Month: November 2025

Black Friday 2025 falls on November 28, but sales are already heating up! Whether you’re looking for discounts on electronics, fashion, beauty, or home essentials, we’ve got some standout deals for you.

Many retailers offer sitewide discounts or exclusive Black Friday codes. While some deals may reach their peak on Friday, stock can run out quickly, so if you spot a good deal within your budget, it might be best to take advantage early.

Here are some of the top Black Friday 2025 discounts we think you’ll love:

Black Friday Beauty Deals

It’s that time of the year to stock up on your favorite beauty products from ULTA, Murad, Charlotte Tilbury, Sephora, and Laura Geller. 

Murad

Get 30% off all products on the website. Get a free firming + ultra-luxe Retinol Night Cream ($93 value) with $150 purchase. Use code: CYBER2025

Our favorite products from Murad:

• Retinal ReSculpt Overnight Treatment
• Rapid Dark Spot Correcting Serum
• Retinal ReSculpt Eye Lift Treatment
• City Skin Age Defense Broad Spectrum SPF 50 | PA++++
• Targeted Wrinkle Corrector
• Restorative Hydro-Hyaluronic Cream
• Vita-C Eyes Dark Circle Corrector

Ulta

Black Friday deals across the site, including up to 40% off fragrances, 30% off many top makeup brands, and free gifts with purchases. New deals are added daily, so keep checking back.

Our favourite products from Ulta: 

• 30% off select Estée Lauder Advanced Night, including our favourite Advanced Night Repair Moisturizing Overnight Treatment $68.60 reduced from $98.00.
• Daisy Eau So Intense Eau de Parfum $57.60 reduced from $96.00
• Up to $150 off Dyson hair tools
• Clinique Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum $56.00 reduced from $80.00
• Medicube Deep Vita C Capsule Cream $15.40 reduced from $22

Charlotte Tilbury

Get 25% off sitewide when you spend $85 and unlock free pillow talk gifts worth $136 when you spend over $225

Our favourite products from Charlotte Tilbury:

• Airbrush Flawless Foundation
• Charlotte’s Iconic Magic Skin Duo Skincare Kit
• Charlotte’s Palette Of Beautifying Eye Trends
• Charlotte’s Hydration Revival Skincare Discovery Set
• Charlotte’s Hollywood Skin Secrets Immediate Eye Revival Patches

Laura Geller

Where foolproof beauty solutions are made. especially for women over 40. Up to 75% off sitewide + an extra 10% off with code: CW10. There’s a new ‘deal of the day’ every day this week, so ensure to keep checking back. 

Our most used products from Laura Geller:

• Seasonless Staples Reigning Rose 14 Multi-Finish Eyeshadows
• Holiday Daily Routine Kit (5PC)
• The 40+ Club Kit (3PC)
• Modern Classic Matte Lip Mousse
• Baked Balance-n-Brighten Color Correcting Foundation

Black Friday Electronics Deals

Black Friday deals are very popular with people who want to upgrade their electronics; from computers to TVs, there’s sure to be a deal for you. When shopping online, it’s worth being cautious; fraudulent or too-good-to-be-true electronic deals are common. Make sure you recognise the company you are purchasing from, and if unsure, check for any reviews. 

• Amazon – Thousands of products with many retailing for over 50% off. Stock is often limited so products don’t always stay in stock or may increase in price. 
• Apple – From November 28 through December 1, get an Apple Gift Card up to $250 when you buy an eligible product.
• Best Buy – Hundreds of products reduced across the electrical range, from TVs, laptops, tablets, to phones. 
• Samsung – Get the latest AI tech in the Black Friday sale, with members earning up to 5X rewards. 
• Walmart – Black Friday deals between Nov 25th and Nov 30th. 
• Lively – Specialises in “senior-friendly” phones and devices.

Black Friday Fashion Deals

Black Friday is a great way to splurge on some clothing, footwear, and accessories. 

• Madewell – Up to 40% off apparel, accessories, and footwear (use code LETSGO). 
• J.Crew – Black Friday Event: discounts on women’s, men’s, and kids’ clothing – perfect for getting the grandchildren some Christmas presents!
• Anthropologie – Sale across the site, plus bigger discounts on clearance items. 
• Lululemon  – Significant discounts on Activewear 
• Everlane – Discounts up to 50% across the site. 
• Banana Republic – 40% off full-price items, including cashmere!
• Levi’s – Up to 50% discounts sitewide, a great time to grab your jeans and key basics.
• Nordstrom – Up to 60% off select styles – designer, clothes, shoes, accessories are all discounted. 
• Macys – Black Friday deals across the site, grab some bargains!

Black Friday Home Deals

Now is the time to purchase the big-ticket home item you have dreamed of, or those smaller items to make your home perfect for the holiday season.  

• Wayfair – Homewares, furniture, décor, kitchen, outdoor etc. Up to 80% off many products!
• Macy’s – From bed & bath to kitchen and dining – Macy’s is currently running discounts across a wide range of brands. 
• Ashley Furniture – Black Friday furniture/home sale is active now — good for sofas, bedroom furniture, home furnishings. 
• West Elm – Contemporary furniture, home décor, lighting, and homeware with up to 50% off plus an extra 15% until Monday!
• Pottery Barn – Reduced items across the site, from furniture, decor, gifts, and more.  
• AllModern – Modern furniture, décor and home furnishings – up to 70% off site-wide.
• Anthropologie (Home / Décor section) – good for stylish homeware and décor pieces with discounts across the site.  
• Amazon – Thousands of deals across the site with huge discounts. Stock can be limited, and prices often change.  

Are there specific deals you’re looking for this Black Friday? Or have you already found some great steals? Join the conversation below!

You chose a care residence believing your loved one would live with dignity – not become content for someone’s viral clip on TikTok. Yet a recent national review shows a startling reality: direct-care staff in nursing homes are posting videos of residents being humiliated. According to gerontologist Eilon Caspi, “Many social-media abuse incidents in nursing homes remain unreported … the reality is that it’s not being tracked.”

So, what can you do to ensure your loved one is not being humiliated via social media posts and videos?

Watch for Red Flags

Phone Use During Care

If staff routinely carry their personal phones or tablets while assisting residents (especially those with dementia), that may be a red flag. The referenced study found more than 200 publicly shared posts tied to state investigations over the past decade.

Residents Showing Distress or Withdrawal

If your loved one suddenly becomes quiet, embarrassed, or less engaged when you visit, ask questions. These behaviors can reflect shame or confusion from being filmed or mocked.

Over-Stretched Staff, High Injury/Illness Rates

An additional study found that assisted-living and continuing-care retirement communities (CCRCs) in the U.S. have above-average injury/illness rates – a warning sign that staff may be distracted, fatigued or inadequately supervised. Excess demands on staff open the door to unsafe care and degraded resident dignity.

Prepare as a Family Advocate

Take a Baseline of Your Loved One’s Status

Before admission or during early days, take note (or photograph with consent) their mood, grooming, interaction style, and comfort level.

Create a Visiting/Communication Routine

Frequent, brief check-ins build your “normal” picture. Staff who know you are engaged become less able to hide misconduct.

Ask About Staff-Phone Policies and Social Media Rules

Does the facility train staff about resident dignity, consent, and camera/phone usage in care areas? What are the penalties for misuse? Caspi notes that many victims had cognitive impairment, making valid consent difficult.

Have a “Vigilance Checklist”

Include items such as: staff using phones in resident rooms; residents smiling too broadly or oddly on video; unexplained mood changes and the presence of extra bruises or skin breakdown.

Expect Transparency

Ask to see the facility’s policy on photography/recordings of residents. Federal guidelines in the U.S. require nursing homes to prohibit recordings that demean or humiliate residents.

Respond Decisively

Document Immediately

If you find a post or suspect misconduct, take screenshots, note device/staff names if visible, times, and content.

File a Formal Complaint

Start with the facility administrator. If unresolved, escalate to your state’s long-term-care ombudsman; adult protective services; and respective organizations in your country.

Invoke Resident Rights

In many jurisdictions, residents (or their representatives) have the right to access footage, ask for its removal, and change of staffing or phone-use policies.

Tie the Behavior to Broader Cultural Issues

Overrated workloads, overtime, agency staff and understaffing correlate with compromised care. The facility with above-average injury/illness rates may hint at systemic fatigue and distraction.

Push for Policy Change

Encourage the facility to restrict personal devices during care hours, train staff on digital abuse, and monitor social media postings tied to the facility.

Recognize This Is Not Just a U.S. Issue

Globally, the World Health Organization estimates that two-thirds of staff in long-term-care institutions report having committed some form of abuse in the past year. A 2016 review of elder-mistreatment research in 28 countries found that emotional abuse ranged from ~28% to ~62% of older adults.

Whether you live in the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia or another nation, the risk is systemic: overburdened staff, inadequate oversight, the allure of social media virality, and vulnerable residents unable to give informed consent.

The Broader Narrative: Distracted Staff Equals Unsafe Residents

When staff are juggling overtime, shortages, agency hires, personal device use, and the lure of a social media post, the quality of care inevitably suffers. The above-average injury/illness statistics for assisted-living and CCRC settings confirm a systemic vulnerability: the more distracted and understaffed, the greater the risk for not just indignity but physical harm. Your advocacy for your loved one must treat dignity and safety as inseparable.

In an age of likes, shares and viral clips, older adults in residential care deserve far more than a cameo in someone else’s feed – they deserve respect, safety and protection. As a family member or caregiver, you are the first line of defense. Stay vigilant, prepare relentlessly, and act decisively.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Have you witnessed or experienced any form of elder abuse in a care facility? What steps did you take to raise awareness of the situation?

