Hi friends,

The best shopping week of the year is upon us. If you’re anything like me, you’ve set aside a chunk of change in this month’s budget to stock up on essentials, gifts and special treats for yourself and this week is the week to buy. Here are all the early sales I’m checking out ahead of the main event on Friday.

Dedcool: 30% Off Sitewide
What to buy: room sprays, fragrances and dryer sheets

Pura: Up to 30% Off Sitewide
What to buy: Room diffuser units, fragrances like Santal Vanilla, Dusk, Capri Blue Volcano and Apple Orchard

Catbird: Everything Is On Sale!
What to buy: Catbird-brand charms and necklace chains, home goods, jewelry from Catbird partner brands like Wwake

Anthropologie: Extra 40% Off Sale
What to buy: Discounted seasonal home goods, denim, party shoes and bags

Glossier: Up to 30% Off Sitewide
What to buy: Glossier You candles, fragrances, Cloud Paint blushes

Hommey: 25% Off Sitewide
What to buy: Stripe-y sheet sets, duvet covers, bathrobes and pajamas

Olive And June: 25% Off Sitewide
What to buy: Press-on nail kits (my favorite brand!)

Cotopaxi: 25% Off Select Items
What to buy: Allpa travel duffel, my go-to suitcase for travel everywhere from Minneapolis to Lisbon

Maison Louie Marie: 25% Off Sitewide
What to buy: Lovely fragrances and candles. Bois de balincourt is a great sandalwood to have in your arsenal that isn’t Santal 33

Lululemon: Up to 60% Off Select Items
What to buy: Crossbody bags, zip-up jackets, leggings

Merit Beauty: 20% Off Sitewide
What to buy: Flush Balm blushes, Solo Shadow eyeshadows

Sokoglam: Up to 40% Off Sitewide
What to buy: All your Korean beauty favorites, plus other skincare brands like Dieux and Naturium

Calpak: Up to 60% Off Sitewide
What to buy: Hardside luggage, the Luka duffel, packing cubes

Hulken: 20% Off Rolling Totes
What to buy: Well, rolling totes of course.

If you have any other requests for categories you’re shopping in, just let me know. Otherwise, I’ll see you later this week for the rest of the sales! Happy shopping.

Hi friends,

It’s (basically) July, which means each morning I’m waking up contemplating howling at the moon in agony, offering myself up for ritual sacrifice to Jeff Bezos, committing seppuku, etc, etc, etc. In other words, it’s almost Prime Day. Which also means it’s almost Ooh!’s first birthday! So let’s bring it on home and talk deals.

Prime Day this year lands on the 11th and 12th, but tbh, the deals are already starting. And to keep up, retailers are really blowing their 4th of July sales out of the water. Nordstrom is even starting their anniversary sale on the 11th for cardholders, which is a fair bit earlier than usual.

So in the spirit of the season, here are the sales starting this weekend that I think are worth shopping:

• Aurate: The fine jewelry retailer is offering 30% off sitewide

• M. Gemi: The Italian artisan powered acessories brand is offering up to 70% off sitewide

• Ssense: Does this sale ever end? Up to 70% off sitewide

• I Am Gia: Slutty summer essentials at up to 75% off sitewide

• Girlfriend Collective: The activewear darlings are offering 25% off sitewide

• Calpak: Buy Ooh!-approved travel gear at up to 60% off

• Fly By Jing: Buy Ooh!-approved szechuan condiments at 25% off (sitewide!)

• Credo: Clean beauty brands are 20% off

• Nudestix: Take 25% off with code NUDEWIDE25

• Brooklinen: Snag new sheets (or a bathrobe!) with 20% off sitewide

• REI: Get gear at up to 50% off this weekend

• Burrow: The furniture brand is offering up to 20% off cool couches (and more!)

• Thermoworks: Even putting them on a list is giving me PTSD, but grill season isn’t complete without a Thermapen (now 30% off)

• Lululemon: Not technically a 4th of July sale, but their “We Made Too Much” section is totally stacked right now

• Soft Services: The smooth-skin skincare brand is offering up to 33% off bundles

• Skin Store: For all other skincare needs, take 25% off 3,000+ items (from Ooh!-approved brands like NuFace and Nuxe) with code JULY4

• Nordstrom: The anniversary sale is coming, so don’t blow your load! But there are tons of great deals already live at up to 30% off

See you in a couple weeks from the trenches, friends. Happy 4th, we’re not free ‘til we’re all free, no ethical consumption under capitalism, et al. Love you.

Hi friends,

Coming to you live with a request from a particularly hot Ooh! subscriber. And I quote: “I was wondering if Ooh! could create like hot girl guides… I want the little tops that someone will ask me in the club like where I got it and I’d put them onto a whole new brand. U feel?” Yes, my darling, I do feel. My pleasure to deliver.

