"Tiny bubbles...make me feel happy, ah they make me feel fine..."

I've been relying on this product quite a bit lately.  I don't know what it is about the formula but in 5 minutes, my skin looks fresh and decongested.  A lot of products claim to be a 'nap in a bottle' but this mask actually delivers on that promise.  And the formulation!  The product itself is orange with a shampoo-esq consistency and smells divinely of orange fizz and push pops (remember those?!) but once you apply it onto damp skin, it gets all frothy and bubbly and starts working its magic. I like to use this at night and follow it with my usual moisturizer; by morning any evidence of fatigue on my skin is gone.

At $52 it's a little on the pricey side for a mask but the Bliss Triple Oxygen Treatment facial at a Bliss spa will cost you $160.  I've only used this mask for a few weeks but I think it's one I'll consider re-purchasing.

Vogue - October 1961

My sister surprised me with a 'just because' gift of a 1961 issue of Vogue magazine (along with their 100th Anniversary Issue but that's for another post) and I am just smitten with the images and adverts.

I've included just a few of the pages here but the magazine is full of amazing clothes that I would love to wear now (like the coat in the third photograph) and editorial and ads that reveal a lot about the times. The beauty ads have a lot more verbiage than they do now but Revlon and Max Factor were just as prominent in 1961 as they are now. And, even back then, CHANEL was on the right hand page.  Maybe things don't change as much as we think they do...

O.P.I gotta tell ya...

I love, love, love painted nails.  When my finger nails are painted, my hands just move more gracefully and I just feel polished (Ha! I promise that pun was totally unintentional!).

O.P.I is usually my go-to for nail color (especially when I have a fabulous Ulta coupon) but it's also a great way to get a sneak peak at key colors for a season.   Take their Fall/Winter collection called Swiss...oh I love those blue/green shades.  It would look great with all the black and grey already in my closet.

"So fresh and so clean, clean!"

Years ago, Mr. Lauder was being interviewed about a new product launch and was asked about projected sales numbers. Now, I don't remember verbatim what he said but his reply was something to the effect of "It's not the initial launch numbers I look at. It's the numbers after the launch. Are customers returning to re-purchase? Are they telling their friends about the product? Those are the numbers that really matter." I think of that quote often when I'm trying new products..."Would I purchase this again?"

 

This cleanser is already on my 'to buy' list for when Clinique's gifting event comes back around.

:-)

What I love...

 

*The price. $15 and I've been using this pump since early April and I think there's another good 4-6 weeks left in the bottle.
*The packaging. A pump bottle lets me control the amount of cleanser I dispense and with a turn of the pump, I can lock the dispenser so it's great for travel. (If I'm checking in a bag otherwise into a travel bottle it goes!) And there's just something so clean about the way the bottle looks in the shower with water droplets on it; it just screams "Use me! Use me!" (I'm such a sucker for packaging!)
*The results.  This cleanser isn't going to prevent wrinkles or delay the signs of aging but I let my topical lotions and potions take care of that.  This cleanser does exactly what it's supposed to and what it's supposed to do is clean your skin and it does this really well. It's gentle enough for night and day use and it gets rid of makeup.
*The formulation. Comes in 3 formulations so there's a cleanser for everyone! I have oily/combination skin so "mild" seems to be just right for my skin type.

 

I'm interested to see if I feel the same way about this cleanser during the winter so I'll post another review as the temperatures start to drop. 

And let me tell you, I cannot WAIT for the temperatures to start dropping! 

Turns out, milk DOES NOT do a body good...

At least it doesn't do my body good.

After a LOT of potions and lotions and PILLS, it turns out that my cystic acne wasn't being caused by the wrong products or stress.  Milk was the culprit!

I had read little bits here and there about the cystic acne-dairy connection but it wasn't until I read it on ReneeRouleau.com that I decided going milk-free was something worth trying. So on March 3rd I declared myself "milk free" and I almost immediately saw a difference - the redness and swelling started to disappear almost as quickly as it had appeared.  It's been over 5 months and the acne isn't totally gone, but I also didn't go "dairy free" - just milk free.  For a lot of sufferers it can be the quantity of milk and dairy that is consumed so a lot of the challenge now is finding that balance where I  can still enjoy cheese, yogurt, and ice cream, and keep my skin happy.   

In the mean time though, I am resolved to re-commit myself to this blog.  Dealing with the acne had become such an issue for me that trying new products and telling and teaching people about them wasn't enjoyable anymore.  The anxiousness and embarrassment had become too much and my confidence in what I had to say and share was being thwarted by something I so badly wanted to overcome but didn't know how.  But there's light at the end of the tunnel now and it feels so good to be back writing and teaching and sharing.

My goal is to have 3-4 posts a week so if you're reading this, please come back for another visit!  I've got a great list of products that I can't wait to share with you!

They may have found the Gnostic Gospels in Nag Hammadi but...

Story time: In my other life, when I was a Beauty Business Manager for a beauty department, there was this lovely Hispanic woman that worked for me as a Sisley Skin Specialist. (For GG Fans, she looked and acted like Ms. Patty.) She was always trying to get me to into her Sisley chair so she could do her thing because according to her (and every other Product Specialist on my floor), I needed help. "Honey! Sweetheart! Give me 5 minutes. 5 MINUTES! I can help you!" And it's not that I didn't agree with her, but there's just something unnerving about someone pointing out flaws you already know exist. "Yes, I know I have oily skin. Yup and I'm aware of the uneven skin tone. Wait. What? I'm prone to break outs? Shut! Up! No way!".

In any case, she finally gave up trying to get me into her chair and tried other tactics. Whenever she would catch me walking by her counter, she would run up and press sample packettes into my hand "Try it. It will work! You NEED it." And when that didn't work, she would resort to Danny Ocean-like slickness and slip packettes into the pockets of my suit jacket and I can't even tell you how many times I would get home and find samples in my handbag.

Anyway, a few weeks ago I came across this tester that, I swear, I have no recollection of receiving. Have no idea when or how it ending up in my closet. But I took it as a sign and thought "oh what the heck. I'll try it".

Ladies and gents. I think I may have found my Holy Grail moisturizer. This stuff is simply WOW. It's oil-free with a gel-texture and an okay fragrance but it's so refreshing to find a product that does what it says it will. I've been using it as my daytime moisturizer for two weeks and don't have to blot away the remnants of the Exxon-Valdez anymore. Some days, I don't even have to re-powder. Seriously. Can't remember the last time I reached for my blotting papers. Oh I just hoped I haven't jinxed it.

Just so you know...

I just bought my third stick of this.

Just so you know. It's that good.