Listen, in these stressful and uncertain times, we should all have one collective goal: Stay indoors and flatten the curve so there will be no more cases of the novel coronavirus and certainly, no more deaths around the globe.
Now the “stay home” part has been hard for some of who keep going out and unfortunately are helping to accelerate the spread of the deadly COVID-19 . One part of this spread has to do with how pampered and spoiled us Americans and other so-called “First World” dwellers are.
I admit, I miss some stuff.
After having to endure my husband’s weak coffee today, I am realizing that there are certain pampered wife luxuries that I am used to and I am among those struggling with having to do without certain simple luxuries.
But we know this is temporary and there are alternative solutions available to us. Here are my picks of luxe substitutes:
ESPRESSO MACHINE
Today, with all my fave local Starbucks stores closed and our state being issued a Stay-At-Home Directive, I realized I need to invest in an espresso machine to brew my own lattes, Americans and Dopios.
I do not want to spend a lot of money on this machine because I am hopeful and prayerful that we will beat this fast spreading disease this year so I only need a machine to last about a year
The Brentwood GA-12 Espresso and Capuccino maker is an Amazon Choice and has mainly great reviews, and a few really credible bad ones, but at a low $39.99, you cannot beat the price for the level of sustained alertness that I will be getting by not having to settle with plain old coffee. Fellow strong coffee and espresso addicts, get one too and let’s compare.
That got me thinking of other things we took for granted but will quickly need to learn how to do ourselves. For example, because I do occassional YouTube videos, IG Story, Snap and guest appearances, I need to have my nails and hair looking decent. I have wigs and hats and other options I can use for my head but for my nails, I’m finding I have to resort to my old pre-manicured press on nails.
PRE-MANICURED ACRYLIC NAILS
These days, they are glue on and my fave and reliable brand is Kiss. You can get a pack of French Manicure with enough nails to last you over a month in case you lose one here and there. They look very professional on screen. Order yours from Amazon for just $7.99. Check out how they look on my nails here:
ZOOM
I’ve seen all the professionals who have regular offices and work lives meeting up on Zoom and then I saw some of them convert those Zoom accounts to virtual happy hours! I want to host one with my girls! Hmmm. I guess I would first have to sign up for a FREE Zoom account or…. I could try to figure out how the new Google Hangouts work and hook it up that way.
To host a virtual happy hour: (1) pick invitees; (2) decide on dress code (3) select a theme of drinks, like are we having wine, beer or cocktails (4) pick the mode of meet up and set it all up to grid so everyone can see everyone; and finally, (5) appoint someone to provide the music or playlist
People can also log on to the recently launched Viral Happy Hour website, www.viralhappyhour.com, which was started by 50-year-old Atlanta native Keith Greenstein and a couple of his friends.
Noticing how many people were going online to hang out with friends he decided to make it easy to schedule a virtual party. The website offers a simple click-by-click way to create a virtual happy hour, just pick the day, (the time is set for 5:19 p.m. to acknowledge COVID-19), and it sends out a Google Hangout invite to your friends.
Facial Steamer
Now that the spas and cosmetic centers that do Botox are closed, those pesky laugh lines and wrinkles are coming back. It’s time to steam those stuckers out stat and hasten the work of anti wrinkle and regenerate salves and balms we’ve been lathering on our faces to fight the effects of aging.
I’m waiting for The Pure Daily Care’s Nano-Ionic Facial Steamer and Humidifier which is also an Amazon Choice because it’s supposed to be good on black heads. That is a big problem I have. I am that person who loves to see the black heads removed on the pore strips so yeah…I’m missing the facial appointents and hoping this almost $40 steamer will really do the trick! We’ll see!
NANO-IONIC FACIAL STEAMER & HUMIDIFIER
Massager
Since I added two other non-essential luxe service, I figure I might as well recommend once again the Naipo Shiatsu Back and Neck Massager with heat and deep kneading massage for the neck, back, shoulder, foot and legs. I have had it for two years and enjoy tremendously with no complaints.
See my review here. This massager is great for after work out, for sitting in an uncomfortable home office chair for extended periods of time or just general aches and pains.
Get one for just $50 on Amazon!
Stay healthy and pampered!
