I have decided that every few months, I’m going to gather the things currently taking over my brain and share them here.
Not simply products I tried once, decided to post on my stories, and abandoned beneath my bathroom sink. I mean the things I’ve been using repeatedly, talking about unsolicited, recommending to friends, hiding from my family, or otherwise behaving about in a completely normal and emotionally regulated manner.
This edition includes drinking olive oil on purpose, rebuilding my entire skincare routine at thirty-eight, replacing my beloved evening Chardonnay with drinks that sparkle like enchanted contraband, and returning to the art form that consumed me long before writing ever did.
Now, before we begin… a standard wellness disclaimer before anyone starts taking shots of oil because a woman on Substack told them her skin feels better: this is my personal experience, not medical advice. Supplements and concentrated botanical ingredients can interact with medications or medical conditions, so please consult your own qualified healthcare provider before making changes. All my resources for this article are listed at the end of the post, but there are countless more scholarly and medical journal resources that a simple search will bring up.
Now, let us begin with the strangest one.
Yes.
Olive oil.
By the ounce.
Here is how this happened.
A couple of weekends each month, I like wandering around downtown Ventura. It is one of my favorite ways to get out of the house, pretend I’m casually exploring rather than hunting for tiny shops full of things I absolutely don’t need, and inevitably return home carrying at least one mysterious bottle and probably a new pen and some cheese. Weird, I know.
During one of these walks, I finally stopped inside Olive Ventura.
My original objective was balsamic vinegar because I am weak for unusual balsamics. I was not disappointed. I walked out with an eighteen-year aged balsamic and a special blend called Sex on the Beach, which is obscenely good in everything from salad dressing to sparkling water.
Yes, sparkling water.
Don’t make that face until you try it.
While I was there, the owner introduced me to Vitality Select Extra Virgin Olive Oil, the shop’s highest-polyphenol olive oil.
He began explaining the antioxidants, inflammation research, cardiovascular benefits, and various reviews people had shared with him. I listened politely while privately wondering whether this man had been sampling something stronger than balsamic vinegar.
Then I went home and did the research.
And, annoyingly, he was not simply drunk on oil.
Large research reviews have associated regular olive-oil consumption with positive cardiovascular outcomes, improved markers related to diabetes and metabolic health, and lower risks for certain chronic diseases. High-polyphenol oils have also been studied for their potential antioxidant and cardiovascular benefits, and research on inflammation, cancer prevention, and other specific outcomes is showing positive developments.
What the hell are polyphenols? Polyphenols are naturally occurring plant compounds with antioxidant activity. In olive oil, compounds such as hydroxytyrosol, tyrosol, and oleuropein are being studied for their potential protective effects. The concentration can vary dramatically between oils, which is part of why a high-polyphenol extra virgin olive oil is different from the anonymous bottle that has been slowly dying beside your stove since 2022.
Given my own history with digestive issues, a blood-clotting disorder, joint problems, and an absolutely atrocious amount of cancer in my family, I decided it was worth investigating further and trying for myself.
For the past month, I have taken one ounce in the morning with a dash of organic white balsamic vinegar.
The balsamic is essential.
A straight shot of olive oil is rough. It coats your mouth. It judges your choices. It lingers with the confidence of a man who was not invited inside but has already kicked off his boots.
The vinegar cuts through it with a tart little finish, making the entire experience significantly less hostile.
I do not see myself giving this up.
My digestion has noticeably improved. My skin feels softer and more hydrated across my entire body, not just my face. At first, I assumed the improvement was entirely from my new skincare routine, which we are getting to next, but the difference has appeared in places where none of those serums have ever ventured.
I’m not going to claim this has “detoxed me at the cellular level,” because detox is a word the wellness industry has stretched until it squeaks. But that is the closest dramatic description I have for how different my body currently feels.
Someone wrung out my cells and returned them better than before.
I also have not experienced my usual knee problems over the past few weeks.
I injured my knee in a snowboarding accident in 2009 and have dealt with issues ever since. I frequently wear a brace while exercising, especially when I’m increasing the intensity of my workouts. Recently, I haven’t needed it.
Could the olive oil be contributing? Possibly. Extra virgin olive oil and its polyphenols have been studied for anti-inflammatory activity, but my knee feeling better is still a personal observation, not a controlled clinical trial conducted in my home gym.
I cannot credit it with weight loss because I have also increased my exercise and adjusted my overall calories. One ounce of this particular oil is roughly two servings, or about 240 calories, so I deliberately made room for it rather than pretending olive oil exists beyond the laws of mathematics.
