A Greener Tea

Gift Ideas For The Real World 4

Christine Scaman — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:21:23 +0000

The last 10 suggestions:

1. A blender and a Smoothie recipe book. More Smoothies For Life:Satisfy, Energize, and Heal Your Body by Daniella Chace looks fabulous.

2. A Lighthouse print by Tony Diodati. These are prints of PEI, a place that really is as beautiful and relaxing as everything you’ve heard about it.

Tony’s paintings are interesting because they have unusual dimensions, often long and thin in one direction or another. I find them surprising and interesting in hallways or entryways where the effect is that of looking out a window. They are whimsical and peaceful over a buffet, with truly beautiful colors to decorate a room around.

I’m suggesting the lighthouses because I’m partial to them for their solid, quiet mood. They look cool and geometric as a mounted print, and since this time of year is expensive, these prints are a little smaller and less costly.

But DO look at some of the other paintings and prints. I love the pigs (at bottom of page) for a child’s room or bathroom. This scene of French Harbor, near Tony’s PEI studio is colorful and gorgeous. Since I’m truly happiest on a beach, here is my all-time favorite, Penderosa Dunes.

3. www.nhl.com outlet page. Say no more. My strategy is pretty clear now. Go to the good sites, skip all the New Arrivals, and head straight to sale/outlet/clearance.

This might also be a year with an excuse to delay your shopping. Anticipating a bad year, retailers seem like they’re going to pony up with some excellent sales before Christmas.

4. Diorshow mascara. We’ve all heard about it. Seems like those who love it absolutely OMG HOLY GRAIL LOVE LOVE LOVE it. Would we be one? Costs over $30 to find out.

BEFORE you buy, you must look at Beauty Addict’s Encyclopedia of Mascara. So maybe we should make it Lancome Fatale instead?

Wait a minute. This gift is not for everyone and that must include me. Christian Dior appears on too many lists of companies that test products on animals. L’Oreal, which owns Lancome, is not cruelty-free either. I don’t buy their claims about trying to phase it out. Others (Clarins, Clinique, Estee Lauder) have found alternatives and with all L’Oreal’s money, so can they.

There’s some controversy about Lancome, which appears on both Test and Do Not Test lists, but if there’s any doubt, I’ll buy from a company I trust. If you search “animal testing policy” on their site, you will get 0 hits. It’s time the onus were on the company to make their status clear on this issue. The consumer shouldn’t have to go all over the internet looking for this and wondering.

And the consumer doesn’t have to. If you’re buying for me, Estee Lauder Turbolash from Gift Ideas For The Real World 2 would be delightful.

5. Cool rainboots so I don’t have to walk the dog in my Canada Tire special gumboots

These red ones (Womens Zetta Tall, top R of page) at Target are cool and tall and nifty.

6. One very nice T shirt. I avoid clothes with logos as a rule. If they want me to advertise for them , they can pay me. But sometimes, the message, the fit, the color, and the price all come together. Like this one at Patagonia, from the Gifts Under $50 page.

I thought the O Web Belt was handsome too. Simple design, not fussed up, lets the outfit speak for itself, cool elegance.

7. The best boots are at The North Face. Expensive, but look at W Abby II in Moonlight Ivory/Tempest Brown. Fashiony boots are fine, but I’m too old to be frozen just to look good. I can be toasty and look superb all at once.

W Isabel II in Espresso Brown/Cigar Brown is also a doll of a boot.

8. More great slipper shoes. If I had money left after shopping at J. Crew, I’d spend the rest here. The clothes are terrific for active women. I’ve been told that Title Nine makes the best sports bras in existence. The origin of the company name is interesting and worthy. Any company that is against policy and pro-dessert deserves attention.

Look at these slipper/shoes.

This is a nice bag. It folds up to a messenger size or expands to backpack size. $34 on sale!

8. Skin Medica Retinol Complex.

Here’s a story : I was sent an email regarding Seattle dermatologist, Dr. Brandith Irwin’s book, The Surgery-Free Makeover. My favorite topic absolutely.

I looked around on the website, Skin Tour, for 30 minutes at least, almost a month in internet time. I was sitting up pretty straight.

When you look, take the Anti-Aging Tour. It is slick.

I went to Product Recommendations > Product Kits and Regimens, and found my skin type (Mature, Normal/Slight Oily). There are a number of products here that sound fantastic.

I followed up by looking for this product at Beautypedia. When Paula Begoun and Bryan Barron are using words like “ symphony”, I am REALLY paying attention.

Anyone thinking of buying this for me - you really shouldn’t. It is already whisking its way here. And, um, so is the next item. I found it in the same place.

9. Topix Replenix Cream with 90% Polyphenols. Not reviewed at Beautypedia, but I have faith.

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Gifts Ideas For The Real World 3

Christine Scaman — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 22:07:33 +0000

Have I gotten carried away with this?

Nah, of course not.

I’m noticing that almost every U.S. site has free shipping at the moment. Wow. You need only go to the crazed, packed mall if you want to. (I want to. The busier, the better).

10 more:

1. Great mirrors. Keep the energy inside the room. Groupings of interesting mirrors are cool. If you have some money to spend, these small Dubois mirrors at Crate and Barrel are appealing and would fit in with many decors.I’d do a line of 4 of them over a dresser or behind a couch, mixed in with other art.

And a Witch Ball to go with it. These balls were not meant to ward off bad witches. They were enchanted by the good witches to strengthen their ability to attract evil spirits with their lovely colors and then entrap the spirit in the threads within.

In some of the folklore, the witches are mischievous and the balls are designed to catch the witches. You can read the story at White Elk and purchase beautiful balls like the Healing Waters ball below. These are beautiful alone in windows and can be grouped in interesting ways.

