The Parrot Is Back In Mission

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With an icy nod to a species of the verge of extinction (Bus and Stan Fuller’s former decor mascot) Earl’s Tin Palace re-opened last night in Calgary, with an invitation-only VIP bash. With our weather right now, that sculpture should be good for weeks.

Normally I wouldn’t get overly excited about an Earls opening. The casual food and dining chain opens another restaurant every few months these days, both in Canada and the US. With their reliable, reasonably priced food and tasteful ambience (now that the parrots have flown the coop) it’s always a safe bet. But this particular Earls has a special place in my heart, because it’s in the heart of Mission, one of my favorite areas of Calgary.This is what Earls looked like after the June 2013 flood hit Fourth Street.This is the same corner (24th Ave and 4th St SW) from Fifth Street. I couldn’t get any closer because it was under several feet of water. Summer was ruined for the vibrant neighborhood. As work dragged on through the winter, I can’t tell you how many times people said to me, “Let’s meet at Earls Tin Palace.” But we couldn’t. It was still rebuilding after the flood.So last night, it was wonderful to walk in side and see this. A standing room only crowd having a fantastic time, while admiring the updates. The tired rows of Bombay Sapphire bottles above the bar are gone. Subtle bricks and wood accented by industrial style lighting give the room a fresh take.Calgary’s finest partiers included a Mongolian horseman, aka Jason Gogo.An army of Earls Girls kept up with the crowd hungry for sushi and sliders from their favorite haunt, now a Kitchen + Bar.The Earls re-opening ended up being a celebration of the big picture: Mission, back on its feet. Calgary, taking care of its own during the flood. My dear friend Cynthia Moore rocking blue leopard print after almost losing her life to flesh-eating disease one year ago this week. And me, with my nose intact after cancer surgery one year ago this month. Not to mention a few drinks in honor of the Best New Blog honor. Glad to see you back, Earls Tin Palace!

Nose Hill

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It snowed today in Calgary. Alllll day. After a summer-like 22 degrees Celsius yesterday — that’s over 71 degrees Fahrenheit y’all. But that’s not the big reveal. A vibrant hangover (story of the night before not included) led from a still-tequila-infused brunch to a Siberian hike through one of the largest municipal parks in North America. Created in the 1980s as a small antidote to rampant development, Nose Hill Park is home to a large amount of native fescue, which is a big deal. Grasslands like this are an endangered species.

With my brain cell count at a significant disadvantage, I didn’t realize the wonderfulness of it until a good friend sent this picture to me. I climbed Nose Hill this year. And won.

Wearing White After Labor Day

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Happiness is… … being told by your dermatologist the week of a big party that your cancer scar is not ready for another round of lasering, setting the stage for scab-free socializing.Happiness is a borrowed Roberto Cavalli dress and Fendi bag. And looking much, much classier than you planned for the Calgary Polo Club President’s Ball.Happiness is being able to wince your way to the car an hour later, where you have a pair of backup shoes, after realizing your feet are not yet ready for high-heeled prime time.Happiness is also no shoes at all. And wearing white after Labor Day, because games continue through September at the Calgary Polo Club.

Taking Stock

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Gettin’ my hair did for a photo shoot today. Two hairdressers make for faster flat-ironing when the photographer needs his model ASAP.Actually, there were three photographers today — part of three full-on photo teams, complete with art directors and assistants, for simultaneous shooting throughout the building. Hero Images is a stock photography company based in Calgary. They’ve only been in business for a year or so, but they’re busy. They do up to five shoots a month, which just goes to show the growing appetite for royalty-free images. If a business only needs a generic look for their advertising, it’s easier and cheaper to buy images this way instead of setting up their own photo shoot. Normally I wouldn’t do stock photography, but Hero assured me they would not be selling my image to escort sites needing a photo of a woman in high-collared business attire. But you can never predict exactly where your face will end up. The last time I did stock, my mug ended up on an ad promoting a herbal remedy for hot flashes. But with everything my visage has been through in the last couple of months, I was excited to land a modeling gig — especially since Calgary is not the world’s top fashion capital. The photographers today might have been thinking about the additional photoshop challenge due to the scar on my nose, but not a single person asked me about it. Which I really appreciated! Looks like they were going for Business Traveler In Airport Lounge here.The location for the shoot was the super-cool gold LEED certified City of Calgary Water Centre. (Ahem… I’d like you to appreciate that I busted out of my personal American spelling zone to spell Center the Canadian way back there, in the name of journalistic accuracy… since I am a Serious Fashion Blogger). Besides reducing electricity usage for lighting, all those windows conjure up a corporate IBM headquarters/Microsoft campus aesthetic.

