I'm The Girl For Whom They Invented Incentive Programs

Last month, in preparation for the big conference in Kansas, I went to a super ritzy Beverly Hills Salon. I paid $105 for a haircut. $105! The results were great, sort of. I mean, I got a fantastic haircut and fantastic color. The kind of haircut that you don't have to do anything to and it still looks good. The rich, pretty red color I requested. I just looked a little more like an almost 35 year-old woman than my inner almost 35 year-old woman wants to look.

But I signed up for this incentive program. And to my great joy, a $24 coupon arrived in the mail for me this week. $24 free dollars! So I trotted my happy ass back to the salon today to cash in the rewards, mostly because I misread the ticket and thought it expired on Saturday when it actually expired a year from Saturday.

But such details didn't stop me! I quickly grabbed some conditioner, and because I had about $10 left to spend, I thought I would pick up some new eyeshadow. All of my current eyeshadow is old, and cheap, and kind of ugly. So the makeup lady swooped in on me, washed off my face and worked some magic. PMS zits disappeared! My eyes were dramatic, yet natural! A subtle pink glow emanated from my cheeks!

So instead of buying one shade of eyeshadow, I bought three. And a compact to put them in. And a fancy makeup brush. I did manage to refrain from the concealer and the blush and powder, but only just. I spent some $55 over the $24 free dollars I had intended to spend. And yet I still feel as if I got a great deal. I don't think, "Wow! I shouldn't have blown $55 on makeup!" I think, "Wow! I saved $24 that I would have spent anyway!"

I also consulted with my stylist. We have plans to grow into a longer (not long), hopefully more youthful and funky style. I fear, however, that I have outgrown my funkiness and will have to accept my fast-approaching middle agedness. I'm fighting it, though. I also requested a call from my colorist. I want to bring back the blonde for summer, but I feel I should consult with her, if only because that is one of the perks of spending big bucks at a Beverly Hills Salon.