Conceal Me

I'm so tired...so tired...so tired. But my eyes look wide awake...that's because I went to the makeup store and told the makeup lady that I needed to freshen up all the dark circles under my eyes...the ones that seem to be getting darker by the minute...no wonder when I stay up like last night until 2:00 am in the morning (who do I think I am...trying to pull an all-nighter...like when I was in college...I wonder if the visit to University of Central Florida this past week is wearing off on me).

So I told the makeup lady, "Please give me your best cover up..anything that will cover up the darkness around my eyes." "I like Fresh Absolute Concealer," she said, "It goes on smooth and covers up those dark lines very nicely." "How much is it?" I asked. "Just $25," she responded. "Okay," I thought, "If this is what it costs to brighten up my eyes and get rid of my raccoon-looking face I'll buy the Fresh stuff...and for good measure I told the makeup lady to also throw in the concealer brush too...for another $25." Cie la vie.

Little did I know that when the makeup lady said be very gentle with the Fresh squirt bottle..that she meant a dab would do the trick...since the entire container is only .17 fl oz...yes...that entire container contains only .17 fl oz and it costs $25...I started to think about how many containers of Fresh Absolute Concealer it would take to fill up an 8 oz. cup and didn't have enough time to count...but the makeup lady warned me...she said you only need a dab...a spec of Fresh to accomplish the cure...the only issue was when I tried to get the dab...the spec...the tiny little spec out of the bottle (like she did in the store with the sample bottle) almost the entire .17 fl oz came flowing out...and I could not reverse it...no matter how much I tried to push the blob of concealer back into the pinhole of the container...it just would not budge...instead of a dab I had a blob...a big fat blob of concealer...and when I tried to use the concealer brush...I almost ended up looking like a 49 year old owl...my face was bright all right...it looked like it was lit up...almost florescent.

According to Bobbi Brown, the makeup maestro, some of the factors that cause under-eye circles are beyond our control - namely the aging process - with aging, "the skin around the eye area becomes thinner, so superficial blood vessels show through even more. (Thank you Bobbi for enlightening me on this subject...I don't like things that are out of my control...that's why I have to go purchase $50 for concealer and a concealer brush so I can put myself back in control...and then the darn container with its sensitive pressure point puts me out of control again.)

But wait, Bobbi also added an important point in her new book Bobbi Brown Living Beauty...she said that "it is worth it to have an arsenal of concealer colors - it'll do more for you than an extra lipstick. Spend wisely."

That's my Bobbi, she substantiated my spend...and my owl eyes...and I bought the lipstick color I liked too...why not by an extra lipstick...it's not that hard to operate a lipstick container...and the color does look nice with my owl eyes.

Judi

Mirror Mirror On The Wall

What a morning I had...I awoke early...5:30 am...just like any other weekday morning...only this morning...this morning when I went in the bathroom and looked in the mirror...I had a pimple on my nose....a big, ugly, red pimple near the tip of my nose.

I'm almost 49-1/2..."mirror, mirror, on the wall," said I, "...this morning is definitely not the fairest of them all"...I stared at my face in the center of the mirror...I then moved to the lefthand panel of the mirror and then to the right hand panel of the mirror..."Make it go away I said to the mirror"...only it didn't talk back.(Actually, I thought maybe if I stared long enough the pimple would just disappear.)

How is this possible...I thought I was all grown up at 49-1/2...and for a minute...a second...I felt like I was a teenager...what was I going to do with this pimple right in the middle of my nose...what if it didn't go away...would I be able to go to work (I remembered those awful days when I was 15 and I had a pimple on my face...I dreaded going to school)....what was I going to do now...will it eventually go away or turn into a permanent little lump or mole on my nose...like some of the other pimples have in recent months...if it stays I will definitely have to get a nose job for my 50th birthday.

