What We Consumed This Week: From eBay Bidding Wars to Covert Wine Purses
The last full week of August had us in the mood for something sexy, sophisticated, and chaotic.
Welcome to Coveteur’s Consumer Diaries!As our co-dependent relationship with the algorithm deepens with time, the bottomless scroll has turned us all into 24/7 consumers. As we consume varying degrees of news, targeted ads, trailers, shopping, and user-generated content, all accordioned together in an endless feed—our consumer habits have reached a fever pitch. Each week we will be untangling the top news stories of the week and asking Coveteur staff members about what they consumed this past week.
With Mercury joining Venus in retrograde on the 23rd, this already turbulent breakup season is approaching record levels of miscommunication, snafus, and interpersonal disasters. With all the cosmological confusion in the ether, sometimes it feels safest to shelter in place and manically scroll online. From podcasts to home decor to new TV shows, here’s what the Coveteur staff consumed this past week:
eBay Bidding Wars for Plaid Mini Skirts
“I love a good old-fashioned bidding war but always forget that I need to be prepared to actually pay for it. Anyways, I ended up with three different plaid midi skirts from eBay by accident, and by accident, I mean entirely my own doing.” — Sarah Lou Kiernan (Social Editor)
Anne Carson's "Art of Poetry" Paris Review Interview
“I adore Anne Carson, and I recently came across her Paris Review interview from 2004, which I'm surprised I haven't read yet. My favorite part of the interview is when she describes poetry as ‘an action of the mind captured on a page, and the reader, when he engages it, has to enter into that action… it is a movement of yourself through a thought, through an activity of thinking, so by the time you get to the end you’re different than you were at the beginning and you feel that difference.’” — Ama Kwarteng (Beauty Director)
“Who among us isn't begging for more queer content? I mean, maybe it's just us queers, but whatever, more is more! My fiancée Marisa introduced me to this podcast a few weeks ago and I can't get enough. The episode ‘Barbie is Gay’ immediately got me hooked from the title alone. Hosted by London-based content creators Freya & Scarlett (you might know them from the viral TikTok 'Guess Which One Is Straight’ that had all of gaytok bugging out last summer), the pod features the couple in conversation with each other, their friends, and notable guests as they chat the latest in all things culture from the LGBTQIA+ perspective. Filled with queer innuendoes, hysterical hot takes, and borderline cringe-worthy (yet unfortunately relatable) stories, it’s a 10/10 in my book.” — Emily Greene (Marketing Strategy Director)
“Never did I think I would be recommending a shower head, but alas. I'm absolutely obsessed, and after just two weeks of having it, I've already sent one over to my mom and sister. I really don't know how to explain it other than it makes me excited to jump into my small NYC apartment shower (which is saying A LOT). It filters and purifies the shower water, removing chlorine and heavy metals. All of the lotions, oils, and pre and post-shower rituals can only go so far if the first step to your routine is what is drying out your skin and hair!” — Lauren Malanga (Campaign Manager)
The White Apple Cocktail Dress by Fanci Club (Pink)
“Even though Leo season has come to an end, it doesn't hurt to look back on the best time of year. A few weeks ago, I celebrated my birthday at my favorite bar. There, of course, was a theme—I told everyone to come dressed based on their interpretation of the poem ‘Fever 103’ by Sylvia Plath. My assessment of the poem came to life in the form of a sheer pink dress from Fanci Club. I absolutely adored wearing it, and it was actually super comfortable to wear.” — Ama Kwarteng (Beauty Director)
“My Instagram algorithm has been pushing this movie on me for weeks, and I was easily seduced by the casting and impeccable styling of the film’s leads. The film centers around a German-born, Paris-based film director Tomas (played by the magnetic Franz Rogowski), whose marriage to his husband Martin (Ben Whishaw) devolves after he gets carried away in an affair with a Parisian woman Agathe (Adele Exarchopoulos). Tomas is self-involved and capricious—arguably a textbook narcissist—but undeniably alluring. Aside from drooling over every outfit in the film, the naturalistic performances and rich cinematography made this my favorite film of the summer so far (sorry Barbie). My only critique was the female character was a bit thinly written, but Exarchopoulos managed to win me over regardless.” — Andie Eisen (Culture Editor)
“I have been wanting to read Pulitzer-winning Trust by Hernan Diaz forever and finally picked it up this summer (at the beach, no less), and I thoroughly enjoyed it. There's a twist about midway through that so satisfyingly links all of the plot puzzle pieces together—juicy as hell.”— Camille Freestone (Senior Style Editor)
Peptide Lip Treatment by Rhode (Strawberry Glaze)
“I've already waxed poetically about Ms. Bieber's Peptide Lip Treatment (article here), but long story short—they plump and soothe my dry lips. I'm also super into the new Strawberry Glaze flavor. I also made out with someone recently while wearing it, and he enjoyed it too.” — Ama Kwarteng (Beauty Director)
“This show examines the origins of the opioid crisis in the United States as seen through the eyes of victims, perpetrators, and truth seekers. The A-list cast of Matthew Broderick, Uzo Abuda, Taylor Kitsch, and Carolina Bartczak will leave you on the edge of your seat. While this series is a fictionalized retelling of events, the story feels universal. Fact versus fiction—you decide.” — Patricia Foster (Executive Beauty Director)
“Ama (Coveteur’s Beauty Director) slacked our team this article and we all had a good chuckle. Not only is it amusing that the cali-teen-surfer brand PacSun is collaborating with an institution like The Met on a series of crop tops and hoodies, but for The New York Times to write an article called ‘The Met Keeps Releasing Clothing With Pacsun. Why?’—that was the cherry on top.” —Andie Eisen (Culture Editor)
Iconic London Radiant Concealer & Brightening Duo
“I didn't sleep last night, but I'm feigning flawlessness with this new concealer. It's the perfect two-in-one. Its crayon side offers spot-by-spot coverage that’s easy to blend into my tinted moisturizer.” — Leya Kaufman (Head of Brand, Publisher & VP of Sales)
“My friend saw this bad boy while we were strolling the aisles at Gelson’s, and we both lunged at it. What looks like a long, bootleg baguette bag is actually a thermally insulated clutch designed to carry an entire bottle of wine. Since the security guards at Barnsdall Park have been particularly narc-y about alcohol this summer, we’re opting to break the rules in style.” —Andie Eisen (Culture Editor)