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What The Scented Abode is now
I’m in my fifties. My relationship with my skin, my scent, my routines — all of it has changed, and keeps changing.
Menopause does things to your skin that nobody really prepared me for. Cataract surgery made me rethink my entire cleansing routine. And the beauty industry, which has historically talked almost exclusively to women in their twenties and thirties, is only slowly catching up with what women over 50 actually need.
So I write about that honestly. What works for skin that’s changing. What the beauty industry gets right and wrong about ageing. The Asian skincare philosophy I grew up with, handed down from my mother — and now, because Asian beauty is everywhere, my daughters can experience it too. We share our discoveries, and that is a joy of new shared experience I didn’t expect.
The fragrances that smell different at 55 than they did at 25 — and why that’s not a problem, it’s a blessing. Scents I’ve loved transport me to a particular time. New scents mark a new era.
This is not a site about fighting age. It’s a site about navigating it with as much knowledge, pleasure and good scent as possible.
What you’ll find here
Fragrance — reviews, recommendations, gift guides, and the occasional meditation on why a particular scent matters.
Skincare for women over 50 — honest reviews, ingredient deep-dives, and the things I’ve actually learned from my own skin’s changing needs — including the products I discovered during cataract surgery recovery that I now use every day.
Asian beauty wisdom — I’m Taiwanese-British, and I grew up with handed-down wisdom from my mother. I’ve spent years seeking out Japanese skincare, researching the premium brands she preferred, and exploring Asian beauty philosophy before finally embracing it fully. It was worth the wait.
Longevity and wellbeing — my mother and father have both passed on, and losing them made me realise how much I had taken my health for granted.
That loss gave me a quiet determination to live as fully as I can — with mindfulness of body, mind and spirit. Not in a relentless self-optimisation way. In a “this is what’s actually making me feel better at this age” way.
Life at home — food, the garden, the cats, the things that make ordinary days feel considered and good.
A note on why I write
I write because I couldn’t find what I was looking for.
When I was recovering from cataract surgery, I searched for beauty advice written by someone who’d actually been through it. I found almost nothing. When I was navigating menopausal skin changes, I wanted someone who understood both the science and the pleasure of skincare — not just a list of products. When I wanted to understand Asian beauty philosophy from the inside rather than as a trend, I had to piece it together myself.
So I write it. For myself, and for anyone else who’s looking for the same thing and can’t quite find it.
If that’s you — welcome. Pull up a chair. There’s a lot to talk about.
Find me here too
📌 Pinterest: pinterest.com/thescentedabode 📸 Instagram: @thescentedabode ✉️ Get in touch: hello@ravenintegrated.com 🌐 ravenintegrated.com — where I write about marketing and AI