fashion is subjective. often a pass/fail attempt. style depends upon who is standing in judgement. for the record, i care little what others think about my fashion choices, though i welcome feedback when my fashion skews off the mark. was that tie too much? was the shirt too much? was the tie and the shirt too much. yes, i trend toward “too much” though in reality am often left wanting in the meh column. no matter. it is an outfit, not a way of life. unless, of course, it is an every day occurrence. then we are talking about personal style and i judge.

you know the anachronistic term “that is so gay”? sometimes i feel as though it was coined for me. whether nattily dressed in my gray flannel eton short pants suit at age four to my latest attempt to use a wide cravat as a tie, i skirt the boundaries of being too much in all things related to fashion, style and demeanor. watching myself on a morning show is both amusing and excruciating. since i am obviously too much all by myself, my attempt to dress down without blending into the woodwork does not always work. in reality, i worry less about the judgements of others than of casting aspersions upon myself. where others can be demoralizing, i am downright brutal. we all judge ourselves the most harshly. quite often people of a certain age find a look that clicked at some point and then stick to it like glue. ‘this works for me’ is a notion both hilarious and misguided. looking one’s best at every age in an evolving style is, i believe, the best way forward. getting older without looking old (or trying to look and dress far younger than our age) is where we generally find succor. parenthetically, i could tangent on about the aftermath of injection fillers. they leave you looking alien.

here are the duross & langel products i use and why i’ve created them to be AGELESS:

dermabrasion cream – used twice weekly it diminishes my fine lines and wrinkles (not the caverns), smoothes away imperfections, forces firmer, younger skin to the surface and gives me a healthy glow. a few minutes every week to stay firm is worth a million dollars (though my cream costs you pennies..). at my age and weight you must take care that the skin doesn’t slide off the bone like a well cooked chicken.

CoQ10 moisturizer – been testing it for months and am finally ready to put it out on the floor. this cream is a bit more expensive because it costs a good deal more to produce plus CoQ10 needs to be maintained in an airless container. here’s the thing: i love the sun. almost to the point of worship. my skin was beginning to show visible signs of advanced aging. now i look refreshed, my skin is tighter and softer to the touch.

firming eye gel – every day whether i need it or not (and i always do). with eye bright, elastin and marine collagen, this stuff cooks the books where my tired eyes are concerned. though nothing can ever make me as young as i once was, this is the best natural way to stay as firm as possible. use it every day.

shine shampoo – alright boys and girls, this is where many of you will part company with my way of thinking. i’ve been doing hair for decades. i love color. for fun. if your stylist has convinced you to banish your gray by coloring it over, shame on them. time to find a new stylist. color is meant to enhance. quite often a light color wash or low lighting of gray/white can be a wonderful way to enhance your natural look. as we get older, not only does our hair lose it’s pigment, so does our skin. that would be why the old brunet you see on the street looks like she died 20 minutes ago and forgot to lie down. we men are no different. watch any sunday morning talk show or sunday afternoon sports. thanks to hi-def, guys who completely color away the gray look uglier by the minute. of course you don’t need to go au natural like me. even the crypt keeper yearns to wash away the signs of time. i am far too lazy to keep up that rouse which is why i enhance the silver streaks with a shampoo that sparkles. perhaps in a year or two i will be using a shampoo we will call RAVEN that will diminish the whiteness of the gray and ever so subtly darken.

night eye cream – if i remember to use it… i awaken looking refreshed. the area around the eyes is the first to give away our age. rubbing makes things worse. gently pat a bit of this cream around your eyes to moisturize, lighten and brighten.

underneath it all, i feel good. though i cannot state that i often choose the best look for my style, i do feel confident when standing naked (alone) in front of the mirror. so that is something. when it is all stripped away, how we feel about ourselves is ultimately what will determine pass/fail.