A Hazy Shade of Winter…

While everyone is putting their beach bags away, stuffing their swimsuits into drawers that won’t open again until next year, there remains one item that people often forget to leave out and actually use during the winter months.  Sunscreen is that item.  We all tend to think that with winter on its way sunscreen is a thing of season’s past.  That is just not the case, every dermatologist will tell you the importance sunscreen plays in preventing your skin from aging all too rapidly.  That doesn’t mean you can’t still look good while using it!  I am not referring to your beach day sunscreen that leaves your skin chalky white.   Todays products, of which there are 2, (I’m all about the choices these days) do double duty, they both have an SPF 15 (0r higher) and they both keep your skin from turning that horrid shade of Blah, that most skin turns during the winter months.

I am caucasian and yet come winter time I don’t turn pasty white like most, I get this ever so unflattering shade of gray, not so pretty.  Were it not for Amore Pacific Time Response Skin Renewal Foundation the last two winters I’d have turned 50 Shades of Gray (not in the good way I assure you).  Not only does this stuff smell amazing, it doesn’t clog your pores, stimulates skin cell renewal, decreases collagen loss for healthier, younger looking skin and most importantly it lights up your face so that you look like you have the worlds clearest complexion.  Not bad for curing the mid winter skin Blahs.  (available at neimanmarcus.com for $90).

Your second choice for SPF winter skin perfection is Giorgio Armani’s New Maestro Foundation.  This is new on the market, but as promised I’ve tested it and I have to say it’s pretty wonderful.  I am not a lover of foundation’s in general, they tend to clog my pores, feel very present on my face, like I’m wearing a second skin.  With Armani’s Maestro Foundation I felt nothing on my skin at all and my face looked great all day, 2 very big plusses in my book.  It comes in 12 different shades, so finding a match shouldn’t be a problem and you’ll find it at any Giorgio Armani Cosmetic counter for $62 u.s.  (neimanmarcus.com, saks.com).

I am quite certain you’ll find that both of today’s featured products will revolutionize your winter complexion.  Bye bye blahs…Hello gorgeous skin!

So this winter, treat your skin kindly, stay out of tanning booths, (orange is not the shade I was referring to in the title) and feel great.

“Look around, leaves are brown, there’s a patch of snow on the ground.”

xo Elisa

In Lieu of Dairy Queen…

So over the last few months I’ve taken up a healthier lifestyle, at least where food is concerned.  I’ve tried to cut down my intake and cut out my meals where the 3 main food groups were chocolate, ice cream and marshmallow fluff.  I am however a very reward oriented person and need some kind of “treat” at the end of the work week to make me feel gratified.  Some would call that reward a paycheck, but that doesn’t cut it for me literally and figuratively.  Dairy Queen (peanut buster parfait or Reese’s/banana blizzard) was my go to “prize,” but when that started to be my dinner of choice I knew I needed something else.  I finally got some much-needed discipline and rejoined the world of healthy eating.  This however left me rewardless (don’t get your kleenex out just yet, this story gets better), what else could I treat myself with other than food?

Which brings me to today’s reward-worthy product.  Josie Maran’s Argan Hot Oil Self-Heating Hair Treatment is that product.  Once a week I treat myself to this absolutely delicious experience.  This is not your Mother’s Hot Oil Treatment!  This is a no fuss, no muss self heating oil that comes in this little easy to open ampoule that you empty into your hands and rub onto your ends after you’ve shampooed and conditioned your hair.  Leave it in for 3 minutes and BAM! gorgeous, soft, shiny, amazingly manageable hair.  It’s paraben free and cruelty free and most importantly has left me 20 lbs thinner…(well that’s because I turned to Hot Oil instead of Ice Cream).  I seriously look forward to this treatment all week-long.  My hair is stronger,  healthier and if you massage it into your scalp like I do, it gets shinier.  The warming sensation is a fun little bonus too.  I love this stuff!  When you purchase it, you get 5 ampoules that are resealable (though I use the whole thing) and every time I’ve bought it, there was a sample of Josie Maran’s Argan Oil Serum inside, a double bonus because I use that too as a frizz fighter.  FYI Josie Maran’s products are also featured at Sephora.com, this one will only set your back $36, which is really a little more than a dollar a treatment (not only do I blog, I have some mad math skills as well).

So treat yourself to something special this week and something that is really good for you too…but trust me, I haven’t completely broken up with Dairy Queen, we’re just seeing other people right now.

Enjoy and keep shining…xo Elisa

Goodnight Moon…

I used to babysit as a kid, ALOT, and all the parents used to leave me Goodnight Moon to read to their kids.  I gotta tell ya, I kinda found it a little boring.  I wanted to read them something exciting, with different voices, and action, maybe cute puppies, but no, Goodnight Moon was always their first choice book.  Cut to 2012, my friends all have kids, and many of them still read Goodnight Moon to them…the difference is, I get it now!  Goodnight Moon is the bedtime Zen book, it mellows the kid out, gives parents the hope of a good night’s sleep, knowing their children have been tucked away with “goodnight noises everywhere” and a chance to wake up to a fresh new day.

Today’s product is the Goodnight Moon for grown ups.  It’s Amore Pacific Green Tea Seed Treatment Oil ($195 at Sephora.com, neimanmarcus.com, and it is available at Holt Renfrew in Ontario).  It may seem pricey, I know remember I use it, but it is well worth it I assure you.  This is great for all skin types and I mean all skin types.  Two or three drops each night, applied on clean skin will change your skin forever.  I imagine some of you are thinking, “oil? on my face?”…I know I did before I tried it and now I think this may be one of the greatest skin care treatments out there.  First of all the oil is not oily, and leaves your face smooth and dry.  I no longer wake up to a face that resembles the unfortunate Exxon Valdez oil spill  of ’89.  This stuff seems to repair the damage done to your skin during the day and allows you to wake up fresh-faced and fabulous.  A few months ago I got wind burn on my face, too afraid to use anything too greasy but desperately needing to fix this issue I went right to my Green tea seed treatment oil and after one night’s sleep my inflamed face had faded and I was completely rehydrated.

When I wrote my intro to this blog, I stated how I wanted  people to take the time in their day to do something nice for themselves, this is that something.  The smell of this stuff is amazing, it’s like zen in a bottle and it’s texture is pure bliss.  Take my word on this one, treat yourself to it or put it on a birthday/christmas list…my only complaint is that my night-time ritual doesn’t last longer.

Enjoy it….I know I do…

Oh and “goodnight stars. Goodnight air.” Goodnight to products everywhere.

xo Elisa

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