A Few Things With Claire And Erica

A new day calls for new Thingies with Priya Rao, executive editor of The Business of Beauty at BoF and creator of the Glossy narrative skin-lightening podcast Unfair. But first: a camelid costume contest. Priya’s beauty-centric Thingies include 111 Skin Eye Lift Gel NAC Y²™, Augustinus Bader The Rich Cream, Ilia Limitless Mascara , and Half Magic’s Glitter Pill. Her non-beauty Thingies? Cadets shorts for her kiddo (Claire also loves Billie Blooms), Lovevery Play Kits, The West Wing (and, ok, Felicity, Joy Ride, and Past Lives). Bonus reccomendations: the Sherri Papini story (coming soon in doc form), Scamanda, My Husband by Maud Ventura, and The Retrievals.  Do you have new Thingies? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Help out your hair with Nutrafol. Take $15 off your first month’s subscription with the code ATHINGORTWO. Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. Head back to school with an MBA from The Georgia Tech Scheller College of Busine

The oddness of mood boards, some back-to-school content, and one heck of a food journey, featuring international ice cream, dream potato-chip collaborations, and dip delicacies worth dealing with baggage claim. Buckle in!  Erica loves Word. notebooks, and Claire is all about the MochiThings checklist ones.   Some foods discussed: Magnum Double Starchaser, Jon and Vinny’s house salad, the 40 Aprons creamy clam dip recipe, Tenayo bean dip, Brothers Products black bean chipotle hummus, NYT's vegan onion dip recipe, and Gwyneth’s black bean recipe. This AIGA Eye on Design story by Elizabeth Goodspeed had us reconsidering the mood board.  Decoupage! Some of our favorite pieces are ones by Michelle Kim (see also: Kneeland Co.), John Derian, Joseph Heidecker, and Quintana Partners. See also: all the good stuff on Chairish. And, PSA: Mod Podge makes dishwasher-safe gloss and has incredible branding in general. Share how you do your to-do lists with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—

Coming at you today, a 2022 favorite starring two topics we’re still struggling with: So you picked a travel destination…and then what? We’re sharing the (only somewhat insane!) steps we take and the resources we love for planning a vacation. Also: Let’s spend a moment discussing the late nineties/early aughts trends that are re-catching our eyes and the ones we think we won’t wear again.  Some reflections on the Miu Miu skirt ℅ this NYT article “Brief Encounters With a Micro Miniskirt.”  When thinking about trip-planning, this Harvard Busiess Review article on "The Hidden Traps in Decision Making" and this installment of Val Monroe’s newsletter came to mind. We love scoping out hotels on Welcome Beyond, Tablet Hotels, iescape, and Mr. & Mrs. Smith (hot tip, their write-ups of what to do nearby will also point you toward good sites, shops, and restaurants). We also check out the press section on a hotel’s website, see if they’ve won any awards (which led Erica to amazingplaces.cz for Czech Republic rec

Make sure to double-knot your shoes because we’re running through a bunch of activewear brands, morning baths, kale phones, butter money, and COTC (corn on the cob, clearly). You can read more about Vuori’s lore in Courier (and try out their Pose fitted polo, Daydream drew, and All the Feels bra for yourself). Other workout wear of interest: Splits59 (specifically their Raquel flared leggings), Wilson (how ‘bout these Wynne pleated pants and the pleated court short?), Tracksmith ( their Article One running sunglasses collab!), District Vision, Satisfy, On, Tory Sport, and Sweaty Betty. Curious about cool sports stores? We’ve heard good things about Distance in Paris, we love FrontRunners in L.A., and we have to hand it to Pete Carlson Golf and Tennis in Palm Desert for going *deep*.  The everything shower! Consider this reel from The Everygirl your primer.  If you’re looking to limit your oblivion time, check out the OneSec app…or consider the cocaine/kale phone, via George Mack by way of Trung Phan. Also,

Get in, bitch, we’re going…to talk all about cars, with a sprinkling of Thingies that are regrettably worth it.  Some regrettably worth it submissions from IG (and our brains) include Skims (related from The Cut), sleep consultants for toddlers, law school, putting your phone in another room after 8 p.m., professional framing, going to Ikea, getting your shoes repaired at Leather Spa (see also: New York Sneaker Society), peeling chickpeas, and stretching.  Do you love car washes as much as Kris Jenner, who compared the experience to Disneyland? Car accessories that peak our interest include the car trash can, car tweezers, elevated car air fresheners (featuring DS and Durga, Three Potato Four, L:A Bruket, and Hello Adrienne), and, last but *certainly* not least, CarLashes. Meghan Palmer’s That's so Interesting Newsletter gave us some great insights into car conversations. What are your favorite car listens—songs, audiobooks, all of it? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @at

