Moonstruck in Jersey's Blog

July 31, 2012

Mirrors

Filed under: Musings — moonstruckinjersey @ 11:41 AM
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Went to the mall the other day to have the battery in my MacBook replaced and my husband and I decided to grab a coffee and do a little people watching.

We were seated outside of a Starbuck’s and the line in had many different people, but one in particular stood out.  She was probably in her mid thirties, hair combed, make up on, toes polished and she was wearing a tank top with cropped sweat pants, flip flops and a Coach bag.  All good right?  Not so much.

I looked over at my husband and he was shaking his head so I knew it wasn’t just me being evil.  Her sweat pants were pink and had the designer name going across her behind in large black letters.  It truly made her butt look five feet wide.

It makes no difference how tall or short, how pudgy or thin or how old or young we all are, even whether you are female or male…..you need to check EVERYTHING out in a mirror before you leave the house.

Just because you like fashion doesn’t mean it likes you.  A first impression is just that, a FIRST impression.

Sometimes the mirror is your best friend,  just sayin’.

Peace

July 30, 2012

Concealers

Filed under: Beauty — moonstruckinjersey @ 9:25 AM
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I have been on the hunt forever to find THE concealer.  Everything that I had tried was less then perfect for me.  It was always a texture thing as concealers always seem to be thick and dry.

Then a few years ago I found YSL’s Touche Eclat and I was amazed.  Touche Eclat is actually a highlighter and it worked beautifully on the eyelids, brow arches, nasal labial lines and in the corner of the eyes where there is always a shadow.  It is a very creamy, light formula so it was easy to camouflage shadows under the eye without tugging at the skin.  If you put it over the upper lip line, it makes your lips look plumper. It works! It was my one and only for a long time.

Obviously, you know I am leading up to the fact the I have found another highlighter/concealer that I love as well.  The cool thing is that it is made by the woman who developed the formula for YSL so many years ago.  She has left YSL and has her own company, BY Terry, and has revamped the original formula.  By Terry Touche Veloutee Highlighting Concealer is not only a highlighter, but a true concealer and Terry has added hydrating microspheres ( a little anti aging is good) to smooth the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.  It blends well into the skin, but I do feel that the texture of Touche Veloutee is denser then Touche Eclat.

“A few strokes of this beautifully textured concealer, infused with nourishing botanicals and soft-focus pigments, creates a candlelit-like look.  Soft-focus powders conceal dark shadows and disguise imperfections and the mark of tiredness, all the while protecting the delicate eye contour area.  Five matte reflective prisms combine with hydrating microspheres to smooth the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines and hide dark spots, redness and imperfections under a long lasting film cover.” – QVC.com

I use both products.  I use Touche Eclat as my highlighter and Touche Veloutee as my concealer.  Each one is a different shade, but you can really use any shade the products offer as they are very forgiving.

The pen type delivery systems on both these products makes them super easy to use.  I love them as they do exactly what they say they will, without being thick and drying, and they make your skin look beautifully illuminated.  The best thing is that they both make you look as if you had a great night’s sleep, which as we all know, is the best make up.

Peace

  • Touche Eclat on yslbeautyus.com – $40.00
  • Touche Veloutee Highlighting Concealer on qvc.com – $58.00

July 29, 2012

Green Smoothie

Filed under: Recipes — moonstruckinjersey @ 7:36 AM
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There are so many great beauty products out there to use and I plan on doing just that, but part of beauty is being healthy and feeding your body.

Here is one of my favorite green smoothies to start the day or as a filling snack during the day.

  • 1/4 cup water
  • 3-4 ice cubes
  • big handful of spinach
  • 1/2 apple
  • small banana

Put it all in the Vitamix and mix, using the tamper to push everything toward the blade.  If you are using a blender be sure to mix at high speed and stop a few times to scrape the walls of the blender and push all the ingredients toward the blade.

Comes out thick and yummy and kids love this one too (as you don’t taste the green stuff).  You may add what you like to this very basic recipe – strawberries, blueberries, mango, they all work really well.  My husband’s favorite thing to add is natural peanut butter.

