The Beauty Boomer

Hope springs eternal, or, on-line shopping

2011-11-11T11:52:00.001-06:00

Oof, I just went to the post office with a huge box of stuff to send back ... the long black dress that everyone admired as well as a couple of other lovely things. Everything was wonderful, but nothing fit.

There's only one word that comes to mind if you shop on line and when it comes time to try them on, only Eileen Fisher's clothes (famously easy and body-skimming) actually fit.

That word is diet.

So I swore off on-line shopping. But then I followed a link in a blog and discovered these boots

Apepazzo Strasburgo booties in black from Goldyn

which were on sale. And when I went to order, I discover a coupon code for an additional 30 percent off.

So $189 boots for $92.61, free shipping and no tax? Sold!

I just hope my feet haven't gained weight.

Confessions of a Product Whore, or, these Boots are made for shopping

2011-10-24T17:50:00.000-05:00

My love for the combination of my Clarisonic Mia and Cetaphil cleanser continues. It's keeping my skin clean, clear, and soft. My other skin products are making me happy, too.

But no matter how happy I am with my current regimen, I can't resist the lure of new beauty products. This is particularly true when I travel and see stuff I can't find in the States. Which explains the £200 I spent at Boots when I was in England last August.

That's the equivalent of $350. What can I say? Product junkies are like sharks. We must keep moving forward or we die.

So anyway, here's some of the additions I made to my batterie de toilette. Heh. To start off, I got a pot of German Nivea.

I have no idea why German Nivea is supposed to be so much better than the Nivea you get in America, which is made in Mexico. But it has become kind of cult-y. Bloggers and reviewers on Makeup Alley and Amazon are claiming it's as effective as Crème de la Mer, which costs $165/oz. All I know is that my grandmother used Nivea Skin Oil and had beautiful skin, so into the basket it went. And I love it. It's much fluffier than Eucerin, but just as wonderful for soothing super dry skin.

I also bought a bottle of Therapist's Secret Facial Oil, from the Sanctuary Spa line carried at Boots. It's a mixture of many different pure oils: sunflower seed, rosehip, wheat germ, and jojoba seed, with some essential oils of rose and frankincense, which leaves it smelling like midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

It's meant to be used a drop at a time, alone or as a first layer under your regular moisturizer. It's fantastic, especially considering how dry my skin is getting now that the weather is getting chilly.

I also bought a pot of The Secret is Out Lift Lift & Repair Night Cream by Dr. Nick Lowe:

I picked it out because I was pretty sure I couldn't get it in the States. Also, it has Sodium Hyaluronate, Hexapeptide-9, various anti-oxidant fruit ingredients--but no retinols or acids. Because I wanted a nice moisturizing cream that didn't make me peel. More on that later.

Oh, and in my States side wanderings, I picked up a bottle of DHC Mild Touch Cleansing Oil at a local branch of Mitsuwa, a big Japanese grocery store chain.

When I'm wearing RuPaul levels of spackle, I like to double cleanse--one step to dissolve the makeup and another go to get clean. This oil is great at dissolving and rinsing away makeup as a first step before I use the Clarisonic with Cetaphil.

Mindless extravagance or canny shopping? You be the judge in my next post, when I reveal my plans for these products.

What I Wore Today--in poetic form

2011-10-22T18:12:00.000-05:00

The three piece Eileen Fisher outfit I ordered from Neiman Marcus has arrived, been tried on, and worn to three different events: a board meeting, a cocktail party, and a memorial service. If I were tracking cost-per-wear, I'd be pleased.

However, I'll admit that I had to use costume tape to hold the dress in place. The dress fits beautifully, but that Balcony of mine is so crowded that my underpinnings are always threatening to embarrass me. Also, the neckline isn't that low, but somehow, I seem to come equipped with too much cleavage.

At times like this, my BFF is Hollywood Fashion Tape.

This stuff is the velvet rope that controls the crowds on your Balcony.

I wore these shoes with it

from Taryn Rose's new line. You know, the foot doctor who became a shoe designer? Apparently she sold the rights to her name and then turned around and started Haute Fouture. The shoes are rather old lady ... but in a way I like.

These are wonderfully comfortable when you put them on. The leather is soft, the wedge is comfortable, and the elastic straps accommodate my high instep. However, a cocktail party is a cocktail party, and honestly, I think a thoughtful hostess should greet everyone with a nice pair of fluffy slippers. Because after a couple of hours of standing, even these shoes hurt.

Oh, I also carried my vintage Chanel bag with the giant gold interlocking CCs.

Where's the poem, you ask. Well. You know the old rhyme about what a bride should wear on her wedding day? Here's my version:

Something old (last summer's semi-orthopedic Taryn Rose-designed old lady shoes)
Something new (the dress, belt, and sweater)
Something vintage (my bag)

Something glue (Hollywood Fashion Tape)

Some inspiration to start your weekend ... Cindy Joseph's second act

2011-10-21T16:33:00.000-05:00

Cindy Joseph, a pioneering over-50 model, has started a makeup line called Boom. How can a self-respecting Beauty Boomer not want to celebrate that?View the video and enjoy!

Happy weekend, everybody!

Short-waisted in a sea of belts

2011-10-20T09:08:00.001-05:00

Garnet Hill printed cardigan and gray suede obi that would look terrible on me

Ordinarily, I eschew belts. I'm short-waisted, meaning there was a mix-up at the parts factory. I'm 5' 7", and apparently (and I'm not blaming anyone, parents) someone took a torso designed for someone who is 5' 5", and matched it with a pair of 5' 8" legs. I'm not complaining about having long legs, exactly, but being both short-waisted and busty creates quite a wardrobe challenge.

What Not to Wear if you're busty

Short answer? Everything.

OK, seriously, here's what I try to avoid wearing anywhere near my balcony: pleats, ruffles, pockets, shirring, or gathers over the bustline. Huge collars. Decorative appliqued rosettes. Big splashy prints (yes, I love Lilly, but not the blouses.) Anything double-breasted. Those long necklaces that you see all over the place these days. Statement necklaces unless they end at the collarbone.

Basically, everything that's been in style for the past five years.

What Not to Wear if you're short-waisted

Here's what I don't wear because I'm short-waisted: tuck-in tops. Belts. And suspenders, no matter how adorable and Urkel-ish I'd look in them.

But this outfit from Eileen Fisher has a great work-around.

Eileen Fisher sleeveless ponte dress, leather obi belt, and merino wool shawl-collared cardigan from Neiman Marcus

Yes, it has a belt, but it's an obi, meaning there are no belt loops. That means I can place the belt slightly below my actual waistline. And it's much narrower than the gray one from Garnet Hill. Also, in this case, the belt is the same color as the dress. Contrasting colors break you up and make you look shorter and wider. Wearing all one color head-to-toe is the most slimming and lengthening thing you can do. The long laces hang down in the front, adding to the vertical effect. Also, only the center of the belt is showing, because the whole thing is covered by a 3/4 length shawl-collared cardigan.

I'm delighted with this outfit because I took a chance and ordered it on-line, but it works brilliantly, so no trip to the post office, yay!

Also because I went through the entire line of reasoning in the paragraph above, and it turns out I was right, which proves I'm smart.

Also all of the pieces will work with other things in my wardrobe. Except maybe the belt. It might not play well with others.

Hmmm. I'll be keeping an eye on that belt.

Yes, Paola, I remembered the sugar, or, the $#*! I bought yesterday.

2011-10-17T10:05:00.001-05:00

In my report about yesterday's shopping trip to Neiman Marcus, I should really focus on what I didn't buy. Or what I bought that I didn't expect to buy.

I love shopping on line, but a trip to a brick-and-mortar store reminds me that you really have to try things on. Even if you know the designer really well.

Have you ever watched How Do I Look? It's a reality show on the Style network. A woman badly in need of a makeover tries on three sets of clothes picked out by a professional stylist as well as two of her friends. It's cheesey and formulaic, but it can be educational. Watch a few episodes and you'll start believing that you should only try on clothes you hate. The women on the show always seem to fall in love with stuff they despised when they saw it on the hanger.

That's because you can't tell whether a garment will flatter you by looking at a picture. Or by looking at it on a hanger.

Case in point--yesterday I headed straight to the Lafayette 148 section, because I love the line. The clothes are made from gorgeous fabric. They're beautifully made. And best of all, they come in a range of sizes.

I tried on two jackets, and they looked completely different on me. The one I bought

is slimming. The one I didn't buy (which I liked better, but can't find on line) was cobalt blue. I adored the color. It's fashionable again for the first time since 1986. It's all over the place this fall. But the jacket buttoned so high on the chest that it gave me the dreaded Bolster Bosom. I looked like I was trying to smuggle a dachshund through customs.

I picked out this black pencil skirt, too, in the newly-fashionable just-below-the-knee length. Not exciting, but useful. And slimming. And the fabric feels great. (Let's hope that it doesn't make me look like my mother.)

Then I lost my St. John virginity. I've always summarily dismissed St. John. Not only is it crazy expensive, it's way too Old Lady for the youthful likes of me, yo. But the sales associate dragged me over to the St John sales rack and grabbed this black knit jacket with grommet trim, and it looks fantastic on. The picture doesn't do it justice. Really.

(Obviously it's time to make the down payment on my retirement community condo.)

OK, shoes! Zappos has made on-line shoe shopping so easy ... but sometimes, you really need to see and touch the merchandise.

I tried on two pairs of boots. First I tried on a pair of Chanel ankle boots. I didn't really like them. I only tried them on because they were the last pair in the store, the sales associate was pushy, and what the hell, you know? How often do you get to try on a pair of Chanel boots?

I can't find a picture of them anywhere so I can't show them. They were black with a low, chunky heel and some quilting. All that was to the good. But they had one of those Chanelesque capped toes covered in black velvet. It looked ... well, I don't want to harsh on the Chanel capped toe, but velvet? On a boot? Is stupid.

Then I fell madly in love with these Elie Tahari black suede beauties.

And fell down dead when I checked the price and discovered that for boots at NM, they're actually not that expensive.

There's not a website anywhere that does these boots justice. They are far more luxurious and far less ho-bag than you'd think. The suede is so soft. They're actually comfortable (for a pair of stilts.) The snakeskin trim is subtle, and the other side of the shaft features tiny laser cutouts.

I know. Super high heel, perishable suede--with holes in it! Perfect for winter in Chicago.

If I'd bought these boots, I'd have worn them on maybe half a dozen occasions. When Chicago promised neither to rain nor snow, and the rest of my outfit was worthy.

Impractical? No occasion to wear them? I didn't care. I was going to buy them.

But then I tried them on and discovered that I couldn't get them zipped over my calves. But I'm consoling myself that at least I didn't buy them on line, only to have to ship them back.

Whew! The only thing more tiring than trying on clothes is blogging about the process. But let me, your invisible internet friend, beg you not to desert brick and mortar stores. Let's hear it for brick and mortar! And pushy saleswomen who trap you in a dressing room and bring in stuff you wouldn't ordinarily try on, i.e., every single thing I bought yesterday.

More $#*! to buy

2011-10-16T13:48:00.000-05:00

My husband just asked me whether I was planning to go out this afternoon. Apparently we're out of sugar.

I had plans to sit around in my pajamas reading blogs, but that tipped the scales. Because I have a $100 Neiman Marcus gift card that expires today. And the Chanel Holiday line is calling me. And I'm powerless in the face of super-expensive makeup that turns out to be free.

This one's for blackbird, or, $#*! I bought

2011-10-15T12:11:00.001-05:00

Blackbird asked me why I had such fabulous accessories and so little in the way of interesting (read: expensive) clothing.

The answer is simple. It's just no fun to shop when you're feeling fat. Not to mention that the truly fashion-y fashionable clothes only go up to a size 10.

But then I thought, why am I punishing myself for being fat? I mean, yes, it's easier to amortize the cost of a great bag, and yes, you can dress up a little black dress with fantastic jewelry ... but don't I deserve a new little black dress once in a while? And while I'm at it, a really nice one?

And I already know I have a black-tie New Year's party to go to. So I bought this. It's the right cut for an hourglass figure. It won't require anything tricky (read: strapless) in the way of undergarments. And it has sleeves.

All I can say is I hope bird is satisfied.

Let's hope it fits!

What I did during summer vacation, or, eBay, Part 1: Chanel

2011-09-01T11:52:00.001-05:00

The kids are finally back in school! And LPC has just reminded me that I haven't blogged in a while. I've been doing a lot of shopping, and I've been up to my earlobes in fashion magazines, because on the way home from England, I loaded up on English magazines and read all the way across the Atlantic. But I have a lot of half-baked thoughts to work through before I can post anything coherent.

So I'm going to do what I did while blackbird was visiting this past weekend. I'm going to play show and tell. Today it's Chanel.

Chanel black distressed calf reissue bag with Mademoiselle clasp and bijoux chain hardware

Mr. Buxom bought me this bag for my birthday last year, and it initiated a wave of Chanel lust that has yet to subside. I've had a membership at The Purse Forum for years, but after I got my first Chanel, I really started paying attention. Then, I felt bold enough to start shopping for Chanel bags on eBay.

The next thing you know, my new-to-me-bags are holding a family reunion on my front porch.

Back row: Black caviar Medallion tote; Jumbo black lambskin flap

Middle row: Satin crocodile quilted evening back; caviar camera bag

Front: Pink caviar leather wallet-on-a-chain

The thing about eBaying is that results can be mixed. Even if you know you like something and you're feeling triumphant because you've pwned the other bidders, sometimes you don't like the thing that much when it arrives. This is the case with the Medallion tote pictured above. It's nice; it's in great shape; the seller was extremely professional. But I haven't carried it yet.

But the rest? I love.

Chanel Jumbo black lambskin single-flap with gold hardware, circa 1994

This is one of my two favorites. It dates to about 1994. Way back in 1994, I would've thought the giant interlocking C's were terribly vulgar. Showy. Far, far too logo-y. Now I don't. I can't tell whether accessories have gotten so crazily logo-rific that this bag seems comparatively understated ... or that I've blunted my senses by carrying around a Coach grafitti-print tote that says POPPY all over it. Probably both.

Chanel black satin reissue double-flap evening bag with gold bijoux chain, circa 2006

This bag is my other favorite. It's black satin that is quilted in a crocodile pattern. Perfect for going out at night, when High WASPs still insist on carrying something other than a leather bag. Your bag can be satin or beaded or petit point or a Judith Leiber minaudière but not leather. Gold or silver leather is probably OK. And you might be able to get away with an exotic skin. Look, I don't make the rules, OK? I just promulgate them.

Pink caviar WOC with gold hardware, circa 2003

If you travel or need to have your hands free, these wallets-on-a-chain are incredibly useful. You can wear these messenger style, across your body, or double the chain and wear it over your shoulder. You can tuck the chains inside and carry it as a clutch, or (gasp!) actually use it as a wallet. It has six slots for credit cards, several different zipped pockets, and room for a passport. If you've ever had your purse stolen, or had to spend lots of time in a police station in a foreign country, or had to go to the American Embassy to get an emergency passport, you'll know how good it feels to have your cash, credit cards, ID and passport right next to your body, held in place with a metal chain, in case a thief thinks about snipping through your purse strings. Not that I'm psychologically scarred or anything.

This bag isn't long enough to wear cross-body, but it's that durable caviar leather with lots of little pockets--including an outside slip pocket for my phone. It's so cute! And retro! But where and when to wear it?

Chanel black caviar camera bag with gold hardware, circa 1995

"With jeans," said bird.

Of course.

Blackbird wanted to know what I was wearing during my trip to England

2011-08-14T17:55:00.000-05:00

After singing seven services in as many days? Mostly choir robes.

And a tired smile.

Buxoms 1; Looters 0

2011-08-14T02:32:00.000-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know that we're fine. We traveled to Canterbury last Monday and have been busy with rehearsals, services, and short day trips every since.

Also, I've been chaperoning an extra teenager in addition to my own kids. It's obviously a question of the blind leading the blind, but there you are.

Naturally, I've done some shopping--my motto is, after all, Dum spiro, shoppo. But a lot of it has been in gift shops or places like TopShop for my daughter. Not for myself. Damn it.

I've got my eye on a Boots, though, and as God is my witness, I'll be there today.

Trip report: England; Day 3; Westminster Abbey and the London Eye

2011-08-07T17:57:00.002-05:00

Again, I'll just say what I wore and what we did, although I have no pictures, because I have to use my husband's laptop. There will be photographic evidence aplenty after I arrive in Canterbury tomorrow.

