A new thread

I attended a ladies' shopping & pamper night at a school in Hitchin this week. Usually at these events I am very restrained and don't indulge myself - work is work, after all! This time there was a lady doing threading - and at just £3 a treatment, I couldn't resist trying it out.

If you don't already know, threading is a method of hair removal that uses...well, thread! The therapist twists cotton thread to grab hairs and pluck them out. It is used for eyebrow shaping and other facial hair.

I was pretty nervous as I took to the couch. After all, I didn't want to be the wuss who yelped during her treatment! First job was my eyebrows. I confess that other than plucking to prevent the werewolf-brows-meeting-in-the-middle look, I don't shape them. I am quite lucky that they aren't too bushy, but as the years go by I am aware that a little "lift" would open up my eye area.

I was amazed that threading was no more painful than plucking - and because it deals with many hairs at a time it was far less of an ordeal. In less than 5 minutes my brows were as shapely and stylish as I could have wished! Next for the upper lip...

Why I am admitting to the world that I need hair removing from the moustache area, I don't know! Such dedication to my blog!

Anyway, because I have dark hair, the few I have in that area do show up. The therapist warned me that this would be more uncomfortable, and I can testify that she didn't lie! It wasn't as bad as having a tattoo (not that my upper lip is tattoed, you understand) but it did really sting. For about half an hour afterwards I felt like the area was swollen, but it wasn't. The result was amazing - I hadn't realised how dark the area appeared before.

Threading is definitely something I will have done again. People have noticed a subtle difference in my appearance, but can't identify what it is. I look brighter and fresher, like I did 10 years ago after a good night's sleep.

Threading - Shoe Lady Approved!

No more bad hair days!

I have always had a love/hate relationship with my hair. When I love it, I feel on top of the world. Whe I hate it I want to hide under the duvet. The trouble is, to everyone else, there is no visible difference between the two! (It drives my husband nuts). So I was very interested to find this site.

Wear My Hair has a great saying -

Be who you want to be now and wake up yourself again tomorrow!

How fantastic! You mean I can have long blonde hair today and go back to my reddish crop in the morning? You mean I can be an outrageous vamp on my night out and tomorrow the office won't have a clue? I could get into this!

There is a huge range of styles and colours. My favourite is Tilly - I can imagine myself as a flame-haired temptress! Since my own hair never looks any good once it gets past my shoulders, this may be my only chance to try it.

Of course, for some women hairloss is a genuine issue, either through medical treatment or illness. In 1981 when my Mum lost her hair through cancer treatment, wigs were nothing like this! What a confidence boost they would have been for her.

Prices seem very reasonable too - from just £55. I have spent more than that on a salon cut and colour before, and of course this style won't grow out!

Do let me know if you buy one - I'd love to see some pictures too!

Ready and waiting!

This morning we had blue sky and sunshine. The shoots are appearing on all sorts of things in the garden - flowering currant, honeysuckle, amelanchier. I was singing a happy tune and looking forward to skipping through the blossom in my gorgeous new summer shoes.

But outside my window now I see grey skies. You know the colour of nothingness when it is feeling miserable? Yeah, that's the one. It is pretty chilly too, so much so that 2 jumpers and sitting next to a hot radiator isn't preventing my from shivering. Do I think flip flops or peep toes are appropriate footwear today? No way!

But I do think it's a good thing to be ready for when the weather does warm up. (It can't be long now, surely?) There's nothing worse than realising that spring has sprung and you have nothing but winter boots and woolly jumpers to wear!

So get planning, and get ready! If you've lived in jeans or boots all winter, review the leg-hair situation; the same applies to underarms, because when you peel off those layers you need to know what's lurking there! Book a pedicure and get your feet ready for the more revealing foot fashions of spring and summer. No more tights to hide your flakey feet!

Check over last year's sandals and you may find that they are a bit tattier than you remember. Did they get a bit mucky on that end-of-season stroll on the beach? Did you try to hold onto the summer season a little too long and trash them in the mud of autumn? That's why I've already introduced some summer styles to my Shoes Galore range - so you can be ready when the sun does come out. My diary is getting pretty full, so don't hang about!