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Originally posted at: Brynn Whitfield’s Facial Moisturizer

Today I’m focusing on favorites – but not just any favorites. We’ll talk about favorite drugstore products from six of my favorite drugstore brands.

Let’s face it. When we walk into Target, CVS, Walmart – or almost any drugstore makeup section – and face what seems like a never-ending sea of products, it can be a bit overwhelming.

And while drugstore brands are definitely more affordable than what we find in a department store or specialized beauty retailer, we still don’t want to waste our money on a blush that will be patchy, a foundation that ages us or a mascara that results in more clumps than volume. Or products that may have worked on our 30-year-old skin but definitely not on our mature skin. So today I’ll be sharing specific products from favorite brands that we can always count on.

Elf Cosmetics and Maybelline

I’ll start with brow and eye products and then focus on face products. And let’s first start with the brand Elf. What an amazing few years this brand has had! When they debuted their Elf Halo Glow Liquid Filter last summer – which is an amazingly good dupe for Charlotte Tilbury’s far more expensive Flawless Filter – they ended up with a waiting list of more than 75,000 people.

As for their eyebrow products, Elf makes several really good ones. Because my brows are quite sparse and need more definition, I like to start off with a brow pencil to better define my upper and lower brow line. And the $3.00 Instant Lift Brow Pencil does a great job.

Elf’s “Wow Brow” is a dupe for several more expensive products. What makes this product especially helpful for those of us with mature skin is that it has fibers which add volume to our lashes.

To cover up grey brow hairs, I’ll also sometimes one of my favorite Maybelline products: their Brow Fast Sculpt Eyebrow Gel Mascara which comes in 8 shades. It’s one of the few brow gels I’ve found that actually covers grey and white brow hairs effectively.

And one of my other Maybelline favorites is their Eyebrow Pomade or Cream which comes in six shades. A brow pomade is a great product to use if you have very sparse brows since it adheres well to bare skin.

There are three other products from Elf that are real favorites – their Bite Size Eyeshadow Palettes: “I Love You a Latte,” “Cream and Sugar” and “Pumpkin Pie.”

And if you’ve watched many of my videos, you’ll certainly not be surprised by this next favorite: the Elf Hydrating Camo Concealer. I use one shade for color correcting my dark circles and the other shade as a concealer over the corrector.

And the final Elf favorite I want to mention today is Elf’s Putty Blush which comes in eight shades. It’s comparable to many high-end blushes since it applies and blends so well.

Next: ColourPop Cosmetics

Now let’s move onto one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes which happens to be from ColourPop. If you love eyeshadow, you’ll want to have the ColourPop website bookmarked. They literally have hundreds of eye shadows – from super shock singles (which are very high shine), to 4-, 5-, 9-, 12-, 15, 24- and 30-pan eyeshadow palettes in every conceivable color story. The quality can vary a bit, but overall, these shadows are excellent.

In the accompanying video, I’ll dip into one of their 30-pan all-matte eyeshadow palettes called “Gone Matte.” One of the things I love most about this palette is the layout because there’s no guesswork involved in what color combinations can work together well. Each vertical column has colors in the same color family – from light to dark – that will always look good together. And there’s a wonderful combination of warm, cool and neutral colors.

L’Oreal

Several years ago, L’Oreal came out with a makeup line specifically for those of us over 50 called Age Perfect. One of their products in this line is the Age Perfect Serum Foundation which comes in 30 shades.

In the video, I’ll mix some of this foundation with just a little of one of my other drugstore favorite foundations: Wet and Wild’s Photo Focus Matte Foundation. The Age Perfect Foundation creates a lovely soft glow which is really beautiful on mature skin.

Three of my other favorites from L’Oreal are their L’Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara, their Lumi Glotion which comes in four shades and their Age Perfect Lip Liners which I’ll be using later in the video. The Lumi Glotion is a great multi-tasker since it can be used as face primer, highlighter, mixed with foundation or worn alone. It’s also hydrating and is infused with Glycerin and Shea Butter.

What sets the L’Oreal Age Perfect lip liners apart is that they prevent lipstick from migrating into those pesky vertical lines around our mouth, and they come in eight gorgeous colors. I’ll be applying this lip liner a little bit later in the video.

