haircut

 As promised, info on my haircut.  So, I've been without a regular stylist for a few years now. I had a stylist whom I loved, but she moved a little farther away from me, and then I lost her phone number, and then I finally found it and called her but she never called me back to schedule an appointment.  I figured that was the universe's way to tell me to move on.  Since this, I've just been bopping here and there, usually using coupons.  Because I'm cheap, that's for damn sure.


A friend gave me a great tip, which I am about to pass along to you (you are welcome).  The Aveda VICI Institute on the UW campus in downtown Madison offers $12 haircuts.  You schedule an appointment, go into a bustling, slightly more classroom-than-salon environment, and get a full service haircut -- shampoo, scalp massage (my fav), cut and styling -- ALL with Aveda products.  But wait.  Like any good infomercial, it gets better.  If you go on a weekday (Tues - Fri) before 10 am, you get the "early bird special" and the hair cuts are half off.  That's right.  Six bucks!  That's crazy talk but TRUE!!!!!


They have a full "menu" of offerings there (nails, facials, eyebrow waxing, color, etc) and I'm not sure what all is half off during the early bird special, but on Thursdays, you get meatloaf and mashed potatoes too!  (that's my old-lady-early-bird-special joke).  


The downside, because there has to be one, is that it takes a long time.  My haircut took 1 1/2 hours.  But it was a pleasant 1 1/2 hours.  Who wouldn't like to sit still and quiet and have someone futz with their hair for 1 1/2 hours?  Not me!  (or, would that be "me!"  how do I answer that?)  So if you have the time, go and do good for your community and offer your hair to these students to learn on.  This has now changed from an infomercial to a PSA. Wow, I'm good.


And now, to the pictures.  I've taken a ridiculous amount of time trying to capture the right mood and lighting and look.  All of a sudden, Tyra Banks' advice to those Top Model wannabees makes sense.  I need to make my eyes more alive, but everytime I try, I end up with the crazy eye.  Furthermore, I don't know how to take a self portrait without the glare from my glasses.  You'll just have to trust me that my eyes were pretty and not crazy in that bottom shot.


This is from the day of the haircut.  Note the pretty styling.  That will never be replicated again.  Also, note the scarf, Stephanie.  I do love this trend and I don't care I'm one of the herd.

This is my attempt at styling it, with hair product and curls.  It's an extremely dark photo which  makes it all the more dramatic but may not lend itself well to showing off my hair.  Oh well...

And this was taken just today.  This is "out of bed, brush my hair, throw on my scarf, head out the door" look, which is, actually, my every day look.

Maybe I need to work on my mouth too.   Not much life there either.  These self-portraits are harder than they look.


What do you think?  Pretty good for six bucks!