Beauty Tips for Ministers

A Nice Gabardine Jacket

I like these. Classic, cut for a woman’s body, and would look swell with clericals.

$80 at Overstock.com.

I need to go to sleep. I obviously had a coffee too late in the day and too much Diet Coke while watching the Superbowl.

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Discount Cosmetics Site

Wow! Awesome prices!!

Cosmetics hounds, you can thank me later. Look at that selection!!!!

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Curly Girl Update

One of you asked me recently in the comments how my Adventures in Curly Hair were going. I replied that they are challenging. I think that my hair has looked a downright mess on many a Sunday morning because of my attempts throughout the cold weather to keep the curl going without the requisite humidity. I have not felt good about it: frizzy, in my face, not staying back neatly in clips, etc. I bought heavy, delicately blinged-out claw clips for Christmas Eve and they were so heavy that my hair fell down.

Having just traveled to humid Florida and seen how much easier it is to Obey the Wave there, I am giving up on Obeying the Wave during the New England winter. A photo diary:

This type of clip really helps set my damp hair (and I use Deva Curl Light Defining Gel) — no other kind does. I get them at ULTA for $3 or so.

The beautiful West Palm Beach Holiday Inn Shuttle. Curly hair. Voila.

Curls abandoned back in cold Merry Newe Englande, this is a fast blow-out done with a vent brush. I used a bit of volumizing mousse. Date night make-up. Wicked bad photo angle for sunburned schnoz.

Two days later with no shampoo, a bit of curl has returned. I hold the bangs off my face with a small bobby-pin and am ready for church.

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Checking In With My Dear Pidgies

My darling readers,
A bit of housekeeping!

I get so many wonderful questions and photos from you and although I read them all faithfully and file them under various supposedly helpful labels in my gmail account, I don’t always post the responses on-line that I intend to. Blogging for me is a flibbertigibbit type of activity. My posts are composed fast and furiously during a momentary break in the day (or late at night as a way of winding down, and posted later), and almost always on a whim. There’s no real plan or schedule (unless it’s in the summer when I have longer stretches of free time to strategize posts a bit).

So if you have been expecting to see your question or photo here, do know that it might yet appear and I do love you and I do answer about 95% of my mail, with sincere apologies to that 5% whose notes slip through the cracks. As you know, the pastor’s e-mail in-box is a scary thing, and mine no less so than yours.

I just wanted to say that while I was thinking of it! And it’s always okay to write to ask me what happened to that big feature I was going to do about you.

I also wanted to report that I had a lovely blind date today with one of you who lives close by enough for us to meet. What fun it was! I have yet to meet a BTFM reader with whom I didn’t have immediate rapport and delight. Ministry is fascinating and I love hearing about yours whenever possible.

Have a beautiful, confident, shining week.
Kiss of peace,
PB

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M. Has Her Say on Hair

M. wrote in today to say,

Following the theme of the WNTW comments, I have been thinking about ways to put up my long hair. I just succeeded in tying my hair in knots trying to follow some of the instruction in the comments of your previous post about long hair. I’ll keep working on it, because my version of a “low ponytail” does not generally fit the bill as elegant. I thought I would share this photo from the wedding of a friend. I had my hair done professionally for the event, for only the second time in my life. The picture is not the best, but I think you can see the general idea. The bottom part is tucked under and a broad band of hair in the middle is swept over. The doo was a “bit much,” but fun for the occasion. I thought it fit the bill of professional and pretty. It felt like a party when I took of the jacket and scarf and changed my shoes. I had one young lady tell me “Now, that is much better,” when I entered the reception without the jacket. Imagine the implication that I should serve communion clad in a cocktail dress? Some people don’t get it.

That is an elegant and sleek updo. Yes, it’s formal and a “bit much” but hey, who wouldn’t prefer this over bedraggled locks that so many of us inflict upon the beloved community? Makes me darn near want to buy a wig, yo. I am SO tired of my intermediate curly/wavy/short/medium-length/cowlicky/dry/frizzy mop. Ptoo! I love this ladylike look for this occasion. And how awfully nice to have to worry a bit about your hair for the whole day, eh?

M. and I live close to each other and we think that we may have SEEN EACH OTHER AT THE LOCAL WHOLE FOODS. There may be a COFFEE DATE pending. I LOVE meeting my pigeons in real life! It’s always a total delight! So if you do see me, never hesitate to holla!

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Wind In Face

New reader K. needs advice! She writes,

I am SO excited to have found your website. I am desperately reading back entries to learn. I might even buy lipstick for the first time…(yes, I am 40 and have never done that. Yikes.)

I did a wedding on a tall ship last year and had terrible trouble with wind blowing my hair into my face (sadly, I have a photo). You wrote that I could wear a good hat to a graveside in winter. And that sunglasses on my head won’t do…so what’s a girl to do?

Dear K,
And we’re SO excited that you have found us! And we’re very excited about your Very First Lipstick. Please do send photos if you do purchase one. There’s a whole archived section on lippy, so hopefully you’ll find some good recommendations there.

Oh my heavens, those weddings on ships. PeaceBang did one once and found it most trying. Trying not to slide around on choppy waters (even while anchored) was one challenge. Trying to be heard above all the ambient harbor noise was another. And yes, I believe that the wind presented a third challenge, although more for hanging onto my folio than for hair issues.

Sunglasses on the head are an absolute no-no (as is wearing sunglasses during any rite of passage, no matter how much you have to squint). Now that I have longer hair, I have a few things that help keep it under control for outdoor services:

Option 1: A thick headband.
Option 2: The hair gathered into a low knot and clipped with a nice claw clip in back, and a thin headband to keep the shorter front pieces and bangs from flying in my eyes.
Option 3: When it’s humid enough for my hair to get curly, I let it air dry with clips and volumizer at the roots, finger-comb it when dry, then use two small tortoise claw clips to gently hold the sides back, one claw on each side and leaving most of the hair down. Then I slip a very tiny bobby pin into my bangs to keep them off my face. The whole thing looks loose and I hope pretty. I’ll try to find a photo when I can locate my camera’s adaptar cord!

Hope this helps!
Kiss of peace, PB

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