a quick peek at some new goodies

Internet, I have been beside myself. When I returned from Oklahoma, it was to the news that our elderly clothes washer needed a $580 repair. That would have been a foolish waste of money, even for me, so I went to local electronics and appliances wonderland, and bought a very fawncy LG top-loading HE washer.

I was severely tempted by the matching dryer, but talked myself out of it, because my older dryer is working fine. And I don't want to be too matchy-matchy.

Anyway, picking out a washing machine, was, for me, the work of an instant. Getting it installed? Quite another deal. It was almost a week and a half between credit card swipe and the first load going in. And honestly, I didn't know what to do with myself.

Naturally, the laundry situation got pretty dire, so I couldn't wait to start washing. And then I acted like Zippy the Pinhead, mesmerized by the sight (through the clear glass lid) of my wash swishing around.

But you don't want to hear about laundry.

While waiting for the delivery of my new hardware, I did a little shopping. Here is a picture of some new loot, some from Net-a-Porter (fancy!)

That, my friends, is a Givenchy iPhone 5 case. Somebody out there with a degree in art history, tell this hapless English major the source of the artwork. It's dark and Pre-Raphaelite and sort of Goth and I love it, but I'm feeling like an idiot, as though I bought a pair of those Icon shoes because of the pretty dark blue sky and didn't realize I was walking around with Van Gogh's "Starry Night" on my feet.

I'm also wearing a quick swipe of Charlotte Tilbury's iconic Pillow Talk lip pencil, and people, I am in LOVE. It has the softest, softest texture, and it's the perfect color, neither too brown, rusty, or mauve. If you're fair-skinned with not-particularly-pigmented lips, it could be your jam. Well worth the $22.00.

My nails are a base of Revlon's Parfumerie in Lavender Soap, which is almost impossible to apply evenly, as it is a very pale shade with lots of pearl in it, a/k/a streak city.  I applied a third very thick coat to smooth things out and of course munged up a couple of fingers. I'd just received a package from an Amazon seller with OPI's The Color to Watch, so I used some. It didn't help things, because it too, has a tricky/frosty finish. There's a reason these things get marked down.

I love a purple nail, but I've got to get ready for a cocktail party tomorrow and redo fingers and toes with a nice coral creme. I hope. Surely I have a bottle SOMEWHERE.  I'm wearing this

with a pair of gold sandals. And a ton of leg makeup.

I'm busy listening to a Librivox audiobook version of Our Mutual Friend, and it is fabulous. One crazy character after another. And the social climbing is epic! It makes the laundry folding fly.

50 Shades of Green ... Nail Polish

I'm posting today—in addition to exposing my idiocy to the internet, which is apparently one of my great pleasures in life—to address a comment on yesterday's post. A reader named bdaiss (whom I think of as "BadAss") wondered where all the green nail polish had gone.

The obvious answer is: I bought it all. But that's not really true. I only bought eleven bottles.
Just yesterday I was claiming that I didn't own that much green nail polish. Apparently I'm in an advanced state of denial. Because this is my stash.

Top: Chanel Fraîcheur; Revlon Parfumerie Wintermint; Dior Waterlily; Revlon Parfumerie Lime Basil

Middle: Estee Lauder Viper; Chanel Alchimie; Rescue Beauty Lounge Recycle

Bottom: OPI Fresh Frog of Bel Air; Sinful Colors Green Ocean; Revlon Wild; Sally Hansen HD Hi-Def 

OK, it's not 50. But it's eleven. Yes, you may mock--I'll wait.

But while I sink gently into my shame spiral, be pleased to examine my helpful captioning. I broke things into categories. Polishes that are no longer available anywhere aren't linked. They were limited edition and have been pulled from stores. Limited edition polishes available at third-party sellers are linked in italics.

My first point is that once more, I see a bright future in sales of my weird, ancient hoard collectible and much-sought-after cosmetics. I bet I could get bank for some of these shades. 

My second point is this: why in the hell can't I get a bottle of truly GREEN green nail polish? The polishes listed above might as well be named Too Minty, Too Olive, Too Dark, and Too Frosty. The only bottle in a true emerald green, suitable for St. Paddy's Day, begorra, is Fresh Frog of Bel Air. And it's only emerald green because it's glitter. Glitter doesn't count, she said as she stamped her foot in frustration.

