Hi everyone
I visited an art gallery – yay! But first, here is a pic of me in sunglasses inspired by the Anna Wintour look – see below for the reality of no eye-makeup!
Btw, I will get back to wearing eye make-up after my 2nd cataract heals, which is scheduled for next Tuesday! Bring it on, says me!
And yes, three cheers, as on Tuesday we went to an art gallery, the Towner in Eastbourne, where they were showing a really good exhibition on Paule Veselay (born Marjorie Watson-Williams in Bristol, 1892-1984). She was a British painter known for her abstract art. In 1926 she moved to France and changed her name to Paule Veselay, for aesthetic reasons, she says. She was very much part of the artistic circles that included Picasso and Matisse and was very much liked and respected in Parisian world of art.
At the beginning of the Second world War she moved back to Bristol but, sadly, despite her exceptional abstracts of war damage, Vezelay found it difficult to get recognition, some say due to the war, others that this was because of the sexism that existed amongst British artists and British art circles. However, in 1983 she was given a major retrospective exhibition at the Tate. The exhibition at the Towner is another major retrospective of her work organised this time by the Royal West of England Academy based in Bristol.
I really loved her work especially as it included some textiles, which I always appreciate, probably because my ancestors were Scottish hand-loom weavers.
However, I can’t say the visit was exactly as I wanted, as I still had to have some support.
Open spaces give me that unbalanced feeling. See, I’m leaning on that display.
What I really like doing is standing in front of an item and taking a pic and I couldn’t do that. Also my distance sight is still very off, what with one eye with perfect vision and the other blurred. But looking on the bright side this will be rectified next Tuesday!
It was a lovely jaunt ending up with a delightful meal which, as ever, I forget to take a pic before we started eating. But that’s good as that means I was in the moment enjoying it!
The Towner restaurant serves the most delicious small bowls and that is exactly what I like to eat for lunch. Btw, this was as birthday treat – I was 79 on Monday June 2nd! How did that happen!
Here I am again and do note that I am wearing a wonderful gold and bold necklace given to me by my daughter – she knows what I like!
I have to say without makeup and the glasses my eyes seem to have shrunk to mere pinholes – or that’s what it seems me! So that is why I prefer to wear dark glasses.
I have plans for a makeover when the Right eye is fully healed!
That’s all for now. There might be a gap of a week, or not. I will see how things pan out. Until the next time, when I will tell you how my buying habits have changed, and what I have bought as a result of that change.
With love and many thanks for reading this to the end, PennyX
I’m glad you managed a trip out . I’m sure it gave you a boost . Your hair is looking really good , wish I had thick hair . Oh & a belated happy birthday & Good luck with the op
We did manage it – and it felt really good to do! Thanks re: the hair, and I expect it’s no consolation but there is a penalty for having thick hair – you get hair everywhere else! Once upon a time I had red hair and one of my ancestors was this Scottish guy with a huge beard and thick red curly hair. My son inherited the red hair (as I did) and my daughter inherited the curls!
Many thanks for the good wishes Wendy 😊
Glad you enjoyed it – looks like a great day out!
It was! The weather wasn’t brilliant but we were indoors and it didn’t bother us.
This btw, was the free exhibition and we didn’t go to the one where you had to pay. Think we’ll go to the Towner again, but not between the 23rd and the 28th as that’s the Eastbourne’s Open Championship week and there will be difficulty parking what with the tennis club being so near to Towner.
Thanks Alison 😊
Many happy returns of the 2nd! I like the no-eye-make-up-look. It’s elegant!
Thank you so much Jen for the good wishes and those kind words. I just can’t get used to my face without eye makeup . 😁
And btw, I haven’t forgotten what we discussed on the bus. I will put out a date to meet up probably now in the Autumn when the eyes are sorted and hopefully the other issues as well.
Thanks again 😊
First off, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!
How is the healing going with the first eye?? I feel you on the off-balanced-ness caused by a great disparity between the two eyes. I had a little break from that for the past 5 days as, after surgery, my eye has been swollen shut…but just today it’s being able to open a bit and WHOA I’d quickly forgotten how disorienting that was!
I’m not a painter but I always said if I moved to France I would change my name to Claude Noelle Tolie, also for aesthetic reasons.
Good luck on Eye #2! Soon you’ll be back in balance!
Bettye
You look lovely with or without makeup. I do sympathise though as I keep getting eczema and I can only wear moisturiser at the moment.
Me too, round my eyes. I thought I’d grown out of it. I’m blaming pollen tho it’s probably nothing to do with it.
Sorry to hear that you too have an issue around the eyes too. Here’s hoping it heals very soon.
Very best wishes to you Maureen 😊
Oh wow, Annette that’s really kind of you but having put on eye makeup since I was 15, my face without eye makeup looks to me to be really odd!!!
And here’s hoping that the eczema heals soon.
Thanks again for those kind words 😊
So pleased for you that you visited the exhibition, so important to feed the soul, especially when you’re encountering health issues. I think your hair looks fabulous too. Good look with the eye op next week, looking forward to an update on your shopping habits. Mine have changed massively as the firm I’m now working for have very little customer visits and are all more casually dressed.
Sharon, you’ve got it in one. Going to an art gallery or indeed a good film is my thing and it does feed my soul!
Hair is coming together and the eye op – can’t wait for that day!
Ah well, yes, my shopping habits, maybe they’re slightly different to yours, as I have changed quite radically. More about that in the next blog post!!!
Thanks Sharon for the good wishes re: this coming Tuesday 😊
Good luck with the second cataract op. I am in the same state, waiting to hear when my next op will be. I agree about the makeup, I felt about 10 years older without anything on my eyes! So glad you have been able to go to gallery.
Oh we are like minds! I hope you get a date soon. I’ve had to wait 3 months but the hospital is great so I’m not complaining.
And having put on eye makeup every day since I was 15 (well perhaps not when I was at school!) I feel really odd not wearing the eye makeup.
Thanks Cardine 😊
Dear Penny , So nice to see you looking perky, and your hair is just right. Good luck with the next cataract op, mine were done several years ago and it improves your life! All the best Judy from Brighton
Ohh yes, Judy, can’t wait for Tuesday as my eyesight is still very off what with the R & L eye being so different. It will be amazing to see things properly.
And best wishes to you too Judy 😊
I’m now waiting for laser treatment following my cataract procedures and can’t wait to have perfect sight again, but the rather large floaters in my right eye may spoil the outcome.
So good to see you out and about. I’m loving the new necklace and must compliment you on your very pretty eyes, even without make up.
Is that because your lenses have become cloudy? I’ve been told that it’s very easily solved with the laser treatment. Hope it all goes well despite the floaters.
It was great to be in an art gallery once again! And thanks for the kind words about my eyes. The thing is I’ve been putting on eye makeup since I was 15 so I just think I look odd without it!!
Thanks again Lynn 😊
Happy birthday!! Art with/on textile as always struck me as very interesting. I am always in awe with what can be created. I am glad you were able to go on a outing and this sounds like a great destination and a nice lunch.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Thank you Mireille for the birthday wishes and yes, I adore the juxtaposition of textiles and art.
And it was great to once again go to an art gallery and the destination was good, the restaurant delightful and the exhibition was free!
Thanks again Mireille 😊
Belated happy birthday wishes Penny. It was interesting to hear about the artist, she isn’t one I know, so I’ll look her up. I thought you looked good with and without the glasses. Good luck with the 2nd cataract surgery.
I kind of think her name rang a bell but wasn’t clear as to exactly what she did. Her art rather reminded me of Miro, who she knew. Altogether it was a really good exhibition – and it was free!
And thanks so much Frances for those kind words about the eye makeup, lack of etc (!) and the cataract surgery which I look forward to hugely 😊
Hello Penny, I remember that stage when you have to wait for your second cataract and you feel so unbalanced and not allowed to wear makeup into the bargain! It will pass.
Your hair looks beautiful and frames your face very nicely so that perhaps we onlookers notice your absence of eye make up less than you do.
I live in Italy and I would say generally speaking that older stylish women here tend to wear very little eye make up but their hair is well kept as a general rule and they tend to wear clothes which fit them well. They usually wear some form of lipstick too. So don’t panic over your eye makeup.
Have you heard of Look Fabulous Forever ? A really good company which specializes in makeup for ‘mature ‘women. They are very good and much more than just a make up company.
Good luck with your second op
Charmaine 😊
I see you understand – yes my sight is very unbalanced what with the R eye being so different to the perfect L eye. After the op I’ll wait a month and then begin experimenting with the eye makeup. I think I won’t need as much as before what with wanting to make them stand out wearing glasses. But nevertheless a little eye makeup is needed I think.
I agree that as people age, here in the UK as well, it is lipstick that is used rather than eye makeup. But I really am the other way round as lipstick usually bleeds upwards and I look like the Joker in Batman! So always favour eye makeup.
Actually I have used a lot of Look Fabulous Forever products but their lip prime doesn’t stop that upward trend of my lipstick. However, I have begun using their new product Nourishing Lip Oil which has a stain and that is working for me.
Think I might do a makeup blog at some point soonish.
Many thanks Charmaine, your good wishes are much appreciated appreciated 😊
Happy belated birthday, Penny.
I want to wish you the best with your upcoming procedure.
Can’t wait for Tuesday as actually the procedure is fine and over very quickly. Thanks so much Cindy your good wishes are much appreciated 😊
A very happy if belated birthday Penny! so glad you were able to get to the exhibit. Your hair looks really good and your skin seems to have glow. I have not been wearing eye make up for quite some time, and the few times I do my teary dry eyes just make the mascara run. It just may be something I have to accept. And there are sunglasses. I have been wearing a CC cream as foundation for several years, partly because it has an SPF of 50. It seemed to blur the wrinkles and sags a bit but lately I noticed the wrinkles were more pronounced, not a surprise at my age and the foundation seemed to settle there. Also, the color seems different, more yellow now. I received a generous gift certificate for my recent birthday and ordered a serum which was supposed to give a glow on it’s own or you could mix it with a foundation. I tried this and it was far too greasy . The days when you could go to a nice department store and get advice seem to be gone. Now there are stores with every kind of beauty product available but you are on your own. I must be terribly superficial to still care, given that I can still walk and talk with some degree of intelligence and the existential threats to our way of life but there you are. ! Wishing you the very best outcome for the cataract surgery. I had mine a few years ago and was very pleased with the outcome. I have my eye issues but it if from other sources. Anyway, as always sending love from New York, Darby
Oh no, although so much is wrong with this world today I don’t think it’s superficial to want to look good, including putting on the makeup. I think it’s all part of being engaged with society and being part of it and you know, having a sense that you fit in and look OK. I have a serum btw, but I wear it at night, and I too wear a CC cream as foundation and then highlighters for extra colour on the cheeks. I think at some point quite soon I’ll do a makeup and skin care blog.
I do agree that it is difficult to get advice. Have you looked at the Look Fabulous Forever website – there’s lot of advice there. But I don’t use their foundation anymore as I use Erborian CC cream (which I believe is South Korean) as it’s much lighter and just blends in and looks like your skin but without the blemishes and sunspots which I now have. And yes makes the skin glow. And I use SPF 50+ too every day even in the winter.
Thanks much for the good wishes for my birthday, Darby, and the cataract procedure. Bring that on I say, can’t wait! Many good wishes to you from across the pond 😊
Hi Penny, just had to comment – I sympathize, I would never willingly go without makeup but you look amazing! Very pretty. You’ll be back to your preferred look soon but hope you can be consoled by our admiring comments. Good on you putting yourself out there! Take good care
Thank you so much Kim for those kind words that are much appreciated 😊
A film, an exhibition and a birthday … Sounds pretty good!
I’m pleased you’ve been able to get out and your necklace is great.
Wishing you a belated ‘many happy returns’ and all the very best for your operation next week.
All the very best, Mary
Thanks so much Mary. It was so good to get out and my daughter really hit the spot as she gave me 3 necklaces all of which are exactly the type I like.
Thanks again, and yes three cheers for this coming Tuesday 😄
Belated birthday wishes Penny. Glad you managed to make it to the exhibition and wishing you all the best for your cataract surgery.
Thank you so much Sylvia for your good wishes which are much appreciated 😊
Happy Belated Birthday, Penny. Lookin’ good!
I must say I admire your – and others – dedication to make- up in general and eye make-up in particular. I realised years ago that I stand no chance of ever choosing the right shades of anything, so stopped haunting beauty counters quite so much. . Well, not all together: I must have lipsticks, nail polish and perfume, and shiny, well cut hair, so I’m not a total loss to the cause! And even if I am, mostly, bare-faced, I still stand alongside Darby thankful that I can still walk and talk with some degree of intelligence. And Darby, caring how you look is an admirable trait. You go girl!
So glad you enjoyed your art gallery treat, Penny. You’ve earned it! We had a great week t’other side of the Thames a while ago and managed to have a peek at Derek Jarman’s cottage. Loved the poem on the side wall. Small escapes, whether a day out or a week away are a valuable resource for recharging the old batteries. Once your eyesight’s sorted, your balance et al may well improve and there’ll be no stopping you then. Hold that thought!
Good Luck for next week.
Zepherine x
Oh my word Zepherine, you went to Dungeness which as you probably know is my favourite seaside place as it is so unique and a very marmite place because people either love it or don’t get it all! We stay in a cottage set back from the road, about 10 minutes (5 if you are walking fast!) stroll from Jarman’s cottage going towards the lighthouse. We just adore staying there.
Lipsticks don’t work for me so it has always been eye makeup. I don’t think I’ll need as much without glasses but I will be experimenting about a month after the op. I do admire your take on makeup – we are all different and what works for one won’t for another – bet you look very stylish.
Thanks Zepherine, for all your kind words which are much appreciated 😊
Best of luck on your eye surgery! I’m glad you are getting out despite needing support, aging is hard to contend with. My mom refused to use a cane, walkers, etc. until it was too late. Be active and use what aids are available, and be grateful for them. Love and Hugs!
I agree with you that one should accept advice from professionals. So far they aren’t advocating using anything as the balance issue might or might not be rectified by the cataract op, but I will take up any walking aid that I’m advised to. Mind you I will decorate it if it’s not a snazzy looking one! I’ve seen a couple of Insta pics of ‘Advanced Style’ icons with walkers and they have dressed up as per usual and decorated their walkers – that’s the attitude!!!!
Hugs to you too 😊
Happy Belated Birthday Penny !
I enjoy lunch at the Towner restaurant too xx
The Towner is a great venue, the restaurant is excellent and I love the food they serve there – and that exhibition was free!! There is another exhibition there and we might get to that at some point – but not during the tennis week 23-28 June as the parking will be horrific.
And thanks for the birthday wishes which are much appreciated 😊
Happy birthday, Penny! I would never believe you were 79! You look fantastic! I hope to look that good! I can’t believe the difference in your face without glasses. Will you have to wear them once the other eye is done? I do love the Anna Wintour look, too! Don’t you just love to see women artists finally getting their due? I am learning so much about art now, and so few artists who are recognized were women. I guess some things never change.
Good luck with the next operation, and I will look forward to your next post!
I have to say that I think you look pretty good on the photo without the glasses, very soft. And I love you in black especially with a touch of gold!
Oh yes, black, I know you prefer it and it is a favourite colour of mine. I have just indulged in a couple of great black items and will be featuring them in my next blog. Watch out for that one!
Thanks for the kind words about the no eye makeup. So glad that people thinkI look OK without the makeup but still. after a month I will be experimenting with the eye makeup as I’ve forgotten how to do it when not wearing glasses!
Thanks again Nancy 😊
Belated Happy Birthday! Also, good luck with the cataract surgery. You look really good without eye makeup, very glam. I can’t wear much on my eyes as they get irritated, so I only use mascara on rare occasions. I compensate by using a blusher and a bright lipstick.
Thank you, yes I’d say most people I know use very little eye makeup but it’s always been a thing for me, so I do miss it.
Thanks also for the good wishes which are very much appreciated 😊
Happy birthday Penny with apologies for the belated wishes. I hope all goes perfectly for your other cataract surgery.
So pleased you made it to the exhibition and an enjoyable lunch to celebrate your birthday. I had not heard of the artist but her work looks so interesting. So sad that female artists were not given the recognition they deserved.
Re the eye makeup I fully understand as I would feel the same. I have hooded eyes and the make up makes a difference. You look good in your sunglasses though. I wear mine most of the time now as my eyes seem more sensitive to light these days.
All the very best Penny.
The artist’s name kind rang a bell but I didn’t know anything about her. She was very interesting and her work was rather reminiscent of Miro (perhaps because she knew him ???) but loved it all the same. It is a very good venue.
Ah yes, you too have hooded eyes and like wearing eye makeup. I have found that the hot mask I have to use for my blepharitis has made my eyes become far more hooded now, so despite everyone saying I look OK without the eye makeup I can’t wait to start experimenting how to put it on without wearing the glasses!
Thanks Jill – really appreciated your kind words 😊
Lovely! I am sharing your post as one of my features for the upcoming week @WTJR!Thank you for sharing with us, Melynda @scratchmadefood!
I think you look spectacular. So glad you have one surgery behind you and the other coming right up. Your museum visit sounds pleasant, even with the off-balance sensation in the open spaces. I have not heard of this artist so will look her up to see more of her work. I think it is a good sign that you forgot to snap a picture of your meal until you were well into enjoying it! That means your dinner conversation and the food were interesting and you were just living life. Best wishes on the second surgery. I am thinking maybe it was this week? Hurry back to us.
Happy Belated Birthday! Your daughter chose a stunning statement necklace. I am glad you were able to get out and about. And you look beautiful sans makeup. Thanks for the history lesson on Paule Veselay. I would not be at all surprised if sexism had a role in her inability to achieve status. Like you, I love the textiles. There is something about patterns that are so appealing to me. (And yes, my red hair – at least before I started getting gray – indicates my Scottish ancestry.) The artist had some lovely pieces.