Gracie 🦢

All of my everyday essentials as an illustrator who is serious about living a romantic life. The heavy portion of my workload is sitting down on a desk, but the creation process all happens with my supplies that can fit into my bag. Sometimes the best ideas come to you on a whim!

Let's be honest, it's kind of annoying to fall in love with a product that is expensive. Explore this list at your own discretion. You have been warned! The title says it all. These are all products that are 100% worth the high end price tag. Go swatch, sample, and check them out yourself. I have oily, acne-prone, and VERY sensitive skin so makeup to me is research after research and trial and error. It has become it's own compartment inside of my brain so I promise these will work if you have my skin type!

Cut all the noise. These are by no means extravagantly packaged or bougie. But they WORK. Even better than high-end makeup. If you have oily, acne-prone, reactive skin and want some affordable picks that won't break you out, you'll love this list. Everything is under $20 minus cushion foundations. Use code OLXJEAN1 at Oliveyoung and JEANY22 at Yesstyle for extra off!

When it's our own money we are spending, it's just different! The recommendations throughout social media can be hard to decipher between gifted collabs, sponsorships, and even trendy products. As someone who considers herself hard to be influenced (because I have extremely sensitive skin!) AND as someone who spends her own money, here are all of my latest purchases. I've always tried my best to be intentional with my spending. Self Care is a category I truly treasure. April is the first month that I splurged as there are a variety of sales going on. Here is what I bought with my own money!

NO B.S.! A complete list of my TOP favs! Tried and true Sephora Sale picks, from a girl who actually cares about where her money goes! I have very sensitive, acne-prone skin so I'm selective and careful of what I choose to buy. Here is the complete megalist of products from Sephora I ALWAYS recommend! Art: Sephora Digital Gift Messaging 2025 by Kaja Merle.

Okay I'm gonna be honest… I am a mouth breather. Anyone following my health journey knows that I have been struggling with TMJ Disorder. That means I have weird contraptions trying to juxtaposition my top and bottom jaw so the joints can heal and the blood vessels supplying blood to my brain are not constricted. So is this a lip balm rec video? Yes. But is it deeper than that? Of course! People can have a variety of reasons for having crusty lips. Having them moisturized is very important! Dry and cracked lips can not only cause pain, but it can lower your confidence. Having tried a plethora of lip balms and masks, I have spent way too much money trying to find the perfect ones. Some are too thick, some just sit on top of your lips and don't help them hydrate. Art: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer.

Your picky big sis is back. Goodness it has been a horrid time trying to keep up with the perfume releases. To be honest with you, I have given up as I can't help but be picky! I don't get PR hardly ever, and I rarely accept gifted collaborations. Luckily, the very select times it has happened this year, I LOVED them! Let me tell you all about my staple fall picks that I ALWAYS bring out for fall and a select few new-ish releases I've gotten my nose on I'd love to share with you!

Recently I have been going to a TMJ Specialist who is an expert in his field. The very front of his office says “NO Fragrance”. The office is extremely strict and will send patients home immediately if they are wearing any scented products. Being a fragrance lover, you might think I was offended. I actually appreciated it SO much. You see, I suffer from intense headaches. This is the exact reason why I love softer, lighter scents. If you are like me and you WANT to enjoy perfume, but have immense trouble navigating the booming perfume market: you are at the right place. I have delved deep into this hobby, determined to find fragrances that are not only soft, but wearable all day long. The key trick is this: the lighter the better. Longevity? We could not care less, in fact, we want it to be as light as can be. Simply reapply as needed. Eau De Toilettes, Water Based Perfume, Hand Creams and Hair Mists are what we are looking for! Feel free to jot down scents you want to try or gift to your loved ones.

