What Beauty Buys Am I Using Right Now?

Over time I've tried to switch over to more natural or organic beauty products. I use the word "natural" skeptically. We must always read labels and research commodities carefully to make sure the word isn't just a marketing gimmack but truly reflects purer ingredients in the ointments we rub into our skin.

Another aim is to spend less money on the personal care items we use daily. If quality is nearly the same with similar results, cheaper is always better! Over time the savings really add up!  And it goes without saying, we want to focus on products that really work because they have the science behind them! Let's also strive to not layer on too many elixirs, another way of washing cash down the drain. The goal of keeping beauty routines simple to save time and get out of the bathroom faster is smart also!

Here are personal care items I'm using right now that meet the criteria: 

For the Face --

Day

1) The Ordinary Buffet - a mix of effective anti-aging peptides. 

2) The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2% - a high potency antioxidant and skin brightener. 

3) Walgreens Baby Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen - the #1 preventer of aging skin you can buy.

Night

4) Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Regenerating Cream With Retinol Fragrance-Free

5) Azure Hemp & Retinol Sleep Mask - This I alternate with #4 whenever my face feels dry.

For the Body --

1) BuyBuy Baby Powder with pure cornstarch - A generic bath powder from Bed, Bath & Beyond. The cornstarch replaces talc because in the USA, you can't buy talc anymore. Since the pandemic, I apply baby powder on my face under my mask because I'm not wearing makeup. (Tinted face powder tints my mask which looks ugly!)

2) Puritan's Pride Coconut Oil - I use it after a shower to lock in moisture! The company makes coconut oil for the body, but I buy the food-grade coconut oil -- one oil to use in both the kitchen and bathroom. Done!

3) Botanical + Herbal Help Body Lotion - Containing tea tree and verbena oils, I use it as a hand or body cream. It's from T.J. Maxx and I buy their ever-changing array of lotions from Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Korea, and exotic California.🙂

For the Hair --

SheaMoisture and Renpure💕💥 all the way! I switch up the formulas regularly. Right now I'm using ...

1) Repure Extra Strength Coconut Cream Shampoo

2) SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Shampoo

3) SheaMoisture Kukui Nut & Grapeseed Oils Conditioner

4) SheaMoisture Manuka Honey & Mafura Oil Conditioner

Both brands are from long-time manufacturers of good, clean, organic ingredients for the hair at drugstore prices.

So these are the beauty buys in my bathroom right now. Simple, clean, inexpensive and they work! ✔✔✔✔

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The Perfect Diva Den

Pierre Cardin Attributed Bar Stool from Chairish

Just like a man, a woman needs a personal room, or "cave" to get away and relax! So Chairish, an online consignment marketplace for sellers and buyers of designer home goods, invited me to style a board, depicting the perfect Diva Den, and I'm happy to offer a few ideas.

 Whether your Diva Den is a small apartment, or cubbyhole within a big house, here are six helpful design tips:

1) In a room, empty space is as valuable as any object that fills it - So buy to fit the space. Spareness is good, while clutter (and crowding) is always bad. Don't buy anything that is too big or too small; and never, ever overbuy.
2) Surround yourself with beautiful furniture and objects you love - The pieces should make you happy.
3) Select articles that are practical, comfortable and multi-functional - If you do, you'll get lots of bang for the buck!
4) Be organized and tidy - Everything should have its place.
5) Don't be afraid to mix and match high-end with low-end home decor.
6) Remember to use vertical, as well as, horizontal space.

And now, for my style board of the perfect Diva Den ... imagine one room in a house, or a small apartment: I have mixed furniture from Chairish's website with a few inexpensive items:

  Southern Living Leather Sofa	Vintage Schatz Royal Mariner Eight Day Ship Cloak
Nerisa Chrome Crystal Flush Mount Chandelier- from Overstock.com	Altra Ladder Desk and Bookcase (also available in red) from Walmart.com

My favorite stools have soft upholstery with a supportive back (there are many like these on Chairish.com	 SUKI 2-4 Seat Black Folding Round Dinning Table from Habitat.co.uk.
   Brass Barstool With Blue Upholstered Seat	       Taylored Daybed with Bolster Cushions

As you can see, my Diva Den has lots of comfortable seats. (I mean, who plans to stand in a Woman's Cave? No one!) The daybed acts as a cozy sitting area, or place to snooze. Bar stools offer colorful accents, or a compact seat without taking up much space. While the chandelier adds good lighting to read and work, it's also a sparkling thing of beauty. Finally, my Diva Den is classic and modern. There is a mix of rich textures, soft upholstery, leather, pretty metal and warm wood, as well as, several pops of color. With nine pieces ... a lovely blend of comfort and style!

How would you design your Diva Den?

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Reduce Your Risk Of Lyme Disease

This is a good year for ticks; they are thriving.  So as we move into warm weather, we need to be more aware of lyme disease.  Lyme disease is an infection caused by the borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterium known as a spirochete, which is transmitted to people and animals through tick bites.  

Symptoms can include a rash, fatigue, chills, fever, headache, muscle or joint pain and swollen lymph nodes.  Doctors diagnose lyme disease through blood tests, and it can be treated with several weeks of antibiotics taken by mouth.  It is important to diagnose lyme disease early and treat it with the correct antibiotics so that patients recover quickly and completely.  If left untreated, lyme disease can affect the heart, joints and nervous system, causing heart failure, meningitis, arthritis and chronic joint pain.

But don't fret, you can reduce your risk of lyme disease by taking a few simple precautions.  According to the Mayo Clinic, you should [paraphrased]:

1. Wear long pants and sleeves when walking in wooded and grassy areas.  Tuck shirts and pant-legs in, and cover exposed skin.  Even wear boots and gloves.

2. Stick to trails and avoid walking through low bushes and tall grass.  Keep dogs on a lease.

3. Use insect repellents with a 10% to 30% concentration of DEET; the strength depends on how long you stay out.  The benefit of preventing lyme disease is greater than not using DEET, which can be toxic.  A 10% concentration of DEET will protect you for 2 hours.  Always follow label directions carefully.  And I'd shower it off afterwards.

4. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, lemon eucalyptus, a natual product, offers the same protection as DEET when used in the same concentration.  Neither should be used on children younger than 3 years old.

5. Tick-proof your yard by clearing bush and leaves where ticks live.  Keep wood and leaf piles in the sun before bagging them up for disposal.

Someone braver than me.

6. Check yourself, your children and pets for ticks vigilantly.  Ticks are the size of a pin head and can easily be missed.  Showering will wash off ticks, not attached to your skin.

7. Remove a tick imbedded into the skin carefully by its head.  Don't crush or squeeze it.  The bacterium could get into your wound.  When the entire tick is removed, apply antiseptic to the bite.

8. Don't think you are immune to lyme disease once you've had it.  You can get it again.

I don't know about you, but just thinking about tick bites makes me itch.  And yet, I'll be more alert this summer while enjoying the great outdoors.

Extra tip: To learn about clothing treated with permethrin read this article from The New York Times and to see examples click Amazon here.

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Calling All Dog Lovers

The Floyd Country General Store

Photo by Growlerfills

Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia sits The Floyd Country General Store. People who pay a visit feel like they have stepped back in time. A real country store serving a rural community, its shelves are stocked with a bounty of quirky and practical goods, including penny candy, books on farming, local arts and crafts, eco-friendly cleaning products, kitchen tools, casual clothing, and old fashioned toys and games.

The store has an inviting cafe. All the food on the menu is fresh, locally-grown and homemade. You will find country favorites like barbequed pulled pork, Chicken Brunswick stew and pinto beans with onions and cast-iron-skillet baked cornbread. Be sure to save room for the hand-dipped ice cream.
All year-around, the general store hosts a popular Friday Night Jamboree of Appalachian music and dance, where some of the most esteemed, old-time musicians take the stage. The evening starts at 6:30, features three bands, and by all accounts, lives up to its repulation of excellence. Live music also plays on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

According to public records, the store has been around since 1910. Continuing with tradition, it strives to be a gathering place for its community to make music, attend agriculture lectures, play a friendly game of checkers, or simply catch-up on local news perched in rocking chairs, while sipping craft beer and rootbeer floats. (You will find award-winning craft beer all over town.)

The Blue Ridge Mountains are a beautiful area to visit, and the The Floyd Country General Store is a charming, lively stop along the way. [Read more on Floyd, VA here.]

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Easy French Onion Soup

Photo: Betty Crocker

It's hard to be a great French cook while limiting fat and calories in your meals. Today I'm making French onion soup for the first time ever and will not cut calories. I don't think it's the most nutritious soup to eat -- lower in protein than many, only one vegetable -- nor is it a low calorie soup ... but at times one must eat what one wants, and today that's French onion soup!

The homemade soup is sitting on my stovetop. It smells and tastes delicious. I sampled it! For tonight's dinner, I'll add the bread and cheeses, broiling the topping in the oven until melted and slightly brown. The quantity is 4 large servings:

French Onion Soup

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 large onions, cut in strips (not diced small)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 large beef bouillon cube (or chicken bouillon cube; or 3/4 teaspoon salt)

3 cups beef stock (or chicken stock - I use whatever flavor is in the pantry)

1/2 cup red wine (or white - I use what's open, most often red. The color doesn't really matter. If tasty to drink, the wine makes excellent soup:)

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon sage

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon Herbs of Provence

Sprinkle of garlic

Sprinkle of dried celery

Tiny pinch of sugar

white and black pepper to taste

Extra 1/4 cup of onion, diced

Swiss cheese (buy a brick of cheese)

Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Toss the olive oil and butter into a stockpot and heat it, followed by the onions and simmer on middle-low heat for 20 minutes to caramelize. Cover with a lid. Watch and stir so the onion doesn't burn. After 20 minutes ...

2) Whisk in the flour. Add the bouillon cube (or salt, not both). You can add about 1/2 cup of water if needed to dissolve the bouillon. 

3) Next add the beef stock and wine; follow with your dried seasonings. Add a pinch of sugar too. Simmer on low-medium heat for another 30 minutes. (Without a boil, the soup won't cook properly, yet too high a flame cooks the water out. That's the dilemma. Make sure you have a low boil, not a robust boil.)

4) Near the end of the cooking time (like the last 10 minutes) dice another 1/4 cup of onion (get out another small onion) and 1/4 cup of the Swiss cheese and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and toss into the pot. This adds omph -- more flavor and texture.

5) Pour into soup bowls and top with bread and cheeses. Read step 6.

6) {a} - For myself, I lay a couple of slices of toasted multi-grain bread on the soup and then top with lots of Swiss and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheeses, broiling the bread-cheese topping in the oven until the cheeses are hot, melted and slightly brown.

{b} - If I were to make this soup again for guests, I'd buy a loaf of artisan bread, cut it into thick slices, butter and brown the slices on a baking sheet in the oven, then top the bowls of soup with the oven browned bread peaked with plenty of cheese. Without guests, I skip this oven-browned-bread step to get out of the kitchen. Butter-less supermarket, toasted bread topped with cheese is fine for me! Still a success.

Update: Dinner is served at 6:50 pm. I'm afraid of ruining a mug or bowl by broiling, so I used mini cake pans, different, I know!

If I say so, myself, the soup looks, smells and tastes amazing! Restaurant worthy. Good enough for guests. Mine isn't as salty as I've eaten it out, so perhaps, it's even better.

Pandemic cook is back, sister!

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IT Velvet Luxe for Ulta Makeup Brushes Now Only On EBay

Learn how to use makeup brushes here.

On THE SAVVY SHOPPER, I don't normally write sales-flash posts on products. Occasionally, I'll post a too-good-to-ignore sale alert on the blog's Facebook page, where such up-to-the-minute (act now!) information works better. Here (by design) readers can go back 10 years to read blogs that mostly keep their relevance. The advice and tips don't date like this present blog entry will eventually do ... in a day? ... a week? ... or a month's time. (Well, we will ... together ... find out.)

But a price drop on a stellar makeup brush (that is also unwisely being discontinued) is too good not to share!

Last year I bought a quality makeup brush from the IT For Ulta Velvet Luxe line. The brushes in that particular line, are plush, soft, firm, precise in the application; and never, ever shed. In other words, everything we want: It is hands down the best makeup brush I've ever used! 

Retailing at $48, I was happy to get it on sale for $24. In the future, I knew I had to buy more makeup brushes in the Velvet Luxe line to replace inferior brushes ... when they again went on sale. Although on sale, the money still adds up! 

Not until a year later did I return to Ulta to buy my 2nd (a blush) brush. To my great surprise, Ulta is out of stock of the It Velvet Luxe blush brush (as well as many of the other Velvet Luxe brushes which do other jobs expertly). Why??? Because IT Cosmetics is in the process of discontinuing their Velvet Luxe variety of brushes. Insane!!! ~~ as their new brushes  -- at the same price -- are inferior! They are not as soft or plush! So double trouble!!

Readers, the light at end of the tunnel is ...  you can (while supplies last) still buy the IT For Ulta Velvet Luxe brushes on eBay for even less money than Ulta's best sale price.

I own 4 of the IT Velvet Luxe brushes: LBD Powder #307; Plush Foundation #304 (a multi-tasker, I use it for blush and bronzer); Soft Focus Sculpting #315 (blush); and I just ordered the Empress Fan brush #324 (such a price drop why not? ... to set makeup with finishing powder). I also like the Kabuki brush -- it's the biggest of the brushes. If you don't mind the size, you can use it in place of  the #307 and #324 brushes. Truly once you pay for an item and walk out the door, it's nobody's business how you use it!

As to why IT Cosmetics is replacing their superior Velvet Luxe brushes with less plush, or stiffer bristles I haven't a clue. THE SAVVY SHOPPER doesn't like change unless it's an improvement. :(


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Watching Game Of Thrones

Broken Crown by Mumford and Sons

I didn't read the medieval fantasy books from which Game Of Thrones is based and wasn't familiar with author George R.R. Martin. It's not my usual genre, but I love the television series. 

There's just enough special effects and fighting to keep it exciting without crossing over into boredom. The show is smartly character driven, and there are lots of characters and story lines to follow. No character's fate is safe. Just like in medieval England and the Holy Roman Empire, prominent ruling families rise and fall, so major characters are killed off.

I like how unflinching and without judgment human nature and behaviors like ambition and sex, as well as, the struggles for power and survival are portrayed. The series is far from dark, but be prepared: Lovers and prostitutes alike walk around naked. Sex can be crude and a matter of duty, lust or violence. Women are slapped across the face by their husbands. Lords chop off the heads of enemies without regret. And, characters are rebuked with names like fat "little piggy," "dwarf," "halfman" and every offensive, four letter word in the English language. But, I'm glad the series rings true to the period. I'd be more upset if it didn't.

All the characters in the drama are trying to fulfill their destiny in a world where life is nasty, brutal, short and ocasionally sweet, as philosphers and poets often remind us.

He needs a love interest who doesn't nearly kill him with arrows. Love isn't supposed to hurt.

The series must be exhausting and a blast to shoot. The actors are so talented ... and proficient with weaponry. (I'd cut off my own head, if I had to fight by swinging a sword. It ain't easy.) Obviously, it's the writing and acting that make a show resonate. With an international cast, you stay glued to the set.

 My favorite characters include: Jon Snow (a good hearted, bastard son of Lord Stark, or so we think? His mother is unknown. He became a favorite character of mine when he was left out of the party during the king's visit. Did he have to live outside the main Stark house too?), Tyrion Lannister (the clever 2nd son and dwarf in a powerful family), Queen Cersei Lannister (she's beautiful and scheming, but not particularly cruel), the "Kingslayer," Jamie Lannister (he's fun, fun, fun!) and Arya Stark (a spitfire and survivior). I miss Ned Stark and am still recovering from the shock of his story line in season 1. Charles Dance is amazing as Tywin Lannister, and Natalia Tena as Osha, a Wildling who cares for the younger Stark boys, is mesmerizing (with her piercing eyes and sultry voice). I love Jason Momoa, but his beard and character, Khal Drogo, SCARE me. Season 3 is the most intense! 

Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow (above photo) must meet at some point, don't you think? They are both developing into leaders and share a few traits - both have a conscience and are being shaped by betrayals and the harsh realities of Medieval-ish life. So they'll understand each other. But, will they be friends or enemies? And are they related?

Catch Games Of Thrones on dvd, if you missed the airing. It's got plenty of humanity and the magic of dragons. I look forward to a planned 4th and 5th season on HBO. There are 5 books and counting. So the show could continue for years. By the way, I think writer, GRRM, is on the same level as William Faulker. Just like Faulker, Martin created an entire world of intertwining plots and characters, with minor characters in some books becoming major characters of other books.

Who do you think will be the last king or queen standing, or rather, sitting on the Iron Throne?

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Happy Father's Day, Some Fun Trivia

I love this picture by Norman Rockwell of a dear old dad sending his son off to college, probably the first in the family to go, and the boy's mom packed him a lunch for the train ride.

While listening to a sermon in her Methodist Church in 1909 about the newly recognized Mother's Day, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington got the idea that there should also be an official day to honor fathers everywhere.  Her father had returned as a Civil War veteran to singlehandedly raise six children.  The first observance of Father's Day occurred the next year on June 13 in her hometown, but it took 63 years for the day to become a national holiday.  

