By our slightly disgruntled Jeffrey Dunn

I wonder how it is that the thought of seeing someone age has become something we pretend we don’t see at all.  Skimming through friends current photos on Facebook , I can’t help but notice how much they have all changed and, well, how old most everyone looks.  Obviously I am not firing off messages telling everyone how old they look or how much they now resemble their parents, but God, I want to.  Not out of cruelty , mind you, but just because our 18 year old  selves would have a good laugh (or cry) knowing we have become exactly what we promised we wouldn’t.

Bigger is better when it comes to mirrors and faces.  Magnification helps you deal with issues created by applying make-up that regular mirrors won’t even notice .  If ”challenges” are taken care of in “the bigger picture” , the overall outcome improves greatly.I  Yes, at first it is terrifying to look at those Jurassic features looking back at you, Spielberg himself might shutter.  Get over it!  Do your best makeup work at this scale, (5x, 7x,  I am up to 10x) and when you look in a “real” mirror you will gasp.   ”Is that the prom queen?  Oh, no, it’s me.”

Spring wardrobe time!Fashion magazines are fat with luscious, tempting and pricey little  tidbits that create a slight drool in the corner of our mouths.  If that lottery ticket would just come through we would be so exquisitely adorned for the season—or would we?  Spending untold amounts on fashion is not as cool as it once was—extravagance is passé.

We at Aging But Dangerous have decided that as we stare blankly into our closets looking for some thread of inspiration from the frocks that we have become way to familiar with, that there is still hope among “old friends”.  Even if we replaced these loyal companions we would not (could not) spend the money to replace them with the same quality.   To look fabulous without spending a ton of money, just recombine what you already have.  Ask a friend with great taste to come over and help you.  Offer to trade them something that you have or are good at, such as elegant baked desserts, fresh herbs from the garden, marketing help for their new business, the latest good book recommendations, etc.  Barter is the new gig.  (Gay friends can be great at this.  Straight guys just want to see you in your underwear.)

It takes hours to accomplish this rather formidable task, so plan the biggest part of a day to do a double season (spring and summer).  Be brave, try combinations that might seem scary at first blush.  Put a blue chambray shirt with just about anything, combine pink and orange,  resurrect an old pair of earrings to make a gutsy statement (look at Diane Sawyer’s earrings).