TCM Item Of The Week: Classic Seavees Sneakers We’ll Be Wearing Everywhere

In our TCM Item of the Week feature, we call out just one item we’re either literally or figuratively drooling over at the moment.

As we hit one of our favorite fashion seasons of the year, that tricky, yet enchanting early fall -- sweater weather looming, we’re hoarding all these classic sneakers from new-to-us California brand, Seavees.

A good white sneaker goes with absolutely everything we’re wearing now!

WHAT IT IS: Think 1960’s California -- the vibe of vibes. Seavees classic white sneaker emulated the sunny, laid-back look like little else, first hitting the Cali. crowd in 1964. Hard to believe, but in the mid-60’s, sneakers were just becoming the casualwear essential that they are today. Iconic shoe ads from brands like Seavees first put sneakers on the map as streetwear outside the gym.

Fast forward to today and no wardrobe is complete without a few good pairs of sneakers -- slip ons, lace-ups and maybe a good platform.

On a practical note, we were surprised by how comfortable these sneakers were: each pair has a contoured cushy memory foam footbed makes these sneakers a perfect fit for a long day romping around the city or handling life at home or work. The sneakers are also designed with air flow in mind including perforations and airflow channels.

Here are our favorites from Seavees and an exclusive offer to shop for 20% off.

WHY WE’RE OBSESSED: We love the classic, structured look of these top sneaker picks from Seavees:

Seavees Hawthorne Classic Slip On | The styled detail at the heel on this slip-on-- a LWG (Leather Working Group) certified and sustainable suede backstay -- adds an element of polish that we love. Extremely comfortable, breathable and named for the Beach Boys hometown. (Yes, these do come in Mens too!) SHOP NOW

Seavees Cowhide Baha Platform | Call us crazy, but we feel like these cowprint platforms qualify as a neutral. Our top pick with denim and a cozy cardigan sweater. Sign us up and toss us a good spiced latte. SHOP NOW

Seavees Suede Huntington Middie | When you want something more substantial than a low-slung sneaker, but not quite a boot, these suede middies are the perfect fit. They’re cushy inside, well-ventilated and feature Seavees super-grippy sole. We love them with cropped denim or well-styled joggers. SHOP NOW

Seavees Recycled Cotton Legend Sneaker | Last, but not least, these lace-up classics are vegan and made in a modern, recycled material you’ll feel good about wearing. We’re not sure how we made it so long without these in our closet. The ultimate travel sneaker. SHOP NOW

Seavees also partners with SeaTrees, a non-profit who works to restore coastal ecosystems and ocean health globally - by regenerating one foot of kelp forest for every pair of shoes sold.

HOW TO SNAG A PAIR: Which shoe is for you? You’ll be happy to know Seavees uses only natural rubber, leather and no synthetics. They adhere to strict ethical standards in their family-owned factories including best-practice living wages and a zero tolerance policy on child labor.

They also make several adorable vegan styles, like these spot-on faux shearling Gallery Sneakers.

We were thrilled to discover this under-the-radar California legacy brand. If you’re looking for flattering, but trend-proof classic sneakers that are made to last, we’ve got you covered! Shop Seavees for 20% off (again, they make Mens too!) with code CHALKBOARD -- and let us know which styles you buy!

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Surprise: Turns Out This Luxe Bar of Soap Is The Plastic-Free Body Wash We Need

We were just as shocked as you are: as it turns out, bar soap is actually just body wash that's plastic-free. We joke, but, truthfully bar soap is probably one of the most sustainable products in your shower.

Until recently, we wouldn't give bar soap a second look. Sustainability is great, but so is skin that's not dry, tight and bothered by old school soap. Last week, we received a package of beautiful, creamy bar soap in a green box embossed with gold letters. It's clean, neroli fragrance filled the entire room as we unpacked it and it went straight into the bathroom for our evening shower.

WHAT IT IS: CORPUS Naturals The Cleansing Bar

You might recognize this signature soft green packaging from the brand's cult-status plant-based deodorant. We swear by it and it's just so damn pretty in the medicine cabinet.

