Hi All!
I thought I'd touch on this subject as there are changes we need to make as we get older. When we are young we can afford to look like scarecrows and like we have black eyes but as we age, there are things that make us look better with regard to product and make up!

- First, use no powder that will settle in lines and wrinkles! Agh! How horrid when powder, (not minerals, but powder,) settles in our wrinkles and show them off like mountain crevices when they might just be little lines! To avoid this, avoid regular powder! Use the mineral powders out now, one being Bare Minerals but there are others out as well, It is a 100 % improvement!

Slow down on the foundation! Yes, take off that thick foundation that also settles in small lines! It gives us a mask, looks "old," and helps everything slide into those little lines. Instead, use a non-oily, moisterizer w/tint or use a Smashbox product for stopping oil that is worth it's weight in gold. It comes in tint or no tint and it's called anti-shine, anti-Brilliance. There is another product in Chanel called T-Mat, Shine control, and more products in the lower lines. These products help oily skin, or skin that is overly moisterized stay matte without color. You can find Smash box at Sephora, in their store on line or in their standing stores. You, Yonah, can find it at Product. MAC has an oil control lotion and as I said, you can find one in lower lines at the drug store. Wearing something to tighten our pores helps our skin look more finished without showing lines or wrinkles and making them stick out! The formula could be: Using an anti shine product over your day moisterizer and than adding a mineral powder over that. This will hide any lines, make our skin look perfect as possible and feel as light as air! It's a good idea.

Get rid of all mascara and eye liner on the bottom of eyelashes! This is SO important! It BARELY works for the very young but for boomers, you don't want to apply eye liner to lower lashes for it shows droopy eyes and looks terrible! Try to forgo mascara on the lower lashes too! Try it and see yourself loose ten years!

You only have two options for staying alive looking and not like you are 100 years old when it comes to lipstick:
A red like no other red,
Or
light color that is covered with a lip moisterizer.
Other colors on our lips ages us and looks bad. There is a designer or two that say that ONLY women over 40 can wear red lipstick and this is true. IF you wear it, wear very little other make up and you will look smashing! If you decide not to wear red, make sure you put something on your lips because our lips fade! After you brush your lips, ( LOL,) put a light coat of lipstick with your finger, (and use a lip liner you rub into your lips,) and put a nice lip product over it. Just a bit o color works on us!

If you are any ethnic group, like I am, with black hair or eye lashes and eye brows, DON'T wear too much make up PERIOD! We only look like we are working the corner and that's not our best look! Ethnic is our best look and it comes in handy as we get older! Plan to look your race and make that look as natural as you can.

Don't succomb to that feeling that "nothing looks good and I'm too old for make up." This is NOT TRUE, and a little goes a long way for us! We can look glamorous with out much effort as you see here.

Try to loose the eye liner completely or use a brown one that does not show well! Go ahead and use mascara if your lashes are light, but try to get out of the liner habit. Liner on older women ages like all H*ll! It's better to look like you have your eyes natural.

WATCH OUT for EYE SHADOW! We don't need it, it gets into lines, and it's for funny young women who, like we did when we were young, want to look older! No older woman has a need for eye shadow no matter WHO gives you a make over! IF you have to wear it because you are stubborn, limit it to the crease in your lid and spare the rest of the eye! ARG, it's such a mistake, yes?

As I said, make those nails BOLD. It's our right of passage as women of the sexy middle age! Use a french manicure, (and go ahead and use a different color than white on your tips if you want) or use RED. Red/blue if you have dark skin or Apple red if you have very white skin! Take the time to go to a manicurist and give yourself a break! Get acryllic on your nails if you dare! Go ahead and ger gel nails or another form of false nail that requires filling! Why? Because unlike little girls, we KNOW what we are doing with our hands and we can make that color and those nails look like they BELONG! If you HATE false nails, have your own nails done as above and FLASH those things! Longer nails look fabulous on women who are Boomers! If you want, have your nails buffed and wear them natural but whatever you do, let yourself have that manicure and know you are worth it! I get mine done every two weeks and my nail teck, Justin, is fabulous and loves to do them! If you know what to ask for, the nail tecks with love you!

Your feet, girls! Paint those toe nails! Clear polish looks sexy if you have a tan but use the rules above for color! Our feet can take a beating when they are older and we have to fight back! I had both feet done with regard to bunions and it's the best surgery I ever had! My feet look lovely and I take care of them! Take care of them and then display them!

Wheeeeeeee!

Such fun. These are some ideas for make up. Next, when I catch my wind again, I'll write about skin care I know, or have heard, that works! We must take care of our bodies from inside to outside so I'll give up some model, dancer tips for that!

I hope you enjoy this!

dancer9

You know, dancer....this could have also gone into the seasonal addiction thread. Every season I wear make-up of some kind...I won't even stay home alone without it. You are challenging me a lot!! Now, because of you, I have already lost any eyeliner that went under my eyes, no matter how lightly. That took a lot of strength but you're right, it's better...but...BUT I NEED to put a little mascara on my lower lashes. I am a typical washed out white faced red head without some color to my light eyelashes, but I promise....I go very, very light and only with brown mascara. Oh my gosh, remember the BLUE mascara???? I just thought of that. ughhhhh Anyway, I'll do my best to back off some of this!!! Thank you, again, for all your great ideas!

