051625: Things that made life special this week
Body oil, Belgian beer, French boots, lime wash paints, and more
Hello and welcome to Things That Made Life Special This Week, a celebration of the pursuits that add a little something extra to the everyday.
In case you missed Wednesday’s newsletter, it was a Heritage Series on the coolest electrical hardware company, Fontini.
Last month, paid subscribers got three renovation updates. Our French countryside kitchen plans, all the fun demolition details, and the first layers we put back in. This month, they got a renovation update and are getting a “come to the brocante with me” blog. Please consider upgrading to paid!
Have you tried Roz hair yet? You can still use code JANE15 for 15% off the whole Roz Hair site—can’t be combined with other promos. Find all my favorite picks here.
This week’s recs
Using: Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse
Nuxe is one of my favorite French pharmacy skincare brands and trickier to find in America than LaRoche-Posay and Avène. Their ‘Huile Prodigieuse’ dry body oil is heaven, and always in my bag coming back to the U.S. Think non-greasy, glow, smells like a luxury beach vacation. You can buy it online from their U.S. site, though!
I tried to find and link Nuxe sunscreen for you (it’s the best) but wasn’t able to. I think it’s a matter of some ingredients being approved for sunscreen in France only.
Drinking: Leffe Blond
Sorry to Sam Adams, but I love Belgian beers above all. Especially in France where they’re cheap and there’s a huge aisle in every supermarket. I’ve been enjoying Leffe Blond lately because it’s one of the lower ABV options (only 6.6%), but my other favorites include Saison Dupont, Duvel, Chimay Bleu, and Delirium Tremens (specifically the seasonal Delirium Noel), but there are so many other good ones.
Also shoutout to Leffe for making a really good 0% ABV version of both Blond and Ruby. I loved those during my pregnancy and still do when I want something alcohol free.
Eyeing: Bauwerk Paints Fan Deck
My friend who has all the best old house renovation recs told me about Bauwerk Colour, a lime-based paint company run by an Australian-German couple. The company’s story is so cool!
Our old French house has limestone walls that need to “breathe,” which has fueled a bit of an obsession with moisture evaporation. You can only use materials on the ground floor of the house that also breathe, or you’ll get major moisture issues (the upstairs is naturally dryer, so you have more wiggle room).
When it comes time to paint our kitchen, that means using lime wash paint! Even my beloved water-based Farrow & Ball isn’t sufficiently breathable. There aren’t that many companies out there that make lime wash paint, but luckily Bauwerk makes such a beautiful color range that I don’t need to shop around. I’ve been dreamily flipping through the fan deck (and showing my baby, who loves colors) deciding what to do with our kitchen, laundry/pantry, and entryway walls.
Also eyeing: Le Chameau garden boots
The quintessential French rubber wellies! Handcrafted by a Master Bootmaker! I don’t know why I don’t have these already—I need them! And I need to do a Heritage Series on this company.
There’s a warmer, fancier, leather-lined version, but the lighter, jersey-lined, 4-season weight is the right pick for my French house and garden.
Have a great weekend!
xx Jane
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