Trend Alert: Ear Stacking

Celebrity photos: Cosmopoltian - go here 

 A glance at the fashion runways gives us a clue about a fashion jewelry trend about to break in 2022: Ear Stacking. It appears celebrities and runway models are already rocking the trend. 

Photo: Cosmopolitan

Clip-ons are available for those who don't want to add multiple ear piercings. The higher up you pierce your ears, the more it hurts to do it.

Ear stacking can be expressed in your own style from dainty to chunky. Many of the photos feature another of this year's jewelry trends -- loops. But do loops ever really go out of style?

I wear earrings every day, and I won't lie: Although I like the look of ear stacking, I aim to keep my life simple by sticking with wearing a single pair of earrings per day. I have no desire to fuss with multiple earrings. I'd have to buy more earrings, as well as, style them. Yikes, how much time does THAT add to dressing in the morning?  

The places for ear stacking are from the bottom of the ear up, namely the lobe, upper lobe, helix, conch, rook, daith, tragus, and forward helix. Click here to learn where these parts of the ear are; how long it takes the piercings to heal; and how to stack your earrings. Fashionistas are bound to try it.

Enjoy the read from a knowledgeable source because for sure I will not be adding other piercings to my ears and therefore cannot speak from experience. 

Diamond studs will always be a girl's best friend. But the more the merrier? Clearly more expensive. You decide.

Like me, you may not flock to every fad, but now you know what's coming our way, jumping from the runway to main street.

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White House Black Market Roundup

Matte Jersey Twist Front Dress

White House Black Market isn't only an online retailer, the upscale fashion merchant who opened in 1985 operates over 440 boutiques and 6o outlets across the USA, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. It's the perfect place to find a holiday or gala dress with shoes and accessories to match.

Above are 3 different women styling a classic Little Black Dress, in fact, the same super versatile Matte Jersey Black Studded Dress which flatters all body types from curvy to slim!

Another helpful feature of the website lets customers shop for an entire look. Under a dress, blouse, blazer, or trousers are 3 different ensembles, and you can click on the coordinating shoes and /or accessories for purchase if you need them. What a fun browse for style ideas! [You can go to the website by clicking on the little black dress to see a 3rd way to wear it.]

The prices on White House Black Market are surprisingly affordable for some very cute fashion that I would describe as classic modern style sometimes with an edge.

Have you chosen your party attire yet?

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New York Celebrates Halloween 2022

All Photos: New York Simply - go here - They added a disappointing note: Many of these photos are from 2021! I took my own photos in 2021 -- click the 2nd link directly after the blog to see them -- then watch the video for 2022 decorations if you wish.

Cry me an East river, will you? I couldn't walk around my Upper East Side Manhattan neighborhood this year to photograph its Halloween decorations. I've been sooo busy, so instead, I'll link you up to 20 images uploaded by New York Simply to capture the 2022 walk that never was. Despite all, we need our Gotham City Halloween fix, don't we?

On Halloween Night I'll be doling out candy, a ton of Tootsie Rolls and Smarties. Chocolate is unsafe to bring home as we want to save the candy for treat-or-treaters. I like Smarters and Tootsie rolls but can stop after eating a roll.🍬

If you wish to see my photos of Halloween Walks Past on the Upper East Side, click the links below.🎃👇

All Photos courtesy of New York Simple

Stay safe ... when in doubt, don't. Stick to areas you know well, and like a New Yorker, always be aware of your surroundings. We only want to attract harmless scares.

Happy Halloween, Spirits & Friends!

Here's a YouTube video with Upper East Side Halloween sights for 2022. Somebody did the work for me when I couldn't do it myself this year. Thank you uploader! ...

Happy Halloween 2020

Gotham City's Season Of The Witch

It's An Upper East Side Halloween

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Flirty Girl Wants To Make You Smile

The photo is from Google Maps

One of the most beloved brands in New Orleans, Flirty Girl, was launched in 2009 by single mother and New Orleans native, Lauren LeBlanc Haydel, initially as an online business. Today she has 8 retail stores and 60 employees. The brand was voted Best of New Orleans by Gambit magazine for 11 years in a row.

