Mommiedaze

I Had No Idea This Was Such Risky Behavior

I had my eyebrows waxed the other night.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Something that I and millions of women do all the time.

But for the first time ever, I had to sign a release form absolving the salon and the cosmetologist of any and all responsibility should something go wrong.

That can only mean on thing.

Someone, somewhere sued someone else for something that went awry during a waxing.

I can only imagine the horrible accident that lead to that.

I really had no idea waxing could be so dangerous.

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Girl Talk: Does Your UPS Man Know what You Look Like without Your Make-up On?

I didn’t get Girl Talk posted last Thursday, because my parents were coming to visit, and I was knee deep in housework. Housework takes three times as long when you have a three-year-old boy going behind you un-doing everything you just picked up and straightened. Oy!

This week I’ve been hunkered down at home working on some other projects, and taking care of a sick husband.

So I haven’t gone out much the last few days except for a couple quick trips to the store to replenish the milk supply. Speaking of milk, did you ever think you’d see the day that a gallon of milk and a gallon of gas were roughly the same price? Are the milking machines running on Premium now or what?

When I’m just at home and have no plans to go out, I have to admit I don’t exactly take the time get gussied up. Don’t worry. I do shower regularly, and change my underwear. But I let my hair just air dry, and the most make-up that goes on is a pre-emptive layer of Oil of Olay. That always comes back to bite me when I do end having to run out of the house unexpectedly, or answer the door for the UPS man.

Anyhoo…

What I am taking the long way around to get to is this.

What’s the minimum amount of primping you’ll leave the house with? I have a few rules.

1. My hair must be combed and mostly laying right.

2. My clothes must be presentable. No ill-fitting or stained clothes, and absolutely no pajama pants. I can not stand it when I see people out shopping in their pjs, and yes, even their fuzzy slippers! Don’t they at least own some sweats and pair of flip-flops? Really!

3. Mascara. I can go out with out lipstick, eyeshadow, even foundation, but I just feel naked with out my Great Lash.

So how about you? What are your minimum requirements for leaving the confines of your house?

Talk to me Girls.

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Girls Just Wanna Win Swag Giveaway: Makeup from Mixology

The winner of last week’s giveaway for the $25 gift certificate from Soothing Rituals is Jen G. Thank you to everyone who entered. We had such a great response to the giveaway last week. I know Michelle appreciated all the wonderful comments. Please, when you need a special gift or just have an urge to go shopping, remember these ladies featured here on Girls Just Wanna Win Swag and go support their companies.

This week I want to introduce you to Rae who sells handmade organic, vegan mineral makeup through her company Mixology.

Rae says her makeup is a healthy alternative that will improve skin quality, and give a radiant look without harsh ingredients! “NO cheap fillers, NO chemicals, NO synthetic dyes,” which she says are the cause of most allergic reactions, “and NO preservatives.” It’s also Bismuth and Carmine Free.

Gentle and all-natural, Mixology is perfect for very sensitive skin. It also has anti-inflammatory effects and offers great coverage for acne & rosacea. The makeup is virtually water resistant, won’t clog pores so that the skin can breathe, and is a natural SPF. Because it’s light-weight and made from dry ingredients, bacteria does not grow in the makeup as long as it’s kept dry.

Rae has already gathered a loyal following of customers. “I think its the best out there and my customers do too,” she laughs. It’s probably the care that she puts into all her products that keeps them coming back. “I use very few ingredients and very high quality ingredients, all while keeping it cost effective for you.” She also says she puts almost as much love into the packaging as she does her product.

The Ultimate Love Beauti Set

When you visit Rae’s shop you’ll get to know her pretty well. “I think my personality comes out a lot in my makeup on the site. I use all my friends and family and a few brave customers in my pictures. I always have something sassy to say about it in the listings, so maybe you can get a laugh while shopping!”

After Glow Mineral Veil in Soft Glow Candlelight

There are many reasons Rae started making her own mineral makeup, but one of the biggest is that it was more cost effective to do it herself. “A few years back I looked into starting a makeup line and discovered that having a company make it and package it is very expensive. What I would have to sell it for, I wouldn’t even buy. So I began the research and the learning process of making mineral makeup, and Mixology was born!” Her own sensitive skin was also a catalyst. “I never wore foundations because it made me break out! This also spurred me on in my mineral makeup quest for something I could create to actually improve my skin! Now I can never go back!”

Rae draws her inspiration from what else? “Color! I love looking through magazines and seeing colors of random items and thinking ‘hmmm… I don’t have a shadow or blush that color’ and off to work I go! Also, just suggestions and ideas from people of things they are looking for or would like. It challenges me to help create it for them and I love that!”

