Spring Obsessions

Obsession — “An idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.”

-Oxford’s English Dictionary

 

Honestly, I can’t believe it’s July and time to review my spring obsessions.  It really feels like spring just started and not that it ended around a week ago.  Anyone else feel like it should be April instead of July??  During quarantine, I really embraced the comfy life as I settled in to working from home and got to enjoy some more down time as the courthouse where I work was only really processing emergency cases for much of April and May.  So here’s what items I loved during the past few months and maybe they’ll inspire you to try them out as well!

 

1.  Reputation by Sara Shepard.  As you can probably tell from prior obsessions where I rave about Sara Shepard books, I’m a big fan of her work and have been since before PLL was a hit ABC Family show.  This novel falls in line with her typical thriller/whodunnit type novel, but had a more interesting major theme relating to, you guessed it, the main characters’ reputations.  It starts with the death of one of the main character’s husband and the posting of an entire university’s email server.  The book then follows four women and the aftermath of both the death and the email leaks on their relationships, work lives, and mental wellbeing.  I found it to be a very thought provoking book that is really a testament to the old adage: don’t put anything in an email or a text message that you wouldn’t want your grandmother to see.  Sara Shepard wrote truly believable characters with a maybe not so believable plot but with great suspense.  Definitely add it to your list of summer reads if you haven’t read it already!

 

 

2.  Free People Blossom Dress in Black.  I bought this dress a couple weeks into quarantine, and it became my go-to dress to wear around the house.  It’s an oversized dress but doesn’t look too big when it’s on.  Free People sells this dress in a bunch of different colors; however, not all sizes are in stock because it’s an older product.  I will say that the dress is pretty pricey, but I got it on sale through Nordstrom so I definitely recommend trying to find a cheaper version through Poshmark or thredup if you like it.  I love this dress and if you’re looking for something that looks good on Zoom calls but isn’t super stuffy, check out this dress!

 

 

3.  Apple AirPods Pro (& Rifle Paper Co. Wildflowers Case).  Another of my quarantine purchases is my own set of AirPods Pro (and a super cute case)!  In the end of May, my work from home grind really picked up so I wanted to buy AirPods so that I could block out any of the noise around my house and not have to worry about holding up my phone for calls or Zoom hearings.  I bought my set and have used them almost every day since.  The noise cancellation capabilities work well; I watched a YouTube video while my mom was on the phone in the same room and I couldn’t hear her over my video.  I also had to purchase a case to house my AirPods case and I bought one from Rifle Paper Co.  I love how cute it looks and that it has a ring to attach the AirPods to whatever you want.

 

4.  Athleta Ultimate Stash Pocket 7” Short.  Athleta leggings are my favorite leggings I’ve ever worn/felt, but I’d recently gotten into the biker short trend (especially with warmer weather creeping up).  I decided to try out these pair, and although they don’t come in the Powervita fabric, I super love them.  I got my normal size in Athleta leggings and they fit me perfectly around the waist and thighs.  As a shorter girl, the 7 inch length is just the right length to encapsulate the trend without making my legs look like they’re two inches long.  I bought them in the Navy color as I have a lot of navy tops and pieces from Athleta and in true Athleta fashion, the color matches flawlessly.  The fabric is a little more like a traditional spandex material rather than the softer Powervita fabric, but I think that works well with the more sporty rather than athleisure vibe to the shorts.  I definitely recommend these if you like the biker short aesthetic but want a quality pair without the Lululemon prices (search for 20% off coupons online; I’ve found one through Forbes that updates every month!).

 

 

5.  The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes by Suzanne Collins.  I was that person who devoured the Hunger Games trilogy in high school thanks to my school librarian.  When I heard Suzanne Collins was coming out with a prequel, I had to read it and prepped by rereading the series again.  I enjoyed the book as an intro to President Snow’s feelings toward the Hunger Games, but almost wished it addressed his rise to power a little more.  It focused on Snow’s high school years and his class’ assignment to be mentors in the Tenth Hunger Games.  After reading this book, I can totally understand Snow’s obsession and behaviors towards Katniss in the series.  Underlying the main action between Snow and his tribute, there’s a lot of discussion about how the purpose behind the Hunger Games, which is an interesting thought exercise.  I did enjoy the book, but as with Mockingjay, I was a little disappointed in the ending.

 

 

6.  Athleta Uptempo Short Hoodie in Norwegian Grey.  When the weather started to get too warm for me to wear my fleece hoodie I talked about in my Winter Obsessions, I purchased this hoodie from Athleta.  I had my eye on it since before quarantine and it finally went on sale at the beginning of June so I had to get it.  It looks great with high-waisted leggings or biker shorts and it’s one of the softest tops I own.  I ended up purchasing a size bigger than I normally buy in Athleta outerwear because it’s cropped and the extra small (which I normally wear in their sweatshirts) was too cropped for me.  I wear it so much and my mom had to rationalize to me that it’s now too hot to wear it outside since it’s recently reached the 80s and 90s where I live, but if it wasn’t for that, I’d still be wearing it.  There’s still stock in a bunch of the colors on the Athleta site and they’re on sale!

 

 

7.  Masks.  Masks have become a staple in my everyday wardrobe (as they should! Wear masks!)  Of course, I had to buy ones that are as cute as they are functional.  I’ve purchased a variety of masks and can definitely recommend purchasing ones from May Designs, Lele Sadoughi, and Amadi (through Anthropologie).  When buying masks, I looked for ones that were mad with a few layers and have a pocket for filters.  I like each of the masks for different reasons.  The May Designs masks were the first masks I purchased back when masks were hard to find.  The brand sends out one mask to a frontline worker for every mask purchased.  These are made to order and cover the whole bottom of your face (which is a little big for me as my face is a little small).  The Amadi masks have a metal piece to fit the mask to your nose and has loops that go around your head to reduce strain on your ears.  My absolute favorite masks are from Lele Sadoughi.  These masks come in a pack of three, which have different colors and embellishments on each mask.  They’re made of super soft cotton fabric, are triple layered, and the ear loops are adjustable.  Lele also donates a headband with buttons on them to frontline workers for each set purchased.  If I had to recommend one brand of masks to get, I would totally recommend the Lele masks.  They’re so comfortable and I get so many compliments every day I wear them.

 

 

Hope you all enjoyed reading about what I loved during the past few months and feel free to share what you’ve been reading, wearing, eating, watching, etc.!  I’d love to hear from you and try out any of your suggestions.