From geek...to chic!

I consider myself an average Joe. Or Jo, perhaps. My normal attire is casual top (or t-shirts when I'm not at work) and jeans, with a trusty pair of well-worn sandals. I generally only dress up for church.

However, this past weekend was the annual fundraiser gala for DD's school, and after all the spa suggestions around my birthday last month, I decided to go all-out.

So for the first time in my life, I have had a manicure and pedicure, and had my hair professionally styled.

The 'cures were done Friday morning - I got to the salon just as they opened. First up was the pedicure - a nice soaking for my overworked, calloused feet, followed by a massage and buffing (to file off the worst of those callouses), and a French manicure. The buffing tickled a little bit, but I managed to avoid flinching. The chair I sat in for the pedicure had back massagers in - a fact one of the other patrons pointed out to me. I made some use of that. I also did a little bit of stitching (good thing I had the pedicure first!). The manicure was similar, except with a small bowl to soak my fingers in, and some removal of dry skin around the nails. Again, I went with the French manicure. I'm too pale for most of the darker polishes, and I don't generally wear reds or pinks. Besides, the simple light polish over white tips has a nice clean look to it, I think.

Then Saturday, I had my first-ever updo. I've been trying to grow my hair long forever, and I wanted some of that length to be visible, so it was more of a partial updo, but half an hour, 20 bobby pins and half a can of hairspray later, my wild mane was transformed into gleaming copper curls.
A rare application of makeup, and voilá!

The 'beauty mark' was a bit of a lark. While I was putting on blush, DD asked if I was trying to 'cover up the zit'. I replied that it was a mole...and then I got to thinking. Out came a brown eye pencil, and suddenly the mole had character!

I wore a black gown with spaghetti straps, and beautiful amethyst and diamond necklace and earrings that were gifts from my beloved. And behold, yours truly all decked out:
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My best accessory for the night, though, was the handsome gent with whom I've spent the past 15 years:


All in all, we had a great night. I got rather a lot of compliments, and I confess I did enjoy feeling elegant and pretty. I may do this again next year.

Even if it did take me three shampooings to get the hairspray out.