So last Sunday Joy and I visited Chicago (think Michelle and Romy’s high school reunion)……it was our first road trip together and pretty funny. I was flying from Newark and she from JFK and there ended up being the most awful electrical storms and we were both totally stranded and delayed. So despite being at different airports we just gossiped via phone to try and alleviate boredom. We arrived in Chicago at about 1am totally exhausted – and to crown it all Joy’s suitcase got lost by Jet Blue (which didn’t surprise her as when she was at the terminal she had seen the luggage guys flaking off and playing basketball and all the suitcases in a pile…..)

So….we got to our hotel. I jumped into bed as I had to go to train early in the morning – poor Joy had to go to the open 24 hour Walgreens as she didn’t have anything to wear…..it is pretty hard for a girl to string together an outfit from Walgreens.

The reason for my trip was pretty exciting. In Chicago Benefit cosmetics has this absolutely gorgeous free standing store – it is a kind of express beauty boutique. You can pop in and get your eyebrows done, or false lashes or a bikini wax….all in this totally cute and girly environment. The place is just delicious. Well – the big excitement is that I was there to teach them how to do a Brazil Bronze spray tan…..and they are going to start doing Brazil Bronze spray tans in their adorable store. I think this is pretty exciting news because as anyone with half a brain about spray tans know Brazil Bronze is the best spray tan in the world – it doesn’t smell and it looks totally natural.

It ended up being a really fun training for me. The girls who work at the Benefit (shout out to Nina, Lori and Kim) were totally exquisite……they all looked like little postergirls for Benefit – and they totally got into the Brazil Bronze mind set – which is all about getting inside someones head and really understanding how they want to look – and also insisting that people feel good about themselves……you can’t just alllow people to go around beating up on themselves – right?

Joy arrived at noon. Walgreens didn’t have a good outfit so she had to hit the mall in the morning to find something to wear. She looked totally Fabb-o – you would never guess her suit case had been way-laid. Anyway I was glad to have her help – we trained those Benefit girls pretty damned good.

Chicago – is such a beautiful city. Very sophisticated and chic – and very very clean compared to NY – and the people are super friendly. Having said that – I was totally boring and did nothing but go to bed early. We stayed in the Millenium Knickerbocker which had these beds that were so damned comfortable – it was like they drugged the pillows. I woke up the next morning and took this amazing run by lake Michigan. It was sunny and crisp and delectable…….I love to run outside so I was totally in heaven.

We sprayed about a gazillion people – and I feel pretty comfortable that those Benefit girls will do a great job for the poor pasty people of Chicago. So – if you need a good spray tan and you are in that Neck of the woods – the store is on Armitage Avenue – definitely pay a visit! I

I have a friend in New York City who owns this amazing school called “Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts”. Her name is Regena Thomashauer and her school is all about using the power of pleasure to get what you want out of life. Truthfully her philosophies and the tools she teaches are so transformative and so much fun – everyone should read her books and take her classes……..Now – one of the “Womanly Arts” is called Owning Your Beauty. It is about learning to be comfortable in your own skin and really acknowledging the unique things about yourself – loving yourself as you are – small boobs, tremendous arse, whatever the lot nature has handed out to you Regena can really get into your head and get you learning to love yourself. I have personally really benefited from all of Regena’s exercises and I am so much more honoring of myself than I ever was when I was younger. Especially since I had kids – I am so amazed that the female body somehow or other gets itself pretty much back to where it came from. I feel really sad when people come in to get sprayed and they are really down on their bodies and hating where they are at. I remember being like that when I was younger and I know it is so painful……..

And so, because of this “owning your beauty” philosophy I have spent a few years working on seeing the beauty of my own very pale skin. I am truthfully ultra violet white.The truth is that in the winter I am better about enjoying my pallor…..but when the sun starts to shine and it’s time to wear summer stuff and god forbid put on a swimsuit…..I really don’t love looking like a piece of marble. Now some people carry it off really well. Dita Von Teese – I probably spelled her name wrong – she totally carries it off. I was wondering what people at my local swimming pool would think if I turned up in a highly corseted 1950’s bathing suit, hair in curls and bright red lips definitively pencilled on……..It might be interesting, it might be fabulous, but  it won’t happen anytime soon.
So I guess this is where I am at. I don’t hate being snow white. I can appreciate it. I can see the many splendid qualities of luxuriant pale skin. But sometimes it is so fun to play with another look. Over the Memorial Day weekend we were so busy at Brazil Bronze, we faux-glowed so many people with truthfully couldn’t give a rat’s arse about taking five minutes to spray a co-worker….so I had to show up to all the beginning of summer festivities looking like a ghost. This past weekend I didn’t really have any place that special to go – but I was determined to make the best of myself. I took the time and got my lovely co-worker Tamara to spray me – and the talented Jane B. to put eyelash extensions on me…and I’m telling you it was so much FUN. Its just nice to play around with a look, with a feeling – to pretend to be the sun-kissed golden girl. I really enjoyed wearing my summer clothes and felt a ton more comfortable wearing my swimsuit…..(I’m not sure truthfully whether it made those who saw me feel anymore comfortable) I say definitely own your beauty and work what you’ve got – but it is so totally worth it to make oneself over – make yourself into whatever part you feel like playing for the day or week or whatever. So I’m making a note to myself to try and take the time out to do a little something for myself. Summer is here and it’s OK to pretend!