Harried?

A couple weekends ago, we had Kevin's grandma to stay with us. She only lives about 30 minutes North but we don't see her all that often. She's busy watching Westerns, taking waterobics classes at the "Senior Citizen" (which is Grandma for the "Senior Citizen's Center", but apparently "'s Center" is unimportant) and annihilating her fellow octogenarians in fiercely-competitives rounds of Rummikub. I was quickly informed that the correct pronunciation is 'Roomy-Cube'. I have said and heard 'Rummy-Cub' my entire existence but ... I defer.

We spent the weekend watching movies she hadn't seen before (Sahara, Secondhand Lions) playing games and enjoying the cats. She doesn't have pets right now and she liked it when Charley (omg, I haven't posted pictures of my new kitten!!) would come and nap with her on the couch. I made Chicken Enchilada Casserole on Friday night for her first dinner and Breakfast Tacoes on Sunday morning. On Saturday (while Kevin and I were both gone, poor thing!) she had entirely TOO many Reese's Pieces and M&M's and made herself sick. It's like having a kid in the house. ;) I had to administer some Lemon-Lime Alka Seltzer as soon as I got home from my appointment that morning. Speaking of which ...

During this weekend, I had a previously-scheduled appointment at my hair salon for Saturday morning. I should add that I had scheduled a haircut for a couple of weeks before, after we got back from California; I had gone into the salon that evening after work only to be told my stylist (my very favorite stylist Anita) wasn't there and they had cancelled my appointment. Good to know! So instead of suffer through the poor, sweet, blabbering girl at the front desk who simply doesn't know how to schedule appointments, I just said I would call in to schedule an appointment later. So Saturday morning rolls around and I'm ready to go - I have needed a haircut for like a month and look like a wild animal, I'm already a little turned-off by the staff at this salon because of past experiences and I'm ready to just get it done. I was told the color and cut would take a couple of hours. My appointment was at 10:30am.

They didn't start mixing my color until 11:30am.

I didn't leave the salon until 3:30pm.

That's right. 5 hours of my day spent sitting in a salon chair.

The gal who was my stylist/colorist this time was very nice; we carried on conversations and laughed and everything seemed hunky dory. Til it was noon and I had all of 4 foils on my head. I had asked for highlights which she was calling 'dimensional color' ... apparently this takes like 3 days to complete? Oh, but not as long as gray cover-up would take. I don't have gray hair, she said, so it won't take THAT long. Ok. Good to know ... ??

Not to mention the seat I had this time was apparently located in the eye of a big fat black hole for cell phones. I felt like an amputee. Once I had read through Spring 2010 issues of every magazine they could find for me, I wasn't even able to text or call my husband (or check Facebook. unthinkable!). He had to call the salon to track me down to ask "Where the flip are you?!" (flip is not the real word that was used; word has been changed to protect innocent eyes ;) around 2pm by which time I was truly seething - beyond seething.

I am not the kind of customer who starts railing on the employee under circumstances like this ... maybe I should be. But I don't feel like that gets anything accomplished. Except of course for showing people my ass. So I put up with it. I keep waiting. She keeps saying that the color hasn't "taken" yet and "doesn't look like the picture". I tell her that doesn't matter (that stopped mattering a long time ago!). I say I have a house guest AND a party that evening that starts in a few hours and I really need to get this wrapped up. Like, now. The manager comes by a few times to check on her. Around 2:30pm she is like "She is still here? Hurry up!" I'm like "No joke!!" ...

I thought she said I DIDN'T have gray hair? That it wouldn't take "that long"?? I kept checking my watch with as much ado and associated huffing as possible.

Do you know how much it sucks having like, 278 foils on your head for 4 hours? And having towels draped over them to "keep them warm" while people pass your chair and noticably ogle you in the mirror like you are nuts? Seriously people, NOT my fault!

Once they start taking the foils OFF at last, I am told that they don't have time to cut my hair (which was driving me absolutely cuckoo at that point) because they had taken so long with the color. By now my 'sideburns' are epic and my neck shaggy like a hobo.

They had another appointment at 4pm so I would have to reschedule a haircut for another time.

AGAIN.

*deep breaths*

*don't make eye contact*

*don't say anything or you may regret it*

The stylist finally gets all the abominable foils off my head and washes my hair. She asks me to hold her watch so it doesn't get wet. Really?

