…. to Elizabeth Arden, the beauty company which opened its legendary Red Door for the very first time in 1910. As part of its birthday celebrations, Arden has created a limited-edition Anniversary Lipstick in Red Door Red. A universally flattering sheer red hue, it is described as the perfect accessory for every occasion. Moreover, Arden will donate all of the proceeds from sales of the lipstick to the Look Good…Feel Better charitable organisation, which helps improve the self-image, appearance and quality of life of people undergoing cancer treatment. The worldwide organisation, for which I donate my time and expertise at Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridgeshire, has groups in 20 countries, and has helped more than one million women deal with the effects cancer can have on their appearance. The lipstick formula contains vitamins A, C and E, plus aloe to instantly hydrate lips and cushion them for total comfort. 

Arden has also created an Anniversary Scented Candle, featuring a Floral Essence of Red Door. A limited edition, it is said to offer a new interpretation of the classic Arden scent, reworked by IFF perfumer Clement Gavarry. The candle is presented in a porcelain canister adorned with whimsical renderings of stylish women from the past century, posed within the landmark Elizabeth Arden building on Fifth Avenue, New York City. Find it at John Lewis for £25.

Sarah Jessica Parker and her Sex and the City co-stars have revolutionised style for forty year olds  (and upwards) everywhere, proving that you don’t have to be in your twenties or thirties to keep up with the latest fashion trends.

No-one wants to be thought of as ‘mutton dressed as lamb’ and if you don’t want to go to an image consultant for help, fashion-conscious women everywhere have another option.

Getmyfashion has a special ‘Get the Look’ section on its website, so you can see how easy it is to put different looks together and maximise your wardrobe to get the best value.  To celebrate the release of the new film – Sex and the City 2, you’ll find some limited edition ‘Get the Look’ features so that women can steal Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda’s styles and be creative with them.  Getmyfashion stocks a number of fashion labels to cover all tastes and occasions, with all items handpicked for their style and quality.

I love the range of clothes and believe that there is truly something for everyone on this site. www.getmyfashion.com

It’s Fairy Liquid’s 50th birthday and if you are as ‘old’ as me, you’ll certainly remember Blue Peter. Whatever they created always required sticky back plastic and a Fairy Liquid bottle!

To mark the occasion, Fairy Liquid is back in its former packaging – the white bottle with green lettering and, of course, the baby. Seems like only yesterday that this was the version in the shops! I must be getting old.

I took the liberty of ‘stealing’ this from my inspirational POWER (Perfectly Ordinary Women, Extraordinary Results) colleague Lisa Whitehead’s e-zine as I thought it was really apt

It feels decidedly cold here for March. I heard that the daffodils are about 4 weeks behind their normal appearance this year. It seems Spring is a little slow to wake up this time, just a little bit longer in hibernation…. Trust that, just the same as the daffodils, the growth is still going on, we just can’t see it yet. Once the new shoots break through, everything speeds up and everything blossoms very quickly, so enjoy this time of nurturing. Its all part of the preparation for bigger, brighter, bolder things!

Which brings me to my guidance for this month!

Be Bold!

Just like the daffodil, bright and bold.

How can you be bolder today?

Do you grow towards your goals…or do you shy away?

In order to grow and bloom the daffodil grows towards the sun, it basks in its warmth and light, it stands tall.

Its bright yellow colour brings wisdom, intellect, enthusiasm, joy and optimism.It is the colour of personal power and fulfilment,abundance, courage and self confidence. Throughout the ages yellow has stood for wisdom, aiding logic, memory and concentration. It brings will power and  creative energy, giving us a feeling of exspansiveness and curiosity.

Where do you need more “yellow” in your life?

Just for today, why not look for ways to be bold, unlock and unravel your full potential. Try something new and bold……. let me know what happens!

www.getalife-uk.co.uk for more information.

Look at Calendar March 30th for details of Celebrate Me workshop and the launch of POWER. It’s FREE.

Kathryn Bigelow chose the right time to become the first women director to win an Oscar because today is International Women’s Day.  

First proposed in 1910 and launched in 1911, International Women’s Day came about because of a woman named Clara Zetkin (leader of the ‘Women’s Office’ for Germany’s Social Democratic Party), who thought every country should mark an annual Women’s Day to press for her gender’s demands.

1975 was designated ‘International Women’s Year’ by the United Nations, which officially sanctioned the day and started sponsoring it. Annual events are now organised by various bodies that work for the welfare of women and campaign for gender equality.

Though it originally came into existence because of women’s fight for better pay, voting rights and an end to discrimination, the annual celebration is now largely dedicated to inspiring women worldwide and celebrating their achievements.

March 8th also has poignant memories for me too. It would have been my 24th wedding anniversary if my first husband had survived his cancer.

Wishing all women, wherever you are in the world or your life’s journey, a fabulous day.

A date for your diary!

Wednesday 14^th April 2010

7-9pm

Bricket Wood, Hertfordshire

Colleen Oakley, a lovely colleague of mine, will be hosting the launch of  Silpada Designs UK. Beautiful sterling silver based  jewellery – at prices to suit all pockets , seasons, body shapes, personality types. You could be among the first people to be introduced to this new UK business.

If you cannot attend but would like a party, to discuss the business opportunity, or to order some of this gorgeous jewellery, please call Colleen Oakley 07930 324034

Click and have a look at the website!

Click and have a look at the website!

http://www.silpada.co.uk/index.html

Then you need to listen to my being interviewed by the fabulous Karen Knott. Karen is also passionate about women in their 50′s and is instrumental in coaching them to grow, develop and realise their ambitions.

To find out more, hear what we had to say by clicking on this link

http://bit.ly/aSxbzN

Colour is the most amazing subject and I believe we know very little about how it affects us visually, emotionally and psychologically. I just know that it does. Haven’t you ever felt weighed down when wearing black, felt blue when dressed in navy or felt uplifted when you don something bright?

An online experiment has recently been undertaken by half a million people associating words to colours. The results formed part of a fascinating article in the Saturday Times magazine last week.

Obvious associations are diagnostic in nature – danger with red for example (think of traffic lights and other warning signs). Others are physiological. Humans have three colour receptors, red, green and blue while other animals only have two, so we could easily distinguish ripe fruit in trees back in the days when that was our main food source. What was a surprise was how perception differed according to your native language. Russians, for instance, have two totally separate categories for light blue and are more adept at distinguishing different shades of blue, not because they are highly perceptive, but because of their mother!

We 50 somethings have now become officially part of a new collective according to Celia Walden, Feature writer for the Telegraph - Quintastic.

There are, of course, categories because we obviously can’t all be the same.

The Inverted Adolescent – eg Sharon Stone & Madonna

The Professional eg Julianne Moore

The Enigma eg Kristin Scott Thomas

The Action Woman eg Sigourney Weaver

The Humorist eg Jennifer Saunders

Want to find out which one you are? Here’s the link to the article

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/7084717/Quintastic-50-is-the-new-30.html

I’m being interviewed tomorrow morning by Karen Knott, the Mid Life expert and coach – can’t wait. She’s really warm and lovely and looks pretty good too (sorry Karen, you look more than just good).  If you have a dilemma and don’t know which way to turn, she’s your woman. www.midlifematters.co.uk for more details. You’ll also be able to get details of how to access our interview so you can partake of my pearls of wisdom too.