Coping Mechanisms
Hello! It’s certainly been a while, hasn’t it? Honestly, I have no excuse. Basically all I’ve been doing is eating snacks, watching Love Island, and occasionally showing up to Zoom classes with audio and video muted so I can continue eating snacks and watching Love Island while my none-the-wiser professors cheerfully chatter on.
Oh yeah, I’ve also been online shopping a ton. I’m very fortunate in that I’m far from dire straits; my parents are still working from home, I’m not lacking in food or toilet paper. So instead I while away the hours with visions of floaty sundresses and crisp denim, remnants of an alternate timeline where everything is hunky-dory. But with both my work-study job and my paid internship cut short, facing financial uncertainty and a dismal job market, I’ve forced myself to scale my shopping habits way back. Whereas before I might’ve gone ahead and hit “check out,” I now leave items lingering in cart and X out of browsers before I do something I’ll regret.
I’m contemplating switching up the format of this newsletter for a little bit and dedicating it solely to stuff on my wishlist. One, because there are so many things I cannot buy but still want to wax rhapsodic about, and two, because I’m running out of things to write about that I already own and don’t anticipate acquiring more anytime soon. Would that be vastly preferable? Utterly abhorrent? No strong feelings either way? Lmk! In the meantime, though, let’s jump into it:
Where’d you get that?
HIT FEEL IT WOMEN’S SWEATPANTS - PUMA
Those of you who don’t wear pants on video conference calls — wyd???? Y’all are playing a dangerous game. What if you shift around a bit? What if you move your laptop? What if your boss decides to lead everyone in a power pose exercise? What if, I dunno, your cat knocks over your philodendron and you stand up to admonish him and everyone gets an eyeful of your tighty-whities? It just seems too rife with potential to turn into a waking nightmare — specifically the one where you’re about to give a big presentation and realize you’re only in your skivvies. I always wear pants on my calls, and the ones I’ve been reaching for over and over again are these purple Puma sweatpants that my mom gave me. Look, I never said you have to wear jeans, just, you know, make sure you’re decent.
I’m obsessed with:
MAGIC HOUR LIP CUSHION - EM COSMETICS
Now that “clothes” are on an indefinite hiatus, the only vehicle for self-expression I’ve got left is makeup. Even if I’m just FaceTiming my friend of 15 years, you bet I’m going to get all dolled up for her. I recently tried Em Cosmetics’ Lip Cushion, and oh....my god. Ok, you know how every single nude lip product claims to be “your lips but better”? This is it, this is bona fide “your lips but better.” It’s a sheer, peachy tint with the perfect amount of gloss and shine, but not sticky or tacky at all. It’s super smooth and light and moisturizing, packed with hyaluronic acid and Vitamin E. Wearing Lip Cushion really does look like you’ve just emerged from a hot and heavy makeout session. It’s my go-to for these low-key, laid-back days where I don’t need to go full glam but still want to avoid sliding into bridge troll territory.
On my wish list:
VINTAGE PALM LEAF EMBELLISHED JACKET AND PANT - DEPOP
There are too many items on my wishlist to count right now, but I’m especially haunted by this vintage palm leaf-print suit, which consumes my waking hours. Every day I open up the Depop app, heart in my throat, half-dreading, half-hoping that someone will have bought it and put me out of my misery. I absolutely positively 100% do not need this suit and should not be buying it right now, but goddamn, I WANT it. I think I’ve become so fixated on it because it’s the embodiment of summertime, evoking pina coladas and poolside lounging and hot nights under the stars — all the things my summer should’ve been and most likely won’t be.