Making men drool, Anne?
Let us know how it goes!
Pretty exciting, I'd say!
dancer9

Beautiful Lady Jane,I'm sure you look lovely and if you did these things to change your look a bit, you must be even lovlier!
I've a special one just for you since you like make up:

Take a white or VERY light pink, REALLY sparkly shadow, or the sort of sparkly product meant to light up your face, or shoulders, or cheeks, you know the product I mean?

Take that sparly stuff and carefully dap a LITTLE, LITTLE bit in the corner of each eye, (inner corner,) and blend it well so you really can't see it at all.

This will give your eyes a look that is magical and beautiful but no one can tell what you did. It also widens the eye.

Remember, just a dab. You can get a white shiny powder from MAC, or I'll find a link to show you the type of product to do this with.

It'll look lovely on you, I promise!

The perfect product, or type of product:
http://www.maccosmetics.com/templates/pr...UCT_ID=PROD1519


dancer

I tried this (the shimmery powder in the inner corners of my eyes), dancer, and it does in fact brighten me up! Thanks! I love the holidays because I tend to apply the shimmery stuff in interesting places!

Very Cool, Lady Jane! I'll bet you look lovely! It helps me to hear that some of you try things and like them. That motivates me to write more! Thanks.
dancer

I have to apply a bit of liner on the bottom or my upper looks too heavy. I use a pencil, not the heavy liquid liner, and then use a qtip if it goes on too heavy. I only take it to right below the center of my pupil, then fade it into my inside corner. I use black/brown so it's not too dark, and not too light. I only use mascara on the upper lashes. I don't care for it on my lower - I cry too much...lol.

Gimster,Sounds fine. If we line from the center of our lower lashes to the corner and do the same on top, we make our eyes look wider. To line them all the way around makes them look smaller. Some women like to have that look from the middle of the eye out and it can look okay and give the eyes width...
dancer9

Who is getting older?

LOL, Princess! Not me! Not you?
dancer9

No, not us, but please, make me over! What I don't like is when I get a very young woman at the Clinque counter who I can no longer identify with. I would love a professional make-over. I've used Clinique for years, and it helped to save my skin. So now what is a good brand, now that some of us, but not me and you, have gotten older? My 101 year old grandmother still puts on lipstick when going to the doctor.

I wore makeup 2 days ago, for lst time in last ....1.5 months. It was for a job interview.

I'm not kidding. And I work in an environment with predominantly men. Men notice me in my cycling gear...not my makeup. This is when they comment..or when I get a haircut.

I choose Marcelle or Almay for foundation and moisturizer --when I do wear it. Same for blush. This makeup plus lipstick must be fragrance-free.

No eye makeup for me. I've never tried eyeliner nor want to at this point in life. Mascara was over 25 years ago. I still don't wear mascara even when dressed up for a party.

...I have natural black eyelashes and brows. So there's enough definition. I thank my mother ..for inheriting larger dark brown/black eyes (compared to my father).

I prefer to focus on a haircut that makes me look alert and alive.

Lipstick tends to be terra-cotta red-brown shades or deep-purple pink shade with abit of shine. I can't wear bright red lipstick shades at all...my face is wide and it accentuates my lips,...which are full already.

I prefer lipstick with just a bit of shine or matte.

One thing I have noticed is that I now have to choose blush shades that are deeper in colour because my overall skin tone has changed..ie. darkened in the past few decades. I was amazed to learn how strong a blush colour I need for even a little for a wee glow on me. I could nearly walk over to the makeup counter for shades aimed at light black women.

dancer, I just love your tips. I wear dark green (which appears brown/black) liner from the center to the outer eye on lower lid only, and brown/black mascara on the lower lid. Today, I am going to experiment a bit to see if I can do without it. Thanks.

I always keep my finger and toes doen in the summer, but must admit that I need both done now. Thanks for the reminder.

I appreciate the way you want us to continue to care for ourselves. You are so very right.

Dancer, thanks for the tip on mineral powders, rathern than regular powder. Are there any other brands you may recommend other than Bare Minerals?

I, too, have switched from using foundation, and prefer a tinted moisturizer, i.e., Neutrogena or Clinique.

Also, thx for the mascara tip, I'll be certain to forgoe wearing on the lower lashes and be certain to curl the upper.

I do not like fingernail polish, prefer the natural look; however, I do paint my little piggies in the summer. Since I paint outside the lines, nice neutral colors from Sally Hansen work well!

Mustanggal,
I haven't tried any but the bareMinerals brand. I have heard of others and some that are more expensive, some less. If you find one you like that is less expensive, maybe you can share it! The powder from bareMinerals lasts a LONG time so if you invest in it, it will last.
You really only need the powder with color in it,(22.00)
and if you want a blush, they are about 14.00 and eye shadows are about 12.00. You can get the Mineral Veil for on top of the color if you'd like, or not! You can buy the kit, which is the best deal because you get the brushes and everything to get you started! It gives you two jars of color and the brushes for a blush it includes and a brush for the powder for your face. It's a good buy.
If you google it, you can find the kit and again, that's the way I'd go. One investment is all you really need to make and that is still lasting me although I went to get a new blush just to try another one.
Good luck!
dancer9

Dotsie,
Remember to use what you want on your upper lids and limit your eyeliner, if you use it, to the top lash line if you can. If you must line your lower eye, line it from the center to the outer corner and not all the way. If you get used to no liner on the bottom, and no mascara, you will find it softens you and makes you look much younger which is not cheating, it's you naturally!

