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OLD AGE IS NOT FOR SISSIES

NOTHING IN LIFE IS TO BE FEARED

Young Girls Dressing Provocatively

by Filed Under: Family Life, Opinion, Style

I sure am glad that I don’t have to raise daughters today.  It seems as if society is working against the mothers of young girls.

Chuck and I raised two daughters.   By their teenage years I remember all too well how hard it was to get them to dress in what we thought was appropriate.  It was often a fight, and I remember my own battles with my parents over the length of my skirts when I was young.  It was the age of the mini skirt.  The style then was very different than the way I was raised up to that point.

My 8th Grade Birthday Party

My 8th Grade Birthday Party

So I was very interested in the blog post entitled,  “Why I Care: Speaking About The Post That Called Out Target” at the Blog called “Binkies & Briefcase”.  You can find it here.  Her blog post ended up becoming part of the national conversation on this subject.

The pressure on young girls to dress provocatively is so much more than when I or my daughters were young.   Back then, at least we had society helping us, instead of working against us like it seems to be today.  Magazine ads and store mannequins try to sell a style–a look that is often sleazy and/or garish.

My Girls

My Girls

I had no idea how bad it was until I read this blog post.  I encourage you to read it, too.  I believe she makes a good point.

So how do you feel about the way some young girls dress or about what you’re seeing in the stores?  Do you think she has a point?

 

What is a Stitch Fix?

by Filed Under: Fashion

I spent a couple of weeks ago with my daughter in Atlanta helping with the kids; and while I was there, she received a box in the mail.  It was from a company called Stitch Fix, which offers a personal styling service.

Tracy opened the box and began trying on the clothes.  I was impressed with the selection and the fit.  The price was about right, but with all the great sales going on in the stores, I didn’t bite…at the time.  I thought to myself how useful this would have been especially several years ago during my productive years, when I didn’t have time to shop.

Well, guess what.  I tried Stitch Fix, and I’m hooked.  Things fit perfectly, my personal stylist figured out my likes and dislikes using their carefully selected questions designed just for that purpose.

Here is a blog post that Tracy did about her experience.

Below are two of her favorite pieces that she kept.  Can you tell that plaids are in!

if you are interested in giving Stitch Fix a try, click on the name in this line

 

Are You Ready for Halloween?

by Filed Under: Family Life, Fashion

Well, actually, I am.  I’ve been planning a Malicifent costume since the beginning of the month.  It depends mostly on make-up, but I have a great cape of black tulle that I bought from Target that will be fun to wear.  We’re planning to trick or treat with the grandchildren on Friday night.

My youngest daughter’s blog “The Uncoordinated Mommy” has a wonderful “how to” post for making a baby’s Olaf costume.  The link is below.

No Sew Olaf Costume

Gina Renee

If you haven’t seen the movie “Frozen”, then you’ve missed one of the cutest Disney characters ever.  Olaf is a little comical snow man.  Like most snow men made by children, he is small and has a misshapen head and body.  He comes apart and pulls back together again.  He says the funniest things.  He stole the show.

So check out how easy the girls made an Olaf costume for the youngest member of our family.  Here she is with her older cousins, who dressed as the Elsa, the Snow Queen and her sister Princess Anna, also from “Frozen”.

Savanna & Hannah

The Little Bird Said…Cheap Cheap Cheap….Let’s Talk About Moisturizers

by Filed Under: Beauty

Sometimes I like to just wear my moisturizer for the day. If I don’t plan to leave the house, I’ll apply moisturizer and give my face a needed break from the rest of my makeup routine, which includes another higher SPF creme.

In the past I used Estee Lauder’s Daywear Anti-oxidant Creme SPF15, but I have to admit that I really didn’t like paying $50 for 1.7 oz. I really do like its consistency, and I really do believe wearing an anti-oxidant with sunscreen is very important for my skin.

Moisturizer1

Last winter, though, I made a very good discovery when I ran out of my Daywear and had to make do with a drugstore brand. I found Lumene’s Bright Now Vitamin C Cream SPF15. It, too, is a daily moisturizer with built-in antioxidants and UV protection.

Moisturizer2

For my winter skin, I liked it even better than Daywear. It had a creamier consistency. My skin is drier in the winter, but best of all I bought it for less than $20. Now that is a savings, especially since it is 1.7 oz just like Daywear.

Summers in Florida are quite humid, so I’m back using my Estee Lauder Daywear; but this winter I will go use Lumene Bright Now Cream, again. Both formulas promise to protect against signs of aging and to safeguard my skin, but Lumene’s Bright Now keeps my face from drying out longer and I save $30.

I don’t know about you guys, but that’s a good deal! And all of you know how cheap I am.

I’m always looking for a good bargain. Any of you found one lately? If so, please share!

The Little Bird said, “Cheap, Cheap, Cheap, Cheap!”. Let’s talk about hair color!

by Filed Under: Beauty

I don’t need highlights in my hair. Just look at the cowlick on the left side of my head. It obviously is totally gray now, because with the hair color I currently use, the highlights there are beautiful blonde or light brown.

So what am I doing? I use a semi-permanent hair color called “Natural Instincts”, which is a 10-minute formula. I use a light cool brown. If I want red highlights, I use golden brown.

Natural Instincts

With my dark colored hair, voila! I get automatic highlights where the gray was.

I’ve been doing this for about two years now, and it has saved me a boat-load of cash.

