Life |
Mothers and Daughters |
I am not a mother, so I know it is a dangerous thing for the childless
to have opinions about motherhood and mothering. I wonder why. At
the beginning of all things, it is the one thing we all have in common.
If you are here, you had a mother. And, yes my friend for better or
worse, she influenced who are in so many ways beyond your genetic
code.
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| Mothers and Daughters-Shining Together |
| Photo by: Karin
Pacione
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| Mother-daughter relationships are complicated, or can be. Some mothers
and daughters seem blessed with an easy camaraderie as they grow older.
They are not like sisters or best friends; we all know that isn’t
what a girl wants from her mom at any age. No, it’s that wonderful,
rare easy relationship between two women who like each other and share
an intimate family history. |
| I have seen it with some of my friends who share that special bond
with their mothers. A few of my other friends have it with daughters
and it’s wonderful to be in their company. I suspect Goldie
Hawn and Kate Hudson might
have it. When I see them, they seem so alike yet they are defintely
individuals. You can almost sense how happy they are together, how
they validate each other. |
| I admire Goldie Hawn. How wise she must
be to have raised such a beautiful daughter, to be such a successful
and still beautiful woman and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with her
daughter, neither outshone nor eclipsed. That is a star turn for any
mother. |
It’s hard for a mother to hand down her skills, her knowledge,
and even her wiles – and then to learn to stay close, but also
to stand back.
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| Celebrate! |
Photo by Karin Pacione
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| Its funny that some of the most glamorous women of our time have
felt oppressed or hampered by their own mothers. I can’t think
of a more contemporary example than the gorgeous Grace
Kelly. She had to flee from her overbearing mother and
family to find fame and her confidence. |
| It’s interesting to watch powerful, successful women hand
over their empires to their daughters as men once handed empires over
to the sons. Martha Stewart seems to be
publicly grooming her daughter Alexis to
take her place. She had Alexis by her side during her short-lived
show The Apprentice and Alexis is on Martha’s
new show frequently. |
| The chic fashion designer Carolina Herrera
even named one of her four daughters Carolina, Jr.
She works with her mother full time as a model and designer. The proud
mama was discussing her daughter’s involvement in her business
recently on TV with fellow maven Martha Stewart. |
| I think this new tradition of mother-daughter enterprise is great.
I have noticed that the happiest mothers and daughters of any age
and in all walks of life celebrate each other. So darlings, on this
lovely Mother’s Day weekend, I wish you – daughter, mother,
or both - a glorious celebration. |
| PS: I think mother and sons are great too. It’s often such
a love fest, it deserves a whole separate piece! |
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| Fashion |
Shady Lady |
| One of the most versatile accessories a woman can have is a great
pair of shades. They can change your look or even salvage it. In a
rush? Grab your lip gloss, slick back your hair, slip into some glam
glasses, and off you go – looking chic. From retro to cutting
edge cool, almost any style that suits you looks right now. Good glasses
can cost the bomb, so it’s worth learning to take care of them.
I have had some of my favorites for years. Below are some tips from
Moscot, one of New York City’s most
established opticians. With more than 90 years of experience, they
know their shades! |
| 1. Blue or yellow lenses are a big no-no! When
it comes to sunglasses, blue or yellow colored lenses serve only to
increase contrast and brightness. This clearly defeats the purpose
of what sunglasses are supposed to do: shade! Stick with darker tinted
lenses. |
2. Plastic frames stretch from heat! Avoid leaving
glasses or sunglasses in direct sunlight, such as on dashboards, or
in your beach bag at the pool or beach. Always store glasses in a
protective case. Repeat this mantra: if not on your face - keep in
the case!
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| Quality Vintage Style Eyewear
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| 3. Look for titanium frames with silicon nose pads.
When the heat is on, the sweat pours. Avoid heavy frames that turn
up the heat index. Keep cool with lightweight titanium frames. And,
look for glasses with silicon nose pads to prevent summer slippage.
They’ll keep you from channeling your inner Poindexter as you
repeatedly push sliding glasses back up your face with you index finger. |
| 4. Buy wrap frames. Not only will you hit the mark
style wise, wrap frames also offer the maximum protection for eyes
against the sun’s damaging UV rays by shielding your peripheral
view, as well as your front view. You’ll avoid the squinting
that still occurs with regular sunglasses, and if you squint less,
you’ll wrinkle less! |
| 5. Say goodbye to sand and saltwater smeared shades!
Show your glasses the love with Moscot’s secret cleaning weapon:
add a drop of Joy or Palmolive
dish soap to a bowl of water big enough to submerge your glasses (one
squirt will do). Soak glasses overnight and then simply wipe clean
in the morning with a premium paper towel. We’re not snobs but
cheap paper towels and tissue paper are made with wood chips that
can scratch your precious lenses. |
| So there you go - fab advice from the pros. One additional DolceDolce
tip: when you are looking for new sunglasses remember to flatter your
face. Pull your hair back when your try on new styles; that will tell
you whether the shape of the shades really works for you. |
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newsletter? Help us grow; sign-up
today, and forward
to your friends. Because life should be sweet. |
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Beauty |
Cheap and Cheerful Beauty Tips! |
Looking fabulous can often come down to details. In working as a
fashion and beauty editor I have used scads of Q-tips. So have all
the models and makeup artists I have worked with around the globe.
These “patio-survival tips” from beauty experts at Q-tips
were just too cute and useful not to share.
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Photo by: Natalie Chiu
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Patio Predicament #1: You end up staying until
day turns to night.
Head to the ladies room and amp up your look with sexy smoky eyes.
Draw thin lines of dark eyeliner above your top lashes and then use
a Q-tips cotton swab to smudge the liner to achieve a sexy smoky eye.
Apply mascara, flutter your lashes, and stay out past midnight!
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| (DolceDolce tip: Use one of the new gel eye liners
in a pot from MAC or Napoleon
Perdis China Doll eyeliner - very glam!) |
| Patio Predicament #2: You are a whiter shade of
pale. Fake it! Use a Q-tips cotton swab to apply shimmer strategically
under the eyebrows, on the inside corner of the eyes, on top of cheekbones
and down the bridge of the nose. You’ll look luminescent and
sun kissed! |
| Patio Predicament #3: Your feet are on full display.
Open-toed shoes are essential patio attire. The trick to perfect polish?
Three strokes only - one down the centre of the nail and one down
either side. If you do paint outside the lines, dip a Q-tips cotton
swab in nail polish remover, dab on a tissue to remove excess, and
wipe off the stray polish. |
| (DolceDolce tip: We love Revlon Red
and Revlon Pink Freeze nail polishes. Very
sexy!) |
| Patio Predicament #4: Your make-up just won’t
stay put! For hot, sweaty, patio days, keep Q-tips cotton swabs in
a plastic bag with a small amount of makeup remover. They are super
convenient for touch-ups such as runny mascara, smeared eye shadow,
or smudged lipstick. |
(DolceDolce tip: Want a soft sexy mouth? Try
Chanel Rouge Allure in Sexy.)
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| My favourite Q-tip trick is to take a swab and twist it to remove
any loose cotton strands. Then I run it lightly over the upper and
lower inside rims of my eye after I finish my makeup. This picks up
loose - and likely to smudge - liner, mascara, or shadow. |
Q-tips are cheap and cheerful, and that works for me.
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| Fashion and Beauty |
Tasteful Trifles to Please Your Remarkable
Mother! |
| Make life sweet for mom with a few trifles we would not mind receiving
ourselves. We resisted the obvious: a trip to Paris
or a big, shiny bauble from her favourite jeweler (always know her
favourite!). Anything divine from Chanel,
Hermes, Louis Vuitton,
Gucci, or Prada
is always a treat. But again, my darling, check her closet or with
her best friend. Fantasy and frivolity is not one-size fits all. |
| So here is our little list: |
For moms who need to take five and soak away the stress: Kiehl’s
Lavender Foaming Relaxing Bath with Sea Salts and Aloe
Vera.
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Gift the gourmet cooks with The Spice and Herb Bible
by Ian and Kate Hemphill. It’s beautiful, and full of illustrations,
recipes, and lore that will delight even the experienced cook. A savory
read!
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Pure luxury for the mother with simple elegant taste, here is the
perfect summer nightgown from The White Company
in London. Yes, they deliver to the U.S. and Canada
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Food |
| This week’s recipe is a favourite on the chi-chi brunch circuit.
It’s snap to make, if you are having Mother’s Day brunch.
You’ll love this dainty and delicate stuffed French Toast. |
| Trifling Little Toasts |
| I loaf of good white bread, sliced. |
| Your favourite jam. I like raspberry - so nice and tart. |
| If you like things sweet and nutty, then mash 1 fresh banana, with
½ cup whipped cream cheese and 1 tsp fresh lemon juice. Put
the lemon on the banana to keep from going brown. Add 1 tbsp. of chopped
nuts, optional. |
| Make sandwiches with your jam or banana spread or make both kinds. |
| Trim off the crusts and slice the sandwiches into little triangles. |
| Beat two eggs with slightly more than ½ cup of milk and ½
tsp of vanilla |
| Dip your little sandwiches in the eggy mixture; you are making French
toast. |
| Cook in a nonstick pan with butter or cooking spray over med-high
heat. Don’t scorch them - they take only a minute or two. Transfer
to cookie sheet to keep warm in the oven. |
| Serve with cinnamon sugar or warm maple syrup. You can pass them
on a tray with the sugar sprinkled over, warm and sweet. To be absolutely
wicked, add some whipped cream and fresh berries on the side. Even
Marie Antoinette would have passed on her
cake for this little treat! |
| So there you have it, darlings: another sweet - I hope - week gone.
I hope you’ve reveled in your mother-daughter relationship.
If you have one that is not so hot, revel in that too. It all makes
you who you are. Many fabulous women didn’t get a great shake
with the mother-daughter thing. I could give you a list, but why dwell?
That’s the point. You overcome it. Often it gets better as people
mellow, or you get over it. Find what’s good and celebrate it!
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| Until next week darlings - you know the drill - please sign-up
if you haven’t already – we are free - and forward
us onto friend. Have a sweet week and cherish all that you are and
all whom you love. |
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| Gracey Hitchcock |
| Editor |
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