The more we can flatter our natural selves the better we look as we get older. Self esteem does not stop in our minds, we should take care of our bodies and put effort into them the same way we do our minds! If we care about the whole package, it shows and it helps us feel great all around!
I believe in caring for the body like all Italian/French women which is how I was raised. French women never get tired of the salon and take care of themselves all of their lives, visiting the salon with their daughters and grand daughters! Italian women are the same. I was taught this way.
I'm about to put some body tip in the fashion forum soon to help us take care of them that maybe no one has thought of.

Again, we should respect what we live in, our bodies and minds are one.

I'm pleased if anything I put here works for you! Let me know, it keeps my spirits up to know someone is helped by these tips!

dancer9

Orchid,I, too, have dark eyebrows and eyelashes, I have black of both. I also have dark hair, black, really. I can go without mascara and liner as well. We have to remember our sisters born with light eyelashes who have eyes that don't show up well without something on the tips! We can't imagine that but that is thier coloring!

I agree with your approach mostly but I do put a brush of mineral on my face to even out my skin tone and give my face a sort of sheen. I often curl my eyelashes to open up my eyes. I forgo eye liner and mascara as well because as I mentioned before, I can. Still, I like the look of skin that is healthy and cared for.
The hair cut is crucial for our look to be pulled together and I saw yours in the photos. It's a great cut for a small boned woman and suits you well! If you look at my site you can see that I wore my hair very short but stylish, ( I was a hair model internationally for 15 years,) to go with my thin body. Your hair is very flattering!

dancer9

I can help, Princess,to make this for you, can you answer a few questions?
What do your days consist of? What do you do most days?
How do you wear your hair and are you stuck on that style?
Is your photo pretty much how you look now?
Do you hate make up?
What do you wear more of, pants or dresses?
Your skin color, is it light or medium?
What is your race of origin?
What do YOU think needs changing?

If you answer these questions I can give you a list of things to try.
I'd be happy to help, and anyone who wants to have suggestions needs to give me a bit of you to work with so it fits YOU and not someone else!
dancer9
P.S. We could work by email but it would be fun for the boomer sisters to have a "look," at a new you!

Hi Dancer, you'd be so much fun at a pajama party. I can go girly, or I can go horse back riding. Right now I dress for work, but no longer in suits. I wear Chico's, Coldwater Creek, and Talbots. I love sequins, beads, bugles, fringe, and doo-dads on my clothes. I'd prefer Bohemian to tailored, but I don't like long skirts. I wear more pants these days only because shoes (all shoes) hurt my feet, and I can't wear heels. I do have a bit better luck with the Clark brand of shoes. Good thing they have a 30 day return policy! I do not hate make up. I wear a Clinique foundation, and when that is gone, I'd love to invest in the Minerals I saw an ad on TV. I am a light skinned Italian so that I wear the lightest shade of foundation of any brand. I look best with pixie type short hair, but it's been a while since I had a hair cut. Yes, I do look a lot like that picture. I do want a shorter more Kickie bob. My real problem is with under eye concealer. I have very dark circles, part of the genetic code. Right now I am using the Clinique concealer that comes in a tube like mascara but has a foam tip. It is only serving to INCREASE the appearance of under eye wrinkles. My under eyes look like flesh colored cracked egg shells glued on my face. I am hairy like a guerilla, so I need to wax the hairs on my chinny-chin chin. Except for my head of hair, which is very thin. Hey, "salon" is a French word, just thought of that. I did try not lining my eyes, like you said, but so far just got down to the half way lower lid. I do not like blush as it seems to stand out too much on my fair skin, so this summer I tried a Clinique bronzer. But you know what? The bronzer seems to be for more autumn colored complexions, and I am a winter. What is this brush on lip liner you mentioned? I love these tips. Please keep them coming if you want!

I too am struggling with dark circles....my thinning, aging skin. I've tried everything but it doesn't do what it used to. Also, would love a discussion on haircuts. I'm on the verge of wanting something....but not sure what I should do. My hair is very fine but plenty of it (according to my hairdresser) so I have to stick with layers.

***For dark circles, see the "Shimmer," thread where I posted about them to Dotsie!
Also remember to check with your doctors to make sure dark circles are not about your health!
D.


Okay, pretty Princess, here we go:
We inherited those dark circles and before you mask them,, remember that many in high fashion find them "sexy," and mysterious! I rather like mine without makeup. I am also lightskinned Italian so I can help you here.
Forget about whether you are a "winter," "summer," Or "winter/summer!" you are you, the Princess.

Starting on top, the hair. I see it in the photo. I want to tell you that the bob you are seeking is a good way to go with your face shape and your eyes. Like myself, you get lost in too much hair.
IMPORTANT ABOUT BOBS. (Listen to this, Lady Jane!)
IF you let your bob curl under you are aged right then and there. There is a cure. The way they cut the bob is important. I will tell you what to ask for. First Lenora, you can wear a bob as short as you want to go and you would look terribly cute! Your face would support a European bob that French and Italian women wear, which is shorter than the American suburbian bob that curls under. It is cute and easy to manage. IF you could deal with bangs with your cut, you'd look FABULOUS, but you don't have to weat them.
You tell your hair dresser that you want your hair to HANG STRAIGHT. You tell her how short you want it, ask her if she agrees, and if she does not like your length choice, hear her out, it's her job and she may have a point. If the point is stupid, Princess, dismiss it and tell her to get going. Your hair should not be called a "bob." It should be called "Hair." You want her to pull each layer of the bottom of your hair to the bottom and cut it EXACTLY the same length as the last layer she cut! Each piece of your hair at the bottom should be EXACTLY the same length to avoid that curling under, suburbian bob look that is OVER!
(Are you reading this, Lady Jane?) Lenora, if you do this to your hair, you will appear as young as you are, you will find SO much you can do with clothing that you never thought of and so much make up tricks you want to try! You will find yourself again and like your outside! SO, to picture it, the bottom of your short cut looks like these silky perfect ends that do NOT curl over of under, but hang nicely with body. THIS is beautiful on someone like you. But remember, Princess, be FIRM, tell the hairdresser you do NOT want it curling up or down, and you want the bottom of your hair razor sharply even! Ah, I get excited just picturing it on you! It would work with or without bangs. To wear it with bangs would take the guts.... Uh huh!

