I am rarely, if ever, affected by celebrity deaths. Usually I am surprised, as I frequently think the celebrity in question was already deceased, although sometimes I feel great shock and sadness at the cause of death, such as that of Rob Reiner or Phil Hartman. I was greatly affected by the death of Princess Diana and then later of Queen Elizabeth II, and I was sad to hear of the passing of Alice Munro. Generally, though, I feel fairly detached when I hear of the passing of someone famous, but I was deeply saddened to hear about Dolly Parton.
Dolly Parton brought so much joy and goodness into the world; not only did she have the voice of an angel, but she had the demeanour of one as well. She did so much for so many, particularly with regards to improving children’s literacy and education. By all accounts she was a woman full of love for all; she was quoted as saying The Holy Ghost is that part of God that lives in everybody, and the way you sin against it is by not loving everybody with all your heart, for exactly who they are. Isn’t that beautiful?
I’ve always liked the saying that a woman at twenty has the face she was born with, and at forty she has the one she deserves. I think women, as they age, become more beautiful when they have a beautiful soul; their aura shines through. Their beauty comes from the inside out! But sometimes, I like to think of beauty going from the outside in.
What I mean is that I always feel like I’m my best self when I put effort into my outward appearance. I grew up in a house in which vanity was a flaw to be overcome, and I really do think that song is about me, so I have a little bit of low-level shame about my fixation on my appearance. As I have gotten older, I have become more and more comfortable with my own vanity and the importance my appearance plays in my life. I don’t care about looking nice for other people, I want to look nice for ME, and I don’t feel like my best self when I don’t look my best.
I think this is one of the reasons I love Dolly so much. She had a rich inner life AND she leaned in to her looks. She worked hard and donated massively to charity and meant so much to people, and she looked fabulous while doing it. Another quote: My joke of, ‘It costs a lot of money to look this cheap’ ‒ that’s so true because I like to look a certain way. I can’t just put on a little bit of makeup and think I look good because I don’t look good with a little bit of makeup. I like to wear a lot of makeup. It fits my personality. Even if somebody says, ‘Oh God, she was so over-made.’ Well, if it fits me then I’m going to make everybody around me happy because I’m going to feel good myself. Never have I related to something so much. One can be a serious person and also enjoy frivolities at the same time. Being sparkly doesn’t mean being stupid. Working on one’s outer beauty does not preclude working on one’s inner beauty.
This month’s Favourite Things is dedicated to glorious, glamourous Dolly.
Nicole’s Favourite Things: The Goodbye, Dolly Edition
Maybe She’s Born With It, Maybe It’s Maybelline
Like Dolly, I don’t like to wear a little makeup, I like to wear a lot of makeup, every day. This is especially true of mascara.
There are areas in my life where I like to splurge, but mascara isn’t one of them. I go through a tube a month and so I prefer a less-expensive drugstore brand. My favourite – and it’s been my favourite for YEARS – is Maybelline’s Surreal Falsies. It builds nicely, doesn’t clump, and I don’t feel bad if I go through it quickly.
I also love Maybelline’s Express Brow, which is essentially a mascara, but for eyebrows. It covers up the wiry white eyebrow hairs and patchiness that are part of my life now.
Love The Skin You’re In
I honestly think that laugh lines are very beautiful, and I also have deep forehead wrinkles and marionette lines from a lifetime of smiling, laughing, and raising my eyebrows. No regrets! What can I say, I’m a “facey” person with a lot of expression, and my visage really did freeze that way. Nevertheless, I do like to use night creams, not to erase those lines – that’s too tall an order for a mere lotion – but to soften, smooth, and hydrate.
I was standing in line at the Costco pharmacy, waiting to pick up my husband’s medications. I am trying not to look at my phone while waiting for things, and so I glanced around at the people around me, peeking into their carts and wondering about their lives. What are they doing with all that cheese? I’ll wonder. To my left was a long aisle of beauty products. Here’s the thing about buying beauty products at Costco: it’s a gamble, and a very tempting one. Everything is so economical and also so GIANT. I have found myself saddled with massive amounts of product that was wrong for me, which is wasteful and makes me regret my life choices. But there I was, in a very slow-moving line filled with elderly people filling prescriptions, beside all sorts of untried and promising products. I kept glancing at them. Minutes ticked by. I AM NOT MADE OF STONE.
I ended up with a two-pack of Cerave Skin Renewing Eye Cream and a THREE-pack of ROC Correxion Cream. It was a gamble, but one that paid off. I love both of these products, and, as a bonus, Wirecutter chose the Cerave as its recent number one pick for eye creams! Now, let’s hope they are back at Costco by the time I run out of them, which will be many months from now.
Nailed It
Until I was about 23 years old, I was a terrible nail-biter. Now that I’m not, I like to keep polish on them at all times to keep from reverting to bad habits. I have had three professional manicures in my life, and one of those was a gel manicure. That lasted several weeks without chips, but the downside is that it kind of wrecked my nails. I always get gel pedicures, so I don’t know what the difference was, but my fingernails were so weak and prone to splitting post-gel-manicure that I never got one again. Instead, I use Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish, which lasts about a week before chipping, can be removed with regular polish remover, and doesn’t destroy my nails.
I love the look of dark nail polish – my toenails are always, always red – but I find that a light, natural colour is more forgiving in the chip department. I don’t know how one gets a job naming nail polish, but I wish it was mine. The colour I like is All Chiffon The World.
A Hair Affair
Recently my gorgeous friend Suzanne (HI SUZANNE) asked if my hair was naturally curly, and the answer to that is: not really. But it’s not straight, either. It’s more like weirdly inconsistent beach waves. Here is what it looks like wet:
And then this is with blow-drying:
Suffice it to say that it needs a little help, and so I love my curling iron. About a year ago I splurged on a fancy, expensive one, and I have never looked back.
It takes 5-10 minutes to curl my entire head of hair, depending on my precision and mood.
Then I gently comb it out, using a wide-tooth comb or my fingers.
I suppose I could blow-dry it straight, the way every hair stylist always does for me, but the truth is I don’t like the way it looks. My hair is so fine that it looks kind of flat and flyaway, and so I prefer the curls. I only wash my hair every three days, so it generally just needs a touchup or a bun on non-wash days.
It doesn’t take an eagle-eyed reader to notice the white roots! I don’t know when, if ever, I am going to allow my hair to go natural, because wow, does that feel like a process. At this rate, I’ll be the little orange haired lady in The Home. I started colouring my own hair during the pandemic and I never looked back, except to be low-level horrified by the amount of money I spent at salons for two decades. My current favourite is L’Oreal, and I am toying with the idea of going back to the chocolate brown of my youth. We’ll see!
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
As you may recall, I have had a lifelong goal to look like Mr T, when it comes to jewelry. More is more, I say! Just like I don’t feel like myself without makeup, I feel naked without jewelry. I like to wear bracelets, rings, earrings, and a necklace every day. I also wear my Garmin watch, but I’m not sure if that counts as jewelry.
Outfit of the Month
Nothing makes me want to shop my closet more than current pant styles. Everything is so wide-legged now, and I don’t love that style on me. Well, as Dolly herself said, Here you come again, and so slim-fit pants will eventually be back, but for now, I’m pulling out my old City Sleek Lululemons. I love these pants and I have several in different colours; I wore the charcoal ones with an old Gap tee and my Skecher sandals to a friend’s birthday lunch.
I am getting a lot of mileage out of that silk scarf I painted with my friend Sandi (HI SANDI) last summer. It’s the perfect lightweight scarf for a warmish fall day!
