Growing "Old" Gracefully. What? No Seriously, What??

Does the title of this post indicate my disgruntled attitude towards the phrase “growing old gracefully?”  Well, my first issue with this phrase is the word “old.” What is “old?”  Is that like an old shoe, an old boyfriend, an old carton of milk growing sour in the refrigerator?

And my second issue with the phrase, “growing old gracefully” is that…okay…I don’t really get it.  I must confess…that’s my bottom line.

 

If I don’t color my gray roots, is that the “graceful” way to be “old?”  If I say, “I’m getting’ too old for this” like a million times per week and refuse to dance like the 35-year-old I’m not, is that “growing old gracefully?”  If I stop wearing make-up, stop using anti-aging skin care, and stop laughing…is that “graceful” “aging?” If I stop using quotation marks around every “word,” would that be less “irritating?”

But really…when you hear that phrase – what does it conjure up in your mind?  I’m sure it doesn’t revile you quite as much as it does me – but if it does, why?  And if it doesn’t...why?

Here’s the full-of-holes reasoning for my own distaste of the phrase.  As I exited my 40’s, in the throes of hot flashes and mood swings and nonstop crying and craving cookies and chocolate while my metabolism took a nose dive…I made the mistake of cracking a little joke to a friend. The interchange went like this:

 

My first statement of doom:  “I may need to take on a second job in order to afford all the anti-aging products and make-up I’m going to need in the future for looking younger. I hate looking old-ER.” 

My friend’s response (wait for it…):  “Well, I think a woman should just grow old gracefully.”

My second stupid line of doom: “Well, I am not very graceful.  And I don’t like the word “old.” And I really, really love my make-up.”

My friend’s next knife thrust: “Outer things are not important.  It’s the inner self that is important.  Wisdom comes from aging.”

The thought that I kept to myself:  “Widsom.  Eww. Give me a lip plumping gloss and blonde highlights any day. And some estrogen."

So, there you have it…a glimpse into my shallow anti-aging philosophy...when it comes to the outer things, that is.  I do have a much more meaningful and purposeful approach to all things internal and valuable.  Really.

And over the last decade I have tried, used and loved a variety of anti-aging products, pretty colors, make-up, skin care – and enjoyed every moment of my girlie dress up journey that began with sneaking my mom's red lipstick as a child.  That girlie make-up love didn't end, by the way, just because I became…*drum roll*…menopausal.

What I have come to realize though – is that every woman over 50 with a proactive stance on maintaining health, vitality, passion and purpose eventually bumps into the reality that most cosmetics meant to make them feel prettier and look radiantly younger – contain harmful chemicals.  Lots of them. Ugh!

And some of these chemicals that we've been slathering on our faces and putting on our lips for decades are just now showing up in research to be anything BUT anti-aging.  That concerns me.  Because it totally works against my post-50 (um...60) health plan.

One issue that has been at the forefront of cosmetic news recently is the health concerns with lipstick. It's pretty scary to learn that each time you grab that tube of  gorgeous color that adds a youthful glow to your complexion and a spark to your great personality - you're coating your lips with the following possibilities:

1. Lead - a seriously scary toxin with big time health ramifications.
2. Methylparabens - the most widely used preservative in cosmetics and not at all good! In fact, the research is alarming because parabens are now being found in breast tumors, when they are examined post-biopsy.  The link to breast cancer is enough to avoid this ugly preservative!
3.Coal Tar - considered a "high hazard" substance by the EWG (Environmental Working Group) which considers it a carcinogen (cancer causing) that is linked to allergies and skin irritations.
4. Propylene/Butylene Glycol - a petroleum-based ingredient used in fertilizer and anti-freeze to name a few.
5. Mineral Oil - a petroleum-based ingredient that has been in cosmetics for decades!  Problem is that we are just now realizing the potential hazards of it.  On the softer side, it can block the skin's pores and can interfere with skin cell  functioning.  On the heavier side, it has been known to contain carcinogens.

There are a bunch more chemicals...but I cannot spell or pronounce them, so I'm ending my list here.

There is good news!  There are alternatives!  You can still have a youthful glow, a beautiful pucker and keep wrinkles at bay if you take the time to invest in some healthy products that you can feel good about using.  They're out there.  I've found them.  But I've had to do a lot of research and look at a whole lot of ingredient lists!  Some of those researched products you'll find within the links of this blog. One in particular deserves a shout out!

In my opinion, if you do nothing else to "age gracefully" (notice I'm leaving out the word "old" now...), throw on a little healthy lip color.  I don't know what it is, but a woman with a little color to her smile not only appears younger - she seems more approachable, friendlier, confident, well-rested, healthier.

Let me give you a suggestion.  There is a glorious brand of lipstick and lip gloss that is gluten free, paraben free, soy free, allergen free - and it is the most emollient, luxurious experience just putting it on your lips!  It's called Red Apple Lipstick - and I encourage you to become familiar with it.  I seriously threw away about 6 lipstick products I previously owned - and now only wear Red Apple.

Click on this link to read for yourself (check out the "Why Red Apple" tab!) about Red Apple:



I don't know about you, but I want to lose the phrase, "growing old gracefully" and replace it with something far more sassy.  Like "growing healthier and hotter after 50." Although there's probably nothing really graceful about that!

Enjoy this sassy little video by Red Apple Lipstick's, Andrea Harper, as she shows off one of their super awesome colors.  And let's begin to read labels, and make some healthy cosmetic choices for the future of our beautiful selves!