As ready as I was to leave my 8-7 (it was never 9-5) world after a successful and satisfying career, I had the usual feelings that many people experience upon the phenomenon our society calls retirement. No one tells you that retirement takes processing. It’s not a day in your life; it’s a transition.

For months, I felt an uneasy sense of displacement. There was a new time consciousness – not having to be anywhere – and the sheer issue of having time. There were the soul-searching questions: One minute I’m at the top of my game, and the next minute I’m out? What, exactly, do I mean now? Who am I?

No nameplate on my desk, no assistants, no responsibilities, no one to report to, no one to manage. Not being pulled in so many directions: family, work, community.

Life After Retirement: My Daydreaming Revelation

Fast forward two years. Yes, it took that long. Just yesterday, I was musing about how happy I am. Ridiculously happy. I had a revelation as I wondered, when was another time I was this happy, in this way?

The image of my college dorm room popped into my head. The middle of a weekday afternoon, lying on my bed reading Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment for a Russian Lit class, and then putting that book down to pick up Thomas Mann’s The Magic Mountain for a philosophy and lit class. My roommate walked in and said, “You want to take a break and get a coffee?” Of course I did.

Being a college student was one of the happiest times in my life. And I realized this is how I feel now. If that’s “retirement,” I’ll take it.

My Free-Spirited Student Lifestyle

As a student I had a loose, minimal schedule. Yes, I had to be at classes at odd hours of the day, but each day was different. Today, time is my own to craft as I wish. I can get up and go to bed when I want. I can sleep late or read in bed. I can take naps in the afternoon to make up for late nights.

As a student, my job was to feed my mind and soul while learning a new field or discipline in depth. The same is true now in retirement: reading books and listening to music for hours on end, having long, meaningful conversations with friends, exploring ideas, sharing dreams, attending poetry readings, art events, wine tastings.

There’s the exhilaration of learning new things and of pursuing passions that I always had to put off when I worked because there was no time.

As a student, I enjoyed myself most of the time because I had no responsibilities to anyone but myself. So too today, with children grown and flown, my life is about pleasure and enjoyment. As a student, I had the time to travel but not the money. Today I have both the time and the money to travel the world and take it all in.

When I was a student, I recall walking down the street and seeing what was going on whilst the world was at work. I loved the feeling of being an observer of life, aware that people were sitting in offices all day. I watched the men and women pour out of buildings in the early evening and couldn’t imagine sitting in an office all day, missing out.

Today too, I can’t imagine sitting in an office all day and missing out. Been there, done that. The sense of time is rich and pleasant, instead of harried and imposing.

Senior Student Weekends Are More Precious

Weekends take on a new meaning when you’re no longer in the 9-5 grind; they’re less hysterical, less precious. The days flow beautifully into each other. Sunday night is no longer terror time. I recall an anecdote on the BBC’s popular Downton Abbey series, when the family was conversing at dinner. A middle class, i.e. working, non-titled guest mentioned doing something on the weekend. “What’s a weekend?” the Dowager Countess asked.

I find myself eating like a student: whatever I want, whenever I want it. I can cook, or I can fast. I can nibble or I can bake bread. There are no required meals to get on the table, no one to disappoint.

I learned to stop feeling guilty for previously “guilty pleasures.” I can indulge myself as I could in my student days, going to the cinema in the middle of a weekend afternoon, or reading for hours instead of squeezing in a few minutes on the train or before I fall asleep at night.

Now, as life after retirement sinks in, I embrace my senior student lifestyle; it makes me giggle. It’s living like a student but having money this time. Being a student of life feels like the greatest gift I can give myself. I’ve learned that retirement is not a banishment, but rather an exalted and earned privilege. It’s a prize. A time of great gifts.

How was your transition to life after retirement? What was the hardest part? Do you miss working? What do you love most about being retired? Please join in the conversation!

Leave it to our girl Chrissy Teigen to tell the truth about a very common plastic surgery. Teigen took to her Instagram to show off her buccal fat removal, a procedure a huge percentage of celebs get done but no one ever talks about it. Though the model-turned-entrepreneur always shares her personal life with her fans, including the removal of her breast implants, there’s still something refreshing about her honesty about her facial work.

“I did that Dr. Diamond buccal fat removal thing here,” Teigen said in an Instagram video, showing her more defined cheeks. “Since I quit drinking, I’m really seeing the results.” Teigen wasn’t embarrassed to talk about the work she had done. “I like it. Yeah, I did it — what?” she said, adding “No shame in my Dr. Diamond game.”

There should be no shame over plastic surgery, especially something as simple as buccal fat removal, but it’s rare for a celebrity to actually admit to getting work done.

https://twitter.com/TheCosmeticLane/status/1437258782552166412

If you’re like me and you’ve looked at every gross video under the buccal fat removal hashtag on Instagram, you know exactly what the procedure is. For everyone else, here’s the deal. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, “a buccal fat removal removes the buccal fat pad, a naturally occurring pad of fat in the cheek hollow area.” Those with rounder faces, like Teigen, can get that more chiseled look. The procedure isn’t commonly done on thin faces because it can actually make you look older over time.

Source: Instagram

According to the Taylor Plastic Surgery Center, buccal fat removal surgery is a quick procedure, even lasting less than an hour. Patients generally only need local anesthesia. Small incisions are made on the inside surface of the cheeks and the fat pads are removed. The surgeon will play around with leaving some of each fat pad to ensure even cheeks. Cost depends on where you live but it will generally run between $2,000 and $5,000.

Like all elective surgery, no one needs buccal fat removal but what you do with your face is up to you. As for Teigen, she’s happy with what she sees, saying. “I’m seeing results and I like it.”

It might seem a little too early to start thinking about your holiday party makeup looks, but I hate to be the person who tells you this… Christmas is only 100 days away. Luckily for us, the TikTok-favorite brand Charlotte Tilbury has surprised makeup fans with a 48-hour drop of a new iteration of their best-selling Instant Eye Palette, along with a few other exciting products.

The Instant Eye Palette has a little bit of a holiday twist this year. It’s called Smokey Eye Are Forever—which I think everyone can agree on. The palette has 12 different shades that are separated out into four unique eye makeup looks. There’s a shimmer-y golden look called Love Eyes, an unexpected golden-green combo called Power Eyes, a peach-gold blend called Happy Eyes and a pigmented plum look called Confident Eyes to create the ultimate smokey eye.

There’s only one catch—this palette is exclusively on Charlotte Tilbury’s website and the first drop is only available for less than 48 hours (unless it sells out). So if you’ve fallen in love with these eye shadow shades like I have, you’re going to want to add this to your cart immediately. And you’ll be rewarded for being decisive, because Charlotte Tilbury will throw in an extra mini Eye Blender Brush for free.

Basically, with this palette, your holiday looks will be on lock. And if you need a little convincing to buy a $75 eye palette know that Tilbury has both TikTok and celeb fans. Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk lipstick is one of the only universally flattering lipsticks, and the Nudegasm face palette was used to help create Billie Eilish’s Old Hollywood glam Met Gala look.

Below, you can shop the palette and take a peek at the two other items that are part of this 48-hour product drop.

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.

Courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury.

Instant Eye Palette in Smokey Eyes are Forever

Boasting 12 creamy and long-lasting shades that won’t crease, this best-selling palette is divided into four different smokey eye looks—Love, Power, Happiness and Confidence. We all need more of those things, right? It’s written right on the palette, so you know which shimmery and matte shadows to pair together. And you’ll get a free mini Eye Blender Brush with your purchase.

Courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury.

Limitless Lucky Lips in Flame

Luck be a Charlotte Tilbury fan today, because these brand new lipsticks are also part of the 48-hour drop. Go matte this fall with this lightweight lipstick that claims to last up to 16 hours—no reapplication required. There’s a total of five shades to shop.

Courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury.

Advent Calendar + Bonus Palette

Treat yourself to this luxe advent calendar. Inside, this stylish set of drawers are three full-sizes faves and nine travel sized beauty products. If you order Charlotte Tilbury’s advent calendar in the next 48-hours, you’ll get a bonus Instant Eye palette and a mini makeup brush. That’s a great deal, people!

Crystal Kung Minkoff’s Grey Celine Hoodie at Her House

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 11 Episode 17 Fashion

Crystal Kung Minkoff looked so cozy in her grey Celine hoodie at her house. She was giving Kyle the run down on her new million dollar basement. All I can say is wow if that’s Crystal being frugal I don’t even think there is a word for what I am. But I guess I too am willing to spend money updating a room in my house. That room being my closet, obviously.

Sincerely Stylish,

Jess

Click Here to Shop Her Celine Hoodie on eBay

Originally posted at: Crystal Kung Minkoff’s Grey Celine Hoodie

Over the years we’ve run our Caregiver Smile Summit, we have had leading experts speak about how technology can assist aging in place. In this article, we look at what they are seeing and what you should be incorporating if you want to age in place safely.

Laurie Orlov, founder of Aging in Place Technology Watch, said it best that, with few
exceptions, every five years
technology changes.

It is important to be able to safely
stay in your home and also avoid social isolation. We have written previously
about aging in place specialists who can come into the home, even virtually,
and go room to room and tell you what needs to be changed or modified.
Conversely there is often a technology solution that helps.

Safety Issues

According to Orlov, personal
emergency response pendants have withstood the test of time and have also grown
to be able to detect falls, detect your voice, and more.

Wearables, think Apple Watch and
Fitbit, are becoming ‘smarter’ and also essential. There are so many smart
devices that can help monitor your health that it would take a book to document!

Lisa Cini, Founder, President, and
CEO of Mosaic Design Studio, has an amazing website – Best Living Tech – that
showcases technology in these categories: home, health, memory, companion,
fitness and vision/hearing. She had a great analogy.

Smart technology is like Alfred the Butler in Batman. Always in the background. Never obtrusive.
There when you need him!

One of the trends she sees is smart
lighting, which allows you to program the lights in your house to come on based
on sensing. And you do it from an app. Think of what a great help that would be
for older people who get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom!

There is also Circadian Smart
Lighting where the temperature of the lights adjusts naturally to keep your
body in its natural rhythm.

For your bathroom you can buy bidet toilet seats to assist with hygiene. Bidets, popular in
Europe, may yet be in fashion! They may not be what you think of as tech but
the fact that they can be installed on an existing toilet is pretty savvy!

Induction looping is another trend Cini
has spotted. A hearing loop is a special type of sound system for use by people
with hearing aids. 

The hearing loop provides a
magnetic, wireless signal that is picked up by the hearing aid. It cuts out
unwanted background noise though you need to use a receiver/headset. Better
hearing leads to better health.

Of course, induction cooking (cooking without
fear) allows the unit to detect whether cookware is placed on it and shuts down
the element if a pot is not there or not large enough. The stovetop stays cool:
no burned fingers or hands. And no house fires leaving burners on.

Getting
Places

When you need to go somewhere, we
know it’s getting easy. Not self-driving-cars easy but cars driven by someone
else, certainly. Uber and Lyft are developing specialized senior services.

Niche companies like SilverRide provide an assisted ride service that picks you up from any location and transports you safely and securely all the way to your final destination. Food delivery to the home has become the norm.

Relieving
Social Isolation

To me, one of the advantages of
senior living facilities is the ability to socialize. Senior isolation is
pervasive. Still, even the home-bound can prevent isolation. Certainly, social
media has helped engage people via video chats on a number of platforms.

Virtual reality devices like Oculus
can put you in the middle of a new experience without leaving home. Hasbro’s
Joy for All Companion Pets gives you all of the benefits of having a pet
without the burdens. I stream live concerts to people in their homes. You get
the idea.

AI Voice Activated

Probably the biggest tech development
is voice activated technology like Alexa and Google Home. I am working with a
company called Brio that has an app specifically designed to help caregivers,
engage the end user, and help prevent social isolation.

Listen to music, receive reminders,
listen to a book… the skills developed and being developed are sometimes bigger
than our imagination. My fitness tracker is connected directly to Alexa. Go
figure. I can provide input to it and also review my progress from it.

So, if you are apprehensive about
aging in place, at least know that one part of the equation, technology, is
developing rapidly. It can keep you safe at home, help engage your mind,
relieve isolation, and increase your happiness.

How are you leveraging technology to
stay in your home for years to come? Which apps or devices do you currently own
and how do you engage with them on a daily basis? How is your live made
different because of them? Please share in the comments below.