sandy bellydanc image

sandy bellydanc image ...

... "I think the more people that tell you you look young or you look good, it's that extra kind of belief," she says. Another of the mum-of-two's tricks to her endless youth is to surround herself with friends who are 10 to 15 years younger than her. "Also having younger boys keeps me young," she continues. "I like to immerse myself in the music, the chat and the social media. I feel like I identify with the generation 20 years before. I don't identify with my generation at all, it's weird "I feel like I identify with the generation 20 years before... I don't identify with my generation at all, it's weird." Like many of us, Alexia, who follows a keto diet - a low-carb, high-fat eating plan - admits she hates the gym, and has instead turned to another form of exercise to keep slim. "I'm doing belly dancing now because I want to be Shakira," she jokes. "But the classier version of Shakira!" I'm championing Primark for all their dupes And, rather than forking out a small fortune on pricey skincare, Alexia instead credits her youthful glow to bargain buys from none other than Primark. ...

... ...

... ...

... Beauty fans have dubbed Primark's contour stick a dupe for Bobbi Brown's £39 'skin foundation stick',' but at just £2.50'Credit: Primark "I love a dupe," she says. "Back in the day when I worked in the city in my early thirties, I was all for Charlotte Tilbury, Bobbi Brown etc. "And now I'm championing Primark for all their dupes - their makeup is fantastic." Amongst her go-to products includes Primark's 'PS…Pro Cream Contour Wand,' which retails at £4.50 and is a dupe of Charlotte Tilbury's much pricier, £30 contour wand. Alexia is also a huge fan of the high-street store's £4.50 'PS… Vitamin Enriched Moisturising Primer,' which is a replica for the £54 'Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base.' Primark's version is enriched with vitamins E, C, and Niacinamide and contains key ingredients including oat oil and shea butter to "ensure essential hydration is maintained all day long." Alexia's top tips on how to look and feel good in your 50s: Self Belief Believe that you are actually younger than you are / use manifestation techniques / behaviour. Repeatedly being told that you look in your mid thirties rather than fifties is a huge confidence boost and strengthens your mindset! 2. Non-surgical tweakments Always use an experienced and established medical practitioner to administer subtle treatments to enhance your face like Botox, fillers, etc. Threads look awful! My advice to young women in their twenties is to start in their late thirties if possible. 3. Avoid sunbeds Avoid the sun, wear factor 50+ and AVOID sun-beds like the plague. Use sunless tans and have spray tans. As for foundation, the beauty fan has ditched Estee Lauder's £40 Doublewear foundation in favour of Primark's £5 'PS… My Perfect Colour Double Coverage Matte Foundation,' while she also swears by the store's 'PS my perfect colour foundation and contour stick.' Many have dubbed it a convincing dupe for Bobbi Brown's £39 'skin foundation stick,' but at just £2.50, it's a whopping £36.50 cheaper. Alexia goes onto say that she doesn't feel any sort of "pressure" to look good because of her job in the beauty industry, but just rather enjoys doing her makeup. So much so, it takes her two and a half hours to "perfect" her look if she's getting ready for a night out. "Some people say to me, why'd you spend so long putting your eyelashes or your makeup on?" she says. Read more on the Irish Sun "But it's just an extension of me. "I know it sounds really shallow, but it actually really helps with my mental health." ...

... ...

... ...

... ...

... The Belly Up’s 50th Anniversary celebration starts up this July with a series of specially curated events. Current venue president Chris Goldsmith’s tenure at the venue stretches back (on and off) to 1988. Naturally, he’s seen a few shenanigans. “The wackiest thing has to be when Screamin’ Jay Hawkins played, and part of his deal was that he had to be carried out in a coffin — which, thankfully, he brought with him.” Another time, “Buster from the band Bad Manners brought out a surfboard and literally surfed the crowd, before crowd surfing was a thing. Country Dick from the Beat Farmers used to make everyone sit down, then he’d shine a flashlight on his face and tell a campfire story before having everyone carry him to the bar for a shot. Blues legend Albert Collins would use a 200-foot cord to walk all the way out to the street in front, while the band was still playing onstage. Someone said, ‘Keep it down, he can’t hear the band.’ Albert smiled a huge smile and said, ‘I can’t hear nothing,’ and kept ripping away.” ...

... ...

... ...

... ...

... ...

... Chris Goldsmith with Mainflow, and Steve Goldeber (owner of Belly Up) at Fiesta Del Sol A San Diegan since age five, Goldsmith saw the Belly Up’s innards while he was still underage, when he was let in to gig with his bands The Executives and Borracho y Loco. “The very first band I saw there as a customer was Cuban percussionist Mongo Santamaría. It was Cinco De Mayo, which was also my twenty-first birthday. Other early memories include shows from Curtis Mayfield, The Neville Brothers, George Clinton, Etta James, and an unknown band called The Red Hot Chili Peppers, who played for about 200 people and blew everyone’s mind.” Goldsmith moved from San Diego to work for a San Francisco talent agency, but eventually came back to the Belly Up to stay. “For many years I was the Music Guidance Counselor, but a few years ago they made me grow up and say I’m President of Belly Up Entertainment.” Fifty years ago, the Tavern was just one Quonset hut amongst other Quonset huts in Solana Beach. Then Dave Hodges had a vision. “I’m not sure how Dave found that property,” says Goldsmith, “but it was a great find.” (He owns all the Quonset huts on that block.) “Solana Beach wasn’t so fancy back then; it was a lot of trailer parks, a roller rink, and a bowling alley. There was no Design District.” Friends told Hodges he’d be “belly up” inside of a year. “He went with that name and never looked back. The Quonset huts were mostly workshops for construction folks, some artists, and a little manufacturing. I think Dave just wanted a place where he could drink with his buddies, and not have to go all the way up to the Saloon or Captain Keno’s. There was no stage at first, and it was much smaller, just basically the bar that you see when you walk in. Musicians would play at the end of the bar.” Hodges still owns the hut, but Steve Goldberg and Phil Berkovitz took over running the club around twenty years back. Asked if anyone’s ever challenged him to a fight, Goldsmith flashes back to the Rolling Stones’ secret show. “Apparently, the closest I’ve ever been to a fight was at that show. I barely remember what happened, but I’m told that me and some knucklehead almost came to blows and had to be separated.” He recalls that night as “the most exciting show ever at the club. With lots of others tied for second.” ...

... ...

... The Rolling Stones played a secret show at the club in 2015 The Stones aren’t the only big name to sneak onto the Belly Up stage for a secret show. “We had David Lee Roth play the club under the name the Yard Dogs. He booked it at the last minute, just wanted to play a bunch of old R&B covers like ‘Mustang Sally.’ Brought in some go-go dancers. Green Day also played as the Foxboro Hot Tubs, which was really wild. They weren’t doing Green Day tunes.” The anniversary celebration runs from July through September. “One way we are celebrating is to create special co-bills of bands that normally might not play together, but also some artists who have outgrown the club, [who] want to come back and help us celebrate.” Goldsmith’s favorite food and drink on the job? “A Pacifico, a Don Julio, and a bacon burger. We also have lots of other great food and cocktails at our restaurant next door, but we don’t have a blender.”