Then she has the audacity to try and style my hair for me before I go. I just say "don't bother drying it, I usually just damp style it anyway". So she puts some gel in to try and give it a toussled look and flops her hands around on my head like they are steaks. Have you styled hair EVER in your life!?, I think. She complains that it "looks so flat". Of course it does you imbicile! I say nothing but I end up styling my own hair because I just can't deal. I didn't even want it styled. What's the point at that point, ya know?

After all that, I realized when I get home that the highlights had been so poorly applied that they are a good 3/4" from my roots so it looks like I haven't even maintained my hair color in weeks and just let it grow out - all over my crown and where I part my hair. Seriously? After all that I can't just be left in peace to be grumpy and slowly get over it after telling Kevin the story 6 times in gross detail?

So I call the salon. I just can't take it. I can't not say something!!

I talk to the manager of the managers who says I "should have said something while I was still there". I remind him (I had already recapped the enter ordeal) that I was there for 5 hours. That I didn't have the time or mental endurance to even bother. I told him the stylist wouldn't listen when I said to please hurry and that it didn't matter if it wasn't an exact match to the picture she was using as a color guide. She didn't even cut my hair!, I said. He ended up apologizing and saying I could come in and get the color fixed by another stylist at no cost and to get my haircut (which I would have to pay for) and that someone would call me to get my appointment rescheduled.

I'm going back in this weekend to get it fixed and to finally get my haircut (third time's the charm??).

At this point I'm sort of embracing my shaggy hair. I wanted a shorter cut, like more Emma Watson (heart!) and less like Elisha Cuthbert ('24' ... ugh). But I think I'm actually 'working it' now and once my sad highlights are fixed and my hair trimmed and cleaned up, I could pull off Audrey Tautou or Katie Holmes.

Me on vacation on July 4th, dark (natural) hair with just a few highlights:

Me on Monday, July 25th with blonde hair! First day back at work (I was wearing a couple bobbie pins this day - I really didn't have the energy to style it)

This one's sort of blurry but it shows just how gold/blonde my hair is now. You can see some of the 'dimensional' highlights (pfftt) ... there is red as well as blonde:

After the stress of that appointment has diminished, I actually do like my haircolor. I panicked at first thinking I had gone entirely too blonde. The last time I was blonde, I was 3 years old and had Annie ringlets all over my head. I just had to get used to seeing myself like that. I don't realize how much of a change it is until I see it ON my head.

But everyone says they love my new color! Including Kevin who is my toughest critic so, I think the color can stay for a while. At least until I really, really have to have black hair. Or auburn ...

PS - The party on Saturday night that I mentioned was my friend's bachelorette party! We had a really fun time and all her sweet friends ooh'ed and ahh'ed over my hair. A much needed ego boost and girl's night with plenty of drinks and Mexican food. score! 

She is now married as of this Saturday, 7/30. Congratulations, Ashley and Daniel!!

Nail Polish Review: Sally Hansen Salon Effects

A few days ago I decided to purchase some of the much-discussed-and-reviewed Sally Hansen Salon Effects nail polish strips. They are essentially nail polish stickers than you apply to clean, buffed nails; file off the excess from the ends and you have (or are supposed to have) nicely polished nails for "up to 10 days".

I applied them on Friday night after a jaunt to Target with the hubs. They were $8.50 which I think is cheaper than what I was expecting? For some reason I had $10 in my head. I asked him which pattern he liked and he picked out 'Girl Flower', a very floral very retro looking pattern - fun for Spring. I had my eye on 'Misbehaved' or 'Check It Out' but ... there's always next time (check out the link above to see all the available colors and patterns).

The application was simple enough. I prepped my nails (aka, trimmed and filed) and cleaned up my cuticles with the orange stick that was included in the package. Then I buffed the surface of my nails with the tiny file (also included), applied a bit of polish remover which was recommended in the instructions (apparently this helps the polish adhere better and stay put longer).

I held the strips up to my nails to pick out which sizes were best ... there are a bunch of sizes so pretty much every nail will have a (nearly) perfectly-matched strip of nail polish. Then you just pull off the protective cover, then the backing and carefully stick the polish onto your nail. From how I understood the instructions, you are supposed to use a new strip for every nail. But the length of the strips was enough for me to use one strip for two nails: one for both index fingers, another for both middle fingers and so on. I have pretty short nailbeds. ;) For someone with longer nailbeds or who likes to grow their nails out, one strip per nail would work.

