Crazy Leg Style: Democracy jeans & Crazy Compression Socks (Stitch, the Corgi’s yellow sheet with his toys in the background)
I have several makeup companies that constantly show up on my Facebook page. One I wanted to try because they touted that they could match your skin tone. No. One. Can. Match. My. Skin. Tone. Rarely. Rarely.
Mary Kay is too orange. Pur is too yellow, except for their powder–that one matches perfectly. Arbonne was very close, I blended from my cheeks down, not from the chin line down. (Really, did you know you are supposed to blend from the cheeks down, especially if you are a warm skin tone because your neck is a totally different shade than your face..but I digress.) Exuviance was very close, too. Smashbox was too yellow, which totally surprised me. Another Facebook marketed makeup, Laura Geller was too dark. SeneGence is the one I am currently using, and I follow it with a very light dusting of Pur powder foundation.
So, you can see why I would be hesitant. But, Il Makiage had this very detailed survey. Honestly, I didn’t expect it to match. The box arrived sooner than expected, and I opened it quickly. The bottle looked promising, very promising. And…it matched my skin tone! I was very impressed! ‘Woke Up Like This’ flawless base foundation #20 was magic! I couldn’t believe it. It covered wonderfully. I did follow up with my Pur powder foundation. Would I recommend this to anyone? Yes, I would. And definitley take the quiz. And, it is a money back guarantee. I do not know if they honor that because I didn’t choose to send it back, why would I–it matched!! https://www.ilmakiage.com/
I’m amazed at the difference between two different cities in two different states, 1500 miles from each other.
In one city it’s fearful to go out at night. In the other city, we were out and stopped to get gas at night, and I didn’t even think about until I got back in the car.
In one city there are multiple murders on the news everyday. In the other city there is one or two murders in the entire state over a week.
In one city mass robberies and shootings in malls made going shopping extreme fearful. Many used online shopping or pickup shopping, several that HAD to go to the store didn’t take their children with them. In the other city, shopping is enjoyable again in our lives.
In one city leaving porch decorations or holiday decorations out, had a huge chance of being stolen. In the other city, a random chair sat at a bus stop for over a year until it was weathered to the point of disrepair.
The difference? Integrity among the citizens, or at least a majority of the citizens. Another indication, in one city, churches are closing or consolidating; in the other city churches are prominent. Could this be another indication? I say, ‘Yes’. When we lose the peace within ourselves that is provided by a closeness to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ we lose our reason for caring about others or our community. How do we overcome the evil (yes, evil) that abounds in our communities today? By leaning on the Peace of Christ. How do we regain our positive attitudes in a negative world? By leaning on the Peace of Heavenly Father. How do we find our own testimony of the Peace?
The best way is through two simple steps. 1. Read the Scriptures. 2. Pray.
Implementing these two things in our lives will then compel us to fulfill other avenues of service, worship, charity, and loving our neighbor. How does one start? By starting. One day at a time.
One day at a time. That’s all. Will it change the world? It might. But it will make a difference in one life; the one that takes the challenge. One day at a time. One person at a time. One community at a time. One city at a time. One country at a time.
Stuart Weitzman boots, Snag tights, Macy’s sweater skirt.
Oh. My. Goodness. When will the fashion designers wake up to real fashion, real clothes? “The” must haves for the Summer are a little ridiculous.
Sheer. Yep, they want you to bare it all. In many of the fashions shows highlighted on Vogue’s Facebook page show sheer without any undergarments. So, apparently exhibitionism is ‘the’ thing for the summer. NOT. All of the comments on those fashion shows reflect what we, the real people, want….”Ridiculous”…”Who in their right mind”…”Why?”…”We are done with sheer, no one wants that”…and it goes on, all negative comments. I really wonder if the designers ever read what we want.
Trench coats. Okay, I’ll give them this one, and some of the trench coats were really cute. One even had a trench skirt, it was different, and not obscene. So, perhaps a winner for the trench coat.
Cut outs. Again, why? They have gone beyond the cut out shoulders to cut out midriffs, cut out skirts as far up as one can go…oh, wait, no further. Cut out hips, cut out thighs, cut out sides along the breast…why? The cut out shoulders can be cute; cut out everything else is just odd. It looks odd. It’s not flattering.
