The month of February always culminates with Valentine's gift guides and an abundance of jewelry ads and I always wonder if people actually use them or not for inspiration. Despite the season of hearts, chocolate, engagement rings, and shiny things, I love to treat myself to jewelry that I know I'll enjoy even if it isn't for a special someone and just a special me.
I love finding those timeless (and practical) pieces that I know I'll love and want to wear for a long time. I am a fan of mixing metals, with simple designs and hardware, and a bit of sparkle is always a plus. Since I get asked a lot about what jewelry I'm wearing, I thought I'd share the staple pieces that I'm currently grabbing from my jewelry box...
One piece of jewelry that I get asked the most about is my Cosmic Balance Necklace from Alex and Ani. The one I previously wore all of the time was silver, but I just think gold compliments my skin tone and really brings out the detail in the medallion.
The best thing about this necklace, like other pieces I've mentioned, is that it's expandable so you can wear it at any length you want. I love the look of layering minimal gold necklaces that have various designs and cuts, too.
I am a huge ring-wearer, I don't think I can leave the house without putting on at least two rings. I feel empty without them and like I've forgotten something. I have been in love with blue fire opal jewelry and to be honest, this stone has been really hard to find in stores, but Etsy has proved to be the place to find it. When it catches the light, you can see all the pretty, opulent shades of ocean blue and purple. It's a very subtle statement.
Most of my rings either come from Etsy, craft fairs, or boutiques that I've visited, so, unfortunately, I do not have exact links, but I also love the Alex and Ani Moon and Star Wrap, which is another one of the classic rings that I wear. I love that it's expandable, so it's really comfortable to wear and form around any of my fingers.
I am always trying to grow my earring collection with more variety, but I love the simple elegance of gold hoops. Madewell earrings, and their jewelry in general, are my favorite pieces to wear at the moment. The great thing about them is that they're sterling silver, but they also have gold plated earrings, too. No more sensitive ears!
If you haven't noticed, I'm really into moons and all of the celestial-themed stuff. This Spaced Out Friendship bracelet comes with a matching star bracelet to give to a friend. It's not your junior-high kind of friendship bracelet, it's gold plated and expandable!
Madewell, Alex and Ani, and artisan boutiques are probably the main places I purchase my pretty gems. I am all about the minimal statements and ones that will outlast the trends. Remember when feathered earrings were a thing? What's your go-to jewelry piece?
My month ahead...
A rather long January has finally come to an end, as much as I love wishing my life away, I'm pretty excited that we are one step closer to lighter mornings and brighter days. In a recent yoga class I took, my instructor's mantra for us was, "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom," at this point in my life it was something that really resonated with me.
I'm almost halfway done with my junior year of college and all I can think about are the unmade plans for the future and the anxiety that lurks not knowing exactly what might happen a month or even a year from now. There's something true about growth, and it's that we have to trust the process, our ability, and our strength to get to where we want to be. February is action-packed for me this year, and while January treated me off to a smooth start, I thought I'd fill you in...
01. I have been trying to sort out some travel plans for spring break, I know a lot of people go to Florida, the Bahamas, etc. but, I've always loved the idea of taking spontaneous trips to areas of the U.S. that I have yet explored and aren't the most ideal spring break hot spots. Oregon, for example, is a destination I have in mind and I am all for a mountain escape and a breath of fresh ocean air. I've always wanted to explore Portland, but also the western coast, so hopefully, I can make a trip happen this year and see some family that lives out there, too.
02. The summer internship search is on! Now that I've finished my first public relations internship with Papergirl PR and Marketing in December, I've been jumping at opportunities whenever and wherever. There's so much pressure, at least at DePaul, in order to find an internship and I have to say I am one with the process on this one.I've sent out my resumé and have already had some interviews, but I know I need to be true to myself in what I'm looking for exactly—definitely paid, but a creative role is ideal. So we'll see what happens and I am more than confident that I will come to find an agency that I love.
We have been conducting research and pitching our campaign, Love Where You Count, since the beginning of September in order to connect the things people love with the importance of participating in crucial decision making in federal funds nationwide.
It's been stressful, to say the least, but by the end of February, we should have fully executed our campaign and will submit it to the national judges.Never did I think that in college I would be working with the government, so it's quite cool to be gaining this hands-on experience and opportunity of a lifetime. I will for sure update you all once the manic and excitement of February that is to come has died down.
04. After five years of writing on my blog, I've finally bought a domain name for it. For some reason, I was so reluctant to own natalierohman.com, but one of my really close blogger-boss ladies told me it's about time that I should. Lately, I've been giving myself more time to write and be creative on my own terms, so expect more juicy content to come!
I've been thinking about sharing my tutoring experience so far, as well. I started tutoring at DePaul's writing center in September and have been promoted to the Writing Fellow position where we work simultaneously with a specific class, which is about the psychoanalysis of fairy tales—who knew Beauty and the Beast had so many complexities?
That looks like all I have for February, but I am really looking forward to a fresh month and even more exciting opportunities to come. While uncertain now, I have trust in the process and in the journey that it will take for me to get there. What's on the radar for you next month?
I feel like if you asked me in high school what I thought about my natural skin, I would probably respond with "I have to wear concealer every day" or "I can't go without powdering it in the morning". My skin over the years has gone through a lot of phases: it was very acne-prone and oily, to the point that I had to get prescribed meds to control my hormones for it. While this is fairly common with a lot of my friends, I've always felt like there's an insecurity to walk around in public bare-faced.
When I first got into makeup, I made it a point to find products that would hide my acne bumps and redness, to rid all of the oil and pubescent stress that lived in the pores of my face (gross I know). I have this distinct memory of me putting on loose face powder that was three shades darker and oranger than my normal skin tone and still preceding to cover up my T-zone with it. No one told me it looked bad until I realized that you weren't supposed to look like an Oompa Loompa.
Whether or not that traumatized me from using a lot of face makeup, or the fact that I just didn't have time to put on a full-face of makeup, covering all of my impurities just wasn't ideal for me. Caking on a ton of makeup didn't make me feel better, of course I still wear makeup, but not the way I used to.
Social norms and the internet tell us that having acne or "problem areas" should be covered up. I'd like to believe that this norm has been gradually dismantled, while the trend of "natural beauty" is making its way to the forefront. Flaws, insecurities, and stereotypes lead us to believe that the only way we can be accepted is through self-validating beauty norms that drive us to Sephora and emptying our wallets.
My story is that I've come to realize that it's all bullshit. Finding confidence and acceptance of your insecurities takes strength. I'm not quite sure when I came to realize this, but it must have started my senior year of high school going into college. I was done putting on a mask and as I continue to enjoy using makeup, I've reevaluated its purpose in my own terms, to feel good about myself and not for anyone else to decide how it makes me feel.
Accepting ourselves is a constant, life-long struggle—we all have things we wish we could change, alter, or modify our physical selves. Resisting these norms, saying "I don't need makeup today," and at least considering more broadly how the things we're exposed to online affects us internally. It's something I've managed to ignore and inspire others to do the same.
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