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OLD AGE IS NOT FOR SISSIES

NOTHING IN LIFE IS TO BE FEARED

Frozen: A Classic Disney Movie for Christmas

by Filed Under: Movies

I believe the movie “Frozen” will become a traditional Christmas classic. Four years ago we took a chance to see it with 18-month-old Bryce. He did well, and the review I wrote about the movie follows.

But last year just before Christmas five-year-old Bryce watched it again with his grandfather Chuck, who never saw it before. They both loved it! Bryce, of course, didn’t remember the first time he saw it so I decided to share what happened.

Five-year-old Bryson loves Harry Potter, too.

December 2013

Last Saturday morning, my children asked me if I would help them with babysitting.  They wanted to take the two older grandchildren to a full-length movie–their first.

They asked if I would keep the younger, who is 18 months old.   I said yes, but I thought I had a better idea.  I suggested that the 18-month old and I would go, too, with the understanding that when he got fussy, he and I would leave.  We thought it was a good plan, so this is what we did.

Bryce as a toddler.

We went to see the new Disney movie called “Frozen”.  It was fun and wonderful.  At first, I was concerned that this was a little girl’s movie.  In the movie, the two sisters grow up, and one meets a wonderful prince.  However, the real fun begins when something goes wrong in their kingdom and a little feisty, funny-looking snowman named Olaf steals the show. Together with a klutzy reindeer named Sven, there is a lot for the little boys.

What a wonderful new Disney movie.  It was perfect for our little fellows, ages 18 months to 3 years, and it had grown up humor that went right over the little ones’ heads.  I believe this film is right up there with Snow White, Bambi, and other classics.  We all loved it.

So you’re probably wondering about what happened with the 18-month old?

I’ll tell you what happened.  We made it through the entire film.  Bryce was totally fascinated with the big screen.  He watched, sitting in an umbrella stroller until he fell asleep.  We tipped the stroller back to make him more comfortable.

Finally, he awoke and cried a little.  I walked him back into the foyer away from the audience but where I could still see the movie.  He started watching again, and then I went back and set down with him in my lap.  He watched the rest of the show.

It was a wonderful thing to do with the grandchildren during the holidays.  What a blessing!

So it occurred to me that the movie “Frozen” may become a classic Christmas movie, always airing during the holidays for each new generation of toddlers much like “Cinderella” was for us Baby Boomers.

How young do you take children to the movies? What other classics work well for this age group? Do you remember watching classic movies during the holidays? What movies do you remember?

A Senior Driving in the Fast Lane

by Filed Under: It's Not For Sissies

I never knew there was a swamp across the street from Winn Dixie, until my grandfather pulled out in front of someone one Saturday afternoon.  The lady’s mangled car plowed into the woods over there and down into that swamp.  He said, “that woman, she just came flying out of nowhere.”  Thus, he was my first memory of a senior driving–or at least the first one I really noticed.

The police said that the lady was driving well under the speed limit.   Thanks to seat belts, both were fine; but granddaddy a few days later bought a brand new pickup truck.  He was 90.  Now that is optimism!

A few months later, that new truck almost mowed me down on a sidewalk.  If it hadn’t been for my friend, I wouldn’t be here today.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a vehicle bounce up on the curb just as my friend yanked me out of the way.  The truck bounced back down into the parking spot, and my granddaddy climbed out and jaywalked across the street to the hardware store as if nothing happened.  He noticed neither one of us.

Taking the Keys Away

My friend said, “you people need to do something about your grandfather’s driving.”  I’m thinking as if that will ever happen.  We would surely have to pry those keys out of his cold, dead fingers.

You see, granddaddy was 90 something when he chased one of the running great-grandbabies down before she could reach the street.   He was still agile and could run.  We were all there, but he didn’t yell for one of us to do something.  He just took care of the problem, just like he always did.  I can still see those old long legs striding across that lawn.  He was a tall man, even in his old age.  He was still strong and didn’t think that his senior driving privileges should be curtailed in the least.

Looking back I guess we should have known that his driving was a problem.  Our younger teenaged cousins told us that they were afraid of his driving back when he was in his early 80s.  They discovered this while on a trip to the mountains with granddaddy and grandma. My cousin said that he would rather get on any roller coaster anywhere than get in granddaddy’s truck in the mountains. You know it’s serious when the teenagers refuse to ride with him.

Granddaddy has passed now.  We never took his keys away.  He finally fell and broke his hip about a year later.  His truck set in his driveway throughout his eight months of therapy, but he never recovered enough to walk again.   We certainly didn’t encourage him to go back to driving, and thankfully he never tried.

Spatial Errors in Driving

My mother-in-law’s driving was legendary, too.  We have a drive-way that encircles a garden in our front yard.  It is about fifty feet across; and it has several rose bushes, a small tree at one end and lots of liriope surrounding it.  About once every two months, you could tell that someone had driven through it.

