Einstein
said, “I live in that solitude which is painful in youth but delicious in the
years of maturity.”

I live
there too, these days. It’s new to me, brought on by shifting circumstances and
changing times. Over the past few years, I struggled through a period of being
increasingly disappointed in others and desperately longing for connection, passion,
and fulfillment.

When I finally
realized the only way to find that for which I longed was to look to myself, everything
started to shift.

My Own Company

It was not easy, especially after living my entire adult life as an extrovert who thrived on the energy and attention of others. But change is sometimes essential, especially when it arrives as a hard lesson discovered through tears and frustration.

Suddenly,
one morning hiking alone, because there was no one around to join me – again – I realized
how much I enjoyed the solitude.

So, I made
it a habit and now regularly head off alone to explore the hills and the
recesses of my own mind, wonderfully accessible within the silence. I now enjoy
being alone to think, observe, feel, and just be with myself.

The more
time I spend alone with my thoughts the more I find answers to the questions
and dilemmas that challenge me in my new era of learning to find purpose beyond
my career, in a body that is changing in so many unforeseen ways, and relating
to relationships that are different than expected.

I have
begun to understand I am the one person in my life who is constant, on whom I can
count, and with whom I can find contentment.

It wasn’t
really a conscious shift, more of a series of “ah-ha” moments that occurred
after spending more and more time pursuing what interested me whether or not
there was someone else with whom to enjoy it. I have grown into the mature
years that Einstein was referring to and it is quite wonderful.

So, what
changed? How am I now more fulfilled and happier to be alone instead of
struggling with an unrelenting need for companionship? It seems to come down to
a few simple realizations.

It Starts with Doing What You Love – Alone

I focus on
what I like to do, what brings me joy, not on the relationship to the person
with whom I share it.

I love to
hike. But, for years, I would only go when I had a partner, which meant I
missed out when others were busy or would cancel last minute.

I started
heading out alone instead of cancelling on myself, and I found I enjoyed it
even more. I go where I please, at my own pace, and am free to pause in
reflection, which brings a deeper satisfaction to my outings.

They are
still a strenuous workout but now I have the added benefit of spending time in
my own mind without distraction. I now hike alone nearly every morning.

You Can Really Get to Know Yourself in the Silence

Exploring my
own thoughts, listening intently to the voice that serves as my guide through my
feelings and emotions, brought rewarding insights. But I needed to be quiet to
hear it.

So, in
addition to spending time alone hiking and biking, I’ve started doing other
creative endeavors that allow my mind to wander. I bought a starter kit of
acrylic paints and have enjoyed discovering not only my creativity but the ideas
that reveal themselves while my mind is open and unencumbered.

I also
write every morning, releasing to paper whatever is on my mind as I awaken to a
new day. I have come to understand myself, my desires, and my boundaries much
more clearly because of it.

When You Are with Others, Go Deep

I still
enjoy good company and loving relationships with those in my life. But I find I
have less tolerance these days for idle chit chat.

Instead, I
seek intimate conversation, honest sharing of ideas, and emotions that cut
through what’s happening and get to how we feel about what’s happening. It’s a
subtle but important distinction.

Life Becomes More About Achieving Balance

I’m not seeking
a monastic life, rather, one of balance, with time devoted to self and the
company of loved ones, and a well-chosen group of friends and acquaintances who
contribute to my well-being and happiness.

When I
feel the need for companionship, and none of my friends are available, I join a
meetup group to go hiking or participate in a writing group. It’s amazing how
easily a stranger can become a friend given the right circumstance.

Don’t Run from It

The world can be a chaotic place sometimes, and in order to comfortably settle into solitude, we need to seek out silence and inspiration. Take a chance. Give it a try. Choose something you enjoy and do it alone a few times, just to see how it feels.

Spend some
time with yourself, listen to your inner voice, and really hear what it has to
say. You might find, as I did, and as Einstein did, that it’s delicious.

How much
time do you spend on your own? Do you revel in it or do you try to run from it?
What activities can you do on your own? Do you find you enjoy them more? Please
join the conversation!

When I first met Ariane Poole more than six years ago, I knew that she had an empowering message to share with our community. Her emphasis on positive aging was refreshing and her practical makeup tips were exactly what our community had been asking for.

Who Is Ariane Poole?

Ariane Poole is a celebrity makeup artist. She has worked with women of all ages, helping them to discover makeup and use smart techniques to look and feel their best. She is passionately focused on positive aging, not anti-aging.

Ariane believes that contemporary makeup formulations and techniques can be used to highlight your best features and manage any small areas that you feel need a little enhancing!

Start with Healthy Skin

Ariane says that cleansing, exfoliating and protecting your skin is essential to getting the look that you want at any age. Keeping your skin healthy also gives you a good foundation to work with as you apply your makeup.

She points out that you can spend all the money in the world on expensive foundation, eyeshadow, and concealer, but they will be useless unless you keep your skin healthy. This is especially true as we age.

Here Are Ariane’s Top 14 Beauty Tips for Older Women

Ariane has developed these simple techniques during her years of experience and says they are perfect for us, mature women.

#1: Use Primer

Primer evens out the skin and holds lighter weight foundations in place. Consider a tinted primer which gives the benefits of a primer, moisturizer, and foundation all in one.

PREP & HYDRATE PRIMER from Lancôme is an illuminating primer that plumps the skin leaving it hydrated and glowing.

Bare Minerals offers the Prime Time BB Primer-Cream Daily Defense with a tint that acts like a BB cream. Also, it has an SPF30.

#2: Use Lighter Weight Foundation

Don’t use heavy cream foundations or powders that create an unnatural mask. Instead, use a lightweight luminous formulation that will create a more natural look.

Simply Ageless +Olay Liquid Foundation is where Covergirl meets Olay. This moisturizer and Vitamin C infused foundation evens out your skin tone. Hyaluronic acid delivers firming hydration.

#3: Use a Foundation Brush

Apply foundation with a brush instead of a sponge. It will give you better coverage and longer-lasting results.

Wonder Cover Complexion Brush is a foundation brush from EcoTools that works great with liquid and cream foundations.

#4: Apply Concealer After Your Foundation

If you are a foundation person, always apply concealer after foundation rather than before. This way you can place it exactly where you need it, and you’ll use less product. It also looks much more natural.

#5: Put Concealer in the Right Place

Apply concealer on the top of the cheekbone, not right under the eye. This allows the light to reflect back up to hide any dark circles that you may have. Look straight ahead into a mirror. Now tip your chin down and look into the mirror. This will emphasize the dark circle and help to apply concealer in the right place.

#6: Go Darker with Concealer

When trying to deemphasize age spots, apply a slightly darker shade of concealer than you think you need. Remember that putting light concealer on a dark spot doesn’t work and will make it look ashy.

#7: Mix Concealer Shades to Cover Pigmentation

After you have applied your favorite foundation, mix a combination of shades from a concealer palette, like this Graftobian HD Glamour Creme Palette, to match your natural skin tone. Apply it only to the areas that need extra coverage.

#8: Use This Trick to Shape Natural Brows

Brush your eyebrows down, draw a light line along the top of the brow line and then brush the brows up again. The Estée Lauder Brow Multi-Tasker is a great tool for this job.

#9: Use a “Cream to Powder” Eyeshadow

Apply a long-lasting “cream to powder” eyeshadow on the lid. Do not extend the color beyond the end of the eye because this can make your face look tired and accentuates jowls.

PRO LONGWEAR PAINT POT by MAC comes in several natural colors and can be worn solo or combined with complementary shades. As the name suggests, it is designed to stay put all day without creasing.

#10: Choose the Right Mascara

Since we want our lashes to look full and lush, avoid lengthening and curling mascaras and choose a thickening formula.

Read our Best Mascaras for Older Women article to find your next favorite mascara.

#11: Try Navy Blue

Use eyeliner and mascara in a navy blue color instead of black in order to make your eyes look whiter.

Great Lash® Royal Blue Washable Mascara from Maybelline is a best-seller that gives a pop of color to flatter all eye colors. It’s also very affordable!

#12: Use Illuminators and Highlighter Correctly

Do not use a highlighter pen as a concealer. Instead, use it on the outer and inner corners of the eyes to light up the face and make your eyes sparkle.

#13: Apply Your Blush Lower

Apply cream blush, such as the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks, with a brush and place it on the apple of your cheek. Smile to find the right spot. This placement is lower than you might think, but the technique gives more emphasis to the eyes and less to the wrinkles.

#14: Make Your Lips Voluptuous

First, place a little highlighter above your lips. Then apply a natural color liner, such as the M.A.C. Lip Pencil, on the outer edge of your lip line rather than inside. This will make your lips look naturally fuller and your lipstick will stay on longer.

Let’s take a look at a few extra useful tips and tricks when it comes to makeup for older women. Do seasons matter? Do you need to do your eye makeup a special way if you wear glasses?

All About Seasons and Makeup

Summer Makeup Tips

You might want to switch your heavier foundation to a CC cream in the hotter months. CC creams have quite good coverage. They provide better coverage than tinted moisturizers, but they’re more lightweight than a foundation. So, in the summer months, this can be something to look for.

If you are looking for more coverage, add some concealer in the areas you need, for example, age spots.

You can put powder just in the t-zone where you get a little shiny, not all over your face. You don’t want to look too matte in summer because of how the sun hits your face – it doesn’t work very well.

Too shiny? Try a shine-absorbing sheet, available in most pharmacies and drug stores.

Want to achieve a Faux Summer Glow? We all know the risks of getting too much sun, but that doesn’t mean we have to forfeit that radiant glow. Applying non-metallic bronzers such as Bobbi Brown Bronzers or Christian Dior Bronzers with a large brush around our hairline, jawline, across our cheekbones, and down our necks will create a fresh, contoured look that isn’t harmful to our skin.

Hay Fever, Seasonal Allergies, and Makeup

During the hay fever season, try to keep your eye makeup simple. For example, use one simple eye shadow. Use a waterproof liner, if you’re going to use one. Try not using anything underneath – if you can get away with it.

Water-proof mascara is a savior during this time of the year. You may only use it for a few months of the year, but it can make a big difference! This is one of my favorite makeup tips for older women.

Use a white pencil on the inside of your eyes if they are irritated, to camouflage the redness. White pencils are ophthalmologically tested and won’t additionally irritate your eyes. However, be careful to use one that is a creamy white, not a blue-white. The blue-white ones tend to look like Tipp-Ex.

Fall/Winter Makeup Tips

Autumn and winter are seasons filled with change – changing weather, changing the clocks, even changing over to a new year! That makes this the perfect time of year to change up your makeup routine and try out some fun fall trends. Try darker shades on your eyes and lips. Green and navy eye shadows suit all eye colors.

Spring Makeup Tips

The perfect, fresh look for spring includes splashes of color in your makeup kit. Ariane suggests combining intense shades with softer, more subtle hues to create a look that pops with your personality and your skin tone.

Makeup and Glasses

It’s good to remember that if you’re nearsighted, your lens prescription can have a shrinking effect on your eyes. In this case, you want to do as much as possible to open up your eyes and make them look larger.

If you’re far-sighted, your prescription can often magnify your eyes thus pulling focus from the rest of your face. Hence, it’s important to ‘balance’ your face makeup. One way to do this is to consider wearing slightly brighter or bolder lip color.

Since wearing glasses changes how others perceive the depth and dimension of your eyes, use a darker color in your crease – and slightly above your crease if you have hooded eyes – to add more dimension.

Note: A key to many makeup techniques for women 60+ is to work against gravity by applying eye shadow, liner, and blush in an upward sweep.

Balance Your Eyebrows with Your Frames

Give your face more dimension by making sure your eyebrows ‘fit’ with the look of your frames. If your frames are thick and bold, consider keeping your eyebrows more neutral, simply fill in any sparse areas with eyebrow powder, pencil, or pomade.

You can give more emphasis to your eyebrows if you wear plain or rimless frames. Always keep your eyebrows well-groomed, even if your frames cover them.

Using an eyelash curler to curl your lashes not only prevents them from brushing against your lenses, but it also lifts your lashes to allow more light to reach your eyes and make them look larger.

That’s it! 14 simple tips to improve your makeup and beauty regime. Armed with this list, you can update your technique and make the best of the new products. Have fun experimenting with makeup and achieving a natural, fresh, and positive appearance.

Which of these makeup tips did you find most useful? Which one surprised you? What one question would you like to ask Ariane regarding how to get the most from your makeup? Please join the conversation!

Tayshia Adams’ Red Dress on the Men Tell All

The Bachelorette Season 17 Episode 8 Fashion

Based on what we’ve seen so far, Tayshia Adams looks totally red-y to go as co-host of The Men Tell All this season in her sexy red leather dress. And while the real thing may be a bit of a splurge at $1,475, luckily we’ve also found some more affordable Style Stealer options that still definitely have that same va-va-voom. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her Rick Owens Dress

Click Here to Shop Her Giuseppe Zanotti Sandals

Click Here For Additional Stock

Click Here for Details on Katie Thurston’s Dress

Click Here for Details on Kaitlyn Bristowe’s Dress

The Bachelorette Airs MONDAY, JULY. 26 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Craig Sjodin)

Originally posted at: Tayshia Adams’ Red Dress on the Men Tell All

Many of us look forward to the day we retire. As our professional lives wind down, that moment we can finally leave it all behind beckons us like a Promised Land.

I retired from a demanding career five years ago, and I can say that much of that promised bliss is real. It wasn’t a chore to abandon the alarm clock, stay in yoga pants all day, or plan vacations. 

But I also discovered that this retirement “thing” was a little more complicated than I thought it would be. I could find myself at a loss. Missing all the… structure. Conversation. Purpose?

Retirement can be harder than it looks. 

So, I started a quest to make the path easier as I created a life beyond “work.” I did some digging; I talked with other women. And I learned these three things along the way.

Say “No” to “Should” 

Working in the world gives us warm and fuzzy feelings about how productive we are. How much we’re contributing. We often associate our relevance with productivity, and we want to remain relevant as we age.

But one gift of a retired life is that we can release what we believe we should do or what we need to accomplish and embrace what we want to do, what feels right for us at the time.

Does that email have to go out today? Will that laundry get just as clean tomorrow? Is accepting that invitation going to lighten me up or drag me down?

We may need a system upgrade to Productivity 2.0… our own version what’s critical or important. That might include eliminating a lot of “shoulds.”

And that’s OK.

Establish Some Routine

Rituals contribute to a healthy daily life. Establishing new ones after we leave our jobs can be tricky.

Make the transition to retirement easier by continuing to use a calendar. Mark down events, create a plan. Even if it’s just simply noting trips to the market or dental appointments. Calendars have a way of making us feel productive… especially if you like to check items off a list.

Celebrate the ritual of “real meals.” They don’t have to be fancy. But they’re certainly more than the ones we used to eat on the fly, at a desk, or in the car. 

Set regular times for rising in the morning and turning off the light at night. That signals our bodies that there’s a tempo to life. And we may discover we get a more restful sleep.

We can create our own rhythms in this season of life, ones that suit a retired lifestyle and are free from previous constraints.

Cultivate Meaningful Relationships

A social network is important for a rich retired life. We need relationships to thrive. 

But it can be difficult to find community when we lose the convenience of the workplace. Some of us left behind lifelong friends when we left our jobs. At the very least, we left behind cordial interactions that lightened our days. 

Retirement is an opportunity to explore new outlets for social interaction. Community organizations and Meetup groups are two options. Involving ourselves in causes that inspire us is another. Or it can be as simple as visiting with a neighbor we were too busy to talk with in the past.

Some avenues will be dead ends, but our efforts to find soulful connections are worth it if we’re to have a happy retired life.

Life will never be blissful all the time, retired or not. But feeling fulfilled is possible (and very likely) once we leave full-time work behind. 

Deciding how that looks on our own terms can be the best feeling of all.

Have you hit some bumps on the road to a happy retired life? What have you done to make the transition easier? Let’s have a conversation!

Is there anything better than getting your hair cut and/or colored, leaving the salon and feeling like a supermodel? No, we don’t think there is. But because of the current climate, seeing your hairstylist might not be as easy and getting your split ends cut off or your roots done might just be a quick in-and-out appointment without all the fun. That’s one reason why we’re so obsessed with actors and influencers who switch up their look on a dime. We’re jealous, sure, but it’s also aspirational AF. So, we’re rounding up the best celebrity hair makeovers of 2021 as they come so you can drool with us.

Though, it’s not just about drooling over these looks. Saving this page and referring back to it at the hair salon can help you decide if curtain bangs or a bob is right for you. Hairstylists actually love when you show them photos because they can get a real feel of the vibe you’re looking for and can adjust the look into something that suits your wants and needs. This goes for color, too. Did you ask for balayage when you really meant a shadow root? It’s easier to just give examples of what you want.

Some of these celebrity looks aren’t permanent. Stars love to play around with wigs, extensions and faux bangs. But there’s nothing wrong with that. Real or faux, we’re taking inspo from our favorites to figure out our next look for 2021 and beyond.

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.

Source: Instagram

Emma Chamberlain

Do you hear that? That’s the sound of all of Gen Z making a hair appointment to copy Chamberlain’s cool-girl bangs.

Source: Instagram

Jennie

The Blackpink singer slays with Y2K-style full bangs. She credited hairstylist Preston Wada for the chop.

Source: Instagram

Margot Robbie

The actor covers this month’s British Vogue looking like a ’70s supermodel with caramel blonde hair and new bangs.

Source: Instagram

Paris Jackson

Y2K beauty and fashion are trending like crazy. Just take a look at Paris Jackson’s color-block hair. We’re loving the emerald green shade poking out from under her blond hair.

Source: Instagram

Florence Pugh

The actress is giving us Y2K vibes with pastel purple ends. We’re not sure who did the color (maybe she did it herself?) but the gorgeous waves were created by hairstylist Peter Lux.

Instagram.

Demi Lovato

Mullets are trending like crazy and apparently, Demi Lovato got the memo. The front of her hair is short and the back is all the way past her shoulders.

Instagram.com/sophiet.

Sophie Turner 

Just a week after debuting piece-y bangs, the Game of Thrones star went fully red! She shared a cute mirror photo wearing Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour merch and showing off her matching red Casetify Cottage Core case.

Source: Instagram

Ciara

“Pelirroja,” Ciara wrote on Instagram. (Pelirroja is Spanish for redhead.) The singer is looking stunning with long ginger hair giving off a bit of a sexy princess Ariel vibe.

Instagram.com/sophiet.

Sophie Turner 

“Ya gal’s bang’d up,” the Game of Thrones star wrote on Instagram stories over the weekend. The choppy, piece-y style is different from the blunt bangs we’ve seen her rock before. We love this low-key fringe for summer because it’s easy to pin back or grow into curtain bangs.

Source: Instagram

Kim Kardashian

We’ve seen the media mogul try just about every hairstyle but the lob will always be our favorite. This one has a gorgeous curled-under ’70s vibe.

TikTok.

Charli D’Amelio

We’re obsessing over D’Amelio’s new chop with ’90s-style layers that feel so fresh for summer.

Source: Instagram

Miranda Cosgrove

She’s back, baby! Hairstylist Clayton Hawkins gave Cosgrove pretty blonde highlights for the iCarly revival.

Instagram.com/kimkardashian.

Kim Kardashian

Look who’s blonde again! But it was only for a few hours. Kardashian was shooting an upcoming campaign either for KKW Beauty or Skims. She actually did get her eyebrows bleached and we actually loved the look with her naturally dark hair. But then when they put the blonde wing on it was like, whoa. Right before she left the studio, she snapped a photo showing us she’s back to brunette again, including the brows.

Source: Instagram

Sabrina Carpenter

Say goodbye to curtain bangs and hello to ‘Bardot bangs!’ Hairstylist Laurie Heaps gave Sabrina Carpenter piece-y bombshell bangs inspired by the iconic French star Brigitte Bardot. We’re obsessed.

Source: Instagram

Selena Gomez

In an Instagram photo promoting her beauty brand, Rare Beauty, in April 2021, Gomez showed off her newly dyed blonde hair. The picture saw the former Disney Channel star light blonde tresses and dark roots. She most recently dyed her hair blonde in 2017 in a color dubbed by her hairstylist Nikki Lee as “Nirvana Blonde.” Gomez’s 2021 color was also done by Lee and Riawna Capri. “We’ve been doing Selena’s color for over a decade now. She typically keeps it pretty natural, but this time she went for a big change. This blonde is unique to her as we had to make sure there was an equal balance of cool and warm for her skin tone. It’s an edgier look and perfect for summer,” the hairstylists said in a statement.

https://twitter.com/eolsenarchive/status/1372591228886396930

Elizabeth Olsen

At the virtual launch of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier miniseries, Olsen debuted a totally different look from her usual copper-blonde hair. The bangs! The darker color! So chic.

Source: Instagram

Chrissy Teigen

We love how Teigen is playing around with wigs lately and experimenting with hair color. Although she only kept the silver shade for a day, we hope she brings it back. It looks amazing on her.

Source: Instagram

Kristen Bell

It seems like Bell is dressed up in character to film a TV show or movie but we’re loving these piecey bangs on her and we hope she keeps them up IRL.

Source: Instagram

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

While filling us in on the Covid-19 relief package, AOC showed off her adorable new haircut. When followers commented saying they loved the chop, she replied, “Let’s not start another national crisis over it, right?”

Source: Instagram

Gigi Hadid

The model mom returned to the runway, walking in the Versace fall 2021 show. Hairstylist Panos Papandrianos wrote “Ginger for Gigi” on Instagram, making us believe he really did dye the model’s hair this gorgeous red shade for the occasion.

Source: Instagram

Olivia Rodrigo

The ‘Drivers License’ singer jumped on the curtain bang trend thanks to hairstylist Clayton Hawkins. They’re subtle but make a big difference in her look. One interesting note: Sabrina Carpenter has them too.

Source: Instagram

Lana Condor

The actress looks so great in this pastel pink wig, maybe she’s considering doing it IRL? “Get ‘Anyone Else But You; to 5 mil streams and I’ll keep it,” she wrote on Instagram. Though, she told STYLECASTER last year, “I don’t know that I’d ever dye dye my hair. I think my mom would kill me, you’d know?”

Source: Instagram

Ashley Graham

The model had everyone thinking maybe she got a pixie cut but her hair is actually the result of new growth post hair loss. “Postpartum baby hairs come through!” she wrote on Instagram.

Source: Instagram

Emma Roberts

A new color and cut for the birthday girl! “Emma always looks and feels her best blonde,” said her hairstylist and Nine Zero One co-founder Nikki Lee. “We decided to keep her a warm blonde and went for a ’90s supermodel vibe. With a new baby and a big birthday, we went out with a bang! Lisa Satorn added extensions for length and fullness. I kept her haircut free and flowing with piecey layers around the face.” Lee keeps her client’s hair healthy with the In Common 3 Step Treatment System ($105 at In Common).

Source: Instagram

Katy Perry

Why not start with one of the biggest hair chameleons? Though she’s been ultra-blonde for a while, we can’t help but miss a brunette Katy Perry. It’s classically chic and fits her personality. So, when we saw these photos of backstage at Jimmy Kimmel Live, we were so excited to see the long brown hair. But it seems it’s a wig and she’s already back to blonde.