Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T: July 8-14, 2024
Alison Pegg
I used to think I was an introverted extrovert. But after a very extroverted week, I think the opposite is actually true. I’m an extroverted introvert.
From work retreats and events to friend catch ups and evenings out, cocooning back in my own personal space has been glorious. But I’m also proud of myself for getting out of the house and experiencing things. It’s something I need to remember to work at.
Have you noticed your introvert/extrovert balance changing? Curious if I’m not the only one.
Anyways, here is this week’s Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T.
Reading
The Suffocation of Sezane (Totally Recommend)
Finding this substack, The Suffocation of Sezane, this week was like finding someone in a crowd dressed just like you. The amount of influencers pushing Sezane on social media seems to grow exponentially every day and Totally Recommend’s deep dive into the extraordinary growth of the brand made everything make sense. (Hint: private equity). It was a great reminder that what you see on social media is most likely a facade and if your gut is telling you something is too good to be true, it probably is.
Eating
Two jobs ago, El Arepazo was an alley haunt that my coworkers and I used to frequent every couple of weeks. Tucked into Pearl Alley behind a colourful facade, it served delicious Latin American food that you just had to tell others about. Today, the “in the know” feeling has gone away, as has the alley location, but the food is just as yummy as it’s always been. I kept with an old standby, the Patacon, with extra cilantro sauce (of course).
image courtesy of El Arepazo
Playing
Illmatic (Nas & Columbus Symphony)
Hip Hop + the Symphony = a night of fantastic sounds. And Nas’ Illmatic definitely deserved the classical accompaniment. As part of the Columbus Symphony’s Picnic with the Pops series, Nas and the Symphony played all ten tracks of Illmatic, start to finish, to dazzling display. Nas proved throughout the evening why he’s one of the best MC’s ever, and the symphony provided a classical colour to one of the best hip hop albums of all time. After Illmatic was through, Nas’ took the mic solo to play some of his other greatest hits, bringing the crowd to their feet and the energy skyrocketing. It was definitely a memorable night in Downtown Columbus.
Obsessing
Part of the reason I’m loving staying at home is I have a new room to try and figure out how to decorate. Freshly painted white walls are giving me all sorts of ideas and puzzling me with space configurations to no end. Art is one of those giant puzzles as well, trying to balance minimal with colour and potential for pieces of all different sizes. These Artek posters I just discovered fit the minimal, yet colour vibe I might be going for, I especially love the stool diagram. Hung with a black frame on a white wall, it might just be a perfect pop for this colour-phobic girl.
Recommending
Le Chouchou Lip Softening Balm (Eadem)
Tomato girl summer? More like lip balm summer. I’ve been on a kick buying tinted lip balms this summer and see no end in sight. Paired with nude lip liner, it’s the perfect unfussy combo for summer. My latest pick up, Eadem’s Le Chouchou Lip Softening Balm might be my favourite I’ve picked up, it’s goes on and wears like a dream. The formula is full of peptides and AHAs, leaving your lips smooth and hydrated all day long. And the applicator is almost cooling, perfect for a hot summer day. I picked up the shade burnt malai, it’s the perfect red-brown that brings out my freckles and matches my hair.
image courtesy of Sephora
Treating
The last of my birthday coupons expired this week and I finally decided to see what the Missing Person hype was all about. And I get it. It’s your smell but better and a little sexier too. I’ve always been a big musk fan, and what sets this fragrance a part from my other musky fave, Glossier You, is the woodsy undertones, making the smell a more grown up and more mysterious. Like other Phlur scents, I wished this lasted a little longer throughout the day.
image courtesy of Anthropologie