I was always fairly certain the someone was my mother-in-law, and I knew for sure when I watched her drive through it one evening.   The headlights bounced through shining up in the trees and down into the bushes on each side of the driveway.  Surely, she knew that she had run over something. Thankfully, though, she always missed the roses; but the liriope on one side was stunted and the tree sort of leaned.  She, too, became a classic senior driver in our family.  She, too, was in her 90s.

Her garage door looked like a war was waged inside.  It bulged out in several places, where she tried to drive out before remembering to raise the door.  She also tried to close the garage door before completely backing out one day.  It closed on her hood.  Her hood was all bent up, but it was several months before we found out what really happened.  Her friend finally let the cat out of the bag.

So we have had our moments with the senior driving, but it still did not prepare me for this.

Boomer Drivers

We were almost home from the Thanksgiving holiday, after a long day of driving across four states.  I did most of the driving because I handle the interstate better than my husband who is ten years my senior.  So you can see why I gave him the wheel at our last stop before home.  We were less than 30 miles away with nothing but blue highways to go.  I was tired, and the kids sent me a couple of texts that I wanted to answer.

Just before we got to the house, Chuck stopped at the local CVS.  I’m still texting, and he says, “Stay here.  I’ll be right back.”  I never look up, but then I realize that our car is moving, as in rolling backward.  He is already halfway into the store, and I yelled, “Chuck! Chuck!”.

Panic sits in.  I looked over at the brake.  I am no contortionist.  At my age climbing over into the driver’s seat in a little Rav4 will take some painful maneuvering.  I’m still rolling back across the parking lot downhill toward the busy street. Chuck is already pulling at the driver’s door, but we’re going too fast.  Then thank goodness I remember the handbrake.  God bless the person who put it in between the seats.  I pulled it, and the car stopped.

Chuck, who is always the calm one, gets in and pulls the car back up into the parking place.  He makes sure I’m ok, and then this time he puts it in park and goes inside.  I was stunned.

My mind began to race, as I pulled the pieces together.  It has been almost five years since my mother-in-law passed away, but lately, I noticed that someone has been driving through my garden again.  I also noticed as mentioned earlier that Chuck’s driving on the interstate is not good, too much floating over the line.  And don’t get him talking about anything because all of a sudden we’re going 45 miles an hour in a 70 mile an hour speed zone.  He seems to forget that he is driving.

Night driving is becoming a problem.  When turning, especially left, I think he cannot see the lines.  He slows and seems to be feeling his way through the dark left turn.  I’ve asked him about it, but he says that everything is fine.  Like granddaddy, Chuck is driving slower and slower.  I remember thinking that surely granddaddy’s driving couldn’t be all that unsafe because he drove so slowly.

So we finally left CVS.  I’ve finally settled down, and I’m looking at my texts again when I realize that we’re slowing down for a green light.  Lately, I’ve noticed that he slows far too much in advance of a light.  I say, “Chuck, the light is green.”  He’s red-green color blind, and I’ve always noticed a moment of hesitation when coming to a light.  He begins to accelerate, but we’re still rolling slowly when the light turns yellow.  I’m thinking he’ll just stop now, but instead he floors it and accelerates through the “now” red light.   He says, “I guess I’m a little tired of driving”.

Oh my God!  I’m thinking, “there’s your sign”.   He napped off and on–while I drove all day–and now he says “I’m tired?”

Thank the Lord, there was no traffic in the intersection, but we will pay–because we’ll get another one of those red light photo tickets in the mail–like the one he got about a month ago.

Oh dear! It hasn’t been an entire decade since the kids moved out of the house and our car insurance premiums got back to normal. Sigh!  I guess we’ve officially entered the senior driving zone.

Did you have someone in your life who scared you when they drove?  Were they a senior?  When should someone take their keys away? Or should they?

What I Learned About Dying from an Old Dog

by Filed Under: Family Life

My two grandmothers were such a lesson in life. Both lived close by. In addition, my friend’s father also added lessons to my life…lessons about dying.

My younger grandmother was very good about visiting the elderly. I used to go along with her. She was old, herself; or at least I thought so at the time. But there were friends of hers who were older and were shut-ins. Those were the elderly that we visited. She could still drive, and she was a great cook. She would make them a covered dish and deliver it. I really did like to go along. Her friends had such great stories of times long past.  Dying was not a subject I heard, though, unless it was a funeral.

My other grandmother was almost fifteen years older, but she herself was a shut-in. She was active in her garden, and she liked to take long walks. However, she no longer drove, so she depended on all of us for her needs and groceries.

Several of her lady friends came to visit from time to time. I loved to lay on the cool wood floor in her hall, where I was out of sight. They had no idea I was anywhere around. I loved to listen to them talk. Those ladies loved to gossip, and it was better than a soap opera.

One time I fell asleep, but thankfully woke up in time to slither back out the side door. If she had caught me, it would have been hell to pay. She could snap off and strip a switch faster than you could bat an eye.

I think she really liked being at home, though; and she never seemed bored. I can’t remember her complaining. The only cross word I ever heard from her was when one of us kids got out of line.

