There is something about this time of year that makes me want everything all at once. The light changes, the evenings stretch out, and suddenly I am buying things I have been eyeing for months and discovering new obsessions I did not see coming. This month’s Lou Loves is unashamedly a lust list. The bag that made me do a double take. The bowl I cannot stop thinking about. The vodka that has completely changed my martini game. The fragrance I have been wearing on rotation since the bottle arrived. These are the things on my radar right now and I recommend every single one.
Fashion · The Bag
Scott Samuel Woven Leather Bag
I found Scott Samuel through a rabbit hole of Instagram saves and I am so glad I did. This is a small, beautifully curated independent British brand run by Keira, and the Woven bag is the piece that stopped me mid-scroll. Handmade, 100% leather, woven by hand, and somehow looking considerably more expensive than it actually is. The kind of bag that gets compliments before you have even left the house. I love that it comes from an independent store. There is something about knowing where something comes from and the care that went into it that makes it feel even more worth having. This is on my summer arm constantly.
Accessories · The Necklace
Sometimes a piece of jewellery just has the right energy and the Pepito necklace from Spanish brand Mosquito has exactly that. Onyx beads, a delicate silver charm, considered and slightly unexpected. The kind of necklace that looks effortless on a white t-shirt and equally good dressed up. Mosquito is one of those brands I want more people to know about, beautifully made, quietly distinctive, and not something you will see on everyone else’s neck.
Fashion · The Knit
Reformation Cove Cotton Oversized Crew
Reformation does a lot of things well, but this cotton crew is doing something really special for me right now. The Faded Light colour is exactly the kind of washed-out, sun-bleached tone that feels completely of this moment and the 100% organically grown cotton means it is as good for the planet as it is for the outfit. I will be wearing mine thrown over everything: over swimwear on the beach, over jeans in the evening, over absolutely nothing at all on a Sunday morning. The oversized silhouette is generous without being shapeless. A genuinely perfect summer knit.
Food & Entertaining · The Nibbles
Sea Sisters Cuttlefish Caponata with Basil & Pine Nuts
I became slightly obsessed with Sea Sisters after reading about the story behind the brand. Charlotte and Angus, a campervan trip across Europe, a tin of sardines that changed everything, and a move to the Dorset coast to become the first craft fish cannery in England since the 1940s. Romantic and brilliant. But the obsession deepened when I actually tasted the food. This Cuttlefish Caponata with Basil and Pine Nuts is what I am serving for summer nibbles right now, on a beautiful board, with good bread, alongside something cold and delicious to drink. It is the kind of thing guests go back for repeatedly and then ask where it came from. Tell them Sea Sisters. They will be very glad you did.
Entertaining · The Bowl
I need to talk about this bowl. I have been thinking about it since I first came across it and I cannot stop. Skultuna is a Swedish brass foundry founded in 1607, yes 1607, by King Karl IX and they have been making objects of extraordinary beauty ever since. The Tête-à-Tête bowl is the kind of object that stops a room. Brass, considered, completely timeless, and exactly the kind of thing you put on a table and never want to move. I want mine filled with the Sea Sisters tins, with pine nuts scattered around it, with whatever beautiful small thing is within reach. This is my current obsession and I am making no apologies for it.
Drinks · The Perfect Summer Martini
A Pembrokeshire micro distillery making vodka using local oyster shells from Atlantic Edge Oysters, a restorative aquaculture farm, to impart a subtle, delicate mineral salinity into an otherwise clean, crisp spirit. Proceeds from every bottle go towards restoring wild native oyster populations around Welsh coastal sites. I mean, honestly. The story alone would have sold me. But then I made a crisp martini with a twist and everything changed. The oyster shell gives it exactly the right oceanic edge, briny, mineral, quietly extraordinary. Serve ice cold. Make the martini. You will not stop talking about it.
Fragrance · Currently On Rotation
I have been wearing this since the bottle arrived and it has not left my rotation. Oud Liaisons from London perfume house Ormonde Jayne opens with pink pepper, rose and lemon before settling into a heart of oud, suede and guaiac wood, its rich, resinous and genuinely seductive in a way that never tips into heavy. The brand founder Linda Pilkington matures the oils in the classical style in her own London laboratory, which you can feel in the depth of the fragrance. This is the kind of scent that develops differently on skin throughout the day and rewards patience. Wear it once and you will understand immediately.
Skincare · The SPF I Actually Want to Wear
Sarah Chapman Skin Insurance SPF 50
I have tried a lot of SPFs. This is the one I keep coming back to. Sarah Chapman’s Skin Insurance SPF 50 goes beyond sun protection to deliver 360° coverage against UVA, UVB, thermal and infrared radiation. With Photosomes-V to actually help reverse UV-induced DNA damage, blurring optical diffusers, and a brightening tint that makes skin look genuinely better, not just protected. It sits beautifully under makeup or completely alone. No white cast, no heaviness, no smell. Just the kind of skin finish that makes you look like you had a good night’s sleep. The cult favourite for a reason and the SPF I now genuinely look forward to putting on every morning.
Makeup · The Viral Product That Actually Works
Wonderskin Wonder Blading Lip Stain Masque
I know. I know. I was skeptical too. You apply what looks like a vivid blue lip masque, wait thirty seconds, wipe it off with a damp cloth and underneath is a perfectly tinted, transfer-proof, all-day lip stain that survives coffee, meals and everything else. Over 300 million TikTok views. And yes, it absolutely deserves them. The Stain & Go method is the quick version: apply, wait, wipe, done. This is genuinely one of those products that earns the hype. I have been recommending it to everyone.
That is my lust list for this month. Every single thing on it has my genuine, unfiltered recommendation and if you try anything from this edit, I would absolutely love to know. Find me on Instagram (@lafpetersens) and tell me what you think. Lou x
