It’s amazing to think I started the year as a boho beach girl in Hawaii and ended it making custom lipstick while bundled in layers in chilly Northern California. My personal beauty year in review doesn’t include a fashion summary but rather a recollection of the experiences that were part of Growing More Beautiful.

There were so many transitions as I made my way back to the mainland from the Islands. Returning home to California filled me with joy, and my feet didn’t touch the ground all through the glorious summer. When daylight savings time ended, my feet landed back on earth: the cold, cold, damp earth. I hadn’t worn shoes in two years. This chilly reminder led me back to Shoes-n-Feet in San Francisco where I was fitted with boots and inserts and all is well. Just a reminder what a great resources they are if shoes are one of your challenges. It’s not glamour or high style, but the glow of good health made possible by continued mobility is sexier than any high heel.

The beauty challenge for me in 2014 was letting go of being a full time contact lens wearer and getting used to eyeglasses. Of all the “losses” related to beauty and aging, this one hit me hard. I’ve always been philosophical about my hair being drained of color and my neck starting to look like a piece of shriveled dried fruit. Despite everyone telling me I looked “fine” in glasses I was miserable. Perhaps I just didn’t have the right pair? When I moved back to California I decided to try harder to find a style I liked. I enlisted my esthetician partner and good friend Pamela Joyce of TrueTone Skincare to meet me at Uber Optics and offer advice. Over lunch the painful truth spilled out. I didn’t want to be “four eyes,” that awkward girl in the ninth grade that couldn’t imagine anything worse. I was coming up against a wounded place with old messages about being unattractive due to frizzy hair and a big nose. “Look,” my wise friend said, “It’s aging. It’s happening to everyone. Sometimes it sucks. Get over yourself.” Oh. Okay. So I did try and get over myself and eventually found a frame I feel comfortable with. I wear them most of the time and don’t think much about them, except to notice that on dark rainy nights I can actually see where I’m going.

It’s helpful to bring awareness to some of the beauty challenges and triumphs we all share as we move forward into 2015. If some unmet needs remain, see if you can seek out supportive solutions. Here are some suggestions to consider:

• Did you take thoughtful care of your appearance last year? The most essential aspects of your wardrobe are comfort and usability. Right behind the importance of owning cushy shoes and cozy layers is being able to locate them in your closet. Order and organization are crucial to your well-being. If you need a fresh pair of eyes to help clear the clutter, I can help.
• If your beauty year included significant losses, were you able to gracefully let go and continue showing yourself loving self-acceptance? It’s really hard not to beat yourself up about weight gain. No matter what your size, you deserve clothes that fit and flatter. Are wrinkles and sags getting you down? My new foundation line provides coverage and still looks luminous, and the perfect lipstick offers a welcome distraction.
• Is your creativity sparkling, lighting up these dark winter days? See how you can take full advantage of the fun and pleasure of Clothing Your Spirit with artful expression of color, makeup, jewelry, clothes, and painting. Creativity is the juice that fuels a joyful life.
• Are you connecting with others? Did you support them when they needed you and tell them with genuine enthusiasm how beautiful you think they are? If creativity is the fuel for joy, then connection is the heart and soul of aliveness.

Looking forward to the new year, will you handle the challenges with aplomb, care for yourself and others, take pleasure in daily self-expression and dress up and have some fun? Will you be inspired to take lots of photos and selfies confidently knowing you can delete the bad ones? Of course you will! I hope you enjoy the photos of the lipstick loving ladies above (all amazingly 60 and older) and the before-and-after make up photos of my wonderful assistant Daria (top) and my beautiful client Robin.