I wore

white Banana Republic scoop neck t-shirt with satin trim at the neckline
periwinkle blue BR boyfriend cardigan
Not Your Daughter's Jeans, medium rinse, bootcut
black Chanel Cambon flats
black Chanel Cambon wallet-on-a-chain
travel guides, umbrella, bottles of water, etc., in the Coach Poppy tote
black Nordstrom rain anorak

This worked out perfectly for a day of walking. And I'm so very glad I brought the umbrella!

We got started bright and early to make the morning Eucharist at Westminster Abbey. Luckily for us we made good time, because we had to change routes due to the rioting that took place in North London yesterday.

Our new route took us further west, so we drove by Hyde Park, Chelsea, and Sloane Square. The sight of all the shops didn't evoke moans of longing from me. But it was a close thing.

I felt a little underdressed for church ... until I saw the rest of the congregation.

Westminster Abbey

I'm hardly an expert on English cathedrals, having been inside a total of five, plus one in Wales ... but frankly, Westminster Abbey benefits greatly from the masses of history in which it is steeped. Because parts of it look like an English cathedral (with a soaring nave and a positively exquisite ceiling) that has become an antique store specializing in Victorian statues. There is a lot of pompous marble around, and it's trying very hard to be poignant.

But then you start reading the plaques and seriously, it's a name-drop-athon of notables. And that's not to mention various Coronations and the very recent Royal Wedding.

After church, we went across the street to the Methodist Great Hall to use the restrooms in their basement, and yes, I am aware that worshipping in one church only to run into the competition to use their bathrooms looks tacky.

We made up for it by eating lunch in their cafe. It was pretty good--and cheap! The Methodists have gone in one day, from being my liturgical first cousins once removed to my favorite branch of Protestantism. Way to go, Methodists!

The London Eye

Then we walked by Parliament and Big Ben and over Westminster Bridge. It started mizzling, but we forged on. I come from New England, and we like to think we're even hardier than people from Old England. What's a little rain? Pffft!

Of course, then it poured.

We decided to abandon our original plan of heading to Camden Locks Market and hunker down in the vicinity. We also decided that with the rain and clouds and whatnot, the lines for the Eye would be shorter than usual, because the visibility would be so bad that the entire experience would be kind of lame.

As you will shortly see, we were absolutely right.

Here's the deal with the London Eye; it's only impressive if you live somewhere with no skyscrapers. Unfortunately, I live in the epicenter of skyscraperdom. The Sears Tower and the John Hancock building are both taller than the Eye and afford more dramatic views. I can also state that the Empire State Building, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Montmartre, Coit Tower in San Francisco, and the outdoor restaurant at the Forum Hotel in Rome have better views than you'll get from the London Eye.

Especially if, like the Buxom party, you have just climbed to the top of St. Paul's Cathedral. If you've done that, you've already seen the view. So don't fall for the Yelp reviews and don't listen to your teenagers; skip it. It's lame. And overpriced.

The London Film Museum

When we got off the Eye, it was raining again, so for me to decide which of the tourist attractions in the immediate vicinity was the most compelling was the work of an instant. The London Film Museum won because the Museum of the Moving Image closed before I got a chance to see it; I'm a film geek; I had teenagers with me, and it was still raining.

It's actually a fun museum in a large, rambling, repurposed space. They have props, costumes, clips, scripts, and hands-on attractions. Also a few places to sit. And completely ridiculous photo ops. Which you'll see soon enough.

And then we walked the long walk in now sunny London to head back to the hotel for dinner. My feet appreciated the change out of the Prada loafers but would really like a nice long soak in the hotel sink.

Verdict: my outfit, while a bit casual for Sunday morning services, was perfect for splashing through puddles, gawking at monuments, judging Victorian tomb sculptures, feeling a new empathy for the Parisians who thought the Eiffel tower was a blot on the landscape, posing for pictures with R2D2, and warming up to Methodism.

Trip report: England; Day 2; The Tower of London and St. Paul's Cathedral

2011-08-06T18:04:00.000-05:00

OK, let me get this out and then I promise I won't whine much more: what is with hotels that don't offer wireless internet? I don't even care that much if they charge a little something for it. I think charging for wireless internet is ridiculous, too, but not as ridiculous as charging 20 pounds a day for high speed internet access via ethernet cable. Come on, Marriott--get with the program!

I have to use my husband's work laptop to type this, and it's balky and uncomfortable. And I can't get pictures.

Instead, I'll tell you what I wore, and what we did.

I wore

pink Eileen Fisher 3/4 sleeve cotton t-shirt

J. Crew City Fit Cafe Capris

tan Prada driving mocs

black 3/4 sleeve Nordstrom rain anorak

under the rain anorak, my Chanel wallet-on-a-chain

I also carried my idiotic Coach Poppy tote for things like bottled water, my umbrella, sunglasses, the guidebook I broke down and bought, etc.

What I Did

Our first stop for the day was the Tower of London. Can I just say how ... weird ... it is that I've only been to London once before, and this choir trip's itinerary is duplicating so much of what we did 20 years ago? Luckily a few things were different or I'd start to feel ossified. The crown jewels are displayed differently; the Tower is more Disney-fied (every attraction exits into a gift shop) and this time, we have teenagers with us. So that was interesting enough, I guess, and it was a lovely morning--sunny, but mild. Good weather for exploring.

We ate lunch at a sort of outdoor food court area in a newly-developed area just west of the Tower (for newly-developed read "after 1991".) There were lots of tourists of different stamps, and the food selections were OK; the teenagers could chow down on hot dogs with fries, but I could go to Paul and get a ham baguette and a bottle of Badoit.

(I love Badoit SO MUCH but they don't sell it in Chicago. I bought three bottles.)

After lunch we went to St. Paul's Cathedral. I was ready to give it a quick walk through and bail, but the teenagers insisted on really exploring. So we walked up the 200-plus steps to the whispering gallery and another two-hundred steps through some very steam-punk looking metal stairways to the dome. There we had great views of the London Eye, and the London Eye had great views of us.

Afterwards we hit a bookstore for a little browsing (and the purchase of a much-needed guide book) and then the teenagers insisted on going back to the cathedral for evensong. The choir sang a setting of O Nata Lux that our choir has sung, and the teenagers just loved hearing it.

Sitting in St. Paul's--site of the previous Royal Wedding (Charles' and Camilla's doesn't count) listening to gorgeous music and watching the sky darken through the clear glass windows while the setting sun illuminates the gold in the mosaics? Is well worth the blisters those Prada driving shoes gave me.

Trip report: England; Day 1

2011-08-05T17:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the good travel wishes! We arrived safely in London and have already toured our first historical site. More about Hatfield House when I've managed to email my cell phone pictures to myself.

What I really wanted to report on was the success of my travel outfit. I had a brainstorm when I was packing when I realized that some of the clothes I was bringing to wear as a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral would also be great to wear on the plane and during our first stately home visit.

No one would play along and take a picture of me, but my husband and daughter both complimented me on what I was wearing. My daughter said I didn't look like I was going to be traveling, which given the state of modern travel, is high praise.

Inspired by MaiTai's recent posts on visiting New York, this is what I was wearing:

a gray Banana Republic crew-neck t-shirt with silk trim banded at the neckline
in case I spilled something on myself on the plane

black Eileen Fisher pants
with their elastic waist and knit fabric, they're almost as comfortable as sweats--perfect for sleeping on the plane

thin black cashmere Leila Rose cardigan
in case the plane was chilly. And it was.

black Chanel Cambon ballet slippers
as comfortable as slippers and just a little dressy, with the patent leather CCs

black Chanel Cambon wallet-on-a-chain
I bought this last spring for this trip because a WOC is so perfect for travel. I could carry my money, passport, boarding pass, pen, lipgloss, gum, and a comb and know that my pocket won't be picked and I won't lose anything. It might be a little matchy-matchy with the shoes, but hey, I'll risk being too pulled together any day.

black and white Hermes Bolduc silk jersey scarf, folded on the bias and double knotted off to the side
This was to add a little pattern and texture to a very plain outfit. And a scarf can help keep you warm (although I had to take it off during our tour of Hatfield House, where, due to the fact that I had nowhere else to put it, I knotted it onto the handle of my WOC. How very Babe Paley of me.)

I only managed to sleep for a little while on the plane, and so,

as dear Samuel Pepys would put it,

to bed.

Packing, packing, packing.

2011-08-02T09:35:00.002-05:00

People, I know. I start blogging again with a bang, then ... radio silence.

The thing is, between the house being painted, the basement being flooded, and my entire family heading to England on Thursday, it's been busybusybusy around here.

See, we're not just going to England to visit the Tower of London to drool over the Royal Jewels. Although that's definitely in the itinerary.

Will you get a load of this? And this is the stuff that isn't locked up for tourists to gawk at.

We're also going to be spending the week in Canterbury, being a visiting choir at the cathedral. And the preparations are dizzying.

First of all, we had to watch Becket.

Richard Burton is OK, but Peter O'Toole leaves him sitting in the road.

Because it would be remiss to visit Canterbury and not understand why the characters in the Tales were journeying to the cathedral in the first place.

Also, I'm very busy trying to plump up my family's flat American vowels so the tourists who hear us sing won't realize we're from Chicago.

Not that we won't sound good, but if I were a tourist at Canterbury Cathedral, I'd be a bit disappointed that the extremely professional-sounding choir (complete with angelic, soaring trebles) was actually American. I feel it only polite to disguise my Colonial origins. At least, while I'm singing.

The other thing keeping me busy is making sure we're all stocked with sufficient choir clothes. It is not, unfortunately, enough that we'll be wearing floor-length choir robes topped with knee-length surplices. We also have a dress code to adhere to as cathedral musicians: black skirts or pants topped with white blouses or shirts. Closed-toe black shoes. Neutral, white, or black hose. Or--thankfully--no hose.

Having done this before, I've managed to accumulate a significant stock of black pants (God bless Eileen Fisher)

sensible black closed-toe shoes,

Chanel Cambon ballerina flats--way too logo-y, but INCREDIBLY comfortable


Haute Footure wedges by the very clever Taryn Rose

and a nice collection of blouses.

Lafayette 148 is a favorite for these.

Dear Fashion Gods: Enough with the ruffles. Those of us with a lot on our balconies would appreciate it. Thanks! Love, Poppy

The gem of my blouse collection is one by Samuel Dong that I swear is made of the earth's supply of petroleum by-products. If I spill spaghetti sauce on it, I could probably clean it off with Windex. Which makes it perfect for travel.

Let us not forget a stylish pair of wellies, should the weather prove inclement.

Getting the children properly kitted out has been A Mad Scramble, let me tell you. Young Master Buxom is 16, and in the two years since we last went to England (and tried to trick American tourists into believing we were an English choir) he's gone from wearing a boy's size 20 shirt to a 15/33. Which makes for a lot of shopping.

And of course, there's the girl. Who is wont to declare that everything she once liked is now Woefully Out Of Style.

So while I get ready, do me a favor and come up with suggestions of fun, frivolous things to shop for in London. I plan to visit Boots and Top Shop. What about Mango? And are there any fabulous products for aging English complexions that I need to buy and bring back to the States? Any products that are imported to the U.K. but don't make it to the States?

My iPhone wrote this post

2011-07-30T19:31:00.003-05:00

I like to think that my particular blogging forte is Deep Thoughts on Shallow Subjects, but I'm a little short on fashion and style thoughts these days. (This will no doubt please the two or three ~~weirdos~~ readers who would rather hear about my life.) Therefore, the following is a version of My Life in Pictures. With commentary. And a minimum of whining.

A few weeks ago, Mr. Buxom and I drove out to Hancock, New York, to watch our kids in a production of Les Miserables.

Here they are being peasants. Miss Buxom's cheeks are extremely red, partly because of the lavish way I applied Chanel's Rouge (from the Fall 2011 Byzantine collection.) But also because she was coming down with walking pneumonia.

After two days of driving from New York, we were greeted by the news that our house, which had been full of painters for five days, was going to be full of painters for Quite a While Longer. The painting, it took much time. The patching, it went on for many days. Only to be followed by the sanding, and the depositing of lavish amounts of plaster dust.

Please notice the lovely soft celadon/light avocado green in my dining room. Also note the Chinoiserie curtains. (Honestly, someone with such Old Lady taste in interior decorating should shut her pie hole about fashion, don't you agree?)

See the trim over the sideboard? It used to be two asymmetrical white rectangles. I asked the painter to make it one big rectangle. Now I can hang art. Or a mirror. Or sconces! Maybe all three! What joy.

Wow, I really need to polish those candlesticks. And put everything back where it belongs.

Study in chocolate

Mr. Buxom's study used to have navy blue wallpaper with a pattern of stars. Now it's painted chocolate brown. I hope bird approves, as Mr. Buxom's study doubles as bird's guest quarters. Please note the dramatic effect of the super dark walls only partially illuminated by the afternoon sun. That, my friends, is Style.

OK, now we're up to a week ago.

On our way to take Miss Buxom to the doctor to hear the bad news about the walking pneumonia (which I've decided to call La Pneumonie Marchante out of free-floating Francophilia, and because she contracted it while she was being a French Peasant, and also because the French pronounce the "P" in "Pneumonie," which amuses me to no end) we discovered that the previous evening's torrential rain storms had caused flooding in my basement. And some destruction of drywall and such.

So. Disease, dust, disaster, distruction ... somehow I'm not doing a lot of shopping.

Thank goodness I'm still in deep, deep love with the bag I bought last April.

I've also fallen down on the grooming front.

Faux Fuschia, please note that it's not chipped, per se. But it's still revolting.

Ooh-la-la! Those nails are misérables! I desperately need a new Shellac manicure. I've put off my re-Shellacing due to zee Puh-nee-mo-nie, the painting, and the flooding, but I'll be dealing with it very, very soon.

Because? On Wednesday, we're flying to London.

p.s. The house is still at sixes and sevens, but Miss Buxom is just fine.

L'Oreal's Double Extend with Lash Boosting Serum works! And it won't make you blind.

2011-07-27T00:01:00.001-05:00

Jan Marini's late, lamented, and very naughty lash growth serum

Like a lot of other idiots, when Jan Marini came out with her original Age Intervention eyelash growing serum, I bought a tube of the stuff. Even though it cost--wait for it--$160. The shame! It burns.

There was some science blather that didn't really interest me about how it worked--I knew it started as glaucoma medication, contained prostaglandin, and worked by arresting the eyelashes' growth/shedding cycle. The main thing was that it worked.

But then my gorgeous friend Liz saw an article saying that using this miracle lash growing potion was a really bad idea. It mentioned scary things like iris color change and blindness and whatnot. And Jan Marini recalled the product. So I stopped using it, and my eyelashes devolved to their original wispy, pathetic state.

Then, the other day, I spotted L'Oreal's Double Extend mascara. I've been using L'Oreal's Double Extend mascaras for years, so I was intrigued. Because this formula included lash boosting serum.

You're familiar with these two-ended mascaras, right? One end is color, and the other is usually primer. To the eyelash-challenged, these formulas are a godsend, and well worth taking a little extra time to apply.

L'Oreal's Double Extend (with lash boosting serum!) works just like the usual two-step mascara. I curl my lashes, apply one coat of primer (with lash boosting serum!) and then top with the color coat. As with other two-step mascaras, I find I have to apply the color coat very lightly to prevent clumping.

The result? Long, dark, thick lashes that don't smear, flake, or give me morning-after raccoon eyes.

And I swear my lashes are looking longer. And I've only been using it once or twice a week. What with summer road trips, the house being full of painters, and Chicago being struck by heavy rains followed by flooding in my basement, I just haven't really been in the mood to slap on a lot of spackle.

At any rate, two enthusiastic thumbs up for L'Oreal's Double Extend (with lash boosting serum!) It works as well as their usual mascaras, and it seems to be doing something to beef up my feeble fringe.

The Clarisonic Mia and Cetaphil: a match made in heaven

2011-07-26T00:30:00.001-05:00

A few months ago, I volunteered to test-drive the Clarisonic Mia for a BlogHer Style post. I'd heard a lot of great things about the Mia, and I figured this would be a great excuse to buy one and see whether it lived up to the hype. But BlogHer didn't want me to review just the Mia, because reviewing a single item would seem like an endorsement. Instead, they wanted me to review three different face brushes, and talk about their pros and cons.

