Sunday Reset: Novels, Neck Cream & Nervous Systems

Sunday Reset: Novels, Neck Cream & Nervous Systems

Victoria Shelton

Join us each week as we explore what’s shaping our world in beauty, wellness, lifestyle, and culture. Through the lens of our team, The Weekly R.E.P.O.R.T. is a curated reflection on what we’re reading, eating, purchasing, obsessing over, recommending, and treating ourselves to! 

What We’re Reading This Week

The Informed Air by Muriel Spark

For a dose of wit, intelligence, and literary glamour, turn to The Informed Air, a sparkling collection of Muriel Spark’s essays. Moving effortlessly between reflections on writing, literature, love, faith, cats, parties, and life in wartime London and 1960s Rome, Spark brings her famously fearless perspective to every subject. Along the way, she considers writers from the Brontës to T. S. Eliot and Mary Shelley, recalls encounters with artists and friends, and delivers observations that are as mischievous as they are perceptive. It’s a book to dip into slowly, a reminder that curiosity, elegance, and a sharp eye can make the ordinary endlessly fascinating.
The Informed Air

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle

For something quieter, stranger, and deeply absorbing, enter Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume. Tara Selter has become trapped in time, waking to November 18th again and again, unable to move forward into another day. As the repetitions accumulate, the familiar world becomes uncanny: small details sharpen, memories surface, and the boundaries between isolation and discovery begin to blur. Balle transforms this impossible premise into a hypnotic meditation on time, existence, and the significance of a single life. Slow-moving yet quietly thrilling, it rewards close attention—and offers the rare sensation of experiencing time differently through language.
On the Calculation of Volume

The Informed Air by Muriel Spark

For a dose of wit, intelligence, and literary glamour, turn to The Informed Air, a sparkling collection of Muriel Spark’s essays. Moving effortlessly between reflections on writing, literature, love, faith, cats, parties, and life in wartime London and 1960s Rome, Spark brings her famously fearless perspective to every subject. Along the way, she considers writers from the Brontës to T. S. Eliot and Mary Shelley, recalls encounters with artists and friends, and delivers observations that are as mischievous as they are perceptive. It’s a book to dip into slowly, a reminder that curiosity, elegance, and a sharp eye can make the ordinary endlessly fascinating.
The Informed Air

On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle

For something quieter, stranger, and deeply absorbing, enter Solvej Balle’s On the Calculation of Volume. Tara Selter has become trapped in time, waking to November 18th again and again, unable to move forward into another day. As the repetitions accumulate, the familiar world becomes uncanny: small details sharpen, memories surface, and the boundaries between isolation and discovery begin to blur. Balle transforms this impossible premise into a hypnotic meditation on time, existence, and the significance of a single life. Slow-moving yet quietly thrilling, it rewards close attention—and offers the rare sensation of experiencing time differently through language.
On the Calculation of Volume

What We’re Eating

Emmett, Philadelphia

Tucked into Olde Kensington, Emmett brings a fresh, expansive take to Mediterranean cooking, blending Levantine flavors with French, Italian, Middle Eastern, and North African influences. Chef Partner Evan Snyder builds the menu around what’s in season, with dishes that balance bright, tangy fruit, woodsmoke, warming spices, and unexpected combinations. There’s a particular sense of curiosity to the cooking, from inventive pastas to beautifully handled meats and seafood. If you’re looking for a restaurant that feels distinctly Philadelphia while still taking you somewhere new, Emmett is well worth a visit. 

