I have a history with perms. Or, perhaps more accurately, a history of perms. My first one was in the early 2000s and it was, well, not good. My next experience, in 2013, was much better; I wrote about it before. The main downside was that, after 3 perms in the space of 18 months (plus constant styling abuse), my hair was fried. But, for a while, I had Pretty Good Hair.

Mermaid hair.

As a person with a head of thick-but-fine, not-straight-not-wavy hair, this is my holy grail.

I’ve been rocking short hair – long pixie, blunt chin-length bob, and everything in (the short distance) between – since 2016. At the beginning of the year, I decided I wanted a change. I used to be quite adventurous with my hair, and I miss the excitement of doing some really drastic; it always made me feel like a new person, and reinvention is like manna to my Type 4 Wing 3 soul. Anyway, what would have made the most sense is to go really short again – instant drama. But I was about to head to a tropical vacation, and a short hair-do is extra work in a humid climate. That got me thinking. Why not grow out my hair a bit longer before chopping it all off?

Wheels, they got into motion.

Arriving at the idea of a perm didn’t take long after that. My last one helped me to grow out my hair, why not use the same trick again? Because of its fineness, my hair has a tendency to go limp and lifeless once it gets near shoulder length … and it still, somehow, requires straightening to look, well, straight. A perm – or its current iteration, the body wave – gives my hair texture and volume which, in turn, makes it look better. It still requires styling, but that’s non-negotiable for me at almost any length.

Dear readers, I went for it.

I got a perm at the end of February and haven’t looked back.

Here’s a before and after, both taken on the day of the perm.

The “after” photo was taken before I was able to wash my hair following the perm. It always looks better once you’re able to wash and style it, but this photo is a fairly accurate representation of how the perm looks with minimal styling. It is not mermaid hair by any stretch of the imagination. To get the “natural” beachy wave look, I need to use products that enhance the curl; I used to use beach spray for that, but don’t recommend it for long-term use – it dries out your hair like whoa. I’m too lazy to investigate better alternatives, so I rarely wear my hair “natural”. I did so in Mexico and it looked great, largely thanks to the combination of sea water and humidity.

Mostly, I do what I have always done: alternate between curling my hair and straightening it. [I use BaByLiss Nano Titanium tools, which are fantastic and super easy to use – I am all thumbs when it comes to styling hair.] Straightening takes a bit longer than before, and I have to be careful about having any moisture near my hair afterwards (it starts to frizz and curl), but my hair looks fuller and bouncier. Here’s a comparison – pic on the right is from April, about 2 months after my perm:

Curling is easier because I no longer have to bother with the underlayers – I just curl the top half. Because my hair is a bit drier than before, I can often go 4 days between shampoos. Mostly, I wash my hair to remove the hairspray build-up, because it rarely gets noticeably oily. [I don’t work out so there is no sweat to worry about.] Other than hairspray and leave-in conditioner, I don’t use other products. As for the latter, currently I alternate between L’Oreal Miracle Oil (an old fave) and the Ouai leave-in mist (from my recent FabFitFun box – more on that next week).

Since I get asked this a lot on Instagram, here is a quick summary of my curling routine: I wash my hair at night; I use a micro fiber towel to get excess water out, apply leave-in conditioner and then leave it to air dry overnight. The next morning, I curl it, starting from the bottom layers up. I divide the hair into quarter sections – part first in the middle of the head, starting from the front all the way back, then divide each half into a top part and a bottom part – and then separate each quarter into 4-6 or more smaller sections, which then get curled separately. I apply hairspray to each quarter after I’ve curled all the sections in it. After all the hair is curled, I leave it alone; no touching. I finish getting ready for work, getting the kids ready, etc. About 45 minutes later, I shake out the curls and give them another spritz of hairspray. And that’s it.

I am by no means a hair expert, but I’ve got a pretty good routine going and I’m happy with the results of my new perm. I was planning to cut my hair short – REALLY short – in the fall, but now I am toying with the idea of waiting a little longer. But you never know … I can be really impulsive when it comes to my hair, so plans have a way of changing on a dime.