Interestingly, I no longer feel ravenous during the middle of the morning, which made that adjustment surprisingly easy.
This is not sponsored. Olive Ventura has no idea I am writing this, and I receive nothing if you purchase it.
I am including it because I have become the woman who drinks olive oil every morning and then enthusiastically tells other people about her digestion.
A glamorous evolution.
Now we arrive at what might be the biggest personal game changer on this entire list.
For years, I used Lancôme’s Génifique serum. It was dependable, felt lovely, and cost around ninety dollars for one ounce, because apparently my face has always enjoyed a certain standard of living.
I am still devoted to the night cream in that line. The jar is expensive, but it lasts me close to six months with daily use, and prying it from my hands would require legal intervention.
However, now that I’m thirty-eight, I’ve wanted to transition more of my routine toward vegan, cruelty-free, plant-focused products without sacrificing visible results.
I was not looking for a delicate little botanical mist that smells of forest nymphs and accomplishes nothing.
I wanted assassins masking as plants in a jar.
After comparing ingredients, researching the actives, and tunneling through an embarrassing number of reviews, I ordered the Naked & Thriving Wrinkle-Fighter Set, which includes the Illuminate BC+ Brightening Serum for morning and the Renew Resurfacing Night Serum for evening.
I also added their vitamin C booster powder to the morning serum.
Previously, I had been using ZO Skin Health’s 10% vitamin C cream from my med spa, which cost approximately $110. Between that and Génifique, my morning routine had developed the financial appetite of a minor royal household.
The Naked & Thriving set is currently $118 for both serums, and the formulas include ingredients such as vitamin C, bakuchiol, hyaluronic acid, ferulic acid, and fruit-derived alpha hydroxy acids. Renew is an exfoliating AHA product, so sunscreen is nonnegotiable and sensitive skin should approach it thoughtfully.
After one month of using this routine?
Holy fuck.
The difference has been dramatic.
My rosacea has visibly improved. The fine lines around my eyes have softened to the point that I can barely see them. My skin looks brighter, smoother, and more even.
Yes, I still receive quarterly Botox treatments. I am not going to sit here beneath the soft glow of an LED mirror and pretend otherwise.
Botox is in the room with us.
But skincare and injectables do different jobs, and this routine has changed the overall quality of my skin in a way I was not expecting. It feels as though someone quietly rolled the clock backward fifteen years and then left before I could ask questions.
I am not affiliated with Naked & Thriving. This is not sponsored.
But if you want vegan, cruelty-free, plant-based skincare that does more than arrive in beautiful packaging and whisper affirmations at your pores, this set has been absolutely worth it for me.
No, it does not have the rabid cult following of Drunk Elephant.
It doesn’t need one.
It just fucking works.
My daily moisturizer used to be Alastin Restorative Skin Complex because that was what my med spa recommended.
It was fine.
Perfectly respectable.
But the face cream was around one hundred dollars. The eye cream was another hundred. The neck cream crept toward three hundred dollars, which is a fascinating amount of money to spend on a part of my body that spends most of its life being ignored until someone takes a photograph from below.
I also earned points toward my Botox treatments when buying products through the spa, which is how skincare programs lure you into their elegant little ecosystems.
Eventually, I started questioning whether the products were genuinely extraordinary or whether I had simply become domesticated by the rewards program.
That search led me to Dermalogica’s Pro-Collagen Banking Water Cream.
The important word here is banking.
A skincare product cannot simply push full-sized collagen molecules through your skin and replenish the collagen beneath it. Skin penetration is heavily limited by molecular size, and large molecules generally cannot cross the outer barrier intact. This is why many “collagen-infused” creams are primarily functioning as moisturizers, regardless of how aggressively the jar gestures toward science.
Dermalogica’s formula instead uses a peptide complex, collagen amino acids, zinc glycinate, carnosine, jojoba esters, red algae, white clover, and humectants intended to hydrate the skin and help protect against visible collagen decline and oxidative stress.
In other words, it is not claiming to smuggle an entire collagen molecule through the front door.
It is trying to support and preserve the house that is already there.
The texture is light, deeply hydrating, and does not leave me feeling as though I have buttered my face. It layers beautifully over the Illuminate serum and under sunscreen or makeup.
I personally pair collagen-supporting skincare with a daily collagen supplement and periodic Sculptra treatments from a qualified injector. Sculptra is an injectable poly-L-lactic acid treatment that stimulates collagen production over time rather than behaving like a traditional instant filler. FDA information supports results lasting up to approximately twenty-four months, although individual experiences and treatment plans vary.
Injectables are an entirely separate medical decision, not something anyone should pursue because I mentioned it between moisturizer recommendations.
But as a complete personal routine?
This combination has become one I do not want to be without.
Enough about skin and drinking oil.
Here is one of my biggest current obsessions, and this one may genuinely surprise some of you.
Mocktails.
Don’t scroll away!
Stay with me.
I love Chardonnay. I am a white-wine girl through and through. A chilled glass beside my computer while I write or draw has been part of my evening ritual for years.
But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more conscious of how frequently “I enjoy a glass of wine” can quietly become “my brain now believes the workday cannot end without one.”
I wanted to cut back substantially.
The problem was not necessarily that I wanted alcohol every night. I wanted the ritual.
I wanted a beautiful glass at my desk. Something cold, sparkling, flavorful, and a little indulgent while I worked. Apparently, my creativity requires a beverage wearing something sexy.
Mocktails have filled that role far better than I expected.
My first favorite is Velvet Hammer.
This is an affiliate link, and you can use code TIFFANY67086 for 15% off at checkout.
Velvet Hammer makes powdered functional elixirs with ingredients that vary by blend, including electrolytes, vitamins, ginseng, reishi, ashwagandha, L-theanine, and GABA. They also contain food-grade mineral shimmer, which turns an ordinary glass into something a morally gray fae prince might hand you immediately before ruining your life.
I love mixing the different flavors together, adding sparkling water, and constructing increasingly elaborate little potions at my desk.
They taste light rather than syrupy, and the shimmer gives them a genuinely ridiculous amount of visual drama.
The rest of my family loves them too.
Unfortunately.
I have now reached the point where I have to hide portions of my stash because motherhood is beautiful, but some things are mine.
😑
I want to be clear that I became an affiliate because I already loved the drinks. I did not receive a link and then reverse-engineer enthusiasm around it.
Whether you use my code or not, I genuinely recommend them.
Although, naturally, use the code.
My hidden elixir fund appreciates your service.
The other major obsession has been Recess.
Recess makes several lines of alcohol-free drinks, including sparkling waters and zero-proof mocktails with ingredients such as magnesium, L-theanine, lemon balm, guayusa, and botanical blends the company describes as adaptogens.
What the fuck is an adaptogen? I’m glad you asked because I had to look it up myself. Adaptogen is a broad wellness term generally used for certain herbs, roots, and mushrooms promoted as helping the body respond to physical or psychological stress. Some individual ingredients have encouraging research behind them, but the evidence and safety profile vary enormously depending on the plant, dose, product, medications, and person taking it.
They are not tiny herbal therapists.
Ingredients such as ashwagandha and Asian ginseng can also cause side effects or interact with medications, including medications related to blood clotting, so “natural” should never be interpreted as “incapable of starting trouble.”
For me, the Recess zero-proof margaritas have made it incredibly easy to reach for a mocktail instead of wine.
They are lightly sparkling, generally around thirty calories or less depending on the flavor, and contain only a small amount of natural caffeine from guayusa. The lime margarita, for example, is listed at twenty-five calories with ten milligrams of caffeine, so check the specific label if you are particularly caffeine-sensitive at night.
Do they create the same buzz as alcohol?
No.
That’s kind of the point.
What they give me is the sensation of ending the day with a special drink. I still get the cold can, the pretty glass, the bubbles, and the small ceremonial pause that tells my brain work is almost over.
Since replacing most of my evening wine, my sleep has improved, I’ve been able to lose some weight, and I no longer wake up feeling sluggish.
They are more expensive than a case of Diet Pepsi.
They are also serving a completely different purpose.
I have found Recess at Costco several times, although selection naturally varies by location. The main Recess link above is not affiliated. I simply love them.
However, this Amazon link to one of my favorite flavors is an affiliate link if you would like to support my work while feeding your own mocktail fixation.
Last, but absolutely not least, we have the obsession currently swallowing entire sections of my calendar.
Procreate.
Huge surprise, I know.
Long before writing became my passion, before I became a creative-writing professor, an author, a podcaster, or whatever many-headed creative creature I am now, art was my first language.
My father and oldest brother were two of the most talented artists I knew. My dad began teaching me as soon as I could hold a marker.
Shading. Perspective. Facial structure. Light. Form. The patience required to look at something long enough to understand how it was built.
I began college at fifteen through concurrent enrollment and filled my earliest semesters with introductory art courses, watercolor, still life, and anything else that allowed me to make things with my hands.
Then, near the end of my first year, I found Anne Rice.
The vampires sank their teeth in, I migrated toward English literature, and the trajectory of my life shifted.
Art never left, though.
