Shot this back about two weeks ago, when we briefly had some spring and summer. I'd been playing around with blending nail polish (or varnish, in Brit Speak). I've been trying to coin a phrase to describe the process, so far I've only come up with blendishing.
It's great fun, actually: just put some newspaper under in case it spills, and instead of using the brush to paint your nails, use it to kind of brush polish into a bottle. I find that Rimmel's dark blue goes a long way: a dozen 'strokes' of the brush in half a bottle of beigey pink Boots No. 7 'Stay Perfect' produces a nice lilac. Any more, it goes into a steel blue grey.
My eye was caught by a tweet from Save Our Shoes recently, about a cover shoot of everyone's favourite Carrie, Sarah Jessica Parker. Her 'real' hand was all veiney, but they made these smooth, non human hands for her. My hands (& feet) have always been knarkled & veiney, even as a child, and yet for some reason I've never been self conscious of it.
I remember an old commercial for hand cream that said something like 'she looks so young and fresh, but her hands give her away.' Hands (and feet) are areas that the plastic surgeons have yet to crack. And frankly, I'm glad! Can you imagine?
Mr. Dot has said he'd leave me if I get any 'work'. I know it's such a contentious issue, and it feels like all my life this was such a non-issue - because I was young and was going to live forever. Now: maybe I'm just happier in my skin. (It seems to be an inverse proportion: when I was younger, and prettier in the world's eye, I was more self critical). I've never even coloured my hair (which, btw, is a great tip for keeping it healthy). I want to be the 'control' in the science experiment: someday, when everyone starts looking like the Bride of Frankenstein, with big puffy lips, I want the world to be able to see what old human females actually look like.
We are all perfect in our imperfections. That's what makes us unique, and human.
I'm amazed at the feedback when I've asked these questions before: so many of you, even in your teens, have such healthy self esteem. Maybe it's just those are the kind of people who choose to blog. Or read this blog. Who knows. But either way, I applaud you!
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I always say "oh no, I don't want to get anything done ever. I want to look like a REAL old lady" And there are so many beautiful old ladies out there! BUT it's one thing saying it now, aged twenty, and another seeing it through when I actually start getting fatter and wrinklier etc etc! Hell, even now I have trouble enough accepting the fact that I'll never be as skinny as I was aged 16 ever again, and I'm still supposed to be in the carefree throngs of youth. Though I know if I ever was that skinny as fully grown adult I would probably look pretty horrible! It's a case of reconciling this well founded knowledge with the gnawing paranoia one can easily submit to when given a lifetime to examine every knook of your body with intense scrutiny, particularly when coupled with pre-existing insecurities and our foolish tenancy to compare ourselves to things that are completely different.
Yay you posted it!! Although quite extreme, Mr Dot is right! You need no work done what so ever. The proof is in the pictures of you in that adorable back skimming dress and evidently from this post also.
The real beauty is the fact that someone, like you who is happy in their skin and allows themselves to evolve naturally with true grace and elegance. Jill this is more than a blog, more like memoirs of the womanhood !! I love x
http://stylebyqueens.wordpress.com/
the whole plastic surgery thing is quite a touchy subject. you never know who your talking to that might have had something done... lips, nose, boobs, chin... discrete or obvious (as with the insane mrs montag). i think extreme examples like that... and the totally whacked out old ladies who have been having plastic surgery done for years has really made it obvious how horribly wrong it can go. i wouldn't want to judge others choice in getting surgery as we all have our own reasons for what we do. but, personally i agree with you. i think people look good for their imperfections. we don't all need to look like a cookie cutter barbie mould - which i think is what p.s. ultimately turns you into.
p.s. jill, it doesn't hurt that you've got amazing skin and a great figure still to keep you off getting plastic surgery!!
I have always said the same. I don't think I would feel right getting any work done - not unless I was terribly injured in an accident and needed reconstructive surgery. I am by no means perfect, and there are tons of things I wish were flatter or more defined etc. but these are all part of me. These kind of make me who I am. If I want to be more toned, I'll work out more, or if I want better skin, I'll drink more water and use good moisturiser. I want to do things properly and not resort to quick fixes. I don't like the idea of operating on a perfectly healthy body.
Clare x
Love this post.
Perfection is something that is subjective but some people choose to chase this objective 'ideal' or 'perfection' which doesn't really exist...
Thanks for all the links to my blog in your posts, really appreciate it! Clara x
I know someone who had plastic surgery. well, a tiny little eye lift. and it looks completely natural. she just looks less tired. and no one realised it. even her parents don't know.
When it looks natural I think it is ok. When you end up looking like katie price or heidi montag you know something went wrong.
Funny how you mention hair dying just the day afer I decided to dye my hair. but not like a major change. I'm just gonna add a semi permanent copper nuance. usually my hair is blond with a slight hint of red, but for some reason it's pretty un-red this year so Im going to help it a little. It doesn't feel like I'm changing something. Its more like highlighting the thing that I used to love most about myself...I prefer to be a red head than strawberry blond for some reason.
That's so weird you said that, Eveline! Just came back from coffee with Natayla ('Treasures of a Ladybug') and Hedvig & her sister & we were talking about 'enhancing' hair colour: my sister is a natural blonde who used to have white blond hair as a child, but adult blonds go darker. So she highlights it.
There are so many ways to have fun with hair colour. I'm not judging AT ALL: I only haven't coloured my hair mainly because I'm lazy. And I haven't had surgery because besides that I haven't had anything I particularly want to change (I'd like a bigger chin: more of a jawline but I don't think that's a surgical thing. I'd like bigger lips, and less pucker around them, but I hate needles). It's really: I'm a chicken, and I'm lazy.
And I agree with what people have said that it can go so wrong, and with some people, it's never enough. It doesn't fix the hole inside the soul.
This is just my choice! I'm not saying it's everyone's. Thank God we live in a world where we have choices.
that's a gorgeous shade of purple....with even more gorgeous words/self view to match. :) I still haven't gotten over fears of getting old (and I'm not even 22 yet...) but I'm working on it!
http://diyainherstilettos.blogspot.com/
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