 Welcome back to another vlog. Happy Monday. I am getting ready to go to the salon because we are doing a photo shoot and I'm pretty excited about it. It's kind of like kicking off holiday things, like the holiday celebrating. Because the owner put up all the Christmas decorations yesterday. So I'm excited to see that, see the salon like all decked out for Christmas. And then we are taking like holiday photos. And then this weekend we have our salon Christmas party. So yeah, today I'm not actually working. We're just going in to take pictures. She told us to bring like a few outfit changes because she wants us to take like our holiday pictures. But then she also just wants to get like a bunch of content for social media and like the website and stuff. And we're doing like our updated head shots. But I was trying on a bunch of outfits this morning because I had no idea what I wanted to wear. And she really wanted us to wear like for the holiday photos. She wanted us to wear like lighter colored neutrals. So I'll show you the outfit that I decided on for the actual like holiday pictures. I have no idea how long this photo shoot is gonna be. What time we'll finally get done. But hopefully it's not like an all day thing because I do have some editing that I need to get done. But it's so crazy that it's about to be December. And I know that the next couple of weeks are gonna fly by. And before I know it, it's gonna be Christmas. I'm just trying to take it all in though. I feel like the holidays can get so stressful because it's just like such a busy time of year. There's always a lot going on. A lot of like work deadlines. And like last year around this time I was moving. So that was exciting but hectic, stressful, emotionally exhausting. So this year I'm like, you know what? Even though it is gonna be busy, I do have a lot going on. I have a lot of work stuff. But I'm gonna try to just like stay calm, embrace it, not let myself get stressed. Because I feel like I always answer most people can relate to this. I just expect the holidays to be like really chaotic. So I just give in to like the stress and chaos of it. And I just tell myself like I just gotta make it to Christmas. And then after Christmas I can take a little time off and relax. But it's like by the time Christmas comes I am just so stressed out. And I have all this like tension in my shoulders and neck. I feel like I don't even really get to enjoy this time of year because like it's just so much is happening that's flying by and I'm not like getting to enjoy it. But this year I'm gonna try and not let that happen. And I'm excited that I have like these fun things to look forward to. Like I can't even remember the last time I went to a Christmas party. Trying to decide if I should wear a necklace with this outfit or not. I don't know. But I am gonna do simple earrings. These like chunky gold huggies from Ana Luisa as are the rest of my earrings. I've been obsessed with these hook earrings. I just think they're so cool. Ana Luisa is sponsoring this portion of the vlog. Thank you so much to them. You guys know I've been working with them for years now. They just have such good quality jewelry. If you're like me and you like pieces that are like dainty that you can kind of like stack and layer. They do have some like bolder pieces as well. But they have a lot of just like that dainty jewelry. They do have a lot of pieces in silver now. And they keep adding more silver pieces if you're more of a silver kind of person. But I just love gold jewelry. But it's hard to find gold plated jewelry that is affordable but still high quality. And isn't going to tarnish or like the gold doesn't like fade and wear off. Actually I will show you. This necklace is one of the first pieces I ever got from their website. Back in 2020 it looks brand new. It hasn't tarnished at all and I have worn this necklace a lot. And there are times where I've just left it on in the shower. There isn't a single piece of jewelry from Ana Luisa that I've had to get rid of. Everything stays really good quality no matter how much I've worn it. Or if I've gotten it wet or whatever the case is. Their jewelry starts at $39 and I always have a discount code for you guys to use of course. So check the description. I will have a link with the discount code and their jewelry makes such a great gift. So if you're kind of struggling with like last minute Christmas gift ideas. Definitely check out Ana Luisa. Thank you so much Ana Luisa for working with me again. I still need to decide if I want to wear a necklace or not. Maybe I'll wear this one actually. I don't know what do you think? Necklace? No necklace? Oh or I have these super thin dainty necklaces that came in a pair. Oh yeah I think those are the ones I'm gonna wear. These two came together. Oh or also I have this one too that sometimes I wear with them. Yeah that's cute. Okay here's the outfit I'm gonna wear. Don't mind the smudges on the mirror. When I was doing my makeup I hit the mirror with my foundation brush. So gotta clean that off later. But this is the first outfit I'm gonna do for like the actual holiday photos. These pants I just got from Express. They are really long on me because I am pretty short. But if I wear a little bit of a heel with them it's fine. And honestly I kind of like that look. And then I'm wearing