I’m in Love!: July
July for me was quite busy in all of the best ways. I started off the month traveling & navigated my way through a blog rebrand. I ended it with having some of my closest friends come & visit me in the city 2 weekends in a row.
So, within all of this chaos there were things that I leaned on a lot more than others to get me through. It’s also so fun to me to watch how I go through different phases of things like my hyperfixation meals and my show selections. July was truly no different & August will probably bring new things into my rotation (it will be football and Premiere League FINALLY).
Self Care Items:
Caudalie Vinopure Pore Purifying Gel Cleanser
The Ordinary Glycolic Acid Toner
La Roche-Posay Anthelios SPF 60
Again, I did a lot of traveling throughout the month & have been so many different climates so I really tried to be nice to my skin. If you know me, you know I love my skin care routine. These 3 items are ones that kept me from breaking out throughout the travel on planes & from the sweat break outs too.
This is also my health PSA: USE SUNSCREEN EVERYDAY! Even if you don’t use a cleanser or a moisturizer, at least use a sunscreen whether you have a history of skin cancer (like I do) in your family, it will naturally help with the aging of your skin.
Food & Drink
Strawberry Shortcake
Lemon San Pellegrino
Strawberry Acai Lemonade (light ice no berries)
My favorite dessert in the world is strawberry shortcake. I literally had a crash out about it 2 weeks ago when a restaurant took it off their menu. The ingredients for this are always in my fridge this time of year, it’s truly the easiest and best summer dessert (outside of ice cream). The way I have been making it recently: I use gooey, the most minimally cooked sugar cookies as my base since my local grocery store didn’t have angel food cake. Truly, a game changer. I think this will have to be the way I eat this from now on. Someone else please try this & let me know what you think.
Also, you obviously have to use extra creamy whipped cream or else what is the point.
Summer may be my least favorite time of year but it’s the best time for a Lemon San Pellegrino. This is my version of cracking a cold one with the boys. Walking around on a hot Saturday, this is the top thing that I crave to drink.
Each morning on my way into work I get myself a drink as a way to get myself through the first half of the day. Normally it’s a matcha but in the summer I like to change it up. My morning routine typically is: get off the subway & mobile order my Starbucks so that way by the time I get to the store, it’s ready for me. I normally get a Venti Strawberry Acai Lemonade with light ice and no berries. I can not stand the berry inclusions. If you disagree - argue with the wall.
Entertainment:
30 Rock
Pardon my Take
Nice to Each Other - Olivia Dean
Sam Fender
Big Ideas (Album) - Remi Wolf
Royel Otis
Role Model
What I Ate in a Year - Stanley Tucci
Blood in the Garden - Chris Herring
Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl
The Good Hang Podcast
This is really what y’all care about. Over the course of July between work and travel - I consumed so much on the entertainment front.
Starting off with music, Nice to Each Other by Olivia Dean which is her lead single off her upcoming album. I have been a massive Olivia Dean fan since her first single & I am so excited for her upcoming album. She is opening for Sabrina Carpenter at MSG in October & I will figure out a way there because I need to see them both live. Kind of in that same energy, I discovered my love of Sam Fender. He had Olivia collab on one of his singles - Rein Me In & I just absolutely loved his voice & this song. So, naturally for an entire 48 hours he was all I listened to & then became a part of my daily rotation.
Other artists I have just been listening to on rotation are Remi Wolf, Royel Otis, & Role Model. I’m not sure what they are lacing their music with but it is so addictive to me. A staple in my nighttime dance parties. (Yes, I have a dance party as I get ready for bed & do my nightly apartment reset).
For TV shows & movies, I went through a rewatch of 30 Rock for the first time in such a long time. Tina Fey & pretty much all of the early 2000’s SNL cast can do no wrong to me. 30 Rock is just one of those shows that holds up & you find new jokes each time you watch it.
Movies are something that I rarely watch. Mainly due to the fact it takes me way to long to pick one out. I am awful at just picking one to watch so then I end up giving up and rewatching a show. This month though, I decided to go through a movie series like I did last month with Transformers. I ended up picking the Pirates of the Caribbean series. I haven’t seen them in such a long time I forgot all major plot lines, so Curse of the Black Pearl was so 10/10 - I need everyone to go rewatch it tonight. Thanks.
This month I did manage to finish 2 books. The first one was Blood in the Garden which takes about the New York Knicks in the 1990’s. I have a certain fascination with the 90’s NBA & I really think it has to do with the Last Dance docuseries. So, learning about the teams at that time is super interesting to me. I thought this book did a great job of getting us to understand the mentality of the team while also giving us a peak into the front office/ coaches/ players dynamics that shaped the teams throughout that decade. Also, just made me realize how unhinged Pat Reilly really is.
My next book is What I Ate in a Year by Stanley Tucci. My king. I love both my grandfathers very very very much but I think I need Stanley Tucci to adopt me immediately. I love his shows & his movies so much. Please look up his movies because it’s actually such an insane run & we don’t talk about it enough. But his book was amazing. Such a light & entertaining read, perfect book to help get you out of a slump. He takes us pretty much day by day throughout the year telling us what he ate but also his thoughts on whatever may have been happening that day whether it was his kids school performances or travel issues. It’s my favorite type of book because he writes just how he talks, so it’s like you’re having a conversation with him. Hopefully, when you read these blogs, it’s like we are having a conversation. If not, I’m working on it.
Finally! My podcasts! While I work 99.9% of the time I am listening to a podcast. Ms. Amy Poehler blessed us with the Good Hang podcast & it’s my weekly dose of serotonin. The conversations she has with her guests are so laid back & interesting. They are exactly what I need to hear every Tuesday. my only complaint is that she didn’t start this sooner because there are not enough episodes.
And, of course - Pardon My Take. My comfort group of white men. Sometimes I get so hyperfixated on F1 in the Spring & Summer that it’s quite easy for me to forget about other sports. But, now that F1 is on summer break - August is about prepping for football lol. So, this pasted month I have been listening to old & current PMT episodes. Their NFL recaps specifically because it really is getting me in the football headspace. Also, I just love their producer Memes laugh. It’s very contagious.
Okay, that’s all I have for my July loves! Maybe, I have influenced you to try some of these things or even listen/watch/read some of these things too. Let me know what you loved in July because I need to spice it up for August.
ily a milli & talk soon