I will leave you with one last tidbit I was told by my hairstylist. I recently found my first white hair – or at least the first one that’s incontrovertibly white and visible – which started me thinking about turning grey. How does that work for redheads, I pondered? It’s a silly thing but, honestly, I had no idea. Turns out I likely already have far more white hairs than I realized. My hair has been turning lighter (blonder) over the last few years; I thought it was just a gradual loss of pigmentation in my hair overall. Turns out I was right and wrong. There is less pigment … because there’s probably quite a bit of white hair in the mix. It’s easy to miss because, for the most part, it blends in with my natural highlights. According to my hairstylist, I can look forward to my hair continuing to move towards strawberry blonde, on its way to full white. Considering how much money I’ve spent in the past trying to be blonde, I find this somewhat ironic and bittersweet.

Game of Thrones Season 8 … it’s on.

If I had to sum up my feelings about Episode 1 in one line reading, it would be Cersei’s “shame about the missing elephants” reflection, post-Euron tangle.

I didn’t hate Episode 1, but it felt anti-climactic.

Let me back up a bit.

Here’s what you need to know about me, as a GoT fan: I never watched the first 3 seasons of the show. After the social media hullabaloo of the Red Wedding season, I decided to read the books instead. Yes, I am that person. I fell in love with the ASOIAF universe and decided to watch the show in order to see how the story would unfold. I am a (book) Jon Snow ride-or-die. He is a Messianic Cinderella character. He is the hero-on-a-journey par excellence, and I have been HERE FOR IT since 2014. I am convinced (and this is not a spoiler, by the way) that he will die before the final chapter, but that is part of the journey too.

The show has done an okay job with Jon’s story arc, which is probably why I’m still watching. It does not help that Kit Harrington is becoming less, not more, compelling as time goes on. Watching S8E1 last week, I realized that I have largely stopped caring about most of the show’s version of my other favourite characters. I am glad the show is ending, and all I hope is that they will respect the spirit of the books in wrapping up the story. There are prophesies, OK? They must be fulfilled. I want, nay, NEED to see Lightbringer. And if Cersei dies by anything other than her brother’s hand, I will burn the Great Sept down all over again.

So that’s my investment in GoT. I think it’s pertinent information for a (wannabe) recapper to share.

My immediate reaction to S8E1 was “um, boring.” I was pretty nervous by the 30 minute mark, and getting positively antsy at 43 minutes in. But then we got that long – LOOOOOOONG! – overdue reveal of Jon’s true parentage (to Jon himself), and the goosebumps were their own reward. Still, not an exciting episode overall. It’s a short season, so this annoys me more than it should. This show spends so much time positioning its various characters and “setting up the action” that I … zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

But I have been sitting with my feelings for a few days as I write this post, and I think I have figured out why this episode felt underwhelming to me. There were a lot of reunions in it that should have resonated more deeply and felt more satisfying. Sansa and Tyrion. Arya and the Hound. Arya and Gendry. Jon and Arya. Jon and Creepy Bran. Jaime and … well, you know.

[Speaking of which, let’s just pause here because – what the hell? Why is Bran so goddamn creepy? I have scoffed at the theories that Bran = Night King because, honestly, that’s not the vibe I get from GRRM as a writer but now … I mean, yeah, maybe they’ve got a point. Maybe it’s going to be as hokey as that. But, ugh, I was rooting for you Bran. And now you’re just a creepy weirdo forever waiting in a courtyard to Deus Ex Machina all over this plot.]

Anyway, back to my reasons for being underwhelmed by Episode 1. Here’s the thing: the Night King plot and the “game of thrones” plot are not a natural fit. It takes a LOT of narrative room, so to speak, to weave them together in a way that feels organic and balanced. The show doesn’t have that room, not at this stage. The Night King is almost at Winterfell – how can we remain invested in any other plot except that? Who cares what Cersei or Euron do? Who cares what Sansa thinks about Dany, or what the northern lords think of Jon? It’s irrelevant. The show has built up the Night King into this seemingly unbeatable force (now with a White Dragon!), to the point that you have to start questioning if the human side even stands a chance. It has thrown off the axis of the story. And the human side is not exactly being shown at its best. So much distrust. So much pettiness. My husband (who doesn’t watch the show) joked that the story will end with the zombies killing everyone and I was, like, … eh, sure, why not. Because, at this point, I feel like the humans kinda deserve it.

Some other quick thoughts:

• Dany’s non-reaction to (a) news of the zombification of Viseryon, and (b) Jon riding Rhaegal was so incredibly odd and out-of-character to me. Mother of dragons, hear me … do not much of anything.

• Sansa has almost completed her transformation into Cersei 2.0. If this was, say, season 4, it would be a good thing. Now … she’s gotten good at a game which is about to become irrelevant unless people get their s**t together and figure out the zombie situation.