I layered on my moisturizer being careful not to touch the nose...then I put on my Bobbi Brown foundation hoping it would cover the red mark...it wasn't working...next came the concealer and then the cover-up and finally my MAC compact came out of my handbag and I patted it on top...it was almost gone...just a tad of that pimple was peeking out...I decided I would not blow my nose all day...if I did I would have to keep the compact nearby for touch ups.

I went to the office hoping no one but me would notice that ugly red mark on my nose....I kept as close to my computer as possible and did not mention it at all...no, no...I did not say a word...and I never looked in the mirror all day (or even in the reflection of the computer monitor).

Sadly my pimple was still there when I arrived home...I may need to borrow my 17 year old's OXY tonight...or go online to check out acne treatments for the aging.

So I guess approaching 50...and being grownup doesn't mean you don't get pimples anymore...it's equally embarassing at 49-1/2 as it is at 15.

I have six more months before I'm 50...maybe the pimple will be gone by then.

Judi

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

I think my bad hair day today prompted me to write this post.

I remember the days in my 20's, 25 to be exact, the year I met my husband. I loved my hair. I used to get it cut at Bumble & Bumble, a top salon in NYC. My hair was the most important accessory then and it continues to be now. Only thing is, back then, it really looked good. I paid practically half my salary to get my haircut (I was an editor at the time and made next to nothing). I had such a full head of hair, it was very wavy and I wore it a bit longer than I do now. I never had to color or highlight it. It was always shiny.

Fast forward 25 years and two kids later...they never tell you that kids take all the curl out of your hair! After I had kids, my hair was flat as a pancake. It never grew back the same way. And now, my hair is not only thinner, but I also have a receding hairline. I notice a lot of other women my age have receding hairlines too, except my mother who at 85 still has a full head of thick hair black hair (thanks to Loreal color treatments)...guess I take after my dad's side of the family..I have heard that receding hair is heriditary. Men are allowed to lose their hair, but it doesn't look as flattering on women.

There are also the gray hairs that need covering up. Since I now color my hair almost every six weeks, I don't notice the gray roots as much, until about the fourth or fifth week...that's about where I am right now...that's why I'm having a bad hair day. My hair gets dull and limp and has no body...no matter how much hair gel, mousse or extra strength hairspray I put on it. And believe me, I have a bathroom cabinet full of gel, mousse, hairspray, color shampoos, extra body conditioners, etc, etc. ready to come to the rescue. I've tried many products that are supposed to transform your hair and am always looking for the miracle cure. If you know of one that works for you, please share it with me.

Tomorrow, I'm going to get my hair colored and highlighted. I find that when I get highlights my hair has much more body. Only issue for a person like me who has short hair is that you have to let it get longer, so they can put the highlights in your hair...so the foils stay on your head. That means about every 10 -12 weeks, I have about seven bad hair days until I can get my hair highlighted again. My haircolorist highlights my hair every other visit, about once every 12 weeks, and I get it colored in-between too to cover up the roots. Then I have to go to another salon where I get my haircut...doesn't make life any easier! I keep a calendar so I remember, although, I really don't need to because my bad hair days automatically let me know it is time to schedule an appointment.

It's interesting to note that my husband and son think I spend every other week at the salon getting a haircut. They don't even realize the difference between color, highlights and cuts, needless to say the important role each plays in the perfection of this accessory. When your hair is short the cuts are very subtle, but a few snips here and there can make the difference between a good hair day and a bad one. A good color brings back all the shine...and highlights...well, that's icing on the cake.

So, I know tomorrow may not be a better day since I will have to go through the entire work day with bad hair until I get my highlights that evening...but Wednesday, yes, Wednesday, I'll be smiling with my rich shiny hair and brilliant blonde highlights.

Do you know when I googled HAIRCARE there were 62 million sites that came up? Guess I'm not the only female whose hair is her most important accessory!

Judi

P.S. - Couldn't go through all 62 million sites, but did check out the third listing at hairboutique.com...it was a fun site all about hair....will have to bookmark that site and go back to it when I have more time...when I'm not blogging that is.