Annie Crawford
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Bronzer + Blush For Redheads With Over 40 Skin

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Two pale white arms with seven swatches of blush and bronzer

Searching for flattering bronzer and blush for redheads with over 40 skin? Do the usual bronzers and blushes for redheads give you clowny blotch face? You’re not alone.

As my skin has aged to a fine, new configuration and my freckles have begun to merge, my go-to shimmery blushes have betrayed my newly ‘mature’ skin. Hoping for a solution—surely the internet can help!—I searched millions (!) of keyword combinations like fair skin + ruddy skin + light skin + over 40 skin + over 40 freckles + bronzer for redheads + blush for redheads + warm skin tones + red hair + redhead + blush for aging skin. I had no luck.

TL;DR Bronzer + Blush for Redheads

Seven blushes and bronzers for 40-ish skin that give good glow, not clown vibes or ‘I want to be Forever 21’ vibes (which, we can probably all admit none of us want anyway given that company’s terrible track record of human and environmental abuses). Here are the products in the order we photographed them:

  • Alamar Brighten & Bronze Complexion Trio in Light/Fair (Pale Where? and Cafe con Leche)
  • Hip Dot Blush in Solstice
  • OFRA Highlighter in Rodeo Drive
  • Arbonne Blush in Blossom
  • Milk Lip & Cheek Stick in Werk
  • YC Collection Blush in Fresa
  • Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer

The Very Sexy Backstory

Obviously, ‘redhead with red undertones’ is not a hot market, as my obsessive searching resulted in little more than listicles titled “BLUSH FOR REDHEADS!” Which, in fact, were listicles of many blushes for many skin types, featuring one porcelain-skinned young ginger wearing Nars Orgasm. I have never been described as porcelain-skinned.

Once I hit 40, the Nars Orgasm standby just didn’t work for me anymore. The peachiness, the shimmer, the pop of it all just read as too fake on my face. I wanted a natural glow, not an obvious attempt.

For those of us over 40 with fair or light skin, freckles, ruddy undertones, and (probably) red hair who struggle with blush and bronzer, LEXANN AND I ARE HERE FOR YOU. (Also, I need to be clear that Lexann is only 39. Okay? She’s a model with redhair and red undertones.) All this to say, whatever your age, you, too, should enjoy the wonders and false youth that a subtle, yet fabulous blush provides. 

THE PLAYERS

Two pale skin white under forearms with swatches of each of the 7 blush and bronzer colors labeled with overlaid text. Lexann's arm on the right has a double flower tattoo.
Yes, it’s silly how similar our skintones are. What’s cool and weird about people is although our skin is so similar, the blushes still looked different on each of us.

Let it be known: I am not a as challenged by blush as I am by bathroom remodels. However, without Lexann who spirit-guided us through this process and supplied all beauty products except the Butter Bronzer, this post would have never happened. In fact, I had hated my current go-to product (Butter Bronzer) until Lexann gently suggested using a different brush.

This led me back to the internet where I found this video, and now I feel like a goddamn pro when I bronze (is that a verb?). The bronzer looks so different when I apply it correctly with the appropriate brush. Like a healthy glow instead of a grey mud streak on my cheek. So, thank you Lexann. Please read her funny blog about bras and birthing and other stuff.

Read on for pictures of each product and the brushes we used; a blurb about how to apply each; and then one or two photos of Lexann and I each wearing the product. 

A Guide to These Important Blush Learnings: 

