1's*

Oh what a day that has just dragged on and on and on!

Finally it's 4:30 ish and I can think about leaving...oh wait, I have a meeting from 6:30 to 8. Boo.

Actually, it's not a total "boo" situation, because 1. Pumpkin Spice Lattes became available today and I have to pass many Starbucks to get to my meeting and 2. my meeting got moved and the new location is across the street from Sephora. Which is technically on my way home and all, but it's not always fun to get off the subway, run up 3 flights of steps to the Prudential Building, walk down, walk back, etc etc when you're trying to catch a train.

This way, I can buy my Fresh Soy Face Wash that I've been putting off for a bit. Why? Because it's 38 DOLLARSSSSS

But this is where our little beauty theme comes in. I am on a beauty regimen. Maybe for life. I am sooo addicted.

It all started when I received a gift certificate to a local aesthetician (think that's spelled right). She had just started her own business after years in a salon. My friend was going on about how great she did eyebrows, blah blah. I admittedly tossed the gift certificate aside for, I dunno, three or four months. Then I got a major allergic reaction to the wax at my usual waxing spot. Forehead and eyebrow hives, unsightly. I decided to give up my $10 monthly wax job to the hands of a professional.

The first time I met this lady I thought she was insane. Awesome, but INSANE. She was like "We are going to beauty boot camp you for your wedding!" This made me nervous. I pretty much take how I look as how I look and besides trying to buff up a little bit for a special occasion, there's no real changing the situation that's happening here, and I'm ok with that. What was she going to do to me? Yikes!

First I brought in my products. They basically got about a D+ OK foundation and powder and primer (ha ha like I ever wear them!) Crap night cream, ok spf day lotion, crap mascara (which was expensive), totallll crap exfoliater. Wow. It was actually a good thing though, to learn all this. I found out that I am pretty much just a product whore. Pretty packaging, nice smells, something eye-catching on the bottle, being featured in InStyle - yep, I will pretty much buy it. D (aesthetician) told me what to throw out, what to use sparingly, what to use daily and started me on the free samples (score). She also recommended a facial.

What?

I was all "hell noooo. A facial is just something you pay for that gets undone in like, a second." ha ha ha talking as if I even knew what happened during a facial, as if I'd had one before! Of course I relented. TO everything. Chucked the bad beauty products, made a facial appt.

Holy goodness gracious. Facials. They are one indulgence I am not sure I'll be able to give up after this wedding. If Jamaal and I are totally poor or whatever (which I hope we'll never be!) and I can only save a dollar a week for a facial, I will do it. I will have a facial jar, I swear. Not only is it 90% relaxing wonderfulness (10% HURTS. Extractions are totally uncool) but my skin has started to change. It's not weird combination-y angry sometimes nice sometimes dry shiny unpredictableness anymore! ha! I have beat you skin! My pores are smaller. The skin is softer and more supple. It looks great - and younger. After my first facial I went up to Babson, as Jamaal was in town, and he looked at me and said "You look so much younger!" Of course I made a joke about being haggard before and he said "no, it's not that you looked bad before, it's just that I can actually see the difference."
SO facials (a good one) are the real deal.

So I'm embracing this beauty regimen on a skin care level. There are still days I work without makeup. OK, there are still many days I work without makeup and my hair in a ponytail, but knowing that I'm rocking some happy skin is fantastic. I know beauty is only skin deep (ha ha ha lookit my pun) but honestly, feeling so good on the outside makes me feel damn fantastic on the inside, and having those two work together on the big day would be kinda perfect.

SO! Off to Sephora (and my meeting.....boo) I go to buy a D approved beauty product! WOOHOO!

*Oh and those 1's in the title? Take a peek at that little ticker gizmo....1 year 1 month 1 week. EEK!