Atypical 60

A Little Trip to D.C.

Posted on March 7, 2017 by Catherine

Do you like getting away for the weekend? Someplace close to home but far enough that it calls for a night at a hotel? The weekend before last, Bonaparte decided that an overnight trip to D.C. was long overdue. We dropped Chippy off at the doggie day care for a sleep over with his canine buddies. We spent a leisurely morning packing and we were off to make our way through traffic on I-95.

I still get a feeling of pride when I am in our Nation’s Capital. The Washington Monument is always a splendor to see!

We hadn’t been to our Nation’s Capital in a while. It’s our favorite place for a quick overnight—and I was so happy to be going there that I wasn’t even thinking about the politics. Both of us just wanted to have a good evening and enjoy the rest of the weekend. Close to home, the drive rarely takes more than three hours unless we hit a major traffic jam.

Oh yes. My little emoji uses the same language that I do! But an overnight trip truly is “Fan-f@!#ing-Tastic!

It isn’t as expensive as an overnight in New York and we always have a good time.

We regularly stay at the Marriott in Falls Church. It’s on the outskirts and not in D.C. proper. The location is incredibly convenient because the drive is 20 minutes away from downtown D.C. And the price point is incredibly reasonable.

Our old haunt, Bistro Français on M Street in Georgetown sadly went out of business. It’s a shame because this little place had been around for over 40 years and was consistently good but the chef and owner decided to retire.

Bonaparte was devastated. And in his stubborn French way, vowed to “discover” another French restaurant. He did and he found a winner– La Chaumière.

If you think the outside is adorable, just wait till you see the inside!

We got to the hotel, relaxed for a bit then got ready for our dinner. I do not know what I was thinking but I wore a pair of very high heels. I absolutely love the shoes and wear them to work quite often. But I didn’t think ahead about walking up and down M Street on the uneven pavement in such dangerous footwear.

These were the beauties I wore. They are lovely for the office but just don’t work for walking on city sidewalks or in city streets! Personally, I don’t know how streetwalkers do it. I admire them!

I couldn’t walk. Bonaparte was thrilled because the fact that I was unable to walk meant one thing–I couldn’t go into my favorite stores—among them J. Crew and TJ Maxx. The fact I couldn’t go into the stores because I couldn’t walk on the sidewalk to get to the stores made him merrier! And so, my Frenchman was thrilled because not being able to walk meant I could not spend any money!

No shopping aside, we ended up having a great, great dinner. La Chaumière’s interior has a rustic elegance. It’s comfortable and not intimidating. It’s larger than I pictured and as we left the restaurant after dinner, there was a line of people waiting to get in.

The interior is really very charming and cozy too!

Bonaparte started off with a pâté—which he said was delicious. I had a pike quenelle. Let me tell you something. I love quenelles. The best way I can describe a quenelle is that it’s a lighter-than-air dumpling and it’s like biting into a cloud of flavor. And the lobster sauce that the quenelle was floating was a sea of flavor!

The morsel that Bonaparte SHARED with me was absolutely delicious. Lots of good flavor but not overpowering…

This quenelle–was so incredibly light and heavenly that I HAVE to find a recipe. This is my new project!

As usual, Bonaparte went with steak and frites. I ordered the Magret de Canard—duck breast, in a black currant sauce. I love comparing the duck I order in restaurants to the duck I make at home and this was heavenly.

I really should not be posting photos of food like this while I’m back on Weight Watchers. I’m hungry now. Anyway, this is the Magret de Canard. OMG. It WAS better than mine. I love duck!

I don’t know what it is about red wine, but if it is a “good” one, I can drink it without suffering from a headache or heartburn. The wine we had was really good.

Do you like a good red wine? Try this. It was REALLY, REALLY good!

Coffee and dessert and we were let loose into the night.

Yes. We are a very wild couple. Our idea of D.C. nightlife is driving through the City and enjoying the sites. One of the things I absolutely love about Georgetown is that it is filled with young people. It’s just fun to see them out and enjoying life!

Yeah. Driving around Washington D.C. late at night is our idea of fun!

The next morning, was brisk and sunny. And after a hearty breakfast and a quick pack, we were off to the National Gallery of Art.

While Bonaparte enjoys eggs, and bacon, and sausage, and toast, I stick to my usual–a big bowl of oatmeal with dried fruit. Oatmeal–I could eat it anytime!

Oh. And I dressed for comfort the heels were packed away!

The National Gallery is one of my favorite places in D.C. I cannot even tell you how many times we’ve been here. And the secret on a Sunday morning is to get there early before it opens at 11 AM. We try to arrive before 10:30 AM

NOTE: The earlier you arrive, the better your chances of getting a parking space. And on Sunday morning parking is easy to come by. Park the car, walk around for a bit, people watch—it’s all part of the enjoyment!

A gloriously sunny day when the weather is still cold is the best time to visit a museum!

The fountain surrounded by flowers in the rotunda always gives me a good feeling..

Here’s some flowers I picked just for you!

So, this is one of the great things about the Gallery—you never know what kind of great exhibit you will come across. This visit it was the Della Robbia exhibit. Have you ever heard of Luca or Andrea Della Robbia? I hadn’t. And I like to think I’m pretty well-educated in the arts. I’m so pretentious! Oh well, you learn something new every day!

Come and look at some of the exhibit with me:

I was fascinated by the lemons and pinecones mixed with the greenery! I need to find replicas of these things to hang at home!

I want to know the secret of keeping these colors so vivid after centuries and centuries. I can’t even keep a pair of black pants from fading after one season!

I love a great Madonna–and this one is beautiful!

This was almost creepy because IRL it looked like she was looking right through you!

This yellow, green, blue color combination is doing something to me. I want to wear these colors!

It was so kind of the Della Robbia’s to sculpt a bust of Francis I of France!

A beautiful Pieta–Della Robbia style.

And we end with a couple of Saints!

After the exhibit, we roamed around looking at paintings. Now—my favorite artists are the French. I love the Impressionists but I also love Delacroix and Courbet. This time around we spent a good amount of the day admiring the Flemish and Dutch painters. You know, I forgot how much I like the Flemish/Dutch painters.

Here’s a bit of what we saw. And you know, when I look at a painting sometimes I think of things that I’m sure others don’t. I’ll explain:

I love Rembrandt’s portraits. I love the dark/light thing he has going on. But most of all, I dig the hat. Why can’t I find a hat like that?

“A Young Man in a Large Hat” by Frans Hals is one of my favorite paintings of all time. This young guy looks totally wasted. WHAT was he drinking? I’ll bet from the expression on his face that he was thinking of some girl he met the night before he posed for this. And the hat. The hat! I LOVE that hat. I want that large hat. It’s so much better than that dopey hat Pharrell wore in that Happy song video. And look at Young Man’s outfit. I would totally wear that.

Here’s another outfit I would wear. I am coveting that tan coat. It’s beautiful. The hat? Not so much–I would wear Young Man’s hat with that coat. But those boots with the red lining are to-die for. It isn’t fair that men got to have the good clothes back then..

…While the women looked like this? That hat is awful. It looks like a wig cap–believe me, I KNOW wig caps! And that thing around her neck. I guess its the way women hid turkey neck back then! Can we put some make up on this woman please?

I’m not crazy about the red hat on this Vermeer girl. I like the earrings in his other painting.

This guy looks miserable because I’ll be that turban weighs a good 25 pounds!

“Agrippina & Germanicus” by Sir Peter Paul Rubens. If I were Germanicus, I would want a refund from Sir Rubens for giving me that huge double chin. I don’t think they had chin lifts back then but he could have given her a better profile! Her hair is beautiful!

I see still life paintings like this and think “dinner”! I’m still hungry!

See what I mean? I put more thought on the clothing. Why don’t they make hats like they used to? Here are more paintings and sculptures from our little visit:

This gentleman’s neck thing is so much nicer than the woman a few paintings above. His is softer fuller, prettier. I would wear this one to hide my turkey neck!

I love the dress but she looks so depressed! Oh wait. She’s getting ready to stab herself. Or maybe since tweezers weren’t invented yet, she’s getting ready to cut some lady whiskers off her chin.

I’m bewildered by the fact that men, even young men dressed so beautifully. If a young man dressed like that today, he would be banned from using the men’s room!

..and why can’t a lingerie company make a bra that could give us the same “lift” as this woman-and they didn’t have padded bras in those days. Bring back boning in dresses!

This is a Spanish painting but I can’t remember the artist. I LOVE this painting. The women are so cute. I love the look on the woman with the little coral bow and I love how you can tell the other woman is probably laughing behind that fabric!

I love a tricorn hat and I wish that they were still sold for regular use. I would definitely wear one. The rest of the ensemble does nothing for me. I think the over-the-chin look is just wrong!

I’m amazed at how I’m naturally drawn to French painters. This is another one of my all-time favorites. “Elizabeth Throckmorton Canoness of the Order of the Dames Augustines” by Nicolas de Largilliere. I love nuns. And this painting is so beautiful-I swear if you stand close enough, you can get a waft of that powdery scent nuns are known for. One of my faves!

I LOVE the Art Nouveau period in painting and this is one of the details in a series of paintings about Joan of Arc by Louis-Maurice Boutet de Monvel. He is best known for his illustrations in children’s books but I love the clean lines and the basic simplicity.

Here we are in the Rodin section. Let me tell you something. I can’t stand Rodin. As a person. He was a tool. And if you ever get the chance, watch the film “Camille Claudel” starring Isabelle Adjani. I can bet that Rodin took credit for this sculpture when Camille Claudel is the one who sculpted it…

This one too. It has Claudel written all over it!

And as we exit, we bid farewell to France’s greatest king, Louis XIV, the Sun King!

