Tag Archives: pets

#Fast50 : Fun Facts!

May be an image of 2 people, outdoors and text
#abshuck

The challenge: share 9-12 stock pictures that represent you. Then share a #Fast50 fun facts or beliefs you personally hold true.

fast 50:

1. when in doubt, over-dress; and use the nice plates. Don’t save ‘em for a special occasion. 👗

2. time spent on, in, or near water is never wasted 🌊

3. making memories and capturing moments is better than ‘stuff’ or ‘things’ 📸

4. pugs are their own thing, their own creature, unlike any other dogs 🐾

5. music can literally be healing – if not physically, then at least mentally-emotionally-spiritually 🎶

6. birds are so much cooler & more beautiful & interesting than people give them credit for 🐦

7. health is the greatest blessing/privilege 🤒

8. if you ever want to buy me something, you can’t go wrong with something rose gold or PINK (although, my entire house is basically shades of blue, grey, and teal!) 💖

9. crocs are hella comfy 🐊👟

10. michael jackson was innocent 🕺🏽

11. #freebritney is a major human rights issue 💯

12. aliens/UFOs likely exist 🛸👽

13. heaven is another dimension in the multiverse 😇

14. gavin rossdale is one of the most-underrated frontmen, ever. and bush = one of the most under-appreciated rock bands 🎸🎤

15. some of the best smells are: gardenia, lilac, jasmine, honeysuckle, saltwater, ocean air, puppy breath, cookies baking. 🌸🍪

16. my parrotlet asking me for, and subsequently thanking me for, a kiss, will never get old. 🦜 17. jesus was a man but god has no gender and furthermore can be found in nature and all around us. ✝️

18. ghosts? angels? real. and i do believe some people have a connection to the other side. 👻👼🏼🔮

19. if an actual cure for cancer can be found, a cure for autoimmune disease will soon follow and vice versa. PS: science matters; get the dang covid vaccine. 🧬🧪💊💉👩🏼‍⚕️👨🏽‍⚕️

20. donald trump is a garbage human and will go down as a stain on our nation’s history … but he is a symptom of a much bigger, darker, sadder, scarier, maddening, upsetting, very real problem. 🇺🇸

21. Black Lives Matter. Trans Lives Matter. And Black Trans Lives Matter. PS feminism is inclusive. 🤛🏾

22. Ableism runs rampant in our culture and is wildly under-acknowledged and under-addressed. ♿️

23. Our foster care / child protective system is broken. 💔

24. women/womyn will change the world 👸🏼

25. dogs/animals are one of the biggest blessings, ever. 🐶

26. sunshine is medicine; travel is, too. ☀️✈️ (But I’ll also take some healing crystals and pharmaceutical drugs!)

27. empathy is the basis for all understanding. and kindness is never out of style, out of place, or our of touch. 💕

28. authenticity is better than fitting in. 🦄

29. afternoon tea in london; a safari in africa; birding in costa rica; sunbathing in bora bora; snorkeling in australia or the galapagos; wandering in new zealand…. SIGN ME UP! But so far my top 3 fav trips: Maui, Italy, Block Island. 🌎

30. fully being — and knowing — oneself is something many people never fully master. also collectively, we need more self-awareness and less ignorance ✌🏼🧘🏼‍♀️

31. the US education system is white-washed and ethnocentric. Oh, and white privilege exists, whether you understand or accept it or not 🏫

32. not everyone’s 24 hours are equal ⏰

33. toxic positivity is harmful 🙃

34. I basically love all animals. Some favs include: dogs – cats – birds – elephants – goats – sea turtles – horses – otters – axolotls – ducks – dolphins – butterflies 🦋🐐🐴🐢🦆🐘

35. all bodies & all people are worthy and beautiful in their own way 👩🏼‍🎤

36. gratitude is everything

37. it’s okay to cry. And – emotional intelligence can’t be taught but must be learned 😢💜

38. we all have gifts and struggles 💪🏼

39. babies laughing is *the cutest* and most joyful, sweet sound in the world 👶🏼

40. some of my other favorite sounds are: ocean waves, thunderstorms, water flowing/trickling, birdsong, fire crackling, dogs snoring, cats purring, justin timberlake’s singing voice, gravel crunching under your shoes as you walk. 🔥⛈🌅

41. horseback riding, kayaking, boating, snorkeling, and jetskiing are things I wish I could do more of 🛶🛥

42. the opening of a big concert … those moments counting down… when the artist or band first hits the stage … one of THE ABSOLUTE DEFINITIVE BEST moments in life!!!!!! 👏🏼

43. Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana? Murdered. 👀 ALSO: true crime & conspiracy podcasts and documentaries are so interesting and, oddly, an escape. 🔪👮🏼‍♀️🔍

44. if I won big on the lottery, after paying off debts and helping out family, and donating to charities, I’d hire an on-demand massage therapist, and a daily cleaning service, and get a boat, kayaks, jet ski, hot tub jacuzzi, pool, sauna, & beach house! And maybe do stem cell therapy for my joints. 💰 On-call deep tissue massages & acupuncture would be EVERYTHINGGGG.