Basically, if you want green nail polish, you're stuck with Revlon mint greens. And I've spotted some very teal-green polishes at Sally Hansen. What's up with that? Has Kelly Green been found to be carcinogenic, like Red Dye Number 2?

 If only I could time travel, I'd ask Sally Bowles where she got hers.

Then I'd pick up a few bags of M&Ms and enjoy the hell out of the red ones.

What I bought today, or, Be Prepared!

Today I got my second keratin treatment. I had it done last October, and was thrilled with the results. I remembered the after-treatment instructions: no shampooing for three days; don't pull it back or do anything that will put dents in it; if you work out or get it damp, blow it dry and flat iron it straight.

Last fall I preserved my keratin treatment by avoiding the gym for four days. I didn't do anything more strenuous than a gentle stroll to the mailbox. But I'm going to the gym tomorrow, and I can never tell how fucking insane rigorous my trainer is going to be. Chances are I'll need to mop up a bit of sweat.

I suddenly realized I didn't own a flat-iron. How can I have made it this far into the 2000s without one? I know I'm retrograde, but really, what's next? Will I cop to not owning a single thong?*

So anyway, I ran off to Ulta to buy a flat-iron. I picked this model based on plate size. I didn't want the smallest size, because I don't see myself merely straightening a few wisps. And of course, I wasn't going to go mental and get a super-awesome semi-professional model.

Conair InfinitiPro 1 3/4 in. rainbow titanium-coated flat iron

I was damned if I was going to spend over $50 on the stupid thing. I hope it's OK.

They were having a Buy Two Get One Free deal on L'Oreal products, so I also bought three mascaras.

L'Oreal Telescopic mascara

I'm not insanely in love with this mascara, but it's time to switch out the ones I've been using. And three mascaras is surprisingly not all that excessive. I need one for my vanity at home; one for my purse; one in the emergency makeup kit I keep in my gym bag.

Actually, I should probably buy more. I should probably have one for each car. And one for each suitcase. How the hell do I keep ending up being somewhere without my makeup? I'm a beauty blogger, for heaven's sake. I should be carrying the full Kardashian on my person at all times.

I blame my predilection for changing purses. I'm constantly re-packing my stuff into a different bag, and I keep trying to Pare Things Down. But all I do is show up somewhere and realize I don't have my checkbook or my wallet or my license. OR MY MAKEUP.

I should just go all Olson twin and carry a purse the size of a Hefty trash bag.

You could fit a hell of a lot of makeup in that.

Finally, there's this.

Revlon nail enamel in Wild, image courtesy of drugstore.com

I had no business buying it. I have so much nail polish, you'd think I was a nail blogger. And I'm not exaggerating. I'd post photographs of my drawer full of Chanel polishes, but I have too much self-respect.

Wait a minute. That's not really true. I mean, if I had self-respect, I wouldn't head straight to the internet any time I wanted to embarrass myself. But there's no point in admitting this sort of thing if you're not going to back it up with cold, hard facts. OK, internet. I'll go count them.

* * * * *

I'm back. I got as high as 84 before I decided that there was no need for me to be that accurate when documenting my hoarding. 

ANYWAY. I don't have that many bottles of green polish. And St. Patrick's Day is coming. And it would never do to let the leprechauns sneak up on me. Constant vigilance, people.

* Yes.

Review: Clinique Black Honey nail polish

So apparently, one day Clinique woke up and said "Hey! We're the only department store makeup line that doesn't sell nail polish!" And with their usual all-American capitalistic fervor, they proceeded to manufacture some.

Now, being Clinique, they had to adopt this whole hypo-allergenic, dermatologist-tested scientific-sounding good-for-you stance, so they came up with a nail polish whose main claim was that it isn't irritating. Sort of ... the boy next door of nail polishes.

Apparently, the first place nail polish irritation shows is around the eyes, since we all touch the eye area hundreds of times a day. But most people don't realize this, so when Clinique announced that their nail polish didn't irritate the eyes, the beauty press's reaction was a profound "Wha------?"

Which may have affected sales.

Also, getting into the nail polish business three years ago is sort of like buying a house in 2006.

You've probably already figured out where this is going, right?

