I had no idea what to expect postpartum. I knew people had some shedding, but my hair loss was next level. It wasn’t until I went to my first appointment post baby that the dots connected.

“You just had Covid,” my stylist explained. Which was true, I had covid 5 weeks before I delivered. (Yes, it was scary. Yes, we were okay.) “You’re not just experiencing postpartum hair loss, you have post-covid hair loss, too.

Damn. Double Whammy. Awesome.

But I was not to be deterred. I’d rocked (and loved) a bob for years prior to making my decision to grow out my hair. And I was committed to the change. (Or rather, I was desperate for the change), so I stayed the course. We’re growing it out.

My hair grew. And grew. I had to snake the drain weekly but still, I wasn’t changing my mind.

Fast forward to November 2023. My hair had been long(ish) for about a year. And it didn’t matter what layers I added or how many trims I got, I just couldn’t get my hair to look as full as it once was. So I went to visit my friend who is a stylist.

“I can get you the fullness you’re looking for, but it’ll require more than a trim.”

Alright. Whatever. Do it.

She gave me a gorgeous haircut that did exactly what I asked: she was full. But for me, she was also short. So short.

After growing my hair out for so long, I’ll admit that I was sad. It looked healthy and full, but man. I missed my long hair.

So I made the decision to use it as an opportunity to transform my hair. I wanted long hair, yes. But I also wanted beautifully healthy hair. So thus, I started a journey.

How to grow hair fast 

I researched. Like crazy. In the past whenever I wanted to grow out my hair I would just switch my shampoo and conditioner to Mane N Tale. Yes, the horse shampoo. And yes, I did notice a difference when I did that. But I haven’t used that method in about 15 years.

Instead, this go round, I paid attention to the science of things. Disclaimer: I’m not a scientist. And I wasn’t even good at science in school. But I did find some helpful information line.

The long and short of it is: you want to stimulate your scalp and you want to keep your ends healthy (so they don’t break off).

Hair exists in a cycle; and anagen is the hair growth phase. So we want to keep the hair in the anagen stage best we can. That’s where the stimulation comes in. You can stimulate your scalp with massages and certain oils like:

Jojoba oil
Cedarwood oil
Clary sage
Rosemary oil
Peppermint oil

Products to help grow your hair fast

I’m first going to share the products I bought/use and then I’ll get into what I did. My total haircare routine includes:

• This scalp massager
• This stimulating hair growth oil by Fable & Mane
• This Jojoba oil by Kate Blanc Cosmetics
• Function of Beauty Shampoo & Conditioner (not sponsored — I’ve used this same formula since 2020 and I love it. I have it in the peach scent).
• This leave in conditioner by Earthly Body
• This hair elixir by Earthly Body
• This Raw Sugar Healing Power deep conditioner/hair mask
• This clarifying shampoo by Herbal Essences

What I did to stimulate hair growth (and to grow my hair out fast).

I decided to overhaul my hair care routine. Not only do I believe this helped with growing my hair faster, but it transformed the health of my hair.

I’m a low maintenance girly through and through (as mentioned in this 5 minute face blog post). But I missed my hair so much that I figured I could do anything short term. Turns out, introducing a true hair care routine doesn’t require as much effort as I expected and it actually makes a difference.

Here’s what I do:

I wash my hair every 2 to 3 days. On the days I don’t wash my hair, I use Batiste dry shampoo — and something new I started was putting this serum on my ends before going to bed.

I oil my hair. On hair wash days (or the night before), I’ll put the Fable & Mane oil in my roots and the jojoba oil throughout my hair. Sometimes I use this massager when the oil is in my hair but honestly, I didn’t always make time for it.

Hair wash routine. I shampoo twice. First with this clarifying shampoo and then with the Function of Beauty shampoo. I rinse with cool water. Then I apply the Function of Beauty conditioner through my mid-shafts and ends. I know this isn’t the right way to use this product, but I then add this hair mask over the conditioner and let both sit for about 3-5 minutes (However long it takes me to wash my face/body/shave/etc). I rinse with cool water.

After shower routine. I apply this leave-in conditioner, this elixir and this heat protectant. I also use a few other products that have nothing to do with hair growth or protecting the ends.

Scalp massage routine. I got the scalp massager for Christmas, and initially I was using it every day for 15 minutes — usually at the end of the day while I was reading in bed or first thing in the morning while having my coffee & scrolling the internets. Sometimes both. I’d say I kept that up for a good month but then just sort of fell out of any sort of regularity with it. I’d say as of now — late April — I use it at least 3 times a week.