Flirty Girl's aim is to make you smile while celebrating the city of New Orleans with shirts, skorts, scarves, jackets, shoes, kitchen and bar glasses, hair accessories, food and spices, soap, together with holiday-and-novelty gifts.

The retailer has become a must-stop for tourists but if you can't make it to New Orleans you can still send some "local love + fun finds" by ordering online, the place where it all began. Perhaps someone on your holiday list could use a smile or has fond memories of the Big Easy.

King Cake Bolt Balm

Ahhh, the only cute alligator is a toy alligator (🐊 see far above👆), but LOOK he's crawling away and headed for the flamingo🦩who should not stand tall and be eaten. Run!! ... run away!!!⚜️

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Athletic Works Socks With Cushion Arch Support

Sometimes it's the mundane inexpensive finds in life that can please or even thrill us. Like socks! Most of us wear socks nearly every day and I like to keep a drawer full of them so I rarely have to do laundry because I'm out of socks. It's also a clothing item I wish to mindlessly machine wash and dry with abandon as I have no desire to baby a pair of socks. So I took a chance on a 10-pack of socks by Athletic Works at Walmart and I really like them! Why spend more when these do everything we need them to do?

The benefits include cushion arch support built into the socks. Although I'm often partial to cotton, 100% cotton socks are not necessarily the best fabric for potentially sweaty feet. These have 87% polyester, 11% cotton, and 1% lycra spandex and are made to wick moisture away from our feet. Ok, great!

What first attracted me to Athletic Works socks was the innovative, compact packet, and what sold me was the arch support. When traveling just toss the packet of socks neatly into a suitcase, then pull them out one pair at a time much like pulling out tissues from a Kleenex box after you reach your destination.

The socks come in an assortment of lengths from no-show, or ankle to crew, or tube; as well as, for men, women, and children; and in enough neutral shades to match your wardrobe.

Don't let the unbeatable value fool you! You get 10 - 12 pairs of socks cheap depending on the style selected. The socks are soft, cozy, and do indeed keep your feet dry. After wearing them for months, I decided to buy some for my senior mother also. She can benefit from arch support too. Have you been paying too much for socks?

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Beer Can Chicken

Photo - istock by Getty

I haven't thought of making Beer Can Chicken in years. My mother is European, and this is definitely Americana home cooking. What I like about this dish is its rub, a lot of it! A tasty and easy dinner to make over the weekend.

Beer Can Chicken

Ingredients For the Rub

2 tablespoons smoked paprika

Photo: allrecipes

2 tablespoons dry mustard

2 tablespoons basil

2 tablespoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

2 tablespoons salt

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Ingredients for the Basting Spray

1/2 can of the beer

2 cups apple cider

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (or whatever vinegar you have)

4 - 5 pound chicken

1 tablespoon olive oil (or butter)

remaining half of beer (and can)

Directions:

1) In a bowl, mix the dry herbs and spices to make the rub.

2) Rub the raw chicken with olive oil (or butter) and then rub the chicken inside and out with the dry spice mixture. Or you can wet the dry rub with beer and smear the mixture all over and inside the chicken as this works too.

3) Pour half the can of beer into a spray bottle with the apple cider and vinegar.

4) Leave about half the beer in the can and insert the can into the cavity of the chicken with the chicken resting on the can.

5) Suburbanites can cook the chicken for 2 hours over a medium hot grill (350 degrees) under a grill cover. City coop dwellers can bake it in the oven for 2 hours resting the can with chicken on a baking pan. The beer keeps the chicken moist, as well as, adds flavor. While cooking you can spritz the chicken with the basting sauce every half hour to give it additional flavor. The sauce adds a hint of sweetness without sugar.

6) The chicken is done when it's golden and crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside. Be careful removing it from the grill or oven and lifting the chicken off a very hot tin can onto a serving dish. Wait at least 10 minutes after removal from the heat before cutting.

Enjoy the weekend! Bon Appetit!

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Use SPF Face Cream All Year Around

Lumin (black) is sunscreen for men, so I've never tried it.

