New Hair Product Launches: Garnier, Shea Moisture and Schwarzkepf

 Whenever you walk into a drugstore or beauty store with free samples, take one. See if you like a newly launched product without risks. The following items were introduced to me as free samples, and I highly recommend each of them:

Enlarge to read benefits

1) Garnier Whole Blends Repairing Leave-in Conditioner - In general I'm not a big fan of leave-in conditioners, but the moment I rubbed a dab of this one between my fingers I knew I'd like it in my hair. Non-greasy, no perfume, and it doesn't leave a residue on my skin. Moisturizing and clean on my skin ... to moisturizing and clean with no residue in my hair. My no-fail test for any hair conditioner is how clean it feels on my hands. Readers may recall I normally spray Tsesumme Heat Tamer and Protector on my hair before blow drying it daily, but I think this Garnier new product works as well. So now I have two options, not just one hair protector and can buy the lowest priced when I go to replenish.

Click to enlarge.

2) Shea Moisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Intense Hydration Treatment Masque with Fig Extract & Baobab Oil - Let me cut to the chase, I highly recommend every beauty item this company makes, and they are many. I use them all for my skin or hair type, and I've never bought a failed skin or hair care product from the Shea Moisture line. I regularly use the soaps, moisturizers and treatments on my face, body and hair. The products are organic, affordable and fantastic!💙💙💙

3) Schwarzkopf Got2b Insta Hold High Hold Hairspray - Honestly I don't use hairspray much, but was happy to see the half tin-sized sample at CVS because, indeed, I needed some. Over the years, I've used a light spitz of hairspray in my hair on high humid or rainy days to tame and get the locks to behave. In NYC we've had several days in a row of high humidity this spring, and I'm not detecting any stickiness nor residue after a light spray. I brush through my hair after a spitz to avoid stiffness. Got2b stops flyways and unruly hair from doing its own thing.

Thanks Garnier, Shea Moisture and Schwarzkepf for the samples. I'm your newest customer -- numbers: 1, 2 and 3 are SAVVY SHOPPER approved!

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6 Best Fabrics To Wear In Summer

Photo: Stitch Fix Style

I must overcome my bias for natural fabrics to give you more shopping choices for summer clothes. In fact, if the price is right at Uniqlo or Old Navy on cute summer dresses in a manmade material, I make an exception; and in the past, it has worked out. So let's begin ...

 6 Best Fabrics To Keep Us Cool On the Hottest Summer Days:

Photo: Cotton Citzen

1) Cotton - A natural fabric that starts as a plant, cotton keeps you cool because it breathes and absorbs sweat. Cheap and plentiful; soft and comfortable; can be machine washed and dried; and I find it to be most durable -- lasting over many summers of wear. Includes: Denim, a sturdy cotton twill fabric. Most of the world's cotton is grown in the USA, Uzbekistan, China and India. Other leading cotton-growing countries are Brazil, Pakistan and Turkey. Cotton is a personal favorite, as well as, the most popular and versatile fabric in the world.

2) Linen - Cloth woven from flax that is light and airy. A tad stiffer and more sophisticated than cotton, yet still soft, casual and cool. Moderately priced and affordable. Very durable. Winkles are accepted in linen clothing. Nowadays linen is often treated so it can be washed and line dried. The garment label will say if it's machine washable. Includes: Chambray - a cotton or linen-finished gingham cloth with a mottled appearance. (Photo of shorts: H&M)

Photo: Old Navy

3) Rayon - A manmade fabric from regenerated cellulose (viscose). Honestly I don't 100% like rayon, yet I appreciate it enough to own several Old Navy summer rayon swing-style dresses. Cheap and flattering, machine wash, gentle dry, but not as durable as cotton or linen and doesn't hold up as well. Rayon is wrinkle-resistant, and the price super budget-friendly, so perhaps that's the trade off. The dresses stretch longer after a summer of washings, but they don't cost a lot to replace. So literally, the pros and cons of rayon are a wash!😊 Includes: Cupro - discussed in #6.

4) Modal - A semi-synthetic fabric consisting mainly of beechwood pulp, it is shrink-resistant and unlikely to fade. Frankly I'm not completely in love with modal either as it too stretches and I find it warmer than cotton ... yet every source I consult says it keeps us cool. I do have a modal sweater (and of course, it's cooler than wool). Modal is popular nowadays with retailers, so if the price is right, you might consider buying one stylish garment (or two).

