Kerry Washington is one of those celebs who makes you feel like you two could be friends. You would have a girls’ night in and wear face masks and watch Shonda Rhimes shows on repeat. So when I got a chance to chat with her over Zoom, I jumped at it. Washington has incredible skin and it glows even through my 7-year-old MacBook. She gave me the rundown on her skincare routine, including a “game-changing” eye cream, as well as her Thanksgiving TikTok plans. You’re going to want to keep reading.

Washington is a Neutrogena spokesperson but she’s way more than just a pretty face. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about the formulas and what works for her specific skin and why. We’re here to talk about the new Rapid Firming Collection, which she adds to her favorites from the hydrating HydroBoost line. The actor admits that she’s doing more to her skin since the pandemic started.

“I don’t know I would have done all that before the pandemic,” she says. “I was in such a rush to go to bed and wake up for the next day but I started really trying to implement some of that stuff, the multi-step approach, to be more generous with myself and I find it to be very effective. And it literally takes less than five minutes to take each of those steps.”

It just so happens that we’re in luck: Practically every item in Washington’s skincare routine is on sale at Amazon for Black Friday, including the firming eye cream she swears by.

Source: Instagram

Washington starts her morning with the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lightweight Hydrating Facial Cleansing Gel ($7.49 at Amazon). If she worked out first, she’ll use a Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Face Wipe (on sale for $8.93 at Amazon) first. Then, she adds the Neutrogena Rapid Firming Collagen Triple Lift Face Serum (on sale for $12.84 at Amazon), which is a lightweight collagen serum to help keep skin firm and bouncy. Last comes sunscreen, because there’s nothing more important for your skin.

One of the new products Washington uses both morning and night is the Neutrogena Rapid Firming Peptide Multi Action Eye Cream (on sale for $20.30 at Amazon), which she calls a “game-changer,” saying: “When I do it, morning and night, I tend to not need concealer. I love that addition to the routine.”

Neutrogena.

Along with the eye cream, Washington loves the new Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Pro+ .5% Power Serum ($42.99 at Ulta). “It’s a really great starter retinol,” she says. “It’s very gentle and it’s really effective. not just for fine lines but for darker spots.”

She plans to show her skincare routine with the new products on TikTok — well, maybe. If she has time. When I tell her I find it hard to keep up with all the platforms and all the trends, she tells me she tries not to buy into that. “I think it’s hard, I think we’re all under that pressure,” she says. “I try to let it inspire me to try new things rather than make me feel pressured to try new things. I’m thinking about doing a Thanksgiving turkey TikTok with my dad. He’s always good for content. I try to rope people in with me to make it more fun.”

Whichever one she decides to do, we’ll definitely be watching.

Kerry Washington is one of those celebs who makes you feel like you two could be friends. You would have a girls’ night in and wear face masks and watch Shonda Rhimes shows on repeat. So when I got a chance to chat with her over Zoom, I jumped at it. Washington has incredible skin and it glows even through my 7-year-old MacBook. She gave me the rundown on her skincare routine, including a “game-changing” eye cream, as well as her Thanksgiving TikTok plans. You’re going to want to keep reading.

Washington is a Neutrogena spokesperson but she’s way more than just a pretty face. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about the formulas and what works for her specific skin and why. We’re here to talk about the new Rapid Firming Collection, which she adds to her favorites from the hydrating HydroBoost line. The actor admits that she’s doing more to her skin since the pandemic started.

“I don’t know I would have done all that before the pandemic,” she says. “I was in such a rush to go to bed and wake up for the next day but I started really trying to implement some of that stuff, the multi-step approach, to be more generous with myself and I find it to be very effective. And it literally takes less than five minutes to take each of those steps.”

It just so happens that we’re in luck: Practically every item in Washington’s skincare routine is on sale at Amazon for Black Friday, including the firming eye cream she swears by.

Source: Instagram

Washington starts her morning with the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Lightweight Hydrating Facial Cleansing Gel ($7.49 at Amazon). If she worked out first, she’ll use a Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Face Wipe (on sale for $8.93 at Amazon) first. Then, she adds the Neutrogena Rapid Firming Collagen Triple Lift Face Serum (on sale for $12.84 at Amazon), which is a lightweight collagen serum to help keep skin firm and bouncy. Last comes sunscreen, because there’s nothing more important for your skin.

