My June Favorites

Long time no see, blog! After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, content trends, and overall life changes — particularly a new job — I've decided to try to get back into writing and blogging. I miss writing and not all of my content ideas are best or easiest with short-form video. So without further ado, I'm returning with what I love to do most: share what I love and enjoy! Here are my favorites from the month of June.

Media and Entertainment

The Little Mermaid (2023)

I wasn't expecting to love the new, live action Little Mermaid, but now I want to watch it at least once a week. Halle Bailey was perfectly cast as Ariel and has an impeccable combination of wonder, youthfulness, and talent that make her Ariel one of a kind and a performance to remember. The new scenes and songs — most of them — added a entertaining and valuable depth to the stories, characters, and relationships that I really enjoyed.

Ariel and Prince Eric have never had more chemistry. Eric's motivations are so much clearer, and he has an actual backstory. Plus I loved seeing all of Ariel's sisters. It makes total sense that the king of the sea has daughters who represent all of the different oceans of the world.

"Wild Uncharted Waters" by Jonah Hauer-King

Speaking of The Little Mermaid, "Wild Uncharted Waters" is definitely my favorite of the new songs (though "For the First Time" is a very close second). While I absolutely love Prince Eric's song in the Broadway/stage version of TLM, "Wild Uncharted Waters" is a perfect "I want" song for this Eric. It considers his desire to explore, connection and fascination with the sea, and his infatuation with Ariel's voice.

Jonah Hauer-King's performance as Prince Eric was more than I ever expected or wanted. Now he is my favorite Disney prince, and his face is in fact all over my TikTok FYP and my phone's wallpaper and lock screen. 

"Snow Angel" by Renee Rapp

We are simply blessed to live at the same time as queen Renee Rapp.

I first knew of Renee from when she was starring as Regina George on Broadway in Mean Girls the Musical, so I've always known she has a killer voice. But her music-making and songwriting abilities are also amazingly above par. The emotions are all so raw and real in the vocals and lyrics.

"Snow Angel" is the lead single from her debut album, and I can't wait to hear what other songs Renee has up her sleeves. 

"vampire" by Olivia Rodrigo

Olivia Rodrigo never fails to deliver, and even though "vampire" hasn't even been out for an entire day as I write this, I already can't get enough. It is on repeat!

West Side Story at Lyric Opera of Chicago

If you were here in 2019, then you know how much I love and adore Lyric Opera's production of West Side Story. It's my favorite musical and my favorite production, and I'm so so glad it returned (with a new cast) this year. Though the cast was mostly new (Brett Thiele and Amanda Castro revived their respective roles as Riff and Anita), the sets, costumes, choreography — almost everything else —was pretty much the same and just as magical.

@amanda_carmela @amanda_carmela Lyric WSS round six was probably the final one considering I don't think this production will return again for a third run. 🥲 te adoro, Lyric Opera WSS. tienes mi corazón. ❤️🦈✈️ #WestSideStory #LyricWSS #LyricOpera #LyricOperaOfChicago #MusicalTheatre #Broadway #musical #musicals #Chicago #ChicagoTheatre ♬ West Side Story: Overture

Unlike four years ago, I didn't see the show four times this year. I only went twice, but this production and show will always have such a special place in my heart. I got to meet Brett Thiele this time, and I even got to see a few understudies, which was especially great this time since I wasn't as familiar with the cast this year, giving me an opportunity to see more of the casts' talents.

Fashion

Steve Madden Bevelyn purse - hot pink

You may have seen this viral TikTok purse as TJ Maxx and Marshalls shoppers scoured stores to find these adorable Stee Madden purses. I definitely saw them on my For You Page and coveted the hot pink one of course. However I didn't go on a mission to find them. I didn't want it that badly. If I found any of the purses, I found them. If I didn't, oh well.

I felt like I could use a new hot pink purse, so I was pleased when I found it. Unfortunately this one had some minor staining on the front left that you may be able to see. It was the only one in the store, though, and at this point, I wanted it enough to buy it despite its imperfections. So I brought it up to the register and got a few dollars taken off. It's become my go-to purse lately even though I've taken only one outfit of the day photo with it.

It's a relatively small purse but can hold a good amount. I particularly like the thicker strap and that it's adjustable. The little pouch attached to the strap is also super cute and great for something you want quick and easy access to a lot, like hand sanitizer!

MIA Kiera Flatform sandal

After over four years of wearing my favorite Rock and Candy flatform sandals, they started to literally come apart, so I needed to replace them. I still wanted white strappy flatform sandals, so I kept my eye out for any similar to the ones I had. Luckily, I shortly found these at Marshalls in my size. And just like my old sandals, these have been very versatile, go with so many outfits, and are comfy!