Hello and happy Monday!

I’m currently editing this post on a split laptop screen– Substack on one half and Love Island on the other. I’m not usually one to write and multitask, but it seems to be a good routine tonight.

Since my last post, I’ve been completely void of inspiration, which I’m putting down to a mix of seasonal blues and January pressure. Somehow it’s still January, which means I’m still very much enamoured by my Christmas gifts and have reached the highest point of social burnout. It’s safe to say I’ve been filling these chilly evenings with quiet activities– books, doom-scrolling and a loyal TV schedule– and will continue to do so until further notice.

With that in mind, I decided to keep this post slightly lighter and attempt a curated (yet completely random) reflection of my mid-month favourites:

📺 Watching:

There are so many promising films in the cinema at the moment, yet I can’t seem to sway from my bedroom viewing setup: the dim lighting of my table lamp, my beanbag and my crispiest bedsheets. Here’s everything that’s been draining my laptop battery:

• When Harry Met Sally: My favourite thing about this movie is its seasonal versatility. It’s the perfect film to welcome fall, with its browning autumn leaves and cozy atmosphere. Yet, when New Year’s Eve arrives, it beautifully captures the magic and bittersweet hope of what’s to come. This rom-com felt like a warm hug on the first evening of January and I fear I may have started a new holiday tradition by watching it.

• The Traitors: The real traitors are the BBC for making us wait until Wednesday- Friday for a new episode. As always, I’m completely hooked.

• Love Island: All Stars

• Molly-Mae: Behind It All: the first few episodes were such an easy watch and made for some perfect laundry background noise

📚 Reading:

I’m not a particularly fast reader, yet I’ve been soaring through the first Magnolia Parks book as though the year depends on it. I’ve got a whole separate post about the book in my drafts, which is a good indication as to how much I’m enjoying it.

🍊 January obsessions:

• Mini Eggs: I don’t usually approve of Easter chocolate in January, but when mini eggs are back on shelves, I become a different person. I also tried the new Terry’s Chocolate Orange filled egg and I’m still drooling over the orange fondant filling

• Tom Holland and Zendaya’s engagement: my favourite thing about this engagement is the complete nonchalance in which it was revealed. Can we normalise getting engaged and just waiting for someone to spot the ring?

• Demi Moore’s Golden Globes speech

• Joe Jonas on TikTok: if Joe Jonas’s TikTok account is gone forever (update: it’s not), at least he’s left behind an iconic digital footprint. My favourite unhinged repost was this remixed Camp Rock edit which makes the film seem so… groovy

• Nara Smith making birthday candles from scratch: I’m such a die hard Nara Smith fan to the point that I follow her on every app. I can also confidently say that I devoured the video of her making birthday candles on both TikTok and IG Reels (and more than once)

• This Jelly Donut focaccia recipe:

  

  @brightmomentcosourdough focaccia piped with strawberry jam and glazed just like a jelly donut !! 10/10 recommend making for your friends i used my overnight sourdough focaccia recipe on my blog at abrightmoment.com #sourdough #sourdoughfocaccia #sourdoughrecipe #focacciabread #focacciarecipe

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• Crew neck cardigans:

  

• The Orange by Wendy Cope: the sweetest poem about finding happiness in the mundane:

  

• Reversible/ stone flip rings: I recently spotted these ‘stone flip rings’ on the Anthropologie website which are such a fun idea. The double rings essentially ‘flip’ over, meaning you can choose between two reversible stones to wear

• This Substack post by MacKinley Jade about Brooch-Maxxing and Avani Dubey’s latest newsletter N4: Miss Sixty Goes Retro, and Bella Hadid Is Owning It 👀

😬 Not convinced:

• Timothée Chalamet riding onto the red carpet on a Lime bike: this may be a hot take but I just didn’t get it. The whole affair looked clumsy and awkward and I think there are better ways to embrace London culture at a premiere

• Costco’s hot cookie: I finally went to Costco this week and spent the entire time anticipating a hot cookie after I hit the tills. It was enjoyable, but definitely overrated. If you prefer quite a rich, hearty cookie (I’m talking triple the amount of cookie dough), then I’d still give it a go

• Soap nails: I can get on board with fun and creative trend names (tomato girl makeup, glazed donut nails), but referring to a clear nail polish manicure as ‘soap nails’– where do we draw the line?

🛍 Payday wishlist:

After Christmas and a resolution to consume more carefully in 2025, there are very few items on my wishlist this month. However, these are the few items that have piqued my interest:

• Mini prints by Eleanor Isobelle: I absolutely love the designs of these mystery mini prints and have a vision to create a Pinterest-y collage of them in my bedroom

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• Papier planner for some screen-free organisation

• Moleskine customisable pins: these are a slightly unnecessary purchase, however they’re the sweetest little touch to accessorise journals and planners