karaoke and dramatic sunglasses, things i like rn

0:00Today, I'm going to be sharing with you all a list of some things that I like right now. Some might call this a list of current favorites. Others might call this a list of current obsessions, whatever you want to call it. This is a list of some things that have been bringing me joy lately. And I make these episodes pretty frequently because I'm the type of person who's constantly becoming obsessed with things. I'm constantly going through phases with things just to ultimately kick them to the curb two months later and replace them with something else. And that's not because the thing that I'm kicking to the curb all of a sudden sucks, but rather because I like to keep life interesting and dynamic.

0:35And so I'm constantly in the pursuit of new things to be excited about. So without further ado, these are the things that I like right now. I briefly interrupt this episode to let you know that this episode is brought to you by Hotels.com. Make your next trip work for you. Hotels.com's new Save Your Way feature lets you choose between instant savings now or banking rewards for later. It's a flexible rewards program that puts you in control, turning every stay into an opportunity. No confusing math, no blackout dates. Use your rewards however you choose, only at Hotels.com. Save Your Way is available to loyalty members in the US and UK on hotels with member prices.

1:15Other terms apply. See site for details. Now back to the episode. Starting with something that I never, ever thought would be on a list of things that I like right now. This is truly the curveball of the century for me. Karaoke. What? What? This is shocking. Okay. I am terrified of singing in front of people, which is interesting because when I was a kid, I actually really enjoyed singing. My dad makes music. He sings. He plays a bunch of instruments. And when I was a kid, naturally, I wanted to sing and play instruments too. And my dad really enjoyed teaching me. And I will say, I didn't take very well to instruments, but I did take to singing.

2:05My parents believed that I was a good singer at the time, which helped, feels good to do something and then get compliments. Were they being honest? Who's to say? But I quickly grew out of that. Once I got to the age where I started getting self-conscious, the singing ended. Ever since I was like 12 years old, I've refused to sing in front of people. I don't know if I'm a good singer. My parents think I am, but I feel like everyone's parents think that their kids are good singers. Parents hype their kids up to a fault at times. And I don't know, I don't trust them, right? Occasionally, I will slip up and sing to a song in the car in front of my friends.

2:52Well, no, I'll sing in front of my friends in the car on purpose, but never seriously, like always like in a little accent or something. Like for example, like a Casey Musgraves country song will come on and I'll really lean into that country accent to cover up my singing. You know what I mean? Singing in front of people is so incredibly vulnerable and it's very hard to figure out if you're a good singer or not. Like, how do you even know? Like you could film yourself, but like that sounds terrifying to me. I don't know. I just don't know if I'm a good singer and singing is so vulnerable that I just have chosen not to do it.

3:31And there's a chance that I'm like actually an incredible singer. In fact, sometimes when I'm alone singing in the car, I'm like, I'm hitting this shit. But also I'm listening to music where the singer is really hitting the notes, you know, like that's why it's a song that's on my playlist because they're really hitting the notes. And so it's like, is it my voice that sounds good or is it theirs? And their voice is drowning out mine. Like, who knows? I'm very insecure about my singing because I just don't know if it's good or not. So since age like 12, I've vowed to not sing in front of people.

4:06But this past Halloween, my friends and I spontaneously decided to go to karaoke. Actually, I wasn't even involved in this decision. This decision was made among my other friends, like they decided. And then I was told we're going to karaoke. And I was like, oh, well, I guess then I'm just gonna like hang out and dance a little, you know, sounds fun, but I'm not gonna be singing. You know, can't wait to watch everyone else sing. We rented a private room and someone handed me a mic when Tongue Tied by Group Love, one of my favorite songs of all time, started playing. And I just started singing.

4:43And I was like, hold on. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me. I'm having the best fucking time. And you know what? The thing about karaoke is that like no one really sounds good and it doesn't really matter. Like everyone is singing whether they're on the mic or not. So it's actually a bit safer of a singing experience than I thought it would be. Because by the way, I'd never done karaoke before this. I don't think. Yeah, I think that was my first time doing karaoke. It was so fun. It was one of the most fun evenings I've had out in a really long time, even when I wasn't on the mic.

5:17Okay, I guess I'm realizing now that two things are going on at once. The feeling of singing in front of people was not as bad as I thought, and I actually ended up loving it. And then the actual activity of karaoke in itself, whether or not I was singing, was incredibly enjoyable. To be able to pick out the music that you're playing, because we were in this sort of private room and you just like, I don't even know what we were doing. Like you could cue songs by like scanning a QR code and then you could look through a library of songs and choose whatever, you know, you wanted to play and then they would come up on the screen and then you would sing them.

