Potions from the Pantry

I have been having the most trouble trying to find adequate and affordable skin care. I really love Ren because it is "clean" and all things good, but it is a tad pricey. While I was in Puerto Rico for Thanksgiving, a Clinique counter was giving away their three step system samples to try. I tried them and they are quite stripping. The toner smells like straight rubbing alcohol although I have to admit that it seemed to clear up my skin.

So now that I am back to the States I have been trying to go back to the basics. It just doesn't seem logical that my skin needs to be stripped of all oils and then replenished with serums and potions. In the past I have used plain olive or walnut oil to clean my skin and it worked well. I've also made my own toner from a recipe in the Dr. Hauschka beauty book. But it never fails that I get seduced into thinking that something so simple can't possibly be good enough.

The truth is that I have had occasional cystic acne for years now. It is only during times of extreme stress. Right after I got engaged I got two cystic nightmares that left me two holes that will forever be my engagement scars. It was a very stressful time. Will you marry me? Call your family. Let's stop at Barnes and Noble so you can start planning a wedding. That was all in a matter of hours. Anyway, I digress, but it's just to show I have had some extreme skin problems. The good news is that since the wedding there has been no cystic trouble at all.

This morning I tried a yogurt mask and it does seem to exfoliate quite nicely. I added a little lemon juice. I use plain, full fat yogurt, which is a good all around staple for cooking as well. You can also add some honey which has antibacterial properties. Some other skin care homemade remedies I have tried are body scrubs. You can easily make your own with salt or sugar. Just add oil.

I've been making my own eye makeup remover for awhile now and as I tell my husband, "Do you know how much money I've saved you?" Use an old eye makeup remover bottle and put one fourth baby shampoo and fill to the top with distilled water. I know this probably isnt' the Best because it still has the SLS however it's not much different from the $16 bottle so why not use it practically free?

In spite of many creative ways to make your own potions, I always find myself seduced into a marketing campaign. I start believing that some company has the right answer for my skin. My curiousity gets the best of me and my wallet. The truth is that it is fun to buy things and feel a part of the collective users of something. It's almost like we collect items from a cosmetics or skincare line like my mom used to collect dolls off of QVC. And honestly, I think the skincare costs more.

But this time I'm going to find the system that works for me. I'm open to purchasing skincare or to making it myself, but I'm tired of buying products that are only as good as their marketing campaigns or free gift with purchase. Anyone got any faves to share?

It's Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel

I'm sending out a little financial warning for those of you who get sucked into marketing traps like me. Ah, but I am smarter this year! Forewarned is forearmed. It is a battle out there, a battle for your money. Be choosy about who you give it to, or might I suggest saving some of it?

Beware of the COUPON. This little harmless and apparently fruitful incentive to get you into a shop can be a big pitfall in holiday spending and all year round. Oh, I've been sucked in too many times. I'm thinking of Bath and Body Works with their buy one get one free. If you are like me, it's very difficult to throw something away that is free. But it isn't free. If you need to stock up, then great, but I don't even care for their items that much. This is how I know that this marketing works. I feel perfectly fine to go buy a lotion for $11.00 so I can get something for free. Ladies, maybe you like the smell, but there is nothing special about this overpriced soap and lotion. It's standard drugstore fare ingredients which is why they can afford to give you something free when you buy an item. So, not just to pick on this store, I'm saying beware of all the 10%, 20% coupons that take you into a store where you don't already need or use something. Open the lid to the trash can and THROW IT AWAY. Save your money for what you really want. Those dollars add up.

Number two is beware of the FREE GIFT WITH PURCHASE. Oh a couple of months ago I was salivating for the Nordstrom makeup bag and sample giveaway. I was inventing things to purchase to add up to $100 so I could get that. These free gifts hynotize us! We get the swirly circles in our eyes and can only focus on buy, buy, buy. Nevermind that most of the samples we won't even like or use. There is always justification when you are getting a free gift. Oh, ladies I know how hard it is to resist, but DO RESIST sometimes. Allow yourselves to receive the the goodie bag sometimes, but not everytime. It's not worth it to wreck your budget. And by all means, if you don't like something you get at any store, take it back. It feels a little embarrasing, but you'll all get over it.