5) Silk - Fine, strong, lustrous fiber spun by silkworms in making cocoons. The silk fiber is turned into fabric. Previously expensive, but demand and modern industry have lowered the cost. Super light and cool ... another favorite fabric of mine. Still I tend to save my silk dresses and shirts for work or attending events, not running Saturday errands. Not as cheap as cotton, and I don't as mindlessly wash it. I suppose it's why I don't mindlessly wear it, yet I do love it.😍👗 Silk includes: Chiffon, taffeta, and crepe de cine. (Photo: Silk dress: Halston) 

Photo of BraTop: Uniqlo

6) Nylon with moisture wicking technology - Uniqlo and a few innovative retailers combine Nylon with cupro (Cupro is made of regenerated cellulose fibers from recycled cotton linter. A type of rayon, made using copper and ammonium, it is "breathable and regulates temperature like cotton, drapes elegantly," and feels soft like silk) and spandex to manufacture its pieces of clothing with a cool touch and moisture wicking technology. Sold as Airism tops and dresses, they are also anti-bacterial with odor control. I love Uniqlo for its affordable, inventive and stylish clothing! Wear its bra tops with shorts or under dresses to absorbed sweat. That way you can wash the bra top and save the dress!

Sometimes an apparel maker uses fabric blends, for example 95% cotton with a touch of 5% spandex, to give a dress or blouse a benefit like wrinkle resistance, or strength or shape which I don't mind in a dress despite a tad less softness in the blend. (However, for bed sheets pure 100% cotton is a must.) 

With the knowledge of what fabrics will keep you cool on soaring hot days, have fun shopping for your summer wardrobe!

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Zircon Is A Favorite of Gem Dealers And Collectors

Another radiate gemstone, a favorite of jewelers and collectors yet usually overlooked by the general public, is a zirconium silicate (ZrSiO4), which is its chemical name. Known in the jewelry trade as zircon, the mineral rates a 7.5 on Moh's Scale of Hardness, making it durable to wear as jewelry. Don't confuse zircon with cubic zirconia, a cheap lab created diamond substitute, only their names are similar.

Natural zircon is one of the earth's oldest gemstones (at 4 billion years old) and rivals diamonds in sparkle.

In fact, zircon has a higher refractive index (a/k/a brilliance; or sparkle) than sapphires, rubies, emeralds, spinels or tanzanites (and tanzanite is priced as a gemstone for its high refractive index). It turns out, zircon has more fire than most colorless and colored gemstones. Brilliance is the colorless (or white) light emitted from a gemstone, while fire is the colored light, or sparkle you see when the stone is exposed to light. Zircon has both brilliance and fire in abundance, glittering nearly as much as a diamond. It's a semi-precious, affordable stone.

Natural zircon comes in an array of beautiful colors: Blue is the most popular and green is the rarest. Historically, blue zircon comes from Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Burma. White zircon, with its excellent brilliance and fire characteristics, makes a very fine budget-friendly diamond-substitute for anyone who desires a natural, as opposed to, a lab created gemstone. Jewelers call "yellow" honey zircon. Tanzania has become a main source for mining red, orange and honey zircon. As in the case of other gemstones, heat treatment is allowed in the jewelry world to enhance zircon's colors and the process doesn't lessen its value. Heat is an accepted treatment because it doesn't weaken, nor change the composition of the natural crystal, and heat is the same element that over billions of years caused the formation of precious and semi-precious stones.

Photo: JTV

Unlike either diamonds or manmade cubic zirconia, zircon is birefringent -- making it unique -- it has two different refractive indices [indexes] whereby a ray of light is spilt by polarization into two rays of light, each taking slightly different paths.

So now that you know more about zircon, do you want one? If so, what color appeals to you?

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Trendy Maxi Dresses For Summer

Photo: Refinery 29 go here

Currently I see very long -- to-the-ankle -- maxi summer dresses for sale in all the shops. At every price point the maxi dress is making a comeback as the newest fashion trend of 2021. 

I don't mind if other people wear the long length, yet as a gal who walks all over Manhattan, I'm not embracing it. It's too confining, and I don't like the feel of my knees hitting fabric as I walk all over the city. Plus, I'd clean the sidewalks with a maxi dress. 

Furthermore, I'm not a fan of a sleeveless, backless long, long, long dress. It's a personal quirk of mine as I dislike the unbalanced look of it. Also if it's hot enough to wear sleeveless and backless dresses to cool off, is it not too hot to cover up your legs to the ankles? Doesn't the season and temperature dictate uniformly whether to cover or uncover all of you? Why would you want legs covered with a clump of fabric on a sizzling August day, or a bare back on a nippy one? Wouldn't the cloth be wanting or not airy enough on the top or bottom ... one of the areas, um insufficient half of the time? Just asking.

Photos: Right - Vineyard Vines; Left -  Marimekko for Uniqlo

On the bright side: The new maxi trend is great for my budget; there's no temptation to add the dress to my summer wardrobe. The only one of the examples posted, I'd likely not be bugged wearing is the Vineyard Vines dress ... it looks to be a tad shorter than ankle length although one customer returned it, saying the bottom was too much dress for her. So it's risky too as I trust her review! You want to wear a dress, not have a dress wearing you!

