Coffee Break: The Edit

A roundup of what I am currently reading, wearing, buying, and loving.

When I am in Italy I am far more focused on experiences than I am on things, but here are the things that have been taking center stage lately that I think are worth mentioning

Beauty

Living in Italy shifts my makeup approach entirely. Quick and easy is the name of the game here and I have found a few things I keep reaching for.

I have been loving eyeshadow sticks lately, specifically the formula from Bobbi Brown. Taupe gives me that perfect neutral brown and Moonstone delivers micro-glitter in the best possible way. Easy to apply, no brush required, done in sixty seconds.

I also fell hard for the It Cosmetics Sheer Tint Balm. It looks like skin, it wears well, and it is the kind of product that makes you look like you are doing something without actually doing much. Fair warning if you are oily this one is probably not for you, but dry skin girls are going to love it.

On the skincare front, the weather here has been transitional and my skin has been on the drier side. I picked up the Anua 7 Rice Ceramide Hydrating Serum and it has been a great addition. It is not heavy so it wears beautifully under makeup but it gives my skin that drink of hydration it has been desperate for.

My hair has also been a bit dry. I was in the Italian version of the a CVS (minus the pharmacy) and was surprised to find they sold Olaplex. I picked up the No. 7 Bonding Oil. I had never tried it before but it turned out to be exactly what I needed. It helps smooth out flyaways and adds shine.

Now for the shameless plug: This month I launched a collaboration with Sigma and it is something I am genuinely proud of. The Flawless Hooded Eye Brush Set was designed specifically with mature skin in mind. If you have hooded eyes you know how much precision matters when it comes to placement, and small brushes are everything. This set has exactly what you need and nothing you do not. I will leave the link below and you can stack code GLAMLATTE for an additional discount. Buy them HERE

Bags

In the last installment I talked about discovering Portland Leather and falling for the Montana bag. Since then I picked up the August Tote in cobalt blue and I have not put it down. The quality of the leather at this price point is genuinely hard to believe. Some of the styles run a little boho for my taste but the classic shapes are forever and these bags will outlast most things in your closet. For me, these are forever bags.

And then there is the little leather store in Gallipoli, the seaside town closest to me, that sells Italian leather bags at prices that should not be legal. Last trip I found a beige bag with a bee clasp that I loved so much I came back this trip and bought it in red and blue. The gold hardware, the grommets, the chain strap. They are the kind of bags that look expensive and cost almost nothing. Given that my social life is considerably more active here than it is in the US they are getting plenty of use.

Jewelry

I mentioned Bomb Party last time and I have continued collecting pieces since then. My friend Lisa goes live several times a week and you can purchase and reveal your piece on the live or order and reveal yourself at home. I have picked up several more pieces including a ring and necklace I have been wearing constantly. I will drop her information here if you want to check it out.

Currently Reading

I am in my reading era and I am genuinely considering starting a TikTok account just to have someone to talk about books with. I need another project like I need a hole in the head but here we are. I have a reading buddy which I love, we tend to gravitate toward mysteries and some fantasy. Romance I am on my own with.

In March I read 11 books. April was 8, though one of them was quite long so that slowed me down a bit. So far in May I have read 3 and I am currently in the middle of 3 more. I decided to do a quick summary broken down by month so you get a quick overview of my thoughts without us being here all day. If you are into reading you can follow me on Goodreads to see my full ‘to be read’ list, what I have finished, and what I am currently reading in real time.

MARCH READS:

I am budding reading the Kate Rosetti Mystery Series by Gina LaManna. It’s more of a cozy mystery series than a gripping one. I like this because we get a love triangle, friendship, family dynamics and solving murder all rolled into one. I also love being pulled into one world and following characters through a series. This one has 13 books and we’ve been reading 3 at a time, then doing a ‘palette cleanser’ read and then 3 more. This month we read 4. Our palette cleanser was The Astral Library by Kate Quinn. Loved the premise, loved the story, didn’t love the main character for some reason. I don’t know, something felt slightly off. I gave it 4 stars because it was fun and well written.

I also dove into the world of Abby Jimenez. Where do I begin…if you like contemporary romance, I think you’ll like these. Abby’s books are FUNNY. I burst out laughing in every single one. Maybe we just have the same sense of humor but she keeps me laughing and I love that. I am not someone who wants to cry or be scared when reading. Life is hard enough. I want to walk away feeling good. She writes relatable, real life scenerios with characters that have a lot of depth, but her humor makes things light hearted. That said, some of her books (a lot of them) are about 20 something’s and being 50, the immaturity and angst drives me nuts. I wish more authors would write contemporary romance about older women. Maybe publishers think being single at over 40 isn’t normal, I don’t know. None the less she’s become an auto buy author for me. I even purchased Say You’ll Remember Me in Italian so I can use it as a learning tool to learn the language.

I had two DNF’s (did not finish) because life is too short for bad books. A Book to Kill For had potential but the characters and pacing were off. It was kind of a snoozefest. And A Blueberry Murder, also had so much potential, but was poorly executed. The pacing was WAY off.

APRIL READS:

I read two more Kate Rosetti books, all of them are consistent with writing, pacing and storyline so I’m still enjoying them. We did our ‘palette cleanse’ with Arcana Academy which is a dark academia fantasy duology about a world of tarot cards and magic. There are no non-humans in this world so I was able to easily digest it. Sometimes fantasy books with weird species and far out magic take a lot of work to read, this one didn’t. If you like tarot you will especially like this. Book two is out in July and I will definitely be picking it up. It’s a longer read though which is why I didn’t read as many books this month.

I read two Abby Jimenez short stories, which were both great and a new author to me Jillian Meadows, book 2 in the Oak Sister’s series: No Place Like You. I loved her writing style, but there was a lot of gratuitous spice. If you love spice, you’ll be happy. Personally I think there a balance and this one went overboard. And no one needs MORE in the epilogue. That said, the story itself did make me want to read the other two though and I probably will.

My two DNF’s were The Dog Ladies, by chapter 2 I just knew this was going to be a snoozer. No Place to be Single, so much potential, but this was originally written in Italian and translated into english and some things just don’t work that way. It’s written in english about the Italian culture and it was just weird. I wanted it to be a normal contemporary romance, but it just didn’t read that way for me.

MAY READS (so far):

I started to dip my toes into another author this month, Christina Lauren which is.a romance writing duo. I started with two short stories, they were fantastic so I am excited to try some more of their novels. I have read two more Abby Jimenez books so far. I am still ready Happily Ever After Playlist but loving it so far. There is one more in this trilogy and I will definitely be reading that one too. Started book 7 in the Kate Rosetti Series and about 80% done. Will probably finish 8 and 9 this month as well. I also started a new mystery series Murder Uncorked. I am only a few chapters in, so we will see how it goes.

That’s it for this issue. I’d love to know what’s you’re currently loving.

xo,