I hope you enjoyed our little weekend trip! You don’t have to go far away to take a little trip. Sometimes the best way to chill and regroup is a little getaway during the weekend!

This has been played more than once on this blog but I can’t help it. Every time I go to a museum this enters my mind: Mussorgsky “Pictures at an Exhibition”.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Travel, Weekend trips | 25 Comments

A Long A -Weighted Return

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Catherine

If you follow the blog, you know what I’m talking about. If you don’t follow or even if you forgot any of the details, here’s a bit of a backstory.

Around Labor Day Weekend, I decided that something had to be done about the weight I gained over the two years of non-employment. I ballooned up to a little past 165 pounds. I wasn’t comfortable at this weight. And I am not getting any younger. I wanted to get to a healthy weight.

It also doesn’t help that I have the appetite like a feral dog or the appetite of a football team. Let’s face it. I’m a girl with a huge appetite. I love to eat!

Patsy knows me. Well. She is one of those women who doesn’t eat. Food, that is!

Trust me. When my own dog started to lick his chops every time he saw my ass, I knew it was time to do something about my weight. After all, I didn’t want to go to bed and have Chippy gnaw at my luxurious deposits of fat whilst I was in a deep slumber.

That is NOT the look of love that Chippy has given me. It is the look of hungerlust when he mistakes my ass for two round patties of beef!

I gave myself a personal goal of 140 pounds. I wasn’t looking to be the weight that I was when I was in high school or when I was a young adult. I just wanted to be a weight that would allow me to fit into clothing that no longer fit.

Ok Eddie. But I’m going to try to be healthier and do things that healthy people do. And that thin people do. Except run and join a gym.

And so, I revisited Weight Watchers. But I did it online. And it worked. For a while.

And I wrote weekly posts about the progress.

And then the Holidays came. With a three-day to Paris after Thanksgiving, and with Christmas and the kids being home, I ate. A lot. And I was also aware of what I ate. I didn’t gain but I didn’t lose. So far. So, good.

Just a sampling of what went down (in my belly) over Christmas!

But—as I tried to get back into the swing of things, I found myself losing motivation.

And then my emotions got in the way. The results of the presidential election horrified me. I love my country. I love what my country stands for. And now I’m petrified.

This had me realizing that I could do one of two things. I could eat my emotions away. Which I started to do. Or—I could seek help. And I did. I decided to return back to Weight Watchers.

That’s right. I DON’T have time to eat my emotions away. I DO have time to return to Weight Watchers and understand why I let my emotions get the best of me!

My first attempt to return failed when I came down with THE worst stomach bug of all time. It was so bad I had to go to the doctor. It took over a week to get back to normal.

My second attempt to return failed with the sudden death of one of my very, very few best friends.

I had visions of raw cookie dough and chocolate syrup right outta the bottle swimming in my head.

Taken right out of my fridge. There’s hardly any left. And it’s true. I don’t even need milk. Oh yes I did! And yes I do!

My third attempt to return was a charm.

I‘m back!! And on track!!

I returned this Thursday evening after work. As a Lifetime member I was a bit taken aback that I was charged $15. But, hey, apparently, I won’t have to pay after a month. I’m ok with that.

I don’t know if this is a true success story, given the fact I’ve been to WW many times. But for now, it’s an attempt at success!

I wore as little as possible to work that day. I fake tanned so that I didn’t have to wear tights to cover my pasty-white, fish-belly blue legs. Just my luck I ran out and one leg was darker than the other!

I lie not. This is my official “Thursday Weigh-In” ensemble. A light t-shirt dress from Old Navy (which fit me 20 pounds heavier and is just a bit loose now), a big scarf which I took off at weigh in. Bonaparte’s socks. Now he’ll find out I stole them from him!

Hell, I took my bra off before the meeting because it’s so heavily padded! I almost took my fake hair off too!

I was pleasantly surprised by the number! But there’s still work to be done and diligence to practice!

When I got on the scale, my weight was lower than I anticipated. And I was told that I really don’t have much to lose at all. I set a new goal. 135. Simply because I want some leeway for vacation, holiday, and event times.

And I also want to have some extra room for a load of sushi. Not just eight pieces!

I was also told that this last 9 pounds will not be an easy loss. I’m fine with that because it took my 6 months to lose 20 pounds. And that is why I returned.

A + for attempting and trying.

Sometimes we need a little help. Sometimes we need a bit of support. I’m glad to be returning to the meetings because those meetings are a safe haven for me. It’s where I can go and be with others who understand my journey. I can understand their journey.

It’s good to admit when you need support. Whether the issue is big, small or in-between. It’s all good.

It is also good to pick up on my weekly weight loss journey posts. I missed writing them!

Anyway, a recipe for Overnight Oats was passed around at the meeting and I made it my own.

I omitted the peanut butter and the chocolate almond milk.

I added water to replace the chocolate almond milk and dried cherries to replace the chocolate peanut butter. It was delicious. I will be making this to bring to work.

Last night I made sure that we had a healthier dinner—despite Bonaparte’s wishes for sauce.

Chicken breast in smothered tomato and olive. Served with blanched Haricots Verts. Tasty, healthy and totaling around 8 points!

And yesterday afternoon, we visited a co-worker’s new endeavor. A sandwich restaurant. I ordered a vegetable hoagie, ate 1/3 of it and put the rest of the sandwich away. I’ll have the remainder as my Sunday evening light supper.

My co-worker, Umer, opened a little sandwich place on the side. I admire a great work ethic and boy does he have a great one! If you live on the Philly Main Line, stop by for a sandwich par excellence! And yes. I was able to incorporate a sandwich into my daily tracking!

It’s all about planning and strategizing and getting back into the grove.

And there’s still room for the bubbly! Yay! You didn’t think I would give up my aperitif now, did you?

I don’t know about you, but now is the time of year when I start to get a bit antsy about winter. I want to get into warmer-weather clothing but it’s still a while away for that. Do you feel the same way? Here’s what I wore this week. Trying to think of new ways to wear the same clothing!

Yesterday’s outfit was taking a cue from Ines de la Fressange and her neon pants. I took these pants out of the hamper (come on now, we’ve ALL done that) and let them air out to give me a bit of a spring-time vibe. The pants are now a bit loose in the waist. I should have worn a belt!

Jeans Friday at work. Note how the fake tan is darker on the foot on the right in the pic.

Thursday’s look is above in the post. Wednesday’s outfit was checked pants, a black sweater, and flats. I’m getting lazy at this time of year…

Tuesday I wore a pair of GAP jeggings that hadn’t fit in about three years. I’m not kidding. I was so happy to be wearing these again. SEE–don’t ever throw clothing away. If you are determined, those clothes WILL fit again! I need to wear these booties more and the plaid Lady Jacket from J. Crew is light enough to be worn well into the end of Spring!

Monday’s look was my favorite look of the week. The plaid pants are from Loft and went from being tight when I first purchased them over two years ago, to not fitting at all to now being lose. Lace heels. I love them. A green turtleneck and navy blazer. I think this will be my St. Patrick’s day ensemble!

Note: Other than the Lady Jacket and the green turtleneck–both on sale from J. Crew this winter, every single item of clothing I wore this past week is years old. Funny how some clothing can still manage to fit with a weight gain and loss. Many items of my clothing fits from loss and gain because I have a large frame. I do not have small bones. My build is athletic–even though I’m lazy as all get out!

Thanks for reading. I know I haven’t posted regularly for a while but now I’m back!! XOXOXOXO

I get by with a little help from my friends!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Fashion, Humor, Weight Loss | 40 Comments

In Living Color (Corrector) And Random Thoughts

Posted on March 1, 2017 by Catherine

It’s never too late to get on the bandwagon for “new” trends in cosmetics and beauty. And it seems that color correctors are the latest and greatest.

Here’s the weird thing. I’ve always been under the impression that yellow neutralized blue. I have yellow product to prove it. But orange? No. Just. No. Who has time to put all this on their faces anyway? Wait. That dark pink next to the green–do I put that OVER the green to neutralize it?

The funny thing is-I distinctly remember a product by Revlon back in the early 1970’s when I was in high school. My face has always had a tendency toward rosacea. Otherwise known as the “Irish Glow”. And I purchased this green liquid that promised to get rid of redness.

It did. I walked around with a green pallor on my face until the school nurse stopped me in the hall and suggested my parents take me to the doctor for blood work.

That was the last time I used a color corrector.

The green color corrector didn’t work for me back then!

Fast forward to now. I managed to get the gist of contouring. In fact, I really do like the way contouring gives my features more definition and softens the angles of my bone structure.

And my skin still gets red. And now that I’m aging, I’ve noticed a hint of blue under my eyes and in the corners of my eyes.

I love my Well-Rested concealer, which I am never without. It still remains the best concealer I own. And I do have two other products for getting the “blue” out. One is a yellow cream by e.l.f. and the other is more like a whipped mousse by Mally. Both do a decent job, but both take more time and effort to “get it right”.

Bottom is another e.l.f. product. A creamy yellow to get rid of the blue–or purple. Above that is the Mally corrector. A little of that goes a long, long, long way!

Anyway, on a recent trip to Target, I stopped by the e.l.f. cosmetics display to see what was new and inexpensive. I came across a color correcting palette—Corrective Concealer Palette to be exact. At $3.00, I couldn’t resist.

There are four little creams in this palette. It’s actually pretty sturdy. It comes with a built-in mirror and a little brush. (The brush is a waste). The colors correct and neutralize.

Yellow, Blue (or is it Lavander) Green and Peach make for a colorful face. Actually these are supposed to help take color away!

The only two I’ve used are the yellow and the green.

The first time I used this, I went with a bit of a heavy hand. The second time, I went a bit lighter. I ended up applying the product with a damp beauty sponge and blended very well. I’m not gonna lie or give you alternative facts on this.

