I like to dress trendy, to a point. Some of the current trends are great for women over 60. Like breezy midi dresses that come down past the knee, not to the floor. Swing dresses that don’t fit too snugly with comfy t-shirt fabric. Tunic tops that cover the bottom yet are made of summer linen-like material. Then top everything off with a jeans jacket for cooler evenings.

My goal is to dress classy as a 60+ woman whether dressing trendy or not. These suggestions will help you get that classy look without spending or changing much in your wardrobe.

Bra or Bra Straps Showing

It all started with the popular show Sex and the City where the main character had various colored bra straps showing on most of what she wore. This look became trendy but it’s not a classy put-together look. Neither is having a black bra or underwear show through your clothing.

I’ve found it’s best to buy a skin toned bra, in several strap types where straps can be manipulated to hide under your clothes. Automatically, you have a classier look if your bra or bra straps don’t show.

Sometimes bras don’t fit well, resulting in an overflow at the top, the bra itself stands out under clothing, or there’s back bulge. I’ve tried to fix this myself with size adjustments, but I might take advantage of help at a nice department store near me, where an expert can help me tackle this issue.

Scruffy Shoes or Rounded Shoes

Due to my 60 + foot issues, I can only wear flats. Flats that have a pointed toe, rather than rounded, can make a big difference on the classy meter. I don’t like overly pointy shoes, but slightly pointy works. Try comparing rounded to slightly pointy with your next outfit. What do you think?

I don’t particularly like buying shoes, so sometimes the ones I have get dirty, scruffy, or worn out looking. Polishing or cleaning can bring back their life. If they can’t be made to look good again, it’s time to drag myself out to shop for new shoes.

After a recent vacation where I did a massive amount of walking, I took a cleaning brush to my white tennis shoes. Happily, they look brand new again. No tennis shoe shopping needed for now.

I’m particularly bad about cleaning my boots in the winter. They get salt and grime on them from our snowy streets. This winter, I’ll try to do better.

Distracting Gawdy Jewelry

If you like costume jewelry, go ahead and complete your outfit with a bit of bling. There’s a fine line in overdoing it with accessories then slip right out of the category “classy.” Trust your instincts here to accessorize classy versus gawdy. Less seems to be more in the accessory arena.

I recently bought a fun bracelet on sale. It looks like it’s made of some sort of stone. When wearing it, I’ve noticed it upgrades my outfit. In fact, I’ve been noticing women wearing small groupings of bracelets lately. They instantly add a touch of class to dressy or casual outfits.

Too Baggy or Too Tight

I have both baggy and snug clothes in my closet. When I’m in the baggy stuff, I sort of disappear. No waistline, no bulges anywhere, and no style. In fact, when I view pictures of myself in baggy stuff, I look heavier. I love the baggy stuff for comfort. Classy or not, heavier, or not, I’m wearing them sometimes!

What about those clothing items I love but are too tight? When viewing pictures, a size bigger would be just right. Too tight of clothing makes me look heavier too! I’m not going to wear those sometimes. That is, until they fit properly.

If you desire a classy look, go through your closet to find the things that fit well without bagging out or clinging to every bulge.

Wrinkled Clothes

I’m donating my ironing board. It’s big and takes up too much space. I don’t use it, even when I probably should. What I’ve done to fix the wrinkle problem, is purchase a small inexpensive steamer for clothes.

I love this thing. It heats up in a minute and steams the wrinkles right out of anything. If it weren’t for my periodic sewing, where I need to press seams, I’d donate my iron and small ironing board too.

I feel better knowing I started out of the house with wrinkle-free clothes. It makes me feel confident that I look classy and with a steamer, it’s super easy to do.

Who do you know that is a classy dresser? Can you think of a time when they had their bra straps showing, they over accessorized, wore wrinkled clothing and their shoes looked like they got them out of their dusty basement? Probably not.

It doesn’t cost much to dress classy. Use what you already have and see if it builds your own confidence in how you think you look.

I’m very interested in your comments on classy dressing. Do you have any other ideas that would be helpful? Is dressing classy your style? What style do you like? Do you think these suggestions are silly? Or are there ones you’d like to try?

When my friend Tom died, his wife found a typed sheet of paper in his briefcase. The words “Personal Commandments” were at the top. There were 50 one-line truths he had committed to live by.

When I saw the list, I realized it had been based on his habit of reading one book a week for the previous 35 years. These 50 timeless truths are applicable to all age groups, but are words to live by for people over 60.

Contained in the list of 50 commandments were five proven strategies especially suited to help maximize life after 60. These strategies worked for me and they will work for you.

Live Life with Intense Curiosity

Hanging around with grandchildren reminds us of the curiosity of youth. How many times have you been asked by some young mind, “Why is the sky blue?” or “Why do I always fall down instead of up?” Curiosity is the tool for learning.

With age we tend to lose our curiosity. We stop asking why zebras have stripes and horses do not. And when we stop being curious, we stop learning. If you want to maximize life after 60, increase your level of curiosity. It may take some effort to resurrect it, but the effort will pay off and your mind will remain sharp.

Live Life Full Throttle

Aging is often depicted in terms of slowing down. We can’t work as many hours as we once did. Our walking pace isn’t what it used to be. And there are times we want to take a nap.

In spite of our bodies slowing down, we can still live full throttle. This is the idea of maximizing life. Determine to live the rest of your life in such a way that you suck every bit of good out of it. Refuse to coast into obscurity. Instead, live life with passion, even if it’s from a wheelchair.

Focus on Things That Matter Most

In our busy world it’s easy to focus on triviality. Too many people spend hours fiddling around with meaningless games on their phone or tablet. Often they sit in front of the TV binge watching shows on Netflix. This might be entertaining but it’s not productive.

If you are going to maximize your life, you must focus on what matters. The Pareto principle reminds us that 20% of our efforts yields 80% of the results. The key to optimizing your life is to focus on what really matters. Learn to prioritize and focus on what produces the greatest results.

The Best Way to Predict the Future Is to Create It

Many things in life are out of our control. Stuff happens. We often feel powerless when we look to the future. As a result, the temptation is to feel like a victim.

But here’s the truth. We have the power to create the future. The majority of the future will depend on our own decisions, not on the whims of the gods. Decide what you want your future to look like. Figure out what must happen for the future you dream about to become a reality. And then, instead of waiting for the future to invade your life, go out and make your preferred future a reality.

Conquer Your Bucket List

Now is the time to attack your bucket list. You’ve been dreaming of seeing the Grand Canyon or writing a book or jumping out of a plane for a long time. But for decades you’ve made excuses and never accomplished these bucket list challenges.

It’s time to conquer your bucket list. Decide which item on your list to attack first and then go for it. Stop making excuses. Figure out what steps you must take to make the dream a reality. And then forge ahead.

These words to live by are proven strategies that have become a way of life for me. They work if you take the effort to make them a reality in your life. If you want to see the other 45 commandments Tom left behind, you can check them out in my book Tom’s List: 50 Commandments to Transform Your Life.

Do you have things on your bucket list that you have been delaying? Would you call yourself a creative person, or do you tend to follow the status quo? Please join the conversation below.

Venita Aspen’s Makeup and Beauty Products on Southern Charm

Southern Charm Season 8 Episode 5 Beauty

Ohhh emmm geee. Um, I’m gunna need Southern Charm’s Venita Aspen to come on over and organize my home for me asap. Especially my vanity so that all of my new makeup and beauty products can be displayed on it just as perfectly as hers.

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her Dior Airflash Foundation

Click Here to Shop Her Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation

Click Here to Shop Smashbox Photo Finish Primer (Her version no longer available)

Click Here to Shop Her Neutrogena Hydro Boost Moisturizer

Click Here to Shop Her Iconic London Illuminator

Click Here to Shop Supergoop Products (We’re not 100% sure which ones she has)

Click Here to Shop Her Dior Lip Glow Oil

Click Here to Shop Her Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Mascara

Click Here to Shop Her Conair Curling Iron

Originally posted at: Venita Aspen’s Makeup and Beauty Products

I don’t know about your part of the world, but it is HOT where I live. I want everything else around me to be lighter, cooler, and more relaxed. My clothes, our dinners, the sheets on my bed. And the books I read.

When the weather is hot and sticky and relentless, I crave books that don’t require too much effort on my part. I still want good stories, but I like plots that don’t demand too much of my concentration. I hope you find one – or more – novels in this list that appeal to you. Happy summer reading!

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan

I didn’t want this book to end!

Fans of the Hallmark Channel, please take note… My favorite read of the summer so far, this novel is fun and light without being fluffy or silly.

In the tea house of her beloved, well-worn home, Nora Hamilton writes formulaic movies for the Romance Channel. Her scripts are all the same. A quaint small town. A cupcake bakery or a flower shop or a romantic inn. Two people butt heads, only to fall in love after the commercial break and live happily ever after. 

After her divorce, Nora pounds out the best screenplay of her career. Heartthrob Leo Vance is cast as her loser husband, film crews take over Nora’s home, and her life will never be the same.

This feel-good, happy book would make a great movie in real life. I can picture it on the big screen!

True Biz by Sara Novic

True biz (adj./exclamation; American Sign Language): really, seriously, definitely, real-talk

This is the first book I’ve read focusing on a deaf community’s perspective. I enjoyed this dive into sign language, cochlear implants, and homes with hearing siblings or parents. 

At River Valley School for the Deaf, a boarding school, readers follow students and their hearing headmistress through the ups and downs of high school life. Although the coming-of-age story was entertaining, I was more intrigued with the deaf world I knew little about. 

Author Sara Novic, also deaf, attended college and graduate school classes with an interpreter, often feeling isolated from the mainstream. She wanted this bestselling novel “to be a place where deafness is the norm and you, as the hearing reader, are the weird one.”

The Truth About Ben and June by Alex Kiester

When Ben wakes up in the morning, he can’t calm his crying baby, and he can’t find his wife, June. She is gone, without a trace. 

Although I enjoyed this story, young moms will especially relate to it. New mothers often wonder who they are and what they will become. Add newborn baby exhaustion, overworked husbands, minimal communication, and tense relationships. 

When June became pregnant, she gave up a dancing career and now wonders what might have been. As Ben tracks down June’s friends to determine her whereabouts, he discovers his wife isn’t the person he thought she was. 

I enjoyed the unique structure of this novel, with June’s version of the story told through letters June wrote to her deceased mom. I also liked the dancing reference, the novel’s quick pacing, and its characters. Although the Greek mythology angle didn’t work for me, I know other readers will appreciate it. 

Let’s Not Do That Again by Grant Grinder

Nancy took over her dead husband’s congressional seat, and a few years later, she’s running for the Senate. She wasn’t always available when her young children needed her. But Greta and Nick are now adults, and Nancy needs their help. 

The problem is Nancy’s grown kids are floundering. Greta hates her mom and loves an extremist. Nick is struggling with writing a musical about the life of Joan Didion. But family must help one another, right?

This smart novel marches along with a unique, albeit semi-outlandish plot. Family dynamics tossed with politics and rebellion make for an enjoyable read. The author, a former political aide, also wrote The People We Hate at the Wedding, coming soon to theaters.

The Perfect Neighborhood by Liz Alterman

Another reminder we never know what goes on behind neatly painted front doors or white picket fences…

When an actress/model leaves her husband in the middle of the night, the Oak Hill neighborhood tongues start wagging, and speculation abounds. And then, a young boy disappears from this picture-perfect neighborhood while walking home from kindergarten. My first thought? A five-year-old walks home alone? Who allows that to happen? But it did. 

Lots of twists and turns and fingerpointing ensue. The mom? The babysitter, stepbrother, former nanny? 

And then another child goes missing. 

This novel is a quick-moving read, and the anecdotes reminded me of people we all know. Since it does revolve around missing children, this book may not be for everyone. But, as I read, I knew – I could tell the story would not have a disturbing end. And I was correct.

Do you read lighter books in the summer? What reading recommendations do you have? Any beach reads to share?

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

Let’s be honest: Anything Billie Eilish recommends is a yes from me. Luckily, she recently shared her post-concert routine in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video for us all to see. If you’ve witnessed the 20-year-old superstar in person, you know she puts on quite a show, so it’s only right she does some proper self-care after each performance. One of the products she swears by? The TikTok-viral Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother. 

“I use this after every single time I wash my hair. And you can use it on your dry hair before you go to bed and it’ll just kind of give some volume,” Eilish says, before demonstrating how to use the product. The singer says she uses a lot of Olaplex products on her hair, but as someone who is known for frequently dying her strands, it makes sense. Her healthy locks have to be credited to this hair repairing treatment.

Olaplex.

Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother

Olaplex No.6 Bond Smoother adds hydration to the hair without weighing it down. The highly concentrated leave-in cream provides numerous benefits to damaged strands, such as speeding up blow dry time while smoothing and softening, defining the hair’s natural texture, and reducing frizz and flyaways for up to 72 hours at a time. It’s suitable from coily to finel hair types, and can be used on chemically-treated and colored locks. 

RELATED: This Shampoo Transforms Thinning, Brittle Locks—& Shoppers Confirm Their Hair Feels ‘10 Years Younger’

Beyond getting approval from Billie and thousands of TikTok users, the treatment has over 30,000 five-star ratings on Amazon from shoppers who love this product for dyed and damaged hair. 

One reviewer described the product as their “secret weapon.” They went on to say, “I have bleached, over-processed bright blonde hair which is thin and prone to breakage and split ends. I chopped a good deal of it off because I couldn’t get any decent length without it fraying completely and looking thin and limp. This bond smoother eliminates all frizz and has strengthened my hair and prevented breakage from styling. My hair is actually thicker and healthier than its ever been from using this line.”

Coming in at $30, this may not be the most affordable option, but everyone who has splurged on it has said the price is worth it. “I’m going to start this by saying I truly wanted to hate this stuff. I balked at the price and then was even more annoyed when I saw how small the bottle actually was. But oh man, this stuff is amazing,” another reviewer raved. 

While Eilish has boasted several hair colors, it’s safe to say her hair always looks flawless due to this Olaplex product, which I’ve now added to my cart too.