A pitch landed in my inbox this morning telling me about  33dresses.com – actually, it was the second pitch, as the original had gotten deleted with the rest of the pitches I receive. Most of them are painfully irrelevant, you see, but this one caught my eye, so I clicked over. On the first page, there was an introduction and an invitation:

I’m Elissa Ashwood, breast cancer survivor in training. Cancer can’t take away the kind of beautiful that comes from the inside out.
To remember that, I’m wearing dresses to treatment and posting as I go.
- 33 days of radiation.
- 33 dresses as a symbol of living our lives no matter what.

Let this be a reason to use your good stuff in support of someone you love going through cancer!

It doesn’t have to be dresses. It doesn’t have to be 33.

Join me in your own way! Wear a dress or your jewelry, use your china, buy flowers, go fishing. Let’s not look back on life wondering why we waited for a special occasion to break out the good stuff!

I love your project, Elissa! Best of luck with your treatment, and thank you for your reminder to us to live today.

I try to live like that too and it’s nice to find a kindred spirit.

Cheering you on,

Roxanna

This ad for a Lancome anti-aging cream featuring Kate Winslet caught my eye because you can see lines in the corners of her eyes and lips — you know, like a normal person.

It caught my attention because it wasn’t “perfect.” Look, I’m no innocent, I know the rest of the face was photoshopped. I’m not even sure that the lines weren’t photoshopped in to be just so. But still, they’re there, and I like them.

In fact, in the full ad she is reflected in a mirror and the fine lines (I refuse to call them wrinkles because they’re just lines, not imperfections — you need them so you can blink) are shown twice. I think they’re showing them off. I also think it makes her more beautiful. More human.

Remember my obsessions with wabi sabi? My knowledge is imperfect (see what I did there?) but I think this is the same thing. Our imperfections are what make us interesting.

Trying to be perfect is so exhausting, and it makes you boring. Won’t you rather be interesting?

Years ago, I worked at one of the big skincare companies. While I was there, I learned a lot about business and marketing and what makes the world run — but most interesting to people who know what I did back then, I learned the secret to beautiful skin.

Wanna know what it is? It’s nothing sexy: You have to wear sunscreen, and you have to do it every day.

That’s it!

Now, all sunscreens are not created the same. I prefer barrier sunscreen (those with zinc) vs. chemical sunscreen. One, barrier sunscreen just makes sense to me – you need a physical barrier between you and the sun. Two, I don’t like the smell of chemical sunscreen. And finally, I don’t understand how chemical sunscreen works, so I like to stick to things I understand.

So I have a rotating cast of facial sunscreen – I never leave the house without them. Anthelios is my first love, but when I need something lighter I go for the Olay complete. (This particular bottle was sent to me by Olay, but it’s definitely one of my old stand bys. I buy it all the time.) The Alba Botanica is nice too, but the fragrance is too strong for me, so I don’t think I’ll be purchasing another bottle when this one runs out.

OLAY COMPLETE ALL DAY UV MOISTURIZER SENSITIVE SKIN

ANTHELIOS SX DAILY MOISTURIZING CREAM

ALBA BOTANICA EVEN ADVANCED SEA MOSS MOISTURIZER

The part that’s tricky for me is finding a body lotion with SPF that doesn’t make me smell like the beach. My dermatologist sold me the Suntegrity — it’s not fragrance free, but the orange smell is quite nice. I don’t mind it, but I do mind the $29 price tag for a teeny tiny bottle.

Do you know of a nice body lotion with SPF? I prefer a barrier sunscreen, but if you have one you love, I’m all ears.

SUNTEGRITY ALL NATURAL MOISTURIZING BODY PROTECTION, BROAD SPECTRUM SPF 30 – 4 oz

(In a pinch, I’ll use the Olay on my body, but it’s a bit sticky if it’s hot outside.)

