All I want for Christmas is to be on Halle Berry‘s gift-giving list. The iconic actress, who might I say ages like the finest of wines, has some of the best gift ideas around. How do I know this? Because she posted a video of one of her go-to presents on IG, of course.

Last year right after the holidays, the Oscar-winner posted a six-minute clip of her own personal (non-sponsored!!!) review of the Finishing Touch Flawless Cleanse Massager and noted that she gave the device to “every single person I know… because it’s something I really, really love.”

She called it a “revolutionary product” and credited the soft silicone bristles and four vibration settings for penetrating pores and dislodging all the dirt and oil from her skin without roughing it up. Now that’s the kind of review we’re listening to.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. HSN is a STYLECASTER sponsor, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Halle Berry (@halleberry)

The cleansing brush works how any other would, however Berry says the results of this one are unmatched.

“It feels so good in your hands,” she told her seven million followers. “Sometimes I uses a scrub when I’m using this if I want a really good exfoliation. Sometimes I use a plain cleanser.”

Her routine is pretty simple. She uses the high setting for 30 seconds so that “you just feel the dirt and excess oil and makeup come off,” and then shifts the speed to setting 3 for a “nice massage.” She adds that she works the brush up and pushes the device in an upward motion to fluff up the skin and fight gravity and droopy skin. After this step, she finishes with setting 1 and rinses her face with warm water.

“This feels so good. So stinkin’ good, and it’s so gentle,” she said while demonstrating her process. “That’s the beauty of this … It’s like giving your face a hug.”

Courtesy of Finishing Touch.

Finishing Touch Flawless Cleanser Brush

Now, usually with a celeb-loved product, we’d expect a hefty price tag. However, this one is shockingly affordable. We’re talking under-$30 affordable.

The 100-percent silicone cleansing brush uses sonic vibration to give your skin the kind of cleaning it needs after a long day going from the gym to work to dinner to drinks. Or, you know, a long day of staying home and working from the couch. And, it’s “stinking cute” (as Berry so lovingly put it). It’s designed to be compact so that you can put it in your purse or carry-on with ease.

Plus, the brand has even more skincare essentials.

Courtesy of Finishing Touch.

Finishing Touch Flawless Cleanse Total Body Spa Brush Kit

If you want an all-over cleanse and exfoliation, look no further than the brand’s spa brush kit. It comes with a long unit designed to reach those hard-to-pinpoint places like your lower back, as well as three cleansing heads: a loofah, massager, and exfoliator.

Courtesy of Finishing Touch.

Finishing Touch Flawless Next Gen Hair Removal

There’s a solution to getting rid of peach fuzz without scraping up your face, and it’s this hair remover. Unlike stiff razors it’s designed to pinpoint the exact spot you want to clear without irritating your skin.

What more could you need? Consider our Christmas shopping complete.

I’m kind of greedy when it comes to my beauty products. I want some type of instant gratification but also long-term benefits. If you’re anything like me, you’ll want to add Murad’s Targeted Wrinkle Corrector to your skincare line-up. The brand-new peptide and hyaluronic treatment blurs skin better than the TikTok beauty filter — and has some seriously hydrating benefits, too. Mark my words: this will be the next viral TikTok beauty product.

Like Peter Thomas Roth’s ultra-viral Instant FirmX Eye Tightener, the immediate, wrinkle-smoothing results of Murad’s serum are only temporary. While I don’t have deep lines (yet!), I noticed the fine lines on my forehead were less noticeable with just one use, and my foundation went on easier, too. Targeted Wrinkle Corrector is for use all over the face and I found it smoothed my smile lines really well.

Plus, the addition of hyaluronic acid, hexapeptide (a peptide) and vegan squalane work to plump skin and make lines less visible over time. Hydrated skin shows less wrinkles.

Murad.

In a clinical study, Murad says 96 percent of testers “saw smoother texture on applied areas immediately upon application,” 90 percent showed “improvement in the look of forehead wrinkles,” and 100 percent saw improvement “in the look of glabella lines (AKA elevens).”

Source: Instagram

I can’t speak to the long-term benefits just yet, but I’m planning on switching on my usual makeup primer for Targeted Wrinkle Corrector, instead. Unlike other line-smoothers, it doesn’t make my skin feel tight and sticky. Instead, it’s just like a regular hydrating serum that happens to make you look a bit better in seconds. Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with aging (or wrinkles!) and there’s no shame in the Botox game, either. But if you’re looking for something in between au naturel and needles, this might just be your new go-to.

What better time than the start of a new year to envision new possibilities! Most of us get ready by buying a planner or a calendar. Empty pages filled with promise.

But there’s another way to prepare for the year ahead. You can ask the counterpart to your Intellectual Planner Self, your Right-brained Imagination, to help you create a Vision Board.

You’re right… this exercise isn’t a new concept. But it’s a trusty tool. And it’s especially fruitful if you’re longing for change and can’t seem to think or plan yourself any closer to making it happen.

A vision board opens channels to ideas you may not realize you had.

Visioning Coaxes Your Dreams into Reality

Planners and calendars are perfect for scheduling and staying organized. Vision boards are intended to give your wildest dreams some breathing room.

They’ve been called Creativity Collages, Image Banks… they’re a vivid reminder that too often we skip the dreaming and scheming phases of creating change in our lives.

We’re socialized to take ACTION, and we often jump into that too quickly. We’d rather make action plans, problem-solve, figure stuff out!

Vision boards give us the needed permission to wonder “What if…”

Breathe Life into Your Intentions by Paying Attention to Them

When you make a vision board your subconscious mind runs the show, your playful self cuts loose, and your inner critic takes a nap.

Selecting words and images representing what you want or who you want to become allows your outer life to fall in line accordingly and informs you about what you to pay attention to.

Take 5 Simple Steps

Ready to start the fun?

STEP 1: Choose Your Format

You have some options. You can make cards to put on your desk or tuck away for your eyes only. Or use a bulletin board with push pins.

You may want a poster board to hang in your hallway. Then everyone can hold your vision for you. Or maybe a banner that hangs from your ceiling sounds about right.

You get the idea. There’s no wrong answer for Step 1. 

STEP 2: Ask Yourself What Your Heart Truly Desires

Take deep breaths into Step 2. Get to the feelings beneath what you want.

If you want a million dollars, for example, ask yourself WHY? Deep down, what will that bring you? Security? Peace of mind? Freedom?

Don’t rush this step. Get to the essence of what you want. Give your subconscious a chance to identify what’s truly at the heart of your desires.

Most importantly, don’t filter, judge, or criticize what you come up with.

STEP 3: Find Images That Speak to You

Do this leisurely. Magazines or the internet are great sources. So are photos, your original art, or doodles.

It’s very important in Step 3 not to try to figure out why you are drawn to an image or a phrase. Or to talk yourself out of it. Just use it. The feeling behind it came to you in Step 2.

Your creative self knows things your logical self doesn’t. And remember, that’s the side of you that’s doing this activity.

STEP 4: Place What You’ve Found or Created on Your Card or Board

Use glue, tape, pins, or whatever else works for the type of project you’re creating.

STEP 5: Put Your Board Where You’ll See It

You don’t have to build a shrine, stare at it for hours, or memorize it. It will still serve its purpose.

Your subconscious mind is amazingly effective.

Take note of when or how something from your board manifests. (Hint: It’s like getting a surprise that doesn’t feel that surprising.) Write these things down or make a Vision Card Journal or Log.

You can use your shiny new planner to make your lists and set your appointments. But playing with a vision board yields another level of information.

Watch what happens. Maybe this year you’ll create what your heart truly desires. I hope you do!

Have you ever created a vision board or other tool? How do you feel about having some fun with one this year? Let’s have a conversation!

Heather Gay’s Facial Mist on BravoTV.com

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City Beauty

In case you were wondering how Heather Gay keeps her skin dewy and moisturized in that cold mountain air, according to this exclusive clip on BravoTV.com she uses this handy facial mist. A product per our records is also beloved by Kathy Hilton, and therefore would make the perfect hunky-dory stocking stuffer. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to Shop Her Tatcha Facial Mist

Click Here For Additional Stock

Click Here to Shop it in a Gift Set

Originally posted at: Heather Gay’s Facial Mist

The concept of “aging in place” has become popular over the years as lifespans have lengthened. Aging in place usually means living with a fair degree of independence in the community rather than in a residential facility. Traditionally, this has taken the form of living at home with or without help from family or home health services.

While many prefer this arrangement, health problems can make aging in place at home impractical, too expensive or even unsafe. A logical option for many in this situation may be assisted living.

To purists, assisted living does not fit the definition of aging in place since it takes place in a facility outside the home. However, taken in a broader view, this senior lifestyle is more like living at home when compared to traditional nursing homes. Assisted living is designed to feel more like a home than a hospital room and promotes the resident’s dignity, choice, independence, and privacy.

The Evolution of Assisted Living

As assisted living has evolved, these facilities have experienced more and more residents suffering from serious health conditions. Under the original assisted living model, such residents would be forced to move to locations better equipped to handle their more medically intensive needs.

This could be particularly traumatic for residents since the move to assisted living was intended by many to avoid a traditional nursing home.

Innovative providers in the assisted living industry responded by providing more services to help deal with such issues as memory impairment, incontinence, and support needed with activities of daily living like dressing and bathing.

While such changes were popular with older adults, this evolution in assisted living has presented some complications.  

The Limits of Independence

The degree of independence for an assisted living resident depends on the amount of care required. For example, some privacy must be sacrificed when staff members need to enter apartments to provide services. Despite the necessity of such interactions, a resident may still have difficulty giving up their expectation of privacy.

Financial Pressures

One of the original attractions of this senior living approach was its affordability compared to nursing homes. This was a popular feature since most assisted living facilities function on a private pay basis rather than insurance reimbursement. Of course, as health declines, more support is needed.

If the facility offers such services, they are usually available on an a la carte basis resulting in higher costs for residents with greater needs. Some facilities accept Medicaid Waivers which can help those who qualify. However, for most, the risk of running out of money as healthcare costs rise can be a genuine concern.

Facility/Resident Fit

The choice of a particular assisted living facility comes down not only to location and cost but also to fit. Fit represents the match between a resident’s overall needs to the facility’s ability to meet those needs.

Since a resident’s requirements evolve over time, an ongoing assessment of a facility’s ability to meet those needs must occur. For example, if a resident suddenly requires special therapies not offered by the facility, moving to a new facility may be necessary.

The Challenge of Dementia

Dementia challenges the capability of many assisted living facilities since only 14.3% provide support for this class of afflictions. Therefore, older adults and their families concerned about dementia should screen potential facilities based on support services offered in this area.

The Future of Assisted Living as an Aging in Place Option

Most older adults move to assisted living with the intent of making it their last move. To increase the likelihood of a long-term stay, attention needs to focus on finding facilities that offer a wide breadth of quality services. The challenge for the assisted living facility is to provide these services at an affordable price while maintaining a home-like atmosphere that preserves independence and privacy.

Striking the right balance increases the likelihood that residents can live in a less institutional environment yet still have access to a broad array of services that will allow them to successfully age in place in an assisted living environment.

What does ‘aging in place’ mean to you? Do you think it’s possible to age in place in an assisted living community? Would you consider such an option? Why or why not?