My tale of woe

This wasn't a sample, per se. I picked up my bottle as part of a Sephora Black Honey set.

I got the Almost Lipstick, the nail polish, and two Black Honey products that are exclusive to Sephora: the Quickliner twist up eye pencil and the Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss.

The good

It's a gorgeous color. OK, my husband thinks it looks like a bruise, or maybe a very old scab. And he's right. There's a definite dried blood look to this stuff. Polishistas™ would refer to it as "vampy." And it is a dupe of Chanel's original 1995 Vamp, the mother of all dark, so-ugly-they're-beautiful, blackened-red polishes.

But honestly, I think it's prettier than Vamp. Or Rouge Noir, which is the original Vamp, renamed for the American market.

Image courtesy of Izzy's Beauty Shop

But back to Clinique. The brush isn't as wonderful as OPI's wide brush, but it's not as flimsy and stupid as an Essie or Chanel brush. And it's not the 3-D mega-triangular-Hulk-Smash brush that Dior uses. So that's good, too.

Also, the length of the brush works well with the consistency of the polish. When the brush is really long, like Sally Hansen's, a glob of polish can migrate down the brush and flood your cuticles. But this polish behaves itself.

Also, it's a creme. No glitter, shimmer, or sparkles. Just a smooth, deep, glorious creme.

The Bad

Actually, it's not a creme; it's a jelly. Which I've been known to like a lot. But there's a time and a place for everything, and sometimes I'm not in the mood to mess around with glitter making jelly sandwiches.

I'm not fabulous at applying nail polish, but I'm not terrible. I mean, I can color inside the lines. I managed to get this on without ooking up my cuticles and the skin on the side of my nails too much. But this stuff is sheer. Really sheer. This is one coat

This is two coats.

To get good coverage, I think you'd really need to apply three coats.

Now, this polish dries fast. Very fast. But, as the lady says

In the interest of science, and because I really like the color, I tried this polish twice. The first time, I didn't get around to applying top coat, which is something I usually do. My nails started chipping within hours. Seriously, later the same day. Within two days my nails were the kind of mess that would leave Faux Fuchsia running around with her hair on fire.

I tried again--this time, base coat, two coats of color, and top coat. That's the second picture up there. And of course I was in a hurry so of course squidged the top coat a little, but there you go--again with the two coats, and you can still see through the color, and there's a tiny chip in the forefinger of my non-dominant hand.

Anyway, I wouldn't recommend this polish, unless you are really, really gifted at applying nailpolish, and own a great bulletproof topcoat.

Ladies, start your hoarding

None of this matters, though. I'm sorry to announce there is a world-wide shortage of this attractive, streaky, and chip-prone nail polish.

I went to the Sephora website to find out the price of the set I bought, and it's not there any more. (For the record, the set cost me $25, and I ordered it on November 9th, 2015.)

It turns out there are also no Clinique nail polishes to be found, on Sephora or any other store that sells Clinique. The Clinique website has nothing. I googled and got a hit, but when I clicked on it, the Clinique website redirected me.

WTF? It's like Clinique is trying to scrub every reference to their nail polish from the internet. 

Seriously, Clinique? You just introduced this line in 2013. I just bought this stuff two months ago. What if I had liked it? 

As of this writing, Clinique has disappeared their nail polish. Unless you're willing to buy from a third-party retailer, you'll have to wait for a St. Bernard carrying a barrel of dermatologist-tested blackened-red nail polish around his neck to come rescue you from your predicament.

Oops, I did it again

 

I'm sorry, Internet. I reviewed something you can't buy. Again.

Luckily, you probably wouldn't want to.

Of course, on the bright side, if you already own this polish, hold on to it. As with all discontinued products, there will be crazed fans out there. You'll probably be able to sell it on eBay for unbelievable amounts of money. 

Other summer favorites

After I went to the extreme trouble of outlining in excruciating detail my elaborate, expensive, and time-consuming skin care regime, could I possibly have more favorites?

I could.

Here are some--absolutely random, I promise.