Again, if you told us there was a new bar soap available, we wouldn't have blinked, but when we unpacked these gorgeous, creamy, fragrant 'cleansing bars', we had to try immediately.

WHY WE’RE OBSESSED: This Cleansing Bar has officially brought us back from a decade-long body wash slump. One lather with this bar releases the ingredients that caught our attention at the start: marula oil and squalane -- two superstar clean beauty ingredients we've been swooning for in luxury body oils and facials cleansers for years. The scent is unreal and the lather is pretty perfect (we love using scrubby gloves or a Japanese bath towel like this one).

Think of this bar as a super-creamy body wash in solid form. Extra virgin olive, marula and squalane oils melt into your skin, nourishing while the coconut base cleanses. And not a hint of that weird soapy feeling old-school soap gives you once you step out of the shower.

WHAT TO DO WITH IT: Take the sexiest spa shower ever at home once all your Zoom calls are over. Some beauty products are so good, they qualify as self-care. There's something so satisfying about a smooth new bar of soap, especially one that smells like this. And we love that we've reduced our waste by swapping to it. We'll honestly probably never return to plastic pump body wash again -- for so many reasons.

Here are the two new Cleansing Bar scents (vegan and free of synthetics). They both smell like heaven in a good, steamy shower, but we're partial to Neroli!

Nº Green | Scent profile: bergamot, pink lemon, orange blossom, cardamom | Check this one out
Naturally extracted from the root, seed, stem, pulp and rind, a complex collection of citrus plants and spice.

NEROLI | Scent profile: neroli, orange blossom, bergamot, ambrette seed | Check this one out
Orange blossom and ambrette seed combine to create a scent reminiscent of sun-washed orange trees. Sweet, subtly sexy and full of refreshing, clean citrus. 

CORPUS Naturals is not new to us. In fact, they make one of readers' favorite clean deodorants of all time (see the list here!). CORPUS was hard for us to resist as a brand at very first glance -- naturally derived, climate conscious, and obsessed with a form-meets-function esthetic we love having on our vanities and in our travel bags.

Our favorites scents are The Botanist, Santalum and Third Rose. Explore all the scents and switch to a clean deodorant once and for all. Each water-based, long-lasting formula contains naturally derived enzymes and plant extracts that can hold up under almost every circumstance we've put them through. Made without aluminum, baking soda or talc -- and just so damn pretty. 

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Hear Us Out: These Almond Butter Breakfast Sweet Potatoes Are So Good

Eating veggies first thing in the morning isn't natural for some of us, we get it -- but hear us out...

Getting a warm dose of fiber, vitamins, minerals and spices at the start of your day can set you up to feel supremely nourished all day long. And it may just scratch that pumpkin spice itch.

Trust us and give this warm, nourishing meal a try as the weather cools. This veggie-based breakfast comes from The Self-Healing Revolution and is all about the three-ingredient topping all of our fall breakfast dreams are made of: ghee, almond butter and a solid sprinkle of cinnamon.

Sweet potatoes nourish the liver, especially when eaten for breakfast (or before 10am, the prime time for nourishing the liver).

Breakfast Sweet Potatoes with Ghee + Almond Butter

If you want to get ahead, cook the night before or increase the quantities so to make enough for the week ahead. A baked sweet potato will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, bake in oven (preheated to 350°F) for 10 minutes or cook in the microwave for 2 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato
1 Tbsp sprouted almond butter (raw or whatever you've got will also work!)
1⁄2 tsp ghee
1⁄2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Wash and clean sweet potato. Use a fork to poke several holes in the potato. Place potato on the prepared baking sheet and bake in oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until tender. To serve, transfer potato to plate, cut in half and top with almond butter, ghee and cinnamon.

From The Self-Healing Revolution: Modern-Day Ayurveda with Recipes and Tools for Intuitive Living by Noelle Renée Kovary, CICO Books. Photo credit: Stephen Conroy

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How Content Creators Should Respond To Facebook’s Latest Report

Recently, the Wall Street Journal dropped a story revealing an internal report at Facebook showing the emotional harm many teenage girls reported as a result of Instagram (a company they bought in 2012).

