Grief: Life's Launch Pad

Grief is a part of all of our lives. At one time or another we have to accept the fact that our journeys here have to come to an end. The thought of living without the ones we love is the hardest one to grasp or accept I feel. I have grieved for loved ones who have past; grandparents, uncles, friends of the family but never someone closest to me like a parent, sibling, spouse or child. 

Because grief and loss is such a big part of the human experience it is something I feel a dialogue should be started about. Are you currently "stuck" in life under the grip of grief? or are you not living the life you want because you can't stop grieving? 

I have a tool that can help!

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I have had the pleasure of connecting with author, Christina Rasmussen of the new book: Second First's: Live, Laugh and Love Again I have read her book and found that there are several tools you can use to move forward with your life after loss. I have also found that many of these tools are universal in their application and are farther reaching than just to those who are experiencing loss. 

BUY IT

She talks about several items in association with grief such as the duality of loss: When the world inside no longer matches the world outside.

One of the key messages is not to give up your power to grief, she says "There is so much inherent power in loss, power that can be used in an unlimited source of fuel to set yourself into motion so you can start the process of rebuilding your life (p.23)" 

Her motto: Time doesn't heal. Action Does!

I'm sure by now you are wondering who is she? Does she have the 'credentials' to be giving advice about grief? My answer is YES! and her credentials are two-fold. Her educational background and training is as a therapist and crisis intervention counselor. Ironically the topic of her master’s thesis was the stages of bereavement. Her experience and education in grief was elevated to a whole other level when her husband and father of her two young children passed away from cancer in his early 30's. She is an expert on grief in both theory and practice.  She believes, "When we are starting over from a significant loss, we pretty much have to renegotiate everything in our lives". and that "Grief is a factor in the evolution of our souls". 

The book presents her "Life Re-Entry Model" and talks a lot about "Plugging into your life", which are both amazing concepts and tools for people not only suffering from loss but who want/need to start a new life or go down a new path. You can get more information about her Life Re-Entry Program HERE.

I also connected with her discussion about friendships and how it is okay to leave some of them behind. Some people feel like they have to maintain "friendships" with people because they have a lot of time invested, or they were there during tough life challenges. She points out that sometimes the things that used to connect us are no longer there and it is healthy to say goodbye to people of the past. A very liberating concept on it's own.

I want to add she now is re-married and has the life she did not know she needed or wanted. She is happy, productive and here to help YOU get the life you deserve and break free of the grip that grief has on you.

Visit her WEBSITE

Connect on TWITTER & FACEBOOK

If you are suffering in any form, from any loss this book is well worth the read and the $13 price tag. 

Part II of this piece is an interview with the author. Coming Soon...

Will you read the book? What has been the toughest part of grieving for you? 

Share in the comments below.

The Time-Traveling Fashionista

VOGUE 2006

At Christmas time I was scouring the Internet for fashion books for 'tweens' in hope to inspire my step-daughter who is 10 to embrace fashion. By amazon accident I came across the author Bianca Turetsky and her Time-Travelling Fashionista.

This is a series of historical fiction that targets the real fashion savvy tween or teen. I am not a fiction fan but I was in love with the character and her knowledge and love of fashion! The author opted for beautiful fashion illustrations which made me love the books even more. 

The main character is a bright, fashion-passionate girl named Louise who knows her designer brands. She follows contemporary fashion while being captivated by fashions past. An invitation to a Vintage sale sparks her Fashion time travel adventures, first On Board The Titanic and At the palace of Marie Antoinette.

I adore the books quotations that precede the chapters and at the back of the second book there are many facts about Marie Antoinette as well as resources for further reading!

I had a chance to chat with the author recently about her sweet and stylish series,

LISA:  What inspired you to write historical fiction? What was your goal in writing the series?

BIANCA: It seems strange but I never set out to write historical fiction. I was a terrible history student in school because I never saw the narrative. I saw history more as pure memorization of dates and wars and presidents. But history is actually like a good novel, with drama and fascinating characters who have their own relationships and conflict. Seeing history through fashion was a whole different, and far more exciting, experience for me. I feel like my books are kind of like a Trojan horse- there’s a lot of information hidden inside a pretty pink party dress. 

It wasn’t necessarily my initial goal, but my favorite thing is when the girls finish my books and then want to read and learn more about that particular moment in history. I had initially wanted to encourage some budding fashionistas, but it seems like I’m inspiring some young historians as well. It’s beyond what I had hoped for! 

