Tag Archives: aging

MAKE UP MONDAY: Red Lipstick!

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As a general rule, I do not wear red lipstick.DSC_0139

I would never have picked this color out myself, and this is why I am always preaching for women to go visit their local make up counters! I was at the Armani counter in Neiman Marcus at the Domain in Austin, and my fab friend and neighbor Lindy was helping me out.

She put this red lipstick on me, and right away we could tell it was perfect!
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The reason this red works so well is that it is a sheer formula. I know a lot of younger ladies want super vibrant matte shades, but for me and others not 21 anymore, a sheer lipstick is a beautiful thing. I wore this on New Year’s with a little frosty off-white gloss, and it came out very festive.

This red Armani lipstick goes really well with my pink clothing, or anything brick colored (my favorite shade for these cold months). This is the sort of lip product that you can bring anywhere, wear anytime- and it was the ONLY lipstick I packed with me on my last trip! It’s that versatile and wearable.

I love the sheerness, and the lightness. It was a surprising find.

So! My two words of advice-

Get yourself to a make up counter and try, try try!

And invest in the good stuff. Even totally lipstick adverse women should check out how a sheer pop of color like this can transform your whole face.

Have a great week!

-Rose

SPIRITUAL FRIDAY: Change… & The Kitchen Stool

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I’ve been thinking about change, of course– most of us are– as this New Year begins.

Who can resist the fresh start, the clean slate? 

So appealing….

Yet, I’ve also been thinking about the changes  that I don’t welcome.  For me those changes come mostly with age. And yes, I can complain about the wrinkles and having to color my hair more often but those aren’t the changes that I’m really talking about.

I’m talking about the things that always were, that are now starting to fade away.

Like the kitchen stool in Trish’s kitchen.

I have spent countless hours on that stool, watching my best friend’s mom Trish cook, talking things over– sometimes alone, sometimes with the other women collected in that kitchen for the same comfort I sought.

And Trish delivered that comfort, my whole life.  She was always a source of wisdom and perspective. She’s 81 now and lives on her own.  She lost both her husband and daughter to cancer. And I visit her in her rambling house in Vermont whenever I can. I say it’s to help her. Really, though, it’s to help me. 

During my last visit, Trish wound up in the emergency room.  She found herself suddenly unable to walk.  Now she faces a slow recovery and uses a walker.  It is harder for her to stand in the kitchen.

So our kitchen stool days have changed.  I wonder, are they gone?

It has occurred to me that perhaps it’s my turn to set up a kitchen stool.

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I think it may be my time to be what Trish was to me, to others…. After all, I was taught by the best.

What rituals have comforted you?  What people taught you well?  Share Please.

Have a great weekend,

-Rose

Spiritual Friday: FALLING IN LOVE…

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A few Sunday mornings ago I was standing at my dresser, staring at my perfume, and I decided to fall in love with my life.  Yes. 

No melodrama, no drama – just fall, straight on in –accepting all that my life was, has been lately, and is now.

I made this decision because I was tired and it was time.  I was tired of my whining; of my waiting; of my happiness contingent….

And it was time for me to see how much I really loved my life. 

Even with its … shortcomings. 

Like my bathroom.  It is not the bathroom of the eye candy interior decorating magazines that I so love.  In fact, it’s kind of an insane bathroom, rigged with some kind of a bathtub shower contraption that rests on a too small platform, which renders entering and exiting the shower an athletic event.  It is not ADA compliant.

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And… it sits in the center of my little house on the noisy corner, with its old roof and sagging porch; and no dishwasher.

Yet it is here in this house that I came to live and heal after my divorce.  And it was here to this house that I returned after escaping for a while to figure out how to survive yet more loss.  

Here I learned to love the silence of single life; to adorn my bed with plush sheets and beautiful bedding; to paint the walls beautiful rich girl colors like mauve and peach.  There is not one piece of furniture in this house that I do not love and cherish; not one piece of art.  I even love my flatware, my french press, my coffee mugs.

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This house is so affordable that it has and will help me recover from two financial storms.  

And the people that surround the house… friends that look after me, and my sweet dog.  

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And the work I have been able to complete and create here, watching through the large windows of this old place as the little kids go to school across the street every morning and leave each day for home around three.

I didn’t get the glamorous luxurious life I somehow thought I was owed.  I got this life – this complete, busy life inside the blue and white house on the corner.

It’s not always easy to accept where you are. But making the conscious decision to fall in love with my life right now is something I’m so grateful for. What do you love about your life? Look around, and let me know what you can fall in love with about your home, your family, your current standings. Do you have a favorite comforter that you just pulled for these chilly autumn nights? Or a favorite spot in your house perfect for reading? Do share.

Have a lovely Friday,
-Rose

Fitness & Food: YOGA

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I’ve entered the world of stretching – elegant, yoga stretching…. Though trust me, my yoga technique is far from elegant.  Let’s say I’m on the foot path to elegance.  

I am not a yoga girl blessed with a lithe slim body, nor am I able to put my big toe on top of my head.  I’m that solid girl, strong legs, strong arms – more comfortable helping you lug furniture.

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I’ve been forced to yoga by pain and discomfort after realizing that it was getting hard for me to turn my head to the left.  I’d hit the end of some kind of road – frankly it could be possibly driving on any road since moving your head from side to side seems to me to  be a critical driving skill.

Humility accompanies me and my sturdy but inflexible body as I learn the practice that is yoga – focused, quiet, progress.  I like it actually.

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I am glad to be learning the moves; glad to be pushing and strengthening my mind and body in this way.   I am relaxing my neck and back and legs little by little.  Getting that neck of mine unstuck…

Where else am I stuck?  I will ponder.

Where are you stuck?

Namaste.

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Daily Life: Where I Shop Online!

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I don’t know about you but I really do love shopping — I love walking and strolling and looking and buying.  So I don’t spend a lot of my shopping dollars online.  But when I do, I have a few go to favorites.

For clothes and shoes I am a huge Rue La La Fan (ruelala.com) — great designers and selection.  Prices are really terrific – often between 50 to 75 percent below retail.  Also unless you have to have everything right away, the offerings are pretty timely.  I have purchased dresses, shoes, tops, sweaters and jewelry.

Here’s a recent Tahari wrap dress that I got for under $70.

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PERKS of RUE LA LA:

The site is easy to use; they never fail to deliver timely; returns are a breeze.  So far I’ve only returned 1 item – a shirt that I just didn’t think looked good on me.  Plus they send you emails alerting you to what’s available.  If you’re interested get busy!  Stuff goes fast.

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Occasionally when I’m really shopping bargains, I use eBay.  For high-end perfume or good second hand items you really can’t beat it. I got lucky this summer on this pair of Jimmy Choo shoes.

I had been eying the India sandals, retailing at $575.  They were the perfect shoes for my Italy trip where I was attending a dear friend’s wedding.  But I was about at the end of my available cash!  So…I found a second hand pair in my size for $100.  It was worth the risk.  I didn’t take them off all night!

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Of course like all of us I shop Amazon and often use it to buy beauty products (shampoo, hairspray, dry shampoo, etc.).   Amazon is great to try new products because of the choices in sizes and good price points.

Where do you shop on line?  Share Please!!

-Rose