Advil Stations

Summary

Podcast Summary: Everything is Fine – Episode: Advil Stations

Release Date: February 3, 2025
Hosts: Jennifer Romolini and Kim France

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1. Introduction and Hosts' Updates

The episode opens with Jen Romolini sharing exciting promotions and personal updates. She highlights Gold Belly, a service that ships iconic foods nationwide, perfect for gifting to food enthusiasts. Additionally, she mentions Instacart's big game deal, offering $10 off orders of eligible game day essentials (00:29).

2. Personal Journeys: Jen's Novel and Gym Joining

Jen delves into her current project—working on a novel. She discusses her efforts to incorporate "gentle interiority" and her adoption of the writing guide Save the Cat Writes a Novel. Jen expresses her fears of falling into clichés and creating amateurish work, emphasizing her desire for creative freedom (01:40).

Transitioning to her personal life, Jen reveals she has joined a gym to address her recent high cholesterol diagnosis. Although she hasn't started her workouts yet due to a house move, she plans to commit to three sessions per week. She humorously reassures Kim France, who feels "betrayed" by Jen's gym membership (03:09).

3. Health and Wellness: High Cholesterol, Tendinitis, and Exercise

Jen and Kim discuss the challenges of maintaining physical health. Jen explains her high cholesterol issue, attributing it to dietary indulgences and the physical strain from home renovations. She shares symptoms resembling tendinitis or carpal tunnel, exacerbated by repetitive tasks like screwing and painting (03:49).

Kim empathizes, suggesting that overuse or improper form might be the culprits. The conversation shifts to exercise routines, with Jen outlining her gym plan, including using headphones on the elliptical, attending classes, and eventually lifting weights. They also touch upon the importance of core strength and the frustrations of limited physical capabilities as they age (04:09).

4. Travel Plans and Challenges: Upcoming Mexico Vacation

Kim announces her upcoming vacation to Mexico, expressing excitement tempered by her nervousness about traveling. She outlines logistical concerns, such as packing efficiently with a carry-on and navigating airport procedures, particularly the hassle at JFK (13:00).

Jen relates by discussing her own travel experiences, lamenting the inconvenience of airport layouts and transportation options post-flight. They share strategies for efficient packing, emphasizing a tight color palette and versatile clothing choices to maximize space and functionality (57:09).

5. Critique of Influencer Culture

A significant portion of the episode critiques the pervasive influencer culture. Jen expresses disdain for how influencers have transformed public spaces and everyday experiences into performative spectacles. She cites examples like the Campbell and Pookie couple and the manipulation of platforms like TikTok for personal gain, calling it "soul-sucking" and vapid (17:22).

Kim agrees, sharing her frustration with influencers in New York City and lamenting how authentic experiences are overshadowed by the quest for online validation. They discuss the negative impacts of influencer-driven trends on societal norms and personal well-being (18:30).

6. Mental Health: Therapy and Group Therapy Discussions

The hosts transition to a discussion on mental health, exploring the efficacy of individual versus group therapy. Jen contemplates joining group therapy or programs like Al-Anon, seeking community support beyond traditional talk therapy. Kim shares her own experiences, highlighting the benefits and limitations of ongoing therapy and the importance of medication management (34:48).

They acknowledge the challenges of maintaining mental health routines and the societal pressures that complicate seeking help, emphasizing the need for supportive environments and accessible resources.

7. Self-Care and Beauty Routines

Self-care remains a central theme, with Jen highlighting her investments in tactile comforts such as plush rugs and padded kitchen mats to enhance her living environment. The conversation shifts to beauty routines, where they exchange tips on managing aging skin and effective products.

Jen recommends products like Wooloon Weleda lip balm for chapped lips and Maylove Retinol Serum for skin rejuvenation, critiquing expensive brands like Skinceuticals and advocating for more affordable, high-quality alternatives (38:16). They discuss makeup strategies for mature skin, including suitable lipstick shades and sun damage treatments like laser resurfacing and Clear + Brilliant (53:20).

8. Listener Questions and Advice

The episode features a segment addressing listener questions related to fashion and practical advice:

• Office Wear Tips: Jen and Kim offer suggestions for building a versatile work wardrobe on a budget, recommending brands like Zara, Madewell, and Quince. They emphasize selecting pieces in a cohesive color palette and investing in timeless staples like dark denim, blouses, and blazers to create multiple outfits without overspending (43:37).

• Packing for Travel: Advice is provided on minimizing luggage by choosing fast-drying fabrics, using travel-sized detergent packets, and adhering to a consistent color scheme to maximize outfit combinations (57:09).

• Managing Non-Fitting Clothes: The hosts advise donating or selling clothes that no longer fit, avoiding the emotional burden of keeping items that serve as reminders of past body images (51:38).

• Makeup for Aging Skin: Recommendations include Clinique Black Honey lipstick and utilizing lip tints for customizable color application (53:18).

9. Closing Remarks

As the episode wraps up, Jen and Kim reflect on their discussions, sharing personal anecdotes and reinforcing the importance of self-care, mental health, and authenticity in navigating life over 40. They encourage listeners to support the podcast through ratings, reviews, and Patreon, and provide information on where to find additional content and community support (58:30).

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Notable Quotes

• Jen Romolini at 05:31: “I may have arthritis, but this feels like there's a cause and effect... I can't just wild out, like a beast, a home improvement beast.”

• Kim France at 06:45: “I have this feeling I quit doing yoga probably about five or six years ago... I'm not going to be doing crow pose.”

• Jen Romolini at 07:39: “It's really a lot about core strength... I just wanna keep it going and limber.”

• Kim France at 11:26: “It's really important not to [overuse Advil]. Cause you can give yourself rebound pain.”

• Jen Romolini at 33:55: “I work every day and I'm really going to try to have like one, maybe even like, it's Shabbat... into absolutely no screens.”

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Conclusion

In "Advil Stations," Jennifer Romolini and Kim France navigate the complexities of life over 40, blending personal stories with practical advice on health, wellness, travel, and self-care. Their candid conversations address the physical and mental challenges of aging, the impact of societal pressures, and the importance of maintaining authenticity and comfort. Listeners gain valuable insights into balancing personal growth with the inevitable changes that come with age, all delivered with humor and heartfelt honesty.

Transcript

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[Jen Romolini]

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[Kim France]

Instacart. Hi, and welcome to Everything is Fine, a podcast for women over 40. We are your hosts. I'm Kim France.

[Jen Romolini]

And I'm Jen Romolini.

[Kim France]

And Jen, I know from reading your substack newsletter that I got in my inbox this morning.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah.

[Kim France]

That you have been working on your novel.

