aging – Dancing in the rain!

Hi There,

After over a year hiatus I am back!!

It’s that time of year that we are all getting ready for Christmas parties, visitors and special times with our family. If you are like me your skin suffers the elements more this time of year, not to mention the stress, lack of sleep and indulgence of yummy food and holiday cocktails.

I had a break out last week that was lingering and taunting me. I have my husbands Christmas Party Friday so I was looking for a quick fix and I found one that you are going to love!!

What You’ll Need:

• 1 cup brewed green tea
• 1/4 teaspoon vodka (for the toner)

2 oz Vodka with ice and Cranberry/Cherry Juice for you (fancy cup)

• cotton ball for application

Directions:

1. Brew one cup of green tea
2. Add vodka
3. Dip cotton ball in mixture and apply to skin

4. Celebrate with Vodka Christmas cocktail because you have done something great for your skin.

Vodka contains the alcohol ethanol, which when applied to skin, makes your skin feel tight, firm and refreshed. My vodka was in the freezer and felt so refreshing on my skin. This easy-to-make toner removes excess oil and dirt from the skin, leaving you feeling invigorated. Take care, however, not to add too much alcohol, as it can dry out your skin.

The above recipe, minus the booze treat for you comes from Hollywood Beauty Expert Kym Douglas and can be found in her book Bliss Happens. If you are serious about transforming your life and having a beauty, health and happiness routine that works for you and your family…on a budget no less, check it out! (Great Christmas Gift)

I use the luminescence serum from Jeunesse Global and it seems to be one of the few things that combats my angry Rosacea flare-ups without making it worse. Other than that I have found that products that I have in my kitchen are the very best treat for my skin. I apply organic virgin coconut oil right to my skin and if you are looking for a skin mask that will calm your skin try my favorite.

Silent Night Oatmeal Face Mask

3 tablespoons of ground outs (you can grind in a coffee grinder), mix with a 1 tablespoon of very hot water to soften, add 1 Tablespoon of honey.

The above can go on your skin as is or you can add:

Instead of using hot water, use 1 tablespoon of cold milk.
You can also use 1 tablespoon of chamomile tea instead of water.
Add a few mashed up banana slices to the oats.
Consider adding a few drops of almond oil or a teaspoon of coconut oil
Replace the water with 1 tablespoon of olive oil instead, for a more nourishing mask.
if you are experiencing redness or acne I would suggest using a tsp. of turmeric, tea tree oil or lemon juice.

Did you know?

Oats act as a natural cleanser and have both exfoliating and anti-inflammatory properties.^[3]
Honey has both antibacterial and antioxidant properties, which make it great for managing acne and blackheads.^[4]
Lemons have antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, which makes them great for managing acne and blackheads. Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic.^[5]
Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic and toner.
Turmeric contains a photochemical called curcumin, which can benefit the body, both inside and out.
Turmeric mask works for acne and eczema. It reduces inflammation and redness, and promotes skin healing. Due to turmeric’s antioxidant properties, it has been used for skin rejuvenation. It helps softening lines and wrinkles, giving the face a more youthful appearance. It is also effective with rosacea – a chronic skin condition that is characterized by redness and pimples. It eases the redness and treats this disease.

Have a wonderful holiday season and don’t forget to treat your skin!!

If you were following me on Twitter I cannot access my old account but you can join me @girltuesday74

Yesterday I turned forty.

I woke up with wild grey hairs in my eyebrows but after a scowl and a pluck they were gone and I really didn’t feel much different. The thing that struck me the most was that the time between 14 and forty goes by so quickly. It seems like yesterday that I was forgoing Saturday morning cartoons to lay in bed and fantasize that I was on white sand beach making love with Jon Bon Jovi. I was fourteen so I knew nothing of love or sex and even in my fantasies it was mostly rolling around on the sand slobbering in each others mouths and telling each other how hot we were and that our hair was fantastic. So technically not much different then my twenties except at twenty I was mature enough to know that sand up your ass is not sexy.

I think the days go quicker the older you get as well. It is almost impossible for me to think all the thoughts I want to think, and take all the naps I want to take and still manage to do all the things I planned on doing the day before but put off until today and now they may have to wait until tomorrow. I plugged my wax in three days ago and have yet to wax my brows so instead I took a pair of Dollarama scissors and cut my bangs off so that they fall across my eyebrows and what is happening there is now a mystery!

My Dollarama scissor haircut that covers up my greying eyebrows

This evening I brought a bottle of wine and a glass to the table. An hour later the wine remained unopened and the glass empty. Never in a million years did I think that wine would be one of those things I “didn’t get around too”

I applied for a job tonight. It’s funny because I wasn’t even looking for a job exactly and then all the sudden my dream job jumped out of the computer screen and landed on my lap seductively and stroked my face. My heart skipped a beat. I knew that technically we were not right for each other. It was a downtown job, I am an uptown girl. It’s champagne and caviar, I’m cheap red wine and Black Diamond cheese. What I am trying to get across is that there will be candidates with better “paper” qualifications then me but in the real world of experience trumps diploma I would kick the ass off this job. If they were smart they would come to my door with gifts of Lindor Chocolate Truffles and Liquor Depot gift certificates and beg me to take this job. It would be an Affair to Remember! So I realize it is a long shot but I put my hat in the race. You can’t lose something you never had so certainly no harm was done. I honestly haven’t felt passionately about a job in a very long time. I have always taken pride in my work but besides my Volunteer work that I am unquestionably committed to and get a great deal of personal reward from I can’t remember the last time I felt like I could imagine myself waking up and doing the same thing everyday. My respect to those of you who have worked hard to achieve your goals and do a job you love everyday, it is rare!

So forty rolled in pretty quietly for me. It was a Wednesday so no all night party, no jaggermeister shots and swinging from the chandelier but it was exactly what I needed. I had a quiet dinner and shared some laughs with a wonderful friend. We then went to the late show to see American Hustle. Ten Academy Award nominations and I kid you not we had the entire theatre to ourselves. We had our shoes kicked off and our feet up. There was a part in the movie when Bradley Cooper and Amy Adams go disco dancing so we got on our feet and had our very own disco party, so fun. I should mention that my friend is 37.5 weeks pregnant and she sure can bust a move.

American Hustle is set in the 70s, the movie is colorful and layered. The characters are complex and beautiful. Hair was big, bras were non-existent and though there really wasn’t any sex, the hint of it was enough and there were a couple of times when I wanted to scream “DO IT!! The movie explored relationships, consequences, ego, heart and the conflict between right and wrong. It was portrayed so eloquently that there were times I struggled in my own mind to decide what was right and what was wrong and was it really so black and white. The movie really studied the rhythms of the characters and showed you what people are capable of when their lives are in shambles. A line at the end of the movie spoken by Christian Bale (who reminded me of my dear Dad back in the 70s) stuck with me….

“The art of survival is a story that never ends”

So simply true!

My birthday treat

xo Michelle