Chic and Green

Fabulous Friday Outfit...

2012-02-10T17:31:00.002-05:00

Weekday Chic by chicandgreen

H M short sleeve top
£20 - hm.com

Dorothy Perkins long sleeve top
$14 - dorothyperkins.com

Steve Madden flat shoes
$45 - bloomingdales.com

Dorothy Perkins ring
$22 - dorothyperkins.com

Women's Clothes: The It List | Old Navy
oldnavy.gap.com

Today's Episode of Dr. Oz

2012-02-09T16:52:00.000-05:00

I don't watch television during the day. However, I had to turn it on after the boys came home when I heard that my favorite eye cream, 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream, would be featured.

What a great episode. I actually am very happy I tuned in--and not just to see the beauty products. Montel Williams was the first guest and I learned some great things about natural pain relief and products he recommends to treat the symptoms of his MS. He looks great--fit, healthy, and full of energy. One thing that caught my attention is the Tommie Copper products. Montel even mentioned that this can be used to treat the pain from Carpal Tunnel. As my pain can be bothersome (especially my pinky & ring finger, not to mention the pins and needles feeling from the elbow down), I am looking for ways to treat it without drugs. Here is the one that I'd like to try from their site:

The copper is an interesting aspect of this product. According the their website:

"Copper has been used in medicine for thousands of years, one of the world's oldest medical texts, the Ebers Papyrus states, "Treat inflammation with pulverized copper". Copper also stimulates the immune system to fight infections, to repair injured tissues, and to promote healing. Copper has been shown to neutralize "free-radicals" which can cause severe damage to cells. Symptoms of copper deficiency include osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis."

You all know I can be a bit of a skeptic, but I am intrigued enough to try this and let you know if I see a difference in my Carpal Tunnel symptoms.

Back to why I originally tuned in--today 4 "top anti-aging innovations" were announced on the show and 100% Pure Coffee Bean Caffeine Eye Cream was named one of them! This is just a couple weeks after the cream was featured in People as one of Kate Hudson's favorite products. Click here for my review of this product and click here to order.

A Week of Bargains!

2012-02-09T15:25:00.000-05:00

It's been a great bargain-hunting week for me. It all started Monday when I scored a brand new with the original tags still attached Dana Buchman tunic for $6 at Savers in Webster. It is super cute with dark skinny jeans and ballet flats.

The same day, I also bought a practically new Guess bag (just like the one below) for $7.50 at Savers.

I also found a super cute LOFT sweater dress for $1.50 at the Irondequoit Salvation Army. It was 50% off of $2.99. Can't beat that!

Today after my morning coffee, I headed over to Marshalls. Today's fab find ~ Franco Sarto pumps for $10:

Have you found any great bargains lately? I'd love to hear about them!

What's In It Wednesday: Lead in Your Lipstick

2012-02-08T14:45:00.000-05:00

We've all heard about lead contamination in lipstick. Back in 2007, Senators Kerry, Boxer, and Feinstein wrote a letter urging the Food & Drug Administration to take action to ensure consumer safety after traces of lead were initially found in popular lipsticks.

Unfortunately, there is more news regarding lead in lipstick. I received an email today from Stacy Malkan, Co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and a friend to to Chic & Green. It was regarding the recent news regarding the latest public study released about the epidemic of lead in lipsticks. While experts say that there is no safe level of lead exposure, many popular cosmetics companies continue to say that the small amount of lead in lipsticks is A-OK. Shame on them!

With the increased awareness of the dangers of lead exposure, this is ridiculous. What is more troubling is that some levels of lead in lipsticks actually doubled since the lead in lipstick news came out in 2007.

Here is the list of 400 lipsticks with lead in them released by the FDA. The biggest culprit: L'Oreal and its companies (such as Maybelline and Lancome). A shocker to me? Burt's Bees. Shame on this company for selling lip products with lead. Shame on all of them on the list.

The lipstick found with the most lead? Maybelline Color Sensational in Pink Petal

L'oreal Colour Riche in Volcanic

Nars Red Lizard

You'll also find colors from MAC, Mary Kay, Revlon, and more on the list.

Lead is found in lipsticks ranging from $5 Rimmel products at Walmart to department store brands such as Chanel, Estee Lauder, Clarins, and Bobbi Brown. This is completely unacceptable.

What are the dangers of lead exposure?

