july favorites :)

It’s late summer and the veil is thin. I don’t know how to explain it. I spent one evening at the park earlier this week, watching the light drain from the sky. The days are long at this time of year, but so is dusk, night settling slowly upon the world like a fine layer of ash.

I spent most of July at home. It was so very nice! Stillness, when it comes, is like the relief of a cold body of water on a hot day.

I’ve been having trouble with the concept of stillness: it can feel like stagnation. But transformation can happen without the outward appearance of change; all this time I thought I was stuck in place, the transformation was happening within.

So linger, take your time. Not every journey requires so much movement.

I tore through The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia in two days. It’s a scrumptious gothic tale set in the summer, because SMG gets it, the veil is thin this time of year! Told through three timelines; an intergenerational gift, or curse; the eroticism of supernatural possession. Chef’s kiss.

Audition by Katie Kitamura was a highly anticipated read for me this year. If you like your narratives to be solvable, for everything to click into place by the end, this is not the book for you. But if you are open to a story that destabilizes and provides no clear answers, it’s worth the read.

Finally, The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch consumed my life for days. If you like Ocean’s Eleven, Six of Crows, the Dungeons and Dragons movie, and/or ate up The Thief Lord as a kid…this is FOR YOU.

Every summer I end up wearing my multi-way maxi dress from Hackwith Design House over and over.

The straps can be worn multiple ways: simply tied in the back, to make a keyhole in the front, or tied over the chest to make the dress strapless. I’m wearing this dress in both of these posts, tied different ways:

Unfortunately it’s not on their website anymore, but their current styles are super cute and classic. HDH is one of the OG sustainable fashion brands still around—so many have closed their doors in the past few years </3.

Summer is kind of overstimulating for me, so I haven’t been wearing much makeup or perfume. When I do pick up a scent it’s usually Maison Margiela’s Beach Walk, which feels a little on the nose for summer but never fails to evoke that platonic ideal of a beachy afternoon.

I’ve also been enjoying Then I Met You’s Essence Light sunscreen. It has this nice thicker texture that leaves the skin feeling hydrated and plump, with a bit of extra glow.

And a favorite two summers in a row, R.E.M. Beauty’s glossy balm in strawberry soda has been my go-to lip product. It has a long-lasting shine with a hot pink sheen.

Having a delulu girl summer with the C-drama When I Fly Towards You andseason three of The Summer I Turned Pretty — both involve girls who harbor intense, seemingly unrequited crushes, only for the objects of their affections to actually be totally into them, too. Finding out that “she falls first, he falls harder” is a favorite trope of mine.

I will say that When I Fly Towards You is a lot less annoying to watch than The Summer I Turned Pretty. I am tired. But this week’s episode revived me. Yearning boy summer is HERE!

Yes, I am Team Conrad. But I don’t hate Jeremiah, even though he’s been really annoying. Actually I feel really bad for both brothers, and I think everyone in this show needs to join Conrad in therapy.