Some people collect seashells, others collect miniature spoons or shot glasses. Me? I collect makeup and skin care products.

While folks who aren’t into cosmetics might see my passion for makeup as vain, I see it as an artistic outlet. Some artists create their masterworks on blank canvases or from raw clay. Me? I’m more of a paint-by-numbers kind of gal. I simply fill in the outlines and contours of my face.

Really, this blog is simple in concept: I’ll write about beauty products and trends and how to adapt them to suit your age, whether that’s 20, 30, 40 or more (confession: I’m 55). I’ll tell you which products worked for me and which didn’t — and why. And you have my word that I’ll always be honest. There’s no reason to waste your hard-earned money on products that aren’t worth trying.

You might be wondering how my addiction to cosmetics began. (Or perhaps not, but I’m going to tell you anyway.) When I was 40, I was diagnosed with the big C. Breast cancer. Not a nice surprise — and six months of chemotherapy really did a number on my skin. Up until then, I’d been pretty haphazard about cosmetics, and particularly about skin care. Oh, I washed my face at night and in the morning, but that was about it.

All of that changed during chemo. I looked gray, drawn and worn. The fact that I had no hair, including eyebrows and eyelashes, didn’t help things. Fortunately, I found a class designed to teach cancer patients how to look and feel better through makeup. It was miraculous, and my love for the transformative power of cosmetics was born.

That, of course, is just part of my story. I’ll share more of myself in future blogs and I hope you’ll share with me in return. I’m looking forward to the journey!

Ronda