New Year Regimes...Skincare and Weight Loss a post that is packed to the brim!

Are you loyal to one line of skincare products?
Many women I know use the same brand and never deviate from what works for them.

My favourite aesthetician left the Spa that I have been going to for years and I followed her to her new location downtown at Sapphire Day Spa.

I treated myself to a facial before Christmas and spent a heavenly 90 minutes in her talented hands.
Like a butterfly flitting about searching for the new and improved... I purchased a "starter set" of the products that she recommended for my skin type from the Eminence line from Hungary.

Monoi Age Corrective Exfoliating Cleanser

Bamboo Firming Fluid

Neroli Age Corrective Eye Serum

Coconut Age Corrective Moisturizer

Bamboo Age Corrective Masque

Once a week I use these products:

Step 1 ~ Arctic Berry Exfoliant

Step 2 ~ Arctic Berry Advanced Peel 

Step 3 ~ Arctic Berry Peptide Radiance Cream

My skin feels so soft after the once a week treatment and it is gentle on my skin.

Good skin care is so important. 

The face reflects good skincare habits, nutritious food and healthy lifestyle choices.

After I cleanse and moisturize I wait a few minutes for the products to sink in.

I use the following products with a very "light hand."

a dusting of La Bella Donna mineral powder ~ Crema

                                      Bobbi Brown Illuminating Bronzing Powder ~ Antigua

Pur eye shadow ~ Lavender Mourite

Maybelline Brow Drama ~ Deep Brown

Jane Iredale Mascara ~ Black Ice

Chanel Rouge Coco ~ Orchidee

For evening I will add a very thin eye liner in dark brown and use a darker lipstick.

(the shade that I purchased in Paris) 

Maybelline ~ Pleasure Me Red

How are you feeling after the Festive Season?

Did you eat a wee bit too many sugary sweets or rich foods?

I know I did!

My jeans are a bit too snug.

I am not going to beat myself up for being human.

I just need to get back on track...

count my Weight Watcher Points and increase the pace and length of my walks.

In a few weeks the scale will reflect my dedication and my clothes will feel much more comfortable.

Here is how I will be eating.

If you care to join me we can support each other.

Breakfast ~  yogurt and fruit or Rogers Ancient Grains Oats with fruit.

Lunch is simple...salad with protein.

Often an egg or a bit of feta cheese crumbled over greens.

The protein helps keep hunger pangs away.

Snacks consist of fresh fruit or sliced

carrots and celery with 2 tablespoons of hummus.

Coffee with foamed skim milk is a treat.

I drink lots of water throughout the day...it is great for the skin and helps keep me feeling full.

Tea is my afternoon ritual.

A luxury that I indulge in when I sit for a bit and read in a cozy chair.

Dinnertime I make a protein and salad or fresh veggies.

Often skipping a starch like potatoes or rice and I try to avoid pasta.

Potatoes and pasta are my weakness!

So out of sight out of mind works best 

in this initial stage of getting back on track.

Keep moving...

walk, swim, dance, clean the house.

To keep you motivated and not deprived...

Reward yourself with non food items.

New lingerie perhaps?

A new book...

a scented candle

or rearrange your home decor

do whatever inspires you.

I like to walk and look for the beauty along the way.

Thank you for stopping by today.

Hostess

Playing with lipstick...a copy cat post.

Jennifer author of the blog "A Well Styled Life" wrote a post on lipstick.
"The Classic Red Lip: Not For Every Woman"
Her post made me think about lipstick shades...those that flatter and those that don't.

Luscious and Juicy Red Rose Hips 

The Humble Bungalow Bathroom has the best lighting so that's where this experiment takes place.

My nose got a wee bit burnt on the last few days of our holiday.

I wear an SPF of 30 but there is a double dose of rays when one is out on the ocean.

(rays from above and then reflected up again from the sea)

OOTD

Grey linen Tee from Monoprix

White Club Monaco jeans

bare feet

custom made gold and diamond necklace

On my lips I am wearing 

Fresh Sugar ~ Tulip

(my everyday shade that I wear in the bungalow while doing domestics or gardening)

It works better if I wear my glasses.

I can see what I am doing!

Chanel Rouge Coco Orchidee Lipstick

(a rosy red)

Jennifer mentions that a bold lip takes centre stage and the eyes almost disappear.

One must choose to focus on either the eyes or the lips when choosing make up.

Which one do you prefer to highlight?

Maybelline  #055 Pink~a~licious

Maybelline  #547  Pleasure Me Red

(purchased in Paris)

I wear this shade for evening or when I want to capture and remember a bit of Paris. 

I think red lips are quintessentially French!

Janet over at The Gardener's Cottage wears Poppy by Aveda.

She's written a post on beauty and I think you might like to pop over and read what she has to say.

I enjoy her blog so much.

(and I am in love with her gorgeous house)

Country Living magazine did a shoot at her cottage and are going to be featuring it soon.

I can hardly wait!

Do you have a favourite shade of lipstick?

Hope that you have some fun scheduled this weekend.

I'll be focusing on watering our newly sodded back lawn.

I'll share it with you sometime soon.

Cheerio

XO

I've got the blues...OOTD

Today I'm wearing a BOHO OOTD...
an asymmetrical tunic top in indigo and cobalt blues.

The top is a bit of a departure from my usual conservative classics but it's such a bright and energetic piece that when I put it on I feel instantly happy!
I love the power of colour.

There is black mesh at the neck and the bottom with a section of the hem gathered up on one side...

made by Papillon.

Yes my hair is wet but it is too hot to blow dry it this morning.

I snapped this photo to show a new CC cream that the gals at the Pharmasave told me about...

It's specifically made for those of us with rosacea.

I am so in love with my new Mulberry back pack bag. 

Shopping and walking is so much easier and it's fashionable too...

it's smaller than my usual bags which makes my shoulders happy!

The Paris inspired red lipstick is getting lots of wear.

It's inexpensive, made by Maybelline, and the shade is called Pleasure Me Red!

I pulled out my sapphire ring when we took Mother out last Sunday for her birthday and I have been wearing it ever since...

Mother celebrated her birthday in style at The Empress Hotel's Bengal Lounge.

My sister and our spouses surprised her with a dinner in her honour...

it's not everyday that one turns 88.

I wore my Jones of NY wrap dress to dinner.

The jingle jangle of the bangles...

It's been a fairly quiet week so far.

The weather has been hot and I have been keeping the blinds closed to maintain the cool here in our Humble Bungalow.

 I've been outdoors dead heading the roses like mad...they LOVE this hot weather!

I picked a bouquet of white Iceberg roses and placed them in the Vintage French pottery jug that I bought on my recent trip. They look lovely in our wee bathroom on the main floor.

So that about wraps it up for now...

our darling grand daughter turns 5 this weekend and I am wondering where the time has gone...

how can she be 5 already?

Hope your week is ticking along nicely...

Shopping ~ Bling with Black...starring YOU!

The second installment in my series of wardrobe thoughts...

"Starring YOU."

Darling daughter and I went out for dinner at Rebar before embarking on a wee bit of retail therapy.

I recommend the fish tacos as they were so fresh and delicious,

 but the portions were too big for us.

We could only eat half...

next time we will order one order and split a small salad.

Darling daughter lives downtown so we took the leftovers to her condo and her boyfriend was happy to have a ready made dinner!

Then we hit the shops...

I have been shopping with an eye to Paris and the 3 weeks in a small Carry On.

Black is the core colour and there are going to be very few items so they ALL MUST work with each other.

Hose to wear with my LBD...and I did not want to go with nude or plain black.

I think hose can be a great accessory and make a statement without screaming too loud!

Target is closing here in Canada which makes me feel sad as I quite like their selection of lingerie...

I am told that Paris has lingerie shops on almost every corner...kind of like we have Starbucks.

Anne Klein silk and rayon lightweight cardigan in cream with black OOOO"S!

Brand new without tag ~ thrifted.

Will easily slip over a jersey tank or tee and can be worn over an LBD.

Striped lightweight jersey tunic top by Bianca Nygaard.

Great with skinny jeans or capri leggings which I am packing to wear in the south of France.

Super comfy black Clarks walking shoes to navigate the Parisian cobblestones...

I was on the hunt for a smallish cosmetic bag and looked high and low.

The Sportsacs were either too big or too small.

The leather Marc Jacobs was too small lengthwise and at $40 I thought a bit pricey...

as you may recall

I am saving Euros for Paris shopping!

The criteria was that it had to be long enough not to squish my Aveda blush brush.

Lilly Pulitzer for Estee Lauder cosmetic pouch ~ Thrifted.

Bright, cheap and cheerful.

Jane Iredale mascara...a luxe mascara.

I love the full brush and the formula PLUS it has a 12 month shelf life.

 I was wasting mascara having to throw partly used tubes away every 3 months.

The brush will fit inside easily with all my other cosmetics...

of which there are only a few pieces.

Mineral make up and a brush.

Eye shadow and a brush.

Eyelash curler.

Brow brush.

Eyeliner.

Lipstick.

I bought a pair of Compression socks to wear on the plane.

 Tish Jett wrote in a recent post that French doctors and pharmacists recommend them.

She's been blogging about packing for Paris and she knows what she is talking about as she lives in France.

Bring on the BLING...

I tried on this bracelet for fun.

It was pretty but I don't think I'd wear it very often...

it is not a reflection of my "authentic self."

I would feel a bit like I was "dressing up for a costume party."

I am not suggesting that this bracelet is in bad taste...it is just not "my style."

But every so often I do like to dress up in something sparkly...

New Years Eve or at Christmas.

There are a few pieces in my closet that are kept specifically for this reason.

Darling daughter gave me a gift.

It's the sequined top which I am wearing with my black skinny jeans.

I had to stretch my arms way out to take this picture because we have no large mirror in our Humble Bungalow that is well lit enough to take decent pictures.

(I must try and rectify that sometime)

She found it at a thrift shop and it is vintage beaded wool top.

Woodwards label is intact and the piece is in pristine condition.

Look at the exquisite floral detail.

(Faux Fuchsia would approve...she luffs her sequins!)

It is surprisingly heavy and I plan to fold it carefully in tissue and store it in a drawer.

I am already thinking about what I'll wear it with...besides jeans.

It might be fun to pair it with my black skirt or dressy black pants and wear it out to dinner.

I'm wearing a stack of bangles too...

having fun blogging in a party worthy outfit while sipping tea as the washer and dryer are going through their paces on a very busy domestic day.

I must get changed and get on with my day.

I have a bazillion things on my do list and they won't get done by themselves.

I think "Fashion should be fun."

If it isn't why bother?

 I took Mother to see The Next Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and she loved it...

an all star cast and the acting is marvelous.

If you have any thoughts on sequins or bling or basic black wardrobes please leave a comment.

I am not the only one who thinks about what the clothes we wear say to the world.

Check out blogs online and you'll find thousands of women are talking...

Many of the fashion and style blogs that I have read are young women.

So IS anyone bothering to look at us older gals now that we are "Invisible Women?"

Should we care?

I don't mind being invisible at all.

I find it a quite comfortable prospect...

how about you?

Indulging...OOTD

Almond Joy!
I'd like to think of this as a WW point friendly way to enjoy almonds.

I love the scent of almond as well as the taste.
Having a weakness for the nut I try to keep my almond eating habit in check...

Enjoying the scent is one way to satisfy the craving...

L'Occitane makes a great almond products and the jar of almond milk concentrate is a Humble Bungalow staple.

The shower gel is heavenly and they have just launched a body oil which I recently purchased.

The wee package of travel sized almond products were added to my order for a fraction of the cost,

an indulgence if you will.

"Orange is the New Black"

 was hot a few seasons ago...

then Panetone Green was on center stage and now it's Radiant Orchid!

Have you seen designer and blogger Tamera Beardsley in her radiant orchid kimono?

 She is featured in the fashion section of this month's Skimbaco Lifestyle magazine!

I discovered Skimbaco Lifestyle magazine when Adrienne Shubin started writing for them...

you might know her from her blog The Rich Life on a Budget.

These gals are having so much fun with fashion that I was energized by their enthusiasm...

Dressing in colour has never been so exciting!

A soft infinity scarf with a smattering of radiant orchid...

a birthday gift from my BFF.

I wore this scarf with a black tunic top with black leggings and black ballet flats.

The colour made the entire outfit pop!

I chose Revlon 070 Cherry Tart to wear with the scarf...the richer colour looked better than 001 pink truffle

 which I thought was a wee bit pale.

I wear these rich shea butter glosses often and alternate it with the Chanel Orchidee.

I do love a great stripe as patterns never feel like they suit me.

I have tried and tried but they always hang in my closet sad and lonely...

scarves are my go to accessory for pattern.

Colour won't take center stage in the same way black does in my basic wardrobe

but it will pop up this summer on the boat paired with my white jeans.

I may look for a fun orange coral necklace to wear with this shirt.

I plan to use this as a"jacket" layering it over a plain white tank top.

Ralph Lauren shirt

It has a nautical edge so it will be a fun summer boat basic.

The 3/4 sleeve length won't get tangled up in the ropes...

I found my first pair of what I might call high end or luxury jeans.

Seven For All Mankind slim fit boot cut Kaylie's.

When I tried them on I wondered what exactly makes a luxury jean worth the money.

I'd have to say it is in the fit and the details.

The weight of the denim feels good and it has more body that the less expensive jeans that I regularly wear.

The shape seems to stay true after several wearings so I am not tempted to wash them as often.

Jeans play an important part of my wardrobe and since retiring I wear them much more often than dress pants.

I currently own two pairs of black ponte knit dress pants and now I have 4 pairs of jeans!

So where do you stand on luxury goods?

What would you indulge in if money were no object?

Are you on Pinterest?

I'm finding it is a bit like eating almonds...

 once I start I cannot stop!

Until next time,

Be Well and Be Kind.