To color correct under my eyes, I’ll apply two of the Elf Hydrating Camo Concealers I mentioned earlier. I’ll use “Light Peach” to color correct and then apply the shade “Fair Beige” over the corrector. And to ensure that these concealers don’t crease, I’m going to use one of my favorite Maybelline products: their Lasting Fix Banana Setting Powder. 

Wet and Wild Beauty

Contouring is a wonderful way to minimize areas of the face we want to bring less attention to (such as jowls and a high forehead). It can also help our cheekbones stand out and can make our nose look thinner.

One of my favorite contour products is from Wet and Wild. It’s their Megaglow Stick Contour which comes in three shades. The shade I’ll use is the darkest and is the only cool tone contour: “Where’s Walnut.”

My other Wet and Wild favorites are their Photo Focus Foundation – which I mixed in earlier with the L’Oreal Age Perfect Serum Foundation – their Color Icon 5 and 10 pan eyeshadow palettes, and three other products which I’ll be applying a bit later: their Megaglow Liquid Highlight, their Silk Finish Lipstick and their Color Icon Zodiac Lip Gloss.

Be sure to check out Elise’s YouTube channel which specifically focuses on makeup tips, techniques, and product reviews for those of us 50+. Don’t forget to subscribe!

Flower Beauty

For blush, I’m jumping to another favorite drugstore brand: Flower Beauty. I’ve tried so many drugstore cream and liquid blushes, but the drugstore blush I keep coming back to is the Flower Beauty Blush Bomb Color Drops. There are eight beautiful colors in this blush, and my favorite is “Bubbly” which is a cool pink.

Another product I love from Flower Beauty is their Spotlight Liquid Highlight – which is one of their newer products – in the white/gold color “Opal.” This liquid highlight also comes in two other shades: “Gleam” which is a rose/gold and “Gilded” which is a bronze gold.

And the third outstanding product from Flower Beauty is the Day Glow Highlighting Glaze. In the video, I’ll swatch just a little of this Day Glow Highlighting Glaze along with the Spotlight Liquid Highlight so you can see how they look.

Highlight and Lips

Now let’s apply some highlight to the cheekbones to give them some more visibility. I’ve already mentioned three highlighters I love, but the one I’m going to apply today is an oldie but a goodie I mentioned earlier from Wet and Wild: their Meglaglow Liquid Highlight.

And now we’ll finish up with lips. I’ve already outlined my lips with concealer so I can better create the lip line I want. And the lip liner I mentioned previously from L’Oreal’s Age Perfect line comes next. I’ll complete the lip look with my Wet and Wild Silk Finish lipstick and one of my favorite lip glosses: Wet and Wild’s Color Icon Zodiac Lip Gloss in the shade “Libra.” There are 11 other gloss colors in this line.

The last two favorite lip products I want to mention are from Maybelline: a lipstick and a gloss. First, Maybelline’s Iconic 24-Hour Liquid Lipstick which comes in 17 colors, has been around for years and is specifically formulated to be long lasting. And Maybelline’s Lifter Gloss which I have in the shade “Opal,” and which comes in 17 other colors.

I hope you enjoyed today’s article and video and found them helpful. And I do hope you’ll share some of your favorite drugstore brands and products with all of us in the comment section below.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you have a favorite drugstore brand? If so, what are your favorite products from this brand? What are some of your other favorite drugstore brands?

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Photo: @brynn_whitfield

Originally posted at: Brynn Whitfield’s Pink Swimsuit

I have to admit I have been on a ton of diets in my life and unsuccessful with every single one of them. You name it; I have tried it …and failed.

In the past, my dieting was always with the purpose of improving my looks. I just kept searching for the next popular diet that would, for sure, get me a more beautiful body.

I now look back with regret at the amount of wasted time and energy I spent dissatisfied with all my body’s imperfections and flaws.

Me finding and going on the next miracle diet was way too often a conversation in my household. Until one evening something, or should I say someone, changed my thinking.

Through a Child’s Eyes

My 13-year-old daughter was setting the dinner table. I noticed she was only putting on 5 plates. “There’s six of us eating, honey,” I said.

