I just read the Vogue article about WHIPS and found it to be affirming and fun!

Jane Fonda elegant in her 80s

Instead of calling us “Women of a Certain Age” as the French refer to us, or “Cougars” as some men of a certain age call us or worse referring to us as ”old broads”, there is a growing population of women who use Instagram and are called WHIPS. WHIP stands for “Women who are Hot, Intelligent, and in their Prime”. What a terrific name and what a terrific club in which to belong.  It includes such great women as Goldie Hawn, Jane Fonda, Martha Stewart and Oprah Winfrey who send quick, funny and real life images and commentary on their every day lives.

We are so fortunate to have these role models as we are inundated with stories about the Justin Biebers et al and the Kardashians, and actors and actresses in People and US magazines who are so young that I have no idea who they are.

I went to a meeting last week where there were almost 1000 people and while waiting in line to get in, I wondered how I looked. How do people perceive me? Am I viewed as an older person, or am I considered attractive? But wait, does it really matter? It is tough to let go of this sense that being attractive is critical as it had been such an important part of my self-esteem. I never thought I was attractive but rather, interesting. The truth is that what matters is how we feel inside.

Helen Mirren Need we say more?

Dame Judi Dench

I look at an ad for make-up that features Helen Mirren. I stare at it, turn the pages, and then turn back to it. Of course it has been photo shopped but she still looks like an attractive woman who knows who she is and is proud to be so. Being vital and active and feeling valued plays a significant part of being attractive. Look at Dame Judi Dench who, at age 84, continues to work and is as beautiful as ever. She is fulfilled and continues to be in demand in her career.

Diane Lane in “Under the Tuscan Sun”

There is so much I haven’t done, so many things to learn and to experience. But it feels like we are running out of time and we really are. I will probably never learn how to play the harpsichord and although I took lessons years ago and have a log book, I will never finish getting my license to fly. And I will probably never spend a year living in Italy a la “Under the Tuscan Sun” and I am too “mature” to be swept off my feet by some young Italian like Diane Lane.

I will probably never get to produce the screenplay I wrote years ago, scenes of which keep circulating in my brain. I will probably never get below a 15 handicap in golf and probably never win the club tennis championship on grass. The list is endless so I decide that it is better to think about the other side of the equation.

Exquisite Zebras on our Safari

I did just come back from an amazing safari in Africa, something that has been on my bucket list since my early twenties.

High tea at Victoria Falls Hotel Zimbabwe

And I did produce some very interesting stories for television and I did find love, real unabashed love with and for someone who loved me for who I am instead of how I looked. And I did raise four sons and I do have a beautiful and bright and funny granddaughter whom I adore and with whom I have great fun. And I have skied in extraordinary places and I can still play golf and tennis at a respectable level.

And so maybe the message is to be grateful for who I am now and for the gift of today and even for the journey that I took to get here. Having gal pals whom you can call at any hour is just terrific. Having good health, all be it challenging at times, is a gift. So I recommend that we each have the ability to choose how we look at our lives and I choose happiness.

This said, I still believe that we have more to do and more to experience and that there is another adventure around the corner. With this attitude, each of us can still laugh and enjoy the moment.

Make-up artist Sandy Linter, age 70

We found this list of tips for make up for women over 55. It is a long list but really informative. It is by Sandy Linter, a 70 year-old make-up artist who is highly regarded and still very much in demand in the celebrity and Hollywood markets. We suggest you try some of her hints and let us know how they worked:

 Create a Glowing Base
Needless to say, following a dedicated skin-care routine—cleansing, moisturizing, and exfoliating—is an essential strategy for achieving a healthy complexion, especially over time. Before applying makeup, spread on a veil of a hydrating, yet weightless moisturizer on clean skin. “Heavy moisturizers are just not compatible with makeup,” says Linter. After the moisturizer sinks in, you can target areas with fine lines or dry patches with a quick-absorbing primer, like Dermablend’s Insta-Grip Jelly Face Primer with its smoothing gel texture, as desired.

Cover Up Conservatively
“You can’t hide wrinkles, so don’t try to, because you’re only going to draw more attention to them,” says Linter. To even out skin tone, she suggests using a moist sponge or foundation brush to apply a sheer, hydrating foundation. Then, use a robust, yet lightweight creamy concealer that blends easily—Giorgio Armani’s High Precision Retouch Concealer is her go-to—on the more ruddy or hyperpigmented areas. For the eyes, concentrate on the under eyes and tear ducts to effectively counteract dark circles. “Most women get darkest on the inner corner of their eye as opposed to the outer corners where you smile and have the laugh lines,” she explains.

Warm Up the Skin
When choosing a foundation or concealer shade, one might be inclined to seek out an exact match, but Linter suggests going a shade or two warmer to ensure you don’t look washed out. “If it’s too matchy-matchy, it can age you,” she says. And in that case, it’s especially important to extend coverage beyond the visage. “After the face, take a foundation brush and blend very slightly around the neck so it doesn’t look obvious,” instructs Linter. Then, comes bronzer—and not just for the cheeks. “I use it on everyone over 50 because it warms up the skin in a natural way,” she explains, adding that she’ll sweep Serge Lutens’s Complexion Perfector under the cheekbone, down the sides of the nose, across the forehead, and under the jawline for a chiseled glow.

Sculpt and Lift Subtly
Smiling while you apply blush has long been cited as a universal, tried-and-true technique, but it’s one that’s not as effective as you age, says Linter. “Instead of on the apples of the cheeks, I like to apply blush at the top of the cheekbone and then blend inward,” she explains. “You want to point the attention up to enhance.” As for shades, she prefers muted rosy shades like MAC’s Powder Blush in Prism. “I’ve been using it since the ’90s!” she says. For extra impact, Linter will layer—first with a cream formula, like Kevyn Aucoin’s The Creamy Glow, and then finish it off with a powder. “Sometimes just the cream is enough,” she says. As for setting powder, it’s a step Linter usually skips, but looks to Dermablend Banana Powder if necessary.

Play Up the Eyes
“You want to open up the eyes and make them look as big as possible because it’s more youthful,” explains Linter. The first step? Curl the lashes with an eyelash curler, starting right at the root. Next, you have to pick the right mascara, which requires a fair mount of trial and error. “There are very thickening formulas that don’t work on older women whose lashes have become thinner and more brittle,” she explains. “When they don’t work, the lashes start to clump and there’s nothing more aging then clumpy lashes on a woman over 50.” Currently, Chanel’s long-wearing Inimitable Mascara, which boasts a flexible pronged brush and provitamin B5-laced jet-black formula that nourishes the hairs while providing natural definition, is her favorite when working with older clients. As for liner, Linter makes a point of debunking a long-held myth. “In the old days, they used to say only use brown, but it’s a falsehood that women over 50 can’t use black,” she insists. “You need to create a contrast between the eye color and liner. Brown can make you look tired if it’s not the right brown.” Shade-wise, no woman can go wrong with Lancôme’s Le Crayon Khôl in Black Coffee. “Absolutely anyone can use it!” she insists. While mascara and eyeliner are basic steps, eyeshadow is more of an accessory that plays up your personal style if you want it to. But proceed thoughtfully “Don’t take a shadow and just plop it on the center of the lid,” she instructs. “Using a small eye brush, start from the outer corner of the eyes and work inwards, so that the color gets gradually lighter. It’ll give you a bigger, wide-eyed look.”

Take It Easy on the Brows
First, focus on keeping the brows full naturally. “You want to save every eyebrow hair you have, so instead of tweezing, trim them,” says Linter, adding that Revitabrow and Revitalash are incredible growth formulas she uses on herself. To fill in arches, Linter is partial to featherlight hair-like strokes of Troy Suratt’s Expressioniste Brow Pencil. “It’s thin enough for drawing on a hair here and there without looking too artificial,” she says. “[The shades] are so natural-looking.”

Balance Out the Lips
“As you get older, the lips can become asymmetrical and it can be aging,” says Linter. You can balance out the mouth by using a lip pencil in a your-lips-but-better shade, but the formula must have the right amount of slip. “You want it to be so soft that the minute it touches the skin, it glides on,” she explains, adding that NARS’s Velvet Matte Lip Pencils are the best in this regard. To create symmetry, Linter recommends drawing on four separate strokes, always starting from each of the four outer corners and drawing towards the cupid’s bow or to the center of the bottom lips. “That way your lip is going to be more balanced,” she says. Apply lipstick in the same fashion, then use a lip brush to slightly diffuse the edges for a softer look. After painting on a matte lip, Linter will sometimes add a gloss on top to add shine and definition, but never one that’s too heavy or sticky. This part of the process is up to the wearer, Linter emphasizes; “the finish is purely taste.

Ciao

Lucy and Claudia