Welcome to ‘5 things’, a biweekly round-up ‘sletter created with the purpose of hopefully introducing you to some cool new things. Whether newly discovered or tried and true—I share 5 things with you each month that really caught my attention.
These past couple of months have been major for me. I’ve been thinking about my career in a way I’ve never done before and I’m incredibly excited about some big changes that are going to happen in the next couple of months. While all this change has been happening, I’ve really been trying to ground myself in strengthening the foundations in all areas of my life.
This week’s 5 Things ‘sletter contains some new apps and tools I’ve been trying out as well as just some lifestyle products that I’ve been enjoying.
5 things
A scent I’ve been loving. I’ve been on the hunt for my new signature scent and although I don’t think I’ve found it yet, I did love Exit The King by Etat Libre d’Orange which I found a Scentrique, a perfumerie in Vancouver. It has notes like musk, pink pepper, jasmine, lily, and sandalwood (amongst a few others) which creates this bright, refreshing scent that’s perfect as a sophisticated spring/summer scent.
A great tool for screen recording. If you’re an Apple user, you’ll love CleanShot X, a screenshot/screen recording tool that has a much better user experience than the native feature. Not only does it allow you to screen capture, it also lets you annotate the capture before you save it. It also screen records way smoother and creates HD videos which is super helpful for my content creation process. Would also work great if you often screenshot things for work or school. It’s included in the SetApp subscription (1 subscription that gives you paid access to TONS of different tools) which is how I use it.
My new favourite reading app for newsletters and articles. I personally love subscribing to newsletters. I assume you do too since you’re reading this! But often newsletters get lost in my inbox and I have a hard time picking them out from all the other spam/advertisement emails I receive. I recently tried Matter, a newsletter reader that also lets you save and read articles. It’s made the process of reading newsletter soooo seamless and I can’t recommend it enough. It even has the ability to turn any articles you save into audio so you can listen to them on-the-go.
A new lens for vlogging. I’ve been testing out the Sigma 16-28mm DG DN lens on my Sony A7C for a while now. I was on the hunt for a new wider lens that would work well for videos/vlogging and so far I’m really enjoying it. On a full-frame camera, it’s definitely wide enough to show tons of background for vlogs and is sharp enough to include all the details. I do sometimes wish I had the option to zoom a little further for versatility (maybe to 50mm?) but for the purpose of being a wider vlogging lens, it’s perfect. Light and crisp.
A super interesting podcast. I recently found this pod called Acquired. They create long podcast episodes doing deep dives into different companies. I discovered them through one specific episode around Hermes. Although I’ve known about the brand for as long as I can remember, I never really knew much about it’s history and how they make their products. Now I feel like I know everything about them—from myths to company history to how they’re doing today. And it’s only made me respect the brand even further.
Interesting Reads
The Uncomfortable Truth About Child Abuse in Hollywood (The Atlantic)
‘Nostalgia for a Dating Experience They’ve Never Had’ (The Atlantic)
Currently Reading
Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas - Finally decided to try to finish the Throne of Glass series. It’s so silly because it’s not like I don’t love the series. It just couldn’t capture my attention the way ACOTAR did.
The Fury by Alex Michaelides - I’ve had mixed reviews about Michaelides’ books in the past. I loved The Maidens and didn’t love The Silent Patient. Will keep you posted on how I like this one.
