Five Things (1.5.24)

The inaugural Five Things of 2024.

1. I read The Creative Act: A Way of Being in one sitting. It’s likely not how Rick Rubin intended his book to be used (consumed cover to cover instead of slowly milked over the course of a year as part of some consistent or ritualistic practice) but I’m greedy. I’d been craving a creative reset and as if I manifested that very spark, the book appeared in my lap on Christmas morning—a most thoughtful gift from a most attentive brother, younger yet wise beyond his years.

2. I can never shake the part of me that longs for New York. It’s certainly not the biting cold that inspires romanticism, especially for an L.A. transplant; it’s everything else that somehow manages to erase winter’s frigidity. The kind, efficient cab drivers who rule its gridded streets; the palpable drive of unapologetic creatives commanding its sidewalks; and the untold possibilities of running into anyone and everyone in a city so full of people that each neighborhood is spilling at its seams—all of it fuels the city’s beating heart. And even at peak tourism when slow walkers inevitably annoy New York natives, the holiday magic is unshakable—as if embedded in the very pavement millions pound upon, and infused into the tap water we find so holy. If Los Angeles is where I meet the most interesting of characters, New York is where I connect with the people I find most inspiring.

I already miss it, and I’m not even gone.

3. A winter savior: my Stand Studio coat, a longline shearling number that nearly grazes the floor yet somehow doesn’t manage to swallow my 5′ 2″ frame whole. Both construction and silhouette are exquisitely done for a contemporary label, and it’s easily one of the most complimented pieces within my cold-weather wardrobe. It’s a few years old and though the style is no longer in production, this beaver-brown coat is perhaps most similar to mine. If you prefer a looser, ode-to-Max-Mara fit, I love this one. I also find myself drawn to the Patrice, but this L.A. resident needs a faux shearling coat like a fish needs a bicycle.

4. I made the mistake of testing one too many new skincare products in the last two weeks of 2023 and my skin was rightfully aggrieved. I should know better by now (especially as someone who’s worked in the beauty space for over a decade) but time after time Mederma PM Intensive Overnight Scar Cream is—without hyperbole—the only product that can render the remnants of my enthusiasm near obsolete.

5. Only five days into the New Year and I’ve already managed to collect just as many fragrances (not counting the gifts from thoughtful souls and brands I adore working with). New York has made me an even greater glutton for perfume, but can you blame me when Osswald, Scent Bar, Frederic Malle, and D.S. & DURGA are all within a cab ride’s reach?

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xx