Statement collars. Another one for which I’ll give a nod. Some of the collars are cute, and others are so exaggerated that they take on the ridiculous. Why do they have to go to the extreme? Most of them are Peter Pan collars in various forms of cute or the ridiculous. And, there is lace, quite a bit of lace, which is surprising; yet, nice.
Ballet Pink. Pink is a hard color to wear, both in the color itself and in the personalities of those that are supposed to wear it. Ballet pink or baby pink, are actually warm pinks; however, when the photos of the different pinks…most of them are cool pink. (It actually is better than just having warm pink out there for everyone to wear.) Now, to personality, the Classic and sometimes Romantic personalities are the two that will even look at pink, unless it is hot pink, then the Romantic and Dramatic personalities will look at it. The Natural personalities look at pink and go, “nope.” This is why it is difficult to say “This is the color everyone should be wearing this season!” That’s just a joke, and they don’t even realize it.
So, when it comes to this Summer, wear what makes you comfortable! If you like the trends, go for it. If you don’t like the trends…you do NOT ‘have’ to wear them. And, these trends came from Cosmopolitan. According to Vogue the Summer trends are Femininity Unraveled, Summertime Prep, outerwear-windbreakers & light leather, checkered patterns, retro inspired designs, minimalist (and NONE of the pieces they showed were minimal, they were very ornate), exaggerated proportions, and business suits redefined in exaggerated proportions. So, as you can see…it’s not a real thing when ‘they’ say ‘This is the trend of the season!’ The truth is, they want you to wear what a designer or store pays the magazine to display.
So, the real trend of the Summer of 2025…whatever makes you feel comfortable.
I cringe when I can barely make out some of the words of songs blaring from an adjacent car, or in a trendy store, or on a television show, or anywhere else one would hear music. Music has changed. The days of the crooner with the beautiful love songs have diminished, there are still a couple of crooners around, but, honestly, I’ve never heard them on the radio. I take that back, I have heard Adelle on the radio. It’s a sad state we are in because there are songs that have great impacts on our lives. And, some of them are recent and among the songs that have no meaning, or demeaning lyrics. I had a thought to go over some of those songs that are timeless and have true meaning or uplift us in ways that in the world today we need desperately.
“Unanswered Prayers” by Garth Brooks. I have heard many people refer to this song, some even from the pulpit.
2. “Three Wooden Crosses” by Randy Travis. This song about the fate of those riding on a bus, and the one who didn’t die, the hooker…sung from the son of that same hooker as he relates his decision to become a preacher truly touches the heart.
3. “My Way” by Frank Sinatra. What a reflection on a life lived. One person recognizing the pitfalls and mistakes, but still going forward.
4. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Jerry Lewis. Yes, I know it is from the musical ‘Carousel’, but I heard it every year as the famous humanitarian ended his 24 hours on television begging for money for ‘Jerry’s Kids’. I well remember seeing him break down in tears as he sang the song. Here is a link that has him explain why he sang that song at the end of the telethons. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UHOxIbV59o
5. “Angels Among Us” by Alabama. We strive to hope that truly angels do walk among us, hence the popularity of the song, and tv shows and movies that have angels walking among us and helping the lost soul find his or her way.
6. “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction. One of the few songs today honoring the girl he likes/loves. Those songs from the days of Motown that everyone sings today still makes me wonder why there are so many degrading songs today.
7. “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. Platten even admitted that she wrote ‘Fight Song’ to uplift herself out of circumstance.
8. “Roar” by Katy Perry. Stand up for yourself!
9. “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor. It relays the same message as some of the inspirational ‘rap’ songs I did a quick search on, however, without profanities and racial slurs.
10. “Do You Hear the People Sing” or “Bring Him Home” from Les Miserables. These two songs, one a call to arms for what you believe (the reprise is the best, it speaks of a life beyond here, Heaven) and the other a fervent prayer pleading for someone else’s life, even if it costs you your own. Powerful songs.
