Anti-aging Skincare Update

Choices help Savvy Shoppers save money, and it's fun to try new products. I love finding drugstore skincare for less with effective anti-aging ingredients that science says really works! Like a drugstore, Ulta offers a wide selection, convenience and reasonable prices, so lump the beauty retailer together with drugstores, as places to find good skincare on a budget. The following anti-aging elixirs should be on your list to try:

For day -
1) The Ordinary Buffet - The exciting ingredient in it is Matrixyl™ 3000 peptide complex. It firms, hydrates, brightens and smooths the texture of the skin. Price: $14.80.

2) The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% - This is a high concentration of vitamin C with squalane (a moisturizer) - Some customers complain of a burning sensation, but I don't find it too intense perhaps because I apply it after The Ordinary Buffet mentioned. You get used to the slight sting which lessons over time with use. Vitamin C Suspension brightens, hydrates and smooths the skin's surface. It reduces fine lines, wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. This combo from The Ordinary is half the price of my usual serums adding up to a lot of savings per year. Cost: $5.75.

3) Sunscreen - Right now I use a Wallgreens (drugstore generic brand) with SPF 50 made for babies. Best anti-aging product you can buy! Cost: 2 for $5.

For night-
4) CeraVe Skin Resurfacing Retinol - Has .03% Retinol, 3 effective ceramides, licorice root (a skin brighter), and niacinamide, as well as, moisturizing ingredients such as hyaluronic acid and shea butter. Retinol speeds up cell turnover. Ceramides are fatty acids that act as barriers to the skin to keep moisture in and microorganisms out. Price: $16.95.

5) Azure Hemp & Retinol Sleep Mask - A Korean beauty night cream that is ultra-moisturizing containing rich omega fatty acids, vitamin E and antioxidants. It is not greasy and rivals the quality of its competitors L'Orèal, Olay and Neutrogena yet costs far less. Cost: $14; or $5.99 when T.J. Maxx carries it. The ointment is my T.J. Maxx dreamy-creamy discovery!

6) CeraVe Healing Ointment - A must-have to protect and soothe dry skin all over your body all-year-around. It has hyaluronic acid and ceramides 1, 3, and 6-Li. $17 - $25 at Target, Walmart and drugstores.

Have you ever watched Vloggers on YouTube go on and on with their skincare routines? Sometimes layering more products on their face than dermatologists recommend ... so money down the drain. These 5 products are all you really need for day and night ... letting you save and simplify your skincare simultaneously. I mean, really I just want to get out of my bathroom!🙂

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Coach Emery Crossbody Bag

To save money know what you want.

As much as I admire Chanel and Hermes, bags are not an item I spend thousands of dollars to buy. I don't overspend on goods that wear out with use (and in fairness the luxury market isn't intended for value shoppers). Jewelry is more my luxury buy temptation ... yet, I can get a nice piece of jewelry -- real gold and stones -- for thousands less than what either of these designers charges for their bags. $7,100 is crazy for a Jumbo Chanel Double Flap, and $11,900 is too much for a Hermes Kelly bag (it has a shoulder crossover strap). The Birkin starts at $12,000 (and does not crossover).

My purse of choice is Coach which I feature here. I love the indestructible leather and good craftsmanship of Coach bags. I covet their new Emery crossover bag because it is a return to the 2 Coach bags I bought decades ago. Made of thick pebble leather which never scratches or seems to age, you can get it wet in the rain or snow, and it takes the abuse. I don't wish to baby a bag (although I do take care of them).

The new colors of Emery bags just launched at $395, however I plan to wait for this bag to go on sale. If you buy last year's colors, you can get this bag for less than half price. I want black which Coach never discounts, so I must wait for the sales of other retailers who carry the bag.👀 

That's fine with me as I have a bag to use (and no events to go to) while I patiently wait for the best price. 

Some would call it minimalist, others might say sophisticated, the Emery Crossover Bag is perfect for me. Classic black with gold hardware (ahh, reminds me of jewelry🙂)! Sleek and compact with inside and outside compartments to organize essentials. A sturdy shoulder strap keeps my hands free.

The bag just re-launched and isn't going anywhere soon. Tick-tock, the countdown for this gal begins!

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L'Orèal Night Cream

L'Orèal's anti-aging night cream(s) have top-notch anti-aging ingredients. A sibling of luxury brand, Lancome Paris, the retailer formulates effective lotions and potions with proven ingredients bar none, yet customers won't go broke using them as they are available at drugstores, at times selling for $10-$12 a jar. 

A gripe I have about L'Orèal's beauty line is the same one I have about Lancome, namely some of the creams have fragrance, and I don't understand why the company puts perfume in a product that goes on a face. It is unneeded, usually unwanted, and drying to people with sensitive skin. Why create problems for your stellar brand? Nonetheless, the facial treatments are excellent moisturizers containing key anti-aging ingredients that work.

1) Age Perfect Cell Renewal - is the newest night cream and it is fragrance-free. There is no artificial color either. The pink tone of the cooling night moisturizer comes from peony petals. To treat a dull complexion, it contains lipohydroxy acid to exfoliate surface skin cells for quicker cell turnover to bring millions of new skin cells to the surface. I got a free sample from the drugstore to try. The night cream moisturizes without greasiness and feels lovely. And believe it peeps, I woke up even more beautiful this morning!😉

2) RevitaLift Triple Power Anti-Aging Overnight Mask and
3) RevitaLift Triple Power Angi-Aging [Fragrance-Free] Moisturizer - #2 is an overnight mask, but there is no fragrance-free option on the market. Naturally some customers dislike the smell of the perfume but love the effectiveness of the cream. If not for the perfume I would highly recommend it. #3 is a lighter fragrance-free formula containing the 3 top proven anti-aging ingredients both jars contain: pro-retinol (a stabilized retinol derivative), vitamin C and hyaluronic acid to soften wrinkles, as well as, firm and brighten skin. Both creams are paraben-free, mineral oil-free and dye-free ... yet only one, #2 (the lighter moisturizer) is fragrance-free. Oh why L'Orèal, why? 

This year I'm even more determined to find beauty products which rivel expensive luxe brands for less. Join me, if you wish! If nothing else, 2020 is a great lesson to be mindful in life.

Truth! Another thing that makes a person more beautiful is having a beautiful character and spirit. Remember and strive my lovelies!💋


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The Kentucky Derby 2020

Photo: AP

The one and only time I attended the Kentucky Derby was when I was 16 years old. My high school friend, also a Debbie, had an adventurous mom who was brave enough to take 4 teenagers to Churchhill Downs with 1000s of other people. We had fun, and our chaperon did too. Hours before the race we watched a young man climb up a tall metal light pole and take off all his clothes, tossing them to the ground and then watched the police wait for him to climb down to take him away. Poor naked lad, he missed the race! All in all a mellow crowd, the excitement saved for the race itself. Near the start of the race, my namesake and I separated from our group of 5 to find a spot pressed against the fence in the infield to watch the horses run by, and we succeeded, as the spot we randomly selected turned out to be the starting gate that becomes the finish line! The rest of our party decided to watch the race on big television screens set up under a roof area. This was a time before cell phones, yet we knew exactly where to find each other after the race ... the cashiers' widows to cash in our winning tickets!💰💸🤑

Every year I long to go back to the Kentucky Derby but must watch it on television. This year I'm not alone. Nobody gets to go to the Derby, and we will all have to watch the 2-minute race at home.

So to celebrate the 146th running of the historic race, I'm going to hook you up with 2 traditional Derby cheese dips to eat in the comfort of your living room: 1st up is Benedictine Cheese dip. You can leave it as cheese dip. It is also popular to make Benedictine Tea sandwiches:

Benedictine Cheese Dip

Ingredients:

Bluegrass Bites here

1-8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 peeled, seeded, drained, and finely chopped cucumber
1/2 cup minced onion (or green onions)
1/4 cup finely chopped dill
1 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise (regular is fine, but do not substitute flavorless non-fat mayonnaise ... never buy it!)
1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
A shake (or to taste) of hot sauce (I use Louisana hot sauce, but Tobasco is used too, or to tone down the heat, you can use black pepper to taste ... but why would you?)
Optional: a couple drops of green food coloring

Fresh slices of bread if you make sandwiches, or vegetable sticks and crackers for a dip.

Directions:

Teatime magazine here.

Chop everything as finely as possible and using a potato masher, mix it up in a bowl. (Yes, you can use a food processor if you wish.) 

This simple cheese dip makes delicious sandwiches, but I do not know why as you would not think so!

For the 2nd authentic Derby cheese dip: Kentucky Beer Cheese, I must turn you over to Chef John. His video is so much fun to watch, it is not to be missed. Sooo tasty too!

