Turning 25 Again

I promise to never ever use the hashtag #blessed on social media, unless I have actually been blessed by a priest.

I will say, though, that I am a lucky, lucky lady.

I am very lucky to have some wonderful people in my life, and that they share a mutual love of bubbly.

My birthday is Tuesday, and I celebrated last night with a bunch of friends. Younger Theodora used to try to find a sort of cool spot (because let’s be real, I’ve never been that cool) to have everyone meet. 30-going-on-31 (ahhh) Theodora decided that everyone would just come to her favorite spot, which just so happens to be walking distance from her apartment.

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Raymi > everywhere else. Also, if you don’t already have a spot where you’re a regular, get on that. It makes life that much sweeter. The manager, Sigi, very kindly sent over a round of drinks for us. NYC people, you need to try this place. They have drink specials almost every single night, and their food is delicious. I had dinner before with a smaller group, and I had their quinoa chaufa, which I NEED to try to make on my own.

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Hi friends from the Internet!

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More friends I met on the Internets!

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Junior League buddies!

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And the measure of any good night is one that ends barefoot, right? (Or maybe just those shoes are hot as hell but as uncomfortable as hell.)

Getting older is scary, but doing so with some awesome people by your side makes things a little easier. And it’s not even my real birthday yet!

On my ACTUAL birthday, there is a Junior League/Lilly Pulitzer event, which is obviously my ideal way to spend a birthday. It’s open to the public, too, if you are also a Lilly lover.

How do you spend your birthday/how do you feel about birthdays? I am so not a fan of getting older, but I love getting so many of my friends in one place.

Secrets to a Good Hair Day

I wanted to write about world peace tonight, but I have finally discovered the secret to a good hair day, so I will write about that instead, since they’re basically the same thing.

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Please refer back to creepy picture of me patting Tina’s preg belly.

I have a ton of hair, and it’s kind of light and straight, if you hadn’t noticed. I also work out a ton. I have been addicted to peroxide since I was 16, so I also need to factor color-treatedness into my haircare regimen.

My hair has been dry as hell all winter, and I’ve been playing with different combinations of products to find the right ones, and I stumbled upon it the other night.

I use a combination of salon and drugstore products. 

Shampoo: Herbal Essences Color Me Happy Shampoo for Color Treated Hair. I will cry if they discontinue this. It cleans better than any fancier shampoo I’ve tried without stripping my hair of color or moisture.

Conditioner: John Frieda Sheer Blonde. They must have changed the formula of this within the past few years, because it used to be crap and is now magic. It moisturizes your hair without weighing it down and apparently brightens it a bit? Not sure how much I buy that, but I like this stuff.

Detangler: Bumble + Bumble Tonic is the stuff magic is made of. I lose my little spray bottles on every single trip I go on, so before every single trip, I go buy more little spray bottles so I can fill them with tonic. If I forget tonic, I will contemplate not washing my hair so I can avoid the mess of unruly thick hair I’ll face if I don’t use it.

Healing Oil: Arrojo Healing Oil. I get this one from my salon, but you can get it online. It makes your hair really silky AND speeds up blow-drying. I hate blow-drying my hair with the fire of a million suns, but I like how it looks smooth and straight, and this really does speed up the dry. It’s not cheap, but you only use a little of it at a time.

Brilliantine: I don’t even know how to categorize this stuff, but it’s also amazing. The healing oil still leaves some flyaways and not much texture, and this helps me get my hair to look a little piece-y and shiny. Also not cheap, but I use a tiny dab.

Hairspray: L’Oreal Elnett. I found this one at Duane Reade, and it’s good to finish things off, and tousle my hair a bit.

Straightener: GHD I’ve had this since I graduated college in 2005! It’s paid for itself and then some. This is the longest relationship I have ever been in, and I will cry ugly tears if we ever break up.

Hairdryer: No idea what brand it is, but I got it at a salon, and it’s ionic (which supposedly damages your hair less.)

What hair products are you obsessed with?