A friend brought this to me from Essence Festival and I opened it while talking and then used it while still talking...
Then I stopped.
OH.MY.GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!
BEST FEELING EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHERE HAS THIS BEEN ALL MY LIFE? WHO KNEW ABOUT THIS AND DIDN'T TELL ME? WHO? WHAT? WHEN? WHERE? WHY??????? I NEED MULTIPLES BECAUSE MY SCALP ITCHES SO BADLY I WANT TO SCRATCH IT SO HARD IT BLEEDS!
WHEW! YES.PLEASE!
Anyway...you should consider it. Seriously it's the best thing ever.
I do the things my mother used to do to her skin. She had GREAT skin and it was always so soft and lovely to touch and kiss. I used to love kissing her cheek and would always smile halfway through the kiss.
I always tell people I don't really do much to my face because, to me, the things I do are non-things because I've always done them. It's like brushing your teeth or working out...you just do it because you have to. But when you are discussing it you realize that you kinda do do extra stuff that a lot of people might not do.
Once a week I hit that Zombie look with a mask. I normally do it on Sundays. Once a month, I give myself a full steam facial. Right here at home.
Step 1: Wash face.
Step 2: Use baking soda and water to exfoliate face and neck. Pat dry.
Step 3: Put three drops of essential oil into a glass bowl bigger than your face and pour in a tea kettle full of hot water. (Use whatever you want. I tend to use lemongrass mostly because I don't really use lemongrass oil for anything else and have a lot of it. My mommy used to use rose. I remember the smell. Secret however...YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE ANY OIL!!!!! Oh...and be careful with the hot water.)
Step 4: Drape towel over head and bowl once you can breathe comfortably for 10 minutes. IT WILL GET DRIPPY! LOL!
Step 5: Rinse with cool water. Pat dry.
Step 6: Use mask to reclose pores. Follow your mask instructions. (Mine stays on for 20 minutes. It's a mud mask Rebecca bought me at some fancy spa and I loved it so much I call and order 6 at a time.) Rinse. Pat dry.
Step 7: Moisturize. These days I use one capsule of this:
And voila! Instant facial awesomeness that doesn't hurt your skin or your pockets! Get you a regular routine of this going and you'll be happy you did! DRINK WATER!!!!!
Do you do one too? What oils do you use? How often do you do one?
Can we talk manicures for a second? I mean...I know there is a lot of really important things going on in the world but I'd really like to talk manis right now. Namely...MY manicure.
I'm not a gel set chick. They scare me. They scare important doctor people too so there's that. But I will admit that gel manicures look gorg-e-mous!
But I don't want another battle with cancer. No way...no how. It's funny how most of the things in my life center around not wanting to get cancer again. LOL! (Don't die Bethie!)
I bought this product, Essie Gel Setter, when I first saw it. The majority of my nail polish is Essie so I tend to look around there often. I bought this when it was first released and I've been testing it ever since.
Normally my manicures last about a 4 days with a normal Essie top coat. I'm on day 6 of this manicure and I'm over the moon with the results.
AND I WON'T GET POTENTIALLY GET CANCER!
My manicure has a high gloss with that professional look which probably came from the fact that I rub the edges with tipped cotton applicators dipped in nail polish remover.
The colors I used for this manicure (I put polka dots on my ring finger...GO ME!) were Marshmellow, Muchi, Muchi and Watermelon.
I think it's going to last a minute and I'm excited about it! I'm not crazy about going to get manicures. I'll go get a pedicure but never a manicure it seems so I'm so excited I found this product so my manicures last longer and look for real professional! GO ME!
What top coat do YOU use? Do you get gel manicures? Do they concern you?
I needed something to wear to an event and got excited. See...I'm not fashion or beauty obsessed although I tend to keep up with what is necessary for me to know in both departments. I tend to buck trends and pretty much wear exactly what I want to wear. The good thing about being over 40, is that I can pretty much get whatever I want to get. You know...if I want it.
The older I get, the more I'm into comfortable shoes. I own lovely heels, of course, but they are never my first choice anymore and I tend to plan an outfit around the shoes I want to wear. I'll never get too old for a funky pair of Chucks and I will never pass up the opportunity to buy something others might consider outrageous if it makes me smile. LOL!
I just recently bought some leather and glitter sneakers that make me smile. People look down at them in surprise and then back up to my face quickly. LOL! I SEE YOU!!!!!!!!
I'm not into homely clothes and love to rock figure flattering pieces that aren't hoochie. I don't like too tight pants so all my skinny pants have a good amount of "GIVE" in the material. I have a crazy knack for picking out a funky and fun top and I have a wall filled with funky tops that I pair with jeans, shorts, sandals, ballet flats and sneakers.
I think I have skinny legs so I don't wear shorty shorts but I do wear fitted shorts if that makes sense. (Odd I know.) I still stick to the principle that if you only BUY things that look cute on you, you will only OWN things that look cute on you. I don't like matchy matchy and I adore mixing super cheap pieces with pricey pieces. My normal every day shorts are cargo shorts from the boy's department cuz you can't find cargo shorts for women with a good length for women anymore it seems.
