Things I Can't Stop Talking About (January R.E.P.O.R.T.)

some new things, some old things, some very predictable things.

Feb 05, 2025

Let’s get right into it, no need for intros:

READING - Thicker Than Water by Kerry Washington

Memoirs have always been one of my favorite types of books to read partially because of the occasional tea, but mainly because of the insight it gives you into celebrities’ lives and their side of the story. We often think we know so much about them as we form para-social relationships, but these books from their own POV make it clear that we don’t. For starters I didn’t know Kerry Washington was from the Bronx (which was pretty integral to her overall story) and there are a few other things I learned about Kerry Washington that allowed me to respect and celebrate her even more as an activist + actor but I won’t spoil the book in case you want to read!

EATING - Chili (does this count as soup? am I repeating? idc)

Surprise surprise, I’m still obsessed with eating food in bowls with spoons. I think the winter spirit is 100% taking over me because lately, I have been so deeply satisfied by all forms of soups and stews and I’m not letting it go any time soon. Hands DOWN my favorite chili is made by my Nana (still shaking because last time she made it for me someone ate my leftovers in the fridge) but when in the city I must make do with what I have so I turned to ole faithful a.k.a. Trader Joes and surprisingly Whole Foods. I think I’m going to have to put Trader Joes in first place in terms of flavor but to have your chili “Ianthe Style” you must add sour cream, cheddar cheese, and a lot of Crystal’s Hot Sauce—thank me later!

PLAYING - Bad Bunny + Mariah the Scientist

Now…this combo is a little saucy I know I know but the two have been on repeat for two separate reasons. Let’s start with Benito…its pretty straightforward here but next week I’ll be in Puerto Rico so I said let me study up for the journey. Courtesy of TikTok (RIP sorta) I am loving DtMF and all the feels that come with it along with NUEVAYoL—10/10 certified bops.

Miss Mariah is a surprise add because few may know that I was not her biggest fan, not really because of anything I just didn’t think she was doing much. Years ago thanks to TikTok (again) I was put on to Spread Thin from the challenge where women would share their crazy stories with men while the very addictive song would play in the background. Soon I labeled it as the “one Mariah the Scientist song I like” but then Beetlejuice came on a Spotify playlist and I had to cut the cameras and do some investigating because there was no way I was now enjoying two (2) of her songs. WIth my curiosity peaked, this month I asked Joelle which of her two albums I should listen to to get a better idea of her music holistically and I can’t lie RY RY WORLD was tickling my frontal lobe a little bit. My initial favorite song off the album was “2 You” but now I’m also giving equal play to “RIP” and “Walked In” and yea…I’m just going to have to eat my words and rock out because she’s making several points.

OBSESSING - New Workout Studios

A key part of my fitness journey has been finding community within various workout spaces, the two biggest being SoulCycle and running. Once this newsletter is live I’ll be entering my first week of half-marathon training (we’re taking it from the top y’all!) so I’ll be back to focusing primarily on running + cycling, but this month I tried out two new studios and honestly if I could have a membership everywhere I would. I have never done yoga (formally) let alone hot yoga so when I chose to go to Y7 I was definitely stepping out on a limb. My first class was their sculpt offering which I honestly feel like was just a pilates class in a hot room mixed with the occasional downward dog, but my new favorite has to be their WEFLOWHARD Vinyasa that mirrors a typical yoga flow and class. I honestly didn’t fully understand the hype around yoga before this and had the nerve to think it wasn’t hard, but the during class I really feel so present in my movements as each pose reminds me of the strength in my body. Not to mention the way the heat feels on my muscles after all that cardio all week? This one is definitely staying in my rotation.

I also took my first class at TRAPHAUS which is a studio with classes that are 50% Lagree on the Megaformer and 50% HITT with weights all to a house and Hip-Hop soundtrack. The studio is black-owned (extra points) and literally STUNNING so it’s no surprise that the classes are basically all booked up at this point. I’ve taken both the arm (UP IN THE TRAP) and lower body (TRAPPIN ON THE LOW) classes and can confirm that after both my abs were feeling the effects in the best way.

Currently accepting workout + smoothie dates at either of these studios, please and thank you.

RECOMMENDING - Naturium Body Washes

Me and Naturium go together real bad from their Phyto-Glow Lip Balms (my fave shade is Crimson) to the UV Reflect Antioxidant Sunscreen, but it all started with the body washes. It seemed like these dropped out of thin air one day as everyone demanded Naturium had the best body washes in the game when it came to moisture + skincare for the body so of course I had to tap in. Years ago I started with “The Perfector” a salicylic acid-based body wash that exfoliates the skin and clears clogged pores which was needed for my bacne and shoulder-ne (?). I fell in love and then once that ran out I tried “The Glow Getter” which is now a forever staple product for returning moisture to your body starting in the shower versus relying solely on lotions and body creams (gotta give a quick shout out to the Glow Getter Body Oil + Body Butter tho). More recently, I’m trying “The Smoother” which is a similar exfoliating cleanser but focuses more on ridding your skin of texture and brightening the overall appearance of your skin with glycolic acid and AHA. My current shower combo starts with bar soap for cleansing, followed by “The Smoother”, and finishes off with “The Glow Getter” but if I had to recommend one to start with it’ll have to be “The Glow Getter” for sure!

TREATING - French 75s

I promised that I would come back this month with a treat and treat I DID! Everyone who knows me knows that my go-to drink is indeed a gin and tonic made with Hendricks with a lime (squeezed and then dropped in), but if I find myself at a bar where I have enough room to walk and the lights are dim instead of off I may find myself ordering a French 75 instead. The lovely drink made up of gin, lemon juice, sugar, and champagne is a CERTIFIED party starter and you’ll look classy at the same time so a win win! It’s a new year, but it will always be me and gin (4 lifers).

Two monthly R.E.P.O.R.T.S. in a row? Look at me!

from me to you,

Ianthe