Have you ever had one of those days when you look back and you just have to wonder ....... "Whatever was I thinking!!!???" Well, Meme and a friend had a day like that last week and it may have topped just about all others except maybe the last time they went shopping. They've known each other "forever" and when they get together something weird happens, all common sense gets tossed out the window and they seem to lose their minds completely. Meme says it all comes down to vanity; something maybe a lot of us can relate to.
One day like any other, when I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen all day, the door suddenly flew open and Meme's friend landed in our house with her suitcase. Now you and I both know that suitcases (for me) are not a good sign. I knew right then that upheaval would reign around here for a few days and I was just going to have to grin and bear it.
Turned out that this was a friend of Meme's from 'back in the day' and they sure had a lot to talk about. On Friday they came home looking pretty sheepish and after just sitting and listening to them for awhile, I was able to piece it all together.
It seems they went for a yummy lunch by the ocean and then drove to the mall. Evidently this is a very dangerous thing to do especially when you go with a friend. Donna had fallen in love with the color of a lipstick "Beckett" wears on a TV show and the only place she could buy it is Nordstrom's.
They arrived in the cosmetics area where they sell stuff that's supposed to make you look better. They nosed around awhile trying to sniff out this lipstick and then someone showed up to help. She didn't seem to know who Beckett was and the Bobbie Brown lady was in a class, but eventually they found what Donna was looking for. So shopping done and they could come home and pay me some attention, right? Wrong.
Meme was just putting a lip pencil tester back when she realized Donna was nowhere in sight so she went looking for her. After passing a couple of counters she found Donna sitting in a chair and 'Vicki', the sales rep, was putting something on her face! Seems that Meme had said something about lipstick "bleeding" and Vicki had the cure!!!
So she was smearing some cream followed by a "magic" color wand over Donna's face telling them both that all the lines would pretty much disappear in mere seconds. Just for fun Meme had taken a picture of Donna's lips with the new lipstick (actually a blend of two lipsticks) just moments earlier so now she decided to take an "after" picture.
Before her very eyes the lines were gone! Can you imagine their excitement??? Meme was practically jumping up and down saying "It's a miracle, it's a miracle!!!" Donna looked amazed, but hadn't seen it yet. Meme immediately insisted on taking another picture of what had happened because her eyes alone just didn't convince her. Then they both gazed at the proof positive in the photos.
The three of them were exuberant ... practically dancing in the aisles. They were overjoyed when Vicki told them that someone had invented this cream for runway models and the results were so fantastic that Yves St. Laurent decided to introduce it to all of us so we could all look like models. Of course, if you ask me, that should have been their first clue that something was amiss because all that stuff they plaster on models only lasts a short time.
As an aside, I'm fortuna
te I have fur all over my face. No one knows what goes on behind that fur and I can't understand why Meme and Donna don't just grow fur and leave it at that, but for some reason they'd rather just fuss around with a bunch of creams and potions.
Anyway! They continued to marvel at this amazing miracle and finally Donna said to Vicki ... "so how much is this miracle going to cost me?" Vicki told her the color wand was $40. Hmmm ... not so much for a miracle. But! The cream is over $100 ... I don't even dare tell you how much over because Poppy will read this at some point and he's just too young to die.
Ouch and double ouch!!!! Have they lost their bleeping minds??? HellOOOooo ... can you spell 'recession'? And, by the way, Nordstrom's is completely out of stock because this potion is so magical and so popular it literally flies out of the stores!!! Vicki said she can't even keep it in stock and now that this experience is past her, Meme is pretty sure they order just one at a time!!! So now Donna hesitates and Meme said she's not buying it! No way! All together almost $200 for something you smear on your upper lip just to make a few lines go away? Forget it! How many people get that close to your face anyway?
But Vicki assures them the price is low in the long run because it will last 7 months. So Meme thinks it will last over a year because she'll hardly ever use it. They're told the results build up over continuous use and eventually all their lines will be gone. Vicki encourages them to look at her and they'll see how amazing the products are; she's 65 years old and her skin is virtually line-free. It's also plastered all over with make-up ... more than either Donna or Meme had ever seen so close up.
Meme is suspect and flat out says "C'mon, Vicki, you've had a tug or two, right? ... maybe a little Botox? You can tell us; we're all friends here" She can't recall getting a clear answer on that and later Donna told us she couldn't believe Meme asked her something so personal!!! But after all, she was saying it was because of the miracle cream so personally I don't see anything wrong with calling her on it.
One day like any other, when I thought I knew exactly what was going to happen all day, the door suddenly flew open and Meme's friend landed in our house with her suitcase. Now you and I both know that suitcases (for me) are not a good sign. I knew right then that upheaval would reign around here for a few days and I was just going to have to grin and bear it.
Turned out that this was a friend of Meme's from 'back in the day' and they sure had a lot to talk about. On Friday they came home looking pretty sheepish and after just sitting and listening to them for awhile, I was able to piece it all together.
