Sewing Diary: March 2016

To be honest, I wasn't as productive in my sewing during the month of March, as I'd hoped to be. My knee injury (torn meniscus) coupled with absolutely dreary weather, and short trips to visit family at the beginning and end of the month, all conspired to make me be grumpy, lazy, and unmotivated when it came to creativity.

Anyway, this post is going to be super short: I made one dress and three aprons, all of which I've posted on etsy for sale. (I also have one apron that is almost finished. I will post about that hopefully next month). The dress and one of the aprons have sold, as of this writing. Details below:

1. Pink Bambi Print Apron. I found this fabric at Hancock Fabrics and snapped it up. Too cute! I made it in to an apron with a loop neckline and white rick rack trim. It's still available in my shop.

2. Parisian Print Apron. This fabric was a gift from my mom for my birthday last year. I made it into a traditional pinafore style apron with a tie neckline. It sold pretty quickly. Yay!

3. Retro Green and Pink Floral Apron. This fabric has a nice texture and medium weight. I found it on the bargain table at Hancocks. I made this for people who like more traditional prints on their aprons. Here it is in my shop.

4. 60s Retro Style Dress. Was completely in love with this fabric! Super cute, amirite?! Love the color combination of turquoise, avocado, rust and brown. I made this with bell sleeves, brown velvet trim and an empire waist. It is a mini dress or tunic in length. It was snapped up really quickly in my shop. The first dress I've sold. Yay!

And there you have it. I didn't quite meet my goal of 1.5 projects per week, and if this past week is any indication, April is not going to be much better! My knee injury is very distracting and is making me crabby, plus the side effects of the pain medication are sleepiness. And still no sun anywhere to be seen in this part of the country. Can't wait for Spring and the infusion of energy it will hopefully bring. I did sign up for Cassie Stephens' summer art camp today, though, so maybe that will inspire me to make some cool outfits for the trip.

Beauty Favorites and Fails: February 2016

This month's favorites and fails ran the gamut from hair care to body products, and include lots of Asian beauty products, too. Let's get started:

Beauty Favorites from Clinique, My Beauty Diary, SkinFood, and Gilchrist & Soames.

Favorites:

My Beauty Diary Aloe Mask, $14 for 10 masks
This mask is made by a Taiwanese company, and is now widely available at places like Target and Walmart. It claims to be soothing and moisturizing, which I found to be true. Aside from the aloe, this mask also has hyaluronic acid. The shape of the mask was rounder and shorter than most I've tried, and this made it fit well for me. I didn't have to fold the excess under my chin. It felt soothing and cooling. I imagine it would be nice after a day in the sun. It dripped a little bit around my jaw as I lay with it on, but not too bad. And my skin did indeed look moisturized after I took it off.

Gilchrist and Soames Spa Therapy Moisturizing Sea Moss Conditioner $28
This is my favorite rinse-out hair conditioner for every day use. I discovered it when it was stocked in my hotel room in La Jolla, and then I purchased it from Amazon when I got home. I love the turquoise color, it smells nice, and it leaves my hair very manageable, soft and shiny. I find the bottle a little tricky to use and squeeze out the product when my hands are soapy and wet in the shower, and I wish it dispensed with a pump, but other than that, I love this and will definitely repurchase it after I use up some other ones I have. (Ps: I just noticed when I linked to the website, that they do now sell it in a pump dispenser. Yay!)

Clinique Broad Spectrum SPF 45 Targeted Protection Stick, $21
I love this stuff and have purchased several. I use it on my nose, the space between my eyebrows, the naso-labial folds, upper lip and on my lips. The reason I don't use it every where on my face is that it is in stick form, so you really have to drag it over your skin. I can only use it on the places on my face where my skin is taut. It is too hard for the delicate under eye area, for example. That being said, it is really great in those places I do use it. I love the emollient texture, and it never breaks me out. It gives good sun protection and also moisturizes. It feels really good on my skin. If you have oily skin, however, you would probably find this greasy. It's great to carry around with it because it is compact and of course, will not spill.

SkinFood Platinum Grape Cell Emulsion, $24
This was just a tiny sample size packet with enough for two applications, so this review is really just a "First Impressions." But as far as that goes, I really liked this. This contains grape cells and platinum, as the name would suggest, and is supposed to brighten and firm skin. It had a light, pleasant slightly fruity scent, and lightweight gel/lotion consistency that spread on my face easily with no tugging, and absorbed quickly, and it did lightly moisturize my face. After getting through all my other serums, I will buy a regular size of this one and try it out over a longer period of time.

