When the calendar flips to April, I always find myself in a better mood. In my head, the countdown to summer is on, my itinerary gets filled up with fun activities, and we’re back to riding outdoors again. But this year, April is extra special, as I prepare to take an extended trip to Europe (another one of the perks of entrepreneurship). So, while the beginning of the month might be starting slowly, by the end of it, I’ll be in a new country.
Do: A priority item this month is settling my health insurance. If you’ve been following along, my COBRA plan ends mid-month, and I need to hop on something new asap. While the New York healthcare marketplace came recommended to me, I found it to be like the Wild West and eventually went with a broker to help me navigate my insurance woes. I’ve written about what I’ve learned along the way, as an entrepreneur trying to secure my health insurance for the first time on my own in this post and in this follow-up post. Here’s hoping I can get this all settled in the coming weeks!
Get: In addition to figuring out what I need to pack for one of my longest trips abroad in recent years, is what I’m going to wear. While the packing part is usually easy for me, I also have a wedding I’ll be attending while I’m there that will be somewhere between a backyard and a garden wedding. I found some great options at Banana Republic and Anthropologie, but everything seemed either too fancy or too informal. I settled on this dress from Loft, which initially didn’t scream wedding to me, but after reading some reviews, it is fancier than it looks in the photo. Plus, I needed something that would pack and wear well, which this looks like it should do.
Go: The countdown is officially on for my trip, and while I’m excited, I’m also always anxious before I travel. Luckily, I flew in the fall, which was my first trip since the pandemic, so that has eased my mind…and also made me stress about other things. Since I will have more time at my destination, I’m looking forward to immersing myself in the European lifestyle. Who knows, perhaps I’ll come home speaking a new language.
Try: I recently tried out an at-home plant-based gel manicure from Manucurist…and I was amazed by the results. As someone who prefers an at-home manicure over going to get my nails done, this system is perfect and has everything you need to get a professional-looking manicure in minutes at home. But the one thing I don’t love about always having polish on my nails is how damaged they look when I take it off (which is why I never opted to try gel). But Manucurist is different, and after having the gel polish on for eight days without a single chipped nail, my nails looked even better than before, thanks to their specially formulated remover that lifts the polish off in under a minute without rubbing or scraping the nail. I’ll be sharing more about how the Manucurist system works, as well as a tutorial on how to apply and remove it, but in the meantime, if you want to try it out yourself, you can use my code NAILSOFSTEIL for 15% off.
What’s on your agenda this month?
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