Favorite sun block

Ocean Potion SPF 70

I wear this from the neck down because it's a little greasy under makeup--not bad, but not like one of those dry-touch sun screens. It does the job and it smells good. No, really. It smells like Creamsicles (combination of orange sherbet and vanilla ice cream, in case they don't sell them down under.) I've actually gotten compliments--been told I smell good when I'm wearing nothing but my sunscreen. I KNOW, right? Plus it's cheap. My tube cost me $5.99.

The Nordstrom Liberty of London pop-up sale

It was still on when I wrote this, but now it's been replaced with another brand. Anyway, I paid full retail for some of their ditsy floral gorgeousness, including a pair of gardening gloves and matching apron, but my favorite thing might just be the graphic they used. I grabbed it and I'm using it as a desktop background.

Feel free to grab it from here, and if for mysterious computer-y reasons it doesn't work, email me at poppy2006 at gmail.com and I'll send you the file.

A lazy susan on the bathroom vanity

I realize these things smack of Ye Olde Tupperware Partye circa 1972 (which might actually be when my mother acquired it, before passing it along to me) but I Marie Condo'd the spice cupboard (you know, that Japanese organizer who wants everything you own to spark joy) and took it out, and on a whim, tried it in the bathroom. That's the stuff I use every day or at least, every week, and believe it or not, having them huddle together on a lazy susan makes me look slightly less vain than stringing them along the entire counter top. I mean, you don't walk into my bathroom and think "Holy overpriced products, Batman!"

Also, I now have room for the all-important white orchid and Diptyque candle that every self-respecting beauty blogger/Pinterest addict is supposed to have.

So if you have a pretty tray or a nice basket or something, you can use it to hide how vain you are and how many products you use on the regular. Just saying.

The Miracle Suit

Not me, but close enough.

I recently went to Jen Lancaster's to play Pooly Ball and drink too many Singapore Slings and eat amazing food with Jen, Fletch, and some of their friends. When I arrived I told Jen that my bathing suits were so old that the spandex wouldn't spandex anymore, so she let me wear one of hers. Which she then gave me.
Trust me when I say those things really are miraculous. My rack looked GREAT.

Hybrid Tea roses

John F. Kennedy may or may not have been a wonderful President (I'm too young to remember) but he makes a wonderful rose.

John F. Kennedy

I know I'm supposed to prefer antique roses, and I have some, OK, haters? But my deck is planted with hybrid teas in pots, and as my funny invisible internet friend Faux Fuschia says, I luff them 11/10.

McCartney Rose

Sally Hanson Diamond Shine nail polish

Nice on its own, but brilliant as a topper. Slap a coat on your toes on top of whatever polish you're wearing and watch them twinkle. It's glitter for grown-ups.

Jelly Sandwiches

OPI Dating a Royal with Sally Hansen's Over the Rainblue and Finger Paints In the Monet

Did I just say "glitter for grown-ups?" Bah, humbug. I've decided that glitter is for everyone. Especially in a jelly sandwich, which tones it down a lot. A jelly sandwich is when you apply a coat or two of sheer polish, a coat of a glitter and top it with another coat of the sheer polish. It then looks like the glitter is sort of floating in colored syrup, and honestly, it's mesmerizing. I find myself staring at my nails when I'm driving.

Chanel's Pirate with OPI Minnie Style glitter

So far no crashes, though.

Bellodgia

It's sweet, yet spicy. LIKE ME.

Shopping and eating and *not* working out, or, several deadly sins

Internet! Thanks for all the compliments and good wishes. I wish I could return the favor by continuing to be inspiring, but today was about self-indulgence. One might even say today was about full-on sinning.

First, there was my appalling sloth. Please note the time in this loving exchange I had this morning with Mr. Buxom. (I'm the one in blue.)

Following breakfast, I indulged in some avarice.

I recently decided that the Gap Essential Scoop Neck tee is my favorite style.

The cotton is substantial, it shows enough clavicle to keep me from looking like Mae West in an inflatable life jacket, and it's a lot cheaper than the Nordstrom and Talbot's tee-shirts that are cluttering up my drawers.

So I decided to buy some--in black, gray, and white. It occurred to me that I had a pile of Gap Card Rewards to use up. Then it turned out that the Gap was having its friend and Families sale and everything in the store was 30 percent off.  What with my gift cards and the discount and the free shipping for purchases over $50, I ended up scoring seven $14.95 tee-shirts for $24.70. And I chortled like some crazy combination of Becky Bloomwood and Ebenezer Scrooge as I realized I had paid a bit more than 3.00 a shirt.

