what i loved in august

to put it simply, this book changed my life. i have so much to say about every single page, and the journey that lead me to read them. that will all come later someday when i finally figure out how to articulate my thoughts in a way that does justice to my experiences. right now, i’ll leave it at this:

if you’re a girl who’s ever wondered why you don’t relate to other women despite your best efforts to, why the smallest discomforts destabilize your entire day, or why the simplest things in life are so hard, yet complex things come so easy—please read this book. it may change your life too.

it’s been a minute since i’ve used a body mist thanks to the glamorous fact that my corporeal form is quite prone to acne and nearly every fragrance under eighty dollars breaks me out. but when i saw that glossier dropped their body hero scent in spritz form i had to have it, arm zits or not.

apparently i did something good in a past life because i have not broken out from this once. even despite absolutely dousing myself in it five times a day. y’all know i have zero technical knowledge when it comes to fragrance, so my descriptions are purely vibe-based. and this one smells like you went to the pool, then got divorced over zoom. twelve out of ten stars.

going to start out by saying that no one should be allowed to be a billionaire. art from the artist, etc. etc. but i have been so folklore-pilled ever since i spent an entire weekend under my weighted blanket, recovering from antibiotics, and needing to pretend i was far away in a cozy cabin somewhere.

“those windermere peaks look like a perfect place to cry

i’m setting off, but not without my muse”

literally yes. i need to disappear into the woods and fall in love with a lumberjack. i’ve had this fantasy ever since i saw a picture of vermont on google images and every track on the album makes it feel within reach. not to mention, the songwriting goes crazy. folklore is like if music was also a book. okay, that sounded like something travis would say.

my friend who is undeniably cooler than me put me on to these pens one day when we went to michaels on a whim (i needed to renovate my haunted dollhouse). i can’t quite explain why these pens are so good, there is something divine about them that defies language. but i simply will not journal with anything else now. the black ones are what i use mostly, but they come in a variety of colors.

like every executive dysfunction diva, i do lose them frequently. so this month i bought a multipack!

labubu may as well be synonymous with lobotomy because that’s what i feel like i’ve had done to me every time i scroll past one. not that this is an original opinion or anything. i feel like we’re all sort of collectively waking up from the social media matrix. from viral essays on how to get your brain cells back to the buzzed about brick app, chronically offline is the new e-girl.

before i bemoan the psychic damage that my post-pandemic internet habits have done to me, i must (reluctantly) admit that i can’t condemn instagram, tik tok, and twitter entirely. as much as i’d like to LARP as some sort of bookish luddite, these apps are the reason my writing has readers in the first place. they’ve also connected me to some of the absolute chicest ghouls whose impeccable fashion sense continues to be a source of inspiration for my own looks. recently a friend commented on how much my style has evolved over the past few years, and sadly, i owe it all to the algo.

even still, i’ve really been loving less and less screen time. i notice that just by going a few days without scrolling or binge watching instagram stories, i immediately feel better about where i’ve landed in life and care way less (if at all) about whether or not my taste profile fits perfectly into a rigidly-defined aesthetic. a sobering reminder that the entire concept of “basic” lives mostly in my phone.

okayyyyyy i know this is the second body care product on this list but i’ve really been in my showering era lately ever since i neuro-hacked my bathroom (turned off all the lights and lit a giant ass bath and body works candle i got as an easter gift from doug’s lovely/zany vibes-based aunt).

there’s really not much to say other than that this body scrub rules. you care barely feel the exfoliating beads on your skin and it has this neutral, creamy scent that layers with any other bath product you have. i pair mine with method’s wind down body wash. i leave the shower feeling like a snail who runs a clean girl aesthetic tik tok account. amazing.

hard launching my new security blanket. i literally take this thing everywhere i go and i will absolutely be buried with it. i think it’s the simplicity + soft touch combo that has me going absolutely bonkers for it. regardless, i keep my life in here now and there are so many pockets on the inside so it’s easy to keep my things organized.

for so many years, i was the baddie with gum wrappers and expired coupons overflowing from my bag. and while it made dropping my purse really vulnerable and sexy, i also couldn’t find anything ever. like sure, i seduced some hotties by crawling around on the sidewalk, frantically recovering loose change. but when it was time for us to go back to my apartment, i really killed the vibe trying to find my keys amidst a jungle of CVS receipts.

this never happens with my baggu!!!!!

i hope you enjoyed my august favorites halfway through september. i really would love to be more like the girl bloggers i admire who keep their readers well-fed with consistent posts and high quality lifestyle images. but what i’ve learned the most from sarah hendrickx’s book mentioned above is that i am who i am and it’s useless trying to be someone else. my brain has a mind of her own, and she just wants to be herself.

-rachel elizzz