Do you love to cook?  I do.  I can lose myself in the kitchen.  I’m a fan of the Food Network, and I can easily do the “30 minute meal” thing if necessary.  However, I much prefer the attention to detail and the love that goes into a sumptuous meal.  I’m thinking Mario Batali or Michael Chiarello.  It’s the planning, picking the perfect ingredients, the preparation, the actual cooking, the plating, and the presentation.  And, of course, that look of satisfaction that shows on the faces of those who have eaten to their heart’s delight.

I believe the same ambition can be shown when planning a romantic evening with the one I love.  Now, I am not above throwing on a pair of sweats as I microwave popcorn, throw in a DVD and bat my eyelashes, (30-minute meal).  However, on occasion, I think it’s important to raise the bar to a spectacular meal.  That’s when the Recipe for a Romantic Evening comes into play.

 

3 Piece Online Recycled Wine Bottle Candles

Preparing for a romantic evening entails two phases.  First, there is the personal planning – you,  physical person.  Second, you need to set the mood for the surroundings.  So I know that in personal planning, grooming is key, and a little alter ego like Brigitte is always a good thing to bring to the table.   Beauty goodies play into the grooming, and Brigitte emerges after a few glasses of champagne.  As far as the surroundings go, consider lighting a few lots of candles for a romantic ambiance; and you may want to make the bed. 

 

  I love 3 Piece Online Recycled Wine Bottle Soy Candles.  There are so many romantic evening scents available –LOVE made with vanilla, cassia and frankincense essential oils, HUG made with  geranium, chamomile, and jasmine absolute essential oils andKISS made with sandalwood, ginger, tangerine and patchouli essential oils. 

Carol’s Daughter Almond Cookie Scrub

Her personal shopping list of “ingredients”:

Carol’s Daughter Almond Cookie bath and body products.  For some strange reason, men love the scent of vanilla, in particular baked goods.  Check out the Almond Cookie line.  Start with the Sea Salt Scrub — This delightful recipe of sea salt blended with avocado, jojoba and wheat germ oil, naturally exfoliates for super supple skin and a healthy glow. This sophisticated scent captures the sweet essence of almonds blended with marzipan and enticing, warm accords of sandalwood and mists of musk. Almond, lemon, sandalwood and vanilla, tapioca pearls and apple slices.

 And finish with Almond Cookie Shea Soufflé — This luxurious formula is light and fluffy like a soufflé, but moisturizes skin with the intensity of a butter. It’s packed with natural butters and oils to effectively nourish and hydrate dry, parched skin for a soft and velvety appearance.

I’m sure you will be nibble worthy after your bath time!

2.  Get Glowing

Liberally apply Nuxe Sublimating Golden Dry Oil EVERYWHERE!  This is the final touch for seductive glow on.  The micro golden particles add a subtle sheen to the skin.  It illuminates the areas of the body that you want to draw attention to – décolleté, shoulders, and legs.  Add some of this oil to your hair as well; it adds subtle highlights and smells appetizing too.

 

His personal shopping list for “ingredients”

1.  Smooth Operator 

Don’t you love when his skin is baby butt smooth?  That scraggly, I-haven’t-shaved-in-two-days look may work in the movies and when you’re camping, but not for a romantic evening. This is no time for exfoliation.   Have him check out Zirh SCRUB reduces the appearance of blemishes and blackheads by eliminating surface toxins and neutralizing excess surface oil. Also works to remove dead skin cells from your face. Leaves your face refreshed, refined and super-clean. A wake-up call for your skin.   

2. He makes scents

 In addition to looking good, he has to smell good.   I love Jean Paul Gaultier’s Le Male.  A warm, woody scent that is all man.

W ith your planning and shopping done, you just have to do your prep work.  That means luxuriate in the bath and hop out before you reach prune status and put all your “ingredients” in the mix.   Get your big hair going, spray perfume, apply red lipstick, and put on your slamming stilettos.

I think this is the perfect recipe. And after all that preparation, you may not even want o cook.  Not in the kitchen at least.  All you have to do is wait for that look of satisfaction.

 

 

 

 

Blinging Beauty Blogger!

