Gift of a Lifetime
Finally found out what my man's birthday gift was and it was AMAZING. Seriously. Best. Gift. Ever. He got a bunch of people who love me to chip in so they could all afford to get my hair cut, by the one, the only Nick Arrojo of TLC's What Not to Wear. This is something I've wanted for a long time because he is a person that you can go to and say "Give me the best cut for my head" and you can trust that he will do it. This is exactly what I asked and it is exactly what he did. And the crazy part is that no one else could have done this. If any other person had said to me, your hair should look like this, I would not have believed them and if I had let anyone else do it, it would not have come out the same. It means so much to me to have all of you guys do something so nice that, without all of you, could not have happened. You guys treat me better than I treat myself and I love you for that. This was an amazing gift I will never forget.
For those that want the lowdown on the day, it was fun. When we pulled down the street and I saw his name on the side of the building first I gasped, loudly and long. Then I screamed. Then Kris said "Yes, you're getting your hair cut by Nick Arrojo." Then I screamed some more, started crying, and hyperventilated. I was speechless for a good few minutes. Kris's mom, who was in on the gift and is a big WNTW fan came along. We went into the studio where I felt like a star. They took my jacket and gave me this fancy robe to wear. They offered us drinks like 50 times in the time that we were waiting and the assistants were sweet and talked to us so we wouldn't feel like we were waiting. They put me in a chair and Tatum, Nick's assistant, chatted to me while Nick finished up another cut.
Then he came over, introduced himself and shook my hand and looked right into my eyes. People, the man has INCREDIBLE brown eyes. So bright and sparkly and friendly. He looked over my hair and played with it a little. He asked what I wanted and I told him the above. He asked if I was OK with losing some length. I have seen enough WNTW to know whatever he wants to do is the right thing. Tatum took me up and gave me a shampoo, the last I'd have with longish hair. They sat me back down at a mirror and Tatum arranged Nick's tools for him. He has a little razor container with "NICK" written on it in what looks like White-Out. He came over and introduced himself to Kris and his mom before coming back to get started on me. He cut from front to back so I couldn't see what was going on. His assistants held my excess hair out of the way, like a normal stylist would do with clips, but I guess that's why they pay him the big bucks. A LOT of hair came off. I could tell. He was using a razor to cut most of the length. He was friendly and asked me a little about myself but wasn't too chatty. I complimented the studio and asked about its expansion, that I had read about while we were waiting. He was very reassuring and complimentary. I was grinning like an idiot the whole time and everytime he saw me smiling, he'd smile back. I was just so excited to see what it was finally going to look like. He finished the cut and went off to greet another client while Tatum gave me a blowout (shut up Frank). He put "volume foam" in my hair which I asked if it was like mousse and it is but they don't say mousse anymore apparently. He used a round brush and showed me what he was doing, since I asked if I would ever possibly be able to make it look as good as he was making it look. And when he was done, I had an adorable chin-length bob with bangs. It was very round and I felt very mod and 60s. But it was perfect and wonderful. Nick came back and tousled it this way and that. Put in some shine spray and arranged it just so. Then he pronounced me all done. He gave me a hug and an autographed headshot. Kris took a picture of us. He shook my hand again and said goodbye and just like that it was over.
I keep giggling over it. I can't keep my hands off it. I still do things like I think it's long, but it's not. When I put my coat on outside the studio, I went to flip my hair out from under the collar, but there wasn't any. When I took a shower today, I took too much shampoo. And when I got my hair wet, it just went flat against my head, didn't go down my back at all. I styled it on my own today and though it will never look as great as he made it, it still looks wicked awesome and is so easy! In a store today, I tried on a bunch of headbands and y'all? I am going to have a LOT of fun with that look. Everything about this is fantastic.
I know there are people who are saying "God, it was just a haircut." But it wasn't. It was...it was like a makeover. I actually feel better about myself, because I look so much better. Kris loves it and he told me it showcases my "beautiful face." I feel a little stupid crying over it like all the idiots that get made over on TV, but good God. This is one of those things, that when people ask you what you want, you say something like this as a gag. As though you never believe that you'll ever get anything that great. And my wonderful boyfriend and wonderful friends came together and made that actually come true. You guys gave me something I wanted and never ever thought I really could get. Just knowing you guys love me that much would be enough of a gift. But on top of that, I got to meet a really cool person whose work I really like, I got to put myself into his hands and let him work his magic on me. And I also have this wonderful look that flatters me and makes me feel great about myself. I love you guys. Thank you so much.
