A super-quick Bank Holiday Monday (here in the UK) dive-in!
I’m just going to go ahead and pretend it hasn’t been (still!) cold and drizzly all day here, and talk sunglasses. (We got out to the cinema and caught The Fall Guy, which was super-fun, and funny, and Emily Blunt and Ryan Gosling are GREAT together in it.)
Back to the sunglasses.
On a long overdue coffee date and M&S mooch with a friend last Friday, we wound up trying on all the sunnies, amid giggling fits, just as the checkouts were closing and they were turning down the lights. We felt about 14.
Before that, I’d been admiring the bags (suddenly, I really fancy a straw cross-over bag for summer).
But, really, ditto the sunnies. Here’s a selection, all at £15 a pair.
Great shapes, colours (tints and frames) and worth dipping in to try, if you’re on the lookout. Better still, go with a friend you haven’t seen for ages, and catch up on the big stuff (elderly parents, oldest children), laugh over the small stuff, and forget where you parked the car in the multi-storey afterwards.
Also, NAILS.
First, a quick poll - what do you do with your nails? I’d love to know, so we can do a follow up.
Pro gel nail manis never last more than a day or so on me, weirdly (you?). Gel pedis are different, and my go-to, all year round. False nails are a no-go for my already-weak nails (whenever I’ve been tempted, it takes weeks to grow out the resulting paper-thinness and damage).
I usually fall back on gel-a-like polishes - Essie by default, but I also like the non-gel Expressie range - fast-drying, great colours, and a helpfully wide brush.
This morning, I gave Next’s gel colour “system” a go. At £6 a polish, with gel top and base coats at the same price, they’ve got a ‘3 for 2’ offer on right now, which means you can get a three-step mani for £12. I was really drawn to the retro gold lids, and the colours.
I was being a bit slap-dash, but I found the colour itself was, trickily, on the thick side, which meant things got gloopy and I had to start over. That said, the customer in front of me in the checkout line was stockpiling pinks and reds, and said they’re the best gels she’s found - so you may have more success?
Stateside friends, I am so envious of your Olive & June range, which I’ve always thought looks GORGEOUS, but we can’t get on this side of the pond.
Pro tip: seal the end of each nail, too, with your second coat of colour, to help prevent chips.
More on the summer nail mission soon.
Where should your brows begin?
Finally, a link I love, that’s perfect for midlife brows which might be on the sparser side (🙋♀️) - this eyebrow make-up tip from Caroline Barnes, with Rosie Green.
This is the pen Caroline is using.
But I’ve been using the same principle with my Laura Mercier Eyebrow Pencil, and it really works (sharp tip needed, but the pencil is super-soft).
As this edition goes out, the MET Gala 2024 is getting underway, and the Cannes Film Festival is just around the corner — so, midlife beauty red carpet reports incoming! Hitting the Like ❤️ button at the foot of this post is the most massive help in getting the word out on Substack about The Midlife Beauty Edit, through its Explore and Search functions. Thank you so much!
Glasses are so cute! I've started experimenting with different shapes this year and these look so chic. I second using NYX eyebrow products and find myself reaching for them every time. They really have the best in terms of value. And what did you think about the Met Gala?! I kinda hated the fashion this year. Zendaya, Gigi Hadid and Elle Fanning were my faves, though. They were gorg!
Nice M&S glasses! X