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
