Once upon a time I was on The Rachael Ray Show. Nope. Not making this up. In fact, you can watch the segment here. It was one of those whirlwind experiences that came out of nowhere. One minute I was bumming around my house and the next I was on the phone with producers from her show every day for two weeks. It was brought to my attention that they were looking for someone who either never leaves the house without makeup on or never wears it at all. It’s no secret that I always have my hair and makeup done (It’s just how I roll) and so when word got out, I was given the phone number of a producer there and told, “No really, you need to call.” Many contracts and confidentiality agreements promising my first born were signed and I was booked for the show. The assignment was for me to trade beauty routines (or lack thereof) with someone who takes minimalism in beauty to new heights. Or depths? I don't know… Within two weeks of being booked for the show, a camera and sound crew along with a field producer came to spend the day with me. Ask me: how do you get your house clean enough to be on national tv? My answer: you don’t. We were in the middle of a kitchen remodel so I begged them not to film in there (they didn’t), and our front yard was completely dug up from having our sewer line replaced the week before, so I also begged them not to film the front of our house (they did).
The crew was fantastic and spent a full twelve hours with us. Honestly, it was exhausting! I totally get why tv people get paid so much! It doesn't look like hard work, but it really is to be “on” like that for hours at a time. They filmed me doing my hair, doing my makeup, taking my daughter to school, interviews with the kids, interviews with my husband, doing some work at church, grocery shopping…it was a ton of footage, and what they actually used was roughly 2% of it.
Side note: My daughter was in seventh heaven! The field producer that was here was some beautiful young blonde woman who does freelance producing for a ton of different shows. (They were telling us horror stories about the Dr.Phil show shoots. It was kind of awesome.) Once my daughter found out this chick had done producing for American Idol and America’s Got Talent, she carpe’d the crap out of that diem and sang all of “Let It Go” for her in hopes of instant stardom. Too. Funny. She may not have achieved stardom quite yet, but she was a big hit in the school cafeteria the next day.
Once they were finished filming here I was left with a small video camera and a makeup case of all the products my counterpart used and was told to video journal all throughout my day for the next five days as I attempted to embrace this new minimalist routine. You know, like you embrace the flu. Here’s what you need to know about this - We were to give very detailed lists of all the beauty products we use throughout the day, including skin care, makeup, hair products and tools. My list was loooong and glorious. Receiving a box of all that was on that list would have been like the best Christmas ever for me. Think Red Ryder BB gun with the compass in the stock… There was easily $500-$700 worth of products in there. Sigh. But alas, what do I receive? Hairbands and chapstick. That's it. So. Not. Fair. Knowing that the recipient of the box of all my glorious products would not only not appreciate them but also not know what to do with them left a hole in my heart. I’m still not entirely over it. Chapstick. Did I mention I got Chapstick?
So for five days I went sans makeup and hair product and video journaled it all. I was a teensy bit grumpy. Again, you can see how it went for me right here. The next week we were whisked up to NYC via bus which we had to pay for ourselves or we would've had to submit a W-2 form for taxes on all $120 of it. Yeah. Thanks but no thanks. They put us up in a lovely hotel for the night just a few doors down from the studio. They did at least pay for the hotel and gave us $40 for dinner expenses. No W-2 necessary. The studio itself looks like nothing much from the outside. Just another big warehouse-y looking building with Rachael Ray’s picture on it. So we went there in the morning to film the studio segment.
Another side note: I’ve heard many rumors regarding the green rooms and how there’s amazing food everywhere. It’s a lie. We were in what we were told was the nicest green room there, (there was a glass covered chalkboard in there with a note from Michelle Obama on it) and the only sustenance in it was a bowl with two apples, two oranges, a banana, and four bottles of water. Not a delicacy in sight. Or smell. Super bummer. James VanDerBeek was also there at the same time we were, but our door was closed swiftly as he entered our hallway so as not to be gazed upon by the peasants. Whatevs.
Hair and makeup was fairly uneventful as I had already done mine at the hotel and they had nothing to argue with so we agreed that some fake eyelashes would add an extra oomph and that was it. We were coached on the questions Rachael would ask and then were escorted on set where they were already filming. This was the first time I saw and/or talked to Rachael Ray through this whole process. We did have a few minutes to chat during commercial breaks where she asked me about my shoes and mostly talked to my counterpart about her dogs. She was nice enough. Not super friendly but not mean either. Just nice. Enough. I blinked and the segment was over. If it weren't for watching the video I don't think I could have told you what I actually said! Within five minuted of finishing the filming we were back on the streets of NY. It was actually surreal. Like a- is-this-real-life??- kind of moment. It was like planning for a wedding or Christmas. Weeks and weeks of thought, energy, and preparation go into them and when the day finally gets here you blink and it’s over. So we grabbed some lunch and it was back on the bus to go home where life as I knew it would resume. All in all it was a great, once in a lifetime kind of experience that I will remember forever.
So here’s where things get sticky. How do I really feel about all this beauty stuff? Here’s a few things I want you to know:
First of all, just because I religiously do my hair and makeup everyday doesn't mean I’m judging you if you don’t. I feel more confident and more like my absolute best self when I’m all put together. Again, this is just how I roll. If you feel like your best self in a hairband and chapstick, more power to ya! I’m envious of the extra time you must have!
Second, just because I wear makeup or spend a lot of time on my hair doesn't mean I’m insecure or vain. And yes, in some comments this has come up. I actually love doing these things. For goodness sake I did hair for a living! It feels girly and wonderful and if you're not one to ever do these things, you may want to give it a try before you write it off or pass judgement.
Third, my husband looooves that I take the time to do these things for myself. I want to always be attractive to him, and let’s face it ladies, there’s a lot out there vying for our husbands' attention. Now please don’t misunderstand, my husband loves me just as much with makeup as without, but I like that he’s proud to show me off sometimes. :)
Fourth, from all my years behind the chair as a hairdresser I’ve learned that most women feel better about themselves when they’re a little done up. We all know beauty comes from within but sometimes we need to start from the outside before we can really feel it on the inside. A good makeover can be a huge self esteem boost.
And lastly there’s this; my identity has nothing to do with how I look. My identity comes from God alone and what he has to say about me. If I weren’t rooted in that I never would have been able to bear all like that on national tv. The hair, the makeup- that's just icing on the cake that is me! And I just so happen to like cake with lots of decorations on it!
My husband loves me. My God loves me. At the end of the day, that’s all I need.
Till next time…
