It’s that time again! After a rough year that’s maybe slowly getting better, Sephora is giving us a treat for spring. The Sephora spring sale for 2021 has the biggest deals ever from the retailer. It’s the perfect time to stock up on products you’ll use all-year-round, such as concealer and foundation, as well as some new launches. And there are many great ones to choose from.

Have you tried Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty yet? We can’t recommend it more. What about the new Ole Henriksen Wrinkle Blur Bakuchiol Eye Gel Crème? It’s all about skincare and self-care right now. The sale kicks off Friday, April 9 with the biggest deal: Sephora Collection is a whopping 30 percent off through April 19. Not sure what to grab? We recommend the new Best Skin Ever Foundation.

The rest of the deals depend on what tier you fall in. Insider is free to sign up regardless of how much you spend. VIB is for those who spend $350 or more per calendar year and Rouge is for those who spend $1,000 in the year. This year, Rouge members can shop starting Friday, April 9 with 20 percent off everything. You can show your email at checkout or use code OMGSPRING online. VIB members get 15 percent starting April 13 and Insiders get 10 percent off starting April 15.

Overwhelmed with what to shop? We’ll get you started with some of our favorites, below. Check back here and scoop them up before they sell out.

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.

Sephora.

Tatcha The Silk Powder Protective Setting Powder

This brand-new setting powder features the brand’s silk extract for smooth skin.

NARS.

NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

This lightweight, vitamin C-enriched tinted moisturizer just added 10 more shades.

Biossance.

Biossance Squalane+ Rose Vegan Lip Balm

This best-selling vegan lip balm now comes in a squeezable tube.

Sephora.

Huda Beauty #BombBrows Microshade Brow Pencil

There are eight natural-looking shades of this new ultra-fine brow pencil.

Oribe.

Oribe Gold Lust Nourishing Hair Oil

Add hydration and shine with this light multi-use oil.

Photographing children is one of the more challenging topics in learning photography. But you’re in luck. Children are one of my favourite subjects to photograph, and so I have a lot of experience.

That’s why I’d love to share a few tips with you and help you on your way in photographing the life of your kids and grandkids.

But first, let me tell you this. You are in a unique position as a grandparent. I’m sure your child, the parent of your grandkids, loves to photograph his or her kids. But you know what? Parents love to be IN the picture as well.

That’s the main motivation for people to ask me for a family session. So that years from now they have a document of what normal life looked like.

How the parents and kids interacted and what they used to do on a regular day. What the house the kids grew up in looked like, how they spent their Saturday afternoons, and what their favourite books, toys, and games were.

These types of candid moments are so valuable. I’d say they’re more valuable than the posed portraits we tend to make of our (grand)kids.

A Precious Gift

This is why I’d like you to grasp the importance and uniqueness of your position as a grandparent. Consider it your precious gift to your family.

Because you are a familiar face, they already feel comfortable around you. This is something I have to work on as a photographer who is not part of the family. It takes a little while for them to forget the camera and start to act naturally.

And you are in the position of being able to photograph the connection between ALL the family members.

So, are you ready for some super helpful tips for photographing your kids and grandkids?

#1 Be Prepared

When you are ready and prepared, the process will go a lot smoother. The thing about this type of photography is, you never know when a great photo opportunity comes along.

And it’s really disappointing when you’re photographing and, all of a sudden, your memory card is full or your battery has run out or you’re fumbling with your camera settings.

So first, make sure you have an empty memory card and a full battery in your camera. Ideally, you have a spare for both of them.

Secondly, shoot in the raw file format. This is an option you can preselect in your camera menu. Why is this important?

Because a raw file is like raw dough. You can bake a lot of different things from it (read make different edits).

Whereas a Jpeg file is a roll, or a croissant, or a loaf of bread. It has already been in the oven (read edited in your camera).

If you shoot in raw, you have more leeway in your exposure. If a raw file is overexposed, you can still ‘save’ it. An overexposed jpeg file is lost. And that’s very good news when you’re photographing situations that evolve quickly.

And thirdly, don’t be afraid to crank up your iso value. This is also something you can select before you start photographing.

The iso value determines the light sensitivity of the sensor. The higher the value the more sensitive your sensor becomes to the light.

This is important because, as you know, children move around a lot. They’re quick. And to keep your pics super sharp when your subject is moving, you need a fast shutter speed. The fast shutter speed freezes your moving grandkids giving you nice crisp pictures. And the high iso value evens out the fast shutter speed.

How fast, I hear you asking? Well, at least 1/250 of a second. Anything above that number will be fine as well.

Download the free Starter Photography Playbook if you’re not sure how to select those settings. It’s a step-by-step guide on how to photograph in Program Mode. Plus, it has some fun projects to practice your skills, so you are prepared for real-life situations.