There’s more behind the woman than just pretty faces when it comes to Rae. Add world traveler and humanitarian to her resume. She’s moving to China soon. “Only for awhile, but it is an opportunity I can’t pass up! There is a vocational school in Tumen, China called www.tumenriverschool.com and me and 2 other friends are going to help teach conversational English. They are even talking about me getting to teach makeup in some of the cosmetology classes which would be amazing!”

She says not to worry about Mixology falling by the wayside while she’s gone however. “I will still have Mixology up and running. My mom will be doing all my shipping while I am gone, and I will still handle the website and customer side of things while living on the border of North Korea. It will be all volunteer too, so I need to keep supporting myself,” she says laughing.

Rae’s generosity doesn’t stop with her volunteer efforts in China. “Right now we are donating $1 per item sold, not per sale, to help sponsor a clean water well in Africa through www.Bloodwatermission.com - We need to sell 3,000 products, and we are well on our way through amazing support we have had! You can read more about it in my shop too!”

Well, I’m convinced! Aren’t you?

Now stop reading this and go check out Mixology! Oh, and don’t forget to enter the giveaway.

Win It!

Rae is offering one lucky reader an eye kit which will include 1 full size shadow, 2 liners, and 1 eye liner brush in the winner’s choice of colors. To win, visit her store and browse around. Come back here and leave a comment ON THIS POST with the name of one other product, not pictured in this post, that you’d like to try. Earn an extra entry by posting about this contest on your blog, and linking to this post and Mixology. If you do the extra credit, leave a separate comment with the link to your post.

Please follow the comment rules. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. Rae has opened the contest to, “anyone in the world! I love to ship internationally cause I think its cool to send my makeup to Croatia and Ireland!”

The contest will run until midnight August 6 . I’ll randomly draw a winner, and announce it on the next edition of Girls Just Wanna Win Swag. The winner will also be contacted by email, and will have three days to reply. You can also check Prizey Fetch to see if you’ve won. If the winner does not reply in three days, another will be chosen.

Have a women-owned business you’d like featured in a Swag givewaway? Fill out the contact form in my sidebar and let me know.

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Girls Just Wanna Win Swag Giveaway- Soothing Rituals

This week I want to introduce you to Soothing Rituals. Soothing Rituals offers handcrafted soaps and candles.

I asked owner Michelle a few questions about herself and her creative process. “I absolutely love making soap and have been totally addicted for the last seven years. I strive to make soothing, handcrafted, and fun loving, pampering products. I started out making soap only, but I now offer candles, and plan to include lip balms and scrumptious scrubs by the fall.”

One of the benefits of making soap, Michelle says, it that she is in control of the ingredients. She tries to keep the ingredients as natural as possible. “Sometimes I feel like a mad scientist trying to come up with the perfect recipe for my soap. But over the years I feel I have created the perfect recipe. That being said, I am always experimenting, and I have a long list of human guinea pigs of all ages.”

Michelle lives in Chicago and draws inspiration from the views of Lake Michigan. “I am inspired by nature. I love living in Chicago, although I hope to someday live where I can plant and grow my own vegetables. (Sorry I digress.) I love Chicago because of the beautiful lake front. I am lucky enough to live a short walk from the lake, and when ever I feel uninspired I go to the lake and just get quiet. By the time I find my way back home I feel inspired and charged.”

Following her passion for all-natural products, Michelle is a vegetarian. “I have been a vegetarian for over ten years, but I never preach about it unless you ask,” she says.

An animal lover as well, Michelle and her husband share their home with a seven year old cockapoo. “But we still call him a puppy. He was named after the great explorer Jacques Cousteau. He is such a sweet doggie, and he will smell my fresh batch of soap even when long time hubby is sick of sniffing.”

Michelle was kind enough to send me some samples of her soap to try, and I agree when she says, “What sets my products apart from the rest would have to be the packaging. I try to make everything I sell gift giving ready. A lot of my products are also very colorful. I love all the beautiful colors found in nature.”

My Berry Sage and Lemon Pucker soaps arrived beautifully packaged. They are gorgeous, and smell wonderful.

The soap left my skin feeling clean, soft and lightly scented. I really like that these soaps are all-natural. I have an allergy to some of the harsh chemicals in other soaps. With Soothing Rituals, I don’t have to worry about that.

Finally, I want to leave you with a bit of wisdom from Michelle, “I feel God has a plan for everyone, if we can only get quiet and listen.”

I think Michelle’s been listening, don’t you?

Win It!

This giveaway is now closed.

Michelle is offering a Soothing Rituals $25 dollar gift certificate to one lucky winner to use towards the purchase of any products in the store. To win, visit her store and browse around. Come back here and leave a comment ON THIS POST with which scent of soap or candle you’d most like to try.

Please follow the comment rules. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. The contest is open to residents of the U.S. only. Earn an extra entry by posting about this contest on your blog, and linking to this post and Soothing Rituals. If you do the extra credit, leave a separate comment with the link to your post.