Enjoy!

Peace

July 28, 2012

Quick Tip

Filed under: Beauty — moonstruckinjersey @ 11:38 AM

Just a quick tip for today.

After your wash your hair, DO NOT dry your hair with a towel.  Wrap your hair in an old T shirt.  Towels give you frizzy hair!

Enough said.

Peace

July 27, 2012

Eve Lom

Filed under: Skincare — moonstruckinjersey @ 10:01 PM
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Today I would like to introduce you to one of my favorite skin care products, Eve Lom Cleanser.

The cleanser is made of essential oils and cocoa butter.  It melts away makeup and grime and leaves your skin feeling clean and hydrated.  Muslin clothes that are made to go with the cleanser wipe away the makeup, etc and exfoliates at the same time.  It also may be used for eye makeup removal, even the most long lasting mascara dissolves beautifully.

You can purchase at spacenk.com or qvc.com.  You will also find at higher end department stores.  I always purchase this product at qvc.com as they have the best price, $68.28, and this includes both cleanser and four muslin clothes.  If purchased separately the cleanser would be $80.00 and the clothes $22.00.  As you can see, it is a great deal at QVC.

Cleansing is a little different then what we are normally used to, but I think you will enjoy the process and the way your skin feels after cleansing.

  • Fill your sink with hot water and immerse the muslin cloth.
  • Massage a small amount of cleanser onto your face and neck.
  • Squeeze off cloth and hold close to your face and neck for a few seconds.  The heat helps open the pores so the product can work it’s magic.
  • Fold the cloth into a square and use in small, circular movements to remove all the cleanser.
  • The cloth exfoliates the skin and leaves it feeling amazing!

Your skin is now ready for your favorite serums and moisturizers.

Do not use the clothes more then twice before washing.  I rotate mine out with every use.

You should use this cleanser at least twice a week.  I mix it up with other products that I will discuss at a later time.

I love the way my skin feels and looks.  I am sixty years old and have great skin and no wrinkles  because I have always taken care of my face. You never have to look your age, but you MUST put in some time and effort to keep your complexion looking beautiful.

I hope you give the product a try.  I know that this cleanser is pricey, but this is what I do……..get yourself a mason jar and label it skincare.  Empty your wallet every week of change and small bills, if you can.  You will be surprised at how quickly it adds up.  So, you can try different or favorite products without hitting the budget.

Peace

July 26, 2012

Not surprised

Filed under: Musings — moonstruckinjersey @ 12:33 PM

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” – Ghandi

July 24, 2012

Soccer

Filed under: Musings — moonstruckinjersey @ 8:00 PM
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Went to watch my 2 1/2 year old grandson at his soccer lesson this morning.

These little ones are just too cute as they sit in a circle with their parents or grandparents and sing a good morning song and then play ring-around-the-rosey.  They love to fall down!

“Coach” tells them what each drill will be, and they do give it their best shot, but mostly it is just running around the court  (these lessons are held inside).  Some of them are starting to get the idea that their feet do the work.

I like the fact that week to week they are starting to recognize each other and make friends and best of all they are starting to share. They may not understand what is going on when they start any activity, but the do learn quickly.

They are learning to socialize with other children and adults and they are also learning what is acceptable behavior outside of the home.

Too bad some adults haven’t learned this yet.

Peace

Pictures

Filed under: Home — moonstruckinjersey @ 4:32 PM
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We had a new air conditioner installed the other day and as the guys were going in and out, one of them commented on the pictures that were on the door leading out to the garage.  I have a collage of photos, all fairly recent, of different events – weddings, grandchildren, dogs, etc. He thought it was great and planned on mentioning it to his wife.

I have done this in our last few homes and I love the way it looks.  The pictures are attached by magnetic picture frames to a metal door.  The pictures just slide into the frame so it is really easy to change them out as often as you like to continue to update.  The frames are very inexpensive and I have purchased at both Michael’s and Bed, Bath and Beyond; so, they are easy to find.