45. freddie mercury was a genius. 🎤

46. pain is exhausting – and pain is also not a competition. 😔

47. morally-ethically i want to be vegan and i have tried, but my body prefers when I am an omnivore 🌱

48. being flexible and adapting to adversity and or/change and progress, is one of the biggest parts of resilience and grit, and likely a big part of happiness and contentment 🌈

49. the idea of “acting one’s age” when it comes to personal style, interests, hobbies, taste, etc. is often just an arbitrary social construct. With most things — you never have to conform! 👵🏼👯‍♀️

50. LOVE is everything. ♥️ Coffee helps too. ☕️

#abshuck#arthritisashley#glitzburgh#welcometowellness2021#ultimateyouwellness#abshuckbirdlady#abshuckconcerts#shuckzoo#abshuckcrystals#shuckstravels#fastfacts#FunFactFriday#funfacts#allaboutyou#allaboutme#gettoknowme#mytruth#myvalues#mybeliefs#thankfulgratefulblessed#socialmediachallenge

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Spring 2021 Beauty +Wellness Product Guide

Personalized hair products from Prose.

So, I’m definitely not a beauty blogger or aficionado; you won’t see me doing makeup tutorials on YouTube or cultivating a curated, polished Instagram. However, I’m what you might call a “product junkie” when it comes to health, beauty, and wellness products! (Pet products, to!)

Whether it’s skincare, haircare, makeup, or supplements, I’m one of those people who will try just about anything for wellness and beauty. (Especially if it’s natural, non-invasive, and vegan — although I don’t limit myself to only those types of products.)

Some of you have asked me about different products I use — after all, I did used to run a fashion blog; I am a health coach and patient advocate; I enjoy beauty, hair, and makeup though I’m not good at it; and I love love love to share wellness products for the home and body.

Below I will share my favorite things, and if I happen to have a promo code or referral link for you, I’ll share that, too! I personally use or have used ALL of these. While I do have some affiliate links that I may get a teeny tiny commission on, these are all literally products in my home that I myself can vouch for and use regularly. (MANY are cruelty-free, paraben-free, etc. and all are gluten-free if possible.)


HAIR

Hair: Contempo Artistries;
Jacket: Wren + Glory

My hair is naturally on the wavy/curly side, and due to medications and brain surgery and autoimmune stuff, is rather thin, sparse, and brittle, if I’m being honest. Dry and damaged with an oily scalp … yay for me. That said, I think many of us have a love/hate relationship with our hair, and there’s no such thing as a “one-size-fits-all” beauty standard for anything — and that includes hair. I have at many points in time since 2011 dabbled in wearing hair extensions & wigs. I’ve done I-tip extensions, tape-in extensions, ‘halo’ extensions, clip-in extensions, and even hand-sewn/hand-tied extensions, which some people refer to as a weave. Almost all of the extensions I’ve worn are real human hair; the clip-in ones were synthetic which was, shall we say … regrettable.

Last winter and spring, I played around with wigs before deciding to dye my hair pink. My favorite was a lavender-pink lace-front with real human hair. I kind of wish it was my own hair (long and pink – YAS!) but, I digress. Currently, I’m rocking my own hair, sans extensions. I’ve been wearing my natural waves more frequently than not lately. I’d wanted a loose modern perm, but thanks to the right products, I found I didn’t need one – I had it in me (on me?) all along! Below are some hair products and brands that I LOVE! (Even though I’m typically wearing my hair up in a messy high pony or topknot!)

SKIN

My skin type is sensitive and combination, leaning towards the dry side. I have been lucky to not deal much with acne, except for micro-blackheads on the ol’ honker, and occasional (painful) blind pimples on my chin. I didn’t much worry about fine lines or loose skin until the past year or two, when suddenly I went from looking young for my age, to looking pretty close to it. (However, the employees that I manage swear they thought I was in my 20s, so maybe Zoom is more forgiving than I’d thought.) Currently, my biggest complaints are dry skin and those fine lines. I am not opposed to fillers, Botox, or cosmetic treatments, but, I don’t get them personally (yet.)

