'That bossy b****, that loud talker'
+ We're giving this perimenopause power pill 5 out of 5 GALs
Lipstick loud
Why I’m embracing a bold lip in midlife
Cruella was my gateway: An orange-red shade of the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil. I’d purchased her six years ago, along with a more neutral, pinkish brown I picked up at the same time. I had never been big on lipstick — it felt incompatible with my low-maintenance vibe — but what can I say; I was feeling curious. (Also, I was on vacation in NYC.)
Back home, the neutral shade became my go-to, and stayed so into my late 40s, while Cruella — that bossy bitch, that loud talker — stayed tucked away in my makeup drawer. She waited, patiently. And then, on a spring evening about a year ago, right after I turned 50, I had a big work event on tap — my arts nonprofit’s annual fundraiser — and I brought Cruella with me. That night, everything changed.
In midlife, I have become a woman who rocks a bold red lip. It came on like a crush — a new fascination, a new plaything, a new tool in the evolving self-image kit. I was determined to bust into my fifth decade on this burning planet with joy and defiance, so perhaps it’s no surprise that, basically overnight, I became a lipstick lady in the loudest way possible. Cruella has friends now, a regular harem of reds. There are no fewer than six different tubes in my bag, and while I still consider myself a lipstick rookie, I could wax poetic about the pros and cons of each.
Over-50 makeup: The pleasures and perils of painting one’s mouth
Like most obsessions, this one isn’t without awkward moments. I have ended up with red lipstick on the wrong parts of my face, on my teeth, my fingers. I leave a trail of crescent-marked coffee cups — a thing old me once found repugnant, when the lip traces weren’t mine — and have sat through meals full of lowkey worry that I’ve unintentionally achieved a bouche mordue that appears more bed-rotting-slovenly than bedhead-sexy. It’s all rather potentially…revealing.
This article was originally published here on the-midst.com.
Introducing our new rating system for product reviews
So many amazing Grown Ass Ladies, so little time.
When we started thinking about a rating system to visually depict our thoughts on products and services that benefit women in midlife, we thought, “Stars, shmars.” Why not try something new?
Starting today, we’ll include our GALs ratings in our reviews of products and services — the max is 5 out 5. Like everything we do at The Midst, we start small and build slowly but surely, keeping you, our dear Midster, in mind. Our vision is to build a thriving database of information about how midlife women’s health products and services work. Yep, we’re in the early days of building an army of women who will dish their honest opinion about the stuff they love … and not so much.
As you know, we’re on a mission to empower women in midlife to live on their terms. Part of this mission includes getting our arms around the modern perimenopause experience. Thankfully, more and more organizations are joining in the cause to help women remedy their peri symptoms. Treatment options for hormone health and wellness is in its pioneer phase. We’re excited to be part of the menopause awareness movement and to lay the tracks to understanding the benefits and differences between emerging telehealth platforms, supplements, naturopathy, nutrition, testing, etc.
We’re just getting warmed up — stay tuned for more in-depth reviews of the products and services our team will try, like this “smart watch” that stops hot flashes in their tracks.
Who’s your favorite GAL? Who else should we include in our “rating system”? Sound off in comments at the end of this post.
We’re giving this ‘perimenopause power pill’ 5 out of 5 Grown-Ass Ladies
In case you missed Lauria Locsmondy’s review of Nouri Menopause Health daily probiotic, she’s giving it 5 out of 5 GALS.