Hannah Ann Sluss’ Yellow Floral Tie Shoulder Dress in Australia

The Bachelor Season 24 Episode 11 Fashion

On tonight’s part one season finale episode of The Bachelor in Australia Hannah Ann Sluss tells Peter that she loves him and is “not afraid to say it, not afraid to show it.” And if you feel the same way about her super cute yellow floral tie shoulder dress, we highly recommend that you allow it to jump into your pouch bag in the same way a mama does a baby kangaroo.

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her Lovers + Friends Dress

Originally posted at: Hannah Ann Sluss’ Yellow Floral Tie Shoulder Dress

We all need to feel like we are in control of our lives. We want to believe that our actions matter… that if we do “the right things,” we will be rewarded. Psychologists call this belief – that our actions control our outcomes – our “internal locus of control.”

For most of our lives, we have good reasons to believe in our ability to influence the world around us.

We believe that, if we work hard, we will be rewarded. We know that our health is at least, in part, dependent on how often we work out and the food that we put in our body. We feel like we can shape our kids into functional, independent adults. Ok, maybe this last believe is an illusion!

But, the point here is that, during our 20s, 30s and 40s, we feel like we are in control. Even if we would never admit it to ourselves, on some deeper level, we realize that our lives are mostly the result of the decisions that we have made.

Then, Gradually, Our Sense of Control is Shattered

In our 50s and 60s, our internal locus of control is challenged from multiple directions. No matter how hard we work out, we struggle to lose weight. Our joints start to ache. Our hair thins and greys. After hundreds of dollars invested in “anti-aging” creams, we finally realize that our wrinkles are here to stay.

On the work front, even if we don’t plan on retiring any time soon, in our 50s, our career progress slows to a glacial pace. Or worse, we are forced out of our jobs and into an early retirement, far before we are financially ready.

Perhaps most profoundly, our social lives are completely upended in our 50s and 60s. As parents, our social lives revolved around our children. Now that they have flown the nest, many of us feel disconnected, lost and even a little lonely.

To be clear, not everyone feels all of these physical, financial and social symptoms in the same way. You may be one of those people who feels liberated to have your life back now that your kids are doing their own thing. But, chances are, in one way or another, your sense of self-efficacy has been challenged in recent years.

The Danger of Self-Doubt Before and During Retirement

If our internal locus of control is challenged in our 50s and 60s, it faces an all-out nuclear assault in the years following our retirement.

After we leave our jobs, we find ourselves completely reliant on Social Security and our investments. Our bodies continue to challenge us in weird and wonderful ways. And, socially, we may even begin to lose friends and loved ones a few years our senior.

But, here’s the thing… while the challenges that we face in our late 60s are real, it is our loss of belief in ourselves that has the most dramatic impact on our lives.

When we lose our sense of self-efficacy, not only do we fail to take practical steps to build a better future, but, we also increase our chances of becoming depressed, anxious or lonely in the “best years of our lives.”

In short, if we fail to believe in ourselves and our ability to change our circumstances, we risk falling into a negative spiral of negative thoughts, bad decisions, negative consequences and regret.

We Can’t Change Our Lives Until We Change Our Minds

Life after 50 is challenging. It’s not all “in our heads.” But, what so many of us tend to miss is that “harder does not mean impossible.”

The tough medicine that we need to give ourselves is a dose of reality, mixed with a spoonful of absolute determination.

Let me give you a few examples…

Staying in shape gets harder the older we get, but, does that mean that we are powerless to shape our bodies after 50? Of course not! We just have to work harder! Most of us won’t… but, this doesn’t mean we can’t.

For a little inspiration, here’s a video of Ernestine Shepherd, who, in her 80s, is a professional bodybuilder.

Let’s talk about money. Society has trained us to think about retirement as a time for living off our savings. As a result, most of us ignore the simple ways that we could boost our incomes dramatically in retirement.

From becoming an Airbnb host or renting our parking spot to doing a little freelancing or starting our own passion business, there are limitless ways to boost our income at any age.

Speaking from personal experience, it isn’t harder to start a business after 60… it is simply harder to get in the right frame of mind for financial success once you have convinced yourself that “retirement” is all about watching TV, traveling and going on the occasional cruise.

Even if you are in your 50s and are still working, you may feel like you have passed the point that you can make a meaningful impact on your retirement savings. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Even a small incremental monthly increase in your retirement savings rate, compounded over 17 years could have a huge impact on your future. And, if you really want to make a massive impact, why not consider moving to a smaller home and investing the difference?

What about staying social? Once again, when it comes to making friends as an older adult, “it’s harder” doesn’t mean “it’s impossible.” We just need to try a bit harder than our younger counterparts. Here’s some helpful advice for staying social at any age.

Nothing is More Important Than Feeling Like You Are in Control of Your Life

When you reach your 50s, it is easy to start feeling like you are in a very small boat battered by very big waves. When you reach your 60s, it sometimes feels like you have lost the boat entirely!

But, what I can tell you, based on my 7 years working with 100s of older adults is that life after 50 is a choice. You can choose to blame the world, yourself, your partner, your colleagues, your dog, your ex, God or anyone else. Or, you can accept the fact that life gets harder as we age… but, that doesn’t mean that it can’t get better.