I do get Botox … but not in my face: I get it for chronic migraines which involves 32ish injections on my scalp, neck, temples, forehead, etc. and is not pleasant. At any rate, one of my regrets in life was not taking better care of my skin from a young age. I didn’t really have a skincare regimen or routine until last year, other than slapping on some sunblock or tinted moisturizer with a built-in SPF in the summer, washing with Noxema or Neutrogena, and occasionally using Clinique products. Now, I am trying to do better! Some of my favorites are below.

  • Kylie Skin by Kylie Jenner – I am OBSESSED with their walnut face scrub, the toner milk, the rose bath salts, and the daily moisturizer. It’s also all paraben-free, gluten-free, and vegan. Judge all you want – Kylie’s skincare and makeup is fantastic and the gardenia candle by Kylie Skin is one of my favorite scents ever and should win every candle award if those are a thing. I’m enamored with all of it. ($16 and up)
My first foray into Kylie Skin.

MAKEUP + PERFUME

Honestly, I’m not great at doing makeup, and I typically don’t wear any on a daily basis. However, I LOVE makeup, despite not wearing it a lot and not exactly being what you’d call a pro with application. I do know that if I wear certain shades of pink, red, or purple lipstick or

Glamnetic magnetic lashes

gloss that it makes my teeth look less white. I also know that too much black eyeliner ages me. I’m a fan of a strong brow and a not-too-pale lip. I love a good smoky eye but most often I’m makeup-free or doing a ‘natural’ makeup look. I don’t have a whole lot to say about it other than the fact that makeup is SO fun to play around with! Here are some of my favs.

SUPPLEMENTS + WELLNESS

LOVE these great products!

In terms of health and wellness, I will try just about anything. Nothing is too strange or “woo-woo” for me! From healing crystals to earthworm protein to cryotherapy and sensory deprivation, I have tried a lot for my physical and mental-emotional wellbeing. I must disclaim that I am NOT a doctor and you should ALWAYS consult your own doctor, medical professional, or healthcare provider before trying ANY new supplement, vitamin, treatment plan, or therapy, EVEN IF it is natural. Basically, don’t sue me, ‘cuz I’m just going by what I personally like and use! I am sharing my own product preferences and maybe even endorsing them, but, I don’t know what I’m talking about. I’m just a writer, a patient, and a behavioral health coach manager, okay? 🙂

I’ll also note that none of my product recommendations in this blog post are recommendations coming from any of my clients or employers. It’s all just coming from my little brain.

Now… let’s dive in.

CLEAN HOME

Plants also help to keep your home’s air clean and healthy!

I hate cleaning but I do like my products to be SAFE, nontoxic, and healthy, natural if possible, ‘green’ and environmentally friendly, smell good, and work well! Here are some of my preferred household products:


PETS

Okay … last category … pet products! You know I love my #shuckzoo furbabies (and feather baby!) so I want to keep them healthy and safe. They are like my kids! Oftentimes, I get the dogs things from Chewy or Amazon, and most of Pancake’s bird toys come from Etsy! Olive is big into toys (this and these are her ABSOLUTE favorites.) Pip never has been, even before he became Eye-Free Pippy; he’s always been more into being outdoors or snuggling. Brutus is a simple man: he wants standard yellow tennis balls in the backyard, and cheap Aldi or Purina dry dog food. (He also has a penchant for one toy: Maggie’s old “Chewnel” purse toy lol.) Pancake, my bird, LOVES toys — and since parrotlets are VERY smart and get bored easily, I have to switch his toys out often. He also eats ‘salad’ (a chop mix of fruit, veggies, etc.) each day along with some seed, pellets, and bird treats.

At any rate – here are some of their/our favorites!

Olive Magnolia, my black rescue pug. Brutus, my black and rust Doberman Pinscher. Pip, my blind, tiny, orange miniature-pinscher/pomeranian mix, also a rescue. And, Pancake, my blue pied Pacific Parrotlet.

Well, hopefully some of these recommendations have been useful to you! You can see which products I get discounts or commission from here. (And with the rest, I receive no payment or perks!)

If you try any of these products and want to share, please tag me @ambshuck on Instagram or use hashtag #glitzburgh to show me!

Just me, Feb. 2021.

(*Did you know? You’re reading my personal blog. To view the home page of my main website, navigate from the menu above or click here.)