I'm not bad for 57...

Yesterday, Blog, I saw on Yahoo News that people were praising 80s beauty Bo Derek for looking amazing at the age of 56. Well, I'm still 56 for the next 17 days, so I was curious to see how Bo looked. Particularly since about six months ago I started a personal campaign to improve my skin. So, here's the photo of Bo that accompanied the report:

Don't get me wrong, Bo Derek is a much more beautiful woman than I ever was or will be. And I think she still looks great. That said, I looked at this photo and thought, "Whoa! I guess my beauty routine is working!"

Blog, the point of this post is not to crow, but to share what I've been doing since I guess I've proven it's successful. I know there are plenty of women in the same spot I was in six months ago, asking themselves, "Can't I look younger without surgery and/or horrifically expensive salon appointments and products?" I am totally turned off by ideas like chemical peels and botox injections, and Blog, if you had a face you would be too.

So, by contrast, here's a shot taken today of me, with no makeup whatsoever, and no Photoshopping.

I dare you to click on it and see the bigger version. Scrutinize, compare. Not bad, eh, Blog? Especially considering I never go anywhere without makeup and here I am, boldly sharing my naked face.

If Bo's face is that of a typical 56 year old--well golly.

Okay, now let's talk about my skin care regimen, which I guarantee will NOT give you the same facial features as I have, so if you're as pretty as Bo, just imagine how you'll look!


MORNING STUFF

1. I wash my face in the shower, so this is when I use my Spa Sonic, which I purchased for $50 at Walgreens. This is a cheaper and just-as-good alternative to the $120-200 Clairsonic. I read that this sort of "skin brush" system is really worth the investment and I believe it. I'll explain a little later why. For soap I just use my regular bath gel.

2. Using a cotton ball, I apply a toner that aids in cleaning pores and helping dead skin cells to slough off. My choice based on web research was Clinique's Clarifying Lotion. The large bottles are $22.50 but they last quite a long time. The stuff really refreshes skin without a drying effect.

3. I finish with moisturizer over my whole face and neck, and a "serum" (more concentrated moisturizer) around my eyes and mouth where the skin doesn't produce much natural oil. I've tried a number of products for this and to be honest, I just look for generics and on-sale options. Those Walgreens and Target equivalents of the pricey stuff seem to work just as well, and they save you a lot of bucks, Blog.

4. About skin color correction: I went through a whole bottle of the highly-recommended Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector and didn't really notice much difference. I guess I just have to rely on makeup for that!

Speaking of, here's my made-up face...still without any Photoshopping...  Now look at Bo, who is, after all, wearing makeup. Now look back at me. Yeah.

EVENING STUFF

1. I wash my face nightly with Clinique 7-Day Scrub Cream. If you splurge on only one facial care product in this post, this would be it. Forget about your St. Ive's Apricot Scrub--for one thing, I read that it really tears up your skin. I've tried it, and a lot of other scrubs, and nothing compares to 7-Day Scrub Cream. It feels great, washes off super easily, and really does the job with exfoliation. So part with the $19.50. It hurts, I know, but it's worth it.

2. I use makeup remover to make sure I'm not leaving anything behind. This is a new thing for me, and I've been using Clinique's Take the Day Off Makeup Remover. I like that it doesn't leave my face feeling oily. I have nothing to compare it to really, so if you have a better option than the $18 this costs (again, it lasts a long time), go for it.

3. Then it's a repeat of the toner and moisturizers. I do use a "night cream" at night, which translates to "moisturizer that leaves your face shinier than you want your daytime moisturizer to do." My pillow doesn't mind if my face is shiny, Blog.

TANNING / SUNSCREEN

I am a maniac about sunscreen: SPF 30 goes on my face if I'm planning on being outside for more than a few minutes.  But thanks to the wonders of chemistry, I do sport a pretty nice looking fake tan. On my daughter's recommendation, I purchased Neutrogena Build a Tan from Target for a mere $8, and I'm sure it will get me through at least one summer.

I used it every three days till I built up a good tan, and now refresh by using once a week.  All over, so no tan lines! It is almost scentless, doesn't stain your hands or clothes, and feels fine on my skin, especially if followed by body lotion. Genius!

