Friday's Simply Smitten - Blush & Blooms

This post may contain affiliated links, which means if you purchase an item I will earn commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable”

-Mary Oliver

Happy Friday! It seems we woke up yesterday and it was March 2020. When running my errands I noticed more people wearing mask outside and long lines for covid testing. Originally I was not that worried about Omicron because I am fully vaccinated, but now I am; things are being cancelled, the hospitals are being filled up again. Like all of you, I am over this and so tired.

I still plan on traveling home to Ohio for the holidays, but am being cautious from now until my flight Tuesday. I have tickets to go see New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker tomorrow, but am thinking of skipping it. Which breaks my heart. I haven’t been to the ballet in 2 years. It’s my favorite thing to do here in New York. I was so excited to see The Nutcracker, but I have to be smart. I rather spend the holidays with my family than see The Nutcracker. This will probably be a last minute decision whether or not I go, but I am leaning more towards no. I can see The Nutcracker for many years to come. However, my grandmother is 99yrs old and my nieces are under 5. I rather not chance it– I rather spend Christmas with my grandmother because I don’t know how much longer we have with her. Please be safe and make smart choices.

My week wasn’t completely disappointing. This past Monday I was invited to Hydrafacial’s pop-up at EvolveMKD for a facial and Keravive scalp treatment. For the scalp they use vortex technology to clean, exfoliate, and nourish. First they use the vortex technology to clean the scalp like a vacuum; it sucks up dried skin, dirt, excess oil and product build up, all while releasing a serum to nourish the skin. Then they use Keravive serum to hydrate the skin which promotes hair growth, healthy strands and more. For your facial they use the same vortex fusion technology to suck up impurities on the skin, then a deeper suction to clear out your pores. They then apply a serum peel to nourish the skin, followed by a moisturizer. My face felt so plumped, clean, and smooth. I waited 24 hours to wash my hair as instructed, but once I did it has never felt so healthy. My hair is fine that even an extra dab of product can make it feel heavy and greasy. It didn’t feel that way at all. The Keravive scalp treatment is something I would do perhaps once or twice a year. The Hydrafacial can be done as much as you want, like a normal facial treatment.

Last weekend I stopped by POPUPFLORIST in the LES for the Smudge Wellness pop-up event. It was a nice intimate event; they had influencer and press hour before opening up to the public. I had a tarot reading by Grace Duong. I would say that I am happy with the reading. She confirmed something that has been popping up in my life– that I need to let go and trust Divine timing (God’s timing) in order to receive. That what I want is going to happen, but I need to let go of control and it will manifest. So that is what I am doing; letting go of complete control. This is hard for me to do. However, since the reading and the confirmation, I have been doing a good job in letting go of outcome. Anyway, at the event I got to take home a few new crystals- citrine, fluorite, and a selenite stick. It was an enjoyable event!

What I am watching: I haven’t started any new series this week, mostly watching Hallmark Christmas movies and catching up on show. I am still on the fence on whether or not I like And Just Like That…. The first 2 episodes were brutal in more ways than one. With the ending of one character to all of the cringe “woke” stuff, it was almost a turn off. I am 100% all for creating a narrative that fits the current culture, but the way they do it is cringey. Case in point: Miranda with her professor. I did, however, enjoy the current episode and laughed a few times. I also love the fashion and enjoy seeing the women in their 60s navigating New York. However (spoiler) Carrie walking all over the city in 4″ heels is so unrealistic, even for Carrie Bradshaw.

What I bought: I decided to gift myself another Christmas present and bought this faux fur wrap coat. It is SO comfortable, I want live in it. If only the weather wasn’t currently 60 degrees in December here in New York. If you are curious what my other Christmas present I gifted to myself, it was these bow earrings that I have been eyeing for a year or so. I bought them during Black Friday.

I am pretty much done with my Christmas shopping except I still need to get my uncle a gift. Each year my entire family drawls one person from a hat and that is the person you are gifting a present to. I have my uncle and coincidentally he has me. I am getting him a gift certificate to Golf Galaxy— which is what he asked for. I asked him to get me a gift certificate to Barnes and Nobles. I also want to get my 4yr old niece another present, perhaps a necklace or a bracelet. She is starting to get into jewelry. She made all the females in our family bracelets at school to wear on Thanksgiving. I have mine placed over my mood board so I can see it every day. Brings me joy and makes me feel loved

*If you are still shopping for the holidays here are my currently gift guides:

Gifts for fitness (his and hers)

and you can always check out my LTK page for more items to shop.

This weekend, as mentioned, I have tickets to see New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker. I am really up in the air about going, I keep changing my mind. I was also suppose to go to DanceBody this weekend, but they cancelled classes because of the surge of the Omicron variant. I guess it is better to be safe than sorry. Besides making smart decisions, or bad decisions, I will most likely be frolicking around the city. I may walk around the UWS or the Seaport since those are the two locations I haven’t been to for the holidays yet this year. I want to see more holiday decorations. I will also be staying inside and not go out for drinks or anything. Just me, holiday movies, and take out. Oh and since the weather is so nice, I may actually go for a run! On Sunday I will be watching the live stream of the new musical Cruel Intentions. I am excited to see how they transformed the beloved 90s movie into a musical. If you would also like to join you can purchase tickets here. Use code: BITTERSWEETSYMPHONY for a discount on tickets.

Have a wonderful and safe weekend xo

1. Loved this interview of Blair Eadie x Pamela Munson

2. A cute metallic dress for NYE

3. How fun are these earrings

4. A festive top for NYE

5. Who is Carrie Marcus Neiman?

6. And Just Like That costume designer: shop like CB

7. Getting dressed with Jessie Randall, founder of Loeffler Randall

8. The most glamorous holiday deco in New York

9. How to manifest your New Year’s resolution

10. Netflix new releases coming in January

Sales happening this weekend