I love to decorate with photos and I especially like to use old family pictures.  We’ve had some photos framed professionally, but most I do myself.  I love Pottery Barn frames and I always try to plan ahead as to what size and how I would like to group the photos so that when PB has a sale, I am right there!

Using old family photos side by side with recent pictures is a great way to teach children about their family’s history – who there ancestors were, when they came to this country, what country they came from (a little geography lesson as well).  Who doesn’t like to look at pictures?  Learning something along the way about who you are is a plus.

My new project is to fill a multiple picture frame with some of my baby pictures and my grandsons’ baby pictures as the family resemblance is there for all to see!

Almost everyone has a smart phone and so it is so easy to take pictures no matter where you are and no matter what you are doing – ball games, the beach, picnics, weddings, grandma’s house –  just do it, you will love the results!

To know who you are, you have to know where you come from.  Record your history in photos!

Peace

Natural Nails

Filed under: Nails — moonstruckinjersey @ 3:12 PM
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Acrylic nails are so over and I think most of us are very happy about it.  Going to the salon should be fun and relaxing, not an every other week chore.  The short, natural nail looks like it is here to stay.

If you have decided to take the acrylics off or to stop using the gel systems that are available, as they cause damage as well, congratulations!  I am guessing that as you look at your nails that you are already contemplating going back to the enhancements as your nails are dry, split and soft, not to mention the hangnails and cracked and dry cuticles.  Don’t!!!

A great way to help your nails back to their beautiful natural state, and keep them there, is to soak them once a week in olive oil for 15 to 20 minutes.  (Do not do this on the day that you want to polish your nails!)  This helps to moisturize the nails and cuticles.  When you are finished soaking, blot your hands and then rub the remaining oil into your nails and hands.  Gently push the cuticles back with an orange stick.  Never cut the cuticles as they protect the nail bed from damage.

On a daily basis, cuticle oil AM and PM prevents the nails and cuticles from drying and prevents hangnails.  I like T.I.P.S. which I purchase on QVC.com. It comes in multiple small bottles so you can have them in the house, car, desk drawer, handbag, etc. Coconut oil and argan oil are also great for this purpose.

Once you have healthy nails you can start using all those rich colored polishes – corals, blues, greens, oranges, metallics – all look great on short nails.  Give them a try, they look good on everyone.

In the meantime, enjoy your beautiful natural nails!

Peace

A Smooth Blend

Filed under: Home — moonstruckinjersey @ 3:07 PM
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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

I am making a homemade insect repellant blend today.  I know, sounds a little weird, but it works.

We lived in Florida for four years and when we were first there I became  fine dining for a variety ( and it is endless in FL!) of insects, but especially mosquitos.  Most people get an itchy little red bump when bitten, but not me, I get huge, painful welts.

I couldn’t stay in the house as we have dogs that needed to be walked, but

I hate bug sprays.  I hate the smell of them, the feel of them and especially what they are made of.  There had to be a better way.

I had been making my own cleaning products with essential oils way before companies like Method and Seventh Generation became mainstream; so, I started looking for recipes to make insect repellant.  I found lots of them and they were all good, I just wasn’t necessarily thrilled with some of the smells of certain essential oils.

So, I ended up taking what I liked from a few blends and came up with this one that I would like to share.

Insect Repellant Blend:

  • 20 drops of thyme
  • 20 drops of lavender
  • 24 drops of lemongrass
  • 20drops of peppermint
  • 25 drops of blender oil – Jojoba or sweet almond
  • 1 cup of water
  • 4 teaspoons of witch hazel

This makes one cup.  Put it in a sprayer bottle and it is good to go.

I never have a problem with mosquitos now and the best thing is it is all natural, so it’s safe even for the kids and it smells fresh instead of like chemicals.

I almost always purchased oils on the Internet, but you can also purchase at places like Whole Foods.

I hope you will give it a try.  You have nothing to lose except the itch!

Peace

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