Lisa's Glow & Tell

A weekly round up of what's been bringing me joy, beauty and inspiration. And let's face it, we could all do with a little sparkle in midlife!

I wanted to start this new weekly feature by saying a massive thank you to all of my new subscribers, while also apologising for not bringing my paid subscribers (I love you) anything extra—yet! This is something I’m working on and plan to get underway by the summer. So, watch this space!

Back to this new weekly feature—and if you know me, you’re probably thinking, “weekly? Lisa? Yeah, I’ll believe it when I see it!” and all I can say is: I promise to try my best to get the all the thoughts out of my head and onto this gorgeous Substack space at least once a week.

Ok, enough wittering—let’s jump straight in, because I can’t contain my excitement any longer and neeeeeeed to share my fab findings with you all!

Yellowstone—Yee Ha!

I am so late to the party on this one, so you’ve probably all seen it already—but I’d love to know what you think! My #StressedHusband calls Yellowstone the cowboy version of Succession, and I’d have to agree. It’s centred around a wealthy family who own the largest ranch in America, with rancher John Dutton (Kevin Costner) as the powerful, controlling (abusive?) patriarch.

His damaged adult children—despite frequently voicing (and proving) their hatred for him—still seem to painfully crave his love and approval. So, yes, that’s all very Succession. But I’d say Yellowstone takes its character complexities a couple of shades darker. It’s a fascinating yet gut-wrenching watch, and while it might not be my usual ‘feel-good’ viewing, the edge-of-your-seat storylines and fantastic acting have me completely hooked.

If you’ve watched it, I’d love to hear your take—just no spoilers, please because I’m only on Season 1!

MAFS-AUS

After I’ve watched an episode or two of Yellowstone, I flick over for some light relief to Married at First Sight Australia. Yep, slightly different vibes but again, gripping viewing. When MAFS first aired, ten years ago, it wasn’t something I’d dream of ‘wasting my time’ with. Perhaps that’s because I was in the midst of parenting teens who provided me with enough drama for a lifetime—just over breakfast! Now though, my empty nest needs shaking up and watching relationships blow up on TV rather than in my daughter’s bedroom over FaceTime, means it’s a lot less stressful for me.

They call MAFS an ‘experiment’ which initially sounds clinical and not very romantic. I guess because most of us have been taught that love is a natural thing that our minds and bodies succumb to, which grows for someone, often whether we like it or not and, unlike an experiment, it can’t be measured or quantified—because, really, love is blind isn’t it?—but that’s a whole other show! Then I think of successful arranged marriages and, well, who’s not to say that a stranger, considerately chosen for you by a team of experts, couldn’t wind up being your dream partner? Judging by this series and those past, it sometimes works really well, but more often, even the most compatible of couples don’t wind up going the distance and decide to split up eventually.

I do enjoy the histrionics and getting to watch how these couples evolve—sometimes it’s quite heartwarming and it’s the ones you least expect to hit it off that do. But this year, I do think that the show has started to deliberately a few Machiavellian characters and, when paired with a partner with low self-esteem, it’s starting to feel a little unethical. It’s as if they’re playing with someone’s mental health just for the ratings and that doesn’t sit well with me. So, I will see how it goes and if the producers deal with this, I’ll carry on watching. If not, I may give it a miss. I’d love to know what you think about this—do you agree or not?

S-S-S-STUDIO 10 LOVE

I have always been a lover of a golden, natural bronzed complexion. In the ‘olden days’ circa 1980s, while zooming through the latest Jilly Cooper or Jackie Collins bonk-busters in my garden, I would use zero SPF Carrot Oil to achieve the fashionable St Tropez tan. Who knew then, that years later, this would add up to a face full of brown splodges aka sun damage? Don’t blame me—blame Sports Illustrated and Cosmo cover girl, Christie Brinkley and iconic Charlie’s Angel, Farrah Fawcett for setting the trend!

As a teenager the California burnish was something I coveted beyond all things—and despite living in west London, effortless beachy glam was my aim. As a teenager, the California burnish was something I coveted above all else—and despite living in West London, effortless beachy glam was my ultimate goal. The fact that I ruined my skin by scorching it without protection (0 SPF Carrot Oil, anyone?) and sprayed a concoction of lemon juice and the highly dubious hair lightener, Sun In, onto my hair to achieve sun-bleached highlights—only to end up with orange-tinged split ends instead—was beside the point. I felt glamorous and regardless of my sore, sunburned skin that required dollops of my mum’s Nivea and hair that broke and withered with every comb through, when I went out to the local cocktail bar, wearing my Wham t-shirt and candy coloured ra-ra skirt, I was (in my mind) Acton’s version of Christie and Farrah all rolled into one!

My skin and hair have paid the price of my youthful Californ-i-a desires and I won’t go anywhere now, rain or shine, without a smothering of at least SPF 30 and a huge bottle of hair conditioner. Now I’m skin savvy, I use makeup to fake a little tan-age. If, like me, a fan of bronzing, you’ll know how difficult—and expensive it is to find a product to get the tone just right. I’ve tried plenty of duds over the years, they’re either too orange, too yellow, or the formulation doesn’t lend to blending well enough and so leaves me looking like a toffee apple.

A big, grateful welcome then, to Studio 10’s Perfect Bronze Glow-Plexion Bronzer and Highlighter—what a fab find! I’ve mentioned on Instagram stories before that I love this, and I realise with joy that it doesn’t matter whether your skin is at its most wintery palour or has already been kissed with a hint of watery spring sun, the shade this gives, will magically be just right! I pop a tiny blob on the back of my hand and use a big brush to woosh it around a cleansed and moisturised face. It immediately perks me up and makes me look like I’ve spent an hour or two sipping sun-downers on the Costa del Sol. Unlike some bronzing powders I’ve used, it doesn’t deaden the tone of the skin as if you’ve just been smattered with brick dust by a reversing builders’ lorry—it actually adds a beautiful, soft gleam and highlights, so skin looks tanned and well hydrated. Once I’ve achieved a light and lovely natural looking tan, I just pop a little brighter (coral usually) cream blush high on the cheekbones and I’m done. You need to give this a go—can’t promise you’ll look like 80’s Christie or Farrah, but you’ll look totally glam sipping cocktails at your local!

My Favourite Motivational Queen—Mel Robbins

If you haven’t heard of motivational speaker, best-selling author, and down-to-earth podcast queen Mel Robbins, where have you been? I first came across Mel about 10 years ago when I watched her famous TED Talk (now with over 28 million views!), and I was instantly hooked by her grounded, friend-next-door style.

Mel shares science-backed tips for living a happier, healthier, and more productive life—and she makes them sound totally do-able. I love that even though she’s now super successful, she doesn’t pretend to have it all figured out. She openly talks about the times she’s hit rock bottom, battled extreme anxiety, and had to pull herself back up. She makes you feel less alone in life’s struggles while giving you practical tools to turn things around.

I pop Mel in my ears on my dog walks twice a week, and I always return feeling better and more optimistic than when I left the house. Are you a fan of Mel? Check out her website for more information and enjoy!

And finally for this week…

Let’s Hear it for the Linen Shirt!

I’m dreaming of days soon to come (I pray) where I can leave the dog walking duvet coat behind and allow the warm spring/summer breeze to gently blow away any memories of previous months of grey days. And these fabulous linen shirts from Uniqlo are on my radar! Every year, my sunny day staple is a colourful linen shirt and jeans—effortless, cool, casual and a lazy-girls dream, because you just know that throw of these stylish shirts on over a vest—done up or peek-a-boo—or under a baggy jumper if the chill is in the air, and you’ll look always look put together in the most laissez fare way! I absolutely love this red linen-mix shirt from H&M and it is going into my shopping basket right now!

So my lovely friends, this is me, signing off after bringing you my very first weekly Glow and Tell—hoping that you’ve found something within this post that makes you feel a little happier, healthier or more gorgeous than ever!

Please feel free to get in touch via comments with your feedback or to start a chat on whatever makes your midlife a little more magical. Until next time…keep glowing!

*FYI some of my links (not all) may be affiliate links, which mean, If you decide to make a purchase, it won’t cost you any extra, but it helps support my work here. As always, thank you for your love and support!