Friday, December 18, 2015

IS IT A GO OR IS IT A NO?

OK Ladies-this blog is for you. Anyone who knows me, knows that skin products and jewelry are my two passions. I just can't get enough of either one-ever.  Whether the makeup or jewelry is inexpensive or pricey, I am always intrigued. So when the Today Show reviewed the top drugstore recommendations, I spent two days chasing the items down. Here we go.
    Best Cover Up-Revlon Photo Ready Instafix-I actually liked this a lot. It comes in a fat stick form 
    and you can fit it in your purse. It works well as a foundation or concealer. At CVS. (A GO)


    Best Foundation-Maybelline SuperStay better skin. It does stay all day, but it has no oil/moisture in
    it so it is very drying. If you have oily skin, you may like it. I was not a fan. At CVS. (A NO)
    I still think Covergirl + Olay CC Tone Rehab is fabulous and Loreal's Blur foundation is a close
    equally good. Try both of these instead.


    Best Eyeliner-Sonia Kashluk's twist up longwear liner. It's not waterproof, but stays on ALL
    day and doesn't smudge. It's an amazing product. Comes in 4 colors and is hard to acquire. At
    Target. (A GO)


    Best Nail Topcoat-Essie Gel Setter Top Coat. This can be used on top of any polish. It extends the
    manicure by at least a week with no chipping or peeling. It is extraordinary-love it. At CVS.
    (A GO)


    Best Blush-Flower is a powder to cream blush. It is Drew Barrymore's new line. Interesting con-
    cept but it works best, in my opinion, over another blush. So I am not sure if it's worth the effort
    of finding. Try her lip glosses though. I think they are a home run.
    At Super Walmart locations-don't even ask where I had to drive to for this item! (A NO)


That's it for the Today Show List. Now for some Expensive Items I use and recommend, or I want to try.
    ALL TIME FAVORITE SKIN CARE LINES
      Nutrabisse-anything they make is luxurious and effective. Rob a bank and try their moisturizers.
      Available at Neiman Marcus.


      Jurlique-their superior retexturising facial serum is the best product I use. It changes everything
      about your face for the better in a short time; your tone, less wrinkles, radiant skin appears and
      fine lines disappear. Again this is a luxury item but worth the price. At Sephora.


SKIN AND HAIR SUGGESTIONS ON MY LIST TO TRY
   1.  Touch and Glo-an at home face lift for $100. After 30 days, skin is more toned with fewer lines.
     Hamptonsacupuncture.com
   2.  TRIA age defying line remover for $249. This is getting a ton of buzz. It is a lazer to remove
     wrinkles. People are raving. I am skeptical.
   3.  Dr. Brandt's Needles No More 3D filler mask. This, too, is a product to reduce fine lines and
     wrinkles. It supposedly fills in the cracks. He produces (produced - now deceased) excellent
     products, so I am excited to try it out.
  4. MD Solar Science evening facial repair. This is a night only cream. My theory any cream is great
      as long as you routinely use it.
  5. Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer-used by makeup artists on the stars. Supposedly erases
      dark circles, broken capillaries, etc. $28 at Sephora.
SOME NEW PRODUCTS THAT ARE GREAT FOR TRAVEL
   1.  Blingbrush 18-an on the go jewelry cleaner you keep in your purse. How many times do you
        look down at your rings and see a soapy film on them as you exit the ladies room? This does
        the trick. By Baublerella for $18.
    2. Hadaki Jewelry Pouch. This travel pouch has 8 separate compartments for earrings, rings,
        and necklaces. No more tangling. It's a fabulous idea. Fits right in your purse.
        $32 at Hadaki.com
    3. Balance Bead- a bead that comes in small or large size to place at the catch of your necklace. It
        is an ingenious idea which prevents the catch from rolling to the front of the necklace. Buy it
        on Balancebeadshop.com.
    4. Pom Pom ID Luggage Tag-no more rainbow striped straps wrapped around your luggage. This
        new item you tie to the handle of your suitcase and you instantly know that black suitcase is
        yours! It's only $5.99 at Bed and Bath.
    5. Fitkicks-a footware you can leave on at security or just walk around in the comfort of  your
        home without slipping on wood floors. A sock with a rubber sole. It's great for yoga too.
        fitkicksshoes.com
Wishing all of you safe travels, beautiful skin, and a Happy and Healthy New Year! xo, One B
(And to my precious daughters-don't purchase any of  the above items-hint, hint!)
  
  
















Tuesday, December 1, 2015

A cracked pelvis, A missed trip to Ireland, and a very Happy Thanksgiving

  On August 26th, I took a major fall in a NYC restaurant (due to a slippery floor) and long story short, ended up in the hospital that evening. I had a minor concussion and a major fractured pelvis.
Walking was difficult, moving was not fun, and lifting was out of the question. The cure for this: lots of rest and (in my case)  no meds for the pain. So, of course, movies and books were the only remedy for the next 12 weeks. The pain was excruciating, and did not subside for 8 of those weeks. There was no gym time to distract, no taking care of my beautiful grandsons, and lots of alone time. I watched many movies on demand and many in the theaters. I will try to recall as many as I can. I read several books and have many more on my to read list. See below.




MOVIES ON DEMAND
  Dirty Weekend-a layover in an airport allows two work colleagues to discover more about each
  other. Stars Matthew Broderick.  mediocre but held my interest.




 The Duff-a high school senior finds out she is labeled as the Designated Ugly Fat Friend. A teen
 movie starring Mae Whitman from Parenthood. Younger audiences will like it.




 Breakpoint-about an aging doubles tennis player and his brother. Stars Jeremy Sisto. Terrible!




Some Kind of Beautiful-a romantic comedy with Pierce Brosnan, Selma Hayek, and  Jessica Alba.
an entertaining and bad movie!




She's Funny That Way-a screwball comedy by Peter Bogdanovich. A Woody Allen Wannabe. Stars
Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. Worth watching.




The Gallows-a bad horror film starring Kathie Lee Gifford's daughter, Cassidy Gifford. Don't bother.




I'll See You In My Dreams-a funny heartfelt film about a woman who finds love again later in life. Stars Blythe Danner and Sam Elliot. Worth watching.




MOVIES IN THE THEATER
  Black Mass-About Boston Crime Boss, Whitey Bulger. Johnny Depp's best film in years. See it.




  Ricki and The Flash-Jonathan Demme and Diablo Cody's film about unsuccessful aging rocker      and the trials and tribulations with her family. Stars Meryl Streep and real life daughter, Mamie Gummer.
 I loved it-not a good movie, but I love anything with Streep. Now available On Demand. See it.



 The Intern-Robert DeNiro becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site run by Anne Hathaway.
  Charming and entertaining. Nothing fabulous, but worth seeing.




  Danny Collins-Aging rocker, Al Pacino embarks on a journey to rediscover his family and change 
  his hard living ways. Annette Bening stars with Pacino. Pacino delivers a great performance. Fun to
  watch.




  While We're Young-Noah Baumbach's comedy about a childless NYC couple in their mid-forties.
   Stars Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, and Adam Driver.  Interesting and Entertaining. Liked it.




  San Andreas-Earthquake hits California. The "Rock" (Dwayne Johnson) and his extranged wife
  save their daughter. Action packed and stars The Rock-who needs more than that? Love him-my
  fav!




  A Walk In The Woods-Even Robert Redford and Nick Nolte couldn't save this movie. HORRIBLE.




  Trainwreck-Judd Apatow directs Amy Schumer and Bill Hader in this hysterical movie about
  monogamy. LeBron James is AMAZING.  Definitely see-but beware: very raunchy humor.




 Spotlight-The true Boston Globe story about the pervasive and ongoing sexual abuse performed by
 a large number of priests in the Catholic Church. Compelling. All Star Cast. A MUST SEE.






 Brooklyn-story of immigrants from Ireland coming to America. The trailer was better than the
 movie. Very disappointing.




Bridge of Spies-Directed by Spielberg. Do I need to say more? Tom Hanks is fabulous in this Cold
War-set thriller. A true story. Another MUST See.




Creed-Sylvester Stallone and Michael Jordan star in the best "underdog" movie since the original
"Rocky". Stallone as an aging Rocky Balboa trains Apollo Creed's son (Michael Jordan) for a
 major bout. RUN DON'T WALK. Loved every minute. I talked to the screen with the rest of the
 audience. Jordan's acting deserves an academy award.




BOOKS I'VE READ                                                   BOOKS I WANT TO READ


Big Little Lies-Liane Moriarty                                     Boys In The Boat (Brown)
The Luckiest Girl Alive-Jessica Knoll                         Everything I Never Told You (Ng)
In The Unlikely Event-Judy Blume                             Devil In The White City (Larson)
In a Dark Wood-Ruth Ware                                         Purity (Franzen)
Go Set A Watchman-Harper Lee                                 My Brilliant Friend (Ferrante)                            
The Whites-Richard Price
The Round House-Louise Erdrich




TELEVISION I ENJOY
Stephen Colbert (channel 2@11:30)
Seth Meyers (channel 4 @12:30)
Ray Donovan (Showtime-season 3 now On Demand)
The Leftovers (HBO Sunday@9)
The Affair (Showtime Sunday at 10)
The Grinder (Channel 5 on Tuesday at 8:30) Rob Lowe-does this guy ever age?
Grandfathered (Channel 5 on Tuesday at 8) John Stamos-does this guy ever age?




QUOTES I NEED TO TELL YOU
"Getting Older is inevitable. Aging is Optional."


"It's not the big things that people do that make them special. It's the small things they do that make
them big."