Come Meet Halara

Halara portrays itself as women's activewear inspired by everyday clothing, an accurate description backed up by a browse on its website. Definitely, customers can wear the versatile pieces outside of the gym and every day. Although casual wear, many of the dresses, pants, leggings, and denim clothing can be dressed up or down. 

The attire is comfortable, well-made, and durable at super affordable prices, mostly around $39.

The fabrics are designed to move with "activewear-inspired functionality" that feels good "blending performance and comfort in every piece." You get fashion and practical bells and whistles such as built-in bras, pockets, micro-weaves, soft thermos, and airy fabrics.

Consumers can scan by activity, fabric, or type of clothing they desire. Without painful prices, an encounter with Halara is comfortable for you and your wallet. Her wares are made to style and move with you throughout the day.

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Neutrogena Collagen Bank Face Moisturizer with SPF 30 Sunscreen

Sunscreen should be worn on exposed skin every day of the year without exception. While many drugstore brands of sunscreen are ample and cheap, I can understand paying a little more for what goes on your face. If the consistency of sunscreen is too thick, white, or greasy we're less likely to reach for it. To boot, it might cause some faces to break out!

Neutrogena, a drugstore brand, is a top-notch skincare line, bar none. Neutrogena's Collagen Bank SPF 30 Moisturizer and Sunscreen does double duty as a fantastic sunscreen and anti-aging face moisturizer. It contains peptides that reportedly penetrate "10 layers of skin" to stimulate the production of collagen. Peptides (short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds) are anti-aging ingredients that help treat fine lines and sagging by plumping up the skin.

This non-greasy formula melts into the skin, absorbs quickly, and does not leave a white cast, the reason to pay a bit more! It's also fragrance-free, paraben-free, phthalate-free, dye-free, dermatologist-tested and non-comedogenic. Because it's a light agreeable formula, we're more likely to use it. 

As a drugstore brand, this Neutrogena Bank formula costs less than many luxe face sunscreens/anti-aging moisturizers yet more than sunscreens for the rest of the body. Customers can wait for a 2-for-1 or other sale to get the best value. Finding great drugstore skincare saves us money, and Neutrolgena is worth the splurge!

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The Rose Diamond Bandeau

Queen Mary of Denmark has a new tiara! The Danish royal family has the tradition of preserving its history by repurposing old jewelry that is no longer worn into new contemporary pieces, and this is what Queen Mary did when commissioning her new tiara. It joins Denmark's Crown Jewels.

Called the Rose Diamond Bandeau, the new Danish tiara features rose-cut natural diamonds that were once part of a diamond girdle (or belt) owned by Princess Charlotte Amalie of Denmark (1706 - 1782), daughter of Frederick IV. Suffice it to say nobody wears a diamond girdle anymore, but royals still wear tiaras and crowns for coronations, royal weddings, and state banquets. 

Old Diamond Cuts including the Rose and Old Mine Cuts

The effect created by cutting gemstones has changed over time with the advancement of new tools. Rose-cut diamonds are an old style of diamond-cutting by hand that has been replaced by today's brilliant-cut diamonds to enhance a gemstone's sparkle. Unlike brilliant-cut diamonds, rose-cut diamonds lack a pointy bottom pavilion. Instead, they have a flatter bottom and feature a dome crown of only 3 to 24 facets, which is fewer than the brilliant-cut's 57 to 58 facets. A rose-cut diamond is meant to glow under candlelight in lieu of flashing all over the room. Often it is described as a romantic cut of diamond.

The photos I've uploaded here are courtesy of the Royal Danish House and Royal Danish Collection. The above image on the left shows us the original girdle. Here's a link to explain more about the history of the piece and the process of changing it into a tiara if you're interested in knowing the details.

The images of Queen Mary of Denmark show her premiering her new Rose Diamond Bandeau in December 2024 at a State Dinner for Egypt. 

The press has mentioned how the mounting of the Rose Diamond Bandeau is similar to the Dutch Diamond Bandeau, a favorite tiara of Queen Maxima of the Netherlands. The Dutch Diamond Bandeau tiara, once a Queen's necklace, has its own history. As it turns out, its giant diamonds are old mine-cut diamonds in contrast to the Danish tiara's rose-cut diamonds. 

Brilliant, Rose, and Old Mine Cut Diamonds

BTW, a bandeau tiara is defined as a hairpiece comprised of a single row of gemstones. Usually, the bottoms of diamonds are enclosed, not exposed as in other styles of tiaras.

Queen vs Commoner🙂 As an ordinary person who doesn't host or attend state dinners, a bandeau tiara reminds me of a row of diamonds on a tennis bracelet. For sure a single row of big ole diamonds is lovely in all forms of jewelry!

Well done, Queen Mary.😍

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Oatmeal, An Apple & A Carrot For Breakfast

Recipe and photos courtesy of Simple Food

The following is a recipe from Simple Food on Facebook. An appetizing and healthy breakfast is what I see! As Aristotle knew, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."

Oatmeal, An Apple, & A Carrot For Breakfast

Ingredients:

2 cups flaked oatmeal, ground in a food processor

1 teaspoon of baking powder

1 cup of milk

1 carrot, grated

4 tablespoons raisins soaked in hot water

a medium apple, unpeeled but diced

1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

3 eggs

Optional: 1 package of vanilla sugar (or substitute 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract)

Directions:

1) Toss each ingredient one by one into a mixing bowl and
incorporate.

2) Grease a 7" cake pan. I use butter. Pour the mixture into it and distribute evenly.