Photos: Old Navy

Another fear of mine is these very long dresses will look dated by next summer. I don't see the pioneer ankle length lasting beyond 2021.

Why do you think everyday dresses are going to the ankle now? Are you a fan of the summer maxi dress?

👗👠🩳🥿👅

Just for fun, I'll list 5 wardrobe pieces you'll never see me buy or wear (not to be mistaken as judgment of others. Fashion is subjective.):

Photo: Soft Serve

1) Everyday summer sleeveless and backless maxi dresses (the subject of today's blog👆).

2) Loungewear/terrycloth/sweats - Are you kidding me? Where exactly do they look good? Not at home. Not at the gym. Not in a supermarket. Not at Walmart. Nowhere. These are nothing more than thick pajamas worn after your day should have already started!

Photo: Ugg

3) Ugg Fluff Yeah Slides - So popular I see women wearing them up and down 5th Avenue. Who began this fashion trend out in public? $100 house shoes, people! Wouldn't you rather spend the money on Ugg boots or a proper pair of walking sandals for running about New York City? You're wearing your house shoes outside the house, people!

4) I'm very much alone with this next one: Although I don't mind a feminine dipping neckline in a dress or ball gown, I would never, ever wear a gown with the cleavage split down past my breasts. Another personal quirk since the open, deep, V-cut, missing cleavage style is so prevalent on red carpets with the made-to-measure couture Oscar dresses. I don't understand it ... where's the missing front of the dress? 

Photo: Express UK

Don't get me wrong! I love Amanda Seyfried, the image I'm using. Mega talented; and on talk shows she's delightful with a great sense of humor and down-to-earthness in her interviews. Although I dislike the deep dive of her gown, she still looks beautiful! For the cost of the dress though, she should  have gotten all the fabric!🙂

Photo: BBC

5) Ripped, torn, worn out denim - No, no, never, ever, un, un, un! This is when I replace blue jeans. I'm not paying good money to buy 'em this way.

Feel free to chime in with your style likes or dislikes. Agree or disagree?

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Dior Spring/Summer 2021 Collection

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! 

Frankly if I were to buy a Lady Dior bag, it would be the practical and versatile medium black leather with black hardware Lady Dior. Still I love the fabric choices in the new patterns with embroidery as well. For the money, the Lady Dior bags in this collection come with the guitar strap that usually is purchased separately, so at least you "save" (i.e., it's all relative people!) on the strap. The strap alone costs about $800+ and perhaps for the very 1st time, it comes with the bag ... in the matching pattern.

As you, my darlings can see, the new patterns with embroidery are a rich leopard brown print that Dior is calling Mizza and Blue Toile de Jouy, named "technical fabric" by the designer. They are sold as apparel and accessories. 

I can't decide which pattern is cuter! My favorite items are the hooded anoraks (and yet for my $4,000, I would require them to be cashmere topped with waterproofed materials. They are polyester.); the backpack; the perfectly fitted jacket; the leopard sneakers, the modern trench coat (below👇) ... and of course, the Lady Dior bags ... OMG, which pattern would I get??? 

Not all the new pieces in the Spring/Summer 2021 Collection have dropped yet, there's even more to come to the stores during the month. 

Oblique Trench Coat

Without a doubt, the new Dior collection makes eyeballs happy and wallets a little sad. Sans deep pockets, we'll need to find inspired articles of good quality elsewhere. Look, admire, rollick in the Dior shop ... and only splurge on what you can afford!

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Amazon Delivers On A Holiday Weekend!

Yellow light: charging!

Dear Readers,

I didn't think I'd be able to blog until mid-June. You see I work on a 13 inch MacBook Pro, and its charger died suddenly on Wednesday, May 26th. I can't easily blog on a phone or iPad unless I were to merely upload a photo, or a bunch of words without photos ... yet I do both, which sometimes requires editing to make the blog look its best. Plus, nearly all of my blogs require research, as well as, fact-checking and reading everything available on a topic for accuracy. It's possible to use a phone or iPad for research or editing, but it would be super slow and annoying.🙂

So alas, let's get to the subject of today's post: Ordering from Amazon. 

Despite a desire to support local brick and mortar stores, as well as, small businesses (as we should do!), we can also support Amazon with a good conscience. Often Amazon really comes through for customers, and I must give the online retailer its due in offering fantastic choice, price and customer service:

 1) On Amazon, customers have an abundance of sellers, products and price points to fit their budgets. At times you need the top of the line, and at other times you don't ... so lots of selection lets you save money by ordering exactly what you need at a price you can afford.

2) Consumers can't beat the convenience as the products are delivered straight to your door saving you additional time and money.

3) I like the transparency of how the items are listed. By reading everything, I have a good idea of the articles. Plus I read all the customer reviews before I buy an item, and I leave detailed reviews as a guide for other Amazon customers.

4) I appreciate how Amazon stands behind the merchandize sold on its website from various sellers around the world, so if anything goes wrong, I don't have to worry about losing my money. Amazon resolves what goes wrong between you and the seller. Also customers have windows for free returns.

5) And finally ... golly, you often get faster-than-expected delivery ... nearly always quicker than the delivery date you are told! My Wednesday purchase -- the laptop charger -- which was supposed to arrive on June 11th, came today on a holiday weekend! I'm doing a happy dance!!!

Prime Amazon (which I do not have) is worth considering especially if (1) you live in a house or apartment building where packages are left on doorsteps; or (2) you order lots of single items under $25 and wish to save shipping costs; or (3) you simply desire the benefits of Prime Membership. I don't need a Prime Membership for the security of my packages, and I get free shipping with my Amazon subscriptions. I also bundle purchases on non-subcription goods to qualify for free shipping (as I try never to pay for shipping). Sure I'd love to watch the Amazon movies and series (called Amazon video) or have access to special deals, but for now I'm fine (and can better resist temptation) without a Prime Membership. I am forced to wait a beat before ordering. Moreover, I think Amazon would agree that despite not having a Prime Membership ... I'm an excellent customer who definitely helps keep their lights on. 

And a final thought: A happy customer like me always desires happy company employees! Please always treat workers exceptionally well, Amazon, by trickling down your tremendous success to lift up the quality of their lives. Success should be shared.🙏

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Get Your Other Vaccines Too

Photo: Shot of Prevention

Luckily I had a great primary care doctor a few years ago who was proactive and started me on the road of proactiveness! He retired and was replaced by another good doctor, a female this time, who I now see. I go for an annual physical, which you should not forget to do despite our fears and heightened focus on COVID-19. 

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

Several middle aged people I know who had chickenpox as a child, got shingles as adults, also called herpes zoster, an acute and painful inflammation of the nerve ganglia, with a skin eruption of blisters. It is caused by the same virus as chickenpox and lives in your body until it decides to rear its ugly self to make you sick again!

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

Go get your vaccines people if you haven't already. First for COVID and while waiting for the necessary time period to pass for its optimal effectiveness, make an appointment with your primary care doctor, so together you can determine what other preventitive vaccines to get next. Know what lies ahead of you so you're on top of your health. Invest the time in your health, dear readers! It's cheaper and a smart way of insuring a good quality of life! Nobody wants to get sick when they don't have too! 

Also, if you don't have a trusted primary care doctor, find one! Start by checking with your health insurance (online perhaps?) to bring up a list of providers who accept your policy. We all need gentle nudges to stay aware and healthy.

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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

Contains: 

• 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).

Directions: Use a pea size amount at night to prevent or treat lines and wrinkles, the visible signs of aging.

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. 

Directions: This is your daytime serum, apply it in the morning.

3) The Inkey SPF Daily 30 Sunscreen

Contains: 

• 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). 

Directions: Use during the day all-year-round as the last step after a moisturizer. 

Sure you could buy gentle baby sunscreen at your local drugstore for less, but if you want a $15 splurge for the extra anti-aging ingredients, you can at least afford it at these low prices.

Now where can you buy them? Available on the Inkey List website; Sephora; Ebay; and Amazon, the brand is never tested on animals.

Splurge and save simultaneously: What's on your Inkey List?

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💟Extra tips: 

[1] If you buy the baby sunscreen from your local drugstore and your 2 serums from The Inkey List, your entire costs for your daily anti-aging skin routine is under $25 for all the products you need. Adding the splurge Inkey List sunscreen brings the costs to under $35.

 [2] Anti-aging routines begin by eating a healthy diet, which gets easier and cheaper in the spring and summer months. Here's what I bought from my fabulous Manhattan fruit street vendor on my way home ... every bite as beneficial to the skin as the potions you put on it:

I like to wash all my fruit before putting much of it in the refrigerator. Oh yes, with refrigeration you lose some of the deliciousness, but again, costs and convenience win. I leave a few unrefrigerated pieces out, but do refrigerate the rest. I have fresh blueberries, strawberries, apricots, plums, pears and mangos. Not in the photo, avocados from another day! 

BTW: I also wash my potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant and asparagus (Asparagus steams are yuk, yet nutritious.) before putting them away, a repetitive job I hate doing! But when I cook, I like dropping clean-ready produce into a pot. I'd rather not have a job (cleaning) before I do a job (cooking). Unless buying a meal kit, you have to do the undesirable yourself. It's worth getting more for less. I'm a mean, clean machine!😎

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