Part of Sydney's birthday present from my parents was a Princess Makeover at Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. The BBB, as I'm going to call it from here on out, is like a salon for little girls located inside Cinderella's Castle at Magic Kingdom. It wasn't there when I was a child- in fact, it's only been there for five years. You have to have a reservations- they don't take walk-ins. It was quite an experience, even for the oldest girls in our group.
As I mentioned in a previous post, we went to the boutique an hour early, because it was raining mice and ducks, and Drew was asleep in his stroller. There really was nothing else for us to do. From the moment you walk in the door, your little girl is referred to as 'Princess'. 'Princess Sydney, come this way'. There's quite a bit of saccharin in the air, but the little girls eat it up!
You can choose to bring a dress with you, or buy one there. Little girls get to keep everything, including the makeup and nail polish that was used on them. This way, they can have a mini princess makeover any time and recreate the magic. Each girl is assigned her own 'Fairy Godmother', the person who will do her hair and make her over from an ordinary little girl to an extraordinary mini princess.
While we waited for Sydney's Fairy Godmother, and for a chair to open up for her, Sydney looked at the dresses. She had gone in saying she wanted to be Belle (from Beauty and the Beast). She looked at all the dresses available and decided 'oh yes, I want to be Belle'. Other girls were having a hard time deciding between Rapunzel and Cinderella, but not Sydney. She was very sure. When it was time to take her back into the fitting room to change from her non-princess clothes into her dress, they told her 'we're going to put you into the big room'. Sydney was certain this was because she was also going to have dinner in the Castle that night. It had nothing to do with the fact that Sydney, her mom, my mom, and I would not all fit into the small dressing room! She changed into her dress (we bought it big enough so she'll be able to wear it for a little bit) then we were sent back to the 'waiting room'. Finally, her Godmother was ready. Sydney's Fairy Godmother was Carmen, who according to her name tag was from Springfield, MA- about an hour and a half away from Mom's house. It's a small world. Oh wait, that's another part of the park!
The BBB is hard to describe. Picture the salon where you get your hair done. Then miniaturize it. All of the chairs are geared for small girls. You have to be at least 3 to go to the BBB. I would say the oldest girl was about 8. There are at least a dozen stations in the salon- maybe 20. I didn't think to count. All I know is there were little girls everywhere. Moms (and Aunts!) were standing around with cameras. Makeup and hairspray were plentiful. And glitter! It was like an explosion in a glitter factory! The funniest part for me was how the little girls looked at each other. I usually go to the salon on Saturday, which of course is a prime day for weddings. The salon I go to is kind of high end (it's my way to treat myself), and many times there are Bridezillas in the salon. Yet, as bad as these women can get- they had nothing on the dozens of girls in the salon. The girls did not look at each other with understanding or kindness. It was outright cattiness. Each of these little girls were checking out the others and you could read what they were thinking on their faces "I'm prettier than SHE is!" It really was hilarious to watch them check each other out.
Once Princess Sydney was assigned her Fairy Godmother, Carmen, she was given the opportunity to choose how she wanted her hair to be styled. My mom had told Sydney she could have whatever she wanted, there was no budget (a dangerous thing to say to a 6 year old...). Sydney chose an elaborate style which involved hair extensions. Then she was allowed to choose what color hair extensions- blond, red, pink, or brown. Sydney seemed to think this was a silly choice. Belle's hair is brown, why would Sydney want pink hair extensions?
Sydney has a lot of hair, but it is very fine so it tangles easily. (Correction- at the time she was at BBB, she had a lot of hair. Since then, she's cut it off and donated it to Locks of Love.) Carmen had to work and work on Sydney's hair to get the tangles out. Sydney argued with her mother and father about brushing her hair, and it was always an ordeal in the morning. But she never said a word as Carmen brushed and brushed. She was so good, just sitting there with a smile.
As Carmen worked on her hair, another Fairy Godmother came over to do her nails and makeup. Sydney had gotten her nails done in NY before the trip, but she was still able to choose her nail polish and they sent it home with her. She choose her makeup, and for a minute had the ultimate Princess experience- one person doing her hair and another her makeup. There were rhinestone appliques they could apply to her face. Next thing I knew, one of the Fairy Godmothers was putting rhinestones on the faces of my sister, my mom, and I. I think if you sit at BBB too long, you're bound to get covered in rhinestones or glitter.
Glitter. The Fairy Godmothers have this wand which is supposed to be pixie dust. But it's glitter. Someone had told us to tell them to go easy on the glitter. We didn't understand what this meant. Four days later, after several baths, Sydney still had glitter embedded in her scalp.
The girls are kept facing away from the mirror until the makeover is complete. Then the Fairy Godmother's make a big deal of the 'reveal'. They call over one of the Disney camera people to take pictures. The little girls are told to close their eyes. I think they chanted something (maybe Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo?), and with a flourish, Carmen spun Sydney's chair around to face the mirror. After probably more than a hour at the boutique, our little girl was a mini version of Belle. Even as we sat there, watching every step, the end result was amazing. I didn't recognize my niece! Her ensemble was finished off with a sash that said 'Birthday Princess'. Then it was off to get her pictures taken at the studio.
It was really a cool thing. Not cheap, but if you could afford it, I do recommend treating your Princess to it. Sydney's feet didn't touch the ground for a couple of days!
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