Boomer Girl Beauty Problems

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Judi

My friends at Boombox Network sent along some findings from their recent Beauty Survey that I thought I would share and provide commentary on. Their simple infographic below tells the story about the “beauty problems that bother boomer women most.”

Here’s what the beauty survey found:

And here is my commentary:

Hair color: I agree. I not only color my gray away but add highlights for extra body and fullness. I consider hair one of my most important accessories that I wear every day. It is so worth the extra cost to keep it fluffy during my life after 50. BTW, I’ve started to massage a little bit of Macadamia or Moroccan Oil on my hair and scalp after I wash it and find that the oil keeps my hair and scalp nice and moist during the dry winter months.

Skin texture: I’m lucky that my skin is clear and free of acne (most of the time). My daily skin regimen includes Murad Renewing Cleansing Cream (compliments from last summer’s Boombox blogger party) with my Clarisonic Mia skin cleansing brush (compliments from the nice Clarisonic PR lady who I met last fall at the FOF Beauty Bash) and then I top off with L’Oreal Youth Code Day Night Cream Moisturizer (which I had to purchase myself – but I like the texture), followed by my Bobbi Brown Moisturizing Foundation with SPF in the winter and Skinceuticals Physical Fusion UV Defense SPF 50 during the summer to protect my skin.

Uneven skin tone and aging spots: Uh yeah! Uh yeah! I have lots of aging spots. Wish I could get rid of those aging spots. My esthetician D says to stay out of the sun or be sure to use sunscreen to keep aging spots away. I don’t know if I can do that since I love my condo on the corner at the beach and plan to spend more time there this summer once I am semi-retired. I’ve tried multiple lightening creams but have not found one that really works.

Yellowing teeth: Yes, yes, yes. I drink too much tea that stains my teeth. I did try whitening my teeth a few years ago. Will have to try those new Crest Whitening Strips that I read about – perhaps they will make my teeth whiter.

Facial hair: My 91 year old mom asked my sister N to get her a small facial shaver that she saw in an infomercial the other day while watching TV. “I use one of those small facial shavers to clear my mustache before I bleach since I find that waxing irritates my skin,” I told my mom. “It works great.”

Dark circles: According to Shelley Levitt’s feature on WebMD, “With age, the skin around the eye thins, exposing the tiny blood vessels that lie just below.” To cover up dark circles I use Smashbox Camera Ready Concealer and put it on like the makeup artists suggest — “Lightly pat the concealer on from the inner corner of your eye to just past the outer corner.”

Shelley writes that dermatologist Valerie Goldburt, MD, PhD, of NYU Langone Medical Center suggests these four things to help keep your eyes looking youthful:

1. Don’t smoke, and always apply a sunscreen around the eye area.

2. Apply a moisturizer to the eye area nightly.

3. Add a prescription retinoic acid — the vitamin A cream that goes by the generic name tretinoin – to your daily skin care regimen. “It’s the single best thing you can use to prevent wrinkles and improve existing lines,”

4. To calm puffy eyes, place cold spoons, slices of cucumbers, chilled tea bags, or even a package of frozen peas under your eyes. The cool temperatures reduce swelling.

Forehead wrinkles and lines around lips: I have lots of wrinkles and lines and lines and wrinkles. That’s why when Olga from Arbo Labs contacted me to offer me a sample of their new line of ArboRX natural moisturizers and serums I said “absolutely, send samples my way and I will try them out.” Olga says that “As we age, skin loses it’s natural firmness and elasticity, and new skin cells take longer to regenerate. Mature skin needs more specialized skin care products to address dull and uneven tone, fine lines and wrinkles, and dry complexion.” I just put the new ArboRX serum, moisturizer and emulsion on my face last night. Haven’t seen any wrinkles disappear yet, but it is too early to tell…will let you know in a future beauty post. However, you know, you know, you know…this boomer girl will try anything that promises to get rid of her wrinkles, even if it is only one or two lines.

So what beauty problems bother you during your life after 50? Do you have any beauty products you especially like or beauty secrets to share? Do tell. Do tell.

