THE POWER OF LIPSTICK

I have a MILESTONE birthday coming up in a few days. With that in mind, I found this post quite timely 😊: Lessons on Aging from my Mother and Grandmother by Elizabeth Denkel. Her grandmother was a rehearsal pianist for a ballet company and her mother was a bookkeeper.

Here is a quick summary of the lessons:

• Don’t mention it – stop talking about aging; it’s boring
• Why not work? – both her grandmother and mother stayed engaged in work or volunteering
• Eat the butter – everything in moderation, even butter and cream
• Love young people – keep up with their trials and triumphs
• Be positive and never complain – everyone has aches and pains, enough said
• Zest and dimes – stay interested and involved and ‘life can turn on a dime’ so don’t postpone joy
• The power of lipstick – with lipstick on you can be ready for anything
• Dashing over to Bloomingdales – the power of fashion never ends

When I was young, I don’t recall having ageless role models in my life.  My mom stayed working and put on lipstick every day, but that was about it. On the other hand, her older sister (lower left picture – mom is on the right and Aunt Nadine is on the left) was a ‘chick’ forever.  You can tell by the photo that she knew how to work it.  She was a widow and lived in Texas and California so I didn’t see her much.  I really got to know her when I was in my 40’s and she was in her 80’s, still a shameless flirt 😊.

I first got exposed to ageless style on a regular basis when I hooked up with my meilleur ami in 8^th grade and got to know her mom and aunt. Her mom taught swimming for years.  Speaking of swimming, everyone in the family was a swimmer and it showed. Not a Saturday went by that her mom, aunt, and cousin didn’t go downtown to do a little shopping.  They definitely understood the power of fashion and the power of lipstick!

I always felt warmly welcomed when I came over and they listened to all my trials (a ticket for running a stop sign) and triumphs. I loved spending Christmas Eve with them and fondly remember their Hickory Farms beef stick and Kaukauna port wine cheese😊 (in moderation, of course). Her aunt’s daughter is following in their ageless style footsteps, as is my meilleur ami (pictured with me in the bottom right of the collage – second on the left). I learned the ‘power of lipstick’ from all of them!

“I don’t understand how a woman can leave the house without fixing herself up a little – if only out of politeness

Coco Chanel

It may sound ridiculous to you….but we need to be careful about allowing aging….in general…to cloud our vision…we tend to start walking more slowly and more cautiously…Just don’t forget to add a little skip to your day.

#lindavwright

Allene

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