Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Sunscreen Face Powder

EELHOE
Dermatologists have long recommended wearing sunscreen all year around — spring, summer, fall, and winter 
including cloudy days — wherever the sun touches our naked skin. Sunscreen prevents skin cancer and premature aging. Below I'll link several prior blogs detailing the importance of wearing sunscreen.

Hydra
It's simple to apply lotions with sunscreen before leaving home in dry seasons, but not as much in hot, humid July or August, especially on your face where you don't want to shine. Also when out and about, it can be challenging to reapply sun protection every few hours as advised.

Both issues can easily be resolved by using mineral face powder with sun protection. Various brands come in different SPF factors and price points. You can also get sunscreen face powders in tinted or untinted formulas. The SPF should block UVA and UVB rays. Ultraviolet A (UVA) has a longer wavelength. It causes skin aging. Ultraviolet B (UVB) has a shorter wavelength. It causes skin burning and cancer.

Colorscience

  • SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB rays
  • SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB rays 
  • SPF 50 blocks 98% of UVB rays 
Skin doctors often recommend using SPF 30 because they know many people don't reapply their sunscreen as they should. The SPF 30 offers slightly more protection than SPF 15, but you must reapply all sunscreen every 2 hours.

Moreover note that mineral powder sunscreens are not meant to replace traditional lotion sunscreen, which you need to slather on fairly thick when spending time outdoors in the sun. Then use the powder to reapply on top of makeup while away from home.  

The wand mineral screen powder can be shaken (to get the powder to the brush) and applied with a brush stroke while the Physicians Formula compact comes with a mini brush stored in a separate compartment. All fit inside a purse or pocket.



You can take the wands or compact case with you wherever you go! Reapplying face sun protection just got less messy and more convenient. The power protects wherever you use it, but of course, due to the small quantity of the product, it's more practical for your face.


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Thursday, March 14, 2024

Do It Youself Meal Plans Are Cheaper


As we move into the Spring people think about dropping a few winter pounds, and I understand why some of them turn to meal programs like Jenny Craig or Nutrisystem. (The latter is the least expensive of the two.) There's no guesswork. Every bite you eat is packaged for you. The cooking and cleanup are light. It's convenient and nutritionally balanced, and if you follow it, you'll drop the weight. Years ago (around 2009), I tried Nutrisystem for 30 days. I wasn't hungry on the diet and remember dropping down to 118 pounds. As a younger woman, my loftier standard of my ''ideal weight'' was much lower. I was a size 6 - 8 for many years (without starving!). Today I'd love to step on the scale at the weight that I started with before dropping down to 118 pounds. THAT number + 20 pounds would be my ideal weight today!:)

At the same time, we also don't want to gain 10 additional pounds each and every year so our weight becomes unhealthy. Unfortunately, even without stringently high (or should I say low?) standards, you can't let yourself go! No, no, never, never, uh, uh, uh.

Today I'm going to discuss the well-known Nutrisystem meal plans. If you were to buy similar food independently and are disciplined not to cheat, but follow the plan, including its portion sizes, you could reduce the cost of the diet significantly. Moreover, I remember not liking all of the Nutrisystem meals, yet ate them because of the expense and my commitment to losing weight.

Breakfasts were a combination of protein shakes, dehydrated scrambled eggs (add water and microwave), protein muffins, and protein bars.

Here's what I think you could substitute:

* 1 dozen fresh eggs

* You're favorite high protein, low sugar meal bars - Clean and Pure Protein bars are examples. Look for at least 15 grams - 20 grams of protein with low sugar per bar.

* Protein shakes - Look for 25 grams - 30 grams per serving with low sugar and minerals. Consider buying protein powder (over liquid shakes) and adding it to skim milk for savings. Also try different brands like Premier Protein, Aldi or Trader Joe's house brands for greater savings.

Lunches consisted of canned soups and you could eat fruit or vegetable sticks that you furnish.

THE SAVVY SHOPPER has recipes for a variety of homemade soups, but this post is about convenience.

So you could buy the healthy choice varieties of any number of soups at your supermarket. Read the labels carefully focusing on low calories, salt, and at least 20 grams (30 grams if you can find it!) of protein. I will give Nutrisystem credit for sending chunky protein-rich soup, trickier to find with supermarket canned soup.

Dinners were frozen meals: meat (beef, chicken, or pork), carbohydrates (potatoes, rice, or pasta), and a vegetable, such as broccoli or peas and carrots).

