I’m back today for Fashion over 50 with another top I found at the Goodwill for $5 and change. And today I’m sharing what I do for my hair and makeup regime. I thought it would be fun to share pics of myself over the years. I love to see pictures of celebrities and how they have aged over the years, don’t you. Time goes so fast and aging is part of the process of getting older and it’s sort of fun to look back and see where I was 10-20-30 years ago. I feel like I’m aging pretty well and I think that has to do with good genes, trying to eat well most of the time, exercise and staying out of the sun (which I haven’t done so well with this year, having too much fun floating in the pool or lake).
So, take a look back with me at my hairstyles over the year. Since we’re talking about hair today, you can see how my hair has evolved too. I shared a post about my 8 years of blogging hair, but these pics go back way further than the start of my blog.
Age 17: High school graduation pic. I wore glasses since 4th grade and the summer I graduated from high school, I got contacts, which I still wear. That changed my life dramatically, no more glasses! I started off with blonde hair as a child and then it moved into darkish strawberry blonde by the time I was in high school. My dad is a red head, so I got lots of red highlights from him. You can see I have always had a lot of hair.
Age 18: First year of college. I discovered blonde highlights at this time and never looked back. I’ve been a blonde ever since. Farrah Faucett hair was all the rage and mine did pretty well in this style. I used a big round brush to tame my curls.
Age 24: Vacation in St. Thomas. Still lots of big hair and curls. I think I was sporting a sunburn here too, which I got way too often back then. Remember the days of iodine and baby oil or Hawaiian Tropic with NO sunscreen? We weren’t educated on the need for sunscreen back then, which wasn’t good.
Age 27: Lauren was 2 years old and it’s fun to look back at her at that age, since she will be 33 this month. I had already started working out by this point (at age 25) and going to the gym regularly. I was always known for my big hair and when it was really in style, I had it naturally with no hair products to get it that way.
Age 28: Vacation in Hilton Head. I had a layered bob haircut. All I did was style my hair and add a little bit of mousse or gel. All the layers brought out my many natural curls.
Age 33: Vacation in Italy. I had let it grow out a bit from the shorter bob by this point.
Age 37: I let my hair grow out even more at this age, but it was definitely harder to style and keep it looking good. My big hair tended to take over my face. This is Easter 95, with my mom, sister and niece, Lauren. Lauren was 12.
Age 40: My sister threw me a surprise 40th birthday party. My hair was looking like a helmet this year and not very attractive. Still big and curly. Those jeans could use some help too.
Age 46: I had gone shorter by now with much less volume.
Age 47: This was 2003 and Lauren and I went on a cruise together. We had so much fun dressing up. I don’t really love my hair this short, but I think the length I’ve settled on now works best for me.
Age 52: This was 2 years into blogging. Still layered and I used a round brush to pull out the curl.
Age 53: This picture was taken out at the Pioneer Woman’s ranch and I forgot my hair dryer and didn’t realize it until after I washed my hair. So, the curls took over once again. A stylist helped with her curling iron too to tame it into place.
Age 56: I finally found my hair stylist I have now and she does a great job. She is the best stylist I’ve ever found for my hair type and now with the invention of the flat iron, I can have sleek straight hair, something I’ve always wanted. This was in Nashville with my friend, Vicki, two summers ago.
Age 57: After baby Parker was born in February 2014.
Age 57: Grove Park Inn with Lauren in November of 2014.
Age 58: Back to beachy waves in my hair for summer. I found this White House Black Market top at Goodwill for $5 and change. It’s been fun to find these deals along the way, just by looking.
Cropped pants are from TJ Maxx and the brand is Max Studio (Max Jeans). Sandals are from Target.
I love black and white and have collected lots of it in my closet. I got that mother of pearl necklace at a yardsale years ago and wore my other mother of pearl jewelry with it.
I love stacking bracelets. I do have more of a tan this year from being out in the sun more. I usually don’t do that, but this year I have been determined to enjoy the summer and with that comes being in the sun more, floating in the pool and the lake. So, that’s part of it, getting more sun than usual. I do use a 30 SPF spray and I haven’t burned at all, but I do know that sun exposure is not good for you. I had skin cancer over 20 years ago and my dad has dealt with skin cancer on his face for many years. So, I’m definitely a candidate for it and have to be careful. I do go and get screened at the dermatologist pretty regularly and have had many precancerous areas frozen over the years. I have skin just like my father’s, freckled and fair.
