In Search of Fenty Beauty

Been watching a lot of the reviews on Fenty Beauty by Rihanna. No Sephora in Costa Rica so on our recent trip to Cancun, I went in search of Fenty products. I plan to do my own review shortly.

Pre Packin Mexico Bound from Devon on Vimeo.

Wedding Series - Sephora in Playa del Carmen, Mexico from Devon on Vimeo.

What your clothing says about you

Things are a changin!

but...

one of the things that has not changed, is my love for fashion and design. 

We moved into a furnished house in Costa Rica. I brought very few of my personal belongings and the space did not feel quite like "me". After living with what we had for a while I decided to buy a couple of Costa Rican Rockers and also some pottery from Nicaragua. Next I added some other odds and ends like lamps, a few pictures and some kitchen items. Although it still isn't quite "me" it's coming along. We are planning to make a trip to Guatemala soon and I am eager to bring back some of their beautiful textiles for our home. 

My next project...

my clothes

Since we were not bringing a lot of clothing, I downsized my wardrobe and then selected the clothing I thought would be most appropriate for our new life and a very different climate (mostly based on what I had read from other expats).

Since we have been here almost 5 months I have learned quite a bit about how I want to dress and it turns out that I brought many of the wrong items.

It is next to impossible to have packages shipped into Costa Rica so I thought I would have to live with what I had brought, until, an expat friend told me that she makes trips back to Houston a couple of times a month and would be happy to bring back some clothing items for me.

So I set out to find myself some new clothing.

YES!!!!

(thank you Deborah!!!)

BTW - up until now I have NEVER ordered clothing online (unless it was something I had already seen and tried on in the store) 

So this was completely new to me.

I took to Amazon, reading the reviews and checking each piece very carefully as I knew that it would be very hard to return any of the items that I did not like or that did not fit properly. 

I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered a site that specializes in 100% natural linen (the perfect fiber for the hot Costa Rican weather)

I want to feel comfortable and confident in my clothing

My new favorite place to shop online is Vivid Linen!!

Vivid's linen apparel is cool, stylish and comfortable. The boutique meets the demand from both men and women on linen wear.

link  Online Store

I found so many pretty things on their site that I went a little overboard (I bought tops only) and I was super happy when my friend delivered them to me.

I might also note that the packaging is 1st class. They are individually wrapped in plastic and then slipped into a very nice linen bag (picture below does not do it justice).

The clothing quality is amazing!!

I plan to take some photos of me modeling the clothing (I also bought linen slacks from another retailer) and will share them here at some point in the near future. Stand by

link this is the yellow top pictured in the photo

It might be late in the year for some of you in the U.S but consider for warmer weather.

The styles are also very comfortable for those of us who like a looser fit.

They have a physical store in Hong Kong but thank goodness you can shop them online! 

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Pantone New Colors for 2016

WHAT IS THE PANTONE COLOR OF THE YEAR?

A symbolic color selection; a color snapshot of what we see taking place in our culture that serves as an expression of a mood and an attitude.

 ROSE QUARTZ & SERENITY COLOR PAIRINGS 

For the first time Pantone introduces two shades, Rose Quartz and Serenity as the PANTONE Color of the Year 2016. Rose Quartz is a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure. Serenity is weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, bringing feelings of respite and relaxation even in turbulent times. source

The 210 new colors range from the blackest of black to the most brilliant white.

With color trends constantly shifting and redefining themselves, our collection of 210 new shades gives you a greater range of creative expression and ensures that your color palettes are fresh, modern and relevant.

see them all here

FALL 2016: A Unity of Strength, Confidence and Complexity

The desire for tranquility, strength, and optimism have inspired a Fall 2016 color palette that is led by the Blue family.

love this color

Costa Rica Wedding Day fashions

The wedding (of 9 couples)  was today and it was a wonderful event!!

I took photos and video so now I have the tedious task of editing.

