Hi Gayle - thanks for your thoughts. :-) I'm a "less steps" person, so I really need solutions that don't require taking trash or anything from one room to the other...ie, bathroom stuff stays in the bathroom until it goes outside, kitchen stuff stays in the kitchen until it's disposed of, etc. I do need those visual reminders out and "in my face", or I forget. Too much other stuff going on, I guess. I want my compost crock on the counter so the stuff in there *can* start to rot/mold before it goes out...it will be better food for the worms that way. So I did buy a crock with a filter in the lid that will look nice on my counter, because I want the compost materials sitting out (I would have had to buy something anyways...we don't drink coffee here, and don't buy anything that comes in a plastic container large enough to make a good compost collection bucket). If I don't see it, I won't use it, with the exception of the metal and plastic collection cans under the sink (because they'll be right by the garbage can, so if I go to instinctually throw something away, those bins will be right there. I put all food scraps down the disposal now, so the crock will remind me not to do that anymore. :-) Stuff that can't be composted in the bathroom includes toilet paper wrappings (the plastic outter wrap), bandaids, gum, q-tips (plastic "stick" - we'll buy differently next time), cotton ball bags, used razor blades, nail polish bottles (no glass recycling here), and items used to remove nail polish (sponges rife with nail polish remover...don't want that in my compost). And yes, I really am too lazy to carry that stuff all the way to the kitchen garbage - less steps equals less time spent shuttling "stuff" through the house. I'm all about making things as easy on myself and efficient as possible. :-) My magazines and "leftover" paper will be recycled, but a lot will be shredded for the compost pile. I have that pretty much figured out though - a box in a kitchen cabinet right under where we go through the mail. I will be emptying it regularly though...I have a different box for papers "to be filed" or that I might need. I'm a catalog junkie - and we do get a lot of junk mail, plus the paper daily. I'll probably need to do two paper boxes...one for the compost, and one for the recycling, so I can add the paperboard to the compost box (our recyclers don't take paperboard). All paperboard boxes (like the ones we get holding cases of cans from Costco) will be broken down and composted, so that's no big deal. I don't buy much processed foods either - but the costco canned fruits/veg all come in paperboard. I think I'll just get a smaller trash can for the bathroom to label "compostables" for the bathroom counter (there's a good spot for it right under the medicine cabinet), and then two more bins for under the kitchen sink for collecting cans and plastics, respectively. That should take care of it, I think...won't know until I try it for awhile. It's a lot to get used to - not throwing out a lot of stuff that we normally would, but infrastructure makes all the difference for me with new habits, so I just want to make sure I have a good basis to work from. :-) Does anyone out there have those triangular bins that fit four in a square, and pull out from a kitchen cabinet? I've been thinking that might be a good way to organize my collection bins under the sink...

Over time my eyes have become very sensitive and itchy. I've always worn eye makeup -- tons and tons. I never go out without eye makeup. Love it but the last few years, just putting on eye liner is very itchy. So I have some work arounds. First, I use Visine soothing drops before trying to put on any makeup. I like Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes liner pencils -- soft and not too expensive. Sephora has them. Then I fill in with Milani eye liner. It's inexpensive and has an accurate brush. Drugstore.com has it. I've gone around with mascara but always come back to Lancome. They have a base coat/lash conditioner that makes the mascara go on easier and say on very well without irritation. Another mascara that has worked well is Laura Mercier though it didn't thicken enough for me LOL. There are a few removers that work well. I find I need more than one. Lancome's Bi Facil is my longtime staple. It gets most any eye make up off very easily. But then I go over my eyes with the Eye Scrub Lyban linked above -- also from drugstore.com It's sterile in sealed pouches and removes the little bits. I also sometimes use Klorane Floral lotion which is very mild. My eye lids were awfully dry a few years ago -- my skin has become dryer over all. I use Mario Badescu Special Eye Cream V every night. It's sheer and doesn't irritate. Mario Badescu, in NYC., is a salon that makes their own products which are quite gentle. I order those online and usually wait till they have a % off sale and free shipping around holidays. Their emails let you know. They are the best quality/value I've found overall for skin care and the choices are extensive. They have 8 different eye creams depending on skin needs. They also give free samples with order. And their Glycolic Foaming face wash removes all traces of makeup after the two removers -- but leaves skin moist. But there's a whole menu of those too, geared to skin type. I also really love their face creams -- it's hard for me to get any that really moisturize but theirs do. So many suggestions! Will be interesting to see what you like.

Susan, what a pretty girl! I think you're hairstyle is very becoming on you. It would be easy to wear in different ways, too, and to jazz it up for an occasion. I like it very much. HERE is my haircut, not me in the picture, but my style. My wonderful stylist has helped me discover my quite curly hair and to take advantage of it. I can wear it curly, or sweep it back or blow it out to be poufy or sleek......anything. She has convinced me to not color my hair and I am loving the S&P and streaks at the temple. I used to think that I was a drip-dry kind of gal, but it's really not true! I have several products that I use religiously and a couple that I've only recently been introduced to. Another Dove soap user here, for as long as I can remember. I also use two products by UNICURE, an odd ball brand but I'll cry if they stop making it. My mother sent me my first bottle when I was in college. I use their blue shampoo but it is their conditioner that I purchase by the gallon. Seriously. I use it after the shower all over, absolutely on my wet hair as a leave in conditioner/volumizer/bodifier. I wash my face with it at night and apply it to my face after my shower and before makeup. The stuff is a magic elixer for my hair, especially! Limp, thin, and fine textured hair by nature but not what I end up with with a little bit of the Unicure. If I don't use it, my hair ends up flat. My hair stylist introduced me to Paul Mitchell's Conditioning Sculpting Foam with Flexible Hold. It has a red top, if you look for it. Applied to towel dried hair in a small amount, it turns my thinning hair to what appears to be very thick. I use it when I'm going to let my hair air dry or style it. After a brushing, my hair is left bouncy, full, shiny, and soft. I had no idea that a styling foam could do that. My night time moisturizer is coconut oil, sometimes day and night in the winter. Susan, do you have the eyebrow product on in the picture? If so, I don't think it would be dark enough for me. Your brows have the perfect shape, by the way.

I know those who are gray might disagree but ......you can look good with gray no doubt, but you do look "older." While in a career, this might not be the best approach. Whether I am gray or not (I am) this makes me sad and angry regardless of whether it's true or not. Like so many other things, when will it change? Part of the power of change lies with us and the willingness to plow ahead and allow visual aging to actually happen. I colored my hair forever and just got sick of the constant upkeep to say nothing of the constant chemical exposure. I wear makeup every day, I style my hair pretty much every day, I work out, I care about the clothes I wear (although I'm far from a fashionista) and take care of my skin, hair, nails etc. so obviously am not saying we shouldn't care about our looks. Hair color is just another way to enhance or change our looks but NOT using it should not keep someone from a desired career any more than choosing not to wear nail polish or mascara should. When are we (people in general but women far more) ever going to be valued for what we bring to the table in talent and experience?