Goodbye, Old Friend By: BJ Killeen / Down the Road It was <strong>19</strong>49, and the baby boom was in full swing. It was also the year Volkswagen introduced the Beetle to America. Few cars have reached the same status icon as the affectionately known “Bug.” I’ll bet many of you have either, at one point in your life, owned a Beetle or had a friend who owned one. <strong>The</strong>y could float, the air-cooled engine could be fixed with a rubber band and a stick of chewing gum, and one even beat Ferraris in a fictional movie (we love ya, Herbie!). <strong>The</strong> VW Beetle comes close to the cockroach as the only bug who would survive Armageddon. But the time has come, once again, to bid farewell to one of the most popular cars ever created. While the Beetle’s history is more infamous - commissioned in the <strong>19</strong>30s by Hitler as the people’s car (volks wagen) the Beetle was designed by Ferdinand Porsche of 9<strong>11</strong> sports car fame. After the war, the British took over the factory and continued to produce the popular hardtop coupe. By <strong>19</strong>72, the Beetle had sold over 15 million units, and replaced the Ford Model T as the best-selling car in the world. <strong>The</strong> Beetle ceased production for a while, then reappeared as the “New” Beetle in <strong>19</strong>98. <strong>The</strong> third-generation Beetle ran from 2012 until this year, when the car will be retired yet again. Total sales of the Beetle are upward of 22 million. <strong>The</strong> 20<strong>19</strong> Beetle will be the last in a long lineage. Over the decades, About That Hair Color By: Linda Bateman-Gomez / Timeless Beauty I ’m still not quite ready to go the all-natural route and sport grey locks but am trying to avoid monthly appointments for a permanent dye session. I am therefore continuously in search of products that allow me to disguise the grey until I can’t get away with it any longer! Since finding colors that don’t contain peroxide or ammonia are no longer easy to find in the USA I have been ordering a version of Clairol online as it is still sold in the UK. I stumbled on a new product at Ulta called dpHUE gloss. It is a semi-permanent hair color and deep conditioner that is available in several colors. It was much pricier at $35 a bottle than the UK Miss Clairol, but I the styling has remained, but, thankfully, safety, interior features, performance, and technology have not. Today’s Beetle is better in every way yet retains all of the reasons why people fell in love with it in the first place: affordable, adorable and fun to drive. A testament to the love for the Beetle can be seen in myriad car clubs around the world, as well as never-ending adulation from Hollywood filmmakers. Will there ever be another Beetle produced from Volkswagen? According to Hinrich Woebcken, former President and CEO of VW, “Never say never.” BJ Killeen has been an automotive journalist for over 30 years. She welcomes all questions and inquiries, and can be reached at bjkdtr@gmail.com had a coupon and decided to give it a try. Anything I can buy right off the shelf is certainly a bonus - especially if shopping online is not your thing! I bought 2 bottles as it had a light brown and dark brown and I wasn’t sure which would be best. I looked up the information online first, as I do with almost anything I buy now for user warnings and saw the heads-up about getting it in on your hands. Take note: wear gloves and old clothes with this stuff because it does stain. I followed directions and having used both the brown colors I must say that I am pleased with the results. It is definitely a more permanent color than the Clairol and it has left my hair really nice and soft. A bonus of this product, compared to many others on the shelf, is that it has no ammonia or peroxide and it smells nice. <strong>The</strong> color does last so test a small area first in case you don’t like it. <strong>The</strong> downside is that it is expensive compared to other drugstore alternatives. And the reviews for the red hair color were not good, so I would likely not use that color if that’s your shade. Otherwise, it is definitely nice to have a new go-to for my hair coloring trials. 30 November 20<strong>19</strong> Linda Bateman-Gomez has an international beauty company based in Las <strong>Vegas</strong> that specializes in cosmetics and other beauty products. Contact Linda at TimelessBeauty2020@gmail.com or through her website www.fullips.com.
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