February has long been considered the month of
love. Whether or not you’re in a romantic relationship, this month is a good
excuse to celebrate any type of love and adoration, whether it’s for a partner,
friend, child, parent, or pet.

My father was someone who believed in
unconditional love. As a Holocaust survivor, he was simply grateful to be
alive. In this regard, I’ve always viewed love as a more universal emotion,
something inspired by my dad.

He also instilled in me the tradition of
celebrating Valentine’s Day with cards and heart-shaped chocolate boxes, so I
grew up believing that Valentine’s Day wasn’t always about romance.

At the same time, in recent years I’ve been
contemplating the concept of unconditional love and thinking about what it is. Unlike
conditional love, which is earned, unconditional love exists without,
well, conditions.

What Does Unconditional Love Really Mean?

Unconditional
love is caring for someone’s happiness without expecting anything in return. It’s
also a type of love that separates people from their behaviors. This is the
kind of love parents have for their children, or pets have for their masters
and mistresses.

It’s
love that is given freely and without question. It’s simply a feeling that
stems from an open heart, and it is nonjudgmental and accepting.

Sometimes
we might love others unconditionally, but we might not approve of their actions.
For example, an adolescent going through challenging times, or an aging mother
who has become more cantankerous and aggressive as she approaches an advanced
age.

Does Age Soften Our Set Ways?

While
we might become more opinionated and fixed in our opinions as we age, I feel
that in many cases, there’s a softening of our conditional love toward others,
along with a calm understanding and acceptance that we’re all different. Being
kind, compassionate, and grateful also seems to be even more prevalent as we
age.

Transpersonal
psychologist John Welwood wrote a great article on the subject in The
Journal of Transpersonal Psychology (1985). He began by saying, “At the
very heart of our experience of being human, each of us has an intuitive sense
of the value of unconditional love.”

He
remarks that unconditional love seems to be most present during the beginnings
and endings of life because we feel most moved by the presence of others in our
lives.

Unconditional
love in a long-term relationship is not a co-dependency situation; it’s
characterized by allowing both parties to grow and follow their dreams.

A
couple loves one another because they share similar worldviews and values. It
also means that there is a foundation of trust between both individuals.

How Do We Show Unconditional Love?

In order to nurture the concept of
unconditional love, you must have a generosity of spirit, be accepting, and
understand what the other person is experiencing. Here are some ways to garner
unconditional love from another person:

• Be understanding.
• Show feelings of
  joy when in the other person’s presence.
• Remain independent
  and nonattached.
• Foster a
  generosity of spirit toward the other person.
• Hold feelings of
  compassion.

There are definite advantages to nurturing
unconditional love. For example, holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl drew a correlation
between unconditional love and happiness. In other words, the more you practice
unconditional love, the happier you will be. It’s so simple.

Which of your relationships bear the mark of
unconditional love? Why do you think so? Which of your relationships need to be
nurtured more? Please share your thoughts with our community.

Madison Prewett’s Red Printed Top on Her One-on-One Date

The Bachelor Season 24 Episode 7 Fashion

Considering it appears to be a boutique buy, Madison Prewett’s red printed top that she wore on her one-on-one date on last night’s episode of The Bachelor is definitely a rare find. Just like Madison, who we’re praying that Peter will be able to take all the way to the chapel even after his sexcapades just like we’ll probably be taking a Style Stealer for her sold out top to our place of worship: our closets. 

Fashionably,

Faryn

All American Set Sold Out at TheImpeccablePig.com

Originally posted at: Madison Prewett’s Red Printed Top

Madison Prewett’s Mascara in Peru

The Bachelor Season 24 Episode 7 Fashion

I spent a loooooong time last night trying to hunt down the mascara we caught a glimpse of Madison Prewett using on those long lashes getting ready for her one on one during last night’s episode of The Bachelor. While I had little luck, BBH’s resident Pinterest expert Shannon uncovered the info and sent it my way. I mean, having this brand identified being used on her insane lashes is such a great, unintentional plug for this affordable makeup brand. And her lashes totally leave me thinking maybe it’s Madi, or maybe it’s Maybelline. I definitely feel it’s my duty to scoop some up a tube and find out.

The Realest Housewife,

Big Blonde Hair

Click Here to Shop her Maybelline Mascara

Click Here for Additional Stock

Originally posted at: Madison Prewett’s Mascara

If there was ever
a makeup dilemma that can make us scream out loud it’s crepey eyelids. Having
had my share of meltdowns while applying eyeshadow to dry, crepey lids, I have
some valuable ideas to navigate this problem.

