Lately I’ve been marveling at the passage of time. Remembering when I used to eat NERDS candy, spin jelly bracelets over my wrist, smack gum and make mix tapes. Now I listen to jazz, dab cream under my tired eyes and count the wrinkles in my forehead.

It’s strange because in my twenties, I really believed that girl in the mirror would never get old. If I did, it’d be in a Grace Kelly sort of way. My cheekbones would become more pronounced and my eyes shinier and wiser. I remember so many careless nights…dusting my lids with glitter, wearing heels and dancing till the break-a-dawn. And now my version of the twilight boom is Milo’s feet crashing down on the hardwoods at 2 in the morning, a furious stampede to our bedroom hoping it’s time for Curious George and waffles.

He’s also sporting a little red shiner over his eye these days. In an area where there were no lashes or brows at birth. That little red shiner, where he fell and caught the edge on our nightstand. It’s tucked under a hairline that once was receding. For so long, after he was born I swore he had the head of Victor Frankenstein attached to a baby’s body. And then of course there was the pasty vernix bodysuit.

But he cleaned up nicely…

And today, today he is a 2-year old marvel. A jr. Bay Area tech wiz. He’s mastered the remote control, iPad and YouTube app. Every day he defies gravity on his green scooter, smashes garbage trucks into the wall, hugs me and head butts me simultaneously, then studies me with those deep quixotic blue eyes…will she let me watch Toy Story for the 26th time? And then he looks away…what’s my angle?

And then there is this Dutch photographer, a guy who totally gets it all. He had a master plan from the beginning, to catch his daughter’s first days on video, and then every week thereafter until she turned 14. He used the same backdrop every week (her baby blanket). He caught her face changing, all her natural shades of hair, the haircuts, barrettes, glasses, braces, babbling and laughing. Fourteen years in 4 minutes!

Have a look:

Kinda warms your heart and breaks it all at once, right?

M

Enough with blood and dark superstitions, I want to focus on the possibility of things. Because I walk down Bush St in San Francisco with the sun set at 70, and there are spring hues popping off A-line dresses. I see peep toe shoes, and brightly painted toenails that punctuate long, alabaster white legs. (SF girls don’t let lack of pigmentation stop them, and I like that.)

But I’m merely an observer because my wardrobe is soooo blah right now. Sooo four years ago. Most of my purchases have been for a bouncy baby boy turned fashionable toddler. The mini male extension of myself.

But no matter how frumpy and tired I feel some days, I’ve realized that simple shots of color are an instant pick-me-up. Marigold yellow, tangerine tango, cobalt blue…don’t mind if I do. They add pop to my basic blacks and grays.

Right now, I’m loving Radiant Orchid. Call it a conspiracy , but if you follow fashion–you know it’s the Pantone Color of the Year. Sounds gimmicky, right? I really did not know this was a real thing until I started working in beauty. But alas, the powers that be deliberate in secret meetings twice a year somewhere in Europe, and discuss the current social climate and the mood-enhancing powers of particular shades, and then they miraculously land on Pantone XX-XXXX almost a year in advance.

So let me enlighten you to the powers of Radiant Orchid:

It intrigues the eye and sparks the imagination, while instilling confidence and magical warmth. It’s an expressive, creative and embracing purple—one that draws you in with its beguiling charm. Radiant Orchid emanates great joy, love and health.

So I’m embracing you, wrapping my arms around you Radiant Orchid, especially since purple is the universal color of creativity. And I’m finally hitting my stride this year.

Pump me up, purple

Cool weekend kicks

I’ve also gotten into wearing orange makeup as of late, or peachy shades. Since my sun-worshipping days are over and my once gold-tinted olive complexion is now white as paper, peach shades help me look a smidge healthier. It’s a good substitute for bronzer which can sometimes look like dirt streaks, and a muddy tint is only appealing to vittle toddler boys.

If interested, here are some nice pointers on how to apply orange makeup at Into the Gloss.

I’d throw in a third color to make this a nicely rounded set of 3, but I’d have to scour the Internet, and the dishwasher needs unloading for the umpteenth time.

So let me ask you, which color turns you on most?

[click image below to read larger type]

Borrowed from Paper Source

And there you have it. A fluffy beauty post. No life or death, grim or glory. Some days a girl just needs to look good to feel good.

– Pantone Peggy