  1. FILTER FREE: There are no filters OR edits on any of these iPhone pictures, just natural light and a hand-held ring light. Of course I overlaid text, but there are no edits to blemishes or color, etc. About half of the pics were taken in portrait mode and the others in standard photo mode. 
  2. EVEN SKIN TONE: We both have smoothing stuff on under the blushes. Lexann is wearing Makeup Forever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation in Y225 Marble. I’m wearing Elta MD tinted sunscreen and a little Mac Studio Fix powder (color NC10) under my eyes and on my nose. (Totally relatedly: I really hated blush until I evened out my prone-to-red freckly and ruddy Irish complexion. I don’t like foundation, but think that Elta MD’s tinted sunscreen is a miracle machine. In the morning I apply moisturizer, then the (oh-so-gently tinted) sunscreen over top and it evens my skin out. Great for preventing that drunk clown look that occurs for me with blush or bronzer without an even base. If I’m feeling really fancy I’ll spot check with Mac Studio Fix, but that’s maybe twice a month. I’m not a celebrity. If you’re new to all this business and have red skin undertones, bronzer and blush for redheads can look kinda sad when starting with a splotchy base. Just something to consider.)
  3. photo of Makeup forever foundation, a pink makeup sponge, Elta MD tinted sunscreen and Mac Studio fix on a speckled quartz bathroom counterON DECISION MAKING: We applied the blush like we were living life, not walking a red carpet so it’s not overly visible in the pictures. WHICH WAS A BAD CHOICE FOR A MAKEUP BLOG. Admittedly they all kind of look the same in the pics. But they’re not! And hopefully you think, “Oh my, what a nice, healthy glow those gals have, I’d like that, too!” And then our job is done because although I am in no way getting paid for this random post about blush for over-40 skin, I feel deeply in my heart that at least one person will be happy. That’s because they’ll find exactly what I needed all those lonely nights ago, when my black-hole internet searching for “best bronzer and blush for redheads over 40” resulted only in creamy-skinned young maidens wearing Nars Orgasm.  
  4. NO TEAL: If we did this again I would not do it in front of a teal wall. Teal’s pretty and we’re vain and know redheads look nice against this color but for a makeup blog, it pulls attention from the blush color. Next time. We learn.
  5. LEXANN: Whenever I say “we” regarding makeup application, I mean Lexann. The makeup, magic brushes, and application knowledge were all her. 
  6. DON’T PANIC: I have ONE blush/powder/blending brush that I got for free so if you don’t have all these tools you’re gonna be okay. Just get you one. Or even use your finger if you have to. We’ll get there. 

Two redheads with fair skin standing in a bathroom. One woman is smiling and applying blush to a second smiling woman.

So, dear reader, I welcome your cheekbones which may be migrating south, the fact that glittery blush has turned on your newfound wrinkles, your absolute lack of knowledge about blush brushes and bronzers. Or maybe you’re just bored. In any case, I’m glad you’re here. 

Alamar Brighten & Bronze Complexion Trio in Light/Fair

I loved this three-piece contour / bronzer kit with matte colors. It was really natural and I just happened to look sun-kissed and healthy. The colors didn’t read as muddy on my face, which is often the case with contour. I vote yes! Here are the colors we used and how we applied them:


Pale as Where?: Applied as a bronzer on the cheeks, a light dust along the hairline on the forehead, and a light touch along the jawline with a powder brush.

Cafe con Leche: It’s a darker powder that we used as a contour in the hollow under the cheekbone with a contour brush.

Heads up: Lexann explained that the colors in this case can come across orange-y if applied heavily or paired with an orange-y peach blush, so proceed with caution.

Hip Dot Solstice Blush  w/ OFRA Highlighter in Rodeo Drive

The Solstice powder blush looks pretty terrible in the case (direct quote from Lexann) and even on our skin swatches, but she loves it on. Heads up that the loose powder blush can wear off quickly, too.

Solstice: Apply to apple of cheek. Smile, dab, blend! Then, pull it back down your cheekbone toward your ear. Use a blush brush to apply then a powder brush to blend.

Rodeo Drive: Use a pressed powder brush to apply the highlighter lightly above your cheekbones, and on your temples.

Solstice was a little too pinky peachy for me, but still nice and something I would wear without being super crabby about it. The highlighter is also pretty, but doesn’t look as happy and glowy on my skin as on Lexann’s. The blush looked different on Lexann, less obvious and gave her more natural glow. In the photos, Lexann also has more highlighter glow than I do.

Also, we layered Solstice and Rodeo Drive over Pale as Where? and Cafe con Leche. As you can see, Lexann’s application has a little more depth. This is a pro makeup move and one that’s way beyond my one-step reality. So if you are also a pro, Lexann has great strategy. If you are a newbie/have no time/don’t wanna, you’re totally okay only using one thing.

For all the upcoming products, we removed color before applying the new blush or bronzer. So, no layering from here on out.

Arbonne Blossom Blush

We applied Blossom with a blush brush to the apples of our cheeks (Smile, ladies!), then dragged (gently) the brush back along the cheekbone toward the ear. 

