Findation, the on-line way to match a foundation shade

Now that I've been back from visiting the teenagers at summer camp, I've come to reluctant conclusion that teenagers are just like pre-schoolers, i.e., walking Petri dishes, except louder and more hormonal. Because I have the most god-awful cold, and it's keeping me, if not absolutely bedridden, at least indoors, and glued to the internet. Which is how I found findation.

Findation is an on-line database of foundation colors. You enter the shades of two foundations that are a good color match for your complexion, and it gives you a suggestions of other ones to try. Here's a screen shot so you can see how it works:

It works really well, as long as you don't give it Boots No. 7 Triple Protection Tinted Moisturizer in Fair (which I bought in England) and Natio Pure Mineral Foundation in Light, (which I bought in Australia). Supplied with those two shades, findation decided I was a big show-off who was just trying to prove how well-traveled she is, and only spat out two suggestions.

However, when I fed it Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in shade number 2, and Clé de Peau Silky Cream Foundation in B20, it produced the following matches, weighted, apparently, by accuracy:

• Stila Illuminating Liquid Foundation in 20 watts
• Prescriptives Flawless Skin Total Protection Makeup SPF 15 in Cream 02
• Chanel Vitalumière in 10 Limpide
• Revlon Colourstay Foundation in Buff
• Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer in SX5
• Estee Lauder Fresh Air Makeup Base in linen beige
• Dr. Hauschka Translucent Makeup 00 Porcelaine
• Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick Alabaster 00
• Revlon Photoready Makeup in Vanilla
• Bobbi Brown Face Touch Up Stick in Porcelain oo
• Giorgio Armani Face Fabric Second Skin Nude Makeup SPF 12 1-Pale
• Lancome Teint Miracle 01 Beige Albatre
• MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC15
• Chantecaille Future Skin Porcelain
• Vichy Dermablend Corrective Foundation 15 Opal
• Chanel Vitalumière Aqua SPF15 Fluid Foundation BR10 Beige Rose Pastel
• Nars Sheer Glow Foundation in Mount Blanc
• Chanel Vitalumière Aqua SPF15 Fluid Foundation BR10 Beige Rose Pastel

Here's what is awesome about this: the shades might turn out to be absolutely perfect matches, but they give you a place to start. I don't know about you, but I like to walk up to a makeup counter with an idea of what I want to buy. Maybe even a list. Otherwise, the lolcat part of my brain takes over and I get all I CAN HAS COLORZ?

Also, there are all kinds of companies in their database, so whether you buy your foundation at the drugstore, the department store, or Whole Foods, you can find something to try.

My summer vacation, Part One

My summer vacation started with a bang. The teenagers had a half-day of school so they could pick up their grades (and get a few more signatures in their yearbooks) and then we stuffed them and their suitcases into the van and drove them to the airport, where they flew to New York so they could attend Session One of the French Woods Festival of the Performing Arts.

Adventures in Parenting 

Session One ended with two days of performances, so after a glamorous evening at a white tie event here in Chicago, Mr. Buxom and I climbed back into the minivan and drove out to Hancock, New York, a/k/a the Land that Time Forgot, where we stayed in a Bates Motel wannabe so we could see our kids play cellos and guitars and pianos and perform in a production of Aida.

About Aida: the Broadway Musical, Not the Opera

They tell you, when you're about to have a baby, that parenting involves sacrifice. But nobody said anything about Elton John musicals.

And call me a snob, but that's three words that should never appear in a row.

The best thing about it was the chorus girls. Especially the cute one (red dress, brown braids, center stage.)

OK, quick change of subject so as not to offend Elton's fan base. What did I do with myself during those golden child-free days?

Shopping

I actually didn't do that much shopping, mostly because the last-minute scurrying around to get all the camp supplies kind of wore me out. However, I accumulated purchased a scary amount variety of nail polishes. Side note: do you ever read nail polish blogs? Did you have any idea how many there are out there? In my estimation, for every mommy blogger out there, there are 10 nail bloggers. Maybe twenty.

Anyway, I've gone a little crazy buying nail polish. Because I had an epiphany!

My nail polish epiphany

It's a truism that nothing gives away a woman's age faster than her hands. The skin thins, the knuckles and veins are more prominent, and you might even have age spots. On top of that, our nails grow more slowly, and the lack of estrogen makes them more brittle. And wait, there's more--our circulation isn't as good as it used to be, so our nails are paler. And ridges are more apparent.

With all that to deal with, you might think it's safer to not polish your nails, because you don't want to call attention to them. But have you noticed that every chain drugstore is bursting at the seams with nail polish? That girls as young as six or seven are getting pedicures?

In an era that is nail polish-crazed, with nail salons on every block, neglected nails look frumpy.

I'll admit that my evidence is anecdotal, but bear with me. Here's what I've noticed: my mother doesn't wear nail polish. My older sisters don't wear nail polish. The younger women I know do.

You might think that at our age,  duo-chrome purple nail polish with string glitter and hologram flakies would look inappropriate--and you might be right. (Please note my liberal use of nail polish blog lingo. I don't know what it means, either.)

But if you're not polishing your nails at all, what's stopping you? It's not like I'm asking you to dye your hair purple or get snake bite piercings.

You don't have to wear the craziest, most outré shades. You don't have to wear black nail polish with two shades of glitter topcoat. Or Chanel's Vertigo--charcoal gray with red micro-shimmer.

Chanel Vertigo, Frenzy, and Suspicion from the Fall 2012 collection

But new collections are being introduced all the time, and I'll bet you could push the envelope a little. For example, I just got very brave and tried a few shades of coral.

So. Nail polish is a relatively inexpensive, risk-free way of showing that you're still in the game. 

Also, it's fun to gloat over the colors. And create Pinterest boards.

Which explains the 50 bottles I have amassed since I last posted.