Then I took my daughter shopping because she needs a long dress for a formal dance she'll be going to later this month. We did very well at Bloomingdale's, where a sale was in progress. She tried on six dresses and looked stunning in every single one. Honestly, if I tried on six evening dresses and looks that good in all of them, I'd drag Mr. Buxom to every black tie event in Chicago. At any rate, she picked out one that I can't find anywhere, but it's lovely and age-appropriate and I was filled with maternal pride.

Say hello to Blue Blood

After helping my daughter in and out of so many dresses, I celebrated by stopping by the Estee Lauder counter, because some of the new nail polish shades filled me with an ungovernable lust. 

and Viper

Of course, I don't need to go into detail about the dinner I ate when I got home, right? Red wine, crackers with blue cheese, Korean spicy Sashimi, and the Hot Night Roll? Not to mention the Starbucks Peppermint Mocha and the birthday cake pop?

Trust me; it was a symphony in greed.

Luckily for me, tomorrow is another day!

p.s. A word to the wise: did you know that a Starbucks Cake Pop has 170 calories? It's so tiny and so caloric, you might as well be eating fudge.

Links for a lazy weekend II

So, the week is over, and both my children have their learner's permits. I will not go into the drama that that particular accomplishment entailed ... suffice to say that I'm having a well-deserved beer and looking forward to some relaxation, grilling, hanging out with friends, and a matinée of a couple of restored Méliès films. If you're trying to have a relaxing weekend, too, try pairing the following posts with your beverage of choice.

If you ever want to work up the nerve to wear anything ... a mohawk, say, or a cute blouse from H&M, or a pair of shorts because even though you're middle-aged, it's pretty effing hot out--and you need a pep talk--read this post by Eve at xoJane.

Just in time for beauty bloggers and others of you heading to New York for BlogHer, Xiao of Messy Wands has written a guide to makeup shopping in Manhattan.

I thought being middle-aged means everything I know is wrong. But can it be true? Matching lips and fingertips are back in style? Somehow I find that comforting.

Elizabeth Arden is one of those brands that I routinely write off as old lady and boring. Leave it to the British Beauty Blogger to convince me to take a second look. I mean, eye shadows that provide anti-aging benefits? Genius.

Katherine of Not Dressed as Lamb shared her thoughts on aging. Here's a teaser:

I won't kid myself that I have Cameron's legs, Thandie's beautiful skin tone or Dita's tiny waist, but I won't even consider comfort without style until Gwyneth does.

Vanessa of NessasaryMakeup gives a fantastic step-by-step tutorial on doing a dramatic smoky eye.  (She also has a nice chart of where to apply eye shadows.)

Want to get into meditation but don't have time? And anyway, meditation would take away from the time you spend looking at pretty things? Check out Chanel makeup director Peter Philip's latest video. Shiny!

I'll work on some more reviews of my Nordstrom anniversary goodies.

Meanwhile, Mesdames et mademoiselles, cultivez vos jardins!

I've just invented a new acronym, NASII, which stands for Nordstrom Anniversary Sale induced insanity

OK, it doesn't look like much--NASII--but it's pronounced nay-see to rhyme with crazy, which is pretty much how I acted.

So let me get you up to speed.

First of all, until July 20th, the Anniversary Sale is only available to Nordstrom card holders. You can't even access that section of their website without typing in the last four digits of your Nordstrom credit card number.

I wanted to grab some pictures and maybe find out whether Nordstrom was actually offering Chanel's formerly-exclusive-to-Asia Fleur de Lotus collection, so I dug through my box of rarely-used credit cards, looking for my Nordstrom card. And I couldn't find it.

Because I was a makeup hoor* on a mission, I called customer service, where I was told that they had no record of my having a card. So I applied for a new one.

Then, after a visit to the gym, where my daughter hummed a little hum and pedaled 20 miles on a stationary bike without breaking a sweat and I was reduced to a limp, sweaty, incoherent rag by my personal trainer, we cleaned up our act, fueled ourselves with Mocha smoothies (caffeine and protein FTW!) and headed to the Nordstrom at Old Orchard mall.

Where I promptly lost. my. mind. I've shopped the Anniversary Sale online, but this scene was beyond exciting. It was electric. Not ridiculously crowded, and with lots of sales associates ready and willing to help out. But with sections of the store draped off as seductive little private shopping enclaves, it's very easy to lose it.

Don't believe me? Well, see these collections?

Dior

Chanel

Bobbi Brown

I bought every single item.

And then escaped to the relative sanity of the shoe department. And yes, I understand the irony of calling the shoe department of the department store that sells more shoes than any other--during a sale where merchandise is marked down 30 percent--sane.

I don't know about you, but I blame my trainer.

Swatches and reviews to come. 


* Deliberately misspelled in a feeble attempt to clean up my act.

Beauty Deals and Exclusives at Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale: Dior

Considering that we're just emerging from a hellacious heat wave, it feels ridiculously early to be talking about fall shopping. But that's the beauty of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale; it forces chronically unorganized types like me to plan ahead.

About Nordstrom's Anniversary Sale

Now, when most people think about this sale, they focus on new fall clothes, and rightly so. The anniversary sale is unique because Nordstrom discounts brand-new, just-coming-into-season merchandise long before people like me have started to think about fall clothes. Prices are slashed 30 percent--but then they go back up. So you see, one must think clearly and weigh one's option. Constant vigilance! Or one will end up paying retail.

Of course, for me, the real focus is in the cosmetics department. Products that ordinarily don't see the light of day in the U.S. get brought in. Special collections are put together. Exclusives are made available. Stuff goes on sale. It's a beauty junky's waking dream.

And for once, I'm not focusing only on the offerings at the Chanel counter.

Dior's A Purple Revolution Anniversary Collection 

When it comes to Dior, I'm a newbie. I only have a few Dior products, and the line still confuses me. I mean, what's with this whole Dior Addict name? I don't get it.

But one look at this nail polish collection and I fell like a ton of bricks.  Say hello to Shadow, Poison, and Orchid.

Les Violets Hypnotizes Vernis ($23.00 each)

And here, in a slightly less arty photograph:

Aren't they gorgeous?

I took one look at the photographs and fell in love. Purple is my favorite nail polish color. If there was anything that would make me want to rush through summer, it would be the opportunity to try out some gorgeous new purples on my nails.

Rumors of this collections release started circulating months ago, and I put up with the usual emotional roller coaster ride associated with any kind of crazy infatuation. I suffered through the highs and lows of a lovesick teenager. You know what I'm talking about: they were coming to the States! No they weren't! Dior loves me! Dior loves me not!

But now they'll be coming to Nordstrom. I can practically relax.

The collection also features a purple smoky eyes palette, which I'm not going to talk about because you and I should not be wearing purple, sparkly eye shadow. But the collection also includes two things that might look lovely on us: the Diorshow Extase Mascara in Plum ($28.50), 

and a Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss in Draped Lilac ($28.00)

The mascara and gloss look gorgeous, and I hope, are soft, wearable shades that will be flattering to my fair skin and hazel eyes.

For the record, Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss is my absolute favorite wand gloss, and that's saying a lot. I've bought more than my fair share of ridiculously expensive department store glosses, and Dior Addict Ultra-Gloss leaves Chanel's Glossimers and Guerlain's KissKiss glosses sitting in the road. Does that make me a Dior Addict? Maybe so.

For more pictures and swatches, even of that eye shadow trio that I don't recommend, check out this post in My Beauty Black Book. And join me in counting down to the sale.

Nordstrom's annual Anniversary Sale runs from July 20 to August 6th, 2012. Nordstrom card holders have the option of becoming members of Fashion Rewards and getting first crack at the sale. If I were you, I'd look into it, because sometimes the anniversary goodies blow out of the store. To apply, call 1-800-967-4918.

Red, White, and Blue

I hope you all had a wonderful fourth. We did--Mr. Buxom was in San Diego earlier this week, but made it home today to drive up to Jen Lancaster's for a fourth of July pool party. Jen's decorations, food, and friends were all wonderful, Fletch did yeoman's work with the grill--and oh, that pool ... I'll tell you something ... we're all a little self-conscious when it comes to prancing around in our swimsuits, but when it's over 100 degrees, you can get all four Buxoms to put on their bathing suits and jump into the pool.