That killed the idea for me. I like to shop, but buying three spinning face brushes is excessive, even for me. But I bought a Mia, anyway, figuring I could review it here.

Let me start by saying that I've used a Sonicare toothbrush for years, and the technology of the Mia is very similar. The bristles move, but the secret is the sound waves. These things basically hum the dirt off.

Having used a Sonicare, I predicted that

initially the Mia's noise would bother me;
I would get used to the noise very quickly, and
rapidly reach the point where if I didn't use the Mia, my face wouldn't feel clean.

I'm happy to say that all of my predictions came true.

The first time I used the Mia, I was bothered by the buzzing sensation that I felt when I did the sides of my nose and the area over my sinuses. I can only describe the sensation as WHOA that feels weird. But by the third time I used the Mia, I was used to it.

When I rinsed, I definitely felt cleaner, but my skin wasn't stripped. After a few days, my skin started to look rosier and had a healthier glow.

With that little extra bit of exfoliation, my various moisturizers seemed to sink in faster, and my vitamin C serum felt ... extra tart. My makeup applied better, too.

I have fine, dry, freckly, burns-but-doesn't-tan skin, so the size of my pores hasn't really been an issue. Still, I was delighted to notice that after about a month of using the Clarisonic, my pores had dropped a dress size.

The best part? A few milia that had been troubling me completely cleared up. Within six weeks of starting to use the Mia, they were all gone.

One thing I wasn't crazy about was the cleanser that came with it. The Mia came with a sample-sized tube of a Clarisonic cleanser with green tea extract. It certainly left my skin feeling clean.

But after about a week, I noticed a slightly crinklier appearance to the skin under my eyes. It reminded me of my mother's face, and not in a good way. Since I was running out of the little sample-sized tube, I thought I'd try something milder.

Now, Cetaphil is about the mildest cleanser around. It's one of those legendary products whose popularity mystifies me. It's always getting recommended by famous dermatologists and Paula Begoun, the Cosmetics Cop. Cetaphil makes the Top Beauty Products lists in InStyle and Allure. It's inexpensive, widely available, unscented, and inoffensive.

I was OK with Cetaphil's bland, boring, goody-goody image, but I never felt that it got my face clean. It's so mild that it feels like I'm rubbing hand lotion or ladies' shaving cream on my face.

But I figured the cleansing power of the Cetaphil would be increased by the high tech whizziness of the Sonicare Mia. And I was right! While Cetaphil alone leaves me feeling vaguely coated (not quite slimed a la Ghostbusters, but something akin to it) the combination of very gentle Cetaphil and a high-tech Clarisonic is complexion perfection. I get clean but my skin feels soft and moisturized.

Also, on days when I'm wearing a lot of spackle, I double cleanse. Not by using a fancy Japanese oil like the cool kids, but by using Cetaphil twice. I massage in some Cetaphil, then tissue it off. Then I use more Cetaphil, this time with the Mia.

Double cleansing with only one product? And a cheap one, at that? #Winning!

OK, why am I bringing this up now, when the Mia has been around forever?

Two reasons. First of all, do not expect the trendiest of the trendy from me, for I am now and have always been the last by whom the new is tried.

Second, you have the opportunity to score a Mia for a pretty good price right now. There are some really cute colors available at the Nordstrom Anniversary sale--coral! Fuschia! Zebra print!

The Nordstrom models cost $149, but come with two brush heads, and since a replacement brush retails for $25, this is a pretty good deal.

And since Nordstrom is offering the latest and greatest in cute Mia designs, other retailers are offering the older colors for a better price. Check Amazon and you'll see Mias being offered by several retailers. You can also get replacement brush heads there.

(BTW, Ulta is offering their 20 percent off everything in the store. Watch your mailboxes for the coupon. I don't know whether this will work for a Mia, but at least it will work for the Cetaphil.)

What does "tinted moisturizer" mean to you?

2011-07-22T23:41:00.000-05:00

I realize that all I seem to do these days is whine, but bear with me.

I've been on the road a lot lately, having driven with Mr. Buxom to a very remote part of New York to watch our kids perform in a production of Les Miserables.

(Idiotic aside: I'm sure the reaction to seeing your 14-year-old dressed as a whore for the Lovely Ladies number isn't supposed to be "OMG she's adorable!")

Eventually we'll be home, and the painters will leave, and I'll be through with Phase 1 of the South Beach Diet, and I'll cheer up.

Meanwhile, everything makes me cranky.

Like Estee Lauder. There was a time when I wrote Estee Lauder off as a cosmetics company for Old Ladies. But then they came out with Idealist. And Resilience Lift moisturizer. And DayWear tinted moisturizer. And I unbent and bought them. And they were good.

But. These excellent skincare products are no longer available in their original state. Idealist has been new-and-improved until it's unrecognizable. The same thing goes for Resilience Lift, once my absolutely favorite daytime moisturizer.

And now Estee Lauder has reformulated my beloved DayWear tinted moisturizer. Which is maddening, because in the last three years, I've probably gone through three tubes of the stuff.

The original came in different shades, was light, moisturizing, and so sheer that color matching wasn't an issue.

The replacement is this stuff with encapsulated bronzing beads in it. It's a very pale cream, but when you rub it on your face, the bronzing beads burst and add a tint. Which makes me look like an Oompah Loompah.

I've been searching for a replacement. So far I've popped for the famous Laura Mercier product, which isn't moisturizing enough for my middle-aged skin. The shade I was "color-matched" for is kind of off.

I also tried the Chanel Hydramax version. It smells pleasant and seems OK, but again, the color is slightly off.

Why is this so difficult? I always thought that tinted moisturizers were moisturizers with just a hint of tint. Like, say, what would happen if you took your SPF moisturizer and mixed in a little foundation. Which would keep the titanium dioxide from making you look super pale, and provide a little coverage to even your complexion. How do I know this? Believe it or not, back in the olden days, I used to do this myself. I know, I know--it's the makeup equivalent of baking my own bread. But it worked because the foundation I started with was already a good match for my skin.

To my way of thinking, the tint in a tinted moisturizer isn't supposed to be a bronzer. And when you use a tinted moisturizer, you shouldn't have to worry about a demarcation line at the jaw. The tint should be so small a proportion of the product that you shouldn't be able to see where it leaves off and your neck begins.

The stuff I keep buying seems suspiciously like foundation. OK, it's not What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? full-coverage spackle. But it's not really tinted moisturizer.

Am I completely off base?

And does anyone have any product recommendations?

For want of a nail

2011-07-18T19:00:00.047-05:00

Right around the time we start thinking about wearing sandals in Chicago, I managed to drop a toolbox on my left foot, and gave myself an owie on my big toe.

The results were just as unattractive as you'd think. I had quite a bit of bruising, and I broke my big toenail. It looked ghastly. It's better now, but I'm off pedicures and sandals and all that wonderful summer stuff until it's grown out. Toenails grow really slowly, and I'm expecting to make it all the way through the summer without wearing sandals. At least, when I'm trying to look good.

It hardly seems fair. Here I am, not even half way through my fifties, and I've discovered another body part that, out of consideration for my fellow man, really should be covered up.

I mean, it's not like I was looking for work as a foot model, but my feet were OK. People didn't point and stare. But now my toes have joined my upper arms, thighs, buttocks, etc., etc., as body parts that must remain hidden, if only out of politeness.

And I've discovered something. What they always say is true; your shoes really do determine your outfit.

I went through my summer shoes and discovered that they're pretty much all open-toed. I have some pumps and slingbacks that would work for summer, but I didn't have anything that would work with casual pants.

I started shopping. I looked for ballerina slippers, because that was the one closed-toe shoe I could think of that wouldn't be hot or heavy looking. I got some subtle, non-logo-centric Tory Burch ones

and some loud, logo-rific Chanel ones

and these Prada driving shoes, but in beige.

But when I got my new loot home, I realized I didn't have anything to wear with them. My new flats looked completely stupid with every single pair of pants I own (except--maybe--the bronze woven Tory Burch ones with my cargo pants rolled up.) The rest were all too long and too wide for flat shoes.

So I bought some skinny jeans. I know. Skinny jeans and Poppy shouldn't appear in the same sentence. But you can't wear ballerina flats with bootcuts. Your pants can be cropped, straight, or skinny, but not flared.

I also bought a pair of J. Crew Minnie cropped pants. They're OK. (Actually, they're J. Crew's most popular style. But on me, they're just OK.)

So here I am, with three pairs of shoes, two pairs of pants, and nothing to wear.

Stupid toenail! Grow! So I can wear my sandals.

Overheard in the dressing room at Banana Republic

2011-07-17T09:59:00.001-05:00

Ball park hot dogs, here I come!

It's genius. I may never have to sweep the floor again!

Do these pants make my feet look big?

Would you look at that? I have hips!

OK, those people who tell you that you can combine anything,
as long as you look really happy and confident? Clearly wrong.

Poppy gets campy.

2011-07-15T21:22:00.001-05:00

Mr. Buxom and I are on our way to Hancock, New York to watch our kids in their end-of-session performances at French Woods Festival of the Arts. (I'm linking to them because if your kids are performers or are interested in the arts, it's an amazing camp. They have musical theater, drama, dance, circus, orchestra, jazz, rock, DJ'ing, filmmaking, you name it.)

And let's get real. Overnight camp--with both kids at once? Not too shabby. I mean, they could be making me those ashtrays out of little tiles that my generation was making back in the 60s and I'd be all "Kids, these are the greatest ashtrays in the history of EVER." And I don't even smoke. But when your kids have been gone for six weeks, you can be patient and supportive and loving like that.

Obligatory fashion post: I look like dog vomit today. I mean, we're driving from Chicago to the Catskills so my primary concerns are practicality and comfort. But why did I wear a brand-new white t-shirt when I was obviously going to hit a bump in the road and splash McDonald's coffee all over my balcony? (It happens every time we're on a long road trip. Honestly, I should keep a lobster bib in the glove box.)

Ugh! And to the coffee-spattered t-shirt imagine, if you will, an ancient pair of cargo pants rolled up above the ankles and a pair of embroidered grosgrain flip flops with martinis all over them. What a knock-out ensemble.

Luckily for me I'm a blogger, not a celebrity, or the Fug gals would never let me hear the last of it.

And hey, people who tell you that you can totally upgrade your outfit with great accessories are full of it. I was wearing two AWESOME Hermes bangles, and I was carrying a fabulous Chanel bag, yet when I passed my fellow travelers in the rest stops on Route 80 in Ohio, they invariably averted their eyes.

The lesson? Even a Chanel bag is powerless in the face of a pair of baggy cargo pants.

BTW, the lippie is Chanel's Rouge Double Intensité in Rose Morganite. It's from the Fall, 2011 collection. The good news is it's not a limited edition and will be added to their permanent line. It's a lovely slightly browned pink in a double-ended wand. You apply the color and let set for a minute, then top with the gloss. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up--it's lovely and lasted through a delicious Indian dinner and lots of New York State Riesling.

Have a great weekend! (And try not to spill coffee on your balcony.)

Poppy Print Marimekko Converse Chucks

2011-07-14T00:56:00.004-05:00

You know what? I don't care if they are too young for me.

I'm getting a pair.

They're my namesake! Sort of. And after all, if they make me feel too mutton-dressed-as-lamb, I can hand them down to my daughter.

See them--and other Marimekko designs for Fall, 2011--at the Converse website.

Poppy orders J. Crew Platinum Tweed Jacket, Goes Postal

2011-07-13T12:07:00.002-05:00

I went to the J. Crew site the other day, inspired by a Une Femme's post about their leopard print silk/cashmere scarf. I ended up ordering the scarf and five more pieces. More about them later. Right now, it's all about

The Platinum Tweed Jacket

J. Crew Platinum Tweed Jacket $475

Verdict? Fail.

My first issue was with the fit. See how the jacket has so much open space at the front? This looks adorable on a waifish model. But there was a huge gap. OK, the largest size available was a 12, which I am not. But strangely enough, the jacket fit perfectly in the shoulders and across the back. Also, the jacket has a hidden front hook, so it really should meet at the center. Once more, I come to the reluctant conclusion that what looks adorable on a waif looks Too Small on the jumbo economy size.

Also, in case you're coveting this jacket and are deterred by the fact it's expensive and/or currently only available in a size 10? Be of good cheer. When I took it out of the packaging, there were a couple of long gold threads hanging off the beaded trim. Fall out from glittery eye shadow I can understand, but fall out from a brand-new, unworn piece of clothing is unacceptable.

Also, this amount of fluffy, eye-catching, bulk-increasing trim

is a really bad idea when you have a lot on your balcony. What was I thinking?

For me, to box this jacket up and bring it to the P.O. was the work of an instant.

As for the rest of the story, it's sort of depressing. Of the other items I ordered, the only one that fits is a pair of cropped khakis. Which, hello? Bored now.

On top of that, the leopard print scarf that sent me there in the first place

is sold out.

Chanel Collection Byzance Fall 2011 makeup collection

2011-07-11T02:21:00.001-05:00

This spring, I spent a while kicking myself for not having gotten my mitts on Chanel's Ombres Perlées eyeshadow palette while it was still available. The colors looked perfect for hazel eyes.

So I went all Scarlet O'Hara and shook my fist at the sky and declared that as God was my witness, I was never going to miss the opportunity to score a Chanel limited edition cosmetic ever again.

So when I discovered the fall collection was up at Chanel.com, I ordered pretty much every limited edition color they had. Want to see?

Let's start with the lips.

Somebody really needs to get rid of that ancient Shellac manicure

I got a Rouge Allure in Rouge Byzantin, the lip pencil in Rose Cuivre, and a LE Glossimer in Braise (158).

As you can see, the Byzantin Rouge Allure is almost fuschia. After so many years of my-lips-but-better pinky brown glosses, it looks ... very bright. I'm trying not to freak out over it. After all, Sandra Bullock wore hot pink lipstick the night she won her Oscar. And Taylor Swift always wears bright lipstick. Which means the bright lipstick trend will work its way into the general public as sure as rain rises up the legs of my jeans. And for "general public" read "women of a certain age." Yes, even us.

(Deep breath. It's OK. You start small. You apply the lipstick, blot it to tone down the color, then add a little gloss.)

On the other hand, Braise is a much more wearable sheer light red--very lightly brown-red, actually--with gold microglitter.

The lip pencil is from the regular collection. It's not a LE, but I thought it would look good under the Glossimer. And it does.

OK, let's talk eyes. I also got the limited-edition eye shadow quad in Topkapi with four shades: a warm medium brown, a light taupe, a dark chocolate matte brown, and a gold.

Here it is swatched. As you can see, all the shades are quite shimmery, except for the chocolate brown.

I'm not going to pretend that these are basic, every day colors, but I can easily imagine getting a lot of use out of all the colors (well, except for the gold. I'm not Mr. T.) But the gold looks beautiful as a highlight on the inside corner of the eye, in the center of the lid, or under the bottom lashes.

I also got two shades of the Illusion D'Ombre cream eyeshadow. I must say, I can't wait to play with these. They are so gorgeous, and they have a wonderful mousse-like texture (actually, I'm sure this is what the Maybelline Dream Mousse eyeshadows were like.)

I got Epatant, the dark, charcoal green pictured above, and Illusoire, a deep plum. I forgot to take a picture of Illusoire, so here's the photograph from the Chanel website.

In this picture, I had just lightly touched my finger to each shade to swatch them.

Illusoire on top, Epatant on the bottom

As you can see, these shades can be quite subtle and lovely.

The makeup artist at the Chanel boutique in Chicago showed me some of the Illusion D'Ombre shades applied with a brush, and they are gorgeous. Really incredible looking. (I was very taken with Ebloui, a lighter shade of mauve-lilac, but I didn't buy it.)

There are two limited-edition shades of powder blusher: Joues Contrast Rouge in Rouge and Or. Which means red and gold. And they are:

Here's a close-up of each shade:

Amazingly enough, they can be quite subtle. Especially for colors that look like two-thirds of a traffic light, No, really. I first applied them to my hand with my Lancome skunk brush and I couldn't even see the colors. I went over my original application using the brushes that came in the compact, and the colors were still pretty subtle. Finally I went all out, applying the gold shade and then lots of red on top, for a full-on scarlet fever look. And even then, it's not as clown-like as you'd think.

Finally, I bought a bottle of Peridot nail polish. Lately, Chanel polishes always seem to start a crazy lemming rush, and I wanted to grab a bottle before they were sold out. (In fact, now that I think about it, I was inspired to hit the Chanel website in the first place because I saw a bottle of Peridot for sale on ebay for some ridiculous amount of money--$45 or so.)

The picture in the eBay auction was what you'd expect a polish called Peridot to look like--a light yellow-green. In actuality, the polish flashes teal and gold and is never actually stays still long enough to look green, if that makes sense. I don't know whether I'll ever want to wear it; I may exchange it for a bottle of Quartz, which looks like Particulière with very fine shimmer.

At any rate, I tried to give you a sense of what Peridot polish looks like:

But I finally decided I needed to let you see the bottle in action. So here you go--my first mini video review.

To sum up, I'd say the entire collection is drop-dead gorgeous, but not every product is worth buying. Illusions Dombre are definitely worth a look; so is the Topkapi Quad, if you don't already have a ton of brown, beige, and gold shadows. The gold shadow is gorgeous and can be applied lightly or sponged on for a very dramatic effect. The nail polishes are interesting, and I'd suggest taking a look at Graphite, a medium gray with lots of silver microglitter, or Quartz, a taupey-beigey brown with tiny particles of micro glitter. Both are probably more wearable than Peridot. The limited edition blushes are interesting, and if you're a real makeup maven, you'll want to add these unique shades to your collection, but as for wearability and general usefulness. And the lipsticks are beautiful, but probably not worth getting.

(Just watch as a huge lemming rush starts over gold blush and fuschia lipstick!)

The Beauty Boomer gets fried

2011-07-10T17:15:00.000-05:00

Every summer, some dear friends invite us for a lunch-time cruise of Lake Michigan. It's a lovely time--they serve Pimm's Cup and tons of delicious food: coffeecake and fresh fruit followed by chips and guacamole, followed by curried chicken salad and ending with a gorgeous layer cake.

Their sailboat is breathtakingly beautiful--straight out of House Beautiful, if House Beautiful did sailboats.

This is the captain's cabin, all summery and Schumacher-y

and here's the main cabin, which is equally lovely.

The company is lively and interesting, and the views of the city and the lake are sublime.

Usually I'm prepared to spend a day on the water, but this time, we had spent the night at our apartment in Chicago. We had a fire in the building, and have managed to put the place back together, but a few things are still missing, like lamps, rugs, and silverware. And baseball caps. And sunscreen.

So, here I am, with a layer of the boat's SPF30 on top of an SPF15 tinted moisturizer.

I look concerned because I knew that we were heading to some friends' annual lobster party that evening, and I? Was probably going to go as a lobster.

Not surprisingly, I got fried. It's not the redness that bothers me. It's not the slightly charred sensation. (Although I should mention that I discovered when I removed my makeup that cold cream actually feels cold.)

It's the amount of time I spend on my usual age-prevention regimen, only to undo it all in four hours. It's like dieting all week, and then entering a pie-eating contest.

Don't do this at home, kids!

Today's outfit

2011-07-08T13:31:00.002-05:00

Just back from lunch with friends at RL in Chicago. It's a beautiful day! Too bad this picture turned out so dark.

Clothes

Two-year-old Lafayette 148 white tunic with embroidery and clear sequins

Ancient NYDJ bootcut jeans

Accessories

Tory Burch gold/bronze Prescot flats
Chanel Blanc Fonce 226 reissue with gold hardware

Jewelry

Hermes bangles in white and yellow gold
YG Michael Kors watch

and my favorite new lipgloss: Guerlain KissKiss in Figue Plaisir

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Once you go Shellac, you never go back

2011-07-06T15:11:00.001-05:00

Hey, internet!

Yes, I am showing up after more than three months like a bad penny, or that boyfriend your mother always hated. What can I say? Life has been busy. But I figured if I was going to start blogging again, I'd cut out the apologies and excuses and just do it.

So here I am, ready to preach the gospel of Shellac nail polish by CND.

When you write about style, it sort of behooves you to stay current. And yet, for me, the "WTF is that???" stage lasts much longer than it does for the stereotypical hard-core cutting-edge fashionista.)

Examples? OK-how's this: I'm just getting used to skinny jeans and smoky eye makeup. Yes, really. And I'm still not there with jeggings or those platform shoes that make women's feet look like horses' hooves.

This makes me a style conservative ... which should be an oxymoron, but there you go. Anyway, I figured that the internet exists so people can find and bond with like-minded weirdos. I also figured that there might be more style conservatives like me out there. People who have never tried a Shellac manicure.

If you are one of these people, put this blog down and go get one.

Here's what you need to know:

1. These aren't acrylics or gel nails. The application is almost exactly the same as regular nail polish; base cost; two color coats; one top coat. You just have to cure the nails in a UV light box for a couple of minutes after each coat.

2. The color selection isn't fabulous, but if you like nudes, beiges, pinks, and reds, you should be OK.

3. Shellac manicures last and last and last.

These are my nails after two and a half weeks. I've got to get them redone soon, but not because of chips. It's because there is significant growth visible at the base of the nails.

And I'm using my hands with no thought whatsoever for ruining my manicure. I open boxes and packages and clean house and fold laundry and my nails remain flawless, strong, and shiny. (I mean strong like I'm-pregnant-strong or I'm-a-teenager-strong, which is a nice change of pace from the peeling, breaking mess my nails have become in the last decade.)

The downside? I've already mentioned the limited color palette. Also, removing the polish is tricky. You have to wear removal-soaked pads for ten minutes, and even then, your manicurist might have to go at you with an orange wood stick. But it's not too bad.

But maybe I should tone down this rave review ... because the Shellac people have got me now. I have nails like a teenager and they're totally low maintenance. If I have to head to the salon to get them removed--well, it's a situation I can accept.

FWIW I've been to two salons. The fancy one charges $40 and the cheap walk-in place charges $25.

So anyway, I'm hooked. Any other users out there? Let me know if you've had a Shellac manicure and what you thought of it because I've clearly joined a cult.

Nancy needs a new moisturizer

2011-03-13T16:44:00.000-05:00

Believe it or not, there are readers of this blog who actually take my opinions seriously. And sometimes, they send me emails.

I got one not too long ago from Nancy, who is looking for a new moisturizer. Nancy tells me she has medium dry skin with some redness in her chin. She had been using Bliss's Youth as We Know It, which costs $80 a jar.

Personally, I look back nostalgically to the days when I could have described my skin as "medium dry," rather than "my own private Sahara." That would have been way back in college, and I was probably using Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.

Now, even though I have very dry skin, I'm using so many products on any given day that no single one of them has to be all that moisturizing. I put on some Vitamin C serum,

then Clinique's Even Better Stop Signs spot remover,

then eye cream,

then a SPF 28 moisturizer.

Most days I have so many layers on my face, it's like I'm going out on Halloween as a turtle sundae.

At night, whatever I'm planning to put on top, I always I use my Vitamin C serum, my spot-removing serum, and my eye cream. Then I put on whatever I have around that doesn't have SPF. I'm using up the last of a Murad kit I got last summer, and I always have some GWP products to try, including the inevitable Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion (DDML).

If I'm feeling super dry, I'll use a dab from my ancient jar of Creme de la Mer. Or Eucerin. Or Nivea. These are super heavy, greasy formulas, though.

As you can see, my night time creams are all over the map, from cheap drugstore to la-di-dah Neiman Marcus.

Can you think of something for Nancy to try? Or me, for that matter?

A data dump, because otherwise I'll never manage to post again.

2011-02-22T11:02:00.001-06:00

OMG, people. I'd tell you that real life has me by the balls, except I don't have any. And I have so much to do today, I can't stand it. So I'm going to do the blogging equivalent of what I do when I haven't written my mother a letter in a really long time and the stuff I need to tell her keeps mounting higher and higher and I get carpal tunnel syndrome just thinking of how many pages I'll have to write to get her up to speed.

(My mother is old skool and expects written letters.) But sometimes the idea of writing everything down is overwhelming, and I have to just dump the data. So I call her up and babble at her for an hour.

So let's pretend that I called you up, and you asked me how I was.

1. As soon as Christmas was over, I got going on Operation Get The Girl Child Into a Private School, because honestly? I really don't see her doing all that well at the huge John Hughes-ish high school in our district.

So there were campus visits and shadow days and SSATs and application-writing. The good news is the more we found out about the local private schools, the more we realized that only one would really work for her, so that's the only school she had to apply to. But then? She didn't get in. So that accounts for about six weeks of being crazily busy, culminating with much time spent comforting the girl child.

2. The many Clean House mini-marathons I've watched since discovering this amazing show have inspired me to really take charge of my house, but the cleaning alone is overwhelming--and that's not even dealing with the clutter. And I think I'm getting a little compulsive. I mean, I'm sitting here thinking about how I really need to mop the kitchen floor.

3. I haven't been talking about style because my shopping has been confined to Christmas presents and the cleaning product aisle of the supermarket--with occasional trips to Bed Bath and Beyond for closet stuff.

4. In related news, how did I not know about the wonders of the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser before now? I bought one a long time ago and discovered it sitting in my broom closet, still in the package. But when I opened it up and tried it on a stubborn scuff mark on a baseboard, the clouds parted and a chorus of angels began to sing. And then I ran around looking for stubborn scuff marks to clean. I also did an entire bathroom floor, at which point, the plump, exuberant, snow white Mr. Clean Magic Eraser was reduced to a sad, skimpy festered lily--that's how much fun I was having.

5. You should see what a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser does for a stainless steel kitchen sink that has been sullied with tea and coffee stains. Shines it right up.

6. I'm thinking of using a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on my teeth.

7. Just kidding.

8. Blackbird tells me she approves of the rebooted Talbots. Have you checked it out? Everyone talked about the new Burberry and the new Brooks Brothers and the new this and the new that, but where's the love for the new Talbots? I tell you what: I've picked up a few things there and have been deliriously happy. The latest is these gold hidden platform sandals

which are lovely and retro and astonishingly comfortable.

9. Recently, Jen and Wendy and Susie Sunshine and Blackbird and I had a combination girls' weekend/Tour of Homes, where we checked out Wendy's addition and Casa Fletchcaster and my place too, although with all the Mr. Clean Magic Erasing, I'm surprised there was anything left to see.

Interested parties were also treated to Jen and Poppy's John Hughes movie location tour. We visited Kevin's house from Home Alone, the park where Kevin visits Santa, Cameron's House from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Jake Ryan's house from 16 Candles.

When I admitted to never having seen 16 Candles, we had a movie night and watched it. And I'm so glad I did, for several reasons. First of all, Anthony Michael Hall is completely adorable in 16 Candles, which is great because he makes me a little crazy in The Breakfast Club. Also, Jen wasn't giving us any of her home-made lasagna until we'd watched the movie, and the lasagna was incredible.

10. Jen gave us all pre-publication copies of her latest book and first novel, If You Were Here. John Hughes cognoscenti will understand the title, which I understand now too, courtesy of our movie night. Anyway, I read it and it's great. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up. If you like Jen's books and/or John Hughes movies, you'll love it.

11. And here's an extra bit of data as a GWP: I recently made a complete fool out of myself by calling on my twitter army to shame Crate and Barrel into delivering the sectional I ordered from them in October. This was pretty much of a total failure, since I have no twitter minions to speak of. Still, if you'd like to see how a baby boomer who grew up watching syndicated episodes of Gilligan's Island uses social media to bend a major corporation to her will, check out my twitter stream.

What to do when you accidentally recommend discontinued products

2011-01-10T09:43:00.000-06:00

Recently, I raved and raved to the internet about DDF's Glycolic body lotion.

I raved in person about it, too. In fact, if you were my husband, you were subjected to an appalling amount of fan girl squeeing: This stuff is great! Seriously! My butt is so smooth, babies envy it! You should check it out! Um ... when we're not in public.

Almost delirious over how fabulous my skin felt, I went browsing on the internet looking for a good, possibly cheaper source of my new BFF--only to discover that it had been discontinued.

So then I went searching through various message boards looking for a replacement. I heard about AmLactin, and the next time I was at Walfgreen's, I bought a big bottle of it.

It sounds good. It has AHAs. It's 12 percent lactic acid with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. This means its claims to "exfoliate and smooth rough, dry skin" are probably accurate.

I've only tried it on my hands so far, and it doesn't feel as luxurious as DDF's Glycolic Body Lotion--which makes sense, because DDF's formula is packed with lots more skin-softening ingredients. I'm no Paula Begoun, and even I can tell the difference. (But this is serious cosmetics geekery, so I'm burying it in a footnote.)*

I'll let you know how it works out. But I'm telling you one thing. The packaging is really bothering me. Compare the DDF I recommended

to AmLactin

The DDF bottle says spa, and luxurious but not flashy. The AmLactin bottle says doctor's office, and medicinal but not in a sexy nurse way.

Even if I fall in love with AmLactin, I'm planning to decant it into a better looking bottle. Because there's no way that bottle sends out a come-touch-me vibe. Even if it does leave me raving to my husband about the texture of my butt.

---
* For my fellow cosmetics geeks--a comparison of DDF's and AmLactin's ingredients. First, DDF's Glycolic Lotion:

Water, glycolic acid, caprylic/capric triblyceride, (a fatty acid derived from coconuts) dimethicone, (skin protector) ethylhexyl palmitate, (skin smoothing wax) glyceryl stearate, (a combination of glycerin and fatty acid) propylene glycol, (attracts water) PEG-100 stearate, c12-15 alkyl benzoate, cetyl alcohol, stearyl alcohol, ammonium hydroxide, sodium PCA, glycerin, lactic acid, triethanolamine, sorbitol, polyglyceryl-6 isostearate, polysorbate 60, tocopherol, retinyl palmitate, allantoin, aloe barbadensis leaf juice, methylparaben, cetearyl alcohol, ceteareth-20, borago officinalis seed oil, disodium edta, propylparaben, panthenol, phenoxyethanol, tocopheryl acetate, vitis vinifera seed extract, camellia oleifera leaf extract, milk protein, zinc glyconate, butylene glycol, sodium ascorbate, dmdm hydantoin, fragrance.

And AmLactin:

Water, lactic acid netralized with ammonium hydroxide, light mineral oil, glyceryl stearate, PEG-100 stearate, propylene glycol, glycerin, magnesium aluminum silicate, laureth-4, polyoxyl 40 stearate, cetyl alcohol, methylparaben, propylparaben, and methylcellulose.

Poppy's Top 10 of 2010: Clinique's Even Better Skin Tone Corrector

2010-12-30T16:22:00.000-06:00

Another product I was hoping wouldn't work, because

It's ridiculously expensive. Retail is $49.50 for one ounce of product.
If you use this stuff morning and night, one drop all over your face, you'll use it up in about a month.
To make matters worse, you can't tell when the product is running out, because the pump is opaque.

So even though this product makes me a little crazy ... I do think it works.

I'd like to spare you the sight of my creepy bits, so I won't be uploading any photos. You'll just have to believe me when I tell you that I have a dark spot about the size of Rhode Island on my left cheekbone. It is, I guess, the price I pay for being a fair-skinned automobile driver.

It was also the result of a cruel beauty establishment taking a couple of decades to get around to telling me that UVA rays

penetrate glass
do deep, invisible damage to the skin
are not blocked by the standard SPF15 moisturizers I was using back in the 80s.

Anyway, I'm using a Vitamin C serum twice a day and this serum on top, and I do actually see an improvement. There is noticeable lightening of the spot.

There is also a noticeable lightening of my wallet. But at least I'm not left racking my brain for a Clinique product I can buy when I want to qualify for a GWP. Right?

Also, I've noticed that Clinique has introduced a new, larger size of this stuff. Which means I'm not the only person who thinks it works. And the new 1.7 ounce size sells for $73.00, which at least saves a little money.

For more:

See this article on age spots and what we can do about them.

Read this for current sunscreen recommendations.

Poppy's Top 10 of 2010: DDF Glycolic Body Lotion

2010-12-22T12:42:00.000-06:00

I was really hoping I wasn't going to like DDF 10% Glycolic Body Lotion better than anything else I tried this year, because the stuff is crazy expensive. I'm usually all about the biggest, cheapest bottle of body lotion, figuring I slather it on the way they tell you to apply sunscreen--frequently and copiously--so why spend more?

The thing is, so many of my lotions (Eucerin, Nivea, Lubriderm, Jergens) haven't been enough by themselves, so I've layered them over and under other products.

Whereas the DDF lotion does it all. It moisturizes so well that itchy dry places that tend bother me every winter are soothed. I'm not hearing a peep out of them. It exfoliates, so it helps gets rid of flaky skin and keratosis pilaris and foot calluses and dry cuticles. And it gives my skin a beautiful, youthful sheen.

When I put it on--and I put it on pretty much every bit of me from the neck down--I can feel that AHA tingle. Which means if you have sensitive skin, this product probably isn't for you. But me? I love knowing that all the creepy bits of me are being sloughed off.

Unfortunately, due to the AHAs, there's a bit of a funky yogurt-y smell. And as I said, it's expensive--roughly $40.00 for an eight ounce bottle.

I know! Crazy! But it's so good, I'm looking for an on-line coupon or Friends and Family sale or something along those lines, because I'm halfway through my first bottle.

Poppy's Top 10 of 2010: Clinique All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage

2010-12-21T23:58:00.002-06:00

For several years, in an attempt to keep my readers stopping by while they were on Christmas break, I did something I called The 12 Days of Blogmas, which, if I remember correctly, had something to do with Christmas songs and random Google images.

But now that I'm a famous beauty and style blogger, I decided to do a top ten count down where I sing the praises of products and retailers that have surprised me with their wonderfulness in 2010. Because no one has ever thought of doing a year's-end top 10 list before.

Let's start with an eye product. Now, while no one has convinced me that there's a product out there that surpasses Garnier Nutritioniste Ultra-Lift Eye Cream, which if you click on that link, you'll be pleased to discover is on sale via Amazon for $3.05/jar. (I just ordered three of them.)

For moisturizing without giving me milia, this eye cream is tops. But it does nothing for puffiness.

Which is why I'm giving a Poppy's Top 10 award to Clinique's All About Eyes Serum De-Puffing Eye Massage.

Now, under-eye bags and puffiness are not my biggest concern. My big concern is under-eye shadows. Mine are very dark. I have under-eye shadows as in cue the opening credits to Dark Shadows. And this roller doesn't help with them at all.

But after a night of not-enough sleep, or the Morning After? This roller is a gift from the gods. It's so cool and refreshing and just what the doctor ordered.

I got mine as part of a gift with purchase the last time I stocked up on Clinique's acne products for the teenagers. As far as not-really-necessary beauty products go, at $25.50/15 ml., it's not cheap.

To soften the sting, you could find a Clinique GWP by doing some research on GWP Addict. (Here's a link to Lisa's Top 3 listings: Clinique, Estee Lauder and Lancome GWP.)

You could also look on eBay--lots of eBay sellers resell extra GWP size products--some in sets of three, which is the same amount of product as you'd get in a full-size bottle.

You could also try drugstore alternatives, because there are a bunch out there: Olay Regenerist, Garnier Nutritioniste, and even one from L'Oreal Paris,
which rather hilariously, is marketed for men.

Do these eye rollers make that much of a difference? Maybe not. But when you wake up on January 1st, you'll be glad you have one on your bedside table.

• For more on roll-on eye serums, see Prime Beauty's review.

• Full disclosure: I have an Amazon Associates account, which means that when I link to stuff on Amazon--and I just did, big-time--if someone clicks over from my blog and buys it, I make a small commission. Just so you know, this Amazon Associates deal has so far added up to an $11.52 gift card. w00t!

How can you miss me if I don't go away?

2010-12-21T10:14:00.001-06:00

Hey internet? Miss me?

OK, maybe not. But I feel guilty, so I'm here to confess.

I haven't been blogging much. I'm part of a group blog, and I've been managing to do my Mamarazzi posts. Most of the time, at least. If you've been wondering where the hell I've been, and why I haven't been blogging, here's the deal.

Right about when school started, I signed up with LiveStrong's MyPlate program. I figured out things like if I want to lose 1.5 pounds a week, I need to eat about 1300 calories a day. And if I want to drink a glass of wine, I need to walk for half an hour. So anyway, with the weekly weigh-ins and the long walks and the food journal, I've been busy. I've also lost 15 pounds.

(Don't get excited, I weigh 175 pounds and am wearing a size 14.)

I've also been decluttering my house. I highly recommend it as a complementary activity. First of all, it gives you something to do besides eat. Also, as you shrink, you get to get rid of your fat clothes, which is kind of fun. And third, you get a huge sense of accomplishment. Really. I've been decluttering a space a day. Sometimes it's something small, like the junk drawer in the kitchen; sometimes it's something appallingly out-of-control and death-trap-y, like my closet. And it feels fantastic! I could have filled you in on this, but I don't know how compelling it would be. I've been boring my husband for weeks now.

What the hell, I'll give it a try. Hey internet! You should see my broom closet!!! Pfft. See what I mean?

So anyway, dieting and decluttering have kept me away from my laptop.

But here's a big one. Did you know, going into this parenting gig, that teenagers were such time- and energy-sucks? Color me naive, but I thought that as long as truly excruciating bad behavior involving drugs, alcohol, unwed motherhood, and fresh back-talk weren't part of the picture--well, how bad could it be?

HA.

I won't go into the awkward stage where teenagers have a ton of extra-curricular activities and no driver's license, because you're all acquainted with the second shift, i.e., the karate / Girl Scouts / choir rehearsal / music lessons runs. That's all very well and good. As long as the curricular activities are going well.

But after too many days where I went to a board meeting and got home at 2:30, only to have some huge hairy homework debacle occur an hour later, it finally dawned on me that I needed to shed as much volunteer or unpaid activity as I could. There have been too many days recently where I had to chose between my family getting a decent dinner, and a child's homework being completed.

And I am NOT a helicopter mom. But if they flunk out, they'll never get into college. And if they don't get into college, they won't graduate and come home and clutter up my empty nest with pizza boxes and video game equipment. And that would never do.

So I had to put aside some of my favorite activities, i.e., the ones where I make an idiot out of myself. For example, this Christmas, I won't be putting on my red sequin Santa hat and singing "Santa Baby" to a roomful of retirees at the local nursing home. Even though those old guys think I'm smoking hot.

Also, the blogging thing had to go for a while. I needed to husband my energy.

I would have told you, except I was in the middle of it, and sometimes when I'm in the middle of things, I lack insight. I even (gasp!) sometimes lack the words.

So anyway. Miss Doxie is back!!!! and so--much less thrillingly--am I.

(And unlike Miss Doxie, I'll try to come back more often than once a year.)

Why didn't I think of that?

2010-10-28T16:44:00.000-05:00

Usually I don't pay a lot of attention to the emails I get from Hermès. They have a tendency to make me feel like a have-not.

But this is brilliant. I could put an orange tube over my head and go out as a Twilly box!

Or use real Twilly boxes instead of going to the trouble of buying and carving pumpkins.

Oh, whom am I kidding, anyway? My job isn't to wear a costume--it's to play Maid of Honor for my daughter as she gets ready for four different Halloween events. And I'm so glad I never got rid of my circa 1992 black lace up ankle boots, because she'll be wearing them.

Recent faves, or Friday Fun

2010-10-22T11:25:00.003-05:00

What I'm Reading

Une Femme made a video to teach us two ways to tie a long scarf.

Deb's post at No Nonsense Beauty has convinced me to try Retin-A again.

Sally at Already Pretty ran a thought-provoking post on age-appropriate dressing. I don't know how that whippersnapper got so smart, but you should definitely check it out.

The New York Times published Dominique Browning's "Why Can't Middle-Aged Women Have Long Hair" and so far, 718 commenters have weighed in.

Where I'm Shopping:

Talbot's is running a special sale today only, from 12:00 to 3:00. They're offering 30 percent of all tops, tees, and sweaters. The offer is good on-line and in stores. The code is TOPS30.

Did you know Saks is running a Friends and Family sale? Until October 24, you can get 20 percent off clothes, 15 percent off accessories, and even 10 percent off perfume and makeup. The code is FRIEND7.

Sephora's Friends & Family Sale is on now, too. Get 20 percent off an online order by using the code FF2010. So don't buy any makeup at Saks.

Need a new coat? J. Crew is offering 20 percent off women's outerwear.

Why I'm pouting

British Beauty Blogger has a post up about Selfridge's Beauty Advent Calendar, and it's making me feel like the Little Match Girl. I'm no fan of the brown crayon-flavored chocolate in my kids' Advent calendars, so little bitty beauty samples? Sold! But Selfridge's doesn't do on-line orders to the US. The big meanies.

Enjoy your weekend!

Is Urban Decay seriously trying to bring back body glitter? Seriously?

2010-10-20T11:37:00.000-05:00

Because I am a famous beauty and style blogger as well as a compulsive shopper, I don't just get the usual email from online retailers. I also get flooded with PR pitches as well as newsletters from every beauty and style board I've ever joined. Which means that every time a new product comes out, I'm going to hear about it at least three times.

Which is three times more than I want to hear about Urban Decay's "new" highlighting product.

I remember when I first moved to the suburbs and had to deal with massive numbers of trick or treaters. At the end of the night, there were a few bold teenagers who were willing to risk being told they were too old to go trick or treating.

I was happy to see them, because it meant I'd be able to dump the last of the candy--less for the kids who just showed up, more for the kids who had made at least some effort to dress up, even if it was just a quick insta-costume.

Now, ten years ago, the insta-costume for teenaged girls was to put a couple of flocks of baby butterfly clips in their hair and smear on a lot of body glitter.

Can it be 2000 again already?

If you can stand to spend the 1:30, watch this video as one of the co-founders of Urban Decay applies sparkly highlighter all over a young woman whose smooth, perfect skin makes her look like a Bratz Doll, albeit slightly more animated.

http://www.urbandecay.com/index.cfm?LID=NEW2766

Ladies, I know you're not even tempted. Just use this video as an object lesson, and continue to say no to glitter.

I swear, if I wake up screaming in the night, it'll be because I had a nightmare about being caught in public with glitter down the middle of my nose. And on my neck. And sternum.

Urban Decay, you have a lot to answer for. I mean, come on--weren't you just selling all that glittery makeup, like eight years ago? Like I'm going to fall for that played out shiznit.

Lucky for you, your pencil eyeliners are the bomb-diggity.

It's been a glorious week, featuring a not-so-glorious looking Poppy

2010-10-05T17:23:00.001-05:00

I met a psychiatrist on Monday and mentioned that I'm a style blogger. I'm sure he was all "delusions of grandeur" and "psychotic episode," because people, I looked like crap.

That's because I've spent most of the week--which has been absolutely perfect in terms of early fall weather--setting up the sewing and crafts room for my church's annual rummage sale.

Image borrowed from carla-at-home

This is not a crafts blog, and those of you who have been reading for a while will notice that I don't tend to spend a lot of time talking about sewing, quilting, embroidery, or needlepoint. You might be wondering why a glamorous style blogger like me is spending hours pricing packages of rickrack.

OK, I would totally volunteer for the makeup and skincare room, except they don't have one.

But really, the whole thing is Wendy's fault. See, I went to the rummage sale with her last year, and she bought out the sewing room. She walked out of there with something like her 14th sewing machine and several bushels of Liberty fabric, plus reams of seam binding, interfaces, and other sewing effluvia. This year she's too busy having an addition added to her house to volunteer, so somehow--don't ask me how, it's a mystery--I'm doing it instead.

At moments like this, I wonder why, when Jen Lancaster was researching volunteer opportunities, she didn't just follow me around. The way I look at it, volunteer jobs are kudzu, and my time is the southern landscape. They stick to me like burrs. They're as inevitable as white dog hair on a pair of black pants. Jen would have polished off her research in a couple of days.

Speaking of black pants and Jen Lancaster, a bunch of us will be going to a book signing tomorrow to meet Lisa Birnbach, editor of The Official Preppy Handbook and her recent follow-up, True Prep.

I'll be eating lunch with Wendy and Jen and Stacey as well as some other friends of mine that you probably don't know because they're not all over the internet.

The good news is that I've lost 10 pounds since August, and can just get into my favorite black pants. I don't know what else I'm wearing, though. I'm thinking a pink cashmere twinset from Brooks Brothers with an Hermes scarf with pink and green in it. I think that would be preppy enough.

If not, I can always add a string of pearls.

Pour le weekend

2010-10-02T11:41:00.001-05:00

Mr. Buxom and I have nothing planned for the weekend, and we couldn't be happier. It means two family movie nights, extra time reading blogs, and time to finish getting the fall wardrobe front and center. That includes accessories.

Last August when blackbird and I were playing hookey* at BlogHer, I bought a Hermes fluide scarf. Which is leaving me feeling a little flummoxed. Blackbird put the scarf on all kinds of ways, and it always looked fabulous. And on a French website, I see that this kind of scarf is considered

Fluid and shifting, allowing a wide variety of ways to be worn, silk jersey is now recognized as a must.

Luckily I hadn't seen this video, or I would have decided that unless I'm 24, and a flat-chested ukelele-playing Parisienne, there would be no point in buying it.

However, have you seen this Liberty series on how to tie a scarf? Here's a sample with a chiffon scarf:

Alors, I'm going to play with my new scarf. And practice speaking English with an outrageous French accent.

More Liberty scarf-tying videos available at Youtube.

* Hey, we're style bloggers. We were in New York City, for Heaven's sake. It was crucially important that we go shopping.

Instead of using a crystal ball, I just check out the Prada runway.

2010-09-30T14:28:00.006-05:00

Recently, in a comment about my post on the rebirth of the kitten-heeled shoe, a reader mentioned her deep dislike for this picture:

This is from the Prada Spring 2011 collection. As you can see, it shows a heavy sock paired with a delicate shoe. Which, yeah, breaks every rule of taste or common sense. And that's totally Prada.

Miuccia Prada's design process starts with something she dislikes--say, a particular color or silhouette--which she works with until she's made it beautiful. This explains the shock of what comes down her runway. But what explains the fact that sooner or later, we see that shocking stuff being worn by normal people?

I think it's Prada's uncanny prescience. She's often way ahead of the trends. Who started making bags from ripstop nylon? Who got women to carry designer backpacks? Prada. Who started the return of Mad Men era prints and colors? Prada was showing them before the show was invented. The peep-toed lace up bootie that is everywhere this fall? Prada, Spring 2006.

Miuccia Prada has such a grasp of the zeitgeist, she can be as much as a decade ahead of the times. For example, this outfit

came down the runway ten years ago. But it looks very current.

Nicole Kidman makes this shade of green look fabulous.

But look at the texture, too ... it's my grandmother's porch cushions!

Prada's ugly-is-beautiful aesthetic has been giving fashion a much-needed goose since the 1980s. And so, when Prada talks, I listen. Not because I'm going to jump on board Miuccia's crazy train. I'm much too conservative for that. In fact, if someone were keeping a list called "The Last By Whom The New Is Tried," I'd be number one. (Except I'd be agitating to be moved further down, because I'd much rather be last.)

No, for me, Prada is a fashion canary in a coalmine. I might hate kitten heels, but knowing that they've walked the Prada runway gives me a year or two extra to adjust to their revival.

Even if my initial reaction to open-toed boots is absolute incredulity, I know that Miuccia Prada has spoken, and eventually ... I might actually end up owning a pair. Yes, I'm the Last By Whom the New is Tried. But I'm trying to keep an open mind.

Because closing your mind is the first step towards getting, looking, and feeling old.

And that's why I keep an eye on Prada.

There is hope! A picture post.

2010-09-29T08:33:00.000-05:00

Seen on the street, and on the runway--styles that work for grown-ups.

Are you ready for some longer hemlines? OK, then.

Shirt dresses, Ray-Bans, long, loose hair (very Italian) closed-toe, non-platform pumps ... no kitten heels:

OK, maybe the anklets are a bit much. Love the coat, though. And the Cuban--not kitten--heels.

At Michael Kors. Lovely all white turtleneck and trousers. But please wear a bra.

This Fendi dress looks a little J. Jill to me ... but notice the length, the blouson cut, and the dolman sleeves. Very figure-friendly, for the right kind of figure. (Not an hourglass, alas. It would make you look shapeless. And forget it if you have a lot on your balcony; Dolman sleeves and blousons are the worst cut you can wear.)

I saved dessert for last. At Dolce & Gabanna. The perfect black suit.

All images taken from The Sartorialist. (You are reading it regularly, aren't you?)

Meg Ryan and Kelly McGillis at 50; a cautionary tale

2010-09-28T10:51:00.001-05:00

Look at these before and after photographs of Meg Ryan

and Kelly McGillis.

If you're like me, you think Kelly looks better than Meg. The phrase "aging gracefully" comes to mind.

There are ways of being fifty (or in Meg's case, almost-but-not-quite 50.) There's the do-anything-you-can-to-look-younger way, starring a lot of plastic surgery, hair dye, frantic gym time, and multiple dermatological interventions: Botox to erase lines, collagen to plump lips, and Restylane to fill in hollows.

Frankly, this seems like an awful lot of work, with inevitably diminishing returns. Because you're working so hard to stave off old age ... and yet, you just keep continuing to get--and look--older.

Then there's my approach, which is a lot more laissez-faire. Yes, I dye my hair. I'm pretty rigorous about taking care of my skin. Sure, I think about getting veneers for my teeth and Botox shots for my lines, but I settle for using an occasional whitening strip, and not scowling quite as much.

It's not that I'm cheap. Or lazy. (Although I'll admit to being both.) It's that I refuse to spend all my time and energy trying to reach a goal that will always be out of my reach. Life's too short for that kind of nonsense.

On top of that, I'm chicken. I'm scared of doctors, and frankly? I'm even more scared of ending up looking like some kind of freak.

That's the difference between us and Hollywood stars. They start intervening with nature earlier and do it more and oftener than we do. Britney Spears hasn't seen her actual hair color since she was 17, and at 28, she has been using Botox for years.

I figure I've got the rest of my life to become totally high maintenance. In the mean time, Kelly McGillis, who dresses well, wears makeup, but refuses to dye her gray hair, is my role model. How about you?

Japanese snacks have destroyed me, and other stories

2010-09-27T10:33:00.002-05:00

I continue to chart my daily input and outgo of food and calories expended. I'm seeing results--down seven pounds in three weeks--but I don't feel as sleek as I usually do after three weeks of dieting and walking my legs off. (OK, walking for an hour a day.)

I blame this nagging sense that I still resemble a sea-going mammal on The Menopause, which appears to have developed a strong attachment to my midriff bulge. And I mean that literally.

(Did I say "midriff bulge?" I meant "muffin top." It sounds thinner.)

So. It's all the fault of The Menopause. Although it doesn't help to line up lovely bowls of Japanese snacks for family movie night. Just so you know, this?

Tohato caramel corn

Which I only bought because it's caramel corn that's OK for kids with braces? Is of the Devil. It's that good.

And so while I track and walk and wait for my ~~midriff bulge~~ whoops muffin top to go away, I'm getting ready to order a couple of pieces to ease me through this transition. I'm thinking easy-fitting pieces that will work both now and when I've burned off the last bite of Japanese caramel corn.

Like this waterfall cardigan from Boden, currently on sale for $62.40.

Look at the easy, graceful, forgiving lines. Notice the strong, but not-too-obvious emphasis on the vertical. Note the lack of ruffles, appliqué, beading, shirring, or embroidery over the balcony--a good thing when one's balcony already calls quite enough attention to itself. And check out the description

The Waterfall Cardigan is in a lovely soft with-cashmere mix, with elegant cascading folds of fabric at the front-making it unusual, without being daft.

"Unusual, without being daft." That's so me!

It's back in style. And you hate it.

2010-09-26T00:02:00.002-05:00

My latest post for BlogHer is about that sinking sensation you get when a style you remem-ber--and remember hating--is revived.

In my case, it's the kitten heel.

Check out my post--it features tiny cameo appearances by LPC of Privilege and blackbird of say la vee--among the newest and oldest friends I've made in my career as a mid-life style blogger.

So far, I've got one comment expressing horror over the return of the kitten heel, and one expressing delight.

Let me know what you think.

Clean sweep

2010-09-14T16:12:00.003-05:00

Hey internet! I'm back!

Sorry, that whole getting-the-kids-back-to-school completely kicked my ass. But now that the dust has settled somewhat, I'm incredibly excited and energetic--the way I am every fall.

I love summer, but fall--when the heat's not on yet, but the air conditioner is off? Is the best time of the year. And it doesn't hurt that my kids are in school and I can actually get things done.

So here are three ways I'm welcoming fall.

My Diet

I signed up for a free LiveStrong MyPlate account. This is a great site with fabulous free diet tools. As far as I'm concerned, this site leaves Weight Watchers's online tools (which ran really slowly and frequently crashed my laptop) sitting in the road.

LiveStrong offers a lot of important health information--so much that I feel sort of petty bothering them with being pudgy. I mean, hello, the first thing you see when you head to the site is a huge photograph of Lance Armstrong. Way to make me feel shallow, Lance.

But MyPlate has so many useful tools. It helped me figure out how many calories to eat every day in order to lose 1.5 pounds a week. (And mid-life ladies? Do we agree that a measly 1,375 calories a day is not very much food? I thought so.)

I track what I eat every day. I track my so-called workouts. And once or twice a week, I weigh myself and add that information, too.

I'm just geeky enough to sort of enjoy this kind of thing. This helps me tolerate a life of 1,375 calories a day. Which is good, because 1,375 calories = Not Enough Wine.

Also, I've lost six pounds. That helps, too.

My Complexion

Have any of you bought a Clarisonic? I've heard great things from a couple of friends, but I balk at spending $250 for a face scrubbing doo-hickey.

That's why I'm so delighted with the Sephora complexion brush I got in a party goodie bag.

A couple of my friends have popped for the Clarisonic, but I'm analog to their digital. I use a Sonicare on my teeth two or three times a day. At this point, I'm excited about using a tool that doesn't make an annoying high-pitched whining noise.

Believe it or not, this little $5 face brush does the job. I use it morning and night, and it helps bump up the cleansing power of my Murad cleanser. The cleanser rinses off better, too, probably because the brush distributes it more evenly.

I swear, I have a real glow, and my pores look smaller. Not bad for five dollars!

My Closet

I'm either bored with or sick of everything in my closet. On top of that, I have clothes that are size 10, 12, 14, and 16. It's time they went. I deserve to have a closet full of clothes that I like and that fit.

I am in serious purge mode.

This is way more than a change of seasons switch-up. It's like I walked into my bedroom and went all drill sergeant: Listen up, good-enough clothes. You're not. You're The Clothes Formerly Known as Good Enough. And your mama isn't here to help you out. It's time to shape up or ship out. Now drop and give me fifty!

I'm getting rid of an amazing amount of stuff.

I'm starting with the size 16 summer stuff. When I do laundry, I'm folding my summer clothes and putting them in donation bags.

By next summer, I'll be wearing significantly smaller clothes! Either that or I'll be wearing a barrel.

What worked for me this summer, or the Almost-Labor-Day-Blues

2010-08-31T12:58:00.004-05:00

As the season draws to a close, I'm thinking about packing away my summer clothes, moving my winter clothes out of storage, doing inventory, and figuring out what I need--and whether what I need has any relationship whatsoever to what I want.

(Usually it doesn't.)

But have I actually started doing it? No, I have not. Not when it's not Labor Day yet. There's time for a few more Mojitos before I have to do all that, right?

So I thought I'd dedicate a few posts to the things I'll regret packing away. And I'll begin with an astonishing item:

White shoes

I don't know what hit me, because fashion experts have been railing against white shoes for years. I can hear the chorus even now: "They only look good on brides!" "They make your feet look huge!" "Only if you're a nurse!" But instead of looking dorky, like a farm machinery salesman from Sandusky, they looked fresh and clean and summery.

I wore the hell out of this pair of Kelsi Dagger Women's Ivy Espadrilles. They looked good with pants, but were particularly nice with dresses and skirts. And the wedged heel made them incredibly comfortable.

The other pair of shoes I'll miss is also white, wedged version of an espadrille--this time in white patent leather from Michael Kors.

Now, I think of espadrilles as very preppy. Thirty years ago, preps wore Jacques Cohen espadrilles. Nowadays you'll find espadrilles being produced by prep favorites like Ralph Lauren and Kate Spade.

But I opened the Zappos box, I couldn't decide whether the big silver MK and all that patent leather didn't so much say "preppy" as "retired Vegas chorine." Seriously. I don't do patent leather. Or logos. I felt edgy! But oh, my goodness, were these comfortable. And I loved them with white jeans.

Ah ... summer.

My non-BlogHer loot, or why it pays to make friends with people who have friends who work at Chanel

2010-08-27T17:01:00.001-05:00

One of the unexpected benefits to blogging is the friends you make. I know so many women who started blogging with the idea of joining a community, but when I started, I saw it as a way for me to torment the internet with my drivel. And of course, it is.

But I've made more friends than I've believed possible. In fact, I've made more dear friends from blogging than I ever did from volunteering at my kids' schools, serving on non-profit boards, or joining gyms.

(OK, that last part was kind of a joke, because who makes friends at the gym? Not I.)

Who'd have thought that by holing up with my laptop, I'd meet so many wonderful people? People who do things like send me this:

See, blackbird has a good friend at Chanel. A Chanel Connection. And the loot can be a little overwhelming to a very small bird, so when we got together at BlogHer, bird presented me with the overload:

A refillable purse spray of Chanel No. 5 Eau de Toilette, plus two refills
Two eye pencils, in Le Crayon Khol in Marine and Le Crayon Yeux in Seafoam
Two Glossimers in Sunset Gold and Pin-Up
Nail polish in Lilac Sky
Eye Makeup Remover
Three mascaras: Extracils in Brun, Mascara Volume Intense in Smoky Marine, and Inimitable in Brun Noir
Two AquaLumiere lipsticks in Waikiki and Monte-Carlo
and a Rouge Allure in Intuitive

In a word? Squee!

Dr. Murad's assistants, or, what I did to bump up my skincare regimen

2010-08-26T09:52:00.003-05:00

If you've been reading The Beauty Boomer for a while, you might remember that last May, I popped for a Murad Resurgence 90 Day Kit.*

I never really reviewed the kit, because I felt that I hadn't given the products enough time. I didn't want to be one of those Makeup Alley reviewers who use a new moisturizer and are all "Squee! Holy Grail!" and then two weeks later are leaving another review saying "THAT CRAP GAVE ME HIVES."

But at this point, I think I can give a pretty thorough review of the products, and explain why I added some additional skin care products to my regimen.

Mostly it's because the Murad products are so gentle. I have dry, fair, freckly skin, so you'd think it would be sensitive, right? But it really isn't. And I don't know ... maybe it was Death Becomes Her, or too many episodes of AbFab, but I kind of equate effectiveness with a degree of stinging, redness, and/or peeling. When a product warns me that my skin might react, I'm like a kid at a horror movie. I think "Cool!" grab a tub of popcorn, and get ready to watch the show. What can I say? When it comes to complexion flaws, I'm a little bloodthirsty.

So I ended up being a little disappointed in the Murad products. The very slight tingle I felt the first couple of times I used Murad Resurgence Age-Diffusing Serum dissipated pretty quickly, to the point where I started using it every night. In fact, of the four products I received in my starter kit, it's the only one I've almost used up. But honestly, it's just an AHA product, and the stuff at the drugstore is probably just as good.

As for the other products in the kit, I've got about half a tube left of the cleaning cream and the AHA BHA Exfoliating Cleanser. Just as I had suspected, the cleansing cream didn't leave my skin feeling particularly clean, while the exfoliating cleanser was so incredibly gentle, it didn't feel like it was doing anything at all.

The Murad night time moisturizer is lovely, and I love its cake batter smell, but I find it a little rich for summer. So I'm saving it for colder weather, when my skin will appreciate it.

Long story short, the Murad kit is only OK. So I added a few products to my regimen. Here are two products I've liked. And one I've hated:

1) NuFountain® C20 Vitamin C Serum (19.99/1.0 oz.)
NuFountain's serum comes in a brown bottle (since Vitamin C degrades with exposure to light) and is dispensed with a dropper.

You're advised to start by putting five or six drops in the palm of the left hand, and painting it on with the right. This is another one of those products that warns you your skin might react to it. It has a pH of 2.5, so it's sort of like applying lemon juice or vinegar to your skin. I didn't have a problem with it at all, and since it's only 19.99/bottle, and since the manufacturers warn you that the product will degrade over time, I've been applying it all over my face, neck, décolleté, hands, and rubbing what's left on my lower arms.

I can't really describe what I think it does. I've seen some lightening of age spots, and my skin feels firmer, but more than that, there's a kind of ... well, the word is glow. I've gone through two-thirds of the bottle and will definitely be ordering more.

2) Avene Eluage Cream ($40/oz.)
This is a retinol product, where the retinol is suspended in a very emollient base. I've used both Retin-A and Renova, Retin-A's supposedly more moisturizing little sister, and Eluage feels completely different. It has Hyaluronic Acid Fragments and feels like a luxurious night cream. I've noticed no particular benefit from it, but I've also noticed no dryness or peeling from the retinol. Again, the price is right, and even if it only has a slight effect on surface lines, it's a keeper.

3) Retin-A (by prescription only, unless you sneak some of your son's supply)

OK, leading up to BlogHer I felt a certain pressure to look AMAZINGLY YOUTHFUL, stylish, slim, and gorgeous. Naturally there was nothing I could do about the slim part of things, but I got my hair color refreshed--no tell-tale roots on the Beauty Boomer--stuffed my Stila train case full of fabulous makeup, and made sure I left my baggy t-shirts and Mom Jeans at home.

But I also dipped into my son's supply of Retin-A.

I know, I know. Bad Poppy! But Internet, I couldn't help myself. He gets 11 refills in the next year! There's no way he could use even half that, and it would just be going to waste.

So this is how my skin punished me for sneaking dabs of someone else's prescription and blithely applying it every night for five nights:

OW. BURNING. PEELING.

And that's why this beauty blogger used nothing but Vaseline on her face for a few days before BlogHer.

Of course, when I showed up at Blogher, I was probably DIVINELY EXFOLIATED. But I don't recommend it.

So here's my current regimen:

A.M.

wash face with uber gentle Murad cream cleanser
apply nufountain Vitamin C serum
apply Garnier Nutritioniste eye cream
apply Garnier Nutritioniste SPF28 moisturizer

remove eye makeup with eye makeup remover of choice
wash face with uber gentle Murad cleanser
apply Garnier Nutritioniste eye cream
apply Murad's Age Diffusing Serum/Avène's Eluage on alternate nights

--
*This link, as well as most of the other links on my site, goes to Amazon. Full disclosure: I finally managed to get the Amazon Associates doohickey set up properly, and last time I checked, I had earned forty cents! So feel free to click through and purchase stuff I link to, even though at this rate, it will take me until Christmas to earn a cup of Starbucks.

this, or, my lightbulb moment in a meme

2010-08-25T14:57:00.000-05:00

This is what I know: there is a moment when you stop mourning the end of summer and start anticipating fall: wool clothes and real shoes and serious skin care and a full face of makeup. And when that moment occurs, jump on it.

This is what I think: everyone who thinks their feet look terrible in the winter hasn't seen mine after a summer of going to the beach and wearing flip flops. I got home from New Hampshire on Sunday, and my first order of business was to give myself the mother of all pedicures. With the good pumice stone, not that useless one I bought in NH. WHAT A DIFFERENCE.

This is what I'm wearing on my toenails: O.P.I. Crimson Carol. It's bright red, sparkly, and it's just the pick-me-up I need.

This is what could change my life: OK, Funny you should ask. My son came home with a few first day of school questionnaires, and that was one of the questions. Or more specifically, "What would you change about yourself?" And I immediately thought: I'd lose weight. About 30 pounds. Maybe 40--it depends on how well my metabolism has handled the seafood and ice creams of summer.

Which made me realize something. Losing weight? Talk about an attainable goal. I mean, it's not like my number one desire is to be six inches taller.

So what's my problem? Easy. It would take a year to do it right.

But I'm going to be a year older, anyway. Why not be a year slimmer, too?

This is what I'm eating: a sandwich made from last night's leftover lemon chicken breasts, lots of lettuce, hold the mayo. See above.

Meme courtesy of blackbird and Badger.

Travels with Poppy, the Glamour Don't

2010-08-21T23:29:00.002-05:00

Greetings, Internet. I'm blogging from a Best Western in Elyria, Ohio, which is just as glamorous as it sounds. We drove for 14 hours today, and I'm makeup-free. And I'm wearing my summer travel outfit: a black t-shirt, a pair of olive green cargo pants, flip-flops, and piles of jewelry.

The jewelry breaks one of my own rules, because I firmly believe that it looks younger and/or hipper to resist the temptation to pile on jewelry. But what happens when you've finished packing the car and find your favorite bracelet and ring next to the kitchen sink? You put them on and clank around all day.

The flip flops are for ease and comfort and for those moments when I want to stick my feet up on the dashboard. Everyone knows it's tacky to keep your shoes on when you put your feet on the dashboard.

The black t-shirt is for when I'm drinking a full cup of coffee and hit a bump in the road. OK, it doesn't look so hot, but it beats wearing a bib. It's pretty sad the way I can predict spilling food on myself. Sad, but accurate.

And the cargo pants not only give me a place to put my phone when I'm pumping gas, they also give me a place to stash the other stuff I discover that we've forgotten to pack. Which is why I spent a good part of the day carrying around a big tube of toothpaste. "Is that a tube of toothpaste," Mr. Buxom asked, "or are you just glad to see me?"

Obviously, I need to face the facts: 1. summer is almost over, and 2. I need to clean up my act!

This is not a BlogHer recap post

2010-08-16T15:46:00.002-05:00

Even though I spent three days at BlogHer, I don't really have a BlogHer recap. For one thing, I actually spent very little time at the actual panels--two on Friday, and none on Saturday.

Nothing against the panels, really, it's just that it's my fifth blogging conference, and after a while, panels start to repeat themselves. And seem more trouble than they're worth.

One of the two panels I attended was Susan Wagner's Style Bloggers panel (if you missed the panel, there's a good write up here on Fashionista) and I left the panel with more questions than I'd come in with. Which is probably good, because it means the subject was much bigger than its time slot.

It's also good because it means the panel made me think.

In my last life, I spent a lot of time going to academic conferences, and I got used to the way they run panels. It's a big deal to get on an academic panel, and while it helps to be a big name in your field, you still really have to make a point. And it should be a good point--preferably something groundbreaking or paradigm shifting or as Faux Fuschia likes to say, visionary. You get 20 minutes to make your point. Then, if you're lucky, people ask questions.

There are fewer points and many more questions at BlogHer panels, which means the quality of the panel depends on the quality of the questions, which may explain why blackbird of Say La Vee and I escaped and went shopping at the Hermes store. Where I bought a scarf and two bracelets, but this is not a haul post.

No, this is a series of questions about fashion and style blogging.

(BTW, were you acquainted with "haul posts" and "haul videos?" The term was getting slung around a lot at the style panel, but I hadn't realized it had reached such a saturation level that no one felt the need to define it. So click on the links, if you're not aware of the phenomenon.)

Now that BlogHer is less about mommyblogging being a radical act and more about women-owned business blogging (because let's face it; monetizing your blog in any way is running a business) I'd really like to see some other people at blogging conferences. Because we are not all mommybloggers. Not even those of us who have kids.

I'd really like to see more style bloggers. I saw Susan Wagner of Friday Playdate and Kalisah of I'll Be the one in Heels. I met some new (to me) style bloggers, like the gorgeous Amber of Brown Bombshell Beauty, and Treacle of The Lingerie Addict, and Tracey of FashionForward40, who was everything good: smart, funny, curvy, and stylish.

Tracey in her wrap dress and double strand of faux gray
South-Sea-style pearls--me in Lilly

But seriously, the personal blog has been around for years. The monetized brand-crazy mommyblog has too. So enough already about privacy, the internet, and our kids. What about privacy, the internet, and What I Wore Today?

And what's a design panel when nobody's addressing something that I've been wondering about for a while: why, with our eyes for design being so finely honed, do bloggers like Faux Fuchsia, LPC of A Midlife of Privilege, Alexis of J. Crew Aficionada and I still use the Blogger minima templates? Why don't style bloggers feel the same need to use huge splashy headers and custom-designed blogs?

How about a panel on fashion photography--specifically, on photographing yourself for your blog?

How about a panel on being an old broad? What about issues of aging in the blogosphere? After all, simply by virtue of being 53 years old, I'm way outside of the 35-year-old white, suburban mother-of-two stereotype. Even though I'm white and suburban and a mother of two, I feel distinctly ... other.

What fashion/style/design issues would you like to see covered at a blogging conference?

My 15 minutes has arrived.

2010-08-13T10:05:00.001-05:00

.
Originally uploaded by MaggieMason

So please learn from my experience. When your 15 minutes arrives, be wearing lipstick.

(This is the incrediblly photogenic Susie Sunshine and me at Maggie Mason's get-together last weekend at that women's blogging conference you may have heard about.)

a post (short) from BlogHer

2010-08-06T17:07:00.001-05:00

I'm borrowing blackbird's laptop to write this, so I've decided I'm borrowing her title, too.

I've been in New York for over 24 hours, and I'm already exhausted. I attribute this to a combination of things: being surrounded by literally thousands of blogging women, all talking at once; sitting through panels and keynotes and lunches; sharing a room with blackbird so that the talking and laughing literally doesn't stop unless we're asleep; a general lack of caffeine, and the weather, which is just what you'd expect, if you've been hearing about New York's record-breaking summer-long heat wave.

Also, I'm frustrated, because I'm having trouble accessing the internet.

You know those posts people are always writing about what to bring to a blogging conference? Well, one of the most important things to bring is a laptop.

But guess who left her laptop at home in Newtopia? And bought herself a compensatory iPad? That's right, me. And for the most part, I love it.

For one thing, I've downloaded sample chapters of all kinds of style books, like RuPaul's Working It, Daisy Fuentes' Unforgettable, Rachel Zoe's Style A to Zoe, and The Color of Style. So I'll be able to sample them at my leisure, impulse buy them, and then review them on this blog. Which is where you come in, internet.

Unfortunately, the wireless connector on my new iPad is a little fussy. It does not like BlogHer or New York or the Hilton. So I've spent a lot of conference time struggling with it. And that's why blackbird took pity on me and let me borrow her laptop.

So. What we've done. Yesterday, we attended a party at Martha Stewart's offices, where we drank frozen Lillet and basil slushies and ate miniature whoopie pies. Then we went to the People's Party at the hotel, where they were pouring the bourbon with a very heavy hand. And we paid court to the Bloggess in the ladies' room, which has become something of a BlogHer tradition.

Today blackbird and I went to see our BlogHer Style boss, Susan Wagner, moderate a panel on the business of fashion blogging. I discovered that alas, I am a dinosaur, because I'd rather talk about the return of the pointy-toed shoe than about marketing my brand.

What am I wearing? Yesterday, a turquoise/lime green cotton lawn Lilly Pulitzer tunic, white bootcut jeans, and Michael Kors white patent leather and rope wedge-heeled sandals. And my hair up in one of those monster butterfly clips because hello? IT WAS HOT.

Today, it's a white stretch pencil skirt from Banana Republic, navy blue Lilly polo shirt and Kelsi Dagger wedged espadrilles with white leather ankle wraps.

And I'm carrying this bag

because it's all about MY BRAND.

It's ... alive. And wearing Lilly!

2010-07-29T15:00:00.001-05:00

Hey internet! Look, sorry I haven't been keeping in touch--I've been really busy lately, what with taking my son back and forth to performing arts camp, dealing with our post-fire condo renovation, attending various summer-themed social events, and throwing a cocktail party for a friend who has finally bitten the bullet and moved to the suburbs.

Many of these activities involved shopping for and wearing lots and lots of Lilly Pulitzer. So I will intersperse this post with pictures of the stuff I've been wearing. (Not pictures of me wearing it, because Lord knows I'm not that organized.)

For example, for my welcome-to-the-suburbs cocktail party, guess who made her husband wear a Lilly blazer?

YES I DID. And he looked adorable, with a huge, abashed grin on his face all night long.

And hey! I've just heard that a lot of you are signing up for The Great American Apparel Diet. Which I thought meant you took a solemn oath to wear only bright colored solid clothes designed for teenagers, but which actually means you promise not to buy any clothes for a year.

And you know what? If you think you have a problem with shopping, then go for it. But I've done the moratorium thing before, and really, I think it's much more sensible to clear out your closets, set a budget, and buy only what you need.

Like for example, the way I needed that bracelet. (OK, maybe not really.)

But think about it. Buying what you need. It's not faddy or internetty. It's kind of old-school. But it works.

The hard part is figuring out what you actually need. Instead of going cold turkey with shopping, how about figuring out why your closet doesn't work with your life? Figure out what clothes you own that don't suit your life, and either store them or get rid of them. Then fill in the gaps with the stuff you really wear.

Like the way I recently bought 5,000 Lilly polo shirts.

In the summer, I wear shirts like this five days out of seven. And the white ones always get messed up somehow. To me, it makes sense to replace light-colored summer shirts with fresh, new, not-stained ones.

See, here's my theory: what happens if you get invited to a wedding or you lose a lot of weight or you need new bras? I did the buy-no-makeup-for-a-year thing way back when, and later on, I did The Compact. And frankly, they didn't significantly alter my behavior.

The easiest way to keep from overindulging is to avoid triggers. People who are trying not to drink shouldn't hang out in bars. People who are trying not to smoke shouldn't watch old Bette Davis movies. And people who want to stop buying so much stuff need to steer clear of malls, catalogs, shopping TV programs, and blogs where people are always talking about the latest crappe they've bought.

Like this dress, which I wore to my cocktail party. (Isn't it cute?)

Lilly Pulitzer, my fair weather friend

2010-07-09T13:45:00.001-05:00

I think we can all pretty much agree that Lilly Pulitzer looks best on thin, blonde, tanned Floridians, ideally accessorized with a sprinkling of towheaded children. Something like this:

Well, this is the story of a fair-skinned, dark-haired (thanks to the salon) northern girl (OK ... post-menopausal female) and her part-time, fair-weather, irrational love of Lilly.

When you live in Chicago in a small, elderly house with teeny, tiny closets, you spend more time than you'd like moving things in and out of your closet and drawers. And sometimes, in the dead of winter, when I'm all wool and black puffy jackets and purple tights and suchlike, I look at the neon rainbow of Lilly Pulitzer summer clothes, and a single thought passes through my mind:

WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?????

And then, lo and behold, summer hits. We get our first streak of eighty-degree days, and I'm rummaging around for the self-tanner and my white sandals and bag. And my Lilly.

This year I discovered that Lilly had--hallelujah!--actually produced some dresses with sleeves. And a chorus of angels started to sing as I discovered some of this seasons dresses aren't skin tight. They're loose, cool, and comfortable.

So I kind of went on a little bit of a shopping binge. And this week I went to a birthday luncheon for a friend of mine. Five of us baby boomers sitting around a table in a private room in a private club, talking, laughing, drinking white wine, and eating gazpacho, chicken salad, and coconut cake.

And I was resplendent in my Lilly Pulitzer blue Elina toile tunic (OK, it's really a swimsuit coverup, and maybe I looked like a walking swimming pool) with my white Michael Kors "Palm Beach" wedged sandals, and a cream-colored vintage Paloma Piccaso bag.

Then I went mattress shopping, where I took a picture.

Like youth, the season for wearing Lilly is short and sweet. And I plan to enjoy every moment!

10 steps to the perfect under eye concealer application

2010-06-29T23:01:00.000-05:00

Have you ever gotten an unexpected glimpse of yourself in the mirror and just been blown away by the lemur-like shadows under your eyes? That just happened to me recently when I was at the MAC store on Oak Street in Chicago.

I was testing MAC foundation shades, but when the SA handed me a mirror to see how well N2 matched my skin, all I saw was my hideous under-eye shadows.

They were purple.

OK, maybe the store lighting wasn't helping (although seriously, MAC--if your lighting makes everyone look terrible, how is that helpful?) But I looked like Mortitia Addams. Or maybe Lurch.

So I've declared all-out war on my mauve eyelids and deep purple undereye circles.

I'm on the lookout for the best under eye concealer regimen ever. So far, this is what works best for me:

1. To plump up lines and allow the concealer to spread easily without caking, I apply my usual eye cream and let it sink in. If you use an eyeshadow primer, like Urban Decay Primer Potion, apply it next, before concealer. (But I find my concealer works great as a primer all by itself.)

2. If you can't remember which makeup to apply first, remember that in general, powder goes on top of liquid and creams, and more heavily pigmented cosmetics go on top of less. I wear tinted moisturizer or liquid foundation, so my liquid concealer goes on top of that--with powder, if any, going on top of it.

3. I use a mineral-based, highly pigmented tube concealer, like Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Under Eye Concealer
or Revlon Age Defying Moisturizing Concealer

4. To pick the right shade, match your foundation or go a bit lighter--but not ridiculously so. You don't want to end up with light rings around your eyes. Also, keep the color wheel in mind. While I'm not going to tell you to wear a colored primer or anything that complicated, I find that if I pick a slightly-yellow-toned concealer, it does a better job of covering up purple shadows.

5. I squeeze the concealer onto the back of my left hand and work it into a Taklon concealer brush, like the Japonesque Taklon Synthetic Travel Concealer brush (#BP-910). In my experience, fingers, while great for applying foundation and blusher, melt my concealer and smudge it away even as I'm applying it. With foundation and blush, you want to blend blend blend, but concealer needs to be placed precisely, or it's not worth applying. On top of that, it's hard to work with the inner corners of the eye when my hand is in the way. Using a concealer brush allows me to get the pigment exactly where you want it.

6. Using the brush, I apply concealer over the inner third of the lower eyelid, and feather it towards the outer corner. You need to get the concealer up into the inner corner and against the side of the nose; that's where the darkest part of the shadow is. Don't get it too close to your tear ducts, or your eyes will water. And keep your concealer away from any lines you have.

7. Let it set, then blend the edges with your finger tip in a rolling motion. This is when you eradicate the demarcation between the concealer and the rest of your face.

8. If your eyelids have visible veins that make you look tired--and mine do, she complained in a wan, exhausted voice--apply concealer over the entire lid, from lashes to brows, applying it most heavily in the inner corners and across the lids where the veins show through, and feathering it away towards the outer edge of the eye area.

9. Let your concealer set while you do other makeup and move your face normally, then check for creases. Maybe apply a litte bit more where you're darkest.

10. Two excellent video tutorials are Kate Shepherd for Expert Village and Michelle Phan's.

Finally!--an Urban Decay palette for grown-ups.

2010-06-28T08:30:00.000-05:00

Urban Decay makes some of the nicest eye shadows out there: the colors are gorgeous, and the texture is soft and blendable. I've loved them for years, and over the years, I somehow managed to accumulate a bunch of UD palettes.

It took a while, but I finally realized that Urban Decay eye shadows are too glittery and/or shimmery, and most of them aren't appropriate for a woman of a certain age. It also finally dawned on me that UD repackages the same colors in their palettes over and over again.

It was time for me to back away from the UD palettes. (Or buy them as presents for my daughter.)

But I just found out from The Best Things in Beauty that in July, Urban Decay will be releasing a new set of shadows in neutral shades. They look really gorgeous, and six of the twelve shades will be new!

The collection will include Sin, Naked, Sidecar (which formerly appeared in the Book of Shadows, Volume 1) Half Baked, Smog, and Toasted and the followed new shades:

Virgin--Satin chamois
Buck--Matte nutmeg
Darkhorse--Bronze patina
Hustle--Plum brown satin
Creep--Onyx with gold sparkle
Gunmetal--Gunmetal gray with silver glitter

The Naked palette will sell for $44 and will include a double-ended 24/7 pencil in Zero (black) and Whiskey (brown).

Thanks to The Best Things in Beauty's Charlestongirl and Tavia of Chic Profile for the head's up.

Sunday afternoon click-a-thon (with random remarks as a GWP)

2010-06-27T19:07:00.001-05:00

Want to smell like me? Or at least, Coach's notion of what a Poppy smells like? (Apparently we're fruity/floral--and hey, who isn't?) Beauty 411 has the 411.

The votes are tallied and the griege shoobooties won, so they are on their way to me from Zappos. Yes, I originally found them on Nordstrom, but the free two-way shipping won me over. After all, I'll probably try them on, wonder what I'd been smoking, and run over to the P.O. to return them.

Once I start thinking about a subject, I see it everywhere. And right now, I'm all about the neutral eyeshadow. So I was awfully pleased to see Jennifer Hudson's Got Milk ad. Check out her eye makeup--it looks fantastic. (Please to ignore the icky milk moustache, though.)

Anyone finding their concealer looking awfully pale these days? For now, I'm blending a dot of Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer (shade #3, Golden Bronze) with my old faithful (and now discontinued) Maybelline Instant Age Rewind concealer--(and talk about combining high and low!) But what I really need to do is pop for a darker shade. I want to try the new Revlon ones.

I don't see as many ageless looks on The Sartorialist as I'd like. I'm often left feeling bereft. But this lovely brunette in a black top with a white collar has a great Coco Chanel-meets-Pierrot vibe.

