There are enough cosmetics suppliers out there right now to handle any problem a lady over 50 might have. And makeup tips galore! BUT, you do need to be a mite more careful in the way you choose them. For example: Avoid the word "fragrance" in the products you buy. That is a tall order. You might have to settle for "fragrance" being at the tail end of the ingredients list, but that’s better than having it in the top three slots.

Yes, skin does change over time. Not from oily to dry - that stays the same. But we do develop new sensitivities. We lose collagen and elastin. Sun exposure is a major portion of the problem but not the whole story.

As we age the cells divide and redivide again and again, but they don’t stay the same. Over time they attract more calcium than they rightfully need, making the area tough and possibly painful. More likely they start to lose their building-block shape and mush down around the cells in the next level. Now those cells just might have some scar tissue from old sun burns or just day-to-day sun exposure. We call the resulting change of surface "wrinkles."

Moisturizers help temporarily, but they don’t cure. They just plump up the area for a few hours.

Yes, we apply various goodies to help the basic skin stay as healthy as possible, but what about facing the big bad world at your next dinner or cocktail party?

Here’s where various but few cosmetics companies have entered the fray, so to speak. RAWMinerals, for example, offers a line of mineral makeup that sets on top of an excellent line of skin-care products. They also send a cheat sheet on how to apply the stuff so that you don't look caked up.

That was my biggest fear with mineral makeup, that it would settle into the crevices and make me look more cracked than I am!

NOT SO!

One applies the tiniest amount and spreads it ever so thin. The result is utterly luminous.