August Favorites | 2026
Well, that’s a wrap on August I guess. Big bummer for a gal who goes hard for summer and can’t even look a pumpkin in the eye while it’s still 90º outside. But where I live, August is the last of the hot summer months and the temps will promptly turn down the thermastat after Labor Day. I try to remember everything in its time, and it’s particularly good because it’s not forever. Goodbye summer, you were a real treat this year.
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August Favorites
1 // Instagram as a Photo Journal
This summer, I want IG to feel fun again, instead of just a long scroll of people who are doing it better than me. I’m projecting of course! But I have found real joy in just posting pictures of my food and the sunset and a beautiful day or whatever. IG in its vintage format, you know? It’s just for me and that’s just enough.
2 // DedCool Xtra Milk
This scent has taken over my life. I bought a fragrance sampler kit in the spring and fell for Milk and Xtra Milk so hard, now I have full-size bottles, detergent and dryer sheets. Buying direct from the brand is a shit-box customer service experience, but I just can’t quit the scent right now, so next time I’ll order from Amazon or Sephora.
3 // Health Care
Lol. I just randomly remembered when “adulting” was a trendy verb. We were such dorks in the 201X’s. Anyway, I recently have become insured again after my previous job cut our health insurance benefits in a surprise and shitty move. So, I have been diligently scheduling appointments to get caught back up and have to have some major dental surgery. It sucks majorly but I also feel like such a grown up version of myself when I do mildly annoying things that are good for me.
4 // Four Seasons S2 on Netflix
Speaking of dorks, Jack and Kate are the dorkiest, but I just love this continuation of last year’s adaptation of the 80’s movie of the same name. S2 dropped earlier this summer and I jumped right back in. The arc is not as good as S1, but Claude in Italy is such a treat and Colman Domingo is a national treasure. I proceeded to watch S2, and then immediately rewatch S1 and follow that into watching S2 all over again. There was a couple of weeks that I was just part of the gang.
For the uninitiated, a group of friends (aged roughly in the midlife season) take a quarterly vacation together. A lot of the plot follows how the group recovers and continues after Nick and Anne’s marriage falls apart in the first episode of the first season.
5 // Reading
I read a few really good books back-to-back this summer, which is such a treat. The rundown is as follows:
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau // A 14-year old raised in a rigid-to-the-rules household takes a summer job nannying for a much easier going family, who is secretly hosting a celebrity undergoing treatment for addiction. Very much a coming of age story taking place in 1970’s Baltimore.
Happy Go Lucky by David Sedaris // A book of essays covering family, work, and losing his father. Classic snarky, hilarious Sedaris writing.
The Wedding People // A woman fresh off a divorce and heartbreak arrives to a posh hotel with the intention to take her life (with tuna flavored cat medication). She encounters a hotel booked for a wedding and somehow becomes part of the party.
6 // Everything I bought on Amazon this month.
7 // My Personal Summer 2026 Playlist
I listened to Kacey Musgraves and Ariana Grande on repeat, but also dipped back into Lily’s West End Girl and a couple of the bangers from The Fate of Ophelia. Father Figure has been stuck in my head for at least a week now.
As far as podcasts go, I’ve been listening to the series on Henry VIII over on the Not Just the Tudors podcast. I’m currently in Quest for an Heir and happily have a couple more episodes to enjoy.
8 // Best Sellers
We all loved these sneakers that go for a steal. I’m about to pull them out again for when it’s too cold for my flip-flops. And while you’re in the grocery store, this handsoap is a good one to pick up. Smells great and is literally $4. As far as style goes, we’re still loving paracord. As for me, I used this callus remover kit more than I’d like to admit this summer. But I do not mind admitting that the Lemme Sleep gummies are the real deal.
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What I’m looking forward to in September -
Dark academia. Rewatching episodes of Wednesday and Once Upon a Time and The Crown. Painting my nails burgundy. Switching to a spicier fragrance. Hot coffee with a seasonal creamer (I picked this one up!). Local’s summer - enjoying my tourist town after most folks have gone home for the season. Hopping back and forth between “it’s still summer!” and “ooh, socks and sweatshirts.” September is for crisp, cool mornings with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders, and warm afternoons that call for shorts, flip-flops, and ice cream cones.
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PS -
It’s still summer! A few things to do, read, eat, and enjoy before fall.
8 things I actually use and love.
If you do want to dabble in the fall vibes a little early, this wishlist still hits.