I used to describe myself as nice. I try so hard to be nice. It's important that I be nice. I don't do that anymore, largely because I am not interested in being nice. To be 'nice' in our society means not speaking out, not ruffling feathers, not pushing back on the status quo. It means cramming yourself into a box to make others comfortable. It means losing part of who you are. 

A few months back, there was a post here on Mansa Fashion. about my hair turning grey. I've sort of been mourning the slow loss of my natural hair colour over the last little while. Despite not wanting to make a change, it was time, because the greys had started to overpower all the rest. Today, I wanted to share a before and after (though there was a bit of a sneak peak in my St. Patrick's Day post) and talk about my experience before, during, and after the salon visit. 

I have loved a lot of bands over the years. Westlife is one of them. As a boyband fan who always looked forward to Brit List (in my adolescence, YTV had a music countdown show called the Hit List, and the Brit List episodes were focused on music videos from popular artists in the UK)...Bryan, Shane, Mark, Kian, and Nicky were an important part of my life. I had posters from imported Top of the Pops magazines that I bought at Chapters. I had every album. I listened to every song over and over again. Though years have passed, their music, old and new, has continued to be a meaningful part of my life. I've spoken here on Mansa Fashion. in the past about being bullied and feeling like an outsider in my younger years. Back then, music was my safe place...my escape. I suppose it still is. Which is why it was so exciting that Westlife recently embarked on a small North American tour for the first time. It was promoted as a St Patrick's Day Special. Ready to find out how it was? Keep reading...

There's a place waiting just for you. It's a special place where your dreams all come true. Many S Club 7 songs impacted my life as a teenager for one reason or another, but "Reach" was a song I turned to when I felt especially misunderstood. High school was rough for me and though I had friends, I was also bullied, mocked, made fun of, and felt deeply uncomfortable in my own skin. The more I was bullied, the less I thought of myself, and the more I longed for escape. S Club 7 was that escape for me. Watching the television shows, the specials, the movies, and listening to the music made me feel like I was part of something...like I had this giant group of friends who would protect and stand up for me. I often imagined S Club 7 walking the halls with me and putting those bullies in their place. I imagined being part of the "club" and feeling confident and happy. Though the band obviously never saved me from the cruelty of the world, their music made me feel much less alone in the midst of it. When the world leaves you feeling blue, you can count on me. I will be there for you. Needless to say, hearing S Club 7 perform "Reach" live (along with many other favourites) was a dream come true. Five members of the band reunited and brought their "Good Times" tour to Meridian Hall in Toronto recently...and the night was everything I hoped it would be. 

Welcome 2024! Somehow, a new year has arrived, but today, I am taking a moment to look back at the year that has ended. What a year it was. To be honest, I can't say that 2023 was my favourite year ever, though there were certainly some highlights. Generally speaking...it was a mixture of good and not so good. The good? Seeing Clay Aiken in Niagara Falls, a vacation to Montreal, a special getaway with my husband in the fall (there were Halloween events and even a spaceship themed hotel room), and getting a new pet fish. The bad? Getting COVID in the summer (I was down for the count for about a month), the end of a longtime friendship, lots of anxiety, losing even more faith in humanity, and many of my loved ones getting COVID riiiiight before Christmas. Yeah, 2023 was a lot. Needless to say, I am looking forward to 2024. I am hoping for a better year.

Merry Christmas! It is difficult to believe that the day has arrived already. Though the holiday season is always busy, this year, things have been especially hectic since my loved ones have been under the weather recently. It delayed all of the decorating, wrapping, and baking that normally takes place at my parents house throughout the month of December. Ultimately, everything became rushed and last minute...which took a bit of the fun out of the season. Despite all of that, I did my best to make Christmas as special and magical as possible. (There have been lots of movies and Christmas carols.) I hope that your holiday season has been wonderful and exciting. And I hope your Christmas Day is everything you imagined it would be. 

Am I a superhero kind of person? Not really. I've seen my fair share of superhero movies over the years, because my husband enjoys them and because some of them are decent. (I like the Guardians of the Galaxy movies and the occasional Spiderman film.) But despite that, I am not exactly a fan. So, it felt kind of strange to purchase movie tickets a month in advance for the opening night of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Truth be told, I only watched the first Aquaman movie very recently...and I only watched it because I am currently working my way through the filmography of Amber Heard. Despite not totally loving superhero movies, it was important to me to see the new Aquaman movie right away, to support a recognized survivor of domestic violence - a survivor who faced one of the most horrific smear campaigns in modern history. I will always stand with survivors, publicly, privately, and even when I head to the movie theatre. Though I have known about Amber for many years, thanks to my obsession with the 00s television show, Hidden Palms, I didn't become a fan until more recently. First, I supported her simply because it was the right thing to do. (Disagree? Read the Amber Heard Open Letter signed by literally hundreds of domestic violence experts and feminist organizations, read the UK judgement, where her ex husband was found to be a wife beater, or look at the mountain of evidence in her favour.) However, as time passed, I became a fan of her as a person thanks to her long history of charitable endeavors, her outspoken stance against injustice, and her dedication to standing with survivors. I also became a fan of a lot of her work on television and in movies. So, for me, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom was a movie I needed to see on opening night. It was only right. Going in, I knew that I wanted to create Mera inspired makeup.