Judi

P.S. – Thanks to all my readers who left comments on my Valentine’s Day blog post. Congrats to Allison, who is the winner of the Valentine’s Day raffle prize of a box of Godiva Dark Chocolate.

P.S. Please take time out to vote for your favorite boomer blogger. Tell your friends to vote too. My blog is a finalist for SeniorHomes.com Best Senior Living Award for ‘best boomer resources.’ Click here to vote. Deadline is February 18th.

It’s Fabulous To Be Over 50

Posted on October 3, 2012 by Judi

After attending the FOF Beauty Bash (with a complimentary press pass for Judi Boomer Girl to check out all the new news to share with her readers) on Saturday in NYC, I decided it is definitely “fabulous to be over 50.” As Geri, the founder of faboverfifty.com who sponsored the event, says, “What’s more important to a FOF woman (besides her family and friends) than her health and beauty? We’re not a complacent generation that accepts wrinkles, circles, sags and spots lying down. We want to feel good inside and look good outside and we’re determined not to let a number define whom we are.”

My friend N and I had a fun day trying out all the beauty products and meeting many other fab over fifty women. N had a non-evasive facial treatment from one of the many dermatology and plastic surgeon teams in attendance while I sampled the Clarisonic Skin Cleansing System. The nice esthetician cleaned my face in about a minute. It felt so good that she let the brush spin an extra minute. Then she used the Clarisonic Opal, a palm-sized sonic infusion device specifically designed to work serum deep into the skin around my eyes. I really, really liked these products, but they are expensive. The Cleansing System costs about $119 and the Opal is about $185. However, together they are much cheaper than going to a plastic surgeon. (Not that I would ever let a plastic surgeon touch my face or any other part of my body. No, no, no.)

Karmen was the makeup artist who did my Lancome makeover

Next N and I had our makeup done by a FUF (fabulous under fifty) makeup artist named Karmen. Karmen used some of the new Lancome fall makeup colors to give us a contemporary, but natural look. She said it is important to use a foundation in the winter when skin is more sensitive, but for summer it is okay to just use a tinted moisturizer. “Make sure the moisturizer is the right color for your face, not too dark or it may streak throughout the day,” Karmen said. I especially liked the new eyeshadow collection in Emerald Boudoir and the coral lipstick in Rouge in Love. Ooh,ooh,ooh, I loved the Coral Rush Juicy Tubes lipgloss too. (Let’s see these products total $49 + $25 + $18…wow-o-wow…that’s almost $100. Ouch and that doesn’t include the foundation, the mascara, the blush, the bronzer. Why does it cost so much to make my face look like a piece of art?)

I met Essie, with her beautiful long gray hair, who created Essie nail polish.

“For $23 you can get the Makeup Wakeup Revitalizing Your Look At Any Age Book including a Lancome eyeshadow collection, two eyeliners and a special eyeliner brush,” said the beauty rep at the next booth. Did I go home with that package? Absolutely and I’ve been trying to recreate Karmen’s magic every day since. (Oh, Karmen, I wish you could do my makeup each morning. Please, please, please.)

Our final stop of the day was the nail station, where we met the real Essie who created Essie nail polish. She was so friendly and chatted with us while we waited in line to get our nails done by the ladies from the Feline Day Spa. N and I both chose “Don’t Sweater It,” a warm, cozy and creamy mauve. Essie also has a pretty pink collection to recognize Breast Cancer Awareness Month. (Note: My mammogram is scheduled for later this month. Have you scheduled your’s?)

Scrumptious cookies from City Bakery

N and I ended the day with lunch at The City Bakery, a cafeteria-style restaurant at 3 West 18th Street. We enjoyed some interesting dishes including Green Pea Crusted Tofu with Wasabi Dressing, Cornbread Crusted Catfish and Cabbage & Chickpeas with Black Onion & Coriander. It was a yummy spot that I definitely plan to return to on another visit to NYC. They also had the best looking big chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin cookies and we had to share one with a delicious cup of coffee.