Bo Derek, as you may recall, sported a very dark tan back when she starred in "10." And I fear maybe in the intervening years she skimped on the sunscreen a bit. Take my word for it, folks--sun protection is #1 for delaying the effects of aging on your skin!

THE BEST FOR LAST:  THE FACEMASTER

You may have heard of this contraption, which is sold and marketed by another celebrity of yore, Suzanne Somers. The Facemaster uses microcurrent--low electrical charges from batteries--to stimulate the skin. This is actually a tried-and-true technique employed for year by salons and professional beauty technicians. As I understand it, the microcurrent (a) causes muscle-twitching that exercises and firms muscles, and (b) stimulates the production of collagen, which is what gives younger faces tone and smoothness.

All I know is, gosh darn it the thing really works. I use it faithfully 15 minutes every other day, and I have absolutely seen results. It reduces small wrinkles like crow's feet and mouth lines. It also builds up the tone of the face which actually works like a face lift. With more collagen in your face, your wrinkles and folds just fill out.

Plus, it's really refreshing to use, especially in the morning when your face could use a wake-up. I sit at my computer desk, put a slide show on my screensaver, turn on Sirius XM Spa, and enjoy.

The Facemaster retails for a daunting $200. But here's a tip: I found a slightly used one on eBay for only $50! A lot of people find they just can't keep to the regimen of regular use and so decide to sell their units. Frankly, with what I've experienced, I'd pay $200 for one...but $50 was way better, Blog.

OTHER TREATS

Occasionally I will treat myself to other beauty treatments that a person can do at home:

1. Facial steam--Fill a sink or large bowl with very hot water. Add your favorite essential oil if you like. Place your head over the water (not in!) and cover head and bowl/sink with a large towel. This opens pores and is great for preceding a facial.

2. Deep cleaning facials--There are lots of reasonably priced facial products around, and again you can snag bargains if you watch sales or shop at places like T.J. Maxx. You can also find lots of recipes for make your own facials online. I like mud facials in particular...feels like you're deep cleaning your pores.

3. Aspirin facial--This is my personal fave home facial, Blog. Aspirin contains salicylic acid, the main ingredient in acne treatments and chemical peels, but much milder. Just crunch about seven uncoated aspirins to powder and mix with a lotion like Oil of Olay. Spread on your face, leave ~10 minutes, and wash off thoroughly. This treatment, combined with the exfoliation in your normal routine (toner, face scrub, face brush) over time works just like expensive, drastic chemical peels. It all works together to keep fresh skin cells exposed rather than buried under the old-looking, dead ones.

That's it! So my equipment outlay was $100 and the ongoing expenses are perfectly manageable. I probably added about an hour and a quarter to my weekly time spent on grooming, which is sure worth it as far as I'm concerned. The routine is actually pretty enjoyable...

Especially because it works, Blog!  Even on non-movie stars like me.

Anyone else have tips for skin care, please do share in the comments!

The 10 Minutes o' Fun Game

Hey Blog, did you ever have a stray hour or so of free time, and wish you could convert it to as much fun as possible?  Well, this is what happened to me, and while pondering what to do with said 60 minutes, I had a sudden epiphany.

I invented the 10 Minutes o' Fun Game!

No--don't say a word, Blog...I can see on your non-corporeal face how eager you are to learn how to play! Hopefully our readers are too.  Here's how it works:  Think of a small thing to do, something you know you will enjoy, but won't take more than ten minutes. Do said thing, and after you're done, think of another ten minutes of fun and do that!  Allowing for one or two of these ten minute things to take a little longer, you still should be able to do five--count 'em, five--fun things in your free hour!

I will demonstrate by sharing with you what I did with my hour:

10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #1:  Estate Tour

"Touring the estate" is what my parents used to call looking around the yard at the gardens. Magic House is a condo so it has a small yard, but I still like to go outside on a summer night and just look at the plants and trees. I admired my new rock arrangement on the patio (rocks from our vacay trip around Lake Michigan), looked at the front porch and thought about sitting out there on the folding lounge sometime (new idea), and watered the east flower bed. Got to savor the outdoors in that smidge of truly quality time!