Face, hair, nails, clothes, accessories…I think I covered all my favourite frivolities, all of which Dolly made look so good. Goodbye, Dolly. You were an angel on this earth and now you are a literal angel. You were a gift to all of us. I will always love you. xo
I’m having a moment because I can’t wear eye makeup so therefore I wear no makeup. It’s very practical, it looks fine, yada, yada…but gosh makeup is so fun. Sigh. If not for the eye sensitivity I would definitely put on “a full face” in honor of Dolly today. Well, at least I can curl my hair. It really just takes a few minutes.
Such a bummer about the eye sensitivity! But what can you do – other than curl your hair!
I almost texted you last night to show you one of the book’s Will picked out for bedtime – it was a Christmas book about a band of dogs, trying to get home for Christmas, that was written by Dolly Parton! And if you are wondering if it’s odd that Will picked out a Christmas book in September, the answer is no. He checks out Christmas-themed books from the library year-round and the boys chose Home Alone 3 as their Friday night movie last week. I guess it’s always Christmas in the souls of my little guys!
I am kind of your polar opposite when it comes to make up and jewelry! I do not like to wear make up, nor do I feel I am good at applying it. And my skin is so so sensitive that even a tinted moisturizer will make me break out. So I get by with the barest minimum of makeup which I am fine with until I see photographs of myself, like from the due diligence events last week. Ahhh, those undereye circles! But I just shook my head so as to erase those images and moved on with my day. I also don’t wear any jewelry besides my wedding ring (which is a very thin band with pave diamonds so very simple – I don’t wear my engagement ring because even after having it sized down to 3.5, it still flops around when I am typing which I don’t like… But that’s the challenge of having child-like fingers). One thing I really love about summer is that I can wear my hair curly/wavy which requires very little effort on my part. I think I look best with my hair blow dried straight but if it’s humid, that is a no go for me as the hair wants to do what the hair wants to do when there’s humidity in the air. So TLDR, I try to rock the ‘natural’ look. I only wear make up on the days I go into the office or have client meetings. Otherwise, I just wear sunscreen. But I think we all have our baseline look. For me, it’s little to no make up. For others, it’s a made-up face. So people would probably react strongly if they saw me with lots of make up and if they saw you with a bare face!
Lisa, that is such a good point about our own unique baselines – years ago I zipped over to school drop-off directly after yoga practice, and I hadn’t showered/ put on makeup (was it an early drop-off? why didn’t I shower? I don’t know). Anyway, I had no makeup on and no fewer than six people asked if I was okay. NO I GUESS I AM NOT.
I have gigantic hands but apparently I don’t mind drawing attention to them!
Awww, it’s always Christmas in my soul too!
We have the same hair! 😂 Mine is neither straight nor curly, and it looks frizzy after washing. I use a curling iron too! I find that if I air-dry my hair, it looks a tiny bit better, but I still need the curling-iron routine to make it presentable. What curling-iron brand do you use?
I had heard of Dolly Parton, of course, but I didn’t know much about her beyond the music and her, to my uninformed European eyes, slightly over-the-top style. So getting your perspective on her was really interesting! I’m impressed that she managed to combine so much goodness and substance with her love for glamour. “Being sparkly doesn’t mean being stupid” is a great line!
I love that we have the same hair! I air-dry infrequently, it seems flat when I do that.
Yes, Dolly’s style WAS over-the-top, but I love that she embraced it. She was so charitable and kind!
My curling iron is Farery, it’s a ceramic coated one that seems to be nicer to my hair!
Love this and agree with you about women again. LOVE that eye cream.
Cerave is such a good product line!
I bought the Eyebrow mascara thingy after reading one of your posts. I don’t wear eyelash mascara because it’s a bitch to remove and, for some reason, cleaning my face at night seems like a chore. I no longer wear nail polish because my hands get too much of a workout with painting and tennis and pickleball and, in any case, my knuckles are now nubby and no longer pretty. I do like wearing a bit of makeup every day but if I’m home or just running errands or going to play, I keep it to a minimum. I did NOT KNOW Cerave made eye cream! I agree that wanting to look good doesn’t mean one is frivolous or flighty. We all want to look good and feel good. I think you’d look great in a dark brown hair colour, but then, red also suits you.
