If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Everyone knows skincare is a long game; it can take weeks for a product’s benefits to visibly show. Fast-acting skincare that actually works can be hard to come by, that’s why whenever I hear of a formula capable of cutting down the waiting time, it’s like a godsend. Lucky for us all, one TikTok-viral brand has unmasked the key to overnight results with one its most recent launches. Even better, we’ve secured the discount code SC15 specifically for StyleCaster readers. 

Australian company Sand & Sky is most notably known for its Pink Clay Range, which includes the bestselling Porefining Face Mask you’ve likely seen touted across the Internet. The brand’s newly dropped Oil Control Range (it also includes a skin-clearing moisturizer and cleanser) brings all the benefits of its predecessors—eliminating excess oil, refining pores, boosting radiance—but with a more targeted approach to acne. And, if the reviews are any indication, you’ll want to begin with the Oil Control Clearing Face Mask from the line. 

Sand & Sky

Oil Control Clearing Face Mask

Australian White Clay acts as a magnet for dirt and grime nestled deep within the skin, and is paired with anti-inflammatory Australian Tasmanian Pepperberry to calm redness. The ingredient list also includes the popular anti-acne additives salicylic acid and niacinamide (vitamin B3), which together tackle dead skin cells and unclogs pores for a clearer, smoother complexion. Perhaps more intriguing, Australian Old Man Weed (yes, you read that correctly), an Indigenious Australian plant “prized for its medicinal properties,” per the brand, brings incredibly soothing benefits to stressed-out skin. 

“On the first time use, it improved my skin’s appearance,” shared one shopper. “Less [redness], skin feels tighter and clean. I haven’t had any new acne since using it and my marks are fading! I’m very happy with the product so far—does what it says!”

RELATED: Shoppers Are Obsessing Over This TikTok-Viral Hair Mask That Provides ‘Instant Results’—& We Have an Exclusive Discount

Another person seconded the mask’s ability to offer swift results: “Bought this for my preteen. It has transformed his skin in one application. So glad we found something that works,” they wrote.

The mask was put to the test through a two week brand-run consumer study, in which 89 percent of subjects agreed their skin did not feel uncomfortably tight after use, and that inflammation was notably reduced. A near equal percentage reported that their skin did not look as shiny as before throughout the day. Even better, a whopping 94 percent of users agreed their breakouts improved in appearance. 

Just take confirmation from a third reviewer who claims the mask “delivers on what it promises,” writing that they “notice a significant reduction in oiliness” each morning after using the mask the night before. 

If this mask’s results truly live up to the hype, you might as well snag the rest of Sand & Sky’s Oil Control line, including a moisturizer and a cleanser (join the waiting list!) Just remember to use code SC15 at checkout to save 15 percent on your order.

Sand & Sky

Oil Control Clearing Moisturizer

Sand & Sky

Oil Control Clearing Cleanser

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Everyone knows skincare is a long game; it can take weeks for a product’s benefits to visibly show. Fast-acting skincare that actually works can be hard to come by, that’s why whenever I hear of a formula capable of cutting down the waiting time, it’s like a godsend. Lucky for us all, one TikTok-viral brand has unmasked the key to overnight results with one its most recent launches. Even better, we’ve secured the discount code SC15 specifically for StyleCaster readers. 

Australian company Sand & Sky is most notably known for its Pink Clay Range, which includes the bestselling Porefining Face Mask you’ve likely seen touted across the Internet. The brand’s newly dropped Oil Control Range (it also includes a skin-clearing moisturizer and cleanser) brings all the benefits of its predecessors—eliminating excess oil, refining pores, boosting radiance—but with a more targeted approach to acne. And, if the reviews are any indication, you’ll want to begin with the Oil Control Clearing Face Mask from the line. 

Sand & Sky

Oil Control Clearing Face Mask

Australian White Clay acts as a magnet for dirt and grime nestled deep within the skin, and is paired with anti-inflammatory Australian Tasmanian Pepperberry to calm redness. The ingredient list also includes the popular anti-acne additives salicylic acid and niacinamide (vitamin B3), which together tackle dead skin cells and unclogs pores for a clearer, smoother complexion. Perhaps more intriguing, Australian Old Man Weed (yes, you read that correctly), an Indigenious Australian plant “prized for its medicinal properties,” per the brand, brings incredibly soothing benefits to stressed-out skin. 

“On the first time use, it improved my skin’s appearance,” shared one shopper. “Less [redness], skin feels tighter and clean. I haven’t had any new acne since using it and my marks are fading! I’m very happy with the product so far—does what it says!”

