If You Aren't already Doing This, I'd Suggest You Start

If You Aren't already Doing This, I'd Suggest You Start

Genevieve Monsma
Health

I know the abundance of anti-aging options can sometimes feel like more of a blessing than a curse. They can be time-consuming. Expensive. And ever-evolving. Just when you commit to a skincare or haircare routine, you're told it's time to upgrade to something newer and better. I get it. But like most things in life (especially as we're older and wiser), I believe you pick and choose what matters most to you, then allocate your time and money there. That may be Botox, private yoga lessons, gel manicures, salon haircolor, acupuncture, or even blepharoplasty. The bottom like is that you get to choose what treatments make you feel good at every age—then skip the rest. However, there is one exception. If you're not whitening your teeth at least once a year, I think you're missing out.

Let's Act Like It Feels Like Spring

Let's Act Like It Feels Like Spring

Genevieve Monsma
Nails

This week marked the official beginning of the new season. And though it still feels pretty wintery here in Michigan, when I went to get a manicure, I decided to trade in my navy Essie After School Boy Blazer and Chanel Pirate for something less moody from Essie’s new cheery spring collection.

What Works: Naomi Whittel

What Works: Naomi Whittel

Genevieve Monsma
Hair, Health, Skin

As part of a regular series, I’ll be asking inspiring, in-the-know women (all 40+, of course) to share their best tips and favorite products. The point? As always, to find out what works. This week's beauty insider:  Naomi Whittel, 43, founder of Reserveage Nutrition and current CEO of Twinlab 

Is Botox Preventative?

Is Botox Preventative?

Genevieve Monsma
Skin

A reader recently emailed and asked me if there was an advantage to starting Botox at 40 before she had any lines etched—or if it made sense (and was more cost effective) to wait and do it once she noticed lines didn’t disappear anymore when her face was at rest. I started Botox at 33 so you already know where I fall on this issue, but I did ask Gary Goldenberg, MD, Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology at The Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, for his opinion.

This Is How You Say It. . .

This Is How You Say It. . .

Genevieve Monsma
Hair, Makeup, Skin

When I first started working as a beauty editor, I butchered the pronunciation of more than one French beauty brand. My friend and fellow beauty editor, Didi, practically collapsed on the floor when I told her I was on my way to a Guh-vin-chee press launch (I was trying to say Givenchy, which Didi, through hysterics, explained is actually Ghee-von-shee). I’ve still not lived that one down. But I know I'm not the only one who never took high school French (or Italian or Japanese), and who has struggled to sound out fancy, foreign-sounding beauty brand names.

Spend Or Skip? Évolis Reverse Activator For Thinning Hair

Spend Or Skip? Évolis Reverse Activator For Thinning Hair

Genevieve Monsma
Hair, Health, Skin

If every anti-aging product on the market really did what it claimed, we'd all look 18. And while there are many effective products that help make the most of our looks as we age (and I, for one, like the way I look better at 45 than I did at 18), there are also many that are nothing but snake oil. Thus, I've created this series, Spend or Skip?, in which I will apply my twenty years as a beauty guinea pig to objectively road-test and review buzz-generating, anti-aging products that everyone's talking about. The mission: to help you decide whether to buy—or bypass—the latest fountain of youth.

Dark spots get all the press. But what about the white ones?

Dark spots get all the press. But what about the white ones?

Genevieve Monsma
Skin, Makeup

I spent too much time in the sun as a teen. By college, I already had brown sunspots splattered all over my chest. I hated them so much, I avoided v-necks and strapless tops until my mid-twenties, when I had the spots zapped off with a laser. Diligent skincare, sunscreen, peels and some touchup lasering has kept new dark spots mostly at bay for me. However, since I turned 40, a new kind of spot has started to appear: white ones.

The Only Anti-Sunspot Strategy That Works

The Only Anti-Sunspot Strategy That Works

Genevieve Monsma
Skin

My friend Sandra recently underwent a series of laser treatments to zap off a smattering of sunspots. It worked and she’s pleased with the results. She’s also terrified of having the spots come back (as you know, laser treatments are no small expense), and correctly assessed that once you’ve had sunspots, you’re forever susceptible to them. Thus, she contacted me, asking for a fail-safe, spot-prevention strategy.  My answer in a word: Sunscreen. But not just any sunscreen. Which, I guess, is actually six words.

Ice Cream You Can't Overeat

Ice Cream You Can't Overeat

Genevieve Monsma
Health

Here in Ann Arbor, it's been freakishly warm: 60s and sunny. This has triggered some early spring fever: I've been writing on the porch, driving with the windows down—and craving rosé before dinner and ice cream after. Last Friday, I stopped by Whole Foods to pick up a pint of Talenti Sea Salt Caramel Gelato, but was sidelined by a display of Halo Top, a low-cal, low-sugar, low-carb, high-protein ice cream brand I’d been reading about on nutrition blogs.

What Is K-Beauty?

What Is K-Beauty?

Genevieve Monsma
Skin

For those unfamiliar with the term K-Beauty, it refers to skincare products and regimen rituals from South Korea. I realized K Beauty was becoming a “thing”—not just for trendy Millennials, but also for skincare-savvy Gen Xers and Boomers—when a friend of mine who's a successful, 40-something dermatologist, got remarried and went to Korea for her honeymoon. Instead of lingerie, she brought an empty suitcase, then went on a skincare shopping spree, stuffing it with sheet masks, night creams laced with snail mucin, and an assortment of ‘essences.’ 

All I Want For Valentine's Day

All I Want For Valentine's Day

Genevieve Monsma
Health

I don’t particularly like roses. I’ve nothing against them really, they’re just a little traditional for my taste. And my favorite flowers—tulips and peonies—aren’t readily available this time of year. I’m also not a big fan of going out to dinner on Valentine’s Day, largely because February 14 usually falls somewhere in the middle of the work/school week, which means we have to be up early the next day. What I really want today? Cozy ambiance—at home.

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