I have a confession to make. Many of you already know this, but I’m addicted to beauty products. Seriously, they’re like my crack. I love the scents, the yummy lotions, and the silky serums, each nestled in gorgeous, wildly overpriced glass jars with sparkling lids, all promising to turn back the unforgiving hands of time and bring back a […]
Casual Job, Casual Life, Boring Wardrobe? Fast Fixes That’ll Step Up Your Game
One of the benefits of living in a small town is the casual dress code. You can go to work, take in a Zumba class on the way home, and go to dinner at almost any restaurant in yoga pants or jeans and a t-shirt. Excluding proprietary uniforms for Oil Can Henry’s or the wait […]
Jeans Shopping. The Reason God Invented Yoga Pants
Stop the first ten women you meet in the street and ask them for their least favorite clothing item to shop for. Eight of them will say “swimsuits.” But, bikinis aside (since most boomers haven’t tried one on since 1989), even well-cut, one-piece swimsuits have a way of outing our last dozen diet failures and […]
What I Learned After 30 Years in the Beauty Industry
I love beauty products. I love the whole beauty industry (except the part where women over forty are unfavorably compared to twenty-year-old swizzle sticks). Over the years, I’ve learned a lot through it, written a lot about it, and bought a lot of it. I’m turning 59 this year, which got me thinking about beauty […]
Middle Age. I’m Going to Need a Second Job
I watched a TV reality show a few weeks ago that congratulated a woman on winning a “Total Beauty Makeover.” She was apparently the ugliest one of the contestants, and the judges decided she was most in need of a complete overhaul. At the end of the show, there was, of course, a giant blowup […]
Love ‘Em or Hate ‘Em. Let’s Talk About Boobs
Boobs, hooters, melons, muchachas, sisters, or the girls. One website claims to list over 250 nicknames for the female breasts. We dress them with lace for date night. We smush them into immobility with a spandex sports bra to go for a run. We search endlessly for the perfect fit that holds the team up there […]
Shopping With Your Wife? What NOT to Do
A few years ago, I was working in a beautiful boutique that sold upscale trendy fashion and selected high-end cosmetics. We live in a tourist destination town, so in the summer, the business tripled with the influx of windsurfers, second-home buyers, and wine country travelers. Late one morning, a man and his wife, both in their 30s, came in […]
Menopause Making You Crazy? There’s a Name for That
Experts often love to announce a “new discovery” that the general population has known for decades. Chocolate makes you feel good (ya think?). Red wine is good for you (duh). And menopause can make you crazy (this study took how many years??). While researching another post, I was doing a quick scan through my MD […]
50 Things That Are (Sometimes) Better Than Sex
A few days ago, I was sitting in my office writing this post, and Hubs walked in. This is rare, because he knows that when I’m writing, my office is like the Bermuda Triangle. People who come in here while I’m trying to be interesting and witty are often never seen again. “Whatcha doing?” he asked. Rolling […]
The Insider’s Guide to Beauty Products. Are You Spending Too Much or Too Little?
I got a call from a girlfriend recently, all breathless and excited, having just seen an ad for a skincare line that promised to make you “look 10 years younger after only one month of use.” “But it’s $200,” she wailed. “Should I try it?” Friends know that I’ve been in the beauty industry for, well…ever, and I’m […]
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