Very few of us are truly shocked at what is found in the hundreds of pages of findings, including a report that 32% of teen girls said that when they felt bad about their bodies, Instagram made them feel worse.

None of us are under the impression that, despite it's usefulness and excitement, Instagram is a healthy tool for the average woman's self-esteem. As grown women, many of us have the wisdom and self-care tools in place to monitor  our intake and balance the rush of influence we receive through social media. Many of us don't.

Everyone on planet earth in possession of an iPhone knows what it's like to be triggered by a social media post -- whether made by a famous influencer or a close friend. And, honestly, I don't think many of us are ready to adjust or self-monitor our own activity for the sake of other adults. Especially if we are business owners or attribute some level of income from the platform, wherein a change in posting behavior could affect our bottom line.

But what about changing our social media presence for the sake of teenagers? We appreciate that these new findings are especially focused on children and young adults. Perhaps more of us can wrangle the compassion required to make a change when we consider the idea of a13 year old girl -- consuming the same content and just as wrapped up in Instagram as we are.

WSJ reporter, Georgia Wells, who co-wrote the original story on Facebook's report, shared some of her impressions with Slate. Among them, she quoted these portions of the findings as being most impactful:

+ “Comparisons on Instagram can change how young women view and describe themselves.”

+ “Teens blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression. This reaction was unprompted and consistent across all groups.”

+ “Among teens who reported suicidal thoughts, 13 percent of British users and 6 percent of American users traced the desire to kill themselves to Instagram.”

+ "A quote that has really just stuck in my head throughout this reporting is, 'We make body image issues worse for one in three teen girls.' "

My first thoughts after reading the WSJ story wern't about demanding changes to the Instagram algorithm. They were about content. What level of responsibility do we content creators have in all of this? It seems to me that, whether we're official influencers or not, we have quite a bit.

At first, while ideating this story, I wanted to supply content-creators with actionable tips. But I soon realized how few specific tips we could truly put forth. It's a new, body positive era: is there one correct way to show your body on the 'gram? I'm definitely not going to be the one to craft a global rule. If you're a beauty influencer or model, should you tone down how great you look in your posts? Should we advise that you stop creating beautiful looks? No. Travel editors and influencers are paid to make their destinations look as aspirational as possible, that's the goal.

We can't tell you what to do about the impact your social media presence has on others in literal terms. But we can bring attention to your intentions, and encourage you to bring only the most mindful, kind and positive content to the 'gram that you can.

We know that many content creators feel the stress and tension of social media's demands already. Many creators can relate to the lows felt by many young followers who consume it.

I want to frame the challenge below to content creators in the positive. The digital world can be a cold one on any given day. Use the perspective in this story to enrich your content with more humanity -- whatever that might look like for you. Imbuing your work with more authenticity doesn't have to mean becoming an over-sharer, apologizing to your audience or hiding your best assets. Each of us have to craft the right choices for ourselves, but if more of us are approaching social media mindfully, together, we can change the feed.

With that in mind, here is my challenge to our fellow content creators everywhere...

01. Spend some time with this. It's likely the news around Facebook's report is not completely new to you, but perhaps you've never taken the time to truly sit with the affect you're having on your own audience.  Instagram is aspirational. Instagram is a highlight reel. We're all aware of how it works. And when everyone else in your feed seems to be operating in the same way, it's easy to remove ourselves -- and our sense of individual responsibility -- from the equation. If you can imagine a better Instagram feed, why not be the one to step into it first?

Action step: Separate a sheet of paper into two columns. Make a list of things you do on social media that make you slightly uncomfortable in any way on the left, whether it's the content you create or your response to existing content. Don't be afraid to get a little bit granular. Once you're done, fill out the column on the right for each instance and make a note: How could you adjust or evolve this behavior? What would be required? Sometimes just seeing our habits in black and white on the page can help us make changes that are pretty easy.