Oh my goodness. You guys know how much I love my advanced style ladies. You probably don’t know about my new love for barsculpt. I found a studio in town and I love it — mostly because there are a few older ladies that give me hope for the future and make me feel like the lazy slacker I am.

Getting to class is hard. Making the time to work out is hard. But when/if I’m 100, I want to be able to do this so bad I can taste it.

I’ve recently discovered the Japanese concept of Wabi-sabi; to simplify it to the extreme (which, frankly, is the only way I know it) it means to find beauty in imperfection and to accept life’s impermanence.

“[Wabi-sabi] nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.

Isn’t that lovely? I feel like I can exhale.

Even before discovering this concept, I’ve been embracing wabi-sabi. Maybe it’s a reaction to mass-produced goods, maybe it’s searching for authenticity. It quite possibly is a reaction to the relentless pursuit of perfection we have drilled into our brains, but I’ve become increasingly disenchanted by perfection. I simply don’t trust it anymore.

I refuse to drive my husband’s new car until he gets a little scratch on it. I didn’t feel like my own car was mine until the rugs got a little mud on them. It’s just too stressful, driving out in the real world in a spotless car.

It’s the same with new clothes — I like to wear them as soon as I buy them so that they’ve been broken in before a big event. I don’t like the way clothes look when you can tell they’re new, they make me feel like I’m in a costume. Clothes need a few washes to truly be mine.

Another thing I like about wabi-sabi is that it’s not about neglect — in fact you’re supposed to respect things and yourself by taking care of them.  I seek order and like to keep a clean house. But I think that the scratches on the floor and the little cracks on the windows are what truly make it a home.

I’ve been baking and cupcake decorating like a mad woman today, but every now and again I got on Pinterest pinning ladies with bangs. I think I’m committed to mine now. And why not? Just look at the gorgeous ways these ladies are wearing them!

(Now if only I could trim them myself…)

Jean Shrimpton, 1965

Jane Birkin

Kelly Wearstler

Zooey Deschanel

Source: fanpop.com via Everyday on Pinterest

(I hate posting my own picture online. This is something I’m trying to get over, so here it is.)

So I finally got my bangs cut, and I love them! No more hair in my face! One more thing to cross off the to do list! Yay!

So why post about them?

Well, for starters, it’s about the most bloggable thing that has happened all week. I’ve been very busy and distracted, but it’s nothing I need to write about, because it’s so boring. My bangs? Now that I can talk about nonstop, despite the fact that my haircut is probably boring to you as well.

For instance, when I walked out of the salon and looked at myself on my rearview mirror I realized that she had given me Lavinia bangs. (Yes, I had just watched the Downton Abbey Christmas Special. Shut up.) I was very amused by the fact that this is the first time my hair has managed to approximate the hair of someone who’s on TV. Whenever I get a haircut I go in with pictures from magazines, and I am always disappointed because I never look like the people in the pictures, so I had given up. I just told her to get them away from my eyes but not to make them too blunt. And then, much to my delight for no discernible reason, I walk out with the bangs of a fictional saint. It’s a miracle, I tell you.

The other thing is that I’m always surprised when people notice that I got bangs cut. I’m not sure why this is, since bangs are the closest thing to having something written on your forehead, but every time someone mentions them I’m a little embarrassed. This is very strange, I realize this, but I don’t have an answer for you as to why. Last year, I chopped off 10 inches and didn’t feel as naked and different as I feel with my bangs. Maybe it’s because they’re too “look at me” and I don’t actually enjoy being the center of attention? I’m a shocked as you are, because I have blogs on the internets, and that doesn’t make sense.

I told you I could go on forever about bangs, but I will spare you for now. You’re very much welcome.

One morning last week I was surprised at breakfast with the orchid you see above.

It was just sitting there, next to my toast, waiting for me as I rushed getting little limbs into dirty sweaters. It sat there, waiting, as I rushed down the stairs running over my impossible schedule in my mind — the impossible balancing act that a normal day is, where I have to fit too many things into too few minutes.