Thanks so much Pearl! I might give it a try and see what happens. It’s not like the red really blends into my white roots, so why not try brown!
I don’t think my hands are very pretty, they are really big and kind of red always – but I still like to polish the nails, otherwise I pick at them and peel them!
I’m glad the eyebrow mascara works for you! I love it.
Phil Hartman’s death affected me more than most, due to the sheer tragedy of the situation.
Adam is right, by the way: everyone loves Dolly. Which is why I’ve got a social media post celebrating her life scheduled for CheeseGov’s platforms tomorrow (9/25, how perfect is that?) even though we don’t have a damn thing to do with Dolly.
HAPPY DOLLY DAY!!!!
I know, sometimes I will hear “I’m Troy McClure” and I’ll feel quite sad. What a tragedy that was.
What a beautiful post about Dolly! I agree… everyone loved Dolly. She seemed to be such a sweet person and brought so much joy to the world.
I love how you highlight the importance of looking good for yourslef. It’s considered so “bad” to care for our looks but the truth is that if we like how we look, we’re more confident, feel better, and making ourselves look good is a form of self-respect.
I got a haircut yesterday, for the first time in 2 years, and WOW. The difference when I see myself in the mirror. I feel confident all of a sudden.
I LOVE your curls!!
Susanne, thank you – that was exactly the point I was trying to make and I’m so glad you understand! I always feel better and more confident when I put effort into my appearance – I have been made to feel that this is shallow or stupid, but you know what, I’m 51, I am just going to lean into it.
I love Dolly. I thought the Rockstar album she did a couple years ago was so fun.
Have you heard the “Dolly Parton’s America” podcast? It’s just 10 or 12 episodes, made several years ago. I really liked it and I learned a lot about her life from it. I was reminded of it because when she died they replayed the first episode on Radiolab. (It was made by one of the former hosts of that podcast.)
I haven’t heard that, Steph, thank you – I will look it up!
I am pretty much your opposite when it comes to makeup. I rarely wear it, and when I do, it’s very minimal, so I always enjoy these posts as a little glimpse into another world.
I did love what you said about being serious while also enjoying frivolous things. We all have our things that bring us joy, and they don’t have to be important or meaningful or improve us in any way. Sometimes we just get to like things because we like them.
And I loved the Dolly connection. She really was such a wonderful example of someone who could have enormous substance while also fully embracing the sparkle. There’s room for all of it. 🩷
Kari, yes! We all have things that bring us joy and dammit, makeup is one of mine. Lol! We can like what we like without having to apologize for it.
Dolly was so wonderful – sparkle and substance, as you say.
What a lovely post about Dolly! She inspired me because she was so true to herself and seemed to enjoy life to the fullest. You are also such a joyful person, and you inspire me so much! I used to love wearing makeup, but I developed so many sensitivities that I can’t wear anything now. I’m especially sorry I can’t wear mascara because my eyelashes are so light colored, it looks like I don’t have any. I have tried every brand, even the new “tube mascara” that’s supposed to be so wonderful. It’s kind of nice to read in the comments that others are sensitive as well, and I’m not alone.
Oh my goodness, thank you so much Michelle!
You are not alone with the sensitivity. I have never tried tubing mascara, I think I might dip my toe in, but I feel like I’ll just return to my fave Maybelline standby!
I honestly didn’t know much about Dolly before her passing but I was happy to learn she was such a wonderful, down-to-earth person who tried to do good in the world. The world needs more Dollys!
As always, I love your favorite posts… I love hearing what other people use/love! I meant to pick up the mascara that you recommend and try it out. Does it have a thicker brush or one of those slim rubber brushes?