Hair color: Stay true to your roots, but get it colored! We are Italian so NO RED in your hair! A RICH dark or ligher brown depending on how you like it is the way to go. Make it shiny by coloring it and get yourself a hot iron so if you want to be dramatic and straighten your straight hair, you can! ( It looks peachy straightened!)

*** You are a dynamic woman, Princess and this is what you should look like! NO more hiding, honey, let's let them see the real and beautiful YOU, ok? This hair cut will help!

Your under eye bags, I addressed those for Dotsie, I think in the thread abour older make up or another of my recent fashion theads, very recent. I wrote a dissertation on how to cover them in the best way. Again, though, Princess, people LIKE them in this country too! They shade your face naturally like all those little sheer dark hairs on your face creat dark and light accents that bring out your natural Italian beauty and highlight your cheekbones! Remove NO hair from your face but that which is on your CHIN and those that make your eyebrows a mess.

Your make up.

Your eyes are a good, good feature but you MUST keep some of your natural eyebrows, do you? If you are blessed with dark eyebrows like I, use them! Have then cleaned up and i will tell you how if you don't know, ( just ask, ok?) Our eyebrows are a blessing!
Use Bare Minerals NOW. Go get them in Denver, do they have a Sephora or another free standing make up store? Call around and ask them if they have them and GO, do not pass go or collect 200 dollars! It's so worth it with your lovely skin color that matches NO foundation as mine does not. You skin color, because of your heriage is being covered by whatever you are using and as they say in this business: In the skin game, Italian women won. We did. You need the minerals!
At your age, you need black mascara on the top eyelashes to bring out your lovely eyes that already have dark lashes, it takes two min. and I suggest waterproof. Also, get yourself some eyebrow powder and darken your already dark eyebrows just a LITTLE bit more for some beautiful drama that does NOT show that you did it! (Trust me here.)

I need to know what year you were born to do some of this makeover so can you tell me?

Now: Run, up and down steps, in place, anywhere and look in the mirror. THAT will show you your blush naturally. I think you will be surprised to see that it is pink on us! A little Bare Mineral blush is beautiful and NO, it will not be seen if you do what I say and find that natural blush color! You WANT to wear blush lightly as you get older. Just try some of a lipstick as a test and blend it in to your skin WELL, very, very well and look in the mirror. With your new haircut, the blush will look, again, beautiful and natural! You can get the best bluch for you from Bare Minerals and you are getting the foundation so why not a blush? It works, my Princess, it truly does!

So: You use B. Minerals for a base, and it has a sunscreen. You use a moisterizer, NO OIL, ( for Italians ESP.) The B.Min. is all you need for a foundation and use the concealer I recommended for Dotsie on my other post. It takes 2 seconds to apply the powder which is not powder. Use a LITTLE bit of blush on the apple of your cheeks, (smile to find the apple,) and that's that, you could go like that!
But,
You use a curler on those lashes that are dark and apply a one stroke cover of mascara in black over those lashes even if they are black. ( I cheat on this if I'm not going anywhere I have to look that good. I go our in my P.J.'s and no make up!) After mascara, use RED lipstick, as I've been preaching, OR only LIGHT color on your lips, use your lipstick if you like and blend with your pinky to make it ligher. You can also blot the H*ll out of your lipstick once applied to get this effect. I always put on a coat of moistner after my lip color to keep my lips nice. I recommend those that "plump," lips too. Those that plump are nice and do give your mouth a full look. They are not that fierce. L'occitane has a nice natural one that looks great and feels light.

OKAY!
We have hair, face, and next I will give you clothing ideas. I need your year of birth to help me if you choose to give it!

Try any of this and you will look superb!! I promise! I get excited just thinking about how nice you will look!

I will return for clothing and other ideas. I must go to the doctor today and I've one other errand. I hope this gets you started.

And, oh yeah, part your hair on the side!!

Love to you, my sister!
dancer nine

Dancer,
You are a wealth of information! I have tried some of your suggestions and they are wonderful. I have always worn foundation but as I got older I found that it feels heavy and just looks.....I don't know how to explain it, but maybe a little spackled looking, ha. I have changed my foundation to tinted moisturizer, as you suggested in one of your threads, and than added a little mineral powder on top of that. It feels so light and I think I look more natural. I also switched from black eye liner to the dark blue pencil liner, since I have blue-gray eyes. It changes the look of my eyes. I like it! I think we get in such a rut with our hair and make-up, we tend to stick with the same routine of applying and buying make up as we did when we were younger. You got me crusin' the make-up counters looking for new stuff again, Dancer!

