Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Oh Vanity of vanities....

In preparation for the conference I'm going to put my body through some painful things. Eyebrow pluckings, teeth whitening and mustache removal.

Anyone else interested in adding to my confession of vanity?

Have you ever gone through a painful experience in order to look good? What's the craziest thing you've ever done to yourself?

Comments

I wore braids in my hair that took 3 days to complete!

smooches,
Larie
I'm not sure I want to admit this to the blog world! LOL! I shaved my chin to get rid of my thick, fuzzy hairs and the few dark sprouts!!!

I'm sure you'll look great for the conference! Take a pic for us!
Jessica Nelson said…
LOL Larie! That's dedication. :-)
Jessica Nelson said…
No worries Donna. :-) I've plucked my chin and I'm sure as I get older I'm going to have to break out the razor too. LOL!
Jennifer Shirk said…
I used to do the eyebrow & mustache thing. (Now I actually have to pencil in my eyebrows) WAH

Before I go on vacation or a conference, I get my hair and nails done, too.

I hear Carly Simon singing now. "You're so vain..." LOL! I know I am!!!
Tabitha Bird said…
Gosh, I have waxed, plucked, shaved, polished, cut, colored and rearranged... well, you get what I mean.

All the very best Jess with that conference.
Jody Hedlund said…
Oh, you are right on with the vanity issue today! I'm definitely pimping for the conference! I'm heading out this morning to finish shopping! I haven't needed a business casual wardrobe as a SAHM, at least that's what I'm telling myself! And so, I'm having fun putting together a couple of new outfits! And every outfit needs new shoes and jewelry too, right? ;)
anita said…
Teeth whitening? Lucky girl. I have a bonding on my front teeth so I can never whiten them. The only way I could would be to get caps. I've seen my mom's real teeth when her caps fall off ... they're filed down to nubs under there. Eek! I'll stick with my slightly off white naturals, thanks. ;-P

But I'm finding out recently how obssessed I am with my smile. I've got a new dentist who just can't seem to get the hang of the bonding on my front teeth. He can't bridge that gap to my satisfaction (two other dentists over the past twenty years were able to nail it first time out each time). So I'm not very happy with my appearance at the moment, yet I'm afraid to go back to him FOR THE THIRD TIME in two weeks to have it done right. Grrr.

So yes, I'm a victim of vanity at the moment, too.
Diane said…
A girls gotta do.... what a girls gotta do! :O)
Oh, what fun!

Gel nails is the most painful I've gone through. THey hurt for the first day, then feel okay. THis year I managed to stop biting long enough to grow my own short, but descent nails, so I don't have to endure that pain after all.

Don't forget to pack a favorite water bottle. They say the dry heat required lots of fluid intake in Denver. I'm going on search for a favorite one sometime this week.
Aw, I'm thinking of you!

I'd probably have to do the eyebrow thing. And get a pedicure.
I colored my hair when it started to turn gray and it came out maroon!! Yikes! I didn't have enough money to re-color, so I had to live with it for a few weeks.

I love hats.
Robyn Campbell said…
Jessica, still praying and must you remove the mustache? :) It's gotta be a talking point. :) *hugs*
Kristen Painter said…
I don't think anything I've done has been "crazy", but I routinely do highlights, nails, eyebrows and spray tans before conference. I'm also thinking its about time to see someone about some botox and a little laser resurfacing. Age may be a fact of life but that doesn't mean we can't fight it.
Genny said…
Hope you have a GREAT conference! I always love going to conferences and I can't wait to hear about how yours goes.
Katie Ganshert said…
HA! Jes, I'm RIGHT with you! Also getting my eyebrows plucked and whitening my teeth! And have a hair appt scheduled the Saturday before to get my hair highlighted...the roots are horrendous right now. :)
Tana said…
Ah yes, the beauty challenge. I often do this before special occasions myself. I half enjoy I and half not. In the end I always feel a little deceptive because I usually am not so dolled up. Have fun!
Jessie Oliveros said…
Well I am planning on wearing the top that I haven't yet removed the tags from to next week's writer's conference. And right now I don't have many maternity options, but nothing is happening to that top before I go!
Linda Kage said…
You know those home-buy wax strips. I wouldn't recommend trying them... on any part of your body. That's all I'm confessing;).

And, yes, definitely take pictures. Good luck. Have fun.
Sarah said…
Ouch, on the mission field, not much time for looking good, but I'm sure I could use a good eyebrow pluck.

