I hope you all had a happy holiday and obviously a happy New Year! I'm so excited to start the new year as I have very high hopes for 2024. I feel that some years are "filler" years - meaning there are years that aren’t particularly exceptional but not outright bad either. Nevertheless, I am hopeful that 2024 will be a transformative year for all of us, with the theme being centered around growth and flourishing to our fullest potential.

Continuing the personal content series, join me in this latest blog post where I share the highlights of my holiday season – from celebrations to what I got for Christmas and how I spent New Year’s Eve.

The entire period from November to January is my favorite, primarily because of the holidays. I feel like this was the first year, since before the pandemic, where I genuinely felt the holiday spirit, and I was determined to make the most of it. Here are some of the things I did:

I attended a Holiday Party…

I usually stray away from attending company holiday parties (because of my introverted nature lol) but this year, I decided to get out of my comfort zone and attend ours which was hosted in D.C. The party took place at the Ritz Carlton, and for convenience, I decided to stay for one night. For obvious reasons, I didn’t take pictures of the party, but I did take pictures of the hotel and my outfit.

I attempted to capture a decent picture of what I wore, but the lighting was so bad. Nonetheless, my fragrance of choice, especially during winter, will always be Jo Malone’s Velvet Rose and Oud.

Shop My Beauty Favs:

My Christmas Present to Myself…

I genuinely struggled to choose a Christmas gift for myself this year. The options that crossed my mind were a Louis Vuitton Keepall 45 bag or a Louis Vuitton agenda—both items I didn't need and felt more like impulsive choices.

On this particular day, I went from store to store without finding anything that caught my eye until I eventually decided to visit the Cartier store. To be entirely transparent, I've consistently steered clear of stores like Van Cleef Arpels and Cartier due to some of their offerings being too trendy for my liking. I initially explored the Cartier Love rings (trendy, I know, but I just wanted to see) but it turns out I have the world’s skinniest fingers because, despite numerous attempts by the sales associate trying to find a ring that fit me, the rings remained too loose.

I then looked at their necklace offerings and fell in love with the Cartier Love necklace but as a petite girly, the pendant was too large for my liking. I eventually opted for the smaller Love necklace with two diamonds, and in my opinion, it was a great decision. I thought this would be a nice initial addition to my Cartier collection, and I hope to diversify it by including a complementary bracelet.

New Year’s Eve Festivities…

I went back to a different location of the Ritz Carlton (unintentionally) for a three-day staycation beginning on New Year's Eve. As is my tradition on New Year's, I like to spend it with my mom, and this time, we decided to go to the Ritz spa. For 2024, I'm making a conscious effort to broaden my monthly self-care rituals. Hence why I found it ideal to dedicate New Year's Eve to a self-care day, aiming to start the year looking and feeling my best. I initially wanted to opt for a facial, but I reconsidered. I have super sensitive skin and I knew for a fact that my skin would more than likely break out from the unfamiliar products. Therefore, I chose the basic massage and the cherry blossom pedicure treatment instead.

Following the spa session, I got ready for New Year's Eve dinner. The fragrance of choice was Twilly by Hermes and the accompanying lotion.

In Conclusion…

I'm excited to kick off 2024 and maintain the momentum with more personal-related blog posts. I aim to incorporate content beyond my day-to-day activities, so if you have any recommendations or feedback, please feel free to share. As always, your support means a lot, so don't hesitate to show it by giving this post a like and/or leaving a comment for feedback. I hope you all had an amazing holiday season and I look forward to all that I have in store for She is So Bougie in 2024!