Full Coverage Friday #10: Older, Wiser, and Still Covered in Glitter

"Aging" doesn't have to mean "growing up."

Jun 08, 2025

I turned 34 yesterday (which is why FCF is hitting your inbox on a Sunday night), but based on how I celebrated, you’d have thought I was turning 12.

I ate candy for breakfast, then spent the day at the summer camp-themed Beautyfor sale making friendship bracelets, decorating my nails, and giving myself a full sleeve of metallic temporary tattoos (plus a few on my face, because, #birthday).

Later, I put on glitter, face gems, and an “I ❤️ NY” T-shirt, and dragged my husband and his family to Times Square to celebrate me. I giggled and twirled my way through a full-blown rainstorm as we sprinted across 41st Street to make a dinner reservation at the world’s strangest Thai restaurant, then closed out the night playing the Human Claw game at Dave & Buster’s.

The whole thing was chaotic, sparkly, and, frankly, a little bit ridiculous—and it was also the happiest I’ve felt in a very long time.

There’s something about getting older that makes me want to lean harder into feeling young. Not in the “I still go to clubs” way, but in the “I deserve joy for no reason” way

For my 30th birthday, I hosted an adult slumber party with Ring Pops and matching PJ sets. For my 31st, my husband and I rode roller coasters and ate hot dogs on Coney Island. This year, I wore face tattoos and challenged my sister-in-law to a competitive game of Skee-Ball.

Lately, I’ve started to feel like a real adult. Not in the “I have a retirement plan” way (I do not), but in the way that suddenly makes me responsible for things I used to avoid—like my schedule, my emotions, and my health insurance paperwork. And as that grown-up-ness settles in, I’ve realized just how important it is to hold on to the parts of myself that still believe in glitter and games and being just a litttttttle bit unhinged for the sake of fun.

Though I may be getting more and more gray hairs every day (how the fuck do these things spring up so fast?!), I refuse to submit to the idea that “aging” has to mean having less fun. Or, more importantly, less joy.

So here’s a list of the things I’ve decided I’m officially never too old for.

Things I’m too old for

The Forever 21 going-out tops that have been in my closet since college
9 p.m. dinner reservations (and ordering the fish when I really want the pasta)
Apologizing for being too loud, too sensitive, or too much
Dry lips, chipped manicures, and emotional repression
People who dull my sparkle
Tanning
Doubting myself
Believing that social media = real life
Squeezing into clothes that don’t fit
Pretending I’ve got it “all figured out”
Contouring my nose when I could just… go outside and live my life
Skipping the eye cream, retinol, and SPF
Vaping
Saying “yes” when my nervous system is screaming “absolutely not”
Letting a scale dictate how I feel about myself
Uncomfortable shoes (unless it’s an Uber-everywhere kind of night and they’re really fabulous)
Doing anything just to be liked
Brazilian bikini waxes
Skipping meals and calling it “discipline”
Pretending I’m fine when I’m very much not

Things I’ll never be too old for

Embracing main character energy every damn day
Glitter (on my eyes, my nails, and my existential crises)
Friendship bracelets
Crying to Taylor Swift in the shower
Pretending Bravo is a form of self care
Crop tops
Believing in signs from the universe (and treating my horoscope like a road map)
Buying a new body scrub and pretending it will solve all my problems
A dramatic entrance (or exit)
Dancing in my bathroom with a face mask on
A birthday tiara
Feeling good naked
Crying at commercials
Matching pajama sets
Making wishes on eyelashes, ladybugs, and any time I see 11:11
Having deep epiphanies in the shower
Eating cake for breakfast on my birthday
Doing Hilary Duff karaoke alone in the car
Temporary tattoos
Sending a Millennial follow-up text
Looking at myself in the mirror and thinking “damn.”
Laughing at my own jokes
Lip balms that taste like candy
Friends who feel like family
Walking around listening to my “Uppers” playlist and pretending like I’m in a romcom
Believing the next chapter will be the best one yet

The sparkly eye shadow that makes me feel like the main character: Pat McGrath Labs Celestial Divinity Eyeshadow Palette
The friendship bracelet watch band that brings me immense amounts of joy: TOYOUTHS Heishi Beaded Bracelet
The gloss that tastes like candy and nostalgia and chaos (in a good way): The Whipped Vanilla Lip Slip® Gloss
The PJ set I’m convinced gives me good dreams: Bedhead PJs Lucia Cami Woven Cotton Poplin Cropped PJ Set
The glitter nail polish I’ll still be wearing when I’m 80: Jin Soon Absolute Glitz
The temporary tattoos that brought me *so much* birthday joy: xo, Fetti Groovy Disco Glow in Dark + Foil Temporary Tattoos
The body spray that brings me right back to middle school: Lake + Sky 444 Sunkissed & Monoi Hair & Body Mist
The teeny-tiny crop top I own in every color: Amilia Women's Basic Solid Cami
The plush pillowcase that doubles as an emotional support animal: Saint Eve Kids Pillow Pals Fuzzy Pillow Case
The playlist that turns my walk into a coming-of-age montage: Listen here on Spotify

In the spirit of keeping things light, sparkly, and grounded in joy, I’m starting a new Full Coverage Friday tradition. Inspired by a gratitude practice I picked up in therapy (and now make everyone around me do, too), I’ll be sharing three “good” things from my week—big, small, weird, or wonderful.

I drove a U-Haul through NYC without having a panic attack (and, now that I think of it, made it through Birthday Week and Beautyfor Sale Week without crying a single time). Shout out to beta blockers!
I started most of my mornings this week meditating and journaling on my roof—and remembered how much better I feel when I actually stick to the routines that ground me. Being in the sun, moving slowly, and not rushing through my morning like it’s a to-do list has all made a serious difference in my mood. Also: I hit 10,000 steps every day, which turns out to be less about the number and more about how proud I feel when I keep a promise to myself.
The Beautyfor sale was *stunning* and a huge success—even my father-in-law said it looked professional! Thank you to everyone who came out and shopped, and to Shopify for generously donating the space to our cause. I’m so proud of us!
“The Naked Birthday Photo Ritual” – Laugh Lines
I wrote this one myself, and it might be my most personal piece yet. Every year on my birthday, I take a naked photo—not to post, not to impress anyone, but to honor the version of me who made it through another year. It’s not about looking hot (though sometimes I do); it’s about claiming my body exactly as it is. A love letter to aging, presence, and feeling good naked.