I’m tellin’ it like it is when it comes to cosmetics!

It takes a while to blend this stuff in. The consistency of the cream is great for more mature skin because it is more hydrating.

You can see the blotchy redness on my face before applying any product.

Green and yellow will make my skin look more even in tone. I just realized my nose is crooked!

But when I have to get ready for work in the morning, I want a fast face. In between lingering sips of my morning coffee and checking social media, because social media is the only form of social life I happen to have, taking tissues out of Chippy’s mouth, and getting my fake hair ready, I don’t want to spend a ton of time trying to get the red off my face or the blue away from my eyes.

Welcome to my morning! THIS is what I spend the most time on. Taking tissues away from Chippy. Tissues are his favorite snack food!

Did it work? Yeah. But nothing that concealer and foundation wouldn’t do faster. I’m beginning to think that less is more these days with all these products. My routine is just that. A routine. I put moisturizer on and follow with primer. I give myself five minutes to let the primer soak in then I start with the other cosmetics.

This photo was taken after I left the office for the day. The redness is covered. BUT, I also have foundation on and my foundation outlasted the ashes from the morning!

I don’t want to add any more time to my already hectic morning schedule. After all, I am a bit on the lazy side….

The colors in the palette remind me of Spring, which is just three weeks away. Spring reminds me of Easter. Speaking of which, yesterday was Fat Tuesday. The day before the Lenten season begins. I ate a ton of these beautiful pastel Robin’s Eggs. Delicious chocolate covered malted milk balls in the shape of eggs and covered with a pastel candy coating. I ate so many I almost laid eggs this morning!

I would have been better off rubbing those yellow eggs under my eyes instead of them going right to my hips. And YES. I ate all of these. I was afraid to go to the bathroom this morning in fear I would lay a couple of these eggs! They don’t call it “Fat” Tuesday for nothin’!

And Easter reminds me of Lent. My old-school memories of Lent are not ones of suffering and giving up things I love in order to sacrifice. My memories are fond ones. In fourth grade I gave up sugar and surprisingly to this day, I still have tea with no sugar. Some things last forever.

I remember the nuns taking us over to church for what seemed like hours on Friday afternoons. Oh wait. It was for hours!

This is an example of the kind of nuns that would march us over to church during Friday afternoons in Lent. What a start to the weekend!

And those nuns put the fear of God in me. We have a very old crucifix at home. It’s one of those old-school ones that slides open and inside are candles and a small bottle of holy water. And there are two holes drilled into this cross in which the candles are placed.

OK. Jesus fell off the crucifix some years ago. BUT–I’m afraid to nail him back on the cross for obvious reasons! I’m not nailing HIM back to the cross. And he’s too heavy to glue. I’ll just tie him with a ribbon….

This is if you need “Last Rites”. Or, as it used to be called, “Extreme Unction”. If someone is dying or that sick, I don’t think the dramatic ones, such as myself, would be thinking of getting the candles and holy water out of the crucifix. It’s too extreme!

WTF??? What an awful name for a sacrament!! This man doesn’t look too happy to be seeing Hipster Jesus or the Angels. I don’t think he wants to go just yet!

And I remember all the women going to church and wearing hats or mantillas on their heads. Covering a woman’s head was so important back then that my mother carried tissues and bobby pins in her purse. Just in case we happened to stop by church to pray. I’m not kidding. This is true. Tissues. On the head. I always double-checked to make sure they were not used.

Only Catholics would walk around with tissues on their heads. It’s an added way of suffering!

Today I went to Mass and not only was there nary a hat or mantilla in sight, but one girl had a pair of shorts so short that her origin of the world was practically exposed! Things change over time.

If I can find one of these mantillas I’m going to start going back to Mass on a weekly basis. I want to be like Jackie! Maybe I’ll get gloves too!

Lent always has a special place in my soul and my heart. I think it’s because I miss those days of ritual. I miss those Friday afternoons in church. While we were supposed to be praying, my mind would oftentimes wander to other things that had nothing to do with the Lent or Christ’s suffering. I was usually thinking of what I would be doing on the weekend.

Or perhaps it’s the fun I had at the Friday Night Fish Fry’s at the Hibernian Hall in Hamilton when we lived in New Jersey. It was a community of people who got together and just had a great time. To this day, my kids talk about those fish fry’s!

Hands down. Best part of Lent is the Fish Fry!

And I liken Hipster Jesus’ 40 days in the desert with Satan’s temptation to that of the four years of suffering that I will go through with Trump as (notmy) president.

Jesus got off easy. He only had to deal with 40 days of Satan. I gotta deal with four years of the new Satan! I’ll pray he goes away. For good!

Either way you look at it, the next 40 days will be a time when I won’t give up my gutter mouth. Nor will I give up the occasional piece of candy or cake. Instead, it will be a time when I’ll just try to be a kinder person.

And I will be much kinder because “Awards Season” is over so I have nobody to snark on! Oh..those Oscar dresses–truly tasteless for the most part!

Enjoy this first day of March. The warmer weather is on the way and the days are getting longer. We’ve got good times to look forward to!

I’ve been listing to Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” in my car—and love listing to “Spring” because it’s just around the corner! It’s so beautiful. Don’t you think?

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Beauty, Humor, Lent | 22 Comments

Atypical60 Looks At The Oscars 2017!!

Posted on February 27, 2017 by Catherine

It was the worst of dressing. It was the best of dressing. Not really, it was more of the worst of dressing.

We’ll get to that later.

I want to start by saying that I actually enjoyed the Oscars this year because of Jimmy Kimmel’s hosting ability. He was sharp, funny, charming and cutting at the same time.

THE OSCARS(r) - The 89th Oscars(r) broadcasts live on Oscar(r) SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017, on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Eddy Chen) JIMMY KIMMEL

THE OSCARS(r) – The 89th Oscars(r) broadcasts live on Oscar(r) SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2017, on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Eddy Chen)
I honestly was surprised at what a great host Jimmy Kimmel was. He can definitely come back!

Justin Timberlake’s opening number was very entertaining. I love me an all-around great entertainer and Justin fits the bill so perfectly. He can dance—which, when the camera panned to the audience, is something the white actors and actresses cannot do.

Timberlane should have performed ALL the nominated songs with his own touch. His opening number was fantastic!

They couldn’t even act how to dance. It was painfully funny to watch them. Thank you, Justin Timberlake, for being one of the small percentage of white people who can dance (I’m also one of them).

Oddly enough, Elaine dances better than the majority of the white actors and actresses in the Oscar audience last night!

It was awful to sit through some of the speeches too. Why can’t these people just say “Thank you” and walk off the stage. I don’t want to hear about you thanking your pre-school drama teacher nor do I want to hear you yap about the ice cream man’s effect upon your acting. OK?

The speeches are so self-serving.

I did like Casey Affleck’s acceptance speech. He seems like a very down-to-earth guy. I also love the way his acting is so subtle and not over-the-top. Denzel Washington didn’t seem to like Casey’s speech. Or maybe my Denzel was pissed off that the Oscar didn’t go home with him!

~~Jesus~~ Casey Affleck’s speech was one of the better ones. But Denzel looked really angry. Maybe Denzel came down with the stomach bug that I had and was “holding” things in! Or perhaps a little birdie flew out of his wife’s bird’s nest hairdo and nibbled at my Denzel!

As much as I am in love with Viola Davis, her speech was eye-roll worthy. Viola. Don’t take your Oscar acceptance speech too dramatically. You are not auditioning. You won!! Enough with the emoting. I still love you!

Now THIS is the Viola I love to see. Smiling and beautiful. Viola–you looked too serious during the speech. Stop it. Be the fun Viola! I love you so much!

And speaking of speeches. Why do they all have to give the cliché “This-award-belongs-to-everyone” spiel? Take the damn win gracefully. Thank the guy or woman who cast you. Thank the director, and for crissakes, thank yourself.

Here’s what I would say if I won an Oscar for acting:

Me: “Wow! I’m really surprised!” “Anyway, I would like to thank (insert casting agent here) for casting me. And I would also like to thank (name of director) for really bringing out the best in me. I hope I didn’t disappoint you. I also want to give myself credit for working hard and having a stellar work ethic. It isn’t every day that you have an employee like me on set” “I work hard for what I have and it shows”. “Again. Thank you”.

And then I would walk off the stage. I would not thank God because when I wake up every morning I thank him. I would not thank my kids because as much as I love them, I am thankful to them every day. I wouldn’t thank Bonaparte either unless he gave me back my credit cards!

NOTE TO HOLLYWOOD CASTING PEOPLE! HERE I AM! Look at ME! See the many different facets and emotions I put forth. I’m happy. Pensive. Mysterious. Angry. Sad. Scared. Thoughtful. Playful. Adorable. ~~Old.~~ Mature. OK. I look more like the neighborhood crazy lady. But who cares. I’m an ACTOR!!!

And what about the snafu with best picture. I should have stayed awake a bit longer but as soon as the wrong “best picture” was announced, I shut off the remote and went to sleep. I know every single person who saw “Hidden Figures” said that was the movie that should have won. Well, at least “La La Land” did not win. I liken it to “Birdman” with songs and white people bad dancing.

The actor, Mahershala Ali who won for Best Supporting Actor–people were all goo-goo over the fact he was the first Muslim actor to win the Oscar. I’m really getting annoyed with the labels. Who. Cares. What. Religion. He. Is. Muslim, Jew, Catholic, Athiest. Why does his belief get a mention. The man can act. Let’s believe he won the Oscar because of his acting ability and not the fact he’s a Muslim. He’s also cute.

Yeah Mahershala Ali. I really could care less what your religious beliefs are. I just care about you as an ACT-OR!!!

