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Thursday night was Ralph Lauren’s SS23 fashion show in Los Angeles, the first time the designer had a West Coast show. LA’s hottest stars came out decked out in classic Ralph Lauren, including Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. Although we were supposed to be looking at clothes, we couldn’t help but notice how glossy, shiny and stunning J.Lo’s Old Hollywood-style waves were. Not to mention, her subtle glam makeup and fall-ready nails. Don’t worry — we got all the scoop.

Lopez’s glam team came out to do their thing, with Chris Appleton on hair, as usual. “Dream shine this evening with jlo,” he wrote on Instagram and shine is right. We’re dying to know how her strands got so glossy. It could be his favorite Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray ($44.93 at Amazon), which wraps hair in a water-resistant barrier so strands are silky, glossy and frizz-free. He also enlisted Violet Teriti, a Russian hair/extension expert to add length and volume.

Source: Instagram

Makeup artist Scott Barnes was responsible for the glam, which consisted of bold lashes, glowy skin and a nude lip from his own brand — the J.Lo special. She knows what works and she sticks to it. She did switch up her nails, though. She traded in her nude and grey shades for a fall-ready wine color. Nail artist Tom Bachik shared his inspo:

“Last night’s look, pure Ralph Lauren. Makeup was clean and fresh. Hair perfection in glamorous waves,” he said. “Beautiful, classic, minimalist was the vibe and nails needed to complete the look. We went with Essie’s #424 Bordeaux to do just that! Short, strong, natural-shaped nails help the color pop. Paired with the Ralph Lauren black pinstripe dress and gold jewelry gave us timeless strength, sophistication, and style.”

Source: Instagram

You know what that means? Thanks to Essie, you can get J.Lo’s exact nail look for just $7 on Amazon.

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

Thursday night was Ralph Lauren’s SS23 fashion show in Los Angeles, the first time the designer had a West Coast show. LA’s hottest stars came out decked out in classic Ralph Lauren, including Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. Although we were supposed to be looking at clothes, we couldn’t help but notice how glossy, shiny and stunning J.Lo’s Old Hollywood-style waves were. Not to mention, her subtle glam makeup and fall-ready nails. Don’t worry — we got all the scoop.

Lopez’s glam team came out to do their thing, with Chris Appleton on hair, as usual. “Dream shine this evening with jlo,” he wrote on Instagram and shine is right. We’re dying to know how her strands got so glossy. It could be his favorite Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray ($44.93 at Amazon), which wraps hair in a water-resistant barrier so strands are silky, glossy and frizz-free. He also enlisted Violet Teriti, a Russian hair/extension expert to add length and volume.

Source: Instagram

Makeup artist Scott Barnes was responsible for the glam, which consisted of bold lashes, glowy skin and a nude lip from his own brand — the J.Lo special. She knows what works and she sticks to it. She did switch up her nails, though. She traded in her nude and grey shades for a fall-ready wine color. Nail artist Tom Bachik shared his inspo:

“Last night’s look, pure Ralph Lauren. Makeup was clean and fresh. Hair perfection in glamorous waves,” he said. “Beautiful, classic, minimalist was the vibe and nails needed to complete the look. We went with Essie’s #424 Bordeaux to do just that! Short, strong, natural-shaped nails help the color pop. Paired with the Ralph Lauren black pinstripe dress and gold jewelry gave us timeless strength, sophistication, and style.”

Source: Instagram

You know what that means? Thanks to Essie, you can get J.Lo’s exact nail look for just $7 on Amazon.

I’ve made the decision to lovingly engage with everything that has life. By ‘life’ I refer to everything that lives, grows and dies. By engage, I mean to validate, to respect, to study, to experience, to question.

The Life That Impacts Me

I am a 90-year-old female, living alone in Maine, by choice, on a quiet, somewhat secluded stretch of sea water. I am surrounded by life in all forms. My years in this setting have fused my love with every living creature, flora, forest and natural miracle that these tired eyes can contain.

So deeply embedded in my soul is this ‘life viewing’, I can close my eyes and trace perfectly the living location of every tree near my cottage and those that are fringed around the silent, cove waters.

This is my church, my place of worship, my art gallery, the delicious food that feeds my heart, the ever-changing, never changing vision that greets my fading eyes each day, all day. It follows me into my dreams and promises to be there at the blessing of sunrise.

Why I Didn’t See It Earlier

I do wonder how I journeyed through all those past rough and tumble years of my life, far away from this discovered truth that I find I cannot live without for a second today.

Where was my heart? Where was my head?

Was I lost in those concrete forests of the city, never tuned in to the bird singing in a nearby tree or the perfection of a slow sliding cloud in the piercing, blue sky? I cannot bring back those years. They lived in another me, a somewhat hollow, shallow me.

When we look back on our lives, and this is the pattern of those of us who have reached a hefty digit, memories flood into view and so many are not pleasant to recall or welcome at all. So many times, when we weren’t kind or gentle or even honest with others, but especially ourselves.

But hark, there is a reprieve from these regretted past deeds and actions. It is old age. Forgiveness can cancel out transgressions as we are reminded, daily, that each hour, each minute is a gift and should be lived happily and without guilt.

My Decision

And so, my new decision, to respect everything living, has brought precious gifts. I find I am kinder to myself, more respectful of my family, friends and neighbors. Nature looks back at me with outstretched limbs. Even my houseplants seem brighter, greener.

A tiny black spider has made its way onto my desk as I write. My impulse, born of the other me, is to kill it. But, my new code of respect for everything living, prompts me to gently capture the tiny life and transport it outside to my deck. How simple. How respectful. How life-loving.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Are you fully engaged with life? What things are precious to you today that you overlooked when you were younger? Please share your observations in the comments below.

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

Thursday night was Ralph Lauren’s SS23 fashion show in Los Angeles, the first time the designer had a West Coast show. LA’s hottest stars came out decked out in classic Ralph Lauren, including Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. Although we were supposed to be looking at clothes, we couldn’t help but notice how glossy, shiny and stunning J.Lo’s Old Hollywood-style waves were. Not to mention, her subtle glam makeup and fall-ready nails. Don’t worry — we got all the scoop.

Lopez’s glam team came out to do their thing, with Chris Appleton on hair, as usual. “Dream shine this evening with jlo,” he wrote on Instagram and shine is right. We’re dying to know how her strands got so glossy. It could be his favorite Color Wow Dream Coat Supernatural Spray ($44.93 at Amazon), which wraps hair in a water-resistant barrier so strands are silky, glossy and frizz-free. He also enlisted Violet Teriti, a Russian hair/extension expert to add length and volume.

Source: Instagram

Makeup artist Scott Barnes was responsible for the glam, which consisted of bold lashes, glowy skin and a nude lip from his own brand — the J.Lo special. She knows what works and she sticks to it. She did switch up her nails, though. She traded in her nude and grey shades for a fall-ready wine color. Nail artist Tom Bachik shared his inspo:

“Last night’s look, pure Ralph Lauren. Makeup was clean and fresh. Hair perfection in glamorous waves,” he said. “Beautiful, classic, minimalist was the vibe and nails needed to complete the look. We went with Essie’s #424 Bordeaux to do just that! Short, strong, natural-shaped nails help the color pop. Paired with the Ralph Lauren black pinstripe dress and gold jewelry gave us timeless strength, sophistication, and style.”

Source: Instagram

You know what that means? Thanks to Essie, you can get J.Lo’s exact nail look for just $7 on Amazon.

As a retirement coach, I spend my time discussing the possibility of working for oneself in retirement. It offers the opportunity to work flexible hours and to do something that ignites your passion.

Having retired from formal employment a few years ago, I now work for myself, mainly online, from home. I have all the flexibility I want, and if I get distracted during the week – or even during the day – I catch up over the weekend or by stretching my work day into the evening.

We Let the Internet Take Over Our Lives

If you have not worked for yourself before, a word of caution may be necessary.

The insidious way that the world wide web creeps into one’s life and the way that passion for doing what you love can take over, are two things that you need to watch out for if you become an entrepreneur for the first time in retirement.

It is not simply a case of another Facebook post I need to acknowledge, another webinar I should listen to or another TED talk to watch. If you are working as I am, in the coaching and personal development industry, all of these should be categorized as ‘work’.

And, if you are not vigilant, you can find yourself – as I have in the past few months – working every day of the week, for longer and longer hours.

Over the past year, I have slipped into an unhealthy habit of catching up with blogs, YouTube clips and webinars over the weekend when my time is less pressured. I tell myself it feels great to clear my inbox and to watch or read all the material I have put to one side for ‘later viewing’.

Set Yourself a Challenge

Last week, a comment from a friend jolted me into realizing that I have forgotten how to take time to get away from it all. I infer, he might have made the comment because I was sounding a little edgy and impatient.

That is why I set myself the challenge of completely cutting ties with work for the weekend. My laptop only came out for entertainment – Netflix and some music.

On Sunday evening, I ventured in to sort my emails so that sifting through the junk mail wouldn’t take my time on Monday morning.

All of this reminded me of my school days. Back then, we had a headmistress who used to bring out the ‘recreation’ lecture at the end of each term. At the time, we were very dismissive of what she had to say, but I am more mindful of her message now.

She explained that the meaning of the word recreation has to do with re-creation. In other words, holidays are meant for downtime, for relaxing and re-creating oneself for the next term.

Working for myself in retirement, with a tenuous hold on the enormous global market, it is sometimes very tough to say “No” to what is on offer. I have burned myself out in the past as an entrepreneur, so I should know better!

The Therapy of Cleaning

I had such a great time this weekend, painting my small scullery off the kitchen from ceiling to floor, including the cupboards, having a real spring clean. (Yes, I live in the southern hemisphere where it is spring!)

The weight it took off my shoulders was far greater than any ‘spring’ cleaning of my email inboxes could ever have done! It was more therapeutic than any catching up on work would have been!

Look at It as a Detox or a Deep Cleanse

The lesson I have learned from all this is that even in retirement we need to remember to take breaks, holidays or time for re-creation.

If you are not sure where to start, you can begin by cutting ties with the Internet. Think of it as a detox or a deep cleanse. It is about taking a break; taking time to relax and re-energize yourself.

It is tough to take time out if you have chosen to work for yourself in retirement, but it is a necessity and simply a case of setting boundaries.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How do you manage your business hours and free time in post-retirement work? What do you do when you feel an overload? Please share your tips for taking time off to relax and just be.