Oh and if you haven't seen it yet, the pictures are up on my myspace.
~The Rock Star is glamorous and gorgeous.
For those that want the lowdown on the day, it was fun. When we pulled down the street and I saw his name on the side of the building first I gasped, loudly and long. Then I screamed. Then Kris said "Yes, you're getting your hair cut by Nick Arrojo." Then I screamed some more, started crying, and hyperventilated. I was speechless for a good few minutes. Kris's mom, who was in on the gift and is a big WNTW fan came along. We went into the studio where I felt like a star. They took my jacket and gave me this fancy robe to wear. They offered us drinks like 50 times in the time that we were waiting and the assistants were sweet and talked to us so we wouldn't feel like we were waiting. They put me in a chair and Tatum, Nick's assistant, chatted to me while Nick finished up another cut.
Then he came over, introduced himself and shook my hand and looked right into my eyes. People, the man has INCREDIBLE brown eyes. So bright and sparkly and friendly. He looked over my hair and played with it a little. He asked what I wanted and I told him the above. He asked if I was OK with losing some length. I have seen enough WNTW to know whatever he wants to do is the right thing. Tatum took me up and gave me a shampoo, the last I'd have with longish hair. They sat me back down at a mirror and Tatum arranged Nick's tools for him. He has a little razor container with "NICK" written on it in what looks like White-Out. He came over and introduced himself to Kris and his mom before coming back to get started on me. He cut from front to back so I couldn't see what was going on. His assistants held my excess hair out of the way, like a normal stylist would do with clips, but I guess that's why they pay him the big bucks. A LOT of hair came off. I could tell. He was using a razor to cut most of the length. He was friendly and asked me a little about myself but wasn't too chatty. I complimented the studio and asked about its expansion, that I had read about while we were waiting. He was very reassuring and complimentary. I was grinning like an idiot the whole time and everytime he saw me smiling, he'd smile back. I was just so excited to see what it was finally going to look like. He finished the cut and went off to greet another client while Tatum gave me a blowout (shut up Frank). He put "volume foam" in my hair which I asked if it was like mousse and it is but they don't say mousse anymore apparently. He used a round brush and showed me what he was doing, since I asked if I would ever possibly be able to make it look as good as he was making it look. And when he was done, I had an adorable chin-length bob with bangs. It was very round and I felt very mod and 60s. But it was perfect and wonderful. Nick came back and tousled it this way and that. Put in some shine spray and arranged it just so. Then he pronounced me all done. He gave me a hug and an autographed headshot. Kris took a picture of us. He shook my hand again and said goodbye and just like that it was over.
I keep giggling over it. I can't keep my hands off it. I still do things like I think it's long, but it's not. When I put my coat on outside the studio, I went to flip my hair out from under the collar, but there wasn't any. When I took a shower today, I took too much shampoo. And when I got my hair wet, it just went flat against my head, didn't go down my back at all. I styled it on my own today and though it will never look as great as he made it, it still looks wicked awesome and is so easy! In a store today, I tried on a bunch of headbands and y'all? I am going to have a LOT of fun with that look. Everything about this is fantastic.
I know there are people who are saying "God, it was just a haircut." But it wasn't. It was...it was like a makeover. I actually feel better about myself, because I look so much better. Kris loves it and he told me it showcases my "beautiful face." I feel a little stupid crying over it like all the idiots that get made over on TV, but good God. This is one of those things, that when people ask you what you want, you say something like this as a gag. As though you never believe that you'll ever get anything that great. And my wonderful boyfriend and wonderful friends came together and made that actually come true. You guys gave me something I wanted and never ever thought I really could get. Just knowing you guys love me that much would be enough of a gift. But on top of that, I got to meet a really cool person whose work I really like, I got to put myself into his hands and let him work his magic on me. And I also have this wonderful look that flatters me and makes me feel great about myself. I love you guys. Thank you so much.
Oh and if you haven't seen it yet, the pictures are up on my myspace.
~The Rock Star is glamorous and gorgeous.