Do It Your Self Luxury - Sewing

I grew up around seamstresses and tailors and learned to drape, draft patterns and sew long before I knew what those terms meant. Even though I have these skills I find is much easier and more time affective when I do sew to use a printed pattern and adjust it accordingly. One of the best kept sewing secrets is that the 3 major pattern companies most sewers grew up with are all under the one umbrella of the McCall Pattern Company http://www.mccall.com/ and that you can buy sewing patterns from their respective websites

McCall’s (http://www.mccallpattern.com/index.htm)

Butterick ( http://www.butterick.com/ )

Vogue Patterns ( http://www.voguepatterns.com/index.html )

Another little secret is that each every few weeks the lines alternatively put their patterns on sale slashing costs by more than 50%. In some cases that means the patterns are priced between $5.99 and $6.99 each and if you join the site's sewing clubs you can take an additional 10% off even if the patterns aren't on sale. So if you sew, or dream of sewing, sign up for the emailed sales notification and other offers, it's worth the extra e-mail.

You'll need fabric to work with, so another spot in New York worth the effort of a visit is

Paron Fabric 

( http://www.paronfabrics.com/stores_locations.htm )

This fabric store was once a staple of New York's 57th Street but eventually consolidated to their current location at 206 West 40th Street. Not as glamorous as some of the other fabric stores in the area the store does offer top quality designer fabrics from all over the world. They take most major credit cards and the staff is extremely helpful. I have been given swatches without comment and am always fondly greeted when I visit the store. If you are sincere in your search and need for a particular type of fabric they will work with you to find it and though minimum yardage must be ordered they will track it down for you if need. The variety of their stock is amazing but the most amazing part of the store is the 50% off section, which is a store unto itself. Don't let the discount fool you. You will find the last yards of fabrics that at one time may have been laying on the sample table of some of the major fashion houses on 7th Avenue. Whether you have a list or an idea floating around in your mind or desire some inspiration it's worth the visit.

Buttering Up for the Winter

With the drying winter months approaching and the tendency for elbows and knees and skin more delicate to thirst for heavier conditioning I put away the Tea Tree scented bodybutter and pulled out Tree Hut Shea Body Butters in Ginger, Cocoa Butter and Almond & Honey.

These 7oz tubs are a generous serving of thick buttery creams intense in scent and real shea butter. The Almond & Honey has almond extract and honey, the Cocoa Butter is made with real cocoa butter and Ginger has ginger root extract. They are all so amazing in both smell and results it's hard for me to choose which I prefer.

When I first fell in lust with Tree Tree Body Butters I found them at Wal-Mart’s (no hissing please – they aren’t going away – we need to fight for them to change) for $4.59 each and they are still there in their spiffy new packaging. This season’s crop was purchased at Lots for Less sell out for $2.99 per item because of that package redesign.

I also found them for you at http://www.drugstore.com/ for $6.59.
The site also offers the body scrubs and body washes in matching scents. I am not too crazy for either but if you’re someone who prefers to keep consistent with your scents they are available.
(I DID NOT KNOW THEY HAD SHAVING CREAM!!)

Happening - Running with Take Out - NYC Marathon

This Sunday, November 2nd is the yearly New York Marathon. It's also the beginning of day light savings times so fall behind that hour at 2am so you take your spot along the race's course bright and early and cheer on all those athletes! www.nycmarahton.org/home for more details.

I have never run the marathon, walking 5 miles a day is enough tyvm!, but my friends and I have joined hundreds of others along 4th Avenue in Brooklyn with thermoses of hot coffee, snacks and even folding chairs to cheer on friends who have. Today the New York Times has a great article about places to eat along the the 26.2 mile course, many of which reflect some of the 100 countries represented by runners in the race -

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/dining/29marathon.html

I can't even begin to consider and comment on all the options listed but I can tell you this year we will be picking our cheering post based on what we want to eat!!

Luxury from the Inside Out

I spent the last 10 days wandering around and exploring Rome, which included stops in a number of wonderful stores and of course more than a few small purchases, some of which I plan on sharing with you dear readers. I found Rome both fascinating and educational, but rather than directly rolling out posts about what I bought and where you can buy it at this time I want to pause in the postings to discuss luxury.

I know to some the constant posting of beauty products and accessories can seem pretty shallow, especially considering the current worlwide financial situation. I want to assure you that this blog isn't and will never be about mortgaging your home in order to buy your next pair of shoes or a cream that promises to keep you young forever but costs more than a months rent. And it isn't just about what products you should buy and use, it is about stopping and considering the things that bring that bit of rest and respite from the demanding day to day. It is about giving your self a bit of luxury.

Luxury is a strange word. For most of us it conjures up images of extravagant spending, frivolous items that have no place in the lives we lead and prizes without of reach of our current life style, but true luxury has no price point or specific definition. True luxury is whatever makes you feel pampered and nurtured and good about your self. For most of us that means pausing in our day to perform some sort of beauty and health ritual that re connects us to our "true" selves. For some of us this can mean sharing a half an hour with a hot cup of tea and a magazine, wearing a face mask and deep conditioning our hair while we iron the clothes, dancing around with the vacuum in a pair of shoes we bought because we loved them not because they we had a specific use for them. Many of us find luxury in lying on the couch while the TV talks back to us, while wrestling around with the dog, kids or that special someone or while trying again and again to make that hobby a regular part of our life. For others it's just taking time to breathe in the quiet hour between dawn and the work day.

Whatever your definition of luxury is I am hoping that the things I share will encourage you to take give your self permission to consider what you need in order to fell pampered and nurtured and regardless of how you do it I encourage you to take some time each day just to appreciate you.

Wading in the Scented Water

I dabble in mixing and using my own herb teas, tinctures and soaks and maintain a small collection of essential oils and dried herbs that I use in my kitchen witchery. Much of what I use I have I ordered from St. John’s Botanicals - http://www.stjohnsbotanicals.com/

I was introduced to this amazing supplier by my dear, old friend Bernie. Many moons ago she and her partner ran an amazing herb and apothecary store on 2nd Street in the East Village. The store is long gone but B’s lessons will always remain with me.

St. John’s Botanicals is located in Maryland and they offer the most amazing selection of organic and natural products for use in mixing and making your own health and beauty items. In addition to carrying dried organically grown herbs and hand made tinctures they also sell some amazing ready for use products. One of the items I love and buy is their Florida Water #1.

Florida Water #1 is a heavy bottomed cinnamon based floral scent that goes on light and lingers. In the hot summer months I fill and refrigerate a spritzer bottle with the water. A few sprays from the cold bottle refreshes even on the hottest day. During the winter a few cinnamon laced drops makes even the quickest hot bath a luxury and lightly spraying the scent onto the bedseets before crawling back into bed with the Sunday morning paper perks me up just long enough to finish the coffee and crossword before relaxing into a nap.(OK so I never finish the crossword)

I encourage you have a look at their web site and try as many of their wonderful things as possible. They also have a great catalog that I keep as a resource.

http://www.stjohnsbotanicals.com/frame-store.tmpl

Sudsy Distractions

I haven’t been in an Old Navy in more than 2 years. The only reason I recently ventured into one was because I arrived at the Atlantic Avenue Mall in Brooklyn too early one Saturday morning in mid September and luckily for me they were opened.

