As Forrest Gump famously said, life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get, and I feel that that is 100% the way it is in beauty, too — because I’ve been a makeup/hair/nail enthusiast now for, what, a billion years? — and I’m repeatedly utterly shocked by the things that happen.
A (shockingly) hairy situation
I cannot even BEGIN to describe how repeatedly surprised I’ve been by the hair-related changes on my person over the past 10 years. Unexpected hairs have thrown me for a loop many times.
Where to start…
OK, well, for the first time ever, I now have longer nose hairs, and I occasionally have to trim the wayward ones, which I never had to do when I was younger.
Oh, and the wiry texture of the grays I’m growing out on my head? I joke that every single time I see one of those witchy ramen noodle hairs, a naughty kitty enters a cat lady’s life, ha ha!
Also in the category of Surprising Hair Developments, there was the hair loss I experienced shortly after Connor was born. I mean, I expected to to lose some hair, because I’d heard a lot about that before Connor was born, but I was shocked by the amount and how it came out in clumps!
Also surprising: that the hairs at my temples never quite recovered. To this day that area is noticeably thinner.
Another pregnancy-related thing: splitting nails. Right before I found out I was pregs with the coywolf, I noticed that the nails on my fingers and toes were splitting, which had never happened to me before. It was one of the early signs that told me something was up!
Bronzer is bae
Makeup-wise, there have been SO MANY surprising developments, but one of the biggest surprises for me was discovering the power of bronzer.
I really didn’t start wearing bronzer until about 2013, before which time I thought it was a useless endeavor, because I’m already fairly tan, but I finally started to understood the big deal once I started wearing it.
Ahhhh! — like, I saw the light of why people love bronzer so much. It just adds this beautiful touch of color to your face that looks very natural if you don’t go crazy with it (which is what I did for a while there).
But, yeah, I discovered along the way that I’m actually a bronzer person.
Also, I recently discovered that I don’t love concealer as much as I used to. I started skipping it at some point during the last year, and now I don’t even bother most of the time (unless I have a sleepless night).
Ya know what? I don’t miss it, and this brings me extreme joy, not only because not using it saves time, but I also feel like I look younger when I refrain. I just can’t wear that much product under my eyes now (surprise!). I think it ages me.
An eye-opener
Oh! — another big surprise has been discovering just how well lash serums work. For years, I thought they were mostly hope in a jar (or hope in a tube), but then I started using one, and I converted.
So, yeah, beauty surprises! They’re all around us.
If ya feel like it, please share some things that have shocked you about beauty. Was it toe hair? Was it a product you didn’t expect much from that ended up blowing your mind? Let me know!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
I lost a lot of hair after my last baby was born (6 years ago LOL) but 6 months after she was born, it started coming out A LOT. And as it turns out, my thyroid decided it had enough of life and went kaput. So now I have an inactive thyroid and need to take meds for the rest of my life. Just keep an eye on it in case the peeling nails/hair loss also accompany fatigue because that thyroid is a tricky devil and my hair has not ever recovered from the loss. 🙁 But the hair elsewhere? No sign of slowing down for sure. I’ve always been hairy body-wise, and since I have super pale skin and reeeeally dark hair, it’s so obvious. I just have no pain tolerance so I can’t handle getting it lasered off. Perfect candidate but I’m a delicate flower!! I like your stance on under eye concealer! I am over 40 and again because I’m so pale, I need to have something to cover the dark under my eyes but it can go wonky REALLY fast. The right setting powder really makes a difference in this way and I found that Becca hydra mist powder to set really naturally at least under my eyes. OH I wish I could *do* bronzer! But being the color of paper doesn’t work well with many bronzers or else I look bruised and/or orange LOL. Booooo
Thanks for the heads up on looking out for my thyroid, Angela. I know my mom has had issues with hers so I’ll make a note to talk to my doctor about it next time I go in for a checkup.
I haven’t worn powder in my under-eye area in a minute but I have that BECCA loose powder and am curious to see what would happen! What concealer do you use it with?
