June 2026 Favorites | Trudon Fragrances, Death Cab for Cutie, Summer Sandals, and Everything Else

Happy June! I hope you got to spend this last month celebrating, getting some sun, and honoring the incredible members of the queer community in your life, past or present, or maybe even yourself. You probably are one if you're reading this. I hope your Pride was wonderful.

Mine was a mixed bag. The highlight was the relaunch of Queer Tech Club. I'd been helping from a distance for a few years, but this year I stepped into a formal organizing role, helping work on a rebrand, an upcoming website launch, and the relaunch event itself. I couldn't be more excited.

That event also stirred up some complicated feelings I have about professional events in general. So many of them are expensive and inaccessible, right when layoffs are making networking spaces more necessary than ever. And a lot of these spaces, especially in tech, aren't talking about the realities of the industry. Anecdotally, peers tell me funding is harder to come by, from grants or companies, because no one wants to be seen funding DEI right now. I get it. But I'd still like to see real conversation about how AI and layoffs are reshaping the workforce, and what that means for tech's future.

Other than that, my Pride was good. Some other stuff came up that I'm still working through……..maybe that's a Cherry Glossed Thoughts entry. Anyway, enough yapping. Let's get to the favorites.

Beauty

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This month I ordered some lovely decants from Poms and Perfume, a mix of new finds and old favorites, like that white tea from Korres that I just didn't want to commit to in full size. Of everything I tried, my favorite was the decant of Cedrus by Chloé. It's elegant, woody, warm, cozy, but elevated. There's a woody, musky quality that feels perfect for fall, likely some cardamom and sandalwood added in with some vetiver. The cardamom warms it up so it doesn't feel cold or stiff, and the sandalwood grounds it nicely. Very Taurus energy.

I also tried Trudon Mortel Noir. Sensual, spicy, resinous, I sprayed it on and was instantly obsessed, and the dry-down was incredible. It's an incense fragrance that doesn't overwhelm; instead of feeling like soot, it feels like a sophisticated hotel lobby, or the end of the night by the fireplace. The base note of myrrh is something I'm drawn to, layered with Madagascar pepper, nutmeg, frankincense, and resin. This might have to be my next full-size pull. It's tough as a girl who loves perfume; that means I need to clean out my collection before I can justify more full sizes.

I also picked up the MAC Viva Glam lipstick in Unnatural Redhead, a deep brick red bordering on maroon. A very different color for me. I bought it because I'd been wanting a new MAC lipstick, and I happened to pass a MAC store and saw they were doing a Chappell Roan partnership. After that, she also did a fun promo video with MAC where she goes through their archives, a really fun watch. Lushious Massacr also visited MAC headquarters with Dominique Jackson and talked about the collection, as well as some of the other work Viva Glam has helped support.

I don't have anything like this in my collection. I've been playing with it but think I'll wear it more once fall hits. I applied it with a Victoria Beckham detail brush, which helped; on my skin tone it's a pretty unforgiving color, so I have to be crisp with the application.

Experiences

Obviously, Queer Tech Club. Hello, plug, please come, we're having an event in July, RSVP here.

I'm also counting this as an experience, I started taking private Pilates classes. The gym I go to has a studio within it, and they had a great deal for new members, so I started at the end of last month and fell right in love with it.

I've been doing a lot of work with this and Pelvic Floor Therapy, so combined, I'm getting some real core work, which I needed. My core has been out of shape for a while, and your core is connected to so much of your overall strength. My posture hasn't been what it should be, which I think comes from being hunched over a desk all day.

I like that this is lower impact than weight training or cardio. I love being able to lie down on the machine and still feel like I'm getting a workout in, even though it sometimes feels like I'm being a little lazy, which honestly is nice. Pilates has been really fun, and I have a good instructor who I don't feel weird body stuff with. For a long time I felt like movement was something to be avoided or even shameful, but babes, you gotta do it for you.

Fashion & Style

I picked up these cute sandals this month from Dolce Vita, the perfect height for a cunty summer sandal. I wore them with a midi gingham skirt and a black mesh sheer top, and I love how versatile this shoe shape is, casual enough for brunch, dressy enough for evening cocktails. Easy to walk in, though the first couple of wears gave me a small blister, which feels pretty common with any new shoe. Great bang for your buck. I wish they came in red, I'd get a second pair. Manageable, sturdy heel, and overall I really enjoy Dolce Vita; I have boots from them too, and they're lovely as well.

I also spent a lot of time in a robe this month. I've had this one (different print) for a while and love it; it's been in my favorites before and will be again. I'm into the Print Fresh robes and want more sets from them. I got their cotton robe, and the fabric is so nice. I can not however speak to their other fabric, so be sure to check the details if you are considering it! Their prints are fun, I have a swan print, but they also do really cute champagne and caviar prints, perfect for lounging at home. They have short sets too: comfortable, cute, great.

And can I just say, I've been loving everything Meg Stalter has been doing? Hello, please, go off, America. I loved her video with Vanilla, it's incredible to see so many different bodies in really cunty fashion outfits. I want more of that, and I love that her size isn't the center point. She's just a fashion girl, not a plus-size fashion girl, not a mid-size fashion girl. Just a fashion girl. She's the prettiest girl in America, duh, hello?

Food & Drinks

Let me tell y'all, I got these dark chocolate mango and passion fruit cups from Trader Joe's, like a play on Reese's Cups, obviously, but these are so good. Perfect ratio of chocolate to filling, thin and easy to eat, and the texture and crunch are very satisfying. Not overly tart, but still sweet. Trader Joe's is a snack store, fundamentally.

This month I also tried some drinks from Hiyo, non-alcoholic social tonics meant to supplement alcohol. I wanted something for going out without actually drinking, and these felt like a nice replacement, still special. The watermelon lime flavor was my favorite; it reminded me of the end of a fruit cup, when there's watermelon and lime juice pooled at the bottom. I felt pretty chill from it. There are some interesting functional benefits too,and I did find it calming. I liked not feeling pressure to drink once I was out; I tend to get anxious in club or party situations, and it was nice to have something that didn't require alcohol to still feel like part of the night.

Home & Lifestyle

I'm at that age where new cleaning supplies is genuinely exciting to me. I've always used the powder form of Bar Keepers Friend on my sinks and other areas with more buildup, but I recently tried their soft bleach cleanser, a liquid formula, and I loved it. I used it on my kitchen sink, inside my oven, and in my shower during a deep clean this month, and it did a great job cutting through everything. It worked wonders on my kitchen sink especially.

It's also my favorite season for flowers. Garden roses have been so full and plush lately, and I love walking around seeing different varieties. I went to a shop called Kismet here in Chicago that had a really nice selection. I've been trying to fill my space with as many flowers as possible, building arrangements according to, dare I say, astrology and what the stars call for. Sometimes the arrangements turn out great, sometimes they're not my favorite, since I tend to prefer a monochromatic look, but hey, when the stars call for it, the stars call for it.

Media & Entertainment

I spent a lot of time this month catching up on old magazines. Wired and Fast Company are two of my favorites, but I read a particularly compelling article in Wired's May issue called "I Work in Hollywood. Everyone Who Used to Make TV Is Now Secretly Training AI." It's about people with incredible resumes in the entertainment industry who are now turning to training AI just to make ends meet. I knew abstractly what goes into training a model, but hearing it firsthand from people in the industry, the loopholes they're navigating, the promises companies make about earning up to $150 an hour when that rate is rare, hit differently. These companies are popping up and folding constantly, and a lot of them seem to intentionally target people who are out of work and have real skill and talent. The author did 20 contracts across five different platforms in eight months and nearly got caught in a cycle. It's a dark read, but a necessary one.

If you want something lighter, Homeworthy did a house tour of the iconic Tony Duquette home, lovingly preserved by his protégé and friend Hutton Wilkinson. The house is wild, there's something fascinating in every corner, and it's a great watch to put on when you want to turn your brain off for a bit. Get a snack and clock out for the day with this one.

Musically, babes, we are about to eat this fall. So many bands either just dropped albums or have one coming. I've had the new Death Cab for Cutie album on repeat. "Punching the Flowers" is by far my favorite, sharp and different for them, but also a natural evolution. Modest Mouse also has a new album that's very good. Some of it does get a little folksy for me, and I'll skip those tracks, but I really love "Picking Dragons Pockets" and "Absolutely Necessary Never," which is a very sexy, sexy, sexy song to me. Then we've got Block Party coming out with a single that's really fun, different, and interesting. Interpol also just released two singles off their upcoming fall album, called This Mirror Weighs a Ton, and it's all the best parts of Interpol. I can't wait, fall is about to be so good.