Crowning Glory

A while back Laura over at Fetch My Flying Monkeys was exclaiming about how absolutely awesome Bumble & Bumble hair products are. She was practically swooning, people. And as women are wont to do, when one recommends a product, that means you are in dire need of it. And my tresses were looking a bit tired, and forlorn, you know. They are practically dying (and yes, I do know hair is dead protein, but that is beside the point).

This is were I justify my actions, so no need to judge me.

Anyway, off I went to check out this miracle in a bottle. Alas, the cost is a bit prohibitive, especially when the new Trollbeads will be released on the 26th of this month, and Little One is hinting that she wants her very own bracelet for Christmas. She’s a Mini-Me, only pretty, and adorable, and sneaky. Anyway, as I was looking at the rest of the designer shampoos, I noticed that Organix was on sale, and decided to try it.

ZOMG!!! The change in my hair was palpable. My hair wasn’t frizzy or poofy, but had these pretty gentle waves to it, it didn’t “flyaway”, and felt sooooo soft!! And if something works, people, you have to get the whole system, right? So, I went and got the Argan Oil treatment, thinking it would be a bit too oily for me.

My tresses feel like spun silk from the Orient.

I’m a convert. I love the argan oil. This treatment has other ingredients, but hopefully in the future I will own a small bottle of the pure stuff. Perhaps my contact in the Middle East can acquire a stash of the stuff for me 😉

Fashionistas

A friend of mine, the one who is crazy about shoes, loves to post photos of fabulous dresses as well. And by “fabulous” I mean “in the five figure range”. This morning she showed me this confection:

Me: I like the flow and the ruffles on the top that Valentino is famous for, but that flounce at the bottom hurts my eyes.

Friend: One word: V A L E N T I N O!

Me: Two words: B A D G L E Y  M I S C H K A !!

More like this:

It’s one of my grails to own a Badgley Mishka gown. I can only hope one shows up at the Goodwill store in my size someday. The funny thing is, Eldest owns one. And by “funny” I mean “tragic”. She needed it for a runway show, and I found it majorly reduced, in her size, and the Saks’ Off 5th store. Talk about lucky.

Now, if only I needed a gown for an occasion besides housework 🙂

Early Morning Adoration

It never fails. I get up to tend to the dogs, and as soon as the coffee is done, I feel like I am sitting on a pedestal.

And they called it Puppy Love...

I was never a dog owner, or even had a preference for them. Growing up, I was only allowed to have pets that could fit in small cages. The hamsters were fun because they learned to crawl out of it at night, and find their way back to their “home” in the morning. The iguana…. well, that didn’t last long, after my mom found it. And now that I’m a dog owner, I can’t imagine being without one.

Thanks to reader Aewl for the inspiration 🙂

Carly Simon Speaks to Me

No, not really speaking to me. More like her anthem, You’re So Vain, keeps circling about in my head. Why? Because I have a hair appointment to have my tresses tamed and trimmed.

No, I am NOT cutting it short!!

JUST a trim of maybe an inch to an inch-and-a-half. And maybe I will capitulate to my vanity, and get a gloss treatment to make my hair look like it came from a Pantene commercial.

My hair, in about 20 years. Or in about three weeks if the kids keep driving me nuts.

I’ll try to post before and after pics of the hair. Hopefully, it won’t be too big of a change for someone 😉

I can hear Hubby whimpering all the way over here already…. 😉

UPDATE!!

Ok, here you go:

SHINY!!!!

Ok, people??? 😀

Letter to the Person in the Mirror

This is the final letter to the month-long Letter Challenge. I was supposed to have this done on Saturday, but I seldom post on the weekends, and then Monday was Independence Day, so naturally this got bumped to Tuesday.

This is not an easy letter to write. I am….not fond of looking too closely at my visage. Things tend to glare back at you harshly. But I’ll try.

To my reflection,

I used to see my father there all the time. As I grew older, and became a mom, I started seeing more of my mother. That dreaded “eleven” showed up between my brows, and I remember crying, thinking how angry it made me look. I paid attention to the mirror less and less, hoping that the person in it would no longer change. But that was futile, because you were there every time I walked past. But I started to see things differently.

I see the grey hair, and I think of the times my children drove me insane with worry.

I see the wrinkles, and think of the laughter they inspired.

I see the bags under my eyes, and remember staying up late with them, watching movies, rubbing tummy aches away, or searching for snakes.

I see chipped nails, and think of them asking for help with projects.

I see stretch marks, and think of the joy in earning them.

And now, every time I look in the mirror, I don’t see age. I see happiness.

At least until a fight breaks out, and the “eleven” comes back.

Sincerely,

The Me in this Universe

To a Person Who Changed My Life

I have the unique ability to imprint habits from others. Some would say that is the hallmark of a weak personality. I never claimed to have a strong one, but in my defense, all of my “imprinting” has been of good habits for the most part. The chocolate habit I got from my sister-in-law, and some would argue it’s not such a great habit.

I disagree wholeheartedly.

So many people have changed my life. But one person stands out above the others:

Dear June,

You epitomized what motherhood and feminism meant to a whole generation of women, at least until the hippie flower children found LSD. You had class, style, and grace, and I wanted to be just like you when I grew up. Really! I even begged my mother for a cheap string of dimestore pearls so I could pretend to be you while I washed the dishes.

I learned how to be a mom from my mother, but I learned to be a domestic goddess from you.

Hairy Situations

A few weeks ago I took my son to get his hair cut. This was not only momentous, but timely, since the awards assembly was coming up. It was important that he would be able to see where he was going when accepting his awards. As I was wating for him to be finished, another  hair stylist came in and asked if I needed to be seen. Disclosure: we were at Sports Clips. I smiled and said no, that I was waiting on my son. She smiled and said that if I needed to have my gray taken care of, she could recommend a salon for me.

I was not amused….

Approximation of gray, not of beauty. Scars not included.

I politely said thank you, and left it at that. But after a few weeks, it came to mind that some people are rather presumptive over women’s vanities. True, we get bombarded by Madison Avenue’s version of what a woman should look like and act like. Some advertisers are moving away from the “triathlon-gourmet-supermodel” template, like Dove™ and their Campaign for Real Beauty. And though I admit to dyeing my hair over a decade ago, I have to say, I do love my gray, and embrace it like spun silk, even though it tends to feel like wiry wool. I like to think of them as God’s Highlights, and I know for a fact I earned each and every single one 😉