She Makes the Best of What's Around

Tell me about your favorite pair of shoes.

I've got a couple. My favorite shoe LOOK is Converse. I like the low tops with the elastic on the inside so there are no laces and you can slip them on. My favorite shoe for comfort are Sanuks, and I own 4 pairs of them. They don't have a lot of arch support, so I can't wear them for very long before I start to get plantar pain, but just for running around, going to the grocery store or what have you, they're perfect.

For work: Danskos all the way! Nurses are notoriously picky about our shoes, and each nurse has a favorite. Many of us favor Dansko. The first time you put one on, it's a little confusing. They're not soft at all on the inside; in fact they're quite hard. The arch support is high and very firm, and the top of the shoe over the arch is tight and hugs your foot snugly. The back of the shoe doesn't touch your heel at all, which leaves you feeling at first like the shoe might fly off your foot if you have to move quickly...until the first time you run down the hall. It somehow clings to your foot like supportive, comfortable magic. After 12 hour shifts, my back has sometimes hurt, my heart has sometimes hurt, but if I was wearing a pair of Danskos, my feet have never hurt. I've owned them in matte white (nursing school), oxblood red, oil slick black, and now galaxy (black with a photographic print of space overlaid). I've got a pair that I don't wear to work because they're flocked and couldn't have liquid wiped off them. They're a base of black with orange, gold, and red paisley over the whole shoe. Quite gorgeous with jeans.

Yesterday was the Daddy Daughter Dance at Valley View Elementary. Layla came over after school as usual, but she was scheduled to go to the dance in the evening. Courtney (my sister, Layla's mom) was scheduled to be in class until 5:30, so Nana was going to come get Layla to get her dressed up and asked for my help: if I could brush out Layla's notoriously tangled hair, she would appreciate it. :) I'm sure she would, as Layla is legendary in her dislike for having her hair brushed. I can't say I blame her, since it tangles so easily & forms knots so quickly. But Aunt Hillary has a spectacular bribery tool--the best, most well-stocked makeup vanity Layla has ever seen, complete with lighted mirror with multiple color settings. So she let me brush out her hair while we swatched almost every lipstick I own. We swatched all of the back of my left hand, then wiped it off and started again, eventually moving to the inside of my wrist. Then we wiped that off and swatched eyeshadows over a white Nyx eyeshadow base to get the truest colors.

She ended up not wearing any eyeshadow, which is mostly because she's 6 and I wouldn't let her, but also because I DEFINITELY wouldn't let her wear the one she wanted. She opened my Urban Decay Return to Wonderland palette and instantly said "I want to wear that one!" and pointed at "Heads Will Roll," a very vibrant turquoise green with heavy metallic silver flake! She ended up wearing a lip gloss from MAC that I can't remember the name of right now. It's a vibrant pastel pink with a high shimmer and a blue reflect. She also wore a very pretty pink blush called "Cherry" from the Gwen Stefani Urban Decay blush palette. It's halfway between neon pink and pastel pink. It was all very 6-year-old appropriate and highly glittery. I also used Lush's "Sunny Day" on her hair for extra shine. I refrained from mascara, because all I have right now is Urban Decay (can you tell I have a favorite brand?) Perversion, which is a HEAVY formula. It thickens lashes to the point where I'm sometimes asked if I'm wearing false ones! On a 6-year-old, I think I would MAYBE do a tinting mascara, if anything. When she's older I'll show her how to use the heavy hitters.