What To Buy Now for Summer

Straw hats add protection while being relatively cool.

 Before it gets any sunnier or any hotter, there are four items you need to make sure that you have ready to go for summer - especially if you are over 40.  These are not just fashion accessories; they will make your life simpler, make you look better, and protect you from the harsh elements of summer.
A HAT:  I know. You hate hats. But a hat will not only protect your hair from sun damage as well as your tender scalp, it will also shade your face and reduce the sun exposure your facial skin receives.  Although many people wear sunscreen, some still get a rash from being directly exposed to very hot, very bright sunshine (alas, I am one of them!). 
Canvas hats are great: they can be rolled up and stuffed in a suitcase, but they can also get a bit hot.  Your best bet for running around town is a closely woven straw hat.

SUNGLASSES: Your eyes need to be protected just as much as your skin does.  Too much sun exposure can lead to cataracts.  Be sure to buy sunglasses that fit you without sliding off when you sweat and those that flatter your face shape.  Below, Coach, Fendi, and Prada sunglasses are great, but if you are like me and constantly misplacing them, the cheap ones are okay. Just make sure that they meet the following standards:

• UV 400 protection. (These block light rays with wavelengths up to 400 nanometers, which means that your eyes are shielded from even the tiniest UV rays.)  (fr
• Lenses block 99% or 100% of UVB and UVA rays
• Lenses meet ANSI Z80.3 blocking requirements. (This refers to standards set by the American National tandards Institute.)
• om WEBMD)

A GOOD BEACH TOTE:  Forego the cheap bags that barely outlast the summer unless you know that it's going straight into the drink the first time you get into a boat, kayak, or canoe.  A good bag can be used when running errands around town and still look chic. You can still be colorful; just avoid kitschy (always avoid kitschy!). 

The bags below range from $9.99 to over $370.

Coach Tote Bag with Colorful Stripes

Large Striped Beach Tote from WalMart

Longchamps Travel and Tote Bag in Colorful Stripes

A TUNIC COVER-UP: Don't go inside the snack bar in your bathing suit.  Get a tunic that can double as a run about town top over pants or shorts and a cover-up over a bathing suit.  The tunics below are modest, cover up drooping upper arms and your lower bottom when worn over a suit, and look airy and summery over a pair of leggings or shorts. These three tunics are from Soft Surroundings, but they can be found at most department stores, and specialty stores such as Anthropologie. (I love Anthropologie's Striped Swing Tunic, not pictured here).

More of My Favorite Products

If you've ever read this blog before, you know that for most of my adult life (from about ages 30 something to 58) Aveeno lotion is the only lotion and/or beauty product that I used on my face with its ultra sensitive skin.  While I don't use it exclusively anymore, I will still use it at night when I have any kind of skin rash or problem, or sometimes over a stronger retinol that I may be wary of using.
However, I still do use Aveeno lotion all over my body.  It is hands down one of the best moisturizers that I have ever used, and with a chronic dry skin condition known as icthyosis, that is saying something.  For summer, I use the Aveeno lotion with a sunscreen all over my body.  Cures dry skin and protects it from sun damage. It also seems to "plump" my skin; my skin seems thicker after application.  After using for about 30 years, I have to say it is still a winner!

By now, everyone surely knows about Essie!  If not, here is some good news for your nails, especially for those of us over 40.  Essie nail polishes go on smoothly and last.  They have one of the best choices of light colors that look good on over 50 hands.  The light pink (see below) flatters older skin, a good thing since our hands are one of the first places to show age.  My favorite range from white (looks so clean and fresh, especially in the summer) to a medium dusky pink.  Sugar Daddy and Mademoiselle are almost cult favorites: pale pinks that look good on everyone.  Some of my favorites: Fun in the Gondola, Eternal Optimist, Fiji, Mademoiselle, Sugar Daddy, Ballet Slippers, and Vanity Fairest.
Essie's best invention: No Chips Ahead.  This marvelous topcoat dries quickly and really makes your manicure long-lasting.  I've had a paint job last for a week!  Really!  I love this stuff and will never be without it.  To me it seems to work best with Essie polishes although I've used it with other brands as well.

Donna Cluny Gardner

Two Products I Swear By!

Revlon Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara: It Works!