Funny how different the colors look against the different backdrops and with natural light vs. bathroom lighting. This color is really pretty and very natural. It reads a little deeper on Lexann than me. I’d use this as a daily go-to.

Milk Lip + Cheek Stick in Werk

Okay, this is both a lip and cheek stick, but we didn’t do any lips because this is a blush blog, but it seems important to do one in the future, against a non-teal backdrop. 

Werk: Don’t be scared! Just dot the product on the apples of your cheeks directly from the stick, then blend out with your fingers. Be gentle! I tugged the heck out of my cheeks by accident. This one is mauve-y-er than I’d typically wear, but with the tinted sunscreen under it didn’t make me cranky, but it wouldn’t be my go-to.

Fresa Liquid Blush by YC Collection 

This product is a doozy. It has a lip gloss type applicator and, boy, is it pigmented.

We each only did one dab on each apple of each cheek and it packed a punch. Might want to start with dabbing it onto the back of your hand and then applying it sparingly from there.

I finger blended and Lexann blended it with a powder brush.

My Favorite: Butter Bronzer by Physician’s Formula

This was the bronzer I landed on after my aforementioned blackholing about possible bronzer and blush for redheads with reddish-toned fair skin. My research led me to Benefit Hoola Lite or this, and this was cheaper, so I tried it first.

I don’t love the fake coconut smell of this bronzer. And the weird sponge pad that came with is what led me astray originally, thinking I hated this bronzer. That’s because I was applying it wrong (with the wrong tool) and it gave me mud streaks down the hollows of my cheeks. Don’t use the bonkers applicator (not pictured) it comes with.

But once Lexann told me the novel idea of using the right brush, I started using my one and only powder brush to apply it like this I really like it. It’s very natural and I feel like I look sun kissed naturally.

Goodbye For Now, Bronzer + Blush for Redheads

That’s the end of this blushy tale. What do you say friends? Have you tried any bronzer or blush for redheads you love? Tell us your secrets if you having something fabulous up your sleeve (or in your makeup bag).

 

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In Home Remodel

Bathroom Wallpaper: Adventures in Home Remodeling

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Close up of midcentury brass and white globe wall sconces against green penny tile. A reflection of palm wallpaper is an arched mirror.

True to form, our bathroom renovation (with fabulous bathroom wallpaper!) took 6.5 months longer than necessary. We do love to avoid suggestions like: have all the materials on-hand before starting the project. If you also would like a two week bathroom remodel to take seven months, read my handy how-to guide!

Modern tropical bathroom with green penny tile and palm frond wallpaper.
The finished product!

Step 1: Gut the bathroom before all the materials are in your possession.

You may choose to have one item on-hand, like we had our vanity base, but don’t stockpile any other finishes. This means, don’t have the tile, sink, faucet, lighting, accessories, wallpaper, new door, door handle, door hinges, or…pretty much anything else ready and waiting before you take your bathroom apart.

Weathered wood vanity with grey and white quartz top. White wood mirror and mauve bathroom walls.
Before the remodel.
Mauve bathroom wall with white shiplap, a grey and white quartz vanity, and shabby chic finishes.
Soon to be stripped, drywalled, and wallpapered.
white bathroom with sink vanity
After the tear-out. There was no floor tile under the original built-in vanity.

The 15-year old mauve paint in our (only) bathroom was weathered. The wood vanity was looking pretty beat, too. We worried what we would find under the white shiplap on the righthand wall, or under the built-in vanity, but fortunately there was no rot or damage. Once the vanity was out, the shiplap and mirror off, our contractor dry walled everything smooth and painted it all Super White by Benjamin Moore.

Step 2. Order items piecemeal as the project goes along.

This can be wildly satisfying and prolong the renovation process many, many months beyond all expectation. Your contractor will also get a real kick out of this. For example, it’s pretty fun to assume that you can easily find square, white tile to fill the hole left where the vanity was removed. 

Wrong! Turns out those f*ckers are elusive. So, we either had to install non-matching white tiles (the scandal!), remove the entire tile floor and install something totally new (no thank you to the cost), or go rogue. 

Step 3. Don’t consider measurements when ordering lighting.

