Weekend Reads for March 8, 2025

Weekend Reads

For years, I practised medicine with cool certainty, comfortable with life-and-death decisions. Then, one day, I couldn’t. (Aeon)

From Chaucer to Playboy: The evolution of the bush. (Bustle)

Target CEO: Expect price increases in the next couple days because of tariffs. (CNN)

After a not-so-awesome experience with my Quince comforter, I am going back to my tried and true ride or die, Boll & Branch, and ordered the Dream Bed Blanket. Not cheap, but considering how my Boll & Branch sheets still look new after years and the duvet insert and cover are a favorite, I have high hopes. Stay tuned, I'll share my thoughts. And you can always save 15% off at Boll & Branch with code ALISON15.

This high school is tackling clothing donation waste in ways most fashion brands won't. (Teen Vogue)

Have you heard of Fashion Revolution Week? It's coming next month; learn more.

“After college, when I began to tell new friends about my upbringing, I realized it wasn’t just a ‘strange community,' it was what I now believe to be a cult.” (HuffPost)

Army deleting online content related to women, minorities using keywords like ‘respect' and ‘dignity.' (Military.com)

Her job is to remove homeless people from SF’s parks. Her methods are extraordinary. (The San Francisco Standard)

Have I mentioned how much I like this tubing mascara? No smudging, no clumping, my lashes look miles long but so natural. Big fan!

Google's new AI Mode is a preview of the future of search. (Platformer)

Why you should make your phone boring. (Vox)

Sales and Style Inspo

The Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Event is on, and it's one worth checking out. I'm writing this Friday afternoon, and the Daily Beauty Steal is 50% off amazing products like Olaplex, Benefit brow products, Tarte mascara, and Supergoop sunscreen. For this weekend, I see there will be 50% off products from brands like Fenty, Clinique, Elemis, OPI, and Dermablend. You can find all the Daily Beauty Steals at this link.

Did you hear that Universal Standard launched an exclusive collection with Anthropologie? The pieces are similar to what US has on their site, but slightly different design and a lot of colors and prints you can't find elsewhere. The collection right now is only available in sizes 1X-3X but I've heard the number of items and the size range are both supposed to increase. FYI, if you're curious about that orange printed jumpsuit, I reviewed the Universal Standard Promenade Jumpsuit in a solid color.

As y'all know, I sometimes find Quince pieces to be better than and different from the original designer inspiration, and sometimes worse. And sometimes it's just so on the nose it makes me uncomfortable. Quince just launched fragrances, and it's obvious they're making a cheaper version of Byredo, down to the bottle design. I wonder if they smell anything like the original.

Speaking of Anthro, did you know they have a page where they offer Nuuly rentals at final sale? The selection is weird and the condition may not be great, but the prices are phenomenal. However, remember that all of the items are final sale so you get what you get and you don't get upset.

Hey local yokels, I will be hosting an event at the Georgetown M.M.LaFleur store April 10th from 5:30-8:30 and I'd love to see you there! I'll be curating my personal favorites from the new arrivals, there will be bites and bubbly and it would be fun to connect IRL. Stay tuned for more info, and as always, use code ALISON15 at M.M.LaFleur for 15% off your purchase!

See/Hear/Read

After a week of being an election judge, I ended up behind on my TV series. And one I am glad to get back into is Yellowjackets (Paramount+, Showtime). In its third season, this is the story of a girls' soccer team whose plane crashed in the 90s en route to a competition. We follow those who survived the crash and how they survived the wilderness, and their lives now as grown women.

Starring folks like Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, Ella Purnell, and Christina Ricci, it's a stellar cast of fascinating characters and an amazing story that switches from past to present, putting together the puzzle pieces of what actually happened then, and what the heck is going on now.

The attention to detail in this show is amazing, and for those of us who are around the same age as these characters, it will feel hella familiar and nostalgic and niche. For example, in a recent episode during a scene taking place in current time, characters are listening to the song, “Make Your Own Kind of Music” by Cass Elliot.

This song came out in 1969, before all of these characters were alive. However, I know that when I hear that song, I immediately think of the TV series LOST and I can't be the only one. Is that song playing because of LOST? Because the soundtrack is so well done, I wouldn't put it past the writers to use that song for that specific reason.

The first season of Yellowjackets is now available on Netflix, so if you haven't begun this series, this is another manner to watch and catch up. It's dark and creepy and funny and creative and horrible and fascinating and 99% of the cast is young women and women in midlife and I just can't wait for the next episode!

As for books, I am currently reading Lush Lives by J. Vanessa Lyon, which is a queer romance that takes place in the NYC art world with a lot of history about Harlem and some of the creatives that lived there in the early 1900s. Good references to fashion, architecture, and furniture too.

I began listening to Earth to Moon, the memoir of Moon Unit Zappa, daughter of Frank Zappa. I really enjoyed it but my loan was up and there was a waitlist. But I have put myself back on the waitlist to finish it. Gen Xers will especially enjoy this book.

For Your Entertainment

Charlie Needs Braces is a music duo of Aboriginal Australian sisters Charlie Woods and her sister Miri. The sisters are GuriNgai, and direct descendant of Bungaree and Matora.

Charlie Needs Braces' sound is, to quote Josse at “Loud Women,” “Bjork-like, modern psychedelic pop record with a heart steeped in Aboriginal folklore and a deep environmental message.” The music is solely sampling/looping, a trumpet, and their voices.

The latest single off their second album NYAA WA is “Wompoo.” The song is inspired by the native Wompoo Fruit Dove that lives in the North Coast of Australia. It’s written and sung by Charlie's sister Miri. BTW, NYAA WA means “take care” in Charlie’s mob’s GuriNgai language. 

The above paragraphs are why I love writing Weekend Reads. It challenges me to research and understand that which I listen to, watch, and read. Karl was listening to New Music on Spotify and heard a song by Charlie Needs Braces and went to check out their latest album, NYAA WA. After seeing the video for “Wompoo” I had to do some homework and am so glad I did. I hope you enjoy as much as I did!