Today is July 2, 2010, and I find myself wishing I were preparing for the fireworks bash that would be at my house in Nebraska tomorrow. Norfolk has an amazing fireworks display (about $45,000 worth,) that they so generously light in what used to be my front yard. About 50 of my closest friends would come for dinner and bring lawn chairs and blankets and bug spray, and we would stare at the sky and laugh until we hurt. (I insisted they stand for the Star Spangled Banner even though they were only at my house.)
Two of those friends have since passed, and there is never a day that I don’t think about them. One of those fire -works events ended with lightning and thunder while they sat in metal lawn chairs, and ignored my warning about being struck by lightning! I am amazing that the two of them lived through that horrific storm. (They said they were enjoying the breeze.)
I always floated a beautiful hibiscus from my neighbor's garden in the toilet of the guest bathroom. (It makes a beautiful vase!) I always wondered which one of them would come to tell me about it. Anyway, my Norfolk friends, I will be there with you in thought! Happy 4th!
On to beauty…….I have found some wonderful things while traveling this year for you to try. My friend, Treby, introduced me to a powdered sunscreen. In comes in a container with a brush and you can dust it in places, like ears and scalp, where sticky sunscreen is hard to apply. It is “Peter Thomas Roth” Instant Mineral Sunscreen and has an of SPF 45. I think it costs $40. Treby generously dusted us before the pink jeep tour of Sedona. (Personally, I thought our danger was driving off the cliffs, but we wouldn’t have been sunburned, thanks to Treby, when we got to the bottom!)
For my fine-haired friends, I found a great product for your hair. It is “Fekkai” Advanced Full Blown Volume spray. Spray it on damp hair to lift the roots and deliver fullness. It isn’t sticky and doesn’t weigh down hair. It is $20. I love it!
For those of us over 40, and I know that isn’t you, the new rule about lipstick is to wear colors only one shade darker that your lips. Lip liner should be the color of your lips. Don’t you just love my wealth of useless information? Don’t you remember one of your elderly relatives that always had red lipstick outside the lines of her lips? I am not going to let you get that reputation!
There is a new nail product out this summer. It is Shellac nails. You have to have them professionally done at a salon. The product is an OPI product. It is applied like polish and stays on for 2 week. It is removed and reapplied every two weeks. It is much easier on your nails than acrylic nails. It is a gel and gives strength to your nails. It won’t scratch or peel. It is amazing, but expensive! It costs about $40 every two weeks.
For those of you, like me, who like to do your own nails, there is a wonderful new inexpensive product by Sally Hansen. It is called “14 Day Nail Shield.” It is pre-treated strips of sheer color that instantly bond like polish to your nails. They nourish your nails with protein for 14 days. It looks like polish. You just press on this little pieces of tape and file off the excess. They work beautifully! They are dry so they can be done in just a few minutes.
I hope each and everyone is having a great summer! Love, Chris
