How's your Mask Wardrobe?

Do you remember how you felt the first time you wore a mask when leaving the house? I do.  It was a little surreal. I had an unused surgical mask from the medical school where I work sometimes as a patient actor. We never had to wear them before so I had saved it in a Ziploc bag just in case I ever needed it. I put on the mask when I got in the car then of course feeling silly I realized I didn't need it until I got out of the car.

It just seemed so unnatural to be wearing a mask when I wasn't a doctor or in a medical facility. I remember before the pandemic sometimes seeing people wear masks on airplanes and thought "Isn't that a little much?"....I don't think that anymore.

I had used my surgical mask once and I thought I had to throw it away so I did. I didn't want to ask my husband for one of his since he's a physician and they were in short supply all over back then. So I looked into do it yourself masks and saw a short YouTube video on how to make your own face covering with a bandana, and that's what I did for about a week until the cloth masks I'd feverishly ordered on Ebay showed up in the mailbox. 

We now know the bandana masks aren't quite as effective as they don't have a very tight seal. So I don't wear one much anymore. Although it was fun to be featured in a piece in the local newspaper showing how people were making home made masks out of scarves, plastic bags, coffee filters, and other things that were lying around the house. Using everything except toilet paper of course, as we couldn't waste that!

Las Vegas Review Journal's mask feature

My mask wardrobe now consists of about 8 masks. There's the blue sky one I got in a 3 pack at The Gap, the homemade cat one I got on Ebay, and my new favorite, my shiny mask. I saw it online and thought "That's cute! I need a dress up mask in case I end up going out when things loosen up a bit"...so I ordered it. I tried it on when I got it and it looks great! It's funny how wearing a mask is starting to seem like normal everyday life. 

I think masks are going to be around for awhile so I expect my mask wardrobe to grow. It is what it is, I might as well make the best of it. 

My current favorite masks