Thank you, Cookie! It sounds like you've made some beautiful changes!
I appreciate you for sharing with me that it helps you. I do know quite a bit about these subjects but to know it is helping you is a wonderful feeling!
If you find a product and want to know about it, ask me! I've probably heard of it or used it!
If I can help you with anything let me know.
Like I said, you sound as if you are looking very nice.
The blue pencil was a great touch! Those are always good ideas if you have such good eyes!
Oh, and Lancome sometimes makes a waterproof blue pencil!
dancer9, proud of Cookie!

Princess,
I have much more for you, but I wanted to write to you about a bronzer:
You and I are Italian with light skin. (Snow whites,) so NO Bronzer works for us. Give up. Our skin is unusual and the only make up company in Italy is now manufactuered in New York so we lost most of our choices! Borghese was made in Italy and is sold at fine department stores everywhere. THEY can match the darker Italian skin. I am three quarters Italian, straight from Venice and one quarter French, so I know your problem with color.

More tomorrow about clothes and stuff. Leave feedback about your make over if you wish!
dancer

Isn't that funny? I was wearing red today, and at work everyone said they liked me in red, and said I looked like "snow white" which you mentioned above. I have green eyes. My mother and grandmother are completely Italian looking (sicilian) with olive skin, brown eyes. They can tan, I burn. My other grandmother had light eyes, hair, and skin. She was Italian but not Sicilian. My grandfather was also Sicilian, and my other grandfather was drunk, disorderly, and an inbred illiterate. Oh, I digress...Dancer, I HATE the bronzer, and I am sorry I was talked into it. Wish I could get my money back! Cookie, what brand of dark blue pencil liner did you buy? Do you like it? I fear my black liner, even using less of it, is too heavy. My eyes are green-blue-hazel, depending. Dancer, I do wear bangs like in my pic, mostly to cover my permanent frown lines. I do part it on the side. The truth is I look better and more dramatic with my hair pulled back away from my face, but now I have to cover the wrinkles. If not to use eye shadow as we mature, then what to brighten the lids? I've used the Olay lip plump, but it is $25.00 (which is not a lot, but is a lot to me right now) and does not have much effect. Where do I get the L'occutane? I still have a lot of eyebrow, although they are thinning with age, and some are gray. I use a "brow set" because they tend to stick straight out, perpendicular to my face. I have let them grown, and I do need a brow wax. I never considered NOT waxing my face. I thought all that fuzz was NOT natural. I'd love to skip that chore. I will however continue to pluck the long stray hairs on my chinny-chin chin! I love knowing that the curled under bob is OUT, and I will get my hair cut ASAP. I walked into a salon today thinking from the outside that it would be just another boring salon, but this place was BEAUTIFUL and smelled so good, and I can't wait to set an appointment (pending price check!) Aveda salons are great, but in my area, they are tending to be more factory assembly line and less individual, and there is a lot of turn over in staff, so if you find someone you like, he/she may not be there next time. Dancer, I was born in 1954. LJ, you said your skin was thinning as it ages? I hear that collegen products, especially a collagen mask, helps. Dancer, with your career(s) and your infinite knowledge, have you considered a beauty book? You could feature your own photos from over the years, not that there have been that many years. I'd love to see you in various costumes, too. I hope you kept many scrap books, which you can digitize. L, PL

Princess,
I use Maybelline Unstoppable eye liner pencil. The color is sapphire and it is waterproof. Yes, I do like it! It is dark, but not harsh looking and I think it makes my eyes look better. It is the only waterproof pencil liner I have found. I like the waterproof because it stays put....it doesn't wear off as the day goes on.

dancer, were you suggesting in your thread to the Princess that I, too, should get a bob??! Yikes! I need a little length to my hair, trust me. I just can't wear short hair well.

LJ, you can where a so-called "bob" at just about any length. Cookie, thanks for the tip. Dancer, come back. We need our cosmetics consultations! L, PL

Okay, brain fade, princess. It gets worse by the day I think. A longer bob would be nice! But I need layers. My hair is just too fine.

Oh, I've ideas for you, Lady Jane, hang in, I'll give you them! I've got GOOD ideas, my shimmery friend.
dancer

Lady, here we go:
First: You can wear your hair as long and in any style any time you flippin' want to! There are aids to help us be us at every turn! You GO with that hair style if you want, but here are some lifesavers and some ideas...
Get some:
"Bed Head," (by Tigi,) "Uptight," which is a yellow spray liquid for hair, you will love it and you will have this product so long it will be an investment! It is not cheap but it will pay for itself over and over and there is only one product like it. At salon's everywhere.
A gel, a good one that is inexpensive is by Paul Mitchell and can be found in drugstores everywhere. IF you get a different kind, don't get Pantene, and get a "Hard hold," gel, a strong one, (don't worry, your hair will not be hard.)
A HARD one to find is: Play Clay. It's by Botanical Solutions and I'll get you a URL. Another good one is by
"Bed Head," called "Manipulator"

Okay, that's three products and they will last forever but it's an investment I highly recommend because they will allow you to wear your hair any way you want!

Now, as I said, there are only about seven hair cuts and they are all just "tweaked," to make them different! So, if you want the hair you say you want, do this:

Go to a salon and ask the cutter to cut your hair in layers ALL over your hair and to cut them for BODY, tell her/him, that you will be GROWING your hair so not to TOUCH the bottom but to cut layers for BODY. Don't worry about how you are going to get the body because you have the above recipe! Don't let them tell you no, or anything else, just ask for what you want and don't take no for an answer, SHOW NO WEAKNESS, LOL. When they dry it, ask them to use "product,", (yes, tell them to use product," on your hair) to help it have body. Warning: They may not know what they are doing.) The recipe I will give you is from an internationally known salon where I was a hair model for 15 years and hard to get! So, we always hate the way they do our hair so let them play and get out of there!

