Clinique is known for its excellent skin care. Launching this summer is a new retinoid stick balm and overnight face cream the retailer is calling Smart Clinical Repair™ to treat fine lines and wrinkles plus firm up the skin. In addition to retinoids, it contains peptides and hyaluronic acid, which are 3 effective ingredients to fight the natural aging process none of us escape.
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Clinique's New Smart Clinical Repair Retinoid
Clinique is known for its excellent skin care. Launching this summer is a new retinoid stick balm and overnight face cream the retailer is calling Smart Clinical Repair™ to treat fine lines and wrinkles plus firm up the skin. In addition to retinoids, it contains peptides and hyaluronic acid, which are 3 effective ingredients to fight the natural aging process none of us escape.
Friday, August 2, 2024
The Health Benefits Of Mushooms
Today I will paraphrase an interesting health article I read in Life Extention - The Science of a Healthier Life - July/August 2024 ...
Mushrooms have an amino acid known as L-ergothioneine. Our bodies can't make it yet the compound is so essential to human health that our cell membranes have special transporters to deliver it into our cells.
In a 2021 population study, scientists noticed some interesting findings in people who ate mushrooms. Consumers who regularly ate one serving of mushrooms (a fungus) had a 16% lower risk of death. People who refrained from red meat and ate a serving of mushrooms daily had an astonishing 35% decrease in all-cause mortality. The scientists attribute the health benefits to one compound, namely this L-ergothioneine amino acid.
What's more, in observational studies, scientists connected L-ergothioneine to specific health benefits: L-ergothioneine may promote healthy aging by fighting oxidative stress and decreasing the rate of telomere shortening that inherently occurs as we age. Our eyes, brain, and red blood cells suffer the most from oxidation stress. These tissues have high concentrations of L-ergothioneine transporters which points to the important role the compound plays in protecting them. Telomeres are the protective caps on the ends of chromosomes, and unfortunately, they naturally shorten as we age.
L-ergothioneine also appears to act as a sunscreen for DNA, protecting against skin cancer and boosting DNA repair.
As it happens, L-ergothioneine and its transporter are present throughout the brain. Several studies have linked L-ergothioneine to preserving brain function in the areas of learning and memory. In a trial of adults, 5 mg of L-ergothioneine daily significantly improved brain function enough to make scientists take notice.
In the observational study, L-ergothioneine levels in the body were associated with better heart health lowering cardiovascular mortality by 21%.
Photo: foodandwine |
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
It's A 10 vs Pantene Miracle Rescue
I tend to splurge on skincare but save on haircare. With my skin, I try to prevent damage from happening, but our hair is already dead, so I simply trim off any damage.
A worthy competitor at a lower price is Pantene Miracle Rescue Deep Repair Condition. Pantene's line has the corresponding formulas to the It's A 10 brand. What I like is, Pantene is recognized as a great brand for hair products with a ton of satisfied customers. It's available at drugstores, Walmart, and Target so there are promotions further lowering its price if you wait for them, and with the money saved, you can also buy the shampoo, as well as, put some change back in your wallet.
Difeel is a T.J. Maxx discovery I use daily. |
On hair products, there's no need to splurge for high-end brands since it's easy to save without compromising. You'll find new outstanding hair care shampoos, conditioners, and treatments in the beauty aisles of T.J. Maxx! Always worth a browse.
Monday, July 29, 2024
Kenkoh Sandals For Happy Feet
Kenkoh is a shoe company that makes Japanese massage footwear. The footbeds are designed to use acupressure to renew and stimulate the nerve endings in your feet.
Wearing Kenkohs daily helps to increase circulation while easing pain in your feet, ankles, knees, legs, hips, and back.
Reportedly wearing the sandals for a few hours a day reduces stress and fatigue. Over 1,000 rubber nodules on the footbed relax your feet while you walk. A fully contoured footbed supports your arches by letting pressure spread evenly over the foot. The company claims you'll feel a difference in 14 days.
There are styles for men and women and periodically they go on sale. If you wish to try a cheap knockoff before spending more money try these from Amazon - they won't last as long or give you the arch support, but for a fraction of the price, you can get a feel for wearing sandals with acupressure nodules.
