Every month we have a contest and this month we are super exited to introduce you to a new line of beauty products that are all natural and made specificly for womens skin that is 35 plus!
La Isha skincare founder, Sharon Gnatt
La Isha products were founded by the lovely Sharon Gnatt who started her company after her son had been exposed to toxic chemicals and needed help healing his skin. She happened to work with a docotor who used only natural oils and his son was like new in no time. This prompted her to do more research and the result has been her new line of beauty products made of all natural products and features essential oils.
We have tried the entire line. My (JoJami’s) opinion is that your first reaction is that it smells so clean and natural and heavenly! Then I love the way the products feel on my skin! The oils give your face a nice “glow” and really hydrates!
These products get this Glam Gals seal of approval!!
One of the products we found to be really interesting is the SOS Breast oil. The testimonials are impressive for this product that is the first natural, synthetic-free topical serum designed to support the beauty and health of the breast and décolleté.
To enter the contest click here and find out more about this amazing skin care line.
In the spirit of being open to new adventures in midlife, we have lots of great topics in the weeks Blogging Boomers Carnival #167, which is being hosted this week over at our boomer buddy, Wendy Spiegel’s blog, Gen Plus.
A few of this weeks topic include, what it was like trying out permanent make-up,(aka tattooing your eyebrows) and if you are feeling fat, unhealthy and unsexy, how this might affect your sex life!
What is a Blogging Carnival? It is a group of some of the top boomer bloggers that specialize in various topics that are all “boomer” related! We always enjoy checking in with them weekly and adding our own comments to the discussion, and we would love to hear your voice too!
This is just 1 of 9 luscious Sue Devitt products you could win!
Every month we give away prizes and this month is no exception…however we want to introduce you to a new make up line that we are super excited to share with you!
Sue Devitt is a make up artist with a twist…all her makeup is natural and inspired from nature! It is so beautiful and will make your skin radiant!
As we age we start getting dark raccoon -like shadows under our eyes and blotchy skin with brown patches. Smooth even toned skin can help you drop ten years. A little dab of concealer under your eyes, on brown patches and in those marionette folds around the mouth, for example, can really soften things up, even if you don’t want to wear foundation over top.
To get more make-up tips for over 40 women check out this handy video we found called:
Yes, the time has come or it will…I promise that you will get some.
It even happened to me (JoJami) recently…. the unexpected lip hair. It was just there one day. Oh good grief, how shocking and depressing, but most of all shocking. NOT ME… and how did it ever get to such a great length.
Now, that I have found one, I am obsessed, I went out and bought one of those super duper magnifying mirrors and I use it. I look into it, daily and go in for inspection..
If I happen to miss a few days, it could be bad…very bad, one might crop up again. They do that, when you least expect it.
So, if you haven’t been up close and personal with your top lip lately.. I highly advise you to go in and take a look. Female facial hair is just not necessary with all the tools that are available.
Plucking
waxing
laser hair removal
bleaching
However, bleaching as an option is really not that great, since you can still see the hair and why not just get rid of it while your at it, instead of trying to camouflage it.
This little detail can really make or break a Glam Gal.. when you think about it,
lip hair on women is like ear hair on men…nobody wants to have to look at it!
So, if you don’t have a good lighted makeup mirror (Drugstore.com), make sure you run out and get one! It is important to keep track of these things!!
We love getting your comments on our blog, but recently we have notice that things are getting a little too serious. (Just check out the pounding we got for our article about pantyhose over at The Three Tomatoes, it seems that some of the women would have loved to bean us with a few ripe ones!)
So, since it’s the weekend and we could all use a good giggle or two…we highly recommend reading the following post about face cream, by Georgia Getz (aka – iambossy.com).
Have you ever felt like a sucker when you’ve gotten home from the store with the next great “instant” wrinkle cream? (We know we have!)
Remember how beautiful Lauren Hutton was in American Gigolo? Well, the over-40 actress and supermodel wanted a way to stay current in the youth-obsessed beauty industry despite her age – and she’s sharing her secrets with the world! Her signature line of beauty products and cosmetics, called “Good Stuff,” addresses the issues women have when trying to make up an older face.
