Makeup tips for the boomer babe

Here are some tips from the Glam Girls . . .

GO EASY ON THE MAKE-UP!

As our hair lightens and begins to go grey, our eyebrows also lighten, our skin pales and we start to look washed out.

Many of us try to compensate by piling on the make up. We think that bright lipstick, lots of blush, tons of eye shadow, and dark eyeliner will restore our youth. Bright make-up after 40 will make you look like a clown or female impersonator! So here's what you do:

1. Avoid Heavy Foundation

Since your skin dries and dulls as it ages, it's best to switch to a dewier look. Trade in your heavy matte foundation, which gives you that mask look, for a tinted moisturizer (We love the one by Laura Mercier).
If you want more coverage try, mixing your foundation with some moisturizer to thin it out, or mix your foundation with a tinted moisturizer. You may also want to check out 'light reflecting foundations' especially created for mature skin because they reflect light off those little wrinkles.

2. Put away the Powder

Too much powder can make you dry and cakey. If you must use powder because you have oily skin, use loose powder in the T-zone, only.

3. Switch Your Blush

Powder Blush is heavy looking on mature lined skin. Instead try a cream blush. It's more natural looking and will make you look vibrant.

4. Examine your Eye Shadows

Be careful with shimmering shadows. Too much sparkle accentuates creepy eyelids. Also avoid too much bright color on your eyes. Neutral colored eye shadows- beiges, browns, creams, gays, taupes, will show off your eyes instead of your eyelids.

5. Don't let Eyeliner Overpower

Don't use black...too harsh. Instead, try dark brown and then blend well with a brown powder. Best way to apply it is as close to the eyelash as possible, dotting between lashes and then smoothing out the line, or even better just under your upper lashes. Your eyes will appear much bigger.

6. Baby your Brows

Your eyebrows create a beautiful frame to showcase your eyes so don't neglect them as you age. Be sure to keep them in good shape so they don't get scraggly. After 40 Many women tend to let the brow go pale and darken the lips at this stage, when in fact you should darken the brows so they frame your eyes (but don't get as carried away as Liz), and lighten up the lips.

7. Lighten Your Lips

Soften lips with pinks, corals, light browns, nothing too dark or too bright or there will be too much contrast between your lips, skin and hair. Too much contrast makes you look hard.

8. Use a Light Hand with Lip Liner

Good idea to use a liner to prevent lip bleed, but keep it soft in color and application. You should not be able to tell you have it on.

9. Banish Pasty Face

The older we get the paler we get and that old lady look starts to kick in. To avoid this try using a very light bronzer to finish off your look and give your skin a youthful sun kissed glow. To apply: Hold your bronzing brush at your temple and round it down in a sweeping motion to your cheekbone (creating a backwards c motion). From your cheekbone, round it down in a sweeping motion to just below the jaw line (creating another backwards c). Repeat on the other side.


Source: http://www.tvimagelive.com/fabulousafter40/9_Makeup_Musts

Design Tips From Candice Olson

Although I have procrastinated for almost six years since JR passed away and I'm surrounded by boxes of his stuff that I still can't bring myself to give away and a mass of disorganized boxes of merchandise to sell . . . and now that I no longer have a dog who resided in my favorite room in the back that was also known as a catch-all for boxes and stuff . . . it is time for me to get a life and at least make my house a home again, even if it is just me . . . I deserve it and finally realize that.

I've made some progress thanks to the cable channels like HGTV and the Style Network. The show Clean House has shamed me into taking a critical look at the way I live through others who were brave enough to shamelessly go on national television in order to get help and finally change their evil ways and make their house a home.

By the way . . . in my opinion . . . Discovery Home royally screwed up by going green with their cable channel that was one of my favorites with an awesome mix of interior decorating, DIY and cooking shows. Where has Christopher Lowell been? He is my all-time favorite.

HGTV has switched their programming emphasis to getting your house ready to sell rather than making it a home . . . it is all about the money now, not improving your lifestyle. I miss the old programming, in particular, the gardening shows like Way to Grow that originated from Disney World. Maybe being Martha Stewartish isn't cool anymore?

There are still some awesome interior decorating shows . . . one of my favorites is Divine Design with Candice Olson . . . her decorating taste is bright and bold and I have drawn much inspiration from watching her shows.

Can I borrow Chico?

Now that I have started taking action in conquering the clutter, I've started doing research on decorating and getting ideas on how I'd like to proceed. I ran across the following article from HGTV.

I'm not trying to claim this as my own article, however, I am tired of going back and having to delete old posts since I only posted links to the articles back then, rendering the post useless when the source blog decided to delete the page or move it somewhere else . . .

Source page: http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/design-tips-from-candice-olson/index.html

The Divine Design host shares her insider tips and tricks for renovating and decorating your home.

Before you hire a designer, find out what you like.
It's not uncommon for folks to be unable to articulate what their style is, says Candice Olson. Create a scrapbook or binder full of magazine clippings, fabrics and photos of design that catches your eye. A homeowner who has done their homework really helps a designer, says Olson: "When I look through 20 different pages that a homeowner has collected, it gives an outsider a good idea of what the person likes."

Create a sample board.
After Olson meets with her clients, she pulls together a sample board — a collection of fabric scraps, paint chips, finish samples, flooring bits, photos of furnishings that tells the room's design story. Make your own when you're dreaming up a room makeover. It'll help you match up fabrics and wallpapers before they get installed. Plus, it helps you stick to your vision once you've started.

Be open to a room swap.
Swapping rooms or areas in a room is a trick that Olson uses frequently on Divine Design. A dining room and living room will trade places or a kitchen floor plan gets reversed. Of course, unless you're gutting your entire home you can't swap the kitchen with a bedroom, Olson says, but by taking a fresh look at how a space works, you may find a better way to use your square footage.

Look in commercial buildings for inspiration.
When shopping for kitchen flooring you may find products that are stylish and extra-durable. Want to make your kitchen look bigger? "Laying the kitchen floor pattern on a diagonal lets you visually expand the space — good to know if you have a tight squeeze," Olson says.

Contributions by Anne Krueger.

Homemade Hair Conditioner - spray on, leave on

For as long as I can remember, I have used Infusium leave on conditioner. It has worked wonders for me through perms, hair coloring, teasing and using wacky hair products & styling techniques that wreaked havoc on my hair. Conditioner is so important for long hair and I have had long hair forever.

Since I've had to start watching my budget and cutting corners everywhere I can, it was time to start using some of those beauty recipes I've gathered through the years. Why pay more money for something that costs way less that will give you the same results?

The following recipe for homemade hair conditioner that is very similar to Infusium is working just as well for me . . . and at the moment, my hair is way past my shoulders and half way down my back.

The recipe is simple . . . 2 parts water to one part conditioner in a spray bottle . . . I went to the beauty supply house and bought a huge bottle of cheap generic conditioner. Use whatever conditioner you like.

For a quick touch up, all I do is lightly spray my hair and my natural waves and curls magically appear, no frizz even in Florida humidity. It dries very quickly, even in my thick hair, but I don't saturate it for a touch up.

When I'm gonna be in the sun, I keep my hair saturated with this stuff.

Brown Sugar Body Scrub

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup almond oil

2-tsp. Fresh (1-tsp. Dried) flower petals, such as rose, calendula or Lavender; or a few drops of your favorite essential oil

1-shower safe, nonmetal container


Combine ingredients in a shower-safe, non metal container.

In the shower, rub the mixture onto damp skin.

Rinse.

CAREFUL . . . the oil in this treatment can make the shower floor slippery.