Continua…
YOUR HAIR SHINES LIKE THE SUN WITH AUSTRALIAN GOLD
After four days on holyday without internecine warfare, I decide the kids deserve a present. Camilla goes straight to the soft toys, Giacomo heads down to the toy cars aisle. While walking out of the shop, kissed by the sun light, Camilla hugs her new friend and goes:
“Mum your hair is… straw-like!”
I would have rather: mum I love you so much, you are the best mother ever, my new toy is wonderful. Or even a simple thank you, but as Osho once said: remember that in the search for truth you are never alone, truth too is looking for you. And mine must have found me. Everyone knows kids are the mouth of truth. The problem is that their truth is a naked and raw truth, hitting right to the point. Giacomo is still too small to kill my self-esteem but Camilla’s remarks hit me like gun shots. Mum you have cellulite. Mum your boom looks like pudding. Mum with that dress you look awful. Mum you should re-style your look: look at Chiara Ferragni for example. Well sometimes she throws merciless questions: mom
have you noticed how young is dad’s secretary? Mum have your boobs fallen down a bit?
All out of the blue, no advance notice.
A second serious issue is that I cannot do anything about these truths. No remedy. I will keep my cellulite, I will have two puddings instead of two bum cheeks, dangling boobs and I am too old to imitate Chiara Ferragni who is the same age as dad’s secretary. Maybe the only chance I have left is to do something with my hair. Camilla didn’t confine herself to the description of my hair as a small heap
of straw and added: “See mum, your hair is dead, dry and dull?”
Sometimes I think I have programmed the kid as a personal hygiene maniac and this is going around. I created a monster. I allow myself a three-second-shock recovery pause to think about the reaction I should have to way too much candidness. Then I recover, breathe deeply and send the kids inside a perfumery, next to the shop we’ve just exited, the one that sells Australian Gold. Without hesitation, I head down to the Hemp Nation aisle as if my unconscious mind had memorized the position in case of need.
I am holding Camilla by the hand and with the other I grab a shampoo bottle and read at the back: Hemp Nation UV Repair Shampoo sweetly rinses and repair hair damaged by the sun and saltiness. Gets rid of the crispy effect and protects hair ends while maintaining a brilliant color. For soft moisturized, fluffy, healthy and sparkling hair. Camilla nods with a domineering look, as if she is telling me I truly needed it. I hand it to her and move onto the hair balm aisle.
Hemp Nation UV Protect Conditioner thanks to its formula rich in vitamins and natural ingredients gets rid of tangles while protecting the hair from UV rays and by deeply hydrating it. But before I head to the counter with the lot, the shop assistant approaches me with a smile. It’s not just a smile: it’s a huge smile, the one meaning she is willing to sell me the whole shop. Now I am in deep trouble.
The girl starts off at a disadvantage though: she seems to be the same age as my husband’s secretary and her hair looks fabulous.
“Let me tell you picked the best products I use myself.”
“See mum: her hair looks fabulous!” Camilla breaks in.
I give her a nervous smile because I don’t really know how to manage the conversation but she leaves me no room: “The Hemp Nation line has been conceived for people’s beauty-care head to toe. I would suggest you tried the bath foam too and the body lotion.”
I knew she would make suggestions.
“Mum, get them all!” goes Giacomo while trying to take time to unwrap his new toy car. Here he goes too. The shop assistant produces a bath foam bottle and says:
“Hemp Nation Body Wash with its kiwi and mango extracts, hempseed oil it adds the intake of nutrient substances, to make the skin look more luminous and soft…”
I would like to specify I don’t need it, that my skin is not as bad as my hair, but when she adds that the product helps maintaining a long-lasting sun tan, dark and sexy skin, I grab it from her hand and add it to the rest.
“You were saying something about a body lotion too?”
Now I am the one having lost control.
“Of course: this the new product by Australian Gold.” She presses me while handing me the bottle.
“Hemp Nation Sea Salt & Sandalwood with marine salt, hempseeds oil and sandal wood, besides having a moisturizing, polishing and illuminating action, it purifies and compacts skin making the sun-tan last the longest.”
It is true that we already have Forever After, but there is no point in skimping on a body lotion that helps protecting against the signs of the time… merciless competition.
“I’ll take this too.” I round off with a smile.
We walk out of the shop and Camilla looks at me in astonishment. She looks happier for my shopping than for hers.
“May I have a go with them myself? Prevention is better than cure…”
I can’t say she’s wrong! Women understand each other so well!
TO BE CONTINUED…