Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty. Show all posts

Thursday, December 7, 2017

Minions: Mayhem for Mental Health






There you go:  I made a mistake posting this on optioneerJM, intending to post on meanderingsABOUT .... I guess I'm off the beat or out of sync with blogging, having been on hiatus for the past month, with a mental health holiday in Mexico with my sister and mom, making new friends and what I anticipate enduring connections with some fabulous women:  a Kat [who should launch her own shopping network, fashionista blog or vlog!! If I can help, I CAN], a Rose [a woman who lost her thorns and built a life for herself that should be an inspiration to many who have felt lost, not belonging to anyone or anywhere, etching herself as a memorable gal and free spirit].  Thank you to the 4 Amigas who were founded in the little corner of heaven called Mazatlan Mexico - the pearl of my heart and destination for my soul.

It seems a long time ago when I posted this.  The eternal optimist, scoffer of pessimists, sharer of gratitude, dolling out good cheer.  Well, looking back now, I can see how keeping one surrounded by positive people AND positive images CAN make a difference.  

I dare you to look at these Minion images, cartoons, quotes and quips and not plant a smile on your face.  If your eyes squint a little closer and your face loses its frown:  you are on your way!



Sunday, July 26, 2015


Minions Mayhem

Minions are everywhere.  Even creating mayhem in McDonald's commercials and even snuck into corporate ads.  Everyone wants to get in on the fun, apparently.

I had fun surfing and looking for minion photos and quotes that I could relate to that tells you a lot about me:



You've been warned



I'm not a morning person and tend to roll around, if time permits, for a couple of hours before I get out of bed


Someone had me in mind when they created this one.








Wise advice to those who love us and "try" to understand women.





I believe this to be true, so true.
Who hasn't done this?  We should laugh at ourselves.
You can control who you surround yourself with and they should accept and adore you.  If not, turf them.
A note to my loving family .... particularly my kids xo


You can relate to this if you have teenage and young adult kids

What a positive message.  I do try to be a perfectionist so this pokes fun at me!




Slash will be coming to Calgary at the Grey Eagle resort with Miles Kennedy
A fun social media share for Mondays



This has been repined many times on #Pinterest

Can you imagine having one of these?





Poking fun at advertisements





I'm a BIG fan of Johnny Depp and his Jack Sparrow character is classic in  Pirates of the Caribbean (filming the 5th installment in Australia right now!)




I love dark roast in my French press - the only way to have coffee

Great question!

Need for speed:  I tend to go over the speed limit ... GUILTY!








True that:  don't mess with me, when I have "the look"




Giggle, snicker, chuckle









Rarely would I think that because I don't tend to waste my time with those who whine all the time





Everyone loves a snow day break, admit it?




Wednesday, February 8, 2017

TRUST your instincts

The trials of being 50+ can be eye popping, especially so if you are a woman.



I was just getting prescriptions filled less than a week ago after seeing the doctor for an annoying recurring bug (first laryngitis type virus then nauseous); it occurred to me to mention it to the doctor but I didn't, but remembered and asked the pharmacist: my husband had a small case of shingles in his back beneath his shoulder blade: he said that shingles is NOT contagious; The day before last during a meeting excusing during the discussion, saying I didn't know what was going on. Thankfully, yesterday was a day off because, even though I grumbled about missing the Super Bowl, I had swapped Sunday's 9 to 5 shift instead of an ugly 2pm to 10pm shift. My skin started to erupt and today it almost looks like I am a burn victim. I wasn't even thinking shingles, but when the Hunkster Hubster had shingles, I did what most of us do: look it up on the internet. Let me emphasize that I do not condone self-diagnosis, always rule to see a doctor first. (I was taught this while my Awesome SONster was in and out of the hospital a lot as a baby)! To top THAT off, I had been invited for a video interview for a career position (not a job, like I am in now) with an international sustainability corporation (the environment is something I'm passionate about - please go to my optioneerJM blog where I wrote about how to use normal household objects instead of expensive manufactured, packaged, designed, marketing overhead products. Because I consider my main focus groups: INBETWEENERS (born 1960 to 1965, after the Baby Boomers, before Generation X, while likely parents of Millennials) ..... so here I am with this erupted sore face, I had to slather it with tons of foundation to try to hide it with massive amounts of cover up ..... wishing for the best: one thing I said in the video was a wholehearted response: just doing this video interview while I have a severe allergic reaction on my face, should demonstrate that I can bounce back from set backs. So later on this afternoon while I am waiting for my family to come home and stop over to celebrate my Awesome SONster's birthday; 28th birthday......... read more on meanderingsABOUT 


