The Godfather Part II is overrated 👎 & Sephora sale picks [Like You Know Whatever]

Hi friends!

How are you?? I hope you had an excellent Easter or Passover, if you celebrated! Usually I make a brisket and charoset “for my husband” (he’s the Jewish one in the relationship, but I’m the one who likes all the Jewish food), but this year I couldn’t be bothered. Honestly, this year I was more craving my mother’s Easter ham and cheesy twice-baked potatoes, but I couldn’t be bothered to make those, either. I DID eat two bags of Starburst jellybeans and a bunch of Reese’s eggs, though (over a couple weeks, this isn’t a cry for help).

Despite said candy consumption, I am feeling much healthier than I was when I sent my last letter, thank goodness. I also have a bit of a pep in my step because I found out that my screenplay Hey Hun, a dark comedy about a young wife and mother who gets sucked into a fitness MLM scheme, is a quarterfinalist for the ScreenCraft Screenwriting Fellowship! Woo! I also found out that while it did not advance in The Script Lab Free Screenplay Contest, it still received very high scores, enough to positively impact its Coverfly rank! I submitted it to a whole bunch of other screenwriting opportunities, so we’ll see how it does in those, but this has all been extremely validating so far. I’m sure other creatives experience this, too, but there’s always a fear, whenever I put something out into the world that I think is good, that I’m just completely fucking kidding myself. This just shows that I was right to work so hard on this story, that there actually is something there. Phew!

Since I got the news, it’s spurred me to pick up another script that I’d put down for a couple of months, Reunion, a comedy about a group of friends returning to their liberal arts college for their 10-year reunion. This is probably my most personal script yet, a real love letter to my alma mater and the lifelong friends I made there, and the regression, emotion, and fun chaos of a typical reunion weekend. I wanted it to be like Bridesmaids but for the experience of a college reunion. Honestly, I don’t know why I ever put it down, because this has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had drafting a script. Usually my first drafts are more slogs than flow, but this one has been a joy to write. I’m so excited to finally finish it and get feedback on it, both from friends who went to Vassar with me who will appreciate all the Easter eggs, and friends who didn’t, to see if it still resonates with them.

I’m at a place with writing where I’ve been really focusing on making my projects as high quality as they can possibly be. I know that sounds kind of like an obvious goal, but I think sometimes I get so caught up in trying to get things FINISHED so they can be seen or published or made that I take my craft for granted. There is something really satisfying about seeing writing as trying to master a skill rather than trying to make money or get famous or get followers or whatever the fuck. A project is done when it’s excellent, however long that takes. (Of course, I have the luxury, if you want to call it that, of working at my own pace, since these are all personal projects with no deadlines.)

Speaking of writing, all paid subscribers now get special access to “Depression on the Seventh Floor,” a story about my first (and most hated) full-time job from my in-progress humorous memoir! It involves corporate nonsense, panic attacks, and Girls Gone Wild. This is the job that I ultimately quit to go scoop ice cream for minimum wage, so you know it was bad. If you upgrade to a paid subscription, a link to download the story will be in your confirmation email. I’ll be sending out this month’s paid subscribers-only email next Friday, featuring a tour of my home office/lady lair, so now’s a good time to upgrade:

So. What else is new? Not much has been going on in my country lately, you know? 🤪 I am delighted, of course, to see that pile of poo get arrested, infuriated by the ruling blocking abortion pills, and devastated by the recent mass shootings. When my dad was visiting he said he was optimistic about the younger generations being able to effect real change, but I feel like that’s kind of A Classic Boomer Cop-Out™. Oh, sure, pass the burden of action onto the younger generations while your generation still holds all the power. (I didn’t say that to him, of course, because I am a nice daughter.)

I’ve been playing around with TikTok a little bit more, trying to upload at least one video per week. Here’s one I posted last week where I detail all the drama going on in my current Sims game (I will never trust a townie again), and here’s one where I give my best wedding planning tips (tip #1: everyone around you will lose their minds).

Oh, and I’m also on Substack’s new Notes thingy, which I guess is their version of a Twitter replacement? If you’ll recall, I quit Twitter in November out of disgust with Elon’s involvement, although I sometimes have to post stuff there for work and occasionally I end up lurking. You can see my Notes on my Substack profile. I think that is the best way to see them? I’m not sure how I feel about Notes. So far the desktop version, which is my preferred way to engage, is a buggy nightmare, but if it exposes more people to my writing, I guess that’s good.

