More of beautiful Bruges

May 24, 2019 / edebock / 2 Comments

When we set out to explore Bruges after arriving yesterday afternoon, we had the Market Square (Markt) in mind as our goal, but like most of the European cities that we’ve visited, it isn’t laid out on a grid, and even with a tourist map in hand, we got completely turned around! That didn’t matter at all because every time you turn a corner in Bruges, there’s something beautiful to see. We simply wandered the narrow cobblestoned streets with names like Katelijnestaat, Zuidzandstraat, and Zoonekemeers and eventually ended up back at our hotel.

Today, we finally figured out the map and spent several hours strolling at a very leisurely pace. This time we had no problem finding Market Square which is dominated by the 13th century Belfry of Bruges tower. We have no doubt that the view from the top would be astounding, but we decided to forgo the 366 steps it would take to get there and limit our views to ground level.

Its many canals add to the beauty and charm of Bruges and we walked along many of them today.

This bend in the canal is known as the Quay of the Rosary (Rozenhoedkaai) and is apparently the most photographed spot in Bruges. Though I can’t deny that it’s lovely with the belfry tower in the background, I think some of the other scenes I’ve photographed rival it for beauty.

As one who loves reflections on water, this spot was one of my absolute favourites.

A visit to Bruges would be incomplete without taking one of the half hour boat tours of the canals. In addition to seeing this magnificent city from a different angle, the captain’s commentary was informative and interesting.

The weather has been absolutely lovely since we arrived here and we’ve had little desire to spend time indoors. I did want to spend a little while in the Church of Our Lady though to see Michelangelo’s magnificent marble carving, Madonna With Child. Created in about 1503, it was the only one of his works that left Italy during the artist’s lifetime when it was brought to Bruges by a wealthy merchant. It was stolen for the first time by the French occupiers in 1794, but later returned after the defeat of Napoleon. It was removed a second time by the Germans toward the end of World War II, but once again it found its way home to Bruges where it is highly treasured.

Bruges is known for chocolate, beer (there are two local breweries), lace, and the swans that have graced the canals since the 15th century.

It’s not about age

August 17, 2018August 16, 2018 / edebock / 4 Comments

I’d like to begin by thanking those of you who responded to last week’s Fashion Friday post either here or on Facebook. I posed the same question about the length of my hair on Jennifer Connolly’s A Well Styled Life Community Facebook page which has a much wider audience and almost 100 members responded! So far, #4 is the overwhelming favourite. In fact, more than half of all the responders chose that look.

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Though they didn’t all agree on which one made me look most youthful, I was surprised at how many women mentioned that as their reason for choosing one hair length over the others. Have we been so indoctrinated by our culture that we automatically equate youth with beauty without even realizing it? Have I?

I admit that I don’t want to look older than I really am. That’s why I don’t straighten my hair when it’s long. That really pulls me down and makes me look haggard while the curls do seem to give me a more youthful look.

I do embrace the age I am, however, wearing my 65 years bold t-shirt with pride. I have no desire to turn back the clock, though I do wish sometimes that I could slow it down! The years seem to be flying by at an ever increasing pace and I’d like to have more time to enjoy each one of them.

Neither do I have any great desire to erase the visible signs of aging. I decided many years ago not to colour my hair, but to age with grayce and I love this quotation from Queen Elizabeth II. “Don’t retouch my wrinkles in the photograph, I would not want it to be thought that I had lived for all these years without having anything to show for it.”

Attitude not age

Let your beauty shine through

May 18, 2018May 17, 2018 / edebock / 6 Comments

After having our ceilings stripped and new stipple applied, then painting the living room, this week has been one of major house cleaning. If you had seen me in my painting duds or wearing old jeans and t-shirt while I applied furniture polish to practically every wood surface in the house, you would not have taken me for a fashion blogger. In fact, I’m quite sure I looked more like a fashion failure!

As these things tend to do, the work has taken longer and gone in different directions than we originally planned and while I try to post something on the blog at least twice a week, that hasn’t been happening. Suddenly it’s Friday again and I don’t have a new outfit or tidbit of fashion wisdom ready to share with you.