5:50That was so fun, like so much more fun than, you know, going to a bar or to a club or whatever and listening to whatever the DJ has decided for the night. But also it was fun too to be in this sort of safe environment in this room where there weren't any strangers, just people I trusted around where I'm like, you know what? It's okay if they see me sing badly. It doesn't really matter. I don't know. I loved it. Karaoke is a fucking vibe. I'm going to be doing more karaoke. I get the hype now. I finally get the hype. It was wonderful. Okay, moving on to another thing that I'm shocked is on a list of favorites because I'm a very paranoid, anxious person.

6:31Roller coasters. How weird. Okay. I haven't been on a roller coaster in a very, very long time, like years and years and years. But I recently got invited to Disneyland and I was like, this is perfect for me. I'm afraid of roller coasters. All the roller coasters at Disneyland are like pretty chill. I think there's one roller coaster that goes upside down. No biggie. We get into the park and the first roller coaster that we go on is the most intense. It's the one that goes upside down. My heart was beating through my chest. I was so scared. What I'm afraid of when it comes to roller coasters is obviously something going wrong, right?

7:08Like my seatbelt malfunctioning, the roller coaster itself malfunctioning, like a gear breaking and then me falling off, like whatever. I'm afraid of dying on the roller coaster, right? Is it somewhat irrational. Yes. I mean, like there's so much technology that goes into making these things safe. You know, these roller coasters run throughout the day, every single day. And we rarely hear about anything bad happening. Like, it's very irrational. It's almost like my fear of flying. It's just like, come on, but things can go wrong. And like, in my head, I'm always like, I'm going to be the one that's on the ride when it breaks down and everyone dies, you know, like that's how my brain works.

7:43Knock on wood. So in line for this, for this roller coaster. My heart is beating through my chest. I'm kind of a wreck, to be honest, but I'm trying to keep it cool. We get on. I'm like, what if I get so scared that I have a heart attack? I'm just panicking. I'm freaking out. We start moving. We start going up. And I'm like, I just want to get off. I'm so afraid. All my friends are having so much fun. They're so excited. They're like, we're at Disneyland. And I'm like, oh my God, I'm going to die on this roller coaster right now, I think. We get to the top. I'm like, fuck it. I just have to let go.

8:16like there's nothing I can do now you know and boom we start going down and I'm like holy shit this feels really good this just feels good and then a smile forms on my face a big big smile like I'm a child again okay ear to ear I'm smiling and I can't wipe this smile off my face I almost in the moment got embarrassed of how big I was smiling I was like this is embarrassing I'm like chill. Why are you so happy? I had an amazing time on this roller coaster. I understood, again, why we like roller coasters. There's something about the feeling that is just, it's amazing. It's such a rush. It feels so good to have the wind blowing through your hair.

9:01It's wonderful. Even after I got off the roller coaster and I felt a little bit nauseous because I did feel a little bit nauseous when I got off. I didn't even care. And for the rest of my experience at Disneyland, I was like chasing that feeling again. I was like, we should only go on the, because Disneyland's pretty chill. Like a lot of the rides are really for kids and they're really slow and they're really tame or whatever. I was like, I want to go on the big ones. Let's go on like the fastest, craziest ones. I became like the adrenaline junkie of the trip to Disneyland. Everyone was like, chill, let's just like go on the teacups real quick.

9:33And I was like, no, no, no. We need to go on Space Mountain. Am I ready to like go to one of those intense theme parks where the roller coasters are like actually terrifying? You know, they're like, they go up as high as a skyscraper and like they go upside down and over and over. Like, no, I don't think I'm ready for that yet. But I will say I had a lot of fun on the roller coasters and I'm kind of chasing that feeling again. Like the next time I get invited to go to an amusement park, am I going to plan that myself? Probably not. I'm not chasing that feeling enough to maybe schedule myself another trip to a theme park quite yet.

10:07But like, if I get invited, if somebody else is down, I'm going to be stoked to go on another roller coaster. And facing a fear like that, and then realizing it's not that bad and actually coming to like it is such a wonderful experience. Like, I'm really trying to face my fears as often as possible, because I just am so fucking sick of being afraid of everything. And to an extent, it's sort of out of my control. But what is in my control is that I can choose to not chicken out and I can choose to get on the roller coaster. A lot of times at the other side of facing the fear, I feel a lot better and I'm slowly but surely chipping away at that trait of mine.

10:44Okay, next we have a song. I have been listening to this one song for a month straight. This is my song fixation possibly of the year. I don't think I've had a song that I've been this obsessed with all year. I'm looking at my Spotify right now. Actually, that's not true. I've had a few major song fixations this year, but like this particular song I've been listening to for a month straight with almost no variation. Like this is like the only song I care about. It's the only song that exists to me right now. It's the song Seaforth, S-E-A-F-O-R-T-H by the artist King Cruel. I've been a King Cruel fan since like, I don't know, maybe even 2015.

11:28Is that possible? Let's see when his album came out that I liked a while ago. Let's see. Yeah. Oh my God. Okay. 2013, King Cruel put out an album called Six Feet Beneath the Moon. And I discovered the song Out Getting Ribs. I discovered it on Vine. I found so much good music on Vine, if we remember Vine, the six-second content app, remember? Throwback Thursday. I found Mac DeMarco on Vine. I found Tame Impala on Vine. There was this genre of Vines that used to be like, they were kind of like edits, like aesthetically pleasing edits of either aesthetically pleasing TV shows or movies or music videos.

12:11And then there would be a song to it. And I used to follow accounts that would give me those types of videos. And then in the caption, it would say like what the movie or the TV show was. And then it would say what the song was that was used for the edit. And I found so much good music from that. And one of those songs that I discovered was Out Getting Ribs by King Cruel, which became one of my favorite songs of all time. Is it on my list of favorite songs of all time? It might need to get added because that is one of my favorite songs of all time. I just love it the beginning is so good especially and since then I've kept up with King Cruel and I've found many more favorite King Cruel songs but I discovered Seaforth by King Cruel most recently when I was at fashion week and I was looking for music to use for my Instagram posts for some reason this is embarrassing to tell like I feel embarrassed telling the story I don't know why I think it's because I feel like we all want our social media presence to seem so effortless and so chill and so casual.

13:13And so like telling this story of like I was on Spotify like digging through, you know, albums that I haven't listened to in full yet trying to find music that I like to use on my Instagram posts because I like putting music, you know, on my Instagram posts, especially with like fashion stuff. because I like to like create a vibe and you know I like to score my Instagram posts so cringe so great I'm cringing I'm cringing but I do like to do that and so I was digging through different albums that I haven't listened to in full yet and one of them was the latest King Cruel album and I clicked on the song Seaforth by King Cruel and immediately was like I love this and that doesn't happen to me all the time a lot of times it takes me time to like a song like I need repeat exposure.

14:00Immediately this one, I was like, this is so fucking good. Added it to my playlist immediately, which again, never happens. And then proceeded to listen to this song over and over and over again during my Paris trip. When I would, you know, go for my morning walk to my hot yoga in Paris. I would, I was listening when I was on my way to get a coffee. I was listening, doing my skincare routine. I was listening, like I was listening to the song over and over and over again, nonstop. And it has not stopped though. I got home, you know, I got back into my routine, kept listening to this song. I have not stopped listening to this song for a month.

14:38I am so obsessed with it. It is so good. And it gives me this like feeling like it really does have this sort of eerie dystopian, not even dystopian. I like, fuck. It's like, okay, Emma, we get it. Your vocabulary is not the best using the word dystopian because it doesn't feel dystopian. It's like, I don't know, there's something kind of like eerie, but yet ethereal about it. I like feel it in my gut. I don't know. I don't know. Just listen to it. Just listen to it. It makes me feel like I'm floating in the ocean, laying on my back, floating in the ocean, the cold ocean though, which in reality would be really uncomfortable.

15:20But like in my fantasy, in the way that this song feels, it isn't painful. I'm laying in the cold ocean. It's the wintertime, but the waves are like really calm. And I'm looking up at the sky and it's twilight. The sky is not fully pitch black yet out. It's like twilight. It's like a blue. It's like a rich blue, but it's not quite like. And I'm looking up at the sky and it's a clear night and I can see stars and I can, actually, no, it's a little foggy maybe. It is a little foggy actually. it's a little foggy and it's a little misty and I'm looking up and the moon is like beaming through the fog and it's like kind of cold and kind of eerie but it's also really comforting at the same time that's how I feel about this song it's so fucking good go listen it's just such a good song what else is there to say moving on to another fashion week discovery I discovered that last song during fashion week.