Thoughts become things… choose the good ones!

When you read, “thoughts become things,” what comes to mind? Let’s picture it. When you awakened this morning, what was your first thought? Was it positive? Maybe it was thanks for another day or a wish that you would make good decisions or maybe it was thoughts about all you had to get done or the work project needing completion. Perhaps your first thought was how to feed your empty stomach or where you could go to find help with whatever you are facing right now.

Where Do Your Thoughts Take You?

What if you created your day based on your thoughts? Picture your thoughts swirling about in the universe, waiting for the right time to appear. Do you want those thoughts to be positive or negative? It has been my experience that when I face the day from a place of gratitude and abundance, whether that is reality or not, I am rewarded with more. When I focus on the lack of something – family that is too far away, things I can’t do in the winter, people or relationships that cause friction – my day takes a downward spiral. Who needs more negativity in the world?

When I lived in North Carolina, I was reminded every day that I should make joy the focus – I lived on a street named Joy Place! Talk about a daily wakeup call. Before I left for work and every night when I returned, I was surrounded by Joy Place. My home was on a little pond and sometimes a blue heron would stop there. I grew to think of my home and yard as my sanctuary. That is when I truly started to focus on the joy of living and living in joy.

Even though our world seems wild and crazy and, especially if you are a news hound, tragic and depressing, what can we do about it? How can we make a difference when there are racial and religious confrontations, political bickering and accusations, people living under conditions that will almost assuredly lead to hunger and possibly to death, and on and on? Wow! Picturing joy in those situations is a lot to ask.

Our Experiences Can Change Our Thoughts

There actually is something we can do, and it comes back to the creation of thoughts and then following those thoughts with action. After all, haven’t we created the world that we live in today? Oh, our parents and grandparents and other ancestors had an influence on us, but it is our choice to follow their lead or to take a different path.

My parents often told the story of my grandfather’s first visit to see my family in Arizona. Granddad was an Iowa farmer, and his impression of the desert was, “What God forsaken country!” Of course, my parents did not share that belief and their love of the desert was instilled in each of their daughters. So much so that we, one by one, moved to Arizona as adults.

Many of us were brought up with biases or sensitivities, whether we want to believe it or not. I grew up in an Iowa town with no racial diversity except at the local college to which I had very limited exposure. Occasionally, a person of color would dine at the restaurant where I waitressed during the summer and, although unusual, I did not give it much thought. There were people of many nationalities, races, and religions at the large university I attended, and, again, I did not give it much thought. My parents brought me up to believe that all people were created equal, and so I always thought I was not biased.

However, in my first job out of college I worked side by side with a man of color, and I must admit that I felt a bit uncomfortable. It was not a matter of questioning his worth or ability in the workplace, I just felt there was a difference and I wanted to get to know him. Over time, we became friends, and I especially loved his sense of humor. Maybe part of my discomfort was being a newbie, but I think part was a bias or a sensitivity that I had to overcome.

Travel Changes Perceptions

I felt the same discomfort when traveling until my experiences opened my heart and eyes to the fact that people all over the world want the same things and have the same struggles. We have different customs and speak different languages, but our core values are the same.

For example, we all want our children to be happy, we want to provide for our family’s needs, we want a reason greater than ourselves to wake up in the morning, and we want to enjoy our time on earth. I found that true in China, Mexico, Australia, and across Europe and North America. There is nothing like travel to make a person discover our sameness – that we are one. We can choose to focus on the similarities, the oneness, or we can choose to fear the differences.

My travels and choices have brought me to a place of deep gratitude. I am not saying that it was an easy lesson, and I am sorry that I have hurt people along the way. I am far from perfect, but I try to start each day with positive thoughts and work to maintain that outlook over the day. Some days it is a struggle.

As I practice a positive outlook – to live in joy – it becomes easier. Nevertheless, I often remind myself that everything I do, feel, and say is a choice. Everything! I will not excuse myself for past habits or ingrained outlooks. It all must pass through the filter of joy.

A Step Toward a Better World

What thoughts are you creating? What kind of life and world do you picture? I hope you agree that we do not need any more pain, anger, fear, or turmoil. If you agree, then set those thoughts aside. If you find it difficult to release the negative, take some time to find the source of those feelings. Perhaps it was something that you learned growing up and it feels safe and comfortable. Maybe you don’t even believe it anymore, but change is not easy. If you agree and you want a better, more peaceful world where all life is valued and basic human needs are met, then change is worth the discomfort.

I believe that your positive thoughts, joined with mine and millions of others, can change the world. I want a better world for my children and grandchildren and their heirs. Please, come join with me and feel THE JOY OF LIVING AND LIVE IN JOY.

Reflection Questions:

Do you live in joy? Can you think of other steps to make ours a better world? Do you have an experience that changed your life outlook?

This skincare hack is getting more popular. Should you try it?

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Originally posted at: Molly O’Connell’s White Printed Tie Strap Dress