Dove, What About Winter Armpits?

Help me out, Beauty Babes.

Dove's new advertising slogan "Go Sleeveless in just 5 days" is getting on my beauty nerves.  It claims to soothe underarm irritation - leaving you sleeveless ready in just 5 days.  But why?  Why now?  Because Spring is hours away?  Is the concept of soothing underarm irritation new?  Didn't Dove care about my underarm irritation back in the cold, dark days of winter?

I'm disappointed in you, Dove.

Beauty Buzzwords - Are You Hip?

Beauty is getting complicated.  I keep seeing new words (or letters) that I don't understand.  If you're in the same leaky boat, allow me to shed some light on what all the cool kids are talkin' about these days.

AA:  Anti-Aging  (my Twitter name is @AuntieAging, by the way!)

BB:  Beauty Balm, also known as Blemish Balm

CC:  Color & Correction

Depotting:  A method of removing makeup pans from their original compacts and transferring them to a separate, single palette.  (According to the March 2013 issue of Allure magazine)

These terms are everywhere!  Go ahead, I dare you to drop them casually in a conversation.  You may be able to hip-up your uncool friends.

LEGGO My Make-Up

The March 2013 issue of InStyle magazine featured an article called How to Score Amazing Legs.  Okay, I'll bite on that title.  Legs are good.

The article is divided by decades.  I completely ignored the 20s and 30s (distant memories), but zoomed in on the 40s and 50s.

The 40s:  Check. (Hallelujah!)

The 50s:  Hold.The.Phone.

Much to my surprise, the last-ditch suggestion for amazing 50-something legs was...spray-on LEG CAMOUFLAGE.  In other words, make-up.  I immediately thought this was a bad idea.  Here are the top 4 reasons why I reject this suggestion:

1. Accessibility:  Unless you are very bendy, it's going to be hard to get a consistent application.
2. Land Mass:  Facial make-up can be expensive, but the total square footage required is pretty small.  But the sheer volume of land mass for two legs (especially if they are hefty legs) could become cost prohibitive very quickly.
3. Stop the Madness:  Where does the make-up stop?  Three inches above the knee?  Your panty line?  This gets tricky.  What if your skirt twirls up in a big wind (that happens a lot here on the Prairie)?  Do you just go calf-down on Capris Tuesdays?
4. Midas Touch:  What it if rubs off on other surfaces?  I remember a car trip in junior high.  I had the coolest pair of red cotton pants in the history of time and I wore them Loud & Proud.  By the end of the (pre-Tide Color Catchers) trip, my cool red pants had stained the tan leather seats in my friend's Bronco.  I was forever banished from road trips with my friend.  (Fade back to the present)  What if my leg make-up stained my leather furniture...or worst yet, what if I tumbled into bed and stained my gloriously luxe Calvin Klein high thread-count sheets?  This idea is just loaded with potential disasters.

I don't know about you, but I'm going to take my chances with lotion and a good razor.

Something to Smile About

I've read several articles and blog posts recently about the benefits of smiling.  Here are some of the alleged facts:

• Smiling makes you appear younger - as much as 6 years!
• Smilers (is that a word?) also appear more attractive.  Julia Roberts vs. Victoria Beckham.  I think coffee would be more fun with Julia.
• Smiles are more attractive than make-up.
• Men and women both judge each other most on their teeth.  Teeth scored higher than grammar, clothes and hair (#3 for both men and women).

Just say no to Austin Powers.

Aspirin and Melanoma: Good News?

Melanoma is scary stuff.  Every time I read an article about it, I think back to each and every sunburn I've ever had.  But a new study suggests that older women who take an aspirin on a regular basis may be lowering their risk of developing this deadly skin cancer.

Over a 12-year study,  researchers found that women who took aspirin had a 21% lower risk of developing melanoma than women who did not take aspirin.  Approximately 60,000 Caucasian women between the ages of 50 to 79 participated in the study.

More research is needed, but early research is showing promise.  And hope.

Girls: Live Long & Prosper (and Look Good)

One of out three babies born today will live to be 100 - and most of them will be of the girl variety.  Let's make sure they look as good as possible for as long as possible!

Redefine Yourself

Beauty confession of 48-year and 7-month old:  for my first 47 years, I only used a wet washcloth to clean my face.  I come from exceptional skin genes and have never had to worry too much about my skin. 

Last year, I bought one of those lighted make-up lights with the regular (non-magnified) side and the horrifying (magnified) side.  I took one look and was shocked at the fine lines and wrinkles that were forming in the typical places.  For the first time, I saw the results of aging, environment, stress...LIFE.

Like most women of a Certain Age, I panicked!  Must...stop...aging.  In the midst of worrying about crows feet and the near certainty of turning into a dried-up hag, found a solution - a way to redefine my skin.  I found hope.

Go ahead.  You know you want to.  REDEFINE YOURSELF.

Do You Have a Free-o?

My very darling and precocious three-year-old niece, Eleanor, was sitting on my lap recently.  She stared at me for a couple of seconds and then reached up to trace the furrow etched across my forehead.

"What's that?" she asked.

"That's my furrow."

"Do I have a free-o?", she asked as she touched her own forehead.

"Not yet," I replied.  Give it time, baby girl.  Give it time.

I'm not ready to give in to my free-o just yet.  Not at 48.  So like my blog description says, I'm facing it with courage and defiance.  I am trusting my fabulous Rodan + Fields skincare products to turn back the hands of time - and my wanna-be comedian husband to keep me laughing.

Join me as I explore all things skincare (and beyond).

Got Skin?

Of course you do.  It's what keeps your insides in.  Skin is the largest organ in the human body.  There are plenty of other fun facts about skin here.

Do you love the skin you're in?  I've always been self-conscious about my skin.  It's dry and flaky and I have angry red blotches on my face and neck (hints of rosacea).  Let's don't even talk about my hooves - that's at least another post if not another blog.

The funny thing is, people have always complimented me on my fair, clear skin.  But I spend a lot of time and money on products to soothe the redness and even out my skin tone.

My skincare fortunes changed dramatically in November 2012 when I was introduced to Rodan + Fields.  Dr. Katie Rodan and Dr. Kathy Fields are the creators of Proactiv^® Solution.  Their new product line is doing for anti-aging what Proactiv^® did for acne.  I use the Soothe regimen, which is formulated for sensitive, irritate skin and facial redness.  This stuff is amazing!  The redness is drastically reduced and I finally feel confident in my skin.

I like the products so much that I decided to join R+F as an independent skincare consultant.  My product website is https://maymack.myrandf.com.

This blog is devoted to anything related to skincare, beauty, products, news and probably bacon.

Stay tuned!