This could have been a conspiracy you know. I think the younger powers-that-be in Hollywood sabotaged Beatty and Dunaway because of their older age. Yeah. Ageism runs rampant. In Hollywood, you are ancient at 40. Beatty and Dunaway are close to 80 if not already there. I’m sure they were made to look senile. Yeah. I’m pretty sure they were sabotaged!

Hollywood doesn’t like THIS version of Bonnie and Clyde. They are too old….

Hollywood likes THIS version better. The version without Faye’s bad plastic surgery!

But you know what really bothered me? The fact that the American entertainment press as well as The Academy never congratulated Isabelle Huppert on her Cesar win for best actress in the film “Elle”—of which she was nominated for an Oscar.

Huppert won the Cesar Friday evening. I’m sure she was enjoying some very expensive French Champagne and wine afterwards. Then she had to get on a plane and fly to L.A. Then she had to get all dolled up for the Oscars. Not one reporter mentioned her Cesar win. These are supposed to be well-informed journalists and yet, nobody could be the good American and congratulate her! Shame on the press!

Isabelle Huppert with her Cesar award! She looks fabulous in green. She looks fabulous period!

I congratulate you Isabelle! I love you!

But let’s get to the good stuff. Let’s get to the fashions or lack thereof.

It never ceases to amaze me at how awful these actresses (Yes. I’m being sexist. They are females and I am referring to them as actresses) can look at a major event. Their stylists really need to be fired. Terminated. Let go. I should be hired instead.

Let’s have a look-see.

Huppert at the Oscars. She looked a little tired–considering she probably partied all night after WINNING that Cesar that nobody congratulated her on! Her Cesar dress was much better. This dress would have been better in a brighter color but I’m not crazy about it. It’s bland. She should have gone with a more fitted dress because she has a great body!

Kirsten Dunst. Hands down. THE best dressed of the evening. This Dior is a knockout. Look at the shape the dress gives her. I LOVE the fact the hem is shorter in the front showing off those great shoes. A throwback to the glamour of the 1950’s. What a great look! This is the best Dunst has ever looked!

My second-best dressed of the evening. Viola. OMG. She looks so freakin’ beautiful in this bright shade of red. And the dress is simple and the cold shoulder is so perfect for her. She is so beautiful that I can’t stand it!

Taraji P. Henson must have read my Grammy blog post. She looked awful that night but she did a complete turnaround. She’s my Number 3 Best Dressed. OMG! I LOVE this dress. The shape of the dress, the neckline, the slit, the velvet–it works so well. And the shoes! And the hair. Thank you Taraji for listening to me. You can fire your old stylist and hire me. OK?

What an incredible transformation from Grammy night–huh?

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Hailee Steinfeld. Another Best Dressed. I love watching her on the red carpet because she always gets it right. This dress is so fresh and adorable and youthful. It is perfect for a younger woman and she just looks like a princess in it. She’s one to watch!

OK. She isn’t an actress but Robin Roberts looked better than 95 percent of the actresses at the Oscars. She looks like a pretty gold statue. And guess what? Robin did gold RIGHT! She has a great skin tone for a gold dress. Very Cleopatra.

Shirley Maclaine is still looking good. She’s in her 80’s. She looked very classy…Charlize Theron is another issue….

I swear Charlize Theron wants to underplay her natural beauty. She, one of the most beautiful women on earth, looked terrible in this dress. It looks like an old lady formal dress. It’s frumpy. And the hair. WTF? Was she trying to channel her inner Ethel Mertz..

Hey. I’m a HUGE fan of Ethel Mertz. But really, I do think Theron was trying to emulate the hairdo!

Can someone please explain to me why Ruth Negra and Ginnifer Goodwin look more like Sister Wives than elegant women? Are they both in a movie about Amish rebels? Red is a great color for both women but both of these dresses are not stylish and too fussy. Some stylists should be shown to the door…

Octavia Spencer is not a frail woman. She should not be wearing a dress that cuts her body in two. First of all, this dress is too high-waisted and cuts her right under the bust. Like Adele, Spencer needs a princess style that is slightly fitted at the waist but doesn’t cut. She needs simple lines. She would look great in a three-quarter sleeved dress with a similar neckline but a more simple cut. She would also look better with a longer bob. Let me dress you Octavia. Let ME dress you!

She may be the world’s greatest actress but she’s a lousy dresser! Put some sexy Sophie into your event dressing please! This dress is just ill-fitting and the bottom has too much material. The color is great though. An updo would have been much better!

Is it a tassel?

NO! It’s Emma Stone and her pretend lisp! OMG. This dress is hideous. The color is a bit like what came out of my body near the end of my stomach bug. This young woman does NOT have the coloring for a dress this color. The sweetheart neckline is unattractive on her. She needs a higher neck. The dress is too fussy. This is wrong on so many levels.

Is it my grandmother’s doily?

No! It’s Nicole Kidman and her overly-Botoxed face! Again. We have a pale woman and a dress that washes her out. The lipstick isn’t making you look any better Nicole. I was watching Robin Roberts interview and your lipstick was so smeared you looked like Bette Davis as Baby Jane! The sad thing is, this dress is beautiful. In a darker color like an emerald green and she would have rocked it….

There are no words… this dress is so horrible that I can’t even..

But I can with this monstrosity! I call this color “The Bile That I Threw Up When My Stomach Bug was in the Upper Part of My Body”. Do these women even so much as glance in a mirror? This dress is wearing Leslie Mann. She is NOT wearing it! And it looks like a teenaged prom dress. It’s horrific!

Another example of beautiful woman in ugly dress! Janelle Monae is so beautiful–and even more so now that she isn’t sporting that pompadour hairdo! Is she trying to look like Marie Antoinette? Perhaps she’s hiding cake under the bottom of the dress. There’s just too much going on here. If the bottom of the dress was slim and sheer with a nude underlay, it would have been beautiful. She’s a walking “Hidden Figure” under this thing!

Hey girl, is it Justin Bieber?

No!! It’s Scarlett Johansson as Justin Bieber in a gown! Good Lord. What did that Frenchman DO to her? Scarlett. Please. For the sake of us all, please go back to the sexy vamp Scarlett!! This look is not becoming on you. At all.

The extremism in Hollywood is so disturbing to me. Either titties are hanging out like two pink-tipped buoys floating in the sea or these women are covered up like Amish pastor’s wives. I’ve seen NUNS show more skin! Is the apron so you can cook with Wolfgang Puck at the after party? This dress is like the mistake Trump’s parents made when he was conceived! And the hair. Did Dakota Johnson start co-washing instead of using shampoo? I’m scared of this look. Seriously. This dress is 50 Shades of Shit!

What is it with pale ladies and dresses that wash them out. GET A FAKE TAN IF YOU WANT TO WEAR A DRESS LIKE THIS!!! I think my grandmother wore a similar dress to my Baptism some 60 years ago. And the shoes. I don’t even see painted toes! Felicity Jones has had more worse looks than good ones. She needs to either fire a stylist or hire one!

Last of all we have Guiliana Rancic. This dress was the topic of conversation last night. Bonaparte loved it on her and thought she looked beautiful. I was talking to Oona on the phone and she couldn’t stand the dress. I’m on the fence. There’s a lot of fabric but I love the color on her. And she looks great in the one-shoulder Grecian look gown. Her hair and makeup are perfect. I’m really in the middle.

That’s it! Fashions were mostly on the bland side. The one WOW dress was Dunst’s. I need to think of what I’ll wear on the red carpet when I start interviewing these people who are more self-centered than me!

I almost forgot. Kristin, Brad and Kriss were the red carpet crew on E. At least Kristin’s boobs were in their places. Brad’s tux was bland. And at least Kriss got rid of her butch “do”. She must have read my posts about her red carpet looks. That dress of hers brings attention to those hips of hers. She needs a stylist–and not her daughters as stylists either. I’ll dress ya Kriss!!!

Here’s a great one from Danny Kaye “The King’s New Clothes”! Very appropriate!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Fashion, Humor, Oscar Fashion 2017 | 23 Comments

Putting the Laughter On Hold

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Catherine

I started writing a post that I thought was pretty funny. All the elements of humor were there but somehow, I just didn’t feel right. I didn’t feel like being funny.

One of my closest, dearest and best friends passed away suddenly. She was just 65 years old. And she was a young and vibrant and beautiful and caring woman.

Losing a friend feels like this.

There’s a lot going on in my head as I write this. We’re not immortal. We’re not going to be on this earth forever, as much as some of us would love to be–we aren’t.

I’m also a bit angry because why is it that a truly good and kind person dies suddenly and we have a filthy example of humanity leading our country. Sorry folks–this has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with good people vs. evil ones.

Life just isn’t fair at times..

Anyway, I don’t want to be angry. I don’t want to be sad. And I’m really sad today. I’ll be packing my bag because tomorrow I’ll be heading out of town for the funeral.

If you have a friend or two that you haven’t been in touch with for a while, might I suggest to pick up the phone and give them a call. Friendship is a gift that we take for graI wonted sometimes. We always figure we’ll see that person again and don’t give it a second thought.

Margaret and I had kept making plans over the past year and they never came to fruition. I will be seeing her but not under the circumstances that I should be seeing her.

So I’ll be hanging in there and will be posting next week. I just want to let you know that each and every one of you who read my blog is a friend–and you are special to me. Take care of yourself. Be kind. Be good.

And take your work and your life seriously–but don’t take yourselves too seriously!

See you next week!

Posted in Uncategorized | 40 Comments

Let’s Talk About Style. Finding Yours!

Posted on February 19, 2017 by Catherine

Style (as a noun)

/stīl/

A Manner of doing something
a distinctive appearance, typically determined by the principles according to which something is designed.

And the way I look at it is this: take fashion. Fashion is what you wear. Style is how you wear it.