I almost didn’t notice it, but when I did it changed everything.

Yes, I still had to run around like a maniac, and no, the kids didn’t magically put their shoes on without me askingthemtodoitforthehundrethtimeOMG.

The things that were out of my control before I saw it were still out of my control.

But when I saw it, I took a moment to inspect it. Was it real? Why was it there? How frivolous! A flower on a random tuesday…and it’s just for me? Little me? Busy, impatient, me?

I paused, and ate my breakfast. Then I took the flower off my plate and put it on my stove.

It’s still there. It hasn’t wilted. It still works.

I have a new everyday lipstick, and I have to share it with you all, because it’s perfect. Perfect, I say!

I finally got my hands on a tube of the extremely popular Revlon Lip Butters, and I love it. LOVE.

These things are all over You Tube and the beauty blogs, so I’m not sure why I was so clueless about them. I saw Emma Stone wearing them on Vanity Fair, and so I told myself that I’d check them out next time I was at CVS. It has been weeks since then, and they’re are always sold out. So of course I really wanted to try them, wondering what the big fuss is about. I’m so glad I persevered, because these lip balm/lipstick hybrids are great.

The color I chose is called Fig Jam. It looks super dark on the tube, but it’s a sheer and very wearable brownish red. What I love is that despite being sheer, it delivers a pop of color, so it’s a step beyond tinted lip balm. I love that it makes lips glossy but not sticky. It’s the perfect lipstick texture — the only drawback is the fact that you have to reapply often. But since the texture is so creamy and they’re unscented, it’s not like applying them is unpleasant.

I’m already looking for my next shade. Have you tried them? Which one is your favorite?

I feel happiest when I go to yoga class with all the lovely yoga people, but in the real world I don’t get to go everyday.

(Why, oh why, don’t yoga studios have childcare?)

So I turn to DVDs — and I must say, there are definite advantages to them. The main one is, of course, that I literally have no excuse for missing a workout. (That doesn’t mean that I don’t miss workouts — but it’s really hard to rationalize being lazy when all I have to do is pop a DVD into a computer or player.) I have two favorite DVDs that I turn to when I work out at home, and I thought I’d share them with you.

(FYI — Because I know people are suspicious of bloggers — I purchased both these DVDs with my own money.)

(I don’t understand what that has to do with anything. If I didn’t like the DVDs, I wouldn’t tell you about them. But since some people care…)

BALLET BEAUTIFUL CLASSIC WORKOUT

This DVD is deceptively beautiful to look at. Mary Helen Bowers is the founder of Ballet Beautiful and the ballerina that got Natalie Portman in shape for Black Swan. In other words, she’s hella intimidating on paper, but quite sweet on her DVD (and on Twitter, I might add!).

I say that the workout is deceptive because while the moves are easy and you don’t need any dance experience (at all) to do them, they will work you ragged and you won’t be able to walk the next day. Ahem.

I told Girl’s Gone Child about BB, and she’s a fan as well. There’s just something about working out and enjoying a bit of gracefulness at the same time that makes this such a pleasurable and effective workout. I think you’ll like it!

THE LOTTE BERK METHOD, 4 DISK SET

This old-school DVD set is bare bones, but it’s my favorite all-around workout. Lotte Berk was an eccentric character, but her method inspired a thousand Bar/Barre/Core Fusion methods (I’m not bashing them — I actually go to a ballet barre studio when I can) but this is the original.

My favorite of the set is Muscle Eats Fat, but all four of the DVDs are great. I like that you have an entire week of workouts in this set.

Once again, the exercises emphasize small movements and thus seem too easy, but when I do them consistently I see a change in my body. Longer, leaner muscles and better posture — what more can you ask for?

There is no annoying music to distract you. And the lady in Muscle Eats Fat is super inspiring — it’s nice to work out to a woman who is older and me and can kick my ass quite easily.

So if you can stand a little datedness, you will love this workout too. If you’re on a budget, this is the set I recommend.