#2 Make Use of the Available Light

What do I mean by that? Available light is the light that is already out there without adding light from your camera flash.

This is important because nothing kills a genuine moment better than the light of a flash. And having a flash go off in their face is also annoying for the people you’re photographing.

So, where to find beautiful available light? Obviously, natural light is your best friend. Whether it’s outside or inside the house.

But when it’s evening, there are a lot of options as well. The light from a lamp, or a computer screen, or the open door of the fridge. There are still plenty of photo opportunities when the sun has gone down. The thing is to open yourself up for the less obvious light sources. Once you do, you’ll see them all around you.

In low light situations like this, it becomes even more important to select a higher iso, so you end up with a well-exposed photo.

#3 Get Down to Their Level

Photographing children from your regular adult point of view makes them look smaller. That’s why it’s important to get down to their level. So get down on your knees and photograph your grandkids at their eye level.

Getting down to the level your subjects find themselves in also makes you more involved in what they’re doing. You stop being an outsider and become part of the situation. That’s when the magic actually happens.

There is no rule in photography that says you need to be detached to make a good photograph. I know many people believe that being ‘the fly on the wall’ is the right approach to candid photography. I’m not one of them.

On the contrary, actually. Being involved and becoming part of the scene you’re photographing will lead to more compelling and emotionally driven pictures.

And while you’re at it, try walking around and discover new angles to photograph a familiar situation.

#4 Focus on Interaction and Connection

Of course, you can photograph every little aspect of your children’s and grandchildren’s life.

But I’d suggest you focus on the aspects of their life your son or daughter cannot photograph themselves. And that’s the interaction and connection between the family members.

Think back to when you were raising your kids. How precious would it have been if you had photos of you reading a bedtime story, building sandcastles together, watching your son’s soccer game with the entire family, helping your daughter with homework, baking cookies together, practising the piano, or walking to school? Not only for you but for your children as well.

Make use of this special, unique and valuable position you have in your family’s life. Document it for them and for yourself.

#5 Go with the Flow

In this type of photography, it’s important to let the situation unfold and not interfere.

I know that’s not always easy. Because one of the things you have little control over is how your subjects will react to the camera. This can range from rehearsed looks, fake smiles, to turning away.

I know one thing for sure after years of photographing children. Asking them to act naturally makes them even more self-conscious and is not the way to go.

The best way to deal with this is to ease into the process. Just have your camera close by and interact first. Then, by the time they’ve forgotten about your camera, you start to make a few photos. This makes for a transition your subjects will hardly notice.

Sometimes it’s tempting to ask your subjects to do something funny or cute or epic again because you’ve missed the moment. Try to steer clear from that.

Because chances are they’ll do it again. The best approach is to have patience and anticipate the moment they do.

To sum it up, photograph whatever is happening, go with the flow, let life unfold, embrace the mess and most of all, have fun together.

Don’t forget to download the free Starter Photography Playbook to better understand your camera settings and practice your skills on inanimate subjects. Because you don’t want to miss those once in a lifetime moments!

Have you tried photographing your grandchildren? How often do they remain in the pose you asked them to? Do you have photo treasures of your kids and grandkids that you just love looking at?

Are you confused about the amounts and kinds of fat you should include in your diet? You’re not alone!

For decades, we have been advised to limit fats. But our bodies need certain types of fat throughout our lives.

The brain needs fat for its development during infancy and childhood and for normal function in adulthood. Fat is also needed for the absorption of some essential vitamins, the manufacturing of hormones and a wide range of normal metabolic activities.

Let’s explore the good, the debatable and the ugly when it comes to healthy aging and fat consumption.

The Good

The body needs certain types of fats – Omega-6s and Omega-3s. These polyunsaturated fats are called essential fatty acids (EFAs), because the body can’t function without them and can’t produce them on its own.

Omega-6s, found in animal foods, are necessary for proper body function, but, only in limited quantities, because they promote inflammation. Incidentally, inflammation is increasingly being linked to the development of chronic diseases.

In contrast, Omega-3s decrease inflammation. These anti-inflammatory compounds keep cell walls flexible, enabling efficient metabolic activities. They promote the production of protein and red blood cells and are also involved in weight regulation, oxygen transfer and recovery from muscle fatigue.

A healthful ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s is 4:1, but the typical American diet ratio is 20:1. So it’s not enough to consume Omega-3 fatty acids. We also need to make sure that we get enough of them to balance our consumption of other fats.

To improve your Omega-fats ratio, eat deep-water fatty fish, such as salmon, which are rich in Omega-3s. Chose wild-caught rather than farm-raised, most of which are confined and eat chemicalized food. Sardines are higher in Omega-3s than either salmon or tuna and are naturally high in vitamin D. Albacore tuna, pole- or troll-caught in the U.S. or Canada are the lowest in mercury. Despite being farm-raised, oysters are excellent sources of both Omega-3s and iron.

Plant sources of Omega-3s include avocados, olives, nuts and seeds. Because these foods undergo a conversion process from alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) to Omega-3 fatty acids, their anti-inflammatory impact is not as potent as fish Omega-3s.

In terms of oils made from these plant foods, choose virgin, cold-pressed varieties. Other types of oil, although less expensive, are processed using heat and harsh chemicals, which create dangerous free-radical molecules. Canola oil has been promoted for decades as a “healthy oil.” But because it is mostly produced from genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and by a chemical extraction process, it should be avoided.

The Debatable

Saturated fat, found in animal products, has to date been shown to increase LDL (bad) cholesterol, which has been linked to increased risk for heart disease and stroke.

However, a new analysis of 12 studies with a total of 300,000 participants, published in the prestigious British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2015, found no association between intake of saturated fat and the risks of heart disease, stroke, premature death and type 2 diabetes.

Another study from Finland from 2016 supports the BMJ findings. The researchers followed more than 1,000 healthy, middle-aged men for over 20 years and found no link between cholesterol in the diet and hardening of the heart’s arteries.

About one-third of the study participants had the ApoE4 gene, which predisposes them to both heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Even these high-risk men showed no effect from eating cholesterol rich foods.

Moderate consumption of whole eggs (seven per week), which each contains 185 mg of cholesterol and 5 grams of fat, can now be part of a healthy diet, according to Harvard’s Nutrition Source.

Even the new federal Dietary Guidelines for Americans no longer limit cholesterol intake to 300 mg/day. But the government and professional associations don’t go far enough, insists Mark Hyman, MD, director of the Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Functional Medicine and author of the newly released book Eat Fat, Get Thin.

Read more about this, including the benefits of coconut oil, considered a saturated fat, on my blog.

The Ugly

One of the most serious threats to our health is trans-fat.

Trans-fat is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Food makers put vegetable oil through a chemical process to solidify the liquid oil for use in food products.

The same BMJ study that looked at saturated fat consumption found that people who ate trans-fat were 34% more likely to die from all causes, 28% more likely to die from heart disease and 21% more likely to develop heart disease.

Trans-fats are commonly found in packaged, processed foods, such as cookies and crackers and in margarine. The FDA finally banned trans-fats in 2018. “Partially hydrogenated” is another term on food labels that means you should avoid those products.

So, there you have it. When it comes to healthy aging, making sure that you have the right balance of fats in your diet can make a world of difference. This means, making sure that you get enough Omega-3 fats and avoiding trans-fats at all cost.

Do you pay attention to the types of fats in your foods? Do you make an effort to make sure that you get plenty of Omega-3 fats? What other healthy lifestyle changes have you made recently? Please join the conversation.

Whether you’re vegan or not, carmine—the ingredient that makes lipstick, red velvet cake and candy so red—is pretty icky. If you didn’t already know, carmine is derived from crushed bodies of cochineal insects. It’s in so many cosmetics and food products, it’s almost impossible to avoid directly though many vegans try. That’s why Hourglass created the Confession Lipstick Red 0. The special-edition shade is a totally vegan red hue.

Not to gross you out even more, but there are 70,000 insects in one pound of carmine, which means there could be as many as 1,000 insects used in a single lipstick. So, why even use it? Well, mostly because it’s cheap and easy. There are numerous vegan carmine alternatives including beetroot and sweet potato. But it’s still difficult to get an ultra-vibrant red using these plant-based options.

According to Hourglass, the brand worked for three years to come up with its own vegan carmine so you don’t have to sacrifice color when going for vegan options. Checking out the ingredients, it looks like Hourglass uses iron oxide as a base and brightens with dyes red 33 and red 7, as well as other patent-pending ingredients. The FDA lists these red dyes as a safe additive for cosmetics, but things get complicated when you’re working with eyeshadow and liner as it can be harmful to the eyes.

Here, we’re talking lipstick. A gorgeous true red color that looks great on all skin tones.

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.

Hourglass.

The creamy, long-wearing color has a satin finish and comes in a badass red tube adorned with a beetle. It’s pricey, but the applicator can be used with the full collection of Confession Lipstick Refills ($22 at Hourglass) so you can choose from 32 other nudes, mauves, pinks, berries and reds when you’ve gotten to the end of Red 0.

Bugs are gross but here’s to letting them live their happy little lives.