Friday, July 26, 2024
Joy Bauer's Healthy Brownies and Rice Crispy Treats
Joy Bauer is a nutritionist who formally worked with New York City Ballet dancers and then became a TV personality. Two of her many keeper recipes are lighter, healthy versions of Brownie Bits and Rice Crispy Treats. Normally I pass on both sweets since usually they are made with a ton of butter and sugar. But Joy replaces these high and empty calories with healthy ingredients. In her recipes, she substitutes ingredients to boost the amounts of protein, vitamins, or fiber. Here are 2 of her sweet treats:
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon instant coffee powder, optional
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup unsweetened applesauce
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
¾ cup maple syrup
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
1) Preheat oven to 350°F. Liberally mist your mini-muffin tin(s) with nonstick oil spray and set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, instant coffee, salt and baking powder, and whisk until well combined.
5) Bake in the oven on the middle rack for about 14 minutes, until the tops are firmed
๐ซ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ๐ซ๐ฅ๐ช๐ฅ
⅓ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 ½ cups crispy rice cereal
1) In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add the peanut butter. Microwave for about 50 seconds to soften it, making it easier to mix.
4) Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (or freeze) to firm up. Remove
from the fridge, slice into 16 pieces (4 rows across and 4 rows down), and enjoy!
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Farmer's Defense Sun Protection
One of the best anti-aging practices for your skin is to stay out of the sun as much as possible. Although I have never been a sun worshipper and try to walk on the shady side of the street, I've only recently started wearing visors while out and about in New York City ... and honestly, I should bump it up to hats!
The Farmers Defense Protective hats and sleeves offer a UPF 50+ rating, blocking 98% of anti-aging UVA rays and 99% of cancer-causing UVB rays. Made with sturdy REPREVE® polyester, they have sweat-wicking and cooling properties. The hats have a 4-inch brim that is perfect for working or playing in the blazing sun.
So cute that I don't mind wearing them while pounding Manhattan's pavements, and if you garden or are active outdoors in the suburbs, they are anti-cancer and anti-aging essentials. Very affordably too!
Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Liquid Bandage For Lacerations
Friday, July 19, 2024
Brownies From Scratch For My Friend's Birthday
Brownies are a friend's favorite treat. Since I'm not a brownie fan, I've never made them until I wanted to surprise her with a thoughtful gesture on her birthday. I've always disliked brownies because they're usually too gooey and sweet. However, if I do say so myself, my brownies came out perfect, so, of course, I'm going to share the recipe here with you, my awesome readers, and if I ever make brownies again they'd be as delicious:
Dark Chocolate Brownies From Scratch
Ingredients:
Wednesday, July 17, 2024
Plastic Food Containers To Repurpose
Monday, July 15, 2024
Sterling Silver In Fine Jewelry
Photo: Voogme 925 Silver and Moissanite |
Frankly, this jewelry lover is happy she bought a few pieces of fine jewelry years before our pandemic hit since the price of gold and jewelry has increased like other consumer goods after our COVID crisis. Plus jewelry, which should not be considered an investment, has always had a hefty profit margin above the wholesale value of the pieces. Jewelry is as much of a luxury buy as designer clothes, shoes, and handbags, which are also marked up to whatever customers are willing to pay.
Photo: Shop LC |
Pure silver unmixed with other metals |
Leslie Villarreal |
Friday, July 12, 2024
What Are Brisling Sardines?
Summer Eats continued: What are brisling sardines? They are an impulse buy on a trip to the health food store a while ago. Ten cans, I must have been out of my mind that day! I know they are packed with protein and omega 3, 6, and 9 oils. They have a mild flavor and, in fact, are less fishy tasting than tuna. So why do I and others have such an aversion to eating them?
Just to get them down my throat I've been mixing a can of brisling sardines with a can of solid white tuna to make a salad. It's the easiest way of not having to look at them. Nutritionally, it's an excellent idea. Here's why ...
Brisling sardines are caught in the clear, clean, cool waters of Northern Europe. Europeans call the tiny silver fish sprats. They are under 4" long, half the size of other sardines. They have a mild taste and a tender delicate texture with no notable scales. Often packed in extra virgin olive oil, foodies claim they have a buttery texture.
Brislings are not only delicious but they’re also packed with a ton of nutrients including the omega-3 fatty acids, I mentioned. A serving also has 17% of our recommended calcium requirement and a whopping 17 grams of protein. These nutrients are best derived from natural sources rather than supplements. As a small fish, you need not worry about consuming mercury. Tuna has a moderate amount of mercury because it's a bigger fish, but sardines are one of the healthiest fish to eat!Frankly, I've never had a problem with the taste of sardines, it's the idea of eating sardines. So I disguise them as a tuna-sardines salad on 2 slices of multigrain toast. I'll post the ingredients for the salad below, plus you can make the salad into a grilled melt if you wish:
Tuna Sardines Melt
Ingredients: