My Tried And True Skin Care Products

 

It is almost Spring, and time to reevaluate our skincare, and make-up routines. 

It seems with each new decade my skin changes a bit, and not always for the better.  

Let’s just say at the age of 64 my skin has gone through a lot of changes, if you know what I mean.

This year in particular I have noticed a huge difference in my skin. I believe a lot of that is due to a very stressful year with health issues for my sweet hubby. (all is well and life is wonderful now)

I also have to admit I am a bit of a product junky. I read copious amounts of information about skincare and beauty products.

However there some products that are tried and true that I re-purchase over and over again.

Today I thought it would be fun to show you what is tried and true, and a few new to me products I am enjoying so far.

I guess the best place to start is at the base of it all…..

Facial Cleanser

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I have used Lierac oil for several years now. It is a product from Paris, and it is such a wonderful cleanser. It is an botanical base, but don’t let that scare you. 

When water is added it emulsifies, and rinses off easily. It has a lovely fragrance and leaves my dry skin soft and satiny. I love this stuff.

SERUM

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Once my skin is all clean I apply a serum. Serums are new to  me, but I am now a believer. 

It takes about 4-5 weeks to see a difference, but all of the sudden I noticed the texture in my skin was softer, the lines less noticeable, and the pores smaller.

If you are not using a serum I would definitely look for one that suits your needs. This one suits my needs perfectly, and I have found it to be very effective.

OIL BOOSTER

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This product is new to me. In the past I have used facial quality oils on my face, and have enjoyed the feel and the results. 

This particular oil has so many good botanical oils for your face that it is worth the try to see if it works for you.

MOISTURIZER/ SPF SUNSCREEN

You can probably tell I have dry/sensitive skin so I am very careful with what I put on my face. This next product is tried and true, and I have used it for several years and absolutely love it.

It gives my skin a great deal of moisture plus protection from the harmful rays of sun that age us so quickly. Protect, protect, protect!!  Oh how I wish I knew then what I know now!!

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NIGHT CREAM

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After cleansing my skin at night and applying my serum I use this as my night cream. 

This particular cream is new to me, but so far I LOVE it. It makes a great night cream because it holds in the moisture for 12 hours, perfect for a night cream.

Once a week I will use an exfoliant, not a scrub but an exfoliant. I have found my sensitive/dry skin can’t take more than once or twice a week.

After I cleanse my face I will apply this first……

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This product is made to use everyday, but I have found I can not use it everyday so I use it once or twice a week. 

We all need to exfoliate in order to slough off dead skin cells so our products we are using can get down to our skin, and not just lay on top of the dead skin cells.

I am sure a professional could explain it better, but that is my layman terms trying to explain the, WHY of using an exfoliant.

Once a week I do what I call my puffing, and fluffing day. 

That particular day is where I put a mask on my hair, and face and leave it all day and hope and pray no one comes over. 

I would die if someone saw me all slicked up!!! Not a pretty picture.

I just ran out of both of the products I normally use and since I am a product junkie I am on the hunt for some new products to try. 

If you have any recommendations please leave a comment and SHARE!!!

When I am in the market for any new products for my beauty regime I go to  Beautypedia.com. 

This is an unbiased review source that reviews all kinds of brands and products. It is a wealth of information.

Keep in mind what works for me, just might not work for you, but I wanted to share what has worked for me and is still working for me.

You will notice that many of the products I use are Paula’s choice products. I highly recommend her products. 

I am not being compensated by her company, but I am suggesting these products based on my experiences in using her products, and reviewing of other products.

The offer below is for anyone who is a Paula’s Choice product user.

If you would like to try any of her products click on the code below and you will get $10 off your first order and I will get a $10 credit. A win-win for both of us…..

 click here:

http://goo.gl/n9lQM7

Please leave a comment, and share what is working for you! We can all learn from each other, and besides I love reading comments from my readers!!

 

 

 

Mixing Patterns Has A Method!!

   

“Choosing the Star fabric for your room!”

Sometimes decorating can be like casting actors in a play. 

After all aren’t we setting a stage, so to speak.

Today I am going to take you through one of the final processes in the coordination of fabrics for a room.

Once you have all of your swatches in hand it is time to start mixing and matching.

The first step is to decide on the STAR!!!

In playing with swatches for my Spring pillows for my family room I tried, and tried to make the addition of yellow the star.

I was considering this fabric by Schumacher…….

Since this was a standout pattern it was a natural for the role as the star.

So why did it not work?

As much as I tried different combinations of coordinates in supporting roles, this one particular fabric was just not strong enough to take on the role of, The Star!

When one star player does not work start looking in your stack of swatches for a new star……

What makes a fabric a star?

Boldness of color

Scale of design

A Pattern standout.

At a glance I could see several possibilities, but for my particular design aesthetics the blue with white patterns felt like they could be the star.

So I began with my star possibilities…….

(Samples are on their way!)

With one of these in mind, I began to play with lining up some supporting actors.

I knew that I wanted a blue, green, yellow and black and white combination so now I just needed to narrow it down.

I started with my next most important color to add to the room….

YELLOW

With the blue fabrics  scale, and design I knew it needed to be a very  easy on the eye, non-committal fabric, you know a pattern that could mix with just about anything.

For me, that would be a smallish sized geometric pattern.

The other thing I needed to keep in mind was the value of the yellow, not too light, and not too bright because that is what my room requires.

The next fabric choice  almost as important as the yellow was finding the right green. It needed to be fresh and crisp in order to elevate these two patterns to a Spring look.

I had three good options to work with….

Option #1

A larger scale pattern that both the blue, and yellow would work with. It is a good idea to vary patterns scale when mixing patterns. A general guideline is small, medium and larger scaled patterns will make a good mix.

Option #2

This is a very large scale pattern so this is also a possibility.

Option #3

This pattern is a bit more of an all over pattern in a med-large scale, but what is attracting me to this particular pattern more than the other two, so far, is it’s vibrancy and freshness.

You see, you need to take all things  into consideration when choosing fabrics for your room…….

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Scale

Color

Design

What pleases your own personal eye.

The last but not least color option is the black and white. I have a black and white striped rug in my room so I only need a touch of black and white to add to the mix.

Again I have a few options, so lets see how they pan out.

Option #1

The Greek key pattern has always been a favorite of mine and I think it mixes nicely when used with a Chinoiserie pattern as in the blue fabric.

Option #2

The black and white trellis pattern is also very nice, but it might be shouting too loudly with the other fabrics, in this scenario. Of course all of these opinions are subjective based on my own taste.

Option #3

This is another trellis pattern but a bit larger scale and the white is more dominant in this pattern, which is a good thing since I am creating a brighter, more cheerful combination for a Spring look.

The next step is to mix, what you think might be your final choices with the other permanent elements in your room as far as patterns and colors.

My last collage………

At this point in the decision making I am leaning more towards this combination. I will only make my final decision, once I have all samples in hand. It takes time and planning to get things right, but once it is done I know I will be happy with my final decision.

I have learned if something feels a bit off, or when in doubt, don’t. 

Remember doubt is always there for a reason.

 You might not see it right off the bat, but if you wait it out, it will reveal itself to you as you let some time pass before jumping in with both feet. 

This is actually a rule I try to apply to my life in general, not just design decisions.

I am in hopes that following along with me in this little exercise will possibly help you out in your next project where you have to mix patterns and/or elements in your room.

 

 

Some Spring Changes For My Home

   

When I posted about my two color picks for 2015 I had something in mind for my own home with these two colors.

With Spring right around the corner could there be any more perfect colors to add to your home than pink, and/or yellow?

In my own home the perfect room to add these colors to is my family room, with its black and white and blue and white base these two colors could integrate easily.

With these two colors in mind, I began to think of ways to add them to my room. Pillows were the obvious and easiest choice.

I went to Etsy to see what the offerings would be in fabric patterns that I like.

There were so many colorful choices that seemed as if they would work. I put different combinations together…..

My sofa is a classic blue and white ticking stripe and my chairs are white slipcovers, so you can see just about anything could work….

BUT!! Just because it looks good on paper doesn’t always mean it will work in person or for the person.

This is why I always get swatches and live with the idea of the upcoming change before investing money into anything new for my home.

You see, it has always been as important, or more important to me that my home maintains the, “feeling,” I have worked so hard to achieve. 

I require a fresh, happy, soothing, calm atmosphere in my home. So with that in mind I discovered that the color pink in this paritcular setting was not giving me the feel I wanted.

I did several mock-ups of different combinations, none of which was quite working for me.

As fresh and fun as it looked on paper, it still was not quite right for me, personally.

I want to bring up the an important point here….

Always stay true to yourself because in the end no one else will be paying, or living with your final choices but YOU!!

It looks like there will not be pink in the room this time around. Every combination where I added  pink felt jarring to my eye. 

I found that the addition of the yellow felt more like ME! Yellow transitioned into the blue, green, black color combination easily and smoothly.

Here is a line-up of the fabrics that I truly love….

I have been in the process of ordering samples and still have a few more to arrive. Once I get those samples I then feel I will be able to move forward. You see, I have lived with the idea of the change long enough to know that it will be easy to get the look and feel I want.

Then a very pleasant surprise came to me via my sweet husband. I was showing him a chair I had admired for a very long time (actually years) that happened to be on sale. 

I shared with him how I have had this particular style chair on my radar for awhile now. He said he like it, and nothing more was said about it.

UNTIL….. That evening  a few days before Valentines day he said , “ Go ahead, and order that chair!” 

To be honest I actually did not know what the heck he was talking about and asked, “What chair?” Then he told me and  said, “ Happy Valentines Day!”of course I squealed with delight. I still can’t believe it!!

So now there will be a new player in the upcoming scene in my family room…..

I have fabric samples coming my way. All are neutrals so it can slide into my room easily, or any other room for that matter.

There will be a bit more time that has to pass before I have all the swatches, and everything lined up.

NEXT, will be placing just the right pillow in just the right color on just the right pieces of furniture in my room. ( I sound like Goldilocks of design!)