It remained beside the writing. Sketchbooks in drawers. Paintings in progress. Costume designs. Fashion illustrations. Character faces appearing in the margins of notebooks while I was supposed to be doing something else.
This year, as I’ve moved closer to publishing my novel, I decided I wanted to create more of my own character art.
That decision led to digital-painting courses.
The courses led to Procreate.
Procreate opened its jaws and consumed me.
Digital painting is a completely different animal from traditional sketching and painting. The fundamentals still matter, but the tools change the rhythm of everything. Layers, masks, blending modes, custom brushes, liquify tools, lighting effects, endless undo buttons that traditional watercolor artists would have sacrificed livestock to possess.
There is an entire new language inside it.
And I am addicted.
With encouragement from friends, which was less encouragement and more a coordinated shove down a staircase, I finally created a professional portfolio on Behance and opened my print shop.
You can explore those here:
That rediscovered obsession has also grown into the creation of my upcoming Booked by a Villain quarterly box.
Each box will pair a dark romance or dark-romantasy novel with original character art, collectible cards, letters, and an experience hosted by one of my own villains or demons.
Not licensed fan art.
Not someone else’s characters.
Mine.
Every quarter, one of them will emerge from the shadows to deliver the collection, and I am having an unreasonable amount of fun designing exactly how they will do it.
There will be much more about Booked by a Villain in another post because that obsession deserves its own dark little chamber.
For now, I will simply say that returning to art has felt less like beginning something new and more like finding a door inside myself that I forgot was there.
Behind it, apparently, was a demon with an Apple Pencil.
High-polyphenol olive oil.
Skincare that works.
Collagen banking.
Sparkling mocktails hidden from my family.
And enough digital painting to permanently alter the shape of my hands.
A balanced life.
I think I’m going to make The Obsession List a seasonal diary ritual, which gives me enough time to truly use things before recommending them and provides several months for my fixations to evolve into their final, most dramatic forms.
The fall edition is already beginning to look decidant and gothic.
Let me know whether you enjoy posts like this and what you are currently obsessed with. I am always delighted to discover a new product, ritual, book, tool, or strange little luxury capable of taking over my personality for three to six business months.
All Sabers - Use Code Tiffany_Chan for 20% off your next order!
Velvet Hammer - Use code TIFFANY67086 for 15% off your first order of elixirs
MagicWave - Spicy Audios for your listening pleasure
🔮 Stay Enchanted
🖤 That Lit Witch’s Coven - Facebook Group
🖤The Curator’s Collection - My print shop for my original dark romance and romantasy art, and Booked by a Villain Book Box
🖤Vicious Ink Podcast Links
🖤 KipanisAudios.com - My audio & Script work
🖤 ThatLitWith Instagram – behind-the-scenes peeks & corseted chaos.
🖤 Tiffany’s Author Instagram - Book updates & More
🖤 Vicious Ink Podcast Instagram
🖤ThatLitWitch.Com
🖤 Veils of Midnight - Tiffany’s Official Discord
🖤 TikTok – where the gowns twirl and transitions enchant.
🖤 Threads – bite-sized thoughts, stitching updates, and nerdy hot takes.
🖤 Bluesky – for the rebels and rogues seeking something off the beaten path.
🖤 YouTube – full-length content, tutorials, and slow magic in motion
🖤Official Website - Learn about Tiffany, her background, & her books
Check out the different ways I work with authors as an ARC reader, deliver editorials, and create SFW & NSFW character art
Because I went digging through the science before volunteering as tribute to the morning olive-oil shot, here are a few of the sources used for the health and skincare information in this post:
Ussia, S., et al. “Exploring the Benefits of Extra Virgin Olive Oil on Cardiometabolic Health.” PubMed, 2025. Read the research review
Kourek, C., et al. “Effects of High-Phenolic Extra Virgin Olive Oil on the Lipid Profile of Patients with Hyperlipidemia.” PubMed, 2025. Read the study
Bos, J. D., and Meinardi, M. M. H. M. “The 500 Dalton Rule for the Skin Penetration of Chemical Compounds and Drugs.” Experimental Dermatology, 2000. Read the study
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Sculptra: P030050/S039.” Information regarding approved uses, collagen stimulation, safety, and duration of results. Read the FDA information
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. “Ashwagandha: Usefulness and Safety.” Information regarding the available evidence, possible side effects, and medication interactions. Read the NCCIH overview
Specific ingredient lists, nutritional details, serving sizes, and product descriptions were taken from the manufacturers’ official product pages linked throughout the post.
As always, this post reflects my personal experience and research. It is not medical advice, and results will vary because human bodies remain complicated little beasts.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.