IT IS TIME TO LET IT GO

Today being Black Friday you might be out shopping  –  so while you are out there this would be a good moment to look for a new coat – saying this I am really talking to one of my good friends who came to visit me a few weeks ago.

One morning while putting on her red coat she said, “Isn’t it amazing – this coat is 24 years old and still holding up” (just barely was my thought) she went on to say, “Amy – that is her daughter – thinks it looks awful, and I should get a new one. But why should I, I think this is perfect. What do you think?”

Since I was in agreement with Amy, and can’t lie, I hid behind Amy and told her, “Maybe Amy is right. A new coat will make you feel and look better.”

My friend is not the only one who I have heard say that a garment is still holding up after x-years. And it is usually said with great pride, making me wonder why some women are so proud of owning old cloth. Here are some considerations that might help to get rid of them:

  •  they are not fashionable anymore (no, not everything comes back)
  •  they have lost their fit
  •  the color has faded
  •  it looks worn
  •  the fabric looks old
  •  it does not suit you anymore

I would like to add to the last point that even if all of the above were not true we have to accept that over the years we have changed – put on some weight, lost some weight, became a little older – and what was suitable 10 years ago is no longer becoming, because our cloth do not change with us. 

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Maybe my friend will read this and realize that the world is full of beautiful coats with which she can replace  that too short, too tight,  faded 24 year- old friend of hers.

And Never forget – A Smile Changes everything!

Brigitte

Mirror Mirror On The Wall…………

I hope you enjoy this video and if you don’t have a full-length mirror this might give you a reason to buy one.

And Never Forget…. A Smile Changes Everything!

Brigitte

Beauty Over 60: Torn Jeans – Really?

 

Holes and more holes are all over the  most popular garment in the world – our jeans. And the way things are going, one day  there will only be little bits of fabric holding the holes together.

Years ago this look caught on and then faded away but now it is back with a vengeance. From designers to mass market brands, jeans are full of tears and holes and the biggest rips get the highest prices – which makes me wonder – if I wanted to wear ripped jeans why could I not rip them myself and save some money?

 

But being over 60 ripped jeans won’t do anything for me. The appeal the young find in the holes – I think it is sex appeal – might give the wrong image for us more mature women.

While my friend Marie, well over 60,  was visiting me, she wore a pair of ripped and torn jeans. At one moment during the evening Betty,  another friend took me aside and asked with empathy in her voice, “Doesn’t Marie  own a decent pair of jeans? These look so sloppy.”

Jeans are here to stay. If you are a child or 100 years old. but the fads applied to them might not be something to follow after 60.

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And Never forget – A Smile changes Everything!

Brigitte

 

 

 

 

 

WHAT CAN CLOTHES DO FOR US?

They can make us feel good; they can give us confidence; they can make us look younger; they can make us look slimmer; they can make us look and feel sexy. But to achieve all of this or even just some of it is getting harder and harder. No, not because we are getting older, but because the fashion industry is becoming less and less helpful.

Unless we spend more money or buy a designer label, the quality of clothes on the rack  is dropping further and further – the fabric is cheap, the cut is bad, the construction shotty , seams are uneven and the fit – what is that?  A little too big – a little too tight – not a problem. Unfortunately many  younger customers have never known a well made garment, and therefore, don’t mind if the hem is longer on one side than the other, or very uneven.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went shopping today in Bloomingdale’s Outlet store here on the Westside. Yes I know it is an outlet, but a Bloomingdale one which have a certain reputation. Yet I could not stop thinking that all these clothes I saw  looked like rags – already worn, second-hand. – Here are some images of the racks displaying their ‘latest arrivals.’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It must be a generation gap on my part which makes me more aware of what I have to look out for and what it takes not too to look like I slept in my dress, or that I am wearing a hand-me-down. Here are a few things to watch out for if you still remember how clothes were made way-back-when:

  • The fit
  • The Quality
  • The coordination of colors
  • The condition

With a little extra time, and a little extra money remembering these points will help you avoid the already worn look!

And Never Forget – A Smile Changes Everything!

 

A Personal Shopper Living in Your Wardrobe

There are apps to help us walk, eat, play, shop – and they even talk to us, like Alexa. If you are in doubt about the weather, a place, or whatever else you might like to know, she can help you out. It is a  like a live-in help.

Now she is joined by Amazon’s Echo Look with a Style Check feature. You will never have to be in doubt again what to wear when, and you will be sure to look good – but let me get out-of-the-way – read the article below that appeared in  Town & Country ‘s March issue.

Personally I like the challenge of putting myself together, but then I don’t belong to the millenniums who have jobs and children and very little time for  themselves. This could be their answer to Dress to  Impress!

And Never Forget  – A Smile Changes Everything!

Brigitte

Do You Have Blind Spot?

What is a  blind spot?

It’s  the place on your skull where some of the hair has disappeared and trying to cover it by pushing the rest of the hair over it does not really help – I know!

But there is a solution. L’Oréal has come up with a Root Concealer. It is a spray which is easy to apply and covers our shame…..lasting until the next shampoo. And as you can see it comes in 6 shades – surely one of them matches your Goldie looks.

It is not only called MAGIC it really is – because the wind blowing our hair out-of-place is not a threat anymore.

And Never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!

Brigitte

PS – I could not find it in any drugstore, but  it is available at Target or on-line at Amazon.

 

Getting the most for your buck!

scan0004-2The other day when I was putting on my favorite black pants, and one of the four sweaters I wear all the time, finishing it with a duffel coat I have worn all winter, it occurred to me that I wear these items all the time. Then I asked myself why? The answer was easy – because I feel very comfortable in them – because I look good in them – because they stand up to wear and tear.   They are like old faithful friends, and I can always rely on them to make my day. The reason? I bought the best quality I could afford.

No, it doesn’t mean we have to buy designer clothes, those are for the rich and famous. But it means choosing between a discount store – yes, I know they carry brands too, but often they are the items they could not sell elsewhere, the rejects – and a higher priced department store, like a Neiman Marcus, Lord & Taylor, or a boutique in your neighborhood.

If you have a  budget, and who doesn’t, you will buy less by buying better,  One advantage here is your wardrobe will be less crowded- and the other advantage is that you won’t have to think so long what to wear, because when you buy better, everything looks good on you.

It is an adjustment to pay $89 for a top instead of $29 but the extra $60 will earn their keep so to speak, over and over by making you feel and look good.

We are still in the beginning of the New Year – could that be one of your New Year’s resolutions? Please let me know, or if  you have a question – leave a comment here and  I will be in touch with you.

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And always remember – A Smile Changed Everything!

bn-small-imageBrigitte

 

 

 

    

Lipsticks – Our Best Friends!

beautiful lips painted red lipstick

“I just want to put on some lipstick.”  is something every woman says a thousand times during her life. And while freeing the creamy stick from its tube,  looking in the mirror, and opening her lips slightly she carefully applies the magic that makes her look better and above all makes her feel whole again, because without it she feels incomplete.

I remember my mother-in-law, even at 91 years old, always had a lipstick close by. When she had diner at home or in restaurant a lipstick was right beside her plate. And no sooner had she finished her meal she picked it up and gently applied it to her lips. No, she needed no mirror, and no, she never missed, all was perfectly in place.

From all the items in our make-up kid the lipstick  is the most effective:

  • it makes the face look alive
  • it  makes the face look pretty
  • it adds sex appeal to the face
  • it protects the lips against dryness
  • it brightens up your smile
  • and most of all it makes us feel whole
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Close-up of Nefertiti’s Lips

Today’s women are not the first to enhance their appeal with lipstick. In 1923 the first lipstick in a tube was sold. But as far back as in Ancient Mesopotamia (5000 BC) women decorated their lips with crushed gem stones, and in Egypt Queen Nefertiti (1370 BC)  was always depicted with red lips.

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Queen Nefertiti 1370 BC

 

And ever since women have enhanced their beauty by coloring their lips. And our choices have grown ever since. It is an overwhelming task to find the perfect shade – (the reason we end up with dozens of lipsticks in our drawer). My personal chagrin is that every time I find the perfect color it is soon discontinued. I was told by a cosmetic company executive that women get very excited by new shades and it guarantees a sale.

But with all the options we have, beware of the following missteps when getting a little older:

  • too bright colors – can easily look garish
  • too dark colors – don’t give any life to the face
  • lip-gloss – tends to run into the little lines around the mouth

A statistic showing that when times are bad sales of lipstick go up certainly confirms that a lipstick is the most important item in our paint box.

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And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!

bn-small-imageBrigitte

 

 

 

 

APPEARANCE EQUALS SELF-RESPECT

If you are like me and you like looking at pretty things, including  pretty, well-dressed women this is a little reminder not to forget ourselves. The French have a lovely expression when looking at a beautiful woman –  ‘se rinser l’oil’  – it means ‘to feast your eyes.’

And if you tell me that I am putting too much emphasize on appearance, stop and think a minute – doesn’t the first impression influence us in forming an opinion about a person? Of course this is nothing new.

Here are a quotes going back as far as the eighteenth-century.

‘Dress changes the manner’  – French philosopher Voltaire   voltaire

‘People who can’t get  it together are uninterested in themselves’  – American designer Halston

‘A respectable appearance is sufficient to make people more interested in your soul’ – French Designer Karl Lagerfeld

The clothes we wear send a message about how the world perceives us’ – Tim Gunn from Project Runway (Maybe it was one of your favorite programs?)

Now looking our best does not happen by itself. Not even the models smiling down at us from the pages of magazines get up in the morning looking glamorous. But we all know they have a lot of help before they are photographed for the pages of Vogue. And even women who are not models, and that is most of us, need a little help. And the person to help you, is you.

Take some time to create the picture you want the world to see   —  and wouldn’t it be nice if somebody would feast their eyes on you?

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And never forget- A Smile Changes Everything!

2016-01-27 12.40.02 (5)Brigitte

 

 

 


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Click here to buy on Amazon

 

HOPE IN A JAR

I want to share the following article with you which appeared in the The Times in the UK.

After reading it I checked on Amazon and yes it is available through Amazon and they ship from the UK.  The link is myperfecteyes.co.uk

An eye cream that really works?

A product that really does banish under-eye wrinkles . . . but only for a few hours

Alice Hart-Davis

September 8 2016, 12:01am, The Times

The skin around eyes is thinner than elsewhere in the face and wrinkles easily Michael Leckie for The Times

It is one of the holy grail products for beauty seekers. Along with an invisible lift to hoist drooping eyelids and a magic wand to eradicate extra chins, what we all long for is a miracle in a bottle to get rid of bags and wrinkles under the eyes.

Eyes are such a giveaway of ageing. The skin around them is thinner than elsewhere in the face. It wrinkles easily, sags into bags as we get older and is prone to puffiness.

We are always suckers for new products that promise the earth — or at least, a little bit of real-life photoshopping. Enter the latest “miracle”, My Perfect Eyes, a cream invented in Australia that claims to be able to banish wrinkles in seconds. One that comes with a live video demonstration that has been given the all-clear by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), no less.

Can this sort of thing possibly work? Most women are pretty cynical about “miracle products”, even if the ASA has said that the stuff does what it says on the tin — if only for a short time.

“I’ve seen this kind of product before,” says cosmetic dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting. “Essentially it creates a clingfilm effect, holding in the bulging eye bag. I think this kind of product does work on a temporary basis, which is great, because it’s a tricky area to treat without resorting to invasive procedures.”

I’ve tried other products like this. There’s Eyesential, a thin gel that you sweep under the eye area and which slowly tightens over 15 minutes as it dries. I’ve seen make-up artists get great results with this, but when I tried it, I never got it quite right. It tightened all right, but too much product meant loose skin would be scrunched into nasty folds.

Then there’s Roloxin Lift, a face “masque” that tightens as it dries into a white powder. When you wash off the powder, the skin stays a bit more taut, even when you put on moisturiser and make-up.

The old favourite for under-eye tightening is haemorrhoid cream (benzocaine, the active ingredient, causes the blood vessels to contract, which reduces puffiness), but this can make under-eye skin even drier and therefore prone to more wrinkling.

Most new types of hope-in-a-jar are either improbably cheap (like Aldi’s £7 anti-ageing serum with caviar extract) or eye-wateringly expensive (Dior’s new La Cure anti-ageing serum, £950).

This finds a middle ground. It costs £59.95 on the firm’s own website, is also available on Amazon and TV shopping channels and comes with a shopping list of instructions. It’s not claiming to improve the skin or plump it up in any way, it simply forms an invisible, web-like film under the eye that will compress any bagginess or puffiness and temporarily hide fine lines and wrinkles.

You can’t put anything wet — such as moisturiser, liquid foundation or concealer — on top of it or the web will dissolve. So crying and sweating are clearly off limits, or your fragile web will melt and you’ll be back to normal. It is meant to last for up to ten hours, so don’t apply it too early or there will be a Cinderella-style collapse later in the evening.

Eyes are such a giveaway of ageing

I pull the wand out of the bottle and wipe a pea-sized amount on the back of my hand. I make a firm sweep outwards under my right eye from the inner corner, wiping the tail ends of the residue into the crow’s feet that branch off over my cheeks. And wait.

Over the next 60 seconds, I can feel the stuff tightening as it dries, the strangest sensation as it feels as though the skin is shrinking into itself. It works! A minute later, it has dried into a thin shiny film and my under-eye area looks altogether smoother, the lines and crow’s feet much less evident. It keeps on tightening for the next five minutes, then tingles alarmingly for another five before settling down.

I quickly swipe some under the other eye — a bit too much, as it turns out, as it goes into a slight snakeskin effect. I think I need more practice. I suspect it will work a treat on my husband’s eye bags, although he absolutely refuses to touch the stuff, let alone show the results in the national press.

So. Holy grail? Sort of. Will I use it again? Absolutely. It’s a quick fix that works, and even if it’s only for a few hours, even if it’s just a short-lived self-esteem booster, isn’t that exactly what we all want? myperfecteyes.co.uk

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So when you find out it really is the Holy grail – or not – please, please share your experience on this blog. Or tell us how you feel about using these type of products.

And never forget – A Smile Changes Everything!

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