While most of the outside world is slowly reopening after a lengthy six months of back-to-back business shutdowns, I feel the energy in the air returning along with a certain zest for life. As I yearn to reunite with loved ones, I marvel at how much I’d taken advantage of their quality time pre-pandemic. While others are still met with a slight hesitation when posed with the idea of moving freely around strangers once again, people such as myself are thrilled to rejoin society much more than anticipated.
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With birthdays and celebrations being a never-ending season, what a better time for small occasional gatherings celebrating more life as we go into the final stretch of 2020. With holiday festivities soon to come as we quickly head into the winter months, I decided that widening my scope to shop outside of the sweatpants and leisure-wear I’ve been confined to since mid-March. As more events begin to fill up the rest of my 2020 calendar, I decided to round up my favorite go-to little black cocktail dresses this fall. Once retail stores began to reopen, I took advantage of items I saw myself wearing once “normal” life resumed.
Call me a shopaholic or optimistic, either way, here are three OH POLLY LBD styles I’m impatiently waiting to keep me chic all night long this holiday season:
I love anything designed with a pop of skin. Super modern, a cut out mini black dress is a perfect choice for a date or chic night on the town with your girlfriends. Ultra chic and reminiscent of a vintage 90’s silhouette, this ultra-chic v-cut out dress is one of my favorites finds this year. Styled with minimal jewelry, I allowed the dress to speak for itself.
This dress is tailored for the self-made girl boss. Dressed in all black with a plunging neckline, this look is the perfect structured look for a woman about her business during the day and cocktail hour at night. A classic silhouette that never goes out of style, don’t be afraid to steal your boyfriend’s oversized blazer jacket to easily achieve this super chic look.
Ruched details are having a major moment this year. This body-hugging design feature has been a personal favorite to enhance my figure, adding more curves and shape to the proper areas. This dress was definitely made for the GURLSSS, so I plan to find any excuse to wear this LBD for the coming holiday season.
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I stand by that one of the best things you can do for your sex life, with or without a partner, is creating a sex bucket list. Having an ongoing list of everything you’d like to try or do sexually can help keep your sex life spicy and full of experiences you are interested in. If you’re getting started on a sex bucket list, start here. But if you’re ready to incorporate some new-and-improved additions or changes (I’m all for editing your bucket list as time goes on—what you wanted a few years ago is probably a little different from now!), these are my suggestions.
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Rearrange the furniture
We all know it’s a good practice to try sex outside of the bed or bedroom sometimes, but to switch it up, even more, you can move some furniture around to make your space work for you. Mirror play is one of the most underrated sex toys in the bedroom. If you have a full-length mirror or a vanity mirror in your bedroom or home somewhere, use it to your advantage. Move the mirror so that you and your partner can both see each other in it while you’re having sex. The view will turn you both on a little more, and it might spark some new ideas and positions to try.
Along with mirror play, you can also pull the couch out a little or move side tables and coffee tables to try different positions and moves throughout the house. You’re not confined to a few spaces when it comes to sex. Make it up as you go!
Try a new form of sexting
If you’ve long been turned off by sexting because you don’t like sharing naked photos or your dirty talk game is less than impressive (it’s a learned skill, I promise!), there are so many other ways to approach it that can completely boost your sex life. Even if you love sexting, you can try it in a few different ways to keep it new and interesting. Sending nudes and a little dirty talk are always an option, but a really fun way to try might be role-playing. Tell your partner exactly what would be happening if you were together. “You’re on the bed, I’m standing next to you. I start to undress, and you grab my hips.” It’s a little more work, but it plays it out like the two of you are together. Then, you can reenact this in the future!
I also love simple “I’m thinking about you” or “You look hot today” texts throughout the day. They’re safe for work but are a little, exciting way to get you excited.
Find your go-to sex toy
One of the most underrated items on our TEG sex bucket list is going to a sex shop with a partner. It might feel a little awkward, and you’ll probably giggle at first, but it’s a great way to see what intrigues or excites both of you when you set your mind to finding something that will benefit you together. That isn’t necessarily possible right now, so instead, you might find it helpful to begin searching for your go-to #1 favorite that you both enjoy using, together and alone. We have tons of guides on vibrators and sex toys for partners, but you might also enjoy talking it out, figuring out what you’d both like, and spending some time on a few different sites.
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Try to push your orgasms farther
So, you had an orgasm on your own. YAY! Next, you can focus on pushing them to go longer and maybe even have multiple at a time (the absolute dream). It might be easiest to try this alone first and then bring a partner in on the fun, but you can try it however is easiest for you. Orgasms tend to feel even better the longer you let your body relax and allow yourself to feel them. The next time you feel an orgasm coming on, try to keep it going instead of stopping whatever motion or toy you’re using. It might feel intense for a second, but it’ll lead to better, longer, and stronger orgasms over time.
Ask your partner questions
When you and your partner decide to engage in a conversation about fantasies and trying new things, make sure to ask them questions. Do they watch porn? What do they watch? What is their favorite color to see you wear? What’s their favorite position? Do they prefer sex in the bedroom or outside of the bedroom? This might seem a little juvenile, especially if you’ve been together for a while, but it’s a good practice to make sure you know more about what they want and like, and of course, they should reciprocate and ask you questions too. As cliche as it may seem, good sex life comes down to communication.
Many of us have participated in several self-guided virtual retail therapy appointments while at home in recent months with hopes of catching the latest arrivals and best sales the internet has to offer.
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Like the majority of 2020, trends have taken an interesting turn as we quickly adopted the sudden change in our everyday lifestyles. Although our lives may not be the same as they were at the beginning of the year, handbags have never left our sides. With so many intricate designs, colors, and styles to choose from, there’s no doubt a girl’s best friend is her latest handbag purchase.
Today, the spotlight is on Hogoè Elimiera. Aside from being an astounding brilliant Writer, Hogoè Elimiera is now a business owner! If you are not following her on Twitter then you are missing out. Miss Hogoè pretty opulence handbags popped up on @BeautyLeeBar feed, and we decided to take a glimpse. And we were not disappointed. The holidays are coming so, head over to hogoekpessou.com to get your precious momma, girlfriend, wife, sister, etc these luxurious cute handbags that are dreamy.
Winter is nearly here, and with it comes the perennial emergence of our archnemesis, chapped lips. This might actually be the most annoying skincare woe that can befall anyone’s face. The cracked, irritated mess can crop up from seemingly nowhere, causing a painful and utterly unattractive situation we are forced to wear like a scarlet letter painted across our pouts. And if it seems like your lips are more prone to chap during the colder months, you’re not imagining things. We consulted two of our favorite dermatologists, Loretta Ciraldo, MD, FAAD, and Dendy Engelman, MD, FACMS, FAAD, and they both agreed that the brutally cold winter weather can have just as much of an effect on lip health as anything else.
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” Chapped lips occur when the lip barrier becomes compromised and results in dryness, redness, cracks, and irritation,” Dendy says. Many of us know this discomfort all too well. So what can we do to treat and prevent chapped lips? Thankfully, there are plenty of options. Our duo of doctors gave us all the tips we’ll need to keep our lips smooth, hydrated, and perfectly kissable this winter and beyond. Keep scrolling for the goods.
Chapped lips can occur for several of reasons, but according to both Ciraldo and Engelman, the root causes tend to be pretty specific. ” Lips are primed to be chapped because they have a lower density of oil glands, are in daily contact with saliva that contains alpha-amylase (a digestive enzyme that can break down skin), and are always exposed to the elements, so they take a beating from the sun, the cold weather, wind, and heat,” Engelman says.
Additionally, Ciraldo adds that a significant amount of water loss in the body can cause dryness in the lips, meaning that on those days when you ingest too much salt or don’t drink as much water as you should, you’re running the risk of chapped lips on top of the myriad other health issues dehydration can cause. ” Start to address chapped lips as soon as they start. If you wait until your lips become uncomfortable, it can be very difficult to resolve,” she adds.
” If you are a lip licker you have to stop! Although this seems to give temporary comfort, it actually makes chapped lips even worse,” Ciraldo explains. ” It’s very helpful to keep your lips coated with Aquaphor Healing Ointment to prevent water loss from lips.”
#2: Scan Your Oral Hygiene Products for Possible Irritants
Ciraldo also points out that irritation from some lip and even some oral hygiene products can be the underlying cause of severe chapping. ” Lip stains, some matte lipsticks, and mint or cinnamon flavored toothpaste or dental floss [can cause chapped lips], she says.
” Traditionally, the longwear formulas tend to be drying, as they’re not formulated for moisture. Stains also don’t provide great moisture,” Engelman explains. ” If a plain balm doesn’t excite you, there are tinted lip balms that have great staying power and offer protection from wind burns that can often result in an infection,” she adds.
We love this tinted lip balm by Kosas, because it offers a nice flush of color on a variety of skin tones, while also delivering a hydrating dose of hyaluronic acid to the lips.
It should come as no surprise that SPF is just as crucial for your lips as it is for the rest of your face. Especially when your pout is compromised and more sensitive to the elements, our experts agree that coating the lips in sun protection will help you on your healing journey. Ciraldo points out that prolonged outdoor activities in the cold are an especially important time to load up on protectants.
Engelman says that exfoliating is also a good idea for treating chapped lips. ” If your lips are peeling or flakey, try an at-home exfoliation method with sugar and honey, which has healing and soothing benefits,” she says. Be gentle, though! And be sure to use a soothing ointment or salve to keep the freshly exfoliated skin moisturized and protected.
This jumbo lip balm is packed with moisturizing ingredients like organic coconut oil, organic cocoa butter, candelilla wax, and organic rosemary leaf extract. It feels comfortable on the skin, and we love that the formula is housed in a biodegradable paper tube.
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: This medicated salve is a fix-all product everyone needs to own. Whether you’re soothing chapped lips, crispy cuticles, or parched elbows, this stuff gets the job done.
Supergoop! is one of our favorite brands for clean, highly efficacious sun care products, so it’s no surprise that their lip balm is also a winner. We’ll even give it extra brownie points for the added sun protection.
This exquisite combination of coffee grounds, raw sugar, and macadamia oil vigorously exfoliates the skin, leaving behind a light layer of oil and the softest lips you’ve ever felt.
Engelman mentioned that topical antioxidants like beeswax are great for repairing chapped lips, so this scrub by Burt’s Bees offers a double dose of healing.
Spreading this jeju green tea-infused balm onto the lips is like coating them in this molasses. Even after a full night’s sleep, you’ll wake with product still intact and any inflammation calmed.
In the same way that sheet masks push moisture and nutrients into the skin, this cute pout-shaped gel mask sits on top of the lips to plump and hydrate them with collagen, hyaluronic acid, and rose flower oil.
We love a multi-tasking products, and this buff-mask hybrid from Kari Gran is a prime example of a one stop shop for all your lip care needs. It’s also non-toxic, which is a major plus.
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