Ribbon Tie Gumball Necklace $4.99
Crescent Leaf Earrings $3.80
Jeweled Flower Ring $3.80
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Discount Divas II
What’s this noise? Fabulous accessories for nothing. Okay girls; get ready to clutch your pearls
Ribbon Tie Gumball Necklace $4.99
Crescent Leaf Earrings $3.80
Jeweled Flower Ring $3.80
Ribbon Tie Gumball Necklace $4.99
Crescent Leaf Earrings $3.80
Jeweled Flower Ring $3.80
Monday, October 13, 2008
Things That Will Make Me Go Blind
Apparently the lovely makeup developers at Lancome have never actually applied mascara. If my lovely readers are anything like me, applying mascara often involves stabbing yourself in and around the eye. Now, I’m not completely spastic. It’s not like every time I apply mascara I jam the wand into my eye. But, you know when its early in the morning and the caffeine levels have yet to spike the odds of me injuring my cornea greatly increase.
Well Lancome has gotten rid of that pesky I-only-stabbed-myself-in-the-eye-due-to-low-levels-of-caffeine. Now you can include reasons such as my-mascara-wand-is-vibrating-and-shaking-my-hand-and-I-feel-like-I-have-Parkinsons.
The new Lancome Oscillation mascara vibrates 7,000 times a minute. For a comparision your standard electric toothbrush does 9,000 oscillations a minute. Yeah let that sink in. Would you use your electric toothbrush to apply mascara? No you say? That sounds dangerous you say?
Exactly.
If you are interested in purchasing this cosmetics anomaly you can check it out here
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Discount Divas - Part I
All I can say is that I’m getting blown away by what is available at “discount” stores. Now, I’m no dummy. I’ve known for a long time that one that can sport Target or Old Navy on her back and still look pretty darn stylish. But it seems that everything is getting stepped up. WAY stepped up.
Can we talk about the following:
Target.com
Target.com
Um, EXCUSE ME TARGET? Who has started to design shoes for them? These shoes are insane. I could lick the brown Oxford Mary Janes. Granted, there are about a million more pairs of fabulous shoes at Target right now but these two pairs are right up my alley.
And hi, what’s this noise from Old Navy?
OldNavy.com
Are you aware that these come in six colors and are under 10 bucks.
Why are you still here? Did you not just read the above sentence?
Seriously what’s going on.
This is going to be explored further. Stay tuned folks.
Can we talk about the following:
Target.com
Target.com
Um, EXCUSE ME TARGET? Who has started to design shoes for them? These shoes are insane. I could lick the brown Oxford Mary Janes. Granted, there are about a million more pairs of fabulous shoes at Target right now but these two pairs are right up my alley.
And hi, what’s this noise from Old Navy?
OldNavy.com
Are you aware that these come in six colors and are under 10 bucks.
Why are you still here? Did you not just read the above sentence?
Seriously what’s going on.
This is going to be explored further. Stay tuned folks.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Check Your Body Issues at the Door
All of my life I have struggled with body image issues. I can remember being as young as 7 or 8 and feeling very self conscious about how I looked, especially in a bathing suit. Looking back I have often wondered where those ideas came from, especially since my television viewing as a child was strictly limited and I only read age-appropriate books. I don’t believe that my “media exposure” at that age was intense enough to form any body hating images. It wasn’t until I was perusing the book “You Have to Say I’m Pretty, You’re My Mother” by Stephanie Pierson & Phyllis Cohen that I had my little “A ha!” moment.
Growing up my mother was ferociously obsessed with her body. She was never happy about the way she looked and my father often made very disparaging remarks about her figure. My mom was never heavy when I was little but she was striving for perfection and I was witness to it all. My mom was always on a diet or taking diet drugs during my youth. I remember one of the cabinets in our house was filled with a food scale, diet pills, various supplements and powders. All things my mother took on a daily basis to be thin. Whatever messages I was not receiving from the media I was receiving them at home and receiving them loud and clear “thin is good. Fat is bad.”