I forwent the sale on summer bathing suits and light weight jeans and ignored the t shirt sale because I already have enough white tee shirts to last me at least 12 cups worth of coffee dribble and spills but my nose did bring me to their scent collection which was on sale for 50% off. I have to admit I was not impressed with their body sprays (too much alcohol in the smell) or body lotions (too synthetic smelling, like the scent would turn or disappear too quickly), but did find my self taken in by the packaging design of the line's soaps. I ended up purchasing two bars of tripled milled shea butter soap, one in island lime scent and other clean musk, for 2/$5.00. The scents of the soaps are sublime. The Island Lime is a mixture of sweet lime, coconut milk and fresh ginger and the Clean Musk combines white musk, cotton flower and cashmere fragrances. The milky white soaps leave your skin softer than I had expected and the soft smell lingers like a whisper. They aren’t organic and I am certain the scents are man made, but because they are so subtle I expect their potency to fade as did the summer.

I am sure Old Navy is no longer carrying this item but I am hoping this post will encourage you to pick up soaps and other toiletries in stores not known for such things because you never know what you will find and fall in love with, even if it only lasts a short season

An Organized Shoe In

There is an exact moment in time when you fall in love with “the shoe”. Each time you hold it or wear, if you wear, it, that memory comes flooding back and fills you with a sense of that moment. The moment you saw “the shoe” on someone else’s foot, found the courage to follow the wearer and asked “where did you get that shoe?” and then made every effort until you found and purchased a pair. It’s called stalking and years could have gone by before that shoe was yours. The time you suddenly, without explanation, found your face pressed against a shoe store window breathing heavy with lust for a pair of shoes that called your name and spent next months food budget to have them. Or when you walked around with not 1, but 3, pictures of the same shoe despite having committed to memory the color, line and stitching details of said shoe. Owning “the shoe” becomes a quest. A quest that occurs over and over again because, like a cheating spouse, your excuse is you couldn’t help your self. You got carried away by the feelings “the shoe” inspired you, not the shoe itself, and though you had to have that shoe, you still love each and every pair you own.

Owning “the shoe” hasn’t been one for me of late. I blame it on my efforts to walk a minimum of 10,000 steps a day. A beautiful pair of 3 inch heels, platform or not, aren’t going to help me achieve that goal. I have also made a conscious effort to cull through and wear each and every pair of shoes I own, even if it’s around the house while cleaning. It is a process, I must admit, that has been on-going for nearly 2 years.

When I first started to cull I spent weeks trying to figure out how to store my shoes so that I had both visual and phyiscal access to the collection. Originally each pair lovingly housed themselves in clear plastic shoe boxes from the Container Store. ( http://www.containerstore.com/browse/Product.jhtml?CATID=154&PRODID=61479 )
I even went as far as attaching their photos to the outside of the box. This worked for a while but the shoe collection outgrew the system and I ended forgetting about the “off season” shoes stored in the closet. How embarrassing, and yes wasteful, is it to find that you have 4 pairs of natural leather wooden platform sandals that are so close in style that no one, but a shoe lover, could tell the difference? I could have created an on line inventory of the my shoes, keeping photos, purchase dates and repair needs but for me that would have just been a whole different level of crazy, besides, I have other things that require such organizational effort. I digress. I shelved (heehee) the box storage concept and lined the shoes up pair by pair but I lost precious real estate by not being able to stack them atop each other. That is when the IKEA catalog arrived in the mail and the hunt for affordable shoe storage began.

Unless you live under a rock, everyone knows IKEA has arrived in Brooklyn. There is even a free shuttle bus that picks up passengers at various points on route to the store. I swear it’s like going to Atlantic City. I am a fan of IKEA. They have everything you could want and because their price points are pretty economical there is no guilt in replacing things when the time comes. I like to mix and blend practical items from the store with what I own or have found along the way. Again I digress. With shoe count in hand off to IKEA I went.

There were a number of options but the size of the wall I would use and my budget narrowed down the choices.

I ended up purchasing the IKEA FRAN SHOE RACKS(http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/70101053).

They screw into the wall and I was able to fit 4 pairs on each level by placing the shoes heel to toe. The only negative is that the rack only comes in black and red. I bought a total of 6 black units and at 8 pair each…you do the math

Hello, my name is Simone and I’m a shoeaholic...

Shopping Spots Worth the Tip - Feeding the Sense

Sometimes we pass people and places on a daily basis and neglect to look up or out from the thoughts that occupy our day to see what is in front of us. I have passed 104 Avenue B for years and a few Fridays ago never realized that in this very spot is an incredible store that supplies their customers, many of whom are world famous chefs, with the most amazing spices, herbs and food stuffs from around the world.

S.O.S. Chefs (www.sos-chefs.com) is an amazingly vast, yet humble store that welcomes you to sniff and smell and buy large or small quantities of all manner of spices, oils, vinegars, condiments, grains, nuts, dried fruits, chocolate, truffles and mushrooms.
I was so overwhelmed by possibility the smells and sights inspired that all I purchased was a $4.50 bottle of Rose Water for cooking, but I plan on going back with recipe list in hand and intent to purchase these amazing side dish size tagines that come in an array of bright colors. Though they have a website that offers many of the products in the Avenue B store, I strongly encourage you to find your way to it because they also have a nice array of cooking and serving utensils and items that aren't posted on the website.

Happening - Halloween Hauntings In New York

Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and there are always tons of celebrations in New York. In addition to this year's 95th Village Halloween Parade (7pm from Spring Street to 21st Street along 6th Avenue) there are tons of other opportunities for every ghoul and girl (sorry had to do it!), regardless of age, to celebrate the season -

October 23-26th, 28-31st

Blood Manor Haunted House

542 West 27th Street(between 10th & 11th Avenues)

7:30pm-1am $25 (+ 3.50 handling) - when purchased via phone 877-340-3002

Blood Manor boasts 20 themed rooms of horror for kids 14 years and older.

The 5,000 square feet of terror includes nightmares in electrifying 3D experience.

October 25,29,27,30

Ghostly Tales & Tours at the Merchant House Museum

29 East 4th Street between Lafayette and the Bowery

Every 30 minutes from 6-10pm $25, $13 for members

7pm & 9pm Oct 31st -Story Telling Halloween Night $20, $10 for members

Reservations required 212-777-1089

This village house built in 1832 has been the site of 9 deaths and 8 family funerals and the perfect place for a spooky candlelit tour and storytelling on Halloween night.

