Menopause Update, Beauty Products and Gadgets

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and BeautyI’ll start with a quick menopause update.  HRT was a lifeline for me, especially when I was working full time, had teenagers and other family issues going on. It gave me my sanity and, thank goodness, for it.  I must give a big shout out to MP Carolyn Harris in her bid to drive a ‘menopause revolution’.  Mrs Harris’ Private Members’ Bill would make HRT free for women in England (it’s already free in Scotland!!).  Hopefully, there won’t be much of a fight and this bill will sail through – it’s only fair!  Did you know men can get Viagra free on the NHS?  A prescription for HRT can cost £9.35 per item, which isn’t cheap!

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and BeautyI started taking HRT, in 2013.  Then, roll forward to a year ago – I was hitting sixty and decided to slowly wean myself off it.  One of the main reasons was I didn’t want to be taking too much medication. Around the fifty-year-old mark, I discovered I have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) which I take a daily pill for. Plus, I’ve discovered I’m B12 deficient.  I also use Estradiol pessaries, twice a week.  This is a hormone (oestrogen) that is used by women to help reduce vaginal symptoms of menopause such as vaginal discomfort and dryness.  This has helped me a lot.  Oh, the joys!

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and BeautyI was under no pressure from the doctor to come off HRT, which is a good sign that things are beginning to change. In the past, when having my six-monthly HRT check, the doctor or nurse would be quite forceful in wanting me to stop taking it.  Once I decided to stop HRT, the doctor assured me that, if I changed my mind and wanted to continue taking it, all was good. This was when she suggested the Estradiol pessaries, which have helped a lot.  Weaning myself off HRT wasn’t as easy as I thought and a long process of stops and starts…..You can read about it here.  Nowadays, I’m coping without it.  There have been slight changes for me since I’ve stopped.  For instance, I have noticed I’m shedding a little bit more hair than usual and my skin is slightly dryer, along with the odd bout of restless sleep. But, not enough of the “usual suspect” symptoms to go back onto it.

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and Beauty I have never had Botox or fillers.  I must admit to being a little scared in case it all goes wrong.  Hence, I’m always on the search for more natural beauty products which are effective for me – brands that I can relate to. By that, I mean brands who do products which are age inclusive and show cool, un-photoshopped images of strong, real women at whatever age and stage. Why can’t it be the norm (instead of the opposite) to show our natural wrinkled lifelines? There is a small number of brands starting to use older women but nowhere near enough for me to feel included.  When I see this, it makes me sit up and take notice.

As always with products, I read lots of reviews from the customers who have bought them.  If you, too, are looking for a few remedies, I hope you find something, here, which may be beneficial to you.  I haven’t listed all the ingredients in my review as I didn’t want to baffle or bore you with the finer detail. If you follow the link through to the product, this information will be there:

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and BeautyRegaine for Women Hair Loss & Regrowth Scalp Solution 2%with Minoxidil, 60 ml.

From my early fifties, I noticed I was shedding more than the usual – one hundred hairs per day. Since I have stopped my HRT, this has increased slightly, and I don’t think it helps having an under active thyroid condition.  When checking online for products to use to help with this, the product “Regaine” came up, time and time again.

“Minoxidil”, which is the main ingredient in this brand, is also sold under other brand names. It is a medication used for the treatment of hair loss. It comes in a few different forms such as a liquid and foam.  Regaine’s job is to reactivate the inactive hair follicles which it does do. But, a lot of patience is needed to see the results, which can be two to four months into using it.  This product must be used, continuously, or the hair loss will revert to normal – which I have found out when I stopped using it.

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and BeautyI have been using this, on and off, for around two years.  I only use it on my temples.  It does work – a quick squirt on both temples, then I massage it in, at bedtime.  Also, make sure you begin on the lesser strength as I once bought the higher strength, by mistake, and my skin wouldn’t tolerate it.

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Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and Beauty

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and BeautyMaybelline Tattoo Brow Long-lasting Gel Tint medium brown

The shops are filled to the brim with an array of eyebrow pencils, pomades, gels and waxes amongst other gadgets for our eyelashes and eyebrows.  However, this product got my attention, I’d read it is a quick fix for darkening my eyebrows in between tinting my brows.  I decided to give it a try.

I tint my own eyebrows every four to six week’s.  I thought this would be the perfect solution for that in between phase.  Read here on how I do it.

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and BeautyThe “Good”.

I have used this product three to four times since purchasing and I find it easy to apply.  The applicator is good and I found it easy to correct little mistakes to refine the shape. It’s very good for the areas where eyebrows are sparse.  The first time I used it I only left it on for twenty minutes – just in case I looked like Groucho Marks!  I now leave it on for one hour as I like the pigment left by the product. I find it to be more intense and it lasts longer.  I took it on my last holiday, a few weeks ago, and found it great for a quick touch up.  I like the medium brown, too. I think it suits my colouring.  There are five colours to choose from.

The “Not So Good”.

This product doesn’t last three days, as indicated – one to two days, at best.  The solution can be gloopy, too, making it tricky to work with.  Have a cotton bud at hand, for mistakes. Apart from that, I think it’s a great way to have a quick fix and I will purchase, again, when I run out. But, there are probably more brands to choose from who are doing similar products. So, I’ll do a little searching, online.

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Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and BeautyMagnitone Lift-off Microcurrent Facial Toning and Lifting (Pink) £70.00

I have been considering buying a micro-current device for a while following the rave reviews by Bloggers and YouTubers, alike.  I was going to buy the “NuFACE Trinity” but then I saw the “Magnitone Lift-off” for sale, at a great price – so, I thought it was worth a try.

If you are not familiar with micro current devices, they have been used in expensive salons, for years. And, now, we can use these devices, ourselves.  The makers state the benefits are:

  • tighter and firmer skin with fewer wrinkles,

  • brighter & more youthful looking skin,

  • plumper, thicker, and fuller lips without the injections,

  • reduced and/or eliminated jowls & nasolabial folds,

  • slight “lift” effect with more defined jawline & cheekbones, and

  • anti-aging effects.

This is supposed to be one of the most effective means to quickly firm and tone sagging skin. I have heard it called the “Slendertone” for your face.  I have been using mine on the first setting for around four weeks. I can’t say I like the sensation of the device on my face. But, I’m getting used to it and trying to use it, every day, time allowing.  The device comes with gel which you apply to your face, first. It also comes with a booklet with recommended exercises. Magnitone say this shouldn’t take more than five minutes – but I take a little longer.  My skin feels toned but I think it’s a little early to see the results. I’m not expecting miracles but a slight improvement will be good.  I need to take some photographs to see if there’s a difference.

Top tip – The Magnitone gel is £8.00 per bottle.  I purchased some ultrasound gel (Anagel – see link below) £4.00 for a pack of two, what a saving!  It does the same job.

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Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and Beauty

Dose & Co Collagen Peptides Unflavoured 200g

I had been reading a lot about Collagen supplements.  This is a protein which is responsible for healthy joints and skin elasticity, or stretchiness. It’s in our bones, muscles, and blood.

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and Beauty

Unfortunately, as we age, our existing collagen breaks down and it gets harder for our bodies to produce more.  Foods to go for which are rich in collagen are fish, chicken, egg whites, citrus fruits, berries, red and yellow vegetables, and garlic.  The reviews were very good for this product which swayed me to try it. But, I have since found out this is not suitable for vegetarians. So, as much as I want to carry on with the Dose and Co product, I will not be able to use it. So, my quest for a collagen supplement or powder goes on. If you know of a good “veggie” one, please let me know.  It was too early to see any noticeable improvements but if I wasn’t a vegetarian, I would use this product.

Thank you for your time and I hope you have enjoyed reading my post! All of the products are my own purchases.

If you like the pyjamas I’m wearing in today’s post – here they are, plus, a few more cosy items you may like.

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and Beauty

This post may contain some affiliate links. If you click through to the product, there is no cost to you. The small commission I may earn helps with the costs of running my blog.

Midlife and Beyond Life, Style and BeautyPlease leave a message in the comments if you have any questions.

Take care.

Alison x

Other posts you may like:

I’ve Had “CO2″ Laser Treatment. Here’s My Journey!!

Tutorial, Eyelashes and Eyebrows – How I Dye My Own.

Menopause, HRT and Me

The Case for “Retinol/Retin A”!! Does it Help With Droopy Eyelids.

Boot Season! Here’s how I’ve styled mine, this Autumn

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19 Comments

  1. /

    I hope you’re coping with the B12 deficiency ok Alison? My daughter has just been diagnosed and it’s surprising what problems that can cause. I have the Nu Face microcurrent device. I like it and it works. But I’ve just been gifted a very similar device that’s much cheaper and does the same job. Don’t buy the Nuface. xx

    • It was a friend who suggested that I got checked for B12 deficiency and she was so right, I’m feeling so much better now I take my daily booster. The “Magnitone” had great reviews and I’m very happy with it, I did buy it for a great price as some of the other microcurrent devices were so expensive I thought – I must remember to take some photographs so I can compare in a little while.xx

  2. /

    Love those cosy pyjamas on you! It’s good you have found some products that work for you and that changing your medication is going well so far! Thankfully it will be a while before I have to think of things like this!

    Hope that your week is going well 🙂

    • Thank you, Mica. The Pyjama’s are so comfortable, perfect for the months ahead. Nearly
      the weekend already! Enjoy.

      • /

        Some interesting updates! I’m in a similar stage regarding HRT and will write about it. Love to hear about the results of the face toning device. Thanks for linking

        • The joys of the menopause, it seems to go on and on. I must remember to take take some pics while using the face toning device, to compare, I keep forgetting which defeats the object.

  3. Thank you for sharing all of this! I am not in menopause yet, but at 44 it is probably what I have to look forward to next… so, good to know! You look so cute in those PJ’s!

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

    • Thank you so much, Carrie. So true, I wish I’d had more knowledge, especially when I hit the peri-menopause, but it was a subject we just didn’t discuss, I didn’t have any discussions around it with my mum – so it’s great that we are now sharing our experiences with each other at last! xx

    • Hi Julia and welcome to my blog. So pleased you enjoyed this post – we have to keep discussing Menopause as everyone’s experience is so different. xx

  4. /

    Very interesting. I should read more about that device. I have permanent make up done on my eyebrows. The best thing ever! And about collagen, I read on all sorts of sites that collagen never ever can be added to te body.

    • I honestly think the Magnitone is making a difference, though I’m not keen on the sensation when going through the exercises. I was so disappointed not being able to take the Dose & Co Collagen with being a vegetarian, I’ll keep searching for a veggie alternative – it’s got great reviews if you fancy giving it a go and you’re not veggie. I looked into getting my eyebrows microbladed but the beautician was reluctant to do it with me having an under active thyroid. She said from experiencing the delicate skin on my eyebrows wouldn’t heel very well. I’d love to have it done as it looks fabulous, here’s living in hope. Have a great week Nancy!

  5. /

    I love your style and blog. Beautiful! I’m also vegetarian so if you hear of collagen, I’m in. I have to figure out next how to follow your blog! 🙂

    As my English-friend says, “Well done!”

    Wendy http://theinspiredeater.com/

    • Wendy, thank you for subscribing to my blog. IT is not my best subject and my subscriber plug-in wasn’t working properly so thank you again for letting me know. Yes, such a shame about the Dose & Co product – I gave it to a friend and her skin definitely has a glow, so the reviews were right this is a very good product. I will keep on searching. Have a lovely weekend! x

  6. Hello!

    Beautiful pyjamas! Looking very luxurious…and I always like your hair!

    • That is so kind of you. I love wearing a lovely pair of PJ’s around the house, it makes me feel good. Enjoy the rest of your week. xx

  7. First of all, quite stylish in your pjs! I am a nightgown wearer myself 🙂 I appreciate the info on HRT and how it has affected you. I am on a number of meds for my EDS, and am seeing my Gyne to discuss either taking or not taking hormones. I am confident I have been thrugh meno but have to get the hormones checked soon. The eyebrow product looks interesting. Fortunately, at this time I still have a fair amount of hair at the eyebrows 🙂
    thank you for linking!
    jess xx
    http://www.elegantlydressedandstylish.com

  8. /

    I’m here from wowonwednesday linkup.
    I love the pajamas; I think that’s what made me visit. That and the topic of menopause and beauty products.
    I’m on HRT and have no plans of weaning myself off. I tried that once, and I didn’t like the changes.
    I appreciate your review of products; it’s quite helpful.

    You are aging beautifully.

    • Thank you, these are lovely pj’s, perfect for summer. So coincidental that you have left a comment regarding this. Since coming off HRT I have developed a few problems and so have made an appointment to see the HRT nurse at my clinic next week – so, I might be back on it in some shape or form, we shall see.

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