Things I need in order to live
Turning my house into a spa, Cleo Camp's clothing debut, and Italian cookies.
I celebrated my 29th birthday since we last spoke. Here’s a photo of me blowing out my candles. It was one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had.
A guilty pleasure of mine is reading “favorites” lists and things titled something to the tune of “27 Chic Things That Chic Girls Love”. As I scroll on Substack late at night when I can’t sleep, my algorithm feeds me tons of lists like these on a silver tray. I read all of them. This week I texted my friend that I want to sell out and do one of my own. Truthfully I have been browsing…spring is upon us as I’m sure you may have heard…more than telling you what I want to buy, I want to tell you what I have, and have bought again, and love. Plus some other things that I live by.
This hair mask from Isles Formula came recommended to me by my lovely colorist Victoria who does Prada campaigns in her spare time. In Los Angeles my hair air dries like Hagrid and yes I have the filtered shower head!!!! On the east coast, ESPECIALLY in New York my hair air dries like that of a fairy. I have used the Amika blow dry brush for many years now…every time I get the perfect result. My hair has always been long (have tried to go short, just not for me, must be past tit length) despite my best efforts to change it up…I will never have bangs again or a cut that’s shoulder length.
Getting older is realizing a nice pair of pajamas is true luxury. I have previously mentioned my love for the Bonsoir London ones, but I must confess I recently purchased an Eberjey pair in light pink as a birthday gift to myself. I was skeptical about these for a while (a lot of people like them, makes me think something is UP), but I really love them. If you’re someone who loves sleeping in the nude these are basically that. It feels like I’m wearing nothing! I was shocked and also freezing. Great for LA.
When I tell people I’ve been on SSRI’s since I was 12, about 50% of them will ask me if I've ever tried meditating (this is the case especially in LA). I tell them yes, I have tried, and that it’s not for me, but that I bake. Baking is my favorite kind of relaxation technique besides taking a bath. This week I made an orange olive oil cake with cara cara oranges. A few years ago Anna Jube shared one of the best olive oil cake recipes with me and I’ve made it consistently ever since. (One of my nearest and dearest even printed the recipe and pinned it on her fridge) I combined that recipe with one from NYT cooking to see how to add in oranges without catastrophe occuring. It was a major success. I’ve been having a slice in the morning with coffee and calling it my Abraço breakfast because their olive oil cake truly tastes similar— plus the orange taste proceeding a sip of drip is heaven in itself.
In order to live I have to at least thrice weekly turn my bathroom and surrounding rooms (i.e. bedroom) into a spa. I do this by lighting 2 candles, (one must be taper) and then steaming up the bathroom. I take a shower and then bathe or vice versa. If I’m lazy sometimes I just bathe. I love these bath salts I just got this week at Nickey Kehoe. It made my skin very soft which I don’t find often when using oils and other products in the bath. I can say these do the trick if you’re into that. Once monthly, I order an 8 pound bag of magnesium flakes off Amazon. Usually I sprinkle in some Santa Maria Novella Rosa Gardenia Bath Gel, my favorite most consistently used product from them.
I recently started using the Marie Veronique retinol before I moisturize with the most classic Embryolisse which I’ve been using since college. They had a devastating rebrand around the same time as Santa Maria Novella did. I have no idea if the retinol is working BTW. I light this incense in my bedroom or living room while I bathe so that when I exit the bathroom in my Barefoot Dreams robe I feel like I’m at a resort (I have a Taurus Venus). Also I’m not going to elaborate on the Barefoot Dreams robe just like I wasn’t going to speak further on the Eberjey pajamas. Some things just work.
I have multiple altars in my home which appeared through happenstance and not ritual. I have a few for my love of acting and then some for my Hot-All-American- California-lover. Also some for different small ephemeras we have collected separately and together as a couple. This isn’t a thing you can buy but I do recommend having little places at home that you can look to to remember what you thrive on. Or I guess you can just look around at the stacks of things you have and call them whatever you want.
I love this Excompeta notepad and this calendar that I got from Leia Bryans on Instagram.
My favorite Chinese herb formula is Bao He Wan which I get from my lovely acupuncturist
. You can take it when you feel extra full after a meal or to aid in having no appetite, which I’ve been dealing with after being sick three times already this year. Rachel also supplies me with dozens of other herbs for basically any ailment. I take them all, sometimes, but I have to get better about doing it routinely. My mother, for example, is very good at taking vitamins and things. She sits down every morning and night for 15 minutes with a massive glass of water just taking pills. It is aspirational.
Cleo Camp just debuted her first ever clothing piece since mainlining leather bags to the LA cool girls for the past year. It’s the perfect white staple named appropriatley as the Cleo tee with her signature 2 button “label” which are sewn into the side right seam. You can wear it backwards and forwards for a lower cut or a boat neck. I love the boat neck side and pretending I’m more conservative than I am when it comes to dressing. It also comes in black if you’re that kind of girl. The quarter sleeve is very sweet and it’s perfect for the upcoming transition into spring.
Brooke Callahan, my hilarious companion and owner of her namesake label, Brooke Callahan, just gifted me this tiny book for my birthday and I adore it. It has the tiniest nearly peeled off original price tag from Bergdorf Goodman on the back. Brooke always gives the most thoughtful gifts. Last year for my housewarming party she brought a massive box of flat crackers. Seriously the box must have been 8.5 x 15. I have no idea where she got such a thing. At coffee last week we realized our friendship has gone on for almost 8 years. I love having anniversaries with friends because I am insane.
I got these cookies from Bucatini yesterday and then saw Samyoukills’ Instagram post of coffee on silver trays with these cookies in a little dish. Now I’m looking to purchase a silver tray. Some great items in this little round up from Maggie Holladay on
’s Substack this week. Do some deep dives into these sellers and you’re guaranteed to find a gem. I love this Josef Hoffmann basket.
I love this - feel like we could hear even more about your beauty/skin/herb rituals
Love this