When it comes to wedding beauty prep, if you’re looking to make big changes, starting early is the key. But if you’re just looking for a little extra glow on the big day, these skin treatments are perfect to get right before the big day. But if you haven’t started planning early, don’t worry, there are plenty of ways to get your skin in tip-top shape anywhere up to six weeks before your wedding. Not to mention, plenty of procedures and treatments that don’t require much downtime—because you don’t have time for splotchy skin on your wedding day.

I spoke with Gabby Garritano, founder of JECT, a medspa with locations across the country, to get her thoughts on the best treatments to get in the weeks leading up to your wedding. “A light to medium peel is great to help with breakouts a month before the wedding,” she told me. But don’t do anything too heavy too close to the big day because you will have some redness after the peel.

JECT’s skin tightening facial is also a great one to do a few weeks before the wedding because there is almost no downtime. “Although we do recommend a package of or at least six sessions to really get the full effect, it’s still okay to keep your sixth treatment two to four weeks before your wedding.” Garritano described the skin tightening treatment as a sort of hot stone massage to stimulate collagen production and help plump up the skin.

Courtesy of Jane Asher.The Aquagold facial, the treatment I received, is another great option because of its instant glowing effects and shorter downtime. “I like to always get that at least ten days before the wedding just in case someone has some allergic reaction to something,” says Garritano. Aquagold uses fine needles, about .6mm wide, to inject vitamin C for an instant glow, micro-Botox to shrink pores, and hyaluronic acid for plumpness. You will have about a week of downtime due to the needles, but your skin will be peak glowy 10 days after the treatment.

And then, of course, there’s a standard facial, which Garritano recommends you get 3-4 weeks before the wedding. If you have any major extractions, you’ll have plenty of time to recover from those plus any purging that might happen after the facial.

In the week leading up to the wedding, you should definitely avoid any major treatments and stay consistent with your skincare routine, The night before, Dr. Jennifer Chwalek of UnionDerm recommends “a gentle hydrating face mask or a red LED light treatment to ensure your skin is glowy for the special day.” And last, but never least—getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water is key to waking up with that wedding day glow.

Lisa Barlow’s White Crescent Moon Print Top on Instastories

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Instagram Fashion 2021

From Salt Lake City to Beverly Hills, it’s a well-known fact that everybody sees the same moon. And after seeing Lisa Barlow wearing this white and black top on Instastories, it’s becoming more and more apparent to us that said fact may also apply to this specific crescent moon print which in our opinion is totally out of this world. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

P.S. Click here to watch the RHOSLC Season 2 trailer and don’t forget to set your DVR’s for Sunday, September 12th at 9/8c! 

Also Seen on Dorit Kemsley:

And Leah McSweeney in the Mock-Neck Version

Click Here to Shop Her Marine Serre Top in 3 Colours

Click Here For Additional Stock

Click Here to Shop it in a Mock-Neck

Photo #3: @LisaBarlow14

Originally posted at: Lisa Barlow’s White Crescent Moon Print Top

I often get asked about posture and osteoporosis exercises when we’re past menopause. Here are my answers to many burning questions.

What Is the Difference Between Posture and Alignment?

I prefer to use the term alignment because the word posture implies to me an aesthetic choice whereas I am focused on optimal functionality! You can use either word.

What Do You Mean by Optimal Alignment?

Your body is designed to have the path of weight from gravity fall through your head, evenly through your shoulders and spine, to your hips and then heels.

The heels are big and broad and strong for a reason. They were designed for impact and ground reaction force. Simply put, the muscle and bone targeting forces of “weight-bearing” exercise are activated by the ground reaction force of gravity.

Logically, if your hips are forward of your ankles, your weight is more in your toes, not great for your foot, but also the path of weight is now falling more through your knees than your backside. Hello, knee problems and weak gluteus muscles.

Not only do our glutes and hamstrings play an important role in hip bone building but they are key for sitting and getting out of a chair, a very important movement that we do not want to lose as we age.

Another less talked about area is the ribcage. We want the ribcage to be sitting above the hips and not tipped or tilted forward. Such a position makes it difficult to engage one’s core, and it also puts pressure on your low back. There is so much more to be said, but this is a good overview.

How Important Is It to Keep Your Shoulder Blades Together and Down Your Back So Your Shoulders Are Back? 

This is a very common question. And I would like to dispel the myth that pulling your shoulder blades down and back will actually improve your posture. What it may in fact do is just add more tension to an already sub optimal spinal alignment. The easiest way I can show this is with a photograph. 

As you can see in the first photograph, I have a kyphotic posture, or an upper spine that rounds forward. I can alter this by merely pulling my shoulder blades back and looking more upright (second photo). But in fact, I haven’t changed that forward posture.

Pulling the shoulder blades back via the rhomboid muscles when I’m standing doesn’t actually make my spine more elongated. Yet, I will suggest that you use your rhomboids in exercises.

The third photograph is standing more erect without so much forward shoulder and head. My shoulders are NOT pulled back, they are sitting easily. I have externally rotated my arms to find a bit more openness in my chest.

Here are some hints to follow:

1. Work on your shoulder blade mobility by doing rhomboid push-ups. The goal is to decrease the kyphotic curve. Getting more active movement in protraction and retraction will be a big help. 

2. Elongate your spine. Sometimes we talk about reaching the crown of your head more towards the ceiling. But we want to do that without extreme extension in the neck. 

3. Work on getting your hips back first, before worrying about your shoulder blades. You want to have a more stacked alignment from your heels to your hips. And then get to work on the stacked alignment in your upper body. 

4. You should be looking at doing more thoracic extension. It’s a slow process and the changes are small, maybe 1% at a time. Good exercises for encouraging more thoracic extension include baby cobra, gentle rotations from side to side, and cactus arms at the wall facing away from the wall. (You will work on getting your arms on the wall completely while also keeping the back of your ribs on the wall.)

What’s the Principle Behind Hip Hinge?

The principle behind the hip hinge is to keep your spine in neutral. This means that the natural curves of your spine are kept intact. A hinge is where you keep that neutral arrangement and move your torso, including your pelvis, over your legs.

A great tool here is a broomstick or a dowel. The 3 important points on the dowel are the head, the rib cage and the sacrum or the back of the pelvis. For some people, a forward head posture makes it difficult to get their head on the stick.

Try to keep the relationship of your head exactly the same vis a vis the stick. Keep your ribs and your sacrum on the stick. By doing so, you are protecting your lumbar spine and your thoracic spine. The biggest issue is unhinging or raising back up.

What you really need to have is a good core strategy. So even if your hamstrings are very flexible, you should only hinge over as far as you have the strength to bring yourself back up without changing your spine.

For people who don’t have a good core connection yet, start very small and progress to bigger hinges over time. A hip hinge, when done properly, is a great exercise to strengthen the entire back chain of your body.

Is It Better to Focus on Pilates and Yoga or Weights at the Gym?

This question requires breaking down.

How Often Should You Strength Train?

We all should strength train. I acknowledge up front that this does not mean heavy lifting and may need 1-pound weights for some individuals. We know that 2 to 3 days a week with a heavy for you weight is optimal for hypertrophy or building muscle.

How Often Should You Do More Endurance Based Exercises?

This type of work can be aerobic for heart health, or it can be longer, slower core work such as Pilates or yoga. Many people suggest 2 or 3 times a week for this kind of exercise for either your heart or your mobility and balance, or both.

I recently heard some scientific literature explained on a podcast that suggests a plan like this:

• Strength train 3 times a week, endurance train 2 times a week, and rest two days a week. You would do that for 10 weeks.
• Next, you start a new cycle where you endurance train for 3 days a week, strength train for 2, and rest for 2 during that cycle.

Of course, you may choose one day of rest with a more restorative practice on day 6. 

The most important thing is to listen to your own body. You should be able to determine your own level of fatigue. If you try strength training three days a week, do you still feel energetic on the 6th day?

I have clients who start out strength training with such light weights for safety reasons, that they really need three days a week. But other clients really push themselves and 2 days a week is optimal. These people may choose to not alter their training schedule every 10 weeks because they know what works for them.

As we age, we know our repair functions work more slowly than when we were younger, so we must be vigilant about listening to our own body and its signals. We must prioritize rest!

Why Should We Wear Minimalist Shoes?

I always stress the importance of wearing minimalist shoes. I’ve written an extensive article on my reasons why, and another on over 30 minimalist shoes suggestions.

What Is the Protocol for Weighted Vests? 

A weighted vest is not appropriate for everyone. In the end, it is your personal decision, and I am not a medical professional. When my clients ask me, I tell them it would be an informed decision if they know their bone quality as well as their bone density.

Additionally, you want to take your spinal conditions into account. If you have severe scoliosis or spondylothesis, or any number of other disc or spine deformities or degenerations, you must take these into account. It may be that you will choose to walk with a weighted belt and only add load to your hips and not your spine in the interest of safety.

Should you decide to use a vest, the protocol is to progressively load slowly. One would start with a half-pound, and if the first walk with a half-pound was successful, then one would load another half-pound each time one took a walk. As you get to a heavier load (the point that something is “heavy” is very individual), you would be wise to take more time to adjust to the load before increasing your weight.

It may well be that you would walk for a week with five pounds, for instance, and the following week, see if five and a half pounds is okay. So, your progression would slow down. The suggested maximum in the medical community is 10% of your body weight.

Have You Found a Vest That Places the Weight Near the Center of Gravity?

The assumption here is that a person has their center of gravity somewhere in front of the sacrum when standing. So, if you were looking to carry most of your weight in that spot, you would want to be able to wear a weighted belt that sits a little lower than your natural waist.

But I do think another good option is the hyper vest elite. It is made so that you can put two weights in any one pocket to redistribute the weight and get more of it near that theoretical center of gravity. From that perspective, I think the Ironwear Fitness Vest is not as good because it’s a much shorter vest. If you’re taller than 5’7”, the Ironwear Fitness Vest may be too short for you.

What Are Good Yoga Poses for Upright Posture? 

Tree, Chair, triangle if done with a neutral spine, Warrior I, II, III with a neutral spine.

When I Deadlift, My Knees Crack. Is That Okay? 

Consistent cracking is an indication of a hydrogen pop, a tendon moving over a bone, or two things rubbing together. I am not fond of letting that happen consistently over time as it seems like there would be a wear and tear event at some point.

However, I recently listened to a lecture where this notion was dispelled when it involves your Iliopsoas complex because that is a big strong muscle set that is unlikely to be eroded in this way.

Nonetheless, you might want to experiment with a lower weight and see if the knees still crack. Additionally, I would also suggest taking a slow motion video of yourself while performing the deadlift. You may discover that you are either hyperextending your knees or maybe they are drifting inwards or outwards.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice. Please consult with your doctor to get specific medical advice for your situation.

Do you think your body is well aligned? Do you do any exercises to correct your posture? What questions do you have regarding exercising for osteoporosis?

Except for those few (ahem) unusual individuals, most of us just want to scream when ads for fall and winter clothes start popping up in early August. Note to retailers: most normal people are still relishing their last fleeting days of warmth, relaxation, and vacation! Give us a break!

But still, there is an upside to this madness. Retailers need to move as much summer merchandise as possible to make rack space for new items. So, you’re going to see a lot of great things on sale.

What to Buy

There are some obvious things to buy at the end of summer. Figuring that many of us spend holidays in the sunshine, near a pool, a lake, or by the sea, swimsuits often are some of the first things that go on sale.

Since they rarely tend to be super trendy, you’re not likely to make a huge mistake by buying one on sale. (I’ve been looking for a simple maillot swimsuit for a couple of years now. If you find a good one, let me know.)

Lighter weight pants and tops in linen are always a great sale find in August. You’ll usually find them one-third to one-half off the original price. Gently flared or wide-leg styles are almost universally flattering and simply do not go out of style.

The same is true for button down linen blouses. If your upper arms are not your best feature, look for those with ¾ or long-sleeves. I buy long-sleeved linen blouses for the summer and turn up the cuffs to make them ¾-length. It’s a nice way to be able to feature playful summer bracelets.

Besides being cool in hot weather, those pretty ankle-skimming summer dresses that you see on fashionable women lounging by the pool, or shopping in town, are both flattering and very feminine. Those are also about 30-50% off in August. But they require the right footwear. The floatier the dress, the airier should be the shoe. So, sandals or espadrilles are another great sale option now. Nothing spoils the look of a nice dress than the wrong shoes.

Then there are hats. Straw ones will only work in the summer, so that’s what you will find on sale now. Often, they are more about fashion than protection. But they do offer some shielding and they add a nice touch to complete a summer outfit. Even though not completely protective, they tend to keep the top of your head cooler. Canvas hats specifically made for sun protection from textiles like “Sunbrella” are not as likely to go on sale.

Sunglasses are a must nearly year-round especially as we age. We need those that filter out 99-100% of UVA and UVB light. Except for discount stores like Nordstrom Rack, you aren’t likely to find the better ones on sale. If you, do you can take them to an optometrist and have the protection level checked in about 30 seconds. Just make sure they are returnable.

How to Shop End of Season Sales

The downside in any sale is that a lot of things that are on sale are discounted for a good reason: nobody wants them. Of course, that’s not always the case. A lot of great pieces have been sharply discounted this past year simply because we didn’t have anywhere or any occasion to wear them.

So, retailers were forced to drop the price on perfectly fine merchandise. But whatever we find on sale now likely will be still very much in fashion next year and the year after. Even trendy items tend to stay fashionable for about three years.

Understanding your body, style, and coloring are always things to take into consideration when looking at sale items. If you find something on sale that checks all the boxes for your personal style, it will most likely be a forever piece in your wardrobe.

So, the first thing to do is to exercise a little discipline. By that I mean consider what you really DO need and could use. It’s even beneficial to make a mental list of those items, so that when that poufy sleeved, oversized fuchsia blouse keeps showing up in ads on your laptop, you can check it against your “list.”

Where to Look

The best and most reliable place to start is by searching through the online websites and stores where you have already had success shopping in the past. The major thing that keeps a fashion house or retailer in business is consistency in sizing. Yes, I know from one retailer to the next, the sizing can be all over the map. (NYDJ, for example, designates sizes that are one size, at least, lower than average. It’s a marketing ploy.) But the sizing on clothing from your favorite retailers will stay consistent.

Sale pages on websites can be overwhelming, though. So use their “filter,” if they have one. That gives you the possibility of narrowing down your search by color, type of item (dress, tops, shoes, etc.) and very importantly, by amount. You probably don’t want to have to look through 1000 things that range in price from $25-$3000.

Then there is the fact that our search histories are shared widely through the internet. If you look for something on Google, similar items will likely appear in your Facebook feed, in your email home page, or in email!

The more specific you can be in your search, the closer you will get to finding what you want. So, for example, when I look for a swimsuit on a website or in a search, I include all the absolute requirements: “maillot, solid color, high back, modest leg” (that last one is to exclude the leg openings that come up nearly to the waist and barely cover the derriere).

When to Shop for Sale Items

The longer something stays on sale, the more likely it is to be reduced further and then even further still. The risk of waiting for that last price reduction is that your size and preferred color may not be available by the time you are ready to pull out your credit card. So you may lose out on something you have really wanted. This is something I always remind my clients when looking at a full-priced item they love as well.

All that being said, weigh how much you really want or need the item against the sale price. If it’s a “take-it-or-leave-it” then, sure, hold out for the lowest price. Also, check carefully about the return policy. For smaller, less expensive things, return shipping may end up costing you a good portion of the cost of the item itself. Then there is the “final sale” trap. Unless you have worn a very similar item from the same manufacturer, this could be an expensive mistake.

And of course, if you are good at thrifting, a lot of resale shops will be marking down much of their merchandise toward the end of the summer for the same reason that major retailers do. So you can get some terrific bargains there as well.

It just requires putting in some time, or simply loving the thrill of the hunt. You will also likely find brand new things there that someone purchased on a final sale, but it ended up a bad fit for them. Some thrift stores have certain days a week when everything goes on sale. And even better, many of them offer senior discounts seven days a week!

Whether you find something very special at an upscale boutique or a treasured resale shop, this alone might just make the delight of summer linger a little longer.

Do you shop at end-of-season sales? What have you just bought on sale? What was your best sale shopping purchase?

If you want to shop for The Ordinary, you can head to Ulta or Sephora or of course, online. But there’s something so exciting about being able to get your fave products from The Ordinary at Target. Because who doesn’t want to go on a Target run, like, all the time? While you’re there grabbing cat food, paper towels, sparkling water and a crop top or two, you can now grab The Ordinary’s affordable skincare at the same time. What can’t you get there?!

You can thank Ulta for bringing The Ordinary to Target. The Ulta Beauty at Target shop-in-shop is here, bringing skin, hair, makeup and fragrance to the retailer. According to WWD, the Ulta shops in Target will open in 100 locations next month and continue to roll out to 800 Target stores over the next few years.

Now, this isn’t just some little display. Target stores will have more than 50 Ulta brands in a huge Ulta-branded space. If you’re worried about your Ulta Rewards points, know that you’ll be able to grab both the Target Circle and Ultamate Rewards when shopping. So, it’s basically a no-brainer. You’ll be able to grab The Ordinary’s stellar acne solutions, dark spot products and niacinamide-infused faves. Oh, and there’s tons more. We got you started with some of our favorites from the brand, 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.

The Ordinary.

AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution

The TikTok-favorite exfoliating facial solution targets uneven skin tone, fine lines and wrinkles and congested pores. It’s pretty intense so be sure to see your skin’s reaction with a spot test first.

The Ordinary.

Lactic Acid 10% + HA

This more gentle exfoliating solution is especially great for those dealing with uneven skin texture and dry spots.

The Ordinary.

Salicylic Acid 2% Masque

Banish breakouts with this balancing mask, which features salicylic acid, vegetable charcoal, Amazonian clays and squalane.

The Ordinary.

“Buffet”

Target signs of aging with this peptide-infused serum that helps to firm skin and reduce the look of wrinkles.

The Ordinary.

Squalane Cleanser

This moisturizing cleanser dissolves dirt and makeup without leaving the skin’s moisture barrier stripped and dry.

A version of this story was published July 21, 2021.