[Jen Romolini]

I have a little bit. I have a little bit. I've been doing all sorts of things to have, as Beth Pickens calls it, more gentle interiority. So basically not treating myself like a piece of shit. Yeah, I've been working on a little bit. I have this new writer friend named Mary who's a novelist and used to teach novel writing. And she was like, you know what you need to get? It's such a corny book, but you have to get it. She was like, it's called Save the Cat Writes a Novel. And I was like, okay, Mary, whatever. And I got it. And like. Cause my biggest fear about this after being a writer for as long as I've been a writer, is that I'm not gonna know what the rookie mistakes are and I'm just gonna fall into them and I'm gonna make really like dumb cliche. It's just gonna be stupid. I don't know what I'm doing. And it's gonna be like amateurish, which of course it is the first time I'm doing something. But this book, if anybody doesn't know about it, who wants to write a novel, really lays out for you plot and how to build a novel. Like all the steps to build a novel though. I don't know. I think that I'm doing that as a form of control and maybe I just need to be a little more creatively free. I don't know. I'm trying all kinds of things. I joined a gym.

[Kim France]

Kim France, you joined a gym?

[Jen Romolini]

Do you feel betrayed?

[Kim France]

I feel betrayed, but I think the listeners are going to feel more betrayed.

[Jen Romolini]

I joined a gym. I haven't gone yet, but they were having a special at this gym that's like 12 minutes away. And I was like, it's a cool looking gym. It's like a, it's a, it's definitely a woke gym. It's like a body positive gym. And I. My kid, really, My kid wants to get into shape. And I was like, okay, I'll go to the gym with you. Oh. Cause I have high cholesterol again. I have fucking high cholesterol again. I literally think I ate like two pats of butter.

[Kim France]

How can you have high cholesterol?

[Jen Romolini]

I. I don't know. Like, it does seem absurd, doesn't it? I mean, anyway, I have high cholesterol again. So I was like, I just need, I need to like have a regular like working out situation. So I haven't gone yet because of the move and everything, but I'm gonna try to go to the gym like three times a week.

[Kim France]

And what are you gonna do with the gym?

[Jen Romolini]

Well, I'm glad you asked. My plan is to bring some fully charged headphones on the elliptical and you know, listen to music or whatever, podcasts. And then there are lots of classes I'm interested in. And then ultimately what I want is to lift some weights. But right now. Have you ever had like tendinitis or carpal tunnel?

[Kim France]

Yeah, a little bit. Never much.

[Jen Romolini]

All the stupid home renovating I've been doing, all the like screwing and unscrewing of, you know, screws and, like, reattaching things and detaching things and painting. I've been waking up. I have, like, really bad tendinitis or carpal tunnel. I don't know what it is, but I've been waking up with swollen, painful, like, arthritic fingers.

[Kim France]

You could have arthritis. I'm just saying, it happens.

[Jen Romolini]

God, that's so like, aarp.

[Kim France]

I know, I know. I get so mad when AARP is in my inbox with, like, seven signs of pancreatic cancer.

[Jen Romolini]

I know. I'm like, I don't want. This is, like, the least sexy publication of all time.

[Kim France]

No. Can AARP make it a little bit more appealing to associate yourself with them?

[Jen Romolini]

Slightly cooler. I'd like the discounts. Like, just.

[Kim France]

Yeah, no kidding.

[Jen Romolini]

Just make it a little bit more cool. No, I. I would say I maybe have arthritis, but this feels like there's a cause and effect, you know, it feels like I was, like, really, like, overusing my hands, you know? You know, and not using proper form. I don't know how to hold a screwdriver.

[Kim France]

Like, I told a screwdriver.

[Jen Romolini]

Well, there's no. But I mean, I think there's, like, proper form. I started looking it up on, like, WebMD and it was like, if you don't use proper form or if you're from it coming from an awkward angle, and, like, literally, I was, like, tipping on a chair, like, with an arm. Of course you were standing on a counter. So, like, I don't know. Anyway, it's just like, oh, shit. I can't do the shit I used to do. I can't just wild out, like a beast, a home improvement beast.

[Kim France]

I know, I know. There are those moments. Like, I have this feeling I quit doing yoga probably about five or six years ago, and I have this sense that if I go back to yoga, I'll be at the level I was when I quit going, like. I just think I'll be like, you know, doing crow pose. I'm not going to be doing crow pose.

[Jen Romolini]

No, you're barely going to get into downward dog.

[Kim France]

No, I mean, do you know how much. I mean, I have thought, Jen, I have thought so motherfucking much about the fact that you said that you're supposed to get up from sitting down on the floor without using your hands.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah. Sign of longevity. That's right.

[Kim France]

I think about that all the time. I can't do that.

[Jen Romolini]

Do you practice? Do you try?

[Kim France]

Only when I want to make myself feel bad.

[Jen Romolini]

Okay. I. I do the most embarrassing thing every morning, which is that I do it like three or four times, maybe up to 10. And then if I, if I have like struggle with it and then I finally do it, I like raise my hands in the air and I'm like, she's still got it. So embarrassing. My husband's like in bed like, what the fuck are you doing? It's like 5:45am like well the next.

[Kim France]

Time we're in the same place, you're going to have to show me how you do it because I don't even know how I would do it.

[Jen Romolini]

Well, you start, you could start cross legged. And then if you do it cross legged that's actually much easier than if you're just sitting down on your butt and like trying to come up. It's really, it's honestly a lot of is about core strength. Like that's really, that's what it is. I don't know. I'm just trying to keep the old jalopy going. Like I just, I just wanna keep it, I wanna keep it going and limber and I want these joints to work. I started taking creatine.

[Kim France]

Yeah. You know, I feel the same way. I feel the same way. And yet I don't go to the gym. You know. And I think about like, well maybe I'm not gonna go to the gym. Maybe I just take an hour long walk with the dog in the morning.

[Jen Romolini]

I mean if you would do that. Yes, then that would be great. But are you doing, you know, are you doing that?

[Kim France]

The thing is, the morning is when I am my most productive.

[Jen Romolini]

Okay.

[Kim France]

So taking a whole like the hours between when I wake up and when Paul wakes up. Cause he stays up later and sleeps later than me are the most productive hours. Like something about having the house to myself. And I don't want to give any of that up. But I also know that when I work out or exercise at all, I want that to be in the morning. This is very boring.

[Jen Romolini]

It's not boring to me. I love this stuff. Let's continue to spend, speak about it. What about can't. You couldn't. You couldn't like you wrap up the work and then go for a walk like mid morning.

[Kim France]

I could, I could do something like that.

[Jen Romolini]

I haven't been walking at all. And I can tell like because our, the new house is. It's literally across sunset in Silver Lake. But it's just because of the way the streets are. It's just a little bit further. It's about a five to six minutes longer to walk down to my favorite coffee Shop. And that has meant that I've driven there. And that is not a good, that's not a good habit to get into.

[Kim France]

Yeah, I know when I'm out in Sag Harbor, I have to make myself walk because otherwise I'm in the car going everywhere.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, of course. It's so cozy. It's like, oh, I'll just bop out and then I'll bop back in. I don't have to exert any effort. This is delightful.

