I LOVE KIMONOS. I need to wear cooler type items as I’m fast approaching 50. Clingy clothes no longer work for me. Kimonos are just so elegant. This is another great find at IVY Boutique in San Mateo. The kimono was thoughtfully made by a woman, Rose local in SF. I’m going to pair it with these beautiful earrings designed by IVY’s owner, Chelsey. You can wear a kimono as loungwear hanging around home, or with jeans out and about. I would say not to wear anything too baggy on the bottom as the kimono is loose. It will make you look shapeless. As for the shirt underneath, wear a more solid color if it has a pattern as most of them do. You don’t want to have too much competing visuals. The kimono should be the eye catcher alone. 😊

A simple way to add some flair to an outfit (or cover up a bad hair day) is to throw on a head scarf. This particular one I’m wearing is a bit larger of a square shape. There are endless ways to rock one. They can sometimes slide off your head, so clip a bobby pin behind each ear to hold it in place. Can you tell I am SO READY for spring and summer?! 🙌🌞

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As I’m getting older, my eyes are starting to droop a bit. Ughhh. Do I see an eye lift in my future? Probably not. I’m too scared to go under the knife. I love eyeliners. I’ve tried so many brands, and have always stuck to waterproof pencil liners. But I constantly have a problem with the eyeliner creasing in the middle of my eyelid after a short time. I’ve found the best solution for this issue are waterproof liquid eyeliners. I came across UZ when it popped up on my IG one day. This eyeliner is special. 1st of all, the colors offered are so cool and unique (light blue, PINK!, burgundy, yellow) besides traditional colors including 7 shades of black. And they are constantly creating new colors. 2nd, the brush. The brush. I am typing this directly from UZ website: ‘CRAFTED BY HAND An innovation 1,200 years in the making, YAMATO TAKUMI™ Brush is created by traditional craftsmen from the Kumano region of Japan, who hand blend custom-made fibers for firmness, flexibility and softness.’ Wow. 3rd, the products are hypoallergenic, most are gluten free and all are cruelty free. Their packaging is made from recycled material as well. Lastly, well, how did it last? FABULOUS!! It stayed put pretty much all day with no smudging. Sold. Happy lining! UZ.

This has always driven me bonkers. Trying to put on a bracelet by myself. Came across this trick several years ago. Pretty genius and easy! It also can work with a bobby pin. Bracelet hack.

Back in the 80’s, color mascara was ALL the rage. I wore electric blue, purple, a teal green and pink! Pink. 🤦‍♀️ Omg. Yes, it made me look like a bunny, smh. But bunnies are cute! 😆 2 of my besties have pet bunnies and they are indeed the cutest. 😃🐰 Rihanna has a lovely line of products-Fenty Beauty. The packaging is beautiful, super affordable, cruelty-free, vegan and free of tons of icky chemicals. And the quality of the powders are deee-vine. I have a shimmery pink (again with the pink) cheek highlighter, a setting powder, a bronzer and this gorgeous forest green mini mascara called Ivy League. It works well to elongate my lashes. ALWAYS use an eyelash curler, pre-mascara, my peeps! (Quick tip. Breathe some warm on the curler right before you use it). The mascara also comes in a burgundy color which I am about to purchase. And this particular green will work on all skin tones and eye colors. Here’s me with one good coat. Click Fenty or Sephora to purchase. Hurry though! These colors are limited edition!

I’ve been singing the praises of these CBD face masks by Beboe to whomever will listen. I also have gifted them to some of my besties. This company Beboe Therapies launched in 2017 and has a celebrity cult following… for good reason. The products have such a lovely scent, do wonders to your skin AND truly relax you. It’s a plant-based line so NO chemicals, synthetics, silicone, etc. NO animal testing. These masks have 50 mg of hemp-derived CBD, vitamin C, aloe and algae extract to name a few ingredients. I also LOVE the face serum. It really gives an amazing glow with help from safflower, rosehip, grapeseed & pomegranate oil. The body balm is also soothing on my achy old bones. They’re having a Valentine’s Day sale til Sunday. Buy any full size product and get the 3 pack mask for free. And just look at the beautiful packaging by co-founder Scott Campbell who also is a well-known tattoo artist. Adore. We can all use some calming help these days, no? Beboe.