Products that were just okay, from Olay and Bath and Body Works.

Just Okay:

Bath and Body Works Snowkissed Sugar Ultra Shea Body Cream
I bought this around the holidays last year, mostly because I loved the packaging, with its blues, violets and pinks, topped off with glittery silver snowflakes. It is a seasonal scent, so it is no longer available from the store, unless they release it again next holiday. But the formula is apparently always the same. I found that the lotion worked just fine: it spread easily on my skin, and absorbed quickly. The scent is nicely light, with coconut, vanilla, musk and plum, according to the description. The only negative was that the scent dissipates within minutes of wearing it. Although, some people might think of that as a plus.

Olay Total Effects CC Cream, $20
This was an okay CC cream. The pros were that it did not break me out or leave me looking either dry or greasy. It was easy to spread, but it did occasionally streak. I wish it had a higher SPF, and I also wish the color was a better match for my skin. Like most CC creams, the coverage is light, and I made it even lighter by blending with my sunscreen. If you need more opaque coverage, this is not for you. It did not sting my eyes, which is good, however, it claims to minimize pores, but I did not notice any difference. It was fine, but I will keep looking for a BB or CC cream that makes a noticeable difference in my skin's appearance. This did not.

Olay Regenerist Micro Sculpting Serum - Fragrance Free $25
I found this serum pleasant to use. There is no yucky smell and it spreads easily. I like the dispenser and the packaging, which are both very easy to use. It did not irritate my skin. Did I see a difference in my skin? I'm not sure.... I may have to use it for a longer amount of time. But it does have good ingredients in it, like niacinimides, peptides and anti-oxidants. I may try this again after I am done using all the other serums I have stored up.

This month's fails, from Innisfree, SkinFood, E.l.f., Clarins, and Sonia Kashuk.

Fails!

SkinFood Omija Whitening Mask Sheet, $5
I love the SkinFood brand, but this sheet mask was a bit of a disappointment. I did not purchase this individually, but instead received it in one of my Beauteque Mask Maven packages. It's kind of gimmicky because you really can't get any whitening (or dark spot reduction) just by using a mask once. Omija is apparently a mountain herb with anti-oxidant properties. Obviously, I saw no improvement in the number or darkness of my age spots or freckles after using this mask, but I did find that it was moisturizing. There was barely any fragrance, and the liquid in the mask was a white, milky lotion, rather than the watery essence usually in Korean sheet masks. I didn't like that this mask stung a bit around my eyes, or the fact that there was a ton of lotion left in globs on my face after I removed the mask: It didn't seem to absorb very well, so I actually had to remove the excess lotion with a cotton pad afterwards.

Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask in Lime, $1.20
This very inexpensive mask, made for brightening the skin, was pleasant to use because it smelled very nice: a very light lime scent. The fit was okay, but again, you would have to lay down while you are wearing it, because it is slippery and drippy. But the end result was poor. My face actually had lines and wrinkles in it after taking off this mask, that weren't there before! This mask has niacinamide, japonica leaf extract, grapefruit extract, and some other fruit extracts, but also alcohol! Another favorite brand, but alas, another mask fail.

And Three Eye Shadow Primers That Did Not Work! 

Ugh! Still searching for that eye shadow primer that will lock down my shadows and prevent creasing. And I also expect that, even if it can't improve the texture of the skin on my eyelids, it will at least not make it worse. Over the last two months, I have tried three different ones, and all were fails. I'm so bummed at spending money on these. I used to not even wear eye shadow primer, and yes, my eye shadows faded away to nothing by the end of the day, or they creased. But at least I hadn't spent money on a primer to get those results. The three I tried were:  Sonia Kashuk Extreme Wear Eye Primer $10 (light beige in color, comes in a tiny jar, thick and hard to spread, really difficult to get out of the tiny jar). E.l.f. Shadow Lock Eyelid Primer $2 (white in color but disappeared once on the skin, applied with doe foot applicator, did not spread easily, kind of goopy, very tiny amount of product in the tube). And the expensive Clarins Instant Light Eye Perfecting Base $25 (medium/light pinky beige tone, spreads easily, comes in a tube, emphasized the crepiness of my eyelid skin). None of these were effective in keeping my eye shadow looking good all day. So annoying!