Wrinkled Was Not What I Wanted To Be When I Grew Up!

by Filed Under: Beauty

Actually, I once saw that on a bumper sticker; and boy is it true. Sadly, though, it is what it is.

I have these deep nasolabial folds that run from my nose down to each side of my mouth. Some people call them laugh lines, but I’m not laughing. The one on the left side got so big that my left dimple disappeared into it.

Finally, I went searching for a fix; and I found myself once again at my plastic surgeon’s. He suggested soft tissue filler injections to plump the deep lines beneath the folds. These are injectable compounds used to plump and camouflage the line and make the overlying fold less obvious. They are biodegradable, so they need to be repeated at six months to a year intervals.

There are several to choose from, but I usually use whichever one is cheaper. I’ve used both Restylane and Juvederm, and they do a good job of making the folds much less pronounced. They also keep my skin from puddling down into my jowls.

No, I didn’t get my dimple back, but I like the result just the same. I’m just not sure I’ll keep getting the fillers after I retire.

Before-and-After-Juvederm

Before & After Juvederm Photo

Yeats Described My Eyes to a Tee

by Filed Under: Beauty

WHEN YOU ARE OLD
by William Butler Yeats

When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

Well, Yeats was right because, by my mid-fifties, my eyes no longer had their soft look but bore deep shadows.

This is what 50 looks like!

At the age of fifty, one’s skin around the eyes begins to change—and not for the better. There, the skin thins and collagen is lost. There’s puffiness, swelling, dark circles under the eyes, wrinkles, and crow’s feet.

What’s a girl to do?

Well, I can tell you what I did. I began looking for a plastic surgeon.

First, I had tried everything else. I applied all kinds of creams, serums, concealers, you name it. I wasted a lot of money with no success, and I finally gave up.

My mother’s bags under her eyes were pronounced and very, very aging even in middle age. I was only about 53, and I did not want to look like that yet. So, I went to see a plastic surgeon.

He corrected this with something called blepharoplasty and a brow lift. Blepharoplasty is a procedure used to correct drooping upper eyelids and eliminate puffiness of the lower eyelids. The technique brightens the eyes, leaving a more youthful and rested appearance.

It opened up my eyes, and for at least two years after the surgery, I did not even need to wear concealer. What a wonderful thing!

Now, it is over six years later, and I still do not have bags under my eyes. I have been very happy with this procedure. I do apply concealer and makeup under my eyes now, but that seems to be all I really need.

After my eye surgery and a change in my hair color.

At the same time as the blepharoplasty was done, he also did a brow lift. A forehead lift /brow lift is a cosmetic procedure that restores an aging or drooping eyebrow to a more youthful position, giving the area above your eyes a softer and more refreshed look.

Six years later, my forehead is still smooth, and I still do not have those two parallel creases between my eyes, though they are beginning to appear when I worry too much for too long a period. I don’t need Botox anywhere on my forehead. This part of the surgery was also a huge success for me.

I do use Botox, though. My upper lip is very thin now, and they apply a little to the two highest peaks of my upper lip. I’m not sure how this works, but it gives my upper lip a little fuller look. It is as if a bee (only so slightly stung my lip), and it swelled just a little. Actually, I’m sure it must relax my lips so that they appear fuller. All I know is it works.

I also use a little Botox on my crow’s feet. I try to get in about once every three months, but I don’t get there exactly every three months. I’ll let it slide sometimes up to six months since I really don’t mind the crinkles at the corners of my eyes. I always thought they gave older people character, and let’s face it, I am getting old.

So that is what I’ve done to my eyes and lips, and I’m very happy with the results even as I enter my sixties.

It Smells Like a Little Bit of Nostalgia

by Filed Under: Beauty

The other day I noticed that my facial skin looked very thin.  I even thought I could see the forehead section of my skull.  Oh no, no, no!  What in the world?

And then it hit me.  I’ve been using Retin-A, scrubbing cleansers, and all kinds of abrasive creams on my face.  I’ve had microdermabrasion.  Maybe, my face needs a break.  Here’s the problem.  Even my cleanser might be over doing it. 

After removing my eye makeup at night, I use the Total Facial Cleanser by the Ageless Collection at I-Image Skincare.  With wet hands I apply about a dime’s worth and message it into my face, neck and decolletage for one minute.  Then I remove it with a damp baby’s wash cloth.  I think the secret to this cleanser is the ingredient, glycolic acid. (By the way in the beginning I couldn’t leave it on for an entire minute, it burned.  I had to work up to a minute.)  So you see, my basic cleanser was part of the problem.  I use it three out of every four days. 

So what to do?  About a month ago, I went looking for a gentler cleansing cream for my face.  Oh my gosh!  There are so many from which to choose.  And the cost! 

Finally, I went with a tried and true old favorite.  I bought a large jar of Noxzema for about $4.50.  I haven’t used this since I was a very young woman.  I love the way it feels on my sixty-year old skin. 

Image

My first reaction was the smell.  It was nostalgic.  It reminded me of being 16 and dressing for a date with my boyfriend; but here is the best part, it deep cleans by removing all my makeup and it leaves my skin soft and smooth.  I love it, and I noticed recently that my skin doesn’t look so thin.

Image

I went online and found out that Noxzema has been around since 1914.  I remember my grandmother used it. There goes my nostalgic emotions, again.

I am so happy I found it.  I’ll go back to my Ageless Total Facial Cleanser when the time is right, but I’ll keep my Noxzema for when it is needed.  It is good to get an old friend back.  It is the best bargain in the skincare aisle!