Lady, my friend, my dear, Farah Fawcett hair is OVER! That said, layers are IN, so don't worry about it! Until your hair is the length you want, get it cut every 2 MONTHS and not a moment sooner! Get it cut every 6 weeks to maintain the length once you are satisfied.

You can wear your hair any length these days with product!

Okay, heres how you use the product. You have thin hair so do it this way for wavy, curly hair and not hard hair!

When your hair is wet and out of the shower, take the spray, the "Uptight," and spray a LITTLE bit all over your head. A LITTLE bit, your hair is thin and too much is too much so use a little bit, ok? Comb it through and mess up your hair.
Now take that gel and get enough to cover all of your hair. In other words, cover all of the hair in gel and it takes about a quarter's measure of gel in your hand. Not TOO much and not TOO little, just enough to know that all your hair has gel on it, ( don't be afraid!)

Next, get the magic Play Clay, or Manipulator and take a little, little tiny bit, just two little bits on your fingers and rub it between both hands until it covers your palm and fingers. Use a LITTLE TINY bit, it goes a LONG way. Take those hands and try to get that stuff on all your hair. It is a bit sticky so I take my hair in fists and squeeze it to get it on and go all around my head, then I comb all of that stuff in so I've got it all over my hair evenly. (WHAT a recipe!)

After this:
If you want, I promise, you could let your hair air dry and you would have curls. OR you can blow dry your hair as you usually do. OR use a diffuser and blow your hair that way. Any way you go, you will have BODY in your hair for days and it will STAY. You can restyle your hair in the morning by taking a spray bottle and wetting it a bit and doing whatever you want to do with it again! ( Don't wash your hair every day!) IF you do this recipe, you hair will feel soft, thick, and stay where you put it so put it where you like, blow it dry if you like a certain style with your layers.

All you have to do now, Lady, is to see how long you want your hair!

****Straight, straight hair is IN. SO, if you want to take your hair out of a run, use a straightening iron on it and wear it bone straight. Although it takes some getting used to, it's a "hip" and exotic look that would look darling on that little face I see up there on the screen! You should play with your hair, not worry about it! You can wear it curly, straight, blown dry, air dried, or anyway you want with the right product!

***Lady, Always comb or brush your hair with these products on them to soften the look!

Tricks for hair:
If your doctor thinks it's fine for you to take them, PRENATAL vitamens do wonders for thickening hair. As do mashed up birth control pills in the washing of it! LOL, really! Ha! I promise.

Do not:
Pull your hair,
Be rough on your hair,
yank it for any reason,
pull on tangles.
comb it too often,
hurt it in any way
and remember:
the less you use heat on your hair the healthier and thicker it gets! (You BETCHA!)

My wonderful shimmery friend, this is an investment. BUT, if you want your hair back to your style, it will work. Take each product, keep the receipt and try it a few times if you want to before you decide. BUT, if you do it right, and even if you do it alittle wrong, it will work.
After that, you will start to use this, or that, and not this or that, depending on your mood! If your hair usually goes flat when it has product on it, it will NOT if you use all three of these, I promise. And if you have ANY humidity in the air where you live, you will have BIG HAIR!

So much fun, lady!

I'll get on those URL's and you give me feed back on what else you want your hair to do.

Love,
dancer, Master class.

oh wow, I can hear the click, click, click of your keyboard all the way up here in snowy Maine!!

Product list for hair that will have body:

https://www.salonsavings.com/detail/942210/

https://www.salonsavings.com/detail/942110/

https://www.salonsavings.com/detail/700305/

Or

https://www.salonsavings.com/detail/942150/

http://www.haircareusa.com/claypac_altobella_hair_styling.htm#Altobella_Botanical_Solutions_PlayClay

***Play clay is magic.

I like A LOT of hair products. This is not a complete list, but a list for Lady Jane to achieve the hair she wants.
If anyone wants a list of hair products I can recommend, please ask.

dancer9

You bet I was clicking! But I've got some recommendations for some Luv-a-ly hair products, shampoo's, conditioners, all of it, let me know what you need and how your hair is!
dancer, in service for Lady Jane at this moment.

LOL,
Lovely Lenora,
I will consider ANY book that I've been urged to write just as soon as I have a co-author who will help me write it, be a co-author and get me through it.

On to beauty, namely yours at this time.

MAKE THE INVESTMENT into the 60.00 box of Bare Essentials Minerals!
Do it.
It is cheaper than buying those brushes, which are wonderful, those colors which are perfect and refills which are 25.00 each! Oh yes, the starter kit is a must. You need to find out whether you need the Light or the Medium. You should be able to tell by using the testers or by thinking back, have you been given beige make up before? If so, you need Medium. If you have light skin and have been given light make up before, you need light.
There is not a lot of difference in the two but you DO want to get the light if you need it or the medium of you need that. Think about the color other make up people have recommended to you in the past and buy accordingly.

You need the kit. The mineral veil gives your face a flawless finish and you are going to want that now and again, remember, EACH jar costs 25.00 to replace!

If you get it, let me know and I'll flood you with tips for using it!

Peace out, Princess and let yourself have the best!
dancer9

To dancer, the Princess and I have a real beuaty consultant for Christmas! Hey dancer, you are a true gift! I love your suggestions and will look into them as soon as possible. I just want to feel like I have hair. It sounds like I just might! Thank you for the time you've taken to offer such great suggestions. You're very appreciated!

Dancer, I am an author! I will co-author a book with you! I am a good writer, I've been to Writer's Conferences to be an even better writer. And we have Chatty here as our editor. What more do we need? I am getting the essentials make up today. I think I mentioned before that of the lighter shades, I always have to have the lightest of the light, like porcelin. I wish my skin was like porcelin, but I sunbathed before it was known to be dangerous. Plus I had acne. But light it is!

so many of you are writers, Princess!I am so pleased for you! Your Bare Minerals will be great to you as they are to others! Congratulations and ask any questions you may have.
DO NOT ADD WATER!!
dancer

Lady Jane,my dear,you indeed, DO have hair! You'll see! When you get that one product, Bed Heads "Uptight," you will have thicker hair that moment! Just that product alone will pick up your hair!

When you try the products you decide to try, make sure you let me know of any problems you may have.Be gentle with that lovely hair, it needs to feel loved and needed to deliver the results!

dancer9

Princess, my project! YES, leave that "fuzz," on your face and get back your natural shading that gives our cheekbones and ethnic, exotic look! I LOVE mine and follow it when I use make up! Other women use contour make up to get what we have naturally! Good for you, let yourself show through.

As to your lips, let me do some research to find you a lip product that plumps more if you want one. L'occtaine, a company that both Dianne and I use is good for your skin, and lips but not really DRAMATICALLY a "lip plumper," although it does have those properties! I'll give you a list of major plumpers which can look really nice on your lips, but natural, not like you've been stung by a bee. I recommend anything from L'occtaine, of course, it's products are great for the body but I don't like their formula's for most things. I love the lip product and I love their shea butter for my legs and feet.

LISTEN UP, HRH, Lenora!
If you look good dramatic with your hair pulled back, then invest in a straighting iron! If you straighten your hair, it will hang so beautifully AND it looks dramatic and SHOWS YOUR FACE in a great way! I do it when I want to focus on my face! Even if your hair is straight, a straightening iron is crucial for someone like you who likes her hair back! It gives you that "edge," that hair pulled backi does but in a different way! You straighten your bangs too and it all looks great! You must be careful using a straightening iron but they are very safe now and they can be bought for almost nothing. If you do decide to try a straightener, you might want to invest in a spray to coat your hair before you use it, but I do it with just my conditioner to protect my hair and my hair is very healthy! It's an option you will have and you will look wonderful, and DRAMATIC as you wish!

Soon we must work on your "look," your clothing. What body type do you have? I know where you shop, you included that in your post but what body type am I dealing with and one important question:
which Bare Minerals matched you? Light or Medium? It makes a difference in how we dress you!
And
What height of heel do you choose most of the time. flat, medium or high?

Moving right along with Princess makeovers...
dancer-nine

Hi Dancer, I got the Bare Essentials kit from Ulta, light-medium. I haven't opened it yet. Here's how bad I wanted this makeup: I was showing houses to a client beginning at 1:00 PM. It was 47 degrees and clear. By 3 PM it was 27 degrees and cloudy. By 4PM we were having a full on snow storm, blowing snow to reduce visibility. I did not get done with her until 5PM when it was dark. There were accidents everywhere, spin outs and ditched cars. It took forever to go one mile, and I had plenty of miles to go before getting home. I should have skipped my errand to ULTA but I wanted the make up real bad! So in a snowstorm, I was in the store. It was a bad night, and the retailers made no sales on what they were hoping would be a busy time. I got my BE, and it took me another hour to get home! I was so drained by then from the tension of hanging on to the wheel and trying to see in a blizzard black out. I will open my BE box on Sunday. As for heels, I used to wear heels all the time. Then I ended up needing surgery on my toes due to becoming deformed due to heels! I have not had a problem since the surgery, and I don't wear heels. Shoes hurt my feet, even ballerina style. My hair is so straight that I don't need a straightening iron. I used to iron other girls' hair because in the sixties they wanted their hair to be like mine. Remember how girls would put their hair on the ironing board, and use the household iron to straighten it? I, on the other had, wanted CURLS like Shirley Temple. Always what we don't have, we want!

Princess,
I use to iron my hair as a teenager too, LOL! I have naturally curly hair and I always wanted straight hair. I use to fight my curls up to a few years ago, but now I just let it curl how ever it wants. My hair won, ha!

Cookie,
I have wavy hair, a bit of curl too, so I like that I have a choice to wear it natural or dramatic by straightening it! You are lucky to have that choice!
dancer9

Oh my goodness, Lenora! It's worth it, my dear! I hope you absolutly LOVE the make up you worked so hard to get! Let me share with you my secrets, (which I share with NO ONE,) so you know I am full of trust here.....) in using it.

I use a pottery bowl. I take my two shades of BM and dab the brush into one and click the end into the bowl to get rid of excess, then I dip the brush into the other color, ( If I decide to use both, I don't always when I'm in a hurry,) and click that on the edge of the bowl to clear the excess.
I then use the brush and look at where I am applying it in a lit mirror next to a window where the light is coming in. I do my cheeks first in a swirling motion on both sides, dipping back into the pottery bowl if I need more make up and tapping the brush on the side of the bowl before applying.) After my cheeks I do the middle of my face, the "T zone," and finish with a bit on my throat and upper chest so I blend in well. This takes me about one min. I take the blush brush, choose my color, dip the brush, tap it on the dressing table to get rid of excess and apply lightly to the apples of my cheeks out to my hairline above. I am lighthanded with blush. That's IT!