[Kim France]

The only thing. Do you have parking in this new house?

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, kind of like we have a parking spot. We have one parking spot. It's supposed to be two, but it's a long driveway and it's like I'm actually, it's like probably good for my old brain because I'm having to like work out a very narrow spot and like, you know, a 40 point turn to get myself out of it.

[Kim France]

Yeah.

[Jen Romolini]

And then there's street parking. But why do you ask?

[Kim France]

Well, because something I realized on my last visit to Los Angeles was that parking there can be a real pain in the ass.

[Jen Romolini]

Oh, yeah. I mean, I'll just like dump my car, like way too far away from my destination because I'm just like, there's a spot. I know there's a spot. I don't care. I just want to be out of this thing. Like, wait, let's go back to the arthritis thing. How would I know if I have arthritis? And if you have arthritis, do you always have arthritis?

[Kim France]

These are questions I don't know the answer to, but I think a doctor would.

[Jen Romolini]

I'm sorry, I don't want arthritis. Is there, do you think, do you think, like, do you just. I.

[Kim France]

But, but, but, but, but Think about this. It could be much worse than arthritis. Like arthritis is, you know, there are things you can do for arthritis.

[Jen Romolini]

I know what Advil am I just going to take Advil for the rest of my life? We have Advil. We have just moved into this house and I realized there are like three Advil stations. Like tell, tell me your middle age without telling me you're middle aged.

[Kim France]

Like, it's just, oh my God.

[Jen Romolini]

I was like, oh, I don't have to go far. There's more Advil.

[Kim France]

I know. We get the big ones.

[Jen Romolini]

Yes, same, same.

[Kim France]

The massive ones. Yes, I know. It's really easy to go through it and it's really important not to. Cause you can give yourself rebound pain.

[Jen Romolini]

What the fuck is that?

[Kim France]

Rebound pain? When I had migraines, I got into a lot of trouble with this. It's when the medication you take to get rid of your pain gets rid of your pain and causes your next pain because you're taking it so often that it's rebounding.

[Jen Romolini]

I thought you were just going to talk about, you know, just regular old garden variety liver. Liver damage. I will say that person who wrote in that they were disappointed at my smoking. It got a be in my bonnet so much that I haven't smoked since I got that. Since I got that message on Facebook. I threw the. I threw the. Through the last, like, six capris away, and I haven't smoked since.

[Kim France]

I know. It's really important not to.

[Jen Romolini]

It is.

[Kim France]

It's really important not to. I know. And I mean, it's just like, how do we do it? Like, how do we do that? We're in such denial.

[Jen Romolini]

I know. Well, also, I'm like. I'm like, there's fire air. Like, my lungs don't need. My lungs don't need anything else. They don't need one more thing. What? I feel like I've blown. I feel like I've blown everything in this first 12 minutes. What else happening? Are you getting excited about your vacation?

[Kim France]

I'm getting very excited for my vacation listeners. We are going to Mexico. I don't know if I mentioned that.

[Jen Romolini]

We talked about it. Yes, Katie. Oh, we did. We did. We talked about it. Plunge pool.

[Kim France]

Plunge pool. Yes. I am very much looking forward to my trip. I am a very nervous traveler, though, and I'm trying to think of ways I can stop being such a nervous traveler.

[Jen Romolini]

So wait, you're leaving? When are you leaving? Sunday.

[Kim France]

We're leaving the third. I think that's Monday.

[Jen Romolini]

Okay. Have you planned your packing?

[Kim France]

I have pretty much. I have pretty much. I mean, I'm not bringing. I'm bringing a carry on.

[Jen Romolini]

Okay.

[Kim France]

I think that five days in a very warm climate, I should be able to pack in a carry on.

[Jen Romolini]

I think you should, too. Yes, I agree.

[Kim France]

And I don't care if I repeat the same outfit at dinner. Who cares?

[Jen Romolini]

Who cares? Right?

[Kim France]

Really Right.

[Jen Romolini]

It's not a fashion show.

[Kim France]

It's not a fashion show. So I think I know what I'm bringing, but it's just like having to get to the airport three hours early.

[Jen Romolini]

Wait, what? Three hours?

[Kim France]

Maybe not three hours, but two and a half.

[Jen Romolini]

Do you have TSA pre?

[Kim France]

Yeah.

[Jen Romolini]

Oh, but it doesn't matter for international.

[Kim France]

Does it not matter for International? You can't use it.

[Jen Romolini]

I don't know. I don't remember. I feel like you can't or Maybe you just can't coming out like in other countries. It doesn't matter. I forget, I forget.

[Kim France]

I don't know, but I'm just. I'm nervous, you know, we're flying from Newark because right now JFK is a nightmare with all the renovations they're doing. And when you get off the plane at certain terminals, you have to then walk for miles to take a bus to get to a spot 15 minutes outside of the airport where an Uber can pick you up.

[Jen Romolini]

Well, that, that's la. I mean, that's like, what. LA is always lax, is a nightmare. You can't. You can't. You have to walk or take this horrible bus to the Uber station. That's like, I can't. Every time I. Every time I fly in, I'm like, fly home. I'm like, this is. This is criminal. This is criminal. You've been on planes and trains and automobiles, like all day and now you've been on a long flight and now you have to do this bullshit. Like this, it's. This always, always fills me with rage. I'm just like, this is a service. I am a customer and you are not providing me with an adequate level of like, I'm paying for something that is not adequate.

[Kim France]

Well, I feel that way whenever I air travel. Yeah, of course, you know, unless I've upgraded. Unless I've used points to upgrade, and even still, I feel that way often.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, yeah, no, I know, I know, I know, I know. It is horrible. We might be taking our first actual vacation. Like, not a trip for a book, you know, a book event. And not a. Not a trip to go visit our parents. We might be taking the first actual vacation we've taken since before the pandemic. Right.

[Kim France]

Wow.

[Jen Romolini]

We're. We're considering for spring break going to Mexico City.

[Kim France]

Oh, cool.

[Jen Romolini]

Which I really want to go to. And our kid is like, learning Spanish and really like Spanish. They have like a. I don't know, they have like some ridiculous five month, six month streak on duolingo, you know, they're like, gotta do my Duolingo. It's so cute and so dweeby. And we're like, let's go. We really want to do this. Whatever. So I've been looking at Airbnbs and like, again, this is just like, I'm old, I'm cranky, I'm Andy Rooney. But the Airbnbs are like, features a wall, perfect for influencers and Instagram stories.

[Kim France]

And I'm like, get the fuck out of here.

[Jen Romolini]

Yes. Everything is catering to content.

[Kim France]

Well, I will tell you that influencers are ruining a lot of things. Like, influencers in New York City. And I'm sure it's the same in la. There are places you can't go anymore. You can't get on the fucking Roosevelt island tram if you live in Roosevelt island, because that's become an Instagram thing. The views from the tram. It's ridiculous. There's a restaurant near my brother that one day was just a normal restaurant kind of new, and the next day had lines out the door all the time because of influencers. Influencers are. They're bad influencers.

