Monica Bellucci is breathtakingly lush in a way only European women are.  Oh, how I long for the days of yore (old biddy-talk) when women like Monica were revered, exalted and truly treasured in America.  Naturally, that is why she luminously glows on the cover of GQ Magazine’s Italia March issue.

Viva Italia, INDEED, Monica.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the Italian unification, GQ Italia has dedicated its cover to Monica Bellucci, one of Italy’s best loved actresses.  In the inside interview, the actress talks about what it means to be Italian.  I need to find this issue and look at it everyday.  I’m about to celebrate a big birthday; Monica is almost 47 years old.  I think this woman should be our example of what is luscious and beautiful for Women of a Certain Age…not Emma Watson, who’s 20 and the new face for Lancôme.

Emma Watson for Lancôme

Don’t get me wrong.  Emma is darling…I’m just not sure she’s the image I want to compare myself to when spending hundreds of dollars on skincare and cosmetics.  I won’t look like a 20 year old GIRL.

But I will strive to be more like Monica.  Viva Italia.

Kate Winslet, who is 35 and a mother of two, appears utterly flawless and wrinkle-free in her new advertisements.   I’m already reading complaints about how very impeccably smooth and perfect Kate’s skin appears.

Would we want it any other way, really? No. We wouldn’t want the face of our favorite cosmetic or fragrance line, whether it’s Queen Latifah for Cover Girl, Keira Knightley for Chanel or James Franco for Gucci startlingly and garishly REAL.

We need to face facts; it’s all part of the FANTASY of BEAUTY. If I want to see dark circles and under-eye bags, I will look in the mirror when I first wake up.  I certainly don’t want to see them in beauty ads.

Retouche Viva, oui?  Oui.

My mom has approximately 12 eyelashes. Really.

Not only that, but she’s blonde, so you wouldn’t think that she has any at all when you look at her. She has considered trying Latisse but is wary of side effects, and I think that she should definitely try the new Lancome Definicils Precious Cells Mascara first.

This new formulation of the ever-popular Definicils promises to regrow and repair lashes after as little as four weeks of use. Plus, Lancome claims that you’ll see less lash fall-out on removal because of changes in the chemical formulation of this particular product. Good news for women like dear ol’ mom!

Nordstrom, $29.

Lancome mascaras are wonderful. And now, thanks to the good people at Sephora, you can try all of their range at a super cheap price.

The Best Lashes Mascara Gift Set comes with:

- 0.09 oz DÉFINICILS – High Definition Mascara
- 0.07 oz HYPNÔSE – Custom Volume Mascara
- 0.135 oz HYPNÔSE DRAMA – Instant Full Body Volume Mascara
- 0.07 oz CILS BOOSTER XL – Super-Enhancing Mascara Base
- 1.7 oz BI-FACIL – Double-Action Eye Makeup Remover

All are mini sizes so you can try them and decide which one is your favourite. It’s no risk shopping at its very best!

$25 – Lancome Best Lashes Mascara Gift Set

I prefer to forgo foundation in the summer, but that’s not always possible. On a blotchy day or when attending an evening event, a more traditional makeup option is sometimes necessary, and that’s why we’re tackling your warm-weather foundation problems in this part of our Summer Makeup Wardrobe.

Mineral powder foundation is the way to go when temperatures rise. Where I live, it’s possible to start sweating just walking from your house to your car, and liquid foundation starts to slip and slide all over your face immediately. For its mattifying qualities and buildable coverage, I choose Lancome Ageless Minerale Powder Foundation.

Mineral makeup is great for summer because it’s less likely to clog pores and cause blemishes than traditional makeup, and when you’re oily and sweating, you need all the help warding off blemishes that you can get. Put on a moisturizer with an SPF, dust a little bit of this on top and you’re good to go.

Sephora, $42.

Well except when I’m saying good bye to wrinkles, so you better believe that I’ll be picking up Lancome’s Bon Voyage Wrinkles collection.

This set includes:
- 0.5 oz High Résolution Collaser-5X Intense Collagen Anti-Wrinkle Serum
- 0.5 oz High Résolution Refill-3X Triple Action Renewal Anti-Wrinkle Cream SPF 15
- 0.25 oz High Résolution Eye Refill-3X Triple Action Renewal Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream

Bon Voyage Wrinkles

$38 – Lancome

In which case, Lancome’s Sun Cherub highlighting powder is for you. This will give you that sun-kissed glow which, at this point in winter, might be just a distant memory.

And, seriously, how glorious is that packaging? I could just sit and stare at it all day.

‘Sun Cherub’ Highlighting Powder

$40 – Lancome

In the past, I’ve found cream eyeshadows kinda challenging. I find they tend to crease more quickly than powder formulations.

So you can imagine my joy when I found Lancome’s Color Design Cream Eyeshadows. These are AMAZING. They glide on easily, work well when you’re blending and seem to last forever.

Color Design Cream Eyeshadow

$22 – Lancome

Teenage girls are impossible – IMPOSSIBLE – to shop for. Trends and tastes change so quickly that what you might be buying for them is almost certainly passe by the time that they receive it, and there’s little you can do about it.

One solid exception to that rule seems to be Lancome Juicy Tubes. They were popular when I was in high school, they’re popular now, and they seem like they’re going to remain that way for the foreseeable future. They aren’t too highly pigmented so they seem fairly safe for girls just old enough to be exploring makeup, and they always made me feel a bit cool when I was 14 because I they were from a brand that was fancier than most of my Wet-N-Wild drugstore makeup.

So if you’ve got a teenage girl on your shopping list – perhaps a niece or neighbor whose more specific tastes are a mystery – maybe this relatively inexpensive gift set would be right up their alley.

Sephora, $39.50.

I don’t know if I like the idea of something that resembles a sander coming anywhere near my face, but many mineral make up buffs (pardon the pun) are lauding Lancome’s ‘Ôscillation Powerfoundation’ as the next big thing in mineral makeup.

This is supposed to help you easily apply your mineral powder foundation easily and quickly. Just turn on the oscillator and it gently whirrs away, giving you a flawless complexion in less than a minute.

I think I might give this a try. At the moment, I spend a good ten minutes buffing my mineral makeup in. Anything that can give me a few more minutes in bed in the morning, is surely worth a try.

Ôscillation Powerfoundation

$48 – Lancome

Forget property and stocks.  Buying Lancome’s Juicy Tubes is my version of investment buying.  I simply can’t resist them.

Sephora are currently offering a limited edition set called Rose Fishnets.  The set consists of a Rose Fishnet Juicy Tube (a rosy pink with shimmers of gold throughout) AND a lip contour, which will give you a perfectly lined pout.

But get in quick – this set is only available for a limited time!

Rose Fishnets Juicy Tubes Set

$18 – Lancome

 It was always a matter of time before the prestige cosmetic companies started including mineral makeup in their product offerings.

The latest to enter the Mineral Makeup is beauty mega-giant, Lancome with their Ageless Mineral Foundation.  This foundation promises to brighten the skin and hide all those little imperfections we gals hate.  It also promises to fight the visible signs of aging.

Unlike some of our favourites, this product does contain bismuth, which can make sensitive skin itch.  That aside, this product is proving uber popular, with product practically running off the shelves.

Ageless Mineral Foundation

$40 – Lancome