RELATED: Shoppers Are Obsessing Over This TikTok-Viral Hair Mask That Provides ‘Instant Results’—& We Have an Exclusive Discount

Another person seconded the mask’s ability to offer swift results: “Bought this for my preteen. It has transformed his skin in one application. So glad we found something that works,” they wrote.

The mask was put to the test through a two week brand-run consumer study, in which 89 percent of subjects agreed their skin did not feel uncomfortably tight after use, and that inflammation was notably reduced. A near equal percentage reported that their skin did not look as shiny as before throughout the day. Even better, a whopping 94 percent of users agreed their breakouts improved in appearance. 

Just take confirmation from a third reviewer who claims the mask “delivers on what it promises,” writing that they “notice a significant reduction in oiliness” each morning after using the mask the night before. 

If this mask’s results truly live up to the hype, you might as well snag the rest of Sand & Sky’s Oil Control line, including a moisturizer and a cleanser (join the waiting list!) Just remember to use code SC15 at checkout to save 15 percent on your order.

Sand & Sky

Oil Control Clearing Moisturizer

Sand & Sky

Oil Control Clearing Cleanser

Lisa Rinna’s Black and White FF Logo Jumpsuit at the Rinna Rosé Wine Tasting

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Season 12 Episode 13 Fashion

Based on the previews for this week’s episode of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Lisa Rinna drops some serious F-bombs. And not just while she explodes on Sutton, but with her black and white FF logo jumpsuit which you better believe we f*cking hunted down. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to See Her Fendi Jumpsuit

Originally posted at: Lisa Rinna’s Black and White FF Logo Jumpsuit

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, STYLECASTER may receive an affiliate commission.

Sometimes even your faves need a makeover. That’s what It Cosmetics just did with its best-selling eye cream. What was a hydrating must-have for years is now a powerhouse anti-ager. Say hello to It Cosmetics Confidence in an Eye Cream Anti-Aging Peptide Eye Cream. It’s out now at Ulta Beauty and it retails for under $40. Score.

So, what’s inside this new formula? The creamy balm contains what the brand calls 2 Percent Super Peptide Concentrate. That’s a blend of rice peptide (to reinforce the moisture barrier), soy peptide (to help boost elasticity), tripeptide (to help smooth the look of crow’s feet) and tetrapeptide (to help reduce the look of dark circles). The OG Confidence in an Eye Cream couldn’t do all that.

While I like to focus on what’s inside beauty products and not what isn’t, there are also less possibly irritating ingredients here. The new formula is fragrance-free, paraben-free, vegan and promised safe for even the most sensitive eyes and skin.

Grab Confidence in an Eye Cream Anti-Aging Peptide Eye Cream from now until August 20 at Ulta Beauty and you’ll get a free Citrine Eye Roller with your purchase. That will feel great on your under-eyes while you apply the eye cream.

It Cosmetics.

Use this for four weeks and It Cosmetics promises smoother and more nourished under-eyes. But what about for the rest of your face? We have good news. The iconic Confidence in a Cream moisturizer got upgraded too. Confidence in a Cream Anti-Aging Hydrating Moisturizer ($78 at Ulta Beauty) contains two times more potent active ingredients, such as what the brand calls 2.5 Percent Peptide-Lipid Complex (for elasticity, skin firmness and hydration), as well as hydrating ceramides. (Hint: you get the freebie by shopping either launch!)

Head to Ulta Beauty now to grab them both. And if you’re breaking out, the Bye Bye Breakout Salicylic Acid Acne Serum is new too.

I had several milestone events that occurred during my husband’s bout with Stage IV cancer. I turned 60 the December before he died. Many friends came together and surprised me with a beautiful party, but I missed not having my husband there by my side, as he was not at home but in hospice care.

A New Way of Living

Several months earlier, I retired from my profession as an art teacher, having decided to give all my attention to caring for my husband Chuck.

I remember traveling downtown to “put in my papers,” and after my exit interview when I stood up to leave the retirement office, the gentleman who had been assisting me said, “Congratulations, you are now retired. You should know that this will be the start of a new way of living.”

Our Lives Were Interrupted Unexpectedly

I left, caught a cab and, as the car passed through Ground Zero, on a misty rainy afternoon, I wasn’t sure how I should be feeling. I had been doing a really good job of holding my feelings in for quite some time, but, on this day, I had mixed emotions, which I could feel beginning to seep through the seams.

I wasn’t really able to celebrate, but I wanted to cry and did shed a tear as I headed toward home to my unknown future. I felt sad and slightly excited, but this was all against the backdrop of my husband and his illness which was an ever present shadow looming in the background.

Years later, when I would look back on those occasions that might’ve called for me to be joyful, I felt that everything had been tainted. The reality of the events that were taking place in my life was a joy killer that snatched away any chance of happiness or even the feeling of slightest happiness.

It wasn’t my husband’s fault. We were at the mercy of circumstances that didn’t ask permission to be invited into our lives.

The Joy of Summer Took a Turn

Just a year earlier, in the summer of 2007, I had surprised Chuck with a wonderful party on the rooftop of a brand-new Manhattan restaurant on the occasion of his 60th birthday. It was truly a perfect day. The weather was perfect and some 40 friends joined us for food, drink and the best, best music.

I had organized everything and my son, Karim, stepped up and finalized the arrangements. On the evening of the event, my husband was so shocked by the surprise that he actually gasped as he saw familiar faces greeting him with birthday greetings and love.

Little did we know that this would be the final time most of these folks would see Chuck alive. Just some five months down the road we would have our lives turned upside down by a diagnosis of volcanic proportions. I was glad that at least we had been able to have a great celebration with closest friends and family before the tidal wave engulfed us.

After My Husband Passed Away, I Could Hardly Breathe

I became anxious, nervous and extremely depressed. I didn’t know how to stop my dive into the depths of despair, as I missed my husband and tried to make sense of the loss.

He was really gone, period. I was still here but fading.

Although I didn’t have any widow or widower friends at that time, I’ve since encountered many people who’ve lost a spouse. They too can identify with feelings of emptiness, isolation, numbness and depression. They do not know how they can go on, how they will survive, how they will handle the pain or how they can make the pain go away.

Some men and women, especially women, feel it is a betrayal to let go of the pain, so they hang on for dear life, rejecting suggestions of ways that they can honor their spouse but begin to rebuild their lives.

I didn’t know what to expect as I thought my extraordinary feelings were part of a new normal for me. Eventually, however, I knew I couldn’t go on feeling vulnerable, anxious, and depressed indefinitely. So, I took the following steps to begin to move my life forward:

Moving Life Forward After Losing a Spouse

Here are a few of the things that I found useful as I tried to move forward.

• Individual counseling. This helped immensely, especially in the very beginning after the loss. My wounds were fresh and I felt as though I was about to fall off the face of the earth. I learned coping skills that assisted me with the grieving process including, visualization exercises, meditation, “talking” to my husband and feeling the pain.
• Group counseling
• Connecting with friends and family
• Staying active and exercising
• Seeking medical and alternative medical assistance as needed.
• Silence. Just being alone and quiet became a sacred time for me to spend with my thoughts and to cry. I also meditated and prayed and had conversations with Chuck. I soon learned to keep my eyes on the target that no one else but I could see as I began to reshape my life.

No matter what anybody else thinks, you know yourself best. You can devise a plan to help yourself rebuild your life, and no one has to have input into that plan except you.

My Intention Was to Shake the Pain of Grief and to Begin to Feel Better Again

Regaining my strength and vitality, being able to transform the pain from the loss of my husband into forever memories was my goal. I did not think that that was possible in the beginning, but little by little as I set-aside time for myself, I was able to move my life forward.

Then, one day, I realized that the sun was shining brighter, and I no longer felt his absence when I entered my home. I was embarking on a new journey alone.

It’s been several years now since I began this overwhelming but illuminating journey and so you might ask, “Do you still have feelings of sorrow even now?” The answer is yes, but it’s a far cry from the day-to-day sadness that I experienced for months, years, now so long ago.

I became my number one priority.

For those who have young children to care for or work outside the home, I would suggest that, before you go to sleep, you take a little time to grieve. Purchase some DVDs on meditation and yoga, or go to an actual yoga class. Try journaling your thoughts and writing down your dreams particularly, those that are about your lost spouse.

You may find a message or an answer in the dream that helps you to begin to feel a bit better. These are a few mindfulness practices that can help to ease you through the grief journey.

During this time, your friends and family, out of concern for your well-being, may urge you to grieve quickly. There is no such thing as grieving quickly. Take all the time that you need to heal yourself.

There are many online grief support groups and social media forums that did not exist when I lost my husband several years ago. These support communities will assist in helping one feel less isolated. Remember, be patient with yourself and know that by connecting with others, you will find that you are not alone.

What have you done to rebuild your life after losing your spouse or another loved one? Did you ever think you would ever survive after loss? How is your life more different now since your loss? What has worked for you as you’ve rebuilt your life?