Ten things...

The lovely Mrs. Sarah Reed (www.thereedsintexas.blogspot.com) tagged me in her heartfelt blog to write ten things you may not know about me. In keeping with the theme of my mommy beauty blog, I will dedicate half to beauty-related "things" and half to mommy-related "things":

1. After all the research I've done and products I've tried, I still have not found the PERFECT skin care products that make me look flawless and pore-less. I know the reason for this is that there is NO perfect product, and that some problems with our skin are inherent and inherited. I do think I've found some of the best, most inexpensive products so far in Paula's Choice (www.paulaschoice.com) These are definitely worth a try because you can sample everything prior to buying. I was a skeptic of Paula's Choice before (she is the author of several books that I love, including "Don't Go to the Cosmetic Counter without me") because she focuses on the ingredients only for her reviews. Of course, no single person can use every retail product out there and review it, but sometimes you have to use something for several weeks to determine its efficacy on your skin. However, I am a convert to Paula's choice products so far. Will keep you updated, readers.

2. I find myself wanting to simply my beauty routine lately. So, I have taken off my toenail polish for now (my toes haven't gone without polish since I was probably 15) and I am growing out my leg hair for a week so I can wax it. Both of these things are not endearing me to my husband right now. Heehee!

3. I can spend literally an hour sometimes looking in the magnifying mirror and picking and squeezing (something I tell clients NOT to do as it leads to picking and squeezing). I am obsessed with eradicating blackheads and annihilating built up oil. This is not good for me, and I wish I could follow my own "hands-off" advice, but I can't. I'm addicted.

4. Speaking of addicted, I am heavily addicted to magazines. I have just renewed some subscriptions and I will soon be receiving Marie Claire, Lucky, Glamour, Ladies Home Journal, Oprah, and People each month. Yikes! I justify it by saying I need the first three to keep up with beauty trends, etc. but also I looooovvvvveeee to crack open that cover after plucking it from the mailbox and looking at all the glossy ads and pictures and reading about Brangelina and various other topics. Aaaaaaahhh, I love magazines. Oh yes, I also get a trade magazine for estheticians, but that was free. So there. And I reuse, and recycle.

5. Last beauty related "thing": I was in a car accident when I was four years old. In Oklahoma, someone hit my mother and I on an icy road and then ran. Due to the crappy car seats that existed in 1984, my face went through the side window. I had over 200 stitches and several weeks in the hospital, then subsequent plastic surgeries over the next couple of years. I feel like I was a beautiful baby before that happened. The awful thing about a facial scar is that you can never hide it if you want to, you always have to answer the question "What happened to your face?". That single awful moment in my life has led to several bouts with minor depression, shyness, and a lack of self confidence that goes so deep into my psyche, I'm not really aware of it most times, it just manifests itself as part of my personality. The scar has faded over the years, but is still very visible. I know that some types of surgery can further minimize it, but I feel as if I've already had enough. I also feel as if it's "me". I've learned to not feel wounded when people ask about it anymore. I've also learned that if someone (Hubby) thinks I'm beautiful, I must really be to them. Beauty, as we all know, is in the eye of the beholder. So I'm glad I've found a few "beholders" in my life to appreciate the way I look.

6. "Mother" related things beginning now: Some days I think I am a great mother, and some days I think I am the worst mother that ever lived. If you already are a mother, I'm sure you know how this feels. And if you are going to be one someday, just wait. You too will feel like this.


7. I love when people exclaim over how cute Ellie is. I eat it up. I love that strangers tell me how cute and pretty she is and I just glow with pride. She is cute as a button, after all. When I go somewhere, like the store, I will dress her in a cute outfit and fix her hair in the hopes of stranger exclamation. Please don't judge me, in 12 years she will be slamming the door in my face and making me buy her whatever ugly trend is in fashion then.






8. Sometimes I drive myself crazy with thinking about horrible things that could happen to my children and will just sob with the thought of the tragedy. And I will also cry when I think about them growing up. And not needing me anymore. And leaving me someday. And now I feel like I could cry again!


9. I am not impressed with my body right now. It is a much rounder shape than I would like, and I hate having to suck my stomach in all the time and buy jeans that flatten it down. I really, really hope and pray that my body goes back to a sexy shape. However, I want all this accomplished without exercise. I do not like to exercise. I think it is work. I couldn't imagine a more hellish way to spend a half hour than to jog down the street in the sweltering Texas sun. There are some things I like doing (aerobics, swimming, yoga) but time and or money is always an issue. So with my no fail workout plan of dancing around the house, cleaning, swimming once a week, biking once a week, and eating ice cream some nights at 10:00, I hope to get some semblance of a pre-baby body back. Someone help me!

