Older Women : Getting Healthy Staying Healthy

                                                           

                                                       
                      Today, I begin ... I am not just determined to lose weight, but to get healthy have more                             energy and feel better. Follow me as the journey begins..
                           

Research. Finding out what I need to do daily.

Live Strong Magazine:


Estimated Calorie Needs for a 60-Year-Old Woman

A combination of diet and exercise changes is the most effective way for post-menopausal women to lose weight and body fat, according to a study published in Obesity in 2012. Eating fewer calories while maintaining a high intake of protein and fiber and exercising about an hour each day are among the more effective changes you can make for weight loss. Check with your doctor before starting this new plan, however, to make sure it is safe for you.

Your metabolism slows as you age, so you'll likely need to work harder to lose weight than you did in your 20s and 30s. After age 20, your metabolism decreases by about 2 or 3 percent each decade, mostly due to losing muscle mass. Decreasing caloric intake by about 150 calories every 10 years may help limit weight gain caused by this slowdown.

How many calories you should eat per day to maintain your weight varies based on activity level. A 60-year-old woman who isn't active needs about 1,600 calories per day, one who is moderately active needs about 1,800 calories per day and one who is active typically needs between 2,000 and 2,200 calories per day. To lose about 1 pound per week, you need to get 500 fewer calories than you burn each day. That could mean eating 500 fewer calories than your needs, burning an extra 500 calories through exercise or some combination of the two. Never eat fewer than 1,200 calories daily or you'll risk nutrient deficiencies -- if you're sedentary and need just 1,600 calories daily to maintain your weight, you could cut your calorie intake by 400 calories and burn the extra 100 calories through exercise.

Sample Diet for a 60-Year-Old Woman
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends a person of this age needing about 1,600 calories per day eat 1.5 cups of fruit, 2 cups of vegetables, 5 ounces of grains, 5 ounces of protein-rich foods and the equivalent of 3 cups of fat-free milk in dairy products each day.

Protein sources should be lean, such as seafood, skinless poultry, eggs and legumes, and grains should be whole grains. Try to get 25 to 30 grams of protein in each meal, as this may help decrease muscle loss. Avoid "junk" foods high in saturated or trans fats, as well as added sugars -- these foods are often loaded with calories but offer little nutritional value.

A sample day could include a breakfast of an orange or a cup of berries, a cup of oatmeal and a cup of nonfat yogurt. For lunch, try 2 ounces of turkey and 1 ounce of cheese on two slices of whole-grain bread served with a cup of salad and an apple. Dinner could be 3 ounces of tuna, 1 cup cooked broccoli, a glass of milk and 1/2 cup of quinoa.


Learn More

Use Baking Soda For So Many Tough Jobs

                                                                     

                             An Old Favorite, environmental friendly, inexpensive, not just for cooking!

All I knew about baking soda when I was growing up was that my dad used to mix it with water and drink it after supper.

Looking for tips on  cleaning, I found ways of using baking soda that really worked!

This morning I cleaned my toaster oven door. Nothing worked, not any of the cleaners, scrubbing pads, or glass cleaner. I thought about baking soda and poured some on the inside of the door. Using a damp sponge, the baking soda easily cleaned it. It now looks brand new!

I used it on the bathroom sink and shower, wow, fast, easy, no spraying, no strong smell. Taking a look around online, I found more uses for cleaning with baking soda.

Stains on containers. Take a clean, damp sponge, sprinkle some baking soda on it and wipe the container. For tougher stains, use four tablespoons and a quart of warm water and soak.

Baked-on food? Baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge and dish soap, scrub.

Fresh fruits and vegetable cleaner. Mix baking soda with water will do the trick.

Bedroom: Sprinkle on mattress to freshen, pet bedding: Sprinkle, wait 15 minutes and vacuum.

Child artist in the house decided to color on your wall? A little baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge, scrub lightly.

Mildew in the bathroom? Use sponge sprinkled with baking soda, use on tiles, shower, shower curtain.

Clogged drain? 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain, add a 1/2 cup of vinegar. Cover with a wet cloth. Don't worry when you hear and see the fizzing effect, it's working.  Wait 5 minutes, flush with hot water.

Waste baskets, trash cans smelly? Sprinkle baking soda on the bottoms and keep away the stink.

Towels and linens. Keep them fresh by placing an opened full box of baking soda next to them.

Fridge odors? An opened full box of baking soda will absorb odors.

