So Unfortunately, You Do Need A Shake Plate
Plus: the gay subplot of Love Island USA and *finally*, some book reccs!
I think I spoke too soon when deciding to wax poetic about “summer” in Milwaukee. Ever since my last letter, the temperature has struggled to remain above 70. I am sitting here in a sweatshirt and drinking hot tea and after the solstice, that feels criminal. Nevertheless, I persist.
I haven’t loved the news this week, so today’s letter is going to have a slightly different format, but there will still be recommendations. I mean of course I saw that Beyonce flew in to clean up Jay’s mess by releasing a video of her doing his hair with Cecred products complete with the claim that all of this was for Blue. Ok. And then, of course I see the news that Sutton Stracke Brown’s son wants to be a priest. All of that was too depressing to address except for how I just did. I decided to take a break from what’s going on OUT THERE and focus on what’s going on in here. It is my newsletter afterall.
Cancer season started and it is by far my ugliest time of year. It happens like clockwork as Gemini season wanes and Cancer season rises. I start breaking out. My hair looks awful and my braider isn’t available for the rest of the month, of course. The features of my face have begun to rearrange themselves in a grotesque formation that has no resemblance to the memory I have of my face. I do not understand why this happens, maybe it is like a shedding before Leo season arrives. But until then, I just want to stay inside and hide away. And of course because that’s what I want, that’s not what is happening. This weekend was extremely eventful and I have another one coming up. This is NO GOOD for a girl like me who needs hours of time to be horizontal on a regular basis and who, right now, is ugly. If I am not able to lay down, daydream, waste time etc., my social battery gets too low and I transform into a cranky meanie. This is bound to happen quite soon. Perhaps today. In the meantime, I will show you two outfits that I wore last week that people seemed to like. I liked them too. When I wore these, we were still in Gemini. Please note, I have had a desire to wear my summer clothes but no luck because if my arms and legs aren’t covered, I am shivering since it’s still so cold.
I also got a Knicks bag charm for my Birkin, which is an orange-y leather anyways. It felt festive. Team merch isn’t really my thing. I also have a lot of t-shirts and sweatshirts but I don’t have any bag charms. I got this one on Etsy from a girl that lives in Brooklyn. I prob could have made one myself but that doesn’t keep the economy going. I need to do my part.
By the way, speaking of doing my part…is everyone you know at Cannes Lions?? Well, at least everyone WHITE I know is at Cannes Lions. I am fascinated by it. What are you guys all talking about? AI? Growth? Audience?? It feels like a Revolve Fest for people with a healthy BMI if it was also about Ted Talks and tiny microphone headsets and maybe that is the next step in cool press trips. Or maybe I’m just almost 40. I’m not sure what is going on there because I have never been. I don’t really see a lot of Black girls around…but do I ever anymore? Maybe this newsletter will get so big I, too, will be at Cannes Lions. I fear it is kind of a great setting for a novel because it is veering into the absurd and has a glam location. Let’s see if I can finagle my way in for “research”.
Before we dive into this week’s recommendations. Since the only thing I am really interested in these days is Love Island and I don’t like spoilers, I am mindful about ruining anything for anyone. I also prefer to watch the episodes the next day so I am always slightly behind. But there’s one thing I will mention here…we simply must talk about the gay subplot developing. At first, it was just a bromance between Zach and Byrce but it has since emerged to a triangle between Caleb, Zach and Bryce (potentially). On the NY Mag approval matrix, I think we have to rank this as chaotic good. I love to see the gay agenda at work particularly on a show that is supposed to be about horny straight people. Let’s hope that love finds a way for them. Call me crazy but all feels a bit Drake-coded.
First up, book recommendations.
Since I turned in my book, I’ve done a ton of reading lately. If you’re looking for some summer reads, here’s what I recommend:
Burn Down Master’s House by Clay Cane: This book is written by my former BET coworker and it is a brilliant, haunting, historical fiction novel about slave rebellions told over several years and over several states. I always say that I am not into historical fiction until the right book grabs me. This is one of those books. Be warned, it is INTENSE. It took me a while to get through this one, mostly because reading about the brutality of slavery is difficult but I promise that it is well worth pushing through. I learned a lot, thought about a lot and am better for it.
Family Drama by Rebecca Fallon: This is not my usual kind book, though I do love “family drama” as a genre. This book is a dual timeline situation about a woman who wants to be an actress but gets married and has kids and then quickly discovers the myth of “having it all” is a myth. Also, she gets cancer and she dies. This is not a spoiler because the book opens with her funeral but as it travels back in time, it really asks questions about sacrifice and deciding on the life that you want to live and whether or not that’s “worth it”. I honestly cried at the end.
The Grand Paloma Resort by Cleyvis Natera: I love a book set on a resort and this one takes place during a hurricane for added drama. It is really beautifully written and deals with a lot of the post-colonial tension between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. I don’t want to say too much but if you like White Lotus, this is a great book for you.
Fish Tales by Nettie Jones: This book was a re-release of a book that was originally printed in the early 80s. It was a book that Toni Morrison had acquired during her tenure as an editor. It is one of those post-modern books that would have done numbers for me in English class and while I can still recommend it because the voice is authentic and compelling, it opens with a child rape that I just don’t have the stomach for. I like to knowwww that trauma is on the way. I don’t like to be slapped in the face with it on slide two. Other than that, it’s generally a very horny book and makes a perfect companion to this season of Love Island. The chapters are short so it moves quickly. It’s worth getting past the trauma in the beginning if you can.
I’m also in the middle of Yesteryear and I don’t know if this is a crazy opinion considering all of the chatter but I like it??? Sure it’s not a perfect book but the characters are interesting and it is entertaining. What is everyone’s beef? Let’s talk about it for real because I don’t think it’s “rage bait lit”…I think it’s earnest and I think it does something. What am I missing?
Beauty Recommendations":
The best and most effective skincare that I have used in the last 5 years is from Sofie Pavitt. I am now using her whole suite but the unbeatable trifecta, at least for me, is: facewash, mandelic serum and moisturizer. All of them are 10/10. All of them have been re-bought, and used consistently. I like her approach to skincare. I like how my face looks and feels. It’s just good stuff. Sofie also likes to smoke weed so I might ask her for a feature for this newsletter. If you are nervous to buy and need to know the hero product of the three, I would say it’s the mandelic serum.
So unfortunately, you do need a shake plate. I don’t make the rules. I’m sorry! I got a shake plate for Christmas because I asked for one. My mom has had one for years and always talked about it. I would use it when I went to visit her but I never really got it until I had one myself. Firstly, it is really only effective if you use it everyday. Similar to a red light mask which I also recommend, it’s important to have a routine around the plate.