October 25th

CENTRAL PARK

Central Park's Pumpkin Festival

Naumberg Bandshell, Cherry Hill & Bethesda Terrace

Enter the park from East or West 72nd Street

FREE 3-8pm http://www.centralparknyc.org/

There will be a haunted house, hayrides, live music, a scaregrow design contest and the lighting of a 20ft Tower of Jack O'Lanterns as well as a pumpkin patch for picking (proceeds to benefit Camp Sunshine - a national retreat for children with life threatening illnesses)

CENTRAL PARK

The Nightmare Before Christmas Screening

Belvedere Castle (mid-Central Park @ 79th Street)

FREE - 6-8pm - For more info 212 772-0210

The screening of Tim Burton's moving will begin at 6:30pm, after dark of course, and refreshments will be provided.

October 25th & 26th

Annual Macabre Greenwich Village Walking Tour

Meet up at the Washington Arch on Fifth Avenue just south of 8th Street.

1PM - $15 - For info 212-242-5762

Explore and learn about the haunted past of Greenwich Village on this annual Halloween walking that traces famous murders and the footsteps of ghosts that are said to roam downtown Manhattan, including Edgar Allen Poe of course.

October 26th

CENTRAL PARK

Halloween Pumpkin Sail

The Charles A Dana Discovery Center, inside the Park @ 110 Street btwn 5th & Lenox Ave

FREE - 4-7pm - For more info 212 860-1370 or http://www.centralparknyc.org/

There will be storytelling, crafts, music and candy and at sunset the carved pumpkins will be lit and set afloat across the Harlem Meer - you have to bring your own carved pumpkin ( 10lbs or less) and of course dress in costume.

October 30th

The Zombie Parade @ Delancey

The Delancey, 168 Delancey Street between Clinton and Attorney Streets

8pm - $10

Spend Halloween night rocking the undead with live bands before crowning of a Zombie Prom King and Queen. There will be drink specials, a raffle and costume contest. Proceeds will benefit Personal Space Theatrics, a non-profit theater company.

October 21-31; November 1-2,4-8
Nightmare: Bad Dreams Come True & Nightmare Legends
CSV Cultural Center, 107 Suffolk Street, btwn Delancey & Rivington Streets
Super Haunt Ticket $30 and Express Entry $60
Bad Dreams Come True is a cutting edge, interactive haunted house experience and Nightmare Legends is a classic haunted house. Kids under 12 will not be admitted without a parent and kids under 7 will not be admitted.

October 31st

Ralph Lee's Halloween Extravaganza & Procession of the Ghouls

Cathedral Church of St John the Divine

112th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, one block east of Broadway

7pm & 10pm - Tickets $15.00 - For info 212 316-7488

Join other ghouls for a screening of The Phantom of the Opera accompanied by ominous sounds of cathedral organ followed by the famous Grand Procession of Ghouls, a dramatic parade of puppets, creatures and special affects

Village Halloween Costume Ball
Theatre for the New City, 155 First Avenue at East 10th Street
8pm - $20 Costume or formal wear is required - Info 212-254-1109
Each year the Theatre for the New City transforms their multilevel space into a Halloween extravaganza for more than 1,400 masqueraders. A truly theatrical experience featuring sculpture, art, and live performances from more than 450 artists

October 31st; November 1st
The National Comedy Theatre's Halloween Spooktacular
347 West 36th Street between 8th & 9th Avenues
Shows 7:30pm & 9:45pm - $15 Adults/$12 Students & Seniors - For info 212 629-5202
Join this Halloween improv comedy show that has been described as Friday the 13th meets Whose Line is it Anyway?. Every year the show, which features Halloween-themed subjects, spooky games, promise a bizarre ending that will be discussed way pass Thanksgiving.

Luxury From the Inside Out - How to Cook Everything with Mark Bittman

A few months ago I donated my television set to the Salvation Army. I never had cable so I've always had access to limited stations anyway. I don't regret my decision to forgo television. The silence left by not having one is a luxury in itself. I can watch DVDs on my computer and access most shows on their channel's website. I will admit that I do miss watching the Sunday afternoon cooking shows on PBS, especially Mark Bittman's cooking shows "How to Cook Everything" and "The Best Recipes in the World".

What I enjoy about his show and his personality is that he approaches food the way most of us who enjoy cooking and eating but aren't trained chefs do, with honesty, directness and a need for simplicity so not to overwhelm the cook with recipes that require degrees in food preparation. Mark, maybe I should call him Mr. Bittman, a food column writer for the New York Times also has a video column on their website.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/playlist/style/the-minimalist

In each 3-5 minute segment in his down to earth way he prepares a recipe that is simple, elegant and makes the mouth water. Watching makes me want to set aside the time to make myself a quick and wonderful meal to enjoy in the silence left by not having a TV.

Enjoy!

PS - There's even a blogspot.com blog that honor's Mark Bittman http://mycrushonmarkbittman.blogspot.com/ (I might have to become a follower!)

Handy Product

Another one of the goodies from the loot bag is J.R. Watkins’ Hand & Body Lotion in Aloe and Green Tea scent. 

http://www.jrwatkins.com/jrwatkins/index.cfm?Country=Usa

I did some research and found that this company has been making natural health and beauty products for around 140 years and I am sorry to say this hand and body lotion smells like it's that old. It’s not that it smells bad but every time I try and use it I keep looking around for my Great-Grandmother and her bingo cronies and they’ve all been dead for more than 30 years. I admit to being totally surprised by my dislike of lotion because I usually love the smell of products with a green tea scent, but this hand and body lotion also has apricot, shea butter, coconut, sunflower, jojoba and avocado oils as well as chamomile and calendula scents and maybe my noise picked out the scents strongest to my memory. Unfortunately those memories are of women in their 80s taking the bus to Bingo in their rolled down stocking and parlor done hair dos. I don’t think the product is bad. The lotion is thick and creamy and my skin quickly absorbed it. It didn’t leave an overly greasy residue, just the smooth film you want after moisturizing and unfortunately a lingering old fashioned scent.

The company has a wonderful long standing reputation for good products. I ran across this hand and body lotion as well as some other JR Watkin's products at the local Duane Reade, where a large bottle of this lotion sells for $7.00, but if you can't find it in your neighborhood pharmacy and you're interested in trying this or some of the other items JR Watkin's produces here is the website for quick reference
http://www.jrwatkins.com/jrwatkins/productsgroup.cfm?Group=8F7F4829-22E3-F379-01C8137431E35241&Family=BF040AEB-A5E2-0152-9E435783485A64D4&Store=E4C33ACF-2542-3708-4D6BFDC7F0F83A31&Country=Usa

Suds and Nuts

The shells of pistachios use to be dyed red to conceal the blemishes on mostly imported nuts. Now that much of what is on the market is Californian grown there are a lot of people that have only seen pistachios in their natural beige colored shells.
When I inhaled Earthworks Pistachio Soap I expected to find my nose stained red from pushing the bar too close against it.

