Shopping Cart: Warby Parker

Jasper in Orange Fizz

Hello, New York City! How are you guys enjoying today's weather? Mr. Sun finally decided to peek out from the clouds after days of dreary rain and cloud cover, but he won't be out for long: tomorrow's forecast includes a 100% chance of rain (boo!).

With summer in full swing, it's important to protect yourself while out and about on a sunny day. This applies not only to wearing sunscreen (which yes, you should be wearing), but to wearing sunglasses and protecting your eyes as well. No, sunnies aren't just a fashionable accessory to hide your gaze behind and protect you from the eyes of onlookers. As a matter of fact, exposing your eyes on an accumulation of glaringly sunny days can contribute to Cataracts and other eye conditions (NYT).

So in an attempt to prevent you from developing early-onset Cataracts, get a pair of sunglasses stat. My brand of choice is the ever-wonderful Warby Parker, an eyewear retailer that is heavily seasoned with social entrepreneurship spices. Like TOMS, for every pair of glasses purchased (prescription & non-prescription), WP provides an additional pair for someone in need.

If WP's golden heart of giving won't sell you, then you probably haven't seen their fantastic collection of glasses and sunglasses, which can be purchased with or without prescription lenses. Warby Parker gets a 5-star rating for customer service in my book, and I would choose a WP pair over Ray-Bans any day. Plus, at an affordable $95 price, you can afford to buy a different pair for every day of the summer.

Everett in Bellini

Robinson in Revolver Black Matte

For the Guys: Rutherford in Brushed Granite

iOS 7

Did you watch the live broadcast of Apple's Keynote this morning? I hope you did, it was really great. But if you didn't, you can watch it here in full-length.

I tuned in just as they were introducing iOS 7, so here is my iOS 7 Top 5:
1. Siri can be a male! And can speak French! and German!
2. AirDrop is an easy new way to share photos (among other things) with your nearby pals "without having to go around the room 'bumping' people"
3. Photos are now categorized in "moments" which is two steps up from uncategorized photos intermingling with each other
4. Apple took a page from Spotify and Pandora with iTunes Radio, from which you can directly purchase a song that you like, as well as create your own stations just as you can on Spotify
5. Control Center is incredibly accessible and features a built-in flashlight as well as volume, Do Not Disturb, and Airplane Mode controls

iOS 7 will be available to users this Fall (CAN'T WAIT! CAN YOU TELL I'M EXCITED?)

I'm also anticipating the new Macbook Air (!!!) which is in the running for acquisition along with the new iPad. Also: the iPhone 5s is coming in colors and has a slightly bigger screen than the 5 without super-sizing the device like our Samsung friends are known to do.

How to Spend Your Next Paycheck: A Guide on Spending Every Cent You Earn

Just got paid? Excellent.
Feeling rich and can't wait to cash in your paycheck and roll around in Benjamins? Hold that thought.

1. Take your total income, and multiply it by .3: that's how much you're going to save. Put half aside into a savings account (I use Ally) and the other half into your Roth IRA. Don't have one? Get one. You'll thank me later (Much later).

2. Pay your bills: Phone, credit card, rent, all that jazz.

3. Buy enough food to last you two weeks/ Budget how much you'll need to feed yourself until you get paid next

4. Indulge in e-commerce. Some things I'm eyeing:

1. Saturday by Kate Spade Bibbed Perfect Day Shirt; 2. Rebecca Minkoff Craig Camera Bag; 3. Botkier Honoré Crossbody; 4. Freda Salvador See in Chestnut

Cures for a "Meh" Kind of Day

1. Food: Whatever you're craving. Seamless was created for a reason. Go for it, order that whole cheesecake: you deserve it.

2. ...I can't think of anything else that you can directly control.

But yes, food. The one and only panacea for every day of the week.

I'm going to go make some cake.

Tools for an Excellent Day

It's a summery Sunday and I am stranded in "happening" Queens where I live across the street from Nicki Minaj's house and regularly visit the world-class museums down the street. (Just kidding, I do not live across the street from Nicki Minaj and there are no museums in my part of town)

Seeing that I've been spending a lot of time at home because a) I have nowhere to go, and b) no money to do things, I've drafted what would make for an excellent day in Julia-land...

1. An Excellent Cup of Coffee: The best coffee that I've ever had was in South Hadley. Thirsty Mind's Caramel Lattés are juice for the Gods. They are smooth, not too sweet, at a perfect temperature, and taste more perfect than any Starbucks or Rao's caramel latté I've ever had. However, I once had a really good soy caramel latté from Starbucks but my subsequent one tasted nasty. Thirsty Mind gets it right every time. EVERY TIME, ladies and gents.
   

   Tools for an Excellent Day, No. 00002: An excellent soy caramel latté
   — Julia Lu (@juliamlu) June 2, 2013



2. Excellent Weather: After careful consideration, I've concluded that my perfect summer temperature is 82 degrees. However, anything between 74 and 85 would qualify as excellent weather, given that there are no T-storms, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, or nor'easters to ruin my day.
3. A Good Ensemble: I say "good" because "great" ensembles are meant for galas, nights on the town, fancy parties, and all that jazz. I find that it's a general rule to wear a "good" outfit on the reg. Good ensembles are comfortable, make you happy, and make you feel good. They're not too casual but not flashy or high-maintenance. It's an outfit that you can throw on and know that you look good without having to look in the mirror.
4. A Comfortable Train Ride: My favorite thing about taking the train is that I always use that time to read (unless I'm accompanied by a friend in which case that would be terribly rude). As much as I enjoy reading, whenever I do so during my free time, I feel as if I had wasted the day reading. That being said, I really enjoy reading while travelling by bus or by train because I don't have to set aside time to read, and commutes to the city are a good hour long. So yes, a comfortable train ride in a sparsely crowded car with proper temperatures, and a good book. I really like the E train.
5. Memorable Food: Whether it's a tea-time snack at Rose House, an excellent meal at a favorite restaurant, the best Cobb salad you've ever had, or any delicious dessert, good food is a key characteristic of a really good day. One of the best feelings is consuming something that is so good that you can't stop thinking about it for longer than you'd be willing to admit. 
6. Good Company: I could do any combination of things on my own, but being able to spend some quality time with a friend is always A+. I especially enjoy sharing meals with someone which is something that I learned to appreciate while at Mount Holyoke. Meals were a time where you didn't have to worry about a bill and could catch up with old friends over good food. As long as I can take the train by myself, I'm as happy as a clam.
7. A Quality Purchase: Of course, this isn't a necessity for an excellent day, but that one item that you just can't stop obsessing over and looks great on you is something that you definitely need to snatch up. This item is something that you don't typically find everyday. It's a quality item, can be a little pricey, but it makes you smile and feel fantastic. However, it can't be overshadowed by many purchases because it will seem less special amongst your collection of new acquisitions.