So I hope these reviews and opinions are helpful to you. Please leave me comments below telling me about your recent beauty favorites and fails. And stay tuned next month for more reviews....

Winter Blahs Prescription: Sunshine in the Desert. Travel Diary - Yuma, Arizona

Top tourist attraction in Yuma: the old prison

 Late in 2015, while perusing my daily fare alert emails - (check out my favorite, from The Flight Deal) - I found a fantastic fare of less than $200 to Phoenix, Arizona, in January. I snapped that right up! I had recently seen online that Yuma, Arizona is the sunniest city in the United States, and Phoenix is the closest big airport to Yuma, so I made my plans for a post-holiday getaway.

I definitely suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder with the long, drab, gray winters in the Chicago area. I don't get sad, but I get grumpy and lazy, and the only thing I want to do is shuffle around in my pajamas for the first four months of the year. So thinking Arizona was just the ticket, I made a plan for 5 nights in the desert. I spent three days in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area (post on that part of my trip to come), and two days exploring Yuma, (the largest city outside the metropolitan areas of Phoenix and Tucson) about 4 hours drive southwest of Phoenix.

Driving to Yuma as the sun sets

Once I got my rental car, I headed onto Highway 8 for the long drive to Yuma. I drove mostly in the dark of the early evening, (which for this city girl who's used to all the light pollution of an urban area, was a little spooky). It was very, very dark and I had to use my high-beam lights for most of the way there, and there was very little other traffic. I have to say, I did not much enjoy the drive, and when I made the return trip, I was glad I did it in daylight. The smoke trees lining the highway loomed like floating ghosts about to cross my path, as the light from the rental car made them glow a silvery grey. And then there was the smell! I'm sure residents are used to it, but because the way to Yuma is lined with cattle ranches, I kept getting the strong stink of cow manure wafting into the car, and having to tightly close the windows. Kinda gross!

Sun setting over Highway 8

But luckily, the city of Yuma did not smell! It is a sprawling city, with a large population of retirees wintering in their mobile homes. It was a diverse scene. There is a quaint downtown area with vintage buildings, and cute shops. There are neighborhoods of humble housing for year-round residents, and there are several trailer parks that cater to "winter visitors." Highways 8 and 95 dissect it and are banked with chain hotels. The Colorado River skirts it on its way to Mexico.

Funky roadside signage, Arizona

I found a decent price and stayed at the Radisson hotel in Yuma. They had an indoor pool in a light-filled room with big windows on two sides and skylights. It was too cold to swim outside in the morning or evening, being in the 40s, but I enjoyed this indoor pool and was the only one using it! On my first day in Yuma, I took Fodor's advice and visited the old Yuma prison from the 1800s. This is a really cool site for history buffs, and it is set beside the river, with a little park area for a nice easy hike.

The "Yard" of the old Yuma Prison

A park area, by the prison, on the banks of the Colorado River.

Man, the sunlight in Yuma is just amazing. I couldn't get enough of it. I wanted to absorb it all into my body so that when I got back to Illinois, I could make it through the winter. The light is just different in a desert area than it is in the Midwest. The colors of everything look so vibrant, it's like you are using an Instagram filter on your eyeballs.

An old prison cell. Wooden beds were replaced by metal ones to discourage bed bugs.

The Dark Cell, where prisoners were sent for punishment, was like a cave.

At the Yuma prison, its stark adobe-style architecture stood in sharp relief against the vibrant blue, cloudless sky. I enjoyed the little museum that told the stories of some of the inmates, and had artifacts from their history. There was also a little gift shop; I purchased an Arizona magnet, cactus print placemat, and an authentic antique Indian arrowhead for my nephew. Outside, as you approached the old prison cells, a recording came on to tell about life in the prison from the perspective of the inmates. This tourist attraction was both visually and intellectually interesting and I'm really glad I saw it.

Even with the beautiful sunlight, this would have been a bleak existence.

After I left the prison, I had lunch at a Mexican restaurant recommended in the Fodor's guide book, called La Fonda. The restaurant was in a kind of bleak-looking part of town, but I went anyway. The interior was kitchy Mexican style, with lots of color and Mexican knick knacks, and Mexican music playing in the background. The free chips and salsa were really good, and I ordered the tortilla soup, sonoran rolled tacos, and sopapillos to take with me for dessert. Everything was very fresh tasting and flavorful. The price was also very good.

