Dear Wendyl,
When I first met my wife, she smelled delicious to me. She didn’t wear any perfume and was a very natural sort of lady. Twenty-one years later and I barely recognise her. She wears so much makeup she almost needs a trowel to take it off at night and her perfume is so strong I can smell her coming. I think she is a very beautiful woman but for some reason she thinks she needs all this guff to be attractive. How do I get her to stop and go back to how she was all those years ago?
Brian, by email
Dear Brian,
This is a hard one because there is so much marketing out there directed at the “mature” woman about how she needs this and that to look young again. Make the most of the few occasions she is makeup free and make a big deal about how beautiful she is. “You look so lovely like that,” you can say, or, “In this light you are such a natural beauty.” Use words like “natural” and “bare-skinned”. Point out how young she looks for her age. Slowly but surely she might get the message. The one thing you must not do is hassle her about wearing makeup as that could just create resentment.
Send your questions to [email protected] or write to Agony Aunt, NZWW, PO Box 90119, Victoria St West, Auckland 1142.
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