Save On Cosmetics At Bed, Bath And Beyond

 

Wow, Bed, Bath & Beyond is the best place ever to shop for cosmetics and personal care products.

The store near my home has a huge beauty section, so there's plenty of choice. Just like stepping into Sephora ... for less! BB&B is often several dollars cheaper per makeup item, compared to Sephora or the corner drugstore. One example is Maybelline lipstick: At Duane Reade/Walgreens, the lipstick is $8.99 verses $5.50 at BB&B.

But it doesn't stop there! BB&B offers their own Hermon Face Value knockoff brand on many popular products, so customers can save as much as $10 on a single product without compromising on quality. Olay's Regenerist Micro-Sculping Cream at $24.99 has a Hermon knockoff selling for $14.99. I buy nothing but the Harmon brand knockoff of Listerine's Whitening  Anticavity mouthwash. It costs half of what Listerine does.

Plus when I get to the cash register, I pull out a Bed, Bath And Beyond coupon, saving another 20% off a single article. BB&B is very liberal with their coupons. If you sign up, you get their coupons via email -- those expire. But any paper coupons you clip out of magazines, or receive in the mail are honored past their expiration dates. So hang onto them! 

I had a $20 coupon from Maybelline, which was about to expire, so last Thursday I stopped by BB&B to redeem it.

Using my Maybelline manufacturer's coupon along with two BB&B (20% off a single item) coupons, I brought home the following Maybelline cosmetics:

Photo: Beautyloom

1 - FACESTUDIO Master Contour blush palette - $9.99

1 - Maybelline Brow Drama Pomade Crayon - $6.99

1- Maybelline New York ColorSensational Lipcolor - $5.50

Minus coupons, my grand total was an unbelievable $1.88. How's that for savvy shopping? Happy Belated Birthday to me!

And don't worry about BB&B's bottom line. The Maybelline coupon is like cash to them, and over time I buy plenty of bedding and other housewares there as well. In fact, on Saturday I returned to buy an 800 fill goose down bed pillow. Wow, that's a big ouch out of a budget, even with 20% off!

(Click to enlarge) After shopping, you can sit outside for a cup of coffee. Starbucks and TJ Maxx are next door.

You may also enjoy:
New From Maybelline
The Sample Sales Of New York City
Combine Gift Certificates With Seasonal Sales
Kohl's Is A Department Store For Savvy Shoppers 

Raincoats On The Brain

This zip hooded raincoat is everything I like in a raincoat except for the $650 pricetag.

First of all, a black trench, or raincoat is chic, slimming and goes with everything. Designed by Yoeh Lee, the coverall is sleek, modern and ultra lightweight. Made of 55% polyester and $45% polyurethane, it's waterproof, wrinkle-free and ideal for travel. The raincoat folds up into a small rectangle. Wear it in the rain to repell water, or over wool for warmth. I also love the zipper, as opposed to, a button closure.

Dry cleaning is unnecessary. To clean the coat, you just wipe the fabric with a damp cloth. Reportedly, it is durable, lasting for decades.

Speaking of a raincoat lasting for decades, my old London Fog has a very tattered lining, and yet I love it so much, I keep wearing it. (On sale, I paid $80 for the coat.) It, too, is black and feminine, although not as lightweight as the Yeohlee raincoat. My raincoat closes with snaps, which is also convenient. 

One spring, I wore it (with a red scarf) to cross Central Park; and as I waited for my turn to walk, none other than Ralph Lauren jogged by (and I kid you not) he turned his head to give my London Fog a long second look! I wanted to say, "Oh, Ralph, you like!?"

The raincoat looks good until I take it off to reveal the riped, long-past-its-prime inner lining.

So friends, what should I do? Spending $650 for the Yoehlee is a tad steep, and I'm not finding a new London Fog replacement that I like. Perhaps I'll just wear my oooold London Fog raincoat to it's last thread. If I must take it off in your presence, please don't judge!😳👀

You may also enjoy:
The End Of Summer
Your Fall Wardrobe: Shop For Value
Stay Warm With A Goose Down Coat
The Today Show Finds Trench Coats For $100 Or Less   

Every Woman Should Have a Denim Dress

A denim dress is an ultra versatile staple in a women's closet. Wear it nearly all year around, stopping short of the coldest days in winter.

They come in a multitude of styles and washes and flatter all body types. Dress a demin frock up, or down with the right scarves, shoes and jewlery. Wear one to the office, or around town or home to run errands and do chores. I prefer looking casual smart instead of sloppy. A stylish demin dress does the trick! I bought the middle denim dress from Old Navy, and it is even cuter tried-on than it photographs. Before ordering it, the frayed edges worried me, but they look more polished than in the image, thankfully! The fabric is substanial and doesn't easily wrinkle.

