TAURUS//Vibes: Sun patches. Candy binges. The drama of taking your 18k Sophie Ratner hoops off to fight a bitch. Onishi Underwear. Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso on repeat. Naps. Expensive sheets. Taking your shoes off to ground. Check out my Pinterest for more inspiration.
This is my 3rd attempt at launching this Substack. Over the last year, I've realized that what brings me joy is working towards consistency, clarity and nourishment. I love being able to show up as the best version of myself to the experiences I've called in. Playing the role of supportive dad, in my own daddy era.
I’m going to bring you on my journey of wellness, fitness, and grooming. I’m not a 20 year old talking about preventive use of retinol. I’m a 41 year old trying to reverse sun damage. I’m not aiming for a “perfect” body I just want to feel good about myself and be healthy. I’m in therapy and actively work at my mental health everyday.
I've been in the beauty industry for over 20 years, I published articles, taught masterclasses and I prioritize trying and learning about the newest products and treatments. I've been obsessed with wellness for a long time, so much that I even worked at Goop for a hot minute. I actually slacked with Gwyneth once! To me wellness is just a term for seeking out self betterment. I’m also on a journey that is prioritizing fitness and health over gay body dysmorphia and shame. Im trying to replace the feeling I get when I see with how I feel.
There will not be any paid content on this platform and for the foreseeable future this will stay free. But if you feel inspired or have the time please comment so I can feel the sense of community and get to know what's resonating. I feel like Substack and Only Fans are the two most honest social platforms.
Let’s shift our focus to consistency, clarity and nourishment
Let's meet each other exactly where we are today.
Let's root for each other.
My 4 Favorite Luxury Product
No one knows about luxury like a Taurus. These are 4 products Ive used for years and 100% worth their price tag.
De Mamiel Altitude Oil, $52. Somewhere between smelling salts and poppers, this french inhalation essence is a staple in my everyday life. Living in NYC is wild, you are constantly absorbing germs, wild energy and stress. Taking a few hits of this really fucking helps. Think of this as a nostril tonic, a blast of aromatherapy to help sooth your brain and clear your mind. After a flight, a taxing subway ride or staring at my computer screen for too long it just instantly resets my mind. I will either hit from the bottle or step outside and put three drops in my hands and do a few rounds of box breaths.
Byredo & Suzanne Kaufman Body Oil, $100. This duo may have cold pressed the essence of being a taurus and bottled it. Rich, earthy and lazy. I have used Suzanne’s Pomegranate body oil for a long time. It’s light, absorbs quickly and the scent is just a whisper but the nourishment feels deep. BUT when she tapped into BYREDO to help with the scent….. After a shower when I'm still wet I sprinkle this body oil all over my body. This is a pro tip for body oil, It will help bring the moisture with it as the oil absorbs. The scent starts off earthy, with a raw shove of pine. Slowly the scent softens to notes of jasmine and sweet fig. “Inspired by where the trees kiss the sky” in the Austrian Alps. I solely wear this so I can sneak sniffs of my own body throughout the night.
May Lindstrom Honey Mud, $90. This is the one product I treat myself with once a year. It’s pure magic for my skin. Backstory: my number one skin issue is congestion, everything just gets stuck under the surface. If I eat poorly, am stressed or have not been sleeping well you can tell by the texture on my skin. It's a magical mix of oils and clays that really puts my skin through it. This is NOT for sensitive skin, it is aggressive AF. I use it in the form of a mask once or twice a week. May Lindstrom is your chicest friend's favorite clean skincare brand. Everything is made in small batches and only sold through her website so there is constant quality control. She really gets that skincare is a treat and an experience, you even get a handwritten note in every order.
Nasomatto Sadonaso Parfum, $185. This smells fucking dirty. I have around 50 colognes and perfumes but if I had to pick this would be my signature scent. When I really want a great signature scent I head to Scent Bar in Nolita and work with TJ. He is unbelievable, so intuitive and such a scent professional. He was helping me select a musk, and about 4 sniffs in he goes “You know I think I might have something. This smells like the floor of a sex club. It’s definitely not for everyone.” I bought it immediately. The only way I can describe it is that the first note you get is honey, not dripping sweet but like to cover up something filthy. EVERY SINGLE TIME I wear this someone will comment on it. In a very intriguing way, WHAT IS THAT and then they will smell me a few times. It grabs everyone by the throat and definitely peaks their interest.
Up in the gym just-a-workin-on-my-fitnesss
In a few days I will turn 41. It’s a wild thought. I lost my dad when he was 36, so aging has always terrified me. BUT like I tell myself daily, I am not him and I have made very different choices. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure! I feel like my 40’s are the perfect time to get serious about fitness. Heart disease runs rampant in my family and I need to drop some weight. I want to take my body from 250 LBS to much more manageable 220-ish (this was recommended to me by my Cardiologist.) I’m 5’10 with a naturally muscular build. Currently I lift 5 days a week consistently, do not really watch what I eat, drink regularly, do not do cardio and do breath work at least once a week. I'm obsessed with the beautiful feels I get when I feel healthy -I know I'm not at my healthiest right now. I never want to be someone obsessed with calorie counting every day, but I am a firm believer in learning the rules before you can break them. I feel like you need to spend time training your mind to think differently before you can expect it to just make the right choices, especially with habits.
A quick backstory. I've always been pretty active and athletic but also a bigger guy. At the beginning of the pandemic I got up to 275 LBS, I felt very unhealthy and had a very eye opening doctor appointment. I was able to lose 25 lbs on my own by just being more active and switching to a meal kit service instead of eating out so much. Then about a year later I got an online trainer for 3 months, I didn't lose much weight (10 LBS) but I really shifted the look of my body and got stronger. Since then I've gained 10 LBS back. Even with my trainer I refused to track my food. I hated it which is why my weight has kind of stayed the same. But mentally I think I’m ready to really try, but I'm also not in a hurry because I want to build a lifestyle.
Trying to change everything all at once is usually a disaster and hard to sustain. Each month I’m going to focus on a few things to implement. I’ll track my progress and how I feel and report back. For taurus season I'm going to start cutting back on alcohol, track (not so much limit, but just track) my food, 3 days of breathwork and add 2 days a week cardio. I am not a nutritionist or fitness professional, by any means so my intentions are to just share the things I'm doing on my journey and what I'm experiencing. I literally will not be doing anything crazy or trendy. Pretty simple really, movements that feel good for my body and eating under a calorie amount while hitting a protein goal.
Happy taurus season angels! Bask in the lazy luxury.
So happy for you! Can’t wait to read more :)
Enjoyed reading this and I'm so happy for you! I can relate so much about the food tracking feeling. I hate it so much too. But reading that someone else is going to try and change that, is very motivational for me. So thank you.