Five Things
A handful of nice things lately
Happy New Year! Are we ready to get back to normal tomorrow or is this the scariest of Sundays? For me, a little bit of both, I suppose. I haven’t put on pants with buttons in two weeks and I’m a little afraid of how those are going to feel. Haha lol sigh. I am ready to leave my house and revisit my sense of purpose, so ying and yang as usual.
I started the year with a hair emergency of my own making. I don’t know what drove the impulse, but I decided to go completely rogue and bleach my hair on Friday morning. I’ve highlighted my hair a million times using a kit and it’s usually fine. This time though, I decided I could probably wing it and friends, I could not. I had spots, streaks, and a whole lotta orange.
I was able to correct it enough to live for a few days, but man, was I ever in personal peril for the whole of Friday. My husband and I went out for lunch and I resolutely kept my hat on even though it was boiling hot in the restaurant. We live, we learn! And hey, I got the first major misstep of 2026 out of the way. Onward!
1 // Kristin Ess Signature Gloss in Smoky Topas + Matrix Brass Off
I couldn’t very well share that story without also discussing the products that saved my actual life. I ran into Target on, I swear, the busiest afternoon in Target history to grab the gloss. And since this is not my first rodeo with hair emergencies, I had the Matrix in my bathroom cupboard. It’s extremely pigmented so a little goes a long way and I’ve had this for a good two years. Many lives saved, I guess you could say.
2 // Classical Bangers
A truly excellent pre-made Spotify playlist for background music all day long. My parents always played the NPR classical channel during the day when I was growing up and I think this just feels like home. Furthermore it’s filled with music that I think most people are familiar with, even if classical isn’t your usual genre.
3 // Subscribing all the way to the hobbies trend
Yes please. Puzzles, diamond painting, beads, whatever. Anything to help me get my ability to focus back is welcome in my book! The evenings feel so long lately. I’d go to bed at 7pm every day if my kids would, but I’ve got to keep myself busy for at least another two hours and having something to do with my hands usually does the trick!
4 // Rereading
Back on my reading bull-ish. I’ve been in such a rut lately, probably because I wasn’t reading anything super engaging. I decided to kickstart the new year by rereading something I have read a billion times and enjoyed every single time: The Other Boleyn Girl. I’m a little more than halfway through and hell yes! The compulsion to read has returned! It also has informed some of my television choices - last night I found a random documentary on Prime about Henry VIII and enjoyed every bit of it as if I’ve never heard what a monster he became.
5 // Q1 2026 Scent Memory
Last year, I started picking out a mini-size scent roller to wear for the quarter. The small vials last just about that long and it really locks in a scent memory, you know? Forever the Jo Malone Ginger Biscuit will remind me of Thanksgiving 2025 and I really love that. I’m still working on what I want to commit to for this winter, but I picked up this sampler set and spent the holiday wearing a different one every day. I’m leaning towards this one right now.