Did I try the inversion method? I did. Kind of. I’ve used this method in the past (remember that bob I mentioned? Well there was one time it got cut a leeeeeeettle too short. I did see quick growth). I only used the inversion method once this go round (you can technically use it once a month for a week at a time). I’m sure it works, but I really don’t like the feeling of having all the blood rush to my head and no matter which position I laid in, it kind of hurt my neck and back.

Vitamins. I did also take the centrum women’s health multi-vitamin, but that was more for health benefit than hair growth. I have no idea if it had any impact or not. When I first started growing my hair out, I used the Halo Beauty Hair Skin & Nail booster — and I did feel like I saw a difference with it — but it seems to be off the market now.

Things to keep in mind when you’re growing out your hair

If you’ve recently gotten a haircut that went a leeeeeettle (or a lot!) too short or you’re just ready to grow out a bob, I get it. I do. There’s no regret quite like the omg all my hair is gone feeling.

Stay consistent. I know it feels like time is moving in reverse and your hair is never going to grow. It will. Be sure to stay hydrated and eat a well balanced diet. Those things actually matter more than you might think.

Lastly, and I know this isn’t what you want to hear, be patient. Your hair will grow. In the meantime, commit to taking really good care of it so that when it does grow, it’ll be gorgeous, healthy hair!

Good luck, friend! Until next time. XOXO

So I can sit here and claim all day long that my makeup application is due to the mom season of life that I’m in. But that’s just not true. This is who I am and just who I’ve always been. When it comes to makeup, less is more for me.

That being said, I am not a makeup-free girlie. I don’t care, but I do care a little bit. You know? I hope you know.

After years and years of being this middle-of-the-road makeup wearer, there are a couple of products I will always repurchase. It’s a mix of drugstore makeup and high end, but I can promise you they’re worth the investment because I’m also a cheap girlie.

Make up products I will always repurchase

It Cosmetics CC Cream

I resisted for a long, long time. I also tried pretty much every product that claimed to be a dupe. I’m sorry to tell you, there just isn’t one that matches up. There are a few that come close, sure. But I still find myself repurchasing this product halfway through tubes of “dupes.” Save yourself the money and skip the dupes. It’s not often I’ll tell you that. But this is one product that absolutely lives up to the claims. The fact that it has 50SPF is alone a selling point for this elder millennial. But the coverage, finish and lasting power all just drive the sale home. Trust me, it’s worth the price tag.

Rimmel loose powder

This is so inexpensive. It’s also so so good. As an oily girl, I’ve tried pretty much every drugstore powder under the sun. The Bare Minerals mineral veil was the only thing I’d wear for the longest time because it was the only thing I could trust. This super duper inexpensive drugstore loose powder is exactly the product I’d been searching for. I’ve been using it for years now. And I will continue to repurchase it until the dreaded day it’s discontinued (which seems to be the fate of every product I love but I digress…) I also really love the stay matte version of it that you can find at Walmart).

Maybelline Sky High mascara 

I did a waterproof mascara smackdown after my dad died in 2016. Morbid, I know. But I had to add some levity and pull some value from the situation, okay? I am who I am.

The winner of the smackdown was a variation of this same mascara. I then went on to use the non-waterproof version of the winner for years until this one came out.

The sensationlash mascaras are just unmatched in the drugstore in my opinion. I have teeny tiny baby lashes with hooded eyelids. Finding a mascara that works for me is practically impossible. This one lengthens, volumizes, fans lashes and doesn’t transfer. I don’t use the waterproof version, and it stays put. Doesn’t flake. And removes like a dream with regular face wash. If you need a new drugstore mascara, give it a go. I think you’ll love it.

Okay friend! That’s it from me today! XOXO

(Side but slightly related note: I wish I could tell you how often I think about the fact that I once wrote a blog post saying I never leave the house with chipped nails and neither should you. Okay, 2015 Joey. What the heck did you actually have going on in your life? She’d *apparently* be horrified to know that not only do I infrequently do my nails these days, I also leave my house with chipped polish pretty much any time my nails are done.)

Shortly after my son was born, I gifted my (ridiculously large — seriously, no one human being should have that much nail polish) regular polish collection to my teenage niece. I was a parent for like 0.2 seconds before I realized that there was just no chance I was risking a regular polish mani in this war zone. Not even with my beloved fast drying Seche Vite top coat.

I knew right away that gel would be the only way to go for me. At least for the foreseeable future. I prefer gel, anyway. I also kept all of my dip powder stuff, but I didn’t take the time to do dip nails all that often even before I was a parent.