My day-to-day wear would probably be considered tomboy chic or sporty luxe and, even though I feel I could wear some of the latest trends the younger people wear...I don't. And I don't consider jeans, t-shirts and Chucks to be young people clothes. These things are ageless. LOL! And yes...I will probably be 80 rocking some fly glasses and some fresh to death glitter Chucks.
I pay attention to my "More" magazine and I check out the new stuff regarding makeup etc. I'm not really there yet regarding makeup and am just now starting to play with different stuff when I do wear makeup which is still...HARDLY EVER. In lieu of makeup...I will rock a pair of hot sunglasses or a hat. LOL! And my lips stay fresh with some good old Aquaphor which I pretty much use all over.
The only thing I have really started focusing on as I age is exposure to the sun. Especially on my face and neck. I'm not trying to hide from the sun but I also don't want to have to get to the point where I HAVE to wear makeup in order to have good looking skin and I have been known to have odd breakouts when in the sun at random times. UGH.
I don't like my hair these days as the grey is something I guess I'll have to take action on eventually because it's getting more and more grey and, insultingly, all around my hairline waving and ish. I can't find a stylist that I love locally so weekly appointments to make my life lovelier is out of the question and the drive to the one who makes it look right is too far for weekly maintenance.
My dentist keeps asking if I want to whiten my teeth and I keep telling them that I think it's creepy when folks' teeth are whiter than their eyes and that I would spook myself in the middle of the night during a bathroom run in the dark.
I still do my level of workouts which maintain what I'm working with and well...I'm unwilling to do much more if I don't have to. I don't want to be the fittest looking girl in the room...I just want a flat tummy and a nice butt. I was working out with a guy who was really kinda harsh with it and well...I thought it best if I didn't continue going over there. You know...getting yelled at and whatnot. I have to figure out something, however, because for the past two days it has been too hot during my normal 30 minute morning walk and sprint session to get a good workout in without saying...um...no. Too hot. I hate germy gyms but I'm going to have to do something and have access to a treadmill soon cuz this heat is going to kill me and the way my heart murmur is set up...
When I'm looking to wear something special, I tend to visit a few of my favorite beauty and fashion blogs for and by women of a certain age. See...they get me cuz they ARE me. They are fly but no longer 20 and each one of my FAVES has the type of style that shows they know THEIR style THEIR way. They aren't trying too hard to be sexy and they generally have smiles that reach their eyes which makes me smile. I know...clearly I have simple criteria but it's so true.
Extra Petite - She's the youngest on this list. I like her style though. She does tomboy to girly girl right.
Style Pantry - This should be a DUH as she is probably on all of our lists. I mean...she is like the Diana Ross of fashion to me.
Lady of Style - I get a lot of good ideas from her on how to mix up things I already own.
Erica B. - Another DUH...I mean hey...it's our girl.
J'Adore Couture - I get diva brunch outfit ideas from her.
Fortyfied Beauty - She doesn't just stick to clothes and I like that. She's pretty simple too. Enjoying cute comfort.
Style of a London Tall Girl - Tall girls have problems other girls don't. She owns her tall girl style.
Forever Amber - Super cutesy clothes. Ideas for weddings, nice parties, etc.
The Coveteur - I just look over here. LOL! I can't afford NOTHING June Ambrose deems rock worthy but I love pretty pictures of pretty clothes. Oh...and her blog is more about lifestyle too. She has a great cocktail series going on over there.
What about you? Where do you get your inspiration from when you're looking for something special to wear? Who are your goto fashion and beauty bloggers? Do you generally like fashion blogs by women of a certain age too? How would you describe your style?
Is fashion a THING for you? Or do you just like to look nice?
I used to exfoliate my face once a week but now I do it two or three times a week. The reason? I'm not worried about the chemicals I'm using in the exfoliation product I'm using!
Once again, an Elder tipped me to some goodness. I noticed a small bowl on her bathroom counter and asked what she used it for. After a lecture about being all up in her business (Dude...it was on the COUNTER!) and my ignoring her because she's always holding on to some good info she knows good and well I'd appreciate, she told me that she makes a paste of baking soda and water to scrub her face. She told me that the humidity out here makes stuff stick to your face more and that pollen is a tricky fool. (ROFL!) Said that all you have to do is make a lil paste with baking soda and use that to scrub your face.
I couldn't get an exact measurement out of her because she just eyeballs it, but I find that a ratio of one part baking soda and three parts water is pretty good. I've been using it because she's right...that pollen is a tricky fool. LOL! I've been doing it now for about three weeks and I don't have any irritation. My skin feels and looks clean and smooth. GO ME! I could even use it on my skin in the shower too!
A box of baking soda costs little of nothing and it will last a long, long time. She also told me that she uses it to brush her teeth sometimes too. Says sometimes your teeth can feel a bit gritty and baking soda helps polish off the grit. Makes sense.
How often do you exfoliate your face? What do you use? Have you ever used baking soda?