Judi

Ageless Beauty Tips From The Late Helen Gurley Brown

Posted on August 29, 2012 by Judi

I ordered a copy of “The Late Show – A Semiwild but Practical Survival Plan for Women Over 50″ in tribute to the late Helen Gurley Brown, who passed away this month. I am raffling off the book to one of my lucky readers (see below), but before I do I wanted to read some of Helen’s words of wisdom. I figured since she lived to 90 and was the editor of Cosmopolitan for umpteen years, I could learn a thing or two about graceful aging from this all-time queen of beauty.

Oh, dear Helen of Cosmo, fairest one of all, what can a boomer girl do to continue to look beautiful during her life after 50?

- Mirrors: On the subject of mirrors, Helen says, “you have to treat them like alligators: Don’t surprise them.” She says that “you should have two types of mirrors at home – a friendly to stay cheerful with mirror and a brightly lit magnifying mirror for putting on makeup. After you finish with the magnifying mirror and look in an ordinary-size one, you look tiny and great.” (Wow, I already practice these tips. I do have a magnifying mirror that I use for my makeup and I do have a very large mirror that I look in afterwards.)

- Makeup: Helen says that “foundation, eyeliner, lip pencil and blush are almost as fundamental as teeth.” She says that “this is not the time to hang up our brushes and look as bare as Mother H.’s cupboard.” (I do use eyeliner and blush. But, Helen, I stopped using a foundation all the time and instead have started using a tinted moisturizer with SPF. You wrote this book in 1993, likely before there were tinted moisturizers on the market, so I hope I’m still okay.)

Skin: Helen advises to “cleanse and moisturize with a Retin-A formula for night-time.” (My dermatologist recommends the same. Uh oh, I ran out of my ROC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum, better get back to Ulta and buy some more soon.)

Hair: I read Helen’s tips for Skimpy Hair, as I do have thinning hair, especially around my forehead. Helen recommends shampooing three times a week. She says that “a tiny buildup of debris” makes hair fluffier. She also encourages boomer girls to blow dry their hair instead of air drying. And Helen encourages to never, ever brush thin hair. (Helen, I am going to throw out my hairbrushes right now.)

Cosmetic Surgery: Helen says that “between 40 and 55 is the ideal age for a face lift.” She says that “many women have nose jobs in their 50′s too.” (Ooh, I’m inching up on the top part of that age group. I’m too scared to have any facelift, but I’ve always disliked my nose. Ooh, ooh, ooh, dare I get a nose job? No, no, no.)

Some of Helen’s famous friends shared their beauty advice in the book too:

Lauren Hutton says: “Always sleep on your back. Wrinkles melt right down.” (I’ve always slept on my back, so why do I have so many wrinkles on my face?)

Ali MacGraw takes “10 minutes a day to meditate with crushed green papaya on her face.” (Hmm, hmm, and who recently wrote a blog post about the benefits of papaya? That would be moi. Be sure to read my papaya post if you haven’t already.)

Gloria Vanderbilt “drinks water all day long to keep her weight down.” (Know wonder she is so skinny. Where is my water bottle?)

Phyllis McGuire suggests boomer girls “put warm wet tea bags on their eyes for puffiness.” (Should I use my chamomile tea bags? Will they make my eyes sleepy too?)

Betsy Bloomingdale advises “to never leave home without mascara.” (I use my Cover Girl Mascara everyday, except on the weekends when I’m lazy.)

Dina Merrill’s beauty tip is the best. Dina says “my beauty secret is to fall in love! I truly believe if you love someone and are happy in all aspects of your life – work, friends, health – you look and feel younger.” Of course Helen had a quip for this one, she said “you have to forgive anybody in love for giving slightly cliche, touching recommendations.” However, Helen wanted to know if Dina’s beau had a brother?

Dear Helen, thanks for all the ageless beauty tips for women over 50. I’m sure heaven is a more beautiful place now that you’re there.

Judi

The Beauty Benefits of Papaya

Posted on August 22, 2012 by Judi

“What is that mixture you are putting on my face?” I asked my esthetician D as she slathered on a smooth mask during my facial last week.

“It’s a papaya and yogurt mask,” said D. “The healing enzymes in papaya help exfoliate the dead skin and the yogurt is soothing. A good anti-aging remedy.”

