L'Occitane En Provence, Let your skin take a trip to FRANCE

Over the years I have discovered different lines and brands that just stopped time while enjoying their marvelous smells and products.  There was the Body Shop, in the early 90's that made everything smell delicious, and now there is L'Occitane that makes high quality body and skin products that are worth every penny.  My favorite products hands down are : 1) The Shea Butter Dry Skin Hand Cream, 2) Amande Supple Skin Oil (almond oil), and 3) the Amande body milk or body butter.  They also have very light fresh frangrances made from native Provence flowers and fruits.  The fragrances are very subtle and they add a bit of mystery since they are not the traditional known brands.  And just recently they have introduced slimming creams and gels to the Amande line.  If you are in the NY city area there is a big promotional event at their Upper East Side store on 86th street on April 5.  I have not tried their slimming products but SHAPE MAGAZINE has given them a big thumbs up.  And just a quick suggestion,...have a glass of champagne while you try their products.

Take your SKIN out of WINTER HIBERNATION

As we make our way out of our winter caves for some sun and vitamin D, we still have to consider our skin.  During the winter months our skin is dormant.  You need some pick-me up therapy to bring it back to full on spring freshness.

1) Exfoliate,...either using a store brand or a made at home one. (some brown sugar or coffee with a bit of olive oil).  When you exfoliate, do it gently do not rub too much.  Just a light touch will do. Wash your face with cold water afterwards. 
2) Apply some vitamin E for your eyes.  Take a capsule and break it open.  Be careful it is very greasy so apply a small amount.  The rest you can mix it in with your sunscreen/and/or/ moisturizer.
3) Dab on lots of sunscreen.  The best that I found is Athelios SPF 60 made by La Roche-Posay. You can find it at Duane Reade.  It is very light and absorbs quickly.  It can also double duty as your moisturizer.

4) Add some eye cream concealer.
5) Mascara.
6) Press on Powder,...my favorite the Lancome brand.
7) Blush.
8) Lip gloss/lipstick and you are good to go.

Magic Capsule: Vitamin E

For the past few weeks I have neglected my daily skin routine, for good reason.  We are in the process of moving and with a 10 month old everything is 10 times harder to accomplish.  Even simple tasks like brushing your teeth or your hair require some production behind them.  On top of the moving situation I pulled my back again for the 3rd time this year.  So for a whole week I could barely keep up, even with help from my parents and husband.  However I remembered what my mom taught me. One vitamin capsule all it takes to SAVE YOUR SKIN from NEGLECT.

Any vitamin E capsules will do.  Take on break it,...put most of it under your eyes,...BEST EYE EMOLLIENT EVER.   The rest slather it onto your face and neck, left over for hands and cuticles. 

Be careful it is really REALLY GREASY ,...so put it on at night or if you stay in the house apply it in the morning.  Since I have been stuck to one armchair for the week I have been applying it every other day.   In smaller ammounts you can use it as an EYE CREAM  under a concelear.  It lasts all day since it is so so RICH.  You might not want to buy any other eye cream ever.  Than take one for YOUR HEART.

Problem Skin: If your pores clog easily or if you have an oily complexion just USE it for the EYES and neck, or hands.

Massages HELP you HEAL

When lower back pain started interfering with my regular activities, I decided to search different options that did not involve taking medication.  I found some alternatives that work well: massages, yoga, and acupuncture.  Massages are not just for relaxation they are for healing as well.   You might wonder why would I want to talk about massages since this is mainly a skin care blog.  It is simple, the better you feel physically the more happier you look, the more oxygen flows to your tired cells, the more radiant your skin.  Going back to massages.  Ancient people have been doing them a long time before the first spa ever appeared on 5th Ave,...or before the Chinese lady gave you a good seated massage.  Now science has proven that massages have the powerful effect of healing your muscles.  Studies have been done on athletes that complete extensive workouts and those that followed their workout with a 10-15 minute massage showed increased numbers in mithochandria.  The mithochandria is the key organelle of the cell that produces energy and helps restore muscle tissue. The ones that did not have a follow-up massage took longer to heal.  So there, now when you want to spend your money on healing your body, SPEND IT ON a MASSAGE.

GOD created Adele: Set fire to the rain

Here is her latest video : "Set fire to the rain"


Her talent and her beauty speak for themselves,...in my mind she is absolute PERFECTION

and she has IMMACULATE SKIN and SUBLIME RETRO MAKE-up


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ri7-vnrJD3k

An Avocado A day keeps the doctor Away

I don't cook, I try to cook, I learn and I do cook sometimes  when I feel a bit adventurous.  However with a new baby every task that seemed second nature to any individual now it is a small production.  With lots of patience and a lot of ingenuity to keep my baby entertained I had to figure out fast ways to FEED myself and my BEBE.  Avocados seem to satisfy my hunger and my baby's curiosity with anything and everything soft and green.  My daily routine consists of eating an early pre-lunch meal at around 10-11 am of avocado, turkey breast, some cheese and a second espresso.  As I prepare my quick meal my baby watches her MAMA do the GREEN DANCE.  Then she gets to taste the NUT.  So far she loves it and I haven't even started her on GUACAMOLE.  I cannot wait to see her face when she TASTES the SALT.
All I can say is that the AVOCADO SAVES MY DAY and MY HEALTH.  It is full of antioxidants and it tastes like heaven,...right up there after chocolate and cheese.

2 is the MAGIC NUMBER

Trying to maintain a healthy HAPPY DIET is not always easy.  Life and circumstances get in the way.  So looking at what I eat, I decided to make my life easier and think of everything as 2 or multiples of two.
So here is the basic breakdown:
1) 2 glasses of water before every meal
2) 2-4 servings of fruits and vegetable/day
3) 2 oz of dark chocolate (See my post: Chocolate your World)
4) 2-4 cups of coffee,...depending on how much or how little sleep I get with my baby
5) 2 servings of protein : 1 for lunch, and 1 for dinner
6) 2 servings of fiber: wheat bread for breakfast/and or lunch
7) 2 glasses of red wine/week (whichever day of the week the need arises)
8) 2 servings of INDULGENCE/WEEK (be it a slice of pizza, a can of soda, a chocolate chip cookie, or french fries)