Lotte's Main Highlights:Key Moments from Recent Weeks

It’s felt a bit like a slog getting back into blogging. Even though I have plenty of ideas about what I want to write, translating those thoughts from my head onto the laptop has been a stop-start process. Slowly but surely, though, I’m getting there.

 

It’s been much the same with keeping up with the blogs I follow. I’ve dipped in and skimmed the latest posts on my iPhone, but I always struggle to leave comments on a small screen. More often than not, I wait until I can sit down properly with my laptop and its trusty old keyboard, though finding the time to do that hasn’t been easy.  So if I'm following your blog, my sincere apologies for the lateness in leaving you comments.

 

THE UNEXPECTED HANDBAG HAUL

 

"Oh, bro, when are you actually going to use those bags?" my sister commented when I told her I’d bought a couple of handbags. She’s probably right, but for some reason, I just wanted them. Maybe it was because when my wife and I went out for lunch on Valentine’s Day, her small handbag reminded me of one my sister used to have that I really loved. I ended up looking for a bag similar to it, but somehow, I ended up with three completely dissimilar ones. One isn’t even technically a handbag, it’s more like a clutch, but it's meant for keeping hairbrushes and hair care products in, I think. 

It’s from SexyHair, though I haven’t been able to find it on their website. I like it very much, and I’ll definitely use it to store some things. I asked AI to extract the image of the bag, removing the background, but it completely botched the text under the logo. The tagline should actually read, “Styles change, sexy is forever,” but AI just couldn’t get it right.

  

The following bag is small but cute and I really like it so I'm glad I purchased it.  It comes with a shoulder strap too: 

Reading that last bit back, it does sound a little strange, a 52-year-old man genuinely excited about buying a handbag! But honestly, it’s one of those simple things that brings a surprising amount of joy. 

For someone like me, navigating gender dysphoria and gender incongruence, little moments like this are meaningful in ways that aren’t always easy to put into words. It’s not about statements or labels, just small, unexpected pleasures that make life feel a bit more like my own.

ANOTHER TWO PERFUMES

My perfume collection continues to grow. On Saturday, I picked up the two perfumes shown above. They’re both budget-friendly, but the scents are lovely, especially Blush by Jeff Banks. The Oh Yes EDT is a Home Bargain brand and is said to be a dupe of Giorgio Armani’s Si Passione EDP.

There are a few more Home Bargain brands available that are also dupes, so I might pick them up the next time I’m shopping there.

UDEMY LEARNING

Makeup has always been a passion of mine, and so I’ve applied to take an Introduction to Makeup Artistry course one evening a week for 30 weeks, starting in September as I'm really interested in refining my makeup application and want to learn more..

 

In the meantime, I decided to sign up for a few courses on Udemy to build my knowledge. I considered taking out an annual subscription, but ultimately decided it made more sense to purchase the courses individually.

 

Browsing through the list of courses, as well as makeup courses there were also courses on Nail Polish Application and specifically Gel Nails so I decided to enrol on one those courses too.

 

Here is what I've enrolled on so far: 

  

That’s quite a lot to get through to start with, and it will take me some time to complete.

 

NAIL POLISH IN PUBLIC UPDATE

It had been exactly three weeks since I last had my nails done. I'd originally planned to book my next appointment for next Saturday, but as Im busy that weekend, I booked an appointment for yesterday instead.

Interestingly, my nails seem to have grown much faster this time around. I can't help wondering whether the biotin supplements I've been taking are making a difference. As you can see in the photo below, they were already quite long before my appointment yesterday, probably longer than I'm entirely comfortable with, as they start to look noticeably more feminine at that length.

Like last time, they'd held up really well, not only had they kept their glossy finish, but they remained completely chip-free too:

It was the same young woman as last time who did my nails yesterday. She's really lovely, and we always have a good chat while she's working. As she's also a hairdresser, I took the opportunity to ask her about my hair. As I'm growing it long I wasn't sure whether it needed a trim or not to tidy up the ends.

She mentioned that she doesn’t usually do men’s hairstyles, but I explained that the style I’m aiming for is intentionally feminine, and I showed her the photo I keep on my phone for reference. She asked about my current hair care routine and advised me to carry on with what I'm doing. She also said that if I decide I'd like a trim at any point, she'd be happy to do that for me.

Anyway, here's what my nails look like after having them redone:

It's been just over two months now since I started wearing gel nail polish full time.

 

BIOTIN SUPPLEMENTS

 

I’ve been taking biotin supplements for the past couple of weeks. I wanted to see if they might actually help promote healthy hair growth. I’ve heard from a few women that biotin has made a noticeable difference for them, but there isn’t strong clinical evidence that it will make hair grow faster or thicker in people who aren’t biotin deficient.

I picked up a 3-for-2 offer at Boots, so by the time I finish the third bottle, I should have a better idea of whether they’ve made any difference. I’ve noticed that my nails seem to be growing longer, but whether that’s due to the supplements remains to be seen.

HAIR UPDATE

As you can see from the photo above, my hair is getting longer, albeit slowly, and I still have a way to go before it reaches the length shown in the photo below from the last time I grew it long.

 

 

As you can see, my hair was brown the last time I tried to grow it long. I used to dye it myself because the sides had turned grey while the top remained brown, which made it look a bit like I was wearing a toupee. Now that my hair is grey all over, there’s no need for dye any more.

 

This is the hairstyle I’ve showcased so often on my blog. I really hope that one day my hair will look like this. Several hairdressers have told me it’s possible, but for now, it still feels a long way off

 

In the meantime, I’m keeping up with my hair care routine. I use the TRESemmé Keratin Smooth range for both shampoo and conditioner. I don’t shampoo too often, but I apply conditioner most mornings after rinsing my hair in the shower

 

 

After showering, I carefully towel-dry my hair, comb it through, and follow up with a generous helping of Garnier’s Ultimate Blends Repairing Hair Food. This leave-in product leaves my hair soft and manageable, and once it dries, I can easily run my fingers through it, which adds a nice bit of volume. It also smells wonderful, which is an added bonus.

 

I also use the Aussie Oh My Gloss range from time to time and love the Leave in Serum, it smells of bubblegum but more importantly it leaves my hair looking really glossy..

 

I recently bought the L'Oreal Elvive Hydra Hyaluronic range of products which are supposed to deeply hydrate, plump, and restore dry or damaged hair for up to 72 hours without adding weight. 

These products are suitable for all hair types, and provide essential moisture, boost shine, and improve manageability.

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Lotte x