1. How has the transition from Chicago to Dallas (and California to New York) living been for you? Do you have any tips or advice for moving and adjusting to a new city after living in a certain location for so long?
Brooke: It’s definitely hard when you move to a new place, especially as an adult. You really have to get out of the house, and put yourself out there to meet new people or it won’t happen. Try joining a club like Junior League, or see if any friends have mutual friends in your new area – that’s how I met a lot of my friends.
Meggan: I make a goal to explore new neighborhoods, restaurants, coffee shops, etc every week. And I try not to use my GPS so I can actually learn my way around 😉 We are still in the process of meeting friends – we don’t have a lot of young neighbors our age and Kyle doesn’t work with very many young people so it’s been hard. We have both gone to some networking events (him for work, me for blogging) and hope to meet more people through that! And you should download the Nextdoor app – it’s a way to connect with your neighborhood.

2. Can you give me some info on bullet proof coffee? Where did you find the best deal? Do you think it helps? Are you having just that in the morning with ghee? Give me all the details 🙂

I ordered directly from their website, but I also saw it at Whole Foods when I was there the other day (they didn’t have the K-cups though). I’ve only been drinking it for 2 days, so I can’t say if it helps, but I’m going to post a full review once I have formed an opinion. I brew the coffee, add 1 tbs ghee, and 1 teaspoon of the brain octane oil (it says to work up to 1 tbs) and blend. The founder & other nutritionists recommend only having that for breakfast, which I thought would be really difficult (I need food in my system or I feel faint), but I’ve tried it for two days and am shocked that it actually does fill me up. The idea behind it is that it’s supposed to help your body burn fat & “supercharge brain function”…jury’s still out here, but I’ll be sure to do a full review.

Ahhhh! AMAZING! So much great inspo here. We love this striped dress & this one (we’d wear both with sneakers), this skirt (so easy to take from day to night!) with a simple tee and jacket (moto, denim, or anorak) or sweater, or keep it super simple with a look like this one – love!

4. Do you guys have nannies or anyone who helps you during the week? If so, how did you find them? Looking for a nanny now and it’s stressful!
Meggan: I have a sitter once a week. I was a Gamma Phi at Iowa, so I reached out to the Gphi house at SMU to see if there were any girls interested in a babysitting gig. Worked out great!
Brooke: No, but we found our weekend sitter online (Sitter City) and she’s great!

5. I was wondering if you could link some affordable leather leggings? I feel like some look cheap so I’m not sure if you have any affordable options you know of!
Brooke: The only leather leggings that work well for me are these Spanx ones – every other pair I’ve tried shows any imperfections on my legs (aka cellulite lol).
Meggan: I got this pair last year and they are still holding up really well. Only $29! I also lovvve the Spanx Brooke listed!

6. Brooke – I love the plant in your kitchen reveal pic! What type is it? Is it real? And where did you get the planter/basket?!
Thank you! It’s a real fiddle leaf fig & my mom gave it to me for Mother’s Day two years ago. The basket is from Pottery Barn, but sold out now, but it’s almost identical to this one.

7. What anti-aging products do you swear by? I want to get the most bang for my buck!
Meggan: I recently started using Elemis products which are pro-collagen. They help reduce wrinkles, skin tone, and firmness. My favorites are this night cream, facial oil (it’s SO hydrating), and the deep eye renewal cream. I have also done laser resurfacing treatments to help reduce sun damage, wrinkles, brown spots, crows feet, and acne scarring. I’ve done BBL (broadband light) and IPL (intense pulse light) on my face and next week I’m going back to get IPL done on my chest. My mom is a huge skin care advocate and got me started on the treatments last year. They can be pricey but the results are worth it. I will take a before and after of my chest and post but in the meantime you should google before and after pictures!
Brooke: I don’t know if I have any products that are specific to anti-aging, but some products I love that feel help hide fine lines are: this cleansing oil, this facial oil, this pigment corrector, this eye cream, and this night treatment.

8. I’m in desperate need of a full length mirror! I’ve lived in my apartment for 6 months and still don’t have one and I’m sure my roommate is sick of me going in her room to try on outfits. I want something sleek and self standing (can’t bolt to the walls here). I have been lusting over this CB2 mirror but can’t justify the $200 on a first-job budget.
Ugh that CB2 one is so good! We both have this mirror from Ikea and looooove it! You can lean it instead of hanging (both of us lean ours), and it look so much more expensive than it is!

9. An intimate(s) question! What’s the best underwear for working out? I just bought some Victoria’s Secret raw hiphuggers. They don’t show but they still creep up. Help!
Meggan: I only wear/own these Hanky Panky thongs and have never had a problem with them while working out! I can’t wear cheeky or full coverage undies, they bug me too much!
Brooke: Lol, I wear the same as Meggan – I think they’re the best! A few cheaper alternatives (that look identical to HP) if you want to try them out here and here!

