It’s finally here, everyone. An unbelievably affordable concealer that’s actually full-coverage. The Ordinary’s Concealeris what you would expect from the brand: well priced and high performance without all the bells and whistles. It’s Deciem, the parent company’s, first concealer and we’re pretty sure it won’t be the last. If you’re already a fan of The Ordinary skincare, well, get ready.

The full-coverage concealer dropped after The Ordinary rolled out its second foundation, the Coverage Foundation ($6.90 at Ulta) adding to the Serum Foundation ($6.70 at Ulta). One is heavier and one is more lightweight but neither is cakey. It just depends on what type of coverage you’re looking for. It’s looking like The Ordinary doesn’t just want to be known as a skincare brand but a full beauty company.

But enough about foundation. When you just want to cover up a pimple, hide dark circles or tone down redness, concealer is often the way to go. This one has 36 shades taking into account undertones. Here’s how you find yours. 1 is for lighter tones, 2 for medium tones, 3 for dark/deep tones and 4 for deeper tones. Each shade category is then classified even more by a second digit from 0 to 4 to indicate depth within each category. A letter is then added to identify the undertone: P (pink) and R (red) indicate cool undertones; N indicates a neutral tone; Y (yellow) indicates a warm undertone.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

The Ordinary.

I go back and forth with a few different concealers in my everyday life. Sometimes I want a medium-coverage one such as Kosas’s Revealer Super Creamy + Brightening Concealer and Daytime Eye Cream ($28 at Sephora) for a laid-back look. And when I want a full face-beat, I go for Tarte Shape Tape Concealer. The Ordinary’s formula is surprisingly more towards Tarte’s full-coverage one.

Although the tube looks tiny, you only a really small amount to cover any areas of your face. I found it gave off a natural finish that wasn’t too matte or dewy. If you have oily skin, you might want to set it with powder but I was great without it—and it held up. I was able to run around all day without reapplying. Plus, since it’s from The Ordinary, we can trust it’s made without oils, alcohols, nuts and gluten, and it’s vegan and cruelty-free.

Right now you can only get it on The Ordinary’s website and you know how often products sell out there. Hurry and pick up your shade STAT.

All the Single Ladies, listen up. When it comes to home ownership, we’ve come a long way, baby! We’ve got the single guys beat more than double.

According to the National Association of Realtors, single women are the second leading homebuying demographic in the country, right after married couples. In fact, single women make up 17 percent of U.S. homebuyers, compared to just seven percent for single men.

Mortgage data confirms many more single women are opting for home ownership. According to Freddie Mac, the number of mortgages acquired by single women grew a whopping 30 percent between 2010 and 2019.

My Personal Journey

I jumped onboard again last year. Going through a divorce, I lived temporarily in my 19-foot camper near the beach. As fun and free as that seemed for a while, the day I signed the papers on my own home felt like the true start of my independence.

When I bought my first home in my 20s, interest rates were insane. Still, buying made more sense to me than doling out rent. Owning that townhouse on a nice park about a mile to my corporate job felt like success.

Even though I married and moved to another state a couple years later, that equity was mine, and it grew with me over the years. Now, in my 60s and single again, I realize owning real estate over the years is the biggest reason I am financially independent now.

Why Single Women Want Home Ownership

But home ownership for single women is about way more than building a financial future. There’s security in knowing you‘ve signed your last lease. You can stop worrying about what you’ll do if the landlord decides to sell. You are home!

Making a house your haven is a joy in itself. If you want a pink bathroom, go buy a gallon of paint and have at it! It costs way less than a good pair of shoes and creates a hell of a lot more pride.

You’ve probably heard the term “forced savings,” which is exactly what owning a home helps you do. Your principle payments create equity in a non-depreciating asset. You’ll also learn the value of an emergency fund so you can manage the big expenses like a new roof or HVAC.

Building Equity Rather than Just Spending Money

Sure, the housing crisis of ‘08 taught us that home values don’t always go up. But historically, putting your money to work in a home is a great investment compared to spending your money on a fancier car or a week at a secluded spa.

When I look at my own single girlfriends, a big majority are homeowners. Most are moms, and nothing makes them happier than getting the guest room ready for family visits. Check! One more reason for us single ladies to own our homes.

As a realtor, getting a single mom into a home of her own is one of the most satisfying rewards of the job. I hope when her friends see her personal success, they’ll start thinking about homeownership, too. Owning a home really does change lives.  

So here’s to all the Single Ladies!

Do you own your home or do you rent? What does owning a home make you feel? Have you considered buying your own home? Please share your story about owning your own home.

Stephanie Hollman’s “Hello Vacation” Tee

Real Housewives of Dallas Season 5 Episode 3 Fashion

Based on Stephanie Hollman’s graphic tees during tonight’s episode of The Real Housewives of Dallas—which included this “Hello Vacation” tee and another version reading “Out of Office”—she needs a vacation. And based on the fact I have been wearing a lot of the same outfits 24/7 while working in bed for going on just about a year, I need a vacation too. Unfortunately it looks like I won’t be able to get myself Steph’s shirt to wear when it eventually happens.  Thankfully the Style Stealers listed are here to give me a lil’ much needed break.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Click Here to See her 1901 Vacation Graphic Tee

Originally posted at: Stephanie Hollman’s “Hello Vacation” Tee

She’s been teasing us for months and now, JLo Beauty is finally here. You might not be able to shop it yet but we have all the details so you can game-plan what to add to your skincare routine. Because if the 51-year-old uses her own line, well, we know it seriously works. Just look at that “JLo Glow.”

JLo Beauty was inspired by Lopez’s lifelong mantra, The Five S’s: sleep, sunscreen, serum, supplements and sano—from the Spanish phrase, vivir sano, meaning live healthy. Lopez is all about that life, shunning drink and smoking, eating well, exercising and drinking lots of water. Self-care and skincare go hand-in-hand with this ethos.

Growing up, Lopez’s skincare routine was much simpler: Ivory soap and Avon. Her mother told her olive oil was a cure for everything so Lopez made her it was the base for her skincare line. “It’s all about the family tradition of using olive oil for skin and hair,” she told STYLECASTER. The line aims to give you hydration and a “full, youthful, glowy look.” Not that looking younger is the key to looking beautiful. Lopez tells herself, “I’m beautiful and youthful at any age.”

“I think there’s an unnatural standard with all the filters and fillers in the world right now,” she continues. “Aging in a graceful way is a crazy thought. You look great, whatever age you are. Not great for 50, great period!” Not that she wakes up feeling amazing every day. Lopez is actually human. “I have mornings I wake up and feel like crap,” she admits. “I tell myself, like my idol Barbra Streisand, ‘Hello, gorgeous!’ I tell myself I’m going to have the best day ever, the best day yet.”

Source: Instagram

Keep reading for all the details on the new eight-piece line that officially launches January 1. But set your iCal, because you can get early access to shop on December 8.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

JLo Beauty.

That Fresh Take Eye Cream with Peptides

This hydrating eye cream is packed with patented peptides to help smooth fine lines, sugar-derived matrix for firming and a blurring complex to hide the look of dark circles.

JLo Beauty.

That Hit Single Gel-Cream Cleanser

This gel-cream cleanser features the brand’s Olive Complex, an antioxidant-rich, olive blend of
squalane, fermented oil, extra virgin oil and leaf extract for all-day hydration.

JLo Beauty.

That JLo Glow Serum with Olive Complex

Here’s that JLo-glow promise in a tube. It contains the Olive Complex, as well as yeast-derived ferment for softer skin, Japanese rice sake ferment for brightening and sugar-derived matrix for firming.

JLo Beauty.

That Limitless Glow Sheet Mask

Keep the glow going with serum-packed sheet masks.

JLo Beauty.

That Star Filter Highlighting Complexion Booster

Would it be a JLo line without bronzer and highlighter? In three shades, mineral pigments give an instant glow. Use it alone or add it to moisturizer.

JLo Beauty.

That Inner Love

Lopez says “you can’t really have great skin if you don’t do something from the inside out.” This supplement contains olive extract, vitamin E, manganese and copper. Check with your doctor to make sure they’re the right vitamins for you.

JLo Beauty.

That Blockbuster Wonder Night Cream with Hyaluronic Acid

Along with the Olive Complex, this “wonder cream” is full of antioxidant-rich peptides, hyaluronic acid and yeast-derived ferment for silky smooth skin.

JLo Beauty.

That Big Screen Moisturizer with Broad Spectrum SPF 30

Forget having great skin without sunscreen! Not only does this one have broad spectrum SPF30, but it also contains marine bamboo to help protect skin from blue light, as well as hyaluronic acid,
glycerin and natural sugars for hydration. 

Additional reporting by Alana Peden.

Was there something you really, really wanted to do when you were younger, but you walked away from it because you didn’t think you could do it? Have you had childhood doubts since?

I loved to write. No, I mean, I loved it. I kept diaries, I had literally dozens of pen pals all over the world. I crafted short stories that I believed would someday win awards. Writing was in my blood.

My Story

When I was in high school and exploring college programs, I floated the idea of writing professionally. “You can’t make a living that way,” advised my guidance counselor. “Why don’t you do that in your spare time?” suggested my parents. “Earn a degree in something that will pay the bills” was the message I received.

So, I entered college with the intention of earning a business degree. I dropped out after almost two years and before attaining an Associate’s degree because I was tired of going to school. I wanted to get on with living my adult life. But I always regretted that decision, and 25 years later I decided to pick up where I’d left off: I returned to college to earn my undergraduate degree when I was 45 years old.

When I first went back into a classroom, I thought I must surely be the oldest student on that – or any other – campus, but I soon learned that I was just one of hundreds of “mature students.”

In fact, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, the year I returned to college there were 2 million students over the age of 35 enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities; in 2016 that number had grown to 3.5 million. “Retirement” certainly has a very different connotation for us than it did for our parents’ generation.

What Do You Want to Be When You “Grow Up”?

I hadn’t decided about what I wanted to do once I had a degree, but decided I’d figure it out while I spent the next few years back in school. Of one thing I was certain: I knew writing would factor in somehow.

I ended up spending seven years attending college part-time. During that time, I was also raising two teenaged daughters and flying across the country to spend a week or two of every month as one of my mother’s caretakers while she battled ovarian cancer. One of the lowest points of those years was spending the night in my mother’s hospital room, unable to sleep and trying to complete homework in statistics, a subject I struggled to understand.

Those were some of the most challenging years of my life, but I was determined to reach the finish line this time, and I took it one semester at a time. One of the high points was graduation day when I received a BA in English Literature and graduated summa cum laude – what a feeling of accomplishment to not only achieve my goal, but to also be fêted by family and dear friends!

And then what? Can you believe I still didn’t know what I wanted to be when I grew up?

Overcoming My Fears Gave Me Strength

I’d always loved reading and writing, but as a young woman I had doubted my ability to write well enough to earn a living at it. Now that I had overcome my fears and finally attained that degree, I wondered if I might also flex those long-dormant writing muscles.

I started writing essays, short stories and articles for newspapers and magazines. Reconnecting with my love of writing eventually led to a job in the publishing world, where I actually got paid to read and write. It was nirvana!

When I later became a freelance editor, I decided the best way to connect with potential clients was to start a blog. As I tell all my clients, blogging is a fantastic way to not only hone your writing skills but also to meet talented, interesting people. And I’ve met dozens of them over the years, several of whom have become good personal friends, too.

Today I look back on my youthful fear of failure – believing I couldn’t make a living through writing – and I wish I could tell that young girl to have more confidence in herself and in her ability to carve out a place for herself in a field she felt passionate about.

It’s Never Too Late

But as novelist Nancy Sayer put it, “It’s never too late – in fiction or in life – to revise.” I revised by going back to school, and you can too. Whether you want to learn a new skill, begin a hobby or reinvent yourself, today is the day to start overcoming that youthful fear and revise your life!

What “I can’t” story did you tell yourself when you were younger? How have you overcome that negative voice? What long-forgotten dream will you resurrect, and where do you think accomplishing it might take you? Please share your story in the comments.