Month: January 2021

Demi Lovato Got All Different Boob Sizes on Her Nails & They’re So Freaking Cute

Leave it to our girl Demetria Devonne Lovato to get boob-printed nails that are actually inclusive. Because, you know, bodies come in all shapes and sizes, Demi Lovato’s boob nails have five slightly different designs on each finger. Long and skinny, full and round, East West (when nipples face opposite directions) and just one breast—she’s got ’em all. “All boobies are beautiful,” she captioned the Instagram post.

The base of Lovato’s nails is a pink-and-white watercolor design and the breast shapes are painted on in black, making the already cute design even cooler. The singer credited Los Angeles-based nail artist Natalie Minerva (@nail_swag on Instagram) for the look. Minerva has created some of Lovato’s other killer talons, including evil eye coffin nails and VOTE-emblazoned tips.

Lovato’s famous friends are jealous of the designs (we are too!). Ashley Benson said, “I want I want” and Kesha wrote, “these are AMAZIN.” Lucy Hale gave a few claps and Kerry Washington said, “This is amazing.” We couldn’t agree more. We need these as press-ons STAT.

Instagram PhotoSource: Instagram

The singer has been switching up her look during this downtime, playing around with all different nail designs and hair transformations. First, she chopped off ALL her hair to reveal a blonde pixie with an undercut. Then just this week, stylist Amber Maynard Bolt dyed her blonde parts pastel pink. This is a shade we’re going to see more and more in 2021 as people get bored with their hair at home. It’s an easy way to update your ‘do without damage. Plus, it doesn’t last very long.

Instagram PhotoSource: Instagram

It’s official: Lovato can officially pull off anything.

STYLECASTER | Ashley Benson Interview

 

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Now That I Have All the Time in the World… Why Don’t I Get Going?

Gayle and Jeanne, two fellow silver sisters on Sixty and Me, commented on a recent post of mine. Jeanne threw down this gauntlet.

 In response, Gayle wrote:

“When you have all the time you don’t know where to start.”

Let me see if I can help.

Just because we are suddenly handed oodles of time (whatever the reason) doesn’t mean we have a clue what to do with it. We might want first to address why we suddenly have that time. Therein lies the answer. For when we are faced with great change, we inevitably enter big transitions.

Are You in Transition? We All Are

Any time you and I face a major transition, such as turning 60 or more, losing a parent, losing a spouse, divorcing, burying a child, making a huge move – the list is endless – we enter a very important period.

Rather than go into great detail on this, I would refer you to the sweetly-written evergreen book Transitions, Making Sense of Life’s Changesby Dr. William Bridges. I’m a trainer in this material and have used it to help me through a great many rough spots.

The very first and most important point: What you are feeling, no matter what it is, is normal, predictable, natural, and absolutely positively what it looks like when people go through big changes. You are indeed in excellent company.

The short version of Bridges’ book is that change happens TO us and forces us into transition, which is our emotional response to that change. There are three phases (and they are not linear or predictable, we wobble in and out of them as needed):

  1. The Ending, when we need to acknowledge, name, and mourn our losses.
  2. The Neutral Zone, which is where so many of us are, hung between the trapezes of where we were and where we are headed, without a road map.
  3. The New Beginning, which comes when it comes, and not usually on our time frames.

Even though I know this material by heart, I still get caught off guard by the deep emotions that are evoked through seismic shifts. At this age, they happen more frequently.

In the interest of brevity, and because I really do hope you will get this slim, very readable volume, here then are some strategies for Jeanne and Gayle, and by association, maybe you, too. I need the reminders myself, for I forced upon myself a massive change when I uprooted and moved after 50 years in the same state. I can relate.

How this looks in real life: I moved to a dream home in a new state. I lost access to my friends, Red Rocks where I train, a complex web of hard won and comfortable contacts after a lifetime in one state. You know exactly what I mean. Gains AND losses.

Strategies for Each Stage

If you’ve had a Big Ending:

Take the Time to Write Down What You Have Lost

All endings entail losses. Writing names them, honors them in your heart, and allows you to acknowledge that yes, these things must pass on.

Then Take the Time to Mourn Your Losses

Western societies are not particularly good at mourning, which is sacred, and part of what we must do to be able to move on. Not doing so means we carry these losses for years.