Lead poisoning is actually one of the most preventable poisoning there is. There is no safe amount of lead exposure. Adults who have been exposed to lead are at increased risk for strokes, heart attack, and memory loss. That is not all. Fatigue, irritability, anemia, nausea, seizures, hearing loss, and even miscarriage are also possible effects.

I commend the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics for writing this letter to Dr. Linda Katz at the FDA. It is time something gets done to protect consumers from unsafe ingredients.

Ingredient Spotlight: Resveratrol

2012-02-07T14:52:00.000-05:00

You may have been hearing more and more about Resveratrol lately. Today I'd like to briefly explain what it is and recommend some of my favorite products containing this fabulous ingredient.

Resveratrol is a natural phenol. Resveratrol is a substance found in red wine that is high in antioxidants. By adding antioxidants to your diet, you have the ability to encourage good cell health, which keeps your cells young! Foods containing phenols are cherries, grapes, plums, berries, artichokes, potatoes, and even celery & lettuce to a lesser extent. In addition to being helpful to the skin and to combat signs of aging, phenols have been shown to help improve heart health and protect the body from some forms of cancer and stroke.

You'll often hear people talking about the phenols in red wine. That is where Resveratrol comes in. Resveratrol is a compound found in red wine that is high in antioxidants. It comes from the skin of the grapes & contains potent antioxidants. By adding antioxidants to your diet, you have the ability to encourage good cell health, which keeps your cells young!

I've tried several product with these antioxidants and have some favorites:

Delta Labs Resveratrol Gluten-Free Extra Strength Red Wine Extract

100% Pure Red Wine Resveratrol Serum

SPLURGES:

Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick

Sevani C + Resveratrol Anti-Aging Elixir

Greening Your Dental Routine

2012-02-06T17:22:00.000-05:00

Sharing some great tips for greening your dental routine. Some favorite toothpastes here on Chic & Green-- The Natural Dentist, Burt's Bees, and Dr. Sharp.

Good News & Bad News

2012-02-02T12:22:00.001-05:00

I use my hands in a repetitive motion a great deal....by clicking this mouse on the computer, pinning items on Pinterest, adjusting components with my jewelry pliers, using my hair dryer, makeup brushes, craft punches, kitchen utensils, etc....if I texted much, I think I'd be having a really hard time.

from Pinterest

Pretty much everything I enjoy doing has been affected by pain and numbness over the past few weeks. I dropped my flat iron when it became too much to grip onto, have had a painful time clicking the mouse and typing (on an ergonomic keyboard), and found that the act of coring an apple was something of great difficulty while making apple dumplings on Sunday.

Last week, I mentioned how I needed to "Keep Calm and Carry On" as the saying goes, because I was having chest pains, feeling super tired and "off", and having all these weird feelings in my arms, especially the right one. I had several vials of blood drawn, chest x-rays, an EKG, and more. Of course, not knowing what was wrong was a big deal for this worry wort.

I had a follow up today and have my answers, and am thankful that is is nothing too serious. I don't have to sit here and panic wondering if the symptoms added up to one of the horrendous diseases you can find from over-Googling your issues.

It looks like I have carpal tunnel in both of my arms. The right arm is feeling what the left one feels, but is feeling different than the other because I also have "tennis elbow". I haven't played tennis in ages, but it can also be from excessive mouse use (a big yes for that) and other repetitive motions. I use my right hand for all of my jewelry tools, to blow dry/flat iron my hair, etc. I use it to chop and dice and everything else I do in the kitchen.

I have to buy a brace for my right arm this afternoon and continue taking aspirin and Aleve for pain.

If I still have the pain up through to my shoulder blades in a month when I go back, they'll have me get steroid injections. A huge THANKS, BUT NO THANKS on that one! I am one of the biggest needlephobes there is :)

The chest pain is from something called Coscochronditis. Basically the cartilage that leads from the ribs to the breastbone is inflamed. It will go away on its own and may have been caused by the respiratory bug I had back at Christmas time. I am so thankful it isn't anything serious. I feel very lucky.

The other symptoms of feeling a little bit dizzy, lightheaded, super tired and just plain "off" are because my blood sugar was 56 when my blood was checked. Normal is over 70, so mine is too low. I have to adjust my eating schedule and eat several small meals evenly spread through the day. This will be an adjustment, but once again, I am just so thankful it is not more serious.

