Recent Obsessions #17: I found my new evening fragrance
Plus pretty hair clips and the Halloweenish song I can't stop listening to
I know it’s been a while since I’ve written a recent obsessions post when my notes app begins to overflow with random links and stuff like “dnt forget to mention lady jane!”. I take the art of Obsession Sharing very seriously, and nothing can be forgotten or left behind.
Many of these gems were found while I was on vacation. I allowed myself a half-hearted attempt at social media detoxing while I was away (didn’t take it that seriously but still reaped some serious rewards, so highly recommend), which led me to explore other corners of the interweb, namely Substack itself and cute online shops, of course. Now that I’m back, I’ve compiled it all into this newsletter. Enjoy!
🛍 Coveting
I have a monumental crush on these hyper-realistic flower hair clips that I randomly found on Instagram. We’ve all seen the hard plastic ones, but these are next level. They’re handmade by a small brand in the UK and are currently sold out, though I’m hoping there’ll be a restock soon.
The cold months are nothing but a mirage, but this Annaiss Yucra’s maxi puffer has my heart and might eventually have my payment details too. I love that you can wear it two ways, and the colors?! As someone who refuses to wear neutrals in the winter, this is perfection.
This cute little pouch from Heimat Atlantica has been on my mind, mostly because I think it’s very successful in selling me a lifestyle/fantasy I often dream about but don’t necessarily have access to yet (summer in southern Italy. I can actually swim. I’m tan enough to pull off a white bikini). Where would I even wear this to? Not sure. But the print combo and the little embroidered details are delicious.
💗 Loving
When it comes to fragrances, I’m a Kilian girl through and through. My day fragrance is Liaisons Dangereuses, typical me, and I recently got my hands on a sample of Straight to Heaven, which is incredible! I won’t event attempt to describe it because I’d be terrible at it, but it has key notes of patchouli, nutmeg and cedarwood. It smells like a rich old lady, but not in a suffocatingly floral way.
I’ve been meditating every morning and I do notice a big difference in the way I face the day. Meditation days = me in a much better mood. I hate to admit it because it’s not something I necessarily enjoy doing, but it does make a big difference.
📚 Reading
I just started reading Little Rot by Akwaeke Emezi (this morning, so I’m about 15 pages in). It’s too early to say anything about it, but expectations are pretty high since I loved You Made a Fool of Death with Your Beauty.
I recently finished Sugar, Baby by Celine Saintclare, a debut novel about a young woman who gets pulled into the glamorous (but complicated) world of sugar dating. If you’re looking for a glitzy but layered summer read, this is it!
Two Substack posts I loved recently: A Unified Theory of Glen Powell by
/ Love your thighs by
🎬 Watching
Not gonna lie, for a minute there I allowed myself to believe I was too cool to enjoy My Lady Jane. I thought my Reign-loving years were over, buried under a pile of gif-ridden fan tumblrs, but turns out I remain a sucker for silly, inaccurate historical tv shows about unruly young women falling in love. Who knew!
I recently binged what I believe to be the only season of Joe Millionaire: For Richer or Poorer and I luuuved it. That last episode had me standing up from the couch, unable to handle the suspense. There’s just something about low budget reality tv.
Movies I enjoyed recently: Sick of Myself follows a young woman doing increasingly alarming things to get the attention she desperately needs. I’ve been watching a lot of bad horror movies lately, unfortunately, but Thanksgiving, while far from perfect, was perfectly entertaining. And I finally watched Anyone But You! It was pretty cute.
🎧 Listening to
I found this song on Spotify about two weeks ago and had been listening to it non-stop having no idea that Dead Man’s Bones is actually Ryan Gosling’s band. He’s the one singing this song! Anyway, if you’re counting down the days till Fall/Halloween season, you might want to add their album to your seasonal playlist (I know you have one).
💻 Posting
Reviews of Boy Parts (Eliza Clark), Lapvona (Ottessa Moshfegh) and I’m a Fan (Sheena Patel)
A stack of summer reads I loved, if you’re looking for book recommendations for August.
My virtual book club has its own instagram account now! We’re currently picking our September read.
I love the cover of Little Rot! That flower clip has my name on it too.
okay wow I LOVED Reign. Actually due a retwatch