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| exhibit A |
...and was treated to the best seats at the best show this side of the Mississippi, The Book of Mormon. No pictures from the show, but there is a picture of me drinking a pina colada out of a coconut (see exhibit B). So, that's something...
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| exhibit B |
I can't recommend The Book of Mormon highly enough, and would watch it every day if it wouldn't cost me more than a mortgage payment for every ticket. Go refinance your home so you can see it, stat. Totally worth it.
Anyway, so that brings us to 2014. An even year, and as far as numbers go, even numbers are my favorite (I'm weird and like symmetry, what can I say?). So that means good things are in store, since life's all about symmetry...and setting myself up for failure, which is why I bought this book:
Call me girly, call me ridiculous, call me whatever the heck you want. I'm feminine and proud and this book is awesome. This thing suggests a blueprint for the year, including books to read (I'm always looking for good reading material) and how to feel like you've finally kicked your year into gear in really high shoes, which is really the best way to kick anything.
I know by February I'll be like, "What book?", but for now, since I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, this is my attempt at making 2014 "The Year of the Leith".
The book suggests January as a month for cleaning up the apartment and a fresh start. Which I was totally going to do, but somehow haven't found the time. So I went for the next best thing: shinier hair.
My hair has always driven me mad. It's drier than hay and, since I have so dang much of it, frizzes out like a lint ball no matter what I do.
Last time I went to get a hair trim I asked the stylist--who had the shiniest locks I'd ever seen--what her secret was. After some poking and prodding, she admitted that she uses a hair toner ever couple of months.
How had I never heard of hair toner before? It's simply a demi-permanent color (or you can choose just a clear glaze) that seals your hair in some scientific way, I'm sure, to make it exponentially easier to manage.
After years of money wasted on hair products that never seem to work, I decided to give this whole hair toner nonsense a try.
Here's my disaster of a mane before the hour-long process:
Had a nice chat with the stylist about dating in San Francisco and the best bars in the Inner Sunset district, then waited for the product to set in for about 20 minutes, looking like this:
A quick rinse-out and a stylist who is a miracle worker with a blow-dryer and a round brush later, and voila:
The toner is supposed to match your natural color, simply making it easier to style while getting rid of the brassy color most people are born with, replacing that dull brassiness with shine.
Normally, after 30 minutes of blow-drying with a round brush, my hair just looks like a matted mess, so this sleek look was definitely worth the investment. And since it's demi-permanent, it washes out gradually, which means no roots. I could go on, but I'll spare you...
If you're curious to give this a go for a new look for the new year, the cost starts at $30 for clear toner. I got mine done at Carlton Salon in downtown San Francisco. They did my hair trim a couple weeks back too, which I was super pleased with, so they're worth a shot if you're ever in town and super reasonably priced, even on my budget.
Bring it on, 2014! I've got my hair style locked down, so I'm pretty sure I can handle anything.
Happy New Year!
Now that it has been awhile, how are you liking the toner process? Last time as I was growing out my hair to donate it, a lot of stylists kept commenting on how dry my hair is (it is southern CA! Everything here is dry!!) so I finally asked one what I could do about it. She recommended I go by Sally's and pick up a mask to use about once a week. Now I never get comments about my dry hair when I get a hair cut. But then again, my hair is stick straight and thin, so it's always been easier to manage than your hair (and that isn't a brag, just an acknowledgement that what works for me most likely would not work for you!)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the toner, because it is demi-permanent, would be okay to use on hair that is just going to be donated. They need virgin hair (never dyed), but that toner doesn't sound like a dye so much... hmm, you've given me something to think about, Leith-y!