Popped over from On the Path. Hope you don't mind if I splash around a bit here. Your words are encouraging and it is a pure joy to meet writers who are using their syllables for HIs glory.

Blessings from Costa Rica,
Sarah Dawn
Jessica Nelson said…
Oh my gosh! YOu guys were cracking me up when I read this!!!
I'm having a crazy busy day so I can't reply individually, but LOL!!! Thank you for the smiles.

So, like you all I will have new clothes and a somewhat new face. Snort!
But no waxing. I draw the line... thank you for your advice Linda. Heehee!
Jessica Nelson said…
Hi Sarah,
Not at all! Wow, so you live in Costa Rica? That's so cool! Thank you for stopping by and commenting. :-)
And lol, I don't pluck that often, actually. You're right, on the mission field, actually even here, it's more important who we are, not what we look like. LOL!
Hi, Jessica!

I'm just jealous that all of y'all will get to hang out together at the conference! Hopefully I'll be able to go one year.

I'm with Sarah... there's not much you can do overseas. Coming back is always fun because I can feel more human and not like I don't own a mirror. :0) I'm still not good at all that girl stuff, though. What Not to Wear has done wonders for me!
Karen Hossink said…
Are you kidding? Every time I work out it's a painful experience! LOL
Let's see, the craziest thing?
How about push ups with my feet on a bosu ball and my hands on medicine balls? Don't know how crazy it was, but it sure was hard! *grin*
Jessica Nelson said…
I've seen that show. LOL I could probably use it, since I love comfy clothes and it's hard for me to resist them.
I hope you get to go next year! :-)
Katie Salidas said…
Ahh the things we do to make ourselves look good.

Add me to the list of plucked, bleached, shaved, and tanned. Ugh!
Debra E. Marvin said…
I'm in practice at least. I had a wedding in July and went out and bought new makeup.

This reminds me -- I found a YouTube video of speaker Beth Moore saying that someone told her she was such a natural woman. She said no way- she colored her hair and got a spray tan. (my tan came in a tube)

I know I'm wondering when to time the next touch up on those gray roots!
There must be a good reason God lets our vision get fuzzy after 50.
Jessica Nelson said…
Ha! Karen, LOL, that is crazy! The things we do... *grin*
You almost make me want to try that, but seeing as I can do about three push-ups before I collapse, that probably wouldn't be a good idea. :-)
Jessica Nelson said…
LOL Debra, if you find out, let me know.
As soon as I spot my first gray, I'm heading for the salon. LOL
Jessica Nelson said…
It's crazy, right Katie?

btw, totally weird, but you were in my dreams last night. Heh.
ok....i thought that was dedication until i started thinking about what i do on a REGULAR basis! i have a teeth whitening system i use (as well as toothpaste that's amazing - arm and hammer, girl) and i already pluck my eyebrows (no waxing for me, thank you). no mustache here (knock on wood) so i'm not sure what that would be like. yikes! craziest thing i've ever done to myself to look good was take hydroxycut to help lose weight. totally stressed me out...didn't have a menstrual cycle for 2 months! (TMI, i know.)
Keli Gwyn said…
Jessica, I'm sure you'll look great. You're young, bright, talented. Unlike those of us twice your age, you don't have wrinkles and gray hair. Put the best you forward, and you're sure to be well received. I know I'd be eager to meet you in person if were going to be there.
Jessica Nelson said…
LOL Jeannie. You're fine on the info. :-)
Sheesh. I didn't know that hydroxycut would do that.
Jessica Nelson said…
Oh Keli,
I promise I have some nice wrinkles around these eyes. LOL
Hopefully someday we'll meet! Maybe we'll sit at the same signing table together. Heehee! :-)
Deb Shucka said…
In addition to lots of plucking and shaving and application of product, I think the most painful vanity was wearing very high heels (to make myself look taller and thinner). As I get older, I care less and less about those things - for better or worse.

Best of luck to you. I know you'll be wonderful.
Elana Johnson said…
Ugh. It's called exercise. I hates it.
Jessica Nelson said…
Hahaa! Elana, that cracked me up.
Jessica Nelson said…
Deb, you're right. Heels are killers. I always wear them and don't mind a few hours. But really, ouch!
Thanks for the well-wishes. :-)
AngeliStarr said…
The most Ive done is color my hair, pluck the eyebrows, take whatever lip hair there might be off, shave legs if they're being shown. Other than that, nothing more.
Stephanie Faris said…
I wore a girdle to my 10-year reunion and walked around all night barely able to breathe!
Jill Kemerer said…
I put Lee Press-On Nails on the night before my wedding, and spent the morning of my wedding scraping them off my nails! I'm so vain.
Jessica Nelson said…
That's not much at all Angeli. *wink*
Jessica Nelson said…
Hahaa! Oh Stephanie, that's so funny! LOL It brought back a memory of my mom at her reunion. Heehee!
Jessica Nelson said…
Jill,
You're in good company! LOL
Pen Pen said…
I had extensions put in for a dance when I was younger-my hair was above my shoulders at the time. Had to go to 4 different shops to get hair for "white girls" and then sat in a beauty salon for TEN hours while this lady put them in-I was the only "pale face" there(as the other women called me), and she actually glued the extensions on in layers. They looked SO great!! But-two days later, they were coming out. I had to pull them out and even the oil they gave me didn't stop the pain-It was like ripping a million bandaids from my scalp. I didn't lose my own hair, but the oil to help remove them wouldn't wash out of my hair for 4 days!! I looked like I had covered my head in butter and had to go to school like that-I even tried to wash my hair repeatedly with dish wash soap-It didn't help.
It wasn't worth it.
Jessica Nelson said…
OH no!!!! LOL Pen Pen, that sounds horrible.
*shuddering*
Gwen Stewart said…
Ohhh, teeth whitening! Thanks for that reminder. :) I have had my hair done, I really like the color, and I have outfits all picked out. :) I'll do a bunch of other little things...nothing too crazy though.

Great blog!
Jessica Nelson said…
Thanks for stopping by Gwen! I haven't picked out specific outfits yet, though I did go shopping. :-)
I hope I get to meet you there! I've seen you around the blogosphere, esp. on Rachelle's blog. :-)
Regina Quentin said…
I once thought it genius to work out 6 days per week doing cardio and weights each day for about 2 hours. I ended up getting injured and dehydrated and now I can't even remember what event it was for. Never again.
Warren Baldwin said…
Jessica,I just quoted you on my blog for today. Please let me know if you are ok with that.

And about eye brow plucking - I think God meant for eye brows to be long. Helps keep the dust and sun out of our eyes when we are hunting or playing basketball on an outdoor court. :)
hey...have your friend check out my page for a link to an ADHD scale....
Jessica Nelson said…
Yikes Regina!!! That hurts me to think about. *shudder*
I'm glad you came to your senses. LOL
Thank you for stopping by and commenting!
Jessica Nelson said…
LOL Warren!!!!
You're so funny. :-) Spoken like a man. Yeah, your eyebrows can be shaggy. That looks good on a guy, but not us women. Snort!
I'm actually lucky that mine are pretty much in order. Shaggy eyebrows run in my family. :-)

That's fine about the quote. Once I write something on the internet, it's pretty much fair game.
Terri Tiffany said…
LOL You don't need to to do all that! You look great already!
But when my daughter got married, I did the tanning booth thing(standing up as I am claustrophobic) and I did the usual, eyebrows waxed, hair hightlighted etc.
Just be you--they will love you!
Jessica Nelson said…
Oooh, Terri, I forgot there was such a thing as an upright tanning booth. That's pretty cool!

Hmmm, be myself, uh, LOL, I think I'll be too nervous.
But maybe not. :-)
Thank you for the encouragement.
Dara said…
I used to pluck my eyebrows all the time. Not anymore :P

Dyeing all my hair isn't the most pleasant sensation. Perhaps I'm super sensitive but it makes my scalp burn like crazy. Haven't done that in a few years either.

Wearing heels too--that's something that's painful! I try and wear ballet flats when I can :)

Just be glad we're not in feudal Japan--women often blackened their teeth and shaved their eyebrows off completely!
Oh, no. So this is what I have to expect from the next conference I attend? *giddy laughter* ;)
Jessica Nelson said…
LOL Weronika... possibly. :-)
Jessica Nelson said…
Wow Dara, so why did they paint their teeth black? To hide better? That's fascinating.
Weird about the eyebrows though. LOL
Anonymous said…
In highschool I put pure vitamin E in my hair to help it grow. The next day it did NOT wash out. It was disgustingly greasy and my mom MADE me go to school. Although I was not physically hurt, the injuries endured have scarred me forever!!!!
Jessica Nelson said…
Eeek!

The things we do...

LOL Poor you.
Thank you for stopping by my blog. :-)

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