This Rhody Makeup Artist & Free Spirit Is Talking Ageing, French Inspo, & Keith Richards As Style Icon
Every month I pick a new book for our online book club and collab, called Read By Patty J, with Barrington Books and Barrington Books Retold in Garden City Center. (As always, get 20% off the cover price when you mention “Patty J’ at both locations.) It was no coincidence that February’s book, Older But Better But Older by the same writers who previously brought us How To Be Parisian (my fellow Francophiles might be familiar), Caroline de Maigret and Sophie Mas, lined up with my 50th birthday.
Yesss, I said 50!
Not gonna lie, I struggled with that number - not to mention the continuing saga of hot flashes, emerging crow’s feet, graying eyebrows, and occasional lower back pain - but ultimately decided to embrace it both in real life and online. Since getting older is such a complex and at times, confounding experience (now more than ever…I mean, applause, applause to marquee names like JLO, Jen Aniston & Demi Moore, but how realistic is it for the rest of us to aspire to their seemingly forever young faces and physiques), I decided to loop in a guest reader and Rhode Island native who’s rewriting the rules of ageing.
Keep scrolling for her take.
Photo Courtesy Of The Doubleday Books Instagram
This jewel of a book is my new bible.
The allure of a French woman has always been a bit of a mystery: the accent, the style, the whole “smokey sexy” thing.
French women also seem to age gracefully and effortlessly.
This very funny, straight-to-the-point collection of thoughts takes us inside French women’s lives, from love, men, sex, beauty and style (Keith Richards as style muse!).
It’s extremely humorous, charming, and truthful with surprising “damn, yes we have to admit” tidbits on aging.
Page by page, chapter by chapter, Caroline de Maigret and Sophie Mas also decode some of that famous mystique and confidence.
Karen Channeling Some Sartorial Inspo From Keith Richards (It’s in THE BOOK!) And Holding Her Copy Of The Book
French women, unlike others, are NOT obsessed with youth. They already know at eight years old that there is no point in trying to fight time, but they do embrace the idea of looking younger than they are. Every chapter is captivating yet I cannot stress Chapter 10 (titled YEARS YOUNGER) enough, it is an absolute gem.
Their summary on the last pages with suggestions for hotels, shopping, bars, cafes, flea markets, restaurants and more is calling for me. I want to go to Paris (😎)! (Love the French MACARONS at WOOPS! bakery in Providence Place Mall and just gifted a box to a friend who was in town this past weekend.)
In reality, we are all the same.... Older, But Better, But Older.
Let me know in the comments what your thoughts are, and thank you for the opportunity to be the February guest reader
Xo
K
For more from Karen, follow her new Instagram @SilverGypsyChick where she’s sharing the process of letting her hair go grey and honest talk on growing older.
About Karen
I have 40 years of makeup and skincare experience. From humble beginnings in Rhode Island to the glitz of LA, I’m currently freelancing in various retail locations in southern New England, in addition to booking for weddings. My focus is on guiding women towards achieving healthy, glowing, polished, sophisticated, yet effortless skincare and natural make-up routines.