As I’ve gotten older I have heard the stories from my mother and her sister about their mother and her weight obsessions. I have learned about trips to the doctors to receive diet pills at the tender age of 14. I am often reminded by my mom or my aunt that there were times in their life where their mother ha turned them into “speed” junkies since that was what diet pills were in their youth.
Parents pass down many genetic traits but there are also ingrained issues that can be passed down from generation to generation. In my family it is a negative self image. My aunt recently realized that in her head on a loop are my grandmother’s words “if you are thin you have everything. The only way to have everything is to be thin.” As a rebellion of sorts my aunt gained a significant amount of weight in her 30’s and 40’s. She now sees that in her own way she was trying to buck her mother’s influence but instead she just swung her eating disorder in the other direction.
One of the interesting things that Pierson & Cohen cover in their book is that often times when a mother has had body image issues her entire life she may try to “correct” those problems in her daughter. The authors believe that this is counterintuitive. By pushing a specific body image agenda mothers could unknowingly do more harm than good. That often the message girls get is to feel shame about their bodies and they still receive the same negative image of “thin is good, fat is bad.”
What is scary to me is that child psychologists now believe that a child’s body image is determined by age 6. This is really before there are media pressures and peer pressures. Body image is mostly determined by the parents. Think about the messages that children receive on a daily basis and obviously body shame is quickly becoming something that children learn from the high chair.
I would never say that women need to get over their body issues prior to having children but, what I am saying is that women have to mindful of what they are passing on to their children. So many women struggle with their body image and it seems like second nature to make comments like “that food is bad”, “I look fat”, “I need to lose weight”, ”If only I was thinner”, etc but, we have to be mindful because our daughters are listening. Children learn so much from their parents and eating habits and negative body image is something that is taught on a daily basis. If we could change the way we speak about our bodies we could change how a generation of young women feel about themselves. If women could talk about health as opposed to fat or thin it may make things easier. If the language was changed to stating that certain things were “healthy” or “unhealthy” it may be a better message. After all as adults we know that thin does not always mean healthy and that “fat” doesn’t always mean unhealthy.
I suppose that a lot of this imprinted body image has really come to light for me lately. I have been interested in learning what gave rise to my negative body image. Listening to my mother talk nowadays I see that the same things she struggled with when I was a small child are what she is struggling with as an adult. I know that none of it was purposeful, I would never say that. I know that my grandmother was a woman obsessed with looks and being as thin as possible. She pushed her body image agenda hard on her children. She would punish them for weight gains and reward them for weight loss. If I remember correctly I think that if my mother didn’t lose 20 pounds my grandmother was going to refuse to pay for her to go to college. Obviously, her actions were quite severe and my mother did always try to build me up. But, her words did fall on deaf ears since I was witnessing her do the opposite of what she was saying. While she may have told me that I was not heavy and that I was perfect just the way I was I would watch her strictly control her diet and complain about her body.
I do recommend the book “You Have to Say I’m Pretty, You’re My Mother” for just about anyone. I think its an interesting conversation about body image. I know that it has made me more aware of how I talk about myself. A few years ago I stopped using the word “fat” when I meant bad (i.e., “do I look fat?” what we always really mean is “do I look bad?”) and I found that my body image got better. I started looking at clothes are fitting well or fitting poorly not making me look thin or making me look fat. I digress, I think that the authors accomplished their goal, they certainly got me thinking about body image!
Growing up my mother was ferociously obsessed with her body. She was never happy about the way she looked and my father often made very disparaging remarks about her figure. My mom was never heavy when I was little but she was striving for perfection and I was witness to it all. My mom was always on a diet or taking diet drugs during my youth. I remember one of the cabinets in our house was filled with a food scale, diet pills, various supplements and powders. All things my mother took on a daily basis to be thin. Whatever messages I was not receiving from the media I was receiving them at home and receiving them loud and clear “thin is good. Fat is bad.”
