Part of the fun of the event's preparation was the "girlie" part—I know you find this hard to believe, but becoming Miss Kiss Kiss Bang does not just happen overnight. You've already heard about the dancing transformation, but for the actually evening at Dancing with the Fort Wayne Stars, it didn't just take a few others; it took an "army" of others!So I wanted to thank April Antrim, co-owner of Trend Setters Hair Design (5723 Saint Joe Rd., 485-9434) for the "fabulousity" hair style (and the continuous therapy as we grew out my hair so we'd have options). Do you know I counted over 40 bobbie pins, and it took April under 40 minutes to do that divine do? That's a bobbie pin a minute!
Being blonde by nature (and enhanced by choice), we knew early on that in order to see facial features like eyelashes and eyebrows, it would take the work of professionals. The wonderful women at Merle Norman Cosmetics/Covington Plaza (6386 West Jefferson Blvd., 432-9315) have helped transform our Francine's Friends breast cancer survivors for their makeover debuts, so who else would I turn to? Pink Cashmere and Red in Love for cheeks, Tinseltown, Evergreen, Stay Steel, and Blackout for eyes; Diamond Girl dusting all over; their list topped out at over 20 unique products and steps to transform "pale blonde Donna" into "Miss Kiss Kiss BANG!" And again, in under an hour! I became somewhat attached to the luscious long false eyelashes—I think I could do those for other special occasions.
Julie Clancy, owner of Jophiel, a former Fort Wayne Dancing with the Stars celebrity, and one of the MCs for the evening, summarized it well behind stage with a few of the women dancers Thursday night—as women, we get busy with work, and family, and day-to-day routines, and responsibilities—all important and worthwhile. But to be able to step out of that and be a girl for a day—pamper a bit, try a new color, experiment with a look, and indulge in taking a little bit of time for me—did help the evening feel glamorous and added to the experience and excitement. As Julie says in her "Jophiel Style" column, "When we know we look and are dressed appropriately, we beam with confidence, our individual joy is expressed, and we share it with others." Oh so true!
And don't forget the fabulous "bling"—on loan from Arthur Murray. Diamonds—real or synthetic really ARE a girl's best friends.......;-)