Style is this “thing”. It isn’t really tangible, but when someone who has a lot of it walks by you, then style becomes tangible.

Model Carmen Dell’orefice is 83 years old. 83!!! She drips of style! Look at her. And the fact she makes this shit-brown dress look fabulous is a testament to her style! Her trademark big hair. Her bone structure. Her ability to be chic better than anyone else…all add up to a remarkable sense of style!

We all have a certain style. Whether in our clothing or our home or our life—there’s some style in there. It is who we are and what is a part of our being.

People may influence our style. We may lean toward a style that makes us comfortable. Travel can affect our sense of style. Life events can affect our sense of style.

I’ll attest to the fact that travel has definitely had an affect on the style of my home…

You can notice the influence in my lack of color–just like Paris rooftops!

I keep it simple and uncomplicated

And color often comes in splashes…

The most color is in my little sunroom. My most comfy area of the house!

The weird thing about this plate is that I had it BEFORE I met MY Bonaparte! Napoleon must be watching out for me!

And you know what? Even those who don’t think they are very stylish—well, they are! You just need to dig a bit into yourself and figure out what you like and don’t like. That’s it! It’s simple!

My personal style is pretty basic—and I don’t mean that in a boring way. At all. I’m not big on extravagance and formality. It just isn’t me. That doesn’t mean I don’t like a formal or extravagant style—I do. Formality and extravagance just does not fit into my lifestyle. And that’s ok—because it fits perfectly into the lifestyle of many others. In fact, it fits so well into one of my favorite bloggers style. The Vintage Contessa. (Click on the link to her blog. You HAVE to read about her–she’s a riot!!!) She literally is a study in all things perfectly elegant but in such a non-intimidating way. I love her!!

My favorite Contessa! She’s so elegant. She’s so fabulous. She’s so elegant in the most unintimidating way. I hope she isn’t angry at me for taking the liberty to post a pics of her!!

That’s what makes us different. We all need to celebrate the styles of other. It makes life more interesting and fun.

Style doesn’t come easy for many of us either. It really took me years to hone in on the style that I’m most comfortable with and what works best for me.

Yes. This would be me. And it has taken me a lifetime to finally find my true style!

I think when you are younger you have more of a capacity to follow trends but as you age you really do become more in tune with what works with you and what doesn’t. It’s a learning process!

I’ve always loved the style of Stevie Nicks. Her gypsy/fairy/boho look has been her trademark for many years. It works for her and she absolutely owns that look. And as much as I love it on her, I could never carry it off. Why? Because I would never be comfortable wearing those clothes. I wouldn’t feel quite right—that look doesn’t fit my personality.

I would not even make a small attempt to wear the huge platforms that Nicks is known for. It would be a great danger for me. But for her–it’s her style!

I would look like a freaking clown if I wore this. Stevie Nicks looks like an ethereal princess–and THAT is because she OWNS this style!

But it isn’t to say that I’ve not been influenced by it! When I wear a maxi dress, I feel that a bit of Stevie is with me. It’s a touch of boho that I can be at ease with.

The closest to a Boho or Stevie Nicks look that I will ever be comfy with. (My post on Maxi-dressing)

Let’s take a look at the women who do have an influence on how I like to dress.

Lauren Hutton. THE perfect example of casual. I love her look. I love her casual approach to dressing. Comfort done in a classic and uncomplicated way. I also love her because she’s got a lazy eye!

I love me my Pixie Pants too Lauren. She how simple but classic this is?

The quote. The quote ladies. She’s sooooooooo correct!

She’s 73 now..but damn, she looks no different now than five years ago. Advertisers need to see that THIS is a large demographic and we want to see more like HER in truth in advertising for beauty products!

Diane Keaton. She’s been a big influence on me since the days of Annie Hall. I adore her tomgirl feminine/masculine approach to clothing. I had the pleasure of being at a film premiere back in the late 1970’s when I lived in NYC–she was there and I saw her up close and personal. Her outfit was literally head to toe black and there was a ton of fabric–but she turned an outfit that would have been a bit — well, grandma-ish and frumpy into a unique ensemble. On her, it worked. And it worked because of her incredible personal style. And older women have a great sense of self!!

I remember this photo that Annie Leibovitz took of Keaton for Vanity Fair magazine. There’s a lot of clothing here and she’s covered up and it looks great on her!

Who has glasses like this? Who? Who? Oh don’t we know!! And I love my glasses! Diane’s influenced me without me even realizing it!

The only difference between me and Keaton is–I would never wear those shoes. I’ll wear pointy toed kitten heels. But his outfit. THIS is an outfit that I would wear if and when any of my children get married. YES!!! This would be my mother-of-the-bride-or-groom ensemble! It is simple and chic and would allow me for hours of dancing and running back and forth to and from the bar to refill my beverages!

And yeah. I am that woman who would wear a very fitted tuxedo to a formal affair. I would have the pants cut to ankle length so that my heels would be showcased. Her style if freakin’ impeccable! That girly menswear look is fantastic!

Guess who has pants like these? Yours truly!!!

Catherine Deneuve. I love her French Ice Princess look. The simple lines of dresses she’s worn in film and real live are another influence on what I look for in dresses!

Hair clipped back off her face. Hoop earrings. A thin chain around her neck. A Simple watch. White sleeveless tee. You cannot get more basic and Deneuve brings this to an elegant level. A perfect summer look!

My heart skipped a beat when I saw this photo. The coat. The only accessory is the gold buttons. The simple flats. And this is why I love Catherine Deneuve’s style!!

Bardot. You would think in all the years I’ve been traipsing around St. Tropez I would have been lucky enough to run into my style influencer Bardot. I haven’t. I love her style because its good girl gone slightly slutty. Who doesn’t love a look like that. Bardot brings out our inner bad girl–but in a ballet flat kind of way!

The look on the right–I live in that look during many casual moments of my life. Skinny pants or jeans. Repetto ballet flats. A slightly oversized but fitted sweater. Thank you Ms. Bardot for influencing me! I love the way her hair looks with that big-ass headband. I can never get that look just right on me. Even with fake hair I always manage to mess it up!

Those tight-cropped ankle pants! The ballet flats. The fitted shell. OMG. I LOVE this look so much. And the hair! Oh if I only had my thick head of hair back I would tease it up to God to have it look like that!!!

The Breton shirt. I must have at least five of these but look how Miss Brigitte gives this shirt her own style with the rolled up sleeves.

She’s not even wearing as much as earrings! When you have style like Bardot–you really don’t need anything else! This simple dress is so streamlined and fits so well. A true classic. A great example of classic and French style!

Jackie Kennedy. In my opinion, the greatest example of classic American Style. Pragmatic and uncomplicated. A simple shift. White jeans and a dark shirt. The head scarf. The oversized sun glasses. She was beautiful and the camera didn’t do her justice. I had seen her a few times on the street when I lived in Manhattan. She was tinier than photographed and she looked very sweet and delicate. Her style influenced many–me included!

This photo was taken in the early 1960’s. The outfit would be completely fine worn today. THAT is what makes a classic!

The hair and glasses. I’m so in love. The black turtleneck and tan coat. OMG. No wonder I love this color combo so much…

Her relaxed style makes all her looks look like “Oh THIS?” “I just threw it on”! And she probably did–women with great style don’t have to spend hours over what to wear. They are aware of what looks great on them and they stick to it!

Again. No accessories. She is her own accessory!

Natalie Portman. Hey. She may be on the younger side, but this girl has a ton of style. I think she is the best-dressed actor in LaLaLand. Stylists should study her because Portman’s taste is perfect–and as she ages, she will only get better–as if she needs improvement!

If only I could wear a red lip! But I CAN wear everything else in this look. I adore everything about his look. The shoes, the rolled up jeans, the blazer, the bag that is so out of my price league I can vomit. This is a great look for women of all ages! And it can be duped at a discounted price!

This dress. It’s the perfect length. And I’m not crazy about lace nor pink but, boy, this dress is just stunning. Her style is what makes it all work!

Portman’s trench look. Even on errand day she still manages to bring great style to a basic look!

A simple dress, classic shoes and her lone accessory is a pair of earrings. Simple done right!

All of these women influence me when it comes to dressing. But remember! Find your personal style. Be influenced but be your own icon! Don’t allow fashion to dictate what your style should be. Nuh unh! Find you style. Own your style. Wear it well. And proud. And yeah, flaunt your style. It’s ok to do so.

It’s been a tough week for me. I’ve been quite ill with this stomach bug but when I did make it back to work, I kept true to my personal style. I’m not being narcissistic when I say this but I am my own style icon. All that means is that I have my own style that has been influenced by other people and elements.

Plaid blazer–my love for plaid can date back to wearing plaid uniforms to school for 8 years. The Repetto ballet flats and Longchamp bag are influenced by Bardot and trips to France. The Tomgirl look influenced by Diane Keaton!

Oh look! I’m wearing the same plaid from the pants that Diane Keaton was wearing in the photo at the top of my post!

I wore this the first day back at work. You can see from my face that I am still lookin’ pretty bad. A week later and I’m finally beginning to feel normal again!

My favorite look of the week. Yesterday’s errand look. Cropped ankle jeans. Loafers. Plaid shirt. Schoolboy blazer. This personifies my personal casual weekend style. It’s what I’m most comfortable in and I know it looks good!

I watched a great documentary yesterday afternoon on HBO. “About Face: Supermodels Then and Now”. Talk about style, this was an intense study of style and I recommend this as required watching for every woman over 50! It was insightful and incredibly truthful. And the interviews with Isabella Rossellini made me so angry at Lancôme for dropping her. Isabella is one smart woman who speaks the truth!

Models of the past–and they are filled with stories of wisdom! Carmen Dell’orefice, quite possibly the most chic and stylish woman of all time. Jerry Hall, she seems like one of the most fun people ever and Pat Cleveland–her story touched me to the point of getting misty-eyed. Older women need MORE recognition! All are highlighted in the HBO documentary!

Isabella Rossellini. Man, what I wouldn’t give to interview her! She is the wisest woman in the industry. I wish she had her own cosmetics line! Shame on Lancome for getting rid of her!

My style is who I am. It is a reflection of lifetime events, influences, travels and people who have affected me. What about you? What’s your style? Do you agree?

Here’s a nice tribute by John Cale and Lou Reed about Warhol’s style—his may not have been the preferred style of many, but the song is absolutely moving and beautiful. “Style it Takes”.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Beauty, Fashion, Humor, Style | 27 Comments

Atypical60 Takes a Look at Grammy Fashions!

Posted on February 14, 2017 by Catherine

I know. I’m late to the party. But the sad truth is, I’ve been sick since Sunday evening with the worst stomach bug of all time. Ugh. I only got to watch some of the Grammy’s because I was in the bathroom most of the night.

The only thing getting cuddled in Chateau Bonaparte was my stomach and the ceramic throne in the bathroom!

Honestly, it felt so good to kneel on the tiled floor and hug the cold ceramic of my toilet bowl when I wasn’t sitting on it. That outta give you an idea of how I spent the past couple of days!

Anyway, I just got back from the doctor. Bonaparte literally forced me to go. I think it was because he was tired of hearing me moan “Ohhhhhh. My stomach. I hope this isn’t serious!”

I mean that literally and figuratively!

Honest to God. The thought of eating is making me more ill than I am, but the good doctor gave me a prescription to ward off the nausea so that I could keep something in my gut. And the only food item I want right now is Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup. It’s been my “sick” comfort food since I was a child.

I’m eating this as I write..

I’m getting off track here.

This is about Grammy. And not my Grammy.

My real-life Grammy. In her wedding dress. Beyonce could have worn my grandmother’s wedding headpiece and would have looked much better!

It’s about the Grammy Awards, which, in my opinion, could very well be the reason I was so sick!

Ugh. I believe that watching E!’s “On the Red Carpet” made me ill from the get go. Kriss Jenner and that dumb butch hairdo of hers! And that dress–it is absolutely awful! Why does Ryan Seacrest insist on having this doyenne of bad taste hosting a red carpet event? Brad Goreski–I’m appalled that you would wear such a hideous jacket. And Kristin Cavallari–one false move and your girls are going to escape big time!

OK—so the music industry has a bit more creativity than, say the film or TV industries. And I guess that’s why people who attend feel as though they have to dress a bit more eccentric or differently.

I get that. I really do. But there is a fine line between dressing differently or more creatively and coming off as looking downright silly. It’s about fit. It’s about what looks good or even great on you.

So, let’s just take a look at some of the fashions I happened to see when I wasn’t in the bathroom!

I had just exited the bathroom and Bonaparte was cleaning my glasses when Beyonce was doing her number. I swear from far away I thought I was watching a Novena to the Blessed Mother. I knelt down before the TV and started chanting “Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee”. Then Bonaparte gave me my glasses and I realized Queen Bee just wanted to look like the old-school Christmas tree toppers we had when we were kids!
Who wore it best? Why the cute little pug on the right! And speaking of JLo…

…she needs to come up with a new signature pose. I’m sick and tired of that dopey “come hither” look her face makes in every single pose. And you may want to change it up from the Angelina Jolie pose. I swear JLo will be a wrinkly 80 year old with lips that sag down to her chest and she’ll still pose with that dopey face!

Shoes notwithstanding, Heidi Klum gets my vote for best dressed. Had two inches been added to the hem, and had she worn silver pointy-toed stilettos with toe cleavage, this would be my favorite red carpet look of all time! I love the simple cut of the dress and I LOVE the length of the sleeves.Her earrings and makeup! She rocked it!

Laverne Cox almost got it right! The dress is a weird length. It should have been shorter. Just at the knees. She has great legs! And the cut-out sides give the dress a very rocker type vibe while still maintaining fashionable taste! Her eye makeup is great too! I love Laverne!

I was born in 1955. In the early to mid-1960’s we practically lived on these Funny Face drinks. That’s probably one of the reasons I lost most of my hair. Anyway, all I could think of when I saw Taraji P. Henson in that getup was Goofy Grape! Henson is cute as a button and she could have gone with something a little edgy without looking ridiculous. The dress doesn’t even fit! The fabric looks sloppy. When will these celebrities ever learn?

Rihanna. RiRi. You are one of the most beautiful women in the world. You can wear just about anything. So then, can you explain just why you put on something that wore YOU? I’ll admit, the black and orange put me in a very sentimental mood for those wax whistles that we used to get at Halloweeen time! That skirt looks like the umbrella you sang about!

I actually loved the simple and streamlined cut of the suit that Chance the Rapper wore. But–did your mother ever tell you it was not proper to wear a hat indoors? Well, I’m telling you now. Get rid of the hat when you are inside a building!!!

I have no idea who this young woman is. But she has my vote as one of the Grammy Best Dressed! Her gown is fresh and youthful and the color is gorgeous on her. In fact, if she was cross-eyed, she would remind me of a young ME! I can’t get enough of this dress! The dropped waist is so flattering! And she’s a bit modest on top without looking fundie! Most of the celebrities at the Grammy’s could take a lesson from her! Absolutely perfect!

Why did Beyonce and Jay Z take their daughter to the Grammy Awards! I KNOW! I KNOW! They didn’t want Solange to be their plus-one at the after parties so by bringing Blue Ivy, they had a great excuse for Solange to babysit! Poor Blue Ivy! Mommy and Daddy should have dressed you in a blue suit..that pink looks like Pepto Bismol! Props to Mr. Carter for the way he looks so lovingly at his daughter! It’s so sweet!

…speaking of Solange…she looked like….

The Golden Ticket from Willie Wonka!

Carrie Underwood needs a new stylist. NOW! It was bad enough she looked like chewed up bubble gum at the Golden Globes, but now she has a dress that not only looks like a newly used tampon, it is an old lady bar mitzvah dress. I don’t even think Joan Rivers would have worn it…

This is red done right! Faith Hill nailed another “Best Dressed”. It is a beautiful shade of red. The lines are simple and even with the little cut out, it was discreet. And the shoes! Oh God–I can’t even! I WANT those shoes! Well done Ms. Hill!

She may be “zuh gret-ess singuhr” but Ms. Dion is far from the greatest dresser. She’s only 48. She’s young. She looks older than me–and I’m old! She needs to wear her hair down and layered to soften her angular structure. The dress. It’s too low-cut for a flat-chested woman. What is WITH these low cut dresses anyway? And while I’m at it–what’s with the ankle strap shoes. Faith Hill is the only one to rock those ankle straps..Celine Dion looks more like a…

…glittery St. Patrick’s Day hat! Save that shade o’ green for March 17th!

I love Adele. And this pea-soup green frock did nothing to enhance her beautiful curves. That waistband makes her titties look supersized and saggy. She needs a princess cut. Slightly fitted. She needs boning in the chest area to hold those ta-ta’s up. The dress is too long–it looks sloppy. Adele was meant for black dresses. She needs a simple dress because that voice of her’s is what draws attention! I”m glad she swept the Grammys!

Chrissy Teigen. No. This isn’t working. SHE is someone who needs to show a bit more skin! But not the way this dress shows it. She looks like an extra from a vampire movie! I’m kind of surprised because she usually gets it right. Her makeup looks horrible too. What happened Chrissy? You better look more like your fashionable self at the Oscars!

I’m guessing Cee Lo was channeling his inner Pussy Galore from Goldfinger. And this one in the middle. Wearing 45’s slogan? WTF? THAT was what really made me sick. Who is this Girl Crush on the far right? That dress! How the hell did she sit down or go to the bathroom? Well, I can honestly say she has more balls than Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan!

What’s with the unbottoned shirt? What’s with the ill-fitting pj bottoms? What’s with the awful sleeves? I think this one was trying to channel her inner…

…..Sick Pense look! Same color of blue. Same lousy fit!

I need to say something about this Tom Ford dress that Katy Perry wore. I KNOW this dress did not get a lot of love. However, if you want to be edgy and different without looking clownish, THIS is the way to do it. Naturally, I have a bit of commentary on this dress. *Sigh* sometimes I wish gay designers would be more in touch with their feminine sides. Why? I’ll show you…

Katy Perry has the best set of Ta-ta’s on earth. In fact, if I ever hit it big in the lottery, I’m taking a photo of her in a low-cut dress to a plastic surgeon. I’m going to tell him that I want HER ta-tas! They are spectacular and they are real! Anyway, back to the dress. I would give her a ballet scooped neckline so that her cleavage would be a focal point. Then I would cut the sleeves to a long short sleeve. Tom–are you listening? Thank you! Might I also add, Katy Perry ALWAYS has THE best made-up face! Her makeup is never less than perfect!

This is NOT good cleavage. At all. Lady Gaga looks like she wore the wrong sized bra and reached up to a top shelf to grab something. Girls–hasn’t that happened to you? You know. You reach for something and your bra rides up in the front? Even for Lady Gaga who can basically get away with anything outrageous, the bottom tit look is just ugly!

Katy Perry sure knows how to show bosom! They are the envy of us all! Even though this suit DID remind me of piano keys!

That’s about it. I ended up falling asleep because I was so violently ill. I couldn’t even make it out of bed yesterday to write this so I know I’m getting much better!

Did you watch the Grammy Awards? Did you have a favorite look? Did you have a look that you thought was just awful. Tell me!!

And…. HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!!

One of my favorite songs about love. John Mayer with Katy Perry “Who You Love”. (I hope they get back together!!!)