this square neck bodysuit from Misguided. And then this sweater is from Abercrombie. I got it a year ago, two years ago maybe. And I think I'm just gonna wear these slide on sneakers from H&M with all the outfits. I doubt you'll even be able to see my feet in any of the pictures. And those are just like super comfy and easy to slide on and off. And I'm bringing this backpack filled with my outfit changes. Oh I need to put something on my lips. And I actually should probably bring lipstick with me too to do touch-ups. I'm gonna do the KKW Beauty lip liner in nude one. Which does not exist anymore unfortunately. I got this on sale when she was like just trying to I guess get rid of everything. Right before she ended the brand. But I love this color. It's just like a brownie nude. I think Charlotte Tilbury has a very similar color to this. And then I'm gonna top that off with the NYX Butter Gloss in the shade Madeline. Oh I just love a nude glossy lip. I am gonna make myself a quick iced coffee to go. I will see you when I get back and I'll let you know how it went. And back home. This is the other outfit that I ended up wearing. These are the dad jeans from Abercrombie. And then this blouse I got recently from Target. The photo shoot went really well. I mean I didn't see how any of the photos came out. So hopefully I looked okay in them. But I stopped at Target on my way home. Because I had been kind of wanting to get a little more Christmas decor. Because when I decorated for Christmas last week. I just felt like I didn't have as much decor as I thought I did. And then seeing the salon and how she decorated was inspiring me. That bark heart with the garland that she had. So freaking cute. And I remembered that I had seen that same garland at Target. She said that's where she got it from. And luckily I couldn't find it at first. I thought they had sold out of it. But they had it in the back with like all the Christmas. Like the Christmas trees and like the ornaments and stuff. And it was kind of like tucked away and hidden. They only had a few left. But they were $10 each which isn't bad. I wanted to do the same kind of thing. Because I have this bark heart here. Which I just like wrapped this garland around. But I don't really love how that looks. Like it just kind of looks tacky I think. I also saw this sign for five bucks. I want to do like a little something above the kitchen cabinets. Because there's just like so much space up there. And I feel like that would look nice. So I think I'm going to put that sign up there. I also got razors because I just needed more. It was so funny. I was walking to the store and I heard a girl say I need razors. And I was like oh shit actually so do I. Then I got this little tree that needs to be kind of fluffed. And then I got this gold glittery tree. Those were like five bucks each. Actually this one was $3. Then I got this pack of white reindeer for three bucks. Not bad. And then I got two packs for $5 each of these mini ornaments. I wanted the little red ones to put on my big Christmas tree. And I thought like the small ones would be nice. Because they would just add like small little pops of red. And they would almost look like berries. Because right now I have like all silver and gold and white. Which I like the look of but I don't know. I just want to add a tiny bit of red to make it like a little more like traditional festive. And then these silver ones I got for this little tree. I got this in the front section where they have all like the three and five dollar stuff. And it's just like a little mini flocked tree. Which I thought would look cute above my kitchen cabinets. And yeah I'm gonna put these little ornaments on it. So hopefully it'll look nice. I'm just gonna play around. Okay I put everything. I'm loving how it's looking in here. I think this is good. I don't think I need anything more. So let me show you. So above the kitchen cabinets I just scooted that snake plant over. I love that Christmas tree. So cute and such a good deal for five bucks. I put a few of the red ornaments on there. Because at first I just had the silver and I don't know. It just felt kind of unbalanced. So I threw a couple red ones on there. And then I put my that sign I already had. I think that's from either my my goals I think. And then I put that Noel sign up. Those two sparkly trees I already had. They are from Walmart. I got them a few years ago. I don't know if you can tell. They're like a little wonky because they got crushed in the box with all my Christmas stuff. So I figured they would be better up there. Because from a distance you can't really tell. So that's how there's looking. And then I put you know that garland that was around the bar cart. I think that looks so cute and festive. I still need to get Christmas kitchen towels. I didn't see any in Target. I used to have some but I think they got lost in the move. So I needed that that would like really complete it. But I'm so happy with how it looks. It looks so cute and that the garland just looks like snow. Like it's so pretty. I love it. And then here's the bar cart with this garland. I think that looks so beautiful. I really like this garland. And it's like I don't know it's such good quality for only 10 bucks. And it's like very moldable. So it's like easy to kind of put wherever you need it to without having to like actually tie it down. Then the second garland because one was the perfect size to like wrap all the way around this. I decided to lay it on top of this other one I had. Which this one has lights in it. Which looks really cool at night. But it obviously looks just like really cheap and super fake. But I think layering that one on top of it just makes it look a lot nicer. And like so much fuller too. And then up here I just put one of those deer. Because I felt like it needed something else right there. Like just the sign in the Christmas tree like I don't know. There I needed like something small and I feel like that is the perfect thing. I love that. And then the tree look how cute that looks. It's just the little pops of red. Like doesn't it look like little berries? Oh and then this little tree I put over here. Because I had that rose gold glittery one over here. But I like this one better. I am going to go light a candle. This one the tree farm from Bath and Body Works. And I'm going to change into some comfy clothes. And I'm just going to hang out on the couch. Get some editing done. I ordered a massage gun from Amazon. Oh I really need to use that. So I'll vlog a little bit later when I'm ready to do that. So a little while later this is the massage gun. I had got my parents one a couple years ago for Christmas. And I've used it. It's amazing. Especially now that I am doing hair again. It really like kills my shoulders. And like upper back. So this will be really nice to have. Especially since I live alone. I no longer have a man that I can ask for backups. Oh yeah. Oh that's so good. It's like right here. I scheduled a real massage at the salon tomorrow. I've only ever had one professional massage ever in my whole life. And I don't even think it was like a full hour. I think it was just like a little 30 minute one. But I just really need it because it's been at the point where I'm just like in constant pain and like muscle tightness. I can feel it like even going up into my jaw sometimes. I feel so much relief already. So hopefully between that and the massage that I'm gonna get tomorrow I will feel better. But I will see you tomorrow. I'm really excited because tomorrow the new Casey Anthony special. I don't even know if it's like just like a one episode kind of thing. Or if it's multiple episodes or what it's supposed to be exactly. But I know there's a new Casey Anthony something on Peacock I think. That's supposed to come out tomorrow. And she actually is gonna be in it. So that'll be interesting. So I'm gonna watch that in the morning. I will see you then. Good afternoon. It's the next day. I am about to head to my massage. I'm so excited. Here's my outfit. This sweater is super super old. It's from H&M. I believe but I've literally had it since college. These jeans are the same ones that I was wearing there. I believe the Curve Love Mom Jeans from Abercrombie. And then these shoes are from H&M. I was using that massage gun on my shoulders last night and it helped significantly. I already do feel a lot better. But I just I do feel like I need a proper massage and I need someone else to be able to like really get in there. Because even with the massage gun like there's certain spots on my back that I can't reach. And I feel like I can't really like get as deep into the muscles with the gun as like someone actually could with their hands. And I really would love for her to just feel my back and tell me like where do I have a lot of knots? Like how bad is it? And then after my massage I am gonna be working the front desk for a few hours. I think it's supposed to be an earlier night. So I should hopefully be out of there by seven. Hello. Good morning. I got my massage yesterday before work as you know. It was good. It was what I needed. But there were definitely parts of it that I was like. It was uncomfortable. But I mean she was great and I told her I was like listen. I've been in a lot of pain and just do what you got to do. Because I would rather take temporary discomfort over long-term pain. Like I'd rather you do everything you need to do and like not skimmed out and not be worried about like needing to be gentle with me. So that way you can actually like make me feel better. Like I'm not here to relax. I'm here for you to do the Lord's work and fix my freaking shoulders. So I didn't even have to tell her like where I was feeling the pain. She could tell. She was like oh yeah your shoulders and like neck area and your upper back are jacked up. I can especially tell that you're right-handed and you use your right side primarily. And she said that I have a lot of tension in my jaw which I do. The areas of my body that have been bothering me were the parts that were the most painful. So I knew obviously like okay this pain is a good thing. Like it needs to happen. If it's hurting that means those areas need this. So she said that if I like come and get a massage at least once every other week within a few months we should be able to like get everything like loosened up. Get all the knots out. I'm honestly willing to do one every week. She said that you can do like three to five hours of massaging a week before it like becomes too taxing on your body. And I just did an hour long massage. So I would be willing to do one a week for a little while. I didn't realize how sore and tender I was gonna feel. The way that I feel I thought I was gonna wake up and be covered in these intense bruises. And today I am just wearing this very very soft light cami. I couldn't stand to put a real bra on or anything that was gonna like put any kind of weight on my shoulders or dig in like honestly even just like to the touch. Like I can't carry a bag over my shoulder right now. That's how my shoulders like how sensitive and sore they feel. But I'm really glad that I am doing something about this because I really don't want to be like in my 40s or 50s and feeling like I'm in a 90 year old's body. You know like I really do want to take care of myself from the inside out. I will show you my outfit really quick. Like I said just simple plain cami from like Forever 21 or something. I think the Stenum jacket from Zara. These pants these are the same ones that I wore earlier this week to the salon photo shoot from Express. I love them. They are just so freaking cute and I feel like they are so flattering. They make my hips look so nice. Doing front desk this morning working till three. And then when I get home I just really need to do some computer work yesterday before I went to the salon. I didn't get anything done because I was so preoccupied watching that Casey Anthony documentary. So today I definitely need to get stuff done. That's my plan. It's just gonna be a full day of working. Nothing exciting. Hello. It's several hours later. I got home about an hour ago or so. I am looking rough. I can't wait to wash my face and take a shower. But I'm about to make dinner. I just cut up some chicken breast and some garlic, onions, carrots and frozen peas. And threw in a pot with chicken broth and jasmine rice. So easy and I made a lot so I'll have tons of leftovers. Good morning. This hair is really something. We're gonna add a couple of little curls with a wand to kind of make this look a little nicer. There we go. So much better. Much better this side as compared to this side. Today I have a client at the salon. I normally just do hair on Saturdays but one of the other stylists took the day off. So there's gonna be a free station for me to use. So I booked someone and I'm excited because it's gonna be a big transformation. Before that I have a nail appointment. It's not gonna be anything like crazy different but I just have this vision. I want to go bright white. Just solid white and I want to have her. I'm gonna keep the length and I'm gonna ask her to file them a little more narrow and make them a little more like pointed and sharp. And I just like they will look so hot. So that's my plan for today. Ignore the mess in my room. Tomorrow I have off finally so I'm gonna get all this laundry done and clean. I just wanted to show you my outfit. This crew neck is actually men's from H&M. I got this recently in a bunch of colors because I just love how cozy it is. Then I'm just wearing some leggings and these boots are Steve Madden. I put my little twisty hoops from Ana Luisa ready to go get my nails done and do some hair. This transformation was so fun to do but oh my god was it a lot of work. As you can see she had a lot of hair. Most of it was virgin hair her natural color but the bottom maybe like four to five inches or so did have old color. That was done a couple years ago in a salon and our goal was to make her as blonde as possible but still rooted and dimensional and she also wanted to be as ashy as possible. So as you can see the hair that was virgin lifted beautifully super light and clean. The bottom where she had the old color didn't come out white as light. It was a little bit warmer and slightly darker so I had to make sure to formulate accordingly with my toner. So I did redkin JDQ and I believe I did half of the formula was 8 GI and then the other half was equal parts of 9N9P and 9T. We also ended up doing a trim and adding some long layers and unfortunately by the time we finished the sun had set so I wasn't able to get good pictures and outdoor lighting but this is what her final hair looked like. As you can see it actually came out super light and we were able to get it nice and ashy. She was really happy with it. From start to finish it took over five hours to do. So it was quite a long appointment but I think it was well worth it. Kitchen is nice and clean living room is nice and clean. Bedroom is getting there in the process of doing laundry still but all the clothes I had hanging over here I put away and we still got laundry going in here but I only have one load left that needs to be washed and then we'll be done. I also showered and blowdried my hair. It's been a great day so far. Literally all week I've just been looking forward to having a day where I can listen to the crime weekly podcast and just clean and get caught up on things I needed to do. Like little things like even my water pitcher filter needed to be changed. Tonight is the salon Christmas party. It's now almost 2.30. We are supposed to be meeting at the salon around 4.30 so I think I'm going to start to get ready soon so that way I'll have time. I wanted to film like I get ready with me while I do that. But I'm gonna end this vlog here. Thank you guys so much for watching. Don't forget to check the description for my link and discount code to Anna Louisa and I will see you in my next video. Bye.