Links for a lazy weekend IV: When the light bulb goes off, and other stories

As I was reading the article about whitening creams on the Fashionista, I thought, I should write one of these, too! But I read on and realized that this article can't be topped. Finally, someone has taken on the subject of dark spots, why all the cosmetics companies are releasing lines designed to deal with them, and how they work. Also, it explains why my expensive Chanel Le Blanc serum, cream, and cleanser have been doing zip, zilch, nada to clear up the giant sun spot on my left cheekbone.  And why I should just buy another bottle NuFountain Vitamin C serum instead.

Don't they?

We've all been subjected to numerous photographs of "arm parties"--that stacked bracelet craze that's been around for a couple of years now. And frankly, a lot of the time, the stack looks kind of tatty. I don't know whether people want their bracelets to tell a story, but I see stories that look like "OK, here's my watch even though I really use my phone to tell time, and a beaded friendship bracelet that my daughter made for me, and a bangle that my husband gave me when we were dating, and a set of three costume bangles, and a double wrap leather bracelet." And they're all higgledy-piggly, and look a little sweaty.

So here's District of Chic showing us How It's Done.

It doesn't hurt that there are two Hermès bangles in the mix. Or that she's carrying a Chanel flap.

In other news, I am entranced with a lot of the new styles that are coming out for fall. I'm at a stage in life where I occasionally need to wear a dress. And not an empire-waisted, one-shoulder dress six inches above my knee accessorized with platform sandals, the whole outfit designed to make me look like an adolescent giraffe. At least, that would be the end result if I were seventeen years old.

Therefore, I'm absolutely in love with the stuff I've seen coming out for fall. I had to dig around a bit on line to find it, since the stylists for the catalogs are doing their bewildering best to cobble together outfits that look like the sort of thing I'd throw on if my house were on fire, and J. Crew, I'm looking at you.

Here's a thought: don't. Unless you really, really want to look like a fashion blogger.

And don't think I'm not aware of your lapses in that respect, NORDSTROM. Blame your catalog stylists for the fact that I went to the Anniversary Sale on the first day ... and didn't buy anything but makeup.

Anyway, I'm in love with the longer lengths I've been seeing for fall. Ditto the paucity of platform shoes, which have started to look really dated even to me--and I cling to my favorite styles like a terrier with a bone. I'm pleased to see that waistlines appear to have headed south from the supposedly-flattering empire waist that has bedeviled me (and my Balcony) for the past several years. And I love the peplums. Although these are not great for those of us with Hips. However, they are helpful for those of us who have developed Elephant Ass, adding much-needed fullness to our meager side view. 

Not to toot my own horn ad nauseum, but you can see the stuff I've been admiring on my Pinterest board.

I mean, honestly--what's not to love?

Meanwhile, I'm sort of on a spending moratorium until I have time to hit the stores and check this stuff out in person.

In parting, I'd like to wish you all a wonderful weekend, as we wind our way into August and the end of summer. Get outside, eat watermelon, have a drink or two on the porch, find a large body of water and gaze at it. And you'll never guess what I'm doing this weekend, so I'll tell you. I'm dragging Mr. Buxom to a dance studio in Chicago to learn Balboa swing dancing. Check it out:

I mean, seriously. Look at those shoes. How could I not want to do this?

Confessions of a Product Whore, or, these Boots are made for shopping

My love for the combination of my Clarisonic Mia and Cetaphil cleanser continues. It's keeping my skin clean, clear, and soft.  My other skin products are making me happy, too.

But no matter how happy I am with my current regimen, I can't resist the lure of new beauty products. This is particularly true when I travel and see stuff I can't find in the States. Which explains the £200 I spent at Boots when I was in England last August.

That's the equivalent of $350. What can I say? Product junkies are like sharks. We must keep moving forward or we die.

So anyway, here's some of the additions I made to my batterie de toilette. Heh. To start off, I got a pot of German Nivea.


I have no idea why German Nivea is supposed to be so much better than the Nivea you get in America, which is made in Mexico. But it has become kind of cult-y. Bloggers and reviewers on Makeup Alley and Amazon are claiming it's as effective as Crème de la Mer, which costs $165/oz. All I know is that my grandmother used Nivea Skin Oil and had beautiful skin, so into the basket it went. And I love it. It's much fluffier than Eucerin, but just as wonderful for soothing super dry skin.

I also bought a bottle of Therapist's Secret Facial Oil, from the Sanctuary Spa line carried at Boots. It's a mixture of many different pure oils: sunflower seed, rosehip, wheat germ, and jojoba seed, with some essential oils of rose and frankincense, which leaves it smelling like midnight mass on Christmas Eve.

It's meant to be used a drop at a time, alone or as a first layer under your regular moisturizer. It's fantastic, especially considering how dry my skin is getting now that the weather is getting chilly.

I also bought a pot of The Secret is Out Lift Lift & Repair Night Cream by Dr. Nick Lowe:

I picked it out because I was pretty sure I couldn't get it in the States. Also, it has Sodium Hyaluronate, Hexapeptide-9, various anti-oxidant fruit ingredients--but no retinols or acids. Because I wanted a nice moisturizing cream that didn't make me peel. More on that later.

Oh, and in my States side wanderings, I picked up a bottle of DHC Mild Touch Cleansing Oil at a local branch of Mitsuwa, a big Japanese grocery store chain.

When I'm wearing RuPaul levels of spackle, I like to double cleanse--one step to dissolve the makeup and another go to get clean. This oil is great at dissolving and rinsing away makeup as a first step before I use the Clarisonic with Cetaphil.

Mindless extravagance or canny shopping? You be the judge in my next post, when I reveal my plans for these products.

While I tally votes, a skincare serum primer

I'm still tracking the voting on the totally excellent shooties I talked about yesterday ... just so you know, preliminary polls suggest that the greige shooties are winning by a landslide.

While I count votes, feel free to check out my latest BlogHer post--a description of what to look for in an anti-aging serum--along with some  products I recommend.

(I don't usually pimp my BlogHer posts, but this post went live on the down-low, so I'd appreciate it if you guys would head over, check it out, and leave comments about how I'm so great. Or leave comments about why your favorite serums are infinitely better than anything I mentioned--I'm not particular, just so long as Notice Is Taken.)

30 Days to 10 years younger--10 minute tips. Tip 6: Exfoliate

Many components of our skin contribute to its healthy glow, and some of these are easily improved with very little effort. Our skin is multi-layered, with thin cells on top that are continuously sloughed off and replaced by new cells that push up from the dermis. As we age, our cellular turnover, i.e., the rate at which new skin cells replace old ones, slows down. It's over twice as long in a 50 year old as it is in a baby.

Thank goodness it's easy to nudge along the process by regularly exfoliating the skin.

Exfoliation is using cosmetic or mechanical means to remove the outermost layer of the skin. Exfoliation removes dead skin cells, smooths the surface of the skin, unclogs pore, and allows serums and creams to penetrate more easily.

No matter what your skin type, exfoliation will improve it. If you have clogged pores, exfoliation will unclog them. If you have dry skin, exfoliation will get rid of its dull, papery look.

Ways to exfoliate

If you use soap, a bar cleanser, or a foaming cleanser, mechanical exfoliation would probably be easiest. Instead of making a big deal of exfoliating, just use a good, scrubby washcloth a couple of times a week in the shower. A washcloth is the simplest, and if you have any left-over baby washcloths, they're wonderful, because they're thin and easy to manipulate.


If you use a creamy, wash-off cleanser, you can exfoliate by mixing a bit of baking soda into your cleanser before you apply it to your face. A quarter teaspoon is plenty--mix it into your cleanser in the palm of your hand, then wash as usual.


If you use a cleansing oil or other wipe-off cleanser, your best bet is to use a cosmetic exfoliator, rather than a mechanical one. I really love Alpha Hydrox 12 percent solution. It's designed for feet, elbows, and other problem areas, but it works fine on my face. I use it a couple of times a week, applying it right before bed. It keeps the flakes at bay.

Just remember that it's easy to irritate the skin by over-zealous exfoliating. Be gentle and ease up if you see any signs of irritation.

Try to make exfoliating a regular part of your skin care routine. You'll find your skin will look fresher, and your makeup will blend better and look more natural.

Elsewhere:

Susan Wagner's BlogHer BeautyHacks post, Exfoliate for Brighter Skin: Out with the Old, in with the New

Sarah Chapman's helpful video outlining chemical and granular exfoliators is here.