Stuffed animals collect dust...1 cup of baking soda in a large plastic bag, place stuffed animals in bag, seal it. Shake the bag. Remove stuffed animals and vacuum. 

     

#Grannydumping

                                                     #Grannydumping
                                                                   
                                                 

      #Grannydumping : A secretive practice called "dumping" that illegally evicts elderly residents from nursing homes. 

I wrote an article in our newspaper that we own in Western North Carolina and I wanted to share it here. Granny dumping is a nationwide problem. It is important and needs to be stopped. Below is the article written today by me.

*My personal opinion is that the elderly are disrespected in our society. Maybe they're a reminder of where those are younger are going. Maybe it's just easier for us to ignore the elderly by shoving them into "homes" that they will be "cared for" and it eases guilt. Whatever the reason, or reasons, we need to figure it out. The elderly have paid their dues. It is not their choice to become vulnerable, it happens to everyone who lives that long. Just as children need to be protected and not ignore, so do the elderly. 

Granny Dumping is nothing new. It has gone on for decades. Once in awhile, a story of an elderly person getting dumped will hit the news. People do get mad, we throw up our hands and say how terrible it it. This shouldn't happen! And when the next story becomes news, we do it again. It makes us feel better, which I guess makes us feel we did something. But we really don't do anything.  Below is an article from 2014. I could go back to the 1990's, I am sure there are stories for as long as nursing homes and hospitals have existed.*

Experts: 'Dumping' Of Nursing Home Residents Happens More Frequently

State Officials Don't Track Violations

Monday, May 19, 2014, 8:00am by Mike Simonson 

A secretive practice called “dumping” that illegally evicts elderly residents from nursing homes might be happening more often than previously thought.

Nursing home resident Greg Lundholm said St. Francis in the Park in Superior has its good points, but it’s still a nursing home. He needs 24-hour care so this is his life. What he insists on is it be his choice to stay there.

“I figure it’s my decision, my right. Just because I’m here, I don’t give myself up, my rights and everything. They don’t get thrown away,” Lundholm said.

State and federal nursing home regulations are supposed to safeguard against illegal evictions, a practice called dumping. But John Hendrick, state Elder Law Center chief counsel, said he's seeing more and more cases of dumping. The reason? Money.

“Both on the state and federal level, the Medical Assistance program has been tightened up, the financial incentives are to use the beds for people who can privately pay because the Medical Assistance payment is substantially less,” Hendrick said.

Hendrick said some homes will use reasons other than financial, like unruly behavior or mental illness, as an excuse to kick out a resident. But this practice is so secretive that the state doesn’t track violations.

“A lot of nursing home regulation is done somewhat privately, and even though it should be a public record, increasingly those records are not available," he said. "It does make it difficult and it does make it difficult for family members that are trying to get legal recourse after something happens."

Not only are records often unavailable, but Hendrick said that a national report says for every case of dumping reported, 20 cases go unreported.

**Read full article on wpr.org

The following article is on Forbes.com Nov 2, 2017 

Carolyn Rosenblatt , CONTRIBUTOR

Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

If you have an aging loved one who ever has to go to a nursing home, beware of a nasty practice in which some of these facilities engage. Some elders among us are low income and receive Medicaid. Some live in nursing homes, as they need full time care. It may not affect your own family, but certainly could affect an elder you know. Medicaid recipients are vulnerable and can be subject to terrible treatment, including being kicked out of a home just because they have to get temporary treatment at a hospital. It is disgusting to think that a nursing home will not only violate the law in refusing to allow its own resident back into the home after going to a hospital, but it will callously separate spouses by doing so. Neither has the luxury of choice. One spouse can stay while the other gets the boot?

AARP Foundation

Nursing Home evicted Ms. Single

That's what happened to eighty-two year old Gloria Single who lived at Pioneer House, a nursing home that accepts Medicaid residents. She and her husband lived there together until she went to a hospital, expecting to return to Pioneer after she was released from the hospital. Instead, after she was medically cleared to return, Pioneer House refused to let her come home, thereby cruelly separating her from her husband. She now is staying in another home, still hoping to be with her husband again.

Ms. Single would have been voiceless but for the advocacy of AARP Foundation, the affiliated charity of AARP. According to Foundation attorney Kelly Bagby who, with other lawyers, represents Ms. Single in a case against the nursing home, Ms. Singleton has a clear legal right to return to the place where she lived, and the nursing home's practice of dumping her is a growing trend, according to attorney Bagby, who has repeatedly faced this issue. The law prohibits it and the law is ignored. The lawsuit alleges that she is a victim of a corporate policy of evicting low-income residents to make room for more lucrative Medicare or private pay residents. In other words, they dump Medicaid people so they can make more money on other residents who are paid by better sources than Medicaid.

Says another of Ms. Single's attorneys, Matthew Borden of BraunHagey & Borden, "Everyone deserves to spend their last days with their loved ones". In the Single case, the hypocrisy of Pioneer's corporate website advertising is startling. It says that the owner, RHF Foundation's "concern for the whole person includes residents, their families and staff and RHF strives to be fair in all relationships". In their case, concern seems to be directed solely toward the bottom line, not the resident and her family. Pioneer claims to be part of a faith-based organization.

Just to be clear, the term "nursing home" refers to rehab facilities, long term care facilities where skilled care is available, and places where people are often sent for therapy of various kinds after the person has been treated in a hospital. If your own aging loved one is ever mistreated, threatened with being evicted or dumped from a nursing home, know that he or she has rights that can be enforced. The place to start is with the Office of the State Long Term Care Ombudsman. The ombudsman is assigned the task of being the liaison between the facility and the resident or resident's family. The ombudsman individually does not have the power to enforce the law nor represent a resident but can communicate with those involved and work on solutions. Ms. Singleton's eviction went from the ombudsman to California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, a consumer advocacy nonprofit organization, to the attorneys who now represent her.

Our low income, most vulnerable aging loved ones can seek justice, though it will take family members, ombudsmen, and other advocates to get them to the capable attorneys willing to take up their causes. The attorneys at AARP Foundation work vigorously to enforce their rights. The plight of those who live in these homes long term is not always visible to the public. Mistreatment may be concealed unless someone steps in to speak for them and the right organizations lead to the right lawyers to demand accountability by these nursing homes. An impaired elder like Ms. Single cannot speak up and stand up for herself. Nursing homes get away with dumping residents like her.

Ms. Single was treated worse than some people treat their dogs and cats. Having worked in nursing homes myself, I was appalled to learn of this callous practice. It is our hope for her here at AgingParents.com that justice will be done and she can be reunited with her husband before it is too late.

Carolyn Rosenblatt, RN, Elder Law Attorney, Healthy aging and protecting our elders, AgingParents.com, AgingInvestor.com

Read full article on Forbes.com 

Face Book Messenger, "The Next Best Thing to Being There"

                         That's me in the blue, my youngest daughter & my youngest grandchildren

We took a trip to see our youngest daughter, in Florida. I miss her and her family so much, the time together was precious.

My daughter and I call each other on Face Book messenger and we also do video calls. It really helps to be able to see her and then to see the children. At their age, they grow up so fast.

If you have a Face Book account and want to be able to keep in touch with people far away, this is a great way to do it! If you use a cellphone, you don't have to worry about your minutes because you're online. It's very easy to use. It's a great way to send photos back and forth, too.

Remember the old phone commercial, "Long distance is the next best thing to being there." Well, now, for me, it's through Face Book messenger!

Rosie O'Donnell : My brother Ed wrote this

                                                       

Rosie O'Donnell will be the first to tell you, she's not perfect. Who is? We all have flaws. I like her... I tend to be a big mouth at times. Isn't it odd that when women speak up, speak loud, stand up, they are loud mouths, even bitches. Not so with men. He's confident, he's strong, powerful.

Anyway, I took a look at Rosie's blog today and wanted to share what her brother wrote on December 17, 2017. 

I am sharing this now, as I sit here watching the vote on it's way to confirm this tax bill that will take away healthcare for so many and alter lives in other negative ways. 

my brother ed wrote this

December 17, 2017

“These are dark and desperate times in our democracy.

Did the Founding Fathers or for that matter any seated Congress repeatedly try and pass laws that vast majority of Americans did not want?

Did they do so in the middle of the night? On bills that had not be read by the voters? Adding trillions to the national debt? Taking services from those who can least afford it, even children? Transferring more wealth to the wealthy and corporations from the lowest income members of our society.

This is madness. America is looking out for a hero, can you be that hero?

Someone, somewhere needs to stand up to this. Congress is voting on bills that are barely written, much less vetted that will negatively impact the majority of Americans for years to come. It needs to be stopped.

Let’s start with the ACA. For six months or more this was debated by Congress and the changes proposed did not pass. So what happens when it doesn’t get passed? The Congressional leadership throws it into a tax bill for a portion of the cuts that they did not get when they couldn’t pass the bill. An estimated 13 Million Americans will not have insurance based on this.

State and local taxes no longer being able to be deducted, or capped at a rate that is ridiculously low, is nothing more than a punitive action against the states that did not vote for the current Administration. These states are the ones which already contribute the most to the federal government. This will have a major impact on the housing market and economies of these states. This will no doubt negatively impact which funding to the federal government. Did no one in Congress take Economics?

Then there are the inappropriate and bizarre additions to this tax bill.

• Setting up 529 college savings accounts for unborn children? With millions of graduates saddled by student loans (which the bill would not have tax deductible interest), young people not being able to afford college and the solution is 529 plans for fetuses? In a tax bill no less?

• Finally, churches endorsing candidates? How about they pay taxes for the privilege? And then there is the separation of church and state. You want to throw out the First Amendment – you need to change the Constitution – not throw this in a tax bill.

America was founded as a country with rights for all citizens with a legislative process that has worked for over 200+ years. This is not the way things are supposed to run in our great democracy. This bill will further concentrate the wealth in the hands of a few and will detrimentally impact the lives of those who are least able to deal with it.

I believe you are a moral person who is looking to do the right thing. The right thing to do here it to take the time to come up with a plan that works for ALL Americans not just the privileged few.

I leave you with the words of the Bible:

If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

— 1 John 3:17

Please work to stop this madness and vote against the proposed tax bill. America is holding out for a hero. You can be that hero.”

A Knock at the Door

 
                                                              A Knock at the Door

                                                               

                                               

She just arrived home from work and was ready to relax,when there was a knock at the door. Really? Now? Who would that possibly be..she wasn't expecting anyone!

She looked out the window to see who it was, living alone, she never just opened the door. She began to tremble, her lips were quivering.

Panic washed over her, she found herself frozen. She hadn't felt this way in so many years, waves of fear hit her. Finally, she tried to take a step, but fell to her knees.

What was he doing at her door? Flashbacks of what he did to her almost 40 years ago, all those feelings she thought she would have again, was now all she felt.
His breath on her neck, his fingers touching her, she pushing them away. She wanted to run, panic, fear, she couldn't breathe.

Those words, "no one will believe you" sent chills up her spine. No matter how much she tried to avoid him, he would just appear out of nowhere.

Now, he's knocking on her door. She knew he was running for office. She was avoiding any news so she wouldn't have to hear his voice, his name or see his face.

That knock at her door was like being violated all over again.

She was finally to look out the window, he was gone. She laid on the floor for hours. Doom and gloom was all she felt. She was one of many, yet felt so alone.

Crawling into bed, she called a friend who would understand. A friend fortunate enough to move away a long time ago. A friend who had been through the same thing with him.

She found support in her friend, anger, tears and then strength.Courage to stand together and tell their story. To encourage women to tell their story of abuse.

Strength in numbers, knowing you are not alone. To say enough! To say #MeToo!

Change can't wait for the future. It must begin now. It's long overdo. We do this for ourselves for what so many of us have been through.
We do this for our children, grandchildren, our country.

Telling our stories is important. Sexual assault, abuse, harassment knows no barriers. It crosses all economic lines.

We must come together, now. Now, we begin.

Marjorie Farrington 12/10/2017 ©️

The above is a fictional story.

                                                                         

Time Person of the Year 2017, "The Silence Breakers"

                                                               

Time announced their Person of the Year 2017. Those who shared their stories of sexual harasment,"The Silence Breakers." 

Time The people who have broken their silence on sexual assault and harassment span all races, all income classes, all occupations and virtually all corners of the globe. Their collective anger has spurred immediate and shocking results. For their influence on 2017, they are TIME’s Person of the Year.

NPR #Metoomovement    

It has created a wave of awareness and brave confrontations over sexual harassment and assault, taking down powerful men in the process. And now the #MeToo movement has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year for 2017.

On its cover, Time called the people behind the movement "The Silence Breakers." Its story features women and men who have spoken out — including activist Tarana Burke, who started the hashtag 10 years ago.'

 The Time article also features women who work hourly jobs, some of whom want to remain anonymous. The magazine's cover portrait includes strawberry picker Isabel Pascual, lobbyist Adama Iwu and former Uber engineer Susan Fowler along with Ashley Judd and Taylor Swift.

"The reckoning appears to have sprung up overnight. But it has actually been simmering for years, decades, centuries," Time's Stephanie Zacharek, Eliana Dockterman and Haley Sweetland Edwards write. "Women have had it with bosses and coworkers who not only cross boundaries but don't even seem to know that boundaries exist."

Marking a possible cultural shift back in October, NPR's Sarah McCammon quoted associate professor Lisa Huebner saying of #MeToo, "It helps a lot of people individually, I think, and it also will help us to mark publicly that this is a widespread occurrence, and it's not OK."

Will Sexual Harassment Continue After the Media Moves On?

                               Will Sexual Harassment Continue After the Media Moves On?

                                                                     

Sexual Harasment is built into our culture.

Sexual harassment is embedded in our society. It knows no boundaries. It's been an accepted form of behavior, just as the guys in high school are admired for another notch in their belt.
From the waitress who has to perform for her tips, so what if she gets a pat on the butt, unwanted touches, remarks about her looks and vivid descriptions of what someone wants to do to her. The women working in the service industry, maid service in hotels and motels. The cashier at stores fast food places.Factory workers, school employees, office workers. It doesn't matter, it happens everywhere. 

Our society doesn't teach girls to defend themselves when they are growing up. We don't teach boys respect for girls, that it is not okay to say things about a girl's body. It's not okay to touch her. There are boundaries, both verbal and physical. Teach girls that those boundaries are to be respected.Continue this guidance as both girls and boys mature. 

Right now, as far as adults, this is difficult, the mindset is already there, it's hard to change.
Women shouldn't have to put up with sexual harassment at work (wherever that is). Most will because they need that job. It's not a choice. Those are the ones that will be left behind after the media moves on to the next story.

If we move on from this subject, sexual harassment  will go on and so will any hope for change.

The above is my personal opinion and does not represent the view of wnctimes.com.

Marjorie Farrington 

Women and Anti-Aging

Women Lose Their Looks, Not Men?

Just as "beauty is more than skin deep" so "they Say"....so is the way women are treated as they age. But, for this blog today, I am focusing on the way women are treated because of their aging skin and bodies.

I chose the two photos above of two attractive older people. The woman looks a lot like a woman you might see in an ad for a product for a anti-aging. Yet, a woman with the same look would not be portrayed in a movie as the man's wife. Usually, he would have a wife that could be the age of his daughter, or even granddaughter.

In the 1996 movie "First Wives Club" the women are friends, each are divorced, husbands remarried. Goldie Hawn is an actress who went to an audition, expecting to audition for the daugther, Monique and instead they wanted her to be the mother. She is at the bar, depressed and has had a couple of drinks, it pretty much sums up reality.

"I'm not Monique's mother!

- Lansbury's Monique's mother- Shelley Winters is Monique's mother.

- Now, that's good.

- Sean Connery's Monique's mother.

- Perhaps some coffee now.

- I take that back. Sean Connery

is Monique's boyfriend.

He's  100  years old,

but he's still a stud."

In 1978 essay by Susan Sontag titled The Double Standard of Aging, she really explains it well: 

[For women, o]nly one standard of female beauty is sanctioned: the girl.

The great advantage men have is that our culture allows two standards of male beauty: the boy and the man. 

The beauty of a boy resembles the beauty of a girl. In both sexes it is a fragile kind of beauty and flourishes

naturally only in the early part of the life-cycle. 

Happily, men are able to accept themselves under another standard of good looks — heavier, rougher, more thickly 

built. 

A man does not grieve when he loses the smooth, unlined, hairless skin of a boy. For he has only exchanged 

one form of attractiveness for another: 

the darker skin of a man’s face, roughened by daily shaving, showing the marks of emotion and the normal lines

of age.

There is no equivalent of this second standard for women. 

The single standard of beauty for women dictates that they must go on having clear skin. Every wrinkle, every line,

every gray hair, is a defeat.  

No wonder that no boy minds becoming a man, while even the passage from girlhood to early womanhood is experienced 

by many women as their downfall,for all women are trained to continue wanting to look like girls.}

I was 20 years old when she that was written. I am turning 60 in November. I would say I began to really noticing a 

difference in the past five years.

My looks have gone through some real changes. Every line on my face seems to have deepened, My weight is a constant battle. My gray hair is really coming in,

and it's not that pretty color I remembered my grandmother had..

I am not hung up on my looks, I had three kids, I have had some health problems..but there are some feelings of guilt, ridiculous.

I do notice a difference many times in "how" I am looked at.. I also used to think as you age, respect would come 

with it.

I have found this not to be the case, with few exceptions.

I realize there is big money in selling all of that anti-aging stuff to women. It's too bad the ads create images 

that for the average old woman, cannot be become reality. Just what she needs, another thing to make her 

feel older. These ridiculous goals of trying to be younger can't be reached and now she will feel like a 

failure, as if she is doing something wrong by aging. 

Instead, we should be encouraging older women to be healthy, to love themselves, to enjoy life..not only to accept themselves, but to embrace and be proud of who they are..

Older Women and the Battle of Our Skin

                                                                                   

                                              Older Women Makeup Tips : Over age 50

This is one thing that I find myself wondering about sometimes, mainly because I see so many older women wearing too much makeup. Some may be wearing the wrong makeup.

When you're younger, you may get away with it. But it's different for older women. We are bombarded with ads that want to sell us creams, lotions, all sorts of potions, with the goal of making us look younger. And then there are hundreds of different makeups, with a huge variety of shades...you buy it, get it home, it's too dark or too light. You end up with a drawer full of nothing that works.

After all of this aggravation, I end up wearing no makeup. 

Looking around online for tips can be just as frustrating. 

For me, I don't care about looking younger, I just want to look healthy. I care about my appearance and want makeup that gives me that result.

So, I hope the following tips help..

I found advice on liveabout.com 

1. Your skin is always first.

I like this tip. She says in this tip, the better your skin, the less makeup you'll need. Keeping your skin well-hydrated and exfoliated, you may find all you need is under-eye concealer, mascara if you like and lip balm daily.

Mature skin care:

Moisturize! This will plump up your skin, which will make whatever use on your skin each day go on smoother . In this article, she recommends Neocutis Hyalis, purchased on Amazon. 

Retinol cream

I found this bit of information on livestrong.com

"According to the Mayo Clinic, the first anti-aging products on the marketplace contained retinol, a Vitamin A compound. Vitamin A has been scientifically-proven to help neutralize the free radicals found in the skin cells. These free radicals are responsible for causing our skin cells to break down. This breakdown is what causes wrinkles, age spots, rough skin and other signs of aging skin that a 60-year-old woman will have. In order to get the best results, women should make certain that retinol is the main ingredient in their skin care product states the Mayo Clinic.

Those who want a retinol-based skin care product that is more potent than an over-the-counter one, should visit their dermatologist. They can obtain a prescription-based version of retinol known as tretinoin states the Mayo Clinic. The treatment is applied topically. Tretinoin is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."

Your skin naturally produces collagen, but the amount decreases as you age. To replenish collagen, using various skin-care products that have collagen, can help minimize the appearance of fine lines, day and night creams, moisturizers, lipsticks, foundations powders and cleansers.

Exfoliate daily. There are many facial scrubs out there, a lot of people have recommended coconut oil to me. Unfortunately, I had a bad reaction to it, so I cannot use it. My daughters use it and love it.

Of course, a big No, No is going to bed with makeup on.

Every day, first thing in the morning, I apply sunscreen. When I researched articles, that is highly recommended. For me, I have done it for most of my adult life. I have a brother who has melanoma, which is a lesson for me to keep that sunscreen applied each morning. I don't just do it in the summer, on sunny days, I do it every day, all year long. I apply it to my face, neck, ears, even whatever part of my chest is exposed in every day clothes. Of course, my arms and hands. It also helps with sunspots and wrinkles.

Plump up tinning lips with lip gloss. Add a little color first by filling in lips with a lip liner or lipstick a shade or 2 darker than your natural lip color, then add a dab of lip gloss.

Here is advice from livestrong.com

Foundation for You

The perfect foundation will work with your skin type and will be the correct shade. That's it. You'll want creamy formulations for drier skin and lighter, oil-free foundations for oily skin. As for choosing the right shade, you'll want to test the color with the help of a friend or professional. Strong advice: try before you buy or buy from a place with a great return policy.

Use a Primer First

Just as you prime a wall with primer before you paint it, the secret to flawless makeup lies in makeup primer. Applying a layer of primer between your skin and makeup will help your foundation glide on more smoothly.

Use Different Foundations for Summer and in Winter

Our skin changes not only yearly, but seasonally. In winter months, you may need a creamy formula. In summer months you may find your skin becomes oily and a tinted moisturizer will do.

 Read more of the article

So, I have only just begun...please take a look at the links I provide, there's a lot of information that you may find helpful.

Meanwhile, I will continue down this path and keep sharing here!

credit info also to Liveabout.com