02. Think before you post. We're a wellness site, so maybe we're more emo than others on this, but we believe in energy and how one's intentions come through in their work. Before you post (or schedule), think about your intention and make a pact with yourself: if you're not 100% aligned with the message, build in some time to consider editing or changing course.

03. Post for your younger self | If this isn't a litmus test, we don't know what is. Imagine your thirteen year old self following your account and liking your posts. Where is she? What is she dealing with currently? What are you telling her? How do your posts make her feel? Sit with this. Adjust accordingly.

Finally, to be fair, Facebook as an organization has to evaluate it's own operations -- to be clear, we certainly don't place all the burden of responsibility on content creators alone. As a digital content provider immersed in a community of other content producers, these findings spurred important conversations and a sense of responsibility amongst our own team. Maybe the report's findings could stoke a quickened pace in the (small, but mighty) movement toward more conscious content on social media.

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Inside Maman NYC’s Drool-Worthy Cookbook (Yes, The Cookie Recipe Is Included!)

Any trip to NYC is incomplete without a visit to Maman, the beloved French bakery with over 10 locations across the city. We could list a few reasons for this, but the most obvious is shown above -- their nutty chocolate chip cookies (one of Oprah's favorite things in 2017).

We chatted with Maman co-owner, Elisa Marshall to celebrate their new cookbook Maman: The Cookbook, All Day Recipes to Warm Your Heart. How could any of us resist buying this cozy cookbook?

 

The Chalkboard Mag: Elisa, what a great time for a new cookbook. Maman is so beloved, how are your cafes faring during this wild time?

Elisa Marshall: We are very fortunate that we are doing okay -- thank you for asking! 75% of our business model is focused on to-go orders so, during closure, it was an easier shift for us unlike so many formal sit-down restaurants who had to completely reinvent themselves and their business model to stay afloat.

TCM: Tell us about the cookbook in 3 words:

EM: Delicious. Homemade. Beautiful

TCM: Favorite recipe(s) in the book?

EM: Maman’s Cookie Tiramisu -- it was a recipe I made while pregnant to use up excess day old cookies we had and without raw eggs. It is super simple to make, uses leftover ingredients, offers that delicious creamy texture, and is better the next day (if you don’t finish it all in one go which rarely happens!)

TCM: Which recipe did you include by customer demand?

EM: Our Nutty Chocolate Chip Cookie (named one of Oprah’s favorite things) and what we are best known for. It’s been in demand for years, and it was a big internal debate as to whether we release the recipe or nix, but in the end, the customers won!

TCM: What are your three personal favorite cookbooks?

EM: I am a huge fan of The Yellow Table by Anna Watson Carl. I am always cooking from that book and there is not one recipe in there I am not obsessed with!

The Forest Feast -- there are a few and I love all of them! I think I own two copies of each book and I am just in awe by the beauty of her books. This is the book that inspired me to do one myself!

My mom’s! Long before the computer, growing up, we made cookbook binders together, composed of clippings from magazines and packaging, handwritten recipes copied down from recorded VHS episodes of The Martha Stewart Show, and of course recipes scribbled down from family members on scrap pieces of paper! Many of these made it to the book’s photography too!

TCM: What is your favorite tip for cooking at home lately?

EM: Get creative! Most of our dinners tend to be ‘clean the fridge nights’ where we pull out whatever ingredients we have and get cooking. During the pandemic and lockdown we were doing most of our recipe testing, so Ben and I always had an abundance of ingredients. We made our evenings and dinner prep more fun having ‘Chopped’ challenges, where we would select a surprise ingredient for each other and we would have to make a dish using that ingredient, judged on creativity, use of ingredients and taste. Ben always won.

TCM: Baking is such a specific kind of cooking. What's your best tip for amateur bakers?

EM: Get to know your oven! Check your oven temperature and buy a thermometer. We travel and bake a lot, and this has been the reason for many failed baking attempts. Hopping around from airbnb's , old family home ovens and commercial ovens, I find they all vary and it’s important that you have an accurate temperature for what you are baking.

