How to Be Lovely

My New Year's Eve, as you might have guessed, did not involve getting gussied up or going anywhere fancy.  No, it was spent at home in jeans and a comfy sweater, which gave way to sweats and an even comfier t-shirt as the night wore on.  For dinner, I made a couple of steaks, some creamed spinach, and a massive, burbling pan of "gratin dauphinois" (as my mom's recipe calls it, but known to us commoners as scalloped potatoes or, if we're putting on airs, potatoes au gratin).  I would have taken a picture of the food (or any part of the evening) with my new camera and my other new favorite thing, the Speedlite flash, but I was too busy hunching over my plate inhaling its contents.  Goddamn, that was a tasty meal, if I do say so. 

And then.  Ohhhhh, then.  The brownies.

I made these Nigella Lawson brownies, these Snow-Flecked Brownies (scroll down) from her Feast cookbook, and M'LORD IN HEAVEN, they are possibly the greatest thing ever to grace this planet.  They're just chewy enough and just flaky-topped enough and just crusty enough around the edges and just textured enough with the white chocolate chips and just, OH GOD, molten enough when they're fresh out of the oven that if you don't experience some transcendent state while consuming them (with a dollop of Cool Whip, perhaps, or a little softened ice cream, although they taste just fine plain, scooped frantically out of the still-hot pan with one's trembling fingers) then you are made of wood.

Remarkably, I managed not to slice any phalanges or singe any eyebrows or even set off our hyper-sensitive smoke alarm, which usually starts shrieking if you breathe too hotly in its general direction, while preparing this bountiful feast (which, by the way, was consumed in a record 7 minutes, 8 seconds, and chased with a nice, under-$100 Champagne).  However, while measuring out the superfine sugar for the brownies -- I'm not sure why every Nigella baking recipe calls for superfine sugar, but I don't argue with a woman who can look that dead sexay while cooking (maybe that's why she uses it:  it's supahfine, like her (rimshot!)) -- I realized that my sloppy sugar-pouring skills were causing the microscopic granules to take flight, thereby coating the entire kitchen in a gritty glaze that we will be cleaning for the next forty years or so off unexpected surfaces (honey, how did you get sugar inside the toaster oven?).  Nothing is safe when I am cooking, as we have all learned by now.

After dinner, we watched Singin' in the Rain on DVD, which, with its digitally remastered colors and show-stopping dance numbers, looked so fantastic on our new TV that we realized that at some point, possibly soon, we may never leave the house again.  We will spend the rest of our lives sinking further into our couch and viewing movie after movie and channel after channel to recapture the high of looking at a picture that sharp and that vivid.  I never thought a TV could be so mesmerizing.  I scoffed at the HD and the plasma before.  But now I know.  I know the way.  And I will not stray from it again.

We've also been watching a lot of film noir lately, and I love it.  All the snappy dialogue and the fashion and the old-skool narration ("she had a face like a clenched fist").  Every man in the 1940s apparently knew how to light a match with his bare fingers, which is an underappreciated skill today, I feel.  Mind you, most of the time when the movie ends, the Captain and I look at each other and wonder aloud, "What in the hell was that about?  Who was the guy with the broken nose?  What was the deal with the jade necklace?  Who double-crossed whom?"  So really, for us film noir isn't so much about, you know, plots or characters as it is about a certain...style.  A sensibility. 

Of course, these terrific old films, both the musicals (see: this post's title -- anyone?) and the pulp fiction, help remind me of how unglamorous my life is -- did Marlene Dietrich hang around in Puma sweats and toothpaste stained t-shirts?  (WHY is toothpaste so impossible to get out of clothes?  And why can't I control my drool while I'm brushing my teeth?)  Did Debbie Reynolds let out hearty belches after a home-cooked meal?  Clearly, they did not.  Of course, I might be more obliged to spend my days in satin dressing gowns if all I had to do was drape myself over a velvet chaise lounge or dance around Paris or plot someone's murder; but even in the confines of reality -- walking the dog, running to the grocery store, writing a blog entry -- I could stand to inject a little glamour into my life. 

So, dear readers, I ask you:  any ideas of how to go about the injecting of the glamour?  Girls, what do you do to make yourself feel pretty on a day-to-day basis?  And guys, what can a regular ol' gal do to turn your head, even when you see her every day?  And I don't mean decking myself head to toe in Victoria's Secret (nor do I mean to suggest that the Captain doesn't find me beautiful just the way I am; I just think I could FEEL prettier somehow) -- we're talking details, the small things that we may not even realize anyone would notice.  I lay my unglamorous self at your feet.