In the early 90’s, I did indeed own a pair of Docs. Doc Martens (Dr. Martens), technically. How bout’ you? It was almost a necessity to be a young adult living in the grunge era to have a pair. I remember them being heavy and not the most attractive shoes I owned. I also remember taking them camping once and placing my cold feet in said boots on the edge of the open fire pit that was going, and burning holes in the bottom of each rubber sole. 🤦‍♀️ And that was pretty much the end of my Docs. 😆 These days, I’ve opted for a lighter weight and ergo fit for my older feet. I own these, made by Vionic. I love this brand. They are comfy and offer great arch support. I also like that they zip up on the side. I don’t have the time or the energy to struggle with laces or worry about shoving my Cinderella’s stepsister feet in. I have the classic black patent, but they also come in a Navy and Olive Green. You can find them @DSW too. Or, if you want to really go legit, find patent Docs here. They have pale pink, white and purple besides classic black as well as a million other styles. You Oughta Know that while this Smells like Teen Spirit, I am happy to let this fashion item Linger.

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I often get asked where I shop as they like my style. What I always say is I shop EVERYWHERE. That’s the key. I don’t discriminate on the store name. I do love small boutiques as they will tend to have special pieces that you can’t find in big name stores, BUT I’m also a bargain hunter. Try not to buy things only from one place or you will look like you only shop at say a Banana Republic. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but to create a unique look, mix and match. Here are some things from my closet. I didn’t post any links as these are some of my tried and true pieces I’ve had for a few years. In the 1st pic, is my leopard jacket from Chico’s. I don’t buy alot from there, but again, I scour stores for unique pieces that grab me. I loved the little pleather detail on the collar. I paired it with a pink blouse I had from Nordstrom Rack. The necklace is by Jessica Simpson and it’s reversible! Solid rose gold on one side, crushed black stones on the other. Throw over some black joggers or blue skinny jeans and good to go. And I personally LOVE hats so I would add this sparkly beret if I’m so inclined or having a bad hair day. In the 2nd pic, I paired a scarf from World Market (always simply Cost Plus to me!), with one of my fav tops from several years ago from JCrew. I’ll grab a gray duster sweater from good old Tarjay (Target, obvi) and toss on a cozy hat. (No, not needed too much in Cali, but any chance I can wear a fun pom pom beanie, I will!) This particular one is pulling out some of the same hues of said outfit. Lastly, is an electric blue blouse again from Target, a cashmere sweater (Halogen brand, super affordable for cashmere) from Nordstrom. I added a red rose pin for a little jazz and a fedora. Pair with a black knit skirt, knee length and some booties. Again, these are just examples. The idea is to find a piece that speaks to YOU. Then work an outfit around it. A fun colorful scarf, a cherished pin that was your grandma’s, some funky blue earrings or a cool hat. 👌👌 I can’t wait til we can actually go places again and wear our put together looks, amiright?!! 🙌💃🕺

So this new boutique in downtown San Mateo is my dream. Friendly, helpful and down to earth owner. ✔ Woman owned. ✔ Unique and special pieces. ✔ Hand made crafted items by other local woman artisans. ✔ Beautiful, chic and organized store layout. ✔ There are scarcely any speciality shops in the peninsula that carries such a fun and ample selection. Amazing jewelry, fab masks, some home decor, divine hand made candles, bath salts and bath bombs just to name a few. And let me tell you. The prices are insanely reasonable for the quality and craftsmanship. Chesley, the owner, chatted me up today and offered suggestions while I gawked at all of her amazing torch fired enamel earrings hand crafted by her. I took my time wandering around picking out this and that. I could have left with ALOT more but I was happy with my purchases and a few gifts. Be sure to check out IVY. Support this fab local business! 55 E. 3rd Ave., San Mateo. Hours: Wed-Thurs. 11am-7pm https://ivyhandmade.com/

Many years ago, I fell asleep in the sun in Vegas. It was 105.° Yikes. I got some BAD sun spots on my face. 1 spot in particular has driven me bonkers all this time. I tried TONS of products. Expensive, cheap, all natural. Nothing worked. I’ve contemplated laser but quite honestly, I didn’t want to spend the $$ and from what I’ve heard, there was no guarantee it would help eliminate it. And it made me nervous with the thought of the laser being so close to my eye. A couple months ago, while at Kaiser optical picking up my glasses, a nice gal was helping me. We got on the subject of sun spots and how she found this product at the pharmacy right there at Kaiser. She raved about how it helped her spots. I said, shoot. I’ll try anything. It was literally $9. I started it the beginning of November. I did a thicker spot application and just left it on, once a day. Omg, I was so happy when I saw the results after less than 2 months!! It was probably only 1.5 months as I wasn’t good about applying it everyday. The main ingredient is Hydroquinone 2%. They have a day and night cream. I bought the day version. I’m working on some spots on my hand and a very dark one on my chest, currently. See if you can find it at Kaiser pharmacy if you’re a member. Also Amazon is “pricier” but still ridiculously cheap. Or Walmart. Let me know if it works for you! *The photos are un-retouched. And please ignore my bloodshot eye in the Nov. pic. I was having horrible allergies that morning.*