Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion Review-The best lotion for dry skin!

Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Lotion...It's great for dry skin! I have combination skin on my face, but dry and sensitive skin everywhere else.  My dermatologist recommended Aveeno lotion.  My skin gets worse during the fall/winter months, when my hands are so dry, they crack and bleed (ugh!).  Just one use, and my skin doesn't feel dry anymore.  I can see and feel improvement in just one day.  I use it all over--especially on hands, arms, legs and feet. This is truly the best lotion for dry skin I have ever found!

Fragrance free, non-greasy, non-comedogenic, natural oatmeal product that helps soothe and moisturize dry, itchy, extra dry skin.

Costco sells the jumbo 20 oz. pump bottle that is not only convenient, but lasts a long time.  I think I'm going to try other Aveeno products...loved the two I already have...will keep you all posted.  :)

Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub Review

Aveeno Positively Radiant Skin Brightening Daily Scrub-brightens your skin!

Dull, dry skin doesn't stand a chance against Aveeno's positively radiant daily scrub. I've always had skin issues since I was a teen, it has always been a battle with acne, then adult acne. As I've gotten older, I now have been blessed with sensitive skin, rosacea, and other issues that are common as we age. (Sigh!) My dermatologist recommended Aveeno products. I've been using Aveeno's daily moisturizing lotion (giant bottle at Costco, see my review on previous post) and it has done wonders for my skin! So...I decided to try Aveeno's daily scrub.

Soy extract, with round microbeads...it's soap free, oil-free, hypoallergenic, and contains Vitamin E. It's sensitive enough to use daily, but I usually use 2-3x/week or so as needed. I really feel like my skin is smoother, brighter, and more radiant!

Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner Review

Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner 


Could drug store make up really be as good as the ones in department stores? I've always been a MAC user, but I decided to try Revlon's eyeliner, and liked it...so when I saw Maybelline's Unstoppable Eyeliner on sale at CVS--well, I had to give it a try too. I have to say, I was surprised how far drug store make up has come! It really is "unstoppable" too. It stays on without smudging, until I take it off. Love that! Regular priced at $7.39 at CVS, (cheaper at WalMart), and on sale for under $5 plus change--what a deal! These are Hawaii prices, so for those of you living elsewhere, it will be even cheaper for you. Lucky you!
 
Safe for sensitive eyes. Contact lens safe. Ophthalmologist-tested. Stays put all day; holds your look in place until you remove it. Glides on smoothly; easily lines and defines eyes. Self-sharpening; swivels up and down so point stays sharp. Comes in a variety of colors. Made in USA.

Revlon Color Stay Eyeliner Review

Revlon Color Stay Eyeliner

Could drug store make up really be as good as those sold in department stores?  I normally use MAC or Merle Norman eyeliner, but I came across Revlon Color Stay Eyeliner (it's waterproof too!) and I decided to give it a try.  I have to be honest...I absolutely love it!  It twists up, so it is always ready to use...and it comes in many colors.  I've been using it for over a month now, and it glides on easily and stays on all day long!  It's not super soft like MAC, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing-it won't run down as quick as a soft pencil.  The best part?  You can get it for $4.99-$7.00 (look for a sale at CVS, or get at WalMart or Target)!  These are Hawaii prices, so for those of you living elsewhere, you will be able to purchase it much cheaper.  At these prices, you can afford to buy two on sale, so you will never have that horrible moment of twisting up your eyeliner, and discovering you won't have enough to finish your other eye!  

Update 3/1/13: I've been using Revlon Color Stay Eyeliner for several months now and it is still my favorite eyeliner!  It stays put all day long, even in the hot and humid Hawaii weather! And...I love that I can swim, sweat, and be out all day long, and my eyeliner doesn't smear.  The best part? I can buy three of Revlon's Color Stay Eyeliner for the price of the one MAC eyeliner that I used to buy!

Simple and Easy Jack-o-lantern Carving

Want to create a jack-o-lantern that is more than two eyes and a mouth?  Well, now you can! It's so simple and easy to do your own pumpin carving.  Here's how:
1)  Find a template (any line drawing will do). Print out and tape onto pumpkin. 
2)  Poke holes with the end of a pin, or use the tools purchased with pumpkin carving set (like at WalMart).  Make sure not to move or lift up the paper from the pumpkin until you are confident the holes are large enough to see, and all parts of the picture are traced.
3)  Decide which portions you will cut away, and which you will leave as pumpkin skin to create your design.  Using your carving tools, (I find they work best, and are safest for kids to handle),  cut around the traced portions.
4)  Remove pumpkin skin and enough of the part underneath so light from a candle or battery-operated light will shine through.

How to keep your pumpkin fresh until Halloween:
1)  Carve your pumpkin as close to Halloween as possible.  Day prior, and day of is best.
2)  If possible, keep your pumpkin wrapped in a plastic bag, and stored in the refrigerator.  You can also store pumpkin in a cooler with ice.  Just make sure to put plastic, and a towel between the ice and pumpkin.
3)  I've tried all the other suggestions of spraying/dunking in a bleach solution to reduce mold growth, but I've found they don't really work well.  And your pumpkin becomes shrivled.

I was going through Ellen's website--checking out the pumpkin carving photos...and saw the one (I had forgotten that I sent) we did last year!
Check it out here...
http://photos.ellen.warnerbros.com/galleries/amazing_pumpkin_carvings?adid=permalink_popular

My eldest created the tokidoki cat, the twins made the Hello Kitty and Julius from Paul Frank.  (And Mom finished the twins pumpkins when they got "tired" of doing it.)

P.S.  I did a double-duty tip for Rachael Ray, which will appear in the show this Monday! :)
 

Germs...Is your purse, phone, grocery cart making you sick?

Germs...Is your purse, phone, grocery cart making you sick?
Are you a germaphobe?  I have to admit that I am.  I always have antibacterial wipes and gel on hand--and I use them liberally...everywhere.  I never use the community pen at a store, and I clean my hands immediately after using those magnetic signing pens.   I try not to touch door knobs, elevator buttons, and I never hold the railing on a stair or escalator.

I've read many articles and television segments on the subject of germs--which probably makes me even more of a germaphobe.  But...since many share my love of antibacterial products, I've consolidated some of these tips:

1)  Your purse may carry A LOT of germs both on the inside, and outside.  Never put it on the floor of the bathroom (e coli...ick!), on the restroom sink, back of toilet, or anywhere you prepare food or eat (no counters or tables).  Don't put it on the restaurant floor, and try to hang up your purse when you can.  Make sure to wipe it down with a cleaner and clean both the inside and outside frequently.  Tests have found over 1,000 germs on women's purses!  Oh yeah, also think about where your purse goes--your car seat, desk, table, bed, home floor.  Now I have a set place my purse sits.  And I set it down on something too. 

2)  Okay...this just goes without saying.  Never...ever...put your shopping bags in those same places that you now will never put your purse.  Where does the bottom of your Macy's Nordstrom, Ann Taylor, WalMart bags end up?  Ick!  (P.S.  I never put grocery bags on my counter when I get home either.  See below for thoughts on grocery carts.)

3)  Over 25% of cell phones have e coli bacteria on them.  Ewww!  So think about where you place your phone (restaurant table, sink area, desk, etc.)...and clean your phone often.  You will think of this, (wonder where their phone has been), the next time you borrow someone's phone. 

4)  Grocery carts are one of the WORST and most common places to find germs.  Stores rarely clean them, think about all the meat juices that leak out on them, people actually put their kids in diapers in these dirty carts.  Knowing this, you can imagine the amount of e coli and staph found in these carts.  (Another place your purse should NEVER be placed in.)
   After buying your food, they put them in grocery bags (or your reusable bag--see earlier post about this too)...then you put the bag back in the dirty cart.  It then goes in your trunk, and to your home.  Remember this when you put your grocery bags down.  Think about where it has been.  Ewww!

Okay...so now you may be a bit more neurotic about germs...join my club!  :)

These are just a few of the articles I've reviewed, but there are so many more...
http://www.everydayhealth.com/womens-health/is-your-purse-making-you-sick.aspx
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=2283311&page=1#.UG0dNVETI_c
http://www.drozfans.com/dr-ozs-advice/dr-oz-purse-germs-how-to-clean-lipstick-to-disinfect-alcaligenes/

Randy Pausch quotes and life lessons

Randy Pausch quotes and life lessons...if you are having a bad day, you need to read this!
These are some of my favorite quotes from Randy Pausch's "The Last Lecture."  You will understand them, and it will mean more after you watch the video.  (Watch it!  Trust me, the hour goes by quickly.  You will laugh...and be moved.)

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture 

 “Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted. And experience is often the most valuable thing you have to offer.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture 

 “When it comes to men who are romantically interested in you, it’s really simple. Just ignore everything they say and only pay attention to what they do.”
― Randy Pausch

“The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They’re there to stop the other people.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

  “It's not about how to achieve your dreams, it's about how to lead your life, ... If you lead your life the right way, the karma will take care of itself, the dreams will come to you.”
― Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture 

 “If I only had three words of advice, they would be, Tell the Truth. If got three more words, I'd add, all the time.”
― Randy Pausch

 “When you're screwing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they've given up on you.”
― Randy Pausch