10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #2:  Living Room Check

If you never just pause to look at your own stuff, before long you won't even see it anymore. I very frequently just walk around my house and look at the wall art and knick-knacks. This time I combined the experience with letting Selke sit on my lap and be cuddled. Bonus. In the process I noticed a book pile that looked uncool, and this led to...

10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #3:  Scrapbook Repair and Perusal

In said book pile was the scrapbook I made of the aforementioned Lake Michigan Circle Tour trip that we took in June. The cover kinda came off recently. So I was inspired just then to fix the cover, and then just flip through the book again, and then put it away upstairs, making the book pile look better. You may be noticing a theme, Blog: during the course of your fun, you sometimes complete odd little tasks you've been putting off. This adds a sense of accomplishment to the game!

The Cloud Chair in its usual spot

10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #4:  Foot Treatment

While I was upstairs, I remembered it had been a coon's age since I PedEgg-ed my feet. (That's using a PedEgg to get your feet all smooth.) I followed it up with a nice foot massage with shea butter. Now we're talking fun, mes amis!

10 Minutes o' Fun Thing #5:  New Perspective Lounging

We have two Cloud Chairs (normal people call them papasan chairs) at Magic House, one in the living room. I had the sudden brainstorm that it would be fun to move the Cloud Chair in front of the sliding doors that lead to our patio, to catch the breeze and the evening view. With Selke looking on perplexedly, I dragged the chair over, and settled in in the dark room with my backlit Nook Tablet and a good book. What a grand idea this was!  The chair barely fits there, but temporarily...why not? I'll be doing it again soon, I'm sure.

New spot for the Cloud Chair

I read a bit longer than 10 minutes, but all in all, these things took me about an hour and a quarter. And they were varied, so I felt like I'd experienced way more fun than 75 minutes' worth! I still had time to watch an episode of My Little Pony in bed before lights out!

I'm pretty sure the 10 Minutes o' Fun Game hasn't heard the last of me. Or me of it. Give it a try soon, Blog, and you too, readers! Let me know if you enjoy yourself in a disproportionate-to-time-spent way like I did!

Polymer clay and resin, yay!

It's 2012, Blog, and that means another year of cool new crafting techniques to try! For Christmas I asked for the accoutrements I needed to explore using resin, and I wasted no time in trying out this nifty medium. Here you see my latest creation: a Steampunk Charm Necklace using beads I made with polymer clay and resin.

I used Lisa Pavelka's product Magic-Glos, and boy howdy is it great stuff! All you need to cure it is either sunlight or a UV lamp, and this being Wisconsin in winter, I opted to ask for Lisa's brand of lamp, designed especially for use with these sorts of projects.  Those two items were all I needed to get started in resin crafting.

So, here's how I made the charms in my necklace:

There are both silver ones and copper ones, using Premo metallic color polyclay. There are also faux wood ones, also made of clay (I love making faux wood.) I cut out the squares with a beveled clay cutter, then topped them with all kinds of embellishments.

Going for the steampunk theme, I used various clockworks: springs, gears and tiny screws. I used a scrap of sheer Victorian fabric on one. I raided my bead collection for the metal scrollwork, key charm, and various beads, and my misc. junk files for gemstones and a scrap of tarnished copper. I baked the squares in the oven per usual.

Once they were cool, it was resin-ing time, Blog. All you do is put some drops of resin on top of a square, spread with a toothpick to the edges, and let the product self-level. It forms a perfectly clear and smooth dome all by itself! 5 minutes under the UV lamp is all it took to cure, and I ended up putting three coats on to give a nice, high dome.

I drilled holes and superglued in eyepins, then chained the charms together. I'd estimate the whole project took about seven hours.

Photo by Christopher Robleski

I was just thrilled with the result. You're still my best friend, Blog, but I think Uvie here may be a close runner-up. You rock, Uvie!

The mind boggles at the awesome things I'm going to be able to do with resin. Who knows exactly what...but fish and sparkly stuff will no doubt be involved at some point.

Uvie and my Magic-Glos were purchased via Amazon, but you can get them many places. For more info, best place to go is the website of the awesome Lisa herself, www.lisapavelka.com. You've got no "resin" not to!  Bwahaha, oh blorg, Blog....