Now, one might say, ‘But these songs don’t reflect real life.” In some cases, they do; it’s just a foreign life to some. It gives hope to turn around and create the life one wants. I grew up listening to Johnny Cash songs talking about remorse over prison, drug addiction, and life choices. I knew those scenarios were real life for some, and I knew I didn’t want that sadness in my life. So, those songs played a role in choices I made along the way, too. Perhaps, to overcome the sadness that creeps over us sometimes, we step away from the radio stations or play lists that are not pointing to a positive way. The goal this week is to find inspiration in music. Let it touch one’s heart and soul to uplift and feel better about one’s role in this world.
I’ve used PUR Minerals for several years. I was a make up artist for them and fell in love with the products, especially the 4 in 1 Foundation. It’s magic. It’s reasonably priced and there’s no need to make the extra purchase of concealer.
PUR did go up on the price, and I thought, “hmmm, wonder what other powder foundation are just as good at the same price. My first choice was Ulta’s powder foundation. It was like putting on translucent powder. It did nothing. I was very disappointed because I have used other Ulta products and loved them. I regularly use their eye shadows, eye liner, and brow tint gel. But, I was very unhappy and after a couple of weeks I just had to give up on it.
The second one I tried was plastered all over my Facebook feed and people were saying how much they loved it. So, I ordered a Laura Geller powder foundation. Now, I am fair, but I am not porcelain. So, I ordered “Light” . Their description seemed to fit, too. And, “Light” is what I used in PUR and most other foundations I’ve used over the years. It was Suntan! I had to put it all the way down my neck. I couldn’t even start blending it out mid-cheek, but it gave me a great tan! And it seemed to cover pretty well. I ended up using it as a blush or bronzer. I might try Laura Geller again — BUT — I’d rather pay $1 and get samples when purchasing on line a makeup product. So, for now, I went back to PUR.
When raising children the ‘experts’ say constantly, “Be consistent”. Once you have a rule, abide by that rule. Problems occur when one day it’s this rule, the next day that rule is changed, and the next day the rule is diffferent yet again. This is something many struggle with while trying to raise children. But, this post isn’t about raising children, it’s about raising YOU.
What are the rules you have set for yourself? Do you abide by them? If not, do you need to make some changes? Rules are really the goals we set for ourselves. If your ‘rule’ is to read your scriptures daily, but that doesn’t seem to happen very much. Then, it’s time to re-evaluate the goal. Is it that you don’t have a set time to read? Is it that you simply lack the motivation? What will motivate you? These things you need to figure out. Perhaps a chat that you have to check off the days that you did read. Perhaps you need to do a ‘to do’ list and include reading scriptures in that list so that you have the satisfaction to mark it off when you accomplish it.
What ‘rules’ do you need in your daily, weekly, monthly life? Evaluate your day. Write down what you have done all day for a week and then look it over and see where your time goes. You may see you need to allow more time for something you enjoy doing; or that you avoid tasks you don’t like doing. You can copy the image below to use to start your day.
We all went through it. It is something unprecedented, something literally everyone in the world experienced. I remember seeing the canals of Venice so clear you could see the bottom; pictures of families having church in their living rooms; missionaries from around the world were brought home by the plane full; families put stuffed animals in the windows so the children of the neighborhood could walk around and find them (we put a tiger in our window); children attending school via an iPad; and empty parks and playgrounds. Neal McCoy did a virtual concert, Neil Diamond sang a song in his home, Andrew Lloyd Webber did a mini-concert from his home, Brad Paisley did mini-concerts from his music room and Broadway actors did vignettes from plays via Zoom with other members of the cast. In my circle, I taught a Tuesday night gospel class via Zoom, and our church had a conference via Zoom with the speakers in their homes.
I bring this all back to our memories because we all changed. We got used to going no where. We got used to not attending church. We got used to not socializing. And, then the world opened up. It was still months before we went out with friends. Many didn’t return to church. Many didn’t go out with friends.
It doesn’t take long before we have created a new habit. A habit of not doing much of anything. A form of depression, perhaps. Bad habits like watching too much television, wasting time, and rarely socializing like you once did are leftovers from being confined to one’s home.
Perhaps its time to set a new goal to get out of the bad habits. Return to pre-pandemic habits. Choose one thing for which you need to return, focus on that one thing. Find an accountability buddy and work together. Let’s get ourselves back to a happier time within ourselves! What is the one thing you know you need to start doing again? Write it down, and make the first step. Like all other first steps, you may stumble, but just start over again. As for me, I’m going to have some friends over for game night!