I don’t wear a ton of make-up but my skin is usually a little pale, so I like some help with foundation and blush. I am currently using a Laura Geller foundation and love it.
I also always browse the beauty aisles at Costco but usually only buy things that I’ve previously tried out (because of the HUGE packaging), but if it’s a product I like, Costco really has the best deals!
San, the mascara has a pretty thick brush, and I feel like it works wonders. I haven’t found another mascara that I have liked as much as this one!
Buying beauty products at Costco is a huge gamble, and I’m glad these ones paid off. It’s so tempting, because Costco offers so much so inexpensively, but then, I have found myself stuck with not-great product before.
I love your favourites posts! I need to get a bottle of that nail polish. I think I looked at my local shoppers when you recommended it before and they didn’t carry it in that shade, so I need to look elsewhere.
I haven’t had a Costco membership in almost a decade and just thinking of the store makes me feel anxious. So many options and, like you say, no guarantee on the first try you’re going to love the JUMBO sized _______ (insert product). I’m so glad you had good success.
My hair is also in between wavy and curly and goes frizzy. My entire life I have been jealous of people with hair that dries smoothly can literally just wash and wear. I cannot imagine. They don’t realize they’re walking through the world having won the hair lottery!
I just love Sally Hansen and the bonus is it dries quite quickly too. And lasts! Which is more than I can say for some products I’ve tried.
I have a couple of friends who have hair like that – they just let it air dry and it looks perfect. My friend Florence came over one day after swimming, with wet hair. As the morning went on it just dried into its perfect, thick waves and I was amazed. Like, your hair looks that gorgeous WITH ZERO EFFORT? HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Oh Dolly! Such an angel; one that, I feel, was sent here to show us how to be the best people we can be. Unfortunately, some seemed to have missed the lesson, so I guess it’s now up to the rest of us to carry on her work.
Up until recently, I’ve been team makeup, hair, jewelry every day. But…with everything that’s been going on here that’s been in the rearview mirror for a while now. Now that he’s home, maybe I’ll get back on that wagon.
What I will not be doing anymore is dying my hair. It has reached the point where I need to dye it again the day (ok, week) after I dyed it just to keep up with covering the grays. It’s a losing battle, so I ceded. We shall see how long it takes for the silver to take over completely.
Oh, I totally understand about the hair dye. I feel like I can see my roots within two weeks, and by four weeks it’s a whole thing. But the growing-out seems to be such a process, since I am totally white/ grey. I feel like I would just have half-and-half hair for a long time.
I’m so glad your husband is home now!!!
💕 Dolly Parton – also, tomorrow is 9 2 5 day!
For all the people between wavy and curly, have you tried the curly girl method? Wash without sulfate, use conditioner, put cream or gel on, plop you hair (more info in this link https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/a70434372/curly-girl-method-guide/#what-is-the-curly-girl-method). My hair is more 3b/c, and I swear by this method. I still get frizzy hair after a few days, but I generally get good results.
Elinoora!!! This is amazing information, THANK YOU. I am going to try this! Who knows, maybe it will be a life-changing endeavour! I will keep you posted!!! Thank you!
I tried a “nice” mascara one time and I just felt like I didn’t get anything more from it. I like my cheap stuff.
I so agree, I had a sample of an expensive mascara and I didn’t like it at all!
Dolly was such an angel. Everyone loved her. Great tribute to her.
Believe it or not I was a nail biter and quit around age 50! It took about 10 years before my nails were healthy. I always assumed your hair was curly. I’ve always had straight hair (I thought). When short I blew it dry and when long I have been blowing it dry and straightening it. I went to my hairdresser 2 weeks ago and told her I wanted a wash and wear do for our trip to SE Asia. Do not want to bring a straightener. She said I had waves – who knew? She cut some off & added some layers. Now when it’s wet I add gel or mousse flip my head down and scrunch for about 5 minutes. It works! I have curly hair. Everyone says “I didn’t know you had curls” and I say neither did I haha. I will prob have this style forever. So easy!