One of the new products Washington uses both morning and night is the Neutrogena Rapid Firming Peptide Multi Action Eye Cream (on sale for $20.30 at Amazon), which she calls a “game-changer,” saying: “When I do it, morning and night, I tend to not need concealer. I love that addition to the routine.”

Neutrogena.

Along with the eye cream, Washington loves the new Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Retinol Pro+ .5% Power Serum ($42.99 at Ulta). “It’s a really great starter retinol,” she says. “It’s very gentle and it’s really effective. not just for fine lines but for darker spots.”

She plans to show her skincare routine with the new products on TikTok — well, maybe. If she has time. When I tell her I find it hard to keep up with all the platforms and all the trends, she tells me she tries not to buy into that. “I think it’s hard, I think we’re all under that pressure,” she says. “I try to let it inspire me to try new things rather than make me feel pressured to try new things. I’m thinking about doing a Thanksgiving turkey TikTok with my dad. He’s always good for content. I try to rope people in with me to make it more fun.”

Whichever one she decides to do, we’ll definitely be watching.

Editor’s Note: Consider current Covid regulations before purchasing any travel or event related gifts.

Giving and receiving Christmas gifts is a great source of pleasure. I know I like offering gifts as much as I enjoy getting them.

It’s never been easier to do purchases online and have them delivered to your door or directly shipped to the person you are gifting. This year especially has had many of us turn to online shopping, even for groceries and basic necessities.

So, if spending hours in a shopping mall a few weeks prior to Christmas is stressing you out, don’t hesitate to shop online. So many businesses have made it simple and hassle-free to buy on their websites.

If you’re like me, receiving a bunch of trinkets and things that will create clutter in your home isn’t fun. Think of gifts that have more meaning and that will enhance your family member or friend’s life. More like giving the gift of experiences instead of things.

So, what do women want for Christmas? Read on for suggestions if you’re at a loss about what to get the special women in your life this Christmas. If you’re looking for a gift for your wife, explore our ideas here.

Great Christmas Gift Ideas for Older Women

Event Tickets

We all have our favorite types of events that we enjoy attending. Some may like to go to sporting events, others to theater or opera nights, and others may like to see live music. Whatever it is, we often don’t splurge on ourselves in regards to entertainment.

How about buying tickets to her favorite event? Get one for yourself as well if you want to join her. Otherwise, get her 2 tickets and she can invite a favorite person.

Seeing a live performance is a great way to create and share memories. She can save the ticket stub as a reminder of the great Christmas gift she got.

Online Courses

Taking online courses has become very trendy these days. It’s never been easier to join a Zoom classroom and learn something new or browse videos at our own pace.

Does this special woman in your life like to do yoga? Does she have an interest in photography? Do you think she wants to learn how to make Italian pasta? The sky’s the limit when it comes to learning online.

Whatever her interests, there are loads of courses out there to choose from. Websites like Master Class offer thousands of video courses given by masters in a variety of fields. She can learn creative writing from Margaret Atwood herself, or learn all about conservation from Dr. Jane Goodall.

You can purchase a one-year subscription, and she can gain access to numerous classes that she can take at her own pace throughout the year.

Websites like Udemy and LinkedIn Learning are other great places where you can choose from thousands of online video courses.

We’re never too old to learn new things. I learned Spanish in my late 40s, and it was a very enriching experience. I also learned how to macramé from a local woman who gives private classes online.

Check your local teachers, many of them have turned to online teaching this year. They usually will accept PayPal or direct deposit payments.

Trips

Who doesn’t love to go on a vacation! Getting plane tickets to a fabulous destination is definitely on the top of my wish list for Christmas. Maybe she would enjoy a cruise she could take next year? Maybe she would enjoy a day-trip to a local winery?

Trips don’t have to be extravagant, expensive, or long. Making a reservation for a weekend get-away nearby is just as exciting. And given the circumstances this year, it may be wise to keep travel plans locally.

One Christmas several years ago, my parents bought us all a 1-week all-expense paid trip to Disneyland. The grandchildren got to spend a wonderful week with their grandparents, and we created memories that can’t ever be replaced.

Also, if she’s a traveler, she probably likes to receive travel related items like luggage, packing cubes, and cool personalized luggage tags.

*Due to the ongoing global pandemic, always check travel advisories and health risks before booking any international travels.

Donations

How about making a donation to her favorite cause in her name? This can be a monetary donation to an international fundraising event or a donation of needed items to a local women’s shelter.

Websites like Global Giving help to connect nonprofits to donors in almost every country in the world. Choose a cause and donate as much as you want.

I first saw this at a friend’s wedding a few years ago. Instead of the typical wedding bonbonniere that guests are given they had a donation from every table at the reception made to WWF, their favorite climate and animal welfare organization.

That same year I used the same concept for my Christmas gift-giving. It feels good to know you are helping those in need.

Restaurant Voucher

Do you know what her favorite restaurant is? Has she told you about a new restaurant that she would like to try?

Given the global situation, many restaurants are struggling at the moment, and some of them are now offering vouchers that people can enjoy at a later date. This way, you can be supporting a local business and providing a nice meal experience for your special woman.

Gift Cards

Some may think that offering a gift card can be slightly impersonal. Honestly, though, I enjoy receiving gift cards to my favorite store and heading out to get exactly what I want and need.

Does she like to do crafts? Is she a fashionista? Make a day of it if you enjoy shopping as well. Go with her on her shopping spree.

Also, she can get to take advantage of the after-Christmas sales!

Something Homemade

There’s something special about receiving something that someone made with their own hands just for you. This can be a freshly baked batch of Christmas cookies, a knitted scarf, or a creative card.

No matter what it is, it’s sure to put a smile on her face.

Something Handmade

Now, if you’re not creative and not a good baker, you can always purchase something that someone else made by hand.

Etsy is a great website that offers artistic people the opportunity to sell their handmade items online. You can find household items, fashion goods, skincare products, and so much more, all while supporting independent sellers.

An Experience

Do you know of something that is on her bucket list that you can provide her with? Has she always wanted to go for a helicopter ride? Does she dream of going skydiving?

This is for the more adventurous women out there. Make sure that she really wants to go skydiving before you get her a ticket to go jump out of an airplane.

Local Arts and Crafts

Many communities hold Christmas fairs and events just before the holidays (but, unfortunately, this year may be different).

This is a place where artisans go to sell and promote their art. You can purchase something unique or you can make contacts with artists that can create an exclusive and personalized gift for her. How about a painted family portrait?

Personalized Gifts

Nothing says thoughtful more than a personalized gift. Perhaps she loves jewelry and would appreciate a personalized necklace. It could be personalized with her name, or the name of a special person to her. If she’s a foodie, a personalized apron or set of chopsticks could make the perfect gift. Almost anything these days can be personalized with a name or special message.

Share these Gift Ideas for Women

You can forward this article to your partner or family members if you think that they are struggling with ideas about what to get you for Christmas.

Do you like any of these ideas? Do you have any to add? What’s your idea of the perfect gift for older women? Have you ever gotten a gift that you didn’t like at all? What was it? Let’s have a conversation!

Have you been married or with your partner for a while and want to bring the spark back before you get to the point of needing to save your marriage?

Mark and I have been together for 35 years and married for 31 of them – yikes! Time really does fly. It seems like 1986 was just a day ago, and we were two kids playing on the same team in a weekend broomball tournament.

Sparks flew back then, but like with any relationship, it’s had its ups and downs. Certainly, it hasn’t always been rainbows and sunshine. No, ma’am. But with every challenge, we’ve come out the other side with a deeper love and understanding for each other.

First, I must pre-disqualify myself as a relationship expert. I’m not a marriage therapist nor do I pretend everything is perfect in mine. Mark and my relationship is a work in progress, and I’m only sharing a few things that helped us re-connect recently.

My hope is to keep you from having to save your marriage, before it gets to the point of no return. Here we go, in no particular order:

Shut Down Electronics

We hear it all the time, “Shut down electronics to reconnect.” It is ironic how ‘connected’ we are to the world these days, yet how unconnected we are from human interaction.

Mark and I fall into this trap a lot, especially since we have the Aging Youthful blog and my online lifestyle coaching program. Regardless, talking without electronics in our hands or laps has been the most impactful ‘reconnection’ secret I can share. How do we do it?

Buy an Inflatable Hot Tub

We recently bought an inflatable hot tub to soak our sore muscles after our workouts. It works miracles after long work days of bouncing around in a haul truck for Mark as well.

While the hot tub has been awesome for our bodies, it’s been a huge contributor to reconnecting our relationship. We didn’t need to save our marriage, but it certainly has given it a boost!

For the 30 minutes or so we are in the hot tub, we can’t have electronics in the bubbling water, and as a result we are talking more. We’ve always done the “how’s your day been” small talk when one of us gets home, but we’ve found our conversation goes deeper and we talk about more stuff.

We’ve also found it’s a great way to vet out ideas for the blog, my online coaching program and more! The $300 we spent on our Intex inflatable hot tub, is less than the cost of a session with a therapist if we had to try to save our marriage!

There’s also this thing about being in your birth day suit together for a while. It helps with another kind of connection, too.

Go on Dates

This is something Mark and I didn’t do for years. In our younger days, we thought going to a bar and getting drunk was a date. Ugh, I am so glad I outgrew that! While we still have a drink or two if we go out to dinner, we do more than just sit at the bar.

We lived in the bush for 10 years, and at that time going on a date was such a chore, we usually had movie night at home thanks to Netflix! Now that we live in a town with a theater, we’ve been catching a movie when possible and circumstances allow.

We’d like to do more, but with our work and workout schedules (see #3), and all the crazy stuff going on in the world around us, one night a month is pretty awesome. Mark hates spending tons of money going to the movies and loves to complain about the cost of concession food, so I’d like to teach you a ‘save a ton of money at the movies’ hack someone shared with me!

If you live in the United States and are an AT&T customer, there is this little perk you get called Movie Twos-days. Every Tuesday, if your town has a theater that participates, you get two tickets for the price of one! (You may want to check about Covid restrictions and requirements.)

We usually eat before the movies, and we share a medium popcorn and drink, so in the end, the cost of dinner, movie and concessions is about the same cost of the movie without dinner. And we practice #1… no electronics are allowed, except for the pre-movie selfie.

Find Something to Do Together

We have practiced doing things together our whole marriage. For the first 22 years we raced sled dogs, so we were certainly doing something together. From scooping dog poop to training and riding for thousands of miles on the trail together, we spent more time together than we wanted to sometimes!

There were times the stress and work of having 30-50 dogs in your front yard almost had us seeking help in saving our marriage. However, at the end of the day, because we had a common goal, we always came back together. There was always something to talk about at the dinner table, and we always felt connected.

Find something to do together. Go for nightly walks, volunteer at the local soup kitchen, etc. If you need some inspiration, click here to get my 10 Things to Reconnect and Save Your Marriage pdf sent to your inbox!

What are some of your favorite ways to reconnect with your partner? Please share your ideas below!

Did you know that depression is the number one complaint of newly retired women? In fact, boredom is a key symptom. Mistakenly, many women turn to different forms of distraction (TV or Internet surfing) to feel better.

While that does briefly divert your attention, it doesn’t solve the problem. To find a permanent solution, you need to look inside yourself and find out what is causing your pain. To get some answers, I turned to an unlikely source – a monk!

If you’re not familiar with Dada Nabhaniilananda, aka, “The Monk Dude” you need to be. He’s not your typical orange-wearing monk.

He’s charismatic, laughs easily and has a great sense of fun when teaching people how to develop creativity and achieve peak performance through mindfulness, meditation, and music.

I had the fortunate opportunity to interview him about boredom on a beautiful sunny day in La Jolla, CA, in my good friend Bharat’s living room.

A Monk’s Take on Boredom

I asked the Monk Dude for his take on boredom. He laughed and said, “This is a very interesting subject. It’s so funny because I thought, ‘Nancy’s writing a book about retirement boredom; that sounds really boring!’ And, it’s not!”

He continued, “Being bored results from actually not paying attention to what’s going on… being distracted, remaining on the superficial. Fleeting from this thing to that thing – on the surface of things.” He then added, “If we pay attention to life, it becomes interesting.”

Dada’s recommendation is to first start by slowing down and going deep inside of yourself.

Research has repeatedly shown this to be effective. People who are attuned to what they feel tend to be happier, less depressed, less anxious, and less bored.

The Power of Music

He explained that every spiritual tradition uses music to create a sense of awe, peace, or devotion. And for him, “Music is a tremendously powerful way of altering mood. And, if it’s used deliberately, it can really help people who are suffering from depression or different mood problems (such as boredom). It’s the quickest legal way to change your state of mind.”

Laughing, Dada told me, “You can quote me on that.” But to get the most powerful form of a mood enhancement from music, he said is to skip listening to it, which he labeled as “passive.”

Instead, “If they actually engage in it – sing. It is a huge mood changer, especially in a group. Oh my god! It’s therapeutic!”

When was the last time you sang along to music? It’s time to start! Sing like no one is watching. Better yet, invite your friends and family to sing with you.

Meditation as a Form of Concentration Exercise

Hesitantly, I asked how someone (me included) can avoid getting bored while meditating. Dada cut right to the chase: “The reason they’re bored is because of not paying attention. It’s not because something’s wrong with the mantra.”

He then offered a couple of interesting ways to maintain focus:

“One of the most effective ways is to do something slightly dangerous.” He gave the example of meditating in a scary place, “A graveyard at midnight. It forces you to focus.” Adding, “I don’t want to think about what’s out there; I’d better focus.”

Of course, he cautioned, “This is a little extreme, and I would not recommend it for most people.” Then he offered a milder version that’s appropriate for anyone, even children. “It includes minor fear to enhance focus.”

Dada got a bowl of water and one teaspoon for each person in the group. Each spoon was filled to the brim, and they were instructed to hold it at eye level and walk around the room slowly, paying close attention to the movements of their bodies.

“It’s a very good concentration exercise,” he stated. “There are a couple of things they’ll learn from it. One is that they don’t want the water to spill.”

His explanation is that the group members’ reasons revolve around fear, “Because I was told not to,” “There is a little bit of fear that Dada would be upset with me if I spilt the water,” and, “I would be disappointed in myself.”

He clarified, “There is a little bit of fear motivating them to make the effort to focus. And also, it’s ambition. They want to achieve it. It’s competitive.”

The other thing they learn is, “If they get distracted, it spills. Even if their body doesn’t do anything. It’s really a matter of your mind being focused.” Then he added, “It shows you that making a little bit of effort for 10 minutes, your mind becomes still automatically.”

When you experience boredom, your mind is anything but calm. The best gift you can give yourself is the ability to calm your thoughts. This exercise will help you accomplish that.

Best Focus Strategies

Looking at the clock, our time was running short. I asked Dada for simple suggestions to help people focus when they are bored in retirement. In quick succession, he rattled off, “You know what might be nice? Origami… you have to concentrate.”

His favorite, though, surprised me, “One thing I do is coloring. Oh yeah, it’s very relaxing. And it’s so much fun. It helps people be in the present.”

The Monk Dude pulled out his phone and recommended using guided meditation recordings to help with boredom. He excitedly showed me his meditation app, Bliss Timer.

He explained, “If you’re using the app, you’ll be able to design your own meditation experience using chanting, guided meditations, and silent meditation. Best of all, you can personalize it by choosing the background tune as well as the length you’d like to meditate, even as brief as one minute.”

In parting, I asked him to give me a one-sentence description of meditation. With a joyful smile, Dada said, “The process of connecting with the source of infinite love within yourself and becoming one within that.”

I believe the Monk’s techniques are a great place for you to begin your path away from boredom. Look inside yourself and you will see the most interesting things life has to offer.

What do you do to escape boredom? Does it work? What do you think about meditation and active engagement with music? Please share your take on the Monk Dude’s anti-boredom strategies.