Custom spray tan for year round glow

So. I have had this rather eccentric, typical Sally, back to school project. I thought to myself - everyone I talk to, in the salon, friends from round and about - everyone and their grandma is obsessed by all the dancing reality shows - “Dancing With The Stars” and “So you think you can Dance”. Everyone secretly wishes they could be the one wearing the sparkly dress, dancing hours a day, getting skinny, in the spotlight. So I devised this project - I picked the song Mambo # 5 and put it out there to my friends - how would you like to rehearse this choreographed dance number - a sexy, sultry mambo…..very intensly for two months - then come and perform it at a dance show in the Poconos on October 25th. Can I tell you how many loony bins - kindred spirits - sisters in crime I found to join me? Currently our troupe has 13 members - and I said no to at least 10 other people. There are 11 women - playing the parts of every female fantasy……and there are two guys to feed the fantasies to!

Now, the majority of our cast has never danced before. We started rehearsals on September 11th and have been practicing two or three times a week - with fierce intensity. I guess our age range is 30s to 50s. We have been learning the basic vocabulary from which the performance will be strung together.

It is pretty intense. The main object of the exercise is for the ladies to get to have a chance to express themselves. How do they want to portray themselves - isn’t it fun to try on a different personality just for a couple of months. It’s a pretty risky business - if you always walk around the block presenting yourself to the universe in a certain way - to stop for a moment and think that it is actually a choice - although I am a grown woman - I can play dress up and be who the hell I want to be! So there is a ton of steps and knowledge to be crammed into everyones heads and muscle memory - to get everyone to the point where they can relax and groove out.

Now we are half way through the rehearsal process. Scarey but true. I feel the main obstacle - for the ladies - is just they can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. The whole reason I had wanted to do this - is because I am an amateur dancer, and because my husband is professional - I get the opportunity to put on the pretty dress and dance some silly number at my own limited level - and it is fun. It is fun to set yourself a goal and conquer your fears and do what you think is not possible for yourself. I wanted to share the whole process - the excitement, the feeling overwhelmed, the experimentation, the fun - and ultimately the exhillaration of actually pulling your finger out and actually accomplishing something tangible.

One thing I have to say is that we have the most incredible group of individuals. Such beautiful open spirits - really open to having a good time and casting inhibition aside. It is so damned cute. Really - when someone gives up their inhibition and just puts it all out there - it is amazing to see.

So that is my back to school project - for grown up - because grown ups deserve to have fun too! I’ll keep you posted on our progress and post some pictures of our group.

Yesterday I had one of those experiences that made me question what idiot bone in my body had ever made me think I might possibly want to write a blog.

I mean what is the point of a blog on a company website anyway. I can’t always be writing about lipstick and spray tan and naked celebrities, that is fully covered in Sunset Tan. Much of what makes the day to day at Brazil Bronze fun is just all of the real life that goes on. Conversations about children and boyfriends and animals…….all the day to day stuff that is real life.

So, any way - back to the old adage: when you assume you make an ass out of you and me.

Those of you who know me know I have had a bit of an interesting summer. I have been trying to find a safe comfortable home for a very old horse who I used to own. A horse who I had thought I had arranged a safe retirement for - but years later showed up in Central Park pulling a carriage.

So I have been calling everyone I can think of who might know of a suitable barn that is not too far from where I live so that I can visit and try to give some love and attention to an animal who dearly deserves that. October is right around the corner so last night I thought I should call Connor and let him know what I had come up with - and to try and find out his timing. 

So I called him and he told me that in the next week or so he was going to see the horse (Conner calls him Goldie - his old name is Solstice) and then he would have a better idea of how to move forward.Then he told me point blank that he had read my blog and didn’t like it - he felt unfairly represented - kind of like the bad guy in the story.

Of course I was completely taken aback. When I imagine who might possibly ready my blog I imagine glossy PR girls and waspy housewives contemplating a spray tan. I never thought Connor would be interested. In hind sight it was actually pretty smart of him - a horse is a precious soul - and I would want to know I was handing over the care of someone I loved to someone with the capacity to do things right.

He felt that in my tone I just assumed all carriage drivers were bad guys. And that I was making out that he was going to force the horse to work one more round in October.

I listened to what he said. He was very sensible and reasonable. I felt really complicated and uncomfortable. He asked me where I got my assumptions from. Truthfully most of my assumptions about horses in the city come from my time working at Claremont Riding Academy. I remember certain unpleasant scenarios of horses dying in the city. I remember horses working too hard. But Connor informed me that his stable had never had a ticket or a violation - and he had loved Goldie for ten years - and had people constantly stopping him and making a fuss of him - for Goldie - in his prime - was one of those crazy pretty horses - kind of like my pretty pony. He told me his kids loved that horse, his family loved that horse - and nobody wanted anything but the best for him.

When we talked more about retirement places Connor asked me in the saddest voice if he would be still able to see the horse. My answer was “of course”. I remember the day I had seen Solstice in the park - I wanted to run up to him and bury my face in his neck and whisper to him as I had for thousands of hours before……but he was someone elses horse now. I want the horse to be as happy as possible. I want him to feel like he is not abandoned by the people he is used to. And I do know that if a horse is able to do a little work - it is rather like humans, we all need to be doing something. The quickest way to end up sad and dead is lying on a couch eating bon bons.

Connor explained to me his intention was for one last go around have Goldie come in the park, feel admired and beautiful, for Connor and Goldie to hang out the way they had for the past decade - for old times sake. I got it. I truly did. I asked if maybe they could give me a ride - give me a taste of what his life has been since I lost him.

So now I am waiting to find out what is going on. When Connor is going to bring him back. I am not sure what the future is going to bring but I want to do my best to create the best possible outcome for everyone.

So that’s the scoop. On the subject of spray tanning and naked celebrities - I did get to go to the opening party for Lipstick Jungle on Monday night. It was rather nerve wracking - lots of aforementioned PR girls dressed up and out to look at each other. But Brooke and Rob and Lindsey all looked gorgeous and actually hugged Joy and I and acknowledged our presence - and Mabeline was giving away free make-up - and Joy and I love free make-up. Brooke Shields was wearing this figure hugging gold mini dress - she is just about the most shockingly beautiful woman in real life - she looks like she landed here from another planet - she is just on another level of beauty than other folks……OK back to spray tanning…….