The Eyeshadow Palette You Should NOT Buy!

Posted on November 13, 2018 by Catherine

Now that the elections are over, and I am, for the moment, not receiving any annoying emails begging me for donations–thank goodness!  I can focus on the stuff I love.  Makeup. Food. Clothes. Travel.  And, naturally, pro-aging!

Image result for atypical 60 paris

Ye Ye!  Guess where I’m gonna be shopping next week?

Tonight, I’m going to focus on something that’s been bothering me since I received a beauty set of a double-ended eye brush and an eyeshadow palette from QVC.  Through no fault of “The Q”, I purchased what could, quite possibly be, the worst eye shadow palette ever made!

Be prepared for what you are about to read in connection with this palette!  

Always in love with the iT Cosmetics brand’s brushes, I’ve started a decent collection.  I’ve written about the brands brushes in the past and they are nothing short of great.

Three of my newest brushes from iT cosmetics.  I have many more but these were the only ones that are clean!

It’s a different story when it comes to their makeup products.  I’ve a few iT cosmetics that I love—the Je Ne Sais Quoi Lip and Cheek colors are wonderful—it’s part of the brand’s lip vitality line.

The Je Ne Sais Quoi products look colorless in the tube but turn into such a gorgeous shade of pink.  I’m a fan!

Their skincare line is awful for me.  The products dry my already-dehydrated skin out more than it is.  And this, I find surprising since the brand touts itself as anti aging.

This is the brand’s Celebration foundation.  I tried it and it was DE-hydrating.  And with that anti-aging term, they certainly ain’t celebrating the aging process.

And  the brand insists on using the vulgar and mature woman insulting term anti-aging! Yet, despite this, the brushes are so absolutely amazing that I can’t stop using them.

Any who…. I was perusing through QVC two weeks ago catching up on some online stress shopping –because I have my lady-parts exam and my skin check coming up and I’m also stress-eating and the husband isn’t too happy with my bad habits.

I’ve been stress eating up a storm.  My pants are tight.  My tummy is expanding and I’m beyond the pregnancy years.  This photo is from my office potluck luncheon last week and I swept through this like a Hoover vacuum cleaner!

And during this time, I saw an eyeshadow brush with eyeshadow palette by iT cosmetics and I clicked to purchase.

Yeah–this was the palette and brush set.  Take a good look because it appears to be an excellent buy!

The palette seemed like a good one.  The shadows neutral with two highlighters—it could be a decent palette to use if I want a soft look or if I’m just out and about.  A good weekend eye look, if you will.

And when the mail was delivered, and my husband gave me the Larry David suspicious face because another package arrived, I gleefully ran upstairs to open the goods.

This is how Bonaparte looked at me when I told him I had no more makeup arriving in the mail!

The brush was all I expected.  Here’s a look:

This is the brush.  A four-in-one.  The top end of the brush has an element that you can pull down or up to change the shape of the shadow brush–making it a great travel tool!

The brush was well-worth the money!

Here’s a better look.  I love the pragmatic use of the larger brush.

Overall, the brush gets an A from me!

Now to the eyeshadow palette.

First of all, I have a thing about packaging and I have a “thing” about eyeshadow palette cases.  I like plastic or a similar hard composition.  I’m not a fan of the cardboard case.  Exception to the rule is the Anastasia Subculture Palette I wrote about last week—My Subculture Review.

The Superhero By Day Palette is encased in the cheapest, flimsiest cardboard ever.  Chippy got hold of it for two seconds and ate clear through the corner.

Chippy got hold of this and snacked on the edges.  But look at all the scratches and marks on this cheap cardboard case!

So, what does the low quality of the cardboard case tell me?  It says this is a disaster waiting to happen.  This is so flimsy that if you have it in your purse and it starts banging around—you’re gonna have a huge mess.

Chippy was basically telling me “I told you so….”

The other thing about the case is that it won’t stay open.  It’s so poorly constructed that I needed to use my cushion foundation as a palette weight.

My Korean Cushion Foundation is now multitasking as a cosmetic paperweight on this cheap palette that won’t stay opened!

On to the actual product. The shadows.  They are absolutely awful.

In the palette the colors look beautiful. Slightly shimmery.  Slightly satin.  They are, in fact, in appearance, the perfect neutrals with that pop of the University of Texas Burnt Orange shade.  There are also two highlighters.

Close up, the shadows really are nice looking and with the exception of the burnt-orange Empower, it’s a cool-toned palette-just what I was looking for!

I also had very high hopes for Brilliance and Visionary–the highlighters/base shadows.

Look at how they swatched on my fingers.  Can you find the color?  Where’s the pigment?

Although Empower has the most pigmentation, it was incredibly patchy.  The rest of the shadows–where’ the color?

The highlighters have more pigment but wait—they are ashy as all get out.

While these swatched with pigment on the fingers, they were ashy and on the lid just disappeared!

When I did apply the shadow on my lids, I saw that the shadows went on very chalky—and this is the irony of the “anti-aging” that iT cosmetics pontificates.  The chalkiness of the shadows actually aged the look of my eyes.

Sorry the chalky consistency didn’t show up in this photo but I DO have the shadows from this palette on my eye.  You just can’t see them because there’s no pigmentation!

I also put a dent in one of the shadows from pressing too hard to try to get some lift-off of color.

Follow the yellow arrow to see where I dented the shadow!  I tried to get more color but it didn’t work!

All was not lost after I took out my trusty Tartlette in Bloom palette.  A better neutral collection of shadows.  Tartelette in Bloom came to my rescue with the pigmentation and satiny finish I was hoping to achieve with Superhero by Day.

Tartelette in Bloom to the rescue!  I ended up going over the entire iT eye with shadows from this palette. I used Charmer, top left as a wash,  Funny Girl on my lid and in the crease a light application of both Smokeshow and Activist.  

Thanks to Tartelette in Bloom, I was able to get a nice neutral eye look!

As a consumer, I don’t want to be had. The only reason I didn’t return the palette was because Chippy snacked on it.  But how can a company that makes stellar brushes be so inconsistent with their makeup?  The brand makes products that I love–their concealer. And I use the bronzer almost every day as a contour! I just don’t get it!

But this eyeshadow palette is atrocious and iT Cosmetics should be ashamed by selling this garbage. I’ve purchased better in Dollar Tree and Five Below.

Cheaply constructed, won’t even stay opened and horrible shadows.  It’s a complete fail!

Overall how would I rate this?  An F.  Honest to God, I’ve never given such a bad review on a product and I’ve never had an F-rated product.  There’s always another way to use a product.  I’ve used bronzers as contours and contours as shadows.  I’ve used concealers that were too yellow as eye shadow bases and too-dark lip colors as blush.   But this palette—there’s no hope.

iT Superhero by Day on the left and Tartelette in Bloom in the right.  Which do YOU prefer?  I thought so!

And the other thing is, when you wear eyeglasses you NEED a shadow that’s well-pigmented!  I’m glad a have many darker shadows in my possession! Another Tartelette look!

Look—this may be a harsh review but you know I don’t lie.  If I love a product—you know it.  If I’m on the fence—you know it.  If I don’t care for something—you know it.

I just don’t like iT!!

And I love you too much to allow you to make the same mistake I did.  I’m telling you, do not buy this palette.  You will waste over $30 and for that kind of money, you can go to MAC cosmetics and create your own palette with four high-quality shadows! Or buy the Tartelette in Bloom palette for a few dollars more!

Image result for atypical60 mac eyeshadow

I created all three of these palettes at MAC–and the middle palette, I already hit pan on all four shadows!

So that’s it.  If you want to see more of my thoughts on this palette—here’s my YouTube review! And I’ll have more reviews coming up (one really good one too)!

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The Frenchman and My Wigs—A Husband’s View And Then Some…..

Posted on November 11, 2018 by Catherine

There was a time in my life when I had quite the head of hair.  As a child, my mother would curl my thick, black tresses and with the natural wave pattern, the hair that I had always received compliments.

 

The curls and thick hair were a way of life for me!

As I hit that awkward age, and my mother tired of fixing my hair—most likely due to the fact that she had four other heads to watch over, my thick hair was cut into a pixie.  This was the most awkward stage of my life.  And I hated both my mother for cutting my hair and I hated my hair for misbehaving.

