Things I have loved in June
A new skincare regime, National Treasures and Bad B**ches.
June has really flown me by. There has been quite a bit of travelling in the second half of the month, when I secretly sneaked away to Italy for two weeks to catch up with my family and finish the branding course I am teaching at a Uni in Udine and then not-so-secretly flew to Crete to celebrate our first wedding anniversary.
There has been a lot of watching and some reading, hence why I’ll go a little heaving on the movie/series recommendations. But there are also weird and wonderful things like Japanese silkworms, British National Treasures and hand-embroidered napkins. Most of all, I realise looking back, it’s full of Bad Bitches on screen.
Enjoy!
Please note: my edits may contain affiliate links, which means any purchases made via those links will earn me a small commission, at no extra cost to you. All my recommendations are genuine and based on products I truly love.
1. Sensai Skincare
Perhaps the most life-changing discovery of this month has been the Japanese brand Sensai. I first came across this brand when my very generous sister gifted me a few of their products, years ago. My twenty-something-old me hadn’t entered her skincare era yet, and didn’t fully appreciate the generosity of this gift, but the thirty-five-year-old me is now fully on board.
As I was back in my hometown and had run out of my usual products, I decided to pay a visit to an old acquaintance and her beauty boutique. She expertly illustrated why Sensai is the shit when it comes to skincare and had me totally convinced within 2 minutes (something to do with Koishimaru Silk, their special ingredient).
I left the shop with a much lighter purse (this stuff ain’t cheap), as well as a much lighter beauty routine: a two-step cleanser, a toner, a 50spf day cream and a night cream. If that sounds like too many steps for you still, trust me, it’s way more basic than what I used to do!
I won’t go into the details of each product (although let me know if you want me to!), but my skin has never been better. But the product I have been loving the most is actually a slightly tinted powder, for the reason that it has finally solved a problem I have had for a long time: my oily eyelids. Sorry to be gross, but it’s true.
☞ SENSAI SILKY BRONZE sun protective compact, F20, £45
I have rocked the black eyeliner look since I was a late teen in love with Audrey Hepburn. But, over the years, my eyelids (of all places!) have become increasingly more oil-prone for some reason, and no amount of water-proof eyeliner could ever prevent the smudge, much to my frustration. I now apply this matt powder on my eyelid after the eyeliner (much like you would an eye shadow) and puff – the line stays in place for The. Whole. Day.
2. Slip eye mask
Speaking of silky problem-solving things that go on my face, another pleasant surprise this month has been this Slip eye mask I bought to solve the lack of proper blind-out curtains in our loft. The fantastic thing about this mask is its design, and by that I mean the cushioned pockets that go around your eye – perfect to preserve your lashes but also for those oily-eyelidded #girlies like me. The patterns are pretty fun too – there are quite a few to choose from, as well as plain black and blush pink.
☞ Slip Silk Contour Eye Mask, Mirabella, £55
3. Sezane x Momonì
After years of neutral monochroming, I am finally learning to embrace pattern & colour in my life. I have been loving this collaboration between Sezane and the Italian brand Momonì and this gorgeous embroidered pattern. I got a long shirt-dress version (which is sadly no longer available), but truth be told I slightly wish I had gone with this stunning coord. Doesn’t it just scream summer?
☞ Sézane, Lambertine Skirt - SÉZANE X MOMONÌ, Jardini, £175
4. Floral hair accessory
Also from Sezane is this lovely hair band. I got the green version but would have probably gone with the white one if it hadn’t sold out at the time. Lucky for you, it’s back in stock!
☞ Sézane, Kiana Hair Accessory, Ecru, £40
5. Puteca lemon juicer
Thanks to the lovely crew of Puteca, an amazing lifestyle store in Polignano a Mare, Puglia (one of my favourite places on earth), I am now the proud owner of this super chic handmade ceramic lemon juicer. They know green is my favourite colour, but there are also other colour variations available.
☞ Pùteca Studio x Niki Ceramic, Spremiagrumi, 56 euro
6. Revisiting Greek Mythology with Stephen Fry
In Italy, we have the option to study Ancient Greek and Latin as part of your high school curriculum (it is called “Liceo Classico”, or Gymnasium). Ancient Greek History was my favourite subject at school, thanks to the wonderful storytelling skills of my teacher. As we were heading for a Greek holiday, I grabbed Stephen Fry’s Heroes at the airport and I have been absolutely loving diving back into Greek mythology. Of course, I knew of
, but I had never read anything by him or watched him in anything prior to this. I get now why the nation considers him a national treasure: he is absolutely brilliant and funny, in a very endearing, witty way. I have sailed through the pages of Heroes and now looking forward to reading his other two books of the collection, Mythos, Odyssey and Troy.
7. Downtown Abbey
Speaking of national treasures, and considering I am a sucker for the genre, I really don’t know why it took me so long to watch the period drama of all period dramas. It took my 100% Italian auntie to persuade me to watch the show (her favourite, in fact), and I was immediately taken by Lady Maggie Smith’s sarcastic character and icy looks. I think she might be my spirit animal?
8. House of the Dragon
Another period (of some sort) family drama I have been thoroughly enjoying is House of the Dragon. I was a fan of the original franchise and, like every GOT fan, have been eagerly awaiting the release of the second season of House of the Dragon. I am o b s e s s e d. So obsessed, that Joe and I have been re-watching season one and dissecting every episode, even listening to the official podcast. The last episode ended on an epic cliff-hanger and I can’t wait for tomorrow’s one! Eve Best’s performance as bad-ass Rhaenys is an absolute joy to watch. I guess I have a type?
9. Inside Out 2
I have watched the original Inside Out at the cinema twice, and twice I sobbed with no control (here’s to you Bing Bong. IYKYK). As far as Pixar animations go, I will go as far as to say I think this is their most clever and moving. So expectations for the second one were running high. And whilst I thought the first one was unsurpassable (and it was), there were definitely a lot of funny moments in the second one too, the biggest laughs for me being drawn by the new, utterly comical emotion called Ennui – boredom. The choice of giving it a French accent was inspired (no shade to my Frenchies! You’re just trop cool).
10. Nonna’s napkins
Last but not least, I’d like to give a shoutout to this wonderful small business I came across on Instagram. Polly started it as a lockdown project, merging her love for embroidering with a homage to her Italian nonna’s tradition of personalised napkins (which so reminds me of my own nonna). She works on commission, replicating anything from favourite songs, childhood memories and family’s injokes. Such a lovely idea for a thoughtful gift!
Lovely again, Martina
I always love your lists of recommendations! (and fantastic collage cover photos too!)