Blame my tween for my annoying use of "Instagram-speak." Between my "FLEEK" references and my "Yassssss! Kill 'em!" exclamations, it's no wonder that my latest identity-crisis folly involved a trip to my stylist to dye my hair blue. I typically go to her for highlights to cover my gray (yes, it's bad) and I've been getting golden streaks for the past year or so. But on Halloween I strutted into the salon, plopped down on her consult couch and announced that I wanted to tint my hair blue. She looked at me like I had lost my mind. "BLUE? You? Why BLUE?" And I explained to her that I wanted something funky and different and something that would snap me out of the Suburban Mommy grind. That's when she hit me with: "Blue is my favorite color! I love it. I just didn't know you were that much of a rockstar, that's all." Honey. You betta' ask somebody. I thought it was funny that when the stylist next to mine asked what color I was getting and I said: "Blue!" He said: "I know that's right!" It was almost like, because he didn't already know me, like my stylist did, blue made perfect sense. But to those who do know me, I got alllll the skepticism. And about 3 hours of lightening, then highlighting, then washing, then blowdrying, then re-highlighting missed spots, then washing and blowdrying again, I had my head full of blue panels. And I was in love. I've gotten nothing but compliments, and in fact, the color is not entirely obvious at all times, which is nice. I found myself a little self-conscious heading to my daughter's Catholic school parent-teacher conference right after my hair appointment and then the next morning at Chik-Fil-A, where I could have sworn I getting unusual stares. But I've since fully embraced my fun-colored locks (and, quite possibly, my one-third-life crisis). Living Richly Recommendation No. 2: Don't Be Afraid to Shake Up Your Look … [Read more...] about Oh By the Way, I Have Blue Hair Now
Style
ISO: The Perfect Boots for Fall
I'm falling off my game. {see what I did there? FALL?} Aside from the fact that I spent today in my husband's old Florida Gator football sweatpants and UGGs, I am thinking about my Fall wardrobe. First up? The perfect pair of boots. My husband will never understand the amount of thought and perusing that goes into finding the right pair of boots: heel height, shaft height, shaft width, color, material and, of course, price. It is a science ladies! Am I right? When I was practicing law, I generally got a new pair of boots each Fall - because I could afford it! - and also because I needed them to wear almost daily. But last year was the first year I skipped my annual purchase, mostly because I couldn't settle on the perfect pair. But I shall not be so defeated this time around. I know that I definitely want a flat boot (gone is the need for a heel when the bulk of my day is spent in the carpool line), and I also know that I want the boots to be black. I had a fleeting vision of myself in the thigh-high boots that are splattered across the pages of the magazines in my reading basket, but I would just look silly wearing those to volunteer at my daughter's cafeteria lunch period. The reality of my life is sobering folks. Here are my top finds: 1. BCBGeneration 'Konner' Leather Riding Boot // 2. Tahari 'Rupert' Riding Boot 3. Valentino 'Ascot' Boot // 4. Gucci 'Maud' Boot* *note: these last two I can afford in my dreams. But as my girl Jazzy says: Manifest That Ish! But assuming I did lead a luxurious and jet-setting life, check these muthas out: 5. Tamara Mellon Legging Boots Are you as obsessed with Fall boots as I am? … [Read more...] about ISO: The Perfect Boots for Fall
Wearing Cavalli (Small-Time High-Roller Style)
For the past year I've been wearing the same perfume because I ADORE IT. It's Hanae Mori and I can't tell you how many compliments I've received when wearing it, including from the one and only Shaquille O'Neal (yes, for real). This summer I went on a weekend cruise with my family and during one of the sales on board, I picked up Acqua by Roberto Cavalli on a whim. I love his clothes (not that I own any) and so I thought I could feel like I was "wearing Cavalli" by having this perfume. I'm nothing if not creative. Imagine my surprise when I opened it up and it smelled divine! It's a close contender for the top spot in my fragrance lineup. FYI: If you want to try either or both, these links will take you to my affiliate page on Amazon. … [Read more...] about Wearing Cavalli (Small-Time High-Roller Style)
Why Playing Santa For My Husband Is Futile: A Look At My Past Gift Ideas
So I'm totally the go-to person in my friend circle for gift recommendations and such - I'm usually pretty good with making suggestions or sharing the 'new, hot thing' but the one that I am TERRIBLE at is giving suggestions for people's husbands. Let me tell you why. It seems, it the 15+ years that I've known my own husband, I have failed to find a gift that he actually will use. All of the my usual tricks fall flat when it comes to figuring out what he'd like. Think About His Hobbies! I did that. Take last Christmas for example, one of the gifts I got him was a nifty sports towel that INSTANTLY COOLS ITSELF so that he could take it to basketball and the gym and stuff. Do you know where that towel is and how many times he's used it? Nope. Neither do I. Dwight Howard uses one for Pete's sake! Think About What He Needs. Did this too. About two years ago he was complaining about his winter gloves. He needed some new ones that were warm and maneuverable. Aha! I had that one in the bag. I got him some fly UGG flip mittens with leather palms that would allow him to let his fingers loose to fumble for keys or zip up his coat or whatever. Can I just say? The gloves are in pristine condition - untouched - and used exactly TWICE. Once by him and once by me. Think About What He Would Enjoy. People rarely pamper themselves and so I like to gift items that they wouldn't normally buy for themselves that would be a welcome treat. When I was working at my law job, I used to always pass this nice men's grooming store and decided to get hubby's a fancy shaving kit from there. Suffice it to say, the pieces are somewhere in the bathroom, collecting dust. Think About What Would Be Useful! My husband is a handyman and a MacGyver of sorts. He's always fixing stuff and he likes outdoor activities like fishing and so voila! Surely a Swiss Army Knife would be a winner of a gift. This one is so ridiculous that it's actually funny - each time we're out and about and he 'needs something sharp' or 'needs a flashlight' or 'needs a nail file', I've taken to screaming "WHERE IS YOUR SWISS ARMY KNIFE???!!!!" To which he replies: "Oh. Yeah. It's on my dresser. At Home." I could go on. There's the Adidas sneakers that I painstakingly selected that I thought were cool that he clearly isn't feeling. There's the moisturizer stick in the 'Boyfriend' scent from Naples Soap Company that is sitting on MY dresser. There's the breakfast basket I made filled with tools and gourmet items for his beloved breakfasts. He actually DID use the syrup I think. But the Williams-Sonoma waffle tongs and the Stonewall Kitchen pancake mix and the Nielsen Massey vanilla would have gone untouched save for me using them. I give up. And so, to my friends who ask me what they should get their husband's for their birthdays or their anniversary or Christmas, I laugh and say: extra storage for all the unappreciated purchases! Still, I feel compelled to buy him … [Read more...] about Why Playing Santa For My Husband Is Futile: A Look At My Past Gift Ideas
An Unexpected New Look
Last month I got new glasses from and new highlights to liven up my hair situation. I did these within a few weeks of each other, so the change in my look was gradual (to me), but once I got to Blogalicious, it was evident that the slight changes to my look were more drastic than I had anticipated. So many people remarked on how different I looked! I was reminded of the new look last week when it literally took Caryn a good minute before she recognized me at Camp Mighty - and she's known me for years! The specs came from Rivet & Sway and are of the 'nerd glasses' genre (according to my tween). I opted for a bright blue ombre because Lord Have Mercy I was tired of looking at the same ol' style of glasses that I'd been wearing for the past several years. I dig them: {Thanks @ThienKim for the pic!} The hair was a safe compromise because in my heart of hearts I wanted something SUPER different like, blonde ends or something or other. My stylist, Shante, said that I could ease into the bold style with some copper highlights that she did so that they could stand out or not, depending on my mood: I guess the combo made for an unintended new look. But I likey! I'd like to become one of those amazingly stylish people who successfully reinvents their look each season. Baby steps. … [Read more...] about An Unexpected New Look