As I’ve gotten older I have heard the stories from my mother and her sister about their mother and her weight obsessions. I have learned about trips to the doctors to receive diet pills at the tender age of 14. I am often reminded by my mom or my aunt that there were times in their life where their mother ha turned them into “speed” junkies since that was what diet pills were in their youth.
Parents pass down many genetic traits but there are also ingrained issues that can be passed down from generation to generation. In my family it is a negative self image. My aunt recently realized that in her head on a loop are my grandmother’s words “if you are thin you have everything. The only way to have everything is to be thin.” As a rebellion of sorts my aunt gained a significant amount of weight in her 30’s and 40’s. She now sees that in her own way she was trying to buck her mother’s influence but instead she just swung her eating disorder in the other direction.
One of the interesting things that Pierson & Cohen cover in their book is that often times when a mother has had body image issues her entire life she may try to “correct” those problems in her daughter. The authors believe that this is counterintuitive. By pushing a specific body image agenda mothers could unknowingly do more harm than good. That often the message girls get is to feel shame about their bodies and they still receive the same negative image of “thin is good, fat is bad.”
What is scary to me is that child psychologists now believe that a child’s body image is determined by age 6. This is really before there are media pressures and peer pressures. Body image is mostly determined by the parents. Think about the messages that children receive on a daily basis and obviously body shame is quickly becoming something that children learn from the high chair.
I would never say that women need to get over their body issues prior to having children but, what I am saying is that women have to mindful of what they are passing on to their children. So many women struggle with their body image and it seems like second nature to make comments like “that food is bad”, “I look fat”, “I need to lose weight”, ”If only I was thinner”, etc but, we have to be mindful because our daughters are listening. Children learn so much from their parents and eating habits and negative body image is something that is taught on a daily basis. If we could change the way we speak about our bodies we could change how a generation of young women feel about themselves. If women could talk about health as opposed to fat or thin it may make things easier. If the language was changed to stating that certain things were “healthy” or “unhealthy” it may be a better message. After all as adults we know that thin does not always mean healthy and that “fat” doesn’t always mean unhealthy.
I suppose that a lot of this imprinted body image has really come to light for me lately. I have been interested in learning what gave rise to my negative body image. Listening to my mother talk nowadays I see that the same things she struggled with when I was a small child are what she is struggling with as an adult. I know that none of it was purposeful, I would never say that. I know that my grandmother was a woman obsessed with looks and being as thin as possible. She pushed her body image agenda hard on her children. She would punish them for weight gains and reward them for weight loss. If I remember correctly I think that if my mother didn’t lose 20 pounds my grandmother was going to refuse to pay for her to go to college. Obviously, her actions were quite severe and my mother did always try to build me up. But, her words did fall on deaf ears since I was witnessing her do the opposite of what she was saying. While she may have told me that I was not heavy and that I was perfect just the way I was I would watch her strictly control her diet and complain about her body.
I do recommend the book “You Have to Say I’m Pretty, You’re My Mother” for just about anyone. I think its an interesting conversation about body image. I know that it has made me more aware of how I talk about myself. A few years ago I stopped using the word “fat” when I meant bad (i.e., “do I look fat?” what we always really mean is “do I look bad?”) and I found that my body image got better. I started looking at clothes are fitting well or fitting poorly not making me look thin or making me look fat. I digress, I think that the authors accomplished their goal, they certainly got me thinking about body image!
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Weight Loss Help
Is anyone struggling with their weight? Wondering what’s a healthy way to take it off that’s effective? Let me recommend Take Shape. It’s a program that’s safe and most importantly effective. There are no meetings and no measuring. No counting carbs and no starving. You eat. A lot. And the food is delicious. I had the luck of trying out a few of the items and I have to say I was surprised. The dutch chocolate shake taste like an actual shake. There is no gritty or medicinal aftertaste that you sometimes find with “diet” shakes. It was creamy and delicious and kept me full. The real treat was the chocolate mint bar. Hello! The Girl Scouts should be suing because it tastes EXACTLY like a thin mint.