La Fonda Mexican Restaurant in Yuma

After lunch, I made my way to the old part of town. This was a section of maybe four blocks square, with the older picturesque buildings of Yuma, and marked by an archway announcing it to be Historic Downtown Yuma. On the day I was there, the main street was blocked off to cars for a market of produce and handicrafts for sale. There was also live music in the form of a guitarist playing country music. This was on a Tuesday, not the weekend, so I'm not sure if it's like this all the time or only on certain days. I walked around and looked at all the buildings, bought a few things in the independently owned shops and had a delicious date milkshake from a store with miscellaneous gift items, and incongruously, dates.

A friendly stranger at the door of a beautiful old building, now housing an agriculture company.

A really cool old hotel, now abandoned. I hope someone restores it!

Here is an old postcard of the hotel that I found online!

Also in the downtown area is the Sanguinetti House Museum. This house belonged to a prominent Yuma entrepreneur from the 1800s and features the first swimming pool in Yuma (which unfortunately is now paved over the top for a dance floor for weddings). It's a cool old house, furnished with period furniture, and our docent suggested that many thought it was haunted. There is a small gift shop attached, as well as a cafe under an awning, which apparently has good lunches and breakfasts, although I did not try it.

A gorgeous original light fixture in the Sanguinetti House, with a garnet red glass shade.

After the museum tour, I headed over to walk the path in Smucker's Park. This was a narrow strip of a park with grass, trees, cacti, a playground and two paved walking paths near the high school. It was a pleasant place to just soak up some sunlight before night fell, because it faced west, and had a great view of the mountains in the distance. There were a lot of families there with their children, and a lot of people walking or jogging on the path. Seemed like a nice place to stop after work/school.

A cold beer under the tent at River City Grill.

Finally it was time for dinner, and I headed over to another spot recommended by the Fodor's travel guide, River City Grill. This cozy spot had indoor seating and outdoor under a canopy. I chose outdoor, and with my sweater on, it was perfect. The place was packed on this Tuesday night, mostly, it seemed, with groups of people, and the conversations I overheard indicated it was a popular place to go with work associates. I tried a Lucky Buddha Lager for the first time, which was quite good, and enjoyed the romantic fairy lights everywhere in this garden patio setting. I got a salad and a chicken curry entree, which were both quite good. I would definitely recommend this restaurant, as well.

Traveling Hwy. 95 north to the Imperial National Wilderness Preserve

On Wednesday, I swam again in the morning, took advantage of the complimentary hotel breakfast buffet, and set out to do some more hiking in the desert. After a little research, I decided to drive to the Imperial National Wilderness Refuge, about an hour's drive north of Yuma. The drive was scenic: towering palm trees dotted the flat sandy landscape. I drove through the Army Proving Ground (wondered what it was they were trying to prove!), and happened to catch about two dozen soldiers practicing jumping from a helicopter. It was so cool to see the sky "raining" with men in parachutes. I pulled over to the side of the road to catch a photo, but they were fast and I only got one in the picture!

Army Paratroopers taking practice jumps!

I stopped at the visitor's center in the wilderness refuge, and picked up a couple of trail maps, used the restroom, and then headed right outside the door to the first trail, Meers Point Trail, which was a very easy flat path, but still pretty and worth doing. Though situated in the Sonoran Desert, the refuge protects the wetlands around the Colorado River. Apparently, it is very mosquito-ey through much of the year, but late January was a perfect time to go, because the temperature was very pleasant and there were no mosquitoes that I encountered.

Meers Point Trail

It was a very peaceful hike. There were no sounds around except bird calls and the rushing wind. I saw lots of tiny lizards crossing my path - so so fast - like little streaks of black lightening. I drank sips of water constantly but my lips still felt dry. The air seemed to pull the moisture out of me. A lot of short stumpy trees looked dead - like skeletons with their grey, thorny branches, and stringy, dry bark sloughing off in rough and ragged ribbons. They scratched at my skin as I brushed past them, like the knobby, dry fingers of very old men.

Meers Point Trail

After that first trail, I drove down the road from the visitor's center, to a trailer park with a little convenience store and a grill-type restaurant. I got a quick hot dog lunch, some more bottled water, and then headed back in the car to go to the next trail, The Painted Desert Trail.