This is why I am in a round shape, guys. (A good reason, at least)

10. I never really knew how much I wanted children until I had them (until I got pregnant). I always thought I was too introspective and semi-selfish to give all I had to a child. Different things from my childhood made it hard to give affection and open up the way I needed to. But after I held my children for the first time, I knew I would do anything to make sure they were loved. I kiss them a thousand times a day, and tell them I love them every chance I get. My little joys (and troubles, sometimes) have made me into a completely different version of myself. And a better one.

Hairy Situations

My back is killing me tonight because I did a 3-hour body waxing on a client this morning. While I really do love waxing, and I love making people feel better about themselves, I have to say that I do not understand some women's absolute revulsion about their own body hair!

First, I will confess about myself, because, truthfully, I'm not a lot better than some hair-haters: I am a compulsive, every-day leg shaver. The bottom half I shave EVERY day, winter or summer, and the top half, every 2-3 days religiously. If I didn't get the most horrible underarm reactions, I would shave there every day too. I had a fraught relationship with my bikini area filled with shaving irritations, ingrown hairs from waxing, and near-gymnastic moves to do my own bikini waxes on a regular basis. Two and a half months ago, I decided to do laser-hair removal which has been, next to marrying my husband, the best decision I ever made in my life! Two treatments into it and I am a hairless goddess you-know-where. I will make a disclaimer and say that I have fair skin and dark hair, which I'm told lends to the best results.

While I don't mind parting with my own leg, underarm, and the majority of my bikini hair (I do like some to hang around, mind you), I could care less about my relatively hairy arms, upper lip and thick eyebrows.

Here are my "expert" hair removal recommendations that won't kill you pain- and money-wise:

Face: eyebrow waxing / shaping every six to eight weeks from a pro - if you go to a great person, you won't have to worry about brows that are too thin; lip waxing every few months if it's blonde, more often if it's darker (or you can bleach) I've also read that Vaniqa really works but it is pricey; please don't wax your entire face - the vellus hair loses some of its softness and unless you have a real need (such as growing back after chemo, sometimes it's thick) don't start waxing your whole face.

Body: do what works for you - if you can handle shaving, it's the cheapest way to remove hair. Use a good shave cream every time and a fresh razor every week or so, and moisturize after your shower. Waxing is great for summer, you get longer time before regrowth happens and a cleaner look for your bikini area. I can also wax off that "underbutt" hair that is so hard to shave! I don't really recommend depilitories because they can be so caustic to your skin and you can easily give yourself a chemical burn. If you do start waxing, book a series of appointments every six weeks - the pain will be less each time and the hair will grow back softer. Also be prepared to deal with ingrowns - they are more prevalent with waxing because the hair is finer and has a hard time pushing through skin. I have had good results with both PFB Vanish treatment and TendSkin, but I had to use them religiously every day after waxing.

Back to my original tangent: I get clients all the time who want every last piece of hair gone from various body areas. Sometimes I even try to talk them out of it- like all the hair on the arms gone, or face. I've had clients who think they are "gross" or "hairier than everybody else" or "man-like". THAT IS NOT TRUE! We are all mammals, and we all have hair! That is one of the pre-requisites to joining the mammalia club! I don't like it when anybody I know or work with thinks they are gross or ugly in some way. It makes me sad for them because I can see from the outside how flawed their perception of their own body is. When I was waxing my client I complimented her on her petite little arms, and she wouldn't even take the compliment! I know I have done this myself many times and I vow here and now to stop and just say "Thank you" when someone tells me something good.

LADIES- You are not gross! So what if a hair is peeking out here or there, or if your legs are stubbly for a day or two? Why are we as a society so obsessed with perfection? It is not attainable - the best beauty pursuit is to feel as GOOD about yourself as you possibly can. I believe women feel self-conscious about their bodies because we usually see so little "real" naked women in our lifetimes. I do - all the time - and I know I'm no hairier or lumpier or bumpier than anyone else. We always see airbrushed, waxed, spray-tanned, made-up, and augmented women instead of our real counterparts.

An awesome website: www.theshapeofamother.com
While it focuses mainly on pregnancy photos, a lot are postpartum and these ladies are REAL and they are not afraid to show you what real boobs, butts, and stomachs look like (hairy or not)