Neck, Hands and Ageing...It Isn't Such A Bad Thing!

I'm currently reading the last novel written by Nora Ephron..."I Feel Bad About My Neck" and it is full of issues faced by women "of a certain age."  Topics such as graying hair, beauty maintenance, handbags and other things that we all deal with.

I have wanted to read it because I love Nora's movies and her sense of humor. The title of this book is important enough to write about in my blog.

No matter how much you put on your face, style your hair, wear beautiful clothes or jewelry, your neck will always show your maturity.

The skin on your neck is thin and gets crepey, wrinkly and saggy over time. How many times have you seen a great looking woman, wondering her age until you see her neck...and hands?

Hands are also a giveaway of ageing. Again, they have thin skin and show ageing.

Nora wrote about all the ointments, creams, salves and lotions she has accumulated to ward off signs of ageing. There are a myriad of these available at various prices from drugstores to high end stores. As a certain TV commercial states, we buy a face cream believing it will do what they promise and when it doesn't work, we move on to the next one. I can't even count how many different ones I have in medicine cabinets, vanity, bathroom shelves and drawers. Nora mentions that she never thought of putting a foot cream on her face or an eye cream on her neck. Do you, too, have a collection of creams for specific body parts? Have you ever tried one that is for a specific part on another? Why not?

Is ageing really a bad thing? Can't we do this natural process with grace and panache? I don't mean giving up on coloring our hair, using lotions to keep skin soft and supple, working out at the gym, or buying cute stylish clothes. What I'm talking about is giving this ageing process a boost through considerate care, commitment to love and honor yourself and others, and looking at yourself honestly and kindly.

There isn't anything that will stop the process of ageing and very little that we should do. There are too many people who are deprived of getting older. Embrace your life, your look and find joy in looking your best every day.

Until next week, I remain,

Stylistically yours,

Sooz

Are Leggings for Us?

Recently I was told about an incident where a woman "of a certain age" wore white leggings and a tee shirt to a sports event.That woman did not look at herself from behind because my friend, who told me about the incident, said she looked rather tasteless and ridiculous....her large posterior showed itself to be larger due to the cut of the tee hem and panty lines were blatantly obvious. The sad part of this story is that it was a client-hosting event and this woman was one of the hosts.

Does this mean that we women "of a certain age" can't wear leggings? Absolutely not! But it does require some serious consideration as to how we wear them.

First is fit. You want them to fit properly...that means looking at yourself from the front for "camel toe" and the back for coverage. You don't want them to be too sheer and you want them to look attractive and appropriate. You don't want underwear to be seen or have any skin bulge above or below your panty line.




Even if you're thin, you want to ensure you don't have leggings that are too tight, too sheer or pull on you.

Color is also something to consider. Nude leggings make you look, well, nude. And white makes things look larger.



The absolutely best look for us is a long tunic over leggings. It is stylish, attractive and covers a myriad of sins.



And with the cooler weather, leggings make a cute look with boots, wrapped scarves, fun jackets and freedom from having to hold in your tummy (if the tunic is loose enough)!

We must be careful to dress age appropriate, not trying to look like kids. Instead of this:



We can look like these:







There are prints, colors, and varied lengths of  leggings. This means fun, variety and style. Just look at yourself from behind before you step outside. You definitely want to leave a great impression!

Here's a perfect quote from the recently departed designer whose styles I have always admired.

Until next week, I remain,

Stylistically yours,

Sooz

Go For The Gusto!

Sometimes you've just gotta go for it!  I had to buy the following items because I liked them, they're timeless, affordable and I wanted them. This is why I do temp work.

First, I bought this trend...double pearl earrings. The style originated from Dior. You wear the small pearl to the front and the large pearl behind your ears (business in the front - party in the back!). My earrings came from Target Online (they are not available in the store) and are Daisy Fuentes for $7.99. Dior has some beautiful ones but I'm not sure how long this trend is going to last and I don't want to spend a lot on that.

This past Monday, I stopped at Marshall's to look around. That is always fun for me...the search and discovery of a great buy looms large there!

Well, I found this bag (on what I later learned was National Handbag Day as well). Michael Kors Hamilton Tote in large and it is large, indeed. It could almost qualify as luggage. I won't need to carry an additional tote when I temp now. I bought it for $199.

And while there I found a similar-to-the-below black cocoon dress for $39. It is lightweight...and it has side seam pockets! I love to wear dresses with pockets.




And we just got a new Burlington Coat Factory that held a grand opening yesterday (I do not like crowds and had other plans). So I went today and found this beautiful Nine West peep toe wedge heels in nude for $34 (and I was given a coupon for 20% off).  Several of my temp jobs require me to walk across brick streets and wedge heels are perfect for that and don't get caught in the bricks.

And I bought a similar-to-the-below necklace, but mine has five giant pearls instead of just two. The same gold chain, however.  I bought it for $9.99 and will wear it A LOT!

There aren't many things a retiree needs. But if one sees something that makes one happy, I say, go for it. Wear what is stylish and makes you happy. And if you don't have to spend a lot of money doing that -- your smile will show your joy!

Until next week, I remain,

Stylistically yours,

Sooz

Rooting For The Best!

Two weeks ago I was watching a TV game show and one of the participants was a woman "of a certain age" with dyed blonde hair and over a full inch of gray roots showing in her center part.

No one should ever allow roots to get that long BUT she was on national television!!  Come on! Color those roots!





This isn't to say that I don't like gray hair or silver hair -- at all! I think those colors can be stunning. But not as roots!

But the good news is there are wonderful root touch up supplies available that take ten minutes and work so nicely no matter your hair color, whether you dye or not.

So easy to do on your own at home. Or go to a salon for regular touch ups. Or, finally, go all the way and let your hair be gray or silver.  Just don't do it by letting the natural color grow out.

You can get it colored the shade you are naturally and gently grow your hair out.  You don't want to look like you're wearing a yarmulke or cap on your head. Match your hair dye to the root color and keep at it until you don't have to do it any more.





Remember that changing your hair color means changing your make up. You don't want that washed out look that is tired and ageing. And you want to wear beautiful earrings, necklaces and clothes to highlight your new look. You don't need to spend a lot of money to do this. Just look around for fun pieces at stores you like.

By taking care of your roots, you can preserve the aging process with dignity and grace.  Shampoos and conditioners for mature hair are now available. There are even treatments for thinning hair or balding aged scalps for women.

Young women can get away with it better than we can and call it ombre but why would you do this when you can do better. Set that example and be the stunning woman you were meant to be.

Use hair tools that help you with hair that can get wirey, fuzzy, fluffy, thin, weak, or break. And be careful about brushing your hair as you get older. You don't want to torture your mane.

There's a belief that a woman's hair is her crowning glory. It might well be true. So we should treat our hair like it is a cherished crown.

By the way, the woman with the gray roots on the game show lost miserably. Correlation?  Probably not, but still......!

Until next week, I remain,

Stylistically yours,

Sooz