Lipstick and the Symphony

Each year I give Mr. Mickey season tickets to the Johnson City Symphony for Christmas. We normally go shopping in the afternoon and then have dinner before the performance.

This was taken earlier in the day at Mickey's home. After I saw this picture, I asked him to take me to Merle Norman to buy lipstick.

Elizabeth, the beautiful young woman who helped me, had so much patience as we looked through a sea of color and formula choices. I found three colors that I am thrilled with. I haven't worn lipstick in many years, but lately, I've been craving more intense color, so I'm giving it a try again.


After the shopping trip, we enjoyed dinner at our favorite restaurant, Gourmet and Company, where we shared a chocolate dessert afterward. 

The guest artist for this symphony performance was Bella Hristova on violin. The concert was at the Mary B. Martin Auditorium at Seeger Chapel, Milligan. This program was Beethoven and Bella. Bella gave an amazing standing ovation performance.

I wore a black jacket with white stitching and long sleeve red tee with a red scarf. All the pieces are old, and you may have seen them combined differently in earlier posts. It was twenty-seven degrees when we left the concert, so I was thankful that I brought along a coat and wore layers.

Thank you for reading. 

Have a wonderful week!

Nice Legs!

Would you dare to go out in a dress with bare legs?

What's in your sock drawer?

For daytime, I always wear pantyhose with dresses, skirts, and dressier pants. My own preference is to wear Hanes® Silk Reflections® sheer pantyhose. The color "Barely There" is very close to my own, and they are not super tight or shiny. I always have an unopened package of both "Barely There" and "Jet" on hand. I wear sheer black in the evening with black pants and black shoes. If I wear any other color of shoes, I wear nude hose. (For example, black hose with silver shoes looks so wrong.)

Nude means the color of your skin, not the name on the package. You may have to experiment to find the color that is right for you. Be sure to check the color of your legs in natural light. This rule also applies to wearing nude shoes and finding the perfect neutral nude bag. If you match your skin tone, you will be able to wear these neutral items with most of the colors in your closet.

These shoes from my closet show the wide variety of tones that could be considered nude. The shoe second from the right happens to be the color closest to my own skin tone, so it is my perfect nude.

I get regular pedicures and wear open toe shoes and sandals in warm weather, but I rarely wear a dress. If I do, it is longer than knee length, and the shoes are the main focus. 

With jeans or any casual pants, I wear crew socks in a tone close to the pants' color. For example, navy with dark wash jeans would work best. Crew socks are the best length for me since I have thick calves. If I wear trouser socks, the band at the top may show through the pants' line. The pant leg often drags or clings to the trouser socks as I move, so I no longer buy those. 

If you sit down and cross your legs and the pant legs ride above the top of your socks, showing bare legs, you might want to consider wearing tights instead. Opaque tights are excellent for added warmth in winter. They look great with boots and shorter skirts too!

At this time in our lives, bare legs in a dress can be the wrong look for us even if we are toned and tanned. I often see women over forty in the entertainment business being interviewed on some late-night show. The ones who show up with bare legs never look quite as polished. 

The skin is made up of 3 layers - the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue. As we age, the supportive tissue layers become thinner, so the upper skin layers sag and become thinner and dryer. We also often have issues with veins that show through thinning skin after forty. 

I feel more confident and well dressed, wearing proper foundations, including the appropriate legwear.

Wine and Roses

My Gentleman Friend (Mickey) and I go out for dinner a couple of times per week all year long, so Valentine's Day and other such holidays often find us sharing a special quiet dinner at his home or mine. This year for Valentine's Day, I invited him to have dinner with me at my house.

We normally follow an almost vegan diet, but there are certain meals we look forward to having a couple of times per year for a special occasion. For this meal, I decided to make one of his favorites. I created a dish including fresh fettuccine with Alfredo sauce and lump crab meat for the first time. We also had focaccia bread with sun-dried tomatoes and our favorite wine. He arrived with roses, chocolates, a card, and his wonderfully positive attitude, which I just love.

Sometimes the most special times are the ones we share over an informal, quiet dinner at home.

Thank you for reading. I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Wearing Black

Do you reach for black as if on automatic pilot when getting dressed?

This photo was taken a couple of years before I lost forty pounds. We won't even talk about that hair! I guess I thought a bit of height would make my round face look less so.

For several years, I dressed in flowing layers of black. I wore a lot of V-Neck tops with jackets and pants. It was a uniform for me, but I always wore dramatic jewelry such as this necklace, one of my own designs.

The reasons I wore black were only partially because of my size. Now that I look back on that time, there was a much deeper reason for it. Perhaps I felt I could be less visible in black.

Our self-image is reflected in what we wear. It's our flag to the world that says, "This is me, and this is how I'm feeling today."

I don't pretend to be a Psychologist, but I know I have had sadness issues for many years. Wearing black is a sign of mourning in many cultures. I suppose I was in mourning for twenty years, but I won't bore you with that story again.

After losing forty pounds, I branched out into wearing wild colors such as white and gray. I'm kidding! It was tough for me to stop reaching for black as I was shopping for a new wardrobe after the weight came off.

As we age, our coloring softens, and shadows appear near the corners of our eyes and around the nose. When we wear black near our face, it accentuates these shadows, and some of us look older and more tired. This is also very true if you color your hair all one dark color or wear a lot of black eyeliner all the way around your eyes. It can be a very harsh effect.

The lighting in my breakfast nook is not the best, but even here, you can see that color near the face makes me look younger, happier, and healthier. I am much happier and healthier! The picture above was taken last night, and the other two were taken a few years ago. It was a rainy day, so I did wear black pants and boots. I always wear dark pants on rainy days because the little water spots from walking can permanently stain lighter colored pants.

I love to wear black, but it isn't for everyone for the reasons I mentioned above. I still wear black often, but I add a statement necklace or a scarf with white, red, or royal blue.

Saturday In Abingdon

Located in the beautiful Blue Ridge Highlands, Abingdon, Virginia is home to historical attractions, many musical events, fine lodging, and dining. Here you will find the Barter Theater, the Martha Washington Hotel and Spa, the Heartwood Artisan Gallery and so much more.

For our day in Abingdon, I wore gray side zip pants from Talbots, a twill fuchsia jacket, a white tank top, and a chiffon animal print scarf all from Stein Mart. The bag is by Tignanello.
 

The Heartwood Gallery showcases the work of the finest regional artisans including furniture makers, potters, jewelry designers, fiber artists, and many more.

When we have plans for dinner in a neighboring town I usually dress for the daytime activities but take with me other shoes, jewelry, a jacket or wrap, and an evening clutch to switch to for dinner.

 For daytime, I wore low wedge comfortable black Alex Marie shoes from Dillard's last year. I had my hair cut again on Friday but I haven't had time to "customize" it yet. Do you do your own texturizing around your face? I invested in a pair of texturizing shears years ago. They are more forgiving if you just can resist trimming the front of your own hair when you are past due for a cut. 

Barter Theatre was founded during the Depression by an enterprising young actor named Robert Porterfield. He and his fellow actors found themselves out of work and hungry in New York City. Porterfield contrasted that to the abundance of food, but lack of live theater, around his home region in Southwest Virginia. He returned to Washington County with an extraordinary proposition: bartering produce from the farms and gardens of the area to gain admission to see a play. These days they are happy to accept cash or credit cards instead of a pound of potatoes for entrance.

The Martha Washington Hotel and Spa across the street is one of our favorite retreats and places to enjoy fine dining. 

There is a grand piano in the main floor ballroom of The Martha Washington Hotel. I read music but I can not play by ear or memory.  I am in awe of those who can.

I've switched to a different fuchsia double-breasted jacket, Ros Hommerson shoes, blingy jewelry, and a small leather clutch for dinner. This jacket is also from Stein Mart. 

Relaxing in front of the fire in the library at the Martha.

More bling and a small leather clutch for the evening.

The Spa is world-class... so is their fine dining restaurant "Sisters at The Martha". 

 

 The first course... lobster fritters and a lovely Sauvignon blanc.