# 336 - Make-Over Moments

Lately, I've been going through a mini-makeover and a mid-life crisis. The combination has been a lot of fun. The main reason for my make-over is to look my best for my daughter's wedding in October. I want to do it for her, so her mom will look great for those wedding pictures that will be around for decades and decades. I'm normally a very laid back person who fiddles minimally with my appearance; normally, what you see is what you get. However, events over the past few months have prodded me to makes some changes to myself, inside and out.

This week, I decided to start with my hair. It is naturally a dark shade in the blond family, but I had lowlights put in it a long time ago to try to cover some of my white/gray strands. This time around, I decided to go for BA-BAM and lighten my drab mousy hair with a few highlights mixed with my natural hair left alone so my appearance can be brightened. My mousy hair started to drag me down.

Since my hair is long, it had too much heaviness and lack of style. So, my awesome hairdresser put in long layers, especially around my face, to remove the curtain of hair I'd become accustomed to carrying around. I can still go with it curly, but it is much easier to also go with it straighter since the extra weight has been removed.

It feels good to mask a tad bit of evidence about my growing wisdom, all that white hair I had growing in streaks is still appreciated, and I'm the same woman with my earned wisdom, but I'll keep it to myself for as long as possible and opt for simply looking my best. Sometimes, feeling as if you are beautiful has more to do with how much you put into yourself and is about your own level of confidence instead of how often someone else tells you that you look, "fine."

Before the make-over begins. You can see the white sprouts
at the top of my head. It's heavy when seen in person or when
parted another way.

It feels liberating to have cleaned up my wild, curly hair for my daughter's upcoming wedding.

I looked in the mirror today and can still see a few grey strands that were missed in the highlights, but they only did half my hair and left the other half untouched. I am glad that my fascinating white/gray streaks are also part of the bye-bye plan of my make-over. Premature grey shows that I've earned my stripes.

Since I am taking small steps to help me feel better about increasing my socialization level, I have got to have hair that will carry me through a day or an evening of good times. I can look tired, but my hair should not look tired, and it should be fairly easy to style instead of being a constant battle.

Next, I am searching for the perfect dress to wear to my daughter's wedding. I am the Mother of the Bride and desperately need to find the right dress to honor my role in Heather's wedding. To be honest, my bust is naturally too large and this creates conflict for dresses. Usually, for a dress to fit my bust, I have to go a couple sizes larger than the rest of my body, which means the rest of the dress will be tent-like and huge for the rest of my body. This is a no-no for my make-over moment. Everything has to fit perfectly, all over.

I will probably have to find a two piece elegant outfit or a dress that is fitted, yet allows for an ample bosom to be a secure accent and not a spillage disaster.

Shoes for the wedding will have to be feminine and with an eye-catching heel --- but they must be comfortable. I'd love to wear spikes, but I'd also like to keep from breaking my neck twice in one lifetime. A heel will work, but stilts are not necessary. These shoes will be amazing, I can already see them in my mind's eye...it will be a Cinderella moment once I find them! Yes, those Cinderella moments can happen for a woman at any age and with any type of shoe that makes her say, "Ahhhh!"

A woman always can fall in love with a great, sexy pair of shoes, and they can fall in love with a comfy, practical pair of shoes while knowing their feet are safely snuggled inside their softness. I hope to find a pair that I can wear with other beautiful clothes I will eventually buy for my nights out on the town with my friends, such as attending the local dinner theater and church social functions and other groups to give me added social experiences that are needed at this time in my life. I might as well look my best!

My daughter's wedding is definitely going to give me a chance to get dressed up for something very special. I feel giddy. If it were up to Heather, she could probably pick out a dress on the spot and it would be fabulous because she has an eye for these kinds of things. She knows I often buy my blouses and other clothes too big because I like a loose fit, she's good about finding that perfect blouse that shows I'm under there. Not only can Heather do this, Stefie is just as talented and has saved me from making horrible fashion choices while directing me to some awesome clothes that I might never have chosen if she'd not been with me. Regardless, my focus on Heather during her wedding day will be intense, and I want my overall appearance to be special, yet comfortable. For this wedding, we will have so many family members expected in attendance, and so many friends, that I know the afternoon will be spent with great joyous celebrating. And since I won't have wild, crazy, curly hair, it will be even more enjoyable on my part! I might even be able to pull a little section of my hair back with a beautiful bling hair brooch or decorative comb. I'm putting it all out there folks.

Another issue for me in this process is make-up itself. YUK! I'm not a big fan of make-up. I go for days at a time without wearing make-up. If I do wear it, I will slap on a light foundation, a bit of mascara and a touch of light lipstick. I've never really known how to correctly apply make-up because I have not been interested in it. My blush lasts me three to five years...that's how often I wear make-up. Besides, I was blessed to have natural rosy cheeks and good skin until I reached my hormonal 40's...but my spattering of freckles is usually my facial adornment for the day. My lashes are sparse, but dark and also naturally curly, so I feel good without make-up for around-the-house moments. However, for Heather's wedding, I want the BA-BOOM version of wearing make-up. Where are those amazing false eyelashes that make a soft fluttering impact? Yes, it's going to be a very special day and I want to go the extra mile in this area as well, but I have no idea where to start. Sounds like a few make-over sessions are in order. I need to practice so it will not be a disaster! With the help of my daughters, I know it will be great.

