March 2020 Faves
/Welp, this month is going down as the weirdest ever. Majority of us are quarantined in our homes due to COVID-19, and the rest are fighting on the front lines of this disease. To those people, I’d like to offer the most sincere thank you. I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs. It’s truly been a rollercoaster month of emotions. I’m trying to keep things business as usual because I know there’s way too much fear and anxiety living on the internet right now. I’d like to try to not add to that for you. So, per usual, here are my March faves. Because a little normalcy never hurt anyone and I think most of us are craving that right now.
I bought these satin pillowcases because I heard they’re good for your hair and skin. I’m doing pretty well in the hair department, thanks to not coloring my mane in 3 years. But the skin department is another story. Hello, hormonal, adult acne. The verdict is still out but so far we’re liking them!
Earlier this month, I ordered a new wide angle lens. Usually when I’m shooting, I have two camera bodies on me. One paired with a 50mm and one paired with a 35mm. Over the past year, I’ve found myself in certain situations thinking I wish I had a wider lens than the 35mm. I was reluctant to pull the trigger on the 24mm for a long time because SO many photographers talk about how obsessed they are with their 35mm. I thought I was missing something. Now my 50mm? Yes, obsessed is exactly the right word. I’m so glad I finally purchased this 24mm. After testing it out, it’s exactly what I needed. I can’t wait to use this during in-home sessions, during getting ready shots of the bride, and outdoors when I want to include the entire landscape and scenery to tell the story.
3. Planoly
Before using Planoly, I was (sort of) using UNUM to plan my posts. I didn’t find it very user friendly and there it sat for months on my iPhone. I kind of wrote off social media planning apps after that. After the Hygge retreat I attended in early March, I heard a few people mention Planoly. I downloaded it immediately and sat down for an hour and scheduled 2 weeks work of posts! I’m now addicted to scheduled posts and I feel like I save so much more time every day by planning ahead.
These are my go-to gold studs. I wear 3 of these at all times. One pair on my second hole and one stud on my mid-cartilage piercing. They’re SO dainty. Like, itty bitty. That’s why I love them, though. They are perfect for year-round wear in any piercing you have. I love how they look paired with statement earrings in my main earlobe piercings.
This was my favorite book as a kid. I remember falling in love with it in elementary school and making my mom buy a copy for home. During this quarantine, I’ve found myself pulling it out and reading the poems to Leo throughout the day just because. If I need a quick way to boost my mood, this is it.
6. Frames
I always get DMs asking me about the art/frames hung up in my kitchen. Here’s the secret. I bought these frames on Amazon and printed off a bunch of black and white, minimalist prints I found on Google. I also created one on my own where I typed out the GPS coordinates of where Ryan and I met. Feel free to steal that idea. I laid them all out on my living room floor and rearranged the order until it looked the best. Then I hung them using velcro Command strips, two per frame.
7. Top Coat
From the looks of it, everyone and their grandma is doing their own nails at home now. Welcome to the club. It’s rare that I get my nails done at a salon, so I can definitely help you in this at-home arena. I’ve tried ‘em all and this top coat is a GAME CHANGER. An old coworker told me about it a few years ago and I trusted her because she’s one of those people you just know knows what the heck they’re talking about in the beauty department. Ya feel me? I’m never buying another top coat again unless it’s this one.
Do these really work? We can’t be sure. But something about using these facial sheets masks makes me feel like I’m doing self-care right. I wash my face, dry it, and then put one of these on for about 10 minutes. Then Ryan makes fun of me and Leo stares at me like I’m a monster that ate his mom.
9. Yoga Blocks
I’ve been doing Citizen Yoga’s live zoom yoga classes and they are incredible. I’m a huge CY fan. That’s where I got my yoga teacher training certification from. I try to attend one in-person class per week but with the quarantine, they’ve adjusted their classes to be online and it’s the best thing since sliced bread. I have two of these yoga blocks at home which I use in during every at-home yoga class.
Photo of Waimea Canyon in Kauai, Hawaii, taken in November 2019. Kauaii prints are available for purchase in my print shop here!