I have, however, been musing about something as I’ve applied oil to wood and polished it to a shine. The oil enhances the natural beauty of the wood. Similarly, what we wear only enhances the beauty that comes from within.

Stephanie Lahart, inspirational author of Overcoming Life’s Obstacles, puts it this way:

“Her outer beauty is just a bonus, but it is her inner beauty that’s most captivating. She’s loving, caring, kindhearted, empathetic, and genuine. She’s comfortable in her own skin, therefore, she’s able to compliment, celebrate, and build up others around her. She’s a quality woman with a strong sense of self! She doesn’t need the spotlight, because she is the light wherever she goes. Smart, confident, ambitious, and fearless… Beautifully created from the inside out.”

A woman like that can be dressed in rags (or painting clothes) and still be beautiful!

Scripture tells us:

“Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” 1 Peter 3:3-4

So, whatever you’re wearing today… pay someone a compliment, do something kind for someone else, put a smile on your face and let the beautiful woman you are shine through.

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I’ll be in the city for another cancer treatment and some scans next week, so I should have an update on that front, and I promise a more traditional fashion post next Friday.

Sleeping beauty

May 11, 2018May 10, 2018 / edebock / Leave a comment

Taking an interest in fashion is usually about wanting to look our best. The clothes we wear are definitely an important part of that, but so is taking care of the body that we put those clothes on.

I’m reminded of the repainting that I’m doing in our living room right now. If I simply put fresh paint on the wall without first mending the nicks and scrapes and the holes from the old drapery rod that we just took down, the result would not look good at all. In the same way, without eating well, being physically active, and getting adequate sleep, we can put the loveliest clothes on our bodies and not end up looking very good.

Getting sufficient sleep can be a significant problem for many women. When we’re young, the demands of motherhood or a busy work life can make it difficult to settle in and get a good night’s rest and as we age there is often a decrease in the deep-sleep stage and an increase in periods of wakefulness during the night, not to mention more frequent trips to the bathroom.

I generally get plenty of sleep, but not at this time of year. I’m not an early riser, but at this time of year, the sun is! It rose at 5:36 this morning and will continue shining in my window earlier each morning for another month and a half. Every year at this time, I think about getting darker blinds for the bedroom, but after awhile I get used to the early morning light and the need for new window coverings is forgotten. This year, I came up with a new idea. A sleep mask!

A sleep mask is essentially a comfortable blindfold that blocks light and thus helps the wearer reach a deep and restful sleep even in situations like mine where there is a lack of darkness. There are a variety of different types of sleep masks available. In addition to the standard mask, there are pillow masks, or eye pillows, which are thicker and softer than a regular sleep mask. There are cooling masks, magnetic masks, and compression masks. There are even sleep masks designed specifically for aromatherapy. Masks come in a variety of materials with silk, cotton, and satin being the most common. Some masks use a combination of materials and some even have gel or foam inside to give the mask more structure. Some are made with raised eye cavities that allow you to open your eyes while wearing them.

I wasn’t at all sure how well I would adjust to sleeping with a mask, so I was hesitant to spend much on one until I’d given the idea a try. Imagine my delight when I found this satin beauty with a soft velvety lining at Dollarama for $1.25! There were a wide variety of colours available as well as a choice of witty sayings. It fits comfortably; not too tight, but snug enough to stay in place. I’ve only worn it two nights, so it might be a bit too soon to say for sure, but instead of waking up with the sun I’ve been able to sleep until 7:00 or later.

What about you? Do you have difficulty getting your beauty sleep? Have you tried wearing a mask?

Magnificent mountain

December 23, 2017December 23, 2017 / edebock / 4 Comments

There’s something about Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, that speaks to my soul. It’s a wondrous creation that speaks of beauty, power, and majesty.

Standing alone like a protective sentinel overlooking the Yellowhead Highway just west of the BC/Alberta border, Robson isn’t a distant and inaccessible peak like so many others are. It’s right there, in your face. You can’t miss it, unless it’s shrouded in cloud as it so very often is.

