At nearly 70 years old, I am starting to wear lipstick. Why? I’m moving into that “pink lady” stage where my scalp is pink and shows through my hair, but the rest of me is losing some of its freshness. As I age, to my dismay, I find that my lip and skin coloring are fading.

Do you have that problem?

One day the mauve blush I have worn for more than 20 years looks good, and the next time I buy it my skin has changed so much the same blush color makes me look like a harlot.

My lips were always a rich pink color, requiring only a little lip gloss. Now they seem faded and nondescript. How does that happen? And why didn’t I notice? Maybe it’s my eyes going bad.

Taking a Selfie Was a Wake-Up Call

The changes were clear as soon as I started taking selfies, trying to get a quick, decent photo of myself for my recipe blog.

I always wondered why older women wore blush that was too dark or too garish for their skin tones. Apparently, it’s because we look in the mirror and see ourselves the way we used to be. I’m 23, by the way. How old do you see yourself?

It’s easy to see that my lovely chestnut hair of my youth is now a multi-colored blonde white. I wanted my hair to age to that beautiful, absolutely white color. So striking. So stunning. No chance. But I’m not complaining; it’s gorgeous.

Those curls I worked hard years ago to straighten, ironing them with a hot clothes iron or sleeping with my wet hair wrapped around orange juice cans, are now easy to care for. Just wash and go. Curls make life easier, but the change in hair color means I need to wear different colors.

The pastels and light, summer colors I wore as a young woman are not the colors that look good on me in my older years. Have you noticed this phenomenon?

I Have Had to Make New Lipstick Color Choices

In fact, colors I wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing when I was in my 20s are now the ones that look the best on me. Orange, for instance. When I was young, orange made me look like I was jaundiced. Now a bright tangerine orange is one of my best colors. It makes me look healthy and vibrant. No wonder old women wear purple.

I took about a hundred selfies before I realized that my lips were faded and unattractive in photos, and I needed to add some color. Although I seldom wore lipstick in my younger years, I have a lot of it. And every tube is basically the same color, hot pink. I am searching for alternate colors. Yet, every time I bring one home, it is still in the pink or bright red tone.

I decided to ask for help from the cosmetics sales clerk, and we chose a more neutral color lipstick. It looked good in the store. But when I brought it home, put it on, and took a picture, I still had no lips. I was disappointed.

Disappointment Is the Mother of Invention

I did not let my poor color selection get me down. Rather than take the $20 tube of lipstick back, I decided to use it as a base, adding a tiny bit of pink over the top of it. Voila! I have lips.

With my new lips and a better understanding of my changing skin tone, now all I need to do is learn how to take selfies. I might have to enlist the help of one of my grandchildren.

What is your favorite lipstick? Have you found that lipstick colors you used to wear just don’t work for you anymore? Have you tried blending different color lipsticks to get the perfect results? How are your selfie taking skills? Please share in the comments.