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged #Humor, Fashion, Grammy Awards | 36 Comments

I Got Framed! Let’s Talk Eye Glasses!

Posted on February 12, 2017 by Catherine

It was time for me to get a stronger prescription for eye glasses. Between looking at a computer all day and looking at figures, my eyes were becoming a bit weaker. And as a life-long wearer of eye glasses, I know when the peepers need a stronger prescription!

When I say life long I mean it! I wore glasses as a child. And back in the day, frames like these were my only option.

My current (now my old) glasses are five or six years old. And the basic reason I hadn’t gotten a new pair was twofold. I love the frames and hadn’t seen anything similar. Those Giorgio Armani frames I have cost a small fortune. And even with the medical bennies I had at the time, they still ended up costing a fortune.

The second reason is that I was scared that the doctor would find something horribly wrong with me. What if there was a tumor behind my eye? What if the skin cancer that I had years ago, showed up in my iris or retina? What if I have glaucoma? What if I really am going blind? How would I put my makeup on and do whatever hair I have left on my head?

Yes. If it’s eye -health related or any health-related question. I never say that I’m Okay. That’s because I never know if I am or not!

Trust me. I’m not the greatest patient on earth and many eye professionals sort of didn’t want me back a second time. I’m not that girl who gets a “reminder” from the eye doctor.

Anyway, with my new vision plan, Davis Vision, I perused through the selection and found Dr. Lucas Baird and his practice, Baird Optical. I loved the fact he was local and that he had a brand new practice! It meant he hadn’t dealt with difficult people like me!

If you live in the Philly suburbs and need a eye exam or new glasses, take a trip to see Dr. Baird! Your eyes will thank you!

Not since my days of Dr. Stevens, my childhood-into adulthood eye doctor, and the one eye doctor who tolerated me for many years, has my eye exam visit been so comfortable, pleasant and non-stressful. This young doctor is going to have a very successful career ahead of him. Between his genteel manner, his knowledge, his great bedside manner, and his love of dogs—he’s great!

Dr. Baird! Isn’t he so cute?

He assured me that I did not have a bad eye disease and I was not going blind and he did so without that look that says “This one is crazy”. He was kind and attentive—or perhaps just respectful of old people! Either way, Dr. Luke made me feel comfortable! I was glad to have a new eye doctor I could trust!

OK—now get this– I went into Dr. Baird’s practice with every intention of not getting frames from the selection he carries. Instead I figured I would go to a fancier, more hip center for frames. Because, after all, I’m hip. And I can also be a bit of a glasses snob. I was even thinking of waiting for our upcoming trip to France to purchase new frames but the fact is—I needed new glasses yesterday!

So, while waiting for my dilated eyes to simmer down, I looked at the selection of frames offered. And I saw some very fashionable ones! I saw some downright great ones! One pair, in particular, had a rather heavenly glow about it. I was mesmerized as I walked over. They were round—just my kind of frame. They were black. The color I love. They were—Ray Bans!!! I couldn’t believe it.

This stock photo may be tortoise but my new frames are black. The frame is RX2180V.

I’ve always had a fondness for the cool, hip brand of eye wear known as Ray Bans, but their frames never quite looked that good on me. I have a square face. Ray Ban is infamous for those slightly oversized squared, Buddy Holly type frames that just do not look good on my square face!

Yeah. It’s hip to be square and even more hip when you have a square face and find those perfect round eye glass frames!

And, unfortunately, this type of frame does nothing except enhance the squareness of my angular face!

If you have ever needed eyeglasses, I’m sure you’ve read the many articles about the “best frames for your face shape”. Since I am well-aware of the shape of my face, I pretty much know what works best for the square face—and it ain’t squared glasses or any angular-cut frames.

These charts are actually pretty helpful when it comes to finding out the shape of your face.

And rounded frames really DO flatter the angular and squared face!

Some years back, it seemed that no matter what your face shape, the only choice in eye wear was the square or rectangular frame. This was not a good look for most people. And I’m still flummoxed as to why rectangular frames are still incredibly popular.

A throwback from the days when I could not find any frames except rectangular ones. And the fact these transitional lenses looked even more horrific on me makes me wonder why I still have them!

Let’s take a look-see at some of my frames over the years. Shall we?

I call this look my “Sally Jesse Raphael” look. Red oversized frames. Just like Sally Jesse Raphael’s! They were huge. And I LOVED them. Here I am with Jake he was almost two years old so this was in 1985. I know this is crazy but I still love those frames!

Sally Jesse in her iconic glasses! I wish they would bring these back! I would get another pair. In a minute!

A little less “Sally” but still oversized and round! I love that lip color.

The glasses are a bit smaller and the frames thinner. I also loved these glasses too! And YES. THAT is my real hair! It was very big and I miss the bigness of it. It looks more fake than the real fake hair I wear now to make my thinning hair look thicker!

I stuck to the round thinner frames through my auburn hair days! Then switched back to thicker ones as my hair got longer!

Oh my goodness! What a GHASTLY look! This is my hot mess look and those glasses don’t help! Those awful frames do nothing for my face. Not that it would matter. This was when I was going through my divorce. I was having fun with the kids. Oona or Roman snapped this lovely pic of me while I was cleaning the house. Boy–was I ever in need of a haircut or what?????? At least I was wearing a nice shade of lipstick!

Looks like I got a well-needed hair cut! But the frames..are they rectangle? Are they oval? They are somewhere in the middle and are way too small for my big face!

Oops! Back in time to the thin, large, round frames. The more I look at these, the more I miss them! I also miss my unwrinkled face!

Now we’re back to the unflattering rectangular frames. Ugh! And while we are at it, I’m not thrilled with that bobbed hairstyle either. It was too high maintenance. Cheers!

Here I am in Paris clowning around on Pont Neuf with Daniele and our friend, the actor Antoine Bourseiller. I miss both of them. But the glasses–I can’t even describe the shape. Somewhat round. Somewhat rectangular. Too small for my face.

I wonder who was driving while Oona and I were posing? I’m horrified by that pale lip color I’m wearing. I look washed out. Maybe I was sick. But the glasses. See what I mean about the squared shape? It really isn’t flattering. At least the frames are larger!

I found this pair while cleaning out a closet a while back. I don’t even remember when I got them. There’s a reason I can’t remember–they are a very bland frame. Not flattering and not non-flattering. Just boring.

The glasses that I’ve had for a few years now. I love them. And they are presently in Dr. Baird’s hands getting new lenses so that I have a back up pair for my new eye glasses..

My new, round Ray Ban Frames! I ADORE these frames. I LOVE them because the frame is thicker than my beloved Armani frames and they are bigger. Not to mention the prescription is stronger and I can see better!

And guess what? Bonaparte isn’t crazy about my new frames. He likes the Armani’s better. But I’m the one wearing them so…..

Does it really matter what frames you wear when it comes to eyeglasses? The only thing that matters is this. Are you comfortable in the glasses. Do you love them? Do you feel you look great in them? Do you feel confident in them? Do you love how they look on you? And–can you see better in them?

And that is all that counts! Hey. Get your eyes checked. Sight is one of the senses. And with sight we get to see how beautiful our surroundings are. We get to see the beauty of life. And that is so important. Donja think?

And finding the right eye doctor counts too! It’s funny–as I was writing this post, Bonaparte checked the mail and look what came! A “Thank You” card from Dr. Baird and a gift card to …Starbucks! That is the nicest gesture! Thank YOU Dr. Luke!

I’ll tell you, I was thrilled and touched to receive this. Usually eye doctors close up the door when they see me coming!

New glasses. Better sight. What other song could I end this post with than Johnny Nash’s “I Can See Clearly Now”! It’s a beautiful song.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Fashion, Humor | 27 Comments

Not All Women Over a Certain Age Can Wear a Red Lip. I’m One of Them!

Posted on February 9, 2017 by Catherine

Red lipstick. It’s empowering. It’s strong. It is sexy. And the experts say that there is a red lipstick for everywoman. Beauty experts also say that every older women can wear a red lip too!

Red Lips for everywoman! When I was younger, I had the “Perfect Imprint”. Now that I’m older I have the “Liver Lips”. It’s not a good look for a red lip!

Um. That would be for every older woman except me!

Dita Von Teese. She will be able to wear red lipstick when she’s 90 and still look sexy. Red Lipstick on me WILL put the fear of God into people –but for different reasons!

When I was younger, I could wear red lipstick. It had to be a cool red and had to be a blue red. No fire engine red or warm reds because my skin tone was just too fair.

Then I aged. And the once bee-stung, full lips that received many compliments back in my single days, and were the lure for getting drinks bought for me, morphed into lips that I could admit were no longer my best feature.

Full lips are great when you are younger but with age, they get a bit fishy looking.

And despite the many red lipsticks that I’ve purchased, red lipstick, at this point in my life just does not work for me.

Is it upsetting? Yeah! I love a red lip! In fact, the most beautiful lipstick color of all time, in my opinion, is MAC’s Ruby Woo. I purchased it. It didn’t look good on my lips and it was upsetting to trash it. But it just wasn’t happening.

This photo doesn’t even give the proper justice to this beautiful red lipstick. It’s a beautiful cool red that is just the most incredible shade. Mac got it right with this one. Too bad I can’t wear it!

And what bothers me most is when I see articles about how to wear red lipstick when you are over a certain age. Or how to wear red lipstick when you are over a certain age.

To prove my point, I dug deep into the bowels of my many lipsticks and came up with a matte liquid lip color. “Passion” by Ulta brand. It’s actually a very pretty red. And since I have a snow day today, I decided to put it on.

A deeper red than photographed, this is a nice red and as an in-store brand is a good price..around ten dollars.