TCM: Any unexpected kitchen tools you might recommend for home/this cookbook?

EM: A pen! I am a firm believer in editing and making recipes you own.

That was always a big struggle for me while cooking, as I often make recipes from Pinterest or online blogs and there is never anywhere to mark down your modifications. We all have a variety of tastes and preferences so I wanted this to be a useable and functional cookbook where you could really make it your own. We have left the pages matte to make them easy to write in and added a ‘note’ section to each page. If you find the cake too sweet, add a touch less sugar next time, if the dressing didn’t have enough spice for your liking, up the curry. This is also a great place to write down substitutions as well and how you can really make each recipe your own for your family, like your maman used to do!

TCM: If you had to cook a full meal from the book what would it be?

EM: This is such a hard question! So, in my mind this would be a beautiful brunch celebration with a spread of delicious courses. I would start with the quinoa fruit salad (page 47), as I love the unique twist and crunch this adds, and serve it in beautiful blue and white mix-matched vintage tea cups and saucers. Following that I would bring to the table a large croissant pain perdu (page 34) and the cherry rosemary crumble (page 41) to serve in the baking dish, family style. As for dessert, it would be a beautiful three-tiered tower of caneles, (page 209) Chouquettes (page 210), and my Grandma Gracie's shortbread cookies (page 154) .We would enjoy this all while sipping peach thyme bellinis (page 247)!

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TCM Obsessions: The 3 Best Microdart Patches That Work Like Magic

I'll be honest with you, we are inundated with incredible products right now! It's a good time to be in wellness and clean beauty as so many great, effective products are launching -- we can barely keep up. We're channeling as many as we can into our holiday gift guides!

These are the best microdart patches for dealing with dark spots, acne and acne scarring.  Microdart patches are a skincare category that is relatively new and easy to overlook. We've featured them many times before and recommended them to many a friend, but they can easily be lost in the fray of skincare solution stories and round-ups!

3 Microdart Patches That Work Like Magic

Peace Out Microneedling Dark Spot Brightening Dots | Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C, arbutin, licorice root extract, tranexamic acid and kojic acid  -- the whole gang's here!

This is the kind of product we've covered a few times, but gushed to our friends about 100x more. These simple, painless and nearly invisible dots work to eradicate dark spots effortlessly. One pack makes an incredible impact. If they made a full sheet mask of this stuff, we'd wear it! SHOP NOW

Zitsticka Hyper Fade | Same concept, different brand. Zitsticka's microdart patches are designed to address post-acne dark spots specifically. If you've done all the hard work to get your skin clear, you owe it to yourself to eradicate any leftover dark spots with these satisfying patches! We've tested these and they work shockingly well. SHOP NOW 

Peace Out Salicylic Acid Acne Healing Dots | Another Peace Out product, these microdart patches are designed to eradicate a pimple fast. We did a full story on acne microdart patches and these were a standout. One of our editor's even wore one on a date. They're invisible, comfortable and effective -- if only these had been around in our junior high years! SHOP NOW 

Have you used a great microdart patch? Do tell. We swear by these and you can learn more here!

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Over Your Oatmeal? Make These Gluten-Free Zucchini Muffins For Breakfast

Our ideal A.M. meal puts the fast in breakfast. We want something nourishing that only takes a few seconds to go from plate to belly -- and these gluten-free zucchini muffins do the trick every time.

Loaded with fiber that keeps us full, and free of refined sugar and dairy, these zucchini muffins from foodie and restauranteur, Hayley Feldman, co-owner of Venice’s Chex Tex, give us the perfect boost of energy without a crash. We love making a batch when we have a little evening downtime and enjoying them in the morning - or any time we need to munch on something satisfying yet clean.

Not sure a solo muffin is enough for you in the morning? Try eating these with a dollop of raw nut butter (almond or sunflower are our go-to's) and a side of berries... [olists num=1]

Grab another genius recipe from Hayley here! Hint: it'll make you forget all about your avocado toast obsession... 

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