“Not tonight,” she responded. “I’m going to skip dinner tonight because I am going on a diet.”

“Sweetheart,” I said, “You are 5 feet 3 inches tall and weigh 95 pounds. What are you thinking? You, little girl, do not need to go on any kind of diet… your body is just perfect how it is!”

She flippantly responded, “I don’t see what’s the big deal, Mom. You are always talking about trying out the latest diet! So, I decided to be like you and try one too.”

I gasped! Oh my God… what had I been doing?

This brief interaction with my daughter made me realize that my egotistical dissatisfaction with my shape was setting the stage for my children’s possible poor body images as well.

So, that evening, after all six of us finished dinner, I rose from my chair, and said I had an announcement to make. My husband and our four children looked up in shock, as this was unusual behavior for me.

“I want you all to know that starting now, I am never going on another diet again!” The room was quiet as I went on. “In fact, as far as I am concerned, from this moment on, in this household, the word ‘diet’ is now to be considered a four-letter word!” My son giggled and one of his sisters kicked him under the table.

That clarifying experience changed my mind about diets.

Switching Awareness to Brain Image

Then, about the time I gave up being obsessed with my body image, I started to get concerned about my brain image.

I was becoming painfully aware that the women on my mother’s side of the family were dealing with the devasting effects of cognitive issues. My mom, her mom and two of my mom’s sisters had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. I suspected my genetics put my brain at risk as well.

That set in motion a journey for me to educate myself and later teach others about brain health.

Articles that used to pique my interest like Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days, annoyed me. Long-term health and fitness information was my new frame of reference. I was no longer looking through the lens of beautiful body miracles, but rather a beautiful brain.

You might say that after all these years I was finally coming to my SENSES.

I found a myriad of research that pointed out the critical importance of making healthy lifestyle choices to support and even prevent cognitive decline. Choices like quality sleep and plenty of exercise. And one particular lifestyle area that came up again and again was that of nutrition.

There is a tremendous amount of discussion in the neurological field these days that shows the gut and brain connection. In fact, the gut is often now referred to as the second brain.

What We Put in Our Gut Affects Our Brain!

One day, as I was digging deeper into the critical impact of nutrition on our brain health, I came across an article written by David Katz, MD, MPH, the founding director of Yale University’s Yale-Griffin Prevention Research Center. He is also an associate professor of public health and the author of roughly 200 scientific articles.

Wow, I thought, this Katz guy really must know some stuff!

Here are some of his words that brought home for me the power of nutrition:

• “Diet is the single most important predictor variable of health outcomes in the modern world.”
• “Diet quality is the single leading predictor of longevity and vitality.”

Did you catch it? That four-letter word… d*et?

But I had sworn off of all diets!

And yet, there I was, actually typing ‘brain diet’ into my internet search?

A plethora of diet books appeared… Mind Diet, Brain Diet, Brain Boost Diet, The Grain Brain, Think Better Diet, Keto Diet, Mediterranean Diet, …on and on.

And, as fate would have it, a health newsletter arrived in my inbox the next day. Here’s how it began: “Let’s settle this debate once and for all… What is the best diet for brain health?”

Oh no! Was I back to where I began – looking for another miracle diet and thinking the right diet could fix my brain?

Not this time, I decided! If I was going to go back to battling with food; I was going to have a new battle plan! This time I needed to try another way.

My Diet Plan

Have you, too, had dieting experiences that left a bad taste in your mouth? If so, I want to encourage you not to give up on creating more healthy eating habits.

And, if you are like me, you want to eat better. You promise you do. But you can’t bear to face going on another diet right now.

Then might I share some tips that moved me in the right direction?

• Decide to develop a healthy relationship and mindset around food.
• Don’t speak about food as if it were the enemy. Have you used the words ‘starving, unsatisfying or boring’ when talking about diets? Instead, think and speak about food as a beautiful blessing. Pause while you are eating to relish and savor the life-giving energy and fuel that will nourish your brain.
• Adopt this mantra for improving your eating habits. Progress; not perfection.
• Keep it simple and begin with small steps.