Timewise, it took longer to apply this lipstick than it did the rest of my makeup. I had to prep the lips by exfoliating. I had to carefully use a lip brush. I had to make sure all the little cracks in my mouth were filled in. I had to blot then reapply. I had to run after Chippy after he snatched the lipstick-blotted tissue that he ended up eating.

It took a good 15 minutes to get the lip color this even–and trust me, it still isn’t perfect!

And here’s the end result. It doesn’t look bad but….

In all honesty, I don’t like the way matte lip stick feels. It feels dry and waxy! The only reason I’m smiling is because if I don’t smile I’ll look like..

…Baby Jane. I FEEL like Baby Jane with the red lips!

I added a gloss to get rid of that waxy feeling that matte lipstick often gives.

Feels much better and the shine gives a brighter appearance. Don’t let the lighting fool you–this still was very red..

See–it looks a bit clownish. Bonaparte jumped off the ground with fright when he saw me like this!

See the far corner of my mouth to the left? The smear campaign has begun–and that’s less than ten minutes of wear!

….Bonaparte was very honest and agreed that red lips just were not my most flattering look.

I could stop traffic with these lips. Driver’s would think I was a red light!

Then I went out in the snow to take photos for an upcoming blog post.

I have absolutely no idea how that streak of red lipstick ended up on my cheek–or a bit on my chin. Or under my lip. Or on the side of my mouth. I think it should be called “slipstick”. It’s bleeding so bad that my lips need a tampon!

And the lipstick smeared. Big time fish and liver lips here.

I look like I got into a cat fight here. And the smear!! Ugh!

Sorry. But red lipstick is just too high-maintenance for me. I’m a bit lazy.

I was so happy to wipe it off.

I felt so much better after wiping the red off! Bonaparte was so happy that he gave me a kiss!

So I decided to head back upstairs and put on a more flattering color combo. I went a bit corally pink.

You know how I love to pile on a few colors at a time–don’t you? This combination of (front to back), Lipstick Queen’s “Saint Fire Red”; Flower’s “Lovely Lotus” (which I need to say, I purchased this when Oona was living in Arkansas. I got it at the ONLY Walmart I was ever in that sold Flower brand. I LOVE this lipgloss), and Mally’s “Must Have Pink”. The result was a nice coral pink.

OK. I was a bit sloppy with the application. Don’t judge. I did this to show how a more flattering lip color than red!

Then I went with my most comfortable lip color—neutral pink.

The pinks. Left to right. Revolution Lip Amplification in a color that wore off so I can’t tell you what it is; NYX gloss in “Salsa” and Sephora “Moon and Back” 17.

I feel so much better now!

Wait. There’s more!

I went a bit more neutral with iT cosmetics Lip Vitality Flush in “Je Ne Sais Quoi” and iT gloss in “Love”–two all time faves.

And to finish it all off, I wiped some color off and went with…

A one euro beeswax lip balm I picked up at CityPharma in Paris. I should have bought 10 of these! This balm by Laino is the bomb!!! Can you notice that I’m holding it quite steady with my fang? Yeah. I have a fang. I’ve been asked if I want it filed down. Never! It’s part of my imperfection! I love my fang almost as much as I love my crossed eyes!

Ladies-it basically comes down to this–wear the lip color you are most comfortable in and feel the best in. I can wear a neutral pink and still feel strong, empowering and, sometimes, a tad sexy.

I will stick to my red bag, my red shoes, my red sweaters, all my plaids with red, my red watchband my red…….

Red clothing and accessories work better for me!

Yes. Red is a great color—but for the lips, it really isn’t for everybody! Do you agree? Are you able to carry that red lip off at an older age? If you are—wear that red well!!!!

Simply Red! Remember that group? Remember that great song “Holding Back the Years”? Here it is!!! Enjoy your day!!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Beauty, Humor, Red Lipstick | 39 Comments

Sample Size Me! Trial Size Me! But Don’t Super Size Me Till I’m Ready!

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Catherine

If you are like me, you love samples. And trial sizes. They are precious little gifts. Especially when you are in the market to buy a pricier cosmetic or product. I mean—really! If you go to a specialty market, a sampling of cheese or sausage is always offered. Been to an ice cream shop lately? You can sample just about any flavor!

And might I add, these samples are looking quite delicious!

So—why is it that we oftentimes forget about sampling cosmetics? Why don’t we look for trial sizes—or better yet, why aren’t trial sizes for all products sold?

A few items from my stash bag. I couldn’t empty out the entire bag or Chippy would be at the Vet’s office from eating many items that he shouldn’t!

Take it from me. My two favorite stores for cosmetics sampling are Sephora and Nordstrom!

Back when my Lancôme guru Elena was at Nordie’s I would leave every purchase with a ton of samples—and Lancôme is a brand that has incredibly generous sized ones!

A “sampling” of some of the many samples from Lancome that I have ~~hoarded, stashed, amassed~~ collected. It’s time to make a Genefique purchase so I can get more samples!

Nordstrom welcomes the request for samples! Like a scent? You can get a sample at both Nordstrom and Sephora and try before you buy!

The samples also come in handy when traveling. I’m pretty honest with the cosmetics pros. I will ask for a sample of foundation and explain I’m traveling over the weekend and want to try something new. Nine out of ten times, I get an extra sample. And I thank profusely!

These samples will come in handy on summer trips because of the sunscreen!

And you never know what could come of a sample that you receive without asking for it. Back in November I received a sample of Charlotte Tilbury’s Wonder Glow primer. I loved it so much, but not as a primer; I use it to illuminate—that I made the purchase!

I’ll pack these samples on my next trip overseas. I can use the Magic Cream while in-flight to keep the moisture in! To the left is the regular size Wonder Glow. It actually works well on those “no makeup” days to give a dewy glow. I like it and was glad that I received a generous sampling!

I am also big on trial sizes. If only I had seen or tried a trial size of Vaseline’s Spray and Go moisturizer before I tried it. For me, it was awful. It didn’t dry immediately and felt very “filmy” under my clothing. My daughter, Oona, agreed.

I was very surprised to read the great reviews on this moisturizer. It felt filmy on me and I cannot stand that feeling. I wouldn’t have wasted the money if a trial size was available!

In fact, Oona told me about Jergen’s wet moisturizer. You put it on your body upon exiting your bath or shower before you dry. I tried the trial size and this stuff is GREAT!!! I will be purchasing the full size when this trial empties. When this moisturizer dries, your skin doesn’t feel filmy—especially under clothing. It softens the skin too. I am a fan!

A winner and a non-winner. On the left, Jergens Wet Skin Moisturizer–I’m telling you, this is GREAT! To the right, the e.l.f. Exfoliating Scrub that just didn’t cut it with me!

I made a purchase of another product—not a trial size nor a sample. e.l.f. Exfoliating Scrub. Unfortunately, it didn’t work for me. It definitely exfoliates, but left my skin dry. Really dry. Dry to the point my face was just taut and felt awful. But—on the good side, I was reminded of an exfoliating scrub I used to have on hand all the time.

St. Ives. Anyone every use that? It was great and left my skin feeling soft and not dry. I need to search for this again.

I need to scope this down. Hmmmm. Perhaps I can find a trial size! I miss this apricot scrub. St. Ives makes the best–and the price is right!

I’m also going to be weeding through my samples and trial sizes for an upcoming weekend trip to DC. We’re going to head back—probably next month when the weather gets just a little bit less gloomy. My little samples will be happy.

I load up on trial size deodorants. I have them in my purses and all travel bags. I don’t care too much for the scent of underarm body odor!

Oh look on the cotton swab pack. A fallen hair! Welcome to my life. Hair there and everywhere! That little Barbasol trial size? I bring them on every trip. I also stuff the boy’s stocking at Christmas with these–and Bonaparte’s too. I must have spent hundreds of dollars on those little cans over the years! More SPF and my little tan friend–Jergens Natural Glow! I could use some now!

Downey Wrinkle Releaser “PLUS”. I may spray it on my face to release my wrinkles into thin air. Maybe that is what the “Plus” is for!

I know why these Lancome samples are very generous. The brand’s makeup remover is so gentle that it doesn’t take all the makeup off. In fact, I don’t even know why I still have these!

OK. Every time I go to a hotel and the Orange Ginger bath products are hanging around, I take them. Yes. I will sneak out to the housekeeping cart and help myself. Why? Because I can’t find this at Bath and Body Works anymore! I LOVE this scent. I don’t even use the conditioner, I just open the little bottles and sniff!

I did not place this back in the sample bag. I’m using this after I finish the post!

How do you sample? Are you a fan of stores that very willingly allow you to take home a sample? Do you ask? Do you bring the smaller sizes on trips? I’m curious. Do tell!

This calculator is not a sample size, nor a trial size. It is SUPERSIZED! I found it when I was cleaning out a cabinet at the office. Naturally, I claimed it as mine. Nobody argued with me! I swear it is the greatest calculator ever! I can see all the numbers. It’s resting against my computer!! My new toy!

I have a great sample for you today in the form of a song. I’ve been listening to this one by Stanislas, a French singer. The song is “Le Manège. It’s about taking a ride through life and it’s so ethereal and haunting and beautiful at the same time. I keep replaying it. Enjoy!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Beauty | 8 Comments

Atypical 60

A Little Trip to D.C.

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A Long A -Weighted Return

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In Living Color (Corrector) And Random Thoughts

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Atypical60 Looks At The Oscars 2017!!

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Putting the Laughter On Hold

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Let’s Talk About Style. Finding Yours!

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Atypical60 Takes a Look at Grammy Fashions!

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I Got Framed! Let’s Talk Eye Glasses!

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Not All Women Over a Certain Age Can Wear a Red Lip. I’m One of Them!

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Sample Size Me! Trial Size Me! But Don’t Super Size Me Till I’m Ready!

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