We make the trip to Vancouver at least a couple of times every year and we always hope to see the mountain. We’ve had some excellent views of it in recent years, but yesterday’s topped them all.

Mount Robson in early morning light

We left Jasper early in the morning as the sky was growing light. The highway was covered with packed snow and ice, but the sky was crystal clear. The snow covered trees and the morning light on the mountains were gorgeous.

The closer we got to Mount Robson, the more hopeful we became that we would get a clear view of it. We’ve been disappointed before, finding it hidden in morning mist, but not this time!

Mount Robson, highest peak in the Canadian Rockies

It was absolutely breathtaking!

Luscious lips

October 27, 2017October 21, 2017 / edebock / 2 Comments

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Did you know that lip colour fades with age? I didn’t either.

I was in my teens when I first tried wearing lipstick and I hated it. It felt waxy and it dried out my lips. That was when I decided that I really didn’t need it anyway as I was blessed with plenty of natural pigment in my lips. A bit of gloss was all that was needed to dress them up.

Not so anymore. I’ve started to notice that without lipstick, I often look a bit washed out. At first, I attributed it to the fact that my wardrobe is largely neutral in colour, but then I learned that as we mature, we experience natural loss of lip pigment. We also lose lip volume with age which accentuates the loss of colour.

So, lipstick it is, but how to choose from the myriad of options that are available?

Lipstick composition hasn’t changed much over the years, but I find that the moisturizing formula of Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick works well for me so I’m sticking to that brand. If you have trouble with lipstick drying out your lips, I’d recommend giving it a try.

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Once you find a brand that you’re comfortable with, there’s still the question of colour. So many choices! Here are a few tips that might help.

Choose colours that enhance your skin tone. If your skin has warm undertones, experiment with shades of coral, peach, copper, or bronze. If your skin has cool undertones, try mauve, mocha, cranberry, or wine colours.

Every woman can wear red, but we shouldn’t all wear the same red. As with clothing, especially anything worn close to your face, skin with warm undertones looks best with an orange-based red while skin with cool undertones looks better with a blue-based shade.

Unless you shop at a high end cosmetic counter that provides alcohol to clean the tester as well as sterile brushes or cotton swabs to apply the sample colours, you won’t want to apply the tester lipstick to your mouth. Rather than testing the lipstick on your wrist or the side of your hand, test it on the pads of your fingertips which are much closer to your lip colour.

For a subtle everyday look, choose a colour that’s just a bit darker or brighter than your natural lip colour. For dressier occasions, go for dramatic lips or eyes, but not both.

Don’t try to match your lip colour too closely to your clothing. For example, if you’re wearing a bright red dress, a lipstick in the same colour will be overwhelming. Perhaps try a darker shade.

Don’t forget that you can create your own lipstick colours by blending more than one. If one of my darker colours seems a bit too bold, I simply add a light coat of my more subtle everyday colour to tone it down a bit.

Most important of all, remember that these are just guidelines. Rules are meant to be broken. First and foremost, wear what makes you feel confident and happy and don’t forget, once you’ve coloured those lips, add a smile!

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Please note: This is not a sponsored post.

If you could choose only one makeup product, what would it be?

September 2, 2016September 1, 2016 / edebock / 2 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3 I tend to be a minimalist when it comes to makeup, but there’s one product I can’t be without. I’m not talking skin care products here, just makeup. I’d go completely makeup free before I’d dream of giving up my skin cleanser, day lotion or night cream, but if I had to choose just one makeup product, it would be mascara. I feel naked without it!

Given my pale complexion, blush or bronzer might be a wiser choice, but I would definitely choose mascara over either one of those. Perhaps that’s because my deep set eyes have been hidden behind glasses for most of my life. A light application on the upper lashes gives them definition and makes me look more awake while still appearing very natural.

cg_clump_crusher_mascara_waterproof I’ve been using Cover Girl’s Clump Crusher Water Resistant Mascara by Lashblast for quite awhile and I find it very satisfactory. It’s reasonably priced and stays on well. I prefer a water resistant mascara over a waterproof one because it’s much easier to remove, but it doesn’t smudge easily and doesn’t run if my eyes water or I shed a few tears. I wear black brown as I find it less harsh and more natural looking than black.

Keep in mind that mascara has the shortest shelf life of all beauty products and should be replaced every two or three months, sooner if it starts to smell. When I open a new mascara, I always use a Sharpie to mark the month on the bottom of the tube so that I remember when it’s time to replace it.

Now it’s your turn. If you could choose only one makeup product, what would it be and why?

Please note: This is not a paid endorsement.

We’re winking again!

June 16, 2016June 16, 2016 / edebock / 3 Comments

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been a year since my daughter and I put on our blue eyeshadow and participated in Wink Day 2015, but here it is again and as it turns out, I’m at her house again.

What is Wink Day, you ask? It’s a day set aside by the Canadian beauty industry, through it’s charitable foundation, Beauty Gives Back, in support of women going through the social and emotional challenges of the Cancer Blues. Women across Canada are encouraged to post pictures and videos of themselves wearing blue eyeshadow (with the hashtag #winkday) as a way of raising awareness of the Cancer Blues. The Cancer Blues is a term, coined by Beauty Gives Back, to describe the emotional distress caused by cancer and its treatment, an often ignored consequence of the disease that can seriously affect a person’s ability to fight and thrive through the ordeal.

My daughter looks great in blue eyeshadow, but me, not so much! “It ages you,” she told me as we applied our make-up and I think she’s right. For Wink Day, however, I’ll put vanity aside.

For over 20 years, Beauty Gives Back has supported tens of thousands of Canadian women through the Cancer Blues with programs such as Look Good Feel Better and FacingCancer.ca. Look Good Feel Better workshops are free of charge to all women with cancer and are designed to help them feel better about themselves and thus face their illness with greater confidence. Over 1800 volunteer cosmetic advisers and hair alternative specialists give generously of their time to bring the two hour seminars to cancer care centres across the country. I was so impressed with my own Look Good Feel Better experience that I’m now a spokesperson for the program helping promote the twice a year fundraising galas put on by Shopper’s Drug Mart, one of the program’s biggest sponsors.

Though I’ve been diagnosed with two completely unrelated cancers over the past three years, one of which is incurable, I must admit that I haven’t experienced the degree of mental distress that many victims of the Cancer Blues do. I attribute this to my faith, my wonderfully supportive family and friends, a great cancer care team and the fact that, so far, my treatment has been successful. My disease is stable and I’m able to live a reasonably normal life. I do, however, love those occasions when I’m someplace where no one knows that I’m the woman with cancer; moments when I can almost forget about it myself.

On days like Wink Day, however, I’m eager to do my part to raise awareness even if it means looking totally silly! It’s not too late to join the fun. Simply post a picture or a video of yourself wearing blue eyeshadow on social media anytime before the end of June (with the hashtag #winkday) or visit winkday.ca to find out how else you can help.

Aging with grayce

May 6, 2016April 27, 2016 / edebock / 8 Comments

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Why is it that gray hair on a man is often considered sexy or sophisticated? Think Richard Richard Gere Gere, ladies!

Women, on the other hand, have long felt tremendous societal pressure to cover their gray. Amazing amounts of time and money are spent fending off the effects of time and trying to hang onto a coveted youthful ideal. Recently, the lovely young Duchess of Cambridge was chastised in the press for allowing a few strands of gray to appear in her lustrous brunette mane!

Times and trends are changing though and even some well known actresses and models are choosing to embrace their gray. Far from looking old and washed out, these gals are stunning!

Jamie Lee Curtis

I’ve always loved Jamie Lee Curtis’ short pixie cut and doesn’t it look great in pewter?

Kori Hendrix

Here’s Kori Hendrix, a Texas realtor and model. Isn’t she gorgeous?

In days gone by, it was thought that women who did let their hair go gray should at least keep it short, but not anymore! Look at the flowing locks on these beauties!

Ingrid Becker

In her late 60s, Ingrid Becker is a top German model.