What We’re Purchasing

skinbetter science Techno Neck Perfecting Cream

Give your neck and décolleté the same attention as the rest of your skincare routine with this targeted treatment. Designed to address crepiness, dryness, sagging, and uneven texture, it delivers intense hydration while helping skin feel firmer, smoother, and more resilient. A considered addition to any daily routine, it leaves skin looking more supple, radiant, and energized.
Shop Now

La Bonne Brosse N.02 Body Brush for Normal Skin

Bring a little more intention to your body-care routine with this invigorating dry brush. Designed for normal skin, it gently exfoliates while providing a stimulating massage that leaves the body feeling refreshed. Used in upward strokes, it supports a drainage-focused ritual and helps skin appear smoother, firmer, and more even with regular use.
Shop Now

Rimowa Cabin Luggage

If travel is on the horizon, consider this your sign to upgrade your suitcase. Crafted from high-end anodized aluminum, this iconic design combines distinctive grooves with thoughtful functionality, including a telescopic handle, smooth multiwheel system, TSA-approved locks, and a compression divider. Ideal for three to four days away, it’s an investment designed to last.
Shop Now

skinbetter science Techno Neck Perfecting Cream

Give your neck and décolleté the same attention as the rest of your skincare routine with this targeted treatment. Designed to address crepiness, dryness, sagging, and uneven texture, it delivers intense hydration while helping skin feel firmer, smoother, and more resilient. A considered addition to any daily routine, it leaves skin looking more supple, radiant, and energized.
Shop Now

La Bonne Brosse N.02 Body Brush for Normal Skin

Bring a little more intention to your body-care routine with this invigorating dry brush. Designed for normal skin, it gently exfoliates while providing a stimulating massage that leaves the body feeling refreshed. Used in upward strokes, it supports a drainage-focused ritual and helps skin appear smoother, firmer, and more even with regular use.
Shop Now

Rimowa Cabin Luggage

If travel is on the horizon, consider this your sign to upgrade your suitcase. Crafted from high-end anodized aluminum, this iconic design combines distinctive grooves with thoughtful functionality, including a telescopic handle, smooth multiwheel system, TSA-approved locks, and a compression divider. Ideal for three to four days away, it’s an investment designed to last.
Shop Now

What We’re Obsessing Over

Why Everyone Is Talking About Nervous-System Regulation

From constant notifications and caffeine to packed schedules and endless stimulation, we’re spending more time “on” than ever. Nervous-system regulation is about helping the body move more easily between states of stress and rest, rather than remaining in a constant state of alert. Small, consistent rituals can make a difference: getting outside for morning light, taking a walk without your phone, practicing slow breathing, stretching, meditating, spending time in silence, or using heat through a sauna or warm bath. Even creating a screen-free transition between work and bedtime can signal to the body that it’s time to slow down. The goal isn’t to eliminate stress, but to build more opportunities for recovery into everyday life.

What We’re Recommending

Music for 18 Musicians: Staged Variations

This October, experience Steve Reich’s groundbreaking Music for 18 Musicians in an entirely new way at Park Avenue Armory. Marking the 50th anniversary of its premiere and Reich’s 90th birthday, this immersive staging brings together three generations of musicians under the direction of Alan Pierson, with the Steve Reich Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, and musicians from the Manhattan School of Music.

Set within the expansive Wade Thompson Drill Hall, the musicians surround the audience, transforming Reich’s landmark minimalist composition into a cycling, durational experience. With an interlude by Caroline Shaw, the performance becomes something between concert, ritual, and installation, an opportunity to slow down, listen deeply, and experience one of the defining works of 20th-century music from within.

October 14–18, 2026 | Park Avenue Armory

Treat

Shop Rescue Spa Augustinus Bader The Light Cream 30ml bottles with blue and bronze packaging on a white background.

The Science of Skin Renewal

A Sunday reset is a moment to slow down and give your skin a little extra attention. This week, discover Augustinus Bader, where advanced skincare science meets the pleasure of a luxurious daily ritual.

Rooted in decades of research, the brand is known for its proprietary TFC8® technology, developed to support the skin’s natural renewal processes. From nourishing creams to targeted serums, the collection brings a thoughtful, science-led approach to skincare, one we love for its innovative formulas and focus on visible results.

Shop the Augustinus Bader Collection