The semi-annual Sephora sale starts today, so later on, I’ll share my wishlist and holy grails. But first, let’s get into Some Things:

- The Godfather Part II (for rent on Prime Video). As you may recall my husband, Ross, is trying to watch as many as he can of the greatest 100 movies of all time, and I’m along for the ride. After seeing The Godfather exhibit at the Academy Museum with my folks, we were both itching to see Part II, which neither of us had seen before. I have to say, we were not overly impressed. Ross said that the dual timeline thing just slowed down the whole movie, and I agree. I had a film professor once say that flashbacks always need to advance the plot somehow, because they completely stop the momentum of a film. As much as I enjoyed looking at young Robert De Niro (GIRLLL. I had no idea!), his scenes didn’t build to anything and weren’t in conversation with the other half of the movie at all.

I shared on my Instagram story that we had watched the film and didn’t love it and OMG, I’ve never gotten so many DMs in my life!! Some people agreed with us, some disagreed, some just wanted to talk about how hot young Robert De Niro was (I was on board, duh). But at least I think we can all agree that Part III is probably not worth watching. Right?

- The Barbie movie teaser trailer. I’m very much a Barbie girl, and pink is my favorite color, so this campy trailer was really a feast for me. I really hope that the movie delivers. One thing I’ve heard a lot of people ask is, “But what is this movie about?” I know it’s not explicitly spelled out here, but I just assumed it was about Barbie and Ken going on an adventure to save Barbie Land? Like, they have to leave Barbie Land and go into the real world in order to save it? But also: does it really matter? How many Sofia Coppola movies have you watched without worrying about a “plot?” You can just sit there and let the dreamy pink visuals wash over you. And I fully plan to, on July 21st.

- Cooking. When I was sick, I made this chicken pot pie soup, because I was craving chicken pot pie but couldn’t be bothered to fuss around with a crust. I served it with some Pillsbury biscuits from a can, and it was delicious! Ross kept saying how good it was. It also made A LOT of soup, so we had leftovers for days.

A day before making the soup, I used my slow cooker to make homemade chicken stock from a roasted chicken carcass I’d frozen, with some onions, celery, carrots, parsley, salt, peppercorns, and a pinch each of rosemary and thyme. I have to say, y’all… even though it was a relatively hands-off process in the slow cooker, it did not feel worth it to me. The flavor did not amaze. I think I’ll just stick with my Better Than Bouillon next time.

- Bone Kettle. I’ve heard from some of you who live in L.A. that you actually enjoy my restaurant recs, so here’s one in Pasadena. I’ve been following Bone Kettle on Instagram and drooling over pictures of their food for a few months now, so when I convinced Ross that we needed to go out to dinner last Saturday instead of ordering delivery AGAIN, this was my pick. Bone Kettle is known for their Southeast Asian cuisine, especially their meat dishes. Ross and I split an order of wings and their seasonal chopped salad, then he got a beef noodle soup and I got the nasi goreng, which was basically fried rice with garlic wagyu ribeye on the side, yummmmm. Everything was delicious. Everyone around us was getting the bone marrow, so I guess that’s their specialty, but Idk, I wasn’t feeling like having something that rich.

The one downside to this restaurant is that they only serve beer and wine, so all their “cocktails” are actually made out of soju and sake. I don’t like when places try to be sneaky like that. You order a drink expecting it to be one thing and it’s not. I once had a godawful margarita made out of agave wine because a restaurant was playing around like that. Unacceptable! But anyway, I would definitely go back to Bone Kettle, I feel like there was so much of their menu we didn’t get to try!

My Sephora Wishlist & Holy Grails

An apology in advance to those of you who don’t do the whole makeup and beauty thing, because this newsletter happens to go out the same day that the semi-annual Sephora sale starts, so you know I had to give some recs. If you are new to the Sephora sale (which happens every six months), here is how it works:

Using the code “SAVENOW:”

- Insiders (free to join, no spending requirement) get 10% off starting 4/18 - 4/24- VIB ($350 spend per year) get 15% off 4/18 - 4/24- VIB Rouge ($1000 spend per year) get 20% off 4/14 - 4/24& everyone gets Sephora Collection items 30% off 4/14 - 4/24

I regret to inform you that I am VIB level, so I will be getting 15% off of whatever is left once the Rouges get through with the site, but I have so, so many recs! I wanted to break these down into my wishlist items that I am hoping to try for the first time during the sale (maybe, bank account pending) and my holy grail items that you might want to try during this event.