Doing a gel manicure takes nearly no time at all. But removing a gel manicure is a whole different story. I do really love the Aliver Gel Polish Magic Remover — and as easy as it makes the removal process, even that is a bit more of a commitment than I’m willing to make these days. And there’s no way I’m sitting around with aluminum foil wrapped around my fingers for 20 minutes. Nope. No way.

OPI Funny Bunny Gel DUPE

Peel off gel base coat: Here’s what you need to know

I had high hopes, but I was equally skeptical. I didn’t really do any research before I decided to try myself, which is really unlike me. I didn’t want to be swayed, honestly. I wanted to will it to work because how perfect would that be? It seemed like the perfect solution if it really worked. So did it?

How to use a peel off gel base coat?

I bought this peel off gel base coat from Sally’s. I’m sure there are proper instructions somewhere. I didn’t follow any proper instructions. I just went with my gut. I used the gel primer that I always use when doing a gel manicure in hopes that would help in some way. Writing this now, I’m not actually sure what I thought it would do, but I’ve used the peel gel base coat several times now, and I’ve used the primer each time.

Once I have the primer on, I paint one layer of the peel gel base coat. The layer is somewhere between generous and thin — I would say to use the typical amount you would use for any normal base coat.

Unlike a regular gel base coat that will cure under a light, the peel gel base coat does need time to dry. I usually wait about 90 seconds after applying to go in with my gel polish. I then polish my nails like I normally would with a gel polish. Usually two coats of color and one coat of top coat, curing 60 seconds in between each coat.

I used the ASP Make it peelable base coat from Sally’s. Other options that can be found on Amazon: Makartt peel off base coat, Beetles Gel Polish Peel off base coat — all of these options have great reviews.

How long does a peel off gel base coat last?

This is what you really want to know, isn’t it? It’s what I was most curious about. Truthfully, the results vary, but I typically get a normal wear out of the manicure. For me, that’s 5-7 days. I’m on a computer too often to deal with the click clacking that comes with too much growth, so I’m happy with that wear time. I’ve also gotten 14 days out of a manicure. I have, however, also had a manicure peel up within 72 hours.

I think it depends on a few things:

• Gel brand & how it’s applied (Thick layers? Thin layers? All the way to the edges? Capped?)
• How precisely the peel base coat is applied. I’ve found I get the best results when the base coat and the gel polish are evenly applied — meaning that the gel polish covers the same areas that the base coat does.
• How much time my hands spend in water. I’m a mom, so I spend a decent amount of time washing dishes and cleaning — that doesn’t seem to compromise the wear time at all. I did, however, one time soak a bunch of stickers off of cups, and the polish did start to peel up when I started to pick at the stickers. I completely expected that though.
• If I take care of the manicure like I would any other manicure with daily lotion and cuticle cream application.

How to remove a gel manicure with a peel off base coat?

I usually wait until I notice some lifting and then just go right on in and peel like normal. Some will come off all in one piece, others won’t. It’s kind of hit or miss. I have had to go in with a cuticle pusher a few times to start the peel when I was impatient and wanted to change the manicure before any lifting began. I will say this: before the polish is ready to peel, it’s pretty difficult to peel which is a good thing or a bad thing depending on what you want.

If you think you’re going to use a peel gel base coat to swatch a bunch of polishes for content with quick removal in between, think again. Peeling the polish immediately or even shortly after application is nearly impossible.

Will a peel off gel base coat damage my nails?

I have not experienced any damage. At all. In fact, I was certain on the occasions that I had to essentially pry the polish off that I would see some evidence of damage. But that hasn’t been the case in any circumstance. My nails are stronger and healthier than they’ve ever been. I’m sure that’s mostly due to supplements I’ve been taking and the fact that I don’t keep my nails polished all the time anymore — but also to the fact that when I do polish my nails, I use a peel gel base coat.

Closing thoughts: is a peel off gel base coat worth it?

In my opinion, yes. The peel gel base coat seems to be the solution to this season of life for me. If you want to be able to do your nails and keep them looking nice for about a week but also remove them easily, a peel gel base coat is the answer.

Happy painting, friends!

Disappeared.

And since then, I’ve been trying to find myself again. I went viral on TikTok last year when I got laid off from my job and that sort of launched me into a whole new chapter of living my life online.

And while I love making video and short-form content, I felt like something was missing.

So I prayed and meditated…a lot. And little by little, the quiet little voice started to shout so loud that I could no longer ignore it.

This is where I’ve always felt my most comfortable. It’s where I’ve always been able to show up as my most authentic self. So, here I am!

And what better way to dive back in than with a post recapping all my favorites from the last month.

