The Link Up: Em’s Highly Recommended Coming-Of-Age Show, Jess’ Good $40 Dupe Jelly Ballet Flats, And Product To Actually Reduce Your Screen Time

Happy Sunday, everyone! This week, we were still riding the high of our team retreat (thank you for your patience while we skipped a couple of days). But work was still done and the Portland team (potentially) did their last ... The post The Link Up: Em’s Highly Recommended Coming-Of-Age Show, Jess’ Good $40 Dupe Jelly Ballet Flats, And Product To Actually Reduce Your Screen Time appeared first on Emily Henderson.

May 25, 2025 - 10:05

The Link Up: Em’s Highly Recommended Coming-Of-Age Show, Jess’ Good $40 Dupe Jelly Ballet Flats, And Product To Actually Reduce Your Screen Time

Happy Sunday, everyone! This week, we were still riding the high of our team retreat (thank you for your patience while we skipped a couple of days). But work was still done and the Portland team (potentially) did their last big shoot week at the river house, which can only mean one thing…REVEALS! Until then, we hope you get a nice long weekend to have fun and/or relax. Now, to the links:)

This week’s house tour is the home of Christian Louboutin’s artistic director, designed by the interior design studio, Claves. It’s high luxury and extravagant, but also minimalistic at the same time? We also really love how the bedding was done. Go check it out here!

From Emily: I binged Forever this weekend on Netflix and loved it. It’s based on a Judy Blume novel, a coming-of-age story about two high school kids finding love amidst a lot of typical 2017 teenage conflicts. It deals with social media (there is an accidental sex tape involved) and pressures of college, race, losing virginity, parental expectation, navigating first love, etc. It’s super sweet and heartfelt – both teens are great actors with solid chemistry and seemingly a lot of shared love. The struggles of their parents navigating it all were compelling and relatable, too. Depending on your own values, I actually think its a great show for teens to watch with you – it doesn’t show anything too graphic, but the subject matters and messaging is all the stuff that is certainly coming up in their inner world and with their friends (and the messaging is good, IMHO). I mean, listen, they allude to oral sex and use the F word at times, so I’m not saying it’s great for 11-year-olds (our kids are too young). But I also stand firmly in the camp of “if you don’t talk to them about it, someone else is,” so we are really open in our family, and the kids are comfortable asking all the questions. Common Sense Media even says “age 14,” and we’ve found that site pretty conservative. That’s all to say, unlike Euphoria (which I’m still too scared to watch and frankly hope my kids never do), Forever feels fairly heartfelt and tame, about a first love relationship amidst college pressures and navigating being black in their more white educational worlds. I particularly loved the dad’s relationship with his son and the positive championing of the single mom and her daughter.

From Marlee: Sharing one of my favorite local brands this week – Primecut!! It’s a woman-owned and operated company that hand makes leather and shearling bags + accessories in their studio based in SE Portland. A good high quality leather bag is such a staple, but it’s hard to find ones that are fun colors that are still cute and well-made. Highly, highly recommend the next time you’re looking at investing in a bag. They also have tons of smaller goodies (I love their keychains and cardholders) if you’re looking for a lower price point (also makes a great gift!). For my PDX folks, stop by their shop next time you’re driving around SE Ash & Grand during the weekdays – they have a fantastic gift shop. Candles, ceramics, goodies, etc. Yay for shopping local:)

From Gretchen: A few weeks ago, we did a review post on pet hair remover gadgets, and this week, the winning tool reallllly came in handy. Our sweet, hairy Harvey boy strikes again! We’re back at the River House shooting some upcoming room reveals, and the amount of fur he leaves behind could easily make a blanket. But a few quick passes with the Black+Decker roller and it’s all gone! Definitely a must-have tool in my set bag for those hairy situations.

From Mallory: I recently got a copy of Dani Dazey’s new book, Maximalist, and it’s SUPER fun. If you don’t know her, she’s the designer of the Trixie Motel, and her style is so wild but awesome. I respect the amount of risk she takes so much. If you wanna check out her book, click here!

From Arlyn: Don’t you love it when you buy something thinking it’s one thing, but then it turns out to be not at all what you originally thought it was, but it’s actually (thankfully) so much better? I was in need of some new foundation for a more polished “going out” makeup look, so I grabbed what I believed to be foundation from E.l.f. at Ulta. Turns out, it was “glow liquid filter,” which really just means it’s something to put under or over your makeup (or on bare skin) for a glowy, filtered look. And it’s awesome. I’ve been mixing this into a more matte foundation I stopped using because I didn’t love the finish, and now it’s perfect. I also use it alone on days when my skin is behaving and sure, your partner might say, “Why is your face so shiny?” but ignore them and glow on, girl!

From Jess: If we aren’t getting influenced by Emily’s fashion, we’re likely getting influenced by our photographer Kailtin’s. She is that perfect mix of casual, fun, and a hint of trend. We got lucky enough to have her on our team retreat to take some photos, but mostly to hang:) So, of course, she had the cutest netted jelly flats on. As summer approaches and a week out from my vacation, I had to ask for the link. Now, they are dupes for The Row’s Mara flats. From what I can tell, they don’t sell them anymore, but many people are reselling them for over $1,000 (?!). Kaitlin found her’s on Amazon for $45, but Steve Madden and Urban also have options. We both have the clear version, but given how much I love them and don’t want to take them off, I’m really considering getting the red…

From Caitlin: Do you struggle with screen time? Is it hard to tear yourself away from your never-ending news feed? Are you merely minutes away from biologically becoming one with your phone? I’M WITH YOU, SISTER. My screen time limits were too easy to ignore, and I was on the verge of buying a dumb phone when I discovered Brick, an ACTUAL way to restrict those distracting apps on your phone without locking it in a timed box contraption. It’s simple: choose which apps you want to lock, tap your phone to your Brick (I keep mine in my car, for maximum inconvenience), and just like magic, you will be physically unable to access any problem apps – while maintaining functionality of all the apps you do need – until you tap your phone again. It’s been the best way to break my habit of doomscrolling Twitter, compulsively completing old NY Times crosswords, and generally feeling like I need to scream into the sun. They’re made by a small business, only $59, and it’s been the most transformative purchase of my year for both my time and mental health. BIG FAN, BRICK!

Thanks for reading and have a great (hopefully long) weekend. xx

Opening Image Credits: Photo by Kaitlin Green | From: My Fantasy Craft Room Is DONE – The Full Reveal Of The Art Barn/Craft Shed Happens TODAY

The post The Link Up: Em’s Highly Recommended Coming-Of-Age Show, Jess’ Good $40 Dupe Jelly Ballet Flats, And Product To Actually Reduce Your Screen Time appeared first on Emily Henderson.