentional and restrained in what I purchase and mostly stick to the basics with a sprinkle of fun.

My picks are all right here, but my tippy top picks are…

• Tried-and-true basic tees and tanks:

  • The Leset Margo tee has been *the* basic t-shirt mainstay in my closet and many others for good reason. It’s perfectly boxy, slightly cropped, and not too thin. I own this in three colors (I wear a size S).

  • Kule’s modern long sleeve tee is a perfect striped tee. Not boxy, fits well, thin enough material so you can layer a cardigan or sweater above, tucks easily into jeans. No notes.

  • Every time I wear this pointelle cardigan someone DM’s me to ask about it. I really do love it and may pick it up in black soon.

  • DONNI’s rib spaghetti tank. I have this in a cream color and the fabric is high quality; I like that my bra lines don’t show through. Just a good layering basic.

    

    AGOLDE’s low slung baggy’s deserve more praise!

• Very good denim: AGOLDE’s Low Slung Baggy is a favorite in my closet (mine are getting hemmed as we speak). People seem to swear by the Ren High Rise, but it didn’t work on my petite frame (5’0”); I’m begging AGOLDE to make petite sizes!

• Shoes:

  • I have, love, and can highly recommend the Jada ballet flats from Freda Salvador, which help me add some “polish” to my otherwise very casual outfits. They took a wear or two to break in.

  • Cool, minimal sandals under $100.

  • The woven version of the ballet flats a lot of you loved from our

    Jessie Randall
    feature are on sale! And these are my dream sandals, but I just bought them in brown and can’t justify getting this color too. 🫠

  • I have these loafers in my cart as I’ve been missing a polished pair in my closet; it’s between these and an investment pair…tbd.

    

    The Jada ballet flat as worn by me in our ever glamorous garage.

• A sprinkle of fun: I currently have these hair clips in my cart after coveting them for a few months. 🌷 These drop earrings are gorgeous; I could see them adding some fanciness to a simple t-shirt, jeans, and slim sandals look. These leopard-print flats are also in my cart; another way to add some flair to a simple outfit. This is such a fun netted bag to instantly spring-ify or summer-ify an outfit.

Leopard print is a neutral! (Pictured: My style queen, Alexa Chung.)

• What else is in my cart: The Clare V. petite messenger bag to try out (do I get the cream or the blue?) as my spring “mom duty” bag, and the denim shorts I already own, but in white.

Love this blue with creamy neutrals.

3 Good Things with Jessie Randall

Shifting gears a bit, here are a few outfits that inspired this week that I saved to my screenshots folder…

(Source: @lizadams)

This look made me pause because I’ve been gravitating towards striped pants lately, a refreshing break from endless uninspired jean-based outfits. I like the eyelet white top paired with the striped bottoms; both are elements I own in my closet that I could see myself wearing. The small, structured bag adds a bit of polish. And of course, those shoes! So dreamy. (This look is from

Liz Adams

!)

These pants! The sweater tied around the denim jacket! The fun shoes! Everything somehow ties together really well….

Continued below for my paid subs: my takeaways from this look, plus a peek into my camera roll to see what I’m wearing, buying, liking, and would highly recommend lately .

Loved this casual look from Donni founder

Alyssa Wasko Stein

. The pants, which were just launched, are out of my current budget but this was a fun reminder to try and venture away from denim/jeans and look to add more interest through my pants/trousers. I also love that they’re a taffeta-like material, which would be practical for my current mom life as it won’t wrinkle easily and won’t feel too precious. Another good reminder to pay attention to material as I browse.

Alyssa is also the queen of using a sweater or shirt tied around the waist to add a bit more color, texture, and shape to an outfit. A really easy tip I’ll use in the future.

Angie Uh

’s red flip flops from last week’s post are living rent-free in my head so I have these $20 Havaianas in my cart.

What I’m wearing, buying, liking, and would highly recommend lately…

This is truly mostly a glorified camera roll dump from March and April thus far. :)

Donni shorts + a Jenni Kayne sweater I’ve had forever (it’s the Cruise crewneck, check secondhand sites!) + boat shoes = spring/summer go-to outfit formula.

Saw these Birkenstock-like sandals at J.Crew and thought they looked great in person. (Of course after I buy a few things, everything is 40% off…)

My favorite terry sweatshirt now comes in butter yellow! (ALISHA10 for 10% off)

Wake up babe, it’s clog girl spring!!! Ugly shoes and I have a thing. These will be my new garden shoes / it’s pouring outside shoes. The brand has these in such fun, saturated colors.

The dress is by Mini Boden. The space buns are by moi. (*dress is sold out, but this is the same print in a different dress)

I was gifted this J.Crew cropped denim shirt and I like it! It’s soft and has a worn-in feel. I’m thinking maybe cropped button-downs are the way to go for my petite frame.

She goes everywhere with me these days.

LAKE just launched fresh maternity styles! FINALLY! It’s my go-to gift for moms.

Would Jac wear this dress / craftan? I think yes…

Did we all clock that Banana Republic did a White Lotus collab? The marketing worked a little too well on me—I blinked and suddenly found myself 17 tabs deep in linen blazers and surprise! Really good stuff. (Also: PETITE PANTS. A blessing.) Mental note to check back in more often.

(No White Lotus spoilers please, but… am I alone in feeling vaguely betrayed by the finale?)

Donni long sleeve jersey tee, Old Navy cardigan, Levi’s jeans in Charlie Glow Up (Poshmark), Drogheria Crivellini mary janes (via Alex Mill ages ago, these are similar and what I’d purchase today), Madewell belt (gifted).

Finally, my most fun, low-stakes recent purchase is this cropped Old Navy cardigan in a spring green and light blue to add color to my neutral outfits. I tie mine around the waist, tie it over my shoulders, or wear it as a layer on chillier spring days.

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Thanks for reading this little brain dump. I’d love to know what you’re thinking about re: style and shopping (or not shopping) these days. x Alisha

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