• Main Dining Fashion – Self-Tanning for Cruise

    Trish Berry, December 23, 2024

    A tan looks good on everyone.  It enhances colored clothing, whether white or black.  But some of us cannot get in the sun without a lot of SPF on their bodies.  I am one of those.  I have had several bouts of basal cell skin cancer and squamous cell skin cancer.  Luckily, these were caught in time because I go for an annual exam by my dermatologist.  I check my body on a regular basis; in fact, I found the two squamous cell cancers at home and called my doctor immediately. I avoid the sun. I wear a hat, an Eric Javits straw hat, and a sunscreen that is high in protection, like 100 percent.

    That’s the reason I use a self-tanner.  I think I look better with a self-tanner, less pale.  It took some experimenting to find the right one for me.

    We all have different skin types. Our heritage plays a part in that. I am 50 percent Irish, so I freckle. Freckles can be darkened by any tanning lotion, darkened to the point where they look like a skin cancer, waiting for a skin doctor to walk by you on the ship, stop you, and then tell you to see your doctor.

    Freckles are beautiful, spread across the nose, even along the arms and across the shoulders.  This is a little secret that I will share with the younger girls:  As you age, and the more sun you get in your younger years, your skin makes the decision to give you little marks here and there.  Some people (even doctors, really wanted to bust his chops when he said this) call them age spots.  My granny called them liver spots.  You’ve seen them.  You know what I’m talking about.  So they are age spots, along with my Irish freckles, but I prefer not to have the polka dot look, if I can avoid it.  So I self-tan to blend those freckles (or age spots) to a warm tannish glow.

    I have tried the L’Oreal Sublime Bronze mist spray in medium color.  If I spray it on one leg and then use a latex glove to spread it out, I get good coverage without really dark freckles.  This is a reasonably priced self-tanner. Available at Walmart or Amazon.

    I’ve also tested Malibu Hemp Golden Glow. This did not work for me. Malibu Hemp Golden Glow is white when it comes out of the pump bottle so I could not tell where I was tanning. If they added a hint of color to this product, it would help in applying to the skin. Malibu Hemp Golden Glow made my freckles very dark.  If you have no freckles, this would work for you and give you a great tan. This is a very economical product. Available at Walmart or Amazon.

    Equate Lovely Glow works for me.  My freckles do not get real dark.  I like this product very much, but it is getting more and more difficult to find.  I purchased this at Walmart, but the Walmart website shows that it is now out of stock. I hope they continue carrying the product. This is a very economical product.

    L’Oreal Sublime Bronze lotion made my freckles darker. If you have no freckles, this might work for you. It is an economical product and can be purchased at Walmart or Amazon.

    L’Oreal Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer Lotion, medium skin tones, is the self-tanner that works best for me.  Instead of making my freckles stand out, it blends the freckles in with my skin. I don’t know how it does it, but it does.  I get an almost even tan all over my body.  I loved (past tense) this product.  It was reasonably priced, but now it is very hard to find and it costs more than I want to pay.  When it was available, you could buy it at Walmart, Amazon or Target.  You can purchase it on eBay and Amazon now, but the price is quite high.

    If you have freckles or age spots and want to hide them, there is a product made for you. Experiment to find a product that is best for your skin. If you want to let your freckles (or age spots) glow in the sunshine, that is glorious to see.

    My long-gone aunt had more freckles than uncolored skin.  She was beautiful.  She was a walking example of someone who cared less of what people thought of her and more of what she felt about herself.  She was wonderful.  But she also made me aware of taking care of myself so that I was happy with myself.

    Thanks for
    reading.

    Trish

  • Main Dining Fashion – Easy Style Cruise Clothing

    This photo of me sitting in the car after a Main Dining evening shows me in a black jumpsuit. This was not a frugal purchase, just an old purchase. I have had it in closet since the 1980s or 1990s (still had shoulder pads in it, which I removed). It is a Liz Claiborne that I purchased at a small boutique in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., all those years ago. It is made of 82 percent triacetate and 38 percent polyester.

    I have what is called a “duster” on over the jumpsuit. This duster was purchased at my Salvation Army thrift store for $5.99. Royal Caribbean has tropical nights for Main Dining occasionally, and this is one of my favorites to wear because of the tropical colors of the duster. The label states that it was made by Fashion Queen. I have researched that name, but I do not think the company is still in business.

    Many of you will recognize the red car. It sits on the promenade. People have their photos taken there, as my husband and I did. Again, you can see the black shoes that I purchased on one of our Bermuda trips, the ones I purchased in the pharmacy.

    Not everyone dresses up like I do for Main Dining. As the years have passed, the dress code has gone from tuxedoes for the men and ball gowns for the ladies to a tie and shirt for the man, and a sundress for a lady. I wonder if as the future years pass, the dress code will become even more relaxed. I hope not. I like dressing up each evening, trying to look my best for myself, for my husband. It is like prom night, and I get to have prom night for seven nights straight, or however long we are on the cruise.  Below is a photo of me in a less formal attire.

    Enjoy your prom night or enjoy the evening of your choice. I have seen beautiful dresses, flowing gowns, sheaths that are sleek and lovely, and the cutest sundresses. All the women look beautiful. Their eyes sparkle, their smiles are big. We all have an enjoyable time.

    Thanks for reading.

     

    Trish

  • My frugal, affordable, creative styles for cruising

     

    As you can see in the top photo above, I also wear pants to Main Dining on Royal Caribbean.  I like to have my scarf around my neck (my neck gets cold), and a handbag.  The scarf is an estate sale scarf that I purchased for $2.00.  I add a touch of color to my handbag to match my outfit.  To find the right color to attach to my handbag, I find an old piece of clothing in the color I need in my closet and cut a strip that I can attach to the handbag with a safety pin.  Old fashioned girl here!!

    The white linen pants outfit above, is not a matched white set, but both are linen so it looks like a matched set. Another waddable of mine.  The wrinkles do not matter when it comes to linen.
    The pants and top both are from my thrift store (Salvation Army).  The pants are made by Gap Clothing.  I love Gap clothing.  It fits me.  The top is made by Kim Rogers, a brand I found in the past (when I shopped in department stores) at Belk’s.  I’ve always loved Belk’s.  My mom would take me in there when I was young.  The entire store smelled of gardenias, just like the gardenias beside my grandmother’s front porch.  The smell made me feel like I was in a good place, a place of love.
    I made the two white handbags I’m showing you.  The one on the left is made from a white sheet that I doubled and then used the belt of an old robe to make the handles.  I have a slim piece of white cardboard that I cut to fit the bottom of the larger white bag.  That way, the bottom of the bag doesn’t hang down like a clothes bag.  A flat bottom lets everything rest on it and gives the handbag a more structured look.  That larger bag I particularly like because I can fit everything I need into it.  I like to carry by Apple iPhone, my reading glasses, a plastic carrying case that contains any meds I need at the dinner hour, Splenda, and tissues.
     I made the smaller bag before I made the larger because I didn’t take into account the amount of items I used when I was out of the room.  The smaller bag was a dust cover for a Michael Kors handbag that I purchased at Macy’s years ago.  I just chopped off his precious name at the bottom, sewed a seam across the bottom and turned it inside out.  The drawstring at the top was a bonus.  It was already there so I didn’t have to worry about making handles.
     I still use the smaller bag when I know we are going back to our stateroom to change clothes before we go to the ice show or some other show.
     Whatever you wear, it doesn’t matter.  You will be you.  You will be making memories that you will carry with you always, memories as good as the smell of gardenias.
     Thank you for reading.
      Trish

  • Main Dining Fashion – Solid Black and Bermuda

    I like solid black as one of my base colors.  I wear a black outfit at least two nights a week, switching it up with different accessories.  I can hang a white scarf around my shoulders and decorate with jewelry.
    I buy fake Zirconia off eBay, usually made by Stauer.  Stauer makes lovely vintage zirconia pendants that you can switch around from outfit to outfit. I usually pay $10.00 for a pendant, but the postage is high so the end price is more, plus you pay taxes.  But, I could not go out and buy such beautiful pendants anywhere else for that price.  A lot of people are purchasing from Temu, but I have never purchased anything from there.  Afraid I would get carried away.   I purchased the vintage gold-tone earrings on eBay for $2.99, plus shipping and taxes (approximately $10.00).  I try to keep dangle earrings light in weight so they do not make my ear lobes sag.
    The white scarf I’m wearing in the second photo was purchased at the Promenade on the cruise ship for $10.00.  I love this scarf and use it frequently because it really does keep my shoulders warm.
    The second photo shows the full length of the black dress.  It is made of what I call waddable fabric that I can stuff in a corner of my suitcase.  It cost me $5.00 at my thrift store.  The black shawl (sheer), I purchased at an estate sale for $2.00.
    I am so very proud of this bow I made for this outfit.  It is made of a flimsy fabric.  After I had made it with my rubber band, it hung down like a limp flower.  What was I to do????  Well, Elmer’s Glue is invisible when it dries.  So I carefully put Elmer’s on certain parts of the fabric, elevated it on something (can’t remember what) after stretching that section out.  After it dried, I applied Elmer’s, stretched another section out and laid it on top of something to dry.  Wow, it worked like a charm.  I attach this bow, or any other bow, to the dress with a safety pin, a large safety pin.

     

    Too, I am also proud of my pretty sandals in the second photo.  I purchased those at the pharmacy store in Bermuda for $13.95.  I liked them so much that I went back later in the evening and purchased another pair.  If one breaks, I have a backup pair.  The last time we were in Bermuda, they did not carry that type sandal, and the prices on the shoes they carried were much higher.  I purchased those sandals about four years ago.
    If you ever get to Bermuda, make sure you go to the Crystal Caves.  You can purchase an all-day travel ticket at a booth as you get off your ship.  This ticket allows you to use all the buses and ferries on the islands all day long.  We took the ferry over to Hamilton Township, caught the bus to the Crystal Caves and loved it.  The cost of us doing this was so much lower than taking an excursion.  Legend (or truth) is that some boys were playing ball in the early 1900s when their ball went down a hole.  They climbed down to retrieve their ball and this is what they discovered . . .

     

    Below is a copy of the ferry and bus hours of operations.

    Cute magnets of the pink buses of Bermuda.

    A red phone booth where many people have their photos taken, including me.

    Remember, whatever you wear does not make you.  It enhances you.  If you choose to dress up a little in the evening, it makes you feel good about yourself, go for it.  I like Main Room Dining simply for that reason.  Every woman I have ever seen in Main Room Dining has been beautiful.  Their eyes sparkle as they talk across the table, the smiles are wide, and they laugh a lot.  It is a joy to see.  They don’t all dress up, as I call it.  Some are in cute sundresses, their shoulders pinkish from the sun.  Some are in elegant jeans with white piping and a white shirt and two-inch heels.  They are all lovely.  All women are lovely.  That smile makes them beautiful.
    Thanks for reading.  Hope to see you on our next cruise.
    Trish
  • Frugal (cheap) cruising clothes ideas

    Frugal (cheap) cruising clothes ideas

    I like solid colors for main dining fashion.  I have a white midi dress that I use a lot.  I wear it at least two times a week when we are away.

    I change the look my changing my scarves.  Yes, I use scarves a lot because I am an older lady (76), and I like to cover my upper arms.  Plus, it’s always a tad cold to me so I have the scarf for warmth as well.  The scarves take the chill off.

    To switch up the look of this white dress and scarves, I make a bow to go in the front that I attach with a safety pin.  Oh, safety pins come in handy.  I make my bows by wadding a fabric that matches my scarf, secure the back of the wadded fabric with a rubber band, cut the fabric close to the rubber band, punch in the middle of the fabric, and then put in a few stitches with a sewing needle and matching thread.  In the photo of me sitting at the table, you can see what I’ve done with the gold bow.

    I am a frugal girl. Most of my clothing comes from a thrift store in my area.  On Wednesday, the thrift store (Salvation Army) opens at 9:00 (an hour early) and all clothing is half price.  It isn’t like I’m going in and buying my neighbors’ discarded clothing because the clothing in our local store is brought in from different areas.  I never purchased Ann Taylor clothing, Chico clothing, Coldwater Creek, or other expensive brands.  My thrift store carries those brands. I snap them up.  Some of them have the original price tags on them.  On the half-off price days, I pay approximately $5.00 for a dress (sometimes less), $3.00 for a scarf.  Win-win for me.

    I also go to estate sales.  I type in estatesales.net and look at the photos online of estates sales close to my home.  You can do this by going to the site and putting in your zip code.  You will see all the estate sales being held near your home.  If I see expensive clothing in the closets (real fur from the old days), I will attempt to go to that sale, knowing that I will find silk scarves for $2.00.  Most people going to an estate sale are looking for decorating items, collectibles to resell on eBay or other online selling sites, and rugs.  But I go for the clothing.

    Have a great day.  Thank you for reading. My husband and I are both retired and love to travel.  Be happy today.  Smile and everyone will smile back at you.  It is our nature.  We are supposed to go through life with a smile as much as we can.  Bad things can and will happen, but always bring the smile back to your face because we have to go on through life, and a smile makes your heart warm and makes life easier.

    Thanks for reading.

    Trish

  • Main Dining Fashion – Welcome

     

     

    I cruise on Royal Caribbean ships, 30 cruises so far, and would enjoy sharing with you any hints I’ve learned about dressing for Main Dining, onboard casual wear and swim wear.  I’ve learned the hard way how to correct mixing and matching errors, how to travel with needle and thread, and dental floss, all items that can help you to look your best.  But most of all, I want to tell you how I’ve learned to dress the way that makes me feel good.  We should always feel good about ourselves and the clothes we choose can enhance our image, if we want.

    We can get dressy.  We can get sassy.  We can get alluring.  We can get fun, fun, fun. Our answers for happiness are within each and every one of us.  It isn’t always the clothes we wear that make a statement about us, but it’s how those clothes make us feel.  Whatever size we are, we must always love ourselves.  Clothing is just glitter.  Glitter filters off, but the core beauty stays.

    Thanks for reading,

    Trish