Beauty Buzz: ‘My Beauty-ful Staycation’

By Andi Douglas, nwaMotherlode.com Beauty Buzz editor

For the first time in almost 5 years, I was without kids for an entire week (thanks, Mom)! In fact, I have never left Lexi for more than a couple of hours and she is 15 months old. Without any family nearby and a limited babysitter budget, even getting my hair done has been a challenge, which is obvious by my 2-inch brown roots. So with the kids gone and Joe working, I took this time to pamper myself.

I met Joe for lunch the first day at P.F. Chang’s (one of our favorite restaurants that we can no longer frequent with two little ones) and then I spent the afternoon shopping at the Promenade. I had a Victoria’s Secret gift card that had been taunting me from my wallet since Christmas, and I finally had time to really look, try on several styles and find underwear that stayed where it was supposed to!

Unfortunately, they turned out to be briefs, which I always swore I would never wear, but thank you to Victoria (real person? I don’t know.) for putting a lace trim around the top so they don’t look exactly like my grandma’s panties. The staff there was very helpful and even a little sympathetic as I said goodbye to the tiny underwear days of my 20s.

The next day, I finally cashed in the gift certificate to La Vida Massage (479-521-3232) I received for Mother’s Day. Aaaaaahhhh…that’s all I can really say. You know you are one giant knot when the massage therapist stops at your shoulders and says, “Whoa, you really needed this,” and then gave me the advice to try not to use my arms as much! Clearly, she didn’t have children, but I could tell she was motivated to help me relax. The entire salon is geared toward relaxation, with muted lighting and soft music; they’re lucky they got me to leave.

Thursday was spent tending to my neglected hair, since, unfortunately, my deceptively thick hair takes over 3 hours to highlight and cut. It was nice not having to worry about picking anyone up and just enjoy the downtime. Whitney at Freshair (479-251-1877) gave me gorgeous blonde highlights for a fun summer look and, as usual, layered my mane to perfection. Since I never take the time to straighten my hair in the summer, I always feel fabulous when I leave and was ready for date night with Joe.

On my last day of freedom, I treated myself to a much-needed pedicure, my first of the season, at Famous Nail Studio on Zion (479-444-6255) where they are running a special for $20 pedicures.

So, with pretty toes, fresh hair, and no bags under my eyes, Joe and I hit the town for our last night. We were home by 10:30 and exhausted. Apparently, we have just been using the kids as an excuse for our own waning stamina. But I do recognize how wearing it can be on your nerves to be a stay-at-home mom and swear to send my kids off more often, pretty much to anyone who will take them. What are you doing this weekend?

Have a question for Andi, beauty blogger and fellow mama (that’s her in the picture at right)? E-mail it to mamas@nwaMotherlode.com.

“Beauty Buzz” is sponsored by Hull Dermatology, with offices in Rogers, Bella Vista and at the Eureka Springs Hospital. Dr. Hull has published several scientific papers and has received numerous awards and honors for her work in dermatology. For more info, click here to visit the Hull Dermatology website.