A veteran magazine beauty editor/writer (and a member of the 40+ club), Genevieve Monsma created MediumBlonde to help Gen Xers and Baby Boomers age the way they want.
All in Health
I’ve written before about my approach to greener, cleaner beauty: I aim to lessen my so-called chemical burden by slotting in formulas free of questionable ingredients when I can without compromising on performance. For me, this means natural deodorant (Schmidts), physical sunblock (Drunk Elephant), lipsticks (Kosas) and simple cleansing balms (Naturapathica, Emma Hardie, GOOP). What I won’t give up: self-tanner, Retin-A, most hair products, and traditional Eau de Parfum.
I was at Book Club last week, and we got on the topic of bike racing. (I don’t ride bikes that aren’t stationery—this was someone’s else’s pursuit.) But one woman asked, in all seriousness, “When you compete in something that intense, it’s challenge after challenge after challenge: Hey there’s a steep hill, whoah now we’ve got rough, bumpy terrain, yikes here’s a hairpin turn. But where’s the joy? You’re riding a bike for hours at a time, yet you never coast and just take in the view.”
As part of a regular series, I’ll be asking inspiring, in-the-know women to share their best tips and favorite products. The point? As always, to find out what works. Today's beauty insider: Barbara Close, Founder and CEO of Naturopathica
Last June I went on a press trip to Calistoga, California hosted by Perricone M.D., the wellness brand launched twenty years ago by Nicholas Perricone, M.D.. You know him: He’s the dermatologist whose bestselling book The Wrinkle Cure first introduced us to the skin-aging impact of inflammation—and he’s the guy who got us all eating salmon.
We’ve been renovating our house since last September, and it’s been stressful. Yes, I know this is a privileged, first-world “problem.” And I’m grateful that we have the means to improve our home—I'm hopeful that it will be a wonderful place to live. (So #blessed, etc.) But this doesn’t change the fact that living through construction = elevated cortisol levels. The dust. The drilling. The nonstop country music. (I like Luke Bryan, just not when I’m on deadline.)
I’ve written before about why I believe everyone 40+ should whiten her teeth at least once a year—and I shared some of my favorite express whitening options. However, speedy options typically don’t come without some compromises: They may not get you quite as white as formulas that take one to two weeks to work. And they can increase teeth-sensitivity because of the accelerated whitening process.
I was getting my hair highlighted recently when a woman sitting in the chair next to me announced (loudly) to her colorist, “No woman over 40 should ever wear tight leggings.”
I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I once read that only eight percent of us are still sticking to them come February, so it seems futile to me. I do, however, believe in finding ways to jumpstart my fitness routine in early January since the post-holiday letdown always leaves me feeling sluggish.
As part of a regular series, I’ll be asking inspiring, in-the-know women to share their best tips and favorite products. The point? As always, to find out what works. Today's beauty insider: Taryn Rose, M.D., orthopedic surgeon and founder of the Taryn Rose Shoe Collection
If your household is like mine, you do all the holiday gift shopping. My husband came home yesterday evening and asked where all the wrapped, tagged and stacked gifts had “come from”—like Santa had popped by with a delivery while he was out. And while I am not complaining (I like being in charge of this family task), it’s a lot of work. Which is why, to say “thank you...me” this time of year, I sometimes sneak in one small gift to myself.
When I interviewed Erin Cotter, GOOP’s VP of Beauty, earlier this fall she raved about Jao's Goe Oil, an all-natural, plant-based hydrator she said smelled like a tropical vacation. Sounded nice but I wasn’t totally motivated to try it until this week when Mother Nature dumped eight inches of snow on Ann Arbor, and I started to feel like I was never not buried in a goose down coat and heavy Sorel boots.
In our teens and twenties, most of us gamely embraced new trends, feathering, then bobbing, then shagging our hair—and seesawing from frosty pink lipstick (80s pop) to matte brown lipcolor (90s grunge). It made us feel pretty, current, and allowed us to play around with different personas. But somewhere along the way, many settled into “what works best for us," adopting a haircut we’ve more or less maintained ever since, choosing an everyday, goof-proof lipcolor (pinky nude for me), selecting a grownup signature scent…and letting Millennials have all the fun with hair and makeup. I think this is a mistake.
When it comes to anti-aging advice, we’re inundated with info on products and treatments for the face. The hair, chest, neck and hands get some attention too, but by the time we make it south to our feet, there’s not much talk about foot-aging—or what we can do about it. But I know my feet are not what they were at 25. Or even 35.
As part of a regular series, I’ll be asking inspiring, in-the-know women to share their best tips and favorite products. The point? As always, to find out what works. Today's beauty insider: Kristy Watson, Chief Marketing Officer for Erno Laszlo Skincare
