Cherries & Wine

Prop styling & photography: Kayla Austefjord | Retouching: Nick Bright

There’s nothing quite like lying on a picnic blanket on a 75-degree day listening to your friends yap about nonsense or verbally brain-dump their midlife crisis while you all collectively bask in the sun. 

In colder climates such as New York during winter, the inaugural spring picnic holds a quasi-religious significance. The park transforms into a holy place where seasonal depression fades and priorities shift from solidifying a five-year plan to looking hot and finding a nice pool to swim in. The simple life, if you will. 

Among the many snacks you can bring to this event, a box of fresh farmer’s market cherries or a bottle of cold orange wine earn a spot at the top of the list. Bonus points if you bring these items in a Jane Birkin-inspired basket bag. 

Cheers to a lovely spring season finis. Now, let us dive deeper into the world of cherries and wine.

Empties, explained

When there’s a long line of products to be tested in my beauty cabinet, an empty bottle becomes the ultimate testament to a product's excellence, meriting a notable mention to those seeking my top recommendations. Hence, the empties photoshoots leading &fini.

While the design of these photos may look expensive, there’s a secret: All of the beauty products are under $20. I know spring comes with some expensive endeavors (new clothes, vacation, boujee picnics, and so on), so I decided to keep this batch of empties realistic, but never underwhelming, for those of us looking for quality products on a budget. Let’s get into it.

The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid

This is one of the first products I recommend to my friends entering their skincare era. It’s $10, easy to work into your routine, and safe for sensitive/ acne-prone skin. There are $200+ hyaluronic acid serums on the market that I find less effective than this one, so take that as you will.

⏳️Time to empty: This bottle lasts me about two months, and I use it twice daily.

Naturium Lip Oil

Everyone and their mother has launched a lip oil or glossy glaze in the past year. Some of them are great, others kind of suck, and most of them are ridiculously expensive—but not this one from Naturium. At just $10 a tube, this delivers lasting hydration and a lovely tint that never pills or separates. My favorite shades come from the brown Cafe Collection, specifically Spice and Mocha. The tints are strong enough to make a difference, but aren’t too pigmented, so you can wear them without makeup and still look sane.

⏳️ Time to empty: With 3 or 4 applications a day (yes, I use a lot of lip gloss) these tubes last a month or so.

Honey Pot Amber Sandalwood Foaming Wash

I want to start off by acknowledging the controversy surrounding intimate care products, especially those aimed at cleansing the vulva. It's a topic that sparks passionate debates, and rightfully so, given the potential risks involved with disrupting pH levels. However, I believe it's important to highlight brands like Honey Pot, which I consider to be underrated gems in this space. Plus, why gatekeep a good thing, especially when safe vulva care is far and few between?

Amidst the skepticism surrounding vulva cleansers, Honey Pot's offerings have garnered tons of praise, evident from the abundance of heartfelt and personal reviews. Even one of my friends who was previously prone to yeast infections has become a Honey Pot stan.

A good vulva wash can leave you feeling refreshed, especially during summer. Personally, this Amber Sandalwood is my favorite of the bunch.

However, if you know you’re particularly sensitive to fragrance, prone to infections, or you’re hesitant about using a vulva cleanser in general (I was too!) I’d suggest purchasing the Sensitive Wash from Honey Pot first. If it causes you irritation, stop using it! It’s as simple as that.

⏳️Time to empty: I’ve gone through a few bottles of this, each lasting for two or three months with daily use. I apply just one pump.

Inspo Expo: Cherries & Wine, by Emily Taylor

Emily Taylor is an architectural engineer with an eye for interior design. She’s also my best friend. Below, her edit for this send’s Inspo Expo.

“Much like our beloved founder of &fini, I have many interests. I’ve always found furniture to be one of the most magnetic. As my dear friend Hannah and I navigate NYC together and move from apartment to apartment, we’re constantly faced with the challenge of decorating—or rather, re-decorating. If you don’t have the time or energy to study the laws of feng-shui, or the willpower to carry a dresser from Manhattan to Brooklyn, there are a few eye-catching details you can add to your home that are both elegant and practical. Below, some inspiration for your next space.

As the cherry blossoms come and go, we enter the peak of spring. Though you may assume the allure of the cherry tree departs with its blossoms, there lives a rich and warm-toned treasure inside its trunk—cherrywood. I’ve been lucky enough to work with this medium hands-on, including a piece of furniture I built last year: A cherrywood chair with a tasteful pink stripe cushion. Now that I’ve had this on display, I’ve experienced the new joy of watching the hues of the wood change with the season. So next time you’re DIY-ing a project or looking to invest in a timeless piece of furniture, consider looking for an item made from cherrywood.

No spring picnic or dinner party is complete without some refreshing vino. In our Brooklyn household, wine is an essential item, so naturally, I find joy in artfully displaying what we accumulate. With a lovely rack on hand, our collection of California Super Tuscans, international natural wines, and miscellaneous gifted bottles all have a safe space to gather. Once you have a unique display, it romanticizes the process of popping the cork. It’s pretty easy to find a funky steel rack, like our silver one seen above, on eBay and slip a dozen bottles for the next party. Cheers!” - Emily Taylor

Press play: My newfound obsession with Cleo Sol

I've been stuck in a music rut for longer than I care to admit. Fortunately, stumbling upon Cleo Sol’s tune has changed that. Her whispery, alluring sound is playing through my speaker as I write this, and has been for the last few weeks.

As a British singer-songwriter and the daughter of two jazz musicians, Cleo Sol carries on a legacy of talent while infusing her music with soul and subtle R&B elements.

Cleo Sol was featured on MTV's “Get To Know” in 2019, where she acknowledged the influence of soul singer Erykah Badu (another one of my current favorites).

At the moment, my favorite songs happen to be "Shine" and "Sunshine", but these tracks only scratch the surface of her remarkable body of work.

Next time you settle in with a glass of wine, I highly recommend pressing play on Spotify's "This Is Cleo Sol" playlist above.

Going Places: Cherry on Top

If you find yourself in Bushwick, Brooklyn anytime soon, treat yourself and visit Cherry on Top. This petite natural wine bar instantly transports you to a realm where intimate company is the first priority, allowing you to immerse yourself in good wine and even better conversations.

On warmer days, consider visiting the bar's upper-level patio, an ideal space to bask in the recently returned sun rays. For those planning a celebratory soiree, Cherry on Top also offers private event bookings—and this is one spot your guests will actually want to spend a Friday night (please stop inviting people to The Spaniard)!

Happy hour every day until 7 pm. <3

💌 Until next time

That’s all my sweet finis. Thanks for reading, I hope you love this newsletter as much as I do.