10 minute read
Stylish at 54
BY SAM & JORDI WOODS
A personal share of 10 things I do at 54 to be stylish, feel sexy & stay sane!
With my 54th birthday last month I can honestly say I feel as stylish and sexy as ever! Now I will be honest this has taken some work – especially hitting menopause and having to deal with a whole lot of new body, mind and style challenges the past 18 months. But, I am proud to say I seem to have found my mojo, beauty regime and physical and mental health routines that are working for me.
I am writing this blog in the hope I can help other women who may be at this stage in life or who can relate to some of these challenges regardless of their age.
Get ready…I am being very open here so apologies if the “M” word (menopause) is not what you want to hear but reality is, if you are a female and lucky enough to make it to this stage in life, no doubt in some way you will be faced with dealing with it. I hope my article is of some help or at least lets you know you are not alone.
Please note: I am a woman, stylist, makeup artist and entrepreneur and that is where my training ends so please before you try anything I suggest, seek the right medical approval for you. Also, as we are not paid bloggers or influencers I have not mentioned the particular products/services/brands I personal use however, I am more than happy to share this information in our VC Style & Beauty Portal or at any VC service.
MY 10 SSS (STYLISH, SEXY, SANE) SAVERS 1. MEDITATION – This has probably been one of the most powerful skills I have learnt the past year. I am not going to rave on about it, I truly believe it is a technique one has to discover for themselves and be ready to try. All I can say is if you are thinking of exploring the art of meditation I highly recommend it. I even turned a section of my home office into a beautifully styled meditation and yoga space, with essential oils, candles and decor that resonates with me. That way, as soon as I step inside I feel relaxed and inspired to spend sometime in “my” space. 2. YOGA – I am addicted! Why? Because it feels amazing and I can do it in my pj’s at home anytime. I use an app where I can select the time, difficulty and type of session I wish to have. I have also started going to hot yoga a few times a month and I love that too. I am not an exerciser (would rather be doing craft or renovating our home) so to find something that I look forward to going to and doing is a real bonus.
3. NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS – I have been taking these for about 6 months and have found them to be very helpful with my Menopause symptoms. I am also currently taking a very mild HRT (which I am hoping to stop shortly) but I have found that taking natural vitamins and herbs have been extremely effective in my over all health and wellbeing so I intend to continue with them. In fact,
when I didn’t take them for a few days I did notice my symptoms relapsed (coincidence?? not sure). I also drink about 30mls everyday of a natural green juice supplement.
4 & 5. EMBRACING MY GREY HAIR AND “CRINKLES” – I am a great believer in “beauty from within” but I am also vain enough to know I like to feel that I am looking my best on the outside too! For me “going grey” has been an incredibly empowering experience and one that was right for me a year ago for a few reasons. The start of it was when Covid hit and
I couldn’t get my roots professionally re coloured. I rather a hairdresser do it as
I find if I do a “home job” I can never get just the “grey bits” and I end up with colour build up on the ends plus I have been known to make a bit of a mess.
Therefore, when Covid hit I didn’t colour my roots for over a month and so the journey began. The other reason was my beautiful hairdresser (who I adored seeing) was no longer able to work due to his Cancer diagnosis and to my devastation has now sadly passed away. So naturally, taking time out to have my hair coloured was not the same as I hadn’t been able to spend time catching up with him which was really the highlight of my hair maintenance. I was also ready to not have the chemicals in my hair and I loved how healthy it felt as the grey came through! I was curious to see what Mother
Nature gifted me with. After all, I am such an advocate for enhancing our natural beauty with colour and style I thought it wonderful to see what my natural colour would be!
AS FOR MY CRINKLES – bring them on I say! I have them because I am blessed enough to get to this age and have the laughter and tears over the years. This doesn’t mean I don’t try to minimise them as much as possible though. Personally, fillers, botox and injectables are not how I wish to age but rather nurture and take care of my appearance and health with a strict skin care regime (cleanse, moisturise and exfoliate religiously!), only 2 coffees a day, no diet drinks or sugar substitutes, occasional alcohol (weekends only), lots of water and as little processed food as possible. I am not perfect everyday but I do try to stick to the 80/20 rule and be good most of the time even if some days are more of a 60/40 haha! I also make sure my makeup is applied correctly and I am concealing and highlighting to my best advantage with good quality products (they do make a big difference!).
