Pretty in Pink Springtime wreath....

 

It's nearly Spring in my part of the world.

 

I've been out this morning plant new herb beds, potting a conifer which I'll use as my living Christmas Tree, taking cuttings from my oversized and gorgeously gaudy red geranium plant, and pruning my standard bougainvillea, in both blush and fushchia, thankyou very much.

 

I had a hankering for a bit of pink in my entry corridor and this repurposed wreath seemed it would fit the bill. I made it a couple of Christmases ago, but my penchant for a Pink Christmas withered fairly quickly. It was all just a bit too quaint for a girl like me ;0)

 

So after considering my Chanel inspired wreath gifted to me by my lovely blogging friend Flora, and deciding that Chanel shouldn't be hung outdoors, I dug this one out. I'd actually forgotten about it and was snaffling around seeking the makings of a new wreath, and lo and behold...there it was! All pink and pretty and spring like.

 

The Musician Husband will faint dead away at pink at the front door, but he'll recover. It's only for a minute.

 

If a replica is what you're seeking, it's not hard.

 

1 bamboo crafting hoop

2 pink feather boa

1 posy pink roses

Hot glue gun

 

Wind the boas around the hoop, securing with dots of glue.

 

Add the posy, fastened with glue also.

 

Hang.

 

Pretty!

 

 

DIY Magic Pink Drying Lotion for Acne

I was searching for an acne treatment for my son recently. Poor guy. He has a combination of ingrown beard hairs and a zit attack that would have most other young girls or blokes becoming recluses.

We've tried everything. The drying type acne treatments make the ingrown hairs worse, and the ingrown hair treatments do nothing for the acne.

Then I stumbled upon this Mario Badescu Drying Lotion, which has in international cult following, and is $30 for a 1oz (30mls) tiny bottle.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/mario-badescu-drying-lotion/2920702

I looked at the ingredients. Calamine lotion? Puh-lease. Isopropyl Alcohol...Isocol? Really? Salicylic Acid? Isn't that just aspirin?

The rest just looked like stuff to improve the texture or scent to me.

My son was already using a 2% salicylic acid in a neutral cream base which the pharmacist had made up for him. 100gms for $16, and it was helping.

So I just decided that the Calamine, Isocol and Aspirin were all things I had on hand so I'd try making something similar. None of it was going to do any harm as such.

I tipped about a quarter of a bottle of Calamine lotion into a smaller recycled bottle and put it aside in case we actually need it for something. The last time we used it was for 'pinking' The Divas ballet shoes, so unlikely, but waste not, want not.

I then refilled about 2/3 of the gap created, with Isocol (about 50mls).

Then I got a medicine measure and put 5mls of water in it. I dissolved half a Disprin tablet in it. Then decided to put the other half in. Now I'm not a chemist but I was trying to have half a stab at the quanitity of salicyclic acid I needed for the bottle of Calamine which is 200mls in capacity. My brain wouldn't compute that, and I have no idea how to calculate it....any chemists out there in blogland?
Nonetheless, this seemed like a fair starting point...again, do no harm and all that.

I added the dissolved Disprin to the bottle and gave it all a good shake.

So.

My son has been using this in addition to a supermarket face scrub with a 2% salicylic acid solution in it, and the face cream made by the pharmacist. The salicylic acid, by the way, treats both the acne and the ingrown beard hairs. Hence our obsession.

The lotion is applied with a cotton ball several times daily and as you would imagine, the Calamine has a mildly disguising effect due to the colour, as well as being soothing.

In just one week, his pimples have all disappeared and the lumps caused by the ingrown beard hairs have all reduced in swelling. He almost looks clear skinned.

We're amazed that something so simple would work.

This may not suit everyone, and certainly don't use it on anyone who is allergic to aspirin, but it's worked brilliantly for him.

If you give this a try, let me know. I'd be interested to hear how it works for you.

...Mimi...

What's in the box....Finding 50 & Fab....

 

A gift arrived for me today in this pretty box.

 

I was puzzled as I knew that Lanvin wasn't on my shopping list this week.

 

Inside, sublime ballet pink leather peeks.

 

 

The man in my life, who has no respect for shoes whatsoever, found out I loved these, and bought them....in the right size even!

 

I'm not even going to question why. He did forget our anniversary, but it was not a significant one. I think one should not question a random act of kindness. Especially when it's luxury shoes.

 

Now to find a cobbler to line the soles for me, to preserve these for as long as possible.

 

Happy me.

 

I remember a lady who worked in an antique store where I bought many lovely pieces in my younger days, often exhorting me to 'just eat sausages for a month' when I hankered after a new pretty.

 

I wonder if we're 'eating sausages for a month' here....lol!

 

I think it's worth trimming expenses in other areas for to have a few truly luxurious items. I know it's not the done thing in some peoples minds, and that there are those who will argue that you could have xyz number of pairs of shoes for the same price as a single luxury pair of shoes, or bag or other desirable thing. But I'm getting older now. My taste doesn't change from season to season. I know what I like, the colour I like it in, where I'll wear it and how often, and how to make the most of it. Life is short. Why shouldn't the word 'luxury' be part of my shopping vocabulary?