Many of us have outgrown the heavy, shimmer-packed formulas that are on the market. Those can really age you! Instead, Lauren has come up with sheer, lightweight products that work with, not against, aging skin. We love how you can choose colors and products based on your skin tone. And what beautiful colors they are!
What’s new for Spring in make up? We asked our Fabulous after 40 Beauty expert Beke Beau for some tips to get your skin glowing! Here’s what she said:
As expected, make-up trends for Spring are characterized by pastel to bright colors from nature. According to Allure magazine (March 2009), we’ll be seeing lip colors in lilac, blood orange and deep rose, while hot new eyeshadow looks include shades of pastel pink, pear green and plum – throw in some bronze eyeliner for good measure.
Here are my tips for those of you over 40 who want to keep up to date with these trends:
The new lip colors can be a lovely way to add color in and around the face, where over-40 complexions can sometimes lose vibrancy. Keep the colors believable, clear and moist–avoid matte lipsticks and resist glosses. While pretty in the tube, they are too bright and too shiny to be flattering.
Pastel pink shadow should be reserved for under-brow highlighting.
Gray and brown-based plums can be great as neutrals, especially for those with brown, hazel or green eyes, but avoid red-tones unless you want to look really, really tired!
Pear pear green goes works well with mid-tone neutrals. Apply to inner corner of lid for a hint of color.
A bronze eyeliner is great for honey-haired women with blue eyes, but make sure it’s not a frosty or shimmery product.
Bright pink blush – it’s a basic for every woman and should be applied with a light hand from the apple of the cheek blending up and back.
Beke says, ” Approached with moderation, make-up trends can be enjoyed no matter what your age.”
Have you ever gone to the makeup counter at a department store to replace a mascara and 1/2 hour later the counter is covered with blush, shadows , etc…..and before you know it you’re signing your credit card with $150.00 or more charge on it!
We all have our favorite “splurge” (like YSL lipstick in a gorgeous gold tube with a little mirror at the bottom) but who needs it at $24.00. Do you really need a $34 vibrating mascara when a $3.99 tube will get those lashes looking just as good?
Well, here are some of our best finds for great drug store products that will save you money and keep you looking young and gorgeous!
JoJami:A friend of mine has been looking pretty gorgeous these days. Her skin glows, so I asked her what she uses and she told me – Visible lift. I found a color that matches my skin tone, started wearing it, and love it! It’s especially made for women over 40 and it’s a great buy at only $14.00!
The packaging of this eyeliner makes it super easy to put on. It also fits nicely into a makeup bag. The black tends to look a little harsh on lighter skin tones, so if you have a fair complexion go with brown. It costs about $7.49.
Maybelline is hands down the best when it comes to mascara. Their famous Great Lash mascara (in the infamous hot pink and green tube) will always have a place in our makeup drawer. But their newest one, has such a fun name, we couldn’t resist listing it! Mascara is one item that needs replacing often, so why bother paying for all the fancy packaging when this one works just fine.
Jojami: My mother swore by this and so do I. Sometimes you just can’t fix what’s not broken. This works on all types of mascara and doesn’t leave any grease behind. Say no more…LOVE it!
O.K., If the smell of Ponds is just too Grandma-like for you, Deborah has the next best thing. She swears by this gentle gel remover that is great if you wear contact lenses, or if you simply have sensitive eyes. It gets every last bit of make-up off color off without stinging your eyes and leave the delicate skin around your eyes soft.
Last but not least, sunscreen. It’s one of the most important things you can put on our face everyday to help keep you from harmful rays that age you. This is our #1 choice out there in either the 40 or better the 60 SPF. Deborah wears it all the time and it is also a favorite of Dermatologists. We love that it works without leaving that greasy sunscreen smell. It is definitely Worth the Splurge!
Know of anymore great drugstore finds? Let us know.
It seems that not all nail polish is created equal!
We recently found a lovely polish by NUBAR, that is free of formaldehyde, Tluene and other toxic chemicals.
