Here's a mish-mash of thoughts and updates:
1) I am currently 23 weeks a long, and the punches and kicks keep coming-- and I don't just mean the ones from my baby:
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| 20 weeks along! |
- At 16 weeks, I started taking weekly progesterone injections, because Jolie came 7 weeks early, and we definitely want to AT LEAST make it through the school year without going into labor thankyouverymuch
- About a month ago, I got diagnosed (again) with gestational diabetes. (More needles, yay.) So, goodbye giant bowls of pho and bubble tea. (I know, I could still have SOME, but if it's not a GIANT bowl of pho, are you even living?)
- About a week ago, my body decided that regulation by diet wasn't enough, so now I have to take daily insulin injections. (It's very good that I'm not afraid of needles.)
- I'm also deep in the throes of MAJOR BODILY ITCHING. Like, pregnancy normally involves some itching, but this is some unbearable suffering happening here. (Yes, I've contacted my doctor.) I am unsightly-red with lots of bumps and scratch marks because I can't handle itching, have never been able to handle itching.
On top of that, it's hard for me to sleep, because sleeping flat my back is a no-no, and sleeping on my side makes my hips achy (and I feel like a flailing whale trying to turn over from one side to another). AND I'm prone to heartburn. The only thing helping is that I have built a giant throne of pillows, so I'm essentially on my back, but majorly propped up by about four pillows, with another pillow under my knees, and the "arms" of my pregnancy pillow around me like, well, an armchair. It's a fortress.
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| Pictured: not me |
2) I am really, really enjoying prenatal yoga. I feel like this is the type of yoga that is best for me, and it's a shame that I have to be pregnant to do it, because I don't want to rejoin the rest of "regular population" yoga after I have this baby. It's not so much a workout for me as it is my moment of calm on Sunday afternoons before the storm of the workweek hits. And the studio I go to is small and intimate, and we always start our weekly class with a little share-out of how we're doing/feeling. Normally I don't like that sort of thing, but I don't mind it at the moment because this pregnancy is such a HUGE THING (literally) in my life right now, that I need to process it in every way that I can. I can afford to take an hour every week to just move and breathe.
3) I've been getting back into beauty lately. I don't mean that I necessarily feel like going back to keeping my separate blog for makeup, but just that I'm enjoying exploring the world of beauty again, without feeling that manic sort of pressure to try ALL THE NEW THINGS, IMMEDIATELY. I am being more deliberate about my beauty purchases now, especially after having thrown out or given away, like, 75% of the makeup I'd had in my stash before, and am giving more consideration to what my beauty preferences are, now that I live in a totally different place with a totally different climate and weather patterns. And really, I'm just in a totally different place in my life, with different priorities. It used to be an act of self-care for me to put on my face every morning, but now other things are my self-care, and while I still like putting on makeup, I'm finding that I care more about simplicity.
So what's my makeup/skincare routine now? Here's a quick rundown of what I'm gravitating towards lately (links are NOT sponsored or affiliate or anything):
- I really, really like Fleur and Bee's Natural Rose Water Toner. All of their stuff is good (I've tried them all except the face mask), but in my laziness, I kinda just spritz my face with the toner. When I'm feeling less lazy, I also apply the serum and eye cream.
- Their face cream is good too, but lately I've been reaching for my Weleda Skin Food Light more, because it's winter up here (at least, for another a couple of weeks), and it is SUPER rich and hydrating. Immediately after applying, my skin feels a little tacky/greased up, but after it all soaks in, my face feels nice and soft for the rest of the day.
- Speaking of Weleda skin food, their Body Butter is also pretty amazing. Or, at least, until all my intense pregnancy itching started--I don't think the body butter caused the itching, but I stopped using it because it does contain fragrance, and until my belly starts feeling better, I'm going to stick to using the Body Butter on my extremities instead. For now, my itch-soother is Honest Company's Purely Sensitive Face + Body Lotion-- fragrance-free and very gentle.
- Okay, okay, getting to the make-up... for face, I am currently loving the combination of Urban Decay's All Nighter Face Primer, Stay Naked Concealer (I'm 40NN), and Stay Naked The Fix powder foundation (also 40NN). I've been preferring a lighter coverage, hence the powder foundation (I know they say it's medium-buildable, but I apply light-handed), but in some places, I need it just a little heavier, hence the concealer. It's been at least a few YEARS since I used Urban Decay face products (I still love Fenty, but Sephora is so far away from me, and I can get UD at Ulta), but I remembered that the concealer/powder foundation was my preferred daily combo anyway--it was a rare occasion for me to break out the liquid foundation.
- For lip products, I'm alllll about lightness. MAC's Viva Glam I is still my favorite red lipstick, but I really just don't wear lipstick anymore, at all. I think I threw out all of them except for Viva Glam and NARS Dolce Vita, really. Those are my favorites. Instead, I've been opting for tinted lip balms, because I can apply them without a mirror, and they're so light that I don't look SO different if they wear off mid-meal. My go-to, always-in-my-purse is Origins Blooming Sheer Lip Balm in Nude Nectar (STRONG floral scent, by the way), but I've also recently started trying ColourPop's Just a Tint (I have Z Boys and The Strand, which makes me think of Roxy Music). Again, I've just been getting through winter here as best I can, and these are nicely hydrating without feeling gunky or sticky or reminding me constantly that I'm wearing lip product.
- As far as face color, I don't wear these every day, but on the weekends, when I feel like looking a little more perky, I'm a huge fan of Physicians Formula's Murumuru Butter Blush, Bronzer, and Highlighter. My colors are Vintage Rouge, Deep Bronzer, and Rose Gold (respectively).
- I still basically use the same eye shadows, liners, etc., but my recent favorite eye product discovery is Thrive Causemetics Liquid Lash Extensions mascara. It's that nice, dramatic lash look that I love, but what I love is that it still feels weightless even at bedtime. (Literally, last night, I almost forgot remove my makeup!) Usually I either get mascaras that are comfortable for long wear, but barely show up, or mascaras that are dramatic but feel like there are pieces falling into my eyes or something by early afternoon. I even stopped wearing mascara for a while because I didn't think it was worth the effort, but I bit the bullet and tried this one, and I wasn't sorry.
Okay, that was a lot.
4) I haven't been working out lately. I keep meaning to, and I even put it on my calendar for the week, and then every single day, I get home from work and I'm so tired that I can't bear going out to do something to make me more tired. But every time I do manage to go, even if it's just yoga, I am reminded of how good it feels to MOVE, how much I really need it not just physically, but also emotionally. So yeah, I'm going to start making the effort, and I've also decided that I do, SOMEDAY, want to get back to competing again in powerlifting, so... no time like the present to start doing SOMETHING.
And I've decided that ONE DAY, I WILL RUN/WALK ANOTHER DISNEY HALF-MARATHON. SOMEDAY.
That's it for now. Thanks for reading :)