 

I must confess to a love of beautiful things and I'd choose shoes as my chief passion these days. But they must comfortable as well as stylish. I think these will fit the bill.

 

I quite feel like Cinderella.

...Mimi...

Finding 50 and Fabulous....on skin care....

Well, you know I've always been torn on the skin care issue.

I'm an Aussie so I've done my time in the sun. We used to literally bake ourselves in the midday sun with Reef Oil slathered generously all over to achieve the deepest tan we could in the 70s.

I've made oatmeal masks and toned with water and honey in my teens.

I've made treatments from egg white and avocado and almond meal and rice flour and other things that belong in baking and salads.

Now I'm over 50 and thanks to a Mum who was fascinated with beauty products and skin care, I've always looked after my skin, and it's paid off. It's just that my modes and methods have varied according to whim, fashion and budget.

Yes, this is me. A long way from perfect, but not bad for someone nearly 55.

In my skin caring lifetime, I've used Clinique, Estee Lauder, Ella Bache`, Shiseido, Simplicite`, Avon, Yves Rocher (my first French range!), Loreal, Nutrimetics, Nu-skin, Mary Kay, Dermalogica, Elizabeth Arden, a Guthy-Renker one that was effective, but I don't recall the name of it and getting it in the mail after I'd run out, really annoyed me.

Some others were locally produced or home made even, and I've even tried the oil cleansing method, Vaseline as moisturiser, Macadamia Oil, Jojoba Oil and Sweet Almond Oil all either straight up or in home made products.

So I think I'm well qualified to make a judgement call.

Look, all these things work. Some of them work better than others, and any of them are better than doing nothing at all, obviously.

But frankly, and I'm going to absolutely go against the anti-marketing, anti-beauty flow here, the high end products just do a better job. I'm a bit tired of hearing that it's all rumour and innuendo when it comes to 'good' beauty products.

Yes, yes I know. The 'you're paying for the packaging and the advertising and it's all Voo Doo' crowd will lampoon me for sure.

But here's the thing. I've come to realise as I grow older, that the one thing I have to wear day in, day out, is my skin. Not just my face but all of my skin. I want it to look good. I want it to look smooth and polished. I want to not have to wear makeup at all or at least minimal makeup to look good.

You can't buy new skin. And a new handbag or pair of killer shoes, does nothing for your complexion. Botox is NOT the answer. It's about making the most of what you already have.

So it's about priorities really, isn't it.

My priority these days is well cared for skin. No ifs, buts or maybes. That is where my me-money goes. Mum would be proud ;0)

I find myself in a somewhat enviable position of late. The Musician Husband and I are seriously contemplating a new business venture, and part of this will mean sourcing lovely beauty products.

So I've contacted a few well known and a couple of lesser known brands, outlined our ideas, and asked for some information. Well the information all comes with lovely samples, doesn't it. So I've been having a ball.

At this point I've narrowed it down to two French lines, one more organic and one that claims marine extracts.

Both are so effective that I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't got free samples to play with....hehehehe!

My forehead is smooth and velvety, some little blemishes I had have simply dissolved, my skintone is even and clear, and I saw a friend yesterday who declared that I looked 'fresh', and asked sotto voce, if I'd had 'work'. Hell no to that!

Here's what I think.

If you're on a budget, and who isn't from time to time, then you can do worse then cleanse with Dove Soap or Ponds Cold Cream, and moisturise with a generic neutral cream or oil. THAT really is better than nothing.

Personally, I've tried all of the supermarket brands at least once, and I'd rather use the Dove soap and my homemade organic serum in preference to a supermarket brand. If we're talking voodoo, then this is the price bracket that I believe suffers from 'inferior product in pricey packaging'. I've never had results that were any better than the most basic, from a Loreal, Olay or Nivea product. Sorry. Maybe it's just me.

I've heard from a good friend who manages dual careers as a teacher and an Avon representative, and who has insanely beautiful skin, that Avon have some incredible new products that are equal to many of the high end brands, so perhaps if you're looking for results, but not the label and accompanying price tag, then good old Avon is worth a looky see.

The best results I've ever had were from Dermalogica, Clinique (in my younger days), and the two which I now have the luxury of holding in my hands to preview.

One brand is Phyt's. A well known brand in France, lesser known here in Australia. Gorgeous products, simple packaging, eco-friendly.

The other is Thalgo. Marine essences and other goodies swirling together to give skin a real boost.

I can't decide. But certainly both ranges are amongst the best I've ever used.

So what's your skin care solution, how much do you spend, how often do you indulge in additional treatments or visits to a Spa, and what do you think works best?

And if you had the choice of Thalgo or Phyts or another brand (perhaps locally produced), which would you choose?

Do let me know.

...Mimi...