Mmmmm....Delicious Scents!!

As you know, using high-quality, botanically-based health and wellness products has been an extremely important part of my family's existence for many years. We use lotions and skincare products without mineral oil, parabens, etc...and make sure our nutrition products are vegan-certified, without animal byproducts (also important to not have animal byproducts in cosmetics!!).

The one thing I didn't think about was our home environment. We love good scents...especially candles. I usually have a different scent in each room of our home for variety. Unbeknownst to us, lighting candles produces soot in the air...which we then breathe in (think of all the black stuff on glass jar candles). Ugh.

Thanks to my mother-in-law learning about this, and passing it on - we have made a dramatic change in our home. Since December, I have replaced all our candles with wickfree, soot-free, lead-free warmers. The warmers use a nightbulb light to warm a specially formulated wax that scents the air three times as long as a traditional candle. Yay! And Yum - there are 80 scents to choose from, so my need for variety is fulfilled...and the kids have chosen their own special scents.


A few weeks ago, due to popular request from friends/family/current clients who have witnessed the change in our home, I decided to become a consultant for Scentsy, the line of products who changed our home environment. I am excited to offer the same level of service as our current business...only now with the added benefit of home products as well. I will add more details about Scenty's offerings as I learn them...this is going to be great fun! : )

Check out what Scentsy has to offer: AlisonSoileau.Scentsy.us

Great Blog with Outstanding Educational Info

I was sent a link to this blog recently, and it has such great information on the cosmetics industry...especially this video. Kind of scary to know these things are in the products we put on our faces! I bought my daughter some "play" makeup yesterday, and when I checked the ingredients - I had to throw most of it away. It was disturbing to know I would allow those items to touch her face had I not learned about what they really mean.

Healthy and Beautiful Skin Blog

Foundation Brush or Sponge

With the start of a new year, I decided to try some new makeup application techniques (well, new to me anyway!). I've heard a lot about foundation brushes - and lots of women love them.

So, I bought a foundation brush along with a concealer brush. I've used a concealer brush for awhile now, but I always end up "finishing" the look with slight taps of my fingers. For some reason, I cannot get the look I want with just the brush. But, I needed a new one anyway - and it's always good to replace brushes that are not completely washable (I didn't feel like I could get 100% of the concealer off of the brush when I washed it).

My experience with the foundation brush has had some ups and downs. Here are some pros and cons that I've seen:

Pros: (1) It would be great for a night out - when more foundation is needed and (2) it was fun!

Cons: (1) I used a lot more foundation - not good for the checkbook, (2) it was a heavier look...not as natural for a "day" look, and (3) the "finish" was not as soft as I like.

That being said, I'm going to give it a few more tries. Perhaps practice is what I need to get away from my usual technique.

When I work with women on cosmetics, I always recommend foundation application using clean fingers (dot cheeks, nose, forehead, chin - then blend using downward strokes)...and "finish" or "blend" with a sponge. That way, you are only removing the extra foundation, and you can smooth it down to the neck. I had difficulty doing this with the brush.

I'd love to hear other opinions of foundation brushes...perhaps I just didn't select the right brand? Either way, for now, I think I'm going to stick to my tried-and-true (and less expensive) application technique. : )

Dinner for All Four of Us!

Finally! A dinner that all four of the people who live in our house actually LOVED - and it's from Cooking Light, so the fat/calories/etc. are not too bad. It's Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon (made with low fat milk and Applewood Bacon...I also subsituted whole wheat pasta in place of the fettuccine noodles). My little ones even asked for "seconds," which rarely happens! I am still shocked by dinner tonight...hope your family enjoys it, too.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001949744

Holiday Card Time!

What a great time to connect (or re-connect) with family and friends...with holiday cards! I realize some find this an old tradition, but we love to decorate our living space with the cards we receive each year, especially now that most of them have beautiful pictures on them! And those of you who have seen my house or office know that I love being surrounded by reminders of family and friends - and their smiling faces.

I also love carrying around pictures of Cole & Cass with me…and my most recent photo album creation is sitting happily in my purse as you read this. The latest cool thing I have noticed about Shutterfly is that you can select a bunch of pictures, tell it you want a photo album, and they will automatically group “like” pictures page-by-page! How cool is that?!? My entire last album was created by them, not me. Fantastic time-saver. I’ve started getting a new album every few months so I can avoid printing a ton of photos and having to file them myself. And the albums are really reasonably priced (the latest special is $10.39). Here's the link to their site:
http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-books

Now I am testing out holiday cards…here is my favorite – what do you think?


Still working on it...but here's the site so you can make your own holiday cards:
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards
Looking forward to seeing and sharing some gorgeous cards this year!
: )

The Perfect Red!

This just about says it all...what a great, brief post on lipstick color! Thanks to City Girl for the review -
http://citygirlinredlipstick.com/2010/10/20/arbonne-cosmetics-2/

Don't Forget the Sunscreen!

I was out for a jog this morning, and the weather is gorgeous! As I was squinting in the beautiful sunshine, I realized I should have put on sunglasses and sunscreen...for some reason, it just slips the mind when it's not "summer"....has this happened to you?


With the long sleeves and long pants we are wearing, using suncreen on our hands and face isn't always top-of-mind. However, if you use a daily moisturizer with sunscreen, that helps. No extra step required! Remember, most of the signs of aging (80-90%) are externally driven (ie, environment, sun damage, smoking) - not genetics.

Squinting can lead to fine lines around the eyes, and going outside without sunscreen is just a bad idea...always. So take care of your skin this winter - lots of moisturizer, and keep the sunscreen on hand.

P.S. I read an article in the paper yesterday...did you know that sleeping on your side or stomach can also lead to more wrinkles?!?! All that pressure for so many hours is not good for the skin. So try your best to sleep on your back! Whew.