So the GOOD NEWS is that I am a pretty healthy girl. Everything else was A-OK. I am so very thankful that these issues can be addressed.

THE BAD NEWS: Now, part of addressing these issues involves "rest". I really am not good at resting, especially when that rest comes in the form of scaling back my typing. I'm going to experiment more with typing several posts in advance when possible and scheduling them so there hopefully won't be any posting gaps. Then I can allow myself a couple days of computer rest. Using my mouse hurts. Typing with my right hand hurts. I need to try to find the best way to keep doing what I love with as little interruption and inconvenience as possible....I am working on ways to find a better balance with posting. I shall keep you posted. Thank you for your kind thoughts last week when I was worried!

What's In It Wednesday: DermOrganic Masque Conditioner

2012-02-01T18:19:00.002-05:00

Today's edition of What's In It Wednesday is a reader request.

I received an email from J.B and I'd like to answer her question~

"I'm interested in all natural haircare. I'm currently using DermOrganic Masque Conditioner and but do not know if there's anything I should be avoiding in it."

Ingredients: Aqua/Eau/D.Water, Cetearyl Alcohol, Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Stearyl Alcohol, Caprylic Capric Triglyceride, Argan Oil, Rice Amino Acid, infusion of Sunflower Seed Extract & Grape Seed Extract & Sodium PCA & Panthenol & Tocopheral Acetate (Vitamin E), Glycereth-2 Cocoate, Benzoic Acid (natural preservative), Fragrance.

Water needs no explanation. Safe in products provided it isn't tap water and has been properly preserved.

Cetearyl Alcohol is a simple fatty alcohol.

Behenamidopropyl Dimethylamine has not been assessed for safety in cosmetics. It gets a 0 in the EWG's Cosmetics Database, so it does appear to be harmless, however, there is only very limited safety data. It's impossible to say for certain whether it's truly safe. Would I avoid it? No.

Stearyl Alcohol is a fatty alcohol. It's a thickening agent and skin lubricant. Animal lovers may find it bothersome that this often comes from sperm whales. Vegetable stearic acid is a much more animal-friendly alternative. While this is a pretty benign alcohol, it is recommended to avoid the eye area because it's a potential irritant.

Caprylic Capric Triglyceride is simply another term for Fractionated Coconut Oil.

Argan Oil is one of my favorite ingredients in skin care and hair care. Argan is a very special oil. Argan itself contains more antioxidant and cell regenerative properties than olive oil, grape seed oil and avocado oil combined together. Argan oil has been shown in many studies to help increase cell regeneration and improve cell turnover. When applied to the skin, it absorbs quickly, and without an oily film, leaving behind a silky and satiny feel.

Argan Oil contains Omega 6 fatty acids, twice the amount of Vitamin E than olive oil, Vitamin A to improve elasticity; Phenols, which are tremendously beneficial antioxidants, as well as antifungal and antibacterial agents; and something called Triterpens, which aid in cell restructuring, can slow down the cell aging process, and also act as an anti-inflammatory. It is one of the more expensive oils to buy, but it is commonly referred to as "Liquid Gold" for a very good reason! It really can benefit the hair, strengthening it and improving the texture.

Rice Amino Acids are beneficial to the hair and can strengthen and add fullness to the hair.

Sunflower Seed Extract has been proven to help protect hair color.

Grape Seed Extract helps to stimulate hair growth.

Sodium PCA helps to prevent static and condition the hair.

Panthenol is also known as Vitamin B5. It coats the hair and makes it look more shiny.

Vitamin E is shown to help prevent hair loss, while promoting growth.

Glycereth-2 Cocoate is a coconut derived emulsifier. There is no safety date available for this ingredient.

Benzoic Acid is a safer natural preservative.

Fragrance is in this and for a seemingly healthful hair care product, it is a shame that the company chose to put in an ingredient that continues to prove harmful. Read here for my piece on the dangers of artificial fragrance.

The C & G Bottom Line-- This is a decent product. Other than the artificial fragrance, I see no major reason to avoid it.

Do You Polyvore?

2012-01-31T11:22:00.001-05:00

First it was Etsy....then came Pinterest (pinning many items from Etsy)....and now it's Polyvore. This is my new hobby. I've been able to do so much with Pinterest to organize dinner ideas, get decorating inspiration, and outfit ideas. I clicked on an outfit I liked and it took me to Polyvore. I seriously have heard of this site before, but had no idea that I could sit and select pieces I adore to make collections--from shirts to pants to shoes and bags.

