My Favorite thing-January

I decided to add something new to my blog. Every month I will write a post about something I consider a "favorite" in my beauty regime. It might be something I use all the time, or a new product I've discovered. This month, I'm choosing something I use regularly and really love. Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion Treatment:

I think this is one of the most effective over-the-counter microdermabrasion kits one can buy, and a great deal at under $30. Professional microdermabrasion can run up into the hundreds of dollars, and while this product might not produce the exact same result as a salon treatment, it is still a great treat for your skin.

To use Olay Regenerist, you start out with a clean dry face. So wash off the makeup!

Then, apply the microdermabrasion treatment. It smells really nice and goes on like a sugar scrub. I like to apply it to my neck too, an area we all tend to ignore.

Using small circular motions, rub it lightly over your face for about a minute, giving it a nice exfoliating scrub.

Next, apply the peel activator. This is what microdermabrasion is all about, removing the dead skin and smoothing out those fine lines. Olay's Peel Activator Serum contains lactic acid, a mild alpha hydroxy acid that resurfaces skin. This is what it looks like:

A gel-like substance that foams up when it connects with the microdermabrasion treatment. Apply liberally on your skin (avoid eyes) mixing it with the crystals and again using small circular motions. It will foam and become kind of a weird texture as the crystals dissolve. You will also FEEL it. It tingles, but shouldn't be uncomfortable. If that tingling segues into burning, wash it off!

It says to massage it on your skin for 45 seconds to 1 minute. I usually go the full minute, mainly because I've used it enough that I know how my skin reacts to it. If you aren't sure or its your first try with microdermabrasion, you can start with 30-45 seconds.

Rinse well with warm water (this takes awhile as you are still going to have some gritty crystals and tightness. I often end up with crystals in my hair!) and pat dry.

Voila!

Eek, Scary no makeup me! But my face is nice and bright and shiny! I use a mild facial lotion afterwards, avoiding anything with retinol as I've noticed it burns my recently microdermed skin.

I would recommend adding microdermabrasion to your regular skincare regime, especially if you are fighting the effects of sun, aging and just plain old living. I use this treatment about twice a month. My skin is dry so more often would be less beneficial in my opinion. If you have oily skin you could probably use it 3 times a month with no problem, but I think once or twice a month is plenty.

Olay Regnerist can be found at any drugstore. I got mine at Target, on sale for $26.00. Plan on spending between $25-30 depending on where you go. Using it twice a month, a supply will usually last me about 4 months. Not a bad deal at all!

Scrub it up! Enjoy!

 

 

Must-have Mascara!!

 

As many of you know, I am always on the lookout for the perfect mascara. I got a tube of Benefit's"They're Real" mascara as a freebie last month (Birchbox? Sephora? Honestly I can't
remember....pretty sure it was Sephora though...)

 

 

 

 

Anyway, I didn't try it right away, because I usually have between 4-6 tubes of mascara that I rotate and figured I would save it till I threw one of my "in-rotation" mascaras out. When I did finally try it...WOW! I love this stuff! The consistency is great, it goes on fairly thick but isn't goopy and messy. But the coolest thing about this mascara is this....

 

Look at the tip of the brush. It has bristles ALLLLL the way around it. Which means you can get those outer corner lashes as completely as your other lashes, not to mention those cute little lower lashes that we so often ignore. It doesn't smudge and comes off easily when you wash your face.

While I usually shy away from expensive mascara, I think this is one brand that is worth a little extra money. You can get They're Real at Benefit Cosmetics website or at Sephora, both sites offer a retail price of $23.00.

So if you want some new, lush lashes, check out They're Real. It's REAL-ee awesome....



Beautiful Sally Beauty!

Despite my love of all things beauty, I had never been in a Sally Beauty Supply store until recently. I'm not sure why-I've certainly been in my share of beauty stores! Somehow it had just never been convenient, or I never had time. But the other day I noticed a new store had opened up just a few blocks from my home. I decided to pop in there and check it out.

Located in a tiny strip mall, in an equally tiny space, I was not expecting much from the store. I also thought it would probably be expensive and not have the things I wanted. I could not have been more wrong!

While tiny and somewhat packed, I was thrilled to walk into a brightly lit, well laid out space. The store was clean and both girls working there greeted me (but didn't follow me around asking if I needed help-oy how I hate that!)

I found a monstrous supply of STUFF. Stuff like these super cute little eyeshadows for less than $1.00 each:

They had a huge array of colors and if I'd had more time, I probably would have bought several more.

I also picked up these two polishes:

 

 The one on the left is by Fingerpaints and the color is "Shades of Dark". It is actually a dark purplish brown, not truly black. I love it. I also got some of Orly's "Won't Chip". I was really excited to try this. I often skip manicures because they never fail to chip on me (and for some reason I hate salon manicures. Pedicures I love, but not manicures). I was a little disappointed however, because after a day or so it still chipped. Oh well. I'll ty it again and if nothing else, its a nice shiny topcoat!

If you haven't made it to a Sally Beauty near you, I highly recommend it. They also have a promo program where if you sign up for one of their club cards, you get special pricing on all their products. They charge $5 for the card, but its returned to you as a $5 gift certificate so its really FREE.

Get some Sally in your life. Get some beauty!

 

 

A New Year, A New You?

This will probably sound ridiculous, but I have to say that New Year's is pretty much my favorite holiday. No, not New Year's eve, with the drinking and horn blowing and random kissing-I almost always work on NYE and kind of see it as amatuer night. Maybe because I don't need an excuse to drink champagne, blow kazoos and kiss randomly (random kisses to my boyfriend of course!)

My favorite holiday is New Year's DAY. That first day of a crisp, shiny new year that stretches before me and provides an endless array of possibility. THIS will be MY year! The year I get a zillion dollar screenplay deal, the year I can suddenly eat whatever I want while sporting rock-hard abs and size two jeans, the year I travel to India and the year I spend tons of quality, educational time with my children!

So none of those things usually happen, but I love the magic of a brand new year. I do make resolutions, and I have managed to stick to at least some of them in years past. I think self-improvement is always a good thing (yes, yes we are all perfect just the way we are...) and I think personal growth and development can be obtained, at least on some level, with a few good (keepable) resolutions. I'd like to share my own resolution tactics, and maybe you will want to try it too!

I like to start with categories of my life that I want to work on. This year it is fitness (like every year), family, spirituality and creativity.

The trick to making resolutions you can keep is making them real, and making them specific. Rather than, "I will lose weight" or even "I will lose 20 pounds" try something that is more narrow. My fitness New Year's resolution is to complete three half marathons. I've run half-marathons before so I know its something I can do. And I figure when I am training to run a half-marathon, being more fit (ie; losing a few lbs) is sure to go along with it. Making a goal of three over the course of the year guarantees I  will not slack off too much from my workout regime.

My second resolution is to read 3-5 books a month. I've always been an avid reader, but over the last year or two I've noticed I don't read as much as I used to. I come home from work and want to veg in front of the tv, mess with my iphone, or go online. Now, I could've just said "No more social media" or "No more television". But I don't think that is a very realistic goal for me. Too much of my freelance work is tied up in social media, and I'm not afraid to admit that I like tv! But by vowing to read more books, less social media is bound to happen too. If I'm reading more, I'm facebooking, instagramming, tweeting less. If I'm reading more, I'm watching less tv. Reading also helps inspire me to write more-the more I read, the more I write, which means I may get more freelance work or finally write a screenplay that someone will buy! A lot of potentially excellent results, all from resolving to read more.

The resolution I made to enhance my spirituality is to do one random act of kindness per month. I don't even know what the act will be-it can be anything. It might be as big as volunteering one day at the women's shelter, or as small as offering a friendly voice and a smile to someone who seems down. The point of it isn't a big grandiose gesture or big plans that I am not likely to follow through on. The point is to actively seek out moments when I might be able to accomplish my goal, and in the course of doing so, become more aware that there is more to this world than just me and my own problems.

"Spend more time with family" is another common resolution that people make. Again, it's too vague to follow through on long term. This year, I decided to plan something each month with myself and my two children. What that might be, I don't know. Maybe just dinner out. Maybe something more exotic like a ski trip or a day at the museum. Maybe just a walk in the park or hanging out and playing parcheesi. It doesn't matter. What matters is I am making myself more conscious of the importance of bringing family together. Which may, over this year-long quest, create a situation in which more family members will be around and we can ALL spend time together.

My final resolution is one of creativity. I have found that being creative breeds more creativity, not only workwise but in expanding my mind overall. So for this one, I told myself I would create one piece of art each month. Will it be a painting? A craft project? Scultpure? Poetry? Short story? It doesn't matter. The joy I get from creativity sets my mind alight with a million other ideas, opens me up to new things and gives me a deep sense of satisfaction.

I may not be able to keep all of these resolutions, but I will definitely make an effort. Even if I only get through a few months with some of them, resolving to improve, grow and learn as a person is never a bad idea.

The year is fresh, new and clean. A big blanket of snow across the ground, untouched and just waiting for YOUR footprints. Make those footprints deep and true. Make them count.

Happy New Year.

Me and My Shadow...

When I was a very little girl, I fell in love with the story of Peter Pan. I read the book, saw the movie and even had the album of the soundtrack-which I played over and over on my little record player (and probably drove my parents nuts.) One of my favorite parts of the story was when Peter lost his shadow and Wendy had to sew it back on for him. Watching that shadow dancing away, finally free, was one of the funniest things my four-year-old self had ever seen!

I didn't think about how sad Peter might have been without his shadow, his constant companion. Until a few weeks ago, when I lost my own shadow as well...

Trace was my Australian Cattle Dog. I got him when he was barely nine weeks old, a chubby little guy with a cute face and a very unusual "ring" tail (we used to call it his raccoon tail)

Having lost my female rottweiler about a year before, I wanted a dog that could run with me, protect me and be a wonderful companion. I didn't really know what I was getting myself into with a Cattle Dog.

As a puppy, he was insanely active. He could go from morning till night, no holds barred. A huge ball of energy that I could barely contain, making me realize that THIS dog was almost more than I could handle. He also drove me crazy because he was always, always on top of me. Where ever I went, there he was. In my face, on my lap, at my feet, UNDER my feet!

I had a siamese cat at the time, and they became fast friends. I got endless hours of entertainment, watching the two of them play:

As he got older, I kept thinking he would calm down. Didn't really happen. He remained an intense dog, one that watched people with a wagging tail but would go crazy if a stranger knocked at the front door. A dog that loved to hike and climb mountains. My ex used to take him hiking all the time, and one of his favorite pastimes was chasing sheep off "his" mountains.

The force was strong in him, although I think he was more inclined towards the dark side. His herding instinct was always at the forefront. When visitors left our house I had to lock him up or they were likely to leave with bite marks on their ankles or the backs of their legs. He caught my brother unawares a few times, sneaking up behind him as he started out the front door, giving him a painful nip before racing gleefully off up the stairs, too fast for anyone to catch him.

The only thing that overrode his herding instinct was his need to have a "job". Dogs that are meant to work have to have something to focus on, a task that guides them daily and makes them feel useful. I was Trace's "job". I was his focus, his responsibility. And he took it seriously. Everywhere I went, there he was. In my face, in my lap, at my feet, UNDER my feet. There he was.

In time, I grew accustomed to it. I didn't notice that he stood directly behind me when I was in the kitchen, nose often gently pressed against the back of my calf. I didn't notice him laying next to me when I sat on the couch watching tv, or sleeping at the foot of my bed. He became part of me, an attachment that I couldn't shake. My shadow.

Despite the intensity and sometimes aggresive behavior, he did have a soft side. He could be very tolerant with small kids and babies (older kids, not so much. He'd herd 'em up and bite them as soon as look at them)

And then there was his relationship with Bella, my little Brussels Griffon that we lost back in August:

This is a picture from when Bella was a puppy and Trace was about two years old. It is one of my all-time favorite pictures. There is so much love in his expression, while Bella is full of her big-dog attitude. We called them "The Dynamic Duo" and it was true. They loved each other and depended on each other for daily support and entertainment.

Over the years, Trace did calm down. His hearing slowly went, causing him to no longer bark and snarl like a maniac when someone knocked at the front door. He began to sleep more, and at night when I came home from work, he often didn't wake from his deep slumber. I would have to go over and touch him to wake him, but he always started wagging his tail when he saw me, getting up slowly to follow me around the house. I got to where I would try to sit down on the couch and stay there for awhile, so he could just sit by me and not be stressed and in pain trying to follow me.

At the end, he still made me his job. We went on a trip in early December. Ever since we'd lost Bella, he had been fading more and more. I was very concerned about leaving him. My cousin stayed at our house and my dad was right next door, and both assured me they would watch over him and he'd be fine. We were gone five days. We came home early Monday morning. He greeted me with his usual joy, grateful to have me home. He didn't eat that day, nor did he take any water. That evening, he laid down in the hallway and refused to get back up. I spent most of the night sitting on the floor next to him, watching him slowly go comatose. He laid with his head on my lap, and I talked to him all night. I told him that he had done a wonderful job, had taken care of us all, and it was okay if he needed to go now. I knew he was so tired.

We took Trace in early Tuesday morning. My boyfriend had to carry him out to the car, as he could no longer walk, and while he carried him, he whispered to him that he promised to take care of me now, that it was okay to leave me because he would keep me safe.

I held Trace in my arms and whispered my last goodbyes to him as he went. I told him that I was so proud to have been his owner, that he had been the best dog I'd ever had and I knew there would never be another love in my life like his. He went quietly and peacefully.

In the weeks since his death, I've had to adjust to not stepping over a dog as I exit a room, not feeling the weight of him against my leg as I watch tv, missing his presence and the peace his devotion brought me. Like Peter Pan, I am without my shadow, and I have no way of getting it back.

Right after he passed, I had a vision in my head. I saw his old body rising up into a white tunnel of light. As he passed through the light, his body became young again, his eyes bright, fur shiny, muscles sleek and powerful. He came out into a big green grassy field. Bella was waiting for him, barking and jumping in joy. Together, they ran off across the field, ready to chase frisbees for eternity, happy and free of any pain or suffering. Maybe that seems silly to some, but it gave me a great amount of comfort and still does.

Trace made it to almost 16 years old, a long and happy life for any dog. He got to do things and see things that many dogs never do. He had the same family his whole life, from puppy-hood to old age, never having to experience the trauma that so many pets have to go through as people treat them like they are disposable and get rid of them without a second thought.

I hope he's up there, chasing frisbees and barking at sheep, Bella at his heels. I hope I see him again someday. I think I will.