2. A Key Finder of course !!!

3. Liqueurs. More interesting than wine, though a good red is never to be scoffed at. Benedictine if you’re buying for me, but there are so many. The Bailey’s always seems to be in highest demand. A very welcome gift.

4. Essential beauty tools. Always a reason to go to Sephora : Shu’s Eyelash Curler – Limited edition in gold! If you don’t own one of these yet, this is THE one to buy. It’s the cult classic for a reason. It does come in silver and is a little cheaper. Read the reviews to help you decide.

4. Customized original art. http://www.maryann.ca/2008Special.pdf . Mary Ann Archibald is a Halifax artist. For Christmas, Mary Ann is offering to create a framed original oil painting of a subject with special meaning for the gift recipient.

You purchase a certificate for an original still life painting. The recipient of the gift sends it to Mary Ann with a suggestion for the subject they’d like in their personalized oil painting. There are other arrangements that can be made with the artist as well. Follow this link to Mary Ann’s Christmas 2008 Special to enlarge the page below and learn the details. Now how great is this?

5. Beautiful BIG mugs. I know everyone has too many coffee cups in their cupboards. Being given a hot drink of mulled cider or frothy hot cocoa in a really big, beautifully painted mug is more special than in a regular sized mug. Only problem is that they’re hard to find.

There are some styles that are narrower on the bottom than the top but I think that’s dumb design because they tip over too easily and the liquid cools too fast. So if you know of some beauties, please tell me. I’m looking too.

6. Makeup brushes. Have a look at 3 Great Makeup Brushes by Lise Watier. Tied with a bow.

7. This sweater at American Eagle. Clothes are hard to buy for people, but this is such a great sweater at AE. Buy 1, get one 50% off! As dressed up or down as you want. On its own with a silky jewel-colored cami and something artsy and wonderful around your neck. Or with jeans and a graphic tee and a chunky bracelet.

White sweaters near the face are useless if you wear makeup, but this is so great. Enlarge it and look at the back. Also available in 1 other good color, to consider for women like me who don’t wear white well. Springs, Summers, Winters, all look great in white. We Autumns might wear white but it isn’t our best.

This is the Canada store . Same clothes, same deals. Oh, if only I hadn’t spent so much last month.

8. Traditional Medicinals teas. What makes these special is how strong and true the flavor is . Normally, I dislike herbal teas because they remind me of hayfield runoff, a soup of nondescript, grassy, watered-down sludge with some synthetic fruit or spice tastes mixed in.

These are not like that.

My favorites are GingerAid which is a pure potent ginger, and Spearmint which is fresh, pure, and surprisingly taste-saturated. Many herbal teas are either too watery or too much of a blend so they don’t taste like much of anything. The taste is so clean that you don’t even need honey.

The CranAid promotes urinary health with Uva Ursi, maybe not something for under the tree. But what about

I haven’t tried it, but I’d keep the box around just for the name.

9. What’s Christmas without some bath stuff? I’m not even going there because I defer to a master. Kristen at Beauty Addict is doing a series on gifts and the first post is all bath and body

Keep watching because there are 8 more gift guides coming, from perfume to men and kids.

10. The Allover Black Bead Necklace on Eddie Bauer’s Accessories page. Mouse over the picture (then click on the name of the item; ya gotta see it close, I think it has potential).

While there, look at the Men’s Sale page .I asked Bill what men want : sweatpants. He was wearing a pair at the time. I asked “How many do men want?” . Reply “Sweatpants”. Well, OK then. There’s a nice pair on this page. Some other very decent things as well.

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This Month In O Dec 2008 : Feed Your Right Brain

Christine Scaman — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 13:48:44 +0000

I love Oprah. Well, everyone loves Oprah.

I don’t watch the show, but then I watch no TV. I just like who she is and who she’s trying to be. I like the magazine more and more.

Those books in her book club… The fiction plots are suicidally dark. The spiritual guides seem completely without grounding, just floating around in the ether, holding on to nothing. I’ve tried wearing my tin foil hat, the one with the receivers at the ends of the antennae, but I still can’t get these Buddha-Lite books. Still, any woman with such awareness of her journey will find answers. She’s just following another of the many paths.

Right Brain matters

In this issue, Oprah is interviewing the author of the book I’m presently reading. It’s a book everyone should read if they want to be future-adapted. The book is Daniel Pink’s A Whole New Mind : Why Right Brainers Will Rule The Future.

Do many of us still belong to a generation that encourages our kids to be accountants, engineers, computer experts instead of cooks and bedsheet designers? I’d have to count myself in. I’m wrong and doing them harm with my 50 year old advice. Why encourage them to do jobs that machines and Asians already do faster and cheaper and that might not even exist on this continent in 15 years?

What cannot be done by anyone else, here or in Mumbai, is to add the particular stamp of creativity that is uniquely ours. It might be found in the design of the lipstick case, in the emotionally beautiful story that goes with the coat giving it meaning beyond all others, or in the story behind the computer game that gives it value beyond all others.

Right Brain practice

For those of us who are primarily Left Brainers, hope isn’t lost. To succeed in every sense of the word, we first will have to redefine “succeed”. Second, we’re going to have to learn to add some R Brain inputs to our usual L Brain output. In the book, Pink gives us six senses we can develop to get our R Brain cooking.

Every skillset is partially in the gene but can be learned and developed. If you’re not sure where opening up your R brain begins, have a look at Betty Edwards’ most fantastic books, Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain and Drawing On The Artist Within. See what you can learn to see in a week. These are not books about changing how you draw, they’re about changing how you see, in a very literal sense. Begin with Drawing On The Right Side Of The Brain, the first book. Give yourself 7 days and nothing in your world will ever look the same to you unless you’re already an artist.

The new productivity

The basis of it all is that we’ve reached a point of guaranteed physical comfort. We now have the freedom to think more about what it all means. A candle isn’t light and heat anymore, it’s tranquility and uplifting fragrance. Our homes can’t hold our harvest of stuff. The pendulum is swinging away from accumulation for its own sake to owning less but having it symbolize more.

This has great implications all round. At last, we’re getting beyond what things look like. Hopefully, we’ll make the same progress where bodies and faces are concerned. Pink says that he predicts baby boomers are going to do something astonishing. There are so many of them, together with we stragglers, that our combined mental energies will find a way to give our lives reason and worth.

The new News

Every issue brings stories of how women are being empowered to look after themselves and their families, this time with making bracelets. The article on how women brought peace to Liberia, and the movie of the excellent name (Pray The Devil Back To Hell), also raises my head a little higher for all women.

I feel good reading Oprah when I see how humans are helping humans. A surgeon and his all-woman team travel to politically dangerous Zimbabwe to correct cleft lip/palate facial deformity in children. THIS is what should be on CNN every night. It makes you feel good for the right reasons. O is becoming the magazine for the News I want to know, not the horrors they force-feed us.

Does accepting stress help control it?

What I try to come away with and hold on to is the sense of not resisting everything all the time. So the tire was flat, the bank machine ate the card, you weigh 5 lbs more than you want, the window broke, you missed lunch. Why storm and rage? Why not accept and cope? I strive to be one of those people who is inwardly very calm, as Oprah seems to be. The outside may be busy but the center is still. (Those of you who know me can stop laughing. It’s mean and I really am trying.)

In the article on dealing with holiday pressure, and as we know already, it discusses powerlessness as the most destructive type of stress. I don’t know if it’s better to fight and resist all the time or accept. Is accepting a type of resignation and a sign that hope has been lost? The nurses on the surgical team in Zimbabwe notice that the Africans are more accepting of what life brings. Is resisting vs. accepting just a cultural difference or a symbol of our indefatigable belief that things CAN be made better? There were many connected ideas in this issue.

Music and family

With Oprah, Sissy Spacek, and Suze Orman wearing metallic gold, I was glad to see that they didn’t dress Dan Pink that way. Or Dr. Phil for that matter though a Yuletide tie might have been a festive touch.

Fascinating piece by neurologist Oliver Sacks on music’s ability to break through many forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. The comprehension of music penetrates and outlives what the disease has done to the brain tissue. Sometimes, this ability that music has to shine through the darkness even persists for long periods after the music was heard. Why is this not in commonplace use, I wonder? A short article but I found it rather amazing.

The best, best line in the whole magazine is where Oprah says “ I don’t know what I love more, my bathtub or my bed”. Why, I think we might be long-lost sisters (or it just proves that all women are long-lost sisters).

Our first outing together after our reunion really should be to go shopping. We’d go to Target and Mark’s Work Wearhouse. We’d discuss the fact that if someone spends $50 on me, I’d really rather not get a bookmark no matter how pretty and functional it is (from the gift suggestion articles). And the ball of 100 hair elastics for my kids… into the vacuum and the cat, one by one, after they’d thrown it at each other a few times.

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Gifts Ideas For The Real World 2

Christine Scaman — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 23:15:02 +0000

The next installment of 10 suggestions of Christmas gift ideas that have a function and can be bought on real budgets:

1. On-line gift certificates to Chapters or Amazon. Everyone has books they want that they might not want everyone to know about. Except for books on decorating with Feng Shui which can be publicly bought for many people. Give men the Balance Your Office And Attract Sales Like Never Before version.

PS - Feng Shui is not a gift my husband would appreciate. Stick with the wicking socks from the earlier article. These SmartWool ones are Bill’s all-time favorite sock. They’re not easy to find but they I am toldby all that they are the best. Anyone who lives in Fredericton, N.B. should check the Co-op. The picture below is linked to Gear-Up, an online site where I found them.

Men's Hiking Medium Crew Sock at Gear-Up.

2. Dried hydrangeas that stand in a copper or silver bucket. They don’t do anything but they sure look nice. Hydrangeas are cool.

3. The glass teapot with the built-in diffuser at Mountain Rose Herbs. That would just be hypnotically pretty as everyone digests dinner and chats. You can watch the tea steep as desserts are laid out. You can be proud you brought it.

In Canada, the Glass Teapot Mikado at The Tea Haus is equally lovely. This is where I buy my supplies of Gyokuro tea. There are some great tea samplers here too.

Glass Mikado teapot at the Tea Haus.

4. A selection of truly rugged Green bags. Take a look at the bags, in 4 different sizes, at L.L.Bean. Indestructible except by fire and even then, you need some determination.

Bags at LL Bean.

5. Gorgeous, and I mean gorgeous, undershirts. Did I mention where we are here? Two seasons: July and Winter.

J. Crew’s are pretty. Since I’m more a night (and day) shivers than sweating type of person, I’d be warmly appreciative of LLBean’s, the thermal limit.

6. World Vision Catalog. This is Teacher Gift Extraordinaire : get the classroom parents together and stock a pharmacy or fill a barnyard for a village. Some gifts can be partnered with corporate sponsors who will match or multiply your donation. Isn’t this really what Christmas should be?

The Girls&Women page is so uplifting. Give the bus driver a chance to build a well in a place he’s never heard of. Look at the lovely customizable selection of print and e-cards to tell people of the gift in their honor.

World Vision Canada’s Gift Catalogue is equally beautiful, with the Gift Categories listed down the left side column.

7. Estee Lauder Turbolash Mascara. The wand buzzes. The reviews glow (at MUA, 9/10 would buy it again, VERY high praise. Kristen at Beauty Addict LOVES it and she has tried EVERY mascara). We all want to try it, but would we risk $32 to buy it?

8. Gift certificates for hotel chains.

9. Beautiful dry sleepwear, no sweat! I think the NiteSweatz stuff is brilliant. You cannot show me the woman who wouldn’t love this outfit. It’s costly, but if it works and night sweats have interrupted your sleep for the last year, it would be well worth it. This Christmas is all about wicking textiles.

Lace pant tunic at NiteSweatz.

10. Massage gift certificates. Definitely. The more the better. Even if I get nothing else.

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Gift Ideas For The Real World 1

Christine Scaman — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:50:53 +0000

I’m looking in magazines for gift ideas. The suggestions run about $200 and up.

Not.

I don’t know anyone who gives, or expects to receive, $1000 bar sets as gifts. Maybe I’m looking in the wrong magazines. I should look in Bob and Doug McKenzie’s Guide To Giving For The Frozen North. Unlimited bounty that you’re still paying for in March is my idea of what ruins Christmas.

Don’t get me wrong. I adore shopping above all activities. As you can read in 20 Features Of A Perfect Shopping Partner, I take it bloody seriously : ) and won’t go shopping with just anyone. Shopping for gifts can be even more fun than shopping for myself. It puts a new spin on a familiar activity. It challenges we sultans of shopping to showcase our talents.

Gifts that do something are the best. I like fluff as much as the next woman but I can’t use it for anything. If it doesn’t perform a service, hopefully it can be hung.

As much as I have enormous fun writing all the articles, this one is dear to me because of my love of shopping. If I post all the ideas at once, it will be a 37 page article. So, I’m going to do groups of 10.

Got ideas ?? I speak for the group here, we’d LOVE to know them.

The first 10

1. Wicking socks. Men LOVE these. Some men anyway. Every man I know. From Mark’s Work Wearhouse, venerable Canadian institution that it is.

2. A Bluetooth. Has this happened to you? You’re driving along and your cell phone rings. Damn. It’s at the bottom of your purse. You’re digging around for it, it’s ringing away, you look up and swerve to avoid the hydro pole. You answer but it’s gone to voice mail. You toss it back in your purse. It rings again!

The other scenario is to have the child in the passenger seat look for it. But they’re in no hurry, they’re finding all this interesting stuff in your purse. Same ending. And there’s a police car behind you – hands free legislation is coming or is already here.

With a Bluetooth, there’s a tiny earpiece in your ear. The phone rings in your purse. You leave it in your purse. You serenely push a button on the earpiece, and voila, you’ve answered the call. To make an outbound call, push the same button and say “Call Laura”. It has voice recognition and can recognize what any name on your phone contact list would sound like. If it’s not sure, it will ask “Did you say “Call Laura”?”

Your phone need never come out of your purse again. These make life BETTER!

Some are big and obnoxious. Mine is little and comfortable.

It comes from a fave store, Future Shop. It’s Best Buy in the US, same store, double branding. This one is a Motorola H681. There are many styles, many prices, many features. These things are fairly inter-compatible. They pair with any phone or computer system, most of the time. The people at the store will help you and might even pair the devices for you. It is truly simple to do it yourself.

3. A heated mattress pad. Hey, it’s Canada!

4. Seriously warm, dry gloves. They may cost $100 but that’s less than the bar set. Warm and dry really feels good. The bar set is wet and cold when in use, most unpleasant.

The Wicked Good Shearling Gloves at LLBean are irresistible. Sore cold hands goodbye.

These are the Ascent Gloves with Gore-Tex. They’ve been independently rated Tops For Warmth.

5. Beautiful cooking oils and spices in re-usable bottles and containers. A bottle of 1 of the 9 very best premium vanilla extracts would be treasured by a baker, or even by me.

6. For the BBQing man, discover Ted Reader’s cookbooks. Really. Learn about this guy.

With book names like Hot, Sticky, and On Fire, and books about grilling on planks, stones, and vines, these are the foods that guests put in their mouth and stop for a minute. This is guy food, complicated in ways a man can get with, with a Beer-O-Meter difficulty scale with each recipe. Men LOVE making and eating and talking about this food, as they stand around the BBQ and discuss. You will be thanked for these books.

This video comes from YouTube.

You have got to go look at the BBQ equipment mounted on the red trailer on wheels. Now what man would not be thrilled? This is what I call passion. I understand Ted has 60 different types of BBQ in his backyard. Don’t miss the sample recipes and the blog when you visit the site.

7. Fun socks. On a serious day, sometimes great socks are there to remind you to lighten up. I wore out my pink polka dot socks. Leopard prints, Christmas prints, just nothing serious or kid-like (kittens, for example, could be too adolescent; leaping frogs are fine, I feel, depending on the day); might also be best to avoid glitter so you don’t have to take Michael Jackson comments!

Look at Joy Of Socks for goddess of fortune socks, mermaids, snowmen, cats, stripes, bright colors in diamonds and argyle patterns, there are some great socks here. There are also some very elegant socks, like these from Chinese Laundry.

8. Hockey game tickets. Hey, it’s Canada! If you really like these people because they drove your child around all year and delivered it alive, throw in the meal at the Sports Bar beforehand.

9. The jewelry at J. Crew. Dear heavens, it’s greatness. If money were neither here nor there, I’d never shop anywhere else. These clothes just sing to me. In the meantime, I’ll remain a Value Villager and splurge now and again.

10. Good solid plain men’s belts. My belts last 20 years. My husband goes through a belt a year.

No weird details, no shiny stuff, not embossed, no odd inserts, plain buckle with no imaginative features. Men should be controlled from free forays into the sartorially creative. It’s a recipe for a mistake. This Roots belt is a good one (though the Roots site doesn’t seem to give the width, hopefully it’s about 1.5 to 1.75 inches wide).

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3 Great Makeup Brushes From Lise Watier

Christine Scaman — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:20:24 +0000

L to R, Angular Blush Brush, Definition Brush, and Teint Precision Makeup Brush. All Lise Watier.

Teint Precision Makeup Brush

Back in Why You Need A Foundation Brush, there were 10 reasons why this is a very valuable tool that will make a difference, even if you own a crappy one. I searched for a long time to find one I liked.

What I noticed first about this brush is that it doesn’t have the traditional paddle shape. It is more conical. This is called the Teint Precision Makeup Brush, different from their traditional foundation brush.

Teint Precision Makeup Brush by Lise Watier

The second impressive fact was the price. I bought it for CDN$25 at Shoppers. I’ve washed it twice and used it daily for a month and it’s still in great shape.

A foundation brush applies foundation cleaner, faster, lighter, and better than any other method. A few more tips, though this is ridiculously easy to learn to use,

- Apply the thinnest layer over lined areas. The whole beauty of this tool is how little foundation you need. The less product over wrinkles, the less visible they are. To minimize the lines around the eyes or the rest of the face, the thinnest possible application is key.

- If you see streaks, you may be using too much. It takes awhile to get used to how little is needed to get the effect.

- Brush the final strokes downward to get the hairs to lie flat and avoid the peach fuzz effect.

Angular Blush Brush

I’m not a fan of enormous brushes because of the lack of control. A huge brush, especially if the bristles are too floppy, deposits color too near the eyes, too low on the cheek, and too near the nose.

That’s as true for powder as for blush. To preserve the look of moist skin, powder is best kept to the sides of the nose, mid forehead, and mid chin.

I bought this one for 2 reasons. First, the angled shape. It reminded me of the brushes used in watercolor painting. The angle is terrific for defining contours and angles while the point can still be used for precise work. When I use it for blush, I hold it with the longer bristles downward so they move around the cheekbone. Then, I put a lighter, brighter, and/or shinier color right on the top of the cheek.

I figured it would be great on a face, to sculpt edges. Using just the tip allows you to apply product to smaller areas like along the sides of the nose. Having product on the long bristles, but none on the short bristles, allows you to blur the color edge with the empty bristles.

Second, the small size. You have perfect control of where the color goes (and where it doesn’t go). This is a great brush for blush, but also for bronzer and contour powder.

The Definition Brush (a.k.a. The CleanUp Brush)

Do you often have a sprinkle of eyeshadow powder under your eye when your makeup is done? This is the perfect tool to fluff it away without disturbing the rest of your makeup one iota.

Soft and floppy bristles are just what you need. Just brush it under the eye and flecks of powder or shadow brush away easily.

From top, Angular Blush Brush, Definition Brush, Teint Precision Makeup Brush. All Lise Watier.

Lise Watier products are available at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada. If you buy more than one, remember to watch the flyers for 20x the points, or good coupons, if you spend over a certain amount. You could get big money back.

The Toothbrush Cup

Why do I feel I need to share this with you? You will have your own good filing system. It might fall in the category of Too Much Information. It’s just so attractive and shiny!

Brushes kept in a folded fabric pouch seems messy to me. Unless I’m travelling somewhere, I like them where I can grab them without fuss and they can air dry after washing. I keep them in these nice steel cups. Works well.

The big cup with the very fat holes is hard to find. It’s at WalMart for $11. It must be for the fat toothbrush handles.

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The IUD Saga Continues

Christine Scaman — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 19:32:13 +0000

I was trying not to think about it so I wouldn’t get a pimple. One of the girls at work described the pain as “like labor”, something I was sure I’d never have to live through again. She said I’d be having a lot of hot baths.

For anyone new to the story, I began a period back in September that hasn’t stopped yet. Apparently, it’s common in early menopause. If you care to read the gory details, they’re in The Pill Or Mirena and What’s A Mirena IUD?

I chose the IUD. The appointment to insert it was November 18. I went in there reeking of Rose Oil. The mean secretary was very friendly, surely meaning she felt sorry for what I was about to go through.

I was prepared for a 5 day convalescence. I stocked 2 magazines (InStyle and Oprah). I have the 5 movies (The Devil Wears Prada because I am the only person left in North America that hasn’t seen it, Little Miss Sunshine, Juno, The Queen, and Death At A Funeral).

Sites To Know : FTC Who Cares

Nicole sent me a link to this excellent FTC site dedicated to filtering medical information for consumers, very much a Site To Know. In an ocean of information so overwhelming that you can’t decide how much applies to you, I look for good data that does the legwork in finding dependable outlinks for me. I looked up MRT and really think the IUD is the right first choice. I followed the link at the bottom to the National Institute on Aging (never knew about it before) which got me to more good info on MRT .

Though the intention is to keep the site updated, the purpose though is to provide a “short list” of the best and most reliable sources of information. How welcome is that, given that Googling these topics gets you hacking through a jungle of material that’s questionable at best.

Insertion

Ideally, you’re having your period when the device is placed so that the cervix is relaxed. Well, I wasn’t. I was on those pills!! I asked twice and they said “Stay on them”. Actually, in a step I’m sure physicians love, I self-medicated myself down to ½ pill a day. I crack them in half with my teeth because the pill isn’t scored. Those horrible little things were fogging up my head and becoming my enemy. I figure this isn’t utter quackery. It’s being faithful to the normal gradual physiologic drop in hormones before a period.

I feel a little embarrassed about this fuss and worry now. Doing a stomach crunch (1) hurts way more than the IUD placement. BUT this adds yet another item to the growing list of why it is better to be loose and floppy!! After 3 vaginal deliveries, the last one 11 years ago, my cervix is permanently relaxed. I felt nothing when the rod went in. When the bars of the little T were opened, it felt like a large gas bubble for about 4 seconds, and that was that. This must be what I am inside:

I was expecting to be grinding my teeth, clutching the table, and trying not to scream. He told me I could scream if I wanted to, he was used to it, and blood too, and besides I was the last appointment of the day, so “whatever turns your crank”. He puts in 1 of these a week and he’s seen it all. This is the kind of doctor I love. If he’s not excited, you definitely do not need to be.

Go back to your regular life

Anyhow, I drove myself home and told my husband to stay at work. He told me to enjoy my Rosemary Wine, which is the closest he can come to understanding Rose Oil. I have a friend called Brigitte, pronounced “brig -EETA”. The closest he can come to her name is “briquette”. He NEVER says her name when they meet.

Watching the movie later, as Anne Hathaway walks past the Sephora store in NYC and I’m almost sobbing with envy, I do have a little tightening in my lower abdomen and have to sit up straight. I treated myself to hot chocolate made with real cocoa.

I haven’t felt anything since. I hope my boss doesn’t read this because I’ve booked 3 days off. I do not believe for one second that my friend at work didn’t have the pain she claims, or the other women as well. It’s just that at 48, I’m a walking, talking testament to the many benefits of flaccidity and mushiness.

Onced it’s inserted, you can go home and exercise if you like. You can have vigorous sex, but it’s suggested to wait a few days for the strings to soften, more for his sake than yours. I stay on pills for a day or two till the IUD starts secreting its own tiny little dose of progesterone, and then stop.

Wait and see (and pray)

We’ll wait and see what happens in the longer term. One-third of women have no periods. Most have very light periods, with possible spotting only for the first 3 months. Since this is menopause, periods may come every 6 weeks or with some irregularity. It seems there’s no need to worry unless the bleeding is excessive.

Karen sent me a fabulous prayer that she says often : “Fulfill every purpose for which You allowed this situation.”

Incredible. If more prayers were like that, I’d be more of a praying person. It focuses inwardly, instead of imploring someone to give you something. Please understand that I’ve done my share of pleading. I’ve beseeched. Sometimes, you’re really scared and can’t see any other option. It is all you have left. I have been there.

But I’m not there today and I am thankful in the extreme. I hope the little object does its job without incident. I cannot feel it. I marvel that it’s really in there, like when you did your first pregnancy test the day you missed your period and it came back positive.

If it doesn’t work, I know there are other choices. Many. Today, I’m reading Oprah, doing a mask, bleaching my teeth, wondering why my dog is chewing himself so much, and wading in Rose Oil. Tomorrow, I’m exercising, baking, meeting a friend for coffee, and pretending I live my ideal life which that of almost-a-hermit.

A choice that I might have run from, or not considered until forced upon me, has turned out to be (I hope) a blessing.

Thank you for subscribing to A Greener Tea. If you are subscribing via email, please be aware that in order to comment on this thread, you will need to visit this post on the Web: The IUD Saga Continues. Replies via email will be seen only by Christine.

New Reasons To Love My Computer

Christine Scaman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 22:48:40 +0000

Lock the front door, oh boy. Online. AirPort : connected. Signal strength : perfect. Hello, whole world.

Back in the Archives, you’ll find 20 Reasons To Love My Computer.

Photo by Pixel Addict

I thought of 7 more :

1. The great new words in the jargon (hard-coded, firewall, FireWire, Skype (and the great tagline: Take A Deep Breath. ). It’s added a whole new vocabulary to our language (or is it, a whole new language to our vocabulary?.

2. I can’t eat and type at the same time (but I can drink).

3. There is so much free stuff. Here is a community of people dedicated to learning and growth and sharing and building something together, without knowing quite what is because it has never existed before.

4. Everyone is equal. You can’t see anyone. You can’t deposit your pre-conceived notions about tall/short/redheaded people into the game before the dialogue even begins.

5. Not everything needs to make sense, or happen for a reason, or happen the way you expect or think it will. The best events in life are often the erratic, unexplained ones.

6. It’s a magazine where the pages keep changing. It’s a cookbook today, a fashion mag tomorrow, and a travelogue the next day, all for a single subscription fee.

7. Some of my greatest friends live inside it.

Hey! The list is done! I can stop now because I found a book that says it all and more. Back in the article “So You’re A Shill For Paula, Right?”, I introduced it briefly. At the Cluetrain site, you can read the book, catch up with its 4 authors, or scroll down and read the 95 Theses that describe the real meaning of “market” and “business” today.

Weinberger at Joho the Blog

I’m always cut to the quick by David Weinberger’s writing and brainpower. I follow his writing at Joho the Blog. I will always try to stay out of politics and religion, since I don’t know enough to steer clear of tastes and colors but I do want to direct you to his piece after Mr. Obama’s election victory. Few people express big feelings and big concepts so well in writing.

I greatly respect the American people for having sent such a powerful message of their desire for unity an for their courage in putting so much of the past behind them. As David said, Mr. Obama’s election win is about so much more than just race. The citizens of the USA have the power to set an example on a global scale in the finest sense and they stepped up to the plate. They agreed to spend the next 4 years trying to focus on what makes them the same instead of different. As Spiderman’s Uncle Ben said, “with great power comes great responsibility”.

Having said that, Mr. Harper is the Canadian Prime Minister for many of the same reasons as Mr. Obama will be President. In most cases, 20 years of experience in a trade or profession is an asset. In politics, I’m not so sure that holds true. Which animal said that “Absolute power corrupts absolutely”? The people of both countries elected leaders without so much political baggage, in the faith and belief that things can be different and better. Hope is what matters most, because so many live without it.

The thrill of this election result was reinforced for me by the woman that Mr. Obama has standing beside him. The First Lady, with her inevitably huge influence on the President, has caused me either total neutrality or some trepidation, as far back as I can remember. Michelle Obama is as brave as her husband, with the same unwavering personal integrity. As a person of powerful intelligence and awareness and a high code of personal honor and dignity, Mrs. Obama is the first First Lady I can remember to evoke in me a sense of gigantic relief.

Book Review : the cluetrain manifesto : the end of business as usual.

Though written for marketers and business folks, the point is really to recognize the internet as a tool for collaboration on a planetary scale. Until we see ourselves as one and put aside our histories and our battles, we can’t hope to save this planet and the people on it.

Published in 2000, it might have received a “we shall see” reaction. It is in the business section of the bookstore but it far transcends business. It is about sharing ideas, stories and thoughts. It’s the story of how the internet became a place where real people speak to one another with real human speech, not reiterating paragraphs from flyers. Our natural voice is blemished, not perfect, but at least it’s real. We conflicted dwellers of this planet can tell when we hear each other speaking from our hearts.

The internet gave us a place to connect with one another and find out what we wanted to know in ways that businesses didn’t allow. Play, laughter, trust, individuality, all are antonyms of the word “business”. This is a story of how insulated, top-down, guarded corporations came to exist and how that stronghold is being dismantled.

Photo by altemark

In a style of writing I admire for being at once relaxed, cool, precise, sharp, and exciting, this book explores the meeting-after-the-meeting, where the real talk happens.

We all have our antennae up to detect incoming marketing BS. Marketers invade our privacy (see The Abuse of Permission Marketing) firing slogans and brochures at us more aggressively, so we fight back harder. We hang up on them, we block the senders, we change the channel, we close the window. They made it easy, even necessary, for us to be more rude than we’re comfortable with.

Do you send email? Do you hate your job and are not sure why? Is every word you say carefully policed by higher-ups? Do you have an opinion you can never express? If your conscience doesn’t feel so good after a day at the office, and you need insight as to why, read this book. If nothing else, read the definition of professionalism in the How To Hate Your Job section of Chapter 2. It’s fabulous.

Businesses can dream up whatever slogans and jingles they want. They’re not the best till their customers say it too. If one of your customers starts a website called www.yourbusinesssucksoutloud.com and 1000 people leave comments to that effect, well they’re not the misguided ones. You’re missing your own boat. It has sailed and you’re not on it. Priceless on page 88 is the meaning and value of PR and press releases.

Photo by leighblackall

Companies are not run by anyone with superior knowledge who is very busy and important. They’re just people like us. Those that get it are listening and they’re talking. They’re not reading brochures to us on the phone, they’re just talking. We love the hairstylist who will say “That won’t work for you”. We have less-than-zero faith in the cosmetician who tells us every product “looks fabulous with your coloring”.

What about those corporations that are ticking along in the old ways behind the old walls and doing just fine? The bigger and more established, the less affected they are by grass roots movements. The solid bureaucratic monoliths will have the most safeguards in place, be they banks, government, or the Department of Education. But they can’t pretend we don’t exist. They haven’t spoken English since anyone can remember, but we’re not listening like we used to. I don’t want to be told what someone thinks I should know, or need to know, or want to hear. Just tell me the honest truth.

Some fool may come along who tries to censor and control the internet. He might succeed. But we’ve tasted it now and we can rebuild it.

Every voice on Earth raised in free, irrepressible speech.

We have our heading.

Thank you for subscribing to A Greener Tea. If you are subscribing via email, please be aware that in order to comment on this thread, you will need to visit this post on the Web: New Reasons To Love My Computer. Replies via email will be seen only by Christine.

Bulgarian Rose Oil

Christine Scaman — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 22:14:47 +0000

I do not have cancer. I now have to wait till tomorrow for the IUD to be placed. I’m secretly hoping that angelic intervention whispers to do nothing, and everything will go back to normal. But it won’t. It will all happen again within 6 months. This, I know.

Health and shopping update

Still taking 1 High-Dose Pill a day. And still bleeding by the way, but manageably. Considering the many responses and conversations I’ve had about all this, and how bored my GYN is with news of profuse bleeding for a month straight, I’ve realized this must be very commonplace among women approaching menopause.

Who knew? Does anyone remember their mother going through this?? I really do not. My mother did not discuss these matters in public or in private. Nowadays, we publish the news on our websites. People once worried so much about privacy. Now, there is a generation who barely knows what it is, or why anyone would care. They attach no value to it, to which facebook attests. This why they envy celebrities while I feel pity for them.

Photo byluis perez

My GYN has the meanest dragon of a secretary, unless you cry in which case, I’m told she turns nice. I so dislike women who become unpleasant when they feel the slightest frisson of authority. I have an aversion to that boring and unoriginal power play. I object to that eminence up there on the self-important high horse. Funny she’d have gotten away with it for this long. By the time women are at the GYN’s office, they are in no mood to be trifled with. Dragons are the least of our worries.

In the meantime, the bleeding and broccoli eating must continue. So must the internet shopping. I bought several products made of pure organic Rose Oil from Bulgaria this week. Oh, gosh, I may have lost my mind.

Happiness smells like roses

I have an emotional attachment to the scent of rose because PEI, where my heart and soul reside and always will, is covered with wild roses.

Rose fragrance can go from prissy to cool in a heartbeat. Variations include soapy (Bulgari Rose Essentielle perfume), prickly (Chloe’s latest scent, so I’ve read and am badly wanting to test), musky (Rush 2), unrecognizable (Chanel 5), and single note/slightly boring (Stella).

I had a massage with rose oil 3 years ago and have never forgotten it. The sense of comfort and well-being was unbelievable, and this was an RMT I had seen many times. I’ve asked for it with other RMT’s but was told that it’s a very expensive oil, and only aromatherapists would carry it. I felt I NEEDED it again now, for therapeutic reasons. I found it at Alteya, The Bulgarian Rose Oil Experts.

The fragrant oil of rose petals is said to have a psychological effect, reducing irritability and PMS symptoms, calming grief and anger, and easing tension and stress. So you now know why I’m using it. It is supposedly good for many skin problems too, especially for mature or sensitive skin.

What I bought

Back: Rose Water, Mid: Hand Butter, Rose Absolute Essential Oil, Rosehip Seed Oil, Front:Lavender Lip Balm

1. Rose Water – This is made from the steam distillation of fresh rose blossoms. I cannot describe how amazing this smells. It is divine but very potent, to the point of being heady. You get a big jug (500 ml) to use as toner, as a scalp massage, or in the bath. You even get recipes of how to use it in food, such as to make Rose Water Syrup. I only use a tiny bit in the bath or mixed with another cream.

2. Rose Oil Hand and Foot Butter – a smaller jar, but very rich and dense. It looks like beeswax or paraffin, rather than cream or lotion. The smell of this product, like the essential oils themselves, is less of the traditional canned rose scent you think of. It smells greener, fresher, like wild roses rather than cultivated roses. A tiny amount goes a long way. It’s softening and a tiny bit greasy, but much less oily than olive or coconut oil applied directly to the skin. I mix it in my Paula’s Choice Hydrating Treatment Mask which is my Hand and Foot cream of choice. It’s like being at the spa every night.

3. Rose Absolute Oil – again, this does not smell like cultivated roses. The aroma is of wild roses, but greener (like the leaves), and earthier (like you can smell a little of the dirt). I put a little on my pillow. I’ve actually been trying it as perfume too and nobody has been standing further away than usual.

In the same way that roasted garlic provides a beautiful background to the raw garlic and other flavors in a Caesar salad, I’ve been wearing this oil along with Bulgari Rose Essentielle, a favorite day scent. It’s tremendous if I say so myself. The scents are similar enough to work well together but there’s a gorgeous depth that the Bulgari alone can’t provide. This discovery opens up a whole new world of mixing perfumes with complementary oils to create new and individual scents. Uh-oh.

4. Rose Otto - did I need both the Otto and the Absolute? No, but I was having a fit. Bulgarian Rose Otto is the highest quality Rose Essential Oil in the world. It comes in a wax-sealed little bottle with a certificate of purity.

Rose Otto and Rose Absolute are extracted from rose petals by different chemical processes. Because of the high heat used to produce Rose Otto, it smells less like fresh roses than the Absolute.

It takes 60,000 roses to produce 1 oz. of Rose Otto. Think of it.

5. Organic Lavender Lip Balm was included as a free gift! The Alteya group deal in lavender as well as rose. The balm is lovely. I don’t like flowery tastes as a rule, but this is fine and feels good.

6. Rosehip Seed Oil - that actually came from a different store that I’ll tell you about below. Turns out Rosehip Oil is very interesting.

Photo bymalfet

Rose hip tea is believed to aid digestion and boost immunity. Since rosehips have anti-inflammatory activity, people have used them in various forms for the pain of sore joints and in coping with allergies. The oil of the rosehips contains a form of retinoic acid and certain fatty acid substances. Is it the same form of retinoic acid as in Renova or Retinol? Does it need to be converted in some way, and does the body carry out that conversion? I don’t know, but the worst it can do is probably nothing. It’s been used particularly to help aging skin with age spots and wrinkles – it’s clear that I really couldn’t go another day without the stuff, and why have I waited so long?

I was beyond happy to see that the Paula’s Choice page on Natural Ingredients includes Rosehip Oil in its list of beneficial ingredients for skin.

While I was having this fit and certain that I couldn’t be complete without Rosehip Seed Oil. I found it here, at Mountain Rose Herbs. Look at this nice store. I like their Sustainability page. Here are the wiki page for Rosehip Seed Oil and the Mountain Rose info page.

This oil disappears into the skin very quickly, surprisingly quickly. You can almost see it being absorbed. I begin to understand the point of view of women who buy organic products that are safe enough to eat. It smells nothing like roses. To me, it smells like a mixture of olive oil and coffee. I’m using it as a serum, on face, arms, neck, and upper chest at night, before moisturizer. You could use it in the daytime too, but maybe not on your face because it has a golden tinge.

It would be worth buying without the drama.

Because it feels good

When you feel rough, it’s important to do what feels good. Stress destroys you quite literally by squeezing hard on your adrenal glands and flooding you with cortisol. Somehow, you have to separate the crap from the real peaceful steady you. Once it’s assimilated and has become part of you, it’s awfully hard to dislodge.

You could decide that, “This bad thing is happening right now, but I don’t need it for anything. I’ll keep it at a distance, deal with it when I need to, and ignore it the rest of the time. Eventually, I’ll look back at it”. My rose cocoon places a screen between myself and my issues.

If rose oil is soothing and reassuring, then it’s doing something. Ease and serenity bring peace of mind without calories, and an atmosphere where healing can take place. You can feel a harmonious vibration all around you. All matter is vibration of subatomic particles, including ourselves. All thought is vibration of the magnetic field produced when current flows down a wire, whether that wire be made of copper or nerve. What we need is to line up all these vibrations, or use them to our benefit.

As I sit here surrounded by the litter of 8 packages of Peanut M&M’s, I am obviously not completely on track. I’m not all adrift either : it’s got to be less fattening to eat 8 packages of chocolates in 1 day rather than 2 packages a day for a week.

Thank you for subscribing to A Greener Tea. If you are subscribing via email, please be aware that in order to comment on this thread, you will need to visit this post on the Web: Bulgarian Rose Oil. Replies via email will be seen only by Christine.

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