[Jen Romolini]

It's so vapid. It's so stupid. I hate it so much. It's so corny. It's such a bad way to experience the world, like, through a screen, in this, like, performative way. I remember I probably said this on the podcast before. I was on some panelists at UCLA a couple years ago, and all these people were at, like, it was. I don't know, it was about. It was about content of some kind. And all these people were asking about, like, influencers and TikTok and blah, blah, blah. And I was like, influencer is not a real job. And, like, a gasp, like, fell on, like. And. And I was wrong. It's obviously a real job. Like, you know, that's why people are so pissed off about the TikTok, about the TikTok, about TikTok going away. And that's why Donald Trump, like, manipulated that whole situation and was like, I alone will save you and your TikTok livelihood. You know? Right, Whatever. It's clearly a ro. A robust way to make a living. You know, it's like, you know, you can make a lot of money on it, but it's. It's like, so. It's. It's so soul sucking.

[Kim France]

I think it's very soul sucking.

[Jen Romolini]

It is.

[Kim France]

I think it's very soul sucking. And I dislike myself when I, like, like, I will watch. You probably don't even know who these people are. Campbell and Pookie. Do you know who Campbell and Pookie are?

[Jen Romolini]

Zero. Zero. Like, absolutely no register.

[Kim France]

Campbell and Pookie are this couple. They're a young couple. They live in Georgia, I think, and they just wear expensive clothes and talk about them, and they just had a baby. And Campbell. No, Campbell is her name. Her name is Campbell, and her nickname is Pookie. I don't remember her husband's name. Anyway, they're atrocious. They're just absolutely atrocious. But she has A massive ad in Times Square. A beauty ad.

[Jen Romolini]

Oh, my God.

[Kim France]

It's like a whole fucking thing. And when I get sucked into it, I just couldn't loathe myself more.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, I can't. I can't. It's like the same reason why I can't watch the Real Housewives. I'm like, this is not. This is a simulation of life. And I'm aware that this is a simulation of life.

[Kim France]

And Real Housewives is also really toxic.

[Jen Romolini]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Kim France]

I used to watch the New Jersey because those women were just animals. But after a while I thought, like, I don't like myself when I watch this.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, yeah, no, I don't either. I am. I took Instagram off my phone, as you probably read, and then I put it back on. I couldn't. I couldn't handle it. I was like, must have, must have Instagram. Like, I can't. I feel so shut off from the world not having Instagram four days. And I just, like, I started to get itchy for it. But I am going to start. And this is something that, like, this novel writing program is recommending is like having one day completely off screens. I'm really going to try to have Saturdays be a day. That's because somebody asked me recently, like, well, how. What's your work like, what's your work life like? Like, when do you work and when do you not work? And I was like, I work all. I work every day. I was like, didn't you just write a book about not working every day? And I'm like, no, I work every day. I've never. There's never a day of my life that I'm not working. And some days I work a lot and then I get to work less on like a Tuesday. But, like, I work every day and I'm really going to try to have like one. Maybe even, like. Maybe even like, it's Shabbat. Like, go Friday night into Saturday, like, into absolutely no screens. Because I think I need it for my sanity and to get off that twitchiness of like, oh, what's happening? I need to look that hyper vigilance that's clearly existing right now as the horrors never cease.

[Kim France]

Yeah. And that is a reason to start doing it now because the horrors do never cease and the doom scrolling is impossible now not to engage in. If you're scrolling. If you're scrolling, that's just some of what you're scrolling.

[Jen Romolini]

Even if you. Even if I'm like, trying to shut out, like, but then again, I have, like, all sorts of, like, socialists and Democrats. Like, I have all. I follow. It's my fault, too. Like, my. My algorithm is my fault, because I am, like, I. I want to know what's happening with the democratic socialists in Los Angeles. You know? How are you guys doing? Yeah. Bad bitch. I know. Oh, it's so much. It's so much to be absorbing. It's all so much.

[Kim France]

It's too much. It's too much. And, you know, we have listener questions, and so many of them right now are just like, how are we gonna get through this? Like, what are you doing?

[Jen Romolini]

I know. And last week, we tried to explain that. We don't fucking know. I'll tell you, though, I have been. I do know one thing. I have been buying. I have been buying very soft things. I am not a person in my life who has really ever invested a lot in comfort. And I think I've been sort of talking about this theme, but I've been investing in, like, Very plush. Like, I bought. I bought a rug to go next to my bed. I didn't need this rug, but it's like a very high pile. Like, you step on it, it's like a cloud. I bought a padded kitchen mat. We've never had anything like this, because when I wash the dishes, it's nice to have, like, a really nice pad in there on your feet. I've been just, like, investing in things that are. That just are tactile and feel really good. And I'm finding that that's kind of helping.

[Kim France]

I think that's very wise. Yeah, I think that's just very wise. You know, why not make yourself feel better in the midst of things? Oh, can I just tell you something? And I know it always comes back to this. I know it always fucking comes back to this, but I just noticed my neck in a whole new way this week.

[Jen Romolini]

Oh, God. Oh, God.

[Kim France]

Like, two days ago, I just noticed my neck. And I was like, forget the chin. That whole area just needs to be excavated. The whole fucking area.

[Jen Romolini]

You're just on one about that. No, I had it the other day. I was like, jesus Christ, does this chin have any bone in it left? I was like, is this. Is this soft now?

[Kim France]

Like, what am I, an apple doll? I know, exactly.

[Jen Romolini]

I know. I've been thinking. I'm like, somebody's got to rebuild this chin with some filler. Like, it's gotta. It's gotta happen. No, I've been. I've been making my yearly. I've been making my annual checklist of things I want to do to my face, including, like, I am going to do. I think it's good to once a year do something like Morpheus 8 or something that, like, builds collagen and sort of disrupts, like, you know, disrupts your skin, sort of like injures your skin. Injures skin cells so that they, you know, they go into overdrive to build collagen. I've been doing that for the past five years, and I think it has actually helped with, like, sag. But the neck is just. You know what the neck is? It's like surgery or bust. It's. It.

[Kim France]

It's the tell. It's the total tell. Like, I think I look pretty good for 60. My face looks pretty good for 60. And then you look at my neck and it's like, oh, she's 60.

[Jen Romolini]

Or.

[Kim France]

Right?

[Jen Romolini]

Well, yeah, because you don't even have this. I have a new brown spot on my hand. Get the out of here. This liver spot. I can't believe it. I had a new.

[Kim France]

Do they still call them liver spots?

[Jen Romolini]

I don't know, but I would. I'm bringing that back. I now have 1, 2, 3. I have 5 liver spots on this one hand. I have no idea why. It's not even my driving hand.

[Kim France]

Let me see. Let me see.

[Jen Romolini]

Well, so you can barely see them. They're just like small freckles. But, yeah, they're coming, man.

