Ugh…  I look tired and drab.

I lost a lot of hair.

A lot of length gone.

Look at the pretty, shiny color.  This is the lightest my hair has ever been.  I actually thought it would be lighter.

And here’s the look.  What do you think?

If you’re around the Des Moines area contact @aka_Hadley via Twitter or call Hair West at (515) 964-3705 and ask for an appointment with Hadley.  She’s a lot of fun and if she’s really comfortable with you you may a) sing, b) make “Kung Fu Panda” noises while she slices off large amounts of your hair or c) jump up and down while she blow-dries.

Disclosure:  I paid full price to have my hair done.

I’m not sure why that is.  I was trained as a cosmetologist in the late 80’s and took esthetics training in the 90’s.  It wasn’t really much different.  Maybe it’s because many cosmetologists (not all) really don’t want to do anything but hair.  (I remember really hating to do pedicures.  I was quite good at them, however, and was requested for many.  I gave a great leg massage…)

But I have strayed from my point…

Eyebrows.  I don’t know about you, but when my eyebrows are shaggy I not only look tired but I feel unkept and rundown.  A nicely arched eyebrow not only opens your eye area, it gives your face a polished, pulled together look.

I recently decided to try threading.  Quite simply, the hairs are removed from your eyebrows by thread which pulls as it is twisted around specific hairs.

It was… interesting.  It took a bit longer than a waxing as fewer hairs are removed at one time.  For my eyebrows this was a benefit as just a few of the wrong hairs missing means the eyebrow pencil has to be used.  The pain level was, honestly, about the same.  It hurt less near the center of the face, where it is more bony, and more near the outer corners of the eyebrow.

The plus:  if you have a tendency to burn easily or have skin pull off when you use wax this is a great technique.  I experienced almost no redness.

The downside: I’m really not sure what, if any, training threaders go through (especially if they are in a mall kiosk).  Be sure to ask questions before you begin and let the threader know if you don’t want to much removed.

The verdict:  I’m really happy with the results.  My brows are both nicely arched and I didn’t have crazy redness for the next 12 hours.

Cost: about the same as a wax.  $10 + tip in my area.

My hair grows quickly, so drastic colors are difficult to maintain. Not impossible, but expensive.

Here’s what I have going on right now…

The last time I had my hair cut and colored was mid-January, right before I went to Blissdom. We then moved to Massachusetts and I wasn’t able to find a salon close by that could get me in for a cut when I was available.

While this “style” doesn’t annoy me terribly, it just doesn’t feel like it has any definite style. And I feel blah. Especially when I don’t have the time to style it- like today… Or most days, then it’s just in a ponytail… blah.

I uploaded my photo into TheHairStyler.com, paid $9.95 and played with styles.

I had to upload a couple different photos as your face has to line up with their grid so the hair “sits” on your head correctly. As you’ll see in a moment, I have a very square jaw and, according to their grid my ears are low. Because the styles are “cut out” they sit rather heavily on your photo.

My take on this site?  Save your money unless you really want to play with colors and drastic cuts.  I think people have a pretty good idea of what looks good on them and a competent stylist can easily create a great style to fit your face and coloring if you just give them leeway.

Anyway, here are my results… In both dark brown and dark red.

These were the styles that looked best. Notice anything? Like the fact that they are all very similar? And all pretty low maintence. And, honestly, not too terribly different from what I have now. *sigh*

Another thought I have is something along the lines of Mariska Hargitay, a-la this Ladies Home Journal cover (January 2009) which is, I swear, diffrent than the one I sw at the vet’s office…
But she’s so stinkin’ cute and has a rather square jaw. And she always looks great. I suppose a stylist will do that for you…

So, what say you?  Leave your comments and tell me what to do with my hair…  Cut, color, style…  Should I let it grow?  Cut it off?  Color it a ravishing red?

I’m setting an appointment for sometime the week of the 22nd.  Give me your opinions & why.  The winning haircut is what I’ll get!

And it all began with a book. A fairly simple book; a book more for the purpose of entertainment than self-help; a book about an insecure young woman; a book that was written by a man.

But this book, B as in Beauty, made me stop and evaluate a few things about myself.

