CC's graduation

CC's graduation
2nd in our class to graduate

Monday, October 25, 2010

Take'n fashion cues from... Dad?

Yes.  My Father was quite the fashionista.  Actually a slave to fashion.  If I think upon his extensive wardrobe and the elaborate hygiene rituals, I am amazed that the man had enough time for his Family, collecting random things that amounted to a lot of what no one really cared about and of course his time hunting things down on ebay.

When I think about his person, I envision cuff links that were to die for, watches that he had furiously searched for, ties that he hoarded like there was no tomorrow, suits he had made for him personally (he looked like an Easter egg one year.. with the help of a personal shopper from Nordstrom), belts for any size, the latest glasses and of course shoes.  Ahhhh... the shoes.  His collection of shoes was actually an obsession.  It went beyond obsession.  He had shoes in multiple sizes and colors and textures.  When he died I believe the count hovered somewhere around 120 pairs of men's shoes.  All expensive shoes.  Never would he have dreamed of going somewhere like Target to look for accessories, let alone shoes.  My mom ended up giving them away as she did with most of his clothing.

It took my mom quite some time to give away all of his clothing, but she did so at her own pace and slowly claimed his closet as her own for her craft projects which she so enjoyed.

A few years ago, my dad was into TOTAL MATCHY, MATCHY - he had several shirts that matched his shoes exactly.  He was super into stripes at that time... he would wear jeans and shoes that coordinated with the shirts to the T.  I could look at him and think, "at least he's coordinated"!   Please note, when I said several... I meant several - different colors, etc.    

His personal hygiene was one that I'll never forget.  Long showers, a system of drying off that was a loved routine, he shaved EVERY day, when I see him, I often envision his head turned with a face full of shaving cream responding to your question as we would contemplate the day.  He would get hair cuts frequently and used sun in on a regular basis.

He took better care of himself than most women I know.  I don't know how he did it, but he remained on the cutting edge with his fashion, whether it was his own or the actual latest fashion.

I think he would be proud of me.  I think he would be the last person to ever let me touch his hair.  He was a good looking guy.  When he died, the few things I got from him were one of his car t-shirts that still smelled like him and cuff links.  Some ties went to Ryan and I'll make sure that the boys get in on that when it's appropriate.

Mom made stars for us at Christmas time (he died in early summer) out of some of his clothing, which I think was therapy for her and a blessing for us - we can incorporate this into our Christmas time.  

When I look back, I appreciate his style, his meticulous way of taking care of himself, his passion for a good deal on clothing and his execution and attention to detail.  I love my Dad and miss him.  This is just one of the things that when I close my eyes I think about.

His birthday was last week.  He would have been 60.  There would have been fireworks.  He's been gone for just over 5 years.  What a happy memory he passed along.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Maintenance: How do you fit it all in?

I just posted the Evolution of Beauty by Dove in the blog right before this one, if you didn't catch it, here is the link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knEIM16NuPg

As I've plunged myself into a life of great personal maintenance, I honestly struggle with keeping up with it all.  Time vs. family vs. household vs. work vs. time with Jesus vs. all the pressures of a woman's life...  

So, if I were the "properly maintained modern woman" I should at minimum:

Wax (or sugar) my brows (at minimum) and other places at least twice a month.




Foil every 4-6 weeks (and/or some kind of color treatment)


Hair cuts 6-8 weeks

Conditioning treatment 1x per month

Nails at least 1x per week depending on what you have done (manicure vs. artificial nails 2x per mo) - don't forget fingers AND toes (I do mine at home)

Facials every 3-6 months

A facial mask 1x per week





Daily:
Shower - with a good shave if not waxed (I shampoo about twice a week)
Your skin care routine - morning and night (which consists with at least a cleanser, serum, eye cream and moisturizer)

Makeup application (don't get me started on how many steps this consists of for me)

Great blow dry and flat iron for your hair


Choosing the appropriate clothing for the right occasion (running kids to school, grocery shopping, work, church, play groups).



Touch up your nails if they've started to flake (mine are going at a rate of every three days) and the WAIT time to let them dry.


I think that's about it.  If I am missing something - let me know!  I did cover the shower part, right?

Of course there are many more things I could add to this list... but this is the minimum that is the generally expected of the average woman in our culture...

We are not even going to go into product... as you know I could go on for hours about serums for hair and face, lotions and sunscreens - body and face, primers for your foundation... ok, I'll stop, but you get my point.



How do you fit all of that into your time?  How well do you maintain a balance between what is relevant and needed for your basic beauty routine - and feel free to pick and choose what you do.  How do you keep up? Well, I'll be honest - as I've plunged headlong into the beauty industry, beyond just working a make up line, but hair, nails, waxing.  The pressure to maintain it all is ON!  How do I keep up?  How do I get it all done and balance putting myself in front of my my family and household duties - let alone time with Jesus and some reading to challenge my mind vs. what my industry now requires?  How do I not become consumed with the way I look and myself, yet maintain a standard for the line of work I've chosen?



In CAD (Condinued artist development - Mod 2), we did a million manicures in about 2 weeks on each other.  It was crazy, it was fun and educational.  As a result, I've noticed my nails are growing like crazy, longer and stronger than before.  So, I decided that I would start painting them on a regular basis.  Logan (and Damon) have been oddly curious with my new beauty routine for my fingers.  I painted my nails last night after the boys were asleep - because they've got to dry and I can't manage a two year old, open bottle of nail polish and wet finger nails, right?  This morning Logan DID notice that my nails were a different color and he took each finger and smelled them.  It was totally hilarious.  I know that painting fingernails might be a minor thing, but if you look at my "proposed" beauty routine - it adds another 2 hours to my week that is already jammed packed.



At what point do you stop, slow down or remove parts of your beauty routine to maintain your life?  I know this won't be popular among many in my circle, but it's a real question I've got to ask myself... how to maintain and keep all the balls in the air.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on your routine and how you fit it all in...

The Evolution Of Beauty