I came online to ask Google the question:  "Can you get Shingles on your face?" and a plethora of information abounded.  I read some of the symptoms and it registered with me to go beyond to take a look of the images of Shingles on faces ...... pretty GROSS is an understatement.  I WAS able, however, to find one that mirrored my own face.  In fact, mine appears a lot more drastic.  Trust me, it may be slightly redder from putting cover up and mega tons of foundation to cover up for the video interview I had on my agenda this afternoon.  That, and preparing for my Awesome SONster's 28th Birthday celebration.  Not any lazing around.


YES you CAN get #shingles on your face!!  
My lesson for the day:  trust your instincts.  If it is anything other than Shingles I will update my blog.

This was me a week ago.


Lesson to you:  If you are over 50, get the Shingles vaccine.  If I had been given the proper information less than a week ago, I may have gotten the vaccine that very day.  Less than a week later, ironically they must be contagious, just like chicken pox are.

Shingle Alert

Thanks Donna, I just got home from Dr who confirmed it is Shingles. I wrote about it on my MEANDERINGSabout blog and posted this uncomplimentary picture that has horrified my family to create awareness that it is CONTAGIOUS and very painful. Anxiety is the highest contributor in my case. I took two months off work this summer, the first time in a career spanning 40 years -- I can say that because I got my first job at a newspaper when I was 15, because if I wanted to continue figure skating, I had to contribute financially to the ice times, private lessons, tests, competitions, skates and dresses (most top contending figure skaters come from very affluent backgrounds typically because it is almost an elitist sport for the well off, a beacon for affluence similar to that of tennis. READ more on MEANDERINGSabout http://meanderingsabout.blogspot.ca/


Monday, January 30, 2017

an epic ZITcom


A makeover of the RED kind

I haven't appealed to my fashionista persona for a while.  Since this is my third day off in a row, I decided to do a radical makeover and share with you the steps I am taking in case it is something you want to do as well.

Today, I am going to transform from my natural "dirty blond" or light brunette hair color to an eye-popping RED.  I sure hope it turns out well.  

I asked a young gal cashier who had flaming red hair whether she thought it would suit me and she said YES!  (well, she said, with my eyes ... blush, aw shucks).  I've had two forms of temporary red color in my cabinet for quite some time.  Somewhere around Halloween, I think.

This is definitely going for the gusto.  Not something anyone timid would attempt, to be sure.  


What I look like on a "normal" day

A spa day
of a new kind.  I haven't treated myself to a self-pampered day for quite a while.  Thank you for joining me, especially if you decide to try it along with me.

The BEFORE before the after
I apologize if I've scared you.  It is necessary to do the "before" like any other makeover.  I've already forewarned my stepdaughter should the Hunkster Hubster show up on her doorstep with suitcase in tow from the shock.  Guys don't like their women reinventing themselves too often or too drastically.  




Cleansing
is a must in any ritual to keep healthy, happy skin.  Unfortunately, I've had this big zit on my cheek since just before my stepdaughter's wedding last August!  I had to pull out a lot of different concealers for the wedding photos.  I've tried to tackle it for 6 months now, in an epic ZITcom. 




A face masque
After I use the OXY pads (sounds like a home cleaning product I should be using to do chores doesn't it?)





A face mask while coloring




Ruby red
I bought Schwarzkopf's ruby red on the darker side, with my blonde, light hair color, I want to avoid it turning pink.  Also, I am keeping in mind that I have the temporary color as a back up to add later if it does go haywire during the color.  I've kept it on for 30 minutes before I shop into the shower.  (I'm nervous now).



 It's all about the base
Before I get started on any foundation or styling hair (I usually go air dry unless sprucing up for a special occasion).  I have mentioned before that I use Oil of Olay for sensitive skin, faithfully after I wash or shower.  I use coconut oil on my hair while wet to help prevent my hair from drying out from home coloring remedies.



I've discovered this RIMMEL BB Cream since my "ZITcom" erupted a month or so ago.  It gives me a smooth finish and does a fantastic job of covering up the imperfections (which are plenty once you hit 50!)