We brazenly ordered (non-returnable!) lights from our local  Berkeley Lighting store. The Berkeley Lighting crew is incredibly helpful and we love the lights, but we didn’t consider how much space the two, 7-inch diameter, mid-century wall sconces we chose would occupy on our vanity wall. Of course we had our contractor install them as soon as they came and we quickly realized that (with our non-returnable lights installed), our mirror size options had become extremely limited. Turns out, there aren’t a ton of mirrors that are 20 inches wide and 32 inches tall. Hmmm.

The lights we selected were the Stella wall sconces and the Nadia ceiling flush mount, both in aged brass and both by Mitzi Hudson Valley Lighting.

white bathroom vanity in a partially remodeled bathroom with green penny tile backdrop
Who us, measure?
white, midcentury modern flush mount globe light
The Nadia by Mitzi
green tape measures out potential mirror sizes between two midcentury modern bathroom wall sconces
Where is this miracle mirror?

Step 4. Attempt to defy logic via endless hours of online shopping.

Even if your wife tells you (repeatedly) that you may have to get a custom mirror (due to your lighting snafu), really clock those hours trolling Wayfair, AllModern, Target, heck, even Amazon, for a not-ugly (heck even an ugly) 20W x 32 H mirror. Persist despite all odds. Seek out any and all home furnishing and thrift stores open in a pandemic, hoping for that mirror miracle. Then, after weeks of looking, ordering, trying, returning, ad infinitum, surrender to the custom route. For our custom mirror, we used  Top Glass Co. in West Oakland to realize our arched vision. They did an awesome job, the mirror is gorgeous, but of course custom is never cheaper. So! Perhaps be more strategic than us? Or not!

Little baby mirror, will you ever grow into your tape?
Little baby mirror, will you ever grow into your tape?
A man in a neon green vest installs a mirror over a bathroom vanity
Custom mirror fits perfect.

Step 5: Make design decisions as you go. 

Nothing’s more fun than a game of chance, right? Why not base your whole bathroom on brassy gold hardware only to discover that no one makes double rocker light switches in the right shade of brassy gold. And, similarly, no one makes the proper brassy gold sink faucet so you’ll have to have more shine than you want in your sink or sacrifice an ungodly (ungoldly?) amount of money that you can’t really stomach paying.

If we had ordered everything before installing anything we would have decided what worked and didn’t. But instead we plowed bravely ahead, wily-nily as the kids are saying these days, ordered piecemeal, became disappointed, returned and waited for deliveries, were dis-pleased, returned and ordered again, over and over again. 

Step 6: Ignore the finish on your lighting. 

Bet you didn’t even think of this. We didn’t, either. Turns out the Mitzi Stella wall sconces we chose have frosted glass globes. But the Mitzi Nadia flush mount ceiling light (which appeared to have a frosted white globe light cover and is by the same brand) looks totally different and is actually milk glass. This means when the lights are all on they don’t really match.

All this may seem like splitting hairs when there’s a global pandemic and racial injustice is rampant (P.S. this newsletter on anti-racism is a wonderful resource!) and people are truly suffering and so I recognize the utter insipidness of these quibbles and yet, I feel compelled to share these lessons learned. How was I to know? Well, apparently, the internet knew. Also, I knew! 

white woman in a white dress taking a selfie in the remodeled bathroom.
Too many golds.

I used to write home renovation articles (for 3 years) for a well-known home improvement services site and I always wrote about how to be prepared for your remodel. Specifically, I interviewed countless contractors who told readers to have all their materials on-hand before starting the work. Turns out in the midst of a national crisis I forgot the simple facts. Next time! For now we’ll be gentle with ourselves.

What we should have done. 

If I could time travel to July 2020 Annie and tell her one thing, it would be: ORDER ALL THE MATERIALS BEFORE HAVING THE CONTRACTOR COME AND RIP OUT YOUR BATHROOM. We had months of a shell of a bathroom because every “32-inch” sink top we ordered arrived too small (not our fault!), or the cool, glass-paneled door we decided we needed last minute (definitely our fault!) would be on back order (because, pandemic). Stuff like that.

