Even while we’re all working from home and only going out for the very essential, there’s something nice about at least having your brows and skin looking groomed and put together. If you’re starting to run out of your everyday beauty products, Benefit’s Friends and Family sale for 2020 is almost here to save the day. Stock up on every eyebrow pencil you could ever want, plus natural-looking foundation, mascara, lip tints, bronzer and more at 20 percent off.

From April 13 to April 16, use code BENEBABE on anything on the Benefit site. Seriously, there are no exclusions here, which is really rare. The discount even applies to value sets, tools and cute Benefit merch. Plus, you get free shipping on orders of more than $50. It’s hard to pick favorites when it comes to a brand like Benefit but we chose some must-haves below to get you started on shopping. Come back here on April 13 to shop and fill your cart with what you need while physical distancing and what you’ll need when you finally get out and about again.

Benefit Cosmetics.

Hoola Matte Bronzer

This shimmer-free bronzer comes in four skin-flattering shades, including the new Caramel (medium–deep) and Toasted (deep).

Image: Benefit.

Badgal Bang! Volumizing Mascara

You’re not getting lash extensions anytime soon but this mascara is the next best thing.

Benefit Cosmetics.

Brow Styler Eyebrow Pencil & Powder Duo

In 12 waterproof shades, the dual-ended pencil and powder fakes naturally full brows.

Image: Benefit.

Love, Lips & Tints Full-Size Lip Stain Trio

Benefit’s iconic lip and cheek tint now comes in three pretty shades and you can try them all in this affordable set.

Image: Benefit.

Hello Happy Flawless Brightening Foundation

This medium-coverage foundation contains SPF 15.

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. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

A lonely woman. Aren’t these powerful, dare I say, almost ugly words? Conjuring up someone pathetic, perhaps? Someone you probably don’t want to know?

I’m writing this piece because of all the recent press about how loneliness is now considered not only dangerous for your health but even a fatal condition. Loneliness, it seems, has become a matter of life and death.

British Prime Minister Teresa May appointed a Minister of Loneliness because of the magnitude of loneliness in the U.K. Sixty and Me features articles and videos on loneliness and how to meet people.

Who’s Lonely Now?

If you were to meet me, you’d never think I could be lonely. But I am. You’d think I’m a vibrant, fun loving woman, brimming with energy and panache. I’m not sad sack lonely, I’m deeply lonely.

I’m not depressed enough to stop caring for myself, be a hermit, dress in drab clothes and stop caring kind of lonely. I’m fashionably dressed and coiffed, makeup artfully applied lonely.

That’s why loneliness is so insidious. It’s a silent killer. Women who suffer from loneliness die a little each day, unseen.

It’s embarrassing to admit I’m lonely. First, it seems ‘silly’ when there are ‘real’ problems in the world, like hunger, disease, political unrest ravaging millions of lives.

Second, admitting to loneliness is like I’m announcing that I’m the unpopular girl in school. I use girl instead of woman, because being lonely brings out the girl in me.

Loneliness Breeds Depression

Loneliness is more than just about feeling lonely – it breeds depression. And that’s a tough thing to crack.

Another unfortunate issue about loneliness is we blame the victim. We think loneliness is the lonely woman’s fault. And so, we pepper the lonely with advice: you should go for a walk, go to the library, join an adult education class, go to a meetup group, do volunteer work.

And it’s true, the ‘cure’ for loneliness is not dependent on other people springing into action. No, it requires you, the lonely person, to spring into action.

But know this: just being an active person doesn’t mean you’ve conquered loneliness. I am very busy all day, and still am lonely, whether I’m out in the world or home alone.

I Never Thought I Would Be So Lonely

Even I’m surprised that my life has reached such lonely proportions. It has largely to do with time and circumstances of life in our modern world. I grew up in a loving family and had a small town, active childhood filled with connection.

As an adult, I adored the full, energetic family years of raising my children and being active in my community. Then came a divorce. The children grew and flew. Parents die. People move. Career ends.

Loneliness is so much more complicated than people care to consider. For instance, I’m not shy, but rather outgoing in my own way. I find it easy and pleasurable to chat with strangers if I’m in a waiting room or in the supermarket standing at the deli counter.

But living alone has begun to make me feel very vulnerable in the many ways that have been written about: being sick, traveling, cooking alone, having no one to pick you up from the hospital, navigating holidays. It all adds up. You know what I’m talking about.

Loneliness has many different faces and styles. It’s not what you’d necessarily expect it to be, or look like.

Lonely Insights

I’m an introvert, meaning, I get my energy from time spent alone. I’m also a writer (check out my book!) and writing doesn’t happen at events, activities and parties. Writing happens sitting alone in a room for hours, every day. So, the essence of my life is solitary and requires hours of solitude.

I’m not a social butterfly like some people I know who go to most every event they can, but I do have meaningful and deep relationships with wonderful friends, mostly women. My soul tribe, however, doesn’t live in my city.

Because of work and love, my tribe lives around the world – in Vancouver, Vietnam, Berlin, Kolkata, London and France. I have acquaintances where I live, but when you are an expat, as I am, you often befriend people you wouldn’t necessarily want to know simply because they’re from back home.

I thrive on meaningful conversation, not cocktail party chatter. I’m not often invited to coupled dinner parties in the socially conservative part of Mexico where I live. Hard to believe in 2018, but I’m viewed as a threat – imagine, me, a threat? – and my presence upsets the balance at the table.

I’d like to think that in a cosmopolitan city this would not be the case. I feel like a decades older Bridget Jones, spirited and trying hard. Then there’s our ‘lovely’ patriarchal society where a single older woman is not at all in demand or valued, much less desired.

Coming Out of the Loneliness Closet

Admitting and accepting that I’m lonely makes it less scary somehow. As a result, whilst existential loneliness is not so easily banished, I have noticed a subtle shift in me. I’ve started making more of an effort to get out and connect with people.

I’m not a complainer. Life’s too short to complain. I’ve got a lot of living to do. So I’ll powder my nose, put on my lipstick and get out there. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Do you ever feel lonely? What positive things do you do when you feel like you need more social contact? Please share your thoughts below!

Living in New York
and watching all these pop-up hospitals open up, I feel the vibes of wartime. And
it’s terrifying, feeling like a target and wondering who will be hit next.

I would like to offer
two exercises I find to be great self-care tools. Right now, we need all the
help we can give ourselves for our daily lives at home during this extreme time
of difficulties.

Belly or Diaphragm Breathing

Humans have what’s
called the parasympathetic nervous system which is in charge of keeping us
calm. It helps slow our heart rate and helps with digestion by relaxing the
sphincter muscles in our gastro (digestive) tract.

This is in contrast
to our sympathetic nervous system, which is our fight-or-flight response. We
need this to enable us to respond quickly when there’s danger.

In times of stress,
danger, fear, and all of our arousal emotions, our sympathetic nervous system
is on high alert. Therefore, to help us get to a place or state of greater
calm, our parasympathetic system needs to be stimulated to bring us down from
our heightened level of arousal.

One of the best ways to accomplish this is by slowing down our breathing. Taking slow deep breaths helps activate the parasympathetic system to begin to relax and restore our body to some calmness.

Breathing Exercise

Place your hand on
your stomach as you do this breathing practice so you can feel it rise and
fall.

Now, as you inhale
through your nose, push/puff out your stomach like you’re blowing up a balloon.
As you exhale through your mouth, pull in your belly and slowly breathe
out.

Make your exhale
longer than your inhale. Do 3–5 of these
slow breaths at a time and repeat later in the day or as needed. This exercise
provides a quick feeling of restored bodily calm as there is an immediate physiological
response.

Right now, during
this pandemic, we are all on
high alert, and our sympathetic nervous system is running high, keeping in
constant arousal mode.

We need to practice
calming techniques to stimulate the opposing system (parasympathetic) and
provide some restorative relaxation. And, this also helps keep our immune
system strong.

The Three Blessings

There is much
research documenting the psychological and physical health benefits to practicing gratitude
in our lives. It boosts our positive emotions, reduces depressive symptoms,
enhances our relationships, and many more. It is a major contributor to our
overall wellbeing and makes for a great coping tool.

Gratitude Exercise

Every night before bed, write down three things you’re grateful for. I also refer to this as WWW (and it’s not a website!)…

What’s Working Well

Even in the midst
of great challenge, we can find many things to be grateful for. It can be as
simple as a good conversation with a friend, a healthy home-cooked meal, time
to read… This helps shift our focus and realize that along with the bad there
is good.

As my positive
psychology teacher says, “When you appreciate the good, the good appreciates.”

Start doing these
two easy exercises every day, and you will see a shift. Small things can make a
BIG difference. We need all the help we can give to ourselves right now to keep
going as well as possible.

What’s Working Well for you now? What
tools/strategies are helping you manage this difficult time? Let’s have a conversation!

Leah McSweeney’s Paisley Maxi Dress in the Hamptons

Real Housewives of New York Season 12 Episode 2 Fashion

Leah McSweeney’s paisley maxi dress that she wore on last night’s episode of the Real Housewives of New York in the Hamptons was a super cute, summery lewk that I think probably all of the ladies approved of unlike her tattoos and hat. And believe me when I say that I was very happy to find it still in stock and on sale, because unlike my back (no shade to Leah or tramp stamps, I just don’t have one), it totally has my name on it. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

Click Here to See Her Maje Dress

Originally posted at: Leah McSweeney’s Paisley Maxi Dress