It seems they went for a yummy lunch by the ocean and then drove to the mall. Evidently this is a very dangerous thing to do especially when you go with a friend. Donna had fallen in love with the color of a lipstick "Beckett" wears on a TV show and the only place she could buy it is Nordstrom's.
They arrived in the cosmetics area where they sell stuff that's supposed to make you look better. They nosed around awhile trying to sniff out this lipstick and then someone showed up to help. She didn't seem to know who Beckett was and the Bobbie Brown lady was in a class, but eventually they found what Donna was looking for. So shopping done and they could come home and pay me some attention, right? Wrong.
Meme was just putting a lip pencil tester back when she realized Donna was nowhere in sight so she went looking for her. After passing a couple of counters she found Donna sitting in a chair and 'Vicki', the sales rep, was putting something on her face! Seems that Meme had said something about lipstick "bleeding" and Vicki had the cure!!!
So she was smearing some cream followed by a "magic" color wand over Donna's face telling them both that all the lines would pretty much disappear in mere seconds. Just for fun Meme had taken a picture of Donna's lips with the new lipstick (actually a blend of two lipsticks) just moments earlier so now she decided to take an "after" picture.
Before her very eyes the lines were gone! Can you imagine their excitement??? Meme was practically jumping up and down saying "It's a miracle, it's a miracle!!!" Donna looked amazed, but hadn't seen it yet. Meme immediately insisted on taking another picture of what had happened because her eyes alone just didn't convince her. Then they both gazed at the proof positive in the photos.
The three of them were exuberant ... practically dancing in the aisles. They were overjoyed when Vicki told them that someone had invented this cream for runway models and the results were so fantastic that Yves St. Laurent decided to introduce it to all of us so we could all look like models. Of course, if you ask me, that should have been their first clue that something was amiss because all that stuff they plaster on models only lasts a short time.
As an aside, I'm fortuna
te I have fur all over my face. No one knows what goes on behind that fur and I can't understand why Meme and Donna don't just grow fur and leave it at that, but for some reason they'd rather just fuss around with a bunch of creams and potions.Anyway! They continued to marvel at this amazing miracle and finally Donna said to Vicki ... "so how much is this miracle going to cost me?" Vicki told her the color wand was $40. Hmmm ... not so much for a miracle. But! The cream is over $100 ... I don't even dare tell you how much over because Poppy will read this at some point and he's just too young to die.
Ouch and double ouch!!!! Have they lost their bleeping minds??? HellOOOooo ... can you spell 'recession'? And, by the way, Nordstrom's is completely out of stock because this potion is so magical and so popular it literally flies out of the stores!!! Vicki said she can't even keep it in stock and now that this experience is past her, Meme is pretty sure they order just one at a time!!! So now Donna hesitates and Meme said she's not buying it! No way! All together almost $200 for something you smear on your upper lip just to make a few lines go away? Forget it! How many people get that close to your face anyway?
But Vicki assures them the price is low in the long run because it will last 7 months. So Meme thinks it will last over a year because she'll hardly ever use it. They're told the results build up over continuous use and eventually all their lines will be gone. Vicki encourages them to look at her and they'll see how amazing the products are; she's 65 years old and her skin is virtually line-free. It's also plastered all over with make-up ... more than either Donna or Meme had ever seen so close up.
Meme is suspect and flat out says "C'mon, Vicki, you've had a tug or two, right? ... maybe a little Botox? You can tell us; we're all friends here" She can't recall getting a clear answer on that and later Donna told us she couldn't believe Meme asked her something so personal!!! But after all, she was saying it was because of the miracle cream so personally I don't see anything wrong with calling her on it.
Anyway, suddenly Meme is in the chair and Vicki is performing the miracle on her. Watching the transformation take place before her very eyes; Donna says that it is absolutely amazing.
So now they have both decided to bite the bullet and purchase the whole enchilada (and let's not forget the lipsticks!!!). Somewhere along the way they learn it isn't really for the upper lip after all ... it's an eye cream!!! So double miracle. People have gathered and seem curious. Together, Meme and Donna can draw a crowd because they're not all that quiet and they really have fun which is sort of contagious. So it was kind of a show if you know what I mean.
As Donna is completing her order, Meme again looks closely at her and notes that the 'miracle results' seem to be disappearing. So she takes another picture and compares it with the earlier one. For some reason they deny what they can see with their own eyes and complete both purchases leaving the store in miracle 'la la land'.
They shopped around the mall for awhile and returning to the car they passed through Nordstrom's again. At the entrance were two cosmeticians who invited them to have a makeover. Appalled at the suggestion given their recent transformation, Meme said "But we just had one, can't you tell?" Almost pitying faces looked back at them which took a little of the wind out of Meme's sails.
Ever hear about 'buyer's remorse'? Well that kicked in big time later that day when reality hit them smack in the face. They came home and looked in the mirror and realized that while maybe the product had plumped up the skin for a few moments, the party was definitely over. Meme grabbed the phone and called to cancel her order. She begged them not to put her through to the department because she couldn't bear to talk to Vicki when they'd all had such a good time. She didn't want to disappoint her even though, as Donna said, Vicki had sure put one over on them!!!! This was confirmed later in the day when a friend who had worked in the cosmetics industry throughout her career came by and laughed hysterically that they honestly believed, even for a moment, that a cream could erase what it took several decades to create.
So now they have both decided to bite the bullet and purchase the whole enchilada (and let's not forget the lipsticks!!!). Somewhere along the way they learn it isn't really for the upper lip after all ... it's an eye cream!!! So double miracle. People have gathered and seem curious. Together, Meme and Donna can draw a crowd because they're not all that quiet and they really have fun which is sort of contagious. So it was kind of a show if you know what I mean.
As Donna is completing her order, Meme again looks closely at her and notes that the 'miracle results' seem to be disappearing. So she takes another picture and compares it with the earlier one. For some reason they deny what they can see with their own eyes and complete both purchases leaving the store in miracle 'la la land'.
They shopped around the mall for awhile and returning to the car they passed through Nordstrom's again. At the entrance were two cosmeticians who invited them to have a makeover. Appalled at the suggestion given their recent transformation, Meme said "But we just had one, can't you tell?" Almost pitying faces looked back at them which took a little of the wind out of Meme's sails.
Ever hear about 'buyer's remorse'? Well that kicked in big time later that day when reality hit them smack in the face. They came home and looked in the mirror and realized that while maybe the product had plumped up the skin for a few moments, the party was definitely over. Meme grabbed the phone and called to cancel her order. She begged them not to put her through to the department because she couldn't bear to talk to Vicki when they'd all had such a good time. She didn't want to disappoint her even though, as Donna said, Vicki had sure put one over on them!!!! This was confirmed later in the day when a friend who had worked in the cosmetics industry throughout her career came by and laughed hysterically that they honestly believed, even for a moment, that a cream could erase what it took several decades to create.
It was too late. The order was in the works and on its way, but customer service assured Meme that she could return it as soon as it arrived which is exactly what's going to happen.
We are born beautiful with skin as soft as corn silk. Along our journey changes transform us and we grow prettier, cuter, more handsome, gawky, awkward, thinner and chubbier. We grow and we change and one day it all begins to fade (except unfortunately for the chubby part). We get a few wrinkles and everything seems to fall a little bit. Hair can turn white or gray and lots of other stuff happens that may not make us very happy.
Women especially don't like these changes and look in the mirror wondering what the heck happened. They spend and spend trying to find something that will fix it. Sometimes they actually go somewhere and have stuff tugged and pulled, even sucked out and sometimes injected. They strive to bring back what once was, but the truth is that no matter what they do no one can take us back. They can cut and tweak, defy time for a little while, or stand in front of the mirror thinking that just the tiniest tug would fix everything. In the end there no stopping time from doing what it does.
But I think a new beauty forms if you just leave it all alone. Whoever said that wrinkles are ugly, where is it written that a sag here or there is a bad thing? When I walk our streets every day I have seen faces lined with experience, wrinkles that show all the joys of life and I wonder why anyone would ever want to take those away? They tell the story of a life well lived, the tale of all the laughter and even the tears. I've looked into tired old eyes that reflect the love of the children, husbands, wives and others who have gazed into them over the years. The crinkles around the eyes show how many times the person has smiled at a warm moment and the laugh lines around the mouth show all the joy they have experienced.
So there is no magic wand to wave all that away .... and why would anyone really want one to anyway? It's all just a part of the journey.
'Til next time ...
Molly
We are born beautiful with skin as soft as corn silk. Along our journey changes transform us and we grow prettier, cuter, more handsome, gawky, awkward, thinner and chubbier. We grow and we change and one day it all begins to fade (except unfortunately for the chubby part). We get a few wrinkles and everything seems to fall a little bit. Hair can turn white or gray and lots of other stuff happens that may not make us very happy.
Women especially don't like these changes and look in the mirror wondering what the heck happened. They spend and spend trying to find something that will fix it. Sometimes they actually go somewhere and have stuff tugged and pulled, even sucked out and sometimes injected. They strive to bring back what once was, but the truth is that no matter what they do no one can take us back. They can cut and tweak, defy time for a little while, or stand in front of the mirror thinking that just the tiniest tug would fix everything. In the end there no stopping time from doing what it does.
But I think a new beauty forms if you just leave it all alone. Whoever said that wrinkles are ugly, where is it written that a sag here or there is a bad thing? When I walk our streets every day I have seen faces lined with experience, wrinkles that show all the joys of life and I wonder why anyone would ever want to take those away? They tell the story of a life well lived, the tale of all the laughter and even the tears. I've looked into tired old eyes that reflect the love of the children, husbands, wives and others who have gazed into them over the years. The crinkles around the eyes show how many times the person has smiled at a warm moment and the laugh lines around the mouth show all the joy they have experienced.
So there is no magic wand to wave all that away .... and why would anyone really want one to anyway? It's all just a part of the journey.
'Til next time ...
Molly