This tripled milled soap is made with undyed, organic pistachios as well as other rich ingredients that include shea butter, jojoba, calendula and coconut oils. Making triple mill or French milled soap is a commercial process. Soap, which is typically made with synthetic detergents, is made, dried and then rolled three or more times through steel rollers to create a fine paste that is then pressed and formed into bars. There is usually no variation in color and texture and all the soap is identical.

Earthworks Pistachio Soap is made in England by a commercial soap manufacture with steel rollers that do the job. It is smooth with an old fashioned feel to it and leaves my skin moisturized and smelling lovely and yes, I crave ice cream after washing with it. I loved the bambo and mulbrerry tree pulp wrapping paper with its raised printed pattern that reminds me of old fashioned thermography printing.

This is another goody bag item but I did do a search. Though I found it for $9.00 with out the special packaging I am posting it's listing on the actual Earthworks’ site because this bar has that pretty packaging. The soap sells for $10 a 7 oz bar –

http://www.earthworksproducts.com/pistachiosoap.html

Shoe In - Fall 2008

The recent arrival of the pounds and pounds of fall Fashion Magazines has made me suddenly aware of my shoe diet. Every fall I look around and consider what shoe style I want to add to my collection. In recent years I have made it a habit to only buy a new pair if I let go of an old pair. It’s not just about limited storage space, but the guilt I sometimes feel for having enough shoes to adorn all the feet of a small village.

This fall I am hoping to add a shoe that is very similar to the attached photo of Nine West’s Goto Shoe (right), which is a carry over trend from the architectural shoe of this spring (2008). This fun shoe only retails for $79.00. It comes in a variety of colors including the ever safe black and a red that leaves a bit to be desired because in my opinion the shade of red is off, a bit too bright. It’s the purple that’s calling me.


I am also feeling Nine West's Dasolina (left), which retails for $99.00 and is gentler and sexier version of the tie up bootie. This shoe comes in purple, grey, dark green and black, which is again the color that’s catching my eye.

Now readers you will note that the cost of each shoe isn’t too far out of reach for most of us and some of us may even consider the retail price a bargain. The point of the exercise is to consider the style of shoe you want before buying it. There are so many options on the market that you are sure to find more than one version of any shoe you have your heart set on. I like the Nine West line. It isn’t overly priced and has gained major recognition for offering budgeted versions of what has shown up on the runways under bigger designer labels. More importantly they always seem to go on sale, especially at Macy’s, right around the Thanksgiving Holiday. If I can hold out until then I may be able to get both shoes for the price of only one pair, which means I might be able to add a bag to my purchase.

Hello, my name is Simone and I am a shoeaholic…

Shopping Spots Worth the Tip - Soap & Iron Fairies

By now everyone knows I have a thing about soap. I have always wanted to learn and master the art of soap making but it has never been a top priority on my to-do list. Instead I buy as much and many of the amazing products I come across that I can logically use. I also buy and give soaps as gifts, so if you receive a bar or two from me it is by no means a comment on your habits of cleanliness just an extension of my own joy with such items.
While walking down St. Mark's Place the other day my attention was drawn by a dark cave like den of a store. Descending its stairs I was welcomed by the heavenly scents and things made of fairy dreams and fantasy!! Giddy with excitement I made an appointment to return the next day to chat with manager about the store and the products it offers.

Though I had already looked up the store on line I wanted a first hand account about the store's history and line of products. The next day the manager of Iron Fairies was more than generous with her time and answered more questions than the site could.

The Iron Fairies is a chain of stories whose products - sandalwood based soaps, soy wax candles, iron fairy figurines as well a new jewelry line- all spring from the imagination of author Ashley Sutton and her tales of fairies and iron miners. The store encourages you to put aside the everyday mundane, enter the story and play part in a world of fantasy. By working with one of the store employees you can create handmade soap and hand mixed oils. I must admit the soap making part fascinated me. The soap machine allows you to mix and match essential oils, spices and fragrances into a selected base oil which is then heated and poured into a mould. And Voila! you have an amazing smelling soap that reflects your personality or the personality of the many fairies that inhabit the store and its stories.

https://theironfairies.com/

Greasy & Proud

I am blessed with oily skin. I know that many of you are gasping right about now in response to this statement, but it is because of my thick, oily skin that I look younger than I actually am despite years of frying in the sun both intentionally and unintentionally. Despite a shiny T Zone and a battle with blackheads, that I have won tyvm. I rarely had a pimple during my teen years. It was only when I entered college and the work force and experienced the stress and pressures that came along with balancing school; work and a social life did the break outs occur. On occasion they still do and that is why I, like thousands, at times turn to a 3 step facial programs that cleans, tones and prevents acne. I have seen the wonderful results people I knew that use Proactiv had but I hated the idea of being mocked by that one pimple on the side of my cheek while I waited for a preventative to arrive in the mail. So rather than send off a payment, meditate for patience and wait for the mailman to deliver I decided to investigate products that were readily available in any of my neighborhood drug stores.

Off to Duane Reade I went and low and behold they had a generic version of the 3 step kit. The $9.99 price wasn’t a large investment. Unfortunately it was too harsh for my post-post-post adolescent skin and started to dry it out which made me then worry about wrinkles as well as blemishes. One day, while browsing the aisles and aisles of goodies at Bed, Bath and Beyond, I happened upon AcneFree products. At $19.99 it was again worth the investigating so I purchased their version of the 3 Step Acne kit (I was also beginning to meditate daily on patience in case I truly needed to place my credit card order and wait for the mail to arrive).

Like most 3 step kits theirs has a wash, a toner and a repair/preventative lotion that contains time released benzoyl peroxide. After the 1st week what blemishes I had subsided and my skin was smooth. After week 4 any marks on the side of my face, where I tended to pick without thinking, lightened and virtually disappeared. Now pimples visit me once a month and I am waiting for menopause to take care of that. I admit sometimes I neglect being consistent in my use of the products and can experience a break out, especially is I am experimenting with face creams and potions. But if I promptly return to using the kit everything seems to heal rather quickly and without consequence. Unfortunately the product doesn’t stop the evil eye because the other day when my friend Tanya commented how glowing and wonderful my skin looked that night I found two eruptions on my left cheek which I promptly named MJ and Ashley before attacking them with the AcneFree Products. They are no longer with us.

You can buy this item at most major drugstores, Targets, Kmarts or Walmarts in your area but if you want to order it via the net, here’s the site – http://www.acnefree.com/af/products

Shopping Spots Worth the Tip - the Candy Man Can

There is something about a candy store that brings out the child in all of us. For the true retro experience you need to take a visit to

Economy Candy

108 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side

It’s still 1937 when you visit this store. You will find yourself marveling over the tight aisles filled with bins, tins and bags
of candy, much of which is no longer available in most candy stores and some of which are imports rarely seen anywhere else than in this store.

