I have my first-ever colonoscopy (and upper endoscopy) coming up on Monday and I’m scared and also I have terrible cramps but am not allowed to take Advil because of said colonoscopy so I thought I’d distract myself by talking about Things. Here are some beautiful things I’ve acquired recently or maybe slightly less recently.
I’m determined to find a signature scent (or two or three, I’m an indecisive Libra) this year. Make space for small pleasures. Invite more sensuality and immediacy into my life. Smell good. Yada yada yada. I live for Rachel Syme’s perfume genie on Twitter and Emma Vern’s perfume videos on TikTok and I finally went on Lucky Scent and ordered sample vials of some of their recommendations. Ordering tiny sample vials of perfumes you are curious about is an excellent way to give yourself serotonin when all other methods have failed. I ordered:
I can’t tell you my favorite yet, I need to live with them a bit more, but it might be Bois Doré. I also like Annabel’s Birthday Cake a lot more than I thought I would, I’m not usually into gourmand. It’s not too sweet.
For Christmas Mike really outdid himself and got me this necklace I wanted from Mejuri (now sold out) as well beautiful matching earrings, which I am wearing right now and have rarely taken off since receiving them. The necklace reminds me of a necklace my mom always wore when my sister and I were babies - it was much longer but made up of gold spheres that we teethed on so all the spheres were dented.
My sister gifted me a box of La Maison du Chocolat chocolates, which I hadn’t had before, and now I am forever changed. I have three pieces left and am hesitant to eat them because who knows how long it will be before I get more. If you are wondering to yourself if a $65 box of chocolates is worth the price, it is.
Ok this is not a new acquisition but I need to tell you about my most absurdly expensive purchase, it is possibly kind of embarrassing. After going through the smaller less expensive tube after sampling it in-store, I went out and bought the large pump bottle of this Aesop lotion. I know! It’s ridiculous! But I looooooove it. Mostly it is the fragrance I love, which is very specifically tangerine RIND and not flesh or blossom, grounded by vanilla and sandalwood. It is a cherished part of my bedtime ritual and it brings me joy and calm and I need it. I resisted buying this for a while but then I got a $100 class action settlement from something about contact lenses and this is what I spent it on. I am not an “Aesop person” it’s really just this one product. I can no longer live without it.
For my birthday way back in October I bought myself these Charlotte Stone shoes which I have coveted for over a year. I’ve worn them exactly twice and then it got too cold. They’re amazing, they got lots of compliments on those two outings. Wouldn’t you know it, Mike outdid himself for my birthday too and gifted me this incredible sweater, worn by the people’s princess herself. I wear it every chance I get and even wore it for Halloween with bike shorts and Reeboks.
While we’re talking about the fall, my favorite Black Friday purchase was this matching sweatsuit from Wildfang. It’s soft and cozy and I love the “rose brown” color and I wish I could wear it every day but unfortunately I need to wash it sometimes.
My lust for sweaters is insatiable. I saw this Madewell sweater at Nordstrom and loved it but didn’t buy it because I wanted to wait for it to go on sale. Go on sale it did, not at Nordstrom but at Madewell, but of course they didn’t have my size. I noticed that sizes on it would go in and out of stock and dear reader I stalked this sweater for literally months, until one day there it was, in my size, in my cart, and then on its way to me at a deep discount ($41!) and now it’s mine and it’s so soft and warm and I’m glad I kept at it and didn’t give in and buy it full price from Nordstrom.
The time finally came to replace my phone case which was getting warped and dingy after having it for about nine months. I decided to upgrade to one with MagSafe and picked out this one. The thing is, I didn’t have any MagSafe stuff, so I also picked up this dual charger for my desk, so I can charge my phone and AirPods at the same time. It looks nice and keeps my stuff corralled. I got it on sale.
I repurchased the Many Moons Lunar Planner this year (still available!). I’m also on my third Shorthand notebook, which I use for journaling, this time in a new lilac shade. I buy these in dot grid but they also come in lined, graph, and blank. For me, notebooks need to be spiral bound with a sturdy cover. I’m typically writing in bed and find this style the easiest to use when I am not at a desk or table.
P.F. Candle Co came out with a new scent, Ojai Lavender, and when I read the description I ordered both the candle and the incense immediately. It’s very calming and fills the room well. I might get my mom this bundle for her birthday next month, shh don’t tell her.
Did you watch Station Eleven? Oh my god. Brilliant. Breathtaking. Devastating. Hopeful. I read the book years ago and adore both versions of this story. You should watch and read both right away. I’ve also been ordering poetry chapbooks from Bottlecap Press (thanks Jess for the suggestion) and just finished Moon Crumbs by Sheila Dong and wowwwww. Here’s a poem for you (and my thumb) (and also a view).
Yours in materialism,
liz
Love you queen!! Loved reading this