We share our (hot?) takes on stickers and The Notebook; we share yours on your younger selves and Pioneer Day. This week’s past-selves quotes come to you via Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didian and this profile of Ryan Gosling in GQ by Zach Baron. The Notebook—James Marsden also has thoughts, ℅ this W mag profile by Evan Ross Katz. Related-ish: Roger Ebert’s own love story ​​"Roger loves Chaz." Stickers! Sandylion on Etsy, @stickerarchive, Red Bubble's nineties collection, and the Xyron Create-A-Sticker, for starters.  Let us know if you’re watching 1883 at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva!  This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may have a direct, or indirect financial interest in products, or services referred to in this episode. Try professional counseling with BetterHelp and take 10% off your first month with our link. Find wellness on your next stay at Westin. Level-up your ga

Today we’re diving into *your* Instagram Thingies submissions, rain clogs (yes, again), parenting stuff, and—wait for it—cotton-candy burritos.  We learned about cotton-candy burritos via Amy Sedaris’s wonderfully random IG account. Who’s opening that Creamberry franchise?  Two most popular Thingies right now: Checking out cookbooks from the library and the Owala FreeSip water bottle. Speaking of beverages, y’all have many ideas, including ice-cold Lillet Blanc with frozen orange slices, a Hugo spritz (prosecco + elderflower + soda water), a homemade Arnold Palmer, and a matcha lemonade (a close personal friend of said Arnold Palmer).  Re: golf, Malbon’s collab with Nike (see also: Laura Reilly’s Magasin newsletter). Re: rain clogs, Calzuros, for your consideration. And do we all know about the AIGA Eye on Design blog? In your good-news corner: Brentwood Country Mart’s celebration of Ninja Dave's retirement from UPS. Related: that Man Repeller style profile of their USPS guy, Aubrey Dowridge. CORN! SeaVe

This week, we’re talking all things PMS and the many, many joy-givers in our lives. Shout-out to this ep’s sponsor, Jubilance, the most advanced scientific PMS mood relief supplement. Yes, that’s a thing—one that you can try by heading on over to jubilance.com/AThingOrTwo or using the coupon code ATHINGORTWO at checkout. Kicking things off strong with the TikTok Taylor Swift Albums as Period Flows Pt. 2, which reminds us how major it was when Kotex used red liquid instead of blue and when Always got a ton of credit for showing…a red dot (more on the bluid from The Atlantic).  PMS can get worse as you age—and is tied to mental health stuff. More on that from Health.com and Romper. Happy, happy vs. joy, joy?? Reading c/o a Psychology Today interview with Dr. Pamela King, Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness by Ingrid Fetell Lee by, and Inciting Joy by Ross Gay.  The hot bunny account: @officialaqibra. What brings YOU joy? Share with us at  833-632-5463, podcast@

Coming through with some thoughts on the intersection of friendship and ambition, covered wagon core (not to be confused with cottagecore!), and ~summer movies~. Following up on our Wilder conversation, we’d like to discuss covered wagon core. See Kim K.’s CR Fashion Book spread “The Pioneer Woman,” Rudy Jude, Salter House, and making jam.  Re: actual covered wagons, Conestoga does a luxe wagon and a bar wagon, both, and Pioneer Woman has a roundup of campgrounds with covered wagons. Rainesford Stauffer’s “We Should Be Ambitious About Our Friendships” for Elle sparked our convo about friendship ambition—she’s also the author of An Ordinary Age: Finding Your Way in a World That Expects Exceptional and the new All the Gold Stars: Reimagining Ambition and the Ways We Strive.  We love this tweet about friendship discussion agendas. As for books, this topic calls to mind Courtney Martin’s The New Better Off, Kayleen Schaefer’s Text Me When You Get Home, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman’s Big Friendship, and Hua H

Cottage cheese, pimento cheese, and us bringing our trademark cheese??? Cottage cheese—"whey cool," per the WSJ; a forever classic, per us. Skip the TikTok recipes and try this savory Bon Appétit salad or this (also BA) horseradish dip. If you’re in NYC, get yourself to Dimes for the breakfast Papaya D’Lite. (Somehow related: charred Mexican zucchini recipe.) Calling all pimento cheeseheads: We rec Callie’s and Zingerman’s, wanna try this NYT Cooking frittata, and got a real history lesson from Serious Eats.  It’s a life-hackathon, and the winners are the sticker produce thing, Option-Shift-Command-V and keeping stain remover in the bedroom (see also: Miss Mouth’s, savon de Marseille, and Soak). All hail long vacation lunches! If you happen to be in Paris, get yourself to Glou and Mokonuts. Some community Thingies submitted via our Instagram: Taylor Swift Lyric Sporcles, Famous Amos cookies (um, this, ℅ the History Channel!), and the Nili Lotan Brady tee (file under: regrettably worth it).  What’s regre

