Mess Recommends: June 2025
The jet lag is lagging me.
Hi!
I’m back home after my many adventures on the West Coast! And my faithful pal Fran is also back at my side, sleeping soundly after her wild week of nonstop playing at daycare. I had a fantastic time. My bestie’s baby has now officially become my bestie too, I was reminded of people from college that I haven’t thought about in almost twenty years, and I ate my body weight in fresh-picked berries.
In light of my announcement the other week, I’ve also gotten a handful of messages from people who love Mess, but do not wish to give Substack a cent of their hard-earned money due to, you know, nazis and stuff. So I wanted to take this opportunity to remind everyone that I am more than happy to create alternate payment arrangements for those who wish to be paid subs while still denying the platform their cut. It’s actually super easy and I’ve already done it for a number of your fellow Messketeers, so let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in as well. And another gentle reminder that prices are going up at the end of the month, so lock in that deep discount now!
Finally, thanks to everyone who watched the new June YouTube video! It’s been my most successful audio-visual offering to date. I’ll have another one out soon for paid subscribers all about Robin Givhan’s The Battle of Versailles which is a book I cannot recommend more highly!!! If you just want to receive the bonus video content and no additional perks, you can also become a member directly on YouTube to access that content.
Ok, here’s a list of things I bought/watched/read/and clicked on last month. Enjoy!
Stuff:
OxiClean White Revive + The Sun
Am I the last person in the world to learn about this product? It certainly feels like it! But I am happy to have finally acquired this treasured laundry knowledge. I have had a pile of desperately dingy, stained, and yellowing white t-shirts in the corner of my closet for longer than I’d like to admit as I previously held no hope that anything could bring them back to life and yet I was loathe to part with these beloved tops. So after poring over the r/laundry subreddit, I decided to put their recommendations to the ultimate test and soak everything in this OxiClean concoction for ~8 hours and then dry them in the sun. And oh my god, it worked better than I ever could’ve hoped for. There was a t-shirt from the 80s in there that I’ve literally never seen that shade of white before. It also got out old stains I thought were doomed to be there ruining my classic tees forever. 11/10 this is why reddit always keeps me coming back for more.
A croissant at Librae Bakery (or anything honestly)
I feel like I’ve recommended this before in the newsletter, but I love this place so much. I will always make an excuse to do something in the city if it means I can swing by this bakery on a work day. (Note I said work day because no one should suffer through that block-circling line Librae generates on a weekend!) I have never ordered something that didn’t taste incredible here. But I have to say their simple butter-laden croissant might be the most perfect pastry of them all.
Lume Acidified Cleansing Bar in Unscented
This soap was a
recommendation that I immediately added to my cart as you already know Sam would never steer you wrong. I don’t understand how this soap works, but by god it works. While the quantity of my sweat has been steadily on the rise all month, I have noticed a distinct decrease in its stink since I started using this soap.More Gap Factory
Yes, it happened again. I made more essential Gap purchases that make me wonder how I was ever dressing without them. The brand is slowly taking over my wardrobe, now where is my campaign. At the very least, where is my discount code?! Anyway, I bought these linen pants and I once again made the mistake of ordering them in tall. Trust me. Do not purchase things from Gap in tall unless you are 6’5” and up. I also bought this plain cotton cardigan that I have not worn yet because it’s been a million degrees outside, but I have grand plans to wear with every single thing I own once it gets a scooch cooler.
Goop Glow Skin Highlighter Stick
Goop sent me these highlighters to try and I’ve mostly been using the “aura” one. It’s been the perfect replacement for my apparently unreplaceable Charlotte Tilbury highlighter. I love this type of cream stick applicator and the formula is subtly reflective without being overly shimmery which is always my biggest complaint about most highlighters. I’m also looking forward to transitioning into the bronze “Sunny” shade as I get a little more tan this summer.
Neutrogena High Shine Glossy Lip Balm
And Neutrogena sent me this glossy balm as well as their new lip oil. I thought the lip oil was way too tacky with little payoff, but this balm has been surprisingly great. It has a nice hint of color and actually feels hydrating. My one major complaint is you have to click a million times to get just the tiniest smidge of balm to emerge from the tube. And just because there’s a new gloss in my life, don’t think for a second I’ve stopped absolutely glugging down the Fresh Sugar Treat Lip Oil in Rose I mentioned last month. I’m currently on my second bottle.
Ugly Feelings by Sianne Ngai
A member of my Ways of Seeing book club suggested Ugly Feelings as another book that might be of interest to the group and it was an immediate purchase for me. The description says:
“Envy, irritation, paranoia—in contrast to powerful and dynamic negative emotions like anger, these non-cathartic states of feeling are associated with situations in which action is blocked or suspended. In her examination of the cultural forms to which these affects give rise, Sianne Ngai suggests that these minor and more politically ambiguous feelings become all the more suited for diagnosing the character of late modernity.”
Can’t wait to dive in!
Ok, the rest of this list is for paid readers who will learn all about a piece of tech that makes my job radically easier, the powders that are keeping me hydrated all summer long, my fav bra and button-up shirt, and the cake I pre-ordered for my birthday. I’m also giving you a special sneak peek at
and I’s book club launching September 1 (!!!), the best movie I’ve seen all year that I fear is never going to be released in America, and the books I won’t stop yapping about.But no matter your Messketeer status, I’ll see you all back here on Friday for our usually scheduled programming. I have A LOT to say and it’s like 90% Schiaparelli and Balenciaga. <3