The Vanity of It All

The Vanity of It All

Ciao bella,

How many of you gals get your face on in the bathroom? I could never understand it. However I'm sure it's the majority of ladies who hit the bathroom to use the mirror standing with ill lighting and steamy from showering! Makeup tubes and caps flying all over the floor! Well it is never too late to find a nice place in the bedroom for a vanity with mirror! Why as far back as I can remember I owned a lighted makeup mirror and would sit down in front of it and primp. We even bought a mini vanity for Dad's house when we would stay over on the weekend.

When I set up housekeeping in my first apartment I recall spying a walnut vintage vanity at Harold's Broadway Second Hand Store in Lawrence. Its chocolate elegance held a magnificent mirror which was built in and adjusted in a swing motion to your better side. There were two drawers on each side and one in the middle. Plenty of space for makeup of all kinds, hair accessories and brushes and combs, even jewelry and just about everything a "Glamazon" like me would need to play "makeup"!

I remember purchasing this Cadillac of cabinetry before I bought the bed! When Mom would visit she would always remark that she thought I was getting ready for my close-up in the cinema!

I have a beautifully framed photo of Nana with her silver cup when she won a cosmetology competition on the vanity and just behind it I keep my Hollywood lights makeup mirror with different settings including daytime, work, and nighttime. Dad bought me this one. As soon as he knew my last mirror bit the dust. He knew how important it was to replace it. The shopping hunt was on -- Sears, Filene's, Jordan Marsh and even Woolworth's! He wouldn't stop 'til he found it! That was Dad! I dread mentioning where we finally found it! No, not eBay!

When I sit on my vanity chair which is laced with Nana's fur fox tails I am in heaven! Surrounded by my fav perfumes and colors that enhance my eyes and face, moisturizers and creams applied at leisure, it's my time to relax and enjoy the transformation. Oh and it is a transformation! Lipsticks that are from Jungle Red to Orange Crush! Greens and purple and blue glitter eyeliners are my favs from Tony & Tina's line. No longer being manufactured for yet another divorce!

My Vanity, my friend, has weathered every move and now as I figure out how long this relationship has lasted I can understand why the makeup I wore at 19 years old has had to change its face during our thirty-eight years together!

For the Vanity of it all!

Buona giornata and God bless the United States of America!

--Mary N. DiZazzo-Trumbull

Read prior weeks' "All That Zazz" columns at www.allthatzazz.com. Mary is a third-generation cosmetologist and a Massachusetts distributor of Kosmea brand rose hip oil products. She may be contacted at (978) 470-8183 or mary@mary4nails.com.

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend

Ciao bella,

Who would think that another one of Mother Nature's miracles is used esthetically, however not just to be counted in carots? It's Diamond Dust my dear ladies! Tiny particles left behind from the cutting of diamonds. The hardness of these tiny particles (similar as dust) make it a popular material used for a variety of products. Just about half of all natural Diamonds are found in mines throughout central and southern Africa. Originally found and mined in India diamond dust proved valuable in cosmetics. Even Madonna during one of her many tours combined white eyeshadow and diamond dust and applied it on her eyelids!

Diamonds as we all know look like transparent crystal and made of carbon, as its atoms are arranged in a diamond lattice. Diamond dust may be found in different colors and can be coarse or fine. Valuable for their hardness and heat conductivity industrial diamonds can be found in the use of surfacing products. Gem-grade diamonds are also valuable for their color and clarity. (The diamond coated pan in my kitchen has been a treasure in my culinary adventures!)

As a natural mineral diamonds are the hardest. Productively useful as an abrasive in cutting, drilling, grinding and polishing. You'll find nail files coated with diamond dust making the file stay sharp and lasting. Many nail products contain diamond dust to prevent chipping and also strengthen nails including a pretty shimmer effect. Check your labels for diamond dust which can also be found in creams, perfumes, shower gels and makeup. In my experience diamonds are a girls best friend!

Buona giornata and God bless the United States of America!

--Mary N. DiZazzo-Trumbull

Read prior weeks' "All That Zazz" columns at www.allthatzazz.com. Mary is a third-generation cosmetologist and a Massachusetts distributor of Kosmea brand rose hip oil products. She may be contacted at (978) 470-8183 or mary@mary4nails.com.