Though they have remained loyal to the tried and true goodies that keep generations of customers coming back over the years this family run business has added other items to there inventory that are outside the realm of sweet. They include teas, nuts and dried fruits.

They have even come into the internet age with a website and mail order option, but I strongly encourage you to make a pilgrimage to this New York City staple and get sugared up.

http://www.economycandy.com/

Happening - Kiku

Readers I have to admit when I spied the sign on the side of this bus I thought my favorite Brooklyn Japanese sushi place had become a fast food chain. Instead the sign announced the month long event of Kiku at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx.

http://www.nybg.org/kiku08/

From October 20 through November 18th the garden will host the art of Kiku, which is a traditional Japanese art of meticulously cultivating chrysanthemums. The New York Botanical Garden's website claims that this will be the most elaborate floral and cultural exhibition shown in the gardens 116 years. There will be dancing and druming and Kiku for kids and opportunities to learn Japanese gardening techniques and of course lots of books, prints and other gift shop items for consideration. I have already planned my visit!

A Product & A Dream

Those of us born in the generation of Tenax and Sugar Water miss the days of spiking and teasing our hair, regardless of its length, and paying for it in deep conditioner and drastic hair cuts. These days I am overwhelmed by the amount of product on the market and the wide range of prices. Like many I find myself ignoring the old tried and true hair products believing that the industry has discovered bigger and better chemicals or uses for natural elements that will allow me to manipulate my hair so that it will be perfect, just the way I want it, every time I use it. I go through phases of buying lots of things and trying to style my hair and then just getting a good cut that lets me run my fingers through and go.

At this time in my life I am looking for the perfect hair styling product. It is the dream. I recently cut my hair into a chin length bob with long front layers and short layered back and it's the perfect time to find the ideal product. After experimenting and rejecting a few gel and liquid styling products and being hesitant about buying molding mud and pastes I came across L’Oreal Professional Tex Playball Designweb and L’Oreal Professional Tex Playball Motiongelee.

L’Oreal Professional Tex Playball Designweb is a sculpting fiber gum that allows me to apply it to my dried hair and pull it for direction and push it for height while keeping a shape that shows the layers my hair stylist created with his scissors.

L’Oreal Professional Tex Playball Motiongelee is a whipped cream wax that allows me to piece and pull my hair to create definition with lots of shine.

These 3.9ox jars, which are perfect for travel and everyday carrying, were $1.99 at my favorite sellout place Lots for Less. If you can’t make it to one of the 6 stores in New York mentioned in a previous blog entry I am sure you can find it in your local Hair & Beauty Supply Stores, but it might cost you up to $16.50. They are sold on Amazon, which once again is one of the cheaper places on the net, for $13.99 each –

http://www.amazon.com/LOreal-Professionnel-Tex-Playball%20Design/dp/B0013AV4QU/ref=pd_sim_hpc_1

http://www.amazon.com/LOreal-Professionnel-Playball-Motion-Gelee/dp/B000Q0P4IW

Once A Cheater

I have tried to get with the liquid shower gels and body shampoos but they never seem to lather up like a real bar of soap. I grew up with floating Ivory Soap and men who showered in Irish Spring and women who used rough bars of olive oil soaps that weren’t as exotic as the ones on the market today. And let’s not forget Lava Soap and how it cleaned the paint and grease off of hard working hands and how Dove Soap promised to moisturize before running down the drain because it was so rich it melted when hit by water. Now I reach for soaps rich in vegetable and essential oils. I love the smell of honey, almond, orange, sandelwood, patchouli, amber and the rough texture of oatmeal and wheat germ and oils like olive, coconut and cocoa. Since soap making is back in style there are some amazing options that fall within anyone's budget. I do have ivory dreams of finding the perfect soap that I will be loyal to and use forever. So far I have not been able to stay faithful. Perhaps sharing my infidelities here with you will help ease my guilt.

Today I am sharing one of the soaps I love. It is a 100% Vegetable Oil based soap produced by COMMONWEALTH SOAP & TOILETRIES COMPANY for someone who had the wonderful idea to produce a really amazingly rich and beautiful smelling soap and the oversight to not to include their company's logo or name (at least I can't find one, can you? squint!) on the packaging. The bars of soap were only 3.99 each at TJ Max, another amazing place to frequent if you enjoy luxury beauty products but don't have or want to spend a fortune. The problem with shopping there is that you have to buy it when you find it because you may never find it again. I admit to purchasing all of the Honey Almond and Orange Oatmeal Soaps I could find that day certain I would never find them again. I am down to a total of 3 bars and I’m starting to eyeball some other interesting soap waiting for me and my washcloth - once a cheater....

In desparation I Google searched COMMONWEALTH SOAP & TOILETRIES COMPANY and found their site, but it is of no help. They list no products for sale and when I tried to email my concerns I couldn’t send an inquiry through the site. I did find other postings for items that bear their name, but none had this soap for sale. Commonwealth seems to manufacture lots of soaps for people who have a recipe and a dream. Here is the website if you are one of those people http://www.cstsoap.com/index.htm

Drop me a line when about your product. I love a good bar of soap and as you know I am known to stray!!

Saving Face

When I was younger I loved making facial masques and experimented with home versions all the time. I bought French clay and mixed in essential oils like tree tea and geranium, separated eggs putting the white on my t zone and the yolk on my cheek area, mashed avocados and tomatoes and tried not to eat the ingredients as they dried on my face. I even mixed drug store powders like alum and fuller’s earth with almond oil to make a mask that was suppose to tighten skin so taunt in its youth that I probably looked like I was still wearing the mask after rinsing it off.

Over the years as my addiction grew I moved onto bigger, if not better, products. I bought and experimented with masques from places like the Body Shop, Lush and Origins and but somewhere along the way facial masques lost their appeal and I rarely, if ever, use them anymore.

One of the goodies from the loot bag is a ½ ounce sample size of

Eminence’s Pink Grapefruit Vitality Masque.
http://www.eminenceorganics.com/products/index.php?paid=3#211

It looks like pink jelly and has a definite citrus flavor. It is suppose to enrich and firm the texture of the skin, reduce signs of aging, restore hydration levels and infuse the skin with high levels of antioxidant vitamin-C and bioflavonoids. The on line instructions for this product say that I should apply a thin layer and leave on the skin, but it also mentions that it can be used with an ultra sound and that it can be diluted. Why do I think that this product is meant for a professional rather than an at home Mad-Product Scientist? Regardless, after allowing it to dry to a tacky film I rinsed it off with warm water and removed the residue with a warm wet facial wash cloth. I am not certain of my skin was more taunt than before I used the masque but it did look a bit brighter but more importantly the 2 eruptions on my left cheek, MK and Ashly, were barely noticeable.