Less Can Be More

More of These:

• Healthy foods prepared in healthy ways
• Whole foods
• Natural and fresh foods
• Real food
• Fresh fruits
• A variety of vegetables
• Lots of leafy greens
• Whole grains
• Herbs and spices
• Organic фоодс
• Nuts, beans, seeds, legumes
• Water

Less of These:

• Unhealthy foods prepared in unhealthy ways
• Highly processed food
• Fake food
• Fast foods
• Foods with added sugars
• Foods with artificial flavors /sweeteners
• Trans fats
• Sodas and other sugary drinks

Whether your goal is improving your sleep, getting more movement in your day or eating healthier, remember: Start where you are at, begin with small steps, and create healthy habits.

The goal is not a fast, easy fix but long-lasting change.

Our Beautiful Brains Are Worth It!

(If you try any new foods, pay attention for your body’s possible negative responses. If you are under a doctor’s care, make sure and check before making changes to your diet.)

Here are some practical tips you might want to follow:

Don’t Tempt Yourself

Don’t have unhealthy food around your house or your workplace if you are tempted by it. If you love ice cream, don’t buy it by the gallon. Go to your local dairy queen and occasionally treat yourself.

Eat a Variety of Good Foods

Challenge yourself to trying a new food from the produce department each week.

Progress Not Perfection

I was enrolled in a 6-month wellness program several years ago, and I was asked each week to confess when I had ‘cheated’ on my detox diet. I hated the word cheated… it made it sound like I was a bad person. I would have preferred to be asked about the percentage of times I was successful. Or how I felt like I was progressing!

Be Intentional – Create a Plan

I made created my own grocery list. That helped me with my weekly meals and snack planning.

Think Ahead

Before ravishing your cupboards and refrigerator, think about what your body and brain need for nourishment and fuel.

No quick fixes, or easy peasy wins; this time my plan of action would be a carefully intentional, well-thought program for a better brain.

Use Your Senses

Savor healthy foods by using your sense of sight, smell and taste.

Make It Fun

Instead of feeling that every trip to the grocery store has to be B-O-R-I-N-G, have fun.

Eat the Rainbow!

When my grandkids came to stay with me this summer, I created a rainbow chart for them. I bought small colorful smiley face stickers. The goal was for the children to eat the rainbow every day, as in, yummy fruits and vegies. Of course, we had a discussion that gummy bears, M&Ms, and sweet tarts did not qualify!

They loved it! They loved the competition with their siblings and the prizes they received. I always had plenty of raw vegies and fresh fruits so they could choose what they wanted. I took them to the store and had them help me pick out some foods they especially liked… that were healthy. At the end of the vacation my 6-year-old said, “You know, Grandma… actually, the truth is healthy foods taste better than junk food.”

“Yes, yes, yes!” I squealed and gave him a high five.

And don’t forget to hydrate. We tend to forget to drink enough water during the day, but this is super important and there’s a ton of literature explaining why.

You Are Worth It!

If you are like me, then you love the bargains. This is true especially when healthy choices come at a higher price. In those moments, I use this mantra: My brain is worth it! My health is worth it! I am worth it!

You know the brain doesn’t get evenings, weekends, or vacations off. It is always working, 24/7. It is in charge of your thoughts and decisions in the daytime, but it’s also responsible for your movement, breathing, senses and heartbeat.

In order to do all those tasks, your brain needs a constant supply of adequate, rich in nutrients food. So, consider the tips above and see what you are willing to do to keep your mind and body healthy.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

How many times a week do you eat healthy foods? Do you follow diets that don’t give your brain enough nutrients? Do you have family disposition to any serious brain conditions, such as Alzheimer’s? What are you doing to proactively prevent early development?

You may not realize this, but when you file divorce papers, you are suing your spouse for divorce. Most people have never been involved in a lawsuit before and have never worked with an attorney for anything other than a traffic ticket or to prepare their will. Fees can add up to the tens of thousands very, very quickly. If you must hire an attorney, here are some tips that will save you money.

