Things to love, read, wear & inspire
The book I've just started reading, a spring trench, a favourite lipbalm and the series I raced through last week...
How is it already February?! And yet, at the same time January felt like it was never going to end… I hope you survived the start of the year, have tucked in to a nice book, have a good habit in the making and have settled into 2024 without too many hiccups.
This month seemed to pass by in a blink of an eye and drag on in equal measure, as I’ve been working on not one, but two renovation projects that have both brought excitement (seeing designs finally come to fruition); stress (waking up in the middle of the night and questioning whether or not I ordered the right tap) and a lot of travel. (More on these soon).
The upside of travelling is that I’ve had more time to read; popping a book in my bag whenever I’ve had to jump on the metro or train. I got through seven books last year (would you be interested in knowing what I read? If so, do leave a comment) and am hoping to top that this year. Achieving this goal is already looking promising as I’m 100 pages through my second.
Another goal I’ve managed to keep up so far is attending ballet lessons (I tallied seven today). Persevering, even though it’s been hard going back (I’m discovering muscles, or lack there of in places I don’t remember them existing), has undoubtedly been helped by reading Atomic Habits by James Clear (the other book I’m currently reading - I always have a fiction and non-fiction on the go). He explains that when one identifies with a particular habit (whether good or bad), it will stick: “the ultimate form of intrinsic motivation is when a habit becomes part of your identity. It’s one thing to say I’m the type of person who wants this. It’s something very different to say I’m the type of person who is this.”
I have identified as a dancer since I was a child (even when I’m not dancing regularly) and more specifically a ballet dancer (albeit an amateur one) and have always kept my ballet shoes at the back of my drawer just in case I started again. In the last decade I let it slip, and I stopped completely. After a hard year last year, where I felt I’d lost a sense of who I was by the end of it, I decided to get that part of myself back and enrolled in classes. I am already feeling better for it, stronger, straighter (ballet does wonder for your posture and mine had certainly slumped in the last ten years), more myself and just all round healthier. So in the end, it was perhaps no bad thing that January dragged on a little to give me more time to dance.
Things to love, read, watch, wear & inspire:
~ It’s never too early to start thinking about what you’re going to wear next season - this Arket trench arrived a few days ago and it’s the perfect transitional piece as it’s lined - just wear with layers in colder weather.
~ Which brings me nicely to this Agolde ‘Albie Slice’ denim jacket, which I’ve been layered underneath the trench this past week.
~ I was planning on replenishing my underwear drawer this past month (new year, new undies), but only got as far as a visit to Simone Pérèle, who invited me for a bra fitting. I walked out with this red beauty (and matching thong), which is also currently 50% off!
~ My voracious reading is back on track (it took a hiatus over the last few years after experiencing a burnout in the aftermath of publishing Practiscing Parisenne) and I now can’t keep my nose out of a book. I’ve had Pachinko by Min Jin Lee on my list for a while and decided I was ready for a sweeping historical saga set in Korea and Japan (countries that fascinate me endlessly). I’m 100 pages in and already hooked.
~ If you’ve reading my newsletter for a while, you might have noticed that I love a nice handwash. I received this beautifully-scented Fleur de Peau handwash by Diptyque this week and am waiting for my other one to run out so I can use it.
~ A friend and I bought this Bottega Veneta keyring for a friend’s birthday. It’s one of those items that you’d probably never purchase for yourself, but that actually makes a really lovely gift! It would also make a thoughtful Valentine’s Day present if you are in the market for one. I’ll leave you to conjure up your own cheesy line to write in a card to accompany it.
~ Lessons in Chemistry series - you might remember that I had just started reading the book in early January. Well I finished it about a week and a half ago, left it a few days and then began the series. I’d heard a few mixed reviews from friends, but as adaptations go (always a tricky territory when the book is so good) I really enjoyed it.
~ La Mer lipbalm - a favorite that is worth the price tag.
A bientôt, Marissa xx
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Red bra set looks very pretty and different. Books look inspiring and will check them out. Mooxx
Lessons in Chemistry series? Tell me more!