Books? Check out my my Good Reads, to catch up to the 88 books I've read - most are light fiction.
Current book club book is The Chosen and the Beautiful, a magical (literally) re-telling of The Great Gatsby. OMG it's SOOOOOOOO good. Go buy a copy now!
Cooking? Hungryroot is over. They could NOT get it together - delivery a day late, 2 days late, not at all; boxes missing items. Yeah, I don't need that kind of hassle! This month I'm trying Green Chef. First impressions: it's a little expensive per serving. It also is a little complicated for cooking. I really hate multi-pan (stove top and oven) 35 minutes of prep. And unlike Hungryroot, the Green Chef plan do not include snacks or dessert.
*Recommend The Aroma Lab in Kalamazoo for a fun experience making your own perfume! (That's the picture of the top. I made 3 scents and put them in different things.)
Listening? Halsey. All the Halsey. Castle is my theme song. The occasional Cocktails & Crooners from Apple's lists.
Also a ton of Susan Hyatt's Rich Coach Club podcast (formerly Go Time).
Watching? I have been binging on SVU. I'm on season 13. I think I might actually be able to solve crime at this point.
Wearing (Skin)
Keeping up with last month's "plan" of cleanse and care.
Plus, the last few months I've been trying a newer brand called Earth Harbor. They have super reasonably priced kits that let you try their products. I started with the "Dewy You" kit for older skin. It was fine. I did not love the Siren Silk cream. The next one I tried was the "Glow Up" kit - and I loved that one! The Mermaid Milk is the perfect summer weight for daytime. The Luna Rain and Marina are wonderful for evening. And I very much loved the Glow Juice mask! Just the perfect amount of exfoliation to make the skin glow. In short, I'm an Earth Harbor fan. It's a good product, ethically made, at a great price.
I continue to support small businesses with my love of indie perfume houses. Below is my latest indie haul from Sucrebeille. (They had a sale. The sales are fantastic! And I love a bargain)
- I’m a Delicate Fucking Flower - Scent Notes: Monoi Tiare, gardenias, freesia, and lily of the valley create a lush floral opening, then step back, and the deep rosewood and copal resin comes forward. This is a supremely rich floral that darkens to a woody, resinous finish.
- Elder Nerd - Scent Notes: Subtle moonflower and bright linden blossom dot a forest of dark oakmoss, rosewood and sandalwood. Stumble on a tiny woodland tavern full of adventurers and smoke, incense, tobacco absolute and myrrh. A drop of honey sweetens the story.
- Gooseberry - Scent Notes: Gooseberry and lilacs, and a touch of honey
- Huckleberry - Scent Notes: Wild huckleberries picked from a cedar forest in a misty, wet morning. Oakmoss, rain and cloudy skies
- I Said What I Said - Scent Notes: A strong, unrepentant blend of blood orange and black currant. Red musk, elemi, and black oud shimmer on a background of Egyptian musk and dragon's blood.
- Impending Doom - Scent notes: Red Mandarin and rich honey create a sweet first impression, luring you into smoke, patchouli, gunpowder and... Is that gasoline? Clearly, an evil plan is afoot!
- DreamCrusher - Scent notes: Sweet peach tea that's been left to steep a little too long with that edge of bitterness, like crushed dreams
- Glow Up - Scent Notes: Sparkling candied citrus peel, vanilla from the expensive hippie shop, Egyptian Musk, cuticle cream
- Black Rose - Scent Notes: wild rose, rich dark chocolate, fresh vanilla bean, burnt sugar, whiskey, bourbon, an old library in a dusty castle, patchouli, a cold creamsicle on a hot day, really good bacon.
- Blood Rose - Scent Notes: English rose, honey, sea salt, dragonsblood.
- Briar Rose Scent Notes: wild rose, lavender fields, a spellbound forest at night, a sprig of rosemary, cedar, freshly ground clove, bergamot.
- Flame Rose Scent Notes: wild rose, cedarwood, smoke, leather.
- Glass Rose Scent Notes: white rose, white musk, white thyme, a summer rainstorm, neroli, gardenia, a perfectly ripe grapefruit, kumquat, orange blossom, neroli, red mandarin, fresh dalmatian sage.
- Steel Rose Scent Notes: wild rose, English rose, white rose, woodsmoke, patchouli, dragonsblood, metallic copper, metal, smoky incense.
- Stone Rose Scent notes: moss covered stones warmed by the sun and shining with a recent rain. Wild roses, heather, tuberose and labdanum blend with a drop of oakmoss
- Wood Rose Scent notes: Tiny wild roses blooming on the forest floor, rich, spiced rosewood, vanilla laced with patchouli and sweet resins
Random Your time is a precious thing. Spend it with people who value it. Do things you love. And people who don't value your time, aren't worth it.
Take-away - If you want to be a skillful sailor, you learn to navigate rough seas. They are a blessing. Learn to embrace the blessing.
All photos by moi! And you can tell...
