Natural Beauty: Exfoliation

I was struck one evening by a scary line uttered by my favorite jerk on Mad Men, Roger Sterling, something to the effect of "...after 30 women just seem to lose that glow."  Now, I'm pretty sure Roger was speaking, ahem, euphemistically, but he was pretty spot on in terms of glowing skin: at around the age of 30, cellular turnover slows down, and skin can start to look dull.

We can combat this dulling effect a number of ways, the most important being maintaining a healthy intake of fresh foods and moving around on a regular basis.  Sunblock is also another must in the holy book of great skin, sun damage is the number one aging factor for our skin.  Also, if you smoke, sorry, but you are aging your skin at an even more accelerated rate...if you don't believe me, just think of the people you know who are lifelong smokers.

If you have the basics of keeping your skin looking healthy, now you can move on to exfoliation.  Exfoliation is just a fancy term for buffing the dead skin cells off the surface of your skin.  When skin is younger, this process happens pretty naturally, but as we get older, it can help to give your skin a little "oomph" one or two times a week.

Enter the Boscia Illuminating Black Mask.  This is a crazy, but really effective, way to get some heavy duty exfoliation into your beauty routine.  It's made with clay, pine tar, vitamin C, and witch hazel to help clean the gunk out of your pores.  It also will take the flaky top layer of skin cells with it.  Slather this on, wait 20 minutes, and peel off.  It's like a Biore Nose Strip for your entire face.  The great thing about this mask is that it's free of parabens, dyes, and other artificial crap you wouldn't want to be slathering all over your body.

So try to incorporate a scrub or peel into your routine once or twice a week to help let your beautiful skin shine through!  You won't be unhappy with the results!

In which I find embarrassment is a constant state of being.

I am, if nothing else, an opinionated person.  There are very few things that fall into a purgatory of indecision in my life: I know what I like and I'm even keener at what I do NOT like.  The one glaring caveat is that saves me from utter jerk-dom is that I allow myself to change my mind.

At a recent book club, which deserves multiple posts all its own, I brought up the subject of books I had read as a teenager that really affected me and after rereading them as an adult, how much they (and I) had changed.  One utterly embarrassing example was The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand. 

As a young woman, I identified with the protagonist, an architect named Howard Roark, who was true to his vision and creativity.  He would never be a part of "the collective" that stole the ideas of these creative few.  On the surface, I thought as a teenager, this book was a-maz-ing.  Be yourself!  Don't follow the crowd!  Middle finger to the man!  It was only after a reread as an adult, when the subtext of Rand's individualism and objectivism was fully realized by me, the reader. 

I was appalled that I had allowed this book into my favorites list as a kid!  The xenophobia and disgust with the "weak" in The Fountainhead really scared me.  I was utterly embarrassed to admit to my book club that this had been a book that I truly enjoyed the first time I read it.  Of course, my perspective and opinion of the book has changed, but it got me wondering: what other books (or movies) did I adore when I was younger only to be embarrassed or bored by now?

Do you have any books that you loved as a kid, but on the second read as an adult they just don't hold up?  I'd love to hear your opinions!  I promise I don't think all of my opinions are the right ones anymore! (Pinky-swear!)

Happy Birthday to Sissyteef!

Today is my beautiful, amazing, and hilarious sister's birthday!

She is always surprising me with:

~ her generosity

~ her ability to find the humor in almost every situation

~ her loyalty

~ her creativity

~ her undying love of horror movies

~ her amazing bargain-hunting prowess!

I am pretty much the luckiest sister in the world!

Happy Birthday, S.!

I hope you have a wonderful day!

I don't care...

This is so sappy and sweet.

And I love it.

Elizabeth Taylor

It was a sad week to say goodbye to Elizabeth Taylor.

She has played so many amazing characters, 

one of my favorites being Martha in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

While that role was indeed "meatier" than Elizabeth's role in Cleopatra, I think I'll always remember her as the Queen of the Nile!  Her style and attitude may have been inspired by Cleopatra, but I can't help but think this is pure Elizabeth.  The eyeliner!  The bangs!  The color!  Perfection.

Do yourself a favor and watch this movie, you will be amazed at the artistic direction.  If you want extra credit, check out Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, too!  It's amazing to think these movies were filmed just three years apart.  It really speaks to Elizabeth's talent and commitment to her roles.

I hope you have a great weekend!

xo.

Source

Music Thursday: Iron and Wine

 

Sam Beam's, of Iron and Wine, voice truly gives me goosebumps.

I get all shivery whenever I have the chance to listen to any of his songs.

And I love that he plays this song under the stairs in a wine cellar!

My grandma and grandpa used to live in a creaky old house that had a vast, damp basement.  My little sister and I would spent our summer days playing down there with old, faded toys from the 1950s, dress up with my grandma's hats and purses, and cook pretend meals on the ancient cast iron stove.

I miss that basement and this song's setting was sweet enough to remind of it.

Recipe of the Weeks: Egg and Asparagus with Gluten Free Pasta

There is nothing more difficult for me than to come home after a super-long day and get creative about what's for dinner.  I'm a little ashamed to admit that some nights, all our dinner consists of is cheese and crackers or chips and salsa!

This quick and simple recipe will have you enjoying a healthy meal in under 15 minutes!  Really!  It's filling, healthy, and can be customized for your resident wheat-eater (with regular pasta), carnivore (add shredded chicken breast or pancetta), or vegan (by omitting the cheese and egg and adding walnut pieces and nutritional yeast!) Shug and I, the culinary moderates we are, like the ovo-lacto vegetarian version of this!

Egg and Asparagus with Gluten Free Pasta 
Serves 4 hungries
Ingredients:
3/4 -1 pound gluten free pasta, any shape
Salt and pepper
Extra virgin olive oil
1 pound fresh asparagus, rinsed and woody ends trimmed
4 organic eggs
2 T butter
1/2 - 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Get a large pot of generously salted water boiling over medium high heat.  Add a squirt of olive oil to help the gluten free pasta from sticking to each other.  Once the water is at a full boil, add your pasta and stir well.

Take your trimmed asparagus and cut in half or in thirds, depending on their size.  You want easily munchable pieces!  When the pasta is about 3-4 minutes away from being "al dente," throw your asparagus pieces in to the boiling pot with your pasta.  Give the pot another good stir and get working on those eggs!

In a large saucepan, heat a generous squirt of the olive oil over medium heat.  Crack and add your eggs gently to the pan, making sure they don't run together.  While the eggs are cooking, test your pasta and asparagus.  The pasta should be soft, but not mushy and the asparagus tender-crisp.  Drain your pasta and asparagus, but leave about 1/2 cup of the cooking water in the bottom of the pan, this will help make the sauce!

Add the butter and 2 T of olive oil to the pasta mixture.  Add salt and pepper to taste and throw in your Parmesan cheese.  Be sure to reserve a little cheese for the garnish!  Your eggs should be cooked to your liking (we like sunny side up!)  Serve up the pasta and asparagus and top each portion with an egg, another sprinkling of Parm, and pepper!  Eat up!  You've had a loooooong day;)!