The contest is open until midnight July 30th. I’ll randomly draw a winner, and announce it on the next edition of Girls Just Wanna Win Swag. The winner will also be contacted by email, and will have three days to reply. If the winner does not reply in three days, another will be chosen.

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Girl Talk: The Long, Long Saga of a Very, Very Bad Hair Day in Podunk

Click here for the Girls Just Wanna Win Swag Giveaway. This week: A $25 gift certificate from Soothing Rituals.

O.K. This is really long, but stay with me.

Saturday morning started out full of promise. It was gray and rainy outside, but I was excited about going to a swanky downtown salon in the “Big City” (Kalamazoo) for a haircut and some pampering.

I’d done a lot of research scouring the Yellow Pages and Internet for area hairdressers. This salon looked like it would be THE ONE.

You know.

The one where I get a haircut so fabulous that it changes my life, forever.

Choirs of angels come down from heaven singing.

Hollywood starts calling.

That kind of fabulous.

I wasn’t the only who wanted to get my haircut at this salon. There was a two week wait for an appointment.

I did my hair that morning even though I knew they’d wash it, because I couldn’t have the people at the salon thinking I went around with messy hair.

Why is it that your hair lays wrong for weeks because it’s too long, but when you do it right before going to the beauty shop it looks perfect?

Finished with my hair, I obsessed for 20 minutes over what to wear. You can’t just go to a salon like that in shorts and a T-shirt. The employees and other clientele were sure to be hip and fashionably dressed. What would not look like I tried to hard, and not like I spent most days cleaning up spilled milk and Legos? I settled on some flip-flops with a wedge heel, capris and a floaty linen top. It probably still said “Mom”, but hopefully “Mom with a Little Flair”.

While agonizing over what to wear, I used up the extra 15 minutes I’d given myself in case I had trouble finding the salon. I grabbed my Yahoo directions, and ran out the door. In the car I skimmed over them, pretty sure I knew where I was going.

As I entered downtown, I had a feeling I wasn’t quite in the right place. Looking over the directions more carefully, I realized I should have taken the business route rather than the freeway. I was on the opposite side of the city from where I needed to be. But the salon was located on the Kalamazoo Mall, a popular downtown destination. There was directional signage everywhere leading the way, so I followed.

I found the Kalamazoo Mall, a ONE-WAY street lined with shops. I turned right, the only way I could. And I drove and drove looking for a building number to give me a clue about where I was on the mall. Finally, I saw a number that told me that I was again at the total opposite end of where I should be.

So close, yet SO far away.

It was 9 o’clock. My appointment was at 9 o’clock, the same time the salon opened. I reasoned that it would be alright to be a few minutes late since they were probably just unlocking the doors and getting things set up.

At this point I would have parked my car at the wrong end of the street, and walked the four blocks in the other direction, except that it was pouring down rain, and I of course did not have an umbrella. The rain would have turned my oh so carefully selected white blouse into see-through tissue paper.

Traffic was light this early on a Saturday in downtown, and I weighed the risks of simply turning my car around on this one-way street and dodging the few on-coming vehicles.  But I decided against it, and went around the block to the parallel one-way street running in the opposite direction.

I was naive to think that the street ran parallel. For it curved. It curved so much that I ended up at the business route exit I should have taken in the first place. Now I was 10 minutes late. But all I had to do was turn around, and follow the Yahoo directions to my destination.

According to my directions I was supposed to turn onto Burdick street. I looked and looked for Burdick. I looked until I was a half an hour late.

I never did find Burdick.

Frustrated beyond the point of return, I headed toward home.

Why didn’t I ask for directions? At 9 a.m., on Saturday morning, in downtown, in a rain storm, there is no one to ask.

Why didn’t I call the salon from my cell phone? I forgot to bring the number with me.

What makes me a COMPLETE IDIOT is that this was the SECOND time in less than a year that I’d made an appointment to try a new salon in Kalamazoo, and missed that appointment because I couldn’t find it. And it’s the SECOND time that I’ve taken the freeway, instead of the business route, and gotten completely turned around.

On-Star, Garmin — I need some kind of help.

Let me just say this Kalamazoo. It would be easier for a girl to find her way around if:

1. You put address numbers on the front of your buildings

and

2. You marked your streets with signs!

I discovered later that I crossed Burdick three times. I didn’t know it, because there is no sign at that particular intersection.

The story could, and should, end here.

But it doesn’t.

If you are bored to tears this is a good place to stop and click over to the giveaway contest. If you want to know more, go to the bathroom, get a snack, then settle in for The Rest of the Story.

As I drove home the only thing holding back sobs of disappointment was the thought of how bloggable my misfortune was.

I had no idea it was about to get even better — or worse.