I do cover my face and wear a visor when I’m outside floating. And I wear at least a 30 on my face too to protect it from sun exposure. Another thing I’ve always done is to wear sunglasses when I’m outside. My blue eyes can’t take the sun and for comfort, I just have to wear them, so I think it’s helped protect my eyes. Not that I don’t have crows feet, but they aren’t too deep.
I do love these flat black leather sandals from Target a lot. Just found them this year.
So back to the hair. My hair tends to be on the dry side and I do use a conditioner on it every time I wash. I wash my hair no more than 2 to 3 times a week and honestly when I let the waves come out like this, it feels like it needs washing more often than when I use the flat iron. I can go days without washing when I flat iron my hair. My hair is cut longer in the front than the back.
Since I got a keratin treatment at the beginning of summer to help with the frizz when I flat iron my hair, it does make the curl relax more. So sometimes my hair is curlier than this. I’ll talk about products below, but when I let my hair go natural, I just add some curling cream, and use the blow dryer on low and sort of scrunch and pull my hair to get the waves set. It take a little bit of fluffing with the fingers to style it like this, but I’m used to that over the years. I don’t use a brush at all, when I’m letting it dry curly. I will usually start with the blow dryer and then let the rest dry naturally.
I really liked it when it dried in this pic. This was adding curling cream and then drying on low. It can change from day to day too, with the changes in humidity making the difference. You can see my freckles and tan here, so I need to be careful with that.
I took a few shots of the back of my hair so you can see how it dries. It’s mostly wavy when I do this method.
Another shot of the back. I have less layers with this hairstyle, so it won’t be nearly as curly as it was in my older pics. The layers make a big difference in how my hair curls.
And another shot after styling with waves. See how it looks different all the time? If you have hair like mine, you just have to play with it to figure out what works for your hair. Mine is very thick, coarse and wavy/curly. The humidity each days plays a big part in how it looks, but I’ve gotten lots of compliments on it since I’ve been wearing it like this for a couple of weeks.
It’s great to have options, so I’ll go back to using the flat iron again too. I enjoy it both ways and especially like the relaxed waves for the summer months.
I use Garnier Fructis Style cream gel styling cream. I use about a quarter’s worth size in my palms and pull it all the way through my hair from top to bottom. Then I use the blow dryer and fluff with my fingers, letting it air dry at the end.
If anyone has some tips on products to use to combat frizz for curly hair, please leave them below. We can all use more tips on that! Someone on Instagram told me to try Loreal Beach Waves, a styling spray. I did buy a Beach Waves spray that was called Sea Salt, but I hated it. It literally felt like my hair had been dipped in the ocean and dried. Not a good feel at all!
The Kenra Silkening Mist is what I use when I flat iron my hair to protect it from the heat and give it shine.
Now on to some beauty and skincare products. I am by no means an expert on skin care. I’ve tried inexpensive and expensive skincare products over the years, from Arbonne to Rodan and Fields, as well as the popular Oil of Olay. I honestly cannot tell a huge difference in the expensive products, even though I gave them a good try and would have loved to have fallen in love with something that worked. But, I just couldn’t see it, so I do not spend a lot of $$ on skincare. I use the basics. I’m using a Neutrogena foaming cleanser right now.
Right now I’ve got Aveeno moisturizer for my daily moisturizer. I have always had oily skin, which I’ve heard is a good thing for aging better and now it’s mostly oily in the T-zone. So I use a bit of moisturizer and a primer on my skin before putting on makeup. At night, I have been using Boots No. 7 products that can be found at Target. They are from the UK and I’ve heard good things about them over the last few years, so I’m trying them out. I use the serum and night cream. Are they working? I have no idea really, but I feel better just using something at night. I use an eye cream when I think about it. I also bought a Clarisonic Mia 2 skin brush last year. I had heard some of my friends talk about this, so I decided to buy one too. I don’t know if it’s really helping a lot, but I figured it would help with exfoliation which is crucial for our skin to stay fresh, so I use it most nights in the shower when I’m taking off my makeup.
