At-Home Microdermabrasion Kits

Being a Florida girl, the sun has always been my worst enemy. It seems like no matter how much sunscreen you put on or how high the SPF is, fair-skinned people such as myself always seem to get burned. This past weekend, my face got burned even after reapplying my spf 70 sunscreen. It accentuated the deep and fine wrinkles I already had on my forehead from previous burns and made me feel very self conscious. I decided to look up inexpensive at-home microdermabrasion kits and see if other people thought they were effective.


Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion and Peel System
On the Olay website, most women who have tried this treatment says it really works. It combines the exfoliating power of microdermabrasion crystals with the chemical power of a peel. You apply 2 times a week and see a difference almost instantly. This system seems to interest me the most since it's a 2 for 1 type of deal.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Rejuvenator

Neutrogena created a new type of system when they made the Healthy skin rejuvenator. It's a battery operated scrubber that comes with disposable scrubbing pads and exfoliates your face. I have heard people rave about this product before but I was hesitant to let anything battery-powered exfoliate my face. I'm not sure how it works on sensitive skin but I might be willing to try.

Avon Anew Clinical Advanced Microdermabrasion System

Women on Avon's website swear by this treatment! It has a 92% recommendation rating and 4.5 stars. The tube has a dial that you turn when you need to increase intensity of treatment. You start at one and use it for a couple of weeks then go to step 2 and so on. Customers say that by doing steps of intensity, you are really rejuvenating your skin and removing lines and age spots. This one intrigues me the most and is a very reasonable price.

Have any of you used any of these treatments? What were your results?

"To The Movies We Go" PR EP 6

***Spoiler Alert*** Sorry so late, I was out of town. I'm probably the last person that saw this episode :)



Heidi tells the designers that because they are in LA, they should see how things are done and that they are meeting Tim at Stage 6 to find out their challenge. They get to a movie company stage and find out that their challenge is to create a look for a character based in one of five movie genres. The designers get to choose between Action/Adventure, Film Noir, Western, Science Fiction, and Period Piece. The designers are chosen at random and pick their genre, Western being the last one picked. They are also told that makeup will be essential to their outfits and they will be discussing looks with Collier Strong.


The designers head back to the workroom to sketch their outfits and go to Mood to buy their supplies. They are given $150 and one day to complete their look. Nicolas already knows he is going to make a white evil queen outfit and has a whole storyline to back it up. Shirin is nervous because she doesn't know anything about Western wear and decides to make a saloon dress. Carol Hannah wants to make a "sexy assassin" outfit and claims that she thinks Logan is hot. Ra'mon dyes fabric to look like reptile skin and is trying to make a jumpsuit.

Tim comes around to see everyone's progress. He tells Christopher that bare arms on a Victorian dress does not fit the style of the century but that what he has is great. He loves Epperson's view of Western and tells Nicolas to step up his white dress. He warns Louise that she hasn't been thrilling on the runway and that she needs to step it up if she wants to stay.

Ra'mon decides he hates his jumpsuit idea 2 hours before the end of the day and decides to make a dress out of the green leather he had. Everyone is running around like crazy trying to finish what they can before the end of the day.

It's the day of the runway show and everyone is putting the finishing touches on their designs. The models are given genre makeup to enhance the outfits and are taken to the runway. The judges for the challenge are John Varvatos in place of Michael Kors, Zoe Glassner in place of Nina Garcia, and costume designer Arianne Phillips.

After the runway show, the 6 best and worst designers are Nicolas, Chris, Ra'mon, Louise, Epperson, and Gordana. The judges tell Gordana that they don't see her in her design and don't think it's anything special. They love Chris's take on Victorian and love the neckline. The judges like Nicolas' story line and the dress that goes with it, saying they can see the work that he put in. Louise's dress is a "snoozefest" and wouldn't translate in a movie. The judges love Epperson's dress and say that even though there wouldn't be denim, it works with the ruffles and leather accents. Ra'mon's dress is referenced as a "hot green mess" by Heidi and told it resembles Swamp Thing.

The judges have their chat and first send Gordana and Epperson safely off the runway. The winner of the challenge is... Nicolas, who will have immunity next week. Christopher is safe. It comes down to Ra'mon and Louise. The next person to be auf'ed is... Ra'mon.