Quite possibly the most awkward hair moment in my life.  I’ve never forgiven my mother for that! But everyone goes through that awkward stage!

A couple of months later and the hair is STILL at an awkward stage. And yes. I twirled a baton! With the St. Patrick School Marching Band!

Then as I entered the teen years my hair grew out.  Still thick but very unmanageable and so I wore it pulled back most of the time—especially in the humid summers.

Back in the day–with a full head of hair, no wrinkles and I didn’t need glasses 100 percent of the time.  Where did my chin disappear to? A rainy afternoon on the NYC Subway system!

Then I came to terms with the head of hair that I had and accepted the waves and the thickness.

Big hair moment during the 1980’s in NYC!  I loved that color too!

And I grew to appreciate the hair that I had.

With Oona at Chesapeake.  You can see in the front that I’m starting to lose a bit of hair!

And throughout all this, I pulled my hair out when I was stressed, and even worse—I picked at my scalp and I won’t even go into those details.

But—I was lucky that my hair was thick.  At the time.

At Sydney’s Taronga Zoo with a Zookeeper.  I ended up having a blast with this guy later on a bar crawl!  But look at that little “spot” in the front of my head!

At Trenton’s Waterfront Park–lots of baseball time spent there and lots of hats to cover the start of a loss through my own doing!

And when I met my present husband, the effects of the damage I had done by pulling and picking began to show.  I now had a “spot” on the back of my head to match the one by my front part.  And normal shedding became abnormal. And where new growth occurs—it didn’t with me because I damaged my scalp.

 

This picture always makes me think.  I was adept at the comb-over because the hair was really shedding and falling.  I was stressed because I lost my home through divorce and was living in a crappy apartment.  Jake was away at college but I still had Roman and Oona to keep me sane and happy.  Little did I know that a Frenchman would enter my life shortly!

At this time, I started using Toppik, which was a life-saver. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment when Bonaparte realized my hair loss began to be a big thing but, him, being the very honest and critical Frenchman, would point out where I needed to cover the loss.

My sigh of relief was that I could depend on him to go through this with me.

Suffice it to say, the loss became greater—hair stopped growing and eventually I began to wear toppers and then wigs.

The last “nice” photo of me in my bio hair.  Adam, the hairstylist extraordinaire knew how to blow my hair out and cover the loss and he was an expert at applying my Toppik!

Anyway, in a random moment last Sunday while we were enjoying the weekend’s end with aperitifs, he mentioned that he loved the way I look when I’m wearing wigs.

Surprised by that comment, I must’ve given him the cross-eyed, side eye because he went on to further elaborate.

He caught me competely off guard!

He said that when I started wearing wigs, he was a bit concerned because those first ones were a bit “wiggy” looking.  They weren’t good wigs (He was right. My first foray into wigs was a trial and error thing).  He thought some of the wigs were a bit too shiny.

And he went on to tell me that with the research I did, and learning to customize wigs, I did such a great job that he prefers me in wigs these days and………………………………. here’s the best part!  He said sometimes he has to remind himself that I’m wearing a wig because they look natural.

Here I am wearing Chloe in Chocolate Cherry–the wig my husband gifted me with for my birthday!

 

That’s a nice testament coming from my Frenchman.  The French can be appear to be very critical—but it’s more because they are just being honest.  And honesty is the best policy.

My Frenchman.  I’m damned lucky to have such a supportive man!

You have no idea how great my husband made me feel during that part of our conversation simply because he supports what I do.  He never thought I was odd because of my hair loss or the way I dealt with it because he’s part of my team.

It’s difficult when you begin to switch over to the world of wigs for the first time. It’s that time when we wig wearers all make mistakes.  It’s that time when we are at our biggest learning curve in how to handle the hair we wear.

The wigs I wear now are looking much better than the ones I wore when I began my journey!

Through research and instinct, we learn what works for us.  And when we have a husband, or significant other, family member or friends who support us—we’ve gotten the best gift we can which is support.

Because with support we gain confidence and courage and I’m thankful that my husband has given me that support to be confident and courageous in my journey from my bio hair to my fake hair!

I created a slide show for you that I ended up putting on my YouTube channel.  Have a peek at my various hair looks and let me know what you think!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend and take it easy as we begin to enter into the holiday season!

 

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A High-End Eyeshadow Palette at a Bargain Price. Subculture!

Posted on November 4, 2018 by Catherine

Hi Everyone!  For the last three days, I’ve been using a new eyeshadow palette that I picked up earlier this week at TJ Maxx!  I’m telling you, don’t overlook TJ’s for good values on makeup.

The palette I purchased is the Subculture eyeshadow palette by Anastasia Beverly Hills.

Subculture.  Even the name is quite intriguing!

The thing that I’ve found quite intriguing about this collection of shadows is the so-called “controversy” it’s stirred.   Following YouTube beauty gurus and the like, I’m always on the look for products that can be “mature-woman” friendly—even though the products are 99.9 percent of the time reviewed by big-time YouTubers and ones that are under 30 years old!

Anyway, this particular palette has gotten quite the number of negative reviews.  Some reviews complain that the shadows have too much fallout.  Others complain that the shadows have bad pickup making the palette really messy.  And others complain about the quality of the shadows.

Image result for anastasia beverly hills subculture gifYeah. Uhh Oh is right!  Many well-known experts weren’t crazy about the palette!

Naturally, all the negativity made this palette all the more interesting to me.

Hmmmm..all that dissing is making me more intrigued!

Except that the retail price is $42 and I wasn’t wiling to pay that.

Until I spotted it at TJ Maxx.

And I purchased it!

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This was pretty-much my reaction when I spotted the palette!

So, lets take a look at the palette and talk some more!

We have some luxe packaging here ladies! The faux suede makes this seem very special!

The packaging is luxe. Faux Suede with gold lettering.  the palette itself though is that heavy cardboard with an enamel gloss that so many brands are using these days.  There’s a nice sized mirror included and if you have great eyesight is a plus.  I need magnifying so those mirrors don’t help me. However, it looks to be a good quality mirror.

See the shine?  It’s that nice enamel gloss covering over the cardboard–which I do believe is more enviornmentally-friendly!  Overall. the packaging is very attractive!

The mirror is also a decent quality.  I didn’t take the plastic protective covering with the logo off.  I kind of like the way it looks!

The colors are very well-pigmented.  The exception being the glittery Electric and Adorn. Both need a wet brush to apply, but once moistened (Ugh. I can’t stand that word), they apply beautifully.  The shade Cube is stunning. It’s holographic!

The shadows are very pigmented –left to right:  Adorn (and I didn’t wet it); Destiny, Dawn and Cube.  The matte colors don’t go on ashy either!

The greens in the palette are fantastic.  I’ve always loved green shadows but none have ever worked for me until I purchased The Wants palette and now, Subculture.  The lighter Destiny goes on almost brown and Untamed is a gorgeous deeper green.

Take a look-see.  Destiny and Untamed are stellar greens!

Mercury is a neutral kind of taupe and the very unusual New Wave and Edge shades both work well with a light touch.  Axis is a deep teal that is also beautiful when applied as is Rowdy.  I haven’t used Roxy or All Star but Fudge, as warm a brown as it looks, is a great color.  I’ve been using it on my lower lids.

We got some nice shadows here ladies.  And they work to blend into a neutral or colored look!   Despite what “experts” say, this is the palette after three days of use.  It’s remarkably clean!

And the thing is—all these colors are very buildable.

Yes. The shadows are extremely soft and buttery but with a super-light touch, barely touching the shadow, these shades apply wonderfully.

Eye see you!  Check out this look–it’s subtle and very neutral!

The brush.  Under normal circumstances, brushes that are included in the palettes aren’t really that great.  This brush is actually pretty decent.  Soft as al get out—it’s definitely a better quality than the usual.

The brush isn’t too shabby!  Let me put it this way–if you took this palette on an overnight trip and realized you left your eyeshadow brushes home–this brush would suffice and suffice very well.  The bristles are soft and at one end you can apply and the other blend away!

Here’s how the shadows look on the eyes!

Friday’s office look.  A very light touch with a bit of dark on the outter corners and the beautiful Electric on the outer lid.  The blendability is excellent!

We had dinner guests last night and Subculture was used on the eyes! I’m wearing Estetica Designs Wren in the shade R4/6

Today’s look.  A wash with Dawn. Then in the crease, Destiny, Untamed and Edge.  Fudge was later used in the middle of the crease and on the bottom lid to line.  Untamed was at the outer edge.  A nice look!  And a light touch.  It was buildable!

The finished look with all shadows from the Subculture Palette.  I’m wearing Envy Wigs Chloe in Chocolate Cherry! 

I give this palette a solid A.  The pigmentation is spot on.  The colors are soft and buildable and I love the unusual (for me at least) color choices!

OH.  BTW, I need to get a manicure. OK?  I don’t wear nail tips but I do have acrylic over my bio nails to stop me from picking and pulling.  For some reason, the acrylic makes the ends of my nails dull so it’s no fun to pick.  It truly helps me.  Anyway….I broke a nail and decided to polish the nail with OPI’s Big Apple Red, which is the only nail color I use.  I have a bottle that I keep “for emergencies”   I applied the polish and went heavy handed.  look what happened!!!!!

How did the nail polish drip onto a finger that didn’t have the broken nail?  I’m still trying to figure that out!!

I had no nail polilsh remover in the house either!  I had to scrub the polish off with a nail brush and it took over 10 minutes.  I’m so imperfect it isn’t funny!!

Actually, it IS funny!  Can you believe it???

And that is it for today!  Below is the YouTube review I did on Subculture!  Enjoy it and have a few laughs on me!

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Calling a Spade a Spade. Let Me Make Myself Clear…

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Catherine

Yesterday’s blog post seemed to cause quite a stir with a few commenters.  They didn’t get the big picture of the post.  Instead, they focused on the minute words about the president—who wasn’t even an integral part of the post.  Hatred and anti-Semitism toward Jews was the subject.  (In case you haven’t read it:  (What Has A Jew Ever Done to

You?)

Now—lets get one thing straight here.  This is my blog.  And in the time, I’ve been blogging, I’ve managed to keep it fun for the most part.

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Don’t make me go all Daffy Duck on you.  It’s my blog and I write what I want.  

I love and enjoy getting my deeply shallow on.  Writing about makeup makes me happy.  It is a subject so near and dear to me—especially as I age because I realize that cosmetics are enhancing what was once very visible and now disappearing among the wrinkles.

And yes.  You CAN wear highlighter when you are over 60, 50, 70 and older!

And who doesn’t love shiny lips?

And I love sharing new products—and old products and tips of what works and what doesn’t with you.

Come on now!  These interchangeable heel shoes by Mestrae–what a fabulous new product!!!

I also love writing about clothing and style.  Especially since others have this idea that as we grow older and wiser we should dress in elastic-waisted pants and Velcro sneakers.  Not on my watch ladies.  Not on my watch.

Let’s wear fancy pants instead!!!

Travel is another subject that I find to be uplifting and entertaining.  Especially my misadventures in France with my very proper husband—something of which I am not.  I’m not proper.

tuesday-a-plaque-named-after-bonapartes-grandfather

Three more weeks and we’ll be visiting the namesake street of my husband’s grandfather!

And that’s what it comes down to.

I’ve never pontificated how perfect I am.  I’ve never turned my blog into a showcase of “Shop my style” or turned it into a ton of clothing links without a detailed review.  Even when I shill my Amazon page you know that I’ll be writing about every product and item I’ll shove in your faces!

Amazon has me hooked on Korean Skincare and Makeup:  Shameless Shill

But the other thing I love about this blog is the sense of community that we’ve all become a part of.  I think if it more like a neighborhood.  We get along.  We cry together.  We laugh together.  We share ideas.  We can, for the most part, even disagree with each other.  And that’s a great thing because we do it respectfully.

However, I am no pushover.  If you come here to tell that I “denigrate” our president.  The meaning of denigrate is to disparage or criticize unfairly.  I do believe the man in the white house does that at least a dozen times a day when he Tweets.

Do not come to my personal space that I’ve spent time, and a good amount of time to write a heartfelt post to tell me that I am “out of line” on my own blog.

You can tell me I’m out of line or have gone too far by posting a pic of me in my bra (BTW, I did a YouTube video on this bra)..but don’t tell me I’m out of line by defending women, jews and others when the POTUS debases us and encourages hatred.  No.  Just No!

Here’s the thing—I read quite a few blogs.  Some are blogs that I enjoy and at times don’t like what was written but out of respect for the writer, if I really, really disagree I don’t comment.  That’s it.  I just don’t comment.

dr evil GIF

If I read your blog and am really offended by what you wrote, I won’t pull a self-righteous Dr. Evil.  I’ll just move on and let it slide…………for now.

There have been many, many comments where people have disagreed with me—and in a respectful way. And that’s because this little community is respectful.  If you cannot be respectful then don’t click “send” button.

ouch will ferrell GIF

Let’s give a cheer for being respectful–even when it hurts!

 And as far as politics go.  For those who label me a “Liberal”—you obviously don’t know me and you obviously did not read my post “Don’t Call Me a Liberal”—Allow me to refresh your memory. Don’t Call Me A Liberal–I’m a Humanist!!

And I will not stop writing about my politics.  I am not a woman who will sit in a corner and nod my cute little wrinkled head up and down and remain silent.  I have voice.  And at times that voice goes beyond the makeup, the clothing, the wigs, the humor, the food, the travel and whatever else enters into the empty space between my ears.

If I think people are being treated unfairly, I will say so.  I will not stand silent while a man and his cronies in Washington try to take my healthcare away or try to raise the cost because I have a pre-existing condition.  I will not shut my yap because I deserve my Social Security when I reach that age.  I will not be silenced because of anti-Semitism, or racial hatred.

America is a Melting pot.  A stew, if you will, that is made up of the following ingredients.  Jews. Irish. Italians. Arabs. Chinese. Japanese. Africans. Creoles. Spaniards. Latin Americans. Brits. Welsh. French. German. And too many ethnic groups to even name.  We have assimilated.  Some more than others.  We all need inclusion.  We all need to be treated equally.

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All rolled up into one and you have the American Flag!

A couple of commenters stated that I hurt them with the words I used against the president.  Wait. You’re a woman and your ok with the fact he calls other women “fat”, “horse face” and speaks publicly about his conquests and calling them by the genitalia?  That’ ok to you? It’s acceptable to you to listen to a man speak of how he would date his own daughter?  And you find me offensive?  Your views toward your own womankind are more hurtful than any words I can muster up!

You know, I could never quite wrap my head around the thought that there are women who do not support women and the proof of women who support a man and a party who think women are second-class citizens is unacceptable for me.  There is no difference between these men and those in third world countries—their views on women are the same.

So that’s about it.

I have some new makeup I’ll be writing about and am waiting for new hair.

I’m awaiting for another Justine.  She’s such a great head o’ hair and I’ll tell you all about her.  Again!

I’m back on a diet for the fifteenth time since August and stressed out as ever.  The Fall/Winter wardrobe is in full swing.  I forgot to get Halloween candy and ended up going this morning to just about nothing left of which I have already eaten 8 Kit Kat bars and one Peanut Butter Cup.  The diet is going very well!

I’m so moved.  A few Trick-or-Treaters told me I had GREAT candy!  Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!!!

So, have a great Halloween evening and that’s about it.

I just wanted to call a Spade a Spade.

And I wanted to thank all of you who enjoy everything I write about—even my political rants because I ain’t stopping!

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What Has a Jew Ever Done to You?

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Catherine

It’s a simple question.  But the one thought that’s been on my mind since the weekend.  It is the one question that I’ve been asking since the murderous act of anti-Semitism and hate occurred this past Saturday in Pittsburgh at The Tree of Life Synagogue.    11 innocent Jews were murdered as they prayed.

 

What the hell has a Jew ever done to anyone to inflict such hatred from others.

I realize that Leo Tolstoy was controversial in his writings but this quote is beautiful. And true.

I’ll tell you what they’ve done.  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing to warrant any hatred—from anyone.

I’ve been trying so hard to come up with an eloquent post on this subject, but I can’t.

I can’t because I’m so angry and ashamed and disillusioned.

Angry because we have a president who’s only condolence were his ignorant words of “…. if they had security guards…”  Really?  Has our country come to this—where violence and hate crimes are the normal so that a place of worship needs a security guard?

I’m ashamed that in this day and age—especially after the horrors of The Holocaust, that people are still anti-Semites and still hate Jews.

I’m disillusioned because I don’t see any hope for our future.  As Americans we were supposed to progress as a people and not regress. 

Last month my husband and I spent the weekend in DC and I had been meaning to write about our visit to The Holocaust Museum but due to work and other things, I never got around to writing it.

But tonight—as a reminder of hatred that is real, I’m posting photographs of the people who’s lives were lost during the Nazi occupation.  It’s the same hatred that murdered those eleven innocents Jews in The Tree of Life Synagogue.

It’s very hard to find the words but I’ll let these photographs of Jews and, lastly, a Roma woman do the talking because the same thing happened in these United States this Saturday.  In Pennsylvania.  In Pittsburgh.  In a Synagogue.  In a House of Worship.

The hatred is the same.  What’s the difference between this Nazi shooting this Jewish man in the head and the shooter in Pittsburgh?  The shots all come from the same hate.

The story behind this photo was the priest who was helping Jews.  All the men in this photo were murdered as was the priest who tired to help them.  All 11 of the Pittsburgh worshipers were killed by the same Nazi hatred.

Take a good look at the hatred in the Nazi soldier’s face–it’s the same hatred that runs rampant in our country–the hatred of Anti-Semitism that murdered eleven jews in Pittsburgh.

What has a Jew ever done to you?  This Jew was an educator–teaching children to broaden their minds.  And because he was a Jew–he was killed.  Just as the Jews in The Tree of Life Synagogue were killed–they never hurt a soul.

Killed for being a Jew.  Just as the eleven innocents in The Tree of Life Synagogue were killed–for being Jewish.

The faces of Jews.  Photographed by Roman Vishniac.  Hanging on the walls within the confines of The Holocaust Museum are photographs–eerily and sadly beautiful.  The photos capture faces of those who have done nothing except to live decent lives.  What has a Jew ever done to you?

The face of the elderly jew

The intense stare of a Jewish child–who wonders why.  That’s all.  Why?

The sad beauty of young Jewish boys.  What have they done to make others hate them?

An elderly Jewish scholar and his books.  Is he hated because of his wisdom and intelligence?

A Jew–weathered because of his hard work.  Is that why he was hated?

Father and son–was the father hated because he was a craftsman?  And the child hated just because he was a child?

Other photographs from the haunting walls–majestically high and every inch filled with photographs of innocent Jews who were killed because they were Jews.  Is this what it’s come to in America?

Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, cousins, friends, lovers, helpers, children, families,—photos of people having a great time–and they were all murdered for absolutely no reason other than their Jewishness.  Just like the 11 who were gunned down worshiping in their synagogue.

There is a sadness in her eyes–did she forsee what her future held?

Sisters–did they die together too?  Just as the husband and wife did in the Synagogue on Saturday?

The face of a Roma woman–who was also hated for no reason.

We are in need of something that is stronger than hate.  We need to stop the violence and anti-semitism that has taken America by storm.

And that is it.  That is all I can say.  We have to stop this.  The Holocaust can never come back but the hatred of Jews and other groups seems to be going strong and we need to stop it.

Shalom.  Paix.  Paz.  Wa-ʻalaykum as-salām. Síochaín. Peace.

 

 

 

 

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Ms. Fancy Pants—Holiday Pant Looks for The Mature Woman!

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Catherine

They’re coming….and sooner than you think.  The Holidays!  And what are the Holidays without a party?  Or a festive get-together with friends and family?  Or a night out to a fancy restaurant?

Before you know it,  there will be a tree in many of our homes!  Or a Menorah!

It’s the one time of year when we kind of enjoy dressing up.  A bit of glitz.  Some bling.  It’s all good.

saturday night live snl GIF by HULU

We’l be dressing up and having a good ol’ time!

And this is also the time when we may be somewhat stumped on what to wear.

Hmmmm…what to wear?  What. To. Wear?

An office-to-after-work Holiday celebration?  A New Year’s Eve Party?  A pre-Christmas Dinner?

You don’t want to overdress but you don’t want to look like you just stepped in from running weekend errands.

smash france GIF

Excuse me–but I was running errands before coming to the party and I hadn’t any idea of what to wear!!

The solution?  Fancy Pants!  Shiny Pants!  Velvet Pants!  Fun Pants!

lisa simpson dolph starbeam GIF

Call me a Charlatan but I love me some fancy pants!

As I’ve aged, the pants have been my friend—especially when it comes time to dressing up.  I’m just more comfortable in them.  With pants you don’t have to shave your legs. You save money on fake tanning.  You can sit whichever way you want.  If you have too much to drink at a party (and at one time or another in our lives—who hasn’t had a bit too much of the holiday cheer?), and you lose your footing and fall, you don’t have to worry about falling and the bottom of your dress or skirt riding up over your bum!

That’s right–momma loves her fancy, shiny pants!  I feel like a girl version of Freddie Mercury!

Let me show you some looks—and trust me, these are looks that are incredibly “Mature woman” friendly!  And YES!!  You CAN wear shiny, glittery, blingy pants at a mature age–it’s what you wear with them that’ll make ’em look timeless and elegant!

Let’s take a look!

The Shiny Houndstooth pants.  OMG.  I ordered these from Old Navy.  I fell in love with them the second I saw them on the website.  And—being that I know my exact sizes from ON, I felt confident the pants would fit the moment clicked the order button. Currently $35 on the Old Navy website, I believe I got them for $29.99.  Old Navy has sales every day so my best advice is to keep checking out their website!

Photos don’t do justice to showcase how beautiful these pants truly are.  The blue is so sparky and shiny.  I couldn’t wait for the holidays. I had to wear these to work last Friday and received a ton of compliments.  Everyone loved them!

Paired with a black Tippi sweater from J. Crew and simple black pumps, this is a great office-to-office party look.  The pants are the main attraction so you don’t need much more.  

These pants by ON are a perfect fit and have just the right amount of stretch. And the brand knows how to do holiday pants right.  The length is gorgeous. A true ankle pant.  And given that money will be spent on gifts and food and entertaining,  it feels good to save a bit and not have to spend a fortune on holiday dressing.

Black velvet is  next–also from Old Navy.  I paid less than $30 on these pants.  They are actually Rockstar Super Skinny Jeans.  But the velvet adds such a luxe holiday feel to them.  And they are versatile as all get out!

Got a house party to go to?  Or going out for a fancier dinner?  These black velvet jeans go so well with this rosy pink/nude sweater.  I picked the sweater up at Primark last year for eight bucks and have stil to wear it.  I paired it with Badgley Mischka kitten heels for an elegantly casual look…

The bling is in the shoes.  To keep it on an elegant vibe, keep it to one blingy element.  Here it’s the shoes…

And I love the detailing in this sweater. It’s a tunic length and the sleeves have a bit of an edge with the slit!

It’s a ladylike but fun look–and who doesn’t love velvet?  Got a velvet blazer? Turn it into a fancier version of suiting!

And look at this great shoe look–suede shoes with velvet pants! These shoes have been with me since 2011 when my niece was married. I haven’t worn them much since but they always get worn around Christmas!

These are shoes you don’t drink in–unless you are in your home.  They are too high. One too many and the heels will teeter over!

The next look is, hands down, my favorite holiday pants look.  If you recall, I purchased these gold and black brocade pants last year at Old Navy.  The pants were $19.99! And I wore them all holiday season!  I was afraid they might not fit when I took them out of storage due to a ten-pound weight gain. (Don’t judge–I’ve been stressed) But they fit beautifully!

These pants!  How I love them!  And look–the same shoes and sweater that I wore with the blue houndstooth pants.  For me, casual elegance works–but a silk shirt would also work with this look!

Honestly, when you have pants this fancy and shiny, less is more with the other items of clothing.  A solid sweater works very wel with this.  And the pointy shoes.  And the money saved by using what you have!

The cut of these pants is also flattering to all body types.  There are no side pockets to stick out if you have curves.  The pockets are in front and you can barely notice them.  There are also no pleats which means no added bulk.  They fit like a charm!

It’s also about dressing comfortably. I don’t know about you, but if I’m overdressed, I just never feel comfortable.  Fussy dressing just isn’t for me.  I’m not about over-accessorizing–I like to keep it simple!

Are you a Ms. Fancy Pants too?

If you would like to see more styling options, I filmed a YouTube video on these three looks and more.  Here’s the video!  Let me know what you think.

How do you like to fancy it up for the holidays?  Let’s talk about this!

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Hail to the Heels!! And They Are Genius!!!

Posted on October 25, 2018 by Catherine

Hey Ladies!  You know how much I just love a product that truly multi-tasks!  And now–without further delay, and getting into the meat (even though the product is Vegan) of things,  I give you the multi-tasking shoes with interchangeable heels!! This is definitey a “Heel Mary”!

 

One pair of shoes= two pairs of shoes!

Here’s the story.

A few months back I received an email from the founder of Mestrae shoes asking me if I would be interested in trying out a pair of the brand’s shoes for wearing and review.  With my love of shoes and heels and flats, I couldn’t resist. And that’s what took so long for me to review.  I’ve been wearing these shoes for a good while now and it’s time to let you know what I think–so read on!

And what makes Mestrae’s shoes unique and incredible versatile is that the shoes have interchangeable heels.  YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!  One pair of shoes can be flats that turn into heels that turn into chunky heels.

Talk about multi-tasking, here’s a third look! 

Mestrae’s shoes are also Vegan, but there are a couple of leather ones that the brand makes as well.

Jolene–one of Mestrae’s leather shoes.  And she’s named after my favorite Dolly Parton song!!

The shoe I chose is the Pippa model.  She’s a pointy-toed, strapped shoe.  She’s not over-the-top.  She is a very classy lady, that Pippa is, and she’s perfect for office attire, a night out to dinner, and for those out-and-about days where you can run a few errands and then meet up with the girls for lunch or an afternoon glass of wine or a cuppa tea!

Here’s Pippa!  I ended up wearing her to work yesterday after changing my shoes not once, not twice, but three times!  I was late for work too!

Here’s the stock photo of Pippa from Mestrae’s site.  As you can see there’s no faux advertising with this faux leather delight!

The Strap: She’s got a strap that spans across the shoe. Gotta say because my foot is so darn narrow,  that strap is my saving grace. I have to make a trip to the shoe repair shop, however, because I need a couple of more holes in the straps (My foot is that narrow).

What I love about the strap is that it’s not thick–it’s very delicate and ladylike to match the classic lines of the shoe.

It’s so funny because the last time I had straps on my shoes like this, I was a young girl!  Straps have grown up!

The Heels: And here’s where the genius of Mestrae  comes in.  The heels are interchangeable.  And they work so well.  I’ll admit that there was a bit of skepticism on my part with trying to figure out just how a shoe could be comfortable with an interchangeable heel.  But it is and it’s absolutely amazing.

Let’s take a look at the various heels.

Additional heels came in this fabric pouch–it’s a good way to protect them as well as carry them!

This is what the bottom of the shoe looks like.  This is where the heel slides in. Look up at my hand, there’s a silver element that is pushed down….

when you want to release the interchangeable heel.  When you place the heel in, it locks and that heel is 100 percent secure!  (You can see that I’ve been wearing these shoes quite a bit because I need to cean the bottom of the heel area–don’t judge!)

Flats are in place!

And the topside of the heel looks like this.  Don’t worry, nothing shows once that heel is on the shoe!

And how much fun is this glittery leopard heel?  The chunky heel is suprisingly comfortable and is a fun change-up to give this shoe a bit of an edge!

Another thing about this chunky heel. It is made to last. I found it in Chippy’s mouth the other day and there wasn’t even a tooth mark.  Obviously Chippy is a fan of these interchangeable heels too!

Image result for atypical 60 chippy

Chippy has his eyes on my heels and I have my eyes on Chippy! 

The Vegan Leather: The Vegan leather is also quite surprising.  I’ll tell you why.  A few years back I purchased a pair of non-leather flats that wer advertised as “Vegan” leather.  After about five wears, my feet started to sweat and smell—and the scent wasn’t very pleasing.  I don’t know what the “Vegan” leather was, but I was a bit put off.

I can’t stay the same for Mestrae’s Vegan leather.  The feet are able to breathe (and you know that I never wear pantyhose so it’s my bare feet against the shoe.

The synthetic material making up this leather is quite remarkable because it certainly mimics the real deal in every way from the feel to breathability for your feet.

I don’t know what this Vegan leather is, but it’s A-OK in my book because my feet don’t get stinky!

The Color Of Pippa:  Honest to God, I’ve never seen a perfect nude, but this is it.  Pippa is a gorgeous nude color—and she goes so well with a fair skin tone. More of a rose-nude but not quite. If you made a sauce with vanilla and cream and added the slightest touch of  caramel–the slightest touch–that could be Pippa’s shade. The color is freaking amazing and the women at work can vouch for that–every single woman in my office were shook over the color. Think of a cool-toned, light foundation for fair skin.  Pippa is the cool-toned light foundation for shoes!

Each time I wear Mestrae’s Pippa to the office, someone goes ga-ga over the color…and even more ga-ga when I start to change the heels!

S’Heel Be Traveling! And the pièce de résistance is the ability to travel. Nancy Sinatra may have had boots made for walking but Mestrae shoes are made for traveling!  Imagine.  You are visiting a large city and during the day you want to tour, you have a great pair of flats to walk around in.  When it’s time to get dressed for dinner, just change the flats into heels!  You get two pairs of shoes in one. These truly are multi-tasking shoes!

And trust me, the lighter you can travel, the better off you are!

Put the additional heels in the little pouch, pack the shoes and heels in your luggage and you are good to go! 

The price-point:   Mestrae’s price point on the brand’s  shoes is extremely reasonable too.  The Vegan shoes cost between $102. and $167 USD.  And due to the fact you are getting two, or even three, depending on the extra heels you would want to purchase, pairs of shoes, it’s a great deal.

Belinda

Here’s another Vegan cutie.  I LOVE the red interchangeable heels on Belinda…

Charlene

…and don’t get me started on the Charlene model.  Red.  Need I say more?

The leather shoes run around $215 which is also reasonable. (See Jolene near the top of this post!

The Sizing:   Mestrae’s sizing comes in whole sizes only.  My shoe size is an American 8 ½.  There are times when a shoe runs wide and I size down to an 8.  There are also times when a shoe can run a bit small in length and I can size up to a 9.

With the Mestrae shoes, I should have ordered the 8 and they would have been an absolute perfect fit.  I’m a moron because I decided to size up to a 9 in these shoes.   Thank God for the straps on the shoes because I can still wear them! I’m just giving a word to the wise.  It may be better to size a half down (unlike some of us who think we know everything).   Either way, you can always contact customer service–besides, there’s a sizing guide to assist you on the site (Did I mention that some of us feel they know everything?)

Trust me. Use this guide!  

And there’s wedding shoes too—which is a fantastic thing for a bride. Heels at the ceremony and flats for dancing.  What a concept!!

Hmmmm…I wonder how these would work with Oona’s wedding dress?

Mestrae has come up with a winning little shoe company and I hope the brand does well—very well, in fact.  The shoes offer comfort, nice designs, versatility and are absolutely made for travel!

And although the shoes are a half-size too large on me, wearing them to the office affords me comfort while I’m running to and from scanning machines, copy machines and other cubicles to visit coworkers!

This time the leopard is on the sweater but I wore the flat heels.  I swear this is just like changing up my wigs!

The shoes will be dropped off at the shoe repair this weekend for extra holes in the straps, and then packed for our trip to Paris next month!

Hey shoes–you’re going in for a bit of maintenance before heading off to Paris!

And let this be a lesson to you.  Never size up if you are unsure.  Size down a half size.  You can always have a shoe stretched but you can’t have it tightened.  To my advantage, the shoes have straps which is an absolute saving grace!

More new math 1 pair of shoes + 3 different heels = and endless amount of fun and comfort too!

Of Note:  This is a very comfortable shoe.  The inside of the shoe is soft and after an all-day wear, the feet are still very comfy.  I was very impressed with the comfort level.

Overall Rating:  A.  I think had I ordered a size down that A could have been plused–but this is a stellar shoe!

Here’s another link to the Mestrae website–it’s definitely worth a look-see!  Let me know what you think of the idea of interchangeable heels!  Let me know what you think of the shoes!

In the meantime…I can’t stop thinking about those leather Jolene shoes and you know what that means–time for a song.  Jolene! This version sung by Miley Cyrus.  Enjoy.

 

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Hey! NY Times Style Magazine—WTF are the OLDER WOMEN????!!!!

Posted on October 21, 2018 by Catherine

I’m so emotionally distraught right now that I can’t even think straight.  Okay. I can think straight enough to write this post—but I’m angry and disappointed and just fed up.

…and I can’t take it anymore!  I’m tired of being ingored!!

This morning, while drinking coffee and lolling around in bed Bonaparte handed me a section of The Sunday Times; he said I would enjoy it.

The section was a special one.  The New York Times Style Magazine and was devoted to “The Greats”.  Solange Knowles, younger sister of the great Beyoncé graces the cover.  I have to admit, she’s a beautiful woman—but Bey is the great one.  She’s not on the cover.

Solange Knowles gracing the cover of The New York Times Style Magazine–The Greats.  I’ll admit.  Solange is a great beauty.  She’s has a great body because she’s normal-sized.  The has long legs and regardless of whether that’s her bio-hair or a wig–it’s great hair.  But–IS Solange one of the greats? At least the publication put a woman on the cover!

With interested piqued, I opened the magazine and started to peruse.

I was a bit perplexed with the choices of The New York Times as to their six “remarkable” talents who define the culture.  Solange–beautiful but I dunno how great her mark on our culture is–especially since she’s on the younger side.  Bruce Nauman–American Artist. Age?  76.  A contemporary artist, whose  works are at MOMA, he has not had an affect on me.  Vigo Mortensen–Danish/American Actor and Artist.  At 60 years old, he’s eye-candy for the older set (Womens can be sexist too–it works both ways) and he’s a very talented actor–but he hasn’t had a cultural impact on me.  Alessandro Michele–Creative Director of Gucci.  At 46 he hasn’t yet reached that “old” age because he’s a man.  A woman would be considered “old”.  More on him later on–but I would say as far as fashion is concerned, he has had a cultural impact.  Mr. Michele needs to put his hair up in a man bun because his hair is man bun friendly (that’s a cultural impact that is one of The Greats).  George R. Martin–He writes horror/fantasy/Sci-fi works.  This has absolutely NO cultural effect on me as I can’t stand those genres.  At 70, he’s a jolly man who can dupe as an in-store Santa should he get tired of writing.   And lastly,  Carrie Mae Weems–American Artist who works in multi-media but her most popular works are in photography.  At 65 years she is the ONLY OLDER woman included in this group.

Why are there four men, all over 45 (which is good) and only one woman.  I’m not even including Solange because at 32 years, she’s too young to be considered a “remarkable talent” –she needs to grow as an artist before she’s one of the greats. OK?

According to The New York Times, these six individuals are shaping our culture and are considered remarkable talents. Where is Joan Didion?  Why is there only one older woman.  Carrie Mae Weems–at 65 years old is the only older woman that’s considered great?

And I noticed something else. Something absolutely disgraceful and disgusting.  In all the ads and editorials Ms. Weems is the only older woman within the confines of this publication.

The other pages, editorial and advertisements were loaded with young models and older men.

Yes. Older MEN.  Further proof to me that older women, are, in fact, the ignored demographic in all media and in life in general.

Here’s an ad for Dacor, a company that specializes in high-end appliances for rich peeps.  The ad is focusing on 51 year-old Entertainment Business Manager John McIlwee.  He’s really successful too.  And rich!  And he collects art.  And he’s a man. I guess there are no women over 50 who are successful to warrant being included in Dacor’s ads.

Let’s take a  bigger look at some of the pages from this magazine (which I am now deeming “ragazine”) shall we?

UGH!  More “Celebrity” obsession in advertising!

Emma Stone is yet, another celebrity “model” and spokesperson for Louis Vuitton.  Funny how most women I know who go ham for LV are all over 50. And the “over 50” demographic is the one that can actually afford LV without going into debt.  Honestly, if  LV needs to go with a celebrity, why not go with a real French one like Audrey Tautou or Fanny Ardant?

Gucci.  More on Alessandro Michele.  He may be Gucci’s creative director but this???  I seriously have no issue with the Russ Meyer Faster Pussycat Kill Kill sweater. It’s pretty funny considering it was a cheesy movie.  But at $1,600 USD, that sweater is a sin.  And let’s hope Mr. Man-Bun Michele had nothing to do with this atrocious ad.  My guess is that the model is 22 years at best–or perhaps if she’s older they decided to put the ski mask on her head to hide the wrinkles and natural signs of aging.

This ad could cause PTSD for a child–it’s that horrific.  Whatever happened to fashion?

Prada.  Oh how I adore the pretentiousness of advertising!!  Check out the makeup on this photoshopped model.  Who walks around with contour lines on their face like that. Gurl would be laughed off of Instagram and would be getting shade thrown at her on YouTube!  And why the greasy hair falling on the face.  And why the miserable look?

I’ve seen girls strutting the walk of shame looking cleaner than this one.  She’s the walk of shameless in this ad.  And anyone who purchases this bag, even though it is rather nice, is giving Prada free advertising.  I can’t even anymore with this logo garbage…

Here’s a jewelry ad for David Webb.  Look at the model.  I’ve never quite seen a forehead that smooth other than a newborn’s and Nicole Kidman’s Botoxed one!  She’s eating cavier–I’ll bet IRL she eats nothing more than air.

Funny thing is–that huge cocktail ring that you can see in the far right corner is worn mostly by the over 60 society matrons.  So why is there a photo of a younger woman who wouldn’t be caught dead wearing this in the ad?

Here’s another successful man.  Don Chadwick.  He was born in 1936. Hell will freeze over before an add with a successful woman of the same age would grace the pages in a magazine!  Think about it.  It’s true. Why is it that magazines insist on only men as success stories?

Where are the older women who are designers of furniture?  Don’t tell me that only men are successful! What about furniture designer Ilse Crawford.  She’s  56 years old and a successful furniture designer?

Below is an ad for Bulgari jewelry.  Another brand that is popular with the tony older set but why then, use a young woman with greasy hair severly pulled back and wearing unblended contour and unblended eyeshadow?  Who do these people hire for makeup?  I could do a better job on her!

Perish the thought that Bulgari use a woman of the demographic that buys their stuff in an ad!!  Instead the brand uses a younger woman with dirty looking hair and bad makeup!

Calling Mr. Karl!  Calling Mr. Karl!  I love Karl Lagerfeld so much–not only is he a great asset to Chanel, but he’s a true dieting icon!  I want his self-discipline!  But alas, he doesn’t like fat ladies and he doesn’t like old ladies.  If he truly loved the older ladies who purchase the chanel lady suits, he would have opted to make sure his ad people used an older woman instead of making a younger woman appear older like in this ad!

Hot diggity dawg.  I could picture me in this photo–except I’m too poor, too heavy, and too old to be used as a staple for Chanel–even though most of the women purchasing the brand are older.  Mr. Karl needs to be more mature-woman friendly and more meaty woman friendly.  Perhaps he could stop dieting for a season or two!

Oh Jesus.  Another older man.  I’m beginning to think the New York Times is very sexist against the older woman–and the NYT’s acts like they are so diverse.  No they ain’t!

This is a nice watch.  I’m a woman who loves wearing a guy watch.  They look great on a woman’s wrist. Alas, only men are successful according to this ad and women are most likely in the kitchen stuffing escargot mixture into shells!

Ah–come on now!  How many ads of successful men do we need to see here?  Does the women’s movement know how sexist these ads are?  I’m about to foam at the mouth right now!

This photo is from an ad by UBS.  This very successful chef/restauranteur is asking Have I gone as far as I can?  Can I still grow my business?  Or should I invest in other areas?  Apparently only a man can ask these questions.  Why isn’t UBS using a successful woman with gray hair in their ads?  Women are chefs too–and damned successful ones at that!

Hey this young ‘un is the epitome of style and fashion as she looks seriously into the camera to draw one to South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa, CA.  Home of designer shops.  I’m sorry but she looks like she’s wearing my grandmother’s kitchen table cloths.  I don’t think an over-50 woman would wear that get-up to bed.

Well, at least her hair is clean and her makeup is blended.

This one kills me.  Tomorrowsleep.com  Apparently only good looking young people go to bed–is this the Arian Nation bedtime?  Does Tomorrowsleep not realize that couples over 50 go to bed to.  And participate in fun activities?

Tomorrowsleep only wants wrinkle-free sheets and wrinkle-free people on their mattresses…

…and wrinkle-free couples as well..

But what really woke me up to the fact that the New York Times and advertisers want nothing to do with the older woman was that these guys got more photo exposure than the older woman…FROGS!

Yeah.  Frogs got more photo exposure in The New York Times Style Magazine than the older woman.  There were two pages that included these croakers!  I guess the publications just want old ladies croaked!

And that’s it.  Successful older men abound but where are the successful older women?  Where are they in editorials and in ads?  Why are we ignored.  We buy.  We are brand-loyal and we are ignored.

Guess what New York Times?  My demographic has incredible and remarkable women who have contributed greatly to our culture.  We have Oprah who changed the face  of daytime TV.

Image result for oprah

Now THIS is a woman who is a cultural icon…and she has favorite things too!

We have the fabulous Jane Birkin, casual style icon.

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Jane Birkin has been one of my most-admired women of all time, here with daughter Charlotte she is still a great example of wonderful personal style!  I love her so much!

We have Annie Leibovitz, the greatest American photographer of our time.

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Annie Leibovitz. An iconic American photographer supreme!

And the list of older, successful women goes on and on–and yet, men still receive more recognition.  This is wrong on so many levels.

But most of all, it’s the average older woman who has a remarkable impact on our culture.  She’s the one who goes to museums and taught her children about art and the history of art.  She’s the one who actually goes to the movie theatres, purchases the tickets and raises the box-office numbers while the younger counterparts stay home to watch Netflix and Hulu.  She’s the one who spends the money on the cosmetics, clothing and other items that advertisers now market to a younger, flighty audience who isn’t brand loyal.

Shes you and she’s me.  And never, ever forget just how special we all are.  We are the average older woman.  The ignored but we need to empower each other and become more vocal.  Are you with me?

We are the ones who count and don’t forget it!!

I realize this is a rant of a post but I’ve had it.  I’m tired of our demographic being ignored.  There’s more to it than the obligatory advertisement and the token older woman editorial of Helen Mirren (and I love her–it’s not a dis–it’s a statement.)

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Transitioning the Eye Makeup for the Cooler Weather!

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Catherine

Now that the Fall/Winter wardrobe has been put into place and just in time because today was rather deeply chilly, the seasonal beauty products will be rolling around.

That’s right. Fall has officially arrived because it’s cool enough to wear…..plaid and warmer clothes!  I wore this yesterday to work!

By that, I mean, I’ll go with a bit more color around the eyes and more color on the face.  My skin gets paler because there’s no more sun or fake tan time (caveat—the legs get fake-tanned year-round).  The foundation gets lighter too.  The whole palette for the face changes.

And yup!  You can wear color and blend it for an everyday look by keeping a light touch!

But for now, I’m sticking to the eyes.  I picked up two more palettes that’ll do well for the fall and winter.  One of the palettes will be great for the holidays too!  Why?  Because the eyeshadow shades are so shimmery and pigmented and just colorful and gorgeous.

And in my advanced age, I’m finding that experimenting with color is a fun thing!

Of course, there’s still the neutrals and one of the palettes is full of neutrals.

Let’s take a look—shall we?

The first palette is The Creator palette by Pur Cosmetics.

The Creator Palette by Pur Cosmetics–wait’ll you see what’s inside!

It’s funny because I saw this palette at Ulta and had it in my shopping bag, but I balked at the $40 price and eventually purchased one of The Vault palettes by Morphe for $15.00

I ended up going with  The Vault Dark Magic Palette by Morphe. It’s on the bottom right–and at fifteen bucks it is a great value!

But I just couldn’t get The Creator palette out of my mind and so I went online to find the best price.  I ended up heading to Pur’s website and lo and behold, found the palette for 20 percent off!  Here’s the link to the Pur website. It’s atrocious to navigate but the discounts are worth it!

Since I needed a powder blush, I ordered this pink number–Tease.  It’s ok. Not the best and not the worst but it lacked in “wow-ness”!

Here’s the blush.  It’s ok.  I’ll definitely use it but probably more in the spring and summer!

Realistically speaking, I am a bit skeptical about ordering eyeshadows online because I’ve heard horror stories of breaking while in transit.  And opening up a mess of broken powder  isn’t something that strikes my fancy.  But—I bit the bullet anyway and took my chances.

Seriously–I’m messy enough without being greeted by a sight like this when I order makeup in the mail!

The palette arrived in perfect condition.

Check out this fancy silver packaging…

And the shadows were in perfect condition! Yay!!!!

The packaging is not only very glamorous but it’s very pragmatic.  It folds open in thirds with a ribbon across two sides of one of the thirds allowing the mirror to be a stand up.  I swear if I could see without a magnifying mirror, this would be the best packaging of all time.

Isn’t this great?  The mirror (for those who can see without magnification) stands up–it’s genius packaging…

As you can see, I have been using this palette. I’m not good at cleaning up the shadows after I use them!

The shadows.  Where do I begin?  They are absolutely lovely.   This is a “face” palette because of the highlighter and contour/bronzers that are included but I’ll tell you, the eye shadows are gorgeous!

I swatched the shadows on my fingers so you could get a better look.  The mattes in the top row are pigmented and easy to blend.  

Here’s the shadows from the middle row.  Look at that shine–get the sunglasses out!

Oh the fun you can have creating holiday looks with these shadows!

And since the palette is named “The Creator”, each of the shadows are named after a creative profession—I like that!

The names of the shadows are so clever and………..creative!  I LOVE Teacher and Actor!

I did use the face highlighter and it’s ok—so is the bronzer.  They are pretty-much like every other highlighter/bronzer that come in palettes.  It’s the eyeshadows that make this palette a WOW!

I wore a fun look today with both The Creator Palette and the Dark Magic Palette.  Will you look at that glimmer!!

 

Here’s a better photo of how the shadows worked today.  My eyes had color but it was still office-appropriate!

Next palette—OMG.  Please don’t judge me.  You know all about how I refuse to purchase anything from Urban Decay due to a very condescending email the company sent me when I inquired about their 24/7 eye pencils and inquired as to why they excluded the mature woman from their marketing.

I feel like a complete hypocrate for bringing this into my home.  But I’m a sucker for neutrals!

Well—I caved in.  Kind of.  I had a Nordstrom gift card with leftover money.  The Urban Decay Ultimate Basics palette was at Nordstrom Rack for $24.97.  I used the gift card—so even though I purchased it, it wasn’t with my money.

The thing is, I had the Naked Basics Palette since it came out in 2010 and it lasted forever before hitting pan on any of the shades.   It was kept in my travel bag because it was the perfect palette of neutrals for travel I used it even after Chippy tried to eat it and the mirror broke.  It was replaced with The Emily Edition’s The Needs palette which is my new travelessential!

That little Naked Basics Palette sufficed so well for years–see where Chippy ate the end of it?  

But the Ultimate Basics is just so chock-full of neutrals that I really felt the need to have it.

It’s a decent mix of cool and warm tones–the gray “Magnet” color is the only one I would pass by.  The deep purpal “Lethal” is very autumnal!!

So how does this palette hold up to the smaller original?  It’s fine.  Not as pigmented as the smaller one but the shadows work for those days when you just want a hit of “sumthin sumthin” on the eyes.

For those “no makeup” makeup days the Naked Ultimate Basics is a good choice!

I later found that the palette is on the Urban Decay site for the same price as Nordstrom Rack.  My guess is that overall, it isn’t as good as the original Naked Basic Palette.  Ya live. Ya learn!

Do you set your makeup with powder?  I never bothered until recently.  And I like the effect.  If applied with a light touch it won’t make your lines and wrinkles look worse.  Besides, I’m in my sixties. I have lines and wrinkles.  The thing I like about using a powder to set makeup is that I can wear mascara on my bottom lashes without getting the dreaded raccoon eyes.  I don’t set my entire face—just under the eyes and the nose.  And I have to use powder on my nose because of ruddiness.

