Small things that had a BIG impact on my life
Just like everyone else, life changed a lot in 2020 and I realise now that so many of my priorities have totally shifted, without me even realising at the time. Here are some small changes I’ve implemented in my life that all had a BIG, POSITIVE impact. On the face of it, I think many of these seem quite superficial but the impact they have had on the way I feel, the way I feel about myself and the genuine improvements I feel because of them are very real and each one makes life that little bit better.
Dying my eyebrows
Oh my god. Why did I not know this was a thing sooner? I have light brown hair but my eyebrows are so thin and blonde that they are virtually invisible. For many years I didn’t know you could do ANYTHING with eyebrows except pluck them almost right off, so I was very happy when I discovered brow pencils and powders but when I discovered BROW DYE my life was totally changed.
Brows are great. I don’t go over the top but I like to fill them in and darken them slightly from my natural colour and whilst applying a brow pencil each day was fine, finding brow dye made me fall back in love with my face. It’s affordable (€11 and lasts me about 4 months), available in many pharmacies in Malta and really easy to apply. I do it once a month, it takes me 10 minutes and it looks SO good. It darkens my brows slightly, it makes them visible without me having to constantly fill them in and it also picks up really tiny TOTALLY invisible hairs I never saw which makes them both easier to tidy up but also much nice and thicker than they looked before.
I am not someone who HAS to wear makeup, but I do enjoy makeup, but just having a decent set of brows is really enough for me to feel ‘done’ so this makes me feel much more put together all of the time.
Trainers
Until around 3 years ago, I never really wore trainers. The closest I got might be Converse, which are not really comparable. But when I met Arvid he encouraged me to get a pair of Nike “Free” or something they were called and they changed my life. For some reason I had thought wearing trainers made you look like a PE teacher but, even if it does, who cares! They are so much more comfortable and you don’t need to be doing sport to feel the benefit. Even just day to day walking around outside (when that was a thing) you have so much more support, are so much more comfortable and no more blisters.
And once you get used to them they don’t look stupid at all. You can find plenty of really nice looking trainers that are still on the more ‘sporty’ side making them supportive, comfortable and pretty. I barely wear anything else now. No more loafers, ballet shoes or heels, just rows and rows of Nikes!
Going braless
I never thought going braless was an option for me. For my frame, they’re quite big and I was always quite self conscious of them but FK THAT. Since the pandemic really started changing our lives and shutting us all in at home around March 2020 I have hardly worn a bra. It started off just enjoying roaming free at home, but now I don’t even strap in when I go out.
I knew bras were uncomfortable and always looked forward to taking them off each day but it never occurred to me to just… stop. But you can. I have to be a little bit careful about what I wear (nothing too floaty in summer, or too see-through) but that’s a small price to pay for less pain and discomfort.
Working from home
I’ve been mostly working from home way before the pandemic, since around March 2019 and there are definitely drawbacks and things that take getting used to but a few things that have improved my life no end are:
no commute- not that I had much of one before but now I’m from home, with no makeup (and no bra!) I have time for a cup of tea and breakfast and still login before most other people each day.
eating home made- I eat at home each day which means I both save money on eating out and eat healthier lunches than I would grab at the office.
The curly girl method
I have curly hair and I spent so much of my youth and teenage years absolutely hating it. I wished and wished and literally CRIED to have straight hair. I found it messy, ugly, painful and as soon as I was old enough I’d straighten it daily so I never had to struggle with the curls. But a few years ago I found the Curly Girl movement online. It’s a method of caring for curly hair in a way that makes it as healthy as possible. You avoid certain ingredients, use special products and ways of washing, drying and styling to make the most of your curls and HOLY SHIT can they look good!
I don’t follow the curly girl method religiously, but I have become more aware of the ingredients in shampoo and conditioner, I have totally stopped using products like salt spray and hair spray and added in gels (yes, gel!), leave ins and microfiber towels and I know how to style (squish to condish, scrunch out the crunch!) it to make the curls bouncy, soft and shiny.
Curly hair is still hard work and some days it still just gets thrown up in a messy bun to hide the state it’s in but apart from 2 or 3 hiccups in the last few years I never straighten it and have made peace with my unruly curls!