It’s all part of their new vineyard collection, that was inspired by touring through Italy, with the rolling vineyards, and countless fields to wild flowers and appropriately named after their famous wines (Merlot, Corvina, Pinot and Muscato) Yes, we women over 40 look gorgeous in these rich colors! It’s like they took several different bottles of deep colored wines, and attached a nail polish brush to them!
Question: I am starting to get wrinkles and bags around my eye area and feel like they look even “crepe-y” when I put on makeup. What can I do to get it to look better, without having to turn to plastic surgery?
We turned to Philadelphia make-up artist and beauty expertBeke Beau to get some answers!
It turns out if you’re having this problem, you are not alone. According to Beke, this is the top make-up issue for women over 40! She also said, “As we get older, we lose that lovely elasticity we took for granted in our 20’s and 30’s, and smoothness gives way to, well, skin that is less than smooth. On the down side, we can no longer get away with vivid eye shadow colors and multi-dimensional textures. Anything frosted, overly shimmery or colorful will only accentuate the crepe-iness we’re trying to hide. On the upside, we can streamline our eye make-up routine and look refreshed and polished in no time!”
Here are some of her tips for a more youthful look:
Use velvety matte shadows in medium-toned neutral shades.
Use an eye shadow primer over an eye cream, and follow with a sheer powder before sweeping shadow across the lids, blending into and just above the eye socket.
Lightly line the upper lid at the lash line, with a soft pencil or shadow in dark brown or a blackened jewel tone – this is the place where you can have some fun with a dash of color, like navy, purple or emerald green.
A touch of light shimmer can be used just under the brow bone to dress up the look when appropriate
Use mascara, on the top lashes only.
Use a curler and a lash primer to coax fullness and length from your fringes.
While a good plastic surgeon is the only cure for under-eye bags, the latter can be camouflaged by:
Start with a rich moisturizer under your eyes
applying a thin layer of a creamy concealer, in a shade one step darker than your skin tone. (You’re trying to make the area recede, not stand out, and using a too-light product will just add to the baggage.)
Dust very lightly with sheer powder to set—leftover shine will leave you looking tired. Avoid using mascara on the lower lashes and any liner should be soft – no black or dark shades that drag the eye downward.
Give these tips a shot before you visit the plastic surgeon, and you might just end up embracing your over-40 eyes (at least for a little while…).
They say when the economy is down, woman buy more lipstick! Since we’re not economists we can’t tell you if that’s true or not, but it sure sounds right!
We are always trying out the latest lipstick, or at least a new color…and let me tell you, while reading the current issue of Oprah, I could not help but oogle a full page photo of a dramatic tower of YSL’s newest lipstick- Rouge Volupte. For me, ( JoJami) it is all about the packaging. This one looked luxurious and gorgeous. I could just see myself pulling it out of my handbag, and enjoying the ritual of it all!!
Yves St. Laurent's Rouge Volupte
So, I ran out and bought a tube. The color choices were not the best, but the one I selected, a deep burgundy, is really creamy and luscious and is actually more of a sheer , very moisturizing pigment that stains the lips with out gooping them up!
And, they have stuck a little mirror on the end of the tube, for convenience!!
For $34.00, to me it is totally worth the splurge!
We’re always on the lookout for great little beauty tips to keep you looking Fabulous after 40. So, when when we were at the MORE Magazine Reinvention Convention and we spotted Tim Quinn, the renowned make-up artist who heads up the Giorgio Armani Beauty team, we rushed over and had a chat.
Tim has worked with celebs like Glenn Close, Helen Mirren, Sarah Jessica Parker, Minnie Driver, Kim Cattrall, and Barbara Walters. Here are Tim’s Top 3 Tips to Help you Look Age-mazing!
Jojami and I have both used products from the Armani beauty line and like everything else Armani does these are luxurious, quality products.
Came across an interesting blog post the other day at Raising Angls.com. The writer told the story how of how she was at the makeup counter recently and was asking the woman behind the counter , ” Is it Ok for women over 40 to have those “shimmer things” in the eyeshadow. The woman’s reply was “Why YES!, you can shimmer all you want after 40 you just dont want to sparkle!”
We were curioius what our favorite expert Christopher Hopkins (The Makeover Guy) thoughts were on the difference between shimmer and sparkle.