16:16I also discovered, well, I didn't discover this, this thing, but rather I sort of rediscovered this thing. And now I'm really into this thing. Sheet masks. You know what a sheet mask is. Comes in a packet, you rip it open and it like, it's like a little sheet and you put it on your face and then it's a sheet mask. Everyone's like, Emma, why are you explaining a sheet mask? I don't know. I always get scared that like I talk about things as though everyone knows what they are. And then people are listening like, wait, what the fuck is that? So that's why I sometimes over explain. But anyway, so let me let me tell you how I rediscovered the sheet mask because it's such an obvious thing.

16:51Like sheet masks are so popular, but I've always felt like they don't really work that well. I've always felt like they're kind of unnecessary. Like maybe it's like kind of something fun to do. Maybe if I have an event, you know, it can be kind of fun to like add that extra step into the skincare. But I've always felt like, you know, does it really work? You know, like, is it really worth being a part of my weekly skincare routine? Probably not. So now that you have that baseline in mind, so let me see the scene for you. I just landed in Paris from Milan and I was really jet lagged. I was really dehydrated.

17:27I have a hard time drinking water when I'm traveling. I just wasn't feeling so good, to be honest. And one night I was like, I think I need to go to Sephora and I need to get some stuff that's going to... I need to lean into my skincare routine right now. My skin is looking really dry, partially because I wasn't drinking enough water, but also from all the traveling. I was like, let me go to Sephora and see what I can find. It's like 8 p.m. one night and I walk over to Sephora, which was still open, kind of wild, But anyway, and I walk in and it looks like it's fucking Black Friday in 2013 in there.

18:04It was packed. It was absolutely packed. And this particular Sephora was massive. I think it's probably the biggest Sephora in Paris. It's so huge. And I'm like jet lag, not feeling so good. And I'm like, oh God, here we go. Like I need to figure out, I don't even know what sheet mask to buy. I haven't bought a sheet mask in a long time, whatever. So I walk in and I'm like, I'm like walking around like a zombie like trying to find something and I end up buying a few types of sheet masks from the brand 111 skin I bought one that was like a biocellular like hydrating like cell turnover mask and then I bought one for like de-puffing and like it's called a cryo mask whatever I bought those two took me so long to figure out which ones to buy but I was like these to seem good.

18:57Like I like what it's saying on the front. I like the ingredients. I'm feeling good. They're a little pricey, but let's fucking, you know, let's just get out of this Sephora. And actually, funny story. I do self-checkout. I buy them. And then when I'm walking out, the sensors beeped. And so they thought I was stealing. They had to like ask, like they had to, I had to go talk to somebody at a desk and it was, I was scared. I was like, you guys, I promise. and it was also crazy too because I usually don't take a receipt with something like that. Like I'll just crumple up the receipt and throw it away.

19:29Like whatever. I'm not going to need to return these, you know. I guess if I had had like an allergic reaction or something, maybe I'd want to return. But I don't even know if they would allow me. Anyway, it doesn't matter. By some miracle, I at self-checkout took the receipt with me. When they thought I was stealing, I was able to show the receipt. If I had not taken the receipt, it would have been a whole thing. I already know it would have been a whole thing. Thank goodness I took the receipt. Anyway, I put them in the fridge because I like to put my sheet masks in the fridge so that they're really cold when I put them on.

19:56And the next day I used one of them and I was shocked at how well it worked. Like before I put it on, my skin looked dry and like felt dry and you could see a lot of fine lines and stuff. And then I used the mask and my skin was like more plump and hydrated and you couldn't see those fine lines as much. And I was like, wait, this is amazing. Like what? I really paid attention this time and I realized face masks are not just snake oil like they actually do work and ever since then I've been doing a few sheet masks a week and I feel like my skin has been happier I think I just underestimated them as an element in your skincare routine and now I'm I'm really into it and it's not only is it fun you know it's kind of a novelty but also I genuinely do believe that they actually work so I'm kind of it feels like discovering sliced bread.

20:50It's like, hello, it's existed for so long. Like it's your fault for not believing in them. It's my fault. I just, I guess, I don't know. So I'm into sheet masks right now. I also particularly like the sheet mask because I feel like it really does, having the like rubbery stuff on your face, I feel like it really does allow the product to like really sink in. I used to be more of like a cream mask type of person, like just the type that you spread on your face. And those work well too. But actually, I think I honestly think sheet masks work better. Because it's just like, I don't know. I don't know.