LISA: Who/What inspired the main character Louise?

BIANCA: Louise is definitely a lot like I was at 12 years old with her frizzy hair, braces, vintage clothes obsession, swim team, and suburban CT upbringing. But she definitely gets to experience a lot more exciting adventures than I did in 7th grade! 

LISA: What are your FAV pieces from your personal Vintage collection?

BIANCA: I have this beautiful vintage canary yellow Fendi sundress that looks like it was from the 50’s that I wore to my book release party for the first book. It’s funny- some girls grow up dreaming about their wedding dresses, I grew up dreaming about what I would wear to my book party. It totally lived up to expectations. And the fun thing is you get to have more than one! 

LISA:  If you had one piece of style advice for my readers, what would it be?

BIANCA: Be yourself and have fun doing it! Fashion is such a creative and easy way to express yourself. There’s a Kate Spade quote I have in the book that says, “ I think that playing dress-up begins at age five and never truly ends.” I totally live by that philosophy. I’ve worn several things that I would probably not repeat, but who cares. At the time it felt like “me,” and I’ve realized that “me” is always in flux. Especially when you’re 12, it’s hard to do your own thing and have your own style. I try and encourage girls to not follow the crowd, just because everyone else in your class has the same Abercrombie tank top, doesn’t mean you need one. And hopefully that spills over to other parts of their lives as well. 

LISA: Where did your love for Vintage fashion come from? when did you start collecting?

BIANCA: side from writing and swimming, vintage fashion was my other main passion growing up. My grandmother was quite the fashionista, and I remember sitting in her closet trying on her high-heeled shoes and swimming her ball gowns. In the suburban town I lived in, Fairfield CT, we didn’t really have vintage stores. And in the era I grew up in, which would be the 80s and 90s, we didn’t have ebay or etsy, so I spent a lot of time dragging my friends along to the local Goodwill and Salvation Army stores sorting through the Ann Taylor mom sweaters to try and find something cool and unique.  The treasure hunt aspect of it was half the fun. 

LISA: Where will the Time Travelling Fashionista go next?

BIANCA: The third Fashionista book, Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile, comes out in December! Louise is going to have a stylish adventure in Ancient Egypt, with a little stopover on the set of the infamous Elizabeth Taylor Cleopatra film.  

Want to take a trip back in time and win an autographed copy of The Time Traveling Fashionita: On Board The Titanic? 

Tell me in the comments below what time period in fashion you love the most and why! 

I will pick a winner on WED JUNE 26. Be as creative and detailed as you want .... let your imagination run away in your closet.

Lisa's Library: Lexi's Lesson's in STYLE

I love that EVOLUTION REVOLUTION reaches the PC's, laptops and mobile devices around the world. A super Stylish reader in Paris, France reached out recently with her new book: "Decades of Style" (By Lexi DeRock). A Step-by-Step hair and makeup guide to days gone by.

Just as I at Evolution Vintage style fashions past current, Lexi is bringing back the Chic 60's and 70's for the modern woman.

She enjoys being an educator and sharing her knowledge. In her words; "Do a girls hair and she'll look good for the night. Teach a girl to do her own hair, and she'll look great for a lifetime."

Her new book was a GREAT read! besides the makeup, hair tips and tricks I loved her use of iconic images and quotations (I'm obsessed with quotations). You can browse her book and tap into your alter-ego; Are you The Studio 54 Sweetheart? The Boho Baby? The Cabaret Singer? Luckily you don't have to pick just one - You can utilize Lexi's guide through 2 decades of hair and makeup and use it over and over again. Information on each look as well as each decade are provided in a FAB and reader friendly way.




I had the chance to chat with Lexi about her book and her style.

LISA: What inspired the book?

LEXI: A very talented painter friend of mine, Marcus McAllister, was working on an art book with my friend and editor Alicia LeBlanc, and a little green monster reared it's head and said "I want a book too! Me, meee!" because it sounded like a fun project. So, I pitched her the idea because I have just always loved vintage styles and wanted to share them with other people in a way that was easy to follow and fun.

LISA: What is your favourite decade for fashion/hair/makeup? and why?

LEXI: I'm not sure that I have a favorite. I do love the 20s, 30s and 50s, but I think the 60s are really one of my faves. The hair is dramatic and fun, and so is the makeup...and the attitude is so liberated and full of spirit. It's so elegant and wild at the same time.

LISA: Why the 60's & 70's?

LEXI: I intend to write books covering all of the decades I love, but started with the 60s and 70s because, while all the looks have their timelessness, these eras seem to be especially relevant again. You see the 60s popping up all over the place like in Mad Men or The Kennedys series, and the 70s styles are all up and down the runways in this season's fall/winter collections. Maybe it is the spirit of revolution in the air all over the world that is making people want to dress and style like the revolutionaries of the 60s and 70s, but something seems to have sparked our interest in the chunk of time and I couldn't be more for it!

LISA: Who are your personal style icons?

LEXI: I've always loved glamour and performance and people whose style is over-the-top and playful. One of my faves is Katherine Hepburn: glamorous, but also casual and strong. Brigitte Bardot inspires a style in the book and she is definitely one of my favorites for hair styles. So sexy and so French. But I also love people with a bit of a harder rock & roll style mixed in, and I love body art, so Kat Von Dee is one of my favorite style icons too.

LISA: How did you get your start in hair & makeup?

LEXI: I started doing hair and makeup as a teenager in theater and have always loved it. I was always that girl cutting and coloring all my girlfriends' hair in high school. When I decided to make my career of it, I attended the Aveda Institute in Minneapolis MN which was a fantastic school. From there I continued to work in the US until 2007, when I decided to move to Paris and work more on the fashion side of things. After four years in Paris, I decided it was time for a change so I am currently in the process of relocating to Melbourne, Australia, this December. I'm really looking forward to seeing where that takes me.

LISA: What are your favourite makeup and hair products?

LEXI: I love hair and makeup so when I go into a beauty supplier or a store like Sephora, I am just like a kid in a candy shop (someday I'll get organized enough to figure out how to write it all off as a business expense!). I am not a brand loyalist and there are lots of things I like from a number of companies, but I do have a few favorites. I love L'Oreal Double Extend mascara and have used it for maybe 10 years at this point. There are others I like too, but my go-to is always Double Extend. I love the liquid and creme blushes that have come out in the last few years, and my favorite one is by Benefit. They have three shades now, a red (benetint), pink (posietint) and their newest one and my favorite which is a tangerine/mango sort of color called Cha-Cha tint. As for hair products, I do love Freeze hairspray by Schwartzkopf because it doesn't flake and it's not too heavy...Goldilocks would have said "It's just right," and I would be inclined to agree.

LISA: Describe your personal style aesthetic. What are you wearing this fall/winter?

LEXI: I guess I have a mixture of those styles in my wardrobe. I love vintage for clothes and for my hair and makeup, and I also love the dark, layered looks the French wear with all the scarves and hats and things, very chic...but I like my style to have a bit more of a rock & roll edge to it. I'm a fan of skulls and studs and leather and things like that, but softened up by a sweet retro hairdo and a cute vintage scarf which keeps it from being too harsh.

Lexy the Author
(center), editor Alicia LeBlanc and the Photographer Steve Wells


A perfect coffee table book at a salon, gift for the Vintage Diva or for your own Super Stylish library. BUY IT HERE

Visit Lexi ON LINE

*Her model in the "Super Model" look reminded me of a 70's Jerry Hall ...

"The most beautiful makeup of a woman is passion. But cosmetics are easier to buy." Yves Saint-Laurent

Lisa's Library: Bauby's Brave Book

Someone just asked me "What are you reading?" and if I had any book suggestions ... I will share a selection from my library periodically via EVOLUTION REVOLUTION. Let me warn you that I am obsessed with NON-Fiction, Memoirs, Autobiography, Bio's, Texts and reference materials!

My first suggestion is an inspirational read called "The Diving Bell and The Butterfly" By Jean-Dominique Bauby. Scottish Songstress Angela McCluskey suggested the book to me about 5 years ago. I immediately ordered it on-line.

Bauby with his children before his stroke.

SYNOPSIS: "In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young children, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book."

Let Bauby's words inspire you and as you read them know that he blinked each letter, one at a time to form each word! A totally inspirational an quick read at 131 pages. How brave and amazing! The strength of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me.


A foreign language film "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" was made based on the book (FYI: Angela's Uber Talented Husband Paul Cantelon is American composer of contemporary classical music and a film score composer. He is also a violinist, pianist, and accordionist, who is also a founding member of American alternative band Wild Colonials. He composed the score for the film!)
I have yet to enjoy the film. Has anyone seen it? It is on my "to watch list" for sure.

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. I re-read it from time to time and it has a permanent place in Lisa's Library.