Shoes from Amazon, socks and hose from maybe Walmart, skirt Bryn Walker.
My daughter introduced me to Shein. It is a clothing company based in China, and the clothes are inexpensive, very inexpensive. As far as quality, it is hit or miss. I have a denim vest and a denim jacket that both are well designed and constructed. I have a turtleneck that is medium quality; and I just got some sleeveless turtlenecks that are lesser quality, very lesser quality. They might make it through a couple of washes. And if that is how you think of the clothes, then you will be just fine with purchases from Shein.
One of the things we teach in our classes on wardrobing is that one must look at the cost of an item of clothing in respect to how much it costs per wear. Example, the $5.00 Shein sleeveless turtleneck that might last just a couple of washings makes that turtleneck cost $2.50. The turtleneck that you purchased from Cabi at approximately $68 (at the time it was purchased) and you have worn it several times a season to equal about 150 times since the purchase makes that $68 turtleneck now, 45 cents. It’s an 8 year old turtleneck, and it still has many years left of wear.
Other inexpensive clothes are found at discount stores such as Target and Walmart. I purchased a shirt at Target for about $12, and thought I’d made such a great purchase. The shirt was trendy and the perfect color, and after the first wash it wrinkled up so bad that even ironing didn’t fix it. That shirt was NEVER worn again. Compare that to the 45Cent shirt, or even the potential of the $2.50 shirt. I have had pretty good success with jeans at Walmart, if I can find a pair that is at the waist. However, I did get a pair of jeans from Macy’s for about $20, at least 15 years ago (but I think it’s been longer). I just recently through those jeans away with uncountable wearings since I wore jeans 90% of the time and they came to my waist! Approximately, 2, 160 wearings, makes those jeans .009 cents. Always look at the longevity of the clothing. And, finding it on sale, always makes it even better!
More expensive is not necessarily better, either. I have Cabi, Bryn Walker, Eileen Fisher, also. I have learned that Eileen Fisher sweaters are too lightly woven for a normal wearing. Perhaps if you don’t do anything much during the day you won’t snag them as easily as I do!! So, those on sale Eileen Fisher sweaters are so lightweight and fine that I pull them very easily. So, that $40 (not on sale upwards $200) doesn’t add up to be as much of a value if I’m afraid to wear it to work, or with jeans for a day of shopping or just hanging out and definitely not hiking or anything like unto that!
Pay attention to the quality of the clothes you purchase. Classic pieces that will never go out of style are priceless, look to Macy’s or Dillard’s. Trendy to fad pieces can be purchased on the cheap, and be aware that you will in the long run spend more on those fad pieces.
I read a post on Facebook today that made me sad. The question had to do with religion in one’s life and 99% of the comments were negative and how horrible religion is, how it controls your life, how it is made by man, how it is not needed, and the comments went on and on like this. I finally found one that was positive, commenting on faith in religion. It is sad that we have become such a negative society. It is sad that we have become so hateful towards people that believe in and live their religion.
Dallin Oaks, former Utah Supreme Court Justice and a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said in a sermon recently, “If we cease valuing our churches for any reason, we threaten our personal spiritual life, and significant numbers separating themselves from God reduce His blessings to our nations.
Attendance and activity in a church help us become better people and better influences on the lives of others. In church we are taught how to apply religious principles. We learn from one another. A persuasive example is more powerful than a sermon. We are strengthened by associating with others of like minds. In church attendance and participation, our hearts are, as the Bible says, “knit together in love.” (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2021/10/18oaks?lang=eng)
Meeting with others of the same faith really does uplift one to take on the next week. We have been commanded to “meet oft”, this is for our own spiritual well-being. I can testify that the weekly (and sometimes during the week) meeting with others in fellowship has uplifted me out of a difficult week. The lessons and sermons that are taught uplifts our knowledge and our testimonies.
We are losing a battle with evil in our world today. I know there are many that don’t believe evil exists, it is just different opinions. But, evil is out there. It is creeping into our lives, creating justification of actions by ourselves and others. Depression and suicide are so rampant in our world today. We need fellowship and we need uplift.