Fisher's Landing Grill at the trailer park

The drive to the trail head was loooong, and on very rough dirt roads, with steep inclines and a width barely wide enough for two cars. I worried for the health of my cheap-o rental car! The Painted Desert Trail was amazing, though a little more challenging than I was comfortable with. There were some really steep parts, and parts of the trail were not well marked, so I worried a bit about getting lost.

The Painted Desert Trail

I have to climb up there!!

But the views were stunning, as well as the many colors of rock and sand. I was the only hiker on the trail, and that gave me pause, because this trail was very remote. I saw no animals, except the little lizards. It was very quiet and serene.

Look at this wacky rock formation!

I would totally recommend this trail, but I would classify it as moderate, not easy. I finished late afternoon, and set off back to the hotel. I felt too dusty and tired to go out, so I got room service. Tomorrow would be a very early day; I had to get up at 4 am to make it to Scottsdale for my 10 am spa appointment. I know, rough life! ha ha

Red rocks, gorgeous sky!

Stay tuned for my next post where I compare and contrast 4 Phoenix/Scottsdale area destination spas!

Beauty Favorites and Fails: December 2015 to January 2016 (Product Reviews incl. Korean Beauty)

 This month, my skin has been rather challenging. I've noticed new under-eye wrinkles that weren't there before, and also been having some more pimples (around my chin and jawline) than usual. I am not sure whether to attribute these things to being almost 51 now, and the hormonal challenges happening, or if adding several new things, like different face oils, Retin-A, and BHA to my routine have caused some upset. Aside from these challenges though, I have enjoyed some wonderful new products and of course, experienced some big time loser products. Let start with the good news:

Favorites of the Month

Favorites

1. Happiness is ..... Real Art Moisture Cleansing Oil from Etude House! Oh how I love this oil cleanser!!! There are not superlatives enough in the world to describe my affection for it. First off, the light lemon scent is so lovely and soothing. I looked forward to using it every night, and found it very calming. The oil feels so good on my skin, and is great in removing all make-up, and giving enough slip for a gentle facial massage. Then when you add water to your face, it emulsifies perfectly and removes completely, leaving a soft and clean skin. Not to mention, the packaging is cute and the pump works really well. That is another thing I'm finding with Korean beauty products: the pumps on the containers always work great, which is so different from the American products, where 50% of the time, the pump is broken (I'm looking at you, Body Shop Grapefruit Shower Gel!). Also, this product did not sting my eyes, clog pores or cause breakouts. Love!

2. L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess Mascara in Blackest Black. I really enjoyed this mascara. I think it lived up to its claims of volumizing lashes without big clumps. It was nice and wet and very black. I had no trouble with flaking, and it stays high-powered until I took it off at night. No fading during the day, or the need for reapplication. Note that I do use all mascaras with the Estee Lauder Little Black Primer now, because I have a big problem with mascara transferring under my eyes, due to the shape of my eyes/face. The wand on this mascara is good: big and fluffy but not so much that I poked myself or couldn't reach smaller lashes. I would definitely buy this mascara again, after I use up all the others in my stash.

3. Kings and Queens Chinese Princess Jasmine Shower Gel. If you like prettily scented shower gels that don't dry out your skin, and with a scent that stays with you for a few hours, then I can definitely recommend this one. I love the scent, and the way it left my skin feeling. I also love the packaging in the pretty pink bottle. Only downsides: the lid breaks easily, and this brand is hard to find in the U.S. I originally bought it at Target, but they stopped carrying it, so now I have to get it ordered from Europe, because it is made by Korres. Still, I think it's worth it for the lovely scent. A perennial favorite! (Postscript: This might be discontinued! Oh No!)

4. Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara. Although it probably can't live up to its claims to make your lashes grow, because it's not a medical product, this is a very nice mascara. It was nice and black and it did lengthen and volumize my lashes. I used this on my natural make-up or light make-up days, because it wasn't as volumizing as the other mascara I was using (see above). But it did seem to moisturize and condition my lashes, which I enjoyed. I experienced no flaking, clumping, or irritation. I would definitely buy this again. 

5. Pixi Glow Tonic toner. I think this really did work to make my skin look glowy, because when I visited my aunts in Florida, they remarked on my glowing skin. This toner has a nice moisturizing feeling, a pretty, girly, light fragrance, cute and efficient packaging, and is readily available at Target. It is a little higher priced than the typical Target product at $29 for 3.4 fl oz, but it seems to have a good complement of ingredients, like Witch Hazel, Aloe, Glycolic Acid, and Biotin, and there is no alcohol, so it is not drying. After using up my current toners that I am trying out, I will definitely purchase this one again.