Here is a photo of my nails on Friday night and then a couple from this morning ... they look just about the same, huh?



just ignore my sad, dry skin. hah! ;))



The polish has stayed on without chipping or scratching after I've showered, washed dishes and even deadheaded my plants in the backyard. I decided on Sunday to apply a layer of regular top coat just to give it some extra strength. This is not necessary though since the polish already has a sheen to it.

Overall I'm pleased with this product - but I still have 7 days to go!

We'll see how it holds up.

Let me know:

Have you used Salon Effects?

What are your thoughts?

 

PS - Here is my new favorite color of nail polish. It's called 'Moss' by SpaRitual and I found it at Aveda this weekend when I went for my haircut. I have it on my toes right now - awesome for Spring! Plus all these pastel colors seem to be 'in' right now so there is a nice selection of colors like this one as well as light pinks, blues, yellows and lavendars.

Good Things for February

Here again is my monthly edition of the good things list: just a few things I've encountered - products, foods, experiences - that stuck out and that I feel are worth passing on to my faithful 5 (blog followers, that is).

1. Tree Hut brand Sugar Scrubs. I recently found these for under $6 at Wal Mart. A quick Google search showed that most places sell them for the $6-7 range so I think this is pretty good. I got the Brazilian Nut (omg, rich, nutty, warm ... like a cup of mocha latte for your skin) and the Coconut Lime; my 'signature fragrance' for the Spring and Summer is Coconut Lime Verbena from B&BW and Kevin loves it so that's definitely a factor. This scrub is like that, but slightly milder and even more tropical. Tree Hut puts lots of natural oils in their products and I think this helps the whole 'tropical paradise' image that happens whenever you twist off the cap. Highly recommend.

2. Freeman Beauty GoodStuff Organics Foot Balm. I recently got this for about $2 - since I've had such a great experience with their hand lotion, I thought I would give it a whirl. This balm has a nice mild fragrance (shea butter and lemongrass) and is very thick to nourish dry, calloused feet. A great way to moisturize overnight during the dry Winter months: just massage onto your feet (or preferably, have a generous spouse do this for you!) and cover with thick socks overnight.

 3. Bolthouse Farms 100% Carrot Juice. This save a lot of time; I'm not sure how much money it saves - each bottle is $3-5 depending on where you shop. But it's definitely easier than juicing pounds of carrots at home and is SO delicious. It's the best carrot juice I've had. They use baby carrots so it's extra sweet. It's a great, filling drink as an in-between-meal ... plus it has a lot of great nutrients like potassium and Vitamins A and C. (www.bolthousefarms.com)




4. The Aveda Institute of Dallas. This is where I got my most recent haircut and I couldn't be more pleased. I previously worked with one of the very talented students here and she is the stylist who gave me my great new hairstyle. Check out her up-and-coming website here as well as her articles in the Dallas Examiner. Their pricing is incredibly competitive, their salon very profession and spa-like, their staff friendly and welcoming, and their service A+. I have finally found a salon I'm happy to visit at a price I can afford and not feel like I'm getting ripped off or worry I'll have to live with a horrible haircut that I paid ENTIRELY too much for. Check them out, and ask for Anita while you're at it.

5. High-waisted trousers from Urban Outfitters. I have recently revolted (if only temporarily) from low-rise pants. I am sick of the way they feel, especially for work pants. I'm sick of them hitting in just the wrong spot and constricting and pinching. If my weight changes by 2 pounds, they no longer fit me. UNacceptable. So I recently discovered some high-waisted pants (Kevin calls them Grandma pants but I ignore him) from Urban Outfitters. Their apparel is not especially economical but they often have some great items on super sale - like pants that are usually $60 or $80 on sale for $10 or $20. I got this pair by Kimchi Blue and this pair by Pins and Needles (pictured at right) and am happy with them both.

I don't have tiny calves like the models (I'll go ahead and blame the 3 years of Irish dancing that bulked up my leg muscles, even if that's not 100% true ;) so the pants are not quite so loose at the hems ... but they are still loose enough and very comfortable all around. I usually wear these pants with a blouse (silky materials work well) or camisole tucked in to show off the cute tie-waists and then wear a cardigan or a blazer over that. Basic; easy; comfortable.

My style is a very dynamic and evolving creature and I try to just go with the flow - whatever my 'style brain' likes I will try it and experiment and see if it works for me. Sure I don't want to look like a grandma - I'm not even 30 - but I want to be comfortable. And I think there is room for comfort and a bit of vintage charm while still looking like a 20-something. Yes? Apparently people who shop Urban Outfitters apparel department agree. ;)