I've gradually been hunting products that are just as nice at the drugstore. I'm not generally a fan of most items because I feel they don't compare in quality. However over time I am proud to say that I no longer buy department store mascara. I love Voluminous or Lash Exact mascara just as much as the pricier brands. I've also discovered that I adore a certain Cover Girl foundation more than Laura Mercier, Giorgio Armani or any of them. And it has spf 25. I'm still working on skin care.

Go, shop, and be smart and creative with your purchases especially this time of year when every store wants your money. Look at that FREE something for what it really is, a shiny, perfumed worm just luring you to bite.

Wedding Pictures

Here are just a few pictures from our wedding day. After the wedding in South Carolina and the honeymoon in San Francisco, we came back to Texas and the following week closed on our house. The house is springing to life with every box that is unpacked. Fall is finally arriving in Texas and I couldn't be happier for the cooler weather. Unpacking the wedding gifts has been especially fun. I have to say that my red Kitchen Aid mixer had me jumping up and down. I just want to use it all the time. The other day I made brownies but never got around to cooking them. Did you know if you just leave the batter in the frig it tastes like fudge? Sad, I know, but my sweetie left me for two weeks to go to work in Wyoming. Sometimes a lonely girl needs chocolate eaten with a wooden spoon while watching mindless tv. Got the picture? Yeah, I'm also getting back to the gym because the pounds are creeping on. We are going to Puerto Rico to visit Gustavo's family for Thanksgiving. Putting on a bikini in the midst of feasting on pumpkin pie and turkey just isn't natural, but I will endure!

Naturalizer Shoes Friends & Family Discount

Hi Everyone!

I want to pass on a coupon code to you. I love Naturalizer shoes! They are the impossible find of stylish and comfortable. I always used to think of them as old lady shoes, but they obviously got a new designer because there are many fashionable options now. October 5-8, 2007 you can receive 30% off your total purchase. Go to a store, buy online or call the number on the coupon-- Just give them the code FFJ37.

Maybe you need a pair of boots or a cute pair of animal print flats. This is a great discount to use for fall merchandise or an extra discount for summer shoes.

Of course, if you don't need anything, sorry for the temptation.

Nordstrom Houston Galleria Trend Event

If you are in the Houston area, there is a really cool event coming up on October 20th at Houston Galleria's Nordstrom. At 8:00 am before the store opens they are having a fashion show with all of fall's latest. The cosmetics department is joining in with a free train case full of samples. Also, you can sign up with the makeup counter of your choice for a free makeover. Each counter also may have a gift with purchase.

The tickets are $15.00 and redeemable towards product. I know that I'm going to finally get the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder that I've been wish listing for awhile now. The number is 832-201-2700 to order your ticket.

The Wedding Flowers

Gustavo the Groom helping prepare the flowers. Do you see why I married him?

I see that many people are interested in a do-it-yourself bouquet for their wedding so I wanted to update the information on how I did mine. I chose Grower's Box to order my flowers. It was $200 for 250 roses in four different colors. I got pale pink, ivory, two toned pink and peach, which looked like orange.

I'm not going to tell you that it's lickety-split, then you're done. It is a little bit of work, but if you do it right and have some help, I'd highly recommend it!

You get the flowers delivered fairly early in the morning two-three days before the wedding. My wedding was on Sunday and we had them delivered on Friday. They have to hydrate in spring water for a day. We kept ours in the plastic wrap so the flowers wouldn't open too quickly. Honestly, they warn you that they will look dehydrated, but mine looked fine except for a few bad ones.



This picture is what 250 roses in a bucket looks like. Oh, but be careful! There are flowers just underneath the flowers. When you cut the stems the first time, you may cut them all the same length and not notice that they are tucked under there. We didn't notice because they were still wrapped when we made the first cut. For us it didn't matter because they were still too long.

I had a friend who was instrumental and took charge of the whole process. I would not recommend that the BRIDE is that person. There was so much going on the day before that it is too much to do flowers too. I told them what I liked and they basically just did it for me. I could see how it was going to look by bunching them together. Of course a picture would be best. Since I got married in SC and I live in Texas, I had a hard time remembering everything I had to bring. All my wedding pictures got left at home.

Grower's Box has instructions on how to care for the flowers and their customer service is wonderful. We had a bunch of vases and picked the flowers to go in each bouquet, then tied them up.



Here are the final boxes of flowers minus my bouquet which we put in a cooler. In total, we did four bridesmaids, my bridal bouquet, the throwaway bouquet, 10 bouts, and 8 vases of flowers for the tables. We did them on Saturday afternoon and evening. The truth is we didn't go to bed until 3:00 am! Learn from me, START EARLY!

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Here is a photo of how they turned out! I loved my bouquet. It was so fragrant and I adored the ivory roses.



The reason I decided to do my flowers was purely financial. Obviously it would have been easier to have a florist do them and deliver them. Also, I was content to have very simple bouquets for the wedding. If I had wanted a "designer bouquet", it would have been more costly and difficult. I was quoted $850 for a minimal amount of roses in each bouquet and table flowers. For example, we would have had 6 roses in each bridesmaid, but with greenery too. We used about 12 when we did it with no greenery.

I have a feeling that using 250 roses with a florist would have cost me a huge amount of money. The florist quoted me $200 for only my bouquet and that was using 25 roses. Anyway, even if you decide to use a florist there are ways to save. I had considered the bridesmaids only carring a single flower. Everyone I polled thought this was a very elegant way to go. Even when money isn't a consideration, brides are choosing to do this because of the simplicity of the look. You can use a rose, lily, or even a gerbera daisy.

What I struggled with the most when planning the flowers or anything else for the wedding was "What should I do?", instead of "What do I want to do?". I honestly didn't know what I wanted so I just kept researching and looking through magazines until it hit me. What did I learn? Go with your first instinct. There are no wrong answers. All flowers are beautiful. In my opinion, don't spend thousands of dollars on them. Literally, you hold your bouquet for a few moments and that's it. Another piece of advice, don't let people "should" on you and don't "should" on yourself. Again, there are no wrong answers. I got stressed over many details and wanted others to tell me that I made the right choice. If you need that too, I'm telling you that if it is what you think is pretty, then you are making the right choice. There will not be anyone judging the final show!

Other materials that you need: flower tape, floral wire, wire cutters, vases, spring water, and satin ribbon to wrap the bouquets.

**Please email me if you would like me to write about other aspects of wedding planning.

Honeymoon Touring Shoes

Me in San Fran! ***


I found my impossible dream--comfortable and cute shoes. I had been looking for some shoes to wear on my honeymoon. We went to San Francisco and walked up and down those hills all week and these shoes were fabulous. They went with all my clothes even though they are pink. In a pinch I think I can even wear them with a casual skirt.

I'm so over trying to teeter around in heels just for fashion's sake. I find it so embarrassing to see women who wear heels that aren't comfortable and who appear to be in pain. Their bodies are jutted forward to balance themselves. When I wear shoes that are uncomfortable just because they fashionable there isn't enough of a payoff for me.

I know some women who prefer heels and I'm a little jealous that they find them so comfy. For me, heels give me an instant headache because it knocks me off balance so much. I used to be able to walk a mile in 4 inch heels but those days are over. I go through the shoe department now and admire the high heels more like art in a museum. I can't have them in my home, but I still love the way they look.

If you are like me and are constantly on the search for feminine and graceful shoes that aren't high heels, I am your ally. These Puma's are wonderful and come in three colors. They are especially great for traveling because they can pass as dressy or at least fashionable with pants or a skirt.

If you haven't discovered Naturalizer yet, give them a look also. They have beautiful and stylish shoes that come in a range of heel sizes.

www.naturalizer.com