How to make f'opals (faux opals)

Blog, I find it fascinating that lately we're getting thousands of visitors to the post we did about crazy homecoming mums, when I've never even made crazy homecoming mums. I have, however, made my own brand of faux opals which (thanks to my uberpal Martha's idea) I call f'opals. Why look, here's a f'opal I made now--check it out!

Our readers can make f'opals just like this, Blog! That is, of course, if they have the required items on this Required Items List:

REQUIRED ITEMS LIST

• translucent polymer clay (and the usual tools/equipment for working with same)
• opal colors of clay, in metallic or pearl varieties (I used blue and green; peach, yellow, pink and purple would be good too)
• Perfect Pearls metallic powder in opal colors (see above)
• iridescent glitter
• Dremel tool
• bits for rough sanding, finer sanding, polishing and drilling
• Future floor polish
• Optional--iridescent or opal colors of thin foil

STEP ONE--PREP YOUR F'OPAL FIXINS'

The general thing about making f'opals, Blog, is that you are trying to recreate the random, translucent, crystalline aspects of an opal. So start by making yourself some globs of translucent clay tinted into pastels, by mixing a bit of metallic or pearl color clay with translucent. Don't mix it too much...go for swirly.

When you have two to five colors, roll them into ropes of varying thickness. Then combine the ropes by twisting and smooching to produce a random, only slightly mixed ball of the various colors.

Get out your Perfect Pearls powders of choice, as well as your iridescent glitter. You can also prepare some tiny teeny snippets of foil if you want, but make them teeny. You can also take some metallic colored clay, roll it out very thin, and chop it into tiny bits...but remember if it is dark colored, you will get an effect not totally opalescent (but still interesting).

STEP 2--BUILD YOUR BASE F'OPALS

Slice the multi-tinted ball of clay into thin layers. Take a layer and paint with some daubs of Perfect Pearls, or sprinkle with some glitter, or top with a piece or two or three of foil or clay fragment. Top with another layer, and repeat. Continue in said fashion, going for random and multicolored.

When you've stacked and festooned all the layers, press together and form into a spheroid shape. Twisting a little is fine--just make sure all the layers are pressed together firmly.

Cut your f'opalescent glob into any number of smaller globs, the approximate size you want the ultimate f'opals to be. Gently roll each piece into a sphere.

Roll some plain translucent clay into the thinnest possible layer. Cover each sphere with this clay and then round into a ball again and make sure any seams are smoothed out.

Bake as usual for the type and size of clay (I did 20 minutes at 270 degrees).

STEP 3--HERE'S WHERE IT GETS FREAKY...F'OPAL WRECKAGE!

So, Blog, up until this point my technique was not really different from other people's you can read about in online tutorials. But at this point things took a hard left turn onto Freaky Street.

In the oven, all my f'opals cracked. For whatever reason, the outer shells cracked and half came off, and some of the inner parts cracked as well. As it turned out, though, I think this is what made my technique end up to be really cool.

You will want to prepare a big bowl of ice water and set it near the stove. When it's time to remove the f'opal wreckage from the oven, dump everything at once into the ice water. This is what makes the clay go as clear as possible.

Now it may well be (highly likely, I'd say) that your f'opals don't crack in the oven. Not to worry. When they are cool, just dry them off. Lay some paper on a hard surface like your concrete basement floor, put on eye protection, and smack those suckers with a hammer. Gather up the resulting f'opal wreckage (some small pieces, some tiny) in a small plastic bag and you're good to go back to your claying area for the next step.

STEP 4--F'OPALING FOR REAL THIS TIME

The little bits of f'opal wreckage have all kinds of fun crystal-like qualities. Choose a piece or two that you especially like, and then coat them once again with plain translucent clay and roll the result into a ball. If you can't exactly get a smooth ball, that's okay--you don't need to.

Re-bake, and re-plunge into fresh ice water. Your new and this-time-for-real faux opals will look like what you see in the photo.

STEP 5--SANDING AND POLISHING

Time to literally crank that Dremel tool, Blog. Don your mask and eye protection, and a smock or old clothes. Start with the rough sanding bit in your Dremel. Take a baked, cooled, dry f'opal.

Use the Dremel to sand, with two goals in mind: to shape the f'opal into its desired ultimate shape, and to expose some pretty areas. Under the plain outer shell, underneath you'll find really interesting colors and patterns and sparklies. The color, intensity, and shine of these will increase with the later steps. It's like digging for buried treasure!

When you have the basic shape you want, switch to the fine sanding bit and make the f'opal smoother all over.

Lastly, switch to the buffing bit and buff the heck out of that little guy. No doubt it will fly out of your hand a bunch of times (and shoot under the most cobwebby shelving in your basement, possibly), so keep a good grip if you can. Don't stop until it seems almost perfect.

Wash any dust off, dry, and get out the Future and a small paintbrush. Give the f'opal two coats of Future (one side at a time, so that's four steps total), allowing 20-30 minutes drying time in between coats. Now it will gleam just like a real opal!

Drill a hole through the f'opal if you wish to string it, and you're done! So here's the choker necklace I made with a few of my batch of f'opals...

Blog, I've wanted to make my own opals for a very long time...they are my favorite semi-precious stone. Now I have the next best thing at a fraction of the cost. That mother-of-all-f'opals focal-f'opal is my pride and joy!

How to host a Spa Day at home

Blog, let’s review. Last Christmas Eve, my daughter Amanda and I opened packages from my other daughter Katie that contained baskets full of all sort of fun spa items: facial mix, “gator butter” for softening skin, socks to use for foot treatments, soft cushy slippers. There were also certificates to enjoy a day of treatments at a spa called “Carpe Diem.” Click on the image to see the lovely array of inclusions at said spa day!

Well, there had been a $50 limit on all our gifts to each other, so I questioned how Katie could afford to give us these spa days. “Because the spa is my house!” she explained. Which to our amazed minds made it even better!

So this past Saturday Katie hosted us for our Spa Day, and it was even more awesome than we had dreamed. Readers out there, this could be a great gift for you to give a loved one! Here’s how it all went down.

A relaxing arrival

When we arrived, we found Katie had prepared her cozy arts-and-crafts style living room with comfy chairs flanking the faux fireplace, scented candles, and fresh flowers. Manzi and I put on our robes and aforementioned slippers. Katie had made us each a relaxing heated shoulder wrap made from a sock stuffed with rice and gloriously scented with vanilla sandalwood. We settled into our chairs with lovely glasses of sparkling cucumber spring water (cuke and lime slices). We also had bowls of organic dried fruit and pepitas/cocoa nibs/dried cranberries to snack on.

Foot treatment

It was time for a little party for our feet! Katie had a large dishpan type-tub for each of us, into which she placed warmed river rocks and a hot soak of honey, milk and oatmeal. The rocks are so you can wiggle your feet and get a nice massage, and they really did feel great. Katie used another homemade concoction to exfoliate our feet, made of vanilla, brown sugar, oatmeal, milk-soaked ground almond and extra virgin olive oil. She rinsed us off with cool milk and toweled our tootsies dry. Then she indulged us in an actual foot massage, using shea butter, extra virgin olive oil, jojoba oil and vanilla sandalwood whipped into butter. We put on our socks to let the buttercream work even more magic to soften our feet.

A healthy, uber-tasty lunch

Katie had prepared us a scrumptious spa lunch, which was served to us in our chairs. She made smoked salmon, Greek yogurt and chive open-faced sandwiches on whole grain pita bread, and balsamic quinoa salad with spinach and feta. Satisfying for both soul and body, not to mention super yummy!

Hand treatment

Our hands were up next for pamperization. We soaked them in bowls of warm milk, honey and oatmeal. Then they got the whole buttery treatment and massage similar to our feet--the lotion was like the foot stuff except with emulsifying wax and water in place of the shea butter. It’s amazing how much effect hand and feet massages alone can accomplish! Afterwards, our warm and relaxed hands cozied up in hand towels for awhile.

Facials

We were actually given three options of facials and could pick our preference. Manzi chose the one suited for normal/dry skin, and I picked the one for aging skin. Katie gave us each a headband to keep our hair clean, and proceeded to cleanse, tone, and apply our skin-specific masks. We relaxed in our chairs for awhile, and it was essential to have cucumber slices placed on our closed eyes...both to refