As you may or may not know, I turned 24 two weeks ago (November 25th). Although I had to celebrate my birthday during the “corona” season, I still had an amazing day and want to share with you what I did. Maybe some of you can draw inspiration from this post and try this on your next Birthday.

WHAT I DID

As the years have gone by, I have realized that I enjoy having low-key birthdays. I’m over the HUGE birthday parties and dinners and would just rather do something small with a few people. For my birthday last year, I was gifted a massage at the Four Seasons Hotel and absolutely loved it, so I knew I wanted to do that again this year.

My spa experience included a full body massage, sauna, mist room, pool, and workout center. They also served wine or apple cider (if you do not drink) and chocolate candy to make me feel extra special. I personally love The Four Seasons because they have great customer service and the hotel itself is just beautiful, especially for pictures.

I really enjoyed my time at the spa, but next time I go, I will spend a whole day there. A morning and afternoon would have been enough, but I love taking pictures and creating moments soooo… umm… yeahh…. it wasn’t enough. I will also try to make it a tradition to go to the spa on my birthday every year. I enjoy making new traditions in my adulthood, so this one is definitely staying.

Next on my birthday itinerary was a photoshoot my sister booked for my blog. This photoshoot was actually suppose to be a surprise, but I found out about it when my sister asked me to look through pictures on her phone. I saw that she scheduled a shoot on my birthday and immediately asked what it was for. My sister usually does a great job surprising me, but she slipped up with this one lol. I’m actually glad I found out about the shoot because one thing she forgot to do was schedule a makeup appointment.

When I take professional photos I like to get my makeup done because it really brings out the photo. I would have been so annoyed with these pictures if it was just my bare face. It’s not that I don’t like my bare face, as that is how I am 99% of the time, but professional cameras get EVERYTHING, so I like to have my makeup done to enhance my beauty.

Since I found out about the photoshoot last minute and because my birthday was the day before Thanksgiving, I scrambled to find someone who could do my makeup in the Atlanta area. Most of the makeup artist I found on Instagram blocked off the 25th and Thanksgiving, which was on the 26th, for the Holiday.

I didn’t think I would find anyone until I remembered this girl that one of my friends posted about on Instagram. Side note: If you have friends who are creatives and do business on the side, be sure to shout them out and support their business. Doing this will allow other people to discover them and use their services if needed. Okay back to my story..

“This girl” had done a couple of bridal looks that I liked, so I knew she would be good. After scrolling through her Instagram and seeing that she knew some of my African friends, I decided to book her. SHE DID AN AMAZING JOB! I told her I wanted something poppin yet natural and she did just that! Not to mention, she was so cool, down to earth, and a believer in JESUS CHRIST. If you are in the Atlanta area and are interested in getting your make-up done for your birthday, bridal shower, wedding, graduation etc., check out her Instagram page HERE.

After I got my makeup done, it was now time for my photoshoot. My sister booked the photoshoot with the same guy who did our college graduation pictures. I was a little nervous about my shoot because If I’m being honest, I’m still trying to get use to people, other than my siblings and close friends, taking pictures of me. I’m one of those people who will set up a tripod and take pictures of myself before I ask a stranger or distant friend to do it.

I like to do certain things and look a certain way and only people who know me or have worked with me, understand this, which is why I prefer to take my own pictures when no one is around. Plus, I’m a little shy, but I’m learning to step out of my comfort zone and break boundaries. Anyways, I said all this to say that even though I was nervous about the shoot, once I got there, I felt 100% comfortable. I also had my sister there to hype me up, so I was gucci at the end of the day.

After the photoshoot the next thing on the list was dinner with my sisters. I wanted to have a sisters date night because my sisters and I are often on different schedules and never have time to do stuff together anymore. Because the photoshoot lasted a little longer than expected, I decided to cancel the dinner. It was also raining, so….. there’s that lol. Not to mention, Thanksgiving was the next day and I thought it was a waste of money to go out and eat when we had all this food at home. So I decided to head home and spend the rest of my day with my family.

What happened next was the best surprise of the night. When I walked through the door, my sisters started playing music for me and sang Happy Birthday to me. They also bought me a cake and blessed me with a camera….A WHOLE CAMERA. I’m still shocked, to be honest. Now I can take my own pictures and record better quality videos for you guys. Ughhh, I was showered with so much love and felt so special. Like I said earlier, I enjoy my birthday more when I am surrounded by people who really love me. I love intimate, private settings and this was very intimate and loving for me.

WHAT I WORE

Now before I end this post I want to quickly talk about what I wore on my birthday.

Along with being over big parties and birthday dinners, I am really over spending money on sparkly outfits that I will more than likely only wear once. I bought my first “out of this world” outfit on my 21st birthday (which I think is granted because 21 is a big deal), but the problem is, I still have not worn it since my 21st birthday. Not to mention, it’s not really my style anymore so it’s useless at this point.

I see girls buy these expensive, sparkly outfits for their birthday all the time, but I always wonder when they will actually wear them again. Don’t get me wrong they are beautiful and definitely make a statement, but is it really worth it? Like I said earlier, I think certain birthdays like 21, 25, & 30 deserve a pass, but buying a super extra outfit for every birthday is just too much in my opinion.

I told myself that the next time I wear something really big, expensive and extravagant will be on my wedding day…and I am so serious about that. I’d rather buy something that is versatile yet slay worthy for my birthday. I want to maximize everything I have in my wardrobe and be intentional about what I spend my money on from now on. I’ve been working on this since the beginning of the year and have come a long way.

With all that being said, I decided to buy this 2 piece set from MANGO. I actually bought this 2 months prior to my birthday. Look, if I see something that I know I can wear for a particular event, even if it’s months out, I will buy it (what is the point in waiting lol?) Not to mention, the outfit was on sale, and y’all know how I feel about sales. Another reason I bought this outfit is because I am really into the denim on denim look and I think the army green denim adds a unique twist to this classic trend.

I also like that I can wear this set multiple ways. If I want to wear the jacket without the pants, I can do that. If I want to wear the pants with a jumper, I can do that. It’s versatile, yet cute, trendy, and timeless. Additionally, my shoes and purse are from SHEIN.

CONCLUSION

If you made it this far, be sure to leave a comment in the comment section (you are the realest) :). Also, thank you to everyone who wished me a happy birthday. I’m super excited about this new year and can’t wait to see what God has in store for me. Please continue to pray for me and support my blog. That is honestly my birthday wish this year <3. Thank you for reading. I hope you have a blessed day!