Things to love, read, wear & inspire - March Edit

The book I read this month, snake print ballerinas to buy now, the SPF face cream that's a game-changer for shiny skin and the series I binge-watched in one month, it was so good! (All 4 seasons.)

Hello friends! How are you? I hope you had a wonderful Easter! (If you celebrate.) My mum came over from the UK for the long weekend and we filled our bellies with enough chocolate to keep us going until the end of the year. I have developed a serious addiction to chocolate since Christmas and am currently trying to figure out how to wean myself off (she writes, whilst popping another truffle into her mouth).

This month, like the previous, swept by far too quickly and I’m currently organizing our travel so we don’t suddenly find ourselves in summer with no holiday plans. I’m also making a few new Substack plans and will be switching a few things up in the coming month. This will allow me to introduce an exciting new interview series - more on this soon. I will now be sending an edit of everything I have loved, read, watched and listened to at the end of each month. So here’s March!

If you follow me over on Instagram, you’ll also know that we added a very special addition to our home at the end of February - our little dog, Indy! She’s named after Indiana Jones - there’s a brilliant line at the end of The Last Crusade which explains everything. We both love the character, have been to Egypt together (her breed is a descendant of the dogs that were mummified) and I love archeology and ancient history.

Indy is a rescue Podenca Andaluz from Spain. Her breed is a type of greyhound bred for hunting and when season is over they are sadly abandoned in their droves. It’s heartbreaking, as they’re such sweet dogs - they rarely bark, are very intelligent, non-intrusive and are very loyal. Luckily there are quite a few associations helping to find them new homes. We spent 2-3 months looking for her and were in contact with at least six associations. In the end we found her on Cybèle les Fées de L’Espoir, which I would highly recommend (they find homes for all different kinds of breeds); they were the most proactive, communicative and the most engaged in not only looking after dogs at the refuge, but also finding them new homes. They took the time to send us updates; videos and photos to show us how she was progressing on a lease. Needless to say we are totally in love and she has settled in beautifully - much faster than I thought! She now knows her name, sits when we tell her too and has just started giving us her paw when we ask. I now can’t imagine life without her.

Things to love, read, watch, wear & inspire:

~ One Day by David Nicholls - fun fact: I worked for the book’s publisher, Hodder & Stoughton not long after graduating from university. And I was working there when the book was published. I didn’t read the book at the time as there was so much hype around it that I didn’t want to be disappointed - which I often am, when so many people are saying how wonderful something is. But with the release of the new Netflix series, I thought it was high time I did. 

Nicholls is a wonderful writer - he’s witty and funny and he perfectly captures an era and mood, as well as all the anxiety and self-doubt that comes with growing up. But I’ll admit that I didn’t like the characters; I found them infuriating and yet could totally relate to their questions and hang-ups. I wanted to shake them and at times couldn’t wait to finish the book as I didn’t want to read about them anymore. I only liked them as they got older, which on reflection is testament to Nicholls’ writing and character development. If I look back at myself in my twenties, there’s a lot that I wouldn’t enjoy reading about! So I’m glad I read it and can now finally watch the series. Have you read the book? What did you think?? Let me know in the comments.

~ Sisley Blush L’Orchidée Rose N°2 - the most beautiful blush for spring that would also make a lovely birthday gift for a friend or family member.

~ Arket snake print ballerina flats - these were comfortable on the first wear and are such a great addition to my spring wardrobe, as they offer a bit of pattern and texture into my predominantly minimalist closet. Get them before they sell out.

~ PERS Daily Protection Gel SPF 50 - this sunscreen is a game-changer if like me you like to wear protection daily and suffer from shiny skin. Not Only does it offer full protection from any UV rays, but it’s also mattifying. I have since stopped using powder it’s so good!

~ Massimo Dutti Leather jacket - Massimo Dutti have been creating some great leather styles of late, and this is another good one that I would love to wear with white jeans or a skirt.

~ Casa Ayllon glass necklace - I have my eye on this beautiful minimal jewelry piece that I hope to get my hands on soon.

~ Citizens of Humanity Marcelle cargo pants - these just arrived (kindly gifted) and are a brilliant alternative to jeans. Wear them with flats, trainers and heeled sandals

~ COS Pearl earrings - I love these pretty earrings that will look great with everything.

~ For All Mankind - this is such a great series, I cannot recommend it enough and I raced through it. It details what might have happened if the US and Russia continued to develop their space program to Mars.

~ Toteme dress - I’m leaning towards more color this spring and cornfield yellow is one of the colors of the season. This jersey dress would look great under a trench, as it would under a denim jacket

A bientôt, Marissa xx

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