If you care to give this product a try this product this site offers it for $20 less than some others I have seen it at.

http://www.prettyskin4less.com/Shop/Control/Product/fp/SFV/32502/vpid/5373906/vpcsid/0/rid/126975

Beauty from the Inside Out- You Can Do It!

I work across the street from a branch of the New York Public Library. I find myself there at least once a week borrowing as many books as I can carry (I know, I’m Greedy!) The convenience of the library's location has made me the voracious reader I was as a child, but this post isn’t about my love of books, it’s about a book I pulled off the shelf this week.

YOU CAN DO IT! The Merit Badge Handbook For Grown Up Girls
In Memory of Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas

On 9/11 Lauren, along with her fellow passengers, bravely perished on United Flight 93. She dreamed of creating a self empowering resource for women and luckily for us her two sisters, in her honor, fulfilled her dream.

Published by Chronicle in 2005 (so I'm a day late!), this book is an easy read how-to-guide for those of us that are still dreaming great dreams and want to make those dreams some part of our everyday reality but don't know where or how to begin. It asks us to find our inner Girl Scout and to have fun while we do the work of earning the merit badge of accomplishing a goal. The book lays out 60 dreams for the reader. Some are common desires for many of us and some are new and wonderful interests to consider. Each section features words of encouragement, profiles of mentors that share and live some aspect of that dream and lists of activities that help make the dream part of your life as well as book, net and organizational resources that support the reality of that dream. Dreaming of going back to school, learning to sew, tracing your roots, maintaining your home, walking on fire, making a film, building a web site are some of the 60 dreams laid out for you.

I found the book on amazon.com marked down to $6.49*
http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Do-Handbook-Grown-Up/dp/B000PUAHP8/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1222815830&sr=8-2

*A portion of the proceeds from You Can Do It! will go to the Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas Foundation, which supports charitable causes and scholarships for women- http://www.lcgfoundation.org/ With such a mark down I am not certain if this advice still applies, but I hope so.

Meditated and Creamed

I adore the tubs of body butter that are popular with cosmetics companies at the moment and because there are so many on the market, which hints to me that they are going out of favor, I have the opportunity to purchase them at all price points so that I can find which ones I like best. I love that the packaging, it allows me to dig in and take as much or as little body cream as I want or need.


Self Meditating Body Butter with Rice Bran Oil & Green Tea by True Blue SPA is the type of product that I sparingly use because it is both amazingly morturizing and brutally addictive. The creamy rich texture begs to be slathered all over and then some but you don’t need that much to benefit from using it. A little goes a long way. The green tea smell is just right, but it does linger so be careful about mixing scents. I did a little research on rice bran oil and from all that I have read it isrich in vitamin E and suppose to be excellent for skin tone and texture. I can believe it since my skin is baby soft from using this stuff.

This amazing product is available at Bath & Body Works for $15.00. These stores are dotted all over New York City, but it you don’t have one near you here’s there site.

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/sm-true-blue-spa-self-meditating-body-butter-with-rice-bran--pi-2922034.html

Happening - Manhattan Vintage Clothing Show

This Friday, October 10th and Saturday, October 11th the annual
Mahhattan Vintage Clothing Show
takes place at the Metropolitan Pavilion 125 West 18th Street (between 6th & 7th Avenue)
http://www.manhattanvintage.com/index2.shtm

Admission is $20.00 and RSVP'ing is suggested.

If you go to the website or put yourself on their mailing list you can download their invite which is good for $5.00 discount on admission invite.

There is no need for me to blah blog blog any further, just have a look at the show directory to see all the types of clothing and accessories that will be available.

http://www.manhattanvintage.com/images/program/oct08/catalogue.htm

Unfortunately I will be flying over an ocean during this years show, but I am hoping of few of you will attend and share you're amazing finds with us.

To Peel or Not To Peel

After much coaxing from friends, I finally decided to give in and try one of the at home chemical peel and exfoliation kits. From what I have read most at home kits aren’t strong enough to do damage and without diligent and continued use much change. Many contain the same working ingredients at varying amounts and it is the packaging and name brand you are paying for. A visit to Sephora and then a few local drugstores left me overwhelmed and confused by the number of at home options. Do I need both? Can I use only one? Will I get the same results if I use either?

I finally decided to investigate using an at home chemical peel kit, since I believe the facial wash cloth I use does a good job of exfoliating any skin ready to flake off. I read somewhere that using a glycolic acid based product works best in a convenient pad version since they are ready and easy to use. After much research I decided to buy Avon’s ANew Clinical Advanced Re-texturizing Peel, not because it was the cheapest I could find but because I had read many positive things about it.

Thirty Pads soaked in a professional 35% glycolic peel comes in a small screw top jar with the suggestion that you use one every other day, morning or night, followed by a moisturizer, preferably an ANew product. The acid is supposed to re-texturize and resurface your skin so that its tone is even and glowing. The pads also contain soothing botanicals that are meant to calm the skin. It tingled when I put it on my freshly washed skin and my face turned a shade or two darker than before I put it on. I did moisturize with a non ANew product. After using it every other evening for about 2 weeks my skin is clearer and its tone more even, as promised, despite a monthly blemish. It’s worth a try, especially now since Avon’s site is running a sale and its $14.99 instead of the regular $25.00 price.

http://shop.avon.com/shop/product.aspx?from=product.aspx&pf_id=33984&from=search&find_spec=Clinical+Advanced+Retexturizing+Peel&camp=200821&dir_delivery=1&rep_delivery=1

Happening - Afro Cuban Dance in New York

On Tuesdays and Thursday evenings Yesenia Fernandez-Seiler offers New Yorker's an amazing opportunity to experience Afro Cuban Dance.

Just East of Broadway and a block above Union Square at 18th you can experience a high energy class that focuses on a range of Afro-Cuban traditions, such as Rumba, Orisha, Arara and Congo dance styles. On Tuesday evenings from 6:00-7:30Pm  live musicians and singers help you to learn, hear and feel the rhythms of the drum and Yesenia's instruction teaches you to connect to the music.

On Thursday evenings from 7:00-9:00PM come experience Salsa and Son (Old School Salsa) partner dancing. Learn to spin and turn and use the rhythm and the clave to enhance your dance floor skills. This class is recommended for those who have salsa'd before.

Djoniba Dance and Drum Center

37th East 18th Street, 7th Floor

212 477 3464

$15.00

Beauty from the Inside Out - Oatmeal

You will find that recent posts are basically about locations in Downtown New York. I work in and have recently explored that area. There is much to share. Be patient with me. The posts will extend pass the lower Manhattan area. I promise. They are already in draft and waiting their turn to be posted.