So, take control. Feel the strength of your wisdom pushing you forward and ignore the weight of your age pulling you down. You can do this. You are stronger than you imagine.

Do you feel like you feel more or less in control of your life now that you are a little older? Why do you think that this is?

Nene Leakes’ Sequin Pajama Outfit in Greece

Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 12 Episode 17 Fashion

I looked for Nene Leakes’ sequin pajama outfit when she first wore it last January and I couldn’t find it anywhere. Thankfully, I was even more determined to find it the second time around, and I actually found it available for rent. And if that doesn’t sound appealing, once you see the original price tag you may have second thoughts because you’ll be able to rent it and book a flight to Greece to wear it on with the money you saved.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Click Here to Rent her Pucci Outfit

Click Here to See her Dior Sunglasses

Originally posted at: Nene Leakes’ Sequin Pajama Outfit

You know
those days: one piece of hair sticks out awkwardly; what is supposed to be full
on the top or sides lies flat; the curl goes in the wrong direction on one
side; your hair just looks like a limp dishrag.

Stylish
women understand that our hair is our crowning glory. It’s certainly important
to find a good haircut and to keep it up. But some days are just more challenging
than others when it comes to having good hair.

So why not
do what many very chic French women do on those days: wear a headband! (They
call it “Le Headband,” after all.)

History of Headbands

The beauty
and history of headbands goes back thousands of years. We might consider the
laurel wreath a kind of headband, perhaps the first one.

The
women’s version – since in ancient Greece wreaths made of
laurel leaves were only given to men – was rendered in gold. Maybe the gals got
the better end of the deal!

In the
early 20^th century, a thin version of a headband, lacy and
decorated, was actually prescribed for headaches. These were known as “headache
bands” because it was thought that the pressure they exert could relieve a
headache. But frankly, if you wear any headband that is too tight, you can
actually GIVE yourself a headache!

A Chic Accessory

We saw headbands
on movie stars around the 1920s, worn in turban-like shapes. Playful women by
the seashore wore them with knit swimsuits to keep their short bobs in place.
Flappers wore them to keep their hair styles while they danced wildly.

CoCo
Chanel made them very popular. They were a simple but eye-catching accessory
that matched the chic silhouette of her wide leg pants, simple turtleneck
sweater, and signature pearls.

In the 1960s
they became the crown of hippiedom, a band of fabric that kept those long flowing
locks off our faces – and out
of our food.

Our New Version of the Crown

Now
headbands are experiencing a renaissance because, frankly, they are just so
practical. And, they are also quite pretty. Kate Middleton, Duchess of
Cambridge, might be responsible for this renaissance, as she wears them often both
for style and practicality.

You’ll see
her wearing thick padded headbands in solid colors, or with braided or pleated
fabric, adorned with flowers, pearl-studded, and for more casual wear, tortoise
or polka-dot ones of thin plastic. They are a lot easier to manage in daily
life than a heavy gold and jewel-encrusted crown.

For us
commoners, they will serve similar purposes: they can elevate and accessorize
an entire outfit, or they can effectively hide or keep in place wayward hair.

For Formal Outfits

Headbands
built onto plastic frames can be padded or embellished and are best worn with
an outfit that has a matching level of formality. (That includes the ones made
from textiles like velvets and satin-like fabrics.) Wear them with formal
dresses or simple tuxedo-like suits for a very elegant look.

Those in less
formal fabrics are a good match for dressy-casual outfits. You can imagine
wearing a gingham or striped one with a summery dress at an outdoor garden or
pool party or to a luncheon date. You could also get away with wearing one of
these to make your jeans outfits look a bit more upscale.

The very
popular stretchy, knotted fabric headbands are meant to be playful and offer more
flexibility in terms of style. They work for more casual dresses, jeans, or
shorts outfits, for lounging by the pool, or just to bring a little bit of
femininity to anything that feels a little stiff or “tough.” Imagine a sweet
floral headband worn with a biker jacket.

But pay
attention to the other items in the outfit. If you’re not adept at pattern
mixing, make sure the color and pattern of the headband doesn’t conflict with the
color or pattern in your other garments.

Finally, the
simple stretch fabric type of headband, such as what we might wear to the gym
or see on Keith Richards at a Stones concert, is the most casual. Still, in the
right color it can still look more stylish than a simple sweat-collector.

Here’s to
good – and bad – hair days!

What do
you do on bad hair days? Do you wear headbands? What are your favorite styles
and fabrics? Please share with our community!

Porsha Williams’ Neon Yellow Balenciaga Sweatshirt

Real Housewives of Atlanta Season 12 Episode 17 Fashion

Since I love neon and things I can’t afford, I needed to just a get a looksy at where I can get Porsha Williams neon yellow Balenciaga sweatshirt from the RHOA trip to Greece. It’s definitely a bold look that may not be for all, but I think it would be super cute with some biker shorts and sneaks for Spring, so I had my fingers crossed that it was on sale. It, of course, was not. However there are plenty of other neon Style Stealers for me to buy, wear and embarrass my husband in.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Click Here to Shop her Balenciaga Logo Sweatshirt

Click Here to Shop Additional Stock

Originally posted at: Porsha Williams’ Neon Yellow Balenciaga Sweatshirt