By request, here are ALL the perfume I've purchased with my own money and received from PR in 2025! Those who follow me know just how selective I am about adding to my collection. Check out my “2025 Perfume Wrapped” on Tiktok and Youtube. For those who prefer to sample first, don't worry I have them all listed for you! Please note NOT ALL of these links are affiliated - I just want to go the extra mile and create an easy-to-shop list for you. I like to keep things all in once place and organized, especially when shopping. Very thankful for the support if you choose to shop through my links! Thank you and Happy Shopping :)

Art books! Debated whether to make this list or not because art is so subjective and it’s very seldom that everyone’s tastes align completely. But one thing I know about artists is their never ending search for inspiration. If it would help anyone, it would certainly help artists! Unfortunately, art books are expensive to keep in print. There will be many books that will eventually go out of print from the time of this posting. Nevertheless, we will continue to collect! Cover art of this listing: J W Waterhouse, John Singer Sargent, Edmund Dulac.

Do you have an artist dear to you? Sometimes it's hard to find that perfect gift for this person. Do not fret, you've come to the perfect list. Curated by an artist, these are very unique and thoughtful gifts they'll cherish. I've found throughout my entire life, artistic people rarely get gifts related to art. Perhaps due to the buyer's not having access to art stores, not knowing where to buy or what to buy. And unfortunately maybe the fact that art supplies are quite intimidating in price. Thankfully Blick is having an amazing sale and I have tiered the entire list by price for your budget. When your artist uses these gifts, they will think of you and use them with a full heart!

I think it would be hard to find someone unaffected by the current events. There is so much injustice and everyone is hurting. Despite the dark times, I am so proud to see how many people are standing up. To deepen our understanding of historical events and compare them to our circumstances today, I think it is very important to watch the following movies. They will not be easy to watch, but you will take away many lessons.

Humanity's love letter to Orchids: Ice Cubes…? You can see the beauty of orchids everywhere. Grocery stores, malls, hotels, and our homes! So beloved, and yet so hard to grow… or is it? Orchids are the biggest victims to houseplant care misinformation. I mean seriously, ice cubes on a tropical plant. Come on. Like any gardening advice, what one person says is not 100% true for another person in a different climate and region. What I want to focus on for this guide is growing a very easy to grow (yes, easy!) Phalaeonopsis Orchid indoors at around 70F degrees, on a windowsill with low humidity. I do not grow many houseplants due to my cats loving to chew on any plant for the sake of driving me mad. Orchids, however, are non-toxic and will provide beautiful blooms! If I can do it, you can do it, too.

Everyone told me to stop spending so much on coffee when I went out. But listen, as someone who's vice is coffee - that is the wrong thing to tell me. Each time I heard it, I got more and more frustrated. So one day I looked into it. Just how much could I save? Well, I can say that after over a year of drinking coffee at home daily, not only does it taste better because I can make it exactly to my liking, but it has paid for itself and then some! Calculated by pricing $7/cup every day! As much as I wish they were wrong, I have to hand it to them. Not only were they right, but my quality of life has increased significantly. A coffee fiend with the power of infinite lattes at her fingertips! That could be you.

Fall to me is particularly special. Not just because most of my family celebrates birthdays in the upcoming months, but because of the Mid-Autumn Festival. We celebrate with the glowing harvest moon and take in all of the fruits we've sowed at the beginning of this season. As we are officially winding down for the holidays, I want to share my cozy home picks. Wishing you a comforting rest of the year as you wind down during these colder months.

My poor vintage Coach bag has been needing a break. I’ve been lugging it around 24/7 and it’s been showing serious signs of wear. Don’t get me wrong it’s SO cute and I get compliments on it all the time, but the bag has sentimental value. My mom’s old friend who was battling cancer and preparing for serious treatment gave it to me as a gift when she moved away. It is a bag I hope to pass down in the future in her honor. For this reason I’ve been searching for a new every-day bag. My requirements for the bag are: high quality, ~$100-400, no loud logos, fits sketchbook and pencil case.

I take my sleepwear very seriously! In my years of working many odd jobs, one of the more enjoyable ones has to be when I used to work for an Intimate & Sleepwear brand. That's when I learned that comfort is key to a good night's rest. Not only that, but cute PJs are something all women want. So why compromise on either?

For the person who has children with four fuzzy paws. These are staples that my cats have grown to love. Whether you're just starting out as a cat parent or you're an experienced butler, I can assure you that you'll find some new gems for your kitties to enjoy!