The weather is turning cooler and with it the crisp fall mornings call for breakfasts that are more substantial and hardy than the fruit and yogurt I enjoyed all summer long. I love hot cereal in the morning, but rarely make it since I have discovered a little snack shack called Maria’s Café and the incredible, amazing, creamy, sweet oatmeal that they make there. It is the only thing I buy from spot because the rest of their food is standard greasy spoon, fried eggs, bacon, cheese on rolls, home fries and empanadas, which are all outdone by this oatmeal. The owners of the stand, which has been a staple on that corner for decades, recently expanded and took over an empty store front around the corner on Avenue C between 2nd and 3Rd Streets. I haven't attempted to get pass the neighborhood’s cronies to try their Latin American style food but with the weather turning colder it might be easer to stop in.

In case you have neglected to read all the press on the benefits eating oatmeal brings to recap, it reduces LDL (bad) Cholesterol without lowering HDL (good) Cholesterol, and insoluble fibers have cancer fighting properties because they attack certain bile acids and reduce their toxicity. Oatmeal slows down digestion starch, which may be beneficial to diabetics because the sharp rise in blood sugar level that occurs when eating is minimized. It is suppose to prevent heart disease, the phyto-chemicals in oats are suppose to have cancer fighting properties and are a good source of nutrients including vitamin E, zinc, copper, iron, selenium, manganese and magnesium. Oats are also a good source of protein and if made with milk in addition to increasing the protein a shot of calcium is added, but you won’t care about all of this after the first spoonful of Maria’s Oatmeal. You will just fall in love with the warm creamy sweetness and at $1.50 for a small serving you will never want to make oatmeal at home again.

(Having strange hiccups with this site, posts are off dated and repeating and the one I scheduled for today disappeared..your patience is appreciated)

Giving Good Lip

One of my childhood obsessions was gum chewing. I wanted to be able to control my chewing so that the gum snapped and popped and annoyed any adult within a mile range just like the older girls did in the Brooklyn neighborhood I grew up in. After watching and asking a lot of questions I learned that every girl had her own technique but they all had 2 things in common, technique, which amounted to the need for consistency in the amount of air that you took in as you chewed and a familiarity with your choice of gum. Wrigley’s gums were best and the Doublemint flavored one is still my favorite. Its flavor lasts a long time and you can chew it for days before the pliable plastic texture erodes. I never did get my gum snapping technique down but on the occassion I chew gum I still reach for Doublement chewing gum.

When I first experienced C.O. Bigelow’s Mentha Lip Shine I was once again that 7 year old girl sitting on a bench in Brooklyn reading a book and desperately trying to pop my gum. This lip-lip combines high gloss, moisturizer and overly present content of breath refreshing mint flavor which is very much like Wrigley’s Doublemint Gum with out all the chewing. The lip shine can get a little sticky, especially if you become obsessed with it and apply every 10 minutes like I did for awhile.

C.O. Bigelow’s Mentha Lip Shine retails for $7.00 each, but are frequently on sale for two tube for $10.00. You can buy it from the C.O. Bigelow’s landmark store (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._O._Bigelow) on 3rd Avenue or at Bath & Body Works, which is where I get mine.

http://www.bathandbodyworks.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2095294&cp=2073258.2079003.2128726&parentPage=family

Shopping Spots Worth the Tip - Man Runs With His Scissors

A few months ago I decided to get my hair cut. It was a spur of the moment decision coming on for weeks. I had been carrying a picture of a short easy hair style I knew I would eventually get but it took me awhile to find the reason to. After a long day of work and with a deep feeling of the blahs I decided to satisfy the urge for change.

Because it was a spur of them moment decision I hadn’t made an appointment with a salon. In NY, where a hair cut can cost as much as a good pair of shoes at full retail,
a walk in could do some serious damage to a credit card. Besides I would always rather have the shoes. While considering if I should just head over to a local barber shop and take my chances I remembered that there was a Supercuts on St. Marks Place, between 2nd and 3rd Street. That was the day I met Philip.

For those of you unfamiliar with Supercuts it’s a chain of hair salons, over 85 in New York, that offer affordable hair and beauty treatments to the masses.
http://www.supercuts.com/
Before you pooh-pooh the chain experience, you haven’t seen Philip’s work. He has been working his magic for over 6 years and is worth much more than the under $20 haircut he gives. Granted I don’t get my hair washed or styled because I prefer to see a cut as it will look once I get my hands on it. Trust me, his haircuts stand up for months under my torture of curling iron, hot rollers and hair gels. Silently, deftly and without small talk but with a whole lot of personality he works his magic and in under 1/2 hour I am transformed.

I urge you to find him at Supercuts, 19 St. Marks Place #23 before a salon that charges more than a month’s rent does.

Blog Blah Blogging With A Purpose

If you have been reading this blog on a regular basis (and I hope you have) you may have noticed a few more advertisements on both the lower and side bar panels.

In addition to becoming a follower and reading on a regualr basis and contributing your thoughts, opinions and suggestions for http://simonerene.blogspot.com/ if you hit on those ads you will be making a difference because any proceeds from advertising will to be donated to the NorthStar Fund.

http://www.northstarfund.org/

By organizing donors, raising money for grants and providing technical assistance NorthStar Fund supports activism that focuses on the root causes of poverty, racism, homophobia and gender discrimination.

I'm still sorting out all the details but please be assured that in the coming weeks I will be posting updates about New York weekend events, museum and gallery openings and secret shopping spots of all kinds. There will be posts sharing the location of the candy capitol of New York, the cheapest hair cut in town, coffee paradise, a place where you can buy soap hand made while you watch and wait as its being made and the most amazing spice emporium I have ever fallen into (I was so giddy in this place that I am sure the owner thought I was a little coo-coo). Of course there will be lots more reviews for beauty products, books, shoes and accessories, basically the things that make life round and wonderful and luxurious. Since luxury is a personal thing, the posts will be varied and run the gamut of prcing. I just hope my posts inspire everyone who reads to consider what luxury means to them and then go out and acquire it, even if its just in the experience of the moment. Please also consider this an invite to let me know what your New York band is up to, what wonderful things you are making and selling locally, the types of products you're looking for and men, don't forget you're part of this too!

I will be away from October 9th through October 19th. No worries, the postings will continue because this lovely site has a timed posting option.

Beauty from the Inside Out -Wholly Guacamole

The food industry seems to be taking portion control concept seriously by packaging snacks in 100 calorie portions. The dieter in me loves the idea while the economist in me hates it because we end up paying way more for someone else to do the work we should be diligent about, understanding and controlling our portions.

While at the supermarket the other day I found the most amazing guacamole. It isn’t that the guacamole is any better tasting than others on the market, what was amazing was that the company pre packaged it into 100 calorie portion sizes. Each package, which retails for $2.99 at Key Food, contains 3 sealed pouches of guacamole. I must admit I don’t find the taste mind blowing but love the idea that I can carry or freeze the individual serving sizes, which are dated for use, to enjoy later. Because the portion size is controlled I now visually understand what 100 calories of guacamole looked like and can monitor my intake of freshly made guacamole, which is always preferred. The creamy texture of this product is perfect as a sandwich spread and was a great addition to the toasted tomato sandwich I had for breakfast.