[Kim France]

Huh?

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah.

[Kim France]

Well, I don't have that yet.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, thanks. Good for you.

[Kim France]

Don't have that yet. But, you know, I got other shit. Yeah.

[Jen Romolini]

I'm telling you, everything's gonna change once I start going to the gym. That's it.

[Kim France]

It probably will. It probably will change things.

[Jen Romolini]

I went to the doctor the other day. Cause I was like. Cause, well, I have to make all these appointments. I have to get a vaginal ultrasound to check out these fibroids. I have to go back in. It's time to go back in for a fucking tit check. It's like, didn't I just go through this? Nope. It's time again. But she was telling me that I may have a hormone imbalance because I take transdermal hormones with a cream. I use a bioidentical compounded hormone cream. And it's a really safe way vehicle for hormones. It's like one of the safest vehicles you can have. But progesterone doesn't absorb as well through the skin, so I may have, like, an estrogen progesterone imbalance. So I need to get that checked. That's what they told me.

[Kim France]

Yeah, yeah, that's important.

[Jen Romolini]

That is important. I know because especially if you still have a uterus, you have to have a level of progesterone if you're taking estrogen. What a fucking pain in the ass. Take a quick break from some ads. Support for Everything Is Fine comes from Ritual. Due to dropping temperatures and lower humidity, your skin can have a tough time retaining moisture in the winter time. Even if you're keeping up that 12 step nighttime skin care routine. Which honestly who is actually doing that? But Ritual's Hyac skin supplement is a clinically proven, proven way to support skin hydration with a science backed benefits like reducing wrinkles and improving skin smoothness. I love ritual. I talk about ritual all the time. I use hyacinth myself. I think it makes my skin plumper. I use Rituals multiple vitamin for women over 50 I use rituals Melatonin. It's a quality brand made of quality ingredients. Ingredients. The supplements taste good. The packaging is aesthetically pleasing. It takes a lot of the guesswork from me out of which supplements I should be taking. I just really love this brand and especially Hyacra. It's a once daily skin supplement that in a clinical study led to a 2.9 time increase in skin smoothness within 90 days as compared to a placebo. And subjects reported an improvement in skin elasticity, glow and radiance in within 90 days. It's also rigorously tested and validated by a third party for allergens, microbes and heavy metals. It also has industry leading sustainability standards. All of these things are the reasons that I love ritual. And I think you will too. So start highest Sarah to support your glow without compromising on clean science. Hyac from Ritual is a clinically proven skin supplement you can actually trust. Get 25% off your first month for a limited [e-mail] fine. That's ritual.com fine for 25% off your first month. Picture this.

[Kim France]

You're halfway through a DIY car fix.

[Jen Romolini]

Tools scattered everywhere and boom. You realise you're missing a part. It's okay because you know, whatever it is, it's on ebay. They've got everything. Brakes, headlights, cold air intakes, whatever you need. And it's guaranteed to fit. Which means no more crossing your fingers and hoping you ordered the right thing. All the parts you need at prices you'll love. Guaranteed to fit every time ebay Things people love.

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[Jen Romolini]

And we're back.

[Kim France]

You know, I've been thinking today because I was talking to my mom, she wants to get. And I think this is a really good idea. She said, you know, my face has some new lines on it. I don't know how to put on makeup for the face that I have. I want a makeup lesson. So I. Oh, at what, 87?

[Jen Romolini]

How old is she?

[Kim France]

At 87, she wants a makeup lesson.

[Jen Romolini]

Oh, my heart, I love this. All right.

[Kim France]

And then she's like, and you know, the hair on top of my head is getting very thin. Is there someone I can talk to about extensions? I was like, I was about to get impatient with her, but I was like, it never ends. No, it never ends. And it's so unkind because at the point when we should, you know, and there are these women who are like, I don't give a shit anymore. Yeah. I don't buy into it.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah.

[Kim France]

But then I look at my mom and I think, and she's never struck me as a particularly vain woman. She really hasn't ever been that way throughout my life. But I don't know, it just seems like as our faces change, shouldn't we be kinder to them?

[Jen Romolini]

Well, yes, we should. And I feel like I am kinder to my face than I even was five years ago. Like, I'm more accepting than I even was five years ago. But I mean, this is a conversation we have all the time, which is, this is the society we live in. We know, like, things. The. The perfect example for me is gray hair.

[Kim France]

Yeah.

[Jen Romolini]

There's. There's a whole community of women who feel so empowered with gray hair, who let their hair go gray and now feel fantastic and they just have owned it. And they're like, I have gray hair. Fantastic. I know that I work, I still work. And that gray hair immediately clocks me as old. And we live in an ageist society. And so as a matter of survival, and also because I just like it better, I won't let my hair go gray. And that's just reality for me. And I am so I'm so. I admire the women who forge a different path. But, like, also, like, my sister went gray. She works in academia. It's okay for her to be gray. Yeah.

[Kim France]

I also think some people look fantastic with gray hair.

[Jen Romolini]

That's also true.

[Kim France]

I grew my gray out a bit during COVID I did not look fantastic.

[Jen Romolini]

But that's what I'm saying. It's like, this is like, we want there, like, everything. We want there to be universal rules. We want there to be, like, a guidebook to follow about getting older, and there's just not. Each step is. Each adjustment is. Presents an individual choice. You know, like, some people let their. Let their elevens. They're, like, fine with them. I would. I don't like the way that looks on me. I don't. My mother had really harsh elevens. When I look in the mirror when I have them, I feel like I have her. The angry part of her. That was really terrifying for me, and I don't want that. And so I'll probably get Botox there for the rest of my days.

[Kim France]

Yep. You know, it's not a problem.

[Jen Romolini]

It's not a problem. It's personal. But so. So I guess the question is, are we being mean to ourselves in making these decisions? I don't know. I don't know.

[Kim France]

I don't think we're being mean to ourselves because we're doing something that's ultimately going to make us feel better. Probably, yes. But if we do it and it never makes us feel better.

[Jen Romolini]

Yes. Right. Like, will extensions. Will extensions and makeup tips, like, make your mother feel prettier and more confident? Maybe. So why not? I think.

[Kim France]

I mean, I think, you know, she does need makeup tips. She really does. She doesn't know how to put on makeup, and I can't. And I'm trying to be nicer about my mom on the podcast because she was very hurt when I told the story about how I told you that. I said to her that she has to. That Paul had to come to Houston because I'd be nicer to her if Paul was in Houston.

[Jen Romolini]

Oh, she was hurt by that. Aw.

[Kim France]

She was like, what do I do? Can you tell me the things I do? And I was like. I was so. I was like, mom, it's not you, it's me. And how I know I get when I'm in Houston. And just not wanting to impose that on you also.

[Jen Romolini]

Eve, hello. Have you. Have you. Have you met us? We're both bitches. Like, this isn't your fault.

[Kim France]

You didn't do anything.

