Battling the Vains.

I never realized my pale skin would turn the color of a tea rose...permanently.  

I spent most of my years outdoors as a child, seeing as I was--and still am--a raging tomboy.  Later on in life, I worked hard to stay outdoors as a field worker in environmental restoration.  

I noticed fine lines developing and worst of all, the initial stages of--wait for it--rosacea {gasp!}. 

I figured with my pale skin and propensity for sunburns, I might oughtta check in with a dermatologist for the first time in my life.  

As it turns out, there's a VERY cheap treatment available for those of us with visible facial capillaries, or "fissures" as my ManFriend likes to call them.  Are you ready for this?!  Afrin nasal spray!!  Kind of amazing, eh?  I was stoked, especially after scouring Groupon for years looking for laser treatment deals.  I did have a few, but you always need to return for retreatments, which are pricey and painful.  

In the interrim, this is a great redness-reducing remedy.

If you want to get SUPER crafty, I recommend digging a little deeper at the bottom shelf level and snatching some generic nasal spray.  

Go forth and fearlessly be pale!  

Color of an Era

My brother and I found a box in Grandma's basement.

It wasn't what was in the box that was extraordinary, it was the box itself.  There was a tres-1963 woman dressed in what my brother and I dubbed at once, "Lady Vanity Blue."  She was peering contentedly into a vanity of the same color.  

The shade is somewhere in the viscinity of these blues.  Dancing lazily in between Seafoam and Tiffany blue.  Lady Vanity Blue conjures an entire time period and if I concentrate long enough, almost a scent--old books from an old library.  An old motor on a still functional art deco sewing machine.  

And amidst planning my wedding, there it was, always quietly lingering in the creases of my brain.  

It became almost symbolic of my extremely delayed journey into actual Lady-hood.  Suddenly, I began caring about clothing and makeup.  Though I doubt I will ever veer this far into Lady Vanity.

Let the journey begin.