I know I don’t usually get this ‘black and white’, but the responses to that question really made me sad. Especially the comments that insulted those that belong to a religion. The anger, in some cases, was so disheartening and I wondered about those that are barely hanging onto their faith. Those comments could move them closer to walking away.
Our goal this time is to physically and spiritually attend church. In my fashion and image lectures I let people know that they do not need to pay attention to the paid articles in magazines; in the same way, please do not pay heed to those that would try to destroy one’s faith. I’m not here to convince those that commented negatively on religion that they need religion; this to help those who want to have religion in their lives. Do not be discouraged. Do not allow others to influence your faith. There are three simple steps to give you the emotional, spiritual, and even physical strength to accomplist this..1) Pray, 2) Read your scriptures, 3) attend your church.
I know that these three things will give you the strength you need. Set a goal that you will Pray and Read Your Scriptures everyday, and you will Attend Your Church at least once a week. That is the goal for this time. Stand Tall. Stand Firm. Stand with Courage.
Skechers shoes, Duluth Trading Company capris and shirt.
Are there “rules” anymore for fashion? I see ridiculous Fashion Shows from top designers–one in particular had the models in flesh colored cat suit leotards while the “clothes” were on a device attached to the model but ‘walking’ in front of them, some upside down, some sideways.
Then one reads useless articles on social media on what not to wear for over 50 – to not look outdated – to be updated – and the list goes on and on. But, it lists everything–LITERALLY everything.
So, what are the “rules” anymore? The Fashion Shows are so outrageous that the Bridge clothing can’t replicate the “style”. The Summer of 2023 from Vogue literally said it wasn’t a style but an action – we are to “Clutch”. Clutch a compact (because I’m going to carry a powder compact all day, SERIOUSLY, who are these people dreaming this up), clutch a purse (ok, I’ll give them that one, but strictly for Dramatic personalities, Romantics and Classics will eventually put it under their arm and as soon as possible dispose of the hideous appendage, and Naturals will leae it at the first store counter or restaurant table, assuming it makes it out of the car). And the third ‘clutch’ gains the prize for ‘The Most Ridiculous’ – clutch one’s breast. I’m just NOT going there, that is not fashion!
So—what ARE the rules? Well, at this point, it would be–Be Comfortable.
The Summer of 2023 is supposed to be sporting cotton button-down shirts, oversized, which is a good look with leggings; midi pencil skirts, which if the right cut is purchased most anyone can wear. There are about ten more ‘must haves’. But, let’s face it, when you include 10 -12 must haves you cover pretty much any design you want.
Besides, who can replace an entire wardrobe every 6 months? That would be probably 98% of the population – so – just be comfortable. Remember when fashion magazines tell you what you MUST wear this season, the store/designer PAID for that spot in that article!
The Colors of the Season
After ‘they’ have told you what you have to wear, ‘they’ then tell you what color you must get it in! This decision was made across the board from fashion, to beauty, to home decor and furniture, to paint, to cars! And, it was made about 5 years ago, because it takes that long to develop the color, design the product, and prepare the marketing of the product. According to Pantone, the color is Viva Magenta – a color that only half of the population can successfully wear. The other colors are:
*Pale Dogwood – a light dusty pink with warm undertones.
*Gray Sand – this is beige, not gray.
*Gray Lilac – this is not really gray, but more of a light violet.
*Pale Khaki – a true khaki.
*Fields of Rye – a shade lighter than Pale Khaki.
*Agate Gray – a greenish warm gray.
*Plein Air – a violet-ish cool gray
My daughter walked into Torrid and was furious, the store was all Magenta, Pink, or Gray. “When did Torrid start going with the latest craze!?” She exclaimed, and walked out of the store. She went to a store she never goes in, Dillards (only because I was looking for somethng) and found more suitable colors for her personality and skin tone.
So, what’s the best color to wear? One that looks good on you! I teach people to realize because of the “powers of color execs” (who think they know what all of us want). The colors on your color palette are not always going to be available. So, prepare accordingly–by walking away from the store and purchasing NOTHING. It can be done. And it’s okay to do it. “They” don’t have power over you!
Carolyn Bendall 