[Jen Romolini]

You didn't do anything. We're still brats. We still have a lot of therapy. Oh my God. Speaking of therapy, I've been thinking, I mean, I've said it before, I've threatened it before, but I read something that group therapy actually works faster than therapy therapy. I like my therapist, but I've been thinking about Al Anon a lot.

[Kim France]

Well, you know, there are a lot of people who swear by it. My mom certainly, you know, has relied on it throughout the years. And I also think group therapy is kind of a cool idea.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, I do too. I do too. I've been thinking about group therapy a lot. I've been thinking about Al Anon or adult children of alcoholics. Like something like this. I mean, I'm like, I'm wary of 12 step programs, you know, just because I'm like, is that my vibe? But I've been thinking about like, I, I still am not the most comfortable being alone with my brain. And this is a problem since the majority of what I do is being alone with my brain. And it's like, is there. I don't want like a shortcut, but I kind of do. Like I've been in fucking talk therapy, individual therapy, for 5,000 years with some breaks, you know.

[Kim France]

I know, me too.

[Jen Romolini]

It's like, ah, I don't know, is the jig up?

[Kim France]

I know, I listen, I totally know and I totally understand. I've had so much therapy and I know that, you know, in order to have drugs prescribed to me, which I know I need for the rest of my life.

[Jen Romolini]

Right.

[Kim France]

You have. No psychopharmacologist is going to prescribe to somebody who isn't in regular therapy.

[Jen Romolini]

That's right. That's right.

[Kim France]

So it is a fact of my life that I'll always be in it. But I certainly like don't have a lot of shit to talk about some days. You know, like, I'm very bored by my own therapy.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah. But then it is the thing of like, you walk in and you're like, well, I mean, this is what happens to me. Like last week I was like, I've been feeling very much like, you know, I'm healed. And I walked in, I walked in last week and I was like, I don't have anything to talk about. And then I wound up like talking about all kinds of things. It's like sometimes you just can't have like a, you can't like pre plan, you can't pre game therapy. Like you just sort of like comes out, you know, as you're in there.

[Kim France]

Yeah. I don't know. I've had so many different kinds of therapists, you know, I like mine now. She's lovely.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah. By the way, I just want to do Another shout for K18 leave in conditioner. My hair was looking so shitty and dry and like just fried and it is, it is so silky. It's like, it's the best, it's the best hair product. And like my stylist is like, yeah, it's the best hair product. It's just, it actually makes a huge, huge difference in the texture of your hair. It's got like peptides in it or something. And just another. If anybody's struggling with like brittle, dry, gray, frizzy hair, which I often do, it's a, it's, it's a game changer. And then also this week, which I don't have on, I got, I got really bad chapped lips. Like, what was have. Okay. You know when you get chapped lips, they're so disgusting that you have like a scab line on the outside of them.

[Kim France]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Jen Romolini]

Okay. It was so dry here. It was like negative 40 humidity. I mean, obviously that's why everything burned. But I was like, what is going on with my lips? They were like cracked and dry and I couldn't get anything to do anything with them. And then I got the Wooloon Weleda lip balm and that worked so, so good. So good. I, you know, I love the Welita skin food, but I had never tried this and I was just desperate and I picked it up in the grocery store and it was like within like a day. But also it's pleasant, it tastes kind of nice. I really like, I really high praise.

[Kim France]

That's good to know because our friend Jen Bluestein was just asking me a lip balm related question and I was like, aquaphor, like, if you got really bad chapped lips, Aquaphor is kind of it.

[Jen Romolini]

Aquaphor is great. But this really worked. This really, really worked.

[Kim France]

I'm very intrigued.

[Jen Romolini]

I really loved it. And I also got the Dr. Halchka. They have like a rose lip balm. I bought a couple. That one was really, was really nice too. The Laneige Lip sleeping mask is absolute trash. Now that I've actually used it on chapped lips is just. That is just for children.

[Kim France]

I kind of agree with you. I mean, I have a container of it next to my bed that's been there for a few years since I bought into the hype the first time around. And I think the big lip balm has this strategy where you use the lip balm but it keeps making your lips chapped so that you keep buying. Lip balm.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, the Welita is like made of like chamomile and calendula and you know, sunflower seed oil. But it's really, it's nice. It's a really nice product. I'm totally added it to my, my arsenal. And then the other thing that I have which I think is doing wonders for my skin is this Maylove M A E L O V E retinol serum which I may have already talked about on the pod, but it's like.

[Kim France]

I don't think so.

[Jen Romolini]

It's Maylove. I really love this brand. It's an independent brand. It's, it's really gentle, really natural. And this retinol serum is. Well, because it's not retinol with an O is retinol with an A. And that's the, the most potent retinoids you can buy over the counter. And. But this formula is somewhat gentle. I didn't have any like the molting, no irritation. I can really, really see a difference after using it just like a couple of days. Wow. And I, I recommended it in some story and they reached out to me and they're really nice. It's like a, it's like a small little brand which I always like to promote and, and not a bazillion dollars. I think it's like $45 or something, which, you know, not, not 10, but not 100, not 150.

[Kim France]

Yeah. Beauty products are so expensive, so stupid.

[Jen Romolini]

So makes me furious. Like skinceuticals can go fuck themselves. They do not need to have a 200 serum.

[Kim France]

Yeah, no, I agree.

[Jen Romolini]

La Mer. Get the out of here.

[Kim France]

La Mer. Well, La Mer is just like an, you know, attacks on idiocy.

[Jen Romolini]

It is, it is. I told, I've said this before. There's like, they did a study and like the German Nivea is like has the exact same ingredient profile as La Mer and you can get in the tin for $11. It's ridiculous.

[Kim France]

You know, I think the only thing is I do think that women get a serotonin rush when they're putting on all their products.

[Jen Romolini]

I do too. I think 100% that's true. And like, certainly this week I like tried a couple of things and I was like, wow, my eyes burning. This is bad. Like certainly like you have to buy high quality products, but you don't need to spend $200 for a high quality product. Like, I talked to a dermatologist this week and she was like, actually, if you want a retinoid, she was like, get differin. She was like, it's over the counter. It's 2%. Like, just. That's. It's a fine. She was like, it's a quality retinol for $13.

[Kim France]

I can't fuck with the retinols at all because my skin is too sensitive.

[Jen Romolini]

I know, I know, I know, I know you've said that. I know. I have not gotten tretinoin because I don't want to go through the whole, like, oh, build up to this, you know, I don't. It's not worth it to me. I'd rather just get like a laser radio frequency treatment once a year and not fuck with that. Should we read some listener questions?

[Kim France]

Let's.

[Jen Romolini]

All right, let me find. Oh, man. I mean, I'm suddenly silly today. I don't know why. Okay. I'm working in an office a few days a week for the first time and I have no idea how to dress. I put on a navy blazer from Target yesterday and looked like the high school debate team captain. In my dreams, I'd wear a cool Conde Nast style set of chic high waisted pleated wool linen pants and a matching vest. Or a silk cami and an expensive blazer. But my budget is, is more in the Zara realm. Maybe if I saved Reformation any recs for cool, somewhat affordable office wear not made from polyester or for Republicans.