Kat Von D Beauty had this Lock-It brightening powder on the site for $15 and when I made another purchase a while back I bought the powder.  As much as it’s a great setting powder—it really is. It’s also one of the messiest products I’ve ever used.  It’s challenging to have to be so careful when using it.  Especially if you are a complete and natural slob as I am!   It’s great stuff though!

This powder is so good but sooooooooooo messy!

Lastly, I have to tell you about this great foundation brush.  From iT Cosmetics. As I get more and more involved with makeup and play with the best ways to apply foundation, one thing I’ve discovered is that brushes make a difference.  And a good brush is important to have for foundation.   Not gonna lie.  I spent $48 on this and it was worth every penny.  The brush is a mystery to me because the brand is cruelty-free so the bristles are made of man-made fibers but I still can’t figure out how they made them so soft.  And the brushes feel so good against your face too.

I’m loving the way this brush applies my foundation..and the smaller end–is supposed to be for concealer but I’ve been using it to brush the excess setting powder off.  I love this brush so much!

The bristles are so soft that it’s redunklewlis!! I washed the brush so you could get a better look and it washed beautifully with a touch of hand soap!

And the man-made fiber bristles are densly packed!

Applies like a dream!  I highly recommend this brush!

It’s funny because I love my drug-store products but there are certain items that I like to spend more on and make up brushes are beginning to be my luxury item!

How about you?  Do you use a good brush or does it matter?  I’m very interested!!…

Here’s some more Bradley Cooper from “A Star Is Born”–Alibi–and I swear it’s better than the songs on the radio!

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That Sense of Accomplishment—Guess What I Did This Weekend!!

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Catherine

This past weekend was a productive one.  It was that weekend where I accomplished something.

Yes. I done good by accomplishing!!

The “something” was transitioning my clothing from warm late spring and summer clothing into the cooler weather fall and winter clothing.

It’s bye-bye summer wardrobe and hello to the clothing that keeps me warm in the cold weather!

You know, the past couple of months had our weekends at the beach, having the kids visit, going to DC, and to New York and, last weekend, to visit Oona in Cincinnati to help her look for her wedding dress.  All of which were great weekends.

Pleasant Ridge, Cincinnati–a most pleasant place to spend a weekend–or longer!

And between working and busy weekends there hasn’t been much time for me to get organized.  Trust me, I’m not the most organized person on earth.  And about the only place that I am organized is at work.  My cubicle is well-organized and thought out—all to make my work day flow in an even pace.

But home is a different story.  There’s a big difference between being clean and being organized.  Our home is tidy and clean—but I’m very disorganized.

Image result for atypical 60 sunroom

No clutter and slightly minimalist–and clean!  That’s my house!

The fridge needs to be cleaned.  The pantry needs to be re-organized.  My closets and drawers—I dunno—they just start out nice and within a matter of months, shirts that I ironed have been stuffed into the dresser and are a mass of wrinkles.

My new mantra.  I need this shirt!

And as I ironed the wrinkles out of the tee shirts for a second time, it dawned on me that I needed to take my winter clothes out of the storage bins and put the summer ones away.

It’s bad enough ironing tee shirts a first time–but the same shirts a second time??

And so, I headed out to the garage and took the bins that hold the clothing for cooler and cold weather and placed the bins in the foyer.  I was exhausted after hauling them and I figured that since the first step to transitioning the seasonal clothing was done, I could work on the remaining steps during the week.

My big haul.  From the garage to the foyer!

Yesterday was a busy day for me.  I colored my roots for the first time in three months!

I’m not coloring my hair black anymore. I’ve lightened up to brown!

After the hair was done (which is crazy because I wear wigs), I put makeup on and filmed four YouTube videos.  Three wig reviews and one recommendation for eyeshadow palettes!

I reviewed a short wig…

And a great holiday wig that can be worn many ways…

And another long bob (I’ll be writing a blog post on them)

And I finished up with a palette recommendation that Bonaparte loved because Chippy hijacked the video and I got attacked by a plant!

My intention when I was done was to write a blog post.

But then I went upstairs.  Bonaparte was kind enough to lug the bins of clothing up to our bedroom.  I honestly doubt it was his kindness but it may have been a hint to bust a move to actually take the summer clothing out and replace with the winter clothing.

After mulling it over and playing the new Candy Crush friends game for almost an hour, and realizing that Summer 2018 was gone forever, I started to take the summer clothes out of the closet!

Oh.  The fun I’m having with this game…..

But something hit me like a hurricane.  I went into working mode and started pulling clothes off hangers and throwing them on the floor like a mad woman! Piles of sleeveless dresses and shorts and lighter-than air shirts—all in a mountain you could ski down.

Then I went through the pile and did something I hadn’t done in years.  I purged.  Yes!  I took clothing that I hadn’t worn all summer—and the summer before—and the summer before that, and put it in a plastic bag to take to Goodwill.

When all was folded, I ran back into the closet and took the hangers off the floor, grouping them by color and, in a classic Mommie Dearest, Joan Crawford moment, threw the wire hangers away!

This was me yesterday!  I’m just not a fan of wire hangers. I like plastic much better–perhaps its the longing for plastic surgery in the form of a chin lift…

The bins emptied of the winter clothes, all laid nicely on our bed, I began to gingerly and carefully place the folded summer items in them for storage.

Until next year–even the clothes I never wore…

Go to sleep until next June.

Plaids came out.  Skirts and pants.  Look, I’ll be honest—I wasn’t exactly watching what I put into my mouth over the summer and I gained a bit of weight and I was anxious about the fact that my pants may not fit.  But—they did, albeit snug but they fit.  It was a warning sign for me that I desperately need to get back on track with eating in a healthier manner!

Thank God my favorite Holiday Pants fit! 

And these velvet jeans still fit too.  I just may wear them to work this week!

The new pile was of dry-cleaning that was needed for a few items and other than that, I organized the clothing in the closet.

It made me want to do more.  Seriously, after the closet looked all nicely organized, I hit the drawers.  All tee shirts were colorized and re-folded.

Pants and skirts on the left and shirts on the right.  Ya think I have enough white shirts?

Oh. And I keep my work shoes at-the-ready with this over-the-door shoe pocket organizer!

Then I went into the sweater drawers and did the same.

Tees all folded–again, and colorized. Ya think I have enough white Tee shirts?

Tippi Sweaters in one drawer….

And my other sweaters in another drawer.  I should own stock in J. Crew!  That little French Hen sweater is a favorite!

And when all was done, I felt such a great sense of accomplishment!  But I know with my uncanny knack for disorganization, the drawers will be a mess within a month.  The closet—maybe not so much but the drawers definitely will!

And how crazy was it that I spritzed on the last of my “winter” scent L’Instant and opened my backup?

But it certainly did feel great as I got dressed this morning.  I wore my first cool-weather clothing of the season and realized that I did miss wearing my winter clothes.  As much as I love going barefoot and sleeveless and those great summer dresses and sandals, I love the blazers and wool skirts and the toasty feeling as the cool air touches my face!

Today’s outfit–a blazer from years past,  a wool pencil skirt, a berry sweater, fake tanned legs and nude heels.  Very Autumnal!

Speaking of other events of the weekend.  Bonaparte and I saw “A Star Is Born”.  I kept it a secret that I saw it with Oona after we picked the wedding dress!   I knew if I told him I saw the movie he wouldn’t have seen it but it was even better the second time around.

You will need a box of tissues when you go to see this.  I want these two to get married IRL–the chemistry between them was like a strong electrical currant!

If you have not seen this movie yet, please do yourself a favor and go!!!  Bradley Cooper has been robbed of an Oscar long enough. He’s got to win this time around and Lady Gaga was also Oscar worthy.

I like dirty Bradley Cooper better than clean Bradley Cooper!  Which Bradly do you prefer?

I prefer dirty Bradley.  How about you?

Back to the subject matter.  Do you feel a sense of accomplishment when you’re more organized?  Have you transitioned your wardrobe yet?

Inquiring minds wanna know!!

I bought the soundtrack from A Star Is Born–here’s one of my favorite songs.  Shallows

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