Yeah, But Have You Tried It With Pink Floyd?

Well, as ususal, I'm a day late and a dollar short.  Apparently, yesterday was the 71st Anniversary of The Wizard of Oz.  Who knew (well, besides Google, the news stations, Thomas, and, it seems, the entire rest of the world)?

Five years ago, I had the opportunity to tour the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, MN.  The museum is a precious little Mom & Pop organization that just so happens to house hundreds of items of WOO memorabilia, music scores, photos, costumes, and Judy Garland's childhood home.  It's adorable.  When I went, there was one little old lady working there.  I don't think she'd ever seen a digital camera before.  Honestly, I'm not entirely sure she'd ever seen a camera that didn't require flash powder.  This was museum security.

The house was a hoot.  Instead of the informational plaques that you usually find in museums, there were computer printouts laying on the furniture--mostly to tell us that the furniture was not what was originally in the home, but they thought this furniture might possibly be similar, and may have even been in the right spots.  My favorite printout was the one on the bed in the master bedroom.  It described in grizzly detail exactly how Judy's mother passed away, and even where her dentures landed when she hit the ground.  Now, that's something you don't see everyday.

The best part of the museum, though, had to be the first thing I saw when I entered:  a printout on a pedastal.  Just a printout, and nothing else.  The printout stated that this pedastal had once displayed one of the six pair of Ruby Slippers made for the film, but that they had recently been stolen.  If anyone knew of their whereabouts, please inform security (a.k.a. the little old lady at the front desk).  I hate that the slippers were stolen, but I absolutely love that they were displaying a "Lost:  Reward if Found" poster, as if it were a lost bicycle, and not an historic piece of movie memorabilia worth an exhorbitant amount of money. 

As of this afternoon, the slippers have not been recovered.  My money's on the competing Judy Garland museum down the street.  I bet they have them tucked away somewhere.  But, seeing as these slippers are gone, presumably for good, I thought I'd find us a few replacements.

Photo by Barnes & Noble

I'll get you my pretty...and read your diary, too!  The witch, the shoes, the poppies, and those awesome striped stockings all combine to make a beautiful place to write down all your "wicked" thoughts (I know, I know.  Don't blame me for the pun.  I stole it from one of the customer reviews).  $12.95, barnesandnoble.com.

Photo by QVC

Here's a bauble for the Oz lover who's too old to actually wear ruby slippers.  Kirk's Folly designed this crystal and enamel bracelet, incorporating the Emerald City, a rainbow, the Wicked Witch of the west, the Cowardly Lion, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, Toto, ruby slippers, stars, a magic wand, and Glinda the Good Witch.  See how many you can pick out.  $58.50, qvc.com.

Photo by Amazon

Here's a pretty little lady.  This Dorothy was designed by Madame Alexander to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of the film.  The 10" Cissette doll comes dressed in contemporary clothing, and features 8 points of articulation.  The most darling feature:  three pair of ruby slippers.  It looks like Dorothy may have found Oz's version of Rodeo Drive!  $139.95, Amazon.com.

Photo by idotakeu

This is one of the most gorgeous bridal bouquets I have ever seen.  I'm normally the first to see faux flowers and scream, "tacky!!", but this one is exceptionally well done.  The flowers are handcrafted from satin ribbon, then accented with ruby-colored crystals.  The handle is wrapped in satin, and topped off with a tiny pair of ruby slippers.  $119.99, etsy.com.   

Photo by ecrater

Ha!  Proof positive that no matter how fabulous the shoe, sometimes you just have to kick them off!  If you look very closely, you'll see that Dorothy is wearing boots.  The witch may not have been able to remove them, but behold, the power of the blister!  The giggle is free, but the 8x10 photo reproduction will set you back $5 on ecrater.com.
Alright, now for today's sample review.  I reached in the magic bag o' samples and pulled out Smashbox's Photo Finish Foundation Primer, SPF 15.  Retail price $42 for 1oz. at Sephora.com.  Short version:  I'm not crazy about it.  It's, well...slimy.  My Tarte primer is very dry, and my Benefit primer is very light.  This was the exact opposite of both.  It was very thick and very wet, and I really wish I'd not put on moisturizer first.  I actually had to let the primer dry a bit before I could put on my foundation, and then I was really afraid that it was going to get mixed in with the foundation when I applied that with a sponge.  Final verdict:  My makeup looks fine.  It hasn't melted or creased, so the primer's doing it's job, but there are other primers out there that are way less expensive and way less icky.  I'm using them.