In fact, at first the idea was met with laughter, scorn and satire.  While Mother's Day was greeted with enthusiasm, many felt creating a Father's Day was an attempt to fill up the calendar with mindless holidays.  

It took Lyndon Johnson to designate the third Sunday of June [in 1966] as the day to celebrate fathers in the United States.  And it wasn't signed into law until 1972 by then President Richard Nixon.  Wow, that is recent history!

Countries around the world celebrate Father's Day on different dates. Russia celebrates it on February 23, Sweden and Iceland in mid November, Australia on the first Sunday in September, and Germany on Ascension Day in May.  

It's traditional to wear a red rose to honor a living father and a white rose to remember one who is deceased.  And regardless of country or date, the best gift you can give your dad is your time.  So make Father's Day a great family day.  

For ideas on how to spend the day and to read a few thoughts about my father, click on the first link below.

Happy Father's Day, ♥Daddy♥ … wherever you are ... and to all fathers.

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How To Pick Sunglasses: Form To Function

Protecting your eyes is a top consideration:

Just like your skin, the lens and corneas of your eyes need protection from the sun's harmful rays. Wearing sunglasses helps reduce your risks of cataracts and vision damage.

1. Always choose sunglasses that block 99% - 100% of the sun's UVB and UVA light.

2. Sunglass lenses should offer UV 400 protection -- meaning they block up to 400 nanometers (measurements in wavelengths) of ultraviolet light.  

3. With sunglasses, bigger is better, and wraparound frames offer the best eye protection against damaging rays.

Select The Right Lens Hue:
The coating that blocks the sun's utltraviolet light is clear. Hence, darker lenses do not necessarily offer more protection than lighter lenses.  But lens hue will alter how you perceive color.

1. Grey tints block light without affecting contrast or distorting colors.

2. For automobile drivers, grey, green and brown lenses are better. You can still distinguish between the changes in traffic lights and not miss vital information registering on your dashboard.

3. For golfers, copper lenses will mute the blue sky and green grass against a white golfball.

4. For tennis players, blue and green tints will increase the contrast of a yellow tennis ball.

5. Other lens tints like violet, rose, yellow and orange are good for very specific sports and outdoor activities like shooting targets, but definitely bad for driving!!!

Polarized Lenses:

Polarized lenses do not block ultraviolet light; they reduce the glare produced when sunlight bounces off other surfaces, like water.

They help boaters, water skiers and snow skiers not be blinded by reflected light. But, they make the digital displays of cell phones and a car's dashboard harder to read.

Choosing Lens Material:

Consider your lifestyle. The most expensive isn't always necessary. 

1. Glass – Has excellent optical clarity and scratch-resistance, but is heavier and will shatter when dropped.

2. NXT polyurethane: Has excellent optical clarity, scratch and impact resistance; is flexible and lightweight, but is the most expensive.

3. Polycarbonate: Has good optical clarity; is impact resistant; lightweight and affordable, but is less scratch resistant than NXT polyurethane or glass.

4. Acrylic: is inexpensive and lightweight, but has less optical clarity or durability than glass, NXT polyurethane or polycarbonate.  Acrylic lenses are ideal for casual sunglass wear. If lost or broken, it's not a big deal since you pay less for them.

Consider Fashion:

Don't pretend otherwise, you know you want to look rock star cool and movie star glamorous in your shades, therefore:
Determine the shape of your face, then remember that opposites attract.

1. Rounded frames are great on a square face.

2. Square frames complement a round face.

3. Rectangular frames flatter a heart-shaped face.

4. Oval faces have more leeway (because the face is balanced). Nearly all shapes of sunglasses look good on an oval face, though square frames with rounded corners will complement ovals especially well.

5. Oversized glasses will balance an oblong face, making it look shorter.

6. Aviator glasses not only look good on all face shapes, they make faces look younger.

7. Always try on sunglasses standing in front of a full length mirror. Never trust the small mirror on a sunglass rack. You need to see how the frames look on your entire face or you will arrive home wondering, "What happened!?!" when, "I looked sooo good in the department store!" I won't name my source, but has this ever happened to you?

Here are a few examples of sunglasses matched to face shapes. Don't worry about remembering every point. When you try on an assortment of sunglasses, your eyes will inevitably tell you when you are wearing the perfect frames.

By the way, the studded Prada frames in the top photo are perfect for my oval face, but not my wallet. So Marshall's and TJ Maxx ... here I come.

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