Amanda Batula’s Tie Dye Turtleneck on Instastories

Summer House Instagram Fashion 2021

Although we’re super excited to report on Amanda Batula’s quarantine summer fashion on Season 5 of Summer House (which premieres this Thurs at 9/8c on Bravo), we’re just as excited to report on her quarantine winter fashion like this tie dye turtleneck on Instastories. Which as it turns out is still in stock, so like Kyle after a few Loverboys you should definitely get ready to spiral out of control.

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her AFRM Top in Many Prints 

Photo & Info: @AmandaBatula

Originally posted at: Amanda Batula’s Tie Dye Turtleneck

Today I learned that Lana Condor and I have something in common. It may be small but I’m pretty sure we’re BFF now. You see, Condor showed off a makeup hack in a recent Vogue beauty video that solves one of my problems, too. It has to do with blush. Well, the issue is, “my face eats blush.” That’s the actress’s words, not mine, but I totally relate. I can apply layers of blush and it still looks like I have no makeup on when I walk out the door. And yes, I use primer and setting spray! But Condor has a trick that makes her blush stay on and it’s something I’m going to incorporate into my routine, ASAP.

“My face eats blush,” Condor says in the video. “So I go in on the blush. I’m just going to put on more than you think.” The actress dots the Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush ($20 at Sephora)—one of my favorites—along her cheeks and a little on the bridge of her nose. Then, she adds 3CE Red Recipe Lip Color in #215 Ruby Tuesday ($18 at Stylenanda) on top of the blush.

We can’t recommend this since many lip colors aren’t approved for use on the face but Condor knows what she’s doing and how her skin will react. “This is a lip stain but because I’m nuts, I’m going to put a little of it on my cheeks,” she says. “Let’s hope this works out.” And work out it does. The shades look beautiful together.

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Sephora.

“Also, I learned this trick about blush on ‘To All the Boys‘,” she continues. “There was one day I was very tired. I wasn’t sleeping at all. I was working like 18 hours a day. And I had been crying. I felt great afterward. But then I came out to the makeup artist and was like, ‘hey, sorry!’ Because when I cry, my eyes get super puffy and I look wild. And she said, ‘We’ll just apply a little extra blush to your face and no one will know you were crying.’”

Condor goes on to show the camera that she has multiple tricks up her sleeve. Her face is flushed—it didn’t eat the blush.

There’s only one good answer to the question of when to downsize – before you have to.

As we age, the psychological benefits of choice increase and the opportunities to choose decrease. Things happen to us that are beyond our control. We don’t ask for diminishing eyesight or hearing. It’s not a choice when body parts get creaky or just plain wear out.

This is a story of choices – the choices of my wise parents.

The Life of Youth

My parents raised us on eight acres abutting the Mississippi River. Dad had raspberries, fruit trees, a vegetable garden and honey bees. A luscious rolling lawn spanned the distance between the house and the river. He mowed it weekly all summer. Inside, Mom had her six full sets of service-for-12 china, the wedding crystal, a cup and saucer from every city she’d ever visited and countless other treasures.

“We’re Downsizing!”

I’d married and moved away, but on a visit home Mom took me aside. “Your dad’s hip is bothering him. He doesn’t complain – you know your father – but it has to be painful because he’s stopped golfing. We’ve been talking about selling this place and getting an apartment in town. What do you think?”

Perhaps for the first time I noticed that age had crept up on my fit, energetic mother. She was 64 but Dad was 70. Like a flickering old-time movie, memories flashed through my mind: holidays here, and summers – my girls tagging after their grandpa, their lips and fingers stained red from the berries they’d plucked along the way. But I knew what I had to say.

“I think you’re smart to make the change before you have to.” She hugged me.

“That’s what we think too.”

Within months the house sold and there was an auction in the front yard. “Gram! You can’t sell these!” My oldest daughter rescued the wedding crystal. She still has it.

Their new home was a two-bedroom, second floor apartment in a building where they already had friends. The building had no elevator. Mom believed that climbing the stairs would be good exercise for both of them.

Five years later, she was tired of carrying the basket of clean clothes up two flights from the laundry room in the basement. Again, before they had to, they rented an apartment in a new complex where there were no stairs to climb.

Time for Assisted Living

When Mom was 84 and Dad had just turned 90, she cornered me again. “We’re thinking of assisted living,” she said. That blind-sided me. I wasn’t ready. In my mind, assisted living translated as: The Final Move. But Mom was certain, and by that time Dad’s mobility was challenged and Alzheimer’s muddied his once-clear mind.

“Have you looked at what’s available?” I asked her, hedging my response, playing for more time.

“Not yet. But there are only two options here in town.”

“Let’s go check them out,” I said. I wanted to witness the horrors for myself. We first went to the newer one across from the YMCA. Mom drove herself and Dad to the Y three times a week. He sat with the other husbands and drank coffee while Mom joined the aqua aerobics workout in the pool. It would be convenient for them to live right across the street.

My eyes popped when we went inside. Elegant furnishings, a grand staircase to the upper level balcony, the chandeliers in the dining room, and the staff in their crisp uniforms felt like a well deserved step up. Mom was uncharacteristically silent.

Laden with brochures and price-lists, we thanked our tour guides and exited to the parking lot. “What did you think?” I asked. Mom looked unhappy.

“It’s nice. The other one is by the church,” she said. They’d been members of Zion Lutheran forever and they attended every Sunday. I decided not to press her for more feedback on the first place until we’d seen option two. We rode in silence to the next stop.

I turned off the highway onto a tree-lined drive with rolling hills that met evergreen forest at its border. The building branched out from a center hub all on one level. Mom’s countenance brightened but she remained cautious.

We parked and walked through the main doors into a space that felt like our living room by the river. A stone fireplace flanked by comfortable sofas and chairs anchored one end. An upright piano next to a juice and coffee bar stood to the right by a row of windows that filled the room with light.

When we left, their name was on the waiting list. “We would feel at home here,” she said.

On the drive back to their apartment I fished for more information.

“The first place was beautiful.”

She shot me an indignant look. “Like a hotel,” she said, and that was the end of that.

Of Losses and Gains

Their names came up far too quickly for me, but they took to their new surroundings with the same grace and good humor characteristic of all their transitions. The windows of their new home framed ancient pines and roving deer. Winter, summer, spring and fall, their view of the world was magical.

Dad died a year ago. It was hard for Mom; it still is. But for every meal she’s in the dining room with people who know and love her. She’s an active participant in the daily activities and special events – much more so now than she could be when Dad required so much of her attention. I’m grateful that she knew better than I the right time and place for that last transition.

Now more than ever I’m seeing the kindness in their choices. Their wise moves made it easy for us, their children. They never relinquished control over their circumstances but let go and adjusted before ill health or age forced them to it. We never had to step in and say, “Mom, Dad, it’s time.” What a precious gift that is.

Have you made the decision to downsize your life? What has been the hardest thing to let go? What have been the benefits of making these choices for yourself? Please share in the comments.

Model Winnie Harlow doesn’t have a lot of “firsts” left. She’s already broken numerous boundaries in her career at just 26 years old. But Harlow’s new campaign with Paul Mitchell is a first. She’s the brand’s first-ever global ambassador and this is Harlow’s first big haircare gig. The ’90s supermodel-inspired campaign was shot by renowned photographer Micaiah Carter. In it, Harlow wears different wigs to express herself through different hairstyles. Not surprisingly, she pulls off each and every one.

“Expressing myself through hair is a fun experience that represents different stages in my life,” the model said in a statement. “I get to create new personas, personalities and characters with every look—from super sexy with long, straight hair, a chilled-out feel with curly waves, and a little tomboy with a short cut.” The model and activist actually has roots in the hair industry. “Partnering with an iconic brand like Paul Mitchell is close to my heart, as my mom was a hairdresser growing up,” continued Harlow. “I loved seeing her transform a client’s hair, put a smile on their face, and leave them happy and ready to rule the world.”

Harlow’s hairstylist César DeLeon Ramirez is also a new brand ambassador for Paul Mitchell. He created all these looks for his superstar client. She transformed into different characters through these looks. “Anyone can agree, a powerful hairstyle will make you feel like you can conquer the world and as a hairstylist having powerful products & tools can make you feel confident and in control of your work,” DeLeon Ramirez said on Instagram.

Micaiah Carter.

“It’s my duty and life’s purpose to bring you all the best trends, inspiration and knowledge,” he continues. “Now with the help of @paulmitchell and @winnieharlow I will show you how changing your hair can change your whole world.”

Micaiah Carter.

Makeup artist Adam Burrell is responsible for Harlow’s natural-looking glam and Jason Bolden did the styling. We’d say this team nailed it.

Micaiah Carter.

Watch for Harlow’s campaign across all aspects of media this month. Congrats, Winnie!