So That Happened...

Donator's Remorse

I've been donating things to Goodwill for years.  Old clothes, shoes, purses, household items, you name it - if I hadn't used it in a year out it went.  In November I made a point of donating a lot of things and really pushed myself to let go of some of the cutest items that I really never wore but was holding onto just because.  One such thing was a pair of Nine West fuschia leather peep-toe platform slingback heels.  Sounds cute, right?  I know.  I bought them at least four years ago along with a pair of black ones in the same style.

Naturally, I wear the black ones WAY more than the fuschia ones.  The fuschia pair was barely used, so when I went through my closet for the purge I threw them in the donation bag.  What on EARTH would I wear them with, I kept telling myself.

Fast-forward to today.  I was in Marshalls looking at dresses and found the cutest spring/summer piece for 17 dollars.  That is practically free in my book so I bought it. 

You can guess where this is going.

Yes, the new dress matches the fuschia heels PERFECTLY.  Even the style of the shoe matches that of the dress.  And now I DON'T HAVE THE SHOES.  So what did I do?

I went to the Goodwill where I dropped them off to see if I could BUY THEM BACK.

No such luck.  Sigh.  I hate myself.

Retail Therapy

Because sometimes you just have to scratch that itch.  Or in my case, itches.

This week I bought:

• This dress (mind you, I have no big party to go to until August, so this will sit in the closet until then along with all the other party dresses I have bought over the past few years.  Also, I will have to find shoes and a proper clutch to use with it.)
• These shoes (not to be worn with the aforementioned dress, and OF COURSE they are on sale NOW.  Grr.)
• Bumble and Bumble's Surf Spray (my summer hair styling product of choice).
• The 80-GB iPod Classic in Black.  My previous one (the U2 model) was almost 3 1/2 years old and it died an unceremonious death this week.  Now Jen can no longer tease me for having an old-school iPod ('It doesn't have VIDEO!')  Heh.

NO, IT IS NOT

Overheard in Target a few weeks ago:

Grandmother to her grandchildren: It's okay to mix black and brown.   If you have a brown belt, it's okay to wear black shoes, or vice versa.

I had to restrain myself from swooping into their conversation like a fashion-conscious bat out of hell.

The Lady Is A Vamp

Remember when I said I wanted Sporty Spice's bangs?

DONE!

(Today's post title is from the Spice Girls album, Spiceworld!)

Still Spicing Up My Life

Or, How I Could Have Summed Up The Concert In Two Words:

Posh wept.

Heather and Jessica have written about the concert - make haste and go check them out, why don't you?

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I'll tell you what I want, what I really really want: Sporty's bangs. Really. I worked the blunt-cut bangs a few years ago after seeing Chiaki Kuriyama as the delightfully evil Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and am seriously considering doing it again.

Here's a shot of what I looked like back in February 2004:

Argh. Not the best photo of me, but the bangs look excellent. What say you, internets? Should I go for the big chop?

On Vanity

It's funny how a single thing can trigger a backlash of memories.  I saw a news package this week on the 15-Minute Nose Job, and one of the patients got me thinking about my history with my nose.  This patient, a Filipino woman, said that she always wanted a different nose.  I could relate.

When I was growing up, I hated my nose.  HATED it.  I thought it was too flat and not at all cute.  I remember wondering why I didn't inherit my father's slim nose bridge, because that was what I really wanted more than anything.  I coveted a bridge, something that would make for a nice profile and would also be functional in that it would keep my glasses from sliding down my face.  I distinctly remember rubbing my seemingly nonexistent bridge with my thumb and forefinger as if to pinch it into shape, and praying every night, hoping that I would somehow magically develop a shapely bridge while I slept, and wake up looking like a Brand New Me.

(That said, as much as I hated my nose, I would be the first to defend it.  One time this boy called me "Flat Nose," and I delivered a backhanded slap with lightning speed.  I cut my finger on his braces.  I still have the scar.)

When I started wearing makeup I didn't bother with trying to use contouring powder to create some fake bridge.  For one, I didn't wear enough makeup every day to warrant using contouring powder.  Second, that always looks fake, so why bother?  I learned to live with it.

Which takes me to where I am today.  I no longer have that complex.  It has been years since I fretted over my lack of bridge, since I prayed for a new nose.  I don't even remember when I grew out of it.  Perhaps when I finally grew into my face was when I finally let go of that demon, and, let me tell you, it feels really good.  Good to accept the nose I was born with, to not have a problem with it anymore.  Heck, I even think it's cute.

Momentous

I do not think I made it clear how excited I was to finally learn how to do a proper smoky eye.  It has been the Holy Grail of application tricks for me, and I don't even wear makeup on a daily basis.  Every time I tried it, I inevitably looked like I either had nothing on or - horrifically - too much on and verged upon Connie Chung territory, which, NO.  Now that I have that look down, I feel almost obligated to do my face up regularly.  Almost. 

With my smoky eyes, fabulous new mascara, and Shu Uemura eyelash curler I've coveted for years, I can take on the world - THE WORLD!

Next on my list of Things That Will Make Me Pretty: the T3 Tourmaline hair dryer.  I used it for the first time while in Vegas, and it's AMAZING.  My hair was so shiny and smooth, and it really looked two inches longer.  Yay nice hair!

And Now For Something Completely Different

More recommended reading for you today! 

An Annual Letdown: The Strapless Bra

Having recently purchased a $45 strapless bra that migrates south within minutes (grr), all I can say in response to this article is, "PREACH IT!"  Am I right, ladies?

The Princess Mystique

I would like to suggest that you take some time to read the following Peggy Orenstein article from this Sunday's New York Times Magazine.  It's really interesting.  The underlying question: is the "Princess culture" ultimately damaging to young girls, or is sometimes a princess just a princess?

What's Wrong With Cinderella?

More later from me on all things Christmas-y.

Well, I Didn't Expect THAT Gift

Overheard at A Mano's holiday party last night:

Co-owner Annette: "And the winner of a $100 gift certificate for Botox or other treatments is...Catherine!"

Me: "I WON!"

Everyone else: "YOU don't NEED Botox!!"

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True.  I don't need Botox, nor would I get it if I did. I don't have any tattoos to remove, either.  HOWEVER, I can use the gift certificate for laser hair removal, which, awesome.