June and July edit ☀️ 💌
On a delicious-smelling body oil, the soundtrack of the summer and more.
It’s Friday! It’s the first day of August! And as we head into one of the last long weekends of the summer, it feels bittersweet. The summer months are a constant battle of wanting to sit still and do nothing and wanting to do all the things. It’s wanting to soak up the warmth and sunshine because I know I’ll spend the rest of the year complaining about how much I miss it. Even though the past two months have been unbearably hot, I’m trying to savour all the pleasures that summer brings as much as I can.
Here are a few highlights from what I read, watched, wore and more in June and July.
L’Occitane Almond Shimmering Body Oil
I’m not into super vanilla-forward fragrances, but the scent of L’Occitane’s Almond Body Oil, like Sol de Janeiro’s Bum Bum Cream with Cheirosa ’62, just does something for me. The brand has a new shimmery version of the oil with the same delicious scent. When I say shimmer, I mean just a hint of glint—the perfect amount of sheen!
Saie Slip Tint Undetectable Baked Setting Powder
I generally don’t use setting powders because I don’t like anything that makes my skin look too matte or dry. That being said, the new one from Saie (
Twik Scalloped Polo Collar Sweatshirt
Yes, I bought a thick sweatshirt in the middle of a heat wave, but when you find a thing you love, you just buy it, even if you have to wait months to wear it. I love the scalloped collar, the soft material and the silhouette of the sleeves. It’s one of those casual but cute sweatshirts that I’ll be able to dress up or down come fall.
Book Life Ceramic Mug
One of my favourite mugs is Ban.Do’s Book Person mug that I bought last summer. When I saw this mug on sale at Indigo, I had to get it. I love the little writing detail inside that says, “Just a few more pages!” It also reminds me of the cheery and playful mugs that Kate Spade used to do really well.
A Court of Thorn and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas
I probably spent the same amount of time reading ACOTAR as I did watching Love Island USA this summer. I was heads down in the romantasy series almost the entire month of June and could not think of anything else. I finally get the hype, and the Rhysand hype specifically. I decided to take a break after Book 3 so I’m currently reading other books on my TBR pile.
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Besides my usual romance fare, this has been one of my most anticipated summer releases. There’s nothing like the emotional gut punch of a Taylor Jenkins Reid novel. I’m halfway through and really enjoying it so far.
Summer in the City by Alex Aster
I haven’t read Alex Aster’s viral romantasy so this book was my first introduction to the author. The book is about a screenwriter who relocates to NYC to write a film that’s set in the city and finds herself living next to a tech CEO she hates. It was the perfect summer read with fun banter and great chemistry that was steadily built. I don’t usually love the billionaire trope but I loved that the FMC was strong, successful and his equal from the very beginning.
Pride and Prejudice (*Sort Of)
This musical was a delight! It’s an irreverent take on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and consists of a cast of five females who play all the characters and do it really, really well. It was so fun and clever. I went in not knowing what to expect and snort-laughed a whole lot. If you’re in Toronto, you can catch it until August 17.
K-Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack
This has been the soundtrack of the summer for me. I’ve listened to it in the shower, in the car, in the kitchen, in between meetings and during workouts. Almost every song is a bop and has this infectious and perfect alchemy of things that makes me feel fizzy and invincible.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
The final season is finally here and having read the book, I’m not expecting any big surprises or revelations unless the on-screen adaptation decides to go in a different direction. I’m Team Conrad and I saw a meme somewhere where it said that if you were Team Jess from Gilmore Girls, you’re likely also Team Conrad and this is not untrue.
Love Island USA
Like many others, I spent way too many hours watching this season and have been on a first-name basis with Huda, Olandria and the rest of the Islanders. I loved the communal experience of watching the show and sharing my commentary through internet memes after every episode.
Building the Band
I love reality singing competitions like The Voice so I was immediately intrigued by Netflix’s Making the Band. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about the concept but it made for really compelling TV with the on-stage and behind-the-scenes of it all. Very curious to know which bands will continue to stick together and which ones won’t.
Aspire with Emma Grede Podcast
I’ve been listening to Emma Grede’s podcast lately. I like her interviewing style and also like that she brings an insider’s perspective to conversations and is a bit more direct when asking questions. I enjoyed the latest with Bozoma Saint John (I stopped several times to go back and listen to certain parts again). Another one I enjoyed was Emma’s solo episode, ‘10 Principles That Can Change Your Life.’ Some highlights included:
“When you really embrace the idea of being who you are, being yourself, understanding yourself, it’s not only freeing, but it becomes like a kind of magic. Being me and leaning into being myself has got me to where I am today, and it is far less exhausting than the alternative.”
“You can control your vision, your energy, your standards, how you show up every single day… But you an’t control other people’s opinions. You can’t control the pace of somebody else’s journey or every twist and turn in the market. And trying to control those things, that is what drains your energy.”
The transformative power of keeping a daily journal.
Jenny Han on her writing process and bringing her books to life on screen.
So many fun movie announcements this summer but my favourite is Gurinder Chadha announcing that a Bend it Like Beckham sequel is in the works.
A clever use of colour and space in this tiny Paris apartment.
Love the fluted shelving from Joseph Altuzarra’s West Elm Kids collab.
I love that book mug so much, too 🥹✨😚🩷
It sounds like we're having a very similar summer 🥰