Mommy Makeover Part 4

My hair appointment finally happened! It was put off a week because of illness, but we got back on the makeover train this past week. Sobeida, the owner of Iluminada Studio, told me to come with hair inspiration so I picked a little Sarah Jessica Parker, then some random heads I put together on Pinterest. I'm still not Pinterested in using Pinterest, but it helped for saving all the heads I liked in one place.

Color inspiration

Color inspiration

I got to Iluminada at ten o'clock in the morning to start the whole process. I didn't ask what was going to be happening because that's been the theme of my whole journey. They told me, but I didn't pay that much attention. I put myself in capable hands and didn't ask questions.

I knew she was planning to get rid of my gray hairs, do some kind of highlights, a cut and an express keratin treatment. It was funny, I never thought to ask prior what products they use because I don't really know the difference. Don, my hairdresser of 20+ years, has been using Eufora for years, and I don't remember who makes the pink/purple I used to get with my regular highlights. However, my friend had JUST told me how upset she was because her regular salon always used one brand and switched for her last appointment without telling her. Believe it or not, while her hair didn't look bad, it isn't look as commercial ready as her hair usually does. So I guess it can make a noticeable difference. However, I do not know the difference between brands because I've been with Don using Eufora for a very long time. The few times I went to other people, like when I worked in NYC and couldn't make it to Don, in the early 2000's, I have no idea what they used.

I asked Sobeida what brands she was using and she said Kleral Magicolor and Zerran.

Sobeida did a single process first by painting my head. I'm explaining it how I saw it because I don't think I've had this. Don makes sure to do only the minimum by my request, to keep the cost down. I only see him every three months though. I don't watch what he's doing either, because we're talking. Since the last time I saw him, my grays are coming in around my hairline like mad. I'm starting to look like one of my old Hebrew School teachers. Since this whole day of beauty was free to me, Sobeida wanted to go the whole hog and do it up. Of course I had no objections. I don't like people telling me what to do in my store- I wasn't about to tell her what to do in hers. After the gray painting, she did a full head of highlights.

While I was waiting for the color to be ready to wash, Sobeida had a lovely woman there give me a massage and then give me a paraffin wax hand treatment, which I'd never had. The wax treatment was kind of weird and cool. My hands were super soft after. I definitely recommend it.  Of course I always recommend a massage at any time, for any reason.

Then I went over to Shannon McLoughlin for a haircut and the Express Keratin - that means to me, only twenty-four hours (versus seventy-two hours) of keeping my hair totally flat and straight with no denting, washing, or wetting. I showed some pics and she knew what to do. Shannon is friendly and funny so the time also went very quickly. For me. Probably not for her since she was doing all the work. I showed Shannon some haircut ideas, not totally different than my normal cut, just more layers and such. A little more bold. She did just that.

Shannon couldn't really *do* my hair because of the keratin treatment. So I don't have pics of me all done up. I only have a pic of how shiny my hair was after I was done there, and the color, from the back. I loved everything they did.

I'm actually coming back another day, some day soon, after my next appointment (tomorrow) at Aesthetic Rejuvenation Center. Tomorrow I am getting my teeth whitened, my Xeomin checked to see if Dr Freund is happy with the results, and to possibly do Belotero (filler). Then, when I go back to Iluminada, I believe Rhonda is going to come, with the make-up artist person they use. Sobeida will have me get a pedicure, waxing, and a blow-out, so BC Magazine can have their pictures for their story on my makeover journey. FYI, there will be no photo of my waxing. In case you were wondering.

And then I'm DONE. All beautified. I don't want to gush too much about everyone now, because I will after the final, but I feel so lucky to have been picked for this, to have had all these treatments, and to meet all these amazing people.

Me later the night I got my hair done. I used B's bandana to keep my hair flat.

Oh, also notice in this bandana pic, my lack of facial brown spots. Thank you Pam!

Cool Sculpting Update: SIX WEEKS

Procedure was 1/24/17. I can say with 100% certainty, that it DID work on me. I can say that right after you do something like this, you totally think it did not work. Honestly- I didn't think it did. Because you're swollen and in pain. But I seriously can't even believe the results at six weeks (today). I stood in the mirror, naked, today, trying to take pics but I really couldn't do it well. All I know is that if my cloud ever goes public, I'm in for a WORLD of embarrassment.

Anyway, back to the results talk. Standing in my worst posture, bending over, there is no...under pouch. Like, under my belly button. My weird pregnancy related indent is GONE because there is no fat pouch there to indent.

It's so weird (but great, obviously) to bend forward and not have really much to grab.  Or even to stand in bad posture with no first-trimester-looking pouch.

What's really interesting is that I'm seeing where or why someone would have a second treatment in the same area. The area I had done above the belly button isn't as flat as the bottom area. It's definitely not something someone would notice besides me, or on yourself. I'm just trying to explain, to the best of my ability, how it works, and why some people need more than one time.

I can see how it would be addicting too, after seeing results. Now I'm like, well, I wonder what this could for my bat-wing arms. Or my inner or outer thighs. I'm glad the under the belly pouch is gone. That was something I always hated. I don't think I could/would go through doing so many at once again. Like, on me, I could see if I was going in for a kind of tune up, I would just do that top piece, and then totally other places- like the arms or thighs. I don't know what you'd wear on your arms for compression though. They must have something specifically made for that because I *know* people do have liposuction or other surgeries on their bat wings.

Photos from the beginning to today-

This was today. At work. B had to take the pics for me.