So I thought it would be fun to introduce a new regular series relating to items I love in the great big world of Beauty Products.
As always, please DO feel free to share your favourite recommendations in my comments section as well. (But ixnay on marketing, please!)
Some items may have been mentioned in older posts, so to those of you who’ve been S.P.BFF’s from the very beginning, please forgive any repeats for the sake of the Newbies.
I wouldn’t re-mention them if they weren’t, like, super great.
I’ll try to limit these items to things you would have in your medicine cabinet, purse, or travel bag.
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I hope food doesn’t somehow sneak in, but I can’t make any promises.
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From left;
“Miracle Skin Transformer” is a good “tinted skin enhancer” that truly does minimize the appearance of small imperfections and pores. It’s also nice that it has an SPF of 20. I believe it comes in 3 shades- I’m relatively fair (with yellow undertones) and use “Medium”
*Note; Although I like this product a lot, please note that it does not play well with others- so if you need additional products, other than a light moisturiser, don’t use this on top or it starts to ‘pill up’. Save it for when you need only blusher and powder or bronzer, which doesn’t turn “Miracle Skin Transformer” into a pill.
Dikson “Argabeta Oil” is an Italian ‘Beauty oil’ for the hair with beta-carotene and Argan oil. It’s richer and more intense than “Moroccan Oil” and smells like some dark, exotic, mystery laden unguent purchased down a clandestine alley of a Moroccan souk. I’m putting it in my hair when it’s wet &/or dry because my hair is thick and dryer than last year’s Christmas tree.
ByTerry “Source De Rose Hydra” Toning Lotion long time readers know I practically supine myself at the “ByTerry” alter counter in Barney’s cosmetic department. Their make-up and skincare products are out of this world. Unfortunately, so are their price points, but as ByTerry prices go, this one is somewhat reasonable. It smells of roses, like most of the line. LOVE.
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Bobbi Brown Shimmering Fragrance Oil (for the body) Beach Scent; smells like every wonderful memory of all the years you spent sizzling on the beach, wearing bikinis no bigger than a hangnail and not having a clue what sun damage or cellulite was.
YES- it smells THAT good.
Oh, plus it has a lovely subtle sparkle. (I wipe my hands in my hair after applying)
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Klorane Lotion demaquillante apaisante au bleuet for sensitive eyes. Soothing eye make-up remover and hands-down, my favourite since I was a teen-ager. I could never give it up. I’m like Charlton Heston and his gun with this product.
For lighter coverage with moisturiser; La Roche Posay “Hydraphase Intensive moisturiser with sunscreen SPF15″
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Saving the best for last, I do adore the toothpaste I’ve been using for, oh, about a million years…Email Diamant.
Sure, it’s messy in the sink and on your facecloth but it’s worth it. The red paste leaves your gums pinker, resulting in whiter looking teeth and, not to be indelicate, but the deep tint also stains any plaque or food particles you might have missed when brushing-just like when you were a kid and the dentist gave you the coloured tablet after you brushed, remember?!
Lastly, yes, those are Biore Cleansing Strips in the corner of the medicine cabinet- cause who doesn’t love a little good gross?!
Now go wash your face so we can compare nose strips! ewwwww
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(All these products can be found and ordered on the internet)
Just can’t seem to get enough of this wonderful fruit!
I started drinking coconut water a few years back, then cooking with it a year or so ago,
as well as using it on my skin and hair.
More recently, I’ve been practicing the Ayurvedic treatment
of “Oil Pulling”
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A list of only some of the supposed benefits of Oil Pulling
-Whiter teeth and healthier gums
-decreased allergy symptoms
-Improved sleep and better energy
-clearer skin
-clearing of sinuses
-diminishing of headaches
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Pulling should be practiced every morning, when you first get up and on an empty stomach. Use 1 tablespoon of oil. Sesame oil is most commonly used in traditional ayurvedic pulling but you may also use vegetable or coconut oil.
I heat it in a tiny cup in the microwave for 20 seconds to melt and bring to a warm temperature that I find most pleasant.
Swish the oil around your mouth for a minimum of 5 minutes, max. 30! ( I’m doing about 7)
make sure you push the oil through your teeth, under the tongue, etc. but
do not swallow any of the oil (it is filling with bacteria )
Spit out after time is up and brush your teeth. Simple dimple.
The coconut oil leaves such a pleasant taste in your mouth (as well as moisturising your lips) that I honestly don’t even want to brush right away. I’d rather have my morning cuppa tea first, but that’s just me.
