The Women

I was flipping through Charla Krupp's book, How Not to Look Old, the other day (yup, I must have been bored) and apart from getting the strong feeling that we'd all look like ageing Barbies if we followed her advice to the letter (note to CK: I don't LIKE pink lipstick), I did start thinking about maintenance levels ...

I am pretty low maintenance. I have my hair coloured; I paint my toenails (always); I wear minimal makeup but I wear it most days; I care about clothes but don't buy many.

I have a friend who is even lower maintenance. She simply does not wear makeup, doesn't have her hair coloured - and as far as I can tell has no discernible hairstyle. She told me she doesn't understand women who are 'into all that stuff' (was she telling me I'm frivolous?!). Every time I look at her I just get this strong urge to do a makeover - come on, just a little haircut, a couple of highlights, maybe a coat of mascara, some bright red toenails?

I guess what I don't understand is not finding it FUN. Ok, sure, sitting in the hairdresser is one of my least favourite things, but having new hair is a treat. The simple pleasure of buying a new lipstick or painting my toenails a particularly gratifying colour ... all things I get a little kick out of, even if I'm having a bad day.

I wonder, is it something that's dictated by how you grow up? If I run through my close girlfriends in my head, it seems that they all do more or less according to what their mothers did.

I guess that means Phoebe will have fun, occasionally not bother to shave her legs and always always always be looking for the perfect lipstick.