Some okay products I tried.

Good, Nice, but Not Sure if  I Will Buy Again

1. Olay Regenerist Regenerating Serum Fragrance Free. I liked this serum, mostly for the consistency, which is more like a light lotion, than a gooey gel or a liquid. It was very easy to apply and it didn't cause any irritation. But did it change my skin for the positive at all? I don't know. It has good ingredients like niacinamide, peptides, and silicone for a silky texture, but I'm not sure I saw any difference in my skin from using it. I can probably do better.

2. Redken Diamond Oil High Shine Gel Conditioner. This is a very lightweight conditioner. It did add some shine to my hair, and it did detangle it, but it doesn't work as well to keep it soft and easy to style (i.e. manageable) as some of the other conditioners I am currently using, so although it is not a "fail," I would not bother purchasing this again.

3. Etude House Collagen Moistfull Emulsion. Again, nothing wrong with this product: the smell is faint and delicate, the texture is nice, it didn't irritate my skin. But, it's not a must-have product for me. This is a very light lotion, so it did not deliver the moisture that I need on my skin, which is mostly dry, except for my T-zone. The website describes it as "rich" but I would disagree, and say it is very light hydration. Also, the bottle and cap design make it very hard to get the product out. You have to hold it upside down and tap it out, and it comes out slowly. Annoying!

4. The Body Shop Moisture White Shiso Foaming Facial Wash. I really enjoyed using this cleanser, but it is in my "just okay" pile because, contrary to what it says on the bottle, it did dry out my under-eye area. If your skin doesn't have dry patches, though, you might love this. The packaging is really nice in that it dispenses easily, and keeps the product from exposure to light, moisture and air. The foam is really soft and soothing to put on your face, and the scent is very mild. It felt very mild in general, with the licorice extract and the glycerin, but still did a good job in cleansing. I used this as my second step in my evening double-cleanse.

5. MAC Lightful C Marine-Bright Formula Softening Lotion. This is called a lotion but it's actually a toner. It has a watery consistency that make it easy to apply and spread with a cotton pad. I liked this, but again, not sure if I saw any difference on my skin while using it. It had no fragrance, that I could detect, did not irritate or cause redness, and it felt like a good final step in my cleansing routine, to make sure every last trace of dirt and make-up was removed. Aside from that though, it didn't seem particularly "Wow" and I feel like the Pixi toner was better.

Products I disliked.

Ugly Fails

1. Sephora Sheet Masks (including the Rose Eye Mask, the Lingzhi Mask, and  Lotus Mask). Wow, were these ever bad! Maybe I am so disappointed because my expectations were so high? I had heard that these were really popular and sold out frequently, and their packaging, though simple, was really appealing, arranged in the store in a rainbow of colors. But all of these failed me. I still have a few more that I've purchased to try, including the favorite Pearl variety, but so far, so bad. The Rose eye mask had an odd shape, like a checkmark, that didn't fit well under the curve of my eyes, and had a chilling sensation, rather than soothing. There was no noticeable scent, but after removal - horrors! - my under-eye area was reddened and saggier looking. It was wet, but not moisturized. The Lingzhi mask had a yucky smell, but it fit well. After removal, my face was flushed, which at my age, with broken capillaries galore, is not a good thing. Maybe if you are very young and very pale, you would appreciate a pink glow, but I do not. Also, any moisture was absorbed very quickly after removal of the mask, and I wasn't looking any more youthful. The smell, however, lingered. And the Lotus mask had a lingering, "off" odor as well. The fit was bad on my face: I had to cut it across the bridge of the nose to make it lay flat, but it did leave my face looking moisturized. All in all, these masks had very mediocre results, and were unpleasant to use.

2. S.W. Basics of Brooklyn Exfoliant. This is a product I picked up at Target from a line of beauty products that was new to me. They are all natural with simple ingredients. I love the concept, and the ingredients are only organic oat flour, organic almond flour and sea salt. So conceivably, you could eat this stuff. Unfortunately, it didn't do much for me as a beauty product. I followed the directions of wetting a small amount and rubbing it on my face, but it just kind of clumped up and dropped off into the sink in gobs. I also tried mixing it with a cleanser, but in the end, just decided it wasn't doing much for me, but make a big mess. I am going to throw it out in the garden, knowing it will decompose naturally. At least that part is nice! Also, you could just make this yourself at home, and save yourself a lot of money, because this was NOT cheap, at $24 for 3 oz.