Though you will find demin dresses on the racks of high end stores, they are so popular -- with so many retailers offering them in their collection -- this is one item you can buy cheap. Always look for 100% cotton. Quality demin dresses (soft and of weighty material) are often sold for under $40. I got the Old Navy suspended-neck trapeze demin dress for $17 on sale and receive lots of compliments when I wear it.

Good news, readers! Old Navy has sales around the clock, including right now: Running 50% off of their entire stock of demin! Do you need a demin dress?

Banana Republic

You may also enjoy:
Meet Modern Citizen
Are You Ready Boots  
Leather Up To Look Casual Chic
Walk The Walk With Modern Vice

Stawberry Oatmeal Bars

Photo: relativetaste.net

 Hello September ... the baking season begins. Feast your eyes on these delicious cookie bars! Less effort than jam cakes, but resulting in a buttery, moist texture, plus a bit of filling fiber. A tad simpler then my Christmas Czechoslovakian cookies, but every bit as delicious:

Strawberry Oatmeal Bars

Ingredients: 

1 stick (half cup) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teapoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup of strawberry (or raspberry) preservatives

Optional: Often I press about 1/4 cup of walnut halves into the top and bottom layers of dough. I like the balance of sweet with nuts.

Directions:

1) Blend the butter and sugar together.

2) Add the flour, oats, baking soda, vanilla, lemon juice and salt. The batter will be crumbly. Mix together uniformly.

3) Press half the batter into the bottom of a greased square baking pan. (I use a long 12'' German loaf pan.)

4) Next, spread the preservatives on top of the crumbly batter.

5) Finally, sprinkle the remaining mixture on top of the preservatives.

6) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes.

7) Remove from the oven and scrape the sides with a knife. Let cool, then cut into squares. 

You deserve a treat today. Lovely with afternoon tea or coffee. Simple ingredients, which really hit the spot!

You may also enjoy:
Let's Plan A Wine Party
Let The Barbecues Begin
Did Your Grandma Wear An Apron?
9 Ways To Save Money At the Supermarket

Do You Need Earring Lifts?

Photo: Levears, earring lifts

Although I have long, straight hair, I wear pretty conservative, post earrings. Often the more fashion-forward, flashy bling is heavy or bulky, and I can't stand the feel of the weight as I turn my head throughout the day. Frankly, I'm also too vain to wear the weight! Eventually, heavy earrings stretch and tear a wearer's earlobes. After years of damage, some women have to undergo surgery to repair their earlobes. Yikes!

But now there's hope for my wilder side, namely earring lifts. They have several benefits: (1) They relieve the pressure of the weight, preventing heavy earrings from stretching the earlobe; and (2) they stop heavy earrings from dropping if a woman already has stretched earlobes (or not); (3) they also give a heavy earring more stability and comfort; and finally, (4) they improve the appearance of earrings ... with a lift.

Here's how to wear them: Put the lifts in, behind your ears as you would an earring backing. Attach your earrings to the lift to make them stand upright. 

Photo: Levears

Earring lifts go from pricey to cheap:

Levears - are available in serling silver and 14k gold. If you wear heavy earrings every single day, or have stretched earlobes, perhaps the bigger investment of over $200 is for you.

Lobe Wonder Earring Support Patches - are much cheaper, but must be purchased again and again. Buy 60 in a box for about $10.

BlingGuard BlingDots - These are memory foam discs to support and keep earrings in place -- right where they belong. Comes 90 per box for $12.50.

Weather you have stretched earlobes, or just want to wear heavy earrings, no more dropping!

You may also enjoy:
Sidney Evans Jewelry
Olive And Piper Glitter
Treat Yourself To One Nice Thing
10 Wardrobe Pieces Every Woman Should Own

Salmon Cakes With Spicy Rémoulade Sauce

Photo: eat-spin-run-repeat.com, where you can get another fine recipe.

Recently I began making salmon cakes with a crunchy kasha coating and topped with a spicy remoulade sauce.

The first time I dipped salmon cakes in kasha occurred because I had kasha, but no breadcrumbs. It turns out that dinner guests love the crunch; thereafter it's become my permanent way of making salmon cakes.

Remoulade sauce is popular in New Orleans. A French condiment, it is delicious on po' boy sandwiches and other seafood dishes, such as crab, shrimp or lobster. My party guests say, remoulade sauce makes the salmon cakes. I agree; so now when I make the one, I always make the other. A graduate of New Orlean's Tulane University gave me the remoulade sauce recipe, and I'm very grateful! I add a few more flavors like pickle juice to it, though the original recipe is mighty fine too.

Salmon cakes can be seasoned a number of different ways. Here's what I add:

Salmon Cakes

Ingredients:

1 14 ounce can of Alaskan salmon, drained and skin removed

2 large eggs

1 cup of Quaker oats (or breadcrumbs. I use 1-minute, or 5-minute rolled oats. You can toss a little extra oatmeal into the mixture to balance the moisture if needed since sometimes you have bigger or smaller eggs.) 

1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup celery, diced

1 tablespoon mayonnaise (I use reduced fat, but never non-fat -- which has zero flavor. Add more if dry.)

1 tablespoon mustard (I use either Dijon mustard.)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (or lime, whatever you have)

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

a sprinkle of dried garlic

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper (= 12 turns of the pepper mill)

a turn of fresh nutmeg (I have a nutmeg mill to save my fingers.)

a sprinkle of Herbes de Provence

a sprinkle of parsley

2 tablespoons of olive oil (for the skillet)

Optional:

1 cup of kasha (to coat the salmon cakes) - See note in step #3 below. 

Directions:

1) Set aside a skillet brushed with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. I use my hand to coat the pan with the olive oil, then mix the salmon with my oil-residue-hand. Extra virgin olive oil is healthy to eat.

2) In a large bowl, combine the salmon, eggs, oats, red bell pepper, onion, celery, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice and seasonings and form into patties. Usually I make them hamburger size (for dinner), or small bite size (for a party tray).

3) Pour the kasha onto a large plate and dip both sides of the salmon cakes into it, coating each side. (If feeling lazy or doesn't have kasha, skip this step. It adds an extra crunch to the cakes, but isn't vital.)

4) Next lay the salmon cakes in the heated olive oiled skillet. Brown both sides. I like to put a lid over the pan as each side gets golden brown. It takes a few minutes per side, then onto a big serving plate they go.

Next finish the dish off by mixing the hot, creamy sauce.

Spicy Rémoulade Sauce

Ingredients: 

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4  cup Dijon mustard (A spicy brown mustard works too.)

1/4 cup tomato, diced
1/4 cup onion, diced

2 teaspoons hot sauce, either Louisiana, Frank's, chili or Sriracha

2 teaspoons of pickle juice, or vinegar (Eyeball for thickness.)

a sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce

a sprinkle of soy sauce
a sprinkle of dried garlic

salt and black pepper to taste

parsley for garnish

Directions:

Stir the ingredients together with a fork and pour into a serving dish. Guests can add a dollop of the sauce on top of their salmon cakes.

This healthy dish is a real crowd pleaser. One can of salmon generously feeds four people. It's fancy, filling and frugal. It reminds me of ultra delicious bar food!

🌶🐟🐠🐟🌶🐠🐟🐠🌶🐟🐠🐟🌶🐟🐠🐟🌶🐠🐟🐠🌶🐟🐠🐟🌶

Alternate to Remoulade Sauce: One day I didn't have enough mayonnaise to make the Remoulade sauce so I substituted a slash of the following and we loved the flavor too. It's also less work to make since you can simply toss the ingredients into the pan around your finished grilled salmon and let the cakes soak up the small amount of sauce:

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil

You may also enjoy:
Who Shares The Shape Of Your Face?
A Stop At Henri Bendel's NARS Counter   
9 Ways To Save Money At The Supermarket
How Much Should You Spend To Store Your Stuff?

Extra Storage Solutions

A PopHome ottoman

Do we ever have enough storage for all our stuff? To avoid clutter everything we own should have a home. After moving into a Manattan apartment, I learned to buy savvy pieces to help organize a room. Keep your space tidy with these useful, inexpensive furnishings:

Ottoman by Seville Classics.

1) Ottomans - A multi-purpose ottoman serves as extra seating; lets you put your feet up in comfort; and stores blankets, pillows; knitting and sewing tools; or toys. Some have tops that flip over to become a coffee table. The above oatmeal-beige ottoman not only seats a 400 lb adult, plus holdes lots of essentials, it folds up to be tucked away if not in use. Positioned near a door, it could house scarves, gloves, or shoes.

2) Walmart sells these adorable storing cubes - 2 for $15. While multiple storage units, consisting of 3, 4 or more cubes are also available, what I like about the single cubes includes: They are sturdy, mobile, have ample storage and a small footprint. You can use them as accent tables; and sometimes a pair of single storage cubes are all you really need to keep a room neat.

3) Acrylic Wall Mounted Shelves - The Container Store sells these, sleek, translucent, floating shelves. Available as single, double or corner shelves, their transparency is suitable for any type of room, leaving it airy.

           

4) Decorative Floating Wall Mounted Shelves - add style to a room while creating a place for your clock, phone or flowers. Small enough to fit beside a bed, near a couch or inside a nook.

5) Bathroom caddies - A shower, or bathroom space saving caddy helps you organize your necessities by using vertical square feet. I prefer the open, as opposed to, a closed, solid design -- which could box in a small bathroom to feel claustrophobic. Of course, an open caddy lets guests see everything, so you are forced to straighten up!

You don't need to shell out big bucks on storage solutions to be organized. Why pay more when these clever items help to get the job done!

You may also enjoy:

Time To Tidy Up

The Story Of Stuff: A Review

Keeping Up With The Jones ... In Denmark

Waste Not Want Not ... When Less Is Enough

My Strawberry Sherbet

Photo: it's already credited: onehundreddollars.com

 I don't own an ice cream maker, so what I should make is strawberry granita, but I use milk and a food processor to get a creamy sherbet-like consistency.   

Here are three very similar, yet different frozen desserts:

Granita is made of fruit purée, water and sugar. You freeze it in a shallow pan, then break up the icy mixture as it forms with a fork. They are called Italian ices in New York City.

Sorbet consists of fruit purée, water and sugar. It is frozen and churned in an ice cream maker. 

Sherbet is made with fruit purée, sugar and milk, or cream. It can have egg whites and/or gelatin as ingredients, but not necessarily. Sherbet is also frozen and churned in an ice cream maker.

Well, my dear readers, I can't trust myself with an ice cream maker. Ice cream is addicting. If I crave ice cream, it is better for me to go out to buy a cone ... with two scoops, rarely just one! So, here is my recipe for:

Strawberry Sherbet - sans an ice cream maker

Ingredients:

16 ounces of strawberries
3 tablespoons sugar (or Stevia to taste)
1/2 cup buttermilk (You can use any milk, including condensed milk, or yogurt. Skim milk works too, but it won't be as creamy.)
1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

Optional: Add 1 teaspoon vodka, or strawberry liquor (It makes the sherbet softer.)

Directions:

1) Remove the steams and wash the strawberries.

2) Purée the fresh strawberries in a food processor. (I don't strain it. To me, that's like removing the pulp from orange juice. Why? Consume all the goodness!) 

3) Add the buttermilk (or the milk, or yogurt you are using), lemon juice and sugar. Pulse until well blended. 

---------------------------------------------------------
Note: If the texture is right I eat it at this stage. If you are a perfectionist here are a few more steps. With about 1/4 milk you can make a sherbet-like dessert a blender also.
---------------------------------------------------------

4) Pour into a shallow pan and place in the freezer.

5) Every half hour, use a fork to scrape and break up the ice. Return to the freezer. Repeat until the mixture is sherbet-like and finished. After about 2 hours, it will be ready to eat. 

6) You can also return the sherbet to the food processor for a few more pulses before serving.

In my opinion, this is pretty darn close to authentic ice-cream-maker-churned sherbet. Buy one of those machines at your own peril!

Extra tips:

1) If you can think ahead, slice and freeze the strawberries beforehand. Then you can throw them right into the food processor (+ the buttermilk, sugar, lemon, etc.) Eat straight from the food processor. It has a soft-serve sherbet consistency, which is tasty and refreshing. If you want a hard sherbet, you have to follow the two-hour method above.

2) A sliced frozen banana thrown into a food processor with a tiny amount of milk is creamy like ice cream. No sugar needed. You can easily make banana; or banana-strawberry soft-serve ice cream using a food processor.

Stay tuned: More favorite, yet easy recipes to come. Because. We have to eat every day!

You may also enjoy:
Life Is A Carnival
15 Superfoods To Eat
When Is Organic Necessary?
Door-To-Door Salesmen ... Nearly All Men

Bagging A Gepherrini

I'm not a true handbag maven. No exaggeration: I use a bag until the strap wears out, and it literally drops off my shoulder in the middle of the street before buying a new one. Happens to everyone, right? The few times, I'm forced to change purses, I always leave necessities out, like an ink pen, a hair comb, or a lipstick. So I only switch bags if I absolutely must ... to carry more stuff, or match an evening gown. 

Many women enjoy changing bags along with their shoes or outfits. Well, I have the perfect shop for a purse fashionista: Foravi -- with two locations: at 1067 Madison Avenue (on the Upper East Side), or 542 Broadway (in Soho). There you will find a chic collection of Gepherrini handbags.



Gepherrini has been making handsome, Italian, leather bags since 1989. The merchant focuses on quality, functionality and unique style. Even I love perusing through their collection of eye-catching handbags. Super cute. Sleek. Ultra practical and made well.

If you can't come to New York City, you can look online. The retailer also has a mobile app to download. When you need a new bag, it's a stylish brand to consider.

You may also enjoy:
Bags For Every Budget
A Roundup Of Cute Evening Bags
It Pays To Give Old Things A New Life
Fashion Hendricks' 5 Must-Have Products For Summer Hair