Dear 15-Year-Old Me: You’re Okay

Posted on April 23, 2015 by BeautyFrosting

This is hanging on my dad’s office wall. Me at 15. I saw this picture at my dad’s house, and it broke my heart.

Me at 15.

I saw a gorgeous 15-year-old girl, but that’s not the 15-year-old girl I remembered.

The 15-year-old I rememberer was chubby, with braces, looked like a boy, and was much too much.

Too much, physically.

Too much curly hair.

Too much love to give.

Too much of a talker.

Too much of a singer.

Too much of an actor.

Too much of a kiss-up.

Too much for her parents.

Too much for her brother.

Too much for boys.

Too much for herself.

Too much everything.

That is not who I see now. I see someone who was just enough.

I see this picture and see a gorgeous 15-year-old, with a big personality, who was painfully insecure. More than anything, I wish I could go back and tell myself: “Embrace your curves. You’re never going to be a size 0, so stop fighting it so hard. You’re only wasting time and energy. Embrace your talents and loving spirit. You don’t need to be your big brother, best friend, or anyone else for that matter. You just need to be you. It’s enough. Don’t be afraid of being different. It’s the very thing that will change your life for the better. You’re enough. You’re special. Life is going to be so sweet. And, lastly, you’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay.”

I dedicate this ‪post to all girls in middle school and high school out there, and their parents. I promise it’s going to get better. YOU’RE okay, you’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay, you’re okay.

xoxo,

Dawn

Quote Book: Friday, September 21st, 2012

Posted on September 21, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

Tomorrow I’m hosting a bridal shower for my best friend of 23 years, Suzanne, with my oldest friend of 25 years, Allison. I had to share this quote with you today because it makes me think of both of them and the many, giggle-filled Friday nights we spent in our hometown of Dallas together. They are so precious to me.

Memories may get fuzzy but friendship never fades.

xoxo,
BF

Friends never fade...

“Years from now, I won’t remember every Friday night – or the things that made us laugh so hard that our stomachs hurt, but I will always remember that you were the ones who were there.”

(Unknown)

Back-to-School Backpack Beauty: Goody QuikStyle – I’m a Believer!

Posted on September 4, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

Happy Tress Tuesday, beauties!
I hope your Labor Day was relaxing and fun!

Labor Day always makes me think of the hustle & bustle of Back-to-School. The excitement, nervousness, new students, new classes, new teacher and endless possibilities.

And the waking up suuuuuper early to get ready. We can’t forget that. Booooooooooooo.

So, for the next 2 weeks, we at BeautyFrosting are taking you back to school for (drumroll please): Back-to-School Backpack Beauty!

Goody QuikStyle Half-Round Brush: The best, back-to-school Blowout ever!

Our first beloved Back-to-School product selected, the Goody QuikStyle Half-Round Brush, is one I wish they’d invented back during my high school days. I used to spend SOOOOO much time on my hair. Drying my long, curly locks took at least 25 minutes, alone. But straightening them? A good blowout took a good 45 minutes. Who has the time?

So when my friend, Elizabeth Baker, over at Bonjour + Hola raved about this brush from Goody that claimed to remove water – allowing hair to dry 30 times faster – the high school Freshman in me begged me to try it.

I went in to it a little skeptical. Skeptical but hopeful.

See, my brazilian blowout is growing out and I am reallllllly loving having some of my old volume back. But, oh, the ease of not having to blow-dry! Is there not a happy compromise?

With Goody QuikStyle Half-Round brush, my dreams of happy compromise were answered. I can let the brazilian blowout go knowing that my hair really does dry 30% faster with this brush.

And I swear my hair got a serious boost of body-beautiful volume.

Then, on top of that, my Goody QuikStyle-styled blowout lasted 3 days! Wow!

How does it work? With highly absorbent microfiber bristles, it’s as though your brush has a built in towel.

Goody QuickStyle Half-Round Brush (around $12.99)

So, with all of that said, whether you’re heading back to school or back to the office, this is the blowout brush for you. Sure you might want to style it out for a little extra oomph but for those days when style is a luxury and drying is a must, Goody QuikStyle is the way to go! I’m a believer!

Freewriting Friday: The truth about the past…

Posted on August 17, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

A myriad of memories...One of my MANY collages over the years...

Recently, I had a nice, long talk with a friend about the power of memories. We agreed that some days, a memory can burn brighter than the sunshine in any modern moment.

And that, my friends, can be deceptive.

We build up the past in hopes of it taking away the pain of the present. Or the boredom. Or the troubles. Or simply the routine. It’s our escape into something that’s familiar while being just foreign and different enough from our current situation.

After many questions, a few tears, a couple glasses of wine and a goodbye, this is what I emailed my friend.

The past is precious because that’s exactly what it is.

It has PASSED us. Or, rather, we have passed it.

Memories remain those beautiful moments frozen in time for a reason.

Like a scene from a favorite movie we can’t forget.

Or the lyrics of a song, from the soundtrack of our life, that we will always recall.

As much as we may try to thaw out those memories, to recreate them…

we cannot.

We never will.

They will live THERE forever.

We must remember them. Cherish them. Share them. Grow from them. Let them live on in us. Pass them on. And move on.

Who we were is not who we are. Who we wanted to be is not always who we have become.

But, in the promise of the the wishes of the dreams, the hopes for those plans, and the phantoms of our expectations, we become who we are meant to be.

And the adult us is way better than any child could have hoped for.

We wouldn’t have liked the person, now, that we wanted to become, then, very much anyways.

So cherish the past, relish the present and procrastinate, as much as possible, when it comes to the future.

We will wish for the very day, we are having now, one day down the road.

xoxo,
BF

In-My-Tub-Tuesday: TRESemme Liquid Gold Shine Therapy

Posted on July 24, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

In-My-Tub-Tuesday: TRESemme Nourishing Rituals Liquid Gold Shine Therapy

I know, I know – technically this should be called In-My-Shower-Tuesday but it just doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?
You know what reminds me of a gold ring? (See what I did there?)
TRESemme Nourishing Rituals Liquid Gold Shine Therapy.

It’s like AFFORDABLE jewelry couture for your hair.

I know what you’re thinking: um, that’s a bit of a reach, BF.

I promise it’s not.

From the summer-fresh scent of TRESemme to the tiny, gold, sparkling, microcrystals in the golden treatment, this therapy is straight up sunshine in a bottle.

How does it work?

After shampooing your hair, you apply the TRESemme Liquid Gold Shine Therapy to your damp hair – concentrating on the middle to ends of your locks.

Leave on 3-4 minutes. If you’re like me, comb it through. It works beautifully as a detangler. Rinse. And, again – if you’re like me – rinse with cool water for extra special summer shine!

It’s a mini spa treatment for your shower! And I felt pretty pampered while I let it do its job as I shaved and exfoliated my legs. It makes any day a spa day!

When my hair dried (FYI, I let it dry naturally), I was amazed by my sexy, supple locks. The glasslike shine was gorgeous and I swear my hair seemed a bit fuller. It reminded me of that glossy hair that high school girls have. Know what I mean?

So, maybe, it’s high school in a bottle too! Only the good parts though.

And it’s got a high school-friendly price as it’s only around $4 and can be found in your fave drugstore.

Sunshine & High School in a bottle? Yes. TRESemme Liquid Gold Shine Therapy

Try it out for yourself and let me know what you think!

xoxo,
BF

BF QOD: Einstein delights…

Posted on June 7, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

BF QOD: Einstein Delights

“The woman who follows the crowd will usually go no further than the crowd. The woman who walks alone is likely to find herself in places no one has ever been before.” (Albert Einstein)

Oooh, I like that. A lot.

As Jenny checks “Yes” today…

Posted on May 26, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

Friends.

Friends make the memories that tell the story of our lives.

I am home this weekend, in Dallas, for one of my best friend’s weddings.

In milestone moments like these, memories flood my thoughts and leave me smiling.

Last night, while nightswimming (ask REM if it’s a verb), George Strait’s “Check Yes or No” came on my iPod.

It was too perfect. I always think of Jenny, the bride-to-be, blaring this song on her car stereo, in high school, when I hear this song about love and how simple it can be.

Jenny & BF: Episcopal School of Dallas Graduation 1996

Songs are the soundtrack to our lives.

Lots of songs remind me of Jenny and our fun times in high school.

And here one was playing on the eve of her wedding to Jon, whom she met in high school and began dating later.

Wow. She checked “yes” as you can see.

