We thought we’d be exiting Covid lockup by now.  Wrong!  We are, instead, at a standstill.  Or, maybe it’s better described as a Covid circle or cycle.  We open up; we hunker down.  We are getting the feeling that we oldies are going to locked up for months and months.  Does anyone see a light at the end of this tunnel??  Physical distancing outside with scotch and friends is not going to be fun in the snow.

We are pretty ticked at young people who are hitting bars, beaches, and partying, and driving up the Covid cases.  Let’s get even.  Let’s raise the drinking age to 35 for a year! 

That said, we are turning our frowns upside down and have gathered some random info about what’s upside down because of the virus.

♥ Gee, not surprisingly, the cosmetic industry is complaining about the drop in sales of makeup and perfume.  We get that.  Physical distancing and self-quarantining do present challenges to testing out a new product at the mall.  And, most of us are not heading to bars and parties and have limited time with family and friends.  No need to doll up to sit at home.  Delivery drivers, thankfully, don’t care what we look like.

♥Lipstick, especially, is expected to take a hit this year as we all responsibly and respectfully wear masks.  Who wants lipstick smeared all over the inside of our masks?  However, mask-wearing is prompting an emphasis on our eyes.  There is a newly-coined virus term, the Mascara Effect.  Check out television ads.  Not much for most makeup, but note the mascara ads.  Heck, should we even consider false eyelashes??   We do have much more time these days to look in the mirror; but, apparently, that is prompting us to spend more money on skincare, according to sales stats. 

♥ On the upside, being “Zoom ready” means looking good.  Even for guys.  Men are googling “male makeup looks” about how to cover redness and hide zits.  They are actually buying concealer to camouflage the bags under their eyes.  Men’s grooming has seen an incredible growth during the lockdown.  With Zoom, apparently clothes no longer make the man!  Oh, and we think they should do something about those hairs sticking out of their noses and ears before going on camera. 

♥ Scads of people have invested in gold over the past few months.  That’s not a good sign.  It suggests that these investors think disaster is near.  “Gold bugs” believe it is a hedge against a stock market catastrophe.  With gold prices so high, should we head to our jewelry boxes and bundle up our old stuff and then head to one of those stores blaring “we buy gold”?   Oh, but, some are predicting gold will surpass the “mythic” $2,000 an ounce price later this year.  Maybe better to wait before cashing in and have more money for checks to mail to the kids at Christmas since we may be still stuck at home? 

♥ Speaking about investing, we are kicking ourselves for not buying stock in Zoom or Nintendo or other companies proliferating because of Covid.  Duh!

♥ We had no idea there were so many dogs in the neighborhood, all now being walked excessively.  News articles are focusing on how owners should prepare their pets to avoid post-quarantine separation anxiety.  Okay.  Interesting.  Hadn’t thought about that.

♥ No question that home projects are at the top of many lists during lockup.  The handyman is booked for months and the tree trimmer has no openings until November.  What???   No checking off stuff from the to-do list soon.

♥ Can’t watch the news anymore.  Hallmark movies are at the top of our list.  Yes, they are predictable.  They have happy endings!  And, yikes, when we tune into old movies, we realize that there are many that sure wouldn’t cut it today.  Ouch!  It’s not just Gone with the Wind.

So, our Wrinkled Wisdom for today?  Seek out all the fun quarantine memes for a giggle.  We were entertained by the one that noted that the trash goes out more than we do.  We could definitely use those panties we had when kids, which were marked with the days of the week.  It is Thursday, right?  And, remember how we used to wish that the weekend would last forever?  Happy now???