It’s funny how we, as women, view our bodies.  When I was younger I had an amazing body.  As I look back at photos I see strength, smooth skin and youth.  Of course, at the time, I saw myself as not thin enough.  When I look into the mirror now I see all my imperfections: lumpy belly, c-section scar, saddlebags, boobs that have migrated south, skin that looks tired.

Never mind that this body of mine produced two healthy, beautiful daughters.  Forget that this body takes me through every day of caring for my family.  I look in the mirror and think that my body has let me down.

But has it really?  Or should that statement be reversed?  Because isn’t the real truth that I have let my body down?  Haven’t I quit caring for it the way I once did?  I no longer have time for 2 hour sessions at the gym followed by a relaxing steam in a eucalyptus sauna.  Who doesn’t understand that my shower may or may not be followed by lotion before my skin dries because there are little people who need something?  And when was the last time I pampered my feet with a pedicure?

Yes, I definitely think I have let my body down.  And I am working very hard to reverse that because I think that the more I show my body I appreciate it the more I actually will.

Like I said, all these thoughts were brought on by a book.  A book that is, truly, a fun read; a “beach” book.  A book about a girl who is insecure and uncomfortable in her own skin.  How she learns to truly love herself (and not change anything on the outside) is entertaining and, truly, unexpected.

B as in Beauty

A big thank you to Hachette Books for sending this to me!

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Make sure I can easily find an email to contact you; I will not search for one. Contest ends Thursday, June 4 at 11:59 pm. I will draw the winner June 5. The winner will be contacted via email and will have 3 days to respond. If I do not hear back from the winner within that time another winner will be drawn.

Are you sure you’re not in the market for a Unity Candle? I’m thinking a small lighting ceremony in the middle of karaoke would be great! You guys could sing “You’re The One That I Want” while you light it!

Quite often than means scouring sale racks for discount clothing… Or perusing websites for end-of-season specials.

I also check out Heavenly Couture’s website. It’s full of good quality clothing priced at $17.95- or below! It’s amazing! And while it is predominately a “juniors clothing” site I can find pieces that will work on a not-yet-ancient woman. Like these:

So if you’re on a budget like me or if you just like to get more for your money and buycheap clothing I suggest a stop at heavenly Couture.

I may have to make some time soon for some beading, though. I just found this great site that has beautiful wholesale beads. The selection of semi-precious gemstones in a wide variety if cuts is huge. They have gorgeous topaz in many colors, stunning ametrine, tourmalines in various hues and more stones that I have never heard of. And they have freshwater pearls in so many colors. I didn’t know pearls came in burgundy, bronze and blue! It’s almost overwhelming.

If you create jewelry you’ll want to check out the huge selection and variety of wholesale gemstone beads at BeadsOfCambay.com. They offer discounts up to 30% and you will not be disappointed with their selection.

And don’t overlook their discounted beads. There are some copper coin freshwater pearls listed there now – a 16 inch length for under $20. They would make a very simple but quite stunning necklace all by themselves.

So I have to shop carefully and discriminately. That’s one of the reasons I like to peruse Heavenly Couture. They carry great quality clothes in a wide variety of styles; all at deep discounts. And you know, with my frugality, that I only buy Discount Clothing.

Here are a few styles I found at the site today:

Nice, huh? And all perfectly acceptable for a woman my age.

I mentioned that this is Cheap Clothing, right? In fact, all the items I showed you (as well as everything else on the site) is $17.95 or less. And, right now, you can take additional savings up to 10% off during their “back to school” special.

Go on… Peruse the site… You know you want to…

Because I have been a stylist I tend to be a bit pickier while also maintaining the stance of “it’s only hair” and “hair is just another accessory”. Which can freak people out. I’ll try new things… But just because it’s new doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be done well.

So now I have to find a new stylist. Argh. I hate that. (Hey Paula- where do you go?)

Myself, I don’t know much about art other than “I like it” or “Seriously, Brenna could do that.” Luckily not all art galleries are pretentious or uppity. Park West Art Gallery has a great page just for beginning collectors.

If you have any interest in art Park West Gallery is a great starting point. Their website is very easy to use, is chock full of information and has plenty of ways to contact the gallery with questions. It’s definitely a great resource for wanna be art collectors.