After my morning shower I apply face cream (or lotion) over a face serum every day of the year. Only in the month of August during those dog days of heat and humidity could I skip the step of hydrating my face if desired, however, I don't do so. The reason why is we need to use sunscreen every day of the year to prevent aging (lines, wrinkles and dark sun spots), plus more importantly, skin cancer. Therefore I use a multi-tasking face moisturizer with SPF 15 or higher. Without. Fail. Every. Day. Of. The. Year. 

As we've moved from summer into fall, you may have noticed your skin is getting dryer. I have, and if a dry face bothers you as it does me, you may need to add a face cream to your daily routine, so why not select one that also contains the sun protection you should be wearing daily? Kill two birds with one stone and done!

Allow me to highlight 6 SPF [Sun Protector Factor] face moisturizers whose light, non-greasy consistency I like, as well as, give you the pros and cons of the choices I don't buy:

1) Olay moisturizers come in broad spectrum SPF 15, 30, and 50. I've tried all the formulas but stick with the Olay Complete with SPF 15 -- the most generous size. The sun protection is zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, which I prefer to more questionable chemicals. All of the Olay formulas are creamy and greaseless, but the SPF 50 has a thicker consistency than the SPF 15. The Olay Complete 15 Sensitive formula works for me as it moisturizes while disappearing into my skin. With a lower SPF of 15, you simply need to reapply it every 2 hours if out and about in direct sunlight all day. SPF 30 or SPF 50 doesn't provide significantly more protection, but you can stretch the duration of reapplying them. There is none better than the Olay formulas and they are dirt cheap too!

2) Eucerin Daily Protection Moisturizing Face Lotion SPF 30 - It's much like Olay, as is the Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Facial Moisturizer with Total Soy Complex and Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Sunscreen, and all 3 brands are inexpensive and conveniently available at your local drugstore. Olay was the earliest to appear on the market and for this reason, is usually the easiest brand to find, but all 3 are comparable, which lets you grab whichever brand goes on sale when you need one.

3) CeraVe 100% Mineral Sunscreen SPF 50 Face - Contains the usual suspects of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide along with the extra beneficial skincare ingredients of hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, and ceramides. Dermatologists like that CeraVe puts ceramides (a family of waxy lipid molecules) in it's skincare products to fortify our skin barrier.

4) Laroche Posay Anthelios Face 60 - The customer raves are for the European formula of Anthelios which contains Mexoryl, a patented UVA blocker that is highly stable and approved in Europe and Canada, but not approved by the FDA for use in the USA. The European version is light, thin, absorbent, and doesn't degrade after hours of sun exposure. Laroche is a skincare brand dermatologists universally recommend, but it's expensive. To be honest, I like the brand, but don't tend to buy it. IMHO you can find as good for less.

5) Paula's Choice Defense Essential Glow Moisturizer SPF 30 - Paula's Choice is very good skincare, not the most expensive on the list, and yet still pricey if using it every day. Repeated buys add up! With a bit of research, you can often find the same ingredients from less costly competitors. Nonetheless, P.C. is stellar skincare, not crazy expensive, and perhaps sometimes worth a splurge. You decide for yourself.

6. Neutrogena Age Shield Face Oil-Free Sunscreen 70 - Neutrogena has SPF 30, 50, or 70 face moisturizers galore in cream, lotion, or gel forms, and some with extra ingredients to benefit the skin. Personally, unless I need a particular ingredient to treat a skin issue, I buy the cheapest SPF moisturizer offered that I like. Since I use an anti-aging face serum under my moisturizer, it's the moisturizer with sunscreen I'm after. If our serum already has vitamin C or hyaluronic acid in it, we're covered. More isn't always better, so if the extra ingredient drives the price up, why pay more for it in a moisturizer?

Luckily I'm happy with Olay Complete 15 Sensitive as a moisturizer with sun protection since it's about as cheap as you can buy. Spend more when it matters, but you can save on the category of SPF face creams/lotions without compromise. There are a ton of quality selections for less in a drugstore aisle ... often under $10.🎀💙

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