Boots No. 7 Night Cream (affiliate link)
Boots No 7 Filler/Primer (affiliate link)
For my makeup routine, I keep it pretty simple these days too. I used to wear more makeup than I do now and spent way more time on it when I was younger. Now, I can put my makeup on in about 10 minutes max. I use a good under eye concealer. I have 2 that I like, Elizabeth Arden and Nars. They are both creamy in consistency and do a good job with under the eye circles. I’ve been using Bare Minerals for probably 7 years now and love it too. It’s not heavy coverage, but allows the skin to show through and just looks more natural. With oily skin, it’s really good for summer too. I use a little blush and to seal it all in as a finishing powder, I use the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil. It sets everything and keeps it looking glowy, the Mineral Veil has a bit of shimmer to it so I like that too. That little Kabuki brush is what I use to apply the foundation mineral powder. These are both mineral powder products and I love them.
Nars Concealer – I use Custard, but check out all their colors. (affiliate link)
Elizabeth Arden Concealer – I have medium (affiliate link)
Sometimes in the summer, I will use a tinted moisturizer and this one is Oil of Olay. It’s a color and moisturizer in one and has an SPF 15 in it too, so somewhat protects the face. If I’m in a hurry, I’ll just use this for the day.
For my eye makeup, I use a simple pencil eye liner. The one I have now is Almay in Brown and I bought the Naked palette by Urban Decay and love it.
With my blue eyes, I look good in browns and soft earthy pinks, so those are the ones I use the most. This eye shadow palette has lasted me a long time and a little goes a long way. They have come out with different colors in their palettes, so you can take a look if you’re interested and see which ones you think might work for you.
Here’s the Urban Decay Naked palette I have. (affiliate link)
These Clinique lipsticks are my fave for summer and I usually buy these on Ebay. You can see that these are the freebies that Clinique gives away and there are a lot of them sold (brand new) on Ebay. Or see the full size ones below.
Clinique Raspberry Glace from Nordstrom (affiliate link)
Clinique Glazed Berry from Nordstrom (affiliate link)
These are my every day hair, skincare and makeup ideas, so I hope you got some tips of your own. I don’t do anything really outrageous, but just consistently use these products and sometimes try new things to see how they work. I used to buy much more makeup than I do now, but I’ve honed it down to these for the most part.
Hope you enjoyed seeing my hair pictures from the past! It’s fun to look back and see what’s changed over the years. Sigh….life keeps on moving, doesn’t it?! There’s nothing we can do to stop the aging process, but I’m doing my best to keep looking as good as I can as I continue moving forward in age.
John Frieda Frizz Ease products are awesome!!!
Loved seeing you through the years! You are a beautiful woman and thanks for sharing your beauty routines with us. I have been looking for some different skin products because I am experiencing acne like never before (I’m 56!). And like you, I have tried both expensive and not so expensive.
P.S. Hope you are having a blast on the yard sale trip!!
I hope my comments yesterday about the sun didn’t offend! I didn’t go back and reread my comments, but I don’t think I “fussed”. LOL I know I said I am out in the sun, but I do not let my face get sun. After MOHS surgery for skin cancer, I do all I can to not go through that again. My derm has never told me the sun actually CAUSED my skin cancer (not sure they can determine that), but they do know it causes damage/aging to the skin. So yes, I enjoy my time out (we are boaters, campers, etc!), I am careful. I did share my eye cream info in my previous comment as someone asked.
No Renee, no offense taken by your comments.
Wow! You sure love to post pics of yourself – never seen anything like it! You are attractive but not nearly as attractive as you think you are. I will say you are confident and that is a good thing. Your posts sound braggy to me.
Tonya,wonder why you took this post as braggy but no one else did? Not meant to be at all, but a discussion on aging.
Really? Seems you take every opportunity to show yourself off – may be a reason you are single — just sayin’.
Does it make you feel better to try to put me in my place, Tonya? Because you seem to be going out of your way to do that. Why read my blog if I bother you that much?
Couldn’t agree with you more Tonya. So many pictures that show sun damage. There are flaws in all of us. Why flaunt it? This blog has increasingly become more self absorbed even with the housing posts but especially with the fashion posts.
You ladies are welcome to not read my blog if it makes you feel that I’m truly self absorbed. I think most of my regular readers took this in the spirit it was intended & that was a light hearted look at myself aging & sharing ideas with each other.
When you put 26 pictures of yourself in one posting you can’t expect every response to be filled with heaps of compliments. You have to take the bad with the good. It appears you only want the flattering comments. That’s not how this works. Bloggers can be the most igotistical and self promoting group of people in the world. Not all are. I read plenty that are genuine and far from self absorbed. It’s just not necessary.
I think some of my comments came across more harsh than I intended. I stand behind my opinions but they could have been said in a less hurtful way. I’m menopausal (imagine that) and sometimes I go from 0 to 100 rather quickly. All of us over 50 either have or will experience what I’m talking about. I still believe a blogger should expect criticism and that all posts won’t be full of accolades and praises. You have to expect the negative with the positive. I still believe what I wrote but not the way in which it was written.
I actually got the opposite impression as Diane & Tonya. I think that many people would not be inclined to share photos of their 20-30 years younger self. Let’s face it, it’s certainly not hiding the natural aging process that their appearance has taken. As a mature woman, you are very willing to show photos of yourself as a much younger woman – key word being “mature” – not “showing off” or “braggy” (it’s refreshing to see a woman embrace her hands that show age as you do). No one is forcing Diane & Tonya to look at your posts, so it’s odd that with such strong feelings about your content they do so – and then spend time interacting with you! Fact is that you have a good sense of style of what looks good on you, and you put effort into keeping fit and dressing stylishly. While I have a different body shape and my coloring/wardrobe is about opposite of yours, I enjoy your fashion posts. Your blog seems to be evolving into more of a “lifestyle” blog and it suits you well. As a reader, I enjoy your expanded topics.
Tonya,
If this blog offends you so much why do you bother to read it. Most of us read these types of blogs for inspiration. If we don’t find it so, we move on.
Rhonda, I also have a blog and plan on expanding it, so I always look forward to see how others do it. I enjoy your blog. I am 67 and I am always looking for new inspiration for making life more interesting.
With regard to hair, at 67, my hair is thinning, not sure why. I keep it cut to one length (shoulder) at this time and pull it back and use a curly hairpiece to add body. I have silver hair and get compliments on it a quite often. If I had beautiful thick curly hair, I would do it like your picture with the short bob. This is adorable for any age, and I think would look great on the right face shape with silver or gray hair. I personally do not like short straight shaggy hair. Although your hair looks stylish and youthful, I liked it better with the curly bob. I find it hard to understand why people go to all the effort of straightening their hair to extremes rather than find a cut that suits their hair type and face shape. Just my thoughts.
Anyway, I look forward to readying more. Have a wonderful weekend.
Hey sweet friend! I loved the journey back to when you were 17. Remember when I hadn’t seen you since graduation and I knocked on your apartment door 2 years later and didn’t recognize you! I truly believe one reason you have such great hair and skin is because you have taken such good care of yourself by eating healthy and exercising! You’re a great example for all of us, no matter our age! Thanks for the great post!
Love you,
Vic
I popped back on hoping that more people would chime in with products they use, and they did! Love getting new suggestions!!! Keep up the fashion posts! LOVE THEM!!!!
Thanks for the ideas, Rhoda! I am older than you, but I certainly haven’t given up trying to look my best. I feel inspired by your ideas, keep them coming!
Hi Rhoda!
You are the least self absorbed blogger I know! I loved looking back at your hair styles over the years. It brought back a lot of happy memories, especially the Farrah Fawcett time frame. I had the layers, but tried so hard to have curls back then!
Terri
Hi, Rhoda, I’ve been reading your blog for months now without commenting, but I’m coming out to say that…I loved this post. I hope you’re not feeling sorry you published it. So much fun to see your styles change with the years! And you were way luckier than I ever was with curly hair and the Farrah Fawcett look, LOL.
As I get older (only a few months away from 50, eek!), I’m learning that one of the benefits to aging is that I can “own” and feel confident about myself–including how I look.
Keep doing what you’re doing.
Hi, Catherine, thank you for commenting. No, I’m not sorry I published this at all. It was a fun post to do and 99% of my readers appreciated it. I just have to take the good with the bad and have to have a pretty thick skin in blogging. It’s part of the territory. Are some people just mean….yes, they are. I would never dream of leaving comments like some of the ones I get sometimes.
I really enjoyed every bit of your post. Thanks for all the tips. Tell me more about the Clarisonic? I’m 53 maybe I need one. I don’t exfoliate, but haven’t felt the need. However, maybe I’m missing out on something that would be helpful.:) Thanks for sharing. My concern is that I wash my hair every day, occasionally twice a day as I exercise six days a wee and get really sweaty when I do, so I have to shower and wash my color treated dark brown hair. I know it’s not good to wash it every day, but exercise is really important to me, so I err on the side of keeping my body and mind strong through exercise and having my gray wash out more quickly. :/ It is also drying to my hair, but I condition it, which helps. My hair is thinning as I age and is a little longer than shoulder length which I curl with not rollers each day. My hair does not look good unless curled.it’s so fun to hear others positive ideas and suggestions.
Nancy, I’m late getting back to this, since I’ve been traveling, but I’ll try to answer on the Clarisonic. Some of my younger friends used them and I thought I’d try it too. Not sure exactly what it is doing, but I figure it is good for exfoliating and cleaning the skin. Like the way it feels too. Anyway, I’ve been using it for over 6 mos. now, but can’t really see what it’s doing. I hear you on sweaty hair. When I’m sweating a lot, I feel like I need to wash my hair more often too.
I too have lots of curly thick course hair. The John Freida smoothing serum and dream curls work well for me. Plus ISO Bouncy Cream is a product I love. One disappointment with the bouncy cream is the company recently changed the fragrance. I used to receive so many compliments and questions as to what it was I was using in my hair. That’s the only disappointment with this one product! Hope they don’t change anything else 🙂
I enjoy your blog! Please continue sharing!
Hi Rhonda, So sorry about the negative folks and their negative comments to you.
My question is, how do you wear a belt with your jeans at our age. I am slim but the jeans today seem to be too low for me to belt and tuck in. Is their a brand of jeans that you have found that work better for us older girls?
PS. I wish I were garage selling with you. Have fun and ohhhh the treasures you will find. Thanks for your blog. Love your Inspire Me Monday’s and coastal DIYs.
Hi Betty Jane, thank you! I think that you do have to look for jeans that aren’t so low to tuck in. My favorite ones are from Kohls & are Rock & Republic. They hit just below the belly button so are not so low. I think you just have to try some on to find a good fit.
Rhoda,
Thank you for sharing. I am always looking for products to use on my curly/frizzy hair, and some of the products mentioned are now on my list to try. I use mostly Burt’s Bee skin and hair products and Physicians Formula foundation and mascara. It is always great to learn new things and find encouragement for this journey we are all on.
As for those who felt the need to be negative…”For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others, for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness, and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone” Audrey Hepburn
Hi Rhonda, I loved seeing the photos of you through the years. You are as beautiful as you were at 17, and still have a great smile. Thanks for sharing so much about yourself as well as the products that you use…and love the Goodwill tip!
I have been following you since almost your blogging beginning. I admire you and greatly enjoyed this post. I am 63 and always enjoy ideas for hair and make-up. Thanks for being such a kind-hearted and good person.
OMG…..looking at your hairstyles was so much fun Rhoda! I see that you have always been beautiful:)
Love the fashion posts too. My problem at 58 is thinning hair. do any of your readers have ideas that have worked to camouflage the thinness?
I loved your posts…very informative and fun. I too have thick hair that was worn in many of the same styles….I am also an outdoor girl, but am much more careful now. Tan Towels are an absolutely wonderful way to get the color but not the damage (wish these had been around in high school!)
To all the Negative Nellies–just stop it. This lady has put herself out there to share and help us. What have you done?
You are great Rhoda! Keep it up!