Here is what he said:
“I agree. A little shimmer in the right places can be very effective. (Key: right place). The brow bone, a touch in the eye lid, a soft shimmer in lip color. It’s the size of the particles, really. It’s like eggshell vs. matte vs. gloss. But it is pretty difficult to tell how much shimmer something has until you’ve worn it for a few hours and it has settled into ‘areas’ we’d rather not accentuate with shimmer or shine.”
If in doubt, save the shimmer for evening, and eliminate highly frosted or seriously shiny makeup altogether.
Lets talk make up! What’s out there this fall to make us look hip and updated?
Who better to ask, but a new gal we bumped into when out shopping this weekend.
It just so happened that freelance writer and beauty expert, Ellen Mirza was out buying a new outfit to wear at Toronto’s Film Festival when we ran into her!
JoJami overheard her say, she was a fashion writer and nearly tackled the poor woman,…”Really, so do we!!! Who do you write for?”
She said, ” I write for several publications, but also, I have my own blog called, Lipstick, Powder, N, Paint.”
“Wow! How intriguing…. Can’t wait to look you up!”
So we did, and we were impressed. Basically, its a very informative site, full of all the newest and lasted high quality makeup. The good part is, when you see something you like, its easy to click and buy it!
Here is a sample of Ellen’s September beauty picks for fall! After reading her picks, we found #1Lancomes new plumping lipstick and the #5 Powder Flanger, new interesting products for us Fabulous after 40 gals.
We’ve never liked the look of brown lipstick on a woman. It seems so unnatural, and after 40 it can make you look harsh and scary.
But shades of brown on lips, eyes, and nails seems to be what’s in for fall. Just take a take a look at the yummy new Estee Lauder ads for Autumn 2008 called Chocolate Decadence.
They’re promoting chocolate browns (and shades dipped in chocolate) with gold highlights. The make-up looks all swirly and pretty like delicious candy, and lipstick comes with names like creme carmel and berry truffle.
A tempting treat, but instead of diving right in, be sure to experiment a little at the make-up counter. Caramel colors like these work best on warmer skin tones, but even then, can be too heavy or glitzy for when you are 40+.
Chanel has also jumped in on this warming trend. They’ve introduced a line of sparkly gold cosmetics that are pretty, but, are they realistic for boomer babes? Check out what the beauty blog Fabulousover40.com has to say. We tend to agree.
Picked up great beauty tip a few weeks ago at my monthly AICI meeting. The guest speaker was celebrity make-up artist Dino Dilio. Dino says the key to looking young to use a great concealer.
As we age our skins gets dull and uneven. You know, dark circles under the eyes, age spots, sun damage rising to the surface. In Hollywood make-up artists spend hours and hours carefully applying concealer, foundation and powder to make stars like Meryl Streep look like they have flawless skin.
“Concealer makes you look younger and you don’t have to wear as much color”, says Dino.
What concealer is best? Dino recommends a brand called Cover FX. It was invented by two dermatologists in Toronto to help burn patients. He advises you you choose a color 1-2 shades lighter than your foundation.
If you have redness or rosacea, then he says shade M30 from Cover FX is perfect.
I ran out an bought some and it works really well. Make sure you also get the translucent setting powder that comes with it to keep it in place.
Also, I’d suggest you use a make-up brush to apply the concealer instead of your finger, as it’s really rich in pigment and you only need a tiny bit. Just dab a tiny bit on and spread it out.
There’s no doubt what is inside Charla Krupp’s new book, How Not To Look Old.
Why do we like it? It gives you the Goldilocks version to dressing….with up to date photos and examples of dressing too old (too cold), too young (too hot) and just right.
Charla was on the Today show recently, with a few examples and models from her book. Click here to view the video.
In her book, she gives great tips and examples like:
To look youthful and modern opt for golden blond rather than ashy blond highlights.
Don’t wear dark lipstick. Instead try a shimmering pink color. It will look much more youthful. Also, if you want a flattering jean, try a dark wash boot cut style.
Dressing isn’t a fairytale, it’s hard work, however, with a few tweaks from Charla, you can start looking younger today!