Passing Relatives and New Friends

So where am I going with this? Well, my grandmothers have long since passed, but I still like to visit the elderly. One gentleman, the father of a high school friend, lives alone now and is 86. I try to stop in about once every two months. He is losing his sight. I always take him something to eat, because he is alone now. His kids live out of town.

We always have something to talk about. Today, we talked about where he used to work.  He worked on one of the large hunting plantations that we are famous for in this region.

He always begins talking at some point, though, about his ailments; but we usually move on to other subjects. Today, however, he returned again to his infirmities. He even talked about God’s plans for him. He said that he cannot fathom why God wants to keep him here.

My friend is almost blind and growing feeble. He is worried about having to move out of his home.

My Friend’s Old Dog

Then he told me a story about an old dog that he and his late wife owned. He said the dog was really his wife’s. It developed problems with its hips and was in terrible pain.

The vet in our community lived just down the road from them, and from time to time as needed the vet stopped by their home to give the dog a shot for his pain. My friend said that the dog would be fine for a little while, but the pain came back sooner after each shot.

Finally, he said, one day the vet came down to their house; and he asked my friend’s wife if she would please go and help his (the vet’s) wife down at their house. When she left, the vet told this elderly friend of mine that it was time to put the dog down.

My friend was telling me this story, while we were sitting in the long dogtrot-like central hallway that travels from the front to the back of his old farmhouse. He said that it was here that he held the old dog, while the vet gave the shot that put him to sleep.

My elderly friend wondered aloud as to why we can put dogs out of their misery but not ourselves. It was a sobering thought, but I didn’t try to add any thoughts of my own. I think he just wanted me to listen.

The conversation, though, reminded me of my grandmother, the one who was a shut-in. She lived well into her 90s, and I became her caregiver in her final years. She told me on numerous occasions that she didn’t understand why she was living so long. She said that she was tired and ready to go. I was young and immortal. I argued with her and tried to convince her that she was important to all of us.  I wasn’t ready to let her go.

I heard it again when I visited my 96-year-old uncle.  He too questioned why he was still around.

Now I’ve finally reached the age where I, too, ponder death. I’m lucky to have had family members who bravely accepted this next chapter in their lives. I’ve lost all my grandparents and parents. None of them ever seemed to have any fear of dying, but it is still a little frightening to go where you have never been before. My elderly friend, my uncle, and my grandmother were ready, but I guess I’m not…yet.

Who in your family taught you about dying with grace? Do you fear dying? Do you think it comes easier with age?

Downsizing Shouldn’t be Complicated

by Filed Under: It's Not For Sissies

Around age sixty, each of us realizes that we might have to go through some type of downsizing. The kids are gone; and obviously, we have too much room in our homes. The prospect of this haunts me.

I recently found an interesting Houzz article called “Tips for Moving into a Smaller Space”. Trying to ignore the queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, I initially decided not to read it, but I couldn’t help myself. I know that this day is coming. Downsizing frightens me.

I’m over sixty, and Chuck is even older. From time to time, we talk about the next move in our life. You know.  Like what happens to older people when their home gets too big for them. It is time maybe to move on. Mostly, it is called downsizing.

Our home is large and sits on about five acres of land. In days past, we entertained a lot, so the house is full of things that fit that lifestyle-both indoors and out. We lived here for over 25 years. Entertainment for us was more career-centered when we were younger, but now it is centered around family and our retirement, especially as our children’s families grow.

We have two more homes. One is a vacation home that is tiny, maybe 1,100 sq ft. The other is an old home place that is a little under 2,000 sq. ft. and has very sentimental memories surrounding it. Probably one of these will be our next home.

The Pain of Downsizing

So here is what concerns me. I have had a ten-year struggle with simply trying to downsize the number of clothes in my closet. It has been a chore, so this big “whole house” downsizing project that I know I will face in the not-too-distant future worries me a lot.

For years I’ve been trying to live within my means—that is, within the size of my closet. I love clothes. I love shoes. And I love purses. But I have too much stuff. My husband says that he cannot understand how I am always out of closet space, yet have nothing to wear.

I know I’m not alone. Some of my friends gave up and converted one of their kid’s bedrooms into a giant closet. I decided not to take that route, but it certainly tempted me.

Every once in a while, someone passes around a joke about how many black pairs of shoes American women have. They meant it as an exaggeration, but deep down I know they are describing me.

So how many pairs of black shoes do I actually own?  I just counted; and if you count the flip flops, formal wear shoes, summer and winter shoes, and even a pair of black riding boots, I have 22 pairs. Oops!  I almost forgot the black pair of Wellies in the garage.

And I feel that I really need every single pair of my black shoes.  Different heel heights for different clothes…patent leather for summer…kid leather…boots…slingbacks….wedges…..I’m convinced they are all important.    Everyone knows you cannot wear the velvet ones in the summer, and you cannot wear the linen ones in the rain. It’s a real first world problem.

I just read that the average woman worldwide has 20 pairs of shoes, period.  Are you kidding me?  I had no idea.  I guess the joke is on me, and now I’m feeling a bit spoiled.

How I Got This WaySo you can see my dilemma.  How do I give up these clothes, shoes, and purses? Part of my problem is always wearing it even if there really aren’t enough days in the season to wear all of them.  I spent my hard earned dollars purchasing it, so I feel I have to wear it.   The situation is ludicrous when I really think about it.

I don’t spend a lot of money on any one garment because I shop the sales.  Never buying at full price, I even usually wait until things have been picked over.  Frankly, I learned a long time ago that retailers overbuy and that there are too many retailers in the business of selling clothes.  There is always plenty left for me at the end-of-the-season sales.

But I decided I had to do something about my bursting-at-the-seams closets.

Making Downsizing a Game

About a year ago, I made it a game.  I decided that I cannot bring anything new into my closets or chest of drawers without getting rid of two items.  It was easy at first, but later it got harder.  I got down to ridding myself of garments hardly worn, though they were getting to be a little out of style.

It has been a good exercise.  I finally have room in my closet.  In the past couple of weeks, I scaled back and began to cycle one garment in and one garment out.  My daughter enjoyed the extra shoes and blouses that came her way.

My closet is still full, but not overly full.  I finally have room.

A Simpler Lifestyle will be Good

Any of the smaller homes that I foresee in our future have very limited closet space, as most people do.  I know I’ll need to make many changes.  I’ve read about and talked to numerous people who have gone through this, and they assure me that it is actually very much a relief to let go of all the extras in our lives.

Photo found on Pixabay

I have to admit that when I was cycling out two garments for every piece that I gained, I got a taste of this.  It was like someone lifted me from a fog.  I liked the feeling.  I think I just have to dwell on that–on the simplicity of living with less.

And I’ll get a little help from this Houzz article entitled Tips For Moving Into a Smaller Place.I said before, this future move scares me to death; but whenever it arrives, I’ll just take it one day (or one room) at a time.

So have you been thinking about downsizing lately?  Or have you already gone through this rite of passage?  Any advice?

The Ultimate Guide to Skincare for Older Complexions (part 2)

by Filed Under: Beauty

Last week I talked about my bedtime skincare routine,  but his week I would like to share my morning routine. It isn’t written for thirty-somethings; instead, it is written for all the rest of us–the forties, fifties, and sixty-somethings!

Didn’t you just love the fact that because most of us are baby boomers, it seemed that all the world was focused on our needs and well, it is no longer that way!

cropped-Cindy-Littlejohn-Leadership-FLorida.jpg

Pick up almost any magazine, and it is focused on our children.  Mine are in their thirties, and all I remember about my thirties was…not much.  I was too busy raising children, trying to maintain a good relationship with my husband, and working on my career.  Too busy living to worry about much else, I certainly wasn’t worried about my skin, other than a little makeup, some mascara, and blush.

Well, those days are certainly behind me; and my skincare routine is so important now.

My Morning Skincare Routine

Upon waking in the morning, I first use a baby washcloth to wipe the sleep from my eyes, then I use my eye makeup remover to remove anything that might show up after sleeping all night.  Because I use a waterproof mascara,  sometimes I fail to remove all of it the night before.  Afterward, I use a cotton disc saturated with a toner called Derma-e Firming Toner with DMAE, Alpha Lipoic and C-Ester to remove anything else left behind.

I have always loved the way toners leave my skin.  I know that most say that toners really aren’t needed.  Well, maybe so; but I just like the feeling of them on my skin, and it does a good job of cleaning up any residue.

A Great Skincare Book

Years ago, I read a book that made me a believer in DMAE, Alpha Lipoic Acid, and C-Ester.  The book, “The Wrinkle Cure” by Dr. Nicholas Perricone, was one of the best books I’ve ever read.  It basically changed my cleansing routine, my diet, and my lifestyle.

Dr. Perricone also does a good job of explaining why these three ingredients are important.  I get the DMAE from my diet, take alpha lipoic acid in capsule form and get C-Ester from a serum which I’ll describe later.

I probably should go back and reread this book, as one tends to drift away from good advice.  I am no exception to this rule.    If you haven’t read this, you really should.  Dr. Perricone is one reason my complexion is so clear and still without much wrinkling.

Next, I apply another Arbonne product.  I cannot find this anywhere else, and I really like it, though I doubt I would have had time to use it back when I worked.  They say it is botox in a tube, and I agree with its temporary toning of my skin.  I just think it helps for my skin to use this.

This Arbonne product has Copper Peptides.  Copper is something that exists naturally in our tissues, but as we age it decreases.  It is an anti-inflammatory.   It works by suppressing inflammatory cytokines.

You can read more about it here.

And we have all heard that increased inflammation brings about aging.  Copper also promotes collagen and elastin production.  It, too, is an antioxidant.  I have already begun using with good success a decolletage cream from Arbonne with copper peptides, and I’ve been trying some of their other RE9 products, too.

By the way I have already begun using with good success a decolletage cream from Arbonne with copper peptides, and I’ve been trying some of their other RE9 products, too.  I’ll let you know how it goes.

After waiting about 10-15 minutes, but Arbonne says you only have to wait 2-3 minutes, I then apply a serum.  By the way I use the 10-15 minutes to sit down and read a book.  I love my morning routine since I retired.

As for the serum, if you’ve read my blog much, then you know that I’m always out for the “cheapest” product.  This one qualifies.  I use Oil of Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum because it contains hyaluronic acid which helps my skin suck up moisture.  It helps my skin stay hydrated.  There are much more expensive products on the market, but this one gets my vote.

The older we get the drier our skin feels, because it is thinning and is simply dry.  This helps reverse some of this process.  Also, this product is a great eye serum, so put it all on your face, eyelids, under eye areas, neck, and decolletage.

 

Last,  I apply to my face, neck, and decolletage Estee Lauder’s DayWear Advanced Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Creme with SPF 15, but there are some other products that are cheaper to use,

 

such as Lumene Complete Rewind Recovery Day Cream, which is thicker so I use it in the winter.

I also just discovered Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Anti-Sun Damage with SPF 28.  It is a total bargain at $7.19.  I am trying it out as both my antioxidant and my sunscreen (which I talk about later in this post).  I’ll let you know how it goes.

So this first step of my morning makeup regime is complete.  It begins with eye makeup remover and toner, it continues with a serum and eye cream, and it ends with an anti-oxidant with sunscreen.  If I don’t do anything else, my skin is protected.

I usually go downstairs and eat breakfast.  Showering and the rest of my makeup routine come later.  Eating breakfast is my most important dietary meal of the day, so I never, ever skip this step.  I’ll talk about that in a later post.

The Most Important Cream in My Toolbox

After I shower, I apply my absolute, most important product.  It is my sunscreen.  I never skip applying sunscreen.

It is the most important cream in my tool box.  I live in a lower latitude, so sunshine is a blessing and a curse.  Luckily, my family has been in this area for about eight generations; and the women in my family provided me with good lessons in skincare.

One of my grandmothers grew up in a very controlled atmosphere.  As a young girl, she was not allowed to go outside without coverage for her face and her arms.  Ranny was born in the 1890s, so everything else was almost always covered anyway.  She continued to practice this her entire life.  She lived until I was in my early 30s, and I noticed how translucent, clear and beautiful her skin was, even though it was wrinkled.  After all, she was in her 90s when she passed.

My Grandmother Roe at 91

My Grandmother Roe at 91

 

On the other hand, my other grandmother had skin that looked like wrinkled leather with spots.  Neither of them smoked, but this grandmother loved to sit in the sun and never worried about her skin.  By her late seventies, she had had to have several cancerous spots removed from her face, arms, and hands.  The liver spots, which we now know are actually sun spots, were unsightly.  She was able to cover it with makeup, but the makeup itself seemed aging.

I had two role models in my life.  They taught me about sunshine and skincare.

By the mid to late 80s, all the wonderful sunscreens came into being; and I began to apply them religiously.  In my 40s I was wearing them daily in and under my makeup. By the way, I also don’t use tanning beds nor do I lay in the sun.

Today, I wear L’Oreal’s Revitalift Triple Power Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen.   It wears well under my foundation.  I also apply a generous amount of this sunscreen to my neck and decolletage, by itself without any foundation.  It is not the only sunscreen I apply, but that is done elsewhere on my body and I’ll try to talk about that later in another post.

 

 

Thanks to my grandmothers and to Dr. Perricone’s confirmation of what they taught me, I believe sunscreen is my best weapon against aging skin.  (By the way, I also try to remember to reapply sunscreen again about noon if I plan to be in the sun much that day.  I keep some in the glove compartment of my car.)

Eye Creams Make Good Lip Creams

Finally, I would like to talk about my lips.  Both of my eye cremes can be applied to my lips, and I always use the traces of these products left on my finger.  I read once that your lips are comparable to the delicate tissues around your eyes.

There is, however, a great little peptide lip therapy creme made by PCA skin.  It hydrates and is an antioxidant that is very useful during the wintertime when my lips are dry.  Click on the Amazon box below, if you are interested in this product.  Dr. Perricone also makes a good lip therapy creme with alpha lipoic acid and DMAE.   Both of these products are good antioxidants, and I probably should use them more frequently.

 

 

Well, there you have it.  A skincare routine that is not for our youthful kids.  This one is for all of us.

Now my face is ready for some serious camouflage.

The Ultimate Skincare Guide to Older Complexions

by Filed Under: Beauty

I am constantly working with my skincare, but my husband calls it fraud.  He says that I commit fraud every day.  I tell him that women know two things–good bait and camouflage.  He fishes and hunts so I’m using terminology that he should understand.

I’m talking about my face.  At 63 it is sliding down my facial skeletal frame, and I keep applying every control that I can find.  I guess the controls are what he calls fraud.

So let’s talk about what I do or have done in the fraud department.  Maybe, it will help some of you with your choices.  Maybe, you will have an even better idea!  If you do, I hope you’ll share it in the comments below.

Before & After

Before and After Facetune

This post will be in several installments.  I’ll talk first about my evening cleansing and skincare routine, and later I’ll post about my morning routine and the more invasive procedures I’ve tried.

In a final post, we’ll get to the camouflage part.  I’m in the middle of trying to figure out how to apply eye shadow at this step in my aging process and what products to use.  I’m finding that my old shadows are looking too harsh.  Something needs to change, but I’m still not sure how to proceed.

Cleansing & Sloughing

Eye Makeup Removal.  I use waterproof mascara, so I begin with a good eye makeup remover designed to remove waterproof makeup. I use Arbonne’s Easy on the Eyes Make-Up Remover.  This formula is perfect for old eyelids like mine.  It goes on easy and leaves behind a little bit of softness, which is needed for our dry eyelids.

It isn’t greasy, though it seems to be when first applied; it quickly dries.  You can find Arbonne’s eye makeup remover here.  If you need an Arbonne consultant, try my daughter Jamie Sheehan.  Just click on her name to find her email address. She’ll get you set up.

Why do I use waterproof mascara?  Because like so many older women, my eyes water.  It all began when I was about fifty.  All of a sudden I couldn’t go out in the winter without my eyes watering.  It is so bad that now I wear waterproof mascara and only wear it on my upper lashes.  I’ll try to remember to write another post about this problem as I’ve tried several things to cope, and I’ve had some successes and some failures.  I’ve lived with this about ten years now.

I’ll try to remember to write another post about this problem as I’ve tried several things to cope, and I’ve had some successes and some failures.  I’ve lived with this about ten years now.

I found that there are several eye makeup remover products that will do the trick.  I used to buy the least expensive, but this Arbonne product is the best I’ve found.  I apply it with a cotton disc.  I like these because they leave no pieces of cotton behind nor do they tug on my eyes.  The discs can get expensive, so I buy them in bulk at Cosco’s.  Cotton balls leave threads behind, and tissues tug.

Sloughing.  First, I don’t slough every night, but I wanted to begin here.  After removing my eye makeup, every fourth day I add sloughing to my cleansing routine.  I prefer the Ageless Collection at I Image Skincare.  I use two of their products for sloughing.

For that fourth night, I use I-Image’s Ageless Total Resurfacing Masque.  I wet my hands, put a dime size amount in my palm, add another dime size amount of their Total Facial Cleanser, mix the two with my finger, apply the mixture, massage my face for about a minute, and wait about 5-10 minutes.  I just sit down with my latest book.   The Resurfacing Masque is gritty, so I actually massage my face while initially applying it.

Sometimes if I’m having trouble with skin sloughing, I use a cleansing brush.  I never went for the Clarisonic brush system, but instead bought the Olay ProX Advanced Cleansing System.  If you have followed my blog very long, you’ll find that I’m just cheap like that.  Instead of massaging my face as explain above, I use my brush.  It gets deeper into the layers.

Then when my face is dry or almost dry, I use a baby’s washcloth to remove it.  More on the washcloth routine later.

A Secret Serum.  One secret of my complexion is that I use a sunless tanning serum about every fourth night, which is also my sloughing night.  My face is cleansed, sloughed, and gets a break from all the peptides and retin-A creams (that I’ll explain later) because I apply a tanning serum.

Why a sunless tanning serum?  Well, I’ve found that tanned skin looks younger.  More camouflage.  Just ask our current President?

Next, I apply my eye cream which I’ll describe later.  Then I apply L’Oreal Paris Skin Care Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Serum. Yes, you heard me right.  I apply it on my face.

I do this not only for my face but also my neck and decolletage.  The serum is in a pump bottle and I use only about three pumps on my face, about two more on my neck and about three on my decolletage.  I blend it evenly into each area before moving on to the next.

The secret is blending and blending until it begins to dry.  Then I just go to bed.  I don’t add anything else, except make sure it is washed off my hands, well.  It will stain your palms.  By the way, if I let it dry, it does not stain my clothes.

Cleansing.  On the other three nights when I just want to cleanse, I only use good old Noxema.  Again, I apply about a dime’s worth and massage it into my face, neck, and decolletage.  Then I remove it with a damp baby’s washcloth.  This leaves my face better than all the other cleansers, and it is a bargain.

You might be asking why I have Baby Washcloths in the house?  No, I have an empty nest, but here’s why I still have them.

I love the sloughing action it gives, plus it dries quickly.  We live in a hot, humid climate where some times of the year a regular wash cloth will not dry before it sours.  Also, these little guys are thin and easy to use.  They hold just enough water, but not enough to drip.

It is like using one of those make-up removing towelettes.  I use a washcloth a day and throw all of them in the wash about once a week.  I keep about a dozen of them, and they sit in my towel closet in a little stack.  Love my little wash clothes.  I hate splashing water on my face because it isn’t convenient.

Eye Cream.  So let’s talk now about eye creams.  I apply one every night.  My mother had huge bags under her eyes; and by the time I was in my mid to late 40s, mine were making me look like I never got any sleep.  I always slept well back then and tried to get at least eight hours, so that wasn’t the problem.  I think my problem was hereditary and stress.  At the time I was in a high-stress job.  I slept soundly because I was exhausted.

I tried every eye cream and concealer known to womankind. The best cream I found and still use today is an eye product called “Eye Doctor” by Cosmedix.  It is extremely pricey for my pocketbook, but I keep going back to it.  Plus the tiny tube lasts almost a year.  It takes only a little bit of the product.  You can find it here.

They have another product that I believe is almost as good.  It is called CoxMedix Opti Liquid Crystal Eye Serum.  It is about half the cost of Eye Doctor.

Moisturizing Cream.  I am over sixty, and a couple of spots and cell build up are a problem.  Apparently, I had some cell damage before I became so conscious of sun damage.  So the cream I use at night is vital to my routine.  I apply it sparingly to my face, neck, and decolletage.

I use a Tretinoin Cream USP .025% which I get from my dermatologist.  I don’t use it every night, as I don’t have to do so.  In my four day cycle, I use it the first and third days, which means I use it about every other day.     I have only been using this for about a year.  I had to actually ask my dermatologist for it.  She didn’t mention it first.  Boy, am I glad I did.  It is an amazing miracle skincare cream.

On the second day of the four-day cycle, I use again another I Image Skincare product called Ormedic Balance Bio-Peptide Creme.  I love the way this feels on my skin, and I can also use it on my neck and decolletage.  Sometimes I apply this, too, on the fourth night just before I apply my sunless tanning serum.  I make sure I use it sparingly, though.

However, my decolletage is looking more slack, so I began using a new cream from Arbonne called Age-Defying Neck Cream.  I think it is helping.  You can find it here.

So that is my nightly skincare routine.  It runs on a four-day cycle.  It is the same for every day except for the night creme and sunless tanning serum.  Day one and three, I use the Tretinoin Creme, day two and four I use the Bio-Peptide creme and day four I also use the sunless tanning serum.

 

Everyone Loves Fashion Week! Well, Maybe Not Everyone.

by Filed Under: Fashion

Since we are literally days away from the 2018 Fall-Winter Fashion Week season, I thought I might rerun this Fashion Week blog post written in September of 2013.  I had just taken notice of their Spring/Summer styles and had these thoughts about the styles as well as fashion and the changes in how we now get our information.

Ok.  I admit it.  I’m not young anymore.  I’m not the type of person that people turn to for fashion advice, but I do have an opinion.  So hang on to your hats, because I just took a moment to look at what walked down the runways for Fashion Week, the latest of which was from Paris.

As usual, many of the designers are so intent on making a statement that their clothes come across as tacky and as “please, please, please notice me before I fade into obscurity”.   I’ve learned to just ignore it, but I do notice the subtle and not so subtle changes.  I look for color changes, patterns, changes in the amount of jewelry worn, hats or not, hairstyles, skirt and pant lengths, etc.

What We Can Expect

Note: Remember this was written almost five years ago. Later, I’ll do an update for Spring using the last fashion week results….

I noticed that there are some interesting colors for this coming spring and summer (2014).  The color orange shows up time and again, and I noticed that it pairs nicely with navy.  Mind you the orange isn’t a football orange, but some interesting orange hues.  Nice!

Mint green is still around.  I also noticed that hats are looking good with lots of the knitted kinds.  Native American prints seemed to be making a comeback.

Skirt lengths are all over the place.  Just choose what you believe looks best on you, and you are in style!  Pants legs are up and down–slender, tapered, cropped, but I didn’t see many wide-legged styles.

I saw tennis shoes, basketball shoes, stiletto heels, and those cute bedroom style flat shoes that our grandmothers used to wear.  I didn’t see any square-toed shoes, though.

We started to see a lot of buttoned-up shirts on the runway last spring, and that has continued.  Sadly, hair is still mostly straight and long.  Yawn.

Of course, these are spring styles for 2014; but it is what is to come.  Why not start now.  One designer mixed pastels, such as pastel peach, pink, and blue.  It looked right.  There were also pastels with dark colors, such as a muted pastel pink sheer full skirt paired with a fitted black blouse.  It looked right, too.

There are still some of the mixes of prints.  Yuck!  Thank goodness that tacky fad is almost gone.  Not!

Eyebrows are very noticeable–maybe even bushier than Brook Shields were.  There did seem to be a lack of makeup, and I didn’t see very many women with tans.  I don’t know about you; but at my age, I need some of a tan, even if it is from a bottle.

Changes in Fashion Media

What was really interesting, though, was how I viewed Fashion Week this year.  Instead of waiting for “Vogue”, “Marie Claire” or “In Style” magazines, first out of the box was “Pinterest”.  I went through their boards.

What interested me more, though, were the boards which included styling done by everyday people across the world.  Lots of street scenes, and girls and women who had put together their outfits for sharing.  I was much more intrigued with what I saw on these boards.  Here were lots of real people with real wearable styles.

I also follow several fashion bloggers, such as The Style Crone.  I love her clothes, and she’s in my age group.

One board intrigued me until I began to recognize some of the models.  I immediately loved these clothes, and why not. This board featured models from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, etc.  Oh dear, I guess I may be living in yesteryear.

They were the best of the best from those years, worn by models who were well known at the time–truly beautiful and sexy.  Remember when we all wanted to be just like them and wear the clothes they were wearing?

Will Fashion Shows Ever Be Fun Again

Which brings me to my next point.  On the boards of Fashion Week were many of these crazy, out there, in your face, far out styles on women who looked emaciated and sad.  There were no smiles, and they looked like they wanted to be anywhere and wearing anything except those ridiculous clothes.

Photo by PixabayPhoto by Pixabay

I’m wondering if I will live long enough to see fashion shows that are fun, again!

Do you, too, like to look at fashions from Fashion Week? Do you take notice of what is new on the racks? Do you miss the fashion models that were of an average weight?

One Savvy Way to Tackle Chin Hair

by Filed Under: Beauty

I’ve been hoarding a little secret about how I take care of my chin hair.  I’ll share in this my first ever blog post; but first, why am I starting a blog now?

Why not now!  As I move through this stage in my life, this stage that others call “senior”, I learn something new every day.  These are minor things that become moments of great revelation for me because I encountered them for the first time such as what to do about chin hair.   So for about a year, I thought I should be sharing.  It is my hope, too, that you will share your little secrets in reply.

I lost my Mom and Dad over a decade ago before I entered this senior stage.  So most of what I have to go on came from my grandmothers who both attained a ripe old age, one 92 and the other 99.  Unfortunately, I was young then and lived under the veil of perceived immortality.  I’m afraid I wasn’t paying much attention.

Today, here I am, treading water and looking for answers to help me find my way through this, and yet just another, stage in my life.

Me and my Granddaughter Ava

Me and my Granddaughter Ava

Crap, I got Chin Hair

So what would I like to share first?  Well, this morning I looked into my magnified mirror (10X); and there they were again.  Six black hairs on my chin, sprouting here and there with no rhyme or reason.  It is my mother’s mother’s chin.  I remember looking up at my Grandmother at those hairs.  Certainly, these six are not mine.  Of course, I know better, because I have been dealing with them for about a decade.

Many Different Ways to Tackle Chin Hairs

First, I plucked them for a while.  That was when I could still see them with no magnification.  I was always on them like white on rice.  No way was I going to let anyone see those hairs, and back then there were about twenty of them.  So why are there only six now?  I’ll explain later.

Second, I had them waxed, along with all the fine fuzz that began to form around my jawline, upper lip, etc.  I went in about once a month for the waxing and plucked the twenty that grew faster in between the waxing.

Third, I even tried depilatory creams.

Fourth, I started making more money in my career, so I went to see my plastic surgeon about having laser hair removal.  It was supposed to be five to six sessions at about $150 per session.  This was quite a few years ago.  I think I’ve been somewhere between ten and twelve times now, and these six remain.  Where there were about twenty, now there are six.  I gave up, especially since nothing will take care of the blond fuzz elsewhere.

But there is a fifth way that I found that works better.

First, an explanation; because what I do may surprise you.

My Dad passed away over a decade ago.  My sisters and I cleaned out their home, and we divided their possessions between ourselves and the grandchildren.  What was left were many items that no one seemed to want, including a brand new electric shaver.

I was familiar with this shaver.  Earlier, while fighting cancer he needed one, so I went out and bought him a nice one recommended by “Consumer Reports”.  I was so optimistic at the time, but the shaver was all of three months old when Dad’s cancer unexpectedly came roaring back with a vengeance.  He passed very quickly.

Since I owned the family home, I sifted through the remaining items and kept the shaver, thinking my husband may want to try it.  Finally, after it set around our own home for several years, I decided to try it on my legs.

Here is what I learned.  Within a couple of months, the hair on my legs became soft and non-stubby.  I use it twice a week on my dry legs, and it works great for me.

So what do I do now?  What is my secret?

So what does this have to do with the six stubby hairs?  Well, I take my electric shaver; and I lightly go over them and the peach fuzz, as well.  Problem solved.  I have been doing this for about two years and they softened over time and became non-stubby.

(Note:  This was written in 2013, so it has been almost seven years since I began using an electric shaver for my now grey chin hairs.  There’s only five of them left.  One stopped growing.  The electric shaver still works great.)

My husband knows nothing about this.  I’m also too vain to let anyone else in my life know, until now.  But now you know and my secret is out!

And that is why I now have a blog.  I’m tired of keeping all these little secrets, which probably aren’t all that secret anyway.

I’m pretty bold and naïve to try just about anything.  I’ll share both the successes and the screw-ups.

More later!

PS.  Please sign up for my blog.  All you have to do is add your email to the top right of the page and click on the subscribe button.  I only post once a week unless I’m traveling so you only get an email a week at the most.  For travel, it may be different, though.  For example, I posted daily from Peru and China.

Thanks for reading!!

Are you a woman who suffers with chin hair? How soon did you notice yours? How do you remove yours?