I would gently shake that naive girl and say, “July 2020 Annie, focus! Do a little cut and paste, get your vision in place. Then order the parts! You can do it! I believe in you! Then, wait for it all to arrive (!) and see how you like it all together. Why, you might even go ahead and order the tile now because surely that special, celadon penny tile you want will take weeks to deliver. Just think about it, July 2020 Annie. As January 2021 Annie, I don’t want to boss you around or anything, but I do think it’d make your life a little easier.” Or something along those lines. 

Fortunately

The only real disruption to life was the the sink and vanity coming out (and a solid two months of no bathroom door). This means that despite our backwards approach to remodeling our only bathroom—and a good amount of tooth brushing in the kitchen sink—we didn’t have to forgo basic sanitation and pee in a bucket or hose shower in the backyard.

Let’s talk bathroom wallpaper.

There’s lots to love about a fabulous bathroom. A makeup moment. Hair party. Hot showers. But let’s be honest when we admit that wallpaper really makes the party. I’ve wanted bathroom wallpaper since junior high when Jenny T’s parents remodeled and put a dark, floral, elegant paper in the half bath. I marveled. Is this even allowed? Glamour paper in the loo? Turns out as an adult you can do whatever you want. (Mostly. I also loved one friend’s bathroom in Ashland, OR, but as an adult I’ve come to see that carpeting and bathrooms don’t mix.)

The two keys to bathroom wallpaper success are:
  • Moisture-friendly wallpaper
  • Competent wallpaper installation

We got the paper from MuralsWallpaper. They have interesting, modern designs, plus they’ll send three free samples, which I appreciate. We chose their ‘heavy-grade’ wallpaper, which they say stands up better in wet environments. The heavy paper is gorgeous, with almost a linen look.  Plus the design has a full-on tropical palm, modern retro vibe. My wife’s sister said it best when we sent her a photo:

“It looks like a South Beach hotel bathroom.”

Nice. I didn’t even know it, but that was our goal precisely. Kind of a gay art deco Miami dream. Jim’s Wallpaper did the install, thankfully, and it looks amazing. 

white man in red shirt installing wallpaper on a white wall.
Pro wallpaper install! Worth it.
three wallpaper samples against a white wall.
Our three wallpaper samples.
tropical palm wallpaper installed in a bathroom
Install complete!

We swore never to remodel again. 

After our 9-month, no-kitchen heartbreak con man remodel disaster (wherein we were rescued by an amazing cabinet crew, our contractor friend, and my wife finally putting her foot down after a maniac swindler tried to take all our money and we had an empty hole in our house and a random dude in boat shoes showing up every odd Tuesday for the better part of a year) we SWORE we would never remodel again. *sigh.*

Turns out after that terrible experience, our amazing cabinet guys gifted us a bathroom vanity to match the gorgeous custom kitchen cabinets they installed. We hid it in the garage as long as could, but there’s only so long you can hide something that pretty away. After a year had passed with our kitchen complete, we started anew. So glad we did, it looks glorious! 

completed bathroom remodel, arched mirror, globe wall sconces,
All the pretty pieces!

Design party.

Our original plan was to put wallpaper behind the vanity, but then we pivoted and thought, why not rip the funky-ass shiplap off the side wall, wallpaper the sidewall, and cascade tile down the sink wall down and under the vanity. We’re like jungle cats, nimble! Turns out, we loved how it looked. So, it all came together, far slower than we might have hoped, but fabulously nontheless. 

My favorite touches were these square brass shelves. We added one to the left side of the vanity to hold our toothbrush (no one wants to ruin this gorgeous look with an electric toothbrush plugged in on top) and then we added two more above the shower to hold sweet little potted plants. We had the owner of Flora Arte help us make wee little potted buddies. We love him, so all you East Bay folks, go visit his shop in Berkeley on MLK. 

Two brass shelves holding plants, installed above a white-tiled shower
It's a jungle in here!
White bathroom remodel with brass planter boxes hanging above the shower wall.
Plants!

The end.

That’s our latest home renovation saga. We make this house more over-the-top each year. Have you been doing any shelter-in-place home remodel projects? Tell me alllllabout it.

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Lose the Depression Sweater: How to Pick Paint Colors for a North-facing Room

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If you’ve always got the blues, you might have the wrong paint for your north-facing room. See, I learned all about paint while avoiding a kitchen remodel. It was the classic home renovation pick and roll; renovate the bedrooms instead of tackling the non-operational kitchen. I mean, why start on a truly urgent project when you can tailspin for months over paint colors for north-facing rooms?

I’ll show you pics of the fabulous coral and true teal we decided, on as well as giving specific color suggestions below, but if all you want are bullet points without the backstory, the key takeaways when painting a north-facing room include:

  • Stark white paint is no good in north-facing rooms. More on why below
  • Warm neutrals (and whites with warm undertones) are a solid substitute for bright/stark white
  • Dramatic dark colors give a north-facing room depth
  • Pastels with warm undertones work well
  • Pastels with cool undertones can look tragic
  • Room decor, flooring, and exterior foliage impact the undertones in your paint selection. I linked resources below for understanding undertones

Backstory:

A few years ago, our electric oven broke (bear with me, this does circle back to paint). The easy fix would be replacing the oven, but my wife really wanted a gas range—and that meant hiring a plumber. Besides that, our janky white shaker cabinet doors were constantly falling off and the footprint of the galley kitchen was tooooo small for two cooks; so if we were going to do one thing, we were going to do it all.

photo of a galley kitchen with white shaker cabinets
The wee kitchen galley with disobedient cabinet doors and non-functional oven.


My wife and I were terrified of taking on a kitchen remodel (rightly so, it turns out the process has been fraught with drama). So over two years of remodel denial we became experts at the no-stove workaround. My wife should write a lifestyle cookbook for the Instapot, crockpot, and countertop toaster oven crowd. After TWO YEARS of no-stove crock pot cooking we said, this is ridiculous! We are grown women! We can face our fears…and we promptly agreed to repaint the bedrooms.

Renovating the bedrooms

As any novice home renovator soon finds out, just repainting the rooms does not suffice. The carpets were disgusting from years of doggies, the original 1950s baseboards were jank, and the original closet was a dysfunctional monster. So, instead of a quick paint touch-up, we embarked on a two-month bedroom overhaul. Classic avoidance technique (do you see how we artfully pushed aside the kitchen work?). 

Choosing the paint

I thought the pale, icy blue of the guest and main bedrooms always felt cold and shadowy. Even when the sun was shining I’d wrap up in a depression sweater when I was back there.

A pale blue wall with old and damaged baseboards
Sad blue paint and sad 1950s baseboards

What I didn’t know then is that north facing rooms have minimal direct sunlight, so colors with cool undertones make cold shadows. So although the blue was, in theory, a beautiful pastel, in our north-facing rooms the color looked drab and cold.

We tend toward modern design and reasoned brighter and whiter might be a good choice. Boy was I wrong. After deep diving into blogs and paint sites, I learned that the type of sun exposure the rooms get impacts how the paint colors look on the walls. So instead of fabulously airy and light, true white looks grey and dingy in cool light, delivery dreary institutional vibes.

Counter to my ideas, light theory was teaching me that bold, rich colors bring warmth and life to dark rooms. In our shadowy room, deep colors could create a sense of coziness as opposed to the depression sweater vibe of our current pale blue.

View through a bedroom window to a small patio and back hill
We have large windows on the north wall of both bedrooms, but the windows look up a wooded hillside and never receive direct sunlight.
Empowered by countless home remodel blogs, I embarked on a campaign to paint our main bedroom a warm, glowing deep teal and our guest room/office a fabulous coral. Here is my teal paint Pinterest inspiration board and my coral wall paint Pinterest inspiration board.

A few years back when we painted the living room and dining room, we learned (the hard way) that paint color cards DO NOT LOOK ANYTHING LIKE what ends up on your wall. This is because the orientation of your room, your interior lighting, your decor, carpet color, and the amount of natural sunlight you receive all impact how the color looks. 

woman making a silly face in front of multiple paint swatches painted on a wall
Lessons learned from the living room. Don’t lose your mind amongst all those lilacs that had masqueraded as grey at the paint store.
As a result of painting millions of misleading sample grays on our living room walls back then, we had a better strategy for painting our bedrooms this time. Try it out if you like:

  1. Search Pinterest for paint inspo for North-facing rooms! Make a Pinterest board with colors you like
  2. Consider your decor (bed frame, carpet/flooring, artwork and overheard lighting) and what colors would look good?
  3. Bring your Pinterest boards to your paint shop and have them help you color match some of the paint cards to the pics
  4. Buy no more than four paint samples to test on the walls
  5. Paint large (at least 2 or three foot squares) swatches of each color on the main walls

I wish I had better photos of our teal paint samples, but thanks to the crap natural lighting in our main bedroom, photographing this room is like trying to bathe a cat. Never a good time with natural light and overhead light casts strange shadows. Here is my best attempt:

teal paint swatches on a light-colored wall
From the top, clockwise: Real Teal, Seaworthy, Oceanside, Great Falls. All by Sherwin Williams
The coral guest room photographs far better thanks to an overhead skylight that augments the natural light in the room.

coral colored paint swatches painted on a light blue wall. Grey carpet samples against a brown carpet.
From left to right: Ravishing Coral and Lei Flower by Sherwin Williams. In addition to my photog skills, this pic shows off our grody old carpet, the new carpet options (spoiler, we went w/ the darker one) and those beat down baseboards, which are now replaced.
Our final paint choices

Curious how the rooms turned out? We chose Lei Flower for the guest room / office and Real Teal for our bedroom. I LOVE the coral paint and I adore the teal BUT I flubbed on the teal by choosing a semi-gloss sheen. In retrospect I would have done a satin sheen in the teal like I did with the coral. The semi-gloss is just too damn shiny. Here are the final pics:

  • view into a guest room with pale blue walls
    Before: Guest room with pale blue paint
  • empty room with coral paint
    After: New, Lei Flower coral paint (with old carpet)
  • Room with coral paint and home decor touches
    After: Lei Flower coral paint AND snazzy new baseboards and carpet

  • photo of a bedroom with bed, artwork, and pale blue walls
    Before: Our bedroom with the old, pale blue paint. Doesn’t it look bleak?
  • Bedroom with dark teal walls
    After: Our bedroom with Real Teal walls. Purdy! Now to change that fan…
  • bedroom with shiny, teal walls
    After: Pretty dreamy

    Pretty, but so reflective!

Resources: Paint for north-facing rooms

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Old Man Dog Mom Woes

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Scooter, my old man dog, has recently embraced incontinence as a lifestyle choice. 

Poor little dude. I took him to the vet, and they ran a $300 test to tell me if there’s a thing to do, but in the meantime my reactions to taking him out to pee every 30 minutes make me feel like an asshole

My kid parent friends are noble. They stay up nights and feed babies and tend to sick kids and clean barf out of beds and I never hear them say things like, “can I just put him in a kennel?”

I love him like crazy. I don’t want him to suffer, but I also don’t want to wake up three times each night to let him out to urinate. And those times that he doesn’t whine to be let out, he just pees in his bed. My mom friends (I don’t know about all dudes, but among my hetero couple friends, it is really only the ladies who are doing this work) seem to be more focused on their baby’s well-being than urine ruining their carpet, while I constantly am concerned about Scooter pee leaking through his bed. 

Unto you a doggy is born

It all started two weeks ago while my wife was out of the country. I was having an emotional melt (not directly related to being alone, but certainly the loneliness compounded it) and woke up wanting comfort (poor me!) and looked to Scooter for morning snuggles. Instead of a soft and fluffy coat I found his bed soaked and his fur drenched in pee. I felt it really lent a type of gravitas to the depths of my self-pity to get on my hands and knees and blot urine stains from our new carpet (!) instead of crying softly in bed over the weight of my feelings. Next, a de-pee fur bath. I even tried to blow dry him, but he was not interested. 

Later that day, I face-timed a friend to recount my sorrows, and she happened to be at the doctor’s office. She was waiting for an appointment for her littlest one, due to the fact that her three kids, all under age seven, were up the night before barfing and she had spent the night comforting them, bathing them, and cleaning up vomit. She was tired but mostly just concerned about her daughters’ health. What I mean to say, she was more concerned with her kids than herself. 

So.

I feel like there’s a lesson here:

  • It’s great that I’m not a kid mom
  • Maybe I could pray for patience

*Just so you know, I am really sweet to Scooter and always tend to all his needs, but inside I secretly wish my dog brought me bed coffee and fed himself. *

Redwood glamour dog
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