In no particular order…

• Tank Air. Their mission statement says it all: “Quality clothing and ideas in service of the matriarchy.”

• Orseund Iris. You know her, you love her, you will justify buying from her.

• Charles Jeffrey Loverboy. If Vivienne Westwood had a baby with a skatewear brand.

• Miaou. A hot girl essential. Your first and last stop for bustiers.

• The Line By K. An Ooh! all-timer. Basics that aren’t basic.

• Fanci Club. Samantha Jones would have loved this bitch.

• Mirror Palais. Romance isn’t dead and Mirror Palais is proof.

• Sandy Liang. Or, how to be the coolest girl in every room.

• Ekhaus Latta. Tactile and sexy and swimming in color.

• Suicoke. Summer isn’t summer without a pair of Suicoke slides.

• The Great Eros. The hot girl’s first stop for lingerie and other apparel with an intimate edge.

• Geel. Sexy staples for the hot girl about town.

• Finesse. Club kid essentials for a reasonable price… powered by AI.

• Kijun. Street style-inspired separates with a playful edge.

• Hara The Label. The best bamboo basics in the biz.

• Rat Boi. The best cotton basics in the biz.

• Beepy Bella. For girls who love Bug Art.

• Of Planet Earth. “Inspired by space travel, ancient sculptures, and everything in between.”

• Gil Rodriguez. The only balletcore worth talking about.

• Maryam Nassir Zadeh. The label of an it girl in her own right.

• Chopova Lowena. What Heavn by Marc Jacobs wishes they were doing.

• Birthday Girl. Hand-painted garments made-to-order at an incredible price.

• Shop Peche. Affordable and on-trend; perfect for a hard wardrobe reset.

• Ella Mae. Whimsical pieces naturally dyed in Los Angeles.

• Lirika Matoshi. So much more than The Strawberry Dress.

• Buci NYC. What I think Meadow Soprano would wear if she was at Columbia in 2023.

• Deiji Studios. Hot! Girl! Pajamas! (And other soft things, like socks and bedding.)

• Bibliotheque Nationale. Classically sassy; made in Ukraine, with a portion of proceeds benefitting the Ukrainian army.

• Kitten By Kate. Sweet and (mostly) see-through.

• Gabe Gordon. Knitwear has never been this sexy.

• Clan. Gorgeous garments featuring photos by Ana Larruy.

• Sundae School. Streetwear for smoking designed with Korea in mind.

• GemSun. What happens when three very different cool girls put their heads together.

Did I miss someone?

Comment on this post to let me know! Where are you shopping, hot people?

Ways to make discovery easier…

Later in my conversation with our hot Ooh! subscriber, she said to me, “I wish there was like a “see more like this” if I click on like a Danier jacket.” Well friend, there are a couple ways to do such a thing.

• Item Discovery: The best thing to do is go on Pinterest! Rip an image of the item you want and upload it to Pinterest, or search the system for already-uploaded images of it. Pinterest’s shopping AI will do the rest. Just hover over the image and click, say, “jackets”—Pinterest will populate a selection of similar/related products for you to browse.

• Brand Discovery: Something I always like to do is browse “similar accounts” on Instagram. For example, head to Sandy Liang’s page and hit the little icon that has a plus sign and silhouette on it. Voila, a stream of similar accounts, most of which will be either hot girl brands or hot girls with good taste for you to copy.

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Hi friends!

I wanted to make a joke like, “Remember the Ooh!-lamo,” but then thought maybe that would be one of those jokes that’s only funny to me. But I had no other content to put in this headnote, so I guess we’re going with the Remember the Alamo joke. Nothing like referencing an event that will soon be celebrating its bicentennial to announce your return to a side project!

Q1 was an avalanche at my day job, and I was prioritizing another writing project with my free time that felt a little less closely related to work. But I’ve been feeling spendy lately, which means there’s no time like the present to Ooh! for you. Here’s a collection of things I’ve tried since the start of the year that I think are worth your while.

In No Particular Order…

• Salomon Acs + OG Sportstyle Shoes. I wore this pair of delightfully gorp-y shoes every single day of Coachella Weekend 1. They’re comfortable and make every look effortlessly cool, even a feminine billowy dress worn with frilly ankle socks. I’m obsessed, and will be investing in the pair from the Salomon x Sandy Liang collab (which are the equally trendy and cool XT-6 and RX Moc 3.0 styles).

• Owala Water Bottle. This TikTok-approved water bottle is popular for a reason. You can drink out if it two ways (sipping through the built-in straw, or chugging through the larger spout), it comes in fun colorways, and keeps water super cold.

