As women
age, they start to notice that they lose pigment in their skin. This is why you
may notice that your skin tends to look a bit dull or sallow in your 50s and
60s. However, with the right makeup products, it’s easy to revive that gorgeous
youthful glow.

Celebrity makeup artist Ariane Poole shares how blush and bronzer used together can combat tired and sallow-looking skin and add a beautiful glow and a pop of color to your complexion.

Using the Right Brushes

Ariane
reminds us to be sure to use the right brushes to properly apply our product.
Women tend to use very large powder brushes for bronzer. This is not a good
idea. A large brush distributes bronzer all over the face and doesn’t allow for
any precision during application.

Instead of
the big brush, opt for a smaller blush brush or angled contour brush when
applying bronzer. This way, you have more control over where you put the
product.

Applying Bronzer Like a Pro

Once you
have your smaller brush, swirl the brush into the product and tap off the
excess. Then, using the brush, apply bronzer around the sides of the face. Add
a little more bronzer onto your jawline to help accentuate the jaw.

After
framing the face, add some bronzer onto the accents of your face to create a
sun-kissed glow. Glide the brush across your cheeks, chin, forehead, and jaw.
Add a little more bronzer under your cheekbones for contour and definition.

Don’t
forget to add some bronzer to your neck as well!

Applying Blush for a Pop of Color

After applying
bronzer, you have already created a gorgeous glow and revived tired and dull-looking
skin. However, bronzer is not enough to give your cheeks some color. For this, you
will need to use blush.

Using
your favorite blush product and blush brush, apply blush to the apples of your
cheeks. This gives your cheeks a nice punch of color and highlights your
cheekbones.

Bonus Tip – You Can Also Use Cream Bronzer!

If you
aren’t a fan of powdered products, you can opt for a cream variant. A good way
to use a cream bronzer is by mixing it with your primer or tinted foundation
before applying. Then you can use a foundation brush or your fingers to apply
all over your face.

Alternatively,
you can also spread a dollop of cream bronzer on your hand and use your
foundation brush to work it into your forehead, jawline, and under your
cheekbones.

Ultimately
it doesn’t matter what type of bronzer you use, just that you make sure to
include it in your makeup routine. The added glow and shimmer works wonders for
shaving off the years and combating the aging effect of too much matte makeup.

Do you love using bronzer and blush? Do you use
these two products together? What are your favorite bronzer and blush products?
Have any fun tips for the community? Share them in the comments below!

I am a BIG believer in passive income. Why? Because, in today’s low interest environment, $1 in yearly passive income can be worth $20 in retirement savings (or more!)

So, even if
you have never thought of yourself as an entrepreneurial person, looking for
ways to make a little extra cash in retirement is essential. And, if you can
make extra money from your existing assets (rather than working) that’s even
better!

Your House Isn’t an “Asset”… Until it is!

If you have
read any of the “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” books, you will know that the author, Robert
Kiyosaki, has a somewhat unconventional definition of asset. Rather than being “something
of value,” to Kiyosaki, an asset is “something that puts money in your pocket
every month.”

By this
definition, for most of our lives, our houses aren’t assets. Oh sure, they can
gain in value and, during good times, they help to multiply our profits when we
sell them through the only use of investment leverage that most people will
ever touch… their mortgage.

But, even when
they are gaining in value, our houses usually aren’t putting money in our
pockets on a monthly basis. Unless we rent our homes, which most of us don’t, they
simply take money out of our wallets each month in the form of utility
payments, mortgages and property taxes.

Then, after
our kids leave the house, a new opportunity emerges; with more space and
flexibility, we finally have the option of generating passive income from our
properties, even if we still want to live in them!

Why Don’t More Older Adults Rent Their Homes on Airbnb…
Fear!

In a previous article, I wrote about 3 reasons that retirees might want to consider renting their homes on Airbnb. I argued that, beyond the obvious financial benefits, renting your home in retirement can be an important source of social contact. It can also give you the flexibility to travel.

But, with so
many reasons to consider renting on Airbnb, why do so few of us take the plunge?
Is it because we aren’t comfortable with technology? Nope. Is it because we don’t
need the money or just can’t be bothered to put in the effort to list our
properties? No way!

Having talked
with hundreds of men and women over 60 about their retirement dreams, I have come
to the conclusion that the number one thing that prevents us from funding part
of our retirement with Airbnb is our fears!

So, today, I
thought that I would address a few of the fears that people in our community
have about renting on Airbnb. Of course, I’m not claiming that Airbnb doesn’t
have its problems… and each and every person should make their own risk/reward assessment.
I’m simply saying that our fears are often worse than the reality.

I hope that
the following offers some perspective as you consider whether to use Airbnb to
generate passive income from your property.

What if Someone Damages My Property or Breaks Something?

This is
probably the number 1 fear that holds people back from renting their home on
Airbnb. Not only do we feel strange about having strangers in our homes under
the best of circumstances, but, many of us still have horror stories stuck in
our minds from the early days of Airbnb.

From a
100-person, sizzling hot, New Year’s party that caused $100s in damage to an apartment
that quite literally burned down, there are plenty of Airbnb horror stories on
the Internet.

The first
thing to keep in mind here is that Airbnb is a huge service that serves 2-million
customers a day. That’s right, on any particular day, 2-million guests are
staying in an Airbnb. With this many guests staying in 191 countries around the
world, is it any surprise that a few bad apples emerge? Of course not!

So, while you
should always be careful, the perception that “If I rent my home on Airbnb, it’s
definitely going to get trashed,” just isn’t based in reality. The vast
majority of hosts never experience a nightmare renter.

Furthermore, even
if an accident does happen, Airbnb provides financial protection for its hosts.
For legal reasons, I’m not going to summarize it here, but, if you are
considering renting your apartment, I encourage you to check it out here.

What if Someone Hurts Themselves on My Property?

On the flipside,
many people worry about someone else getting injured on their property and
suing them for damages.

I can actually
totally understand this concern. Most of us have spent our entire lives saving
for retirement. The last thing we want is for our financial castle to come
crashing to the ground because someone slips in our bathroom and bumps their
head.

The first
thing to keep in mind here is that each and every one of us has a considerable
amount of control over our properties. For a small investment, we can install
anti-slip mats in the bathrooms and handrails on the stairs. We can lock up
paints and other hazardous materials where children can’t get to them. And, we
can make sure that our houses are well maintained.

But, what
happens if something unexpected does happen. What happens when, despite our
best efforts, someone does get hurt on our property?

Once again,
Airbnb realizes that this is a genuine fear that many of us have and provides liability
insurance for each of its hosts. I’m not going to summarize it here, but, you
can read the description on the Airbnb site here.

At the end of
the day, you probably have a good idea of how safe your property is… and
whether it can be brought up to an acceptable standard. But, it’s also good to
know that Airbnb has your back.

What if a Guest is Rude, Abusive or Dangerous?

Some people
don’t worry so much for the safety of their property as they worry for their
personal safety and the safety of their loved ones.

With 2-million
people staying in an Airbnb property every night, there are bound to be a few
bad apples out there. Even the minority of people who aren’t very nice usually
aren’t dangerous. But, how can you avoid being one of the unlucky ones that gets
a truly nightmare guest?

The first
thing to keep in mind is that Airbnb is a community platform. Over the last few
years, they have made significant progress in connecting their users to their
real identities. They also have an AI system that tries to identify problems
like fraud attempts before they happen. Is this system flawless? Of course not!
But, Airbnb will only get better at this over time… and they’re already pretty
good!

There are also
things that you can do to reduce the chances that you will encounter someone
who will cause problems. While discriminating based on race, gender, sexual
orientation or other protected categories is not allowed, you can reject a host
if their behavior is giving your red flags.

In Airbnb’s
own words: “If you find that a guest is breaking one of the House Rules you’ve
set or has made you feel unsafe through their actions, you can decline their
reservation request or cancel the reservation.”

So, definitely
do your homework and uses the tools provided by Airbnb, including their secure
messaging system, to check out your potential renters before they join. Have a
list of questions that you ask each potential guest and keep track of their
answers in case someone accuses you of discrimination.

Finally, if you
are planning on staying in your home at the same time as a guest, it makes
sense to take basic precautions like having a locked door preventing access to
your part of the house.

So, Should You Rent Your Home on Airbnb?

Only you can
answer this question. At the end of the day, every activity in this crazy carousel
we call “life” is risky in one way or another.

Is it possible
that your property will be damaged? Sure. Could you get really unlucky and have
to deal with an abusive renter… or someone who tries to throw a beach party in
your living room? Probably.

But, the truth
is that the great majority of Airbnb renters and hosts have a good experience
and never encounter a major issue. And, when something does occur, there are
systems in place (not to mention insurance) to address it.

The question
is this… what is the bigger risk? The risk that something bad will happen if
you host on Airbnb? Or, the risk that you won’t have enough money in retirement
to have the lifestyle that you want? Only you can answer this question, but, I
encourage you to get all the facts first!

Do you know
anyone who rents their property on Airbnb? What has their experience been like?
What are your biggest fears about renting your property on Airbnb? Let’s have a
conversation!