Don't Leave, I Just Need a Wake-up Call

Everything is personal, plus my top ten purchases of the year

Guy Bourdin

The Sunday Letter #42

Here’s something warm to hold on to:

We’re less than a week away from the longest night of the year here in the Northern hemisphere. After the winter solstice on December 21st, the days will start getting longer, and the sun will come streaming in again.

*

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been letting myself slow down productivity-wise. I haven’t been pushing myself to finish any books before the year ends, though I stopped caring about reading goals long ago. My reading practices have changed; rather than trying to beat any personal records, I’ve been trying to appreciate every book, article, or film for their own individual merits. Even the worst books I’ve read or films I’ve seen might have something valuable for the viewer to take away, such as a risk-taking performance or a clever story structure. Likewise, art that I may have found emotionally-resonant in my early-20’s may already seem overdone or cliched upon revisiting it as a 28-year old. Such is the value of art, it hits us when and where we need it and not a moment sooner, and it takes time and attention to learn how to see it.

Girls on the Page

wrote something similar recently as she quoted Zadie Smith:

“When I’m reading I consider it an activity as difficult as writing... it’s a challenge to your whole self.”

So all that to say, if you’re finding yourself comparing your reading habits to mine or anyone else’s, I’d recommend instead focusing on what you can take away from each book you read. What left you feeling inspired? What left you awe-struck? What challenged you, broke your heart, mended it back together again? Reading is such a personal practice and it’s okay to take your time with it; the books we love and seek out will always be there for us when we’re ready.

Best of 2023

In the spirit of reminiscing, I’ll be counting down the last few weeks of 2023 with a new “best of” list every Sunday. Last week was about the music that defined my year; this week we’re talking best purchases. No affiliate links or gifted items here <3

1. A good quality salt. Kosher salt for cooking + and sea salt flakes for finishing = instant upgrade to all of your meals.

2. A signature lipstick. I’ve been wearing Pillow Talk for years, but I’m also a recent convert to Benetint, which has simplified my morning routine by being long-lasting on both my cheeks and lips.

3. A simple brow routine. I used the Benefit brow gel for years, but lately I’ve been into REFY, which manages to hold down my curly eyebrows all day—not an easy feat!

4. Concealer > foundation. While I’ll still use a lightweight foundation on special occasions, a good concealer is more than enough for my daily routine. The NARS creamy concealer is a longtime fave, but the Glossier stretch concealer is a new-to-me favourite as well: easy to blend without looking cakey.

5. Earplugs. These expensive-ass ones from Loop have been a godsend for working in an open office environment where I otherwise turn into a raging bitch if I can hear even so much as a whisper while I’m trying to focus :)

6. Cuticle oil. It’s winter in the prairies which means my eyelids are flaking and my hangnails are protruding. I have spent [redacted] dollars on cuticle oil from this Canadian brand over the years and I regret none of it. Paired with the Cicaplast hand cream from La Roche-Posay and these paws are happy as can be.

7. Skin-guard razors. Keeping in theme with purchases that have made my life easier, I highly recommend buying razors that include skin-guards so you don’t have to use shaving cream.

8. Leave-in conditioner. I only bought this one from Briogeo recently, but I’ve been obsessed with how soft it leaves my hair. And on the topic of hair, I’ve also been partial to the TRESemmé heat spray for 10+ years.

9. Sunscreen. I go through the La Roche-Posay Anthelios sunscreen quite frequently; it’s non-greasy, yet still glowy. I use the CeraVe SPF lotion on my neck, and add a mist SPF spray on top for extra protection. I do this all year-round even if it’s not necessary, which has helped engrain it as a daily routine.

10. Hydrating skincare. Re: number 6 and the aforementioned flakey eyelids, I’m on the hunt for anything that can keep the moisture locked on my face. Morning and night, I spray my face with a calming mist, then layer on top with a hyaluronic acid, including on my lips (with some Vaseline on top). After moisturizing, I cover my face and neck with a vitamin C oil at night to help with dark spots. A stranger stopped me on the street recently to tell me I was glowing, and I owe it all to this routine—plus sunscreen, of course.

Honourable mentions: A five-minute makeup routine; homemade iced tea lemonade; sending voice notes; clear-gel deodorant; Santal 33 samples; a good eye cream; a good vibrator; therapy; vintage matchbooks as decor; zit cream; a weighted eye mask; a Hung Up subscription; Muji pens; and clogs.

What were your favourite purchases of the year? Let me know!

This week’s recommendations

Cydney Hayes

follows up her viral essay about Substack’s elite capture by reminding us that “the instinct to defend your work at every tiny misinterpretation only happens because social media gives you channels to immediately see and respond to every tiny misinterpretation.”

Sally Rooney and Isabella Hammad in conversation: “Language is not small, even though, in our hearts, of course, what actually matters most is this terrible brutal waste of human life.”

As a long-time Zadie fan but also a long-time historical fiction hater (sorry!), I’ve been reluctant to start The Fraud. I’m interested in how polarizing the response has been, however, so I really ought to try reading it soon. From Rosemarie Ho’s recent review in The Point:

“If the social novel is to survive, it has to engage once more with the ways we are unwittingly imbricated with one another’s fates, how our own indecisiveness and hesitations and bad choices indelibly affect the lives of complete strangers.”