Give the Curls a Break

Today, I woke up ... and I looked like this. (-->) Yeah.

Pretty much how I look every morning. (...Maybe now, that question from earlier--something about, What will I do when I live with a boy???--maybe now that makes more sense. ...A lot more.) Well yay for us, there are 2 bright-sides:




1. I still look this crummy with straight hair. (Seeee! It's not just a curly-haired thing.)
2. It gets better.

It does. Today's blog will focus, not so much on the hair, but on how everything else makes-or-breaks the hair. Before the onslaught of my early-morning photo-op begins (...my very immature version of journalistic risk-taking!), I need to backtrack.

From an early age, I quickly decided that hair "makes-or-breaks" the face. While emerging from the tub each evening or upon surfacing from the 4-foot plastic pool my parents erected each summer, I always noticed that I looked different. Better. Back then, I'd say prettier. Last night, upon first glance into the mirror after stepping out of the shower, I can put to words what, at 8, I'd observed.

Alright, I'm no artist, or hair stylist, or expert on shapes and contour, but from my past experiences, it seems that glossy, loose, longer waves--subtle curls that extend past the shoulder--give my face a softer, more polished look. A longer neck, a slimmer silhouette, more defined cheeks, softer eyes. ...A prettier look. Hm, and while this post won't attempt to deconstruct society's definition of pretty, I will briefly qualify by adding: A prettier look according to what society touts as prettier. (Think about it.)

Regardless, numerous hairstyles--not just the pseudo-straight aqua-inspired envy from 2nd grade and, let's be honest, last night--have proven to me that, in a way, hair does make-or-break the face. How many top 10 lists have you heard or read where celebrities or critics or stylists or prom-guides insist that the #1 "must" to the "perfect" outfit is ... hair! ? More significantly, how many times have you, yourself, changed a look by styling your mane? Personally, I've noticed that my hair, slicked straight back with a tiny bun (we're talking un-styled, un-teased, un-primped) is straight scary. Haggish. Oh good Lord, there are many more more to catalog... But that's a different post all together.

Well: You know what readers? Lately, I've wondered if my past 20 or so years of media-glean, and if my past 20 or so years of experience are ... misguided.

You know the morning of my first blog, when I used an expletive while tugging my hair at the roots? Well that morning, I finally stopped toiling with my 'do, temporarily admitted defeat, and moved-on to make-up. Huh, I said, mascara placed into bag, I don't look so bad. Broken angles and nonsense, plaits of natural crimp and coil: my hair jutted everywhere. But dang, I looked okay. So this morning, when I woke-up to a breaking furnace, a -6° exterior temp., a 13.5 hour work day where I'll be pulling down about $100 (okay, that's more embarrassing than these pictures), and that (see below) hair, I knew I had to take drastic measure.

May I direct you to Photo-Op 1:

(I can't believe this picture is making more than 1 appearance ... in the same post.)

Picture 1. This is what I look like most first-things. Hello sunshine! We're talking no make-up. (See those circles???...Concealer's my fav new tool.) Ugh honestly, the only cosmetic happening in this ensemb. is the tan work-out band holding-back my top-floof, and holding-up the bottom.

Well, I got curious. ...Or desperate. Instead of tackling the bed-head-beast first, I put on some clothes.





Picture 2. Here I am in actual attire. Still no make-up. Still no styling. Still, improvement. Interesting...







Picture 3. If this were an experiment, the 2nd variable--number one being attire --would be make-up. I took this picture to see how much my look changed after applying my face. Honestly, if I were super-late (like last Thursday when my alarm was the main-office waking me for work as the school day began: sorry school!), I'd've gone to work like this. It's not fabulous. Or gorgeous. ...Kinda' cute. It's better. Light-years better. In a serious pinch, it's good to know that attire and make-up will do.









Picture 4. These are my curls after I release them from their top-knot, spritz 'em with a bit of water, and blow-em-out with the diffuser for body and separation. (Haha, who knew you could "lift-and-separate" more than just your ... ).





Picture 5. Here's me. Professional me. Post-styling. Hm: not my fav. But then again, I was going to work with middle schoolers and then with coffee drinkers at my side-stint as a barista. (Sounds so much better than saying "my part-time part time" job.) Really, who was I trying to impress?




So there you go. Maybe hair doesn't totally make the face. Sometimes an outfit does. Sometimes, some serious concealer.


Lesson: Don't rely solely on the curl. Sometimes they need a little support, in a little bit different way. Sometimes they need a break.


(P.S. Turns out I didn't have to work! Showed-up and they didn't need me. ...Or rather, I read the schedule wrong and was actually on-call. Yet considering that it's on the way home from where I sub, that I wanted my paycheck anyway, that I needed next week's hours regardless, and that I could now attend an important meeting that last month, I missed ... this was a welcome surprise. No matter how ya' slice-it.)

Night.