3. SkinFood Rose Essence Soft Cream Blusher. I received this as part of a gift set from Beautique, during their Black Friday sale. I love the pretty, retro, feminine packaging with the nice mirror, and the soft rose scent that smells like a child's perfume. The color is also pretty: a delicate, girly pink. However, the formulation of this did not work for me. It is a very soft cream, but when you apply it to your cheeks, it is matte and opaque, unless you rub it in. When you rub it in, it virtually disappears from your skin, except to settle into any fine lines or large pores you may have. So either way, rubbed in or not, it is not flattering on the skin. Really bummed about this one because I wanted to love it, and I'm trying to think of some way to keep it and make it work, but I'm at a loss. I wish I knew a little girl who likes to play with make-up, because it would be nice for playing dress-up.

4. L'Oreal Magic Lumi Highlighter. This is a cream highlighter that comes in a wand and looks like a concealer. It claims to lighten dark circles, but I found it was too transparent to achieve that. The packaging is attractive with a slim, gold metallic wand. It looks a lot like the YSL Touche Eclat concealer. However, the twist mechanism that oozes the product up onto the attached brush is messy and frequently dispenses too much product. This stuff has a blech chemical odor. It is very pinky in tone, and there is a subtle sparkle to it, but it doesn't compare to the wonderful Hourglass Ambient highlighters in quality, or the glow that it adds to your face. For me, there were not enough pluses to warrant keeping it in my collection, especially since the odor made it unpleasant for me to use.

5. It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product. No miracles here. I got this deluxe sample free as a gift with purchase from Ulta, and am very glad I didn't actually buy it. It is a light spray in conditioner that did detangle my hair, however, it didn't add any shine, bounce, repair damaged hair, or prevent breakage, as it claims to do. And my hair needed washing after day two instead of day three, like usual. And, no, I didn't apply too much. It was just kind of gunky in my hair.


That's it for this month's beauty round-up of favorites and fails. I hope this was helpful to you. Please leave a comment with your recent favs and fails. xo

New Year's Eve in Sarasota (For Grown-ups)

Happy 2016, everybody!

I hope everyone spent New Year's Eve in just the way they wanted to. I was fortunate enough to travel to visit my Dad in his condo in Sarasota again this year, so I thought I would do a post on a great way to spend the Eve, if you find yourself in that part of the country.

A typical Sarasota Bay sunset

This post is marked "for grown-ups" because this is not a typical travel itinerary that assumes you are a 20- or 30-something that wants to party hard and kiss that special new person at the stroke of midnight. But it is a fun and relaxing list of how we spent our New Year's Eve, both this year and last.

January breezes

Start the morning off with a delicious breakfast at C'est La Vie bakery and cafe in downtown Sarasota. This is a real French bakery run by actual people from France. It is so cool to hear everyone speaking French, and the croissants and crepes are beyond delicious. They serve full American style breakfasts, as well as fantastic French bakery items. You can sit indoors in the bustling little cafe or outside on the sidewalk, if the weather allows, just like they do in Paris.

Interior of C'est La Vie bakery (photo from their website)

After breakfast, enjoy a leisurely stroll among the cute shops along Main Street. Two of my favorites are the toy store Toy Lab, recently under new ownership, and chock-full of a huge variety of playthings, and the serenely beautiful Mercantile Home & Apparel, a clothing and home goods store with a carefully curated selection of gorgeous items that look to be right out of the pages of the most stylish lifestyle magazines. (Hint: they have fantastic sales). When I was there, I bought a beautiful wine-colored cotton gauze and sweater knit maxi skirt with gored panels and a beautiful drape. Perfect winter skirt!

Red cotton skirt from Mercantile

The downtown shopping area now has plenty of parking, due to some new garages, in addition to the street parking, but be aware that on New Year's Eve, they will start to cordon off some of the streets in preparation for the street festival that evening (more on that later). So plan to walk a bit from the parking space to the shops/restaurants.

