Summertime Essentials

Epistolary personas, summer skincare products, and more.

I’m very impressed with other people who keep newsletters, and how they manage to maintain a familiar and open tone with their readers. There is something about writing a newsletter that feels different than other kinds of writing. It reminds me of opening my inbox in college (anyone else love the drama of collegiate email correspondence in Elif Batuman’s two novels, The Idiot and Either/Or?). It doesn’t feel like writing in that terrifying way writing often can be. The other day, someone reminded me of what Janet Malcolm wrote about the pleasure of correspondence:

A correspondence is a kind of love affair . . . But if we are honest with ourselves we will acknowledge that the chief pleasure of the correspondence lies in its responsive aspect rather than in its receptive one. It is with our own epistolary persona that we fall in love, rather than with that of our pen pal.

That captures, I think, the spirit of newsletters. It feels like writing to a friend. It provides a literary persona that I can access instantly. Easily. I like that about it so much.

Part of the delay in writing this time around is that I realized something. I want to rethink this newsletter. I’d like to expand its focus. More food and restaurants. More books and ideas. More conversations with friends. More about people and makers and places I like. And perhaps a little more on motherhood and the small discoveries (like baby swim lessons!) that have made my life so fun recently. I started this in the pandemic, when life felt very small and boxed in, and I was missing my friends and socializing. I am trying to be mindful of the way community felt very special during last year. And how going to a party or seeing someone for dinner felt like a wonderful occasion, never an obligation. I’d love for that to remain in how I go about my life. And hopefully that will make it way into what I write here.

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In the meantime—because, hey, I still love beauty—I’m going to share what I recently packed over fourth of July weekend. A lot of these were samples (my favorite way to pack for a short trip) that were pretty great and I think could turn into permanent summer staples.

Face wash:

Omorovicza Gentle Buffing Gelee Cleanser. This citrus-forward cleanser has luffa particles that feel like giant salt crystals that gently buff your skin. Was perfect after a long day wearing sunscreen or in the morning for a fresh start.

Drunk Elephant Beste No. 9 Jelly Cleanser. A lighter cleanser in the evening that still managed to remove makeup. I actually liked to use it in the morning. I don’t like to do too much to my skin the morning, but if I have to, I’ll wash my face, put on some sunscreen and go.

Essence:

Amorepacific Vintage Single Extract Essence. I’ve become a huge fan of Essence water. I just splash a little into the palms of my hands and dot my face with it. It hydrates without being too much in the mornings. I applied it after cleansing and before my serum.

Serum:

Augustinus Bader The Light Cream. This is a new product that the French skincare line just released. It’s ridiculously expensive, and I had a tiny little sample, but I thought it was brilliant. It’s just a very light serum that refreshed my skin without making it too oily. Was perfect in the mornings or in the evenings before putting on a little makeup for the evening to socialize.

Facial Oil:

Pai The Light Fantastic Ceramide Face Oil. A very lightweight, unscented face oil packed with ceramics, which are meant to calm your skin. I wanted something that would hydrate but, again, not leave my skin feeling heavy and overly scented. I’m a big fan of Pai’s packaging, too.

Cream (or night mask):

Joaquina Botanica Crema Esencial. A new brand for me. A really great moisturizer to apply at night on my face and décolletage. The texture was very smooth but still felt heavy duty enough to sink into my skin overnight. Was great after a day out in the sun.

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Lastly, I’ll leave you with two stories of mine that were recently published.

Photograph by Daniel Jack Lyons.

This profile of Christina Ricci for Sunday Styles was really fun to write. (It was my first solo reporting trip as a mom! I thought I was going to sleep all morning in my hotel room, but sadly, I have now trained my body to wake up no later than 6 A.M. Tragic.) It was really fun to hear her story. After decades of contorting herself to be what Hollywood though she should be, she’s finally found her stride in the role of Misty Quigley in Yellowjackets. And motherhood has changed her for the better.

I also interviewed Marina Abramović for T’s Art Issue, where she discussed her bowel movements, how she likes to eat baby food and like to fall asleep to Canadian television. Same, actually.

Photograph by Emiliano Granado.

That’s it for now.

Thanks for reading, as always,

Thessaly