Dior is launching their 2021 Spring/Summer Collection into their boutiques as I type, and although I don't buy Dior as I can't justify spending thousands of dollars on a single bag, hoodie or pair of sneakers, certainly I love and am inspired by the new lookbook of Dior's top-notch designs + craftsmanship. The new collection is feminine, super chic and gorgeous!
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
Dior Spring/Summer 2021 Collection
Sunday, May 30, 2021
Amazon Delivers On A Holiday Weekend!
Tuesday, May 25, 2021
Get Your Other Vaccines Too
Photo: Shot of Prevention |
Of course you get your vitals taken and your blood drawn, but equally important, I receive excellent preventative care. One year my old doctor gave me a tetanus shot, which I had no idea I had to continue getting as an adult. The next year, he said his new target was childhood disease antibodies, and I'm sending your blood to the lab to see which ones you've had. Sure enough the report showed I had never had the mumps, so off I went to get vaccinated against it. Mumps ... if your listening, you're wasting your time as I've got the mumps' antibodies in my system now that will annihilate you without ever having been sick!
Photo: uhc.com |
Eckkk! It's such a creepy-looking illness, you should google it. I can't bring myself to upload the image here. And more seriously, getting shingles has the possibility of leaving a few lingering aftereffects. If the rash breaks out close to your eye, it has the ability to blind you. Some people report ongoing sensitive or painful nerves in their bodies after the rash, itself, is gone.
If COVID is doing anything positive, it reminds us of the wonder and importance of science. How lucky are we to have available vaccines to avoid many infectious diseases that in earlier times killed many people, including children, and left others with lingering complications. Who the hell needs it???
Photo: cdc.gov |
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
The Inkey List Skincare
Photo: lookfantastic |
THE SAVVY SHOPPER features another effective skincare line based on science you can afford to use daily. Choice galore and deals are a consumer's best friends to keep our wallets happy! The Inkey List offers a wide array of products containing potent ingredients that are normally 3 - 4 times more expensive.
The following are your 3 basic essentials, yet at such budget-friendly prices averaging under $10 a bottle (and a few multi-ingredient formulas running about $15) you could add an item to treat a special skin care concern of yours if you wish.
Here are the bare-bone elixirs I think you need in your skincare regiment:
1) The Inkey List Retinol serum
- 1% stabilized retinol (derived from Vitamin A, which the skin converts to retinoic acid, speeding up skin cell turnover. Enhances collagen production, evens skin tone and lightens age spots.)
- 0.5 granactive retinoid
- Squalane (for hydration and smoothing).
2) The Inkey List Vitamin C 30% serum
Contains:
- 30% pure, stable, L-ascorbic Acid. This serum targets the signs of aging by brightening the skin. It also fights free radicals and pollution.
3) The Inkey SPF Daily 30 Sunscreen
- 22% non-nano zinc oxide (offering both UVA and UVB protection against the sun).
- 1% Pollustop® (Shields the skin from pollutants and premature aging.)
- 2% Shea Butter complex (moisturizes and calms the skin).
Where To Buy Spices Online
As luck would have it, my local Key Food supermarket carries a nice selection of common spices like dried garlic, onion powder, celery seed, oregano or parsley in big jars. Spices I use daily to season meat, vegetables and whole grains. I don't like to run low and need to run back to the grocery store for them too frequently.What's more, I also buy seasonings online (1) when not available at my supermarket; or (2) offered at better prices; or (3) of superior quality. Sometimes I split hairs between convenience, price and excellence -- something a foodie would rarely do. IMHO, a foodie applies to people who are very into food, going to great lengths or out to restaurants and spending big bucks to eat it. I cook and enjoy learning and trying new recipes, yet I'm not a foodie. I can stop at eating good, basic, real food. I don't require fancy, or elaborate, or expensive. In short, a foodie lives to eat. Someone like me eats to live ... and often price or convenience wins!
2) Zatarain's - I buy many of Zatarain's Creole and Cajun spice blends, as well as, food items -- as I love this authentic Louisiana based food company😍 (which is now a subsidiary of the McCormick spice company). The Creole seasoning and Pure Ground Gumbo File are pantry staples. Very reasonably priced and available at supermarkets, Walmart online and Amazon. I use Creole seasoning in meat, vegetables, rice, soups, stews and salads, you name it!
3) Special Shit - I didn't name this spice company, but it got your attention, didn't it? You'll find tasty special spice blends made to season beef, chicken, fish, vegetables and barbecued dishes, plus extras like condiment gift sets for foodie friends and home cooks alike.
Saturday, May 15, 2021
My Window Shopping Spree
Yesterday was a bright, sunny day in Manhattan (a high of 76 degrees F) so in a pink dress with a motif of flowers, I took a walk. It was playtime! I stepped into stores I forever pass on the outside, rarely going inside.
My first stop was Graff jewelry on Madison Avenue. Only expecting to look in the showcases, I was delighted when a friendly sales associate encouraged me to try something on! Why yes, I'd love too!!😍
The White Diamond collection is spectacular -- flawless, colorless, certainly expertly cut. Big rocks! Red carpet worthy!
The necklace with a teardrop pendent to the right is the most gorgeous piece I've ever had around my neck! Lucky me, they brought it inside -- usually it's what I admire in a window glass box on the outside, the many times I stroll past Graff on my way downtown. The pendent is removable and a customer can purchase the diamond necklace without the teardrop pendent ... but why would she? Make no mistake, it's MY necklace, but surely somebody else will walk into the shop one day to buy it, and what a sad day it will be!
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
Hooray For Mom And Pop Shops
But alas, like so many other towns in the USA, beloved mom and pop shops are fast disappearing here in New York City unable to pay sky high rents or compete with big box stores, and what a tremendous loss of culture this is! City halls of America, can't both types of businesses succeed with your ingenuity and tax incentives?
Thursday, May 6, 2021
Radiant Tsavorite Garnet
Photo: Geology In |
An emerald is the birthstone of May babies. The gorgeous green beryl is rarer and more expensive per carat than diamonds, sapphires or rubies. Emeralds also have more inclusions than other precious or semi-precious gemstones. Unlike diamonds where clarity is prized, inclusions (in emeralds called Jardins) are accepted because natural emeralds are never clean.
If you long for a clean (free of inclusions) brilliant green stone, you might consider a radiant tsavorite garnet (Ca3Al2Si3O12) first discovered in 1967 by British gem geologist Campbell Bridges, which Tiffany and Co. began selling as jewelry in 1974. Usually when people think of garnets they visualize a cinnamon (dark red) color, which many garnets are. Yet garnets come in a variety of rarer colors. Garnets are composed of aluminum and calcium but when there are traces of 2 additional minerals, chromium and vanadium, the color is bright green and the semi-precious stone, rating a 6.5 - 7.5 on Moh's Scale of Hardness, is referred to as a tsavorite garnet. This stunning green stone, mined in Kenya (and less intense hues in Tanzania), is incredibly sparkly due to its high refractive index.
Tsavorite is less likely to shatter than emerald because it is a stone without inclusions. Sans inclusions, tsavorite can be cut into more facets to reflect light more brilliantly than an emerald. And, tsavorite is translucent in nature without requiring treatments like heat or oil.
While emeralds are unmatched in their green-blue color, tsavorites have more brilliance or life than typical emeralds. Still both gems are undeniably gorgeous in their own right.
Tuesday, May 4, 2021
Slip On Lands' End Comfort Summer Shoes
As warm weather approaches sensible shoes with arch support and stable heels are a must! Recently I ordered the perfect spring/summer shoes: Lands' End Comfort Mary Janes.
The Woman's Comfort Elastic Ballet Flats are trickier. The sizing is off so you have to order up from your regular shoe size. They are not for walking long distances on concrete pavement but for bouncing around your house, garden and neighborhood. Soft leather uppers have insoles that are foam cushioned. An elastic edge molds to your feet.
Thursday, April 29, 2021
How To Protect A Pinky Toe?
Sorry ... in no way will the following blog be sexy. It's about how aging changes your tootsies when once upon a time, they never gave you any problems.
I've stepped outside of science and am trying 15 minutes of yoga toes each day too in an effort to save the pinky toe! I'm out of ideas. |