A New Giveaway!

Some of my all-time favorite and most comfortable looks include Covered Perfectly tops. They are great for layering or to wear alone.

This month Covered Perfectly is giving away the top of your choice to one lucky Fifty, not Frumpy follower!

Violet Simple Comfort

Draped Front

Red Simple Comfort

Color Block Top

Simple V

White Simple Comfort

 Cascading Vest, worn as a scarf above and as a vest below.

The winner of the Covered Perfectly top of your choice is Patty Burton Kaad from Chicago. Congratulations Patty! Please send me a private message on Facebook or an email at Susan@FiftynotFrumpy.com to claim your gift.

This giveaway is sponsored by Covered Perfectly, which is a small woman-owned business. (Thank you, Pauline, for doing this for my followers!) Covered Perfectly designs, including the fabric, are made here in the USA!

Fifty, not Frumpy followers can get a 20% discount on up to two items! Use the discount code FNF20 when you check out at Covered Perfectly. Only one discount can be applied per order. There are several styles to choose from, and the discount will apply on up to two items; after that, you can take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 FREE special!

An Artistic Touch

Do you enjoy wearing basic pieces with an artistic touch? 

I knew this Covered Perfectly tunic would look great with jeans the moment I saw it. It's always good to take a tee and jeans to the next level. Even when I am dressing casually, I put some thought into what I wear.

This is the Covered Perfectly Limited Edition "In Spirit" top. The artistic design on the right side is by world-renowned artist Mindy Seeger. It is made in the USA from luxurious MicroModal fabric that feels buttery soft against the skin.

There are just a few of these fabulous tops remaining, and there will be no more when they are sold. Don't miss out!

Fifty, not Frumpy followers can get a 20% discount on up to two items! Use the discount code FNF20 when you check out at Covered Perfectly. Only one discount can be applied per order. There are several styles to choose from, and the discount will apply on up to two items; after that, you can take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 FREE special!

My Exercise Routine

Many of you have asked about my exercise routine and how I keep my weight down, so I will tell you all about it today.

I have been a fan of taking walks since I was five years old. I used to roam the hills of our farm in North Carolina every day. No matter where I have lived, I have always found a safe walking route away from traffic in a nice neighborhood.

 

I may go for a short walk around the lakes two or three times a day. (My neighborhood is built around four small lakes that flow into each other.) Some days I walk briskly about three miles around my neighborhood or on the greenway trails near my home. If the weather is cold and wet, I might go for a walk in the mall or at the shopping center near my home, which has a long sidewalk protected from the rain.

This isn't a routine that requires planning, unique clothes, or equipment other than comfortable shoes, so this form of exercise fits my needs perfectly. I am wearing a fabulous Covered Perfectly top and Perfect Fit Leggings with flat Rockport shoes here.

When I was younger, I spent hours in the gym, in exercise classes, and in dance classes but at this busy time in my life, going for a walk fits into my routine much better.

When my mind gets cloudy from tons of administrative work, endless figures, and countless emails, I get up from my desk and go for a short walk. I visit neighbors and their dogs for a few minutes and get my blood flowing with a quick walk around the lakes. When I return to my desk, my head is clear again, and my hair smells like fresh air.

When I go to the grocery, I never look for the parking spot closest to the building. I park far away and walk briskly to the building and also while I am inside.

I use a small blue and white teacup so that I have to keep getting up and walking to the kitchen to get more tea or water. I go to the bathroom upstairs rather than the one right outside my office door.

The point is that I do not sit still for hours working, watching TV, or reading. I get up and move around often. I stretch many times during the day. Again this is no particular routine; I just bend from the waist, slowly touching my toes and reaching for the ceiling and then side to side. The movement is always slow and comfortable.

I drink lots of water with lemon and or Braggs apple cider vinegar. I wait until I am actually hungry, and I never eat until I am stuffed. My meals include mostly fresh plant-based foods. I think of food as fuel, not entertainment. When I eat something that I enjoy very much but know is not suitable for my body (cheese comes to mind), I will occasionally have a small piece. The second half tastes the same as the first, so a small bite savored is better for your mind and body than consuming a large portion without enjoying it thoroughly.

