THE CHANGE…

I spent some time thinking, reading, and researching… and then thinking some more. The best words I can use to describe this period is that I was rolling around these thoughts and feelings in my head over and over. If I put a visual to it, it would be like play-doh, you knead it, and roll it on the table, you fold it in half and roll it some more. This is what I did with everything surrounding my business and most of my thoughts and feelings.

I spent so much of my life doing things that did not make me happy, that I did because that is what I thought I was supposed to do, or out of obligation, from a place of stress or anxiety. Who wants to live their life that way? I certainly do not! So, I sat down, and I made a list of what I wanted from my life and the top three things I wanted were this: to be with my family, inner peace, and happiness. I am not talking about the happiness of getting a new purse, I am talking about the contentment I feel when I am sitting on my couch with my husband and kids watching some ridiculous YouTube family listening to my boys laugh and telling me something silly.

So, I extricated what I enjoyed about my business, what made me happy, and as you can probably guess it was not pimping myself out on social media telling anyone who would listen how awesome my hair extensions are and how easy it is to throw them up in a ponytail.

It was the relationships I formed because guess what, I never sold a single hair extension to anyone that I had not put time into getting to know and growing the relationship and trust with the client before they ever purchased. It was hearing their stories and struggles and using the research I had done and the knowledge I had obtained to help them and not only to feel comfortable about purchasing something from me but in enhancing their life.

 The perfect example is that I do not sell shampoo, I have no affiliation with the company that manufactures the shampoo and conditioner I personally use. I just love it, it works, I see the benefit, I believe in the products, I took the time to learn about the science behind them and guess what! Most of the people buying hair extensions are doing so because they have something they do not like about their natural hair, and this shampoo and conditioner can help with those “issues.” I tell prospective clients about it all the time, suggest it, and educate them on it because I want to help them. This may mean they will not wear extensions forever or for as long, but that does not matter to me, because I helped them. Taking away their hair insecurity for good by boosting the health of their own hair, feeds my soul, because I want to help. I want to empower others and make them feel good about themselves.

I also love writing, it is what I enjoy doing, it makes me happy. It is my favorite outlet for getting all my thoughts and feelings out. It brings me peace, and I can spend hours doing it without even realizing how much time has gone by. I also love to talk! My husband is constantly telling me my IG stories are too long! I talk too much, get to the point already! But I am a storyteller and sometimes my stories are pretty funny! Sometimes that humor does not always come across in writing the way it does when you hear me telling it or “see me” telling you a story. I am Sicilian, I talk with my hands; it is very entertaining and dangerous at times. I have no qualms about being in front of the camera, I actually love it and crave it, but only when I am “in the mood.”

I love to get dressed up and look pretty! Not because I “need to” but because I “want to.” It is fun and exciting to me. Something I look forward to doing. My creative outlet. My confidence comes from within, so I am just as happy and comfortable all dolled up as I am in my bathing suit with no makeup, no extensions, barefoot covered in sunscreen, sand, and saltwater. Did I mention that I am very complicated?

So, what is the future of HMF Hair Extensions and Beauty? Full disclosure, I do not really know! Things look very different for me now than they did 2 years ago when I first started this journey. But here is what I do know:

HMFExtnesions.com will no longer be “live” in the coming months.  I will no longer be “soliciting” these products. If you are in need of eyelash extension aftercare kits, I will be happy to continue to provide them to interested parties who contact me directly until they are no longer in stock, once the website is no longer accessible this is the only product I will continue to provide.

I feel the products that I have provided in the past are not impulse buys and thus we need to get to know each other better before an HMF (High Maintenance Female) feels comfortable purchasing them. I hope that you choose to continue following along in my journey so you can learn about all types of beauty products and services from various businesses and companies. I will teach you all about these beauty finds and give you honest feedback and reviews because I still do not want anyone to waste their valuable and hard-earned money.

My favorite thing about my business was writing blog posts and other website content. So, guess what my focus will be moving forward? Writing my blog…which will look a little different than it did before. Previously I spent my time writing about my own products, moving forward I will be writing about EVERYTHING HMF! You may have noticed that my IG handle has changed, and that is because myself and my business are changing.

My new handle is The_Original_HMF, and this is the moniker I have given myself and my blog. My whole life I have been referred to as high maintenance for all aspects of my life. I, however, never understood why the people who were labeling me this way had such a negative connotation in reference to this description. So, I made being a High Maintenance Female my brand and I am showing everyone what an amazing thing being an HMF is instead of the yucky negative association people feel the need to put with it.  So, yes, I am deeming myself THE ORIGINAL HMF and my blog will focus on all the things that contribute to my High Maintenance lifestyle. This will give anyone interested the opportunity to see the real and authentic me!

While I really hope you will continue to read my blog and follow along, realistically, I know I am not for everyone and I am ok with that! All I care about is being true to myself and going back to the three most important things I want from my life: time with my family, peace, and happiness.

As time goes by things may evolve and change just like they have over the last two years, I may develop more products, or maybe not. I could shift my focus more towards making YouTube content and getting in front of the camera or maybe try my hand at a podcast. I do not know, but I am open to where life takes me and what feels good and right in time. My sweet “baby” who is constantly yelling at me that he is a “big boy” does not start full-time school for another year and a half! Hooray!!!! So, whatever I move into or out of will be in line with maximizing my time with him while he is not in “real school” and being present and available to my older son when he is home, and maximizing all the family time possible.

But I still must pay for all those VICI purchases right! If you follow me on social media, you have seen my shopping addiction! Quite frankly, I do not care if it is a problem, because it is one of my passions and one, I hope to share with all of you! If you are married or in a relationship, you probably get the eye roll of your significant other when the packages are delivered, and it is nice when the huff gets eliminated because I produce the income to supplement the problem.

So, I am going to be offering a service. I realize that just because I love to write does not mean everyone else does, so I am going to offer my writing services. I can write about anything! I can also be a very persuasive writer! Obviously, I know a tremendous amount about beauty, makeup, hair, hair extensions, skin, nails and this is my real niche.  I realized that for my personal business to be successful I must learn every aspect and be able to run every part of it if necessary, but to live my life every day like I am on vacation because I love my occupation, I should do what I love and am passionate about and delegate the rest. So, if you want to delegate your content writing for your site out to me, I am here for you!

And in conclusion… life is about choices… and I am choosing to do what makes me happy moving forward and learning from but not dwelling on the past. I hope and look forward to you moving onward and upward with me through my blog… THE ORIGINAL HMF.

Cheers to new beginnings….

XX,

Jenna