A Thing or Two with Claire and Erica

We love hot industry intel and gossip! Of all industries, really! And when it comes to the land of hyaluronic acid, celeb makeup lines, and derm backlash, no one gives it better than Jill Dunn and Carlene Higgins of the Breaking Beauty Podcast. But before we go deeeeeep down that rabbithole, we need to answer one pressing question: What looks will Cam be working for fall 2020?!   What’s Cam wearing this fall?! Some combination of babyGap (beware of baby vanity sizing!!!), Petit Bateau, Búho, Emile et Ida, Bobo Choses, Oeuf, Poudre Organic, Lewis, Tinycottons, and Patagonia (this vest!). For these brands and lots more, Claire’s all about scraping the sale sections on Smallable, Scandiborn, and Melijoe. And when it comes to shoes: Native, AF1s, Air Jordans, and Timberlands, scuffed-up ideally.   To get so much more of Jill and Carlene, subscribe to the Breaking Beauty Podcast.   Scientists giving their clean-beauty takes: Dr. Michelle Wong (@labmuffinbeautyscience), Stephen Ko (@kindofstephen), and Jen Novakovich (@theecowell).   Some makeup/beauty things having a pandemic moment: LoveSeen fake lashes, Foreo microcurrent bear, root cover-up powders from Color Wow and Clairol, and Christophe Robin temporary hair color.   Splashy new launches: Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, Makeup by Mario, One/Size by Patrick Starrr, and Forvr Mood by Jackie Aina.   Skincare ingredients in masks! But of course! Check out The HydraFacial Company's FaceLife copper-infused masks and YoRo Naturals' zinc masks and Masque Bar’s hydrogel masks specifically to wear under PPE.   WOC-owned brands to watch (and founders to follow!): Uoma Beauty, founded by Sharon Chuter, who started #PullUpForChange; Cheekbone Beauty, from the Canadian Indigenous  founder Jenn Harper; Ami Colé, which is pre-launch and founded by the Glossier and L'Oréal alum Diarrha N'Diaye. Oh, and the derm Dr. Alexis Stephens, too.    For more on colorism and skin-lightening, check out Priya Rao’s Unfair podcast for Glossy.   Affordable and efficacious skincare: Maelove, Good (Skin) Days, Inn Beauty Project, Everyday Humans, and Versed.   Waterless beauty—COOL. OWA Haircare and aN-Hydra Skincare are making big moves, and we’re big fans of the Odacité Green Ceremony Cleanser.   Companies doing good stuff around refillable packaging and recycling: Terracycle, Tata Harper and their new Waterlock Moisturizer, Kjaer Weis, Clé de Peau Beauté, Charlotte Tilbury, and Native.   The 2020 ingredient: Niacinamide.   Skinfluencers worth following: Caroline Hirons, Skincare by Hyram, DermAngelo, and, but of course, Dr. Sandra Lee (aka Dr. Pimple Popper).   Call us! 833-632-5463! DM us! @athingortwohq! KIT, basically.   Get online migraine relief—and 50% off your first month of medication—with Cove. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