With this program you eat 6 times a day. You eat 5 meals from Take Shape and 1 meal that they call “lean and green.” The cost of the program is incredibly reasonable, again I was surprised. For less than the cost of 5 weeks of groceries you can get 5 weeks of Take Shape meals. The cost equals to be about $9 a day.
What else is great is that the program is formulated so that even diabetics can safely take part of this program. In fact, the program is certified by the Low Glycemic Research Institute. They have a variety of shake choices that include shakes for coronary health, joint health, women’s health and new shakes packed full of anti-oxidants.
I’ve seen what this plan can do for people. It’s incredible. People experience quick weight loss with lasting results. Each person has a health coach that they can call on anytime they need support or help. The best part of this plan is that you don’t have to be in the same town or even the same state as your health coach! Coaching is primarily done over the phone or even over email – talk about easy!
If you would like more information on Take Shape please contact the fabulous Joan Mueller (who lost 40 pounds on this plan). She may be reached at pathtohealth@comcast.net or on her office phone 856-552-0972. She will be more than happy to answer any questions you have or explain the program. Or check out the website at www.PathToHealth.TSFL.com
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Make Up Expiration Dates
Just like everything else make-up expires. Below is an outline of typical expiration dates for cosmetics. Bear in mind that this is just a guideline and not hard and fast rules if your products start to separate, smell, change color, texture or consistency than chances are they need to be thrown out. To get the most shelf life out of your cosmetics keep the products closed tightly and store them in a cool, dry place. Never, EVER store your makeup in the bathroom all of the heat and humidity from the shower will speed bacteria growth and will cause color change.
As a rule of thumb if you have had an eye infection its best to just throw out all of the makeup you have used so you don’t re-infect your eye. The same goes for any lip infections it’s safer to just toss everything and start fresh. The only items that can be saved after an infection are lipstick, lip liners and pencil eye liners however you must cut roughly an inch off of the product in order for it to be safe to reuse.
Mascara 3-6 Months
Mascara will become flaky and will potentially begin to cause itching when it is going bad. I recommend not splurging on mascara because of the short shelf life. If you absolutely must spend the cash don’t hold onto the mascara past 6 months. Some retailers like Sephora are carrying smaller sizes of popular mascaras for a fraction of the cost so you won’t feel so guilty when you have to throw it away.
Concealer 12 months
However the expiration date changes to 3-6 months when it’s a concealer that has a wand applicator. The pumping of the wand will cause bacteria to get inside the tube and spoil the concealer faster. Your money is better spent on a compact, push up or squeeze tube style concealer.
Pencil Eye Liner 2-3 years
Pencils should be sharpened regularly and stored with their lids on.
Liquid Eye Liner 3-6 months
Just like mascara this will start to flake and dry out and will definitely be itchy on the eye when it starts to go bad.
Eye Shadow 3 years
Cream Eye Shadow 12-18 months
Blush/Bronzer 2 years
Cream Blush 12-18 months
Lip Liner 3 years
Lip liners should be kept sharp and stored with the lid on tightly.
Lipstick 2-4 years
If you store your lipstick in your fridge it will last much longer. If your lipstick starts to smell weird toss it.
Lip Gloss 18-24 months
Foundation – Depends on Formulation
Water-Based foundations will last 12 months (you will know if your foundation is water based if the first ingredient listed on the product is water)
Oil-Based foundations will last for 18 months (you will know if your foundation is oil-based if the first ingredient list on the product is oil).
Makeup sponges should be washed weekly and replaced monthly
Makeup brushes should be washed every 2-3 months with a gentle cleanser (I personally love Johnsons Baby Shampoo it leaves the brushes so soft).
If you use the applicators that come with drugstore cosmetics I would recommend changing them monthly. Drugstores carry replacement applicators for a few bucks.
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