10. What cookbook do you recommend buying: Skinnytaste or Whole30?
We didn’t buy the Whole30 cookbook, but have heard great things! We loooove Skinnytaste and recommend it to anyone & everyone – it’s great! My SIL just bought this one from Skinnytaste and said she loves it!

11. Meggan, I love the wallpaper in Camden’s room! I also noticed his bedroom furniture. Where can I find his crib and dresser? I am currently shopping (obsessing) about finding affordable, yet sturdy pieces for my first child due in May. Would you recommend your furniture? If not, any suggestions?
Thank you! This is his dresser but I switched out the knobs for these in gold. It’s wide enough to put a changing pad on and has lots of drawers for storage. And we have it anchored to the wall so theres no risks of it tipping over. I really like it and it’s very reasonably priced. I love his crib (here) – it’s great quality and so cute. We had to take it apart and put it back together when we moved it and still looks brand new.

12. I have my own bridal shower coming up in March and have my work Christmas party that evening. The Christmas party is casual but do you have any recommendations of an outfit that would work for both?
This dress is super cute, and to dress it down for your work party you could add a jean jacket & scarf OR throw a sweater over the top to make it look like a sweater + skirt combo, then swap the booties for strappy sandals for the shower. Also love this dress (add a jacket for work party) & this dress!

13. Meggan – where is your black/white/brown rug from?
It’s from West Elm (here) and it’s currently on sale!

14. Do you use a moisturizer before your primer when applying makeup? If so, what kind? Also do you use anything specific for days you don’t want to wear makeup that still gives a decent amount of coverage?
Yes, we wear moisturizer before primer. We love this one, this one, and this one (great for sensitive skin) – we use and love all of these. We don’t use tinted moisturizer, but if we don’t want to wear a lot of makeup, we typically will apply 1/2 the amount of foundation that we normally use to give some coverage. We’ve also heard amazing things about these drops – you can drop any amount you want into your moisturizer (or your foundation for even more coverage), giving you a customizable finish & coverage – so cool!

15. I purchased the Quay aviators you guys have been rocking lately, but feel like they are massive on my face (and I’ve got a big noggin, let me tell ya). In your pictures they don’t look that large – do you do anything to your hair to subdue the glasses or do you like them large on your face? I just want to get an idea of how to wear them so I don’t feel like a self conscious bug!
Meggan: Brooke and I ordered them at the same time and right when I got them them I texted her saying they were wayyyyy too big. The more I wore them, the more I loved them. I think they just take some warming up to lol!
Brooke: I definitely think sunglasses are difficult and not “one size fits all.” Aviators generally look good on everyone, so maybe just trying to get comfortable wearing them is key! I like big sunglasses, so I was fine with the oversized look. I would just trying wearing them a few more times and if you really don’t like them, gift them to a friend ;).

16. Any cute choker tops for everyday?
We love this one &  it comes in 5 colors, this one looks so comfy & has great reviews, and this one is so pretty!

17. I’m attending a wedding the first week of March in the south – climate could be freezing cold or hot. The rehearsal dinner and wedding are both cocktail attire. Would love your suggestions!
How pretty is this dress – it’s simple but the color is amazing! The sleeves on this one are so good, have always loved this dress, this long sleeve one is gorg, and love this navy one!

18. I’m going on vacation soon and wondering what sunscreen you recommend for the face/and or after sun care products in general?
Both of us really like this sunscreen & we’ve heard great things about this powder sunscreen – would be great for your face and easy to reapply! We love this after sun lotion (we’ve never applied it to our faces, though).

19. Meggan – I am seriously obsessed with the sweater from Wednesday’s post but can’t spend that kind of money right now. Do you know of any dupes?
I’ve always liked this one (can be worn two ways), this looks similar, and so does this one!

20. I’m going on vacation next month and am looking for some flat sandals, would love your suggestions!
This strappy pair is so cute and will go with so many outfits. Same with these cutout sliders, these lace-ups, and this pair of front knot sliders (big trend this spring!).

21. Do you have tips for building a wardrobe? How do you decide when to splurge and when to save? 
Splurge on items you absolutely love and wardrobe staples. For us, we love shoes, bags, and coats…these are really the only items we splurge on. Once in a while we will splurge on a clothing item, but most of the time not. We shop for those items online – Farfetch & Ssense are our go-to sites because they have amazing designer sales (also no tax + free shipping), and a lot of times on Farfetch you can find items priced lower (like this bag!) since a lot of their pieces are coming from boutiques in Europe (everything is 100% authentic and it’s a legitimate company, I’ve snapped about this before). Bergdorf’s also has great designer sales – like these rag & bone jeans under $100! We save on trend pieces that we know we will get tired of – we love mixing high and low and love H&M, Zara, and Topshop for fast fashion.

There were so many questions this week that we didn’t have time to get them all answered!! If you don’t see yours, it will be up next week. Keep sending your questions to brookeandmeggan@somewherelately.com with #coffeetalk in the subject or comment below. xx