Juliet Update Number Two
JULIET UPDATE
Hello and welcome to my second Juliet Update.
The Juliet Update is a weekly letter where I fill you in on all the goings on behind and in front of the scenes at Studio Juliet.
Thank you for all the feedback and encouragement on the first update. I hope you love this one just as much.
LEARNING JAPANESE
Inspired by the idea of traveling to Japan and a conversation with a friend who has used the app, I re-downloaded Duo Lingo. Besides the words for good afternoon; 'konichiwa’ and goodbye; ‘sayonara,’ I know zero Japanese, so I thought it’d be fun to give it a go. In three days of since downloading and learning Japanese throuth the app, I’m super into it. It throws you into learning the Hiragana which took me a while to realise is the Japanese alphabet. I’m already starting to recognise some of the characters, and am loving the idea of being able to speak a new language.
About a year ago I listened to a podcast episode on the Tim Ferriss Show where Tim interviewed Duo Lingo’s founder Luis von Anh. I enjoyed listening to how Luis von Anh got to developing the app and how it is helping people all over the world.
Here’s the link if you’d fancy a listen:
The Tim Ferriss Show x Luis von Anh
COFFEE SUPREME
There is so much to tell you about Coffee Supreme and my job there, but today I’m going to tell you about the most awesome thing that happened to me last week. And it starts with my manager explaining the new coffees to me. Each month we have five blends and six new single origins, (we’ll talk about this in more detail another time). We were going through each one and discussing their flavour notes. Her advice was to try one coffee per day and keep a notebook to note down my thoughts and what I am tasting. On that day I had started with drinking the Kenya, Guama Filter and the flavour notes were described as mostly peaches, then burnt toffee and blackcurrant. I was on my third cup of Kenya Guama when it hit me. The taste of rich sweet peaches was so obvious, it was unbelievable. Up to this point I was always skeptical of these coffee people and thought they were just trying to make coffee all intellectual and stuff, how wrong I was.
BEAUTY
This week I tested out the following:
- Patchology Detox SmartMud No Mess Mud Masque. I bought it from Mecca for $11. The girls at the store recommended it and told me it got rid of all their pores. Minimised pores IS goals pretty much. And if you are following along on insta-stories you’ll know I loved this sheet mask. It came in two parts, one for the top half of the face and one for the bottom half. It wrapped around the face more snugly than any mask ever and really pulled out all the ‘dirt’ from my skin and pores, leaving my skin so smooth and clean.
ORIGINS Drink Up - Intensive Overnight Mask was the next product I tried. After sharing this on insagram so many people messaged me to tell me they use it and love it. I've only tried it once so far but really noticed much-hydrated skin the next day.
The other beauty thing I tried was a DIY mask from Jessica Sepels book “The Healthy Life”. This book is special to me because it was the first book my illustrations appeared in.
I tried to get my sister to do this with me but she refused. She said it was weird, and that she hates banana’s and avocado’s and there wasn’t anything I could say to get her to change her mind. This made me wonder how many other people out there also thought the same thing. I mean so did I at the start, but then I realised that it’s more weird being ok with putting all sorts of chemicals on your face that you know nothing about than a banana which is so natural.
Anyway, the mask was super nourishing and moisturising and 24 hours after doing it my skin is still hydrated and soft. Things to keep in mind are that the recipe is way too much for one application, I’d probably only make ¼ the next time. I also needed to stand over the basin the whole time because the mixture kept sliding off my face. Haha, I hope this doesn’t discourage you from trying it. I’ve run out of DIY masks to try so if you have any suggesstions please leave it in the comments below.
AVOCADO AND BANANA FACE MASK
1 avocado
1 tbspn manuka honey
Juice of ½ lemon
1 banana
Mix together. Apply to your skin to absorb for 20 minutes before rinsing off.
EPIPHANY 01
This major epiphany came to me as a result of beginning this skincare/beauty journey and also trying to make the perfect french press coffee.
If you know me, you’ll know that I’m never not doing anything. I’m always so busy and am always onto the next thing and so I didn’t really allow much time for myself. I used to treat things as chores, ticking them off my checklist; wash, make coffee, do hair, do makeup and out the door.
It wasn’t until I was following instructions on how to make a perfect french press coffee at home that it hit me. I basically made the most delicious coffee for myself that I had ever made. I was thinking about why it was the best, and thinking about how I could repeat this again, but with less steps and faster, because everything is always about doing things faster. And that was the moment that I had the epiphany.
It’s not about the end result. It is about the process. The art of what you're doing. It is about taking the time every morning to enjoy the process of making myself the perfect french press. It is about taking the time most nights to do something for myself like taking a bath or putting on a face mask. Not just having a quick shower just to be clean or gulping down a cup of coffee and running out of the house.
What I’m talking about is linked to mindfulness, and I’ve heard and read a lot about mindfulness, but I’d never thought to apply it to simple practices as the ones mentioned above. Life changing.
USUALLY AWESOME BUT NOT ALWAYS
This week I was thinking about my favourite foods to eat out. I was particularly thinking about how some of them are 100% reliable and some of them not. For example, I can go to Earl Canteen every time and the potato gems will taste delicious and amazing every time. I can go to Supernormal and the Lobster Roll will also taste excellent every time I order it. But there are some places I go where I love the food, but 90% of the time it’s excellent and 10% of the time it’s not. I still go to these places and take the risk of it not being awesome because I know how awesome it can be when it is awesome. Like, at The Salon at Myer they have the most delicious finger chicken sandwiches which I love, and could eat all the time, but sometimes they’re not fresh and the bread is stale. Or at Guzman y Gomez, I’m obsessed with their nachos, on a good day amazing, on a bad day the chicken is dry and the tortilla chips not as crunchy. But these meals are so good when they're good that I'll risk having a not so good one very now and then.
Do you have places or particular meals that are usually awesome but not always that you still go to? Or is it just me that does this?
FOOD
This weekend I went to Batch Espresso in Balaclava. My friend had raved about the coffee here ever since she moved to the area like 2 years ago and we finally went. I found out they have been using Coffee Supreme Beans ever since they opened almost 12 years ago and yes of course the coffee tastes great. I had the Sweet Potato Fritters and they were delicous and so attractive. My friend pointed out the flowers in window which were individual tulips still with their roots attached on a string hanging upside down. I’ve never seen anything so cool and I wished I’d snapped a photo. The store is also well stocked with NZ treats and delicious pastries.
LA MUSICA
New songs I added to my playlist this week:
Dawsin’s Breek (feat. Jeremih) Ty Dolla $ign - Beach House 3
New Freezer (feat. Kendrick Lamar) Rich The Kid
Ocean Eyes - Billie Eilish - don’t smile at me
Havana (feat. Young Thug) Camila Cabello
My favourite current song is still rockstar by Post Malone feat. 21 Savage
FASHION
Here are my top two lust-haves for this week!
- I’ve been seeing these Converse One Star Suede shoes around a lot lately and really want a pair.
- I am basically obsessed with anything Aimee Cherie Intimates, but really want this Crop. It's brand new and is on pre-order at the moment
Alright, and this is week two. Like last week I would love to know your thoughts on the Update, leave them below or contact me however you prefer to on social media.
My feedback to myself is to start writing them during the week and not at 10 pm on Sunday night. It's 2 am as I type this last bit and I have to wake up at 6 am to get ready for work. Lucky I have an unlimited supply of coffee at work!
Jx