Not sure how long it will take, hopefully should be done to upload by Wednesday (fingers crossed)

Till then, here are a few pictures of my outfit.

 Balloons mark the path to the event location

Taking some photos in the bedroom of one of the brides. 

Ms Jane with the veil she made with material she purchased in town a few days ago 

Me & Kathleen (one of the brides)

A beautiful setting. Don't you agree?

See you back in a few days with the video!

Between the Lines - Changing Direction

When Katie from Katherines Corner put out the call to bloggers over 50 for her new feature series, Between the Lines, it came at exactly the perfect time for me. 

go here

What a great idea! Most bloggers over 50 get very little recognition. We don't even know where to find each other to/for support!

Finally someone who wants to CELEBRATE the wisdom and creativity of bloggers over 50! Thank you Katie!! The series will run for 10 weeks featuring a different group of bloggers every Tues. I hope you all will check out the bloggers and follow their stories.  You will find their links at the end of this post.

For this feature series Katie asked us to share our feelings about blogging in the second half of life.

 “Retire to something, not just from something,”

I will retire from the corporate world at the end of this week, after having worked for 45 years. My 66th birthday comes up in about 2 weeks on May 8th and I'm moving to Costa Rica on May 31st! 

I started blogging in 2009 at the age of 59. I started with a little blog called "I'm Just Sayin" and later added several more blogs reflecting other personal interests of mine. They include travel, holistic wellness, my non profit projects in Africa and fashion/lifestyle.

Life is all about change and I am enjoying writing about all the changes in my life.

The biggest challenge for me (I hate to say it) unfortunately has been my age. This is mostly apparent with my fashion blog. Although I stay fit and keep current with fashion, there just hasn't been a huge number of readers over 50 (and let's not even talk about the over 65 crowd)! Of course readership is growing and has come a long way -- but ageism still exists. 

When I first started this blog 2 years ago, I posted fashion shoots of myself several times a week. Since I modeled my own clothing, eventually I exhausted my wardrobe -- so I decided to change direction and include more topics on lifestyle. I have found this change to be much more rewarding and allows me to include posts on many other topics as well. 

I've always enjoyed writing. I find it therapeutic. I don't write to count the number of readers or followers that I have. I write because I have a point of view and because I believe that each of us is unique and has something special to share with the world. 

"If I don't do me, no one else will"

Along with fashion, I also LOVE to travel and have taken up travel blogging. I have a new website Itchy Feet which debuts on June 1st. At the same time I will launch my new youtube channel Itchy Feet TV where people can follow our journey and our new life in Costa Rica!! 

(this will be my first time vlogging). Hope you will check me out. 

                    The Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica

I appreciate you stopping by my blog today and hope that you will subscribe and come back often. I'm pretty sure that my fellow bloggers over 50 

would also appreciate your support of their efforts as well. 

Please take the time to visit each of their sites below. 

What's Underneath

The other day I bought several cute swimsuit cover ups by Raviya. I may use them to cover up swimsuits but I also wanted to be able to just wear them around when I'm in Costa Rica and the weather is hot. 

The problem was, I didn't have a bra to wear underneath.  Let's just face it, my breasts are way too big to go braless! And I am way too old to have my bra straps showing. The last time I tried to find a strapless bra I was much younger (although I have always had ample size breasts). I remember not being able to find a bra in my size in a strapless that would hold up my breasts so I gave up trying, and to this date I figured I could not wear a strapless bra.  

Well, obviously things have changed on the bra scene because I marched into Norstrom the other day and discovered I had several options in strapless bras.

They were very comfortable and actually held the boobies up! 

So I bought 2. They are by Wacoal and also come with straps so you can wear them under other clothes as well.  Go figure!!

What's Underneath by urbandoggs featuring a full figure strapless bra

I can see clearly now!

My first pair of glasses arrived the other day. Just in time for the Super Bowl and about 7 days ahead of schedule.

