By Audrey van Petegem, Chief Editor
Recently, I wrote an article about feeling beautiful as I age. In the article I included BOOMbox Network’s beauty survey that asked the question, ”How do women over the age of 45 REALLY feel about ‘beauty’ at their age”. A not-so-surprising finding is how important hair is to women. Healthy hair defines our youth and can determine if we age “gracefully” or not.
I have a dear friend, you all know her, who has always had gorgeous hair, and for 20 years I have been jealous (yes, jealous) of her hair. Beautiful thick, silky long mane of hair. I [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Chief Editor
As I recently delved into all sorts of questions regarding oh… little things such as the dichotomy of  love & desire in my marriage and the discovery of seeing myself as a sensual being, the thought pattern inevitably led me to questioning my “beauty”.
Actually, what does “beauty” mean? It’s hard to discern, especially in our society, exactly what makes a person beautiful. The continuous assault of “perfect beauty” imagery wants us to believe one thing. Wiser outlets – and even dedicated organizations – tell us that beauty comes in all colors, shapes and sizes… And ages.
I’m 50 [...]

By Susan Keats, Contributor & Seize-the-Day Propagandist
Did you know that a 50 year old woman from MY TOWN has found a secret to rid herself of wrinkles that is even better than Botox? And can you believe, DOCTORS don’t want me to know about it?
And, did you know that a 65 year old woman, also from MY TOWN (wow, what a talented town I live in) has NO CELLULITE and if I just click….right here on this….oh.  I have to watch this long video thing and….oh.  I have to buy this … stuff….
Now that I have achieved mid life, I’m [...]

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
I’m a baby boomer. And I think that I speak for many of us when I say that, despite all of our bravado that speaks of how much more confident we are as we age, how much better we feel about ourselves now that we are no longer caught up in the angst of youth… there are still a bunch of things that suck. Like thining hair. Arrrgh.
It never even occured to me that this would happen. I expected wrinkles, waistline expansion, gravity taking hold of various body parts… But thining hair? That was never something that [...]

Guest post by Dana Hoffman, Licensed Acupuncturist, Masters of Science in Oriental Medicine
I was blown away reading Audrey’s December article on her experience of receiving Botox injections for the first time. Hers is the first article I’d seen giving the not-so-good side of what happens when Botox (Botulism Type A) works too well at paralyzing the nerves that activate muscles. The part about drooling really frightened me…

By Anne-Marie Kovacs, Chief Wife
As I was contemplating getting a much needed manicure and finding the time to squeeze in that nail appointment in these harried days, I remembered this product for DIY Gel manicure that I wanted to try. I haven’t tried it yet, but I still wanted to let you know about the Red Carpet Manicure. It gets uniformly excellent reviews whether on Amazon, Ulta or on Drugstore.com.
As I have mentioned last year,  I rarely got manicures until I discovered salon No Chip/Gel manicures. I’m completely hopeless at keeping – regular – polish un-chipped and un-smudged for more than five minutes. Well, [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Every once in a while I come across a company and the story behind the person who started it makes me just want to write about them. Newly founded Get Happy Inspirational Apparel is one of those companies. At age 33 Maria Carmel woke up one morning in her friends apartment with her young daughter sleeping on the floor. Homeless, jobless, without family support, she decided right there that she wanted to Get Happy – her first independent decision in her entire life. Growing up in an unsupportive and emotionally abusive environment, Maria never felt [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
My daughter Thea has allergies. And with these allergies comes eczema. Not just a little bit, but huge flare ups around her eyes, nose, lips and every other orifices on her body. She is simply miserable during these outbreaks and, regrettably, our first reflex is to reach for Benadryl. I am always looking for some topical relief for her, however I am also always cautious about what she puts on around her eyes, nose and mouth.
Recently, at the local farmer’s market here in Northern Ontario, I noticed a booth with skin products called Bee By [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor

Anne-Marie and I had the privilege to hear Dr. Vivian Diller speak at the Poise Comedy Cellar during BlogHer12. Dr. Diller is a Psychologist who specializes in aging and is one of Poise’s experts dealing with menopause. Listening to her speak about accepting that menopause and its symptoms are a natural part of aging and that it is not a disease or a weakness to be embarrassed about was refreshing to hear. She encouraged everyone to talk openly about menopause and to create a community in order to know that you are not alone. This [...]

By Audrey van Petegem, Senior Editor
Never one to focus too much on my appearance, I realized a few years ago that there is something to be said about aging gracefully and using products that would help with that. Admittedly, turning 50 and sharing this series has forced me to look at myself more closely…