21:25Anyway. Okay, moving on. Speaking of skincare products, I have been obsessed with skincare and makeup in general lately, like trying new products, experimenting with new makeup looks, experimenting with new like skincare ingredients. Like for some reason, I'm just really into beauty products right now. And I will say, it's not all sunshine and rainbows being in a phase experimenting with skincare and makeup because things can and do go wrong. Something might not work well with your skin. You might not like a certain product that you spent money on trying, whatever. It's not always rewarding, but it is fun.

22:04I've been into going to Sephora or whatever and trying products on my hand and seeing what the formula is like, which I've just like never been like that in the past. I've always bought makeup, honestly, based on like what my makeup artists have been like, oh, I use this on you. And I'm like, okay, I guess I'm gonna use that on me too. Or, you know, if brands send me makeup in the past, I've just been like, well, this is like free makeup, I'm just gonna use it. But I've never been into makeup to the point of like, going to the store and trying it out and like finding things for myself. And so I've been really into that.

22:38And I think my favorite way to try out new products is to buy the mini version. Listen, not every product comes in a mini, but there are a lot of products that come in minis. And so I've been really into like going into the Sephora mini section and buying mini products. But obviously, you know, if that's not an option, trying things out on my hand, looking up reviews, reading reviews, it's just been so fun. I think to me it's like at least when it comes to makeup it's an extension of fashion which I really love I don't know I'm very much enjoying fashion right now I mean I have been for a long time but I'm like Particularly into it right now and so I've been wanting to use makeup to like enhance my outfits more than usual But then also with skincare that's an extension of self-care in a way and i'm also in a phase of like Wanting to take extra good care of myself, you know i'm going through a little breakup and shit So like I'm you just want to it.

23:37There's something really nice about I literally mentioned that in every episode, but it's hard not to because it really can. It's a consuming thing. Like it's a big change in life. You know what I mean? Like so that's why I keep bringing it up. I'm not trying to harp on it, but it's like it impacts the way that I move through the world and it impacts what I lean into in my routine. So anyway, I'm trying to think if there's any like standout products that I've tried recently that are worth mentioning. I've been trying a few new powders. The Laura Mercier hydrating powder. Wait. Yeah, it's called the Laura Mercier Ultra Blur Talc Free Long Wearing Translucent Loose Setting Powder.

24:17I've been using the Laura Mercier like classic translucent setting powder for years. but I saw this one and it's one of the Allure 2425 Best of Beauty award winners. And so I was like, let me try this. And I've really liked it. It's nice because it's a little bit more hydrating. I've really enjoyed it. I've also been experimenting with the One Size brand setting powder for maybe longer wear. Like if I need to have the makeup stay put for a bit longer, I'll use that one. I also recently tried the Makeup by Mario Moisture Glow Plumping Lip Serum. I've really enjoyed that. I've been using the shade Rosewood Glow.

24:58It's gorgeous. I really like it. What else have I been using? Oh, the brand Tear Tear sent me a bunch of skincare and I've been using their eye serum and their Milky Toner. Both of those products, really good. So those are some standouts. I want to continue to try more, but I do definitely want to take it slow. You know, like I, I am really trying to like go through my products before I go and buy more just because what a waste otherwise. But that's also why I love mini products, because if you're in a phase where you like experimenting, you know, if you buy mini, then you can go through it quicker and buy something new and experiment with something new quicker.

25:39I briefly interrupt this episode to let you know that this episode is brought to you by Skims. I just recently got into pajama sets for years and years and years. I would just wear whatever to bed Somewhat recently I decided it was time to step up my pajama game. My criteria Is must be soft and comfortable. It's got to be cute and last but not least not too stuffy and hot and I just discovered Skims sleep in soft lounge collections and let me tell you there are some good pajamas over at Skims, okay? I recently tried the Soft Lounge Sleep Set from Skims. And let me tell you, the material is like, it's like slick on the skin.

26:21It's cooling. It's not too hot. It's like loose and drapey and comfortable, but also flattering at the same time. Shop some of my favorite pajamas at skims.com. And if you're looking for the perfect gifts for everyone on your list. The Skims Holiday Shop is now open at skims.com. After you place your order, be sure to let them know that we sent you. Select podcast in the survey and be sure to select anything goes in the drop-down menu that follows. Now back to the episode. Speaking of beauty and self-care, I'm back at the nail salon. For those of you who have been keeping up with my nail journey, I have really gone through some intense phases with my nails as of recently.