I've been using Polyvore to plan what I wear -- what a fun tool it is! I am a busy mom on the go. Even though I do not have a job that is in a professional environment, I still like to maintain my sense of style while working from home. Polyvore is really a fun site to help me put together pieces so I can see what works, what doesn't work, and get new ideas for what possibly could work...

Here are three Chic Mom on the Go collections I put together:

Chic Mom on the Go--Affordably Fabulous by chicandgreen featuring flared leg jeans

Old Navy flared leg jeans

$16 - oldnavy.gap.com

H&M ballerina shoes

$24 - hm.com

Leopard print bag

$12 - tillys.com

Robert Rose glitter jewelry

$36 - macys.com

Tulle Clothing ruffled shawl

$24 - modcloth.com

Chic Mom on the Go by chicandgreen featuring brown handbags

Dorothy Perkins knit sweater

$21 - dorothyperkins.com

Dorothy Perkins navy blue top

$21 - dorothyperkins.com

Old Navy high waisted jeans

$37 - oldnavy.gap.com

Boutique 9 ballet flat

$69 - bloomingdales.com

Dorothy Perkins brown handbag

$99 - dorothyperkins.com

Necklace

$59 - stelladot.com

Honeybee Gardens: Truly Natural Lipstick

honeybeegardens.com

Busy & chic mom on the go by chicandgreen

Dorothy Perkins cotton cardigan

$29 - dorothyperkins.com

Old navy tank top

$10 - oldnavy.gap.com

J Jeans by Jasper Conran leather shoulder bag

£40 - debenhams.com

Polka dot earrings

stelladot.com

Old Navy skinny belt

$15 - oldnavy.gap.com

Women's Clothes: The It List | Old Navy

oldnavy.gap.com

DIY Beauty: Cuticle Balm

2012-01-30T14:30:00.003-05:00

{DIY Beauty: Beeswax Cuticle Balm}

My beeswax--you MUST smell the beeswax! It has such a nice, light honey aroma!

Here's the grater I use for the beeswax.

This is the wax right after it is poured into the tubes.

Today's DIY beauty project is a simple, ultra nourishing cuticle balm.

My 8 year old has a bad habit during the winter--picking at his cuticles. I admit, I used to do the same as a child. Many adults have abused cuticles as well. The weather also affects the condition of our cuticles, so I'd like to tackle cuticle care today.

First of all, it's important to take good care of your cuticles. They actually serve as protection for the new keratin (hard protein that protects the fingertips) and helps to prevent infection. When you take care of your cuticles, it will show in the health of your nails.

This makes about 3-4 tubes (I recommend Elements Bath & Body Supply for quantities this small). I say 3 to 4 tubes because, for me, it depends on clumsiness and spilling! I like to make this in lip balm tubes because I can keep one by my bedside table, give one to each boy, and keep one in my purse too. I also like using little metal tins for this project. You can also use glass baby food jars.

Recipe

2 teaspoons of Grated Beeswax (I use a cheese grater for this)

1 t. Shea Butter

4 t. Hemp Seed Oil

1 t. Avocado Oil

Note: If you do not have these supplies, read on. You can use cocoa butter, coffee butter or mango butter in exchange for shea. As for the oils, you can substitute macadamia nut, sweet almond, sunflower, safflower, soybean, olive, coconut, etc. I just like avocado and hemp seed for cuticle care, but you really can use other oils.

Take your tube and apply directly to the cuticles. Massage in and rub right over your nails too. Follow with a natural hand cream. My top hand cream picks:

Seed Healthy Hand Cream (Fragrance Free)

$7.99

100% Pure Hand Buttercream

Ingredients Shopping Guide:

If you are local, Lori's Natural Foods has what you need. You can buy beeswax right at the Public Market. Online, I recommend Mountain Rose Herbs.

Etsy Love: Redesign

2012-01-29T12:22:00.000-05:00

I love accessories. I love hats, brooches, necklaces, scarves--anything to add a bit of pop to my standard repertoire of black, navy, or charcoal.

A couple of weeks back, I was browsing Etsy (big shocker, isn't it?) and stumbled upon a great little shop owned by Brandi Korte called Redesign. Brandi's business is an ecofriendly one--she loves to turn thrifty finds and "junk" into something completely new. Right now, she's been creating lots of great things from old t-shirts. I ordered three infinity scarves and they arrived very promptly.

