I'm A Foodie, Too!

One of my passions is food!  Thanks to some allergies and health/lifestyle preferences, the food I love is mostly healthy.  Since my blog is "The Product Muse", I feel blogging about recipes doesn't really fit in with the overall subject matter.  Thankfully, I have been invited by my friend to share my passion on her blog.  Mary Rose started the blog Next Gen Green which focuses on the many ways we can help and benefit from protecting our environment.

Check out Next Gen Green and join me there every Monday when I guest blog delicious recipes on "Meatless Mondays"!

Banish Dry, Flaky Skin!

Recently, my friend and I were having a heart to heart about our troubles with our largest organ...skin.  I confided in her that when I wear my black yoga pants it looks like someone clapped chalkboard erasers together near me.  My waistband, at the very least, is always covered in white powder.  Not really believing me I proved it to her by lightly rubbing my stomach.  Poof, epidermis everywhere!

Let me start by assuring you I take every possible measure to hydrate my skin and body.  I drink at least (most likely 16) 8 glasses of water a day, eat healthy, avoid salt (try to), exfoliate, use moisturizing body washes, put baby oil on when I'm still wet, apply lotion when I've toweled off, and often use lotion at bedtime.  You'd think I'd be able to slide across the floor like a wet seal, but sadly, nope.

Frustrated, I sought the help of my go to beauty guru, Sephora :o).  I searched almond oil and voila, I was presented with L'Occitane's Firming and Softening Supple Skin Oil.  SOLD!  When it arrived I was even more convinced it would work because of all the consumer test results and massage application instructions that were so attractively presented on the box.  I couldn't wait to shower and apply this heavenly (yet very faint) smelling oil on my chalky body.  Well, one week later I can happily tell you my skin is smooth, hydrated, free of flakes, and smells amazing (I keep smelling my forearm)!

Today, the L'Occitane's Cleansing and Soothing Shower Oil I ordered arrived and now I can't wait to add that to my shower regimen!

For all you mom's to be, this oil is also said to be great for pregnancy and stretch marks.  And I quote, "Product Plus:  Ideal before, during and after pregnancy."

Spots? What Spots?

As I'm staring out my office window at the gloomy, overcast sky it occurred to me (a snow and cold weather disliker) there is an upside to it being dusky all day long...I can use my Paula's Choice Remarkable Skin Lightening Lotion during the day as well as at night!  In the summer I only use it at night because it's ingredients make your skin more sensitive to the sun.  Even with sunscreen I'm not taking the risk.

See, when I was a teen I wanted freckles so, since people with freckles seemed to get more of them from sun exposure I figured I could get my very own by simply sunburning my face.  Please don't remove my blog from your "Favorites" list...I promise I am SO very much wiser now!  Anywho, those of you who know me know I DO NOT have freckles.  I have what I refer to as linebacker stripes and large swaths, as opposed to spots, of discoloration.

Forever, there wasn't much I could do about hiding my attempt at acquiring freckles.  Sure, heavy makeup was still pretty popular in the 90s but I always felt gross and overdone.  Slathering SPF 50 in the summer was my only defense (still is, Dad, I promise) against these patches of discoloration becoming darker until Sephora entered my life.  I was then introduced to dozens of skin lighteners that cost a mere arm and a leg or more.  Oh yeah, on the few occasions I did hand over that arm and leg the product didn't even work!

Thank goodness my mother-in-law (and guest blogger of The Product Muse) told me about Paula's Choice!  This Paula lady is all about debunking product and cosmetic claims.  My thing about her is that she has her own line.  I'm not saying it isn't great, I don't know anything about any of it except the Remarkable Skin Lightening Lotion, which IS great, I'm just saying I think people need to try things for themselves or also consider the advice of others who are not turning a profit as a result of their advise.  But I digress.

The point is, for $18 (currently $15.96) you too can fade your spots!  Yes, I said FADE.  If you want them gone you'll have to talk to someone else about that because I'm not planning on having my face lasered or whatever.  Faded to the point where a little tinted moisturizer is all I need to conceal my botched freckles is good enough for me :o)!

Happy, Healthy, & Delicious!

You don't have to be vegan, vegetarian, organic, raw, or whatever to eat healthy.  In fact, the previously mentioned dietary lifestyles can be VERY unhealthy without the proper knowledge.

Recently I came across the cookbook "The Happy Herbivore Cookbook".  Is it a vegan cookbook?  Yep.  Does it contain delicious recipes for anyone trying to put healthier side dishes on the table or have one or two vegetarian dinners a week?  Absolutely!  I mentioned this find to my cousin and to my delight, she already had it.  That got me thinking about my "Veganomicon" cookbook collecting dust on my shelf.  It's considered the bible (or encyclopedia, if you prefer) of vegan cookbooks.  It's introduction is almost a textbook lesson in food and nutrition, therefor, more than providing me with delicious meat and dairy free recipes, it taught me the importance of supplementing and substituting.

So, if you're looking to switch things up this year and throw in a few low-fat dinners throughout the week I highly recommend these two cookbooks.  Maybe your burger and french fries night will become southwestern black bean burgers with baked herb hash browns and tangy green beans.  It won't kill anyone to try something new and shine a delicious light on foods that may otherwise go untried.  And don't forget, kids are AWESOME helpers in the kitchen.  If they make it, they'll eat it...probably ;o).