Truthfully, I haven’t noticed any changes in my skin or energy levels yet, but it’s only been just over two weeks and I’m giving it at least a month. I actually sort of look forward to my little morning ritual and what could it hurt?
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Sharing fresh King coconut water creatures with friends in Sri Lanka
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Coconut flavoured Cultured Almond milk is not bad at all.
With some chopped tropical fruit and a sprinkling of toasted coconut flakes, I could easily have this for breakfast twice a week.
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Also happy to find this coconut chia & flax seed oil to add to smoothies and why not try coconut milk instead of dairy for awhile?
I like it just as much as almond milk with my granola-
not sure which is healthier, but variety is the spice of life!
(yes, that’s what constitutes ‘variety’ for me now. cue violin)
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I have a standing order with Amazon for O.N.E. coconut water to be delivered every month
but have you tried fresh “Baby coconut” water? It’s sooo good-much sweeter than “O.N.E.”
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Coconut cream for desserts, creamy curries, and of course… cocktails
Another great idea I read about but haven’t tried yet is making ‘whipped coconut cream’ instead of traditional dairy whipped cream.
Simply put a can of coconut milk in the fridge for a couple of hours, skim the thickened part from the top of the can, and whip.
I was working in an art gallery/tea house on Sundays and I’m going to say this was taken at the end of a really long day.
(btw, why were all our photos so badly cropped in the 70′s? just wondering…)
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Today I’m taking a stroll, or rather a drive, back to the 70′s
to celebrate the release of my dear friend Rita Wilson’s brand new CD
” Rita Wilson AM/FM“
The album is a fab collection of Rita covering some of her favourite songs from the 60′s & 70′s.
You must get it- it’s fantastic!
and I’m SO not saying that because she’s my friend!
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Now we all know Rita as a super talented actor and producer, but I bet it might surprise you to learn she is also a really great singer.
I know, right? (but I’ll let you in on a little secret- she bites her thumbnails. Quite a lot.)
Don’t we all feel a little better now?!
Just check her version of “Good Time Charlie’s Got the Blues” out here;
Link:
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Photo Steven Sebring
..Rita’s song choices will resonate with anyone who grew up, or shall we say ‘passed through’ this era and I can guarantee you’ll be singing along with every song.
This is a definite ‘Embarrass Yourself in the Car’ CD.
Bring it on. Hell, hang some Pukka shells from your dashboard.
Will you ever see those people driving beside you again? Chances are slim.
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I love the premise of the album;
The 60′s “AM” songs are the ones you listened to from the back of the car while your parents were driving;
songs filled with an innocence about what the future held in store for you.
As the 70′s arrived, you’ve shifted to the front seat. You’re driving and controlling the FM station now-and did we work those dials, ladies, or what??!
The songs become more poignant, the message that love doesn’t always work out begins to resonate because, damn it, HE still hasn’t called…
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Me and my friends in the 70′s. Names will be omitted to spare the not-so-innocent
I’m on the far left. I always stuck my tongue out to cover my big bottom lip & overbite.
Man, I loved that long denim jeans skirt.
While we’re on the subject of the 70′s and driving …
I”ll share the story of my mom picking my friends and I up from school and us begging, as usual, to be driven past the house where several of the Cute Older Boys we swooned over all lived together. The regular drill of course, for any of the ‘Normal’ parents was to drive slowly BY the house, usually throbbing with the bass of Led Zepplin or Pink Floyd, in hopes we might catch a glimpse of a truck being worked on in the drive, perhaps some corkscrew curls haloed in the blue glow of a TV through a open window…
No ‘Normal’ for my mom.
She pulled INTO the driveway and started honking the horn.
Honestly, we were so traumatised that to this day I don’t remember exactly what happened after that.
Did you steal splashes from your Mom’s “Jean Nate’”?
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Did you cry because you were too puny to wear “Big Boy Lees” with the leather patch & have to suffer the humiliation of VINYL patch “Little Boy Lees” like me?
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Did you imagine you would look just like Christie Brinkley after a summer weekend of using
“Lemon Go Lightly”
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only to go back to school on Monday with hair the actual COLOUR of a lemon??
Snap.
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Did you swoon over your first pot of Yardley’s “Pot O’ Gloss” and can’t you recall that delicious scent even now?
How many pots did you leave in your cut-offs and find melted to the pockets
and how in the hell did we forget so many incriminating things in our cut-offs when the actual pockets hung down longer than the shorts?!)
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Remember what appears now (at least to me) the wildly inappropriate ”Love’s Baby Soft” ad.
Was that girl 9 or 19?? But we LOVED our “Love’s Baby Soft”!
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And may we have just a moment
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or two,
or three, for our Robert Plant posters??
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Gosh..
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My favourite models were Lena Kansbod
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And Lisa Taylor
How iconic this photo became. She just looked so…wonderfully American.
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Just like Rita!
Photo Steven Sebring
I think this song might be my favourite.
Seriously, how can lyrics about a telephone repair man be this romantic and beautiful??!
“And I need you more than want you…and I want you for all time…” sigh.
Jimmy Webb, the composer of the song is playing the piano on this track-just gorgeous.
Link:
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Well, I certainly had fun putting this post together. I could have gone on and on.
Do you remember the 70′s as fondly as I do?
I might have to go for a ‘Part II’ in the near future…I mean we didn’t even touch on Disco!
Find “Rita Wilson AM/FM” on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and lots of other places.
It would make a great little Mother’s Day gift- have I ever steered you wrong?
and please, don’t forget I’m still in the damn contest so VOTE people! It’s ONE click HERE
I took this photo of my flowers yesterday with the “Pure” setting on my camera. I must say I’m sort of loving the cooler tones and though I wasn’t aware my regular photos were “impure” I’m thinking one of these days I must get around to reading the manual that came with the camera. One of these days.
Just need more time. Seriously.
I did and do intend to post more than I have lately, but re-entry has been a process, let me tell you.
Did I mention it rained? So, you know, that made things even busier…
But, all excuses aside, I’m happy to be back and revisiting ”Friday Favourites” again!
It’s been awhile I know.
As usual, it’s a completely random potpourri
but variety is the spice of life, right?
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and speaking of spicy, (oh how I love my bad segues )
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I have a new obsession.
Roasted Shishito peppers.
Now, first let me say I’m well aware “obsession” is a word getting tossed around a little too cavalierly these days, but I don’t know how else to describe something, a mere vegetable no less, that I can’t stop thinking about since discovering them a scant week ago. I thank my ever chic friend Kendall Conrad, for introducing/addicting me to these at Soho House in L.A. Kendall says the secret is anchovy (paste?) which you don’t really taste, but she should know, considering she has a cookbook under her belt and happens to be the only person I know besides me that carries her own salt in her bag. Honestly, these peppers were out of this world. How many times can one casually glance down at a side plate and count stems inconspicuously? As I was out pacing Kendall 3 to 1, I think I now hold the world record.
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I also enjoyed a romantic dinner with my husband at the always wonderful “Bouchon” in Beverly Hills.
Don’t we all, men and women alike, have a little collective crush on Thomas Keller?
His olives…
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His ”Ile Flottante”- The BEST I’ve ever had and it’s one of my favourite desserts so I know from Floating Islands.
If you ever find yourself at Bouchon, it’s a must.
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Then I went to Costco.
Plain and simple, I just shouldn’t be allowed to go there alone.
Anytime you’re buying bathing suits on clear plastic torsos that stick out of your shopping cart like a headless porno doll, you have to acknowledge you’ve lost all control.
Naturally it doesn’t fit (it looked so much better on the doll) and the question is; does it need to be returned on the plastic body or can I just hide my shame in a brown paper bag??
I guess the upside is I can drive in the carpool lane on the way there.
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What was I thinking? I thought it looked vaguely 70′s Swimming Safari.
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Then there were the memory foam pillows with built-in gel cooling systems.
The jury’s still out on those.
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Wait, where was I going with this?
Oh right- I do have two Friday Favourites from Costco;
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Not only did I buy swimwear and pillows, but I also bought mascara.
Borghese Mascara and guess what? Once you wrestle it out of the packaging (give yourself a good 1/2 hour) it’s really good!
I even put it on my bottom lashes (the true test) and it didn’t budge all day.
Two tubes for only $14.99 (God forbid you should ever buy one item in Costco) so I wouldn’t wait.
I’m picking up more when I return the swimsuit.
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I know this is terrible- I SO rarely drink sodas-maybe 3 times a year and never, ever diet ones,
but gosh I’m a sucker for these old fashioned cokes, ice cold, in the glass bottles.
I just couldn’t resist!
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Slim Paley Hipstamatic photo
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Lastly, as “Mad Men” made it’s return this week ( mortified to admit, a newbie and hooked already) I’m reminded of one of the most stylish men of them all…
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You might have spied this book in the tulip photo on my previous post.
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I really felt my husband just had to have it…
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You know we all need a little inspiration sometimes when we’re getting dressed…
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Muller von Ruffach, 1861
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