In the time lapse between my writing a BlogHer post about serums and it going live, I dug around and found even more serums--like these two from from Phyto-C--that sound intriguing. But Vitamin C degrades when it's exposed to light, so I popped for a serum in a brown bottle. A budget-friendly one, at that. My bottle of nufountain C20 L-Ascorbic Vitamin C Serum arrived yesterday. I'll review it after I've been your guinea pig for a while.

Hey! College Fashion shows 25 summer sandals for any budget.

Finally, if you're fair-skinned, it can be really hard to find a bronzer that adds a little color but looks natural. Physician's Formula consistently comes out with colors that work for pale porcelain princesses like me. Right now I'm loving their Bamboo Wear Bamboo Silk Bronzer in Light.

With my usual high/low outlook, I'm applying my $9.95 bronzer with a $52 Nars bronzer brush. I load the brush with color, tap it off to remove the excess, and apply the bronzer in a sort of circular, rubbing motion over the areas that would get some sun: (that is, if I ever got up from my laptop) cheeks, nose, chin, forehead. It adds just a touch of color and a minimal amount of shimmer, and it's subtle enough to work in partnership with my blusher.

Finally, Une Femme has recommendations for summer weight scarves.

Click, read, enjoy!

While I tally votes, a skincare serum primer

2010-06-25T11:33:00.000-05:00

I'm still tracking the voting on the totally excellent shooties I talked about yesterday ... just so you know, preliminary polls suggest that the greige shooties are winning by a landslide.

While I count votes, feel free to check out my latest BlogHer post--a description of what to look for in an anti-aging serum--along with some products I recommend.

(I don't usually pimp my BlogHer posts, but this post went live on the down-low, so I'd appreciate it if you guys would head over, check it out, and leave comments about how I'm so great. Or leave comments about why your favorite serums are infinitely better than anything I mentioned--I'm not particular, just so long as Notice Is Taken.)

I interrupt my eyeshadow thoughts to wonder about these summer booties

2010-06-24T23:03:00.001-05:00

at Nordstrom.

They come in black

which I was totally going for!

But then I clicked on the gray ones.

Which somehow seem so much more summery.

Now, keep in mind that I don't really wear dress shoes all that frequently. Especially in summer, where I shout "hallelujah," pack away the high-heeled shoes and mostly dress like I've been crewing on a friend's yacht for a week. Plus let's not forget that I'm a size 14 and tend to dress conservatively. Talbots-y, even.

In other words, I don't usually rock high-cut sandal/boot hybrids with four-inch heels.

So which ones should I get--gray or black?

Eye shadow as contour: the theory

2010-06-21T16:08:00.001-05:00

I'm probably getting really repetitive on the subject of neutral eyeshadow, but Sephora keeps filling my mailbox with catalogs showing models wearing truly outlandish colors--glittery turquoise stripes were featured in the latest--so it doesn't look as though I'll be shutting up any time soon.

So I'll say it again: neutral eye shadows are fantastic on women of a certain age. They do what eye shadow is supposed to do; shadow and sculpt the eyes to make them look bigger, brighter, and more expressive.

They do this by contouring the eye area. Now, it took me a long time to accept the fact that I was going to talk about using eye makeup to contour the eye area, because the old school notions of contouring seem hopelessly out of date.

You know what I mean when I talk about contouring the face with makeup, right? It's a makeup technique where you apply lighter makeup where you want a feature to appear higher or more prominent, and darker makeup where you want a feature to appear deeper or less prominent.

It's frequently used to make noses appear straighter and narrower, or make cheekbones look more prominent. But here's the thing about contouring: it's hard to make it look natural. It was first used in stage makeup, where the audience is very far away from the actors. Then it was used in black and white movies and stills, where you have dramatic lighting and a general aura of glamorous artificiality. But even then, makeup artists had to know what they were doing. Back then--and right now--when you shade and highlight an area, it's all about blending and soft, subtle shades.

As an example of what I'm talking about, take Marlene Dietrich. Her entire face was nothing but makeup and lighting. Here's a photograph of her standing next to Josef von Sternberg, the director who made her a star.

Notice the fairly flat planes of her face. Now look at her with von Sternberg's trademark lighting and a full face of contoured makeup:

I'm not a makeup artist, and I don't know how to do stage or film makeup, but it's pretty clear that Dietrich is wearing way more makeup than even the average Hollywood star of the 1930s--and they wore plenty.

Check out the contouring. I'm no expert, but I can see that a lighter shade of foundation is blended down the middle of her nose, with a darker shade along the side. In the first picture, it looks like she's wearing highlighter under her eyes, and in the second, it's obvious that the artist used rouge to contour her cheekbones (a trick that works very well in black and white photography, but is much less successful in color photographs or real life.)

Take at Dietrich's eye makeup. Her eyebrows are the stuff of legend, so we won't discuss them, except to warn you not to emulate her. Although tweezing her eyebrows off and drawing them on again much higher up did give Dietrich a much larger area in which to apply eyeshadow.

And what eyeshadow! She's wearing a medium shade from the lash line all the way up to the brows, with a lighter shade on the eyelid and a highlighting shade in the inner corner and in a narrow line under the eye. Her crease is shaded much darker. Her eyes are very wide set, and that, added to the increased height of her brow area, means the makeup artist could apply a ton of dark shadow in the U-shaped crease to the back wedge. Her eyes were big to begin with, but the eyeshadow makes them incredible.

And Dietrich was doing this before eyeshadow was commercially available. Instead, she or her makeup artist used soot mixed with baby oil or petroleum jelly.

There, now. Aren't you ashamed that you're not taking full advantage of the lovely, hygienic ready-made shades now available in stores?

Next on The Beauty Boomer: What I Do, or, I know Poppy Buxom, and she's no Marlene Dietrich.

Elsewhere on the web:

For more on makeup in films, see the article on makeup in Film Reference

For how to look more like Marlene Dietrich, go this article in Suite 101

What do you mean, women don't like using maps?

2010-06-15T12:58:00.002-05:00

Hi internet! Listen, I know I've been neglecting you shamefully lately. But I have excuses. Many, in fact.

Mr. Buxom, also known as "Counselor Whup Ass" has been out of town ~~ruthlessly horsewhipping Intelletual Property scofflaws~~ at a trial, and I've been the only parent to help with my wonderful, talented children--children whose talents involve lots of driving around and listening to music and cramming for exams and shopping for camp clothes, not to mention the camps themselves. Plus the usual groceries, laundry, cooking, mopping up spills and teenaged angst and what not.

Then there's all that volunteer bullshit I'm always whining about (see tags) like my own talented musical performances and the desktop publishing I'm doing for a non-profit even as we speak. In fact, I'm only here because I'm waiting on some proofs.

But what has suffered? MY BLOG, thank you very much. And MY READERS.

Well, listen, readers--one of the things that has been vexing me has been my printer's inability to scan anything. I had all these pictures I wanted to show you, and the stupid HP All-in-one had become a Part-in-one. And then, a couple of weeks ago, it even balked at printing and morphed into the world's largest paperweight. So I did the smart thing. I checked out the reviews of the HP PhotoSmart C4280 All-In-One printer on Amazon. And I discovered that's it's not me; it's HP.

So I bought a new printer. And I just scanned my first scan! Voila:

Now, other than playing with the new printer, why the scan?

It's to even the playing ground. Because a lot of the time, makeup instructions are written by makeup fanatics for makeup fanatics. I mean, I love MakeupAlley, but with all the talk about the back wedge, tightlining, and waterlining, those women aren't speaking English. If you aren't all makeup, all the time, you won't know what they're talking about.

Even makeup fanatics who write books forget to talk down to their readers. Where's Makeup for Dummies when you need it?

But Gentle Reader(s), this is Makeup for Dummies. And I promise, I'll never forget to talk down to you.

So check out this map. Study it. Learn the terminology. Refer back to it. Copy it onto the top of your left hand with a Sharpie. Tattoo it to the small of your back. Be the ball, Danny.

And get ready for Eye Shadow 101.

Why I still buy glittery eye makeup

2010-05-27T17:57:00.000-05:00

After all my talk about neutral eyeshadows being best for women of a certain age, why do I have a stash of makeup worthy of a trannie hoarder?

I mean, how many shades of glitter eyeliner does a 53-year-old housewife really need?

Today's face included two: Urban Decay's Spandex (shades of blue) along the upper eyelashes and Distortion (white-ish holographic) along the lower eyelashes. Then there was the MAC shimmer eyeshadows in Crystal Avalanche (white with lots of shimmer) and Contrast (deep blue) and the white lipgloss with sparkles from a Sephora palette topped with another gloss with holographic glitter, this time from a Bratz tube.

Maybe you've figured it out. Today's face wasn't on me.

It was on my daughter, who decided to show her school spirit by decking herself out in school colors.

Right down to her fingernails and eyeshadow.

Me? I'm much more boring. I went to the MAC store on Oak Street in Chicago yesterday to pick up a few shades of eyeshadow for my 15-pan eye shadow palette. I even branched out beyond beige, so at the moment, I'm sporting about six shades of neutral / brown with a little tiny bit of shimmery olive green in the center of my eyelids. (But you have to look really closely to see it.)

Pay no attention to the grubby container full of dead plant on the left!

I think tomorrow I'll make a video about my new MAC eyeshadows. As well as show some of my favorite neutral eyeshadow quads. But it's going to take real skill to make my quads seem as fun as painted-on whiskers.

I'm not dead yet!

2010-05-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

Internet, I have been neglecting you. I'm sorry.

See, my husband is out of town for the next month and I've been crazy busy with the non-profit volunteering crappe AND I got smacked with some kind of virus that landed in my throat, swelled up my tonsils, and generally made me miserable.

So the only blogging I've been doing is Contractually Obligated blogging, like the piece I did on updating your eyebrows for BlogHer, and a couple of posts I did for Mamarazzi, like my Field Guide to Reality Show Skanks.

The rest of the time I've been curled up on the sofa with my collection of Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs. I'm almost through with Season 7, which means that I'll soon be blogging again.

Until then, there's something you ought to know. Gargling with a salt water solution every hour really does make your throat feel better!

But it bloats you up like a pregnant lady in her third trimester. I'm just saying.

Ten Things

2010-05-16T16:43:00.003-05:00

Blackbird posted recently about ten things that have been good at the office. I'm coming down with something, so at the moment, my office is my king sized bed--but I have 10 good things to tell you about:

1. On the personal front, in the last two weeks, I've survived: a trip to the dentist, two school concerts, three annual meetings, three non-annual meeting-related ladies' luncheons, a Girl Scout's Cadet's flying up ceremony, an engagement party, and Mother's Day. Internet, that is a LOT of irreproachably ladylike behavior from the somewhat loud, obnoxious, and irreverent likes of me.

2. Jen Lancaster's latest book, My Fair Lazy, came out on May 5, and it's already a best-seller. I appear as a character in this book, which means I'm even more famous than I was a month ago. You'll be glad to hear that fame hasn't made some kind of monster of me. I'm pretty humble about the whole thing. But not so humble that I wouldn't want to make sure that the internet realizes Jen didn't actually make me up.

3. Physician's Formula matte eyeshadow quads are rocking my world. They're dirt cheap and the quality is excellent. They're so soft, subtle, blendable, and fun to play with that I'm doing a full-on three-shades-of-eyeshadow dealio every day--even when the only time I see another human being is when I'm wheeling out the recycling bin.

4. Milani has a retractable lip pencil that has stolen the crown from my previous faves, Chanel Nude and Prestige Angora. It's creamier, more of a my-lips-but-better-shade, and I don't have to sharpen it. Mind you, I don't wear it as a liner. I use it all over my lips as a base for gloss. And at $3.49, it's cheap, cheap, cheap.

5. I snagged this pair of Fly London purple Mary Janes on Amazon for something like $50. They are so comfortable! Who cares if my daughter asked me why I always wear such silly shoes? And anyway, it could have been worse. I could have clicked over to Gravity Pope and bought these:

so really, I don't know what her problem is.

6. The Garnier Nutri tioniste moisturizer that I love so much that I'm on my fourth bottle? And was afraid had been discontinued? Has NOT been discontinued. The packaging was re-designed. I snagged five bottles of the old design for $2.49 each. (Although the shipping costs were a heinous $14.50.)

7. Lancome's Divine Lasting Curves curling mascara actually works. It is perfect for keeping in my makeup bag, because who wants to carry around an eyelash curler? (This is a rhetorical question being asked by the woman who found three eyelash curlers in her bag the last time she cleaned it out.)

8. Lancome also has an eyeshadow that I got recently as a GWP and just adore. So should you if you have hazel//green eyes. The shade is called Designer. It's a olive green shade with lots of shimmer--but it's incredibly subtle. I know I'm a strong advocate of a basic, neutral eye shadow, but this stuff goes on sheer and is much more subtle than it looks.

9. Kari at Fabulous Over Forty has called my attention to a root touch-up product that comes packaged like a marker pen. I can't wait to head to Ulta to try it. This sounds like a perfect product for those EEK MY ROOTS ARE SHOWING days.

10. I've accumulated a bunch of neutral eyeshadow quads to tell you about soon. I promise. (When I'm not lying here on my bed of pain, that is.) And some of them are really nice!

Murad's Resurgence, or My New Skin Care Regimen: Let Me Show It To You

2010-05-07T09:03:00.010-05:00

At some point last April, I decided to make myself into the internet's guinea pig.

First of all, I realized that I'd stick to a skin care regimen more thoroughly if I was trying to make a point for my invisible internet friends. There would be no more of this deciding I'm too tired to do the full skin care regimen; no sneaking one of my son's Stridex pads to wipe off my makeup; definitely no falling into bed with my makeup on. No cheating.

And so far, it's working. I've been really good about the whole cleanse/treat/moisturize program. (Obviously, I need to bring the internet to the gym with me. And tape a picture of the internet onto my refrigerator. Heh.)

Anyway, this is my current regimen: Dr. Murad's Resurgence night time skincare kit, plus two Garnier Nutritioniste products I really like and don't want to give up: their Ultra-Lift eye cream and SPF28 Daily Moisturizer.*

Murad's Resurgence line claims to target the effects of "hormonal aging," i.e., what happens to our skin as we approach menopause. According to his website, this is what happens:

Low estrogen levels result in weakening of the collagen and elastin fibers. Wrinkles become more prominent, while the skin assumes a dull, discolored, rough, dry appearance. Additionally, women who never had acne in their life may discover unexpected breakouts because of a lack of estrogen in their bodies. You may find that you have an increase in facial hair as well as brown spots and increased sensitivity to skincare products.

Well, thank you Dr. Murad for pointing out all the things to be depressed about, at least when it comes to my complexion. And internet, it turns out I'll make a great guinea pig for you, because all of it is happening to me--except for the unexpected breakouts (knock wood.)

Anyway, since May first, I've been using Murad's Resurgence three step system. It consists of

Renewing Cleansing Cream (4.5 oz/$35) available on Amazon for $25.99

Age-Diffusing Serum (1 oz/$70) available on Amazon for $59.70

Age-Balancing Night Cream (1.7 oz/$80) available on Amazon for $59

I bought the three piece kit on Amazon for $119, when the three pieces purchased separately would cost $185. To find out more details about the products, I checked out Murad's Resurgence website. The website sells the kits, but it also enrolls you into a monthly delivery system, which--no. Just no.

Also, can I just mention how embarrassing it is to buy something and discover, once you've done a little research for a blog post, that it has that "As seen on TV" thingie on the web site? These products have been featured in an infomercial! Shame spiral commencing in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ... entering a shame spiral.

Anyway, so far, I like these products. However, I'm not recommending this kit or any Murad product until I've made it through the entire month, because there's no point in being all enthusiastic about my new toy after only using it for a week, only to find out on day 20 that it breaks me out or gives me a rash.

And I made a video about it! Which I'll embed here. So that you can listen to me ramble incoherently about it in real time.

---
* If you click on the link to the Garnier Nutritioniste SPF28 Daily Moisturizer, you'll discover that Amazon is selling it for $2.49, yay! Unfortunately, that's because it has apparently been discontinued, boo! So I ... um ... just 1-clicked five bottles.

Disclaimer: The products that I'm not reviewing in this not-review were purchased by me by means of Amazon-1-clicking and two glasses of wine. I'm signed up with that thing that supposedly gives me money if people buy something they see on my blog, but I've never gotten a penny from it, so don't go buy this Murad stuff thinking that you're going to help send my son to college, because it's not happening.