Look for the many wholesome options of supermarket-carried frozen dinners. They'll likely cost less than what's on Amazon, but I'll link those for educational purposes. At the supermarket, most are half the price of a Nutrisystem frozen meal. I happen to like a brand called Healthy Choice, but there are other options also at the supermarket. Aim to find 17 grams - 30 grams per frozen dinner with 250 - 500 calories per serving. You may have to supplement some meals with a glass of milk to bump up the protein.

Snacks I liked the Nutrisystem protein chips and protein bars. The cookies and cake were good too. I was allowed 2 snacks per day. Protein chips are expensive everywhere. What's more, you don't get much in the costly bag. Consider skipping them as snacks for an ounce of cheddar (or your favorite cheese) on a saltine cracker to lower the price. Still, I'm not against expensive protein chips if they help on a diet. Spend the bucks as needed to succeed. 

I disliked Nutrisystem's dehydrated eggs. The pizza crust was as dry and flat as a cracker (which subsequently may have improved to taste like most frozen pizzas). Nutrisystem's vegetable patty on a bun was not good in taste or texture, and I thought their frozen pasta dinner entrèes were insufficient and expensive. I'll take a lean real hamburger over a Nutrisystem patty any day. It's easy to grill a raw beef burger on a stovetop. Add a slice of onion, tomato, and lettuce with ketchup, and thank me later.

Supermarkets offer all of the above meals for less than $5 - $10 each of the Nutrisystem entrèes. You'll spend far less money plus only have to eat the dishes you like!

When you buy Nutrisystem you still must buy extra fresh fruit and vegetables as they aren't packaged and mailed to you.

Nutrisystem is great at teaching people what they should eat in a day; selecting food with adequate protein, vitamins, minerals, and fiber; eating a variety of food; learning portion control; and eating when you're hungry. Also, you should and do consume 1/3 of your daily protein requirements with each meal.

Helpful tip: If you desire to follow the Nutrisystem/Jenny Craig diet on the cheap: Go to the supermarket and buy a full month's supply of alike meals + snacks to follow the plan faithfully. Do not stray from the plan. When you subscribe to the more pricey trademarks, the companies send you a box of food you eat for the month. This will put you in the same mindset for less.

Savings versus Convenience:
Finally, if you don't mind paying 3+ times the money, you avoid the work of picking Nutrisystem meal equivalents at the supermarket. The food is shipped directly to your home. Nice! I enjoyed the convenience for a short time. But. After 30 days I decided I didn't need a meal plan, as I had good eating habits and didn't mind shopping or cooking. Sometimes cleaning up seems like a repetitive chore though.

Good luck! Losing weight is hard. The older you are, the tougher it is. Cutting calories is never fun. From time to time, we all go through it. "It's a marathon, not a sprint!"


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Sunday, March 10, 2024

My Favorite Oscar Dresses 2024

America Ferrera in Versace

The show is not half over! This year's Oscar gowns are lovely and tasteful if not as drop-dead glamorous as other years. Would you agree? Many of the dresses look comfortable so perhaps more attendees decided to dial it down a notch to better enjoy the evening without the fuss or pain. 

Left: Jennifer Lawrence  wears Dior Culture, Middle: Anya Taylor Joy in Dior Couture, Right: Charlize Theron adorns Dior

Left: Emily Blunt in Schiaparelli, Right: Zendaya wears Armani Privè
Left: Michelle Yeoh in Balenciaga Couture, Right: Zuri Hall shimmers in Rony Abou Hamdan

The gowns are unique in a refined way! There's something of interest in each dress. Michelle Yeoh's long black gloves look so smart with her shimmering gown. Emily Blunt is elegant but her straps don't move with her. Jennifer Lawrance wears playful polka dots elevated by her diamond tennis necklace. More shine than vivid colors this year too!

All photos - Getty Photography

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Thursday, March 7, 2024

Blue Diamonds Hold The Earth's Secrets

Photo: IFLScience

Full disclosure: I'm not a scientist and I don't want to take credit for the work of others. All I can do is read a bunch of sources, then put some of the facts together so you don't have to read all those sources yourself. The following is a paraphrasing -- the Turner "CliffsNotes" -- from several sources on a subject I love covering ... gemstones and jewelry! In today's blog, let's learn more about blue diamonds!

Photo: The Hope Diamond - Smithsonian
Only 1 out of 200,000 diamonds are blue. Like all other diamonds blue diamonds were formed billions of years ago when the element carbon was exposed to extreme heat and pressure deep in the earth's mantle. Clear (a/k/a white) diamonds are pure carbon. If traces of boron contaminate the carbon during its growth, a blue diamond is created. The industry calls all colored diamonds fancy diamonds.

Photo: MID: Okavango Blue
Scientists are intrigued by the origin of blue diamonds because they hold many of the earth's secrets. Once an enchanting mystery, gemologists now think they understand how these extremely rare blue gemstones came about. It also gives us clues about the evolution of the earth, itself. After the Gemological Institute of America conducted studies using lasers to uncover impurities (minerals) that got trapped inside blue diamonds, the experts started to assemble a picture of how and where blue diamonds were formed.

Photo: Getty - The National
Based on their discoveries, scientists know that blue diamonds were formed much deeper in the earth (below 410 miles) than other diamonds (formed between 90 miles - 125 miles below the earth's surface). It is believed that boron in the ocean floor "was pushed down when plates that make up the Earth's crust collided," making the diamonds appear blue. (According to researchers, boron lets the diamonds "absorb some red light, so the diamonds look blue.")

Getty - The Oppenheimer
Diamond deposits formed very deep within the earth eventually reach the surface by volcanic eruptions.

Now we know how some of the big rare blue gemstones such as the Hope Diamond and Oppenheimer Diamond were born. Billions of years ago Mother Nature had to come together in just the right way to produce them and for humans to find and have them all these years later.

Heart of Eternity
Both blue and white diamonds are graded using the 4 Cs: cut, clarity, color, and carat. But!
 Blue diamonds are so rare and in demand for their beauty, that they tend to cost more per carat than white diamonds. The blue diamonds that become well-known and fetch millions of dollars at auctions invoke excitement and fame because their unique size, color, and clarity are so rare.

Mouawad Blue
As it happens I don't have any blue diamond jewelry. Diamonds are valued for their sparkle and brilliance. Colored gemstones will have less sparkle than white diamonds. Their value is determined by the vividness, tone, and saturation of their color. Vivid blue diamonds are so rare and expensive that we get less for the money than if we buy white (a/k/a clear) diamonds. I have never been tempted to buy blue diamonds because blue diamonds aren't very budget-friendly, and I don't want to spend a lot of money on faint or tiny blue diamonds! I'd rather compromise by buying a commercial-grade sapphire.

The good news is scientists can make blue diamonds in a lab. Laboratory diamonds are grown in an artificial setting that mimics how diamonds grow naturally below the earth's mantle. Lab-grown diamonds are getting better and more plentiful all the time, which is lowering the prices per carat of all diamonds! 
The color of these blue diamond earrings looks enhanced. You never see such dazzling blue diamonds in jewelry display cases! They did, however, inspire me to write the blog. Wouldn't we love to own real blue diamond earrings just like them? Of course we would!:)💙🔵  

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

Thursday's Chelsea Boots And More

It was hard to pick only one style to feature!
Thursday is the name of a boot company right up THE SAVVY SHOPPER's alley! It's the type of business I love to introduce to my readers. The boot company offers customers the highest quality handcrafted boots at "honest" -- without a doubt, reasonable prices. There are no cutting corners, customers get the best materials available on every Thursday boot or product made. You'll also find comfort, durability, and versatility in their various styles of boots. What you won't find are boots that are made cheap, have poor craftsmanship, or are overpriced. 

Customers pay honest prices for ridiculously comfortable and well-constructed footwear that is incredibly stylish to boot (I couldn't resist the pun:).

Here's how they do it. Thursday Boot Company was launched as a Kickstart campaign in 2014 by Nolan Walsh and Connor Wilson, raising $275,000. There is no middleman. Thursday reinvests what they save by selling directly to customers and putting profits back into premium materials including full-grain leather, supple glove leather linings, and cork bed midsoles for comfort. After launching, word caught on! The company quickly went from selling 1,000 boots per month to 1,000 boots per week.

After succeeding with an array of the highest-quality and chic boots, Thursday expanded into dress shoes, sneakers, jackets, and accessories. Every piece is thoughtfully designed and meticulously tested to be functional and fashionable. 

These full-grain leather boots were made for pounding the concrete pavements of city streets. They won't fall apart after a few wears, after taking a beating, or by getting wet. Thursday's footwear, jackets, and accessories are made for people who live busy dapper lives. There's no compromise between style, quality, or price. 

If Thursday's child has far to go, you can't go wrong wearing Thursday's Chelsea boots for super cuteness.


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Friday, March 1, 2024

Macy's Herald Square We Love You As You Are


A few days ago after news about Macy's department store hit the press I wrote a post on Facebook that is getting "likes." I'll share the sentiments expressed while keeping the names of FB friends private ...

Debra Turner - What's on your mind:

February 28 at 1:52 PM 

Macy's has always been my absolute favorite NYC department store. Today it sounds like it is changing its business model to be more like Saks, Bloomingdales, and Bergdorf Goodman's. Along with closing some of its stores, it announced it would be changing its facade, as well as, "focusing more on luxuries." The very thing I love about Macy's is when you need something such as clothes, shoes, accessories, or household items, Macy's has good quality at every price point from budget-friendly to luxury! For decades Macy's has been for everybody! I hate to see changes that are not improvements. Somebody is not paying attention to what happened with the transformation of Barney's from its downtown location to its uptown store. In 2 decades I fear, Macy's may suffer the same fate ... and it will no longer be fun to shop there! How many overpriced dresses, bags, shoes, bed sheets, or towels does a person need?

D P
Totally agree with you
M M
I am hoping that that will not happen with the New York store, but I'm not holding my breath. I mourned the demise of Lord and Taylor. They are an online store now but their prices are like Saks or Bloomingdale's. 
I haven't been able to afford one thing on their website 😕
Debra Turner
M M Sadly all these great old department stores are gone. B. Altman, Gimbles too. 🙁
M M 
Debra Turner I loved B. Altman. And putting myself through school I worked at another upscale store called Arnold Constable. It was on a diagonal from Lord & Taylor and is now a branch of the public library.
Debra Turner
M M I remember it well. The B. Altman store closed soon after I arrived in Manhattan, but not before I bought a wool blazer and 2 cardigans there. You walked in and a sales associate with a name like Mary Catherine in her late 50s or early 60s helped you find what you needed and really knew her specialty. Likewise in my hometown, we had 4 amazing department stores, at one time called ''dry goods" stores with the same helpful sales associates. In the early 90s, my senior mother had to go to a periodontist whose office was in downtown Louisville, to save her teeth (happens as a senior, your teeth have decades of wear and tear), and her periodontist said, Mrs. Turner, you will be my last patient. I'm retiring, because as all these department stores have closed, I'm not getting any more patients who get pay + medical and dental benefits. The newer companies replacing the department stores aren't paying employees benefits.
M M
Debra Turner Wow! That's why unions are so important. 
There is a wonderful novel that I read several years ago that takes place at B Altman. Lucia, Lucia
by Adriana Trigiani.
It tells the story of a young girl from an Italian family, who lives in Greenwich Village. It takes place in the 1950s and she uses her sewing skills to get a job at the store. The author has written the book with such detail that you can remember what it was like to be in that store. Plus, the plotline itself is really interesting. You might be able to get it at a public library.
Debra Turner
M M Thanks, I'll look for it.
C S
The department stores from long ago are disappearing. I will always love Macy’s. Their Hotel Collection bedding remains my favorite but it seems the quality of merchandise across the board is declining. Also, dislike racks stuffed with cheap garments in poor layouts. My local Macy’s is woefully understaffed. Last weekend I tried to buy a Radleys of London purse and left the store empty-handed. Could not find one salesperson anywhere. Very discouraging.
Debra Turner
C S Even in NYC at Herald's Square it is difficult to find a helpful sales associate. They are trained to be more helpful at Bloomingdale's, but the price points of the merchandise start higher. Macy's -- all price points. You could find things for what you'd pay at Bloomingdales, but you didn't have to ... sometimes due to their hard-to-believe sales.
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  • Edited
C W We had a Lord & Taylor near us which carried all the brands and items I liked for many years. Then they decided to become more fashion-forward, dropped a lot of the old brands of shoes, jewelry, clothing, etc., and eventually went out of business. Study your customer base, department stores!
C W
Also, what you describe may explain what happened to the Macy's in White Plains, which appeared to be emptying out the store the last time I was there. (It has since closed, and I can't believe the one in Yonkers will support the new business plan you describe!)
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Debra Turner
C W yes, I'm terrified for Macy's!

Now we wait to see what the new business plan will mean for the Macy's we already know and love. I'm sharing our remarks in the hopes that decision-makers stumble upon the blog and preserve what customers love about Macy's. 

Do you have any thoughts or memories of old-style department stores?


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