Fabulous Over Forty – Where Beauty Is Ageless

For New Years Eve I always think of it as an opportunity to wear black with some sparkle and shine and have fun getting dressed up – get out of your comfort zone!     Estée Lauder’s new Blacker Than Black collection is perfect for a smoky eye occasion such as New Year’s Eve.  

This beautiful new Black Smoke eye shadow quad is perfect for creating that sexy, smoky eye.  The colors in this palette are a white soft shimmer (upper left) which I highly suggest NOT using under your eyebrow, but instead at the inside corners of your eye.   The bluish grey shade (upper right)  shows pretty true to color in the photo, and has a slight shimmer to it. On the bottom right is a classic grey shade.   It’s not as blue as it shows in the photo and it is matte. This shade actuality reminds me of a beautiful grey cashmere sweater.  Love the shade!   And on the lower right is a dark charcoal – almost black – but not quite, shade that has a few golden flecks in it.   I love this shade as well.   Probably the only shade in the palette that my skin tone would have trouble with is the upper right, but blended with the classic grey shade it could tone down the blue that doesn’t look good on my skin. 

They’ve also added a deep Blacker Than Black  shade to their mascaras as well.  You certainly don’t want wimpy eye lashes with a smoldering eye.   Take it the deepest black and make your eyes pop.   The Turbo Lash mascara in Turbo Black shade is their vibrating mascara that gets every single lash coated, even the tiniest ones.  Start with that and top it off with one of their volumizing mascaras like Projectionist in Jet Black.  

Just remember, when doing a dark smoky eye, keep your lips and cheeks neutral.   You want to look sexy, not like you stepped out of an 80′s video.

I’m taking advantage of my time off from work this week to see a few movies.   Today I saw “It’s Complicated” and whether you’re married, divorced, both or neither, it’s a great movie to see.

In the beginning, Meryl Streep’s character decides to visit her doctor to discuss her ever sagging eye lids which at times is causing her difficulty in seeing.   When the doctor describes to her what the procedure to correct it involves, she goes running out of the office.   There’s no way she’s having any of it!   For some reason, I have a feeling that was probably a scene that could have taken place in her real life as well.

At 60, Meryl looks simply fabulous!   Without any work being done to her face she’s an actress that looks real. In this movie she shows hesitation and trepidation of her looks, but in the end is very satisfied with herself and her life. 

Maybe if more women in Hollywood followed Meryl’s footsteps and took the no surgery route, we could believe them as actresses and we could enjoy the realism in the expressions of their faces.    Meryl, you are fabulous!

I’m on a book kick lately and although I haven’t checked out this new book from Harper’s Bazaar “Fabulous at Every Age”, it will definitely be on my to-do list while I have some time off from work this week.    I subscribe to Harper’s Bazaar and I like it better than many beauty/fashion magazines.   Why?  Because most of the fashion that is shown is actually wearable.   But the main reason for me, is that it’s for women of every age.    They have this great fashion section called “Fabulous at Every Age” and it shows great looks for each generation from the 20′s up to the 70′s.   How fabulous is that!  If you haven’t checked it out, I highly recommend you do.

A few months back Harper’s Bazaar had a party to honor women that they selected as “Fabulous at Every Age” to coincide with their book release.    Elizabeth Hurley (age 44) along with Glenda Bailey, Editor in Chief of the magazine were there to honor these women for being simply fabulous!

The women chosen were:

• 20′s  – Nicole Otero in the blue skirt
• 30′s – Trinette Faint in yellow dress
• 40′s – Kariza Chan in the red suit
• 50′s – Valerie Duva in the pink skirt
• 60′s – Mary Lou Stockwell in the black and white top

Congratulations to all the women for being “Fabulous”!

Shu Uemura Art of Hair

Shu Uemura’s Art of Hair line of products have wowed me this year!   (I’ll have more to talk about soon)  I fell in love with the Prime Plenish formula of the shampoo and conditioner.   When I ran out I literally was sad and made a mad dash to a local salon that sells it.  It’s more than I’ve ever spent on shampoo and conditioner, but for me it is worth every penny.  

So when I heard about a new addition to their line, Essence Absolue, I just knew it had to be remarkable as well.   It’s an oil, so many with fine, limp hair like mine one would think there was no way I would put an oil in my hair.   Wrong!   A few weeks back my hair was in desperate need of a cut and it was very dry and lifeless (more than usual).   I took a few pumps of this and worked it into my hair, leaving it in my hair all night long.    Expecting my hair to look like a stringy, oily mess in the morning, I was SHOCKED at my hair!   All the oil had soaked in and made my hair feel more thick, shiny and like magic there was bounce and wave back into my hair!   I didn’t need to do a thing to my hair that morning – which is like a miracle in itself!

Now, I wouldn’t recommend doing this treatment like I did very often.  In fact, I would only do that again when my hair is super dry.   But, you can use this “liquid gold” in many ways; put it in your hair for a treatment before you shampoo, use it overnight like I have, when you’re done styling your hair take a small dab and work it into your hair for shine and fly-away manageability.  Essence Absolue is so popular that it’s sold out nearly immediately! 

What’s in this to make it so special?  It’s inspired by the Geisha and her incredible beauty of her shiny hair.  Made with Camellia Oil – it nourishes and protects the hair fiber, provides intense nutrition, protects against the sun’s UV rays, and adds incredible shine.

At $65 it’s probably priced at what I expected after seeing the shampoo & conditioner prices at $50 each.   But, a bottle will last you a long time as this isn’t used every day.   Think of it more like a beauty treatment for your hair – one that can do remarkable things for your hair! 

Check out this video of Demi Moore and Rachel Zoe after Demi’s photo shoot for an upcoming issue of Harper’s Bazaar.  Could you love that tube of mascara any more?!  

You can get your own tube of Lash Queen mascara when you purchase a bottle of All You’ve Ever WANTED fragrance at select Macy’s department stores.    It’s not available anywhere else in the world!   

I know I will now be obsessing about this mascara…