What I loved in the month of March

This nail polish combo + peel off gel base coat

OPI Funny Bunny Gel Polish Dupe | OPI Bubble Bath Gel Polish Dupe – I used color from this kit

I kept seeing the viral funny bunny + bubble bath manicure all over the internet, but you all know I am a DIY girlie. And since becoming a mom, I’m strictly gel mani only. And if you didn’t know, OPI gel polish is only available to licensed professionals. So I had to improvise. And I have to say, I’m obsessed.

Bonus favorite: peel off gel base coat. Seriously. It’ll change your life.

Oversized sweatshirts + yoga pants

I said recently that I want to be like Steve Jobs. You all know how much I hate shopping and dressing myself. I swear I’m missing the girl gene that’s supposed to be obsessed with shopping and clothes. But recently, I’ve been living in yoga pants (I know all you young folks call them flared leggings. I just… can’t. Okay?) and oversized sweatshirts. Specifically, lately, I’ve been living in this sweatshirt from the campaign to support LeighannSays’s daughter’s rare condition.

Current binge(s) –

Ruby Franke deep dive

Y’all. What. The. F… I never followed her. I was familiar with her sister Ellie, but I had literally never heard of Ruby until everything went down. I have listened to/watched every second of released footage. And it…my God. It’ll stop your heart. I made the mistake of looking at the crime photos. I wish I hadn’t. Whatever you think – however bad you imagine…it’s worse. Way. Worse.

Not Dead Yet –

I was a big fan of Jane the Virgin. In fact, I recently rewatched the entire series (which hits a little differently now that I’m a parent). And immediately after I finished the finale, I looked to see if Gina Rodriguez was in anything new.

All of season 1 of Not Dead Yet was available on Hulu so I decided to try the first episode to see if I liked it.

Well, I accidentally binged the entire thing way too quickly. So quickly, in fact, that the final episode caught me by surprise. I was like wait, what? There isn’t any more?

I pulled myself from my binge stupor to see that luckily, season 2 would be premiering soon enough.

I’m now fully caught up on season 2 and anxiously waiting for the next episode to air.

It’s just such a cute sitcom. If you like New Girl, I think you’ll like it. I appreciate the newsroom/journalistic setting, and the cast is fun. Dina from Superstore (Lauren Ash) is in it as the boss. CeCe from New Girl (Hannah Simone) is the quirky best friend side kick. And of course Gina Rodriguez stars as the girl who’s life just fell apart.

I wasn’t sure how I would feel about the concept (Gina’s character returns to her old journalism job to be stuck with the obituaries. The catch, however, is her subjects appear and follow her around until she hits “submit” on their story.)

I actually really like it, though. And I think you will, too.

*Fun fact: I used to want to be an obituaries writer.

Habit 

My habits have been all over the place since being hospitalized at the start of this year. I had all these big plans, huge goals and then my body was like nope.

And for some reason that 3 day stint just sort of…derailed everything. Obviously I had to recover after and take care of myself, so that added to it for sure. But dang. Your girl has to get back on her game that’s for sure.

That being said, luckily my kiddo has helped to kick some things into gear. His favorite thing to do right now is to be outside. And he’s recently discovered that he LOVES walks. I took him on walks often, even runs, but that was usually just because I wanted to.
Well, now, he’s made it a non-negotiable every day. Whether he chooses to walk along side me or ride in the stroller, you better bet that my tiny little homie is demanding his daily walk. And I. am. loving. it.

It’s honestly become my favorite part of the day. I’ve always loved going on walks, even when I was a kid, but it’s so special to share that love with my little guy now.

Moment

I’ve been out of the blogging game for so long that some of you might not know that I now have a 2.5 year old son.

He was quick to get steady on his feet (we’re talking climbing a ladder with ease at 9 months old) but a little slower to talk. He’s always loved music, but he’s just started singing along with his favorite songs.

He’s been obsessed with Down by the Bay lately, and he’ll sing, with confidence, the last word of each line until it gets to the chorus, such as Have you ever seen a llama, wearing pajamas at which point he just looks at you, gets a shit eating grin on his face and spits a garble of gibberish.

When we first discovered this, we wore it out. We played the song over and over again and split our sides with laughter each and every time. He, of course, got such a kick out of entertaining us that he ate it right up.

That kid is such a delightful, hilarious little performer.

Okay! I think that’s it for me today. Until next time, friends! xoxo

I’ve come to love my quiet time every morning. Call me crazy, but I’ve always been a morning person. It feels like stolen time. And for the last few weeks, I’ve spent the first hour of my day sipping my coffee and reading the Bible. I honestly thought I’d hate it, that it would be boring and grueling. But every time, I’m amazed. There’s a lot sitting on my heart these days, and I’m finding answers daily.

There’s a great peace that comes from unconditional faith. I’ve always been an optimistic person. I’m filled to the brim with hope and faith regularly. But this feels different. I also love hearing about where you are in your journey, what you’re struggling with, and how the Word is speaking to you.

A friend emailed me this week with lyrics to Sara Groves’s Word.

I’ve done every devotional
Been every place emotional
Trying to hear a new word from God
And I think it’s very odd, 
that while I attempt to help myself
My Bible sits upon my shelf
With every promise 
I could ever need

Ain’t that the truth.

This week was a fail, however, in the planning department. Productivity was low, and the distractions are real. So I intend to spend some time this weekend setting up next week for success.

I did do some research on methods to increase productivity when distractions are everywhere, so stay tuned for that post!

I once read somewhere that entrepreneur means living a few years like most people won’t so you can live the rest of your life like most people can’t. That’s a pretty accurate description. The sacrifice is real, my friends. And if anyone tries to tell you it’s not, they’re lying to you. Building a business from the ground up is amazing and rewarding and wonderfully terrifying.

We are finally entering into our sweet spot. One year ago today, I purchased the www.blisscs.com domain completely unsure and unaware of what the year would hold. Remember, I’d done this before and it was a mistake.

I’ll only buy it for a year, I told Myra who wasn’t my business partner yet at the time. That way if it crashes and burns, I’m only out $1.77.

So, here we are one year later, I’m so happy and proud that we have to renew our domain. We’re running a full-blown functional business. Praise be to God!

It seems silly to me now as I sit here to write this that I let anxiety win this week. I worried instead of praising God for seeing us through this the last year. The perseverance and stamina required to bring us to this point was a gift. So for that, I will be forever grateful.

In case you’re just here for the nails, here you go.

This is one of those annoying scented polishes. But the color is so dreamy that I can’t give it up. I came across this polish a few years ago when I was on a mad hunt for OPI’s Chapel of Love. Surprisingly, that polish is pretty hard to get your hands on. This is a pretty dang close dupe. I kind of miss the days of a good old polish hunt. I haven’t done that in a while.

Current favorite thing: the string of Christmas lights hanging on the dresser in our bedroom. There’s nothing quite like climbing into bed to relax in the evening in the glow of fairy lights.

Current obsession: crockpot meals. Since moving to the suburbs, I’ve found my meal prepping groove again. I guess there really is something to the whole taking ourselves out of takeout and delivery heaven. I’ll find a way too cook pretty much anything in a crockpot. Tonight’s meal? Crockpot Philly cheese steak sandwiches. Want the recipe on the blog?

Current lesson: letting your faith be bigger than your fear when you’re building a business is a lot harder than it seems online. I found a quote the other day about entrepreneurship that was pretty spot on: “Entrepreneurship: Living a few years of your life like most people won’t so that you can spend the rest of your life like most people can’t.” It’s fun, exciting and wonderful–but absolutely terrifying 90% of the time.

Current favorite? It’s Friday, and I have big plans to sit on my couch and catch up on Superstore with the husband tonight.

Happy Friday, y’all!

Julep Lorraine
Color Club Harp on It
Small dotting tool

I used to really enjoy nail polish and painting my nails. I loved a fresh manicure, and nothing made me feel more put together. I’m not one to fuss with fancy clothes or shoes, but a good manicure made me feel good. It made me feel like me.

I stopped making time for it all once we got here to Charlotte. I started putting everyone else first and stopped making myself a priority. A simple pleasure: painting my nails, went right out the window.

The impressive collection of polishes would hang on the back of my office door, only really loved on when I was painting someone else’s nails.

I’ll always be the person who puts everyone else first. It’s just my nature. But if I’ve learned anything in my thirty years, it’s that you can’t pour from an empty cup.

How do you take care of yourself? Does a mani make you feel like you can take it all on? Tell me, would you link up with me if I brought the old linkup back? Let me know!

Something I get asked about a lot are my fingernails.  When I was little and dreaming of all my success, I definitely didn’t picture my hands being any part of it.  Though the fact that I would spend countless hours crafting plans with my friends on how to obtain the perfect watermelon manicure should have told me something.

I keep my nails short.

I don’t skip the cuticles.

I always use a base coat.

I don’t paint from my cuticles down.

I always do two coats.

I dip a synthetic brush in pure acetone for clean up.

I’d say use high quality nail polish–

I use a high quality QUICK DRYING top coat.  Always.

Have you read my book yet?  Download it here!  I’ll love you forever and ever and we can be besties for life!