[Kim France]

That's really hard. You know, it's really hard. I think that there are brands. I think one thing to consider is not rejecting all synthetics.

[Jen Romolini]

Yes.

[Kim France]

Because some, because there are synthetics and then there are synthetics. And I have felt polyester that feels just like silk. I have felt rayon that feels just like cotton. I think that there are brands like Mango that have decent workwear and also, you know, obviously use a lot of synthetics. And you've got to kind of go into the store and feel these products because I understand the kind of ick about not wanting something really gross next to your skin.

[Jen Romolini]

I think that you can build a wardrobe of staples from fast fashion brands if they are, you know, things that you're gonna wear for years. Like I have Zara pieces that I've owned for 10 years. I'm not, I'm not worried about having them. So what I would say is get some things that, you know, get, get a couple of pair of pants like There's Mango. There's, you know, there is Zara. There's the Gap, there's Banana Republic. There's, you know, even Old Navy has some good stuff, I think. You know, buy yourself a couple of pair of like, pants that fit you well. Get yourself a black jumpsuit because I feel like that is really, really versatile and you can, you know, you can wear to work and easily dress it up. Get yourself, you know, a couple of blouses and J. Crew, like is things. Shit's on sale at J. Crew all the time. Invest in like a nice couple of jackets from J. Crew when they're like 50 off plus another 40% off. So you might have to, like, you might have to chase down. Oh, and madewell. Madewell's also great.

[Kim France]

Yeah, madewell's a little more casual maybe, but you can certainly find good pieces. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Madewell.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah. Because honestly, if you wear a dark, dark colored denim jeans, you can probably wear to an office with a blazer and a blouse and a pair of boots. Like, that's a perfectly good outfit. I don't know how dressy this all offices.

[Kim France]

Yeah. I mean, my other, My other advice is to. Is. Is my advice for packing always too, is just like a really tight color palette so that everything you're working with works with everything else.

[Jen Romolini]

I think that's really smart. I think that's really smart. Oh, Quince. Quince is another good brand.

[Kim France]

Quince is so good.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, Quince is so good. And not expensive. Quince is really good. I totally, I totally get it. But like, you can do this. You just need to. I would make a list of the things you want in your wardrobe. You need like a little capsule wardrobe. You need a couple of pair of like anchor pants that are going to fit you well. Even like Wildfang. Those pants fit really, really well. And they can be. Their suiting fits really, really well. And they go on sale a lot. So Alex Mille, when they go on sale, I feel like that's another good one. You need like some anchor basics. And then like, you know, then you can get like a floral print dress that you can wear with tights and tights and boots and a blazer or a cardigan. You need things that can mix and match. This is totally doable, but you're gonna have to. You might have to save a little bit, but really, I think you can get yourself a whole work wardrobe for $400. I've certainly done it.

[Kim France]

Yep.

[Jen Romolini]

Cause I'm cheap as fuck.

[Kim France]

Okay, you're not really cheap because when I think of cheap, I think of people who are cheap with others.

[Jen Romolini]

Oh, yeah. I'm frugal.

[Kim France]

Frugal.

[Jen Romolini]

I'm frugal. I really. I really try not to spend more. I really try to keep things at, like, $100. Like, that's really where I. Because I like to have a lot of things. But I've been. I've been rethinking all of. All of my choices lately because of this move. Anyway. Okay, so Brook Shields just had labia reduction surgery. I know what this sounds like. And aside from it seeming very cosmetic, I wonder if there may be other physiological benefits. For example, reduced friction down there, odor. Not to get too graphic. Sorry. I have never heard of this before, but now I'm curious. No worries. If this might be something you don't want to discuss. I'm 52 and still perimenopausal. Why, like, okay, maybe there's some, like, I don't know how much her labia was flapping around. I don't know.

[Kim France]

Did she explain it? And where did she say this?

[Jen Romolini]

I don't know. I don't know. I mean, look, caveat. Caveat. We don't, you know, no disparage of. Disparagement of Brooke Shields. I have no idea if this is true or not, but I am more interested in the strength of my vagina and not having, like, vaginal atrophy and pelvic collapse than I am in. In. In a.

[Kim France]

In a larger physical attractiveness.

[Jen Romolini]

Exactly. Than the physical attractiveness. Because as discussed from experience, men will. Men don't care.

[Kim France]

Men really don't care.

[Jen Romolini]

Men really don't care. I have no idea if the odor. If it changes the odor. But, you know, I mean, good for her if she's. If that's. Like, when do I see my labia?

[Kim France]

I know, exactly. Never.

[Jen Romolini]

I guess it could be hanging so low that it was uncomfortable. But, like, I don't know, there are things that I would surely get surgery on before my labia.

[Kim France]

Me too.

[Jen Romolini]

Go to breakfast to make it home. Bonus. Favorite drink at a bar.

[Kim France]

Go to breakfast is. My favorite go to breakfast is scrambled eggs with cheese and spinach. But that creates some dishes, and I'm not always in the mood for that in the morning. But that's my go to breakfast or just a yogurt. And I like a whiskey sour.

[Jen Romolini]

Go to breakfast for me is avocado toast with smoked salmon or eggs or bone broth. Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I've become a bone broth person. Brodo Brooks bone broth. I have a subscription. It's the best.

[Kim France]

It is the best.

[Jen Romolini]

It's the best. And I just have a subscription to it. And now I just open a packet in the morning and I put some collagen powder into it and I feel aces. Favorite drink in a bar. I really love a dirty martini. Or if I'm like, if I'm like, oh, I should be good tonight, I get a vodka soda.

[Kim France]

Yeah.

[Jen Romolini]

If you had to emigrate to another country, where would you go?

[Kim France]

What an interesting question.

[Jen Romolini]

I know, it just came out of nowhere. Why would you ever want to leave this paradise?

[Kim France]

I mean, right now because we're in the middle of this terrible, unending January with these freezing temperatures. My fantasy is that I would move to a Caribbean island. But I don't know, I think living in Tokyo would be amazing for a while. But I don't know where I would move if I had to uproot myself and move.

[Jen Romolini]

I've been thinking more and more, but then again, I don't know if I want to be in this climate because south and because of how everything's getting so hot. I mean, that's the thing. Everything is affected by, you know, climate change, you know, so it's like, where do you want to go? But recently I've been very, I've been very bullish on Spain. I think it's fairly easy to get a digital nomad visa to Spain and you can get one up to five years and you know, actually you can live anywhere in Europe once you have it. But you know, I speak a little bit of Spanish and I feel like I could pick up a lot more if I lived there. I don't know. I've been into Spain lately.

[Kim France]

Interesting.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah, I don't know. I'm staying here for now. Any advice on what to do with clothes you still very much like but that don't currently fit? Do you get rid of them, put them in storage in case they might fit someday.

[Kim France]

I've thought about this a lot because I have several generations of things that don't fit me anymore.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah.

[Kim France]

You know, so like the clothes where I know I'm never gonna be that small again.

[Jen Romolini]

Yes.

[Kim France]

Like just as a 60 year old woman, my stomach isn't changing that much.

[Jen Romolini]

Yes.

[Kim France]

I've gotten rid of those clothes. I've given them away, I've sold them, I've done all the various things.

[Jen Romolini]

Right.

[Kim France]

I, I still have some things that I really love around, but I, I try not to do that. I, I, I think it's on the one hand, like, what a waste. If you lose weight again, you've gotten rid of all these things. But I think this, having your closet be a reminder of what you no longer look like is not a good idea.

[Jen Romolini]

No, no, no, no. I. So I had gotten rid of a lot of things for when, because, you know, I was like, oh, this is my weight forever now. This is like round where I'm going to be. And then I lost a lot of weight and I was sad to have lost all those clothes because I had nothing to wear at a smaller size. But now I'm out of that size again. I got rid of those clothes again. I don't know what you're supposed to do. I don't like keeping clothes in my closet that don't fit me. I just don't. It's just, it's just not a good feeling. And also those really skinny, skinny clothes, like, I was sick when I fit in those clothes. That's not really a zone I want to exist in, you know, I don't want, I don't want to be that skinny. So I don't know. I say, I say get rid of, I say get rid of shit. That's really my thing. Just get rid of shit. Buy yourself a new pair of pants that fit you and you feel great in. Don't be like, have longing clothes.

[Kim France]

I agree. It's a bad feeling.

[Jen Romolini]

Okay. While I believe everyone should wear whatever makeup they feel like wearing, I'm aware that my beloved 90s style dark lip shades are not as flattering anymore on my 51 year old face. I wear them anyways because I like them. I can't do bright shades, so I like to stick with dark reds and dark neutrals. Have you seen any good shades, brands, formula recently that might give an aging goth girl a little color?

[Kim France]

It's very hard to say without knowing the exact skin tone, you know, of her. I know that I always go for a bright lip, you know, for a pinkish lip.

[Jen Romolini]

Yeah.

[Kim France]

And recently I got my makeup done at Jones Road and they put something much more tawny on it and I was like, huh, maybe this lip that I think is flattering on me is actually not flattering on me.

[Jen Romolini]

I mean, yeah, I mean, only, you know, ultimately, like an expert's going to tell you something and then you're going to have a preference. I still really like reds on me, but I try, I blot them out a little bit so that they're not so bright. And today I have like a weird hot pink on that's just like a residue. It's not good. But I would say actually a place you might want to start is the Clinique Black Honey lipstick.

[Kim France]

That's a good idea.

[Jen Romolini]

Which is really faint and it has. Because of the makeup of the color of it. It's supposed to be universally flattering on all skin tones and it's subtle. So I would, I would try. I would try Clinique's Black Honey and then I would try lip tints over lipstick because sometimes you can. Because they tend to be layerable and you can put a little bit on and get a little bit of color and then if you want more, you can build up. Whereas a lipstick, it's like, oh, it's just there, you know. Yeah, that's, that's what I would recommend. Do you have any tips for sun damaged skin? I am a child of the 80s where kids were raised on neglect and sunscreen wasn't much of a thing. My pale skin took a beating. Is there anything that can reverse the sun damage? Yes, there is. You can go in for a laser resurfacing. There's Fraxel, there's a number of things. Go to a cosmetic dermatologist and clear and brilliant might be a good place to start. That's a very light one. It doesn't really hurt and there's no downtime. That got rid of a lot of my sun damage a couple of years ago. You might be, depending on how severe the sun damage is, you might have to get several sessions. But there's absolutely a ton of things they can do for sun damage on your face. And in the process it kind of resurfaces your face and, you know, softens wrinkles and just. I'm a big fan of these, these treatments. Great. Should I give away or sell some suits that I wore to work pre Covid is more formal attire for work. Coming back, I'm in a field that is academic, creative, so that women dress funky but professional. The suits are cool, but they just hang in my closet. Wearing more separates these days that seem more flexible.

[Kim France]

This is a very simple answer. You turn the suit into separates.

[Jen Romolini]

Oh, yes, that is a very. That's right. You're wearing separates. Yes. Yeah, that's a great idea.

[Kim France]

Simple solution.

[Jen Romolini]

Simple solution. Let's see. Is there anything else we might be. Oh, okay. One more, one more question because I feel like this is a relevant one because you're thinking about the same thing. I am going on a 10 day trip to the Virgin Islands and then on to Central America. And I'm only taking a personal item for luggage, so I have to fit everything into a backpack. Any ideas on how to make this happen?

[Kim France]

Okay, the first thing is you're just not going to bring that much shit.

[Jen Romolini]

That's it.

[Kim France]

Everything you bring is going to be the same color or in the same color palette. You're going to go buy these little packets that Tide makes that you can travel with. So you can wash clothes in the sink and you're just going to wash stuff after you've washed something in the sink of the hotel. You're gonna go take one of the big bath towels. You're gonna put the garment on the big bath towel and then you're gonna roll it up and then you're gonna step on it to get all of the moisture out and then it's gonna dry really fast. So you're not gonna even mind that you had to wash some of the clothes you packed with you.

[Jen Romolini]

Smart, smart. I was gonna pick fast drying fabrics, bring things that are fast drying fabrics and pick clothes that all go together. You don't need that much. This is exciting. How great for you. That's how amazing to be unburdened and have one backpack full of shit. I love this for you.

[Kim France]

Yes, it's great.

[Jen Romolini]

Also, if you really are desperate, you can always be like, oh, there's a cute dress I just found in this place.

[Kim France]

Yeah, no, absolutely. I mean, you're allowed to shop when you travel.

[Jen Romolini]

Yes, that's right. That's right. I agree. I agree. Well, that's it.

[Kim France]

That's it. I'm afraid that's it for today.

[Jen Romolini]

That's it. Kim will be gone next week. Kim will be on a much deserved vacation from the freezing cold and every and and everything else. But I will be back next week and we'll see Kim in two weeks. And thanks for listening to Everything is fine. We're your hosts. I'm Jen Romolini.

[Kim France]

And I'm Kim France.

[Jen Romolini]

If you like the show, please rate and review it on Apple podcasts or anywhere that you listen to the show. If you want to support the production of the show and help us pay our editor, you can join our [e-mail] everythingisfine. You can find Kim on her substack kimfrance.substack.com for more excellent style tips, you can can find me at jenromalini.substack.com find both of us on a private and robust Facebook group. We are still on Facebook. You can find us on Instagram if Podcast. The show is mixed and edited by the wonderful Natalie Rivera. Thank you Natalie and we'll be back next week.

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