Strongly Consider the Hourly Rate You Will Be Paying

Weigh the hourly billing rate of the attorney you choose vs. the complexity of your case and/or what you will realistically get out of your settlement. Some attorneys have high hourly rates because of a specific sub-specialty, because they are board certified in family law, or because they have many years of experience.

If their specialty is child custody, for instance, but you are seeking alimony, their fee may not justify the particular work they will be doing in your case. Some attorneys have a high hourly rate because, well, they can, and because there are people out there who think high fees equal competence.

If your case is not complex, it is probably OK to hire a more junior attorney with a lower hourly rate. Ask what the hourly rate is before your consultation.

Negotiate Your Retainer

Sorry to say, some lawyers have non-refundable retainers, and some ask for a large amount of non-refundable money up front to “reserve their time.” If you can settle quickly, you won’t get that unused portion back. If you want to change attorneys because you are unhappy with the progress of your case or the work they are doing, you will not get that unused portion back.

This happens all the time. If your attorney leaves the firm you hired, you also may not get your retainer back, and you will feel compelled to continue to work with the firm they left.

The purpose of a retainer is to be assured of payment for work performed. They should not get paid for work they do not do. Do not be afraid to talk about how their retainer works in detail.

Ask for Mediation Early

In North Carolina and most other states, the courts require mediation before child custody and equitable division trials. Save yourself a lot of fees and try to mediate early in the process.

A mediator can use their trained skills to bring up issues that are preventing settlement and help find solutions that parties can agree upon. Better yet, instead of attorneys, consider using a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst as both a financial neutral and a mediator.

Be Thorough and Organized When You Gather and Provide Documents

You don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars an hour for someone to wade through a disorganized mess. Put them in a binder and provide an index. Attorneys need to inventory all incoming documents and usually will want an index as well.

Also, ask how they want you to provide documents; hard copies of documents, electronic copies, or both. You don’t want to pay a professional for the job of scanning documents. Save yourself a lot of money and perform this sweat equity yourself.

Do Not Use Your Attorney as a Therapist

This one is obvious.

Do Not Think You Won’t Get Billed for Each Email or Quick Phone Call

Attorneys and paralegals charge in 10 or 15-minute increments, so that email that they read in two minutes could cost you $100!!! If you have a question that is not legal, try asking their secretary.

Ask for a Monthly Billing Statement

Not only can you see where your money is going (and that it is going), but what they are doing and how your case is progressing. That might help you avoid a phone call or email to your attorney.

Hire a CDFA, Regardless

A Certified Divorce Financial Analyst can and should handle the financial aspects of your divorce, and can do it more knowledgeably, thoroughly, and affordably than your attorney or their staff. For instance, one of the first things your attorney will want is a Financial Affidavit where you provide your income and expenses and your assets and liabilities.

(Note: Financial Affidavits are called different things in different states. For example, in New Jersey it’s called a “Case Information Statement (CIS)”; in Utah it’s a “Financial Declaration”; and in New York it’s called a “Statement of Net Worth.”)

It’s important this document is correct, because it is the basis on which your support payments and asset division will be determined. A Certified Divorce Financial Analyst can help you make sure your budget is thorough and your affidavit is accurate. He/she can also check to see if there are errors in your spouse’s Financial Affidavit.

For instance, in the case of employee income reported on a W-2, often income can be incorrectly reported by counting the wrong number of pay periods or deducting too much in taxes. 401(k) contributions and healthcare premiums need to be added back to gross income, as well as any other payroll deductions. A Certified Divorce Financial Analyst can check for those types of common errors.

If you haven’t hired an attorney yet, then consider contacting a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst to help you settle your divorce affordably. Hiring a CDFA is the best advice I can give you on how to save money in your divorce and how to avoid high attorney fees.

When you use attorneys, the settlement is based on a current snapshot of your financial situation. The benefit of working with a CDFA is that he/she will look not only at the present, but how the settlement will affect you in the future. That’s very important when there is spousal support because it’s important to know if you will have enough income once support stops.

You can read on my website about the many reasons why hiring a CDFA is an emotionally healthier and financially smarter alternative.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

What advice would you give others so that they can save attorney fees? Was your attorney clear about how much your divorce would cost? Do you wish you had sought out financial advice or used a mediator instead?