Comments

[JP]

The small things I do to feel better:
wear make up (or kick it up a notch if it's in your usual routine)
get a manicure and/or pedicure
find a "special" perfume for the days you need to feel oh so pretty
when your husband walks in the door, wrap your arms around his waist, nuzzle your face in the crook of his neck, inhale deeply, and tell him how good he smells/feels
dine by candlelight
reapply lipstick when you walk in your front door (or right before)
wear "fancy" shoes and a pretty coat on a short walk with your dog; bonus points for a chic updo
surprise the Captain with a strategically placed temporary tattoo
pick up fresh flowers on your way home from work
take a bath with lots of bubbles and tons of candles
put super high thread count sheets on your bed

Hope these help, or at least get you thinking!

[H]

I can't help you with glamour, but I have to say I love film noir and old musicals. They're so unrealistic, but who cares!

[jonniker]

I think about this a lot lately, given that I have been on a Hepburn movie streak. I think it's impossible to feel remotely glamorous while watching Audrey Hepburn glide effortlessly across the screen fully accessorized to the hilt, even if her character is cleaning the toilet.

For my part, I've found that wearing earrings and putting on make up - even just a little bit - every day has made me feel better. Also, wearing a skirt for some reason, which makes me feel like I'm somehow betraying feminism and should instead feel my hottest in a suit and tie.

[Schnozz]

STOP. TALKING. ABOUT. FOOD. (clutches growling stomach)

I agree with the bit about kicking the makeup up a notch. That always makes me feel good--using foundation, concealer, shimmery eye shadow, and so on instead of just a little powder and lip gloss. Really, that's about the extent of my glamorizing.

Typically, when I feel ugly, it means it's time to megatweeze my eyebrows and get my roots done. I'm always amazed at how much better I feel after those things are accomplished!

[Sarah]

I'm a big fan of the "little things" - like putting on a funkier pair of earings than my usual pair, or wearing perfume with my final exams uniform of sweatshirt & jeans. I was also amazed to note how different I felt during that exam period just by putting a little more effort into that day's outfit. Plus, people notice when someone "dresses up" during exams and would usually say something - and who doesn't like getting complemented on an outfit?

[Jamie]

I must say, while I absolutely love that movie, I have never understood the random, moody section of the "coming to the big city" montage with Cyd Charisse in the speakeasy. Me thinks one of the writesrs was hitting the 'shrooms the day they staged that scene.

[jes]

First: You have made me unbearably tempted by those Snow-Flecked Brownies. I will be making them soon, I promise you that.

Second: Have I told you yet that I thought about you as I watched the ball drop in NYC? And I wondered at first if you were down there among the throngs of people, and then I realized, "No, she's much more sensible than that." And I'm glad I was right about imagining you holed up, cooking a delicious meal with your hubby, and ringing in the new year with him who you love instead of millions of drunken tourists.

Third: I always feel pretty when I'm wearing pretty, sexy underthings. No one knows I'm wearing them (except me, and my hubby), but just knowing they're there make me feel beautiful somehow.

[lizgwiz]

I made au gratin potatoes that day, too. And they were yummy.

As for everyday glamour--I'm a big fan of accessories. A great pair of earrings, a big chunky bracelet, a funky scarf--makes an ordinary outfit seem more special to me.

[-R-]

Skirts with really silky pantyhose make me feel more lady-like. Also getting my eyebrows waxed always makes me feel less frumpy.

Also, that food sounds soooo good.

[guinness girl]

OMG, the brownies sound incredible! For glamour, and this is TMI, but a brazilian bikini wax definitely makes me feel glamorous-ish. And Pout Plump lip gloss (much less painful).

[jes]

Owwww. Ow. Ouchie. That hurts.

I just thought about a Brazilian and that's what it did to me.

[liz]

I've been thinking about this recently... I find that maintenance is key. For example, I usually look decent when I go out the door in the morning, but by midday I fail miserably at brushing my hair and reapplying my lipstick. Taking the time to do those little things throughout the day helps me feel polished and together. And, getting waxed regularly (legs, brows, bikini) always makes me feel better.

Now it's time to practice what I preach...

[Laura B.]

THANKS a LOT. I am so on a diet but now I cannot stop thinking about those brownies. And I have that book, too, so I am going to have to make them.

Little things that help me feel pretty: cute underwear/bras, always wearing makeup, making a little extra effort on my hair in the morning, giving myself weekly pedicures and manicures, using fun bath products like salt scrubs to make my skin feel soft, occasionally wearing my pearls for no particular reason or some pretty earrings.

[Cee]

Yep, the thought of those brownies won't get out of my head now. And I'm afraid I have no tips of glamour, not being a particularly glamourous person myself. I like to have my overly enthusiastic eyebrows waxed though - not in a dramatic way, but just tidied - it's a small thing that no-one but me notices, but I think it adds a certain something.