6. WALK AS MUCH AS I CAN – Mainly because it clears my head and keeps my body moving which in turn helps my back. I will be honest though, this regular exercise routine (commitment) is something I go through stages with and constantly need to make sure I make time for. On holidays it is never a problem but I do find when I get back into “work” routines making time for my walks is always something I need to make a conscious effort with. Therefore, I set a small goal of at least two decent walks a week.
7. ESCAPE WITH A BATH – Say no more. In fact, I often like to pop my ear phones in and listen to a mediation app while I soak – yep multi tasking in a therapeutic way! Once again, bubbles, essential oils, candles and a relaxing vibe are always a must. I also love luxury touches in bathrooms so plants, crystals and accessories that create a beautiful ambience are always important to me. Guess you can see I am a very visual and sensory person even when “off duty” as a Stylist.
8. EMPOWERED MYSELF BY LEARNING SOMETHING NEW – As we age it is so easy to feel out of touch and “old” as so many things are changing around us. For me technology has never been a love of mine, I am definitely more creative than analytical. So I have made an effort to learn and push myself to try new apps and get savvy on my iPad.
Recently, I decided to push myself even further and I am now the proud owner of a beautiful white gloss digital piano. Yes, I am going back to my childhood and relearning how to play!
9. MORE “SWITCH OFF” & “LET GO” TIME – I am keeping the words “semi retired” in my mind and even though I am working on average 4 days a week I am trying to be very mindful of not just being “busy” if it is not productive, income generating or helping a cause I am passionate about.
I have also found that I have had to “let go” (as politely and kindly as I can) of people and situations that don’t align with my values or bring me joy or give a positive, loving vibe to my life and those I care about. Being a natural “people pleaser” personality this has been extremely hard for me. However, what I
have learnt is that in order to “stay sane”, true to myself and be truly present for those who mean the most to me, I have had to “let go” of trying to be everything to everyone.
10. UPDATE MY WARDROBE AND REASSESS MY STYLE – Yes, as I have “gone grey” and now into my (almost) mid fifties I have moved into a new phase of my “style life”. One that I want to be as sexy, stylish and fashionable as possible. I honestly don’t care if I look 54! I am proud to get to this age and everything I have experienced BUT I don’t want to look old and out dated!!
So I have given my wardrobe fresh, fabulous, 50+ eyes and have decluttered anything that isn’t a flattering fit, good quality (not necessarily expensive), my perfect colours (as always), and items, shoes and accessories that make a statement. For example my latest editions since turning 50 are an animal print see thru raincoat from CUE (even on sale it was a treat!), a velvet coat, lace dress, sequin skirt and well the list goes on but I think you get the idea.
Everyday, no matter what I am doing I love to “dress to express” myself. I always have but now…I have the “I don’t care what others think” attitude. I do it because I want to and to honour my motto “I don’t want to die never having worn the things I love!” Which funny enough is the perfect motto partner for my infamous saying; “You can never be over dressed, only inappropriately dressed!”.
In conclusion to my blog, I really want to stress that this “M” stage of my life and the challenges that come with being 50+ haven’t been a smooth road for me (as like for many women). However, I am determined to do my best to make this stage of life and the years ahead as positive as I can. After all I believe getting older is a true blessing, I have lost and known of too many people who haven’t had the chance to experience ageing. So for me I am embracing it with open arms (and fanning myself when necessary) and hopefully being an #agepositive role model for others.“
Stay stylish, Sam x
If you would like to stay in contact please pop over and follow my instagram @gogreythestylistsway. I would love to hear any feedback from this article, my posts and also any suggestions of topics I can write about that may be able to help everyone “age their way” and feel “Stylish, Sexy & Sane” too!
Understanding styling and fashion is one thing. Having a super-natural flair for making everyday people look incredible is another. Once you’ve met Sam & Jordi Woods, it’s hard not to catch their infectious passion for dressing to match your own lifestyle, personality and charisma. Through their consultancy ‘VibrantConcepts’, Sam & Jordi have transformed the lives of thousands. Let Sam & Jordi show you how to look and feel fabulous everyday at their Style Studio in Erina – learn the art of illusion dressing, colour matching, styling, translating fashion trends and savvy shopping with their unique VC Signature Styling Systems and services that are truly personal and really work! To contact Vibrant Concepts phone 0425 221 676.