I remember the first time I noticed a grey hair. That shining piece of silver stood out against a sea of brown. At the time, I was more confused than anything else. It couldn't be...could it? I was in my early 20s back then and grey hair had not occurred to me. After all, I was busy trying to figure out who I was, what I wanted, and how I envisioned my life. It was too soon for grey! Only it wasn't. Since then, the grey hairs have multiplied. I am now watching them take over. One day, in the not-so-distant future, I will make the decision to start dying my hair. To cover the greys. To hold onto the brown in some way. However, I haven't been able to take that leap yet. I am trying to hold onto my natural colour for as long as I can. For as long as I have it. 

It has been a while. There were several years back to back to back when my mom and I took a shopping trip to Erie, Pennsylvania. It was a tradition of sorts for a little while. Then the pandemic happened. Well, this year, we decided to venture back out and see how the shopping was in Erie once more. We took a bus shopping tour recently to check some items off of our holiday shopping list. It included some stops off at a mall, outlets, and lots of other stores. Keep reading to find out how the mini getaway was and to take a peek at a small Lauren Conrad collection items that I purchased at Kohls. 

Many years of my life were defined by one band: Hanson. In elementary school and high school, my peers bullied me relentlessly for wearing Hanson t-shirts to class. Despite their continued cruelty…I refused to stop wearing those t-shirts. After all, wearing my Hanson shirts made me feel better about myself. I felt safer. More confident. More like me. In the decades that followed, the band continued to be an important part of my life. I made friends while waiting in line for general admission concerts. I skipped school to wait outside radio stations. I went to television tapings, autograph signings, and lots and lots of live shows. I bought every piece of merchandise that I could get my hands on (or afford at the time) and I was a member of their official fan club for years. When I was selected to be the fan club reporter for their String Theory show, it was a dream come true. Being able to meet my favourite band, talk to them, and have a photo taken, was the number one item on my bucket list. To this day, that experience is one of my personal highlights. Unfortunately, that experience is also bittersweet. 

It is time for a short blog break here on Mansa Fashion. By the time this post goes live, I will be at a cottage with my family for a week or so. It has become a tradition of sorts over the last several years. When the pandemic hit, it put travel plans on pause, so my parents rented a cottage where it would be possible for immediate family to come together safely...but still social distance from others. We have been renting different cottages each summer since. To be honest, it is not exactly my idea of a good time, because I do not love being in nature. Or being away from my computer. Or not having time to myself. That being said, I am very lucky to be able to spend time with my loved ones. I just wish it could be done without all of the mosquitos! At any rate, I will be busy making the most of cottage life for the next several days. (And applying lots of bug spray and sunscreen along the way. Sigh!) I look forward to catching up with you all once I am back home again. Until then...

Will you take any vacations this month? How are you spending the last days of summer?

I can sum up my life lately in one word: Barbie. There have been an awful lot of Barbie related events and experiences taking place over the last few weeks. It all started with a Barbie themed party followed by multiple screenings of the new Barbie movie, which stars Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, and a ton of other notable actors. Truthfully? I wouldn't have it any other way. My mom has always loved Barbie and collected the dolls then and now. No wonder my first word ever spoken was "Barbie." This iconic figure has been an important part of my life. I literally can't remember a time without Barbie! Growing up, I loved playing with my dolls and dressing them in all sorts of different outfits. I loved making my Barbie organize picnics and hold fashion shows. Most of all, I loved believing in her world. After all, in Barbieland, Barbie could be anything, do anything, and make anything happen. She could have a hundred different careers, own her own home, have an assortment of vehicles, and make her own decisions. Barbie always represented what could be....and I loved her so much for that. 

When Mansa Fashion. first started, the idea was to create a place that was positive and focused on the beautiful things in the world. After all, there was so much hurt and pain out there already...I needed a space that prioritized positivity. Twelve years later and Mansa Fashion. is still largely dedicated to love and light. I often talk about makeup, fashion, movies, music, holidays, accessories, and anything else that inspires me. However, I recognize now that I can't hide from the realities of the world that we live in. There are times when the not-so-beautiful aspects of life peek through. That is why I have added a list of organizations that offer support and resources on the sidebar (or you can click here) and that is why I am trying to be a little more vulnerable in my blog posts. Mansa Fashion. has long been my safe space and a constant in my life. I want it to continue to be those things, while still acknowledging important societal issues. I care deeply about learning more, being an ally, and standing for what is right. You may have noticed a shift in some of my posts already and that might happen more as time passes. One example? Makeup is one of the ways that I express my creativity, but the makeup world is not always beautiful. In future, I would love to write about brands that I no longer recommend that I might have in the past. (Like Milani Cosmetics. I strongly suggest you avoid supporting such an unethical company. But more on that later.)