You know, it feels like we haven’t asked each other “So, how are you doing? Really?” in a bit, and we’re taking this podcast as an opportunity to do that. We get into pandemic socializing, news-consumption, and soup-making. Recommended pairing for this ep: a walk.   A couple NYC-specific food things helping us get by: Pierless Fish for seafood and For All Things Good for masa for Claire’s taco nights.   Chris’s new desk, and Thomas’s recent read Hate Inc. that’s informing Erica’s media consumption.   The gray-on-gray-on-gray Birkenstock shearling clogs Claire scored, and the Hobonichi planner that’s keeping Erica’s 2021 mood up.   It’s (coconut-milk) soup weather, ok? Erica’s making coconut curry noodle soup from The Woks of Life, coconut corn soup from Smitten Kitchen, and curried lentil, tomato, coconut soup by Yotam Ottolenghi.   For running in the cold, Claire recommends a Patagonia down hoody and neck gaiter, a Uniqlo down vest, and Yaktrax for snow/ice. Also, The Strategist has a good guide by temp, and Runner’s World will give you gearing-up recs based on the conditions.   For more of this sort of thing, do you know about Secret Menu?   And! You can always, always get us at 833-632-5463 and @athingortwohq.   Get that good skin with Rory’s nightly defense treatment for only $5. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Our doctor visits are your doctor visits! Or something! Kidding aside-ish, we figured sharing our recent mammogram and colonoscopy experiences might make them at least a smidge less anxiety-inducing for you, and we’re very here for that. Join us on our healthcare journeys, won’t you?    We love voicemails (833-632-5463)! We love DMs (@athingortwohq)! We love reviews! About milk pouches, gallon challenges, or anything at all!   Some guidance on when to start getting mammograms: 40 per the Mayo Clinic, 45 per the American Cancer Society, and 50 per the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. So: a real talk-to-your-doctor type of situation!   Some guidance on when to start getting colorectal screenings: 45 per the American Cancer Society. (But ya know: Ask your dr.)   Fancy Brodo bone broth for colonoscopy prep or just, like, life!     Colonics: still having a moment (we guess?).   Breast self-exams! The "Touch Your Tits" vid from Mae Ryan and Mona Chalabi is a great how-to   If you like what you heard here and want more, Secret Menu is for you.   Check out Erin Williams Art for prints that start at $35. Try out the shea-butter-based products from Overlooked Beauty.   YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

HEY, we’re back from hiatus! And like everyone else, we’re stressing (spiraling?) about the election constantly. This week, we’re talking to Adair Ford Boroughs about what it’s like to actually be on the ticket—she’s the very impressive and overqualified Democratic candidate running for Congress in South Carolina’s Second District—and our big plans for election day (spoiler: bein’ poll workers).   Gah, we’ve missed you! Have you missed us? KIT with voicemails (833-632-5463) and IG direct messages (@athingortwohq), huh? And join Secret Menu even.   We’re volunteering to be poll workers. Do you wanna do it, too?! Check out some stats about the typical poll-worker demo (spoiler: high Covid risk!) via NPR and a very useful IG story from Helen Rosner about her experience doing this in past years.    Snuffleupagus getting nosy in the voting booth during a 1957 episode of Sesame Street. (And, bless, he is still on the show!)   Dig into all of the many ways you can support Adair Ford Boroughs and her run for Congress. Donate! Phone or text bank! Share her campaign videos! Whether or not you’re in South Carolina!    Another big South Carolina race to watch and support: Jaime Harrison for Senate.   Give the Caviar app a go and get $10 off your food order of $20 or more with the code ATHINGORTWO. Try Inner Workout for some genuine self-care—the code ATHINGORTWO gets you 15% off. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

The two of us are calling our reps, donating money, consuming so much news, researching our primary candidates...and also rethinking where we spend our money and the businesses that warrant our support. We have SO MANY THOUGHTS. Also: We’re giving a free ad spot a week to a Black-owned business. If you’re interested, drop us a line at podcast@claireanderica.com!   The linkage:   The Who? Weekly episode intro that really spoke to us.   Check out the 15 Percent Pledge, which the Brother Vellies designer Aurora James started to urge major retailers to pledge 15% of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses. But it applies to consumers, too!   Some places to find more Black-owned businesses to support: Instagram highlights (1, 2, and 3) from Erica, a spreadsheet compiled by Lingua Franca, restaurant spreadsheets via Helen Rosner’s IG, Julee Wilson’s list of 125 beauty brands, Black-Owned Brooklyn, Shoppe Black, banks (and many other businesses!) from Amira Rasool’s IG.   The Harvard Business School 2014 working paper "The State of Small Business Lending" that we cite a bunch.   For some abysmal venture-funding stats, read the Techcrunch article "US VC Investment in Female Founders Hits All-Time High" and this Forbes piece that breaks down dollars for Black and Latinx women.   This Onion headline (and whole story) about private equity!!!   We’re all about shifting online book purchases to Bookshop.org.   Get in touch! On Instagram at @athingortwohq or via phone at 833-632-5463.   Head to BiblioLifestyle for A+ book recs, and subscribe today to get their summer reading guide. Check out the stunning pottery from Lolly Lolly Ceramics, and get on the email list to be first to hear about restocks. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Talk about thrilling: We have a bonafide icon on today’s ep. We’re talking to Mickey Drexler—who spearheaded Gap and J.Crew in their heydays and is now helping make magic happen at Alex Mill—about how he works and just plain does his days. But first: sweet potatoes, which aren’t boring, ok?   The linkage:   Three recipes for exciting sweet potatoes! Ones loaded with lentils, citrus, and feta, ones topped with tahini butter, and ones baked into a (paleo) bread. And one non-recipe: almond butter and seasoned rice vinegar mixed into a sauce and topped with furikake.   Mickey Drexler’s latest retail undertaking (led by his son, Alex Drexler!) is Alex Mill. We love it. Erica wears these and this all the time, Claire can often be spotted in this and this, and just about everybody sweats these.   When it comes to meditating, Mickey is into Hamsa and Transcendental Meditation.   A home-goods business Mickey likes: Snowe.   Wow, do we get psyched about voicemails: 833-632-5463!   Yay!   Produced by Dear Media

Reading newsletters and doing ironing—two indoor-kid activities no doubt! Ok, seriously, though, take care of yourselves, find some good distractions, and maybe try to get some fresh air? The linkage:   Claire bought a full-size ironing board by Brabantia and highly endorses it, and Erica has this hook thingy to hang her ironing board on that she thinks is just great.   The most ironing-enthusiastic person in our world—Claire’s mom—swears by the Miele Rotary Iron (a.k.a. a mangle) for sheets/linens and the LauraStar ironing system (um, as featured in Parasite?!).   To avoid ironing jeans: dryer balls, like these from Heart Felt and these from Food52.   Ok, newsletters! Here are allllll of the ones we love: The Ann Friedman Weekly, Girls’ Night In, Shelter, This Week in Scams, Garden Variety, Here for It w/ R. Eric Thomas (same name as his new book), Why is this interesting?, Cassandra Daily, Well To Do, Deez Links, Quartz Daily Obsession, The New Consumer, Sehat, The Examined Life (from the author of The New Better Off), The Noah Kalina Newsletter (sidenote: Noah’s self-portrait project), Oversharing, Five Things I Ate, and Read Like the Wind.   Voicemails! Love ‘em! Leave ‘em! 833-632-5463. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Geez, does Marisa Meltzer know how to get the wheels turning. We talk to her about her shiny new book This Is Big, which digs deep into dieting, wellness, feminism, body positivity, and the intersection of those topics—and also about friendship and snacks. Much to discuss, you see. But first! A truly odd (if entertaining) NYC campaign we didn’t want you to miss.   The linkage:   If you somehow want more on the Billy Never Idles campaign, well, here you go.   Read Marisa’s book, This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World (and Me)! Do it!   Jean Nidetch’s NYT obit from 2015—and the whole Overlooked No More obit project.   A wonderful article Marisa wrote a while back for Elle about diets + feminism.   We enthusiastically endorse Katie Sturino’s Boob Sweat podcast. Marisa shouts-out this interview with CeCe Olisa in particular.   Let’s talk about SNACKS real quick: Graham crackers (with cream cheese, covered in chocolate, or as part of an #indoorsmore situation), The Daily Crave smoked gouda lentil chips, and Tapatio Doritos.   Produced by Dear Media

Two things we love: 1) women’s bodies 2) problem-solving. So imagine our delight when we discovered that MoMA Design Store put together a whole freaking beautiful, educational, and useful pop-up around Design Innovations for Women. In partnership with the MoMA Design Store team, we sat down with Chay Costello and Alex Glaser, the buyers responsible for spearheading this initiative who, yes, also happen to be work wives. We talk menstruation, motherhood, menopause—and you bet your vulvas we asked what it’s like to discuss these topics at the office.    The linkage:   You can shop MoMA Design Store’s groundbreaking Design Innovations for Women pop-up online and at their Soho store in NYC until September 27. So, so, sooo good.   A couple of previous podcast eps relevant to this conversation: Pledging to Shop Better and What to Expect When Claire’s Expecting.   Michelle Obama’s recent pod ep on menopause—definitely worth a listen.   A few of Claire’s personal faves in the Design Innovations for Women mix: the Elvie Kegel Smart Trainer and the Haakaa Generation 2 Breast Pump.    For more on Chay Costello, Alex Glaser, and the MoMA Design Store merchandising team, hit up 99U.   Some things and people Chay and Alex looked to as they pulled together this pop-up: Sssh! Periods podcast, Dame’s reusable tampon applicator (available in the UK!), Darcey Steinke’s   Flash Count Diary: Menopause and the Vindication of Natural Life, Michelle Fisher’s Designing Motherhood project at MFA Boston, designer of the first bike saddle for women Georgena Terry, designers of the first sports bra (the Jogbra!) Lisa Lindahl and Polly Smith, Womanly magazine, The Unmentionables podcast from Nyssa, and the pelvic-floor physical therapist Sara Reardon a.k.a. @the.vagina.whisperer.   Just a handful of the almost 50 products part of this design movement v. worth checking out: Aisle Period Undies Boxer Brief, TOP The Organic Project Cotton Tampons with Plant-Based Applicator, DivaCup, Elvie Double Breast Pump, The Period Game, Penny Pack First Period Kit, and MoMA Champion Sports Bra.   Leave us reviews, voicemails (833-632-5463), IG direct messages (@athingortwohq)!   We’re going to be on hiatus for the next few weeks! We’ll be re-airing some recent greatest hits, but if you miss us deep in your bones, might we direct you to Secret Menu?   Try out the Caviar app—you get $10 off your food order of $20 or more with the code ATHINGORTWO. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media

Yes, we like white walls and pale wood, but our eyes need some *excitement* these days, and we have a whole bunch of ways to give ‘em what they require (without going full Gigi Hadid maximalist). Also worth adding to your “Hues You Can Use” moodboard: just about everything in Kacey Musgraves’s merch shop.    The linkage:   More where this came from c/o Secret Menu! (Click-y name, right?!)   All hail Merch Queen Kacey Musgraves! This longsleeve tee, this velvet poster, her Boy Smells collab Slow Burn candle (and companion Burn in a Hurry lighter), the Lonely Weekend Self-Care Kit, High Time rolling papers, an ugly Christmas sweater, and faux snow (but of course?).   Breaking August news: Kacey’s Christmas album really is so good (and can we talk about this Dolly Parton holiday album announcement?!).   Some of the places we’re getting our colorful interior inspiration: Tina Seidenfaden Busck’s The Residence, Matilda Goad, Justina Blakeney, Ellen van Dusen’s Brooklyn home, Beata Heuman, Laurel Broughton’s Echo Park house, Luis Barragán, and Tony Duquette.   Claire has a green couch! That she loves! It’s the Clad Home Dawson Sleeper in Klein Emerald.   Erica has one (1) wall of wallpaper! She’s obsessed! It’s Josef Frank’s Paradiset.   Tabletop stuff! Wolfum trays, bright taper candles, Opinel steak knives.   Colorful glassware! Lateral Objects, R+D.Lab, Estelle Colored Glass, Keane.   Furniture! The Inside, Inside Weather, Hay, Eric Trine / Amigo Modern, Interior Define.   Ceramics! Studio Hecha, Raina Lee, Concrete Cat, Russel Wright, Fiestaware, Year & Day, Massimo Vignelli for Heller, Raawii.   Lights! La Veste, Eo Ipso, Casa Cosima, Commune.   Textiles! Hillery Sproatt, Dusen Dusen, Aelfie, Tantuvi, Cold Picnic, Society of Wanderers, Marimekko, Bolé Road Textiles.   Paint! Clare, Backdrop, Farrow & Ball.   Related: the Farrow & Ball New Yorker story.   If you want more on colorful home stuff, check our ep with our trade-show recap.   We’re here for your thoughts: DMs to @athingortwohq, voicemails at 833-632-5463, or reviews of this podcast are always welcome.    Check out the powerful MoMA Design Store Design Innovations for Women pop-up. Listen to Michelle Obama’s wonderful new podcast on Spotify. Try out Rory’s nightly defense skincare treatment for only $5. YAY.   Produced by Dear Media