Applying
eyeshadow to a crepey lid can be frustrating; however, there are some easy
solutions that start by taking care of your inner and external health.

I also have some
tricks with makeup that will make it much easier to manage. That being said, here
are my top four suggestions to navigating crepey eyelids like a savvy senior.

Treat Dryness and Improve
Health

What causes
crepey skin? Our skin becomes more crepey with the collagen loss that comes
with age. It is also enhanced by dehydrated and nutrient deprived skin and poor
health. In order to improve crepey skin, I recommend taking care of both your
inner and outer health with hydration and nutrients.

For example,
taking essential fatty acids like Omega 3 and 6 makes a huge difference in the
smoothness and suppleness of your skin. So does drinking plenty of spring water
and taking supplements that strengthen your immune system and overall physical
health.

The more nutrient
dense foods, skin care, and vitamins that you take, the greater improvement in
skin elasticity and plumpness you will find. Having said that, each body is
unique in its needs, and it’s up to all of us to develop a self-care strategy
that benefits our well-being to the highest degree.

As far as skin
care goes, I’d recommend getting an excellent serum. Serum is like a powerful
multivitamin for the face! If you’re going to spend money on a single product,
then I suggest buying an effective serum and using it all over your face and
around your eyes if the product allows.

I use Transdermal C
Serum by Truth Treatments, and it’s helped me enormously. Or, if you
like eye cream, try Bobbi Brown Extra
Repair Eye Cream and tap it all around your eye one to two
times a day.

Very Little Makeup
on the Eyelid

As you work on
your health and use your serum, you’ll notice a definite change in your skin
texture. As your skin improves, you can use more makeup products on the lid,
but in general, keep products like concealer, foundation, eye base, and powder
off the lid area.

When you put
products on crepey eyelids, they tend to look garish and not settle into the
skin as they normally would. As your skin improves, though, you should be able
to use all of the above items without difficulty.

Speaking as a
professional makeup artist, I generally use foundation on the lid to even out
the skin, and I use an eye base on oily lids to keep the powder eye shadows from
creasing.

On my own lids, I
use concealer to help cover my hyperpigmentation, but I don’t have oily lids so
it doesn’t crease up. A word of advice: keep powder and powder foundation off
dry skin as much as possible as it tends to set in those fine lines.

Avoid Shimmer
Shadows

I love a little
shimmer in my life. I love it on my jewelry and in my eyeshadows! Trouble is,
when my skin, or anyone’s skin, is dry or dehydrated, shimmer can look gaudy
and flaky. My advice in this instance is to either forego using frosted and
shimmery shadows for the time being or to use them sparingly.

For a wonderful
matte eyeshadow palette try Jane Iredale’s
Daytime Eyeshadow Palette. To apply shimmer strategically, using your
ring finger, dab a little iridescent shadow right in the center of your lid,
avoiding the crepey bits as much as possible. That way you get a little glamour
without looking overly made up.

Focus on Liner

If you have
crepey, hooded, or small lids, I suggest focusing on eye liner rather than
eyeshadow. It takes practice but learning how to apply eyeliner can change your
entire look and make you feel like a rock star. And who doesn’t want that?

For a detailed
tutorial on how to apply eye liner, click here. If you’re looking for guidance on
hooded lids, then watch my video on how to make hooded eyes pop.

In short, apply liner
mainly to the upper eye as opposed to under the eye, and blend well to remove
any sharp lines. Also, chose a complementary eyeliner shade that enhances your
eye color.

For example,
blue-eyes come alive with blue-gray, lavender, or warm browns. Do you have
green eyes? Try grape, bronze, or purple liner. For you brown-eyed beauties, go
for charcoal, green, navy, or black for darker skin tones.

Hopefully, you’re
not like me having meltdowns over crepey eyelids. As I’ve aged, self-care has
taken a higher priority, and I’ve noticed a definite improvement not only in my
skin, but in my love and acceptance of my body.

Our skin can
bounce back from dryness and crepey-ness, and there are fabulous ways for a
savvy senior to apply makeup on crepey lids. I’d love to hear from you and any
thoughts, suggestions, or questions you might have.

What do you do
for your crepey lids? What has helped improve your skin? Please share in the
comments below!