It’s time to revisit some ghosts of podcasts past, from rain clogs to private creative practices to an incredibly detailed review of an electric flosser.  Our discussion of fun sports experiences is ongoing thanks to the Savannah Bananas, an exhibition baseball team that’s a must-follow on Instagram and TikTok. More on their founding story via WBUR.  A morning-pages follow-up: Wendy MacNaughton created a DrawTogether 30-day Drawing Habit Experiment Challenge as a visual companion/alt. A quick hospice aside: Check out her forthcoming book How to Say Goodbye and the new release The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life's Final Moments by Hadley Vlahos R.N.   A IG Thingies contributor recommended Plasticana mules as a summer rain shoe. And speaking of summer moisture, our listener Carly suggests battling mosquitos with Tougher than Tom Mosquito TNT. Report back? On a private writing—or any creative!—practice, this Hanif Abdurraqib’s tweet thread. Looking for a gift? May we suggest some of the ite

Another 2022 crowd-pleaser coming at you! We road-tested a whole slew of the Thingies recent guests recommended, and we have much to share! Join us for this and some extremely entertaining voicemails responding to our question “What’s the sorority version of ‘praise and polish?’” From our episode with Rumaan Alam, Claire was inspired to listen to the audiobook version of Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe, and Erica has been using Fitbod (but only doing the exercises she wants to).  Thanks to Harling Ross Anton’s recs, Erica’s gotten indigestion aid from Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice (DGL).  Claire took Kelly Wright’s suggestion and subscribed to Ronny’s Seltzer (which is a great supplement to her at-home Aarke seltzer maker).  Erica’s been very into Jessica DeFino’s The Unpublishable newsletter, which Val Monroe raved about. A great installment to start with: Bella Hadid's Old Nose. Related content: The Glossy Podcast and the newsletter After School. Whose Thingies picks do you want to hear? Let us know at

It’s time to soothe your mind about summer (salad) dressing stress! Also, we talk the ideal American sporting event and overhosting, a term that speaks to us more than we’d like.    Some dressings for summer and really whenever: Via Carota’s, Toro Bravo's, and Kewpie’s BUT FROM JAPAN. Both Mark Bittman and Samin Nosrat do a strong miso-mustard, and our no-recipe recipes are a honey-mustard (just honey, French’s yellow, red-wine vinegar, and olive oil) and the never-fail combo of ketchup, mayo, Old Bay, lemon, and salt.    Re: minor-league (and G league) sports, more on the short-lived Pizza Rats c/o the New York Post.    If you’re magnesium-curious, look into the ones from Moon Juice, Calm, and ReMag.    What makes a summer dressing to you? Let us know at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Grab a Secret Menu membership for all the recommendations. This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisements for products and services. Individuals on the show may hav

Can we spend a little time talking about creativity and exercise, including how our takes on both are feeling surprisingly similar these days? GREAT. Let’s get into.   For more on morning pages, we direct you to The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. And, a book that comes up a lot despite our mixed feelings about it: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.    A YouTube vid Erica followed to write a novel, as recommended by Mary HK Choi.   Some workout wardrobe staples include unitards—check out Girlfriend Collective and Héros—and the posture-correcting sports bra from Forme (more from Fast Company).   If you need a work-out pep talk, you can always count on Coach Bennett. (And while we’re here: Thanks for programming this ep, ​​Sarah.)   How do you keep going with exercise? Are you a morning-pages person? Let us know at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! Grab a Secret Menu membership for more, more recommendations. This episode may contain paid endorsements and advertisement

We’ve been graced with Thingies from Mattie Kahn, the author of wonderful new book Young and Restless, all about the teenage girls who have fueled America’s biggest-deal social movements. But first: bugs.    Some great bug-repelling options include Gardner FlyWeb Fly Light Classic, LIV by Thermacell, Neepa Huts, Lygfzf screens, Bluefeel Kruca Camping Fan, and incense c/o Fredericks & Mae, Rinnesha (put it in a kayari buta!), and Madison James.   Young and Restless—the perfect read for right now…or any time.   Mattie’s Thingies include Sunday-morning newsletter review time (ft. Lauren Sherman’s Line Sheet, Becky Malinsky’s 5 Things You Should Buy, Hunter Harris’s Hung Up, Eater’s Add To Cart, and Rachel Tashjian Wise's Opulent Tips), Frog Hollow Farm (um, a Battle of the Peaches Box!), Salt & Straw ice cream deliveries, the Forsyth skirt by Kallmayer, and Saie Glowy Super Gel.   Have Thingies you NEED to tell us about? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or

Sound your alarms! Today we’re rounding up alarm clock suggestions from our listeners, dedicating a much-needed 15 minutes to talk about gummy candy, and incorporating some new lingo into our (ever-evolving?) vocabs.   Alarm clocks suggested by our listeners include Lexon Cubissimo (shoutout to Sarah in our Geneva!) and Flip+ Travel. Also, how genius is having a NIGHT PHONE!?! (

For your consideration, we’re (re-)sharing some thoughts about buying things, including a letter of recommendation for shopping in person and takes on sourcing made-in-America products and acquiring things while traveling. One of our greatest-hit episodes of 2022!   If you’re interested in the idea of One Fit February (or the less alliterative One Fit April), score yourself some cool points and check out this installment of the Blackbird Spyplane’s newsletter by Jonah Weiner.   A rundown of some cool made-in-America brands here, and, if you’re looking for something specific, check out stillmadeinusa.com.   A couple standout MiA brands include the only whisk manufacturers in the U.S., Best Manufacturers based in Portland, Oregon, (more on them), and Libman mops and brooms based in Arcola, Illinois, since 1896 (the mayor Jesus Garza's story also!).     Do you have opinions about buying things? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq. Grab a Secret Menu membership for mor

As the temps rise, we’re starting to think more and more about what to wear in *this weather* (and, while we’re at it, the celebs we love so much we’d like to give thim a daytime talk show).    Are you paying enough attention to Brandi Carlile? As in, are you watching her coach her daughter on how to use a drill? See also: The Highwomen and their songs "Crowded Table" and "Redesigning Women" specifically.    Onto summer dressing! (Shoutout to our last summer dressing ep, too.) And the never-ending search for summer dresses! In an effort to replicate the glory days of an old cotton Apiece Apart Josefina dress, Claire is trying out the Flore Flore Esme dress.    For denim shorts, Claire recommends Raey’s Rivet and Tahiti styles, andErica loves Agolde’s Parker take.    Summer shoes! On the sandal front, look to Message and Emme Parsons’s folded slides. For chipped-pedicure days, Repetto, Drogheria Crivellini, Martiniano (for The Row-ish look), and Rothy’s—they do a buzzed-about Mary Jane. Your open-toe mule fuel

Grabbing into a bag full of community-building opps, a fantastic celeb memoir, unhinged TikTok content, a hair-removal tool we’re into, tulip hacks, and….juice marketing?    Our adventure at Peoplehood—more on that here—has us adding Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert D. Putnam to our reading list and thinking long and hard (too long, too hard?) about Amanda Mull’s piece for The Atlantic on Bed Bath & Beyond’s closing.    File Tell Me Everything: A Memoir by Minka Kelly alongside Demi Moore’s Inside Out.    Check out the hashtag #Unhinged7thheaven on TikTok for a wild ride.    We endorse: Tweezerman’s Smooth Finish Facial Hair Remover, this trick that makes tulips stand tall, and the copywriting going on over at Eager.   Thoughts on sharing contacts…or anything at all? Hit us up at 833-632-5463, podcast@athingortwohq.com, or @athingortwohq—or join our Geneva! For more recommendations, try out a Secret Menu membership.   This episode may contain paid endorsements and ad

Don’t zone out just yet! This week we’re talking about what we do during our “oblivion time” and fandoms of our past, present, and future. Some fandom-related content: “The Bethenny Clause,” the book Everything I Need I Get from You by Caitlin Tiffany, the article "‘It Made Me Believe That Love Wasn’t Real Anymore. And I Puked.’ Swifties on Cornelia Street take the Joe Alwyn breakup news as well as you’d expect" by Rachel Handler for Vulture, and the article "Psychologists Say That Belonging To A Fandom Is Amazing For Your Mental Health" by Brianna Wiest for Teen Vogue. Also: our past convo about this (and concert specifically).   Also relevant to our personal fandoms: The Baby-Sitters Club and the fact that the artist Hodges Soileau is selling the original paintings of the covers, Gudetama (and his NYT Dining section coverage), and the My Best Friend’s Wedding soundtrack.    We want to know: How are you filling your oblivion time? And do you have alarm clock recs?? Share them with us at 833-632-5463, podcast