3) Bake at 360 degrees F for 50 - 60 minutes.

4) After it bakes but is still warm, remove from the baking pan and cut into pieces.

Packed with protein and fiber, vitamin A, some vitamin C, and minerals, eat a serving for breakfast or a snack. Delish!

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Coach's Lana Shoulder Bag

Regular readers know I'm a huge Coach leather bag fan. Coach is a designer-level in quality bag that doesn't market itself as a designer bag company but rather as a fine leather goods company. Established in 1941, consumers get superior craftsmanship at reasonable starting price points plus frequent 30% - 50% off sales. Sometimes bags end up on Coach's Outlet website, for even less.

What bag am I loving at Coach right now? My answer is the Lana, which is one smart, stylish bag! Its polished pebble leather will last forever, and its glossy surface makes it both a dress and casual bag.

The bag is so well thought out with a detachable strap, an inside snap pocket, a zip compartment, and metal protective feet. It also comes in two sizes. Both roomy and compact, the bag lets you organize all your stuff! To boot, if anything ever goes wrong with a Coach bag, the retailer repairs it for free.

Although personally I've never gotten in on the trend, Coach too offers accessories such as scarves and charms for its bags, including our featured Lana, for customers who like to style their bags.

There is nothing wrong with adding accessories to style a bag, but for me, an expertly crafted, solid, leather bag that holds up is style and purchase enough! 

Coach delivers again with another aesthetically pleasing, practical, and superior leather bag that people with jobs can afford!

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10 Top Designers of High Jewelry

Photo: Harry Winston

The Golden Globes aired last week and soon Oscar's A-listers will walk the red carpet adorned with borrowed jewels worth thousands (and sometimes millions) of dollars from the world's leading designers of high jewelry. 

On the right Graff and on the left Bvlgari

So let's do a quick round-up of 10 of the World's Most Prominent Jewelers (in no particular order) featuring pieces of their jewelry:

1) Cartier - Louis-François Cartier founded Cartier in Paris in 1847, but it was his grandsons, Louis Pierre and Jacques, who turned the family jewelry business into a globally recognized luxury brand.

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2) Boucheron was founded in Paris, France in 1858 by Frederic Boucheron. In 1921 Boucheron was commissioned to make the gorgeous emerald and diamond Greville tiara inherited by Queen Elizabeth II that her granddaughter Princess Eugenie wore for her wedding.

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3) Bvlgari - The Italian luxury jeweler is headquartered in Rome and was founded in 1884 by silversmith Sotirios Voulgaris who began his career in his family's shop in Ottoman Epirus (now Greece). In 2011 Bvlgari became a subsidiary of the French conglomerate LVMH. Its pieces have a timeless yet modern vibe.

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4) Van Cleef & Arpels—The French luxury jewelry company was founded in 1896 in Paris, France, by Dutch diamond cutter Alfred Van Cleef and his father-in-law Salomon Arpels. After Solomon died in 1906, Alfred's brothers-in-law, Charles, Julien, and Louis Arpel joined the enterprise. Flowers, animals, and fairies are common themes in its jewelry.

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5) Tiffany & Co. - Founded in 1837 as Tiffany & Young by American Charles Lewis Tiffany, it was renamed Tiffany & Co. in 1853 when he took control of the store and concentrated on jewelry. Tiffany became famous in the early 20th century under the artistic direction of Charles's son, Louis Comfort Tiffany. The luxury brand specializes in luxury diamonds and flawless colored gemstones and is also famous for its Tiffany diamond engagement ring, a 6-prone setting. The shop is very accessible to the public. Inside the 5th Avenue/57th Street flagship store, locals and tourists always feel welcome admiring its luxury jewelry.

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6) Mikimoto - Kokichi Mikimoto started the cultured pearl industry by successfully creating the world's first cultured pearls and after establishing his luxury pearl company called Mikimoto in 1893. Before cultured pearls (real pearls grown on pearl farms), drivers had to deep dive into the ocean to find pearls growing in oysters; consequently, only royalty could afford to buy them.

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7) Chopard - Louis-Ulysse Chopard founded the watch and jewelry company in 1860 in Sonvilier, Switzerland. Today it is owned by the German Scheufele family. Chopard is best known for making luxury Swiss watches (and jewelry), and its clients have included Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

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8) Harry Winston - Is an American luxury jeweler and  Swiss watch company headquartered on 5th Avenue in New York City. It was founded by its namesake Harry Winston in 1932. It is one of the most prestigious jewelers in the world. Harry Winston has owned some of the biggest and most iconic gemstones on earth including the rare blue Hope Diamond which he donated to the Smithsonian in 1958, famously sending it through the US mail. He is known as the jeweler to the stars since they often wear his jewelry to high-profile events.

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9) Graff - Was founded in London in 1960 by British jeweler Lawrance Graff. The jeweler, who began his jewelry apprenticeship at age 14, is fascinated by diamonds and collects diamonds and gemstones of unparalleled rarity, perfection, and beauty. He designs unique and classic pieces and his business acumen made Lawrance, his ex-wife, and his adult children billionaires.

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10) Pomellato is an Italian jewelry company founded by Pino Rabolini in Milan in 1967. Its jewelry is characterized by round, tactile forms and colorful, mixed-sized gemstones.

Nudo rings

Are you now more familiar with the styles of these 10 top jewelers I've featured today? If so, try to guess whose pieces the stars wear on March 2nd at the 97th Academy Awards. 

Do you have a favorite jewelry designer?

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