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Food, Glorious Food: Food as Medicine
When I was in elementary school I had the most wonderful music teacher. She loved what she did and her enthusiasm spread to me so profoundly, that music was my favorite class of the day. We learned to sing the popular music that we liked. We learned to dance. Each spring she would choose a musical for us to perform. She directed and produced each one herself, and my favorite was Oliver Twist. If you don’t already know, Oliver Twist is a tale written by Charles Dickens. It’s about an…
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This One Weird Trick for Chest Wrinkles
One day I woke up, looked in the mirror, and there they were. Vertical creases in between my cleavage. It was official, I had chest wrinkles!!! I had worried about and took steps to prevent and diminish wrinkles on my face, neck and hands (I use sunscreen everyday). But I didn’t really think about my cleavage. Were they permanent? I slathered those babies with moisturizer and peaked in on them throughout the day. Luckily, they disappeared by the mid-morning. Phew. The next morning those vertical lines reared their ugly heads…
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Melasma
I had no idea what melasma was until I was pregnant. I never had as much as a freckle on my face beforehand. I didn’t even really notice it until after I delivered my baby. It started out as uneven, light brown patches on my cheeks. Those patches went from light to dark in the summer time when I was outside more. What I learned from my summer time hyperpigmentation fun was that I was not doing a very good job at applying my sunscreen. I was not applying enough…
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An Ounce of Prevention (…or what I would love to tell my teenage self).
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again. Wear and Tear Takes a Toll We have all heard this nursery rhyme but what does it have to do with skin care or health in general? The point I want to make is, that once something is broken it can be really difficult (and/or expensive) to fix. The same thing goes for your body. The earlier you start taking care of yourself the…
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Sleep Wrinkles
The position in which you sleep and the material your pillowcase is made of might play a role in wrinkle formation or what are called sleep lines. When you lie on your side or stomach, your face gets smooshed into the pillow. If this happens over and over, permanent lines may form. The best option is to sleep on your back. This position may not be comfortable for some people and we move around a lot when we sleep, so we are likely to end up on our side at…
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Micellar Water
For the longest time, I resisted even trying micellar water. I thought, “What’s the point?” I use facial cleanser and water to wash my face. I couldn’t imagine how swiping a liquid-soaked cotton pad across my face, without rinsing it off no less, could possibly clean anything. Well, I’m always up for trying new things. What is Micellar Water I knew what the term micellar meant. I studied micelles in high school and college chemistry. The definition of micelle is an aggregate of molecules in a colloidal solution, such as…
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10 Tips for Beautiful Skin
Taking care of your skin does not have to be difficult or expensive. There are simple things you can do every day that will give you glowing skin. 10 Tips for Beautiful Skin: Drink water. I know that for some of us this can be a difficult task. Some people forget and some people just don’t like drinking water. I get it. I used to be there, but I have since become a believer in the power of water. When I started drinking more water I began getting compliments on…
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Thermal Water
I love thermal waters, or any kind of facial water really. For the past several years I have spritzed thermal water on my face, all day every day. I keep a little spritzer bottle in my bag so I can use it whenever I feel the urge. I love the way it feels so much (like a cold drink of water on a hot day) that I feel compelled to share with others. Of course, I always ask before I just go about spraying perfect strangers with a bottle of…
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Complexion Perfection
Look in any beauty magazine and you will see the smooth, poreless complexions of gorgeous people staring back at you. With a long sigh I say “I wish my skin looked like that!” Well, the truth is those photos have most likely been Photoshopped. Sure, when I was 6 years old my skin looked like that but I’m an adult now (sort of ) and my skin has grown up with me. My previous bad habits (not wearing sunscreen, slathering on baby oil, and laying out in the sun pretty…
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Vacation
My husband, my son, and I are planning a much-needed vacation this summer. This will be the first time we have gone on a family vacation during the busy summer months. We usually try to plan our trips during slower times, when there is less chance of encountering large crowds. Fewer crowds means less waiting in line, less traffic and just less stress in general. There are even studies that have been done that show we are kinder and more giving when we have a little room to breathe. I…