If you’re curious here’s the company’s site and product details –

http://www.whollyguac.com/our_products/simply_avo_snackpacks

Eyes Wiped Opened

I wear contact lenses and because I do I don't use as much eye make up as I probably would if I didn’t. I know there are tons of eye makeup products out there specifically made for lens wearers but it's the eye makeup removers I have issue with not the water proof mascaras and liners. I find most removers to be too oily. They leave a filmy residue on my lens (and just how I am supposed to see what I am doing without them?). I end up using tons of cotton pads to wipe off the excess remover and still my white wash clothes are destroyed by black inky residue. The pre soaked pads are no better. If they aren't overly oily they tend to be too dry and I use way more than the recommended number just to remove even the minimal amount of mascara and eyeliner.

There was a time when none of this bothered me. It was when Klorane Eye Make Up Remover was still packaged and sold in dark blue glass bottles. I was infatuated by those bottles but never took into account that the product did the job. When the manufacture switched to plastic bottles using it just wasn’t as fun for me. I moved on. So you can imagine how giddy with excitement I was when I pulled out the glass medicine bottle filled Huiles & Baumes Cleansing & Make-Up Remover Oil from the loot bag. First of all the label is in both English and French which made me tingle even more. Each language advises that 99.74% of the remover's plant based ingredients are produced by organic farming, 100% of its ingredients are of natural origin and 98.71% of all ingredients are produced by organic farming (confused here). The product is a mix of jojoba, sunflower, sweet almond and rose hip oils with daisy and fig extracts thrown in. All that oil I should have known better than to think it would work for me. The instructions ask that you apply to the face with a slightly wet cotton pad and then rinse off with warm water. Following them still left me with oiled up eye areas that as I feared became big dark circles in the morning. For those of you with dry eye areas this product might work well.

If you are interested in trying it, here is the site that keep coming up when I googled the product http://www.spacenk.com/product/shop+by+brand/huiles+&+baumes/200001522+cleansing+and+makeup+remover+oil.do

I also did a google search and found the re bottled Klorane Eye Make-Up Remover. It is a lotion that has cornflower extract as one of its main ingredients. Despite being bottled in plastic I am going to give it another try. I have one of the old blue glass bottles around here somewhere, if not I know my friend Hugh MUST have one in his collection of 10000 little tiny-too-small-for-preserves collection. I have seen Klorane Eye Make-Up Remover in a number of stores around the city but if you want to buy it on the net it’s cheapest at amazon.com –
http://www.amazon.com/Klorane-Eye-Make-up-Remover/dp/B0000YUXQ2

Looking for Mr Bubble

Remembering that famous commercial that had almost every woman I knew while growing up asking at the end of a hard week that “Calgon, take them away” I purchased a box of the “New” Calgon Take Me Away! Moisturizing Bath Beads with Vitamin E & Aloe in lavender and vanilla scent. I had memories of a bath full of soft relaxing pleasant smelling bubbles and was 8 minutes into my bath when I realized those memories were about Mr. Bubble, not Calgon. After laughing at myself and wondering if I could find Mr. Bubble next time I stopped into Lot Less Discount Store, where I purchased the box of bathbeads for $1.99, I let Calgon take me away for about 15 minutes, which is exactly when the water grew tepid and my skin water logged.

The bath was calm and relaxing at least until I tried to get out of the tub and found my self slipping and sliding and needing to hang onto the edge in order to make my escape. True to it’s word, the formula was ring free and left my tub clean and it was while I was reading this claim on the box that I noticed the words of warning that I should always take care to avoid slipping in the tub. Wonder if that is why this item was at the sell out store?

A staple that can be replaced.

Lip Service

I, like most women I know, am always looking for the perfect lip-lip, to borrow a phrase from my then 5 year old. I rarely wear real lipstick preferring to use a tinted lip moisturizer that leaves a bit of natural color and shine without being too sticky, goopy or sparkly. At one point I loved and hoarded Clinique’s Almost Lipstick in Black Honey -http://www.clinique.com/templates/products/sp_shaded.tmpl?CATEGORY_ID=CATEGORY4903&PRODUCT_ID=PROD536

I would use a Macy's credit card to purchase at least 4 at a time so that I could keep one in the desk drawer at work, one on me at all times, one in the make up drawer in my bathroom and one tucked away in my plastic box of extras. Then one day in the middle of January sometime during my early 30s I looked into the mirror and realized how Goth I looked with my sallow winter skin, make-up less face, dark hair and eyes and black honeyed lips. There is nothing wrong with looking Goth but at that point in my life that look was best kept for my evening hour activities rather than my 9 to 5. That is when my search for the perfect lip-lip began again and I have earnestly sought, purchased, tried, discarded and loved many a lip-lip all in the quest of finding the perfect one that will tint, moisturize and compliment in a natural way.

My recent obsession is Calgon’s Get Juiced Lip Shimmer in Juicy Berry. It is an emollient lip balm that leaves a hint of a colored stain and a bit of lip shine on a face otherwise unadorned by make up. Instead of a Goth feel you look as if your lips are freshly flushed from a kiss. The product is packaged in a small, thin tube that reminds me of the Burt Bee’s Lip Balm packaging, which I have also tried. Get Juiced is a bit more emollient without a glossy shine and the berry tint a little less reddish more natural in color.

Calgon’s Get Juiced Lip Shimmers are a limited edition and were available in a few scents/flavors. They were sold with other bath and beauty products with the same scents. After using the Juicy Berry all last spring and summer I was at my wit’s end to replace the near empty tube I still carried and was pleasantly surprised when I discovered it at one of the sell out stores I sometimes stop in. At $0.99 each I was able to buy one for the desk drawer at work, one on keep on me at all times, one for the make up drawer in my bathroom and two to tuck away in my plastic box of extras and when those are gone I know that there will be another quest to occupy me.

Worth the search!

Happening - This Weekend

If you're around this weekend and in the mood for a little fun and games head on over to

Our Lady of Sorrow's Church Bazaar & Carnival.
Pitt Street between Stanton & Rivington Streets

http://ourladyofsorrowsny.4lpi.com/

Located on Pitt Street, an area of New York once known as little Germany, this church has served the lower east side community since it opened its doors in 1867. The parish still maintains a school and a number of out reach programs for those in need. The fair is a yearly event and the proceeds benefit both the church and the school programs run from there. There will be rides for the kids, games and food stalls. It starts on Friday, October 3rd, 4:00pm - 10pm, and runs both Saturday, October 4th and Sunday, October 5th from 11am until 11pm.

If you're not into the idea of a street fair make a point of passing this interesting NY landmark. The original building combines Victorian, Byzantine and Romanesque styles. Surrounded by tenement project buildings some of the awe it must have inspired in the late 1800's is lost, but if you stand south of it on Pitt Street and the sun is just right the sight of the spire and the statue atop it will still make you pause in admiration.