Below are links to some of the other traditional Kentucky Derby eats I prepare (at times someone brings) whenever I invite friends over to watch the race ... normally held on the 1st Saturday in May. This year our COVID pandemic postponed the Derby, which will run on Saturday, September 5th without any spectators at Churchhill Downs. The loading of the horses into the starting gates happens at 6PM. The race begins around 6:30PM. Check local listings for all the Derby coverage if you wish to see features about the horses, jockeys and owners.🌹

So this year like no other, we are all equal and in it together watching from the comfort of a couch!🙂


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Flower Launches 4 Petal Play Shadow Quads

1. Berry-more: Inspired by the company founder, the Berry-more quad features universally flattering berry tones in a range of finishes. 

Back in 2016 THE SAVVY SHOPPER featured the beauty line Flower by Drew Barrymore. Its quality is as good as the behind-the-counter luxury brands yet costs much less! The more Flower products I try, the more I love them. 

2. Gilded Lily:  Classic nudes, and rich browns for a stunning, failproof everyday look. 

For my birthday I got 2 new Flower lipsticks whose formulas and colors rival ultra-expensive Charlotte Tisbury! Yet I paid less than 1/4 of the price without sacrifice. I have Naked Petal, Cinnamon Crush and Autumn Rose -- and could have kept going with several more.

3. In Bloom: Light-reflecting, celestial colors to illuminate and flatter all eye colors. 

Now Flower has launched 4 new Petal Play Shadow Quads. Luxe formulas that are crease-free and long-lasting, each quad is curated with rich pigmented colors that can be mixed and matched to create a variety of chic looks.

4. Black Iris: Easy-to-use taupes and purples to create your go-to smoky eye with ease.

Gorgeous shades to flatter on all skin tones ... for $11 bucks a quad, you can't go wrong! I like them all, but if I must pick one, it would have to be two -- #2 and #4. Nudes and smoky eye hues are no brainers.

How about you?


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Champorado, or Chocolate Rice Pudding

Photo: Food Network

Whenever possible -- sometimes it's not -- I try to lighten up desserts, making them a tad healthier. It turns out there's a Pilipino chocolate pudding called, Champorado, usually containing butter and cream that you can make creamy and tasty by using condensed milk. More protein with less fat is an ideal substitution. I got the idea to make pudding with condensed milk from Goodcook ... this is a tweaked version of their pudding. You could even use regular milk, however, a can of condensed milk makes a richer pudding.

Many recipes suggest using sticky sushi rice, but I use regular supermarket (or Target) white rice -- that is to say, whatever is easy to get, and it's still delicious. I have no trouble eating it!🙂

Here is the recipe:

Champorado (=Chocolate Rice Pudding)

Ingredients:

3/4 white rice
1 1/4 cups of water 
12 ounce can evaporated milk
3 tablespoons cacao powder, or dark cocoa powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup dark chocolate pieces (I use a Lindt candy bar.)
1/4 teaspoon salt (or a pinch)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
My optional ingredient: 1/2 teaspoon of instant coffee (brings out the chocolate flavor) 

Directions:

1) In a saucepan, toss in the rice, water, evaporated milk, cacao (or cocoa) powder and sugar.

2) Heat to a low simmer and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes to tenderize the rice. The mixture should still have liquid so there is sauce for pudding.

3) After the rice is tender, turn off the heat and add the rest of the flavors: dark chocolate pieces, salt and vanilla extract. Toss in the optional instant coffee here if you wish. 

4) Pour into dessert dishes. I say 2 portions, but you could get 3 to 4 still ample servings if you wish. Top with chocolate shavings, or whipped cream.

Eat warm (if it's nippy outside), or chilled (if not). Now you can expand your culinary horizons by switching back and forth from traditional rice pudding to chocolate rice pudding. Enjoy!


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Bite The Bullet For Vionic Shoes

Vionic Desiree Quilted Ballet Flat - meet my new fall shoe!

If you have high arches, there is nooo way around buying shoes with solid arch support if you ever want to wear ballet flats or sandals, including flip flops. I do wear Old Navy rubber flip flops around the house and my neighborhood, but never, ever if I plan to walk more than a few blocks on city concrete.

Memory foam never works for me for more than a day. With wear rather than forming to the shape of my foot, the form decompresses flat as a pancake. Naturalizers, always stylish and moderately priced, are made of leather too soft to hold my feet in place as I walk, and without steadiness, my feet feel tired at the end of the day.

So far the most supportive shoes I've come across with excellent arch support are made by Vionic. Unfortunately, they are expensive, although "cheap" compared to many overpriced designer shoes, as well as, foot surgery and pain!

Also consider this truth: We're ALL falling apart every year of our lives, wearing out various body parts day-by-day!😅🦶🦷 As we age, we lose the fat layers under our feet; and our muscles and tendons lose elasticity which can lead to foot pain. Good supportive shoes prevent futher damage and pain. Paying the piper for a proven benefit is a must. For happy feet, do it!

They have a Chanel look if you think about it.

Have you noticed how many brands of shoes are no longer made of leather uppers? I'm open to fake leather for jackets or purses, but shoes are the one item I really need to stick with real leather over man-made materials if they're going to be problem-free. Leather shoes mold to my feet and let my tootsies breathe. Often man-made materials have no give, and they buster. The shoes are stiff and hot, not so with genuine leather.

Luckily I got the last pair of Vionic ballet flats in my size with 30% off of the full price of $119. Let's say like me, you wear a US size 8 - 8 1/2 depending on the shoe brand: Vionic recommends going up 1/2 size (order 8 1/2) for their closed-toe shoes, and go down 1/2 size (order an 8) in their sandals. With choice galore, I wouldn't have bought a quilted look, however, I think the style will grow on me. What I love is the upper Nappa leather with the dressy patent leather toe and what Vionic calls a "biomechanically designed" footbed to hug my arches. It's some sort of orthotic comfort arch support -- and that is why customers bite the bullet for Vionic shoes.

Vionic Tide Aloe Toe Post Sandal - Bite the bullet if you can't find a sale. 

I just ordered Vionic's thug sandal based on how good the ballet flat feels. They are podiatrist approved (per my research over the years) "if you must wear thongs." The foot doctors say don't wear them exclusively, switch off. Ideally, you want shoes to stabilize your heels, yet most sandals with heel straps aren't much better than these strapless thongs. With the end of summer sales + an extra 10% off promo, I paid $30. A steal! Normally they are as expensive as the shoes. Know that I was flexible on the style of both pairs of Vionic shoes to find discounts in my size. Both shoes had to be leather as discussed. The sandal had to have one additional characteristic -- a dark interior footbed and sole so the sandals never look dirty. (I was open to black, navy, or pewter colors.)

So these are my shoe tips for feet with high arches + how to score a good price. Vionics are the bomb in comfort!!!🧨 And perhaps one expensive pair with good arch support (per season) is always the way to go. A lesson we often forget when tempted by cuteness, right?


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Featuring Eye Beauty

Ulta has new eye makeup! Since we put on face masks in April to flatten the curve of COVID, I haven't worn any makeup although I see other women wearing it. Shhh, I think nobody is the wiser. Makeup would get all over my mask and look ugly!

And what's more, I'm a false eyelash virgin😂 as I have never glued a pair on. Would they feel like spiders on my eyelashes? I'm up for finding out!

I like Ulta's selections. The top image is makeup to create a subtle eye for a daytime look, the bottom image is for a dramatic night time look. 

Here are the products, for the top image click here:

1) Automatic Eyeliner - Available in 18 colors.

2) Ardell Naked Lash #422

3) MAC Powder Kiss Eyeshadow - A selection of 10 colors.

For the dramatic eyes featured in the 2nd image click here. They are:

1) Dose of Colors Smokey Soiree Eyeshadow Palette

2) Dose of Colors Cutting Edge Eyeshadow  Palate

3) Lilly Lashes Faux Mink False Lashes Miami 

4) Benefit Cosmetics BADgal BANG! Volumizing Mascara - in 2 colors.

In all probability, we will be wearing our face masks for another year. Without a doubt, the beauty industry is suffering. Sales have dropped since people are staying home and/or aren't making any money. Isn't it tempting to at least play with some eye makeup at home ... perhaps for a Zoom call?

Have you been wearing makeup during our pandemic?

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5 Things I Hate Doing

THE SAVVY SHOPPER is more about things I love not hate, and this post is only the 2nd blog I've written about things I dislike or hate. Although the sentiments are true, it's written in fun about minor activities, not serious worldly problems. No deep discussions today. Different strokes for different folks: No judgments, only personal non-preferences follow -- 

Here are 5 Activities I Hate, Hate, Hate!:

1) Changing purses/bags - It seems like such a waste of time! I hate having to transfer ALL my practical, portable possessions out of one purse and organizing them into the slots of another handbag ... so much so I rarely do it. I wear one bag until it literally wears out, and the strap breaks off my shoulder, falling off into the middle of the street. No exaggeration! It happens. Then I grab a new crossover bag.

Photo: The Steamboat Grand

2) Spa massages - One of my woman friends always receives a spa day as a Christmas present from her husband, a gift she cherishes. I've gotten spa treatments as birthday gifts also, but I don't care for the massage. They don't hurt. The touching doesn't embarrass me. They simply take away an hour of time where I have to lie still doing nothing! I'd rather read; sit in a garden; take a leisurely walk; or have a great chat with a friend!! I don't like being oiled up either. I come in clean and after I'm all greased up, I pray I don't get it on the street clothes I leave in, or I have to take a 2nd shower in a single day to remove what feels like grimy-slimy yuck! Moreover I don't feel the worries of the world being massaged away; and I don't feel pampered!

3) Manicures/pedicures - Certainly I like them better than spa massages; and the manicurists do an excellent job of making my

nails look fabulous. But!! After having the experience of getting a few manis/pedis over the years, I think they are a big time-suck. Takes half a day to make the appointment, travel to and from, plus the time spent at the nail salon having the work done. What a rigmarole! I suppose I'm more of a do it yourself groomer and I like my nails cut short (with or without polish), which I can do while watching television or listening to music in a tenth of the time it takes to have others do it for me.

4) Debone or Cut Up a Raw Chicken - Buying a whole chicken last week gave me the idea for this blog. I have never deboned or cut up a chicken carcass in my entire life. I don't know how and I don't want to learn, therefore I always roast a whole chicken, serving it with vegetables, salad, and gravy. Good enough, no? You'll eat a whole chicken no other way in my home unless you cook it.

5) Major DIY Home Improvements - I will do tiny/minor repairs like painting a window sill or replacing one tile on a floor, but for big jobs, forget about it! I hire experts. I don't have the patience to study YouTube videos and learn by making errors. IMHO it's another time suck! I just want it done right the first time out without frustrations, hurdles, or beginners' mistakes. Hiring an experienced professional for big house improvements (from painting to installing a new floor) is worth every damn penny!

Are there activities other people do that you so dislike you won't do them? Please share! 

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Swim Solutions Are Cute Swimsuits

Swimsuit brand: Swim Solutions

Swimsuits are now on sale. I bought the one above. It fosters the illusion I'm as thin as I once was, and I'm ok with that. Nowadays I favor the flattering ole one-piece skirt swimsuit. It hides fatter thighs and any and all cellulite from the world. Trust me, it's a good thing. Some sights should remain unseen by the public! Once seen, you can't unsee!!

I also like how you don't need a coverup to leave the beach. Some of the citizen patrols along the Jersey shore are ridiculously unfriendly if one HAPPENS to step a foot over the "line" of an adjacent strip of private beach to buy frozen yogurt, and then the unwitting beach visitors are ordered off the little, tiny portion of sand which is indistinguishable from the little tiny portion of sand next to it and sooo must walk BAREfoot in the boiling hot street alongside vehicles back to their "own" beach and blanket ... which they were unaware they had left! #WhenAuthorityGoesToTheHead

Oh well, I digress. Back to the topic of picking up a swimsuit during the summer sales.

I nearly bought the suit on the left for its colors, but I prefer the way the bust is designed of the one I selected at the top of the blog. Here it is on the right in another color and pattern. Which bust design do you like best?

Have you been to a beach lately? I can't get over how some bathers wear a piece of butt floss as a bikini bottom, a/k/a, thongs. If I know ahead of time I will have to leave the beach, walking on hot tar and concrete to return to a blanket, I wear thongs on my feet ... and only on my feet! Evidently some folks don't care if strangers see their naked derrières in public. But here in the USA (where the fashion is not as customary), total strangers are the very people I don't want glancing (or gawking) at mine. The butt cheek reveal is too much information! And for what purpose??? Butt flossing ... butt flashing? Not as pretty as a beholder sometimes thinks! But I digress again.

                

Swim Solutions is a stylish discovery! Sold on Amazon and in major department stores (Macy's is one), these swimsuits also have bust and tummy control. Minus the butt floss options, customers have a wide choice of colors, patterns and types of swimsuits for every type of body, butts and thighs.😊 Available during the summer sales at a steal of a price!

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