On this beautiful day, I wore a very soft and comfortable piping top from Covered Perfectly. This is a growing but small, woman-owned business. Pauline, the owner, and designer, listens to our requests for styles that flatter our bodies and serve our needs. The fabric and the whole line is made here in the USA. All the models for this company are over forty (in my case, way over forty!)

Fifty, not Frumpy followers can get a 20% discount on up to two items! Use the discount code FNF20 when you check out at Covered Perfectly. Only one discount can be applied per order. There are several styles to choose from, and the discount will apply on up to two items; after that, you can take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 FREE special!

Great Beginnings!

The weather is getting cool enough to wear jackets and tunics and leggings and boots and... well, you get the idea. I love fall!

Today I am sharing the best layering pieces I have found. I plan to wear these pieces often throughout fall and winter.

This top is the new long sleeve Simple Comfort from Covered Perfectly, which comes in black and also in white. If you are like me, you will need both colors. This really is the perfect top to wear alone or with jackets, vests, sweaters, scarves, necklaces, or ruanas. I'll show you how I topped off this look tomorrow.

The leggings are appropriately called Perfect Fit. They have supportive panels that help with shaping at the sides. I am showing you the panels in the photo above. These are great leggings to wear with tunics and boots. The top was supplied by Covered Perfectly.

The bag is old from Finely House Couture in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. The boots were supplied by Antelope Shoes. The necklaces are old from Chico's.

Fifty, not Frumpy followers can get a 20% discount on up to two items! Use the discount code FNF20 when you check out at Covered Perfectly. Only one discount can be applied per order. There are several styles to choose from, and the discount will apply on up to two items; after that, you can take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 FREE special.

Animal Print Simple Comfort

You already know that I love to wear the Covered Perfectly tops. 

They pack and travel very well, and they are the perfect layering piece.

I am wearing a lightweight vest over the snow leopard simple comfort top. The three-quarter length sleeves are perfect to wear with a vest.

I modeled this top during the recent photoshoot in L.A. and immediately said, "Must have this one!" I ordered it as soon as I returned home. This top has now sold out. Hopefully, there will be more of them in the future.

The colors are gorgeous, and the fabric is so soft I often forget I am wearing street clothes instead of pajamas when I have one of these tops.

Fifty, not Frumpy followers can get a 20% discount on up to two items! Use the discount code FNF20 when you check out at Covered Perfectly. There are several styles to choose from, and the discount will apply to up to two items. After that, you can take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 FREE special!

The Covered Perfectly Photo Shoot Week

Being a model for Covered Perfectly is such an honor.

I recently traveled to Los Angeles for the fall photo shoot. I always try to take the minimum amount of basic clothing pieces to mix and match looks without having to take a large bag to have to check and possibly lose.

I spent almost the whole week in L.A., so I got to meet the beautiful Susan Blakey from the blog Femme d’un Certain Age while I was there.

We enjoyed a fabulous lunch at Ca Del Sole in Toluca Lake. 

The photoshoot was on Friday, which means I got to have my makeup done by the extremely talented Lex Mejia.

My sweet friend Pauline Durban owns Covered Perfectly in the royal blue Boatneck, and Mary Ann Simonetti is in the black and malt Color Block top. Mary Ann was the winner of the contest sponsored by Covered Perfectly. The winner got to spend the day with us at the Covered Perfectly photoshoot, have her makeup professionally done, take home the top of her choice, and have a page on the Covered Perfectly website dedicated to her. Isn't that a great contest? I enjoyed meeting Mary Ann so much. I hope we can get together again in the future.

I love being with this hard-working group of women. Everyone is so professional and kind. It is a special sisterhood that I feel very honored to be included in.

I am wearing a cute Piping design. Kristen, Pauline's assistant, is looking at the computer screen, checking the pictures as Nichole, the photographer, is taking them. Pauline is making sure that the top hangs perfectly.

After the busy week of working hard to prepare for and completing the photo shoot, it was time for a day of sight-seeing and rest. Pauline was such a great tour guide and hostess!

Above is the boardwalk at Venice Beach, and below is the entry to the Santa Monica Pier.

Rodeo Drive!

Beverly Hills!

The L.A. skyline from Mulholland Drive.

A Splendid Day

September is right around the corner, but our weather is already turning much cooler. Bring out the jackets!

 

Mr. Mickey and I took a drive up to Blowing Rock, North Carolina, to do some shopping and have lunch at the Six Pence Pub. We love their vegetarian black bean nachos. 

The flowers in the park draw the most beautiful butterflies, which have my attention below.

Today I wore white jeans and a silver tank from Chico's. The biker-inspired jacket is old from Stein Mart. The necklace is by Erica Lyons from Belk. The shoes are by Ralph Lauren from Dillard's. The bag is from Express.

I also stopped visiting my favorite guys at Finely House Couture, where Mr. Mickey bought the crystal and silver hoops for me. This clutch by Lilly Pulitzer got my attention immediately.

I love shopping in this little pedestrian alley off of Main Street. There are lots of flowers and benches to take a break on.

We took a drive north on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a change of scenery. We landed here at the beautiful Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia. Wild ponies roam free here, but we didn't see any during our stay.

The Cold Shoulder

The cold shoulder once meant ignoring someone. If you wear these cold shoulder tops from Covered Perfectly, you will not be ignored!

I feel uncomfortable wearing just a tank top in warm weather. The solution for me has been to wear these tops on hot days. They are as cool as a tank top without showing the whole arm.

This cold shoulder top in violet is from Covered Perfectly.

Below is the animal print version as I wore it last year. It is the perfect look for fall days when the temperature is still high.

Fifty not Frumpy followers can get a 20% discount on up to two items for a limited time! Use the discount code FNF20 when you check out at Covered Perfectly. There are several great styles to choose from, and the discount will apply on up to two items; after that, you can take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 FREE special!

The Magic V

A wise woman knows how to draw attention to what she considers her best feature and away from what she isn't fond of.

Because of my round face, I always enjoy wearing a V-neck top. The straight lines of square sunglasses offset my round face, as do the straight lines of a V-Neck top. This beautiful royal blue V-Neck top is from Covered Perfectly.

You may have noticed that when I wear a scoop neck or round neck top, I almost always offset that with a long necklace that forms a V, or I wear a jacket that forms a vertical neckline. The red simple comfort top above is from Covered Perfectly.

Since it is too hot to wear a jacket here right now, this sheer cascading vest from Covered Perfectly is just the right layering piece for summer weather. It can be worn loose or tied in various creative ways to provide those all-important vertical lines that diminish the shelf effect of a large bust. 

Surprise! All the shoes in today's post are flats. Notice that they have almond-shaped or pointed toes. There is a fool the eye technique in place here as well. A more pointed toe visually elongates my short thick calves.

The picture above shows you the difference a round neck tee makes with a round face. This is the most rounded neckline I own, but it is still not the crew neck that most tees have. I would never wear those. I try to at least always show the collar bones.

Another important thing to note is the beige bra I am wearing above and the black bra I am wearing below. Whenever you wear a dark color top, always wear a black bra to don't get the headlights effect from the camera flash.

There is a magic ratio in the depth of a V-neck. The distance between the red lines below is about the same. That equal distance would be the lowest plunge I could ever wear comfortably.

While we are on the subject of subtle things you can do to draw the eye up to your face, let's talk about lip color. I am often guilty of wearing an almost nude lipstick, which does nothing for me, so I switch to a brighter, more intense lip color so that my face doesn't fade away. As we age, our coloring becomes softer and more muted. I also fill in my brows and wear upper lid eyeliner smudged with a thin dark line of shadow to have a softer smokey effect. Everything should be blended and blotted well so that your features are enhanced softly.

You can find more fabulous tops created for us gals over 50 at Covered Perfectly. Fifty, not Frumpy followers can get a 20% discount on up to two items! Use the discount code FNF20 when you check out at Covered Perfectly. There are several styles to choose from, and the discount will apply on up to two items; after that, you can take advantage of the buy 2 get 1 FREE special!

I hope these tips help you to achieve a look that is flattering for you as well.