Jenny & Jon: The newlyweds-to-be

When I think of Jenny, I think of toll road drives (driving to the end of the world as we knew it – there’s REM again),lemonade and JD’s Chippery cookies (the best in the world), sneaking away for lunch at Bubba’s, our trip to Destin with our dear friend Allison & my family, Cancun Spring Break ’95, Europe ’96 and Jenny and I skipping school in our senior year to go see my depressed Papaw at the sale barn in Durant, Oklahoma after my beloved Nanny passed away. Don’t hate us for that last one, Mr.Eason.

We were together through thick and thin. And she’s one of those rare friends who is there for you when you most need it.

Those memories never die. They live on as long as we do.
And friendships born in those memories are always there in one incarnation or another.

As VP (me) & Secretary (Jenny) of Student Body at ESD

What has Jenny given me over the years?

Jenny & me

She taught me to care a little less about what people think of me (still working on that one), that faith can get you through the hardest of times, family is most important, and, most of all, that you have to be able to laugh at yourself sometimes and not to take yourself so seriously.

Laughter is the language of friendship

She also taught me that it’s good to have a best friend along for those moments when the laughter doesn’t come as easily.

When I think Jenny, I think laughter.

ESD Senior Prank Day with Jenny

And today, while there may not be a lot of laughter, there will be plenty of smiles as Jenny and Jon look out into the crowd.

Congratulations Jenny & Jon!

May you be as happy the rest of your lives as you are today…

and may there be LOTS of laughter.

xoxo,

BF QOD: These are the times to remember

Posted on May 25, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

I used to watch Mystic Pizza a lot.

Before I graduated high school, I imagined that the summer before college would feel like how the movie felt. And, you know what, it did.

I found this quote the other day, in one of my homemade quote books, as I was leaving for my hometown of Dallas to attend one of my high school best friend’s, Jenny’s, wedding.

Reading it again, after 16 years, it took on an entirely different meaning. But it’s no less moving than it was all those years ago.

And, as graduation is upon us, I ask you to remember this: Enjoy this moment. And remember these times because you’ll look back one day and remember them with a smile.

BF QOD: Mystic Pizza

Thirsty Thursday for Nora: Sick-Day Cocktail

Posted on April 26, 2012 by BeautyFrosting

This post is dedicated to Nora – my sweet 5-year-old little neighbor-friend who is sick with strep throat for the second time in a month. Bless her heart! You might remember her. She’s kind of a celebrity here on BF; after all, she did pick our winner for our My Week With Marilyn Gorgeous Giveaway!

Nora - my sweet neighbor-friend

It got me thinking about what used to spritz up my spirits when I was sick and small.

Before I had my tonsils taken out, I got serious sore throats. A LOT.

I finally had my tonsils taken out in the July prior to my senior year of high school. Let me tell you: the summer before your senior year of high school is NOT the time you want to be in bed, eating sherbet, fielding phone calls from your friends, waiting until your tonsils heal. You want to be out going to parties, cruising the toll road with Jenny, Suzanne and Allison and crushing on boys. Well, that was me, at least.

My favorite Sick-Day cocktail has always been, and always will be:

Orange Juice & Sprite.
Yep, it’s that simple. That’s no recipe, you scoff!

Well, then, how come so many moms don’t know about this magic potion?
I may not have any kids yet… but I sure think like ’em.

So here’s your (and your little one’s)
SICK DAY COCKTAIL (it’s a magical potion, I tell you!)

BeautyFrosting's Sick Day Cocktail: Orange Juice & Sprite

Fill a glass 2/3 full with Sprite (or fave lemon lime soda or Ginger Ale)

Top off with a splash of orange juice (about 1/3 glass)

Wanna see a smile in the midst of sickness?
Add a cherry and a straw.

Or…better yet… add a small scoop of orange sherbet and a cherry. You’ll be as beloved as the tooth fairy, herself.

Y’know, on second thought, looking back – eating sherbet in bed, just resting, being tended to by my sweet Mom was exactly what I needed the summer before my senior year.

Life would never be the same after that year. It was but a brief respite from the grown-up years to come.

Feel better soon, Nora! But don’t rush it. Enjoy every moment of being in bed, being loved on and being spoiled. You never forget those times when you’re loved so much.

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: What is YOUR “Sick Day Cocktail”?