• I am genuinely intrigued about Arya’s motivations and the choices she will make in the episodes ahead. Is she a Stark? A faceless assassin? For whom is she willing to fight to the death?

• Why is Theon Greyjoy still on this show? He better take down half the Night King’s army single-handedly because otherwise I want those 2 minutes of my life back.

• None of the remaining characters would make good kings/queens, not for the average Westerosi anyway. Except Ser Davos. The Onion Knight continues to be the most level-headed, pragmatic, and honest man in the seven kingdoms. Had Melisandre not meddled, I think Stannis Baratheon would have made a decent king with Davos as his Hand.

• But, seriously, what the hell is going on with Bran?

I assume that, by now, everyone has a pet theory about how GoT is going to end. With the first episode of season 8 in the bag, and only five more to go, let’s take the opportunity and share our predictions, shall we? Here’s mine: the Night King will be defeated (because GRRM is not a nihilist, I don’t think) but not without a ton of casualties, naturally. Jon will die. Dany will not be queen. I was inclined to favour a resolution that would see their child – look, I know it’s incest and everything, but it’s Targaryens we’re talking about and also PROPHECIES, PEOPLE, PROPHECIES! – on the throne (eventually), but I don’t think there is enough time left on the show for that to happen. So, now? I don’t know.

I guess I can see Tyrion winding up king, perhaps with Sansa as queen – especially if we get an eleventh hour reveal of a second secret half-Targaryen. Picture it: Tyrion kills Cersei, which is probably the surest way into Sansa’s heart. Tyrion is revealed as a son of the Mad King (via an affair with Joanna Lannister) – a younger brother of Rhaegar, older brother of Dany. With Jon and Dany out of the game, Tyrion and Sansa could be the second pairing of Fire and Ice. Am I 100% committed to this theory? Eh, no. But it’s not the wildest thing I’ve read on the subject this week.

But Ser Davos should definitely be the Hand, because Ser Davos is the best.

Ok, your turn now: tell me how you think GoT will end in the comments.

Grunge Revival

I never got to be a fashionista as a teenager in the 90s. I never got to be cool, or even attempt it. I’m mostly over it, but then again – some of that teenage chip on my shoulder will never completely crumble. I initially resisted fashion’s current obsession with the 90s in part because it brought back those memories of being inescapably, perpetually on the outside looking in. But hey, a few things have changed in the last two decades. One, I figured out how to be comfortable in my own skin. And two: thrifting is a whole ‘nother ballgame now. All the cool clothes I longed to wear back in the day? They – or their current iteration – can be mine for next to nothing.

Case in point: this vintage Saint Laurent Rive Gauche pleated plaid skirt; the stuff that schoolgirl grunge chic is made of. I scored this for $13 at Value Village, and it’s in beautiful condition. I always marvel when I find pieces like this at the thrift store because, honestly, who gives them up? I am, of course, eternally grateful for their generosity. I went all 90s with this outfit – cropped sweater, leather jacket, and mini backpack. Everything is thrifted or secondhand, except for the jacket. I wore the outfit on a Sunday which included, naturally, a stop at Goodwill. There, I found the perfect matching accessory:

Power Up

I love the incredible tailoring of this Philosophy blazer, but it can be a tough piece to pull off. It’s cropped, and very fitted, and its lines are severe; in many ways, it’s the epitome of The Prince aesthetic. And yet I struggle with it. I am not ready to give it up, though, so I keep experimenting. This combination was interesting. I liked how the architectural angles of the tiered skirt worked with the lines of the blazer. The ruffled blouse added a touch of softness. It’s what I would call a “power outfit”.

Blue Skies Ahead

The top part of this outfit reminds me so much of beautiful spring skies – the blue and white, with the embroidered swallows on it, feel so light and airy. I added the black Aritzia skirt because (a) I wear it with everything these days, and (b) it helps to ground the outfit somewhere on the “biz caz” spectrum – obviously, the casual end of it. Have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate my work dress code? I don’t work in a traditionally creative field, so it’s wonderful to have room for self-expression when it comes to clothing.

In Neutral

A quick, casual weekend look. Gotta show some of those on the blog too, right? I really enjoyed this soft palette; I wear a lot of black and I love it, but it’s nice to do something different from time to time. Also nice? Being able to wear a blazer as my outermost layer. Hello, Spring, my beautiful friend!