I ordered one is a bright cherry red, one in deep green, and the other one is shown above and is taupe, cream, and black. They are soft, made well, and really add something extra to a cute top and jeans.

You'll also find brooches and necklaces upcycled from t-shirts. I've been shopping on Etsy for years now and always come across the kindest, most wonderful sellers. Brandi is one of them! Check out her shop today and be sure to tell her that Chic & Green sent you on over!

Thrifty & Fabulous! Record Bowls!

2012-01-28T11:05:00.000-05:00

Wanna do something fun? Let's do something fun!

It's time for our first foray into a thrifty, and absolutely fabulous project together.

Vinyl records are nostalgic, retro, sleek, shiny and cool.

I have a record player, but, you might not.

You might, however, have a big box in the attic full of Elvis, the Stones, maybe Frank Sinatra.... and for whatever reason, might not be ready to part with them. I do have a great idea for you... and it's either free or wouldn't cost you more than a buck!

Grab those records from your attic, OR get yourself to the local Goodwill or Salvation Army where you can pick up a record for $.50. Grab your cookie sheet, a couple of metal or glass bowls, turn your oven on to 200' and let's do this!

Record Bowls!

Step one: Preheat your oven to 200'. And turn on your vent... the fumes are minimal, really, but, best to turn it on.

Step Two: Get yer bowls (the 2 bowls should be similar in size) and cookie sheet out.

Step Three: Grab yer record and place it on top of one of the bowls.

Step Four: Put them in the oven!

Step Five: Watch and wait. It doesn't take long. Could be as little as 2 minutes, as many as 5. You'll know it's time when the vinyl begins to get all warp-y and wonky.

Step Six: Remove everything from the oven, place the second bowl over the record and press down. The bowl will sink with the soft vinyl into the bowl underneath. Like so!

Step Seven: Take the record bowl out and let it cool. This literally takes mere seconds and voila!

You can use these for almost anything. Mine are on a table near the front door as a catchall for keys and such and one holds our various remotes. Being record vinyl, I wouldn't put food in them. Maybe something with a shell or peel, otherwise, no. But, lined with a cloth napkin it would be a great chip server! Really, the possibilities are endless.

So are the ways you can tweak these to your individual tastes! I use the bowl in bowl method, but you can shape these by hand, arranging the "ruffles" to your liking... or, using another, oven safe, shaped dish. A small square cake pan, for instance, turned upside down and shaped by hand, would be great looking. I've shown colored vinyl here, but, obviously, regular black vinyl records are excellent, too!

Have fun! Be creative! There's really no right answer here, and very little to lose.

Catch you next time!

For more by Elizabeth, be sure to visit her at Chandelierious and on Facebook, too.

Keep Calm

2012-01-27T14:29:00.000-05:00

It has been an exhausting couple days. I've been feeling a bit unlike myself these past few days with some numbness in my arms and hands and pain in the right side of my chest. I've been uncomfortable and just feeling "blah". My hand numbness made me drop my flat iron while straightening my hair the other day and that was just one of those things that triggered the "this isn't normal" response. Thankfully I had a good EKG and am awaiting results from all the blood that was drawn this morning and a chest x-ray from earlier this afternoon. I am by nature a bit of a worrier, but I've learned always to trust your inner voice if it tells you something is off. I learned that lesson 3 years back when I kept making excuses for my off feelings then.

Talking with you all always helps to keep me grounded and more calm. And, speaking of "Keep Calm", here are some Etsy finds:

Decal from WallStar Graphics

$55

Pillow cover from Jael Studios

$23

Print from Retro Love Photography

$10

Print from France's Magalerie

$25

Coasters from MableMae

$14

Print from DigiMarthe...I might order this one!

$11

For the knitter by Jennie Gee

$18

Etsy Love: SOTU Edition Part 2

2012-01-26T13:03:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, we used First Lady Michelle Obama's stunning sapphire blue color as inspiration for an Etsy Love feature. Today, we're going to use the Secretary of State's skinny headband as inspiration for our post. Hillary Clinton's headbands never used to be that on trend, but she rocked it the other night with a skinny Chanel-esque band for her longer bob.

