Flamenco Hair and Makeup Practice

Fiesta season has arrived here in Santa Barbara for Linda Vega Dance Studio.  For the past two weeks, Samantha has danced around at various venues.

Leading up to Fiesta we had a hair and makeup lesson.  

This is the "Flamenco Bun".  What you are looking at isn't even done correctly because you have to plaster the crown of the head down with gel to make a "helmet".  The shape of the bun has to be the oblong shape you see and because Samantha didn't have enough hair to fill out the bun like they wanted, we had to buy a hair piece from Kimberly's Wigs on State Street.  The process takes a whole lot of hair pins, a hair net, hair spray and hair gel.  

And then there is the spit curls.  One on the forehead should resemble the number 6 and the sides should fold backwards in a curly-q shape.  My first attempt was a total failure.  Linda Vega was not impressed by my spit curls.....

That is WAY too big of a curl.  I ended up having to cut a small piece of her hair to make it right. 

Tessa, Samantha's friend in class,  was used as the model for the correct spit curls. 

Don't pay attention to my bad spit curls.  But do pay attention to my perfect red lipstick.  Revlon Color Stay in Forever Scarlet got the approval from Mrs. Vega.  This lipstick stays on for 3 days straight.  I am not kidding.  

And check this out, a Caboodle!  Didn't you have one of these in the 80's?  I did.  

It is jam packed with all the flamenco necessities.  

I've done this makeup/hair routine daily for the past two weeks and I am getting good.  So good that other parents are commenting, "nice spit curls", "good helmet", "wow, check out her perfect bun."  This is no easy feat.  It takes about an hour to get everything right and usually one of us is crying from frustration.  The spit curls can be really, REALLY aggravating and tedious to get just right. 

To get the curls to stick to the face you paint them down with this stuff called Spirit Gum.  The packaging looks like nail polish and it is a clear, liquid glue.  A seasoned flamenco mom directed me to get the water soluble kind which I am glad I learned about because this stuff is STICKY! And I am honestly still not sure how to get the red lipstick off.  Makeup remover is not even working.  Each day I just keep reapplying a fresh coat ;)



See, here is a not-quite-awake Samantha still sporting some red lips the next morning.  I've been calling it her "Fiesta Hangover" look.

A "Fiesta Hangover" look complete with next day spit curls!  Nice!

So here you have it, the helmet, perfect spit curl and a flamenco bun!  Yes, this has been my life for the past two weeks.  

As of today, Fiesta is officially over.  I am retiring the caboodle until next year or maybe altogether.  I am leaving it up to Samantha as to whether or not she wants to continue.  It has been a great experience for her.  She had a smile ear to ear each time she stepped on stage and never once complained of being too tired, I can't say the same for me (I wish I had the energy of a 5-year-old!).

Stay tuned for actual Fiesta week, remember, this was just hair and makeup practice about a month ago.  I've been told that if I can get through Fiesta with a Linda Vega flamenco dancer, any other sport/activity for your child will never compare as far as time, commitment, work and yes, $$$.  To be honest, I was made aware of this by several seasoned Linda Vega dance moms prior to joining the studio, in fact, we almost enrolled her when she was four but chickened out.   So bring on ballet, soccer, T-Ball, swimming, piano, cheerleading and baton twirling (why not?!), we are ready!