According to D, papaya is a wonderful fruit with many benefits. “Papaya helps with digestion too,” said D. “It’s good to eat papaya after a heavy protein meal.” (I was eager to learn about this benefit, even though my gastroenterologist did tell me that I have a beautiful stomach after he looked down my tummy during my endoscopy last week.) I’ve had irritable bowel syndrome and heartburn during my life after 50, so anything that will help with these issues is a positive attribute.

Dr. Cari Case, a chiropractor from Pennsylvania, writes on her For A Healthy Future blog that “Papaya is rich in many vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants including vitamin C, folate, potassium, dietary fiber, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K, carotenes, flavonoids, B vitamins, magnesium and pantothenic acid.” Dr. Case says that “the carotenoids, antioxidants and vitamins in papaya can help keep your eyes healthy. In fact, they may also reduce the risk of macular degeneration, an age-related condition resulting in loss of vision.”

Papaya Chunks and Yogurt For My At-Home Facial

After my facial I drove right over to Whole Foods Market to buy some cut up papaya and plain yogurt. D said to keep the papaya in the freezer and defrost a few chunks before eating or using on my face. To make an at-home facial, D said all I have to do is mash up the papaya, mix it with some yogurt, put it on my face, lie down for 20 minutes and let it soak in and then wash it off. I haven’t tried this anti-aging remedy on my own yet, but will let you all know how I do when I do use it.

With my homemade cider vinegar toner and now my at-home papaya facials, I am going to have such fruity and fragrant skin during my life after 50. Ooh, ooh, ooh, but I’ll need to stock up on plenty of papayas to also maintain my fabulous looking and hopefully fabulous feeling stomach.

I wonder with my green thumb if I can grow a papaya tree in my backyard? Let’s see what it says about growing papayas? Ooh,ooh,ooh, I found a website that explains how to grow papaya from seed. It says it is easy to do. Let me just read down a little bit. Yes, yes, yes, I think I can do it. Yes, yes, yes. I think I can do it.

Uh oh! Oh no! The Tropical Permaculture website says “To grow good papayas you need a frost free climate.” With global warming, maybe when I’m in my 80s I’ll be able to grow papayas in the Northeast. Meantime, guess I’ll be purchasing my papaya chunks at the market.

Judi

P.S. – Be sure to participate in my new promo before September 15th. If you leave a comment on my blog at aboomerslifeafter50.com, sign up to receive my blog via email, like me on Facebook @Judi Boomer Girl or follow me on Twitter @judiboomergirl, you will be entered into a random raffle to win a collectible copy of “The Late Show: A Semiwild but Practical Survival Plan for Women Over 50″ by the late Helen Gurley Brown. As you know, sadly Helen Gurley Brown recently passed away at the age of 90. According to the New York Times obit, in Ms. Brown’s advice book for women over 50, she suggests that “as women age and the supply of available men dwindles, they should simply appropriate their friends’ husbands for jaunty recreational sex.”

Boomer Girl Beauty Is About Moisturizing Your Face

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Judi

The lovely PR ladies at CVS provided me with samples of Nuance, a new line of anti-aging moisturizers created by Salma Hayek. I figured if these products can make me look as good as Salma Hayek during my life after 50, I will definitely try them. I’ve been using the Renewed Radiance SPF 30 Moisturizing Day Cream each morning under my sunscreen and the Anti-Aging Super Cream at night. I’ve also tried the Smoothing Anti-Aging Eye Cream and would recommend all three products. The products go on smoothly and are formulated with Shea butter and vitamin E. How much do these age-defying products cost? You want to know that little detail? Well, well, well, all three are quite reasonable at about $16.99 each at your local CVS pharmacy. Also check out the CVS Beauty Club for discounts.

The MakeUp WakeUp

Posted on June 21, 2011 by Judi

Just read about this new book called “The MakeUp WakeUp” that was written by the founding editor of MORE magazine and a makeup artist. Can’t wait to order a copy and see if there are any tips to help me fight these wrinkles which are adding up day by day. Looks like there is a version for my Kindle too!