An historic facade in downtown Sarasota

While downtown, you can pick up any groceries you may need for the evening at the really nice and large Whole Foods market there. This is a particularly good one with a big selection and a free parking garage. And after your shopping is complete, you may be ready for a quick bite for lunch. I recommend an authentic New York-style slice of pizza from Il Panificio. This is my (authentic Italian) family's favorite pizza joint in the area. We've never been disappointed by the pizza here, which features a just-crispy-enough-but-not-too-thin crust, as sauce that is a perfect balance between sweet and acid, and good cheese. They even offer gluten-free (although I haven't tried that one!). Come pick up a pie, and check out this little pizza joint, that also sells sandwiches and salads.

Mid-afternoon means it's time for a siesta by the pool. If you are staying at a hotel, I'm sure your hotel has a pool. It might not be warm enough for an outdoor swim (although it was the last two years I've been there), but it will be at least warm enough to lounge around outdoors. If it happens to be raining, just wait a bit because it usually doesn't last. In any case, grab a magazine or book, and just relax for a bit, so you have the energy to stay up to see the pineapple drop. Yes, I said pineapple! (More on that ahead).

The awesome pool at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota

After naptime, it's time to get all dolled up (but not too dolled up that you can't walk in those heels), and head out to an early dinner at Inkanto. This is a little authentic Peruvian restaurant, run by actual Peruvians, and it is fantastic. It is regularly on the best restaurants of Sarasota list, and for good reason. The food is so delicious and fresh tasting. Their specialty is the ceviches. These are cold seafood soups, and though that may not sound good to you at first, please, please give them a try. They are really good. I am not really a seafood or a cold soup lover, and I am a very picky eater, but I tried them and I love them. Inkanto also has a fantastic wine selection, so make sure you order some.

(photo from their website)

After dinner, you need to make a choice based on your feelings about very crowded places. My intinerary for the evening included a walk on the beach, a visit to the street fair, and then back to the condo to watch the fireworks off the balcony. If you dislike shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, I suggest you go to the street fair early, because the closer you get to midnight, the more crowded it will get. To the point that it's really hard to move among all the people and you might find it suffocating. If crowds don't bother you and you want a really party atmosphere, save the street fair for later.

We decided to go to the street fair early, and be home when midnight actually struck. So from Inkanto, we drove back to the downtown/Main Street area and parked in one of the free garages. This street party is good for all ages. Several blocks are roped off so that it becomes a pedestrian-only space. There are food stalls, souvenir stalls selling all sorts of tchochkes and party favors, (like light-up 2016 glasses), some live bands, some carnival rides, and some games. We enjoyed a cotton candy, and walking around people watching and getting in the celebratory spirit. Here is a slightly scary photo of one of the carnival games, where all the prizes were staring at me! Creepy!

Crreepy clowns!!

 After you get your fill of the street fair, I suggest you drive out to Lido Key, and go to the beach, (Lido Key beach), not to swim, just for a moonlit stroll. Bring a cardigan in case it's chilly, and prepare to kick off your shoes, and enjoy the sand in your toes. Although Siesta Key beach gets all the publicity around here for it's baby-powder-like sand, Lido Key beach is my personal favorite. I'm almost afraid to talk about it because I feel it's a little underrated and a bit of a hidden gem. But I love it because it is very easy to get to and park at, and once you park, boom! The beach is right there: no walking for yards and yards to get through a parking lot to the actual beach. It is a lovely one. There are usually not too many people there on New Year's eve, but there are some small groups of like-minded folks. This year, I purchased some of those pretty Chinese Lanterns ahead of my trip, from Sky Lanterns and they were very economical and good quality. It is fun to set them off over the water (they are biodegradable so no worries). Several other people were doing it, too, and they look so pretty glowing over the darkened water. By the way, in case you were wondering, it feels very safe at this beach and there is a quiet spirit of camaraderie with those who walk along the shore on New Year's Eve. It feels meaningful!

Setting off the lanterns at the beach.

After the stroll along this magical shore, head back to wherever your home base is, hopefully somewhere with a upper storey view of Sarasota Bay. At midnight, the town puts on a fantastic fireworks show over the bay that is not to be missed. From our balcony, we watched the fireworks, toasted with champagne, and some fancy chocolates (I recommend these deliciously fresh ones), and gave each other kisses and good wishes hugs for the new Year!

Fireworks over the bay.

All content and photos are my own unless otherwise mentioned and are copyrighted 2016 and can not be used without permission.