Nicolas' winning evil queen

Ra'mon's losing Swamp Thing

I wasn't crazy about this particular challenge. While it was a good idea for them to create ideas to fit a movie genre, I feel like we are in a rut of dresses and fabric. I miss the grocery challenge and the "grab as much fabric as possible and make something out of it" challenge. I hope they change it up next week. For now, I didn't feel like Nicolas should have won but he did put a lot of work into it. Ra'mon definitely deserved to lose because you can't keep changing your mind hours before it has to be done. I liked Epperson's dress the best so I'm including the picture. I give this episode a C.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/una-lamarche/iproject-runwayi-episode_b_299778.html

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/una-lamarche/iproject-runwayi-episode_b_299778.html

Back To Work

Hello everyone! I'm back from my 5 day vacation and I had such a great time. It was nice to see my in-laws and see my awesome football team beat a ranked team at their stadium.

Wednesday: We drove up to Panama City and were welcomed by my husband's parents, who are so sweet and caring. They had stocked up their house with everything they know we love (dark chocolate, okra, lemon pepper turkey) and cooked us an amazing meal of steak, baked potatoes, and salad. We stayed in that night and just relaxed.

Thursday: This was our only day entirely in PC so we decided to drive around and do some shopping. Since this is our first Halloween in the new house, I wanted to buy some decorations. Some stores had some amazing decorations for great prices. If you're looking for decorations, I recommend Hobby Lobby, Big Lots, and Dollar Tree because they have a lot of decorations for cheap. That night we met up with some friends of ours and ate at Applebees. We then went to their house and played Wii games until midnight. We don't have a Wii but that was really good exercise!

This graveyard set is only $25 at Big Lots

Friday: We slept in and mostly stayed around their house on Friday. We packed up and headed to Pier Park to walk around before we met his parents for dinner. My brother-in-law manages a restaurant on the beach called Schooners and their food is really good, not to mention the view at sunset is breathtaking. I had the lobster kabob, which was fantastic. We said our goodbyes and headed on the road to Tallahassee. We got there around 10pm and were going to go out but I didn't feel well so we ended the night.

Sunset from Schooner's patio

Saturday: Gameday! We woke up bright and early, ate breakfast, and headed to the stadium. We walked 2 miles to the stadium, walked around and did some pre-game drinking before the game started at noon. One of the worst things to experience is a football game at noon in Florida. It was hot, humid, and gross but we endured. It was awesome to see all the FSU fans dressed all in white and our fans in green. We ended up winning 17-7 and stunning the fans who thought we were nobodys.

After the game, we went to an awesome pizza place in Tally called Momo's pizza. They are known for having slices as big as your head and their pizza is delicious.

That night we decided to stay in instead of go out and party because we were all exhausted from the heat so we stayed at the hotel and drank but it was a great day.

Sunday: The drive back was a little less painful but as usual, we hit traffic just 5 miles away from our house. I spent most of the day at home doing laundry and catching up on all the shows I missed. All in all, it was a nice vacation.

Today Is My Friday

I think today will be a good day considering that starting tomorrow, I'm taking a mini-vacation to the Panhandle to see my husband's parents and then going to a football game this weekend in Tally. It's been awhile since we drove up to Panama City and even though it's like a second home to me, I always try to make it feel like a vacation.

The beaches in PC are way better than the ones in Tampa, especially near the Destin area. The sand is like powder and the water is beautiful.

Friday, we head over to Tallahassee to start our weekend of college football partying. South Florida is playing Florida State for the first time ever and my husband and I are so excited. I've been an FSU fan all my life and my husband went to FSU for a couple of years, so the matchup hits close to home. We, however, will be joining the stampede of green and rooting for our alma mater, USF. A win against FSU would be awesome!

My first Florida State game was 4 years ago when my husband and I first started dating. We drove up to Tally and met up with his friends who were going to FSU at the time. To see a team with such a history as FSU is amazing, totally different than what we see at South Florida.

I also love their stadium; there is something about red brick that makes it look so distinguished and historic.

We have a lot of friends coming up for the game so it's going to be a good time. Then, back to reality.

So my friends, this is it until I get back Monday. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and I will report back with pictures of our trip :)

Emmy's Style: The Good and the Bad

What a fantastic Emmy show last night! I am a huge Neil Patrick Harris fan and he really did a great job. I also love award shows for the style and I want to present my 5 Best and Worst Dressed People, in no particular order. Let's start with the worst:

The 5 Worst Dressed

Kristen Wiig looks like she is getting ready for Halloween in this spider-themed black dress.

Sarah Silverman is funny, but not in this dress, which looks like it is consuming her.

Some people liked Leighton Meester's knotted dress, but I don't think it's very flattering.

Jamie-Lynn Sigler looks like she should be out clubbing in this cowl-neck gold dress

Award shows can be a great place to make a statement, but Victoria Rowell did it all wrong

The 5 Best Dressed

Heidi Klum is 9 months pregnant and she still looks fabulous on the red carpet!

Vanessa Williams' dress has such a beautiful silhouette and color and is accessorized nicely.

My favorite dress of the night! Such a beautiful color and design. Christina Applegate looks flawless.

January Jones shines in a beautiful white gown with a form-fitting bodice.

Sigourney Weaver's one-shouldered red dress is classic and timeless.

So, who do you think was the best and worst dressed of the evening?

Not My Job!

I don't do insects. Never have. I especially don't like spiders; I have arachnophobia so bad that if I know there is a spider in my bedroom, I can't sleep in there until it's dead. My husband hates that I get all girly and squeal every time I see an insect in the house or flying around me outside but that's just who I am.

So last night, I come into the living room to find a dead cockroach on the ground. I immediately ask my husband if he'll pick it up and throw it away and he's like "Why can't you do it?" I remind him that I don't do insects and that he is the man and it should be his job. He takes the broom and sweeps it out the door. Case closed.

However, I walk into the bathroom to see another roach on the tub on it's back and freak out, considering I just took a shower 10 minutes prior and never saw anything. I tell my husband the same thing and he starts getting irritated saying "You need to be an adult and do it yourself." I reply sharply "I do everything else in this house, all I am asking is for you to take care of insects" which of course makes him mad and he does it but is in a bad mood. I probably shouldn't have said it but I technically do.

So, my question for you is... is it wrong of me to ask my husband to do this or should I man up and take care of it myself? I guess I figure I'm allowed one thing I absolutely don't want to do and that would be it. I've had to kill insects before when he's not been there but it sucks and it gets me all flustered.

"Extra Extra Read All About It!" PR EP 5

*** Spoiler Alert!*** You probably have seen it by now since I'm 2 days late :(



Hello friends, sorry I am late with the review of the last episode but I just got to watching it last night so here we go!

Heidi shows up wearing a black and white outfit, which is their first clue. She tells them that Tim is taking them on another field trip and gives them a hint about things being in black and white. They meet Tim who walks them over to the Los Angeles Times office. They walk inside and meet the fashion editor, Booth Moore, who tells them that their challenge this week is to design an outfit using newspaper as the fabric. They are given 3 minutes to grab as much paper as they can and then head to their workroom.

Tim tells the designers that they have one day to complete their look and the designers get started. Christopher says he is going for a show-stopper and starts creating paper feathers for his gown. Johnny starts painting his dress red and adding origami birds to the shoulder and Nicolas comments on how horrible it looks. Irina decides she is going to make a trench coat and wrinkles paper to put on coat.

Tim comes around and first sees Gordana's dress, which he thinks looks great because it doesn't look like paper and the design is nice. He loves that Christopher is taking a risk and the direction his dress is going. Tim comments on Johnny's dress, saying that it looks like a kindergarten project and that the birds were actually attacking it. This prompts Johnny to immediately throw the dress away.

The models come in to get fitted and are excited about wearing newspaper dresses. Johnny is working on another dress from leftover materials, but is less excited this time around. Once he is done with the dress, he starts doing a crossword puzzle.

The runway show is here and everyone is nervous since their dresses are so delicate. Tim tells them to take emergency tape and supplies in case of any tears. Heidi introduces the judges: in place of Michael Kors is Tommy Hilfiger, Zoe Glassner is stepping in for Nina Garcia again, and the guest judge is Eva Longoria Parker. The dresses come down the runway without any damage and Christopher, Johnny, Gordana, Irini, Nicolas, and Althea are told to stay.

The top 3 designers are Christopher, Irini, and Althea. The judges love how Althea took one picture and used it to accentuate the model's curves. They praised Christopher on creating texture and such a great bodice on the dress. They love that Irina's coat is different and beautiful with all the little details. The bottom 3 designers are Johnny, Gordana, and Nicolas. They tell Nicolas that his dress doesn't say punk at all and looks poorly made. They like that Gordana's dress doesn't look like paper but it looks too simple and safe. The judges hate that Johnny's dress is so easy-looking and unattractive, which spurs Johnny to say that his first dress got ruined when the iron spurted out water.

The judges have their chat and say that Althea is safe. The winner of the challenge is.... Irina. She is given immunity for the next challenge. Christopher is safe. Next, they tell Gordana that she is safe, which leaves Johnny and Nicolas. The next person that got auf'd was... Johnny.

Irina's winning trench coat

Johnny's losing dress

I like that PR came up with another unusual medium for the designers to use since it always makes for good television. I thought that as a whole this episode was less exciting than previous ones, it might have been better had they told them all to make a bathing suit or gown out of newspaper. There seemed to be too many strapless dresses. I thought Johnny lying about his dress was his ticket out, plus he just wasn't that talented. I totally agreed with Irina winning, her trench coat was very impressive. Althea did a great job again and I also loved Christopher's gown. I give this episode a C.

Premiere Thursday!

Last night was a great night for television. My husband and I were supposed to go to a dinner party for a friend's birthday but she cancelled last minute. We would have been disappointed except for the fact that we now had extra wine and a bunch of our shows were premiering. So we heated up leftover pot roast and settled into our couch to watch our shows. Our first show of the night was "Survivor:Samoa"

We have been fans of Survivor for a couple of years now because you just never know what is going to happen. This year is in a beautiful location and the cast seems promising in creating drama and good television. The first episode was great so I'm excited to see what else they offer.

"The Office" is one of my favorite shows and it started with a bang last night. I'm very excited about a JAM baby on the way and thought that the first episode was good. Can't wait for the wedding!

A new show called "Community" started last night right after The Office. I had sorta high hopes for it given that Joel McHale is funny in everything else that he does. Alas, the first episode wasn't really that funny in my opinion. I'm hoping it just starts off slow and picks up but we will have to wait and see.

"It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" is one of my husband's favorite shows and I've gotten hooked since he introduced me. It's crude, offensive, and ridiculously funny. The promos didn't do it justice because the first episode was pretty funny and I know it's only going to get better.

Unfortunately, in the excitement of new shows starting, I was unable to watch "Project Runway." But have no fear, I am determined to watch it tonight and write my review on it tomorrow. Did anyone else watch any of these shows last night? What did you think?

Company Pot Roast

Yesterday was my day off so I decided that a slow cooker meal was in order. My husband requested pot roast, being that the last time I made it I accidentally put pork in instead of beef. This time, I promised him I wasn't going to mess it up except I did and forgot to marinate the meat overnight. Oh well, it still turned out amazing and he said "That pot roast was even better than my mother's", which is what every wife wants to hear :) I got this recipe from my Cooking Light Slow Cooker book. Enjoy!

Company Pot Roast

Yield

8 servings (serving size: 3 ounces roast, 1 onion wedge, about 3 carrot pieces, 4 potato halves, and about 1/4 cup gravy)

Ingredients

• 1 (2-pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut in half
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 (.35-ounce) package dried morel mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 3 tablespoons sun-dried tomato paste
• 2 medium onions (about 3/4 pound), quartered
• 1 (16-ounce) package carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 16 small red potatoes (about 2 pounds), halved
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons water

Preparation

1. Combine roast, soy sauce, and garlic in a large zip-top plastic bag; seal bag, and marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours, turning bag occasionally.

2. Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan; add mushrooms. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 20 minutes. Drain mushrooms through a cheesecloth-lines colander over a bowl, reserving broth mixture.

3. Remove roast from bag, reserving marinade. Sprinkle roast with pepper, gently pressing pepper into roast. Combine reserved marinade, mushroom broth mixture, and tomato paste; stir well, and set aside.

4. Place mushrooms, onion, carrot and potato in a 6-quart electric slow cooker; toss gently.

5. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add roast, browing well on all sides. Place roast over vegetables in slow cooker. Pour tomato paste mixture into pan, scraping to loosen browned bits. Pour tomato paste mixture over roast and vegetables. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 8 hours or until roast is tender. Place roast and vegetables on a serving platter; keep warm. Reserve liquid in slow cooker; increase to high-heat setting.

6. Place flour in a small bowl. Gradually add water, stirring with a whisk until well blended. Add flour mixture to liquid in slow cooker. Cook, uncovered, 15 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring frequently. Serve gravy with roast and vegetables.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 384 (29% from fat)

Fat: 12.5g (sat 4.2g,mono 0.0g,poly 0.0g)

Protein: 27.4g

Carbohydrate: 40g

Fiber: 5.6g

Cholesterol: 76mg

Iron: 5mg

Sodium: 488mg

Calcium: 49mg

Southern Living At Home

I attended a Southern Living party last night. If you've never heard of it, Southern Living (the magazine) sells home decor items that are actually really nice and affordable. They can only be sold through consultants (like Avon and Partylite) who have parties and hand out catalogs to shop through. My grandmother loves Southern Living items so I've gotten them as presents for years now. The best part about their products is that they design them to be used in multiple ways. The entertaining bucket I have can also be used to put guest towels in, flower arrangements, fruit, anything that fits in a bucket.

So last night as I was flipping through the catalog, I was reminding myself that money is tight so if I find something essential, it had to be a good deal. Then I saw this:

The cutest set of 3 hand-painted flower pots with a stand. The pots are from Gail Pittman, who is a renowned artist that has designed pottery for Oprah and so many celebrities. She has a special line of products that Southern Living sells. I eyed this item when it first came out a year ago but it was $60 then. I bought this beauty for $20! It will look great on my kitchen island with candles or flowers, whatever I can think of to put inside. I am excited about my purchase and can't wait to receive it!

To find out more about Southern Living At Home products, you can visit their website at Southern Living At Home. You can browse through the catalog and even find a consultant near you.

New Album: Break Up

I'm always trying to introduce myself to new music. Pandora is such a great website to use because it allows you to enter your favorite artists and then they play songs by artist similar, therefore introducing you to new music.

While searching around, I came across the song "Relator" by Scarlett Johannson and Pete Yorn. It was a really catchy song and I actually liked Scarlett's voice in it, since I heard her vocals were well below par. I then discover they were coming out with a cd of duets called "Break Up" and were offering a free listen to it on AOL. After listening to it once, I was hooked.

The cd comes out today and it is amazing. Pete Yorn has a very soulful voice that borders folk and alternative and his range is impressive. Scarlett sounds like she's from the 50's with her old-school voice that has just a tinge of country to it. They fit well together on this cd, which mimics the life cycle of a break up. My favorite song is "Blackie's Dead" but most of them are right up there.

If you are looking for a new kind of music, check out this cd. I highly recommend it.

The One Time I Regret Missing the VMAs

So last night after all of my husband's friends left from watching football, I sat on the couch and finished watching a game with him until bedtime. When I wake up this morning, not only am I reminded that the MTV Video Music Awards were last night, everyone is talking about it! Between Facebook, Twitter, and all news channels, all everyone can talk about is Kanye ruining Taylor Swift's acceptance speech.

If you go to YouTube and type in "Taylor Swift Kanye VMA", you will see hundreds of videos of this embarrassing tirade. Taylor Swift won Female Video of the Year, which was a huge surprise given that she sings country and MTV usually doesn't celebrate that. She goes onstage shocked and excited and starts her speech when Kanye waltzes up and grabs the mic from her. He congratulates her win but says that Beyonce should have won instead because her video was the best ever. Poor Taylor is humilated and so is Beyonce, who they show during Kanye's outburst. Taylor ends up not finishing her speech and getting offstage. This is what it looked like:

Later in the evening, Beyonce wins Video of the Year and being the classy lady she is, allows Taylor to finish her speech.

Another thing that got everyone talking was my favorite performer of the moment; Lady Gaga. This is what she wore to the VMA's:

This is what she wore when she performed "Paparazzi":

Yes, that is simulated blood on her

And this is what she wore to accept the Best New Artist award:

Notice the look on Eminem's face

You make think she is a freak or you may think she is original and fabulous but she is undeniably one thing: Innovative.

Maybe I'll catch the whole show on repeat. It seemed like one nobody wants to miss.

The Little Black Book of Style

Being a fan of Project Runway, I was interested in reading this book by Nina Garcia since she obviously knows fashion. I was pleasantly surprised at how it catered to everyone, not just to the rich and upper class fashionistas.

The book already starts off well because it comes in a fabulous black hardcover that fits right in your purse or bookcase. The illustrations on the inside are chic and she includes quotes and ideas from famous designers. The best part about the book is that she covers what every woman's wardrobe needs; the 10 basics.

1. The Little Black Dress
2. A Classic Men's White Shirt
3. Cashmere Cardigan or Turtleneck
4. A Trench Coat
5. Denim
6. A Man's Classic Watch
7. Diamonds
8. Ballet Flats
9. A Classic High Heel Pump
10. A Great Bag

She talks about how these pieces are the basis of any wardrobe and it is up to you to create your style by adding to it. What's great is that all these things are available in a wide range of prices. If you can't afford a Burberry trench, Burlington Coat Factory has a ton for less than $50. Cashmere is sold at Target and at Saks. All of these are affordable and important to have in your closet.

After I read this book, I realized I owned most of these pieces except one; the trench coat. I had a black pea coat but it was too warm for Florida. So, I went on Ebay and found the most beautiful blue vintage trench coat for $50. It's designed to look almost like a dress when you tie around your waist. I can't wait to wear it again!

So ladies, I recommend this book if you love fashion or just like to see what designers and editors have to say about creating a look that's right for you.

Let Us Never Forget