The Roll Up, Volume 16
We have had a stretch of summer-like weather lately, and it has lifted my mood so, so much. I’m just a happier person when the sun is shining and it’s warm out! I thought I’d share a few of the other small things that have brought me joy lately
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Patio Reading Season: It’s finally back! It hit the 70s (and even 80s, I think) here this week, and I spent hours outside reading. Nothing makes me happier than losing myself for a few hours with a book. I feel so much calmer and lighter when I finally make my way back inside.
Flowers Blooming: After months of seeing brown, dead plants, things are finally starting to bloom. Not only are all of the leaves of the trees coming back to a vibrant green, the bushes on our patio bloomed, and were the prettiest pink.
Pistachio Cold Foam: It’s not quite as good as the white chocolate macadamia cream cold foam, but the pistachio cold foam from Starbucks is still quite tasty. I order four shots of iced espresso with two pumps of vanilla syrup and light pistachio cold foam, and it’s been the perfect drink for warmer days.
New Olivia Rodrigo Music: I have been listening to Olivia Rodrigo’s new song Drop Dead since it came out. I love her blend of pop and rock, and it’s just so much fun to listen and sing along (and along, and along, and along…).
New(ish) Bedsheets: At the end of last year, I picked up a new set of sheets from The Company Store when they were on sale. I’ve added them into my rotation and used them a few times now, and wow, I just love the feeling of nice sheets, you know??
What I’m Eying and Buying
The Sephora Sale ends today, so you still have a few more hours to shop if you haven’t yet (or if you remembered something else you wanted to grab). Don’t forget to use the code SPRINGSALE, and you can check out my Substack post from last week to see what I picked up and why!
Tilt Beauty recently reformulated their Grip Sticks so that the tint is a bit more tinted, and added some new shades, too. I really love the new red shade - it’s the perfect amount of color payoff for a tinted balm now! Don’t forget that you can use HEATHER10 for 10% off at Tilt.
I haven’t done a ton of browsing this week, actually, so I’m keeping it short! But I’ll be back next week with more.
What I’m Reading and Watching
It’s been a slower reading month for me, but I did finish two books this week.
I read Beneath by Ariel Sullivan, which is the prequel to Conform. Since it’s a prequel, this takes place some unspecified number of years earlier, where Sasha lives in an underground city after nuclear fallout happened above. She’s ripped from her life as the “Angel of Death” by Tristian, who recruits her to be part of the force that goes above. As she adjusts to her new life and learns more secrets (and lies), she realizes things may not be as she’s always believed. This was still a fun read, but didn’t quite grab me in the same way that Conform did - but I’ll definitely keep reading the series.
Buy the book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Libro.fm
On audio, I finished Cleopatra by Saara El-Arifi, which is a retelling of sorts (thanks to Libro.fm for my copy!) It’s kind of like if Cleopatra was given the power to tell her own story, from her own point-of-view, rather than having historians tell her story for her. It was an interesting format, where she occasionally breaks the fourth wall to interject something, that ultimately didn’t quite work for me. I did absolutely love the narrator, though - Adjoa Andoh is the actress who plays Lady Danbury in Bridgerton, and she made this so fun to listen to.
Buy the book: Amazon.com | Bookshop.org | Libro.fm
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