• Dagne Dover Tech Organizer. Before I received this tech organizer as a gift, I was the type of girl who just shoved cords in her backpack and hoped for the best. Now, everything has its place and I don’t have to untangle my computer charger from my corded headphones (are those still in, btw?).

• BioOil Lotion. This lotion has the strangest consistency of any lotion I’ve ever used — it truly is like if oil and lotion had a baby, which makes it a little messy to use. But I love how moisturized it leaves my skin, especially if I apply it right after showering to lock it all in.

• Baboon To The Moon Crescent Crossbody. Another festival essential, this crossbody from Baboon to the Moon has more pockets than it knows what to do with. One of its best features is the dual water bottle pockets, which are perfect for toting around multiple options for hydration during a long fest day.

• By / Rosie Jane Dulce Candle. I received this candle in PR with zero expectations going in, but have totally fallen in love. It’s a true musky gourmand, with notes of vanilla and hinoki and all things cozy.

• Hungry Root Meal Kits. With work being so crazy, I decided to try a meal kit to make sure I always had groceries in the house. Hungry Root is cool because not only do they send super quick (though sometimes lackluster) meals, they also send grocery items like snacks, smoothies and desserts. It’s been helpful in making sure I stay fed.

• Color Correcting Balms. For once in my life, my skin is completely clear (*touches wood*), which means my main skin concern is underlying redness. I’ve been alternating between the Dr. Jart Cicapair Cream and the Hero Cosmetics Rescue Balm+ Red Correct. Both products take the redness right out of my skin and feel much more light weight than a foundation.

Old Favorites Still In The Rotation

Static Press-On Nails. // Joomra Slides. // Lashify Lashes. // DedCool Linen Spray. // FSG T-Shirts. // Hero Cosmetics Mighty Patch Pimple Stickers. // Birdie Personal Safety Alarm. // Warmies. // Donni. Sweatpants. // Flex Discs. // Hard As Hoof.

Hi friends,

Fun fact: One time I went viral for writing about butt acne. I was a senior in college, stringing for Women’s Health magazine’s beauty section. It feels like a lifetime ago now. My editor assigned me me to research how to get rid of butt acne and write up a simple four step plan. The piece was the single most-read article on the website for the quarter.

Unfortunately, Hearst seems to have let Women’s Health (and Men’s Health, for that matter!) go by the wayside, and Google flags both domains as unsafe now. So when one Ooh! subscriber requested suggestions on getting rid of butt acne, I went to link them my once-viral piece and found that it didn’t exist anymore! But when I get a request, I get the job done. So here we are, introducing the Ooh!-approved way to get rid of butt acne. Don’t act like you’re above it.

• Use a benzoyl peroxide or salicylic acid body wash. Acne treatments aren’t just for your face. The same active ingredients that bust breakouts on your face will absolutely work on your booty. If you’re a benzoyl peroxide person, I recommend the humane Maximum Strength Acne Wash, and for those who prefer salicylic acid, you can’t go wrong with the tried-and-true Neutrogena Body Clear Body Wash. The latter singlehandedly cured my backne in high school.

• Wipe with salicylic acid pads. Okay, not like that. Round pads soaked with salicylic acid are great for swiping across your cheeks to unclog congested pores. Fellow old folks will remember the OXY pads of yore (they were the single step in my skincare routine for way too long), but we’ve come a long way since then! Now, you can find great options from cult-favorite brands like First Aid Beauty, Some By Mi, and Neogen.

• Try a lactic acid lotion. Folks who suffer from keratosis pilaris (those little white bumps that can appear on the back of your arms, more commonly KP) already know this trick. There are tons of exfoliating lotions on the market that will help slough off dead skin and clear pores while moisturizing like any other lotion. Again, First Aid Beauty makes a great one. Paula’s Choice (my go-to for facial exfoliators) has one, too. For an inexpensive option, you can try this one from Amlactin.

• Don’t sit in sweat. This one isn’t so much a product recommendation as a rule of thumb. Sitting in sweaty, dirty underwear, leggings or running shorts is not helping your butt acne. After workouts, be sure to shower and change into clean underwear as quickly as possible. If you tend to sweat on your commute, pop a clean pair of underwear in your tote bag to change into at the office. Try sleeping in a loose cotton pair. Remember to change your sheets once a week. Sorry, fellow sweaty girls. It’s just the way the world works.

In short, pick whichever acne treatment works for you. Protect your post-treatment skin with a no-frills moisturizer like Cerave. And please, for the love of god, try not to rewear dirty leggings to the gym.

A Reminder

Remember you can request an Ooh! special edition, too. No matter what you’re shopping for, no matter the conundrum you’re trying to remedy, I’m happy to recommend you the products I’ve researched and tried. You never know—another subscriber could be on the lookout for the same thing!