My wardrobe and accessories were deeply patriotic, and would be if I lived in the UK, France, or Australia. In fact, it was difficult to tell whether I was celebrating the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, Bastille Day, or Independence Day.

I wore a navy blue polo shirt, white jeans, red poppy sandals, a red white and blue Hermes bangle, and patriotic nail polish.

After too short a time at Jen's, we headed back home for a picnic with friends before our town's fireworks display. Amazing fireworks, synchronized to "76 Trombones" and "Anchors Away" and the 1812 Overture--and people actually sang the national anthem.

Again, great food, great people, festive atmosphere, and patriotic nail polish worn by yours truly.

Tomorrow the holiday feeling will end for us all. Mr. Buxom will go back to work. I'll head back to the gym. And Young Master Buxom will start summer school, where he'll be taking Consumer Education. How much do you bet that in the first week, they'll teach the students not to spend all their money on nail polish?

I hope your Fourth was glorious!

My summer vacation, Part One

My summer vacation started with a bang. The teenagers had a half-day of school so they could pick up their grades (and get a few more signatures in their yearbooks) and then we stuffed them and their suitcases into the van and drove them to the airport, where they flew to New York so they could attend Session One of the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts.

Adventures in Parenting 

Session One ended with two days of performances, so after a glamorous evening at a white tie event here in Chicago, Mr. Buxom and I climbed back into the minivan and drove out to Hancock, New York, a/k/a the Land that Time Forgot, where we stayed in a Bates Motel wannabe so we could see our kids play cellos and guitars and pianos and perform in a production of Aida.

About Aida: the Broadway Musical, Not the Opera

They tell you, when you're about to have a baby, that parenting involves sacrifice. But nobody said anything about Elton John musicals.

And call me a snob, but that's three words that should never appear in a row.

The best thing about it was the chorus girls. Especially the cute one (red dress, brown braids, center stage.)

OK, quick change of subject so as not to offend Elton's fan base. What did I do with myself during those golden child-free days?

Shopping

I actually didn't do that much shopping, mostly because the last-minute scurrying around to get all the camp supplies kind of wore me out. However, I accumulated purchased a scary amount variety of nail polishes. Side note: do you ever read nail polish blogs? Did you have any idea how many there are out there? In my estimation, for every mommy blogger out there, there are 10 nail bloggers. Maybe twenty.

Anyway, I've gone a little crazy buying nail polish. Because I had an epiphany!

My nail polish epiphany

It's a truism that nothing gives away a woman's age faster than her hands. The skin thins, the knuckles and veins are more prominent, and you might even have age spots. On top of that, our nails grow more slowly, and the lack of estrogen makes them more brittle. And wait, there's more--our circulation isn't as good as it used to be, so our nails are paler. And ridges are more apparent.

With all that to deal with, you might think it's safer to not polish your nails, because you don't want to call attention to them. But have you noticed that every chain drugstore is bursting at the seams with nail polish? That girls as young as six or seven are getting pedicures?

In an era that is nail polish-crazed, with nail salons on every block, neglected nails look frumpy.

I'll admit that my evidence is anecdotal, but bear with me. Here's what I've noticed: my mother doesn't wear nail polish. My older sisters don't wear nail polish. The younger women I know do.

You might think that at our age,  duo-chrome purple nail polish with string glitter and hologram flakies would look inappropriate--and you might be right. (Please note my liberal use of nail polish blog lingo. I don't know what it means, either.)

But if you're not polishing your nails at all, what's stopping you? It's not like I'm asking you to dye your hair purple or get snake bite piercings.

You don't have to wear the craziest, most outré shades. You don't have to wear black nail polish with two shades of glitter topcoat. Or Chanel's Vertigo--charcoal gray with red micro-shimmer.

Chanel Vertigo, Frenzy, and Suspicion from the Fall 2012 collection

But new collections are being introduced all the time, and I'll bet you could push the envelope a little. For example, I just got very brave and tried a few shades of coral.

So. Nail polish is a relatively inexpensive, risk-free way of showing that you're still in the game. 

Also, it's fun to gloat over the colors. And create Pinterest boards.

Which explains the 50 bottles I have amassed since I last posted.