I love finding new products that work!  Two that I've found lately are making my life much happier. Disclaimer:  I am not advertising nor do I receive any renumeration in any form from these two companies or any other having to do with these products.
First, finally a mascara that I can love using everyday.  Through the years, my lashes have grown thin owing to my using extensions for years and years (those things are very, very hard on your lashes and everyone ends up losing some permanently), then using strip false eyelashes everyday for at least 10 years.  Many people swear by products that help lashes grow that you put on at night before bed, but I was always forgetting to put those on.  Coming to my rescue: Revlon's Grow Luscious Plumping mascara.  It has the ingredients that help your lashes grow, but in a mascara that actually looks good.  And since this is mascara, I don't forget to put it on.  I'm wearing it everyday as part of my regular makeup routine.  It's a good mascara that thickens lashes when you apply it, and over time actually helps your lashes grow.  It has minimal flaking, a big plus for me!  And of course, since it's a drugstore mascara, it's relatively cheap, about $7.99 per tube.  I use a tube about every 6 weeks or so.  It will last longer for people who don't use mascara as heavily as I do.

Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Lifting Makeup SPF 15

Second, a product that will cost you more, but if you measure the effectiveness of a product by how it makes your skin feel and how many compliments you get,  is definitely worth the money.  I am known to be an Estee Lauder fan and have used their foundations, especially Fresh Air makeup base, since the 1970's. While I still think that the oil-free Fresh Air makeup is one of the best ever, ever made, it lacks a sunscreen.   On Saturday, I turned 63 years old.  I need a foundation with a sunscreen, even in the winter months, and even though I use a cream with an SPF of 15 every day. I splurged and bought Estee Lauder's Re-Nutriv Intensive Lifting cream foundation in the Fresca shade.  I though that it was a bit shiny, so I also got the Re-Nutriv finishing powder.  I didn't really need to though since the subtle glow/shine is what I get so many compliments on.  Does it really "lift" (I could use the lift)? I'm sure it doesn't, but for the finish it gives my skin and the comments I've received, it is definitely worth the $75.00 price tag for the jar. A plus, a great range of shades for all skin colors.
Below: my face with only a bit of lipstick, eyeliner, and my foundation.  No blush, basically a blank canvas.  Doesn't my skin look great!?

A Few Little Beauty Tips To Try Today

• Put clear lip balm on your cheekbones? Try it!  Vanessa Axente, a Hungarian model who is also the star of Endless Euphoria fragrance ads, uses Chanel's Rouge Coco Baume on her cheekbones, then follows with a bit of blush.
• The highest part of the arch of your eyebrow should be jusst above the outer edge iris of your eye.
• Drink 1 1/2 litres of water a day and a good hyaluronic serum should follow your antioxidant serum. Hyaluronic acid can hold and bind up to over 1000 times its own weight in moisture.
• Remember to put sunscreen on your hands and reapply it throughout the day.  Hands show age dramatically.
• Try soaking your feet in apple cider vinegar to make them especially soft.  It's cheap, too!
• Squeeze water out of your hair, but don't towel dry it so that you will avoid the "frizzies"!

The Difference Between Being Older and Looking Old

 Yes, I am a femme d'une certain age, as the French put it so wonderfully. That is, at age 62, I am an older woman.  However, I don't think that I have to look "old" when looking old means looking dowdy, frumpy, or tacky as so many people seem to think.
Many of you may be familiar with the work of Ari Seth Cohen, a photographer based in New York who is known for capturing vibrant and beautiful older people going about their daily routines on the streets of that city.  I've chosen a few of his photos of especially attractive older women who look wonderful, and whose look, I believe, is within the reach of anyone.
One of the things that you will notice that all these women seem to have in common is that they take care of themselves; it shows through even in the photos of those who are dressed casually, so this is not about expensive clothing.
You will also notice that they are not overweight, probably one of the elements that can age us more than anything!
You will also notice that they are all wearing lipstick whether they wear other makeup or not!
Photo, above, yes, she's dressed up, so elegant. Not a ton of jewelry or make-up although she is wearing make-up.

 I love the photo above.  Although not my style, I love the way this outfit is put together. It's vibrant and colorful, but it looks youthful and definitely not like those big-flowered "old lady" prints.
Below, being thin is better. Love her grey hair and that turban although this is a bit much for where I live.

 She is wearing denim, yes, denim, and it looks really good.  Multiple rings and the statement necklace work here (but no earrings).  Those sunglasses add a unique, personal touch. Personally, I hate tattoos, but it seems to work for her.

 Below, I love this lady in her casual outfit.  Her hair is great, not teased, not sprayed, just airy and natural looking.  Her camo jacket works for her over her leggings. And yes, when you are this small, you can get away with wearing leggings even if you have grey hair! Notice though that the boots go with the camo so this looks deliberate, not like an afterthought.

 Her skin is beautiful, her grey hair is beautiful, again, natural looking, not teased and sprayed.

 Below, I love how her lipstick, sweater, and gloves all match.  Natural grey hair pulled back.

 Above, this outfit looks so comfortable! She is wearing fashionable glasses (not little old lady wires), and her handbag is gorgeous.
Below, here she is again. Comfy clothes that don't look sloppy because everything is pulled together (notice how the lining of her jacket is the same color as her pants?) Lipstick! Her shoes are very up-to-date and a great color!

 Below, this is perhaps my favorite photo.  I love her complexion, her eye make-up, her lipstick, the way her hair is pulled back. She is perfect! Those earrings add individuality.

This woman below is old. She looks old.  Her hair is teased and probably stiff; her glasses age her and her rouge looks as though it almost goes down to her chin line. She is not wearing lipstick. Her jewelry looks as though it is plastic.   She has probably worn her hair like that since she was in her teens.

Change her glasses, her jewelry, blow-out her hair, and give her lipstick and she could stand her own with the women above. 

 Below - old lady or teenager. If your grand-kids give you this, wear it only around them.

 Below, frumpy (although she's not really old). Her pants are too big, her sweater is too big, and nothing works with anything else. What she is wearing makes her hips look huge!

The thing I also loAnd that's half of really looking good!ve about my elegant older ladies though is that they all seem to know that they look good. 

Street Style: What You Can Learn From It

 So many women think that so-called "street style" is only for the young, avant-garde, artsy-looking New Yorkers who are looking to stand out and turn heads on a busy street.  However, street style is interesting because it shows us fresh ways to style our clothing, not replicate a complete look.
If you look at the street style photos on this page, you will find that there is a fashion tip, or fashion lesson in each one of them, sometimes subtle, sometimes not so subtle.
For instance, the photo above may not look particularly daring, but note the way her scarf is tied (perfect!), the way the 3/4 length sleeved coat works in colder temperatures when paired with a heavy sweater, and ow that bright pink cheers up an otherwise somber outfit.  In fact, if nothing else, street style photos can convince you that a pop of bright color that is not necessarily found already in your outfit will make a real difference in its fashion quotient. Below, just jeans, but that bright red mini-bag and bright red nail polish makes a huge difference.

 Below, if you are over 40, lose those too short wide pants and opt for black pants that are straight-legged or skinny. Keep the cream layered on top and add a wonderful fringed shawl in a print on a cream background. Perfectly elegant. Skip those shoes, too.

 The power of color really shows on a rainy day.  There ought to be a law that umbrellas can only be made in the brightest colors possible.

 Below, forget the outfit on the left with the weird ripped-hem peplum (or whatever that is) and look at the classic outfit on the right.  When is the last time you wore a simple white shirt with jeans and then put a great red coat or blazer over them? So fresh looking!

 This look will work for anyone over 40; layer the tops, grey over bright (hot pink would look good), skinny jeans, and instead of boots with sky-high heels, go for flat boots and still tuck in your jeans.  Lose the white purse; try one in another bright color.

 Below, a wonderful look for almost anyone.  Black shoes and tights lengthen your legs forever.  A skirt a bit longer (if you aren't in love with your thighs) would work just as well. The lady-like bag gives the whole outfit a polished look even though it's just a sweater over a skirt!

 Above, the lesson here is mixing navy blue with sky blue and black.  Try this look with a longer skirt, tights and medium heeled black pumps. Gorgeous.
Below, the pink coat is beautiful; the color-blocked bag updates the classic outfit.

 Above, the lesson: black jeans with a black jacket, black boots, black bag and a light shirt or sweater. Make sure your black jeans have no holes if you are over 40.  

Below, a bright jacket over all-black is gorgeous! Make those shorts a pencil skirt or a pair of black jeans and you have a winner. If you are over 40, use self-tanner on your bare legs or wear a pair of thin tights and forego the peep-toes (which usually aren't very comfortable anyway).

Street style is exciting, eccentric, and fun! Add those qualities to your own wardrobe by studying the latest photos. Two great street style blogs are Streetpeeper and also Caroline's Mode.

Aging Gracefully

Pictures of me today! Why? Because at age 62, I have been trying for the first time all the creams and serums that so many people swear by.  While I don't think that any of these will keep me from aging, I am hoping that they will give me soft, smooth skin and help me age, well, gracefully.  Plus, I am having a ball trying different things!  A funny switch for someone who until the age of 59+ used only Purpose soap and Aveeno lotion on her face!
   Now, my routine has changed. No more sleeping in make-up (my huge vice - I'm so often lazy); if I don't shower before I go to bed (with my Purpose soap), I use either Neutrogena facial wipes (it takes me 2 to clean my face, then I splash with lukewarm water) or Estee Lauder's Re-Nutriv cleanser (always splashing water afterward).
   Currently, at night I am using a firming serum called Acure Organics Seriously Firming Facial Serum; afterward I apply L'Oreal's Revitalift (a drugstore, yes, drugstore purchase!).
   In the morning, I may experiment with some sort of serum, but usually I just use Estee Lauder's Daywear. It's very moisturizing, has a sunscreen, and I love the cucumber scent.  When I remember, I may use their foundation primer, but usually I just use Re-Nutriv Ultimate Lifting Creme make-up. It  has an SPF 15 rating so I am doubling up on the sunscreen. If I do decide to go sans foundation, I always put a sunscreen on!

   I've been very happy with the results, best seen in the first picture: no retouching, no photo-shopping. I don't know how firm my skin is, but it is certainly smooth and soft!
By the way, my skin is extremely sensitive, but so far nothing has caused a break-out during experimentation except for Lauder's Swiss Performing Extract. 
   Next experiments will be with lash enhancers!

What To Buy Now

Ahh, January, one of the coldest months of the year (in many places in the US, certainly here in the Washington, D.C. area) when our thoughts turn to self-improvement although grey days cast a dismal light over complexions and wardrobes. But cheer up! This is a great time to go shopping, in stores and online.
One thing we can do is think ahead to next year's winter and search out good quality merchandise at low, low prices now, and also find pretty accents to cheer up our current wardrobe.
What to buy now?

Something in Orchid, this year's newest color.
 Your best bet is a purse! But even small doses of this pretty color will update your wardrobe. Try a cashmere scarf or orchid leather gloves for a great pop of color during these cold, grey days.  Orchid will add a feminine touch to anything!

 

A winter coat that you will wear for years.  

 Most stores are having sales with prices slashed to ridiculous lows. You may not find your dream coat, but it is worth a look. Best bets are cashmere and camel hair in camel or black although a bright red or crisp navy would be great, too.

Great equestrian style boots. 
There's still plenty of time to wear them this year and you may be able to score a pair on sale.  Look for flat boots with buckles or a two-toned leather so that they are chic and extremely wearable.


Shopping in February not only gives you a chance to find some great deals, but you can also scout the early Spring arrivals and decide what is going to be worth adding to your basic wardrobe in the coming season.

It's Good To Shiver, Watch Out for Coral Lipstick and Dark Nail Polish

Some researchers have "...found indirect evidence that the body's response to cold, which consists of shivering and hormonal actions, plays a major role in energy expenditure. Regulation of body temperature, they say, is associated with weight."(Fiona Johnson, University College, London, 2011) Also, shivering burns about 400 calories an hour!  You may have heard the oft repeated advice to drink ice cold water since it takes more energy and burns more fat than drinking lukewarm water, but  supposedly even lowering the temperature in your home a few degrees will help with weight loss. Of course, where I live, all I have to do is go to the local grocery store where I swear they keep the temperature deliberately below 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

As you get older, your hands are one of the parts of your body that shows aging, and there hasn't been a lot that you can do about it.  One help though is to avoid very dark polishes or brown polishes which seem to accentuate wrinkles and make your skin look older.

Everywhere you will read that the hottest new lipstick color for Spring is coral.  But if you have less that white teeth, beware.  Coral is a color that will cause your teeth to look dingy - as will most red lipsticks that have a lot of orange in them.  Instead, go for a coral with a lot of pink in it rather than orange - or opt out of coral totally.