I use a QUO TM to smooth it on.  It does a decent job of it.  Even though the ZIT is still there, it is less noticeable to my eye.


The red hair doesn't look too bad.  In fact, it did turn out to be the color I expected.  My hair is thinning at the front forehead so a side part comb over helps.  You may have noticed the eyebrows are hanging on to my natural color, but I have a fix it for that.  After I use some concealer under the eyes and dotted on the zits to give a better coverage.  I seal it with a powder to avoid shine or smear marks.  It helps to set the foundation for extended coverage.

Eyebrows framed
I have experimented a lot in this area because I have faint eyebrows.  It is more important than anything.  If I were to stop here and just apply lipstick, I'd be free to accept surprise guests or a shopping trip.  (Do you ever notice how much more attentive boutique sales are when you are all made up?  If you want help, don't go shopping in sweats and looking like you're about to tackle housework).



I clip my eyebrows very short with nose hair scissors (that I don't use on nose hairs, gimme a break!).  I find that if they are shorter, they will grab the eyebrow product much better.  I outline my eyebrows in a color that closely matches my own.  If I am just shopping or going to work, that is suffice.  Today, I'm using the darker product to bring out my eyes.

Green eyes and purple eye color
go hand in hand, according to all beauty reports.  I tend to wear eye color scheme according to the tone of my outfit.  For example, if I'm wearing read, I would use nude tones.  For this make up makeover, I am relying on my trusted QUO palette and dual contouring + eye liner.  There is lots of information out there on what color to use to compliment your eyes.  For example, blue works wonders with brown eyes.   Try it out, and if it works, keep it part of your regular routine.  As you get used to it, you'll become faster at doing a quick brush of makeup before you're off and on your way.  Typically, my makeup regime is 10 minutes max.  If I fuss with my hair, add another 20 or 30 minutes, depending on what I do.  I ventured into a short cut lately, which is easily maintained.  I cropped it short because I was constantly tying it back which wasn't necessarily a good look for me if I wasn't curling, moussing and blow-drying to tendrils.


The cheek bone is connected
to where you put a light dusting of blush.  I don't put much on.  Those eyebrows look too dark to me ... hmmmm.



Bat outta eyelash hell
Thick, full eyelashes is something I grapple with.  I wrote about my misadventures in eyelash extensions before.  I use an eyelash foundation/mascara combination, with the best so far being from L'Oreal.  I tried MAC's but haven't found it as great as MAC mascara-like eyebrow definer.  This is probably what takes me the longest.  My own eyelashes are long, but I have to work at it to make them thicker, fuller.  I learned this trick from my stepdaughter (the other two rarely wear makeup, yeah that's lucky for them, that and youth) to use multiple types of mascara.  I have to use waterproof kinds otherwise they weep and I turn into a raccoon.


I've been framed 
To complete the look, you need lipstick.  You'll notice that I have not been blessed with full, luscious lips like my youngest daughter (I'm still trying to figure out where that gene came from because she was blessed with it).  I really like the kind that are lipstick and liner in one with a sealer over top.  

Similar to mascara, lip liner can bleed on my lips and look like I'm a 5-year-old attempting to use her mom's makeup.  



VOILA!
A beauty queen, I'll never be.  Trying to make the most of what gifts I've been given, I max out on my eyes which are my best feature, or so I've been told.  My youngest daughter and sister have asked me aloud why they weren't bestowed with green eyes.  Well, looking at the pictures with no makeup and a horrible zit, demonstrates a trade off because they both have wonderful skin.



Friday, December 16, 2016

The definition of insanity?

Illusional | Amy Cochrane | Flickr



So do you know this question::… 
what is the definition of insanity?


Have you ever heard the answer followed immediately thereafter?


Do you know the answer?


IT IS:  The definition of insanity:  doing things over and over again expecting different results.


To me, insanity has typically aligned with something else OR someone else.  



I’ve used the term fairly often as a sales managing coaching her reps.  I have been employed, up until now, in predominately male-dominated industries such as digital printing, document management, fleet management, office services, outsourcing, infrastructure project management.  To name a few too many I’m sure.  After all this time, until I placed fingers on a keyboard, alternating the right with a mouse, I discovered that the quote is attributed to Albert Einstein.  Huh!  I didn’t know that.  I do know that I seem to gravitate towards his quotes, more than any other singular person.  Followed closely by Mother Teresa:





Do you ever get to the level that you feel yourself physically tense up or completely let go and sob while you cry your eyes out?  You’re exceptionally lucky if you haven’t, or insane being so unrealistic or void of any reaction to anything.  Therein the definition resources sits “narcissism” nestled along with all the other deranged words like madness, lunacy and derangement.

Illusion Art by Rob Gonsalves illusion art …


Excuse me dictionary people.  I did take exception to “dementia” being thrown in, like any innocent victim thrown in with the lions.  I hardly think that a medical condition that surfaces with advanced aging can in any way say that the person is “insane”.  Forgetful, lost touch with reality, where everyone becomes a stranger.

What Is Dementia?

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dementia-symptoms-and-brain changes Dementia is a general term for a decline in mental ability severe enough to interfere with daily life. Memory loss is an example. Alzheimer’s is the most common type of dementia.
About Dementia
Symptoms
Causes 
Diagnosis
Treatments
Risk & Prevention

About dementia

Find out what how typical age-related memory loss compares to early signs of Alzheimer’s and other dementias.
Learn the signs.

Dementia is not a specific disease. It’s an overall term that describes a wide range of symptomsassociated with a decline in memory or other thinking skills severe enough to reduce a person’s ability to perform everyday activities. Alzheimer’s disease accounts for 60 to 80 percent of cases. Vascular dementia, which occurs after a stroke, is the second most common dementia type. But there are many other conditions that can cause symptoms of dementia, including some that are reversible, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies.
Dementia is often incorrectly referred to as “senility” or “senile dementia,” which reflects the formerly widespread but incorrect belief that serious mental decline is a normal part of aging.
Learn more: Common Types of DementiaWhat is Alzheimer’s?


Memory loss and other symptoms of dementia

Many people have memory loss issues — this does not mean they have Alzheimer’s or another dementia

There are many different causes of memory problems. If you or a loved one is experiencing troubling symptoms, visit a doctor to learn the reason. Some causes of dementia-like symptoms can be reversed.

Learn more: Visiting Your Doctor

While symptoms of dementia can vary greatly, at least two of the following core mental functions must be significantly impaired to be considered dementia:

  • Memory
  • Communication and language
  • Ability to focus and pay attention
  • Reasoning and judgment
  • Visual perception

People with dementia may have problems with short-term memory, keeping track of a purse or wallet, paying bills, planning and preparing meals, remembering appointments or traveling out of the neighborhood.
Many dementias are progressive, meaning symptoms start out slowly and gradually get worse. If you or a loved one is experiencing memory difficulties or other changes in thinking skills, don’t ignore them. See a doctor soon to determine the cause. Professional evaluation may detect a treatable condition. And even if symptoms suggest dementia, early diagnosis allows a person to get the maximum benefit from available treatments and provides an opportunity to volunteer for clinical trials or studies. It also provides time to plan for the future.
Learn more: 10 Warning SignsStages of Alzheimer’s 


Well that certainly throws curve balls at anyone over the age of 50, one can only imagine.  I think back to when I was in my 20s, if asked:  “what is your greatest fear?”  I may have answered:  fire or a tornadoe (living in the Province of southern Alberta, it isn’t something we often have to concern ourselves with, even though we have seen funnel clouds).


Once you hit your 50s you do a major inventory on your life.  Not anything like the mild TO DOs by the time you hit your 30s.  It is a massive awakening.  A self-reflection and a dreaded comparison.


Whatever the predictors are saying.  If they are saying that my generation (born in the 1960s) had a tougher life than my parents did.  They would be right.


If you look at building a graph on life benchmarks, there would be a really steady climb for baby boomers and war babies on a ladder of steps.


However, if you take the typical 1960s baby, there would be no steady, even flowed climb.  It would look more like something out of radical dips and arrows.


Nothing is predictable.  Yet we uphold the belief that our world will return to sanity once again.  There were so many things that one could take for granted at one time, that it seems so lucky when someone born in the era of optimism on the one hand destroyed by fear and pending possibility of war.   


Then you sail through the innocence in comparison of the times going through upheaval and major changes, that made such large registration on our radar.


We somehow hung on to our innocence during the corruption of the early 70s and disruptions caused by war.  In both scenarios, we were hardly old enough to typically have it in our sphere of influence yet we became intuitive to the moods of our elders, parents, teachers and any other authority figures we were polite, well mannered and respectful to.

About now, many of us into our 50s are wondering or writing or saying out loud:  “stop the insanity”.  Yet it continues to circle around us.  


We tend to be dissatisfied because of the infrequency of peaceful surroundings, vibes, events in our lives if I were to hazard to guess.  We seem to be more comfortable in chaos than in solitude or quietness.  


We strive for mindfulness, as in being only concerned with the present moment … and this moment … and this moment.  Failing miserably at avoiding the major pitfall of not looking at the future, never mind in the pit of continual worry about what tomorrow will bring.


A person can be warming their car up outside while they are putting the finishing touches on their thermos of dark roast french-pressed Italian coffee  and the telephone rings.  That isn’t really that unusual, just so different than when we were growing up.


People riding their 50s grew up at a time when there were minimal phones around.  I almost giggle when I recall, how great my parents were at installing our one central phone in the kitchen with an extra long cord so that we could sneak around the corner to have a “private conversation”.


My father, like many fathers, had a big important job and came home to a hot dinner with his family, who were waiting by the set table for his arrival home so we could eat (the peanut butter and jam sandwich when we got home at 3 o’clock didn’t seem to ever tide us over in satisfaction).  From that moment on, among dinner chatter with my 3 siblings and parents, the phone answering was always my dad.  


My dad would almost grin in pleasure when there was no answer.  He was happiest when he knew he had scared off any boys  calling for one of us girls.  If I wasn’t around and the phone was off its cradle, my sister Diana had a fondness for picking up the phone and taking the call as though it were me.  Where was I?  Waiting outside the door to the one bathroom in our house that six people shared for one of brothers to exit in a fume of normal bodily function that would seriously disarm and impair the next innocent victim of their own bladder.  We didn’t have bathroom fans.  


My dad would reign on the couch for the rest of the evening.  If we were allowed to go out past dark, when we returned home we were required to give our father a kiss on the cheek before retiring to bed.  He was able to swiftly take a whiff like a hound dog of our breath, on the ever-ready mode to pounce if we would (hardly) have been stupid enough to take a sip of alcohol on the way home or stumbling home from a party.  I can never reason, nor did I ever ask him (that, I do regret) HOW WILD was he growing up?  That time when he was growing up and young men were signing up to go to World War II.  He would have been too young, yet as soon as he turned 18, he did sign up.  I guess that was the influences he had.


We have to stop comparing our lives to our parents lives or how fortunate in some ways we seem to have had it than our own children do now.  


It wasn’t a question of affording to go to university as much as when.  There was no grand scheme of childhood education funds or anything much other than a good savings nest egg.


So why in our lives, in the age of 50 plus, are we striving so hard to have the same lives as our parents did when they were 50?  Possibly because we don’t nor can have the assumption that we will take our education and apply that good ole home loyalty to your employer mentality we were brought up with, to only have that loyalty reciprocated void without any guarantee that we won’t have a job for 30 or 40 years and receive a gold watch at your retirement party.


It wasn’t unusual in the infancy of my career even to attend a retirement get together to say farewell to the work well and best wishes to the mellow years to follow.  That seemed to be natural up until the end of the 90s it would seem.  Not that there aren’t any.  Its just that most of them are on movie sets and television shows.


So why do we long for that same peacefulness and steady flow that our parents enjoyed?  They would certainly point out effectively that they, too, had many challenges during their living years.  


It is time to stop the insanity and stand on our tippie toes and reach the farthest out to try to understand the tide we’re on, when it will slow down, or if we’ll ever make it to coasting.


This should be your statesman or woman years.  You’ve had your ups and downs and earned your stripes by now.  But we forget, that is not the sign of our times.  We have to stop trying to reach out, comparing ourselves to others or to whom we thought we would be by now and we have to avoid worrying about tomorrow.  Today and this minute is the only thing we can actively participate in and do anything about.  

Illusional | Amy Cochrane | Flickr





The reasoning would be that we are the only ones who are truly in control of our destiny.  If we fall into mental health issues, depression or are illusional that it will get different, a lottery win around the corner, is up to us.

in·san·i·ty
inˈsanədē/
noun
  1. the state of being seriously mentally ill; madness.
    “he suffered from bouts of insanity”
    synonyms: mental illness, madnessdementiaMore

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