Great Products for Maturing Skin

Over the last year my skin had changed drastically. Last Fall my shit was dry as hell..I mean my face was seriously parched, and finding the right products to quench my skins thirst was no easy task. No one wants to look greasy when trying to combat dryness...the key to quenching thirsty skin is not to slather Vaseline on it! Finding the right moisturizer, face wash and exfoliant is key as our skin begins to mature.

After reading an article about our First Lady Michelle Obama and her skin regimen, the author mentioned that she uses Alpha Hydrox Wipes which help to exfoliate dead cells, allowing healthier more radiant skin to emerge, diminishes fines lines and wrinkles, improves skin's firmness, and immediately reveals brighter, smoother, more even-toned skin. Can we just say that these wipes deliver! I use them weekly, or sometimes twice a week for an exfoliating boost. The key here is that they are not drying at all. Often times products containing glycolic acid can irritate and dry out the skin but these wipes have a pH balance of 3.7 which means they are good for all skin types and won't leave your face looking like scorched earth when you are done.

While I was on the site purchasing the wipes I noticed they had other products as well, namely a face wash, daily moisturizer and exfoliating cream. What make this discovery so fantastic is that you can buy these 3 products and several others in a .75 oz. trial size for just $1.50 and in some case they offer buy 1 get 1 half off. What a bargain when you want to test out a product to see if you really like it and thank goodness I spent the whopping $4.50 to try out these 3 products because I am hooked and have ordered the full size product to incorporate into my skin care regimen.

The Alpha Hydrox Face Wash is for all skin types, is soap-free, fragrance-free, oil-free, has a pH of 6.8, is gentle enough to remove eye makeup and leaves no residue. I love this stuff, it is the only product I have come across that works all year on my skin. It removes the right amount of oil leaving my skin well moisturized...not overly oily or overly dry.

The Alpha Hydrox Daily Moisturizer is fragrance free and great for hydrating normal to dry skin types.

Last but not least, the Alpha Hydrox Exfoliating Cream is for all skin types, is fragrance free,has a pH of 4 and is great for those who have slightly sensitive skin or for first-time users of products containing alpha hydrox acids.

If you want to try some of these products on the cheap by purchasing the sample size (which is enough product to last at least 30 days) for $1.50 you can buy them here.

L'Oreal HIP Kohl Eyeliners

How quick can I get my butt back to Target and return this mess?!?!?! Generally I like most things in the L'Oreal HIP collection...I have at least 7 of the HIP Eyeshdaow Duos, but I have finally stumbled across something that does not tickle my fancy...HIP Kohl Eyeliners. Not a fan people!

I picked up 2 of these bad boys at Target at $10 bucks a pop last weekend...one in a plum color and the other in a gold color. I guess this is what I get since I'm not supposed to be buying any kind of product until spring. Anyway, in my opiion all these kohl liners are is crushed eyeshadow in cute little packaging with an applicator that is similar to that found in "pen" eyeliners. This product is nothing special, and I expect special when I pay 10 bucks for a makeup product in Target!

They will both be RETURNED this weekend and I will take my $20 buck and go blow it on something else i don't need...LMAO I will take something back in a heartbeat people...have receipt will RETURN!

Fashion, Technology and the Savvy Stylista

True Stylistas are always ahead of the fashion curve, never followers, always trendsetters. But what about the technology curve? Being the technology geek that I am, I’ve learned a few things about being an early adopter, and although there are some similarities, there are also some major differences…

Ahead of the Fashion Curve

• You may be out of a few hundred bucks when the season is over.
• People may say they don't like it at first, but give it a year, they will all be wearing it.
• The firsts are always the best, everything else is a cheap or watered down copy.
• Being known as fashion forward is hot!

Ahead of the Technology Curve

• Depending on the item, you may be out of a few THOUSAND bucks when the upgraded version comes out in Jan...but, you just have to buy the new one, right?
  
• Everyone will be envious at first, but it will suck when their patience pays off and they get 2.0 instead of 1.0 - “Really, YOUR IPod touch doesn’t have a speaker?”
  
• The firsts are rarely the best, they’re almost all like beta versions of what’s to come.
  
• Being known as the chick who gets a new mobile phone or IPod every 3-6 months is not okay…there must be better ways to spend money.  (this is sooo me!)

In my experience, being ahead of the technology curve only pays off for the few months before the companies release the next, hottest thing…But being an early fashion adopter ALMOST ALWAYS PAYS OFF!

Smart Shopping Stylistas!

Sweet Jesus These Shoes HURT!

DAMN DAMN DAMN…I HATE wearing shoes that are not comfortable! I bought there cute little flats (at least I think they are cute) to wear this Fall. In less than 24 hours the temperature here has dropped 30 degrees and the wind is howling…so in my opinion Fall is here and I can break out my little ballet slippers with touch of flair. All I can say is that these heffas HURT! They're not to small mind you, it’s just that material around the toe cleavage area is not as soft as it could be. Now my butt is out $100 bucks and I’m gonna have to find some kind of cushion support to put in these bad boys. I refuse to walk around with my dogs barking...NO WAY…you end up with hamma toes…lol

Dating and the Single Stylista - Safety First Ladies!!

I am a single mother of a beautiful, smart and independent 13 yr-old...I like to date, meet new people and have new experiences.

That said...safety is always top of mind.  Sure when I was younger and had only myself to think about I was careless.  I would met men in non-public places, I would have them pick me up where I lived, etc.  But these days, that mess is a NO, NO!!  Not only because I have a child, but because people are CRAZY...does it seem like everyone has lost their damn minds, or what?!?!

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, I joined a dating website.  I male friend of mine mentioned it to me, and although he was not having good luck with the women he was meeting from there, I thought maybe the men were worth checking out.  Plus, its been a slow summer, and I was bored.

I logged in, setup my profile and waited...I read every message I received (I'm not saying I responded to all of them, but I definitely read them).  Just when I thought this site was full of child-molesteresque looking guys and those who look like they have someone locked in the basement...along comes Terry.

Terry seemed like a good guy...good looking, but not beautiful, humble, smart and very nice.  We sent message back and forth for a few days, and then we exchanged phone numbers.  We had many conversations over the next week or so...getting to know each other along the way.  He made me laugh...(that's the way to get me for sure!)

Last Sunday, I'd decided that I was ready to meet him, but before I go on a date with anyone, I do a few checks...this is where the safety part comes in ladies!!!

Google is the first step, I put in his first, middle and last names...Nothing.  A little weird I thought, but nothing to be shocked about.  Some people don't come up in Google searches.

So then I went to Zaba Search, the White Pages, and Pipl.com...Nothing again!  Hmmm, now I'm really suspicious.  I searched Google for the name of the company he said he owned...Nothing.  What company doesn't have a website?  THERE AREN'T ANY!

I had one more avenue to try...as we had been chatting on the phone, I had his cell phone number.  I paid $5.00 to do a reverse number search, and I'm glad I did.  The number was listed to someone named Steve (Not Terry).  What was interesting is that the middle and last names he gave me where the same.  Damn, what have I gotten myself into?  I put Steve's name into Google...wow!  There's "Steve" on Facebook, Myspace, even Twitter!  And guess what??!!  The pics of him on those sites were not of the same guy on the dating website.  They looked very similiar, but definitely not the same guy.

Not being someone who avoids conflict or pussy-foots around, I called him, and explained what I found...Here's what he said...

"I was going to write you an email explaining everything before things went any further.  I am Steve and Terry is my friend who is cheating on his wife.  He asked that I set up a profile using his pictures and information, but I would monitor all of the prospects.  If I found someone I liked, we would talk on the phone for a few minutes to see if they would be an easy lay for Terry, then I would pass her off to him.  But, I never passed on your number because we had a connection.  Everything we talked about was real, you were talking to me.  Do you hate me?" (Blah, Blah, Blah...yeah, everything was real...except everything WASN'T real).

My response..."Nope, I don't hate you, but we will never speak again."  End of conversation.

So...I called Nikki aka The Flirty 40s, to tell her of my latest and greatest dating drama.  She asked me if I had checked him out on the state courts website...why no, I hadn't.  In all my research I didn't know about this site?!?!  Nice.  As she enters Steve's name into the website, all she can say is  "Girl, stay away from him!"

This "man" had a LONG LIST of arrests & judgements.  Including, but not limited to:  Time spent in PRISON for Terroristic Treats and Stalking & time spent in PRISON for theft.  Let us not forget that he owes $20,000 in child support on which he has not paid a dime!!

Moral of the story...know the men you are meeting and dating!!!  And if a man gets offended because I checked up on him...then he is not the man for me.

Some people may call this research excessive...You be the judge!!