On my wishlist:

- Dominique Cosmetics The Essential Eye Shadow Palette ($49). I know that I have raved in here before about the Dominique Cosmetics Unconditional Palette ($28), so I have been lusting after their 10-pan palette of elevated neutrals as perhaps my perfect travel palette? But so far, I couldn’t justify the price. I find $49 to be on the higher end of what I would spend on a palette, especially one this small (although there’s a whopper later on that blows this one out of the water). I might just bite the bullet and pick it up during the sale, because I know that the quality is going to be luscious and buttery and perfect.

- Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Positive Light Silky Touch Highlighter in “Exhilarate” ($25). These highlighters have been very buzzy in the beauty world lately, and I’ve been dying to try one out. I’ve been using highlighter more often for weekend/“going out” makeup, and I’ve heard that these have a real wow factor. My only concern is that this shade is ALWAYS sold out, and with the sale, I would be very surprised if it was available. I know that everyone also raves about the crazy pigmentation on her Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($23), but I have yet to find a shade that speaks to me. If one speaks to you, maybe this is a good time to pick one up.

- Haus Labs by Lady Gaga Color Fuse Talc-Free Powder Blush in “Dragon Fruit Daze” ($38). I find this to be SO pricey for a blush single, I would only ever buy it on sale, and even then, I might end up passing. But this hot pink color is really speaking to me! I like bold colors when it comes to blush. I’ve had a good experience with Haus Labs’ colorful Optic Intensity Eco Gel Eyeliner Pencil ($22), so I am hopeful that this blush will be a great formula as well.

- Danessa Myricks Lightwork Vol. IV: Transcendence Palette ($125). Look, I know, the price is insane. However, this palette is made up of 14 different multichrome shadows. A decent multichrome single from an indie brand will cost you about $15-20 a pop, so if you do the math, this is actually a bargain. Plus, you would be supporting a beauty brand owned by a Black woman, which is rare in that industry. That said, Danessa Myricks does not need our money, this is 100% a luxury item. I’ve lusted after it for months now but can’t bring myself to spend the money. Will I finally get it during the sale? Who knows? I’ll keep you posted!

My Holy Grails:

- Glow Recipe Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops ($32). I love and frequently use a lot of items from Glow Recipe because they work well for my oily skin, like their Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer ($39) and their Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops ($20-35), so when they launched their new Blur Drops and they were getting all kinds of beauty buzz, I knew I had to try them out. I use them during the day as a primer, and let me tell you, the oil control factor is real! When I use these in the morning, I notice such a difference in how shiny I am by the afternoon. The blurring aspect is kind of meh, I still think the POREfessional ($14-34) is the best blurring primer I know, but the oil control = WOWZA!

- Tower 28 MakeWaves Lengthening + Volumizing Mascara ($20). Mascara is usually a drugstore item for me, since they dry out or go bad so quickly, I never feel like spending more than $10 on one. However, this mascara was very hyped, so I thought what the heck and threw it onto an order a few months ago. OMG, I’ve been so blown away by how well this mascara can hold a curl! I’ve never met a mascara that does it this well! It is also really smudge-proof and longwear (which means you’ll need a good eye makeup remover to get it off). I have never felt this way about a mascara before, truly!

Here are some other products I love that I’ve previously shared full recommendations for in here, so I’ll keep these quick:

- Kosas Cloud Set Setting Powder ($35) – A fantastic setting powder.

- Natasha Denona Bronze Eyeshadow Palette ($69) – Beautiful, rich-feeling neutral shadows.

- Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask ($24) – A nonessential luxury in the best way.

- Kate Somerville Goat Milk Moisturizing Cleanser ($44) – A calming and nourishing cleanser.

- Tower 28 SOS Daily Rescue Facial Spray ($12-28) – A soothing and moisturizing toner.

- Herbivore Jasmine Green Tea Oil Control Toner ($39) – A great, lightweight toner for the summer and/or oily or combo skin.

- First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream ($18-38) – Doesn’t-fuck-around moisturizer for when your skin hates you.

Alright, I think that’s about it for this week!

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Until next time—nevermind what the Barbie movie is “about.”

Love,LizXOXO