Oh that is awesome, Pat, I bet it looks amazing!! I will say when was in SE Asia my hair just got so fuzzy with the humidity that I simply wore it in a bun day after day. One day I came down to breakfast with it down, and a man in our tour group didn’t recognize me – and we had just spent 10 days together!
Such a FABULOUS post; I smiled throughout, which is a little embarrassing because I am at the hair salon, but WHO CARES, you are a delight.
I love Dolly Parton and I love how unapologetic she has always been about being and looking exactly the way she wants. I am reading this post on Dolly Day (Nine-Two-Five) which feels very fitting.
My mind is BLOWN that you have wavy-not-curly hair! Your curls are gorgeous. I am the opposite – my hair is naturally curly but I wear it straight 95% of the time.
YES to Cerave! I am a huge fan of their night moisturizer and I will keep an eye out for the eye cream next time I go to Costco. Costco always has such tempting skincare products.
925!!!!!
Well now MY mind is blown because I thought your gorgeous hair was naturally straight! This just goes to show that we always want different hair. In my opinion you have Princess Kate hair, and I am very very very envious!
If angels walk the earth, Dolly was their guiding star. She knew what worked for her. And her kindness is an example to everyone, especially in this challenging world.
I used to wear a lot more make-up, especially when I was doing theatre and TV. Now, very little. If I don’t throw on some eyeliner, I look like I have the flu. So, that’s essential. And I try to remember to use moisturizer, but it ends up being 50/50 — better in winter months. That’s about it. I don’t bother to hide the wrinkles, but I do smile a LOT — partly because that’s just who I am and partly because the little lines above my lips (thank you, years of inhalers) flatten out when I do! As for hair, I’ve saved a bundle since I stopped coloring it and sometimes I wish I still was. That grow-out period can be pretty bad for the self-esteem! Mostly, it’s just a relief not to have to worry about it. I have naturally curly hair and frizzy if it gets too long or humid. My goal — wash, spritz and wear! You hit a point where you realize life is just too short and make choices.
Oooh Jeanie, how long did it take to grow out the colour? That’s my hesitation about not going natural. It feels like an enormous undertaking!
I am a smiley person as well and I think it shows – but those are nice wrinkles to have IMO!
I once went to school drop-off right after yoga practice – no makeup – and people asked if I was sick!
I made that decision during Covid (partly of necessity!) and for a bit I did box-color but it was never quite right. My hair is usually short, but it got very long during that period and very bushy, so most of the time it was in a pony tail and — well, it was Covid and a good year or so. Who saw me except Rick? But the best move was getting it cut. They cut out the dyed dark and that helped. Since I was used to short hair, no worries. But my stylist mentioned there were options like frosting or streaky highlights/lowlights that makes the change more gradual. One other thing — she also told me that the back changes slower than the top and it’s true. You end me being a little “salty/peppery” — and now, five years later — I still am. I think.
I think it’s easier if it’s short hair – and your hair looks great, so you did the perfect thing!
Thank you for those Dolly quotes, as I was not familiar with them. What a woman she was!
The way you style your hair is so pretty! I appreciated you showing the 4 stages, as I really just thought your hair was naturally curly and just dried that way. I am so picky about my hair and will use a curling iron even if I’m staying home all day, so I totally understand you. My hair is poker straight and I think it looks terrible without some body and lift put into it with product and a curling iron. Maybe because I was of the big hair era of the 80’s/90’s?
It’s fun to hear of your favorite products. I am not super brand loyal, but I do have my faves. My toenails are always a shiny purple and I use a pearl color on my fingernails (though mostly I don’t wear any polish at all to let my nails breathe). And I am an Almay deep purple eyeliner girl.
Thank you so much for saying that, Bijoux! I also loved the big hair of that time period, and so I feel like we are sisters in this respect! I do my hair every day, even if I’m not leaving the house (although sometimes “doing” my hair means pulling it into a bun, but it’s STILL DOING IT!)
Oooh Almay has a great product line!
Your comments regarding personal vanity and wearing makeup and clothes to make YOURSELF feel good echo my own thoughts exactly. While I only wear mascara now–and a lot of it, every day–I still feel better with it than without it. This befuddles my husband, who doesn’t see the need for it (for me, not him) “if I’m not going anywhere.”
One of the reasons I’ve never even considered colouring my hair is that it’s a hell of a lot of maintenance (read WORK). I am not about that life, but if I were, I think I’d add a streak of pink or purple or something. As it is now, I have wide streaks of silver and they’re not nearly as dramatic as I wish they were.
The current pants styles are scary. I’ll wear what I like and wait for my own style to be In Style (again).
MASCARA TWINS!!!!
Honestly, hair colour is a lot of work, especially if you’ve done it for a long time, like I have! It’s like, I have to keep going!
This is a beautiful post, and I love the Dolly quotes you included.
As you know (and as everyone who suffered through the “wedding makeup” posts on my blog knows), I don’t wear makeup. Somehow I missed that part of growing up, and now it just baffles me. But I love the way you talk about it- I want women to feel good and be happy with how they look. It’s true that if you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good you’ll make the people around you feel good as well. All I can say after reading this post is… YOU GO GIRL!!!
Thanks so much Jenny! Like Lisa said, we all have our own unique baseline. Just like it would be strange for you to suddenly wear a face full of makeup, it would be strange if I didn’t – we have to look like ourselves! And you looked beautiful and exactly YOU at the wedding!
I love what you said about beauty at 20 vs 40s. I fully agreee that a beautiful soul shines through ages.
For some reason I’m opposite of vanity, although my mom at 76 still prioritizes appearance when meeting friends. I am the opposite, I only put non-athletic cloth when I go to work, and my makeup takes 5 min or less. And my girls are the same. At school, many girls at Sofia’s age use makeup but Sofia hangs out with girls who don’t and feels liberating.
you just remind me to deal with my nails… sigh… I bought so many bottles in the US and haven’t used them since then.
Well you always look great – and your simple makeup and style is perfect!
A beautiful soul really does shine through.
I love your favourites posts! I always look and learn about stuff, or I’ll high five you from behind my computer screen when something matches (loved the Sally Hansen nail polish before I ventured into dip nails).
Also, I’m starting to subscribe to the whole “make an effort and feel more confident” thing. For so many years I hated the mirror so the idea of trying to put effort in with makeup felt like torture.
I’m only now in my 40s and really starting to dive into the world of skincare, BB creams, and learning how to do makeup. I’ll definitely need to look into the mascara. For now, finding a lipstick remains a foreign and scary world, but the day that I start wearing it is the day we know I’ve officially jumped into the deep end of the world of makeup!
Kel, maybe start with a lip gloss or a tinted lip balm! They are like gateways to full-on lipstick, which can be kind of startling if you’re not used to a dark or bold lip. I love a BB cream as well!
Ooh great idea, easing in is genius. Maybe I can add that as a 52 for next year so that I’m more likely to try it instead of always thinking I’ll do it another day haha.
Just ordered a new BB cream last night, excited to see how it goes. My old one was expensive and this one has rave reviews for half the price.
Oooh I love a well-priced product!
I loved Dolly most for her dedication to children’s literacy. I think you know I worked for Scholastic and it is a mission I will always believe in. I literally gasped out loud when you mentioned naming nail polish colors! Me TOO! I want that job..lol I like wearing makeup everyday too. Sounds weird, but for Christmas I think I want my family to pitch in for me to get my eyebrows painted or tatooed. I don’t really have any and very sick of penciling them in every day! It’s a pracitical gift! lol
Judy, I remembered your work with Scholastic – I volunteered for them every year at my kids’ school and I really think they did a lot to bring inexpensive books to the classroom. And fun books too (although I have always kind of hated Diary of a Wimpy Kid, but every kid seems to love those books!)
I think that is a practical gift and kind of perfect!
I loved this post. What is there about Dolly Parton that isn’t lovable? She was unapologetically herself from the beginning to the end.
I would have guessed your hair was thick, not thin, just by looking at it! I
remember when you started coloring it yourself, and it was like a flashbulb went off over your head–you could have been doing it all that time! I agree, going from dark hair to natural white/gray is an undertaking that would need a lot of planning. Scheduling? I dunno, but it would be something. My MIL was forever coloring her hair, and finally, at around 70, she let it go, and she has the most gorgeous white/silver hair. But her hair was much shorter, and I don’t think it took too long to go from striped dark/light to all over natural light.
Nicole, I get a manicure every four weeks, and you’ve only done this a handful of times? No polish or gel stuff, just have my cuticles cleaned up and nails trimmed after getting my pedicure. But at home, in between, I started using a really light pink polish that seems to keep them stronger as they grow out. I agree, the gel stuff on my fingers just destroys the overall nail health for some reason; I did it a few times for big events.
I love a pedicure but for some reason I just don’t get manicures – I do them myself, but I don’t seem to have much trouble with cuticles. In other words, I’m not giving myself a complicated manicure! It never even occurred to me that I could just get a manicure without polish. That actually sounds really nice. Why does the gel destroy our nails so much? Maybe it’s destroying my toenails, but it doesn’t seem like it.
I think it’s so much easier to grow out short hair. Well, who knows what the future will bring! You’ve been here all along for my hair journey!
I’ve been really affected by Dolly’s death. She was tty a special person.
As you know, I am NOT a jewelry person and I am very simple about makeup (tinted moisturizer, mascara, and eyebrow pencil). If I can only do ONE thing, I will draw on my eyebrows because my natural eyebrows are so blond it looks like I don’t have eyebrows. I do like doing my hair. I usually blow-dry and straighten but if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll bust out the curling wand. The straightener just goes so much faster because my hair is already straight – I’m just smoothing things out.
Well, you always look nice (and I LOVE when you rock the bold lip!)
My eyebrows, as a youth, were super thick and dark. Think Bert from Sesame Street crossed with Martin Scorsese. But then it was the late 90s and I plucked the hell out of them because that was the style. I don’t know that they ever recovered from that trauma! Now I pluck the stray hairs that are here and there, and my eyebrows are randomly going grey/ white. It’s not the look I want but that’s what eyebrow products are for!
I love Dolly and I think she’s gone too soon. 🙁 She is a true icon. I also love all things beauty and jewelry, so I’m here for this post!!
Truly, she was amazing!
I’m not ashamed to say that I cried when I heard about Dolly. And then I donated to the Imagination Library. She put so much light and love into the world. <3
She really did, Anne.
Nicole- I am right with you on loving Dolly. What a selfless, angel she was to all. I especially love her literature organization. There’s nothing more admirable than providing children with literature.
I didn’t know about your love of makeup- you always look pretty! While on my recent trip, my friend says, “You look so beautiful without makeup!” But I won’t even get a coffee without putting it on- I just don’t wear mascara or eyeliner any longer. You would have loved the apotheke (pharmacy) in Munich. High end products lined all of the walls. The two of us left with La Mer moisturizer.
I’m with you on polish. My toes must always be painted (my fave is Cajun Shrimp!) and I’ve worn lighter polish on my nails for years.
You remind me of my friend who would dye her hair BEFORE WORK! I needed time when I did mine and ended with henna. I stopped it when we remodeled our shower.
I love the scarf you painted! It’s beautiful!
Kelley, I love knowing this about you! And thank you so much. We are so similar in this!
Wow, colouring your hair before work is a real commitment!