It sounds hard to believe after more than a year, but soon we won’t be wearing masks every day. I know. It’s going to feel so weird! Maybe now you’re taking yours off to have dinner outside with a friend or having a small get-together. And you know what that means? Lipstick is back. Luckily, ColourPop is having a lipstick sale so you can show off your pucker and not just your eye makeup.

This isn’t just any makeup sale. This is probably the best it’s going to get when it comes to lipstick. All lip products are buy one, get one free for two days. (And we wouldn’t be surprised if ColourPop extended it a bit.) This includes most of the brand’s buzzy launches, including the Lizzie McGuire collection. Right now only Make It Black and Animal Crossing products are excluded.

Pick up lip gloss and plumping gloss, matte lipstick, liquid lippies, cream lipstick and even lip scrub. Hurry before your favorite shades are gone.

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.

ColourPop.

Health Kick Lux Gloss

A warm chocolate with pink and gold pinpoints.

ColourPop.

Fly Like Me So Juicy Plumping Gloss

A cool toned baby pink with hot pink pinpoints.

ColourPop.

Little Snow Crème Lux Lipstick

A creamy pink raspberry.

ColourPop.

Prairie Home Lippie Stix

A brick red.

ColourPop.

Bubblegum Pop Lippie Scrub

A gentle sugar scrub that smells like bubblegum.

Anyone in the field of art or design will tell you that there are days when they don’t feel very creative. That can be scary.

If your rent relies on you churning out new work, it can be very stressful to go through times where you just don’t want to even think about your art, never mind actually make anything. Especially if those days stretch into weeks!

Even for those who practice art solely for their own pleasure will begin to feel the drag on their life without the joy of “making” in it.

Don’t Let a Day Go By

I had a teacher once who told his students never to let a day go by without practicing your art. Does that sound exhausting? What if it’s just sketching your ideas – big, loose, messy sketches? Too much? Maybe it’s just scrolling though the many color palettes on the Pantone site?

There have been some days where scrolling has been all the creative energy I could muster. But then something in the purple and green color combination was plucked from the pages and stored in some small compartment in my tiny brain to be retrieved one day in the work studio.

Maybe recharging your muse could be as simple as keeping an open journal when you travel. By “open” journaling I mean keeping a notebook for little drawings and all those great inspirational thoughts that can happen spontaneously when we’re relaxed. My notebook is mostly written thoughts with only a few drawings, but it works for me.

Love for the Magical Colours of a New Place

My husband and I moved to Israel in 2010 for three short years. When I disembarked and had my first long look at Tel Aviv I was delighted to find that the sky appeared pink. The color permeated the air and gave it a mystical, magical feeling. We arrived mid-summer and the air was damp; the heat was so palpable it was as though you’d opened an oven door to check the roast. I didn’t mind.

I loved the pink desert sand air and the brilliant sun and the broad expanse of the Mediterranean Sea. I loved the ancient history that was evident everywhere I looked. I loved the many colors and spicy smells of the Arab market and the incessant song of the Bedouin boy as he tried to entice passers-by to his display of tandoori pots or many scarves.

I began to incorporate the magic into my work. I bought strands of pinkish purpled spiny oyster and weaved those bits of sea shell amongst my glass beads. The rods of glass that I was adding to my (already large) supply ran to the blues of the sea and sky and the ambers of the sand.

Israel had begun to feed my muse.

An Inspirational Workspace Filled with Energy

I’ve always filled my work space with things that inspire me. Photos of places I love, pictures ripped from magazines for the color combinations or the image itself. Bits of quotes – even just things that make me feel good by looking at them. Here is one of my many work spaces.

Oddly, keeping your muse satisfied sometimes comes in the form of commiseration. It can alleviate pressure to perform if you realize that you’re in good company. It helps to know that other artists/writers have experienced precisely what you are going through.

Do some research and find those same souls. Find out what they do to ease their way over the bump. Will it work for you as well?

A search for ‘feeding your muse’ will reveal that it’s as we suspect! We’re not alone! The Skinny Artist and The CanDo Ideas are a couple of sites that you may find interesting.

In the end, it all feeds our Muse. For the creative person, everything is to be studied, turned over, tasted, digested and ruminated over until it has been completely processed. That may take hours, or it may feel like a dry spell and take weeks. It’s all a matter of time.

Relax, pour yourself a cup of tea and go through the latest issue of Quilts. Your next masterpiece may just be in there somewhere.

Where do you go to connect with your creative Muse? Do you keep a journal or bulletin board? Is there a workspace you dedicate to your art? What crafts do you love to do? Please share in the comments.

Keeping up with your dental hygiene can be tricky in our busy, modern lives. Maintaining teeth and gums’ health can feel like an uphill battle. However, with the right preventative steps, maintaining good oral hygiene doesn’t have to be such a struggle.

As we get older – and especially as we pass 60 – it’s common to start to worry more about the state of our teeth and gums. However, maintaining a healthy smile is not only important in terms of oral hygiene, but it can also help to improve your overall health as well.

So, how can we ensure that our teeth are being taken care of and what steps should you be taking to make sure that trips to the dentist aren’t something you dread? Below, I’ve outlined five simple ways that you can take to look after your teeth after 60.

Maintain Your Cleaning Regime

My first tip is a basic but important one. Sticking to a regular cleaning regime is one of the most important factors for maintaining good dental health. Make sure that you’re brushing your teeth at least twice per day.

There’s a bit of debate around whether brushing your teeth before or after you eat is better – and it’s often dependent on the type of food you’ve eaten – although, it’s widely accepted that the safest rule is to brush before you eat.

However, if you feel that you need to brush your teeth after eating then you can still do so, but The American Dental Association recommends waiting between 30-60 minutes after eating before brushing.

As well as regular brushing, rinsing your mouth with fluoride mouthwash also helps to look after your teeth. Fluoride helps to fight cavities and prevent tooth decay. It’s found in most mouthwash products, as well as in a lot of normal bottled water, so have a look at the ingredients label and rinse your mouth with the liquid once a day.

While a regular brushing and mouthwash regime is important, these can only do so much. Alongside these, try to make sure that you’re flossing your teeth as well. Flossing helps to remove plaque and tartar build-up from in between your teeth, an area that’s hard to reach for a toothbrush. Try to do this once a day if you can and you’ll reap the rewards in the long run.

Keep Up with Your Dentist Visits

The best way to avoid the dread of having to go to the dentist is to keep up with regular visits. Check-ups every six months will play a significant role in keeping your teeth and gums healthy and will help to avoid the need for more extensive treatment.

Don’t wait until something hurts to call your dentist or book an appointment online. As we pass 60, the nerves in our mouth lose some of their sensitivity, which means that even a small pain in a tooth could be the sign of something more serious. Visiting your dentist every six months will help to catch any potential issues before they escalate.

While you’re at the dentist, it’s also worth investing in professional teeth cleaning. Getting a check-up from your dentist is vital in looking after your dental health; however, while you’re there, a professionally performed cleaning session will really help to keep your teeth healthy.

Having this done every six months will play a big role in helping to prevent unwanted issues from cropping up in the future.

Invest in Dental Care

Teeth are strong, but wear and tear are inevitable, and sometimes the need for treatment is unavoidable – despite the best efforts of our regular cleaning regimes. If you’re in the position where your dentist has recommended that you undergo a dental treatment, don’t put it off.

Investing in a restorative treatment like dental implant surgery might feel daunting, but this will really help to ensure that you don’t need to undergo further work in the future.

The costs of dental care can be a barrier to treatment for many. In fact, studies have shown that nearly 25% of over 65s haven’t seen their dentist in the last five years. If you find that prices for treatment are out of reach, then consider travelling abroad.

Some of the most renowned dentists are based at clinics throughout Europe, where prices are also usually substantially lower than the UK or US.

Cut Down the Bad Habits

Nothing will play a bigger role in helping to look after your teeth after 60 than cutting down on bad habits like smoking and alcohol intake. Reducing your tobacco intake will significantly decrease your risk of developing oral cancer.

The average age for patients being diagnosed with oral cancer is 60 and with the initial signs of this cancer often easy to miss, it’s especially important that you do all you can to reduce the risks.

Alongside cutting down the bad habits, it’s important to keep an eye on any signs that could potentially point to the development of oral cancer.

Things such as a mouth sore that doesn’t heal, teeth that are loose, pain or difficulties swallowing, and a white or red patch inside your mouth, can all potentially be symptoms of oral cancer. If you notice any of these, get it checked with your dentist as soon as you can to ensure it’s nothing serious.

Keep Dentures Clean

Unwanted bacteria can stick to dentures in the same way as they do with real teeth. Therefore, it’s really important to make sure that you clean them at least once every day. Use special denture cleaning products for this and avoid cleaning them with regular toothpaste as this can be too abrasive and may potentially damage the dentures.

Another important point is to take your dentures out for a few hours each day. This can help to keep the lining of your mouth healthy. You should certainly take them out at night. However, you can always get more specific guidance on this from your dentist, who will be able to provide more advice based on your individual situation.

What teeth issues have you suffered lately? Have you noticed changes in your teeth’s health after 60? Did retirement change your teeth routine and frequency of dentist visits? Please share what you do to keep your teeth healthy.

Telling old stories can be so fun. Thinking about past vacations or remembering events with our friends can be so entertaining. I love revisiting stories about my children when they were young or rehashing tales of my youth with childhood friends.

So, why would I write this article? What could be wrong with reminiscing? I often see two versions of remembering that create weight loss obstacles.

“It Was So Much Better Then”

Sometimes when we fondly reminisce, our thoughts can sound like, “I wish it were like that again.” We may think we were “healthier,” “thinner,” or somehow “better” then. At this point you might want to yell at me “but that is true, I was healthier then.” It really doesn’t matter if it is factually true or not.

My question for you is – is that thought keeping you from changing? Our reflections can sometimes keep us stuck as we decide that we can’t achieve what we want because “that was a thing of the past” and “not possible now.”

We innocently speak of “the good old days, when we could eat anything and not gain weight.” Or we pine for when we were younger when “it was easy” because of our “fast metabolism.” Again, I am not debating if these thoughts are true or false, I am offering that they are not helpful to us.

These thoughts can stop our weight loss actions in the present if we believe that something about the past was so different and better than it is now, and that the difference makes it impossible to accomplish it today. The process may look different and require different actions, but of course it IS possible, trust me.

“It Has Always Been This Way”

Another way reminiscing stops us from losing weight is when we look to our past for evidence of how weight loss has not been, and therefore will never be, possible for us.

We think back to all the times we may have tried before and failed or how we lost weight, just to gain it back. Just like the other version of reminiscing, I am not concerned if these thoughts are facts or not. Thinking that what happened in the past determines how it has to be in the future is what stops us.

Letting Go of the Past “Old You”

Recognize if you are using your past to keep yourself from losing weight now. You may be saying things to yourself like, “I have never been able to keep the weight off before, why would I now?” or “I used to be thin, it used to be so easy.” Any version of identifying with your past can possibly keep you from change.

I’m not suggesting that you burn all of your old photo albums or quit telling the great old stories of you and your family and friends. But examine how much you might be identifying with the person of the past and know that she can be left there. Decide which parts of her come with you today and go with you tomorrow. You get to pick every single day.

The Process of Eliminating These Thoughts

This is the interesting part. There is no process. Just stop thinking them. It can really be as easy as that. You are not the person of the past.

We don’t ever have to be anything like we were in the past if we don’t want to. None of it. We can be completely different today if that’s our desire. You could be completely different starting right now, that is possible! People do it.

I have seen clients get a health scare, and immediately change everything they do. I have worked with clients that were overweight and not healthy and decided one day to change the way they ate and moved and never went back to their old ways. Like a switch got flipped.

I think it is so fun and empowering to know that we can be completely different in any way that we chose, today, right now. The past really doesn’t have any power over who we are, unless we let it.

If you would like help imagining a new healthy version of yourself and why that vision matters, download Robin’s New You Worksheet.

Where are you using the past as a reason to believe that weight loss is not really possible now? Have you ever just decided something and made a change in an instant? Have you forgotten that it is possible? Who do you want to be? You get to decide – every day.