Photo credit Evan Vucci, Associated Press

Bethany Lorelle
$38

Leather Blossoms
$45

Peacock feather & abalone band from Loubird's Nest
$16

Red & houndstooth band from Darling Handmades
$19

Pretty in pastels band from the WynBrit Boutique
$15

Imagine this for a wedding...gorgeous!
From Bridal Skies
£65.00 GBP

You can also make your own vintage-inspired headbands quite easily. I plan to show you how using blank skinny metal headbands as an upcoming DIY project. Stay tuned!

Etsy Love: SOTU Edition Part 1

2012-01-25T14:32:00.001-05:00

You wouldn't have looked to the State of the Union Address for fashion trends too many year ago, but I'm always eager to see what our First Lady is wearing. From her trademark aubergine dresses to last night's bright royal blue, I generally love what Michelle Obama chooses to wear. She's a beautiful lady.

I was surprised, though, to be impressed with Hillary Clinton's headband choice last night. I think she looked particularly lovely last night and adored her skinny headband!

Using these two strong and intelligent women as inspiration, I thought I'd do a special Etsy Love: SOTU Style Edition! today, we'll look at Michelle Obama's sapphire blue and tomorrow we'll look at the Secretary of State's skinny headband.

Photo Credit here

Michelle Obama's Sapphire Blue

Earrings from my shop, Loubird's Nest

$15

Brooch from Dr. Brassy

$24

Custom wedding shoes from Design Your Pedestal

$155

Pillow cover from Sierra Pillows

$40

Clutch from Fallen Sparrow

$45

Fingerless gloves from Filo Fashion

$20

Earring holder by Barb Pots

$29

Hello, there!

2012-01-24T16:35:00.001-05:00

Hello, Chic & Green-ers!

Please allow me to introduce myself....

I'm Elizabeth: Friend to Karley. Mommy to Ellie. Family to many. Blogger to my readers at Chandelierious. Sometimes a singer/actor. Always a lover of incredibly thrifty finds or projects! As a newly single mom, that last part, being thrifty? That's now sort of a necessity.

And I know I am not alone in that! Even before that, though, I found much more joy and satisfaction in the thrill of the hunt than in the ease of buying a mass-produced end table at Target. (That said, I love me some Target, and probably do have one of their end tables somewhere. I digress.)

Finding something at the Salvation Army for a couple of dollars, for example, and turning it into a personal, one-of-a-kind conversation piece is really, really fun. And easy! And you can absolutely do it, too. All you just need is a little time (and, believe me, I understand that novelty), an imagination, and maybe some paint and a glue gun. It's amazing what you can accomplish with a little paint and a glue gun!

I crave discovery, creation, transformation, repurposing, making things beautiful... and doing it all on a budget. That's what I'll be sharing here as Chic and Green's new 'Thrifty and Fabulous" editor!

I will be back soon with something fabulous up my thrifty little sleeve!

Etsy Love: Very Vanilla

2012-01-24T14:56:00.001-05:00

As I sit on on this chilly winter afternoon sipping vanilla tea, I thought I'd pay tribute to my favorite scent with these Etsy finds:

Pure Vanilla Extract from Binx Goods

$12

Vanilla candle from Folky Art Studio

$15.95

Vanilla Almond soap from the Sitting Tree
$5

Vanilla honey from Honey Tea Thyme

$7.50

Vanilla cream tea from The Cozy Leaf

$15

Vanilla spiced lavender artisan sugar from Orcas Alchemy

$8.75

Vanilla lip balm from Veve's Handmade

Made From Earth $75 Skin Care Giveaway!

2012-01-23T12:14:00.000-05:00

Made From Earth is a natural skin care company I've told you about before here on the blog. They offer some really lovely products for face and body -- in fact, I've never tried one that wasn't lovely. They have recently come out with a new product called Vitamin Enhanced Moisturizer.

With a silky and lightweight texture, the cream is suitable for all skintypes and is packed with beneficial ingredients such as Rooibos Tea Extract, polypeptides; vitamins A, B, C, and E; as well as other collagen boosters to help your skin. There is also white willowbark, a natural form of salicylic acid. This is beneficial for skin renewal.

This cream has a retail value of $74.99 and one of my readers has a chance to win! Enter below with Rafflecopter. Note that you MUST comment on this post to be fully entered.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Currently}

2012-01-20T14:03:00.004-05:00

One of my favorite blogs to read is Lemonade Makin' Mama by Sasha B. She is also a fellow Etsy artisan. Please check out her shop here. Sasha had a really fun post yesterday about things she was doing right then and there called Currently.

Here's my version for this chilly Friday. Have a nice weekend, everyone!

Currently loving... life. I truly love each day of this life, whether difficult or joyous! I try to savor each moment, even these lazy ones.

Currently reading... today's special coverage in the paper of the Kodak bankruptcy (I live where the HQ is and it's a huge part of our community)

Currently waiting for... 3pm to arrive. I miss Nick and Ben and want to smother them with hugs after school today!

Currently excited about...a wonderful dinner with friends newer and older tomorrow night.

Currently missing... my dad. It'll be 7 years on the 29th since he passed away and I truly miss him each day.

Currently trying... to decide which ingredients to order. I want to make loose leaf tea for my friends and me.

Currently working at...future blog posts.

Currently enjoying... my cup of coffee. I added a cinnamon stick to the filter when it brewed. YUM!

Currently snacking on... the most delicious cookie dough ball (no eggs!) recipe found via Pinterest

Currently using... Spotify on the computer...I love listening to music online

Currently wearing... dark boot cut jeans, a black scoopneck and black toggle cropped 3/4 sleeve cardigan...and a fun infinity scarf from Etsy.

Currently planning...to get my rear in gear and go downstairs to get the laundry out of the dryer (rather than simply rehitting start)

Currently singing... "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"...I mentioned it the other day on the blog and I've been finding myself singing as I remember my friend Bernie.

Currently needing...to schedule a massage. I feel a huge knot in my shoulder blades and think I should treat myself to something nice.

Currently learning... that I should spend less time on Pinterest when I am trying to get something done.

Currently listening to...Etta James (she passed away today and I just thought I'd play her beautiful music) on Spotify.

Currently wishing... that the special people in my life who are struggling in one way or another or who have endured loss can one day smile again.

Currently doing...laundry....although I can't seem to get the motivation to fold it right now.

Currently dreaming of... my next weekend away with my husband. We had such an incredible time when we went to the William Henry Miller Inn for our anniversary and I want to go again in the spring or summer.

Hair Abuse!

2012-01-19T12:48:00.002-05:00

I have put my hair through lots of trauma (and chemicals) over the past 24 hours. I am an at-home colorer. I'm no stranger to doing my hair--I've done it since college. Dark, light, foils, lowlights, highlights, I've done it all.

So when Deanna posted that she was thinking of changing up her blonde to red and posted some pretty pictures, I thought that I could use a change as well.

As a porous blonde from repeated highlights, I knew I would need a little "filler" first. I used a semipermanent shade from L'Oreal called Healthy Look in Light Red Brown. I then planned to add a golden brown over it and add some highlights. The Healthy Look took in 3-4 minutes. My hair came out deep eggplant. So I REALLY needed to tone it down and throw in those highlights. First, I threw in Revlon Colorsilk in Medium Golden Chestnut Brown. Then I added Revlon Frost & Glow.

The result:

Anyway, after some brutally honest opinions from my boys and the fact that it took 90 minutes for Tom to say anything (as in, "As long as you like it, I like it), I went to bed planning to change it again today. My skin is very cool with lots of pink and blue undertones. The red simply clashed...

After my morning coffee, I went to Walmart and headed back down the hair color aisle. I knew I needed to tone down the bright red tones. I used L'oreal Excellence to Go 10 minute color in Light Ash Brown.

I left it in 8 minutes and it really toned the red down. I dried it for the second time today (hair, I am so sorry for this abuse!) and then applied Revlon Frost & Glow in the Platinum Kit, leaving it on for 40 minutes.

I rinsed it out and got out my hair dryer for the third time today. I feel so much more like "me" but with a slight change from what it was pre-red. It's weird. When I was in college, I could change up my hair color or style every few days. As I grow older, I get less daring :)

There's lots more dimension, though, and I am much more content. Remarkably, with all the stuff I put on it, I spend a grand total of $28 on hair color. Not too bad!

I have to say that my hair is silky and soft and that is because of my secret weapon: Original Moxie Intense Quench. I applied this liberally today. My hair should feel like straw. Heck, it probably should've started coming out in clumps with the damage I put it through. I am in love with this deep conditioner and it has kept my hair feeling strong and looking shiny!

Here it is now: