Style Up: Women, Work and Staying in the Game

In her neo-feminist book " Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead," Facebook COO Sheryly Sandberg, 43 encourages women to push through fear, skip people pleasing and take more risks. Duh. Thanks Sheryl, but we, the largest, most powerful group of women 50+ ever in history, already know that. Thanks to early mentoring by heavy hitters like Gloria Steinem and Helen Gurley Brown, we are expert negotiators who rival Oprah for chutzpah and have a special gene that allows us to change husbands and wrinkle creams with equal gusto.  Of course name dropping rich peer heroines is easy. A few: Mindy Grossman, 55 CEO of The Home Shopping Network, Stacy Snider, 51 CEO and of Dreamworks Studio, Ellen J. Kullman, 56 CEO of DuPont, Desiree Rogers, 53 CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, Indra Nooyi, 57 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo, Gayle King, 58 co-anchor of CBS This Morning , Anna Wintour, 63 editor-in-chief of Vogue and Artistic Director of Conde Nast, Katie Couric, 56 host of her own syndicated "Katie" talk show and Oprah Winfrey, 59 CEO of OWN. Unfortunately most women in their 50s, 60s and 70s are finding themselves underemployed, flat out of work, "in transition," and job hunting ...again.  Here are some honest, tough-talking beauty and fashion tips for those millions of  fearless, independent risk-takers ...us: