I hate shopping for jeans. I’m what folks call “petite.” I’m 5’1” and weigh in at about 110 lbs, and I have serious junk in my trunk, so as you can imagine finding jeans that actually fit is a real challenge. It usually takes me about three months and many dressing room breakdowns to find a pair of jeans that actually fits. Surprisingly, length isn’t my problem; I’ve made peace with the fact that I’ll always have to get jeans taken up. For me, fit is the issue. The jeans that fit my junk are always way too big everywhere else and the jeans that fit everywhere else never have room for my junk. To my absolute delight, a friend turned me on to this amazing Web site: www.truejeans.com. On this site, you submit all your measurements, crotch measurements and all! (The site walks you through the whole measuring process so that you get it right.) After you submit your specs, the site does its virtual thing and voila! spits out a list of jean brands and styles that will best fit your body! Yay! No more heart wrenching jean shopping trips!
In the past I scoffed at all “anti-aging” products. I didn’t believe that it was possible for anything in a tube or bottle to slow down the aging process. How could a $15 tube of cream bring forth a miracle. But what if I was wrong? This is one of those areas where I couldn’t afford to be. So, I put my skepticism aside, and started doing research to figure out if there were products out there that could fight the aging process. While conducting my research I constantly came across information that said that Retinoids, chemical compounds related to Vitamin A, and certain anti-oxidants have been proven to not only slow down the clock on aging, but in some cases reverse it.
On top of that, I spoke to one of the top plastic surgeons in Manhattan, Dr. Shirley Madhere, and she verified that information and added another ingredient to my list: alpha hydroxy acids or beta hydroxy acids to prevent acne in addition to the signs of aging. Check out my article “3 Skincare Ingredients that Stop the Clock” for more info on this. The good news didn’t stop there: Dr. Madhere informed me that I could find these three active ingredients in affordable products. The drugstore line that she recommends is Neutrogena. Neutrogena has several products that contain the three important active ingredients. So I went shopping. Here’s how I’m now making sure I get my hydroxy/retinoid/anti-oxidant fix:
• Retinoid product: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream
• Antioxidant/Alpha Hydroxy component: Neutrogena Healthy Skin Face Lotion for Sensitive Skin or Anti-Oxidant Age Reverse Day Lotion with SPF 20 (for when I’m going out in the sun; this contains antioxidants but no alpha hydroxy ingredient)
• More hydroxies: Beta Hydroxy Acne Cleanser from the DCL line.
More good news: each of these products costs about $15 on average. Get yours today! Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Intensive Night Cream, 1.4-Ounce Tubes (Pack of 2)
I’ll keep you posted on how my strategy is working! In the meantime, tell me what products you use to get your dose of hydroxies/retinoids and antioxidants!
My name is Bonnie Bauman and I’m addicted to fun shoes. Aren’t all shoes “fun” you ask?
Not neccesarily. In my book, a fun shoe is a shoe that does something…well, fun. It can be multi-colored, multi-textured, plaid, pinstriped with fun buckles or bows or all of the above. In the past I would buy shoes to “go” with a particular outfit or I would make sure I always had certain shoe basics in my wardrobe: a brown pump, a black pump, a black high boot, a brown high boot, a neutral colored flat and a pair of black, strappy heels. In other words, I practiced safe shoe shopping. Then I moved to Los Angeles and walked into a shoe store called Lorin in Santa Monica. The store was a veritable shoe funhouse! There were purple pumps, tri-colored heels, plaid flats, glittery silver peeptoes and animal print platforms. A pair of orange, red and brown faux snakeskin pumps caught my eye and I was instantly smitten. But, I thought, “What on earth would I wear to “go” with those shoes?” Against my better judgement, I tried them on, and the rest is history.
I now have a modest, but ever-growing collection of fun shoes. (Check out the photo of my current fun shoe faves.) For me, fun shoes are so much more than a good time, they’re stress relievers! Whenever I have a crazy, stressful day, I take a hot bath, put on my PJs and have my own little fun shoe fashion show before I go to sleep. Tell me what you think of my most current fun shoe crush; they’re Charles David’s “Ping Pump” in pewter.
xoxo,
BB
I’m a gloss girl. I don’t think there’s anything sexier than a glossy lip. In my opinion, glossy lips beat cleavage and junk hands down. Think about it: lips are the gatekeeper to the thing that’s the most sensual—the mind. Yes, it’s true that guys are “visual” creatures. And, yes you have to look a certain way to attract them, but to keep one, you have to BE a certain way. And that’s where your mind, and by association, your lips come in. But, I digress.
Back to a glossy lip. I’ve always applied lip gloss as an overlay for my lipstick. I’ve tried to get by with gloss on its own, but found that it was never enough for me; I just ended up looking washed out. Plus, most lip glosses don’t have a long lip life and need constant reapplication. All that changed with I got turned on to the Beth Bender makeup line. Her lip glosses are beyond fantastic! I’ve tried three different shades and I love them all, but my absolute favorite is one called “Chasing the Cash.” This is the first lip gloss that I’ve ever felt completely confident wearing on it’s own without an underlay of lipstick. Typically glosses are an afterthought, but her glosses have such a magnificent depth to them that they can totally stand on their own. Plus, they taste yummy! In fact, the entire Beth Bender line is amazing, so I’m sure this isn’t the last time I’ll be raving about one of her products.
Drop me a line if you’re also a fan and tell to me about your favorite Beth Bender product!
As y’all know, my new project is to keep my face looking young; I want to look 30ish when I’m 80. And I’m not going for the waxen, botoxed, injected look, I want radiant, glowing and supple. So, I steer clear of the sun unless I’ve coated my face with the most cutting- edge suncreen on the market and I apply my new retinol/anti-oxidant/alpha-hydroxy cocktail every day. However, about a month ago, caught up in my efforts to lock in my thirty-something face for the long haul, I realized the skin I was so desperately trying to hang onto didn’t look all that great. I took a long, hard look in the mirror. “Washed out” and “dull” were the words that sprang to mind. And what about those dry patches and tiny bumps? So, I did what I always do when I have a problem: I Googled. What I uncovered was that I needed a facial or micro-dermibrasion or both. But I couldn’t afford either. Great, when I was 80, I’d be wrinkle-free, but washed out. Then a few weeks later, a fabulous friend of mine gave me a box full of products so that I could have a spa night. Among the products was a nice-sized tube of Kerstin Florian’s Moor Mud Masque. I didn’t know it at the time, but I had just hit the jackpot, and thy name was mud.
The pristine white tube gave no indication of the black goop within. I had a blast slathering the dark, gloppy mud all over my face. It was so hysterical when I walked into my bedroom, and asked my boyfriend, who had his back turned to me, if he wanted to make out. The look in his eyes when he saw little swamp thing me standing there was classic! But the true payoff was how unbelievably soft, smooth and radient my skin was afterward! You know I’m not afraid to gush (here come the exclamation points). I only hope my gushing hasn’t lost it’s punch yet, because I want to make sure that you all get that this stuff is AMAZING! My skin has never looked or felt better. “Radiant” is a word I can use to describe it after using Mo’ Mud. I was so afraid to look up the mask online because I knew I had to make it part of my “save my face” campaign. To my delight, a big ‘ole tube is only $34!
http://www.kerstinflorianusa.com/
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