It’s been a loooong time, but I’ve decided to reboot my “few favorite things” series each month on the blog.

I love sharing fun items, tips, tricks and ideas that might enhance your life in some way.

Here’s what’s up in April …

Until September 2017, I had a long and loving relationship with eyelash extensions. Every two to three weeks, I could go to Clique Boutique in Louisville where one of the aestheticians would apply individual false lashes to my existing lashes with a special type of adhesive.

My love affair with my extensions lasted for two years. It was a good run : ) , but it was time for a break.

I thought I would burst into tears when Tricia removed them that fall afternoon … but I didn’t. My natural lashes looked good! Short, but in great shape (thanks to the professional care of the team at Clique).

After that, I decided to use Latisse to help them along, and it didn’t seem like much was happening until about eight weeks in when my lashes started to bloom.

They were lovely, and I heard about a new-ish process that would enhance them even more: a lash lift or a “lash perm.”

I was all-in.

The process is reminiscent of my middle school summer perms I’d get in the 80s. I’d go into Newcomb Beauty Salon (in a basement of a house down the street from me) and I’d have a head full of permanent rods and that smelly perm smell : ) for an entire afternoon.

Those of you old enough to remember that know what I’m talking about.

The lash lift process involves being horizontal for about a ½ hour while the aesthetician applies a tiny little perm rod across your top lash line (your eyes are closed and protected).

It curls your lashes like you’ve used the best eyelash curler in the world — except you don’t have to do that every day.

Clique adds lash tint after the lift / perm and I get lashes that look like extensions with mascara.

I loved my extensions, but I’ll likely never go back again because this process is so much easier, less time consuming, and much less expensive. Instead of going in every couple of weeks, I get a lift every 8 – 10 weeks.

If you want to add some glam to your everyday face, I think this a great way to go.

In last week’s blog, I wrote about a book, Unleash Your Inner Money Babe: Uplevel Your Money Mindset and Manifest $1000 In 21 Days.

People have been asking me about it ever since as though I have a secret. The book is no secret; you can buy it on Amazon – lol.

I work through this book every single morning to invite more money and abundance into my life.

I just started my fourth cycle of the 21 day process, and my goal is to do this for the rest of the year and write about my results.

So far, I have manifested thousands of dollars in the form of cash, goods and services, and “found” money in forgotten accounts or unexpected dividends.

This works if you work it; I was surprised at first … and then I became a true believer.

I have upped my level of energy and confidence in my ability to bring money into my life in a way that doesn’t feel like struggle — but more like a strategic, yet free-flowing, game.

I wholeheartedly believe in this process; it’s simple, enlightening and teaches you so much about how the power of intention and action work together.

Here’s one of my silly-yet-simple-and-effective life hacks.

I love a tidy car; I feel like a new woman when I get a chance to go to the car wash — and like I can conquer the world when I can vacuum my car, too.

When I don’t have time to do that, I simply grab my paint brush.

One day in the gym parking lot, my friend Jeff called me over to his car and said he had a gift for me. He gave me this paint brush 😳.

He told me I could use it to clean my car, and I laughed like it was a joke … and maybe it was, but I seriously use this brush a lot. I told him the other day it was one of the best gifts he’d ever given to me : )

Most of the interior of my car is black, so any dust, hair, crumbs and other bits show up pretty easily. When I’ve had enough and need to freshen things up, I get my paint brush out of the console and do a quick sweep across the dash and around the gear shift, etc.

It satisfies my need for immediate tidiness until I can do a full car wash run.

It probably costs — hmmm … less than $1.

I love and appreciate beautiful things, and I have curated a carefully chosen sense of style and wardrobe.

People might assume it’s expensive to look the way I do with my penchant for sparkle and glamour, but you might be surprised to know that I make my look happen in very thrifty ways.

One of my favorite things to do is shop for upscale consignment clothing. There are plenty of online sites for this these days, but I still love the thrill of the in-person hunt for a treasure that was just waiting to be chosen by me.

There are many of these stores in Louisville and one of my favorites is Sassy Fox — fun name, right?

I don’t just buy clothing there, I bring in some of my own gently used former favorites and pass them on to another woman who’s looking for a treasure.

I usually visit the store every few months, and I went in last week to see what was “new” to me.

On one of the designer racks, I found that silver cardigan — sales tags AND the security tag still attached.  

It was listed at $299 new, and marked down to $82 for the consignment price. It just had my name all over it, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to part with that much money for a wardrobe treat.

However …

I remembered that I’d brought in several items for consignment in the late fall and I hadn’t checked my account for months. I went to the counter and asked for an update and was thrilled to learn that I had $88 in my account.

Stop. It.

I was so excited.

I love when what’s meant to be appears like that, so I got that silver Chanel lookalike (made by Worth) that Friday … along with an $8 Nirvana Chaser tee shirt (that was 25% off).

We often look at things we want and go into scarcity right away without considering our own hidden resources or creativity:

“I can’t have that.”

“It’s too extravagant and I can’t afford it.”

And maybe it’s true that what is in your pocketbook doesn’t allow you to get something right now … but are there other ways?

Before I remembered to ask about my account, I wasn’t going to give up on that jacket.

I was going to ask one of the saleswomen if and when it would be marked down.

I was going to go home and sleep on it and think about a creative way I might come up with the money to get it.

You can find creative ways to fuel your confidence, glamour and style. I do it by selling my old-to-me-new-to-someone-else clothes and getting to buy new things with the money.

The total for both items was $6.27.

Results: feeling proud, thrifty (not the same as frugal, by the way), strategic and clever.

And it ain’t all about the clothes — it carries over.

It’s a way of living life.