Back home, I stormed in the door making it clear to husband and son that I was in no mood to be bothered. I locked myself in the bathroom with the phone and Yellow Pages, determined to find some place to get my hair cut.

I live out in the country between Hooterville and Bedford Falls, with Mayberry just a stone’s throw away. There aren’t a lot of what I would call swanky salons close to home, but a well-designed ad made a salon and day spa in Mayberry look like a good choice.

I called.

Could I come in at 11:30?

Yes I could!

To get there all I had to do was follow a few familiar roads a short distance.

And there are NO one-way streets to deal with in Podunk.

I drove a little slower than usual, afraid that I was about to get in a car accident just because it was One of Those Days. But I arrived at the Mayberry Salon and Day Spa with out incident.

The first thing I noticed was that the building resembled a log cabin. Not exactly what I expect of a salon and day spa, unless maybe it’s in Aspen.

The second thing I noticed was that underneath the salon’s name on the sign were the words, “And Storage”. Glancing behind the log cabin I saw rows and rows of storage rental facilities. Odd, but by that point nothing was going to stop me.

I opened the door expecting to see lodge decor. I would not have been at all surprised had some kind of animal carcass been hanging on the wall.

Instead my eyes landed on zebra striped wall paper and hot pink trim. Over the load speaker Gwen Stefani was hollerin’ back.

The receptionist introduced me to my stylist, Charity.

Charity was probably born about the year I started high school.

I don’t have anything against younger people. When you’re looking for a hip hair style, it’s probably better to go with a young hairdresser.

It’s just that I am not used to people being younger than me. For most of my life, hairdressers, teachers, doctors were all older than me. Then they started being in my peer group. And now they are younger.

I will never forget the first time I encountered a doctor younger than me. I’d gone to my OBGYN for a pre-natal check-up. My regular OB was detained at the hospital delivering a baby, so he sent an intern.

I’m tellin’ ya, when Doogie Houser walked in that door, I almost went into labor right then. He looked so young. I was afraid that if he did a pelvic exam, I’d get arrested for some sort of misconduct with a minor afterward.

Fortunately there were no stirrups involved. I didn’t get arrested, and his innocence remained in tact.

Young Charity showed me to my chair, and I took my glasses off. My near-sightedness dimmed the wallpaper enough that it stopped hurting my eyes.

Charity tried to make conversation with me as she cut my hair. She told me all about her weekend plans to hang out at some hot night club downtown, where I had just been. (Should I have offered to give her directions?) Then when she asked me about my weekend plans, it became all too painfully clear how little we had in common.

I decided that, “This,” was too lame of an answer. So I tried to explain to her that with a three-year-old, weekend plans don’t really happen so much.

She just gave me a sympathetic smile. I’m sure she was wondering how I could stand to have such a boring life, and vowed right then and there to never get married and have children. I’m very sorry if I shattered all her illusions about Happily Ever After.

I have to say, Charity did a nice job on my hair. There aren’t any angels singing and Hollywood hasn’t called yet, but I like it.

I don’t know if I will return. There’s just something disconcerting about that much animal print in one place.

I am going to get in my car, go back to Kalamazoo and find that other salon.

Then I’m going to make an appointment there, under an alias of course, so that they don’t know I’m the women who blew them off when there was a two week waiting list.

And maybe I’ll buy a GPS.

O.K. If you stayed with me for the whole thing you deserve a prize, make sure you enter this week’s Girls Just Wanna Win Swag Giveaway.

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A Summer’s Night

Cool air thick and still

As twilight fades Fireflies dance

To the Crickets’ Song

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Bloggy Giveaways: Girlie Stuff

It’s spring and that means it’s time for another round of Bloggy Giveaways. I participated in the winter edition, and I’m excited to be joining in again.

First I’m going to take advantage of my captive audience and shamelessly plug the new meme I’m starting on Thursdays. I’m inviting you to join me each week for some Girl Talk. Grab a cup of coffee, put on your tiara and blog about all things frilly, pink, poofy and girlie. Celebrate your femininity.

What’s more girlie than getting a mani/pedi? After a cold, dry winter I know my hands and feet are in need of some TLC. It’s time to get those tootsies in shape for sandal season. I love wearing sandals. Wish I could wear them all year long. Well, I’m giving away a Spoil Me gift set from Hoof. It has everything you need to get your feet ready for summer. The cute can contains an array of mani/pedi tools including a nail brush, cuticle pusher, nail clippers, HOOF Exfoliating Cucumber Scrub, Hoof Cucumber Lotion, Finger & Toe Spacers, Foot File, Nail File, Nail Soak, Foot Soak and Pedicure Thongs. To enter to win just leave a comment between now and Midnight April 26th. And I hope you’ll come back this Thursday for some Girl Talk.

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