I commonly get mistaken for being at least a decade younger than I am.  I’m 52, but don’t look it.  I’m sure that I need to thank my parents for the DNA, because they both look(ed) younger than their years.   Those that know I am in the beauty business ask what I use, advice, tips and I’m more than willing to spill the beans.  I can’t shut-up about cosmetics and beauty stuff.  With regard to my skin care routine, it’s pretty simple.  I do the basics — cleanse, moisturize, use SPF,  diligently use eye cream and I diligently EXFOLIATE.  I’m an exfoliating junkie.  A day without scrubbing is like a day without sunshine for me.

So what is exfoliation?  It is the chemical or mechanical removal of dead or non-functioning skin cells. This process also aids in improving circulation through stimulating blood flow. Chemical exfoliants include Alpha Hydroxy Acids (AHA’s), Beta Hydroxy Acids (BHA’s) and Retinol.  Mechanical exfoliants are ones that have crushed or powdered nuts or seeds, jojoba seeds, or polyethelene (man-made) beads, to name a few.

As we age, our natural desquamation (skin shedding) cycle slows down.  When skin cells shed, it signals lower cell to start making new ones.  That’s why it is so important to exfoliate as we age.  Have you ever seen someone with dry, flaky skin?  Well, all the mosturizer in the world won’t help until they get rid of that dry stuff.  So exfoliation is key.

I use both manual and chemical exfoliants.  Here are my favorites.  My top 5 exfoliators:

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser

1.  Exfoliating Cleanser   Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser 6.75 oz $35

Exfoliates dull, dry, uneven texture.  Leaves skin smooth and hydrated.  Smoothes texture while cleansing impurities with a trio of gentle exfoliating acids. Salicylic, Lactic and Glycolic Acids provide clarity, brightness and improve cell-turnover by dissolving dead skin cell buildup. Jojoba beads further polish and smooth skin

Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Pads

2. Chemical Exfoliant   Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Peel Pads   60 Pads $45
What it is:
A daily hydroxy acid and peptide facial peel. 

Convenient and easy to use, these peel pads are formulated with alpha, beta, and gamma hydroxy acids (which act as exfoliators) and amino acids (the building blocks of peptides). The result: tighter pores, clear skin and disappearance of fine lines, wrinkles and uneven skin tone. Leaves skin soft, smooth, firm and revitalized.

St. Ives Apricot Scrub with Salicylic Acid

3.  Budget Exfoliant St. Ives Apricot Scrub for Oily or Acne Prone Skin 6 oz $3.99

Blemish and Blackhead Control

Oily/Acne Prone

Oil Free

2% Salicylic Acid

Gently exfoliates to remove dirt, oil and dead skin cells that can clog pores.

Brown Sugar Fig Salt Scrub

4.  Body Exfoliant  Jones and Rose Brown Sugar Fig Salt Scrub $28

Skin nourishing olive, soy, and almonds oils combine to deliver silky, smooth moisture to soften and nourish rough spots. moisturizes while mineral rich sea salts gently smooths and softens rough spots. No need to use lotion afterwards.

Laura Geller Lip Strip

5.  Lip Exfoliant  Laura Geller Lip Strip Cooling Sugar Scrub 1 oz $16

 Lip Strip gently buffs dry lips to renewed smoothness. Historically, sugar is one of the safest natural exfoliants and humectants, and because the skin of the lips is so delicate, pure organic sugar from Brazil was chosen to use as the base of this scrub. In addition, peppermint and spearmint oils were added for a beautiful, refreshing sensation.

 Try these exfoliators and you too can be a smooth operator!

 We are in the throes of summer and layering on the sunscreen should be a given.  But do you think about protecting your lips with an SPF as well?  Lip balms with SPF are a perfect addition to your skin care must-haves.  Not only will you keep your lips in soft kissable condition, but protect them from the damaging rays of the sun.  There are several formulas of lip balm on the market now that are include a plethora of soothing and healing ingredients.  Look for ingredients like shea butter, aloe, jojoba oil, vitamin e, sweet almond oil and natural oatmeal.

Try these top 5 budget beauty lip balm choices:

1.  Oatmeal Based

  Aveeno Lip Conditioner SPF 15 $3.99  Formulated with natural oatmeal, jojoba oil and shea butter, this lip balm heals and soothes and protect.

