Beat-up Vans, nail repair serum, and a $12 sweatshirt

Links we sent our friends #105 feat. Downtime founder Alisha Ramos

Hi! It’s Aliza. I chopped off my hair last week (it’s CLB summer?!) and it feels like one of the best decisions I’ve made in months. The cut has given me a little jolt of confidence and positivity during an otherwise tough week. (Aja: And it looks *fantastic.*)

Rewind to 2017. Friends kept asking me: “Have you subscribed to Girls’ Night In?” They were buzzing about

Alisha Ramos

’s DC-based lifestyle newsletter, which delivered a “small dose of cozy comfort” each week. What started as a passion project has grown into

Downtime

, a bestselling newsletter and one of the internet’s smartest, coziest corners. Since launching Platonic Love, Aja and I have connected with Alisha multiple times for advice — and she’s as generous, insightful, and kind as her writing suggests.

Alisha’s Links:

1. I saw the coolest mom at the park wearing jeans and some beat-up old-school Vans, and now I think I need them. (Aliza: Yes! I had pink-and-black checkered Vans in middle school — should I bring them back?)

2. I recently reread Emma by Jane Austen with the Novel Pairings community — and so enjoyed it. It felt like going back to English class with two friends, perfect for anyone craving a deeper reading experience. Although the community is sadly shutting down, you can access past recordings on their site.

3. Anyone else have brittle nails? (Aja: Meeeee.) This repair serum has saved me. So much so that my nail technician complimented how strong my nails were!

4. I make this delicious broccoli pesto pasta (sans parsley) for my toddler pretty much every week. She gobbles it up with gusto. It’s one of the only ways to get some greens in her… Any other tips or recipes are welcome.

5. We joined a pool for the summer, and I’m so excited about spending days reading on a lounge chair. Left on Friday recently sent me this cute bikini swimsuit. The high-waisted cut is quite forgiving, and the material feels buttery smooth yet also endlessly compressive and stretchy? I’m a convert.

Aliza’s Links:

1. Never not my favorite date night… going to the movies.

2. The $12 sweatshirt I keep stealing from Sam.

3. Six people share what it’s like being trans and incarcerated under Trump: “We have become an endangered species.”

4. The lipstick I want to wear every day. It feels like you’re not wearing anything (in a good way!)

5. Immigrants are people. (Aja: Bonkers this needs to be said.)

6. Last Saturday, I spent Jude’s rainy day nap time trying on new glasses at Warby Parker. It would’ve been even more fun with a friend — I ended up texting Aja dozens of photos, anyway.

Left: Javier // Center: Blaise // Right: Wright

Aja’s Links:

1. The Correspondent was my 52nd book of the year — and maybe my favorite. It’s a charming, thoughtful novel about a 73-year-old who makes sense of the world by writing letters from everyone to Joan Didion to her estranged daughter. I’ll probably reread next year! (Aliza: This sounds so good… putting it at the top of my list!)

2. This summery top is adorable.

3. I got a boyfriend… and an identity crisis by

   Rachel Cohn
   . A good follow-up read to our essay last week on the ups and downs of being single.

4. I’m not a huge Call Her Daddy fan (I don’t like Alex Cooper’s interviewing style) — so I was pleasantly surprised to really enjoy her two-part Hulu doc. Was it ground-breaking journalism? No. But it was fun to go behind-the-scenes of such a successful media empire.

5. Serious question: How long do you have to covet something before you’ll buy it? I’ve wanted this skirt since last summer. Do I go for it? (Aliza: Yes.)

For your summer reading list consideration.

I (Aliza) mentioned this briefly a few weeks ago, but I’ve taken a brief TV hiatus¹ so I can make progress on my reading list. If you had to pick one book that you think everybody should read, what would it be?? (Aja and I shared a few of our favorites here and here.)

Aja and my son, Jude, walking through Boston’s Public Garden on Sunday morning. Such a cute duo!

• “I need to be a rich man” (and other truths about singlehood)

• 10 things I’d tell my 16-year-old self

• Does turning off notifications make me a bad friend?

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1. (Movies don’t count.)