So here is a fun fact that nobody ever tells you about menopause – half your eyebrows disappear! Apparently, hormones cause this to happen, and the back 1/3 of my eyebrows are practically gone, and I have to draw them in. Also, the weird chin hairs that magically appear from nowhere. I will look in my magnifying mirror to tweeze my (remaining) brows, and there will be this really long hair on my chin, and I think, “how did I miss that, and how long has it been there?” Did anyone else see it? so embarrasing! As far as products go, I am with you on the concealer – none of them seemed to work that well, anyway, and I can put that money toward a product that will do some good, like primer. I am really surprised how much better my skin looks with a good primer. Without it, I think my skin looks older.
I feel like my nails have never recovered from pregnancy. I used to be able to grow them super long with no issue, and now if they get a millimeter beyond my finger, they peel and split.
I’m still trying to find the magic of concealer. I’ve tried a couple, but they make the skin under my eyes crease and look weird after a few hours. I think I’ll have to invest a little bit if time at Sephora to talk to someone about the best way to apply it.
I’ve been using Latisse, and it’s been great for my lashes and brows. Do you get any of the side effects that Latisse has with the R&F serum? If I use Latisse every day, then I’ll notice a little sensitivity around day 4. Luckily I can just use it 2-3 times a week with good results.
Hi Michelle,
When I first started using the R+F months ago, I did notice a little bit of redness along my lash lines, but it wasn’t uncomfortable and it didn’t last for long.
One of these days I’ll make the jump to Latisse! All my friends who use it love it. How long did it take for you to see results?
It only took about 3 weeks. I definitely notice that my lashes are longer and fluffier. I used it years ago, and they got so long that they hit my glasses, even without mascara. That was a little distracting, so now that they are at a good length, I’ve dropped back to 1-2 times a week. The bottle lasts forever, so I think it was worth the $125.
Oh, hair. I’ve had a few stressful years with too much antibiotic use and I think that’s to blame for my thinning hair/change of hair texture. Thin on top of my head but not slowing down on my face or body (as someone already mentioned) such is the way of life. I’m scared what pregnancy might do to my skin or hair, neither are in good enough condition to take a beating. I’m curious about those eyelash serums, but I have such sensitive eyes (can’t wear lash glue) so I’m not sure how well I’d fare… but the prospect of nicer lashes is enticing as I’ve always longed for them! Honestly, my tastes in makeup has changed and while I admire glamorous/colourful looks, I just don’t care unless it’s a reliable, easily replicated and flattering look, ha ha! And I used to be obsessed with the stuff. I’m slowly working on building an actual wardrobe with quality shoes and bags since I used to spend all my free money on makeup and would still wear the same ugly, black clothes from high school!
Feel you on the weird chin hairs, Daphne. The ones I always find are stiff and come out of nowhere!
Which lash serum do you use? Cuz I need it!
Oh my hair surprise? That my otherwise thick head of hair is thinning as I age ? but I’m not taking this lightly. I’m trying to find a solution!
My hair was completely pin straight and fine when I was younger but it’s much fuller now with a bit of texture in spots. And I get a weird random chin hair. The rest of my facial hair is blond, not this one.
I’m only 32 but I’m realizing less concealer under the eyes looks so much better! I have dark circles and always will but more concealer just makes me look cakey and older.
Oh hair, so many surprises.
I was just telling a friend that at age 40 after years of stick straight hair, my hair turned super curly for about a year. It was so strange. If I used a blow dryer on it, it would get huge and even curlier. So weird. Then, the curls just disappeared. I think it was the start of the change.
Now that I’m post menopausal, the hair on my head is thinning but I’m getting all kinds of facial hair. I’ve always had to work on my upper lip but now I’m getting hair all over the face.
To my horror, I found a gray hair growing about a quarter inch above my eyebrow and the hair itself was quite long. Maybe over a quarter inch? I don’t know how I’ve missed it.
Hi there, I also lost a lot of hair (head) after my second child birth. It was everywhere. At the same time there were more grays especially at the front. Unruly an wiry. So my hairdresser advised that we keep it short – shoulder length and let the curly structure come through. So the tiny grays would blend in. Also with two kids I have no patience in the bathroom with my hair so this is easy to do. Since I breastfeed the grays multiply. I have to get used to it. My nose hair is the same and carefree but my chin shows every now and then one dark hair which I plug. And on the cheek there is sometimes one longer hair, colorless and soft. I try to find it but it only shows when the light is behind my cheek.
I am curious what bronzer you use, Karen. I am similar in skintone. Being with the kids all day I keep it low key. Just try to have my eye brows in place and curl my lashes.
Wait till you start getting those stiff hairs on and under your chin. They’re a b*tch to pluck, too. Ugh.
Hair is a big issue in my this house . After a hospital stay I had hair loss due to trauma . Derm said do everything.
So I use minoxidil by mouth not the foam which doesn’t work .
Everything else I wax or use a depilatory .
Like Seinfeld says “ Woman wax but they are still afraid of spiders ?
One of the blessings of menopause is that the hair on my arms, underarms, and legs has virtually disappeared. Woo-hoo! Now, if only I could get rid of those pesky hairs that sprout on my chin. They’re so coarse and hard to remove, but other than those, I haven’t had any issues with facial hair. As for brows and lashes, I’ve always had fairly long and thick ones. But, when I noticed they were starting to thin, I began using Latisse. I adore that product and have used it for years and years. I’m at the point where I only have to use it three-four times a week to maintain thickness and length which, at my age (78), is pretty darn good. As for the hair on my head, I take methotrexate which can cause hair loss. My rheumatologist had me start taking 1000 micrograms of folic acid every day except the one day of the week when I take my medication and that stopped the hair loss and reversed it. The hair that first grew back was very coarse, but now it’s like the rest of my hair. Face it, aging is not for the faint of heart, but as the old saying goes, think of the alternative! LOL
Eventually you’ll probably notice your nose hairs are going gray. In my case, they’re graying faster than my eyebrows, which are still almost entirely black, though my gray head hair (which started coming in when I was still a teenager) is around 85-90%.
Longer nose hairs, faded eyebrows ( in my youth they was like Frida Kahlo’s eyebrows and I admit I had a mustache), eyebrows start losing their color, chin hairs, one long transparent cheek hair, hair loss on my temples, one long transparent cheek hair, splitting a cracked fingernails, ingrown toenails … I’m not alone in this world! I love you GIRLS! I hope all of us be healthy and strong to grow and see more to come, why not? Big hugs from Greece!
Isn’t it crazy that, as we age, we start to lose hair where we want it and grow it where we don’t? For me, my eyebrows are definitely less full than when I was young. I have a bald spot in my right brow and new hair grows above, under and around it – but never where I need it. HAHA! The solitary chin hair is definitely an issue and seems to grow overnight. I rely very heavily on good tweezers that will grab that sucker as soon as I feel it!
PS Did you do a rinse in your hair? It looks chocolatey in the pic. 🙂
As Eileen referred to menopause, let me tell you how much I enjoy the strange sleep patterns, the hot flashes and not to ignore the onset of osteo-arthritis. The thing I enjoy the most is that I am almost done. I will be 60 in less than two months and am starting to feel some of the events subsiding. I still get hot flashes from time to time. Just giving you a “heads up”.
Anyway, heading into NYC tonight to meet Bruce and my sister to celebrate Bruce’s birthday. Ah, the freedom of being an empty-nester. I have a Neutogena Hydroboost mask on (am I the only one who doesn’t know which side to use). Looking forward to texting with Zack later to see how Day 1 of college classes went.
Be well! Livin the dream baby!
No, you aren’t the only one who doesn’t know which side of the mask to use so I use whichever side I want! If they don’t provide instructions, I figure it doesn’t matter. And yes, menopause does get better. At almost 62 I’m on the easy side of it, except for those pesky facial hairs!