Today was my day off. I slept pretty well last night, waking up at 4:30, but laying in bed until 5:00 which is when I woke up the girls to do the dishes they didn't do while I was at work. I started laundry, pulled the dirty clothes out of their suitcases and told them that I would start picking out what they wore to school and packing their lunches for them if they couldn't show me what they had put together the night before. I make sure that they leave for their father's place with clean clothes and I'd appreciate if he could make the same effort for me. After picking my oldest daughter up from her only scheduled class today I went to see if I could get my hair cut.
This turned out to be a bad idea as I got one of the worst cuts I've ever had. I'm not sure where the communication broke down, I wasn't wild about my stylist when I met her, but it was a nicer place and I felt like she could handle 'cleaning things up a bit' which is what she explained she'd be doing when she first started the consult. She wanted to wash my hair, but the shampoo she had contained ingredients that I can't have on my skin. She was a little snippy about that, but I chalked it up to her being a bit of a perfectionist and let it roll. When she was done cutting she said she really wanted to put product in my hair. I could tell she was excited about the cut so I was optimistic until I looked in the mirror.
My hair is hard to cut. It's thin, fine, and has a tendency to curl, I also have numerous cowlicks that refuse to cooperate. I explained that she could part my hair on either side, but not down the middle. What I ended up with was some sort of odd surfer type cut where the front was longer than the top and sides. It was much shorter than I had expected it to be, especially considering I had specifically told her I was trying to grow out my hair. She told me she made it long in the front and short on the top, I tried to keep my cool, but I was really angry when I said that was the exact opposite of what I had wanted her to do. The last time I got my hair cut it was $20 plus tip. This was a $44 cut before the discount the front desk applied.
She went back and chopped even more off to make the front shorter. I guess I'm partially responsible for not being more specific about what I wanted, but I expect people who work at nicer places to be able to look at a face shape and kind of figure out what is going to be flattering. One of the things stylists have a tendency to do is cut my hair so it flows, I want it to be piecy and spiky, I mentioned that when she asked what products I used. I have this tube of stuff that adds some control and a jar of texturizer that adds some shine. I hated whatever she used to push all of my hair forward. I felt like my hair looked worse after my cut than it had before I walked through the door.
To make up for this disappointment I took my oldest to the mall and spent quite a bit of money. I went overboard, but I'm pretty happy with everything I purchased. I wanted a couple pairs of new shoes, pajamas, and something athletic to wear, I'll get around to that though. One of the things I can't wait to wear is a long pink sweater. I didn't know how it would work, but after trying it on I decided I needed to get out of my comfort zone and went ahead with the purchase. Another thing I'm delighted with even though they were an impulse buy is the new blue shoes I bought. I've been buying the wrong things in the wrong colors. I like the airy beachy breezy look so I rolled with it including two new bras that the fitter and I agreed were right for me.
In the past I've made the mistake of buying several of the exact same thing. Today I broke outfits into categories. I was thinking about what I wanted when I drove to the mall. I was trying to think of a look that was sporty, classy, fun, cheerful, and minimalist. Instead of trying to find clothes that fit all of those, my goal was to get an outfit that was one of those things. I bought myself a new pair of jeans. I can always find something to wear on top later. I'd also like new socks, but those can wait. The bottom line - I spent more money than I had planned on and should have, but ultimately this is a better direction. I don't have much clothes so it wears out faster than people who own more. I could have done better, but I'm proud of myself for investing in me. It's a new look and that was one of my objectives.
Another thing I liked was how I stood up for myself at the salon. In the past I probably would have fumed on the way out. This time I indicated my displeasure at the desk. I used to cut my own hair, generally speaking I'm pretty tolerant, it's hair, it will grow. I'm trying to figure out why I was so irate about the cut today, I suspect there is a deeper issue I'm not identifying, who knows, maybe it will come to me later. I'm also glad I didn't go back home and cry after the bad cut. I've done that before, this time I allowed myself a little retail therapy. I took my oldest out to lunch at the mall, I didn't spend as much time with her as I would have liked, but overall I'm counting the day as a success.
Hoping this finds you safe and sound,
Jessica
P.S. I feel like the stylist ignored what I said and had her own agenda. I don't think she gave me a bad cut on purpose, it was well cut, but it was so wrong for me and my face. I didn't like her from the initial meeting and am probably more mad at myself for not telling her straight away that I didn't think we would jive. Two haircuts ago I had a similar experience except the stylist worked with me a little more. This lady acted like everything was my fault and I really did not care for that...
j