It will be three to four months before the images will be finished and ready to sell. In the meantime… photo bomb!

Color Blocking

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The good new is… Look at my nose! This camera doesn’t pick up the details that are still bugging me, but the skin graft scar is starting to settle down. Also, I’m getting a little better at the coverup action. A lot of the time I go with concealer only — no foundation or powder, which can accentuate the lumps and lines instead of hiding them. Today I’m using Lancome’s Maquicomplet in the Camee shade, which is darker than my actual skin tone, but seems to do well against the scar, which is still a little red. The creamy liquid is enriched with a hydrating botanical complex, antioxidant protection and light-diverting agents, which seems to be a magical combo for me. Also, it never gets flaky. Which is good because I have enough stuff going on with my beak right now.

Meanwhile, the bad news is… Crutches! I thought twice about revealing this, concerned that regular readers may start to think I have major bad medical mojo. That would be one way of looking at it, especially since someone mentioned that my warranty must be up. But I prefer to think that I am renewing it. In this case, a toe alignment issue (aka brutal mutant bunion) meant there was no way around it: the operation had to be done. But with this color blocking going on, this post had to be done. I’m loving this royal blue shirt, especially now that I’ve realized I don’t have to wait for a flat abs day to wear it, if I layer something flowy underneath. The brand is confusingly called Ttee, so good luck googling that one. I picked it up at Anthropologie, which always has unique casual wear. Grey shirt, Armani Exchange. Skinny pants, Mossimo for Target — USA Target since they still haven’t opened in Calgary yet. Shoes, Adidas. I tried to channel Marilyn from the time she sprained her ankle while filming in Banff, but she makes the crutches look sexier than I ever could. However — you know what she didn’t have? An Aircast!! But let’s face it, even with the suspiciously Nike-like air technology, there is no style going on here at all. For $160, you’d think I could at least get a choice in colors. That’s right, my American friends! Canadian healthcare has a lot of good points, but every once in a while, the government decides you’re on your own when it comes to paying for parts of it. And the medical supply store knows you don’t have time to go online and buy the cast for $84.99. However, I digress from the real issue here: if your toes are going to be peeping out from any type of cast, whether it has foam-filled air cells or not, they better be pretty. Luckily I stocked up on a couple of bottles from L’Oreal’s Colour Riche Trend Setter Collection: Crazy For Chic, left, and Members Only, right. My toes are wearing Members Only. Take that, Marilyn! Meanwhile, let’s both ignore the guy on the walk sign behind me, making it look easy.

A Nose By Any Other Name

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Could a nose by any other name smell as sweet? My nose still smells sweet scents, so I’m thankful for that.But I’m still dealing with the exciting daily changes of my maturing skin graft, after my brilliant surgeon disposed of the unwanted and univited basal cell carcinoma lurking in my nose. My camera doesn’t pick up all the nitty gritty, but there is major redness, some new scar tissue that scares me (but supposedly if I keep massaging the area it will not be too bad) and a few dents, lumps and bumps. One day I’ll post the Entire Ordeal, but I haven’t quite gotten to it yet. Meanwhile, The Great Coverup begins: my official experiment with primers, concealers, foundations and powder.

I started with L’Oreal’s True Match Super-blendable Crayon Concealer, and I have to say, I don’t think it’s fair to judge a coverup based on my nose situation. I probably should be turning to some medical-grade scar hider. But, let’s be real here, I prefer to experiment with fashion brands. They’re so much more fun. And I will judge, because, don’t we all?

The crayon concealer was a little too dry for my skin. Since I have so many weird little holes to fill in right now, I need something that is more liquid. However, it would be a handy concealer to tote in your purse, if you have skin that is more oily. And I only tried it on the skin from behind my ear that is now on my nose. I’ll give it a chance next time I have a pimple. Cuz guess what, kiddies? They never stop.True Match foundation glides on easy and was a great match for my skin. L’Oreal has a huge line so that everyone can find their color. I used N2, Classic Ivory, to tone down the natural pinkness around my nose area, so that a blob of coverup wouldn’t be more obtrusive. If you check back to my initial experimentation in Banff, you’ll see I wasn’t doing so well with that. So, the foundation is key and blend is the most important action. On the whole, though, I am blessed with nice skin, even if it is kind of pink, so for daily wear, I don’t use it on my entire face. However, if it ever stops snowing in Calgary, I may go for little more, considering the SPF 17 these bottles are packing. And since this foundation comes complete with vitamins B&E, using more would be more healthy wouldn’t it?In the name of distraction, I also tried these fab new blushes from L’Oreal: Visible Lift Color Blush, with zero talc and zero wax. I went with the one on the left tonight. The blushes have a slight gold shimmer in them, and the powder almost feels a little liquidy. Yet they go on evenly and have great staying power. Apparently it’s because of the Tourmaline. Touted as one of nature’s most naturally energizing minerals, it’s suposed to add radiance and luminosity to aging skin. Which I totally do not need because I will never age. Just like Andie MacDowell, who they are using for their blush campaign. Love her. And, oh, there’s this river in Egypt…Here’s the finished look. I probably should have blended the foundation a little further up my nose between my eyes – fyi that little red mark has nothing to do with the big C. It’s probably just cuz I’m thinking too hard. Or not enough.

On the rest of my face: L’Oreal Rose Gold Lift blush, True Match foundation, True Match crayon concealer, Lancome Hypnose Drama mascara, Sephora 471C lipstick (doesn’t seem to have a name but it’s their house brand) and Sonia Kashuk nude spice gloss on the lips. I felt so good I actually Went Out Into Public. Deets on the delicious eats I had here.

Bandage Bonanza

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It’s almost time for me to get rid of my security ~~blanket~~ bandage. Curious George has helped me to blow off curious inquiries with good humor.Bert has been a pal when I just wanted to geek out with a fellow nose-challenged… muppet. Oscar talked trash so I didn’t have to. Elastoplast has endless options.Grover has taken me from day into night… … for a run along my favorite path in Calgary. The pedestrian suspension bridge across the Elbow River is like a bouncy castle for adults — a brief break from our Serious Workouts. If you could be serious with Grover on your nose.

However, muppet jokes aside, the reason he’s there is serious. After Mohs cancer surgery to remove a basal cell carcinoma and a skin graft to fill up the ensuing hole, I have diligently protected the new skin. They tell me a scar takes a year to mature. Soon I’ll write about the whole process here on the blog. I’ve documented it every step of the way, along with all the ~~gory~~ exciting pictures. It might not be the height of fashion, but it’s definitely Love Life.

In the meantime, I’m going to move on from adhesives. Into primer, concealer, foundation and powder! Stay tuned.

You Should See The Other Guy!

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“What the heck happened to your nose?”

In Calgary, people don’t mess around. They’re friendly, forthright and I don’t want to bum them out by waxing medical. Especially when it’s that burly guy leaning out the window of his F-350. Suddenly, there’s an Opening For Smalltalk. So why get all serious?

“You should see the other guy,” I say.

“Atta girl!”

Telling the truth would be a downer. People aren’t expecting to hear the real reason. Just like I never expected it to happen to me.

Sometimes, when I’m trapped in an elevator, a stranger will get the party going first. “How’s the other guy look?” And I oblige by saying, “Worse than me!”

When my bandage was bigger, someone pointed out to me that if I was a victim of domestic abuse, this type of chit-chat would be a uncool. It all kind of is, but what can you do?

It’s been an experience in human reaction. After surgery to remove basal cell carcinoma and a skin graft to cover the wound, when I had huge, white bandages on my nose and ear, I tried not to leave my house, but sometimes I had to. Children stared and didn’t return my smile. Adults averted their eyes. For the most part, I tried to scurry by people without connecting.

One question gets under my skin, so to speak. Because I loved my nose. I even doubled for Sharon Stone in Beautiful Joe (straight to video, if you’re wondering) who is extremely particular about her profile. Which I can totally understand.

So when people ask me, “Did you get a nose job?”

– and someone does, almost every day –

I’m usually pretty blunt: “No, I had skin cancer.”This limited edition collection of Mickey Mouse Band-Aids has a good selection for these type of scenarios, like the one I’m wearing in the top photo, with Ms. Mouse socking it to the Mister. Because that Minnie, she doesn’t take shit from anyone.