Recent Obsessions #18: blonde blindness, grilled peaches and the perfect fall movie
Plus my new pilates set, shelf updates and reality TV I'm loving
Recent Obsessions is a monthly life update featuring all the things I’ve been loving, consuming, and thinking about. You can find its archive here.
🛍 Coveting
Am I basic if I admit that I, too, would like to get my hands on a Coach Brooklyn 28? The Dark Lime shade, in particular, is my dream color. Green is a neutral and you can’t convince me otherwise!
Desigual’s new jewelry collection is all kinds of whimsical (I want everything, but especially this necklace, these earrings—which I strangely love in both gold and silver—, this choker and this choker. As I said, everything).
I recently found this stunning Stand Studio trench on The Outnet at 70% off, but they’re sadly sold out of most sizes including mine; otherwise, it would’ve gone straight to my birthday wishlist.
💗 Loving
My new pilates set from Oysho (top and leggings; I got both in Misty Blue). I’ve been doing reformer pilates consistently for almost a year, but only now am I treating myself to new clothes. I’ve gone to class with ratty old gym leggings and a tank top because I know I can be one of those people who buys the cute gear as “motivation” and then gives up a month later, so I wanted to prove to myself that I could stick to this new habit first.
I don’t drink coffee, so I’ve never had a chance to treat myself to little overpriced drinks aside from the occasional boba tea, which I tend to avoid anyway since they leave me with a dizzying sugar high. But then I discovered the matcha latte. I’ve always loved matcha-flavoured cakes and desserts, but I’d never given the drink a chance. I fear for my bank account now that I have but hey, at least I’m leaving the house more often.
Blocking my social media apps for 21 hours a day is the gift that keeps on giving. I wrote about it here:
My household is going through a magazine subscription craze (perhaps not entirely unrelated to the app blocking). It’s all my fault—I was reading about how important it is to invest in your… creative wealth, I guess we could call it, and I decided to treat myself to a magazine subscription. How brilliant is it to receive a magazine in your own home every month or quarter?! Since it is my first subscription ever, I decided to go for something commercial, reliable and familiar that I’d buy at the stand anyway (British Vogue), but I want to get subscriptions of Interview and The Gentlewoman next. The boyfriend was quickly influenced and is now subscribing to more magazines than I am.
🍓 Cooking
My new favorite dessert recipe is grilled peaches with cream. I bet there are a thousand ways to upgrade this—it must be even better with ice cream, for instance—, but this is one of those recipes I put together when there is nothing in the fridge but some sad peaches and cream, and I’m craving something sweet. I can’t find the exact recipe I use because to be honest I make things up as I go, but here’s a much better version. For reference, I coat the peaches with honey and cinnamon, grill them, and then I just go ahead and pour chantilly over them. That’s it.
Another thing I’ve been loving is making tomato risotto. I usually add spinach and eat it as a side both with salmon and with meat.
📚 Reading
I’ve been rereading Donna Tartt’s The Secret History with my book club this month and enjoying it a lot more than I did the first time around, when I picked it up in 2019. I’ve made about 50 memes about it already and will be sharing them all on LBC’s Instagram.
On audio, I’m listening to Gillian Anderson’s hot new book, Want, a collection of sexual fantasy letters written by anonymous women around the world. It’s as horny and strange and human as you’d expect it would be. Extra points for the intros narrated by Anderson’s sultry voice.
New on my shelves: Venus in Pisces by Kiara Blanchette (gifted) / Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Two Substack essays I loved recently: The Mainstreaming of Loserdom by
/ Why people unfollow me by
🎬 Watching
Mermaids is the perfect fall movie and I’ll fight anyone who disagrees with me on this. I can’t believe it took me this long to watch it, but now that I have, I’ll make it my entire personality this season.
The new season of Industry has been brilliant so far; the show has always been good, but the writers have definitely stepped up their game for season 3. It’s my go-to recommendation for fans of Succession.
I went to the cinema to watch Longlegs, Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut Blink Twice and Speak No Evil; they were disappointing, surprisingly solid and entertaining, and decent but forgettable, respectively.
On TV I’ve been watching The Great British Baking Show (so wholesome) and Married at First Sight Australia (the only MAFS worth watching, really).
My favorite movie this month was probably Triangle of Sadness - it was clever (but not too clever!), funny, and had some absolutely wild moments that will stay imprinted on my brain for a long time.
I am also addicted to watching Trixie and Katya reacting to Netflix shows.
🎧 Listening to
Sofia Isella’s The Doll People / Various Storms & Saints by Florence + the Machine / Omar Apollo’s Endlessly
Grace Beverly’s lovely interview with hair icon and Ouai founder Jen Atkin
💭 Thinking about
Going back to my natural hair color. My hair color journey has been interesting - I had pink hair in college, then platinum blonde, then a hairdresser seriously f*cked up my hair (it was black, green and blue, and ripped to shreds, after that particular appointment. There are no pictures so you’ll just have to believe me) and I was forced to dye it brown and let it grow back. Once it did, I eventually started doing blonde highlights, which is what I’ve been doing for the last couple of years, but I’ve grown tired of it recently. I miss how healthy my natural hair was, I’m tired of the high maintenance, and after coming across a couple of TikToks on the subject I began to wonder if I have blonde blindness. Blind or not, I’m going back to my natural color, at least for a while.
💻 Posting
TBRs for the Girls friend group and fall icon Sally Albright.
A case for letting your books marinate (I might write about this concept soon).
The long books readalong my book club is doing from October 1 to December 31! It was fully inspired by this post.
The Secret History has been on my tbr pile for FOREVER. You’re motivating me to move it up to the top of my list.
My life changed forever when I discovered the matcha latte. Sitting at a coffee shop drinking one while either writing Substacks or reading is the best.
Also, YES to natural hair colour! I had mine completely natural for about four years and dyed it red in August. I love it but the maintenance is just not it, and I'm already thinking of going back to my natural shade.