Model Cindy Joseph

Cindy Joseph, began her career in the late 1970s working as a make-up artist for fashion and beauty photographers. In 1999, at the age of 49, she was approached on the street by a casting agent and asked to model for a Dolce and Gabbana ad campaign. That ignited her modeling career with Ford Models Inc., which continues to flourish today at age 66.
Nicola Griffin 2

Nicola Griffin also came to modelling later in life. A middle-aged single mother from Nottingham, England, who ran a business organizing student exchange trips, Griffin was standing in line at the bank with her twin daughters when a stranger representing a hair product company asked her if she’d be willing to model for the company’s latest campaign. She was sceptical, but her teenage daughters urged her to give it a try. That quickly led to other modelling jobs and at age 56, she became the oldest woman ever to model for the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue!

Born in France in December of 1955, Yasmina Rossi is both a grandmother and a highly sought after model who still looks good in a bikini!

“My hair started turning gray when I was 12 and was salt-and-pepper by the time I hit 20,” says Rossi. “I never colored it, because I knew it was my best asset.”

Yasmina Rossi Model age 59

Yasmina Rossi

Who says gray can’t be sexy and sophisticated?

My first strands of gray began to appear when I was in my mid 40s. I distinctly remember sitting at the dinner table between my oldest son and his friend, both in their teens and both towering over me in height. Looking down at my head, my son commented on the fact that I was getting quite a few gray hairs. “That’s not gray hair,” his friend responded. “Those are silver highlights!” I always did love that boy!

Going gray has been a very slow process. Almost twenty years after that dinner table conversation, my hair still looks more brown than gray in photos. I don’t remember where I first saw the “aging with grayce” phrase, but I’ve adopted it as my own. I can’t tell you whether you should colour your hair or go au naturel, but I love my silver highlights and I have no desire to hide them. I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever go completely gray, but if I do, I hope I can carry it off with as much dignity and grace as the beautiful ladies shown above!

Beauty from the inside out

April 22, 2016April 15, 2016 / edebock / 3 Comments

Screen Shot 2016-03-18 at 11.07.24 PM 3 Long before I ever thought about trying my hand at fashion blogging, I wrote a series of posts about what makes a woman beautiful. You can find those posts here, here and here.

As I mentioned in the first of that series, the Bible speaks of “the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit” that “does not come from outward adornment.” (1 Peter 3:3-4) It also says “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

If these things are true, and I sincerely believe that they are, why in the world am I blogging about fashion? Nowhere does scripture say that a godly woman shouldn’t concern herself with style, dress in fine clothes, wear elaborate jewelry or use make-up. It simply says that her true beauty shouldn’t depend on these things. It ought to come from within.

Some Christians emphatically declare that inner beauty is all that matters; that attention to outer beauty is sinful vanity. I disagree completely! True, a nasty, mean-spirited woman dressed in designer clothes and made up impeccably, is still mean and nasty. Unless something happens to transform her from the inside out, that ill-tempered spirit will soon become evident and we will see through her attractive appearance. Similarly, a beautiful spirit can be hidden beneath a frumpy or unkempt exterior, but sadly, it may not be noticed. It’s our outer appearance that often attracts people to us and makes our inner person readily available to them.

Clothing, hair and make-up can be an asset without becoming an obsession and, like it or not, the way we present ourselves sends messages to those who come in contact with us. Rightly or wrongly, we live in a culture where people do judge a book by its cover.

What does your appearance say about you? Does it tell the world that you care about yourself, that you matter, that you’re worth the time it takes to look after yourself? I think it should!

Clearly, we need balance in our lives. We need to do those things that nurture inner peace and beauty, but if we want them to shine through and be seen, it behooves us to put a little effort into our outward appearance too. In addition, looking good is a great confidence booster!

Looking our best doesn’t mean being overdressed and it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Here’s a comfy, casual look that I might wear to the grocery store on a cool spring day.

I’m wearing dark wash jeans from Old Navy, a Reitman’s t-shirt, cute sneakers and a very special bright pink hoodie that adds a pop of colour to my otherwise neutral outfit.

The prints on the pockets are the hands of two of my young grandsons! They live over 1300 km from me, but when I wear this gift I feel just a wee bit closer to them.