#Shorts: Platform Shoes

Take a good look at the impractical shoes of youth. I wore them once upon a time. Platform shoes are a hazard. With elevation, you have little control when losing your balance. If the side of your platform steps on a pebble, you're going down!

Undeniably cute. Funny, I don't toss them as I tend to be a discarder (I know ... a made up word, but it fits), not a collector.

Alas, I've now joined the sensible shoes set!

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Viori Beauty Developed By The Yao Tribe of Southern China

Viori shampoo and conditioner bars have over 6,300 mainly 5-star Amazon reviews. There's a bar for every hair/scalp type -- oily, normal, and dry. 

Handcrafted with Longsheng rice water and natural ingredients (the term natural is unregulated so check ingredients), the formulas are developed by the Yao Tribe, who for 2,000 years lived secluded in the Longsheng mountains of Southern China. The tribe women are known for their thick, long, healthy hair traditionally washed with a blend of Longsheng rice water. 

The bars are infused with various essential oils to smell clean and amazing. They are made to moisturize, strengthen, rejuvenate, volumize, increase the natural shine, repair, as well as, gently clean the hair and scalp. What's more, they are 100% vegan, sulfate-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free, and plastic-free.

Some of the profits (5%) from sales go back to helping the Yao Tribe who provide the Longsheng rice used to make the rice water for the shampoos and conditioners. Viori also works directly with the Red Yao villagers to develop projects they believe will help their communities thrive, economically, culturally, and environmentally. The company claims to have a lifetime commitment to supporting the well-being of the tribe.

The shampoos and conditions are fun gifts to give and get. Without plastic containers, they are not only easy to pack for trips but easy on the environment. One bar lasts 4-6 months, making paying for its rich botanical ingredients easier on the wallet.

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Lancome Hypnose 5 Color Eyeshadow Palette

I love Lancome Hypnose 5 Color Eyeshadow Palette in Drama Demin. You can create a smoky eye in shades of blue!! There are 6 different color palettes if Drama Demin doesn't compliment your skin tone. I prefer wearing cool eyeshadow hues such as white, silver, gray, and certain shades of blue. I don't like pink or orange or yellow eyeshadow on me (hues I sometimes see), but I like shades of pink on my lips and cheeks, which doesn't make wearing them as eyeshadow wrong for other women.

Lancome is always a pricey brand. The new palette is $60, with Macy's often offering it at $51. Beauty experts tell us to splurge on eyeshadow, as opposed to eye and lip pencils, bronzers, or mascara. The Lancome Hypnose palette is highly pigmented and long-lasting, the reason to splurge on eyeshadow. It will also take time to deplete the palette even if used daily, so once you bite the bullet you'll have it for a long time.

Colorpop in Blue Velvet

But if you'd rather not spend for Lancome I'll give you cheaper, yet still quality options from competitors to give you a similar makeup effect on a budget.

Bare Minerals in Stonewashed

 What is not linked on the blog, simply google the name of the makeup to find a retailer. I own and love Maybelline's The Rock Nudes palette, which is designer quality for less.

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Beauty of Joseon Revive Eye Serum

What's a good treatment for crow's feet and fine lines around the eyes? The Korean beauty market has the answer with real science behind it, and it's not ultra-expensive.

 Beauty of Revive Joseon Eye Serum is created to treat wrinkles in the sensitive area around the eyes. It combines 10% ginseng root extract and retinal (like retinol, a vitamin A derivative) for its efficiency. Multiple studies show ginseng improves wrinkles because it contains a high level of saponins (ginsenosides -- plant compounds with a long history of use in traditional medicine). Retinal works 11 times faster than retinol. Although retinal has a higher exfoliation rate than retinol, Revive Eye Serum is formulated to work without irritation. The serum contains 2% stable retinal in the form of liposomes (a minute spherical sac of phospholipid molecules enclosing a water droplet).

Here's the science explained --

retinol -> retinal -> retinoic acid

 

Retinal converts into retinoic acid in one step while retinol takes 2 steps, but usually retinal is too harsh to use. However this eye cream uses retinal liposome that is stabilized by breaking the retinal into smaller parts and enclosing it in liposomes, as well as, adding more lipids (fatty acid molecules) and oils to it. It's also blended with beneficial glycerin, niacinamide (B3), and cholesterol to make the formula even more effective.