2.  Engineered by scientists, designed for and by athletes 

Serena Williams Pomegranate SPF20 Balmer

Mission Skin Care Serena Williams’ Pomegranate Lip Balmer SPF 15  $3.99  Broad-Spectrum SPF 15 UVA/UVB Protection, clinically Proven to Lock in Moisture for up to 8 Hours.

 3.  Eco-friendly and organic

Eco Lips SPF 15

Eco-lips Lip Balm SPF 15  $3.99  Over 87% certified organic ingredients, gluten free with an aluminum carabiner clip which is an ideal way to remind you to be proactive about your lip care. 

4.  For the kid in you

Blistex Fruit Smoothies Lip Protectant SPF 15 3 in package for $3.99  Fruit Smoothies are packed with moisturizers and fortified with natural fruit extracts plus Vitamins A, B5, and C.

5.  Triple Duty — Shimmer, SPF and Conditioning

ChapStick® True Shimmer™ $2.99 Get the healthy appearance benefits of a lip balm with the addition of a subtle highlight. 

Makeup artist,s tip:  Make your own lip stain. 

Fill in lips with your favorite lip pencil.  I love Tarte Double-Ended Lipliners  – A double-ended lip liner that contains one soft, neutral shade on one side and a deeper shade on the other. $19  Use your finger to really work the pencil into the lips.  Then apply your lip balm over your penciled-in lips.  Once the balm and pencil mix, you have your very own personalized lip stain! 

Keeping your lips luscious, protected and conditioned does not have to cost a fortune.  You can find lip balms that are ideal for everyday use at your local drugstore or at online retailers.

 We have all been affected by the economy.  I have had to tailor my beauty budget to my actual budget.  They never seem to balance, but I really don’t care.  I’m an avowed beauty junkie and with that being said, I have made some adjustments.  So now I have budget beauty bling. 

I traded down from this lovely Tiare scented NARS Body Glow to Palmer's Leg Shine and saved $50!

 There are a few beauty items that I just can’t live without.  So I have just learned to trade this for that.  I’m sure you can do it too.  It’s all a matter of finding your favorite beauty necessity at Walgreens or Target or Walmart instead of Saks, Nordstrom or even my beloved Sephora.

Here are my top 5 beauty finds that are worth their weight in blings:

1.  Body Lotion

I used to use a pricey body lotion which shall remain nameless just in case I come into a windfall, then layer on

This all-in-one leg gloss for $8.50

Michael Kors Leg Shine  $32 or NARS Body Glow to give my legs a beautiful sheen.  Now I just use Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Smoothing and Perfecting Leg Gloss Lotion, 13.5 fl. oz. for $8.50.  Granted the Palmer’s doesn’t have the wonderful scent of Michael Kors Leg Shine of NARS Body Glow, but I can smell like cocoa butter for 10 minutes for the price difference.  I made the trade and have saved over $50!

And look at what it does:

This revolutionary product is a tinted moisturizer that adds gloss and imparts a satiny smooth finish that masks imperfections to improve the appearance of your legs. It contains pure Cocoa Butter, Vitamin E and tiny light-refracting particles to illuminate the skin. This product also contains a hair-growth inhibitor, which minimizes the need for shaving, leaving the skin smoother longer. This fast-drying formula blends marks and blemishes, creating the appearance of flawless skin – virtually eliminating the need for pantyhose, stockings, etc.

2.  Mascara

I love mascara.  I want big thick, trashy lashes.  I’m leaning towards Tammy Faye  on the lashes.  I used to be a die hard Lancome mascara girl.  But the choices kept growing - there was a mascara launch each season.  Good grief.   The problem is that you can get carried away with the mascara choices out there.  I mean, there are mascaras with fibers, primers, spinning wands, vibrating (ahem) wands that curl, lengthen, thicken, darken and help grow your lashes to boot.  Well, I just can’t pay $30 for a spinning mascara.  Maybelline now makes one for under $10 if that was my choice.  NOT!  I love, love, love my Loreal Voluminous mascara.  It’s $7.99 and works as well if not better than it’s $25 counterparts.  The good news is that drugstores often put Loreal Voluminous on sale for buy one get one free and then I stock up.  I even use this mascara in my professional kit.  It comes in Carbon, much like Dior Show and Voluminous also comes in waterproof forumlas.  I just stick with Blackest Black and it’s perfect for every occasion.

3.  Hair conditioner

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