I really like the glasses, although I do not particularly care for myself in glasses. There are some really cool frames out. It is hard to choose one. Which is why I chose 2.

My prescription changed just slightly in my left eye and with the new progressive lens I can now read my phone, up close (before it was much easier to read the text on my phone by removing my glasses).

Regarding Super Bowl 50 -  First let me say, after a week of rain and some very chilly weather, the skies were beautiful and the temps high, all across the Bay!! Cannot complain about that. Perfect weather to host Super Bowl 50! I didn't have a favorite team to cheer for this year, but we invited a few friends over and watched the game together. It was a good defensive game. Congrats to the Denver Broncos!!

Below are some pics of what I wore 

and

 photos of me in my new Dior glasses

Wearing:

Gray Chino Pants | Banana Republic|

Gray/White Top | Gap |

Dark Havana Ivory Black Glasses | Dior CD3289 |

Ombre Lips - tutorial

A Passion for Fashion

What are the odds that your grandchildren will be blessed — or saddled — with your most distinguishing features and/or likes and dislikes? 

 Meet Khalia Ariel

my granddaughter

New genetic testing techniques can now reveal individuals’ shared lineage going back multiple generations but still can’t determine if your grandchild will have your high cheek bones. And yet there is some familial resemblance in every new grandchild.

The features you're more likely to see carried over in your grandchild are more likely to include hair, skin, and eye color, than the actual contours of your face, says Barry Starr, director of Stanford at The Tech, a program run by the Stanford University genetics department at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif.

Geneticists are making remarkable discoveries since the mapping of the human genome.

The experts say that any future discoveries about how appearance is carried through a child's genes are likely to come as a byproduct of other research, such as DNA sampling.

Source Grandparents.com

Khalia lives in Colorado. This photo was taken in 2011when we travelled to Atlanta. I have not seen her in person since then, but obviously she has grown up quite a bit. I think it would be fun to do a photo shoot together one day. We share a passion for fashion.

Khalia has completed cosmetology school and is making plans to attend a new college in the fall.

I'm very proud of her!

Thank you Khalia for allowing me to post these beautiful photos!

Read my Lip(stick)

HOW MANY LIPSTICKS DOES A GIRL REALLY NEED?

According to author Helena Frith Powell's book All You Need to Be Impossibly French, she bluntly states that to be more French all you need are two lipsticks (and a lover). She explains that one lipstick is for everyday wear and that the second is for nighttime or those occasions when you really want to vamp it up.

Can't say that I agree with her on having only 2 lipsticks, but in an effort to downsize for my move to Costa Rica I must go through everything, including my makeup. I need only take the bare minimum. 

The choice of which lipsticks is really hard because I have 20 tubes, and I pretty much like them all! 

This was also a rather difficult post to do because I am not exactly in love with my lips, but I decided to take these pictures anyway so that I could see the variety of shades I have (mostly red) and then make the cut from there. 

In the interest of your time I will not photograph all 20. 

I started with my lipliner - Smashbox Always Sharp Lip Liner in Ruby 

it goes well with all my colors and the pencil is self sharpening - I like that a lot

1st up from the Exclusive Collection Blake's Red by L'Oreal Colour Riche

It's a smooth and long lasting matte. It's my go to lip color for everyday wear.  

2nd up

F-Bomb by Urban Decay

Another one of my faves - creamy with a bit of shine

3rd lipstick

L'Oreal #315 True Red

4th Channel (can't read the shade anymore)

5th Bobbi Brown Essentials

Burnt Red #9

 6th Smashbox Rouge A Levres Screen Queen Matte
this one is new so I am still getting used to it

 7th Luxury Moisturizing Lipstick #001 Wild Thing
with just a hint of orchid

 8th YSL Rouge Pur
my spring and summer time pink

9th Mac Cosmetics CB96
this one is actually orange so can't say I have ever worn it alone. I usually mix it with a red 

How many lipsticks do you have?