The new hair and a half-hearted attempt
to wear some light make-up.

To help matters, I bought a couple of new makeup items...two different eye liners and two lipsticks in shades that I adore. At least I will have better makeup to wear around more often...I'm determined to wear makeup on more days than not from now on, I've been trying to do that more often, but I admit that it is hard! Even if I only get to wave at the mail-person driving by, at least I will be getting practice to apply it and to find what works, what melts off too easily, and how often certain parts need to be reapplied.

The Hippie look as been fun while it lasted, but it has run its course and has done absolutely nothing to improve my life, so OUT it goes. The more polished side of me is back. She's come full circle and I'm glad to welcome her home again.

A tan is next on my agenda. I'd like to have some healthy looking color, but nothing fake and nothing artificially obtained. I need a few dates with Mr. Sunny in my backyard, but the chickens make it a challenge. I got started on that task of developing a tan during my two glorious weekends at the beach, but I have a long way to go with my Casper legs. Maybe I will simply drive to the beach for a day trip and spend lots of time reading beneath the sun with a bit of tanning oil that has low SPF in it to keep me from burning. This means I will be saying hello to more freckles on my face, but I always wear a hat and that helps protect my face from the sun. As for freckles, I have had them my entire life and I have nothing against these sweet Angel's kisses.

I told Stefie, that when she was sleeping, Angel's came to give her kisses and the freckles were kind of like Angel's lipstick, the evidence of their visits. Oh, it made every freckle beautiful and exciting! When she was little, Stefie felt very proud to know the angels had been giving her sweet kisses and when anyone would reference her freckles, she would explain about the angels. It was adorable! Stefie has my curly hair, my porcelain skin that tans nicely and my freckles...I think she is adorable and probably won't have any trouble retaining her adorableness throughout her lifetime. For me, I guess at 44 years of age, the freckles won't hurt me and won't help me...they will simply come along for the ride, but I will take a sweet angel visit any time they choose to bless me with their presence, especially my Guardian Angel. I am eager to meet that Big Bad Dude one day because he sure has protected me from too many things to list...He's been working overtime my whole life and there's not a day that goes by that I do not appreciate it. Guardian Angel...I adore you and cannot wait to give you a big hug and hopefully be YOUR biggest admirer in Heaven's bleachers!

Onward...

I will keep you updated on my make-over that is specifically directed toward me being able to make a presentable wedding day appearance so I can be an elegant Mother of the Bride for my daughter. I have plenty of elegant business clothes, but this is completely different. It is Heather that I am aiming to please --- she is my sweetheart and the one who is a beauty expert, so I hope she guides me a bit with all of these things.

It's a good start. Where did that grey-haired woman
with the drab hair go to?

Most of all, I hope to be pretty for her. Not in my normal $15.00 sundress from Walmart kind of casual Bohemian appearance, but really pretty in an elegant way that I rarely get to show any more because I do not have opportunities to dress up in such ways I once did because today I mostly deal with chickens and dogs. I have not had a special date in ages, never have a reason to get dressed up and to feel like a woman who likes to make an appearance every now and then. However, this process is reinforcing the fact that I need to get out of the house more often.

As for dress shopping, my first stop will be to the ritzy dress section in Dillard's at Baybrook Mall...the woman's side of Dillards. I am saving this trip for Sunday. Once there, I am going to try on so many dresses of all kinds that I will be completely in touch with best styles possible after my first day of shopping and I will also know which styles need to be avoided like the plague.

If I could find an old-style dress reminiscent of the 50's, a fitted bodice with a flowing skirt out from the waist, stopping just below the knees..I'd be in Heaven. However, in reality, that might look atrocious on me, so I will try on anything and everything. Pray my bust can be shoved into some pretty dresses without me looking like my stuffing is falling out. Higher necklines will be good, I think. Heck, I don't know. I guess I will see what I can find. I'll probably bring the camera along so I can show you the disasters and the possibilities.

Stockings will be next. Yes, I'm old-fashioned and must wear silk stockings. I will invest in several good pair to have on hand for the wedding day. I guess this will take off some pressure to get my legs tanned.

Meanwhile, I will have to become accustomed to my new haircut and learn how to fix it in amazing ways for the wedding and that's part of the reason for getting it done now, so I can go back to my hairdresser the week before the wedding to have it tweaked. I might have to also go see a professional makeup artist to teach me how to apply make-up at 44 years of age. Won't that be fun?

The polished version of ME is emerging, but don't worry, the chickens will know I'm still the same gal!