Have you ever had problems with your mascara always rubbing off and getting all under your eye area?
While Deborah and I were at the More Magazine, Re-Invention Convention half way through the day, we couldn’t resist getting a FREE make up retouching at the Bobbi Brown booth.
So, as we were getting all beautified… we realized that the make up artist was chatting up some great tips! It seems that the raccoon eye problem, might have something to do with using too much under eye cream, and not using the right concealer. Here are her tips to keep your eyes twinkling bright:
For the most natural look choose yellow-based shades of concealer. A concealer should almost match your skin, so choose one like you would choose a foundation.
When putting on the under eye concealer, use one that is creamy and use a small brush.
Concealer should be placed right up to the bottom lash line and all around the eye area. But NOT on the lid of the eye. That can cause the eyeshadow to crease.
Don’t forget to put concealer on that “blueish” area between your nose and inner eye. This also will make your eyes seem more opened up!
Pat on loose powder only on the under eye area,to keep the mascara from running. Do this very lightly with a make up brush.
So if you don’t have any, check out this great one from Bobbi Brown.
Are you a potential Glam Gal?? Kind of a half baked cookie that looks pretty good for her age, but with a few more minutes in the oven, you could be, oh SO much more YUMMMY!!!
Think it’s too much work to go that extra mile. Then think again.
Here are 7 simple things you can do to take 10 years off in 10 minutes, and make you look Fabulous!
1. Lower your Neckline
An easy way to turn back the clock a few years is to open up your neckline. Steer clear of tops and t-shirts that sit at the collarbone and opt for lower rounded necklines and v-necks. Another great option is to try a wrap top which will create the illusion of sexy. If you find that too low, just add a camisole to peek out at the V neck. A chunky necklace also helps to fill in the bareness.
2. Layer Your Hair
Want to keep your hair long, but don’t to look like you are desperate to hang onto your youth. Then try this simple tricky. Layer your hair. Too many older women with long hair wear it dead straight like they are still in high school. Follow the lead of celebs like Terri Hatcher, Cindy Crawford, Goldie Hawn, Jaclyn Smith and Renee Russo and add a little bounce with a good cut and a few layers to frame the face and create volume.
3. Get Rid of the Glitter
What is it about some women that makes them want to light themselves up like a Christmas tree- even during the daytime? We’re talking about those 40+ gals that go overboard with glitter and sparkles thinking shiny will make them look young. Maybe this really is a problem that comes with declining eyesight after 40??? Whatever the reason, we encourage you to look a little closer. Too much flash can really age a gal. If you want to sparkle, do it with your jewelry, and keep the glitz on your garments to a minimum.
4. Forgo the Frosted Make up
Some gals who would never wear glittery clothes think nothing of frosted make-up. But you know it’s really the same thing. And it’s no help that the makeup companies, just love to put frost in everything from eye shadow to blush to lipstick to bronzer. Although it can be tempting to wear frost, be forewarned… Frosted eye shadow, really shows up all the little fine lines and creases. If you must, just dab it on right below the brow, for a nice evening shimmer, but other than that, you’d be smart to steer clear.
5. Pass on Small Prints
Conjure up an image of a little dowdy little old lady and you probably visualize a granny in a tiny flower print dress. Small prints (especially ones with little flowers) can look really matronly. And, if you have some meat on your bones, small prints will make you look really fat too. Got the picture??!!
6. Pass on Pearl and Gold Buttons
We know a lot of you are attached to your favorite old cardigans with the pearl buttons and shiny gold buttons, but these look old fashioned and too conservative for a true Glam Gal. Instead opt for sweaters with modern plain flat buttons. And don’t forget you can always replace buttons too. A beautiful button on a plain sweater can create a knock-out look.
7.Exfoliate, Exfoliate, Exfoliate
So easy to do and so often overlooked, exfoliating your skin can make dull aging skin glow! Once a week will keep your skin looking fresh and flawless. We love Estee Lauder’s Idealist Micro –D Deep Thermal Refinisher. It heats up on your skin creating a warm sensation and leaves you skin dramatically radiant. It’s an at home alternative to microdermabrasion and makes you feel like you’ve shed mask.