Unless you have sensitive under eye skin, a separate eye serum is a waste of money. But Revive Eye Serum is formulated to be gentle to use under your eyes and you could use it on your face. The serum is less than (not the same as cheap) many other face and eye serums for the strength and blend you're getting. Costs $11.50 - $15 for 1.01 ounce depending on the seller. 

This is a stellar formula at a reasonable price to fight the crows' feet forming around your eyes!👀

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The Tiered Ruffle Dress

Kathy Glitter Stripe Tiered Ruffle Cocktail Dress The Population Dress

I don't know why but thinking about spring and summer makes me want to wear tiered ruffle dresses. Perhaps I'm just so happy and gitty that our balmy sunny seasons are right around the corner, or maybe it's when outdoor temperatures rise, our coats can come off to show tiers of ruffles! So in anticipation of spring, I'm doing a Roundup of Adorable Tiered Ruffle Dresses. They come in an array of lengths and styles from everyday wear to office-appropriate to party-on dresses. Remove your coat, Sister and imagine how much fun twirling in them are!!

1) Tommy Hilfiger, 2) INC, 3) Endless Rose, 4) Betsy & Adam

1) Vince Camuto, 1) Betsy & Adam, 3) Rachel Parcill, 4) CeCe

1) MSK, 2) MSK 3) Taylor, 4) DKNY

1) Lulus, 2) MSK, 3) Lauren Ralph Lauren, 4) Chio's

1) City Studio, 2) Lauren Ralph Lauren, 3) City Studio

A few of the featured tired ruffle dresses are offered in several colors and sometimes a hue changes the mood of the dress from fun and flirty to night out on the town glamourous!

Farm Rio - Nordstrom - the length, not the color of my skirt.

I have a navy and white floral tiered ruffle mid-length silk skirt I brought on sale at Banana Republic years ago that I pair with a solid navy blue GAP t-shirt. It's easy on and I feel like a million bucks happily jetting around Manhattan wearing it! It's a playful mood-lifter!!

Which tiered ruffle dress strikes your fancy? Do you have the style in your closet?

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#Shorts: 21 Skills That Will Pay You Forever

Photo: Corporate Learning

Below is a list of life/business skills that has floated around social media for a while. The 21 skills are very wise, so up on THE SAVVY SHOPPER they go. UpSkillYourLife, a handle on both Twitter and Linkedin, circulated it and it was reshared and retweeted thousands of times, but where it originated is hard to tell with a simple Google search. Please claim it if it is yours.

21 Skills That Will Pay You Forever

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Equate Walmart's Private Store Brand For Savings

The cost of skincare -- from cleansers to moisturizers to treatments and sunscreens -- can really add up! You save a ton of money by finding store house brands, which are nearly identical to the national brands we love. So low priced they are worth taking a risk to try them out.

Equate, Walmart's private store brand, has mirrowed many beauty remedies selling for half the price or less of their name brand counterparts. CVS has it's own version of Neutrogena's Rapid Wrinkle Repair, but I couldn't find an Equate equivalent, so readers if it exists, please let me know as Equate tends to cost less than the house brands of CVS, Walgreens or Target. Yet CVS, Walgreens and Target house brands are welcome fallbacks, giving us more choices. House brands go on sale too.

Posted are several awesome knockoffs for much less moola:

Compare the above to Olay: Regenerist; Moisturizing Lotion for Sensitive Skin with SPF 15 (also available in SPF 30); and Night of Olay Firming Cream.

Compare to Neutrogena: Oil-Free Facial Moistururer; Rapid Wrinkle Repair Cream; and Rapid Wrinkle Repair Lotion. (Beauty 360 is CVS' house brand.)

Compare to L'Oreal Collagen Moisture Filler; ROC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Serum; and Neutrogena Triple Age Repair.    

Compare to L'Oreal Revitalift Anti-Wrinkle + Firming Eye Cream; Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti-Aging Daily Moisturizer; and Olay Eye Lifting For Firming Skin Serum.

Compare to Cetaphil Moisture Cream; CeraVe Moisture Cream; and Aquaphor Healing Ointment.

The knockoffs are so numerous I've only posted some of the available skin creams and treatments, and I didn't list the cleansing creams or toners. Ok, I'll list one cleansing cream below:

Frequently there's little to no difference between the name and store house brands, yet the savings are great. Finding and using the latter is an easy way to beat inflation or live on a budget without compromise! Paying much less counts when using products daily! I've linked you up to Walmart and CVS -- where I've pulled all these dupes -- so you can start comparing prices. You're welcome!

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