Two important details for new users:

Tap the brush after you dip it in the powder, TAP IT to get rid of excess product so you don't come out looking like a powdery mess and tap it into a bowl or something if you don't want to loose product!

Work in good light and a circular motion because it looks so natural. It goes on well that way.

There is a COMPACT, my friends who use Bare Minerals, that you can take with you and that has that circular brush in it as well! It's cute and convienent. I bought it and I can put on my make up anywhere now and don't have to have it on when I leave the house it's so easy! Those of you who use the product can imagine how easy this is, to have a compact for it.

There are two kinds of compacts, so ask to see them both!

With warm regards and excitement for Princess, who is about to be more beautiful!
dancer.
Course she is beautiful naturally!

Thanks for the tips, DD9 (dear dancer 9) I will follow your instructions. I'm all for expanding the life of a product so I get the most out of it. So far I've upacked the kit. Oh, and I am retiring the Clinique products that are no longer serving me well, I don't think they are, like the bronzer and the foundation. I am putting them in a Clinique bag, of all things.

Good for you! That sound you hear is me clapping as you join 2008!!
We aren't done with you yet!
Dancer9

Dancer, I got my hair cut yesterday to look more updated. I do have bangs, the front is chin length, and the back is layered, but short. She did use too much product, though. What gel are you recommending for thin, fine, straight hair? Mouse is just not firm enough. Thanks, PL

Princess,
Congrats on your new do! I'm sure you look great!
If you want a gel that holds, the LEAST expensive one is a STRONG hold by Paul Mitchell. It is in drug stores and if you get the SUPER STRONG hold, it will work wonders. I have tried them expensive and inexpensive over the years and you pretty much get what you pay for with hair.. The Mitchell gel is the least expensive to get hold and have it do a good job doing it! I use a "Bed Head," product called "Power Trip," on my hair but I have thick hair. Still, thick or thin, remember, you get what you pay for with product! The reason for this is that women CARE about their hair, you see, the hair does not gain weight like the body so women care that their hair looks good even if they get heavy. Because women care about their hair, they will use expensive product on it to make it look how they want. This makes the prices go up on product that really works! It's sort of like shoes, feet don't gain weight so women often will collect shoes instead of clothing!
dancer9

I've used Paul Mitchell and it worked well in every climate except the in July in Ft. Myers Florida! I think the stylist used a Bed Head gel yesterday. She put some on her hands, then sprayed water on her hands to dilute it. So, I will try these products again. Thanks, Dancer. Oh, now, onto the lips. Did you discuss make up tricks and tips for maturing lips? I think you did. When I am all done with my make over I am going to have a new picture. L, PL

Lotsa tricks for lips..coming up!
dancer

I did not leave the fuzz on my face. I waxed my chinny chin chin and upper lip myself, and the stylist waxed my brows, which I've been growing for months. Where is Gimster? She said she tried a hair product this week, and I wonder what it was.

Princess, Princess, Those are the only areas you should wax. The little peach fuzz on our cheeks or near our hairline on our forehead is to shade our Italian faces and help us with how we look, accenting our eyes and cheekbones! You should do your chin, if needed, your brows, if needed, and your upper lip, if needed. The rest of that light almost invisable hair is our gift to shade our little Italian faces! It makes us mysterious. I am too mysterious already but why not?

You might try growing in your eye brows from time to time to try another shape. Often our face and esp. our eyes change shape and another shape for our eyebrows looks better. For example, I am in the process of growing mine a bit thicker for effect and they look nice. I used to keep them thinner but it seems to add to my eyes to leave a bit more brow there now. You should check this from time to time so you have the right shape for your whole face!

More ideas, love!

dancer, creating.

Hi Dancer, Yes, you are mysterious! In a good and interesting way. I did notice in Italy that woman, young and old, had hairy faces. They did not seem to wax mustache. Some of the women going to/from work on the Metro were so well dressed! One feature I have that I get from my mother that I like are my eyebrows, which have a good shape. I do not like getting a whole lot taken off. BWS sisters, does anyone else want to confess to the obsession about facial hair like I have?

I only bleach my shadow moustache.
Then my eyebrows...I must admit I've been abit forgetful at times. They just get straggly, so I tweeze um for about 10 min. every few months.

The curse of black hair...HOWEVER not all women with black/dark brown hair have this problem at all.

No I don't have a fuzz elsewhere on my face but I do have other annoying problems...age spots that are slowly appearing due to my constant cycling, etc. I do wear sunblock. And no I don't reapply it...it actually is a serious hassle if you are going for a fitness ride and stop to do this sort thing because my body is pounding with adrenaline that I don't want to lose my rhythm/"stride" on the bike. I also must take off gloves and wash hands so I don't wipe sunblock into my eyes by accident, if I'm trying to wipe out water /sweat out of my eyes.

Just too annoying to stop when you're having fun!!!

bump for Saundra

Dancer, I didn't realize you use Outlook. I don't know how to use Outlook. Okay, I'm embarrassed and it's on my list of "to learn" things this year. It doesn't look friendly.

I do?
I didn't know!
Dancer...