Life has been wonderful these past couple of years. Glass half-full 🙂

New Adventures

I’ve been on many new adventures, but my blog has always been in the back of my mind. I often think about why I don’t write as much as I used to, why I no longer make YouTube videos, and what I want to do about all that. Well, I think that’s something I will always think about and haven’t ruled any of it out. While I’d love to share every special moment in my life with the internet, I have been more focused on enjoying the moments. Small and big. Significant and irrelevant. I hope when folks get back to reading things and making their own decisions, this blog will be somewhat useful! Yes, I’m getting wise.

I Been Travelin’

Last year, I went to a lot of places. Some for work, some for play. We went back to Italy, I fulfilled a life long dream of making it to Pebble Beach, I went to Spain for the first time, and saw the majestic Rocky Mountains in Denver (I almost cried). I was on the road basically every month, and learned something about myself in the process: I do not like to be on the road every month.

New Brows

I’m planning to post separately about this, but early last year, I got Powder Brows! My brows have always been sparse and I’m always late to the party on everything. Powder Brows have been around for a while and are a form of microblading but for people that don’t have a lot of brow hair. I am very happy with the result and never fill in my brows anymore.

New Hair, New Problems

Why hasn’t the decline in the quality of hair made me stop buying wigs and extensions?

Beats me. I have had some struggle bucket wigs the past few years and they seem to be getting “worse.” I posted a YouTube video on the lack of full lace wigs on the market TWO YEARS AGO, and was met with some shared outrage as well as some interesting perspectives on buying wigs in general. The hair is not getting any better.

My last wig was a new challenge for me: the damn wig was human hair in the front (about 6 inches) and some synthetic mixture in the back. Yes, you read that right. Unfortunately, I did not figure this out until later. I just could not believe I would encounter something like this, from AMAZON, nonetheless! Because I have a super serious job now, I know there must be some FTC regulations that are obviously not being enforced around marketing claims. I’m very conflicted, because I love long hair and wigs are undeniably the way to go for me, but it’s gotten to the point where it looks like a quality wig I could get in 2008 that delivered on its promises is going to cost close to $1000 these days. It’s insane.

On a positive note, my current hair is about two weeks young and so far so good. I tried something new with 30 inches and I am loving it! My expectations are low, but so far so good. I’ve started wearing them behind my hairline for a more natural look. I wouldn’t expect to get results like you see in the marketing photo without a lot of work, but it does not tangle much, doesn’t shed much, and is super soft. It only cost me $100 bucks, so my expectations are in order.

I already hear the voices in the back asking why I don’t just deal with my own hair. Simple: it’s inconvenient, nothing I can do with my natural hair is going to come close to how I feel in wigs, and mostly because I just don’t want to. Am I going to pay $1000 for a wig? Probably not. Having said that…

My Perspective on Beauty (and Fashion) Have Changed

I have noticed within the last few years, my perspective on what I think makes me feel and look beautiful have changed. I’m probably in my understated beauty stage, I’m calling it. I rarely wear a full face of makeup (thanks, COVID), everything doesn’t have to be fitted, and I am focused on what’s going on inside my body more than the stuff on the outside.

My shopping habits have changed as well. I’ve never liked walking around malls, but I’ve always been an online shopping beast. I really only shop for non-necessities a few times a year, but when I do, it seems like I’m spending 3X more money on less. I’ve found that I appreciate quality a lot more than I used to. Moving into the city meant much, much smaller closets for me. I’m more aware of what I am putting in there and make an effort to edit more often. My latest love is this cozy dress from Anthropologie. I wear it as an elevated house dress (more on that later) and a piece of clothing has never made me feel so elegant!

Engagement

Saving the best for last! I am a whole fiancée! I’m so happy to be marrying the man of my dreams. You guys, I wrote down what I wanted and he checks every box! We got engaged at our favorite restaurant, right before we went to Italy and spent our time in Sicily, Rome, and Naples as an engaged couple. So romantic. I will admit, I’ve been dragging my feet on wedding planning and it all seems so overwhelming, especially with my really demanding job and just this new feeling of impending change.

I’m so happy. I hope to have many more happy years.