In the Neutral Zone, the best single coping strategy is to:

Create “Interim Scaffolding”

Set small, reachable, simple goals and schedules that allow you to feel as though there is some predictable rhythm to your day. You may not be able to do this for a while. I guarantee you that if you don’t take time to mourn your losses this will be very difficult.

When you can, ask what you can take on, not what you should take on. Perhaps the only thing you can do this day is read a chapter of a book, curl up with your cat/dog/spouse/pet alligator and nap. Resting the heart is part of transition.

Compulsive doing can get in the way, but that very compulsive doing is a hallmark of a society that has difficulty valuing learning how to BE vs. DO. This stage is usually the hardest for people for good reason.

Go with Small Goals, Simple Choices

Avoidance is also a choice. And sometimes the best one for now.

Don’t Isolate

That is the worst. For we come to believe that everyone else is doing fine, but I’m not. Nope. Everyone else ALSO believes that everyone is doing fine and I’m not. We need each other to clarify our fog, to validate our discomfort, and to remind us that yes, this is very much the human condition.

But fair warning, rather than perpetuate anger, let’s use our support to find what is good in it. For there is much that is very good. Anger is normal. Not letting go of it is dysfunctional.

Finally, the New Beginning is not some magic castle that you enter and all is well forever.

It simply means that things have settled into some predictability. You may not like it after the freewheeling nature of the Neutral Zone. Others are desperate for that sense of settled-ness.

  • Take the time to watch, see what’s going on, and enjoy whatever “new normal” looks like.
  • Allow yourself to get your bearings, in case things may shift again. They will, likely. But at least you’re expecting it.

If it sounds like you could apply this to the pandemic, you’re right.

The Only Guarantee We Have

By this age, we’ve been through endless changes and transitions. This is what’s happening. Now you have a few tools and a book that might be of use.

Perhaps the most important message to Jeanne and Gayle, to you and myself, is that truly, this too shall pass. And, we will be different at the other end. How different is up to you, and how you use these sacred passages to sculpt your soul and enrich your life is your journey. Along which there will be….

…more change. But you’ll be ready.

How often do you think “I should get started on this project” but never get around to it? What is actually stopping you? Do you think it’s okay to stop and have some time to just ‘do nothing’ while getting your bearings in this new world? Please share your thoughts and let’s ponder them together!

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The Best Products to Nix Dark Spots You Can Buy on Amazon

If post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation has got you down, well, we have some great solutions for you that—with a little time—will brighten your complexion and fade those spots. Some of the best dark spot products are actually available on Amazon and most with Prime shipping so you don’t have to wait forever to start your clear-skin journey.

Whether it’s a dark spot leftover from a pimple, melasma, freckles, sun spots or any other irritation, they can be a pain to get rid of. But all you need is a little patience and a few key ingredients, you can lighten those spots in just 1-3 weeks. Choose which serum, gel or lotion will work the best for you. Some are infused with skin-brightening hydroquinone, while others use vitamin C and niacinamide or even retinol to increase cell turnover and renew skin.

Brighten up your complexion with our favorite Amazon finds, below.

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.

Differin Dark Spot Correcting Serum The Best Products to Nix Dark Spots You Can Buy on Amazon

Differin.

Differin Dark Spot Correcting Serum

This lightening serum uses 2 percent hydroquinone to gradually fade post-acne marks and hyperpigmentation. The addition of antioxidant-rich sea buckthorn berry oil soothes skin and helps protect it from free radical damage.

Buy: Correcting Serum $18.97

Neutrogena Dark Spot Corrector Discoloration The Best Products to Nix Dark Spots You Can Buy on Amazon

Neutrogena.

Neutrogena Rapid Tone Repair Dark Spot Corrector

Retinol SA (the brand’s retinol complex) works to renew skin, while vitamin C brightens and hyaluronic acid locks in moisture.

Buy: Dark Spot Corrector $17.96

EnaSkin Corrector Formulated Ingredient The Best Products to Nix Dark Spots You Can Buy on Amazon

EnaSkin.

EnaSkin Dark Spot Corrector

Almost 10,000 Amazon customers have given this cream an average of 4.5 stars, saying it truly lightens up dark spots in just a few weeks, as well as clears up some stubborn acne. It uses 4-butylresorcinol, which as been shown to be a hypopigmenting agent, as well as kojic acid, lactic acid, salicylic acid, and Morinda Citrifolia extract.

Buy: Dark Spot Corrector $27.90

Peace Out Spots Brightening Treatment The Best Products to Nix Dark Spots You Can Buy on Amazon

Peace Out.

Peace Out Dark Spots One Step Brightening Treatment

Target each post-acne mark with these microneedling stickers infused with tranexamic acid. Wear one—or a few—overnight for at least six hours twice a week for three consecutive weeks.

Buy: Brightening Treatment $42

Murad Environmental shield rapid correcting The Best Products to Nix Dark Spots You Can Buy on Amazon

Murad.

Murad Environmental Shield Rapid Age Spot Correcting Serum

Murad scrapped its best-selling lightener to launch this new serum that ditches hydroquinone for a new, patented tech that also promises to address the overproduction of melanin. Read our full review here.

Buy: Age Spot Correcting Serum $78

HYPERFADE ZitSticka Microdart Patch Post Zit The Best Products to Nix Dark Spots You Can Buy on Amazon

ZitSticka.

ZitSticka Hyperfade Microdart Blur Patch for Dark Spots

These microdart stickers fade post-zit spots with hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, vitamin C, arbutin, licorice root extract, tranexamic acid and kojic acid.

Buy: Patch for Dark Spots $34

Dermalogica Active Clearing Bright Fader The Best Products to Nix Dark Spots You Can Buy on Amazon

Dermalogica.

Dermalogica Age Bright Spot Fader

Not only does this spot treatment target active breakouts with salicylic acid, but it also fades the post-acne marks with niacinamide and hexylresorcinol.

Buy: Bright Spot Fader $45

STYLECASTER | Ashley Benson Interview

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20 Inspirational Women That Every Woman Over 60 Should Know About

Inspirational Women Over 60

Over the past few years, whilst building the Sixty and Me community, I have had the pleasure to meet and learn from some amazing, inspirational women. Their writing has made me think and their dedication to women’s issues has inspired me.

Some of these women are speakers and journalists. Others have written blogs, articles or books. While their interests are unique, they share the fabulous qualities of passion, drive and vision.

Each of these fascinating ladies has something to offer women of our generation. It is my honour to share with you how much they have impacted my own journey and I encourage you to get to know each of them.

Please take the time to connect with them on Facebook or Twitter. Visit their blogs and websites. Learn from them. Follow their shining example as they help us to make life after 60 everything that it can be.

Here Are 20 Inspirational Women That Every Woman Over 60 Should Know

Kerry Hannon – Great Jobs for Everyone 50+

Kerry Hannon – Great Jobs for Everyone 50+

Kerry is an expert on personal finance and careers for boomer women. Her best-selling books Great Jobs for Everyone 50+, Great Pajama Jobs: Your Complete Guide to Working from Home and Never Too Old to Get Rich: The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Starting a Business Mid-Life totally inspired me.

I love her passion, compassion and practical, down-to-earth advice. If you’re looking for a job after 50, I encourage you to check her out.

Sharon Greenthal – The Empty Nesters Community

Sharon Greenthal – The Empty Nesters Community

Sharon is the founder of The Empty Nesters Community, a popular Facebook community for empty nesters and those preparing for the empty nest. She is passionate about real world issues focusing on midlife, marriage, empty nesting and parenting young adults.

An accomplished freelance writer, she has been featured on CNN.com and in the New York Times. Her articles have been published on many websites including AARP, HuffPost, Next Avenue, Purple Clover and Scary Mommy.

Barbara Hannah Grufferman – Best of Everything After 50

Barbara Hannah Grufferman – Best of Everything After 50

Barbara is the author of the fabulous books The Best of Everything after 50 and Love Your Age: The Small-Step Solution to a Better, Longer, Happier Life. She is a recognized expert on healthy and positive aging.

Barbara is a frequent contributor to Growing Bolder, Thrive Global, and AARP. Her video series on the AARP YouTube Channel features ideas for life in your 50s.

Prill Boyle – Defying Gravity

Prill Boyle – Defying Gravity

Prill is an author, speaker, writer and TV host. She has spent her career interviewing, writing about and promoting the achievements of hundreds of “ordinary” women who have done extraordinary things in their lives. Her book, Defying Gravity, celebrates late blooming women and has been a huge inspiration to me!

Elizabeth Isele – The Global Institute for Experienced Entrepreneurship

Elizabeth Isele – The Global Institute for Experienced Entrepreneurship

Elizabeth is an author, speaker and passionate advocate of older women entrepreneurs. She builds educational programs for 50+ entrepreneurs starting with ProvStudio.com, a workshop for those wanting to launch business start-ups. She was also a key witness at the first ever US Senate Hearing on Senior Entrepreneurship. Inspiring!

Ellen Dolgen – Menopause Mondays

Ellen Dolgen – Menopause Mondays

Ellen is a writer, speaker and wellness advocate for women who are going through menopause. She is a fabulous Huffington Post blogger and encourages discussions on menopause, women’s health, and the modern woman’s life today.

She is dynamic and fun and empowers women with her weekly blog, Menopause Monday – named one of the “Best Menopause Blogs” by Healthline since 2012.

Nancy Collamer – My Lifestyle Career

Nancy Collamer – My Lifestyle Career

Nancy Collamer is a career coach and blogger for Forbes and Next Avenue. She is also the author of “Second Act Careers.” Nancy is passionate about providing practical tips on how to make the transition to a new working lifestyle in your 50’s and beyond.

Gretchen Rubin – The Happiness Project

Gretchen Rubin – The Happiness Project

Gretchen is the author of several books, including Happiness Project, an account of the year she spent trying to unravel the mysteries of true happiness. She helps to prioritize things that create happiness in life – her writing definitely sparks new ideas!

Judith Boyd – Style Crone

Judith Boyd – Style Crone

Judith Boyd is a 70-year-old blogger whose site “Style Crone” celebrates her love for style and fashion in the lives of older women. She is all about creating a unique personal style and helping women over 60 to both adorn themselves and to express their inner-self and beauty.

Suzanne Braun Levine – Women in Second Adulthood

Suzanne Braun Levine – Women in Second Adulthood

Suzanne is a legend in the women’s movement and now an inspiration to midlife women. She is a best-selling writer, editor and authority on issues facing women over 50. I love her book You Gotta Have Girlfriends, which covers the emotional and physical importance of having a trusted circle of women friends.

Lisa Copeland – Find a Quality Man

Lisa Copeland – Find a Quality Man

Lisa Copeland is a dynamic writer, blogger and dating coach for women over 50. With her book The Winning Dating Formula for Women over 50, she provides us mature women with the tools and confidence to understand the mindset of men. She teaches us how to create intimacy and achieve great dating experiences. Lisa has been blogging for Sixty and Me for a few years.

Karen Sands – The Everyday Futurist

Karen Sands – The Everyday Futurist

Karen is a professional futurist, speaker, author and certified master coach. She identifies major trends that will affect a woman’s personal and professional life in the future. If you’re starting your own business, changing or reinventing your career, or transforming your organization, Karen can provide guidance!

Mary Eileen Williams – Feisty Side of Fifty

Mary Eileen Williams – Feisty Side of Fifty

Mary Eileen is a career coach, author of Land the Job You Love!: 10 Surefire Strategies for Jobseekers Over 50 and blogger with Huffington Post. She is also a radio host, and editor of a brilliant site called “Feisty Side of Fifty.” It is a fun and upbeat blog for women over 50.

Mary Eileen helps women dealing with midlife and mid-career transitions in a fun and positive way. Her work is refreshing and entertaining!

Ellen Pober Rittberg – Ellen

Ellen Pober Rittberg – Ellen

Award winning journalist and writer Ellen Pober Rittberg is an expert on grandparenting. She is author of a super helpful book called 35 Things Your Teen won’t tell you, so I Will. Her guidelines apply to grandkids as well. She is a go-to resource for understanding the role of a grandmother and how to build strong family relationships.

Susan Piver – Open Heart Project

Susan Piver – Open Heart Project

Susan is a world-renowned meditation teacher and award-winning New York Times best-selling author. Her books are personal, and impactful. As a Buddhist teacher, she is the founder of the Open Heart Project which aims to teach anyone in the world how to meditate.

Her books include The Four Noble Truths of Love: Buddhist Wisdom for Modern Relationships, Start Here Now: An Open-Hearted Guide to the Path and Practice of Meditation and The Wisdom of a Broken Heart.

Alexia Parks – 10Traits

Alexia Parks – 10Traits

Alexia Parks is an intriguing woman who is an author and innovator. In her book Hardwired: 10 Major Traits of Women Hardwired by Evolution That Can Save The World, she explores how she feels women are “hardwired” to be leaders in today’s complex world and working with men in partnership.

Meridith Fiedler Dennes – Project Eve

Meridith Fiedler Dennes – Project Eve

Meredith helped to found Project Eve, an award-winning content publisher and online community. Project Eve is a content engine for innovative and creative women who are reinventing their careers. The site provides great content and tools and motivates women to think beyond traditional boundaries and support one another.

Carol Orsborn – The Wisdom Collection

Carol Orsborn – The Wisdom Collection

Carol is an author and speaker who leads retreats for Boomers in the aging and healthcare communities. She has written over 30 books on quality of life, spirituality and aging with her latest being Older, Wiser, Fiercer: The Wisdom Collection. Here she explores the relationship between spirituality and aging and the search for meaning and purpose in later life.

Forever Inspiring – A Tribute to two Inspirational Women

Sadly, two hugely inspirational women who make this list every year have passed away, but their legacies continue on. For those who knew or followed them, I am sure they enriched your life and inspired you, as they did for me.

Cindy Joseph – Boom by Cindy Joseph

Cindy Joseph – Boom by Cindy Joseph

Cindy was a truly beautiful woman, inside and out, and the passionate and proud leader of a movement she called the “Pro-Age Revolution.” Makeup artist turned super model, she cared passionately about older women celebrating positive aging.

Her Boom skin care and cosmetics line – the first pro-age line for women of every generation – is part of her legacy and the products are just amazing!

Evelyn Hannon – Journeywoman

Evelyn Hannon – Journeywoman

Evelyn Hannon was a fascinating woman and a celebrated globetrotter and writer. She was the creator of Journeywoman, a website for women travellers of all ages, which continues to thrive. The advice and supportive community are still a go-to resource for me before I plan a trip.

A few years ago, I was able to sit down with Evelyn and discuss traveling and exploring new cultures on our Sixty and Me YouTube Channel. She was a true pioneer in female travel and helped many women follow in her footsteps.

Which women inspire you? Are there any women that you would add to our list of inspirational women that every woman over 60 should know about? Please add your thoughts in the comments below.

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If You Have a Sensitive Scalp, It’s Time to Switch to These (Actually) Gentle Shampoos

We tend to think of the scalp as an integral part of our hair, but it’s actually skin—just like you know, the skin on your face. With that being said, if you have sensitive skin on your face and body, it’s fairly likely that your scalp is also prone to irritation, inflammation, flakiness and itchiness, making the hunt to find the best shampoo for sensitive scalps a top skincare priority. If your skin falls on the highly reactive end of the spectrum, you’re probably already aware that using harsher actives like Vitamin C and retinoids can cause some major flare-ups and discomfort, and the same is true when it comes to the stuff you put on your head.

Shampoos are notoriously laden with irritating chemicals and additives that can wreak havoc on a delicate scalp. From the violet-pigmented dyes in your purple shampoo, to the delicious, perfume-replacing fragrances in your daily hair wash, and even nasty additive like sulfates and parabens, these scalp no-no’s all happen to be common culprits linked with causing major scalp issues. As if these commonplace, impossible-to-pronounce shampoo ingredients weren’t troubling enough, you may be surprised to learn that some popular shampoos are infused with alcohol and, wait for it—even formaldehyde. Yikes, indeed.

There are endless shampoos on the market labeled with beauty buzzwords like “gentle,” and “moisturizing,” but often times, these formulas are still chock full of troublesome additives that won’t help you combat dandruff or irritation in the slightest. Natural shampoos—often infused with tea tree and other essentials oils can be a great place to start, but you’ll still want to do your research when it comes to reading the finely printed ingredient list on the back. If you’re clueless with where to start in your search, we’ve rounded up a few safe options for sensitive skin and irritated scalps that will still give your locks a good deep clean.

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