Boomers Resource Network: A Mother's Day Gift for Mom

My friend, Beth, is enjoying a month-long visit from her mother. As an early Mother's Day gift Beth gave her some time with me. Beth decided that her mother would really enjoy having color analysis, a makeover and a shopping trip.

Margaret and I first talked about how color worn next to her face can effect your appearance and then she saw it first hand as I draped her with different shades of warm and cool colors. Next, I reapplied her makeup to give her a younger look. Margaret was wearing a foundation shade that was too dark in the attempt to cover up "flaws" on her skin. The only thing this acheived was making her look "made up" and older. Tip: When you see a line of color along your jaw line, you need a different shade. And never pull the foundation down onto the neck to avoid that line. That is so "old lady."

The eyeliner under Margaret's eye was too heavy and smudged. I taught her to use a very light touch with short strokes instead of drawing a line. Another tip: The purpose of eyeline is to make your eyelashes look thicker, not to look like you have lines drawn around your eyes.

The bottom line was that Margaret needed to use a magnifying mirror to put on her makeup. She balked at seeing her face that close up, but I told her I had been using one for several years and after the initial shock, you get used to it. When your eyesight isn't as good as it used to be, using a magnifying mirror to do your makeup is as essential as having a full-length mirror in your bedroom!

Margaret wanted to go to Coldwater Creek, http://www.coldwatercreek.com/, for her shopping trip, so off to the mall we went. First, we had a nice lunch and then the shopping began. Margaret had been told she couldn't wear skirts because she was short-waisted. I showed her that it was how she wore her tops with the skirt that mattered. The last tip: If you are short-waisted, you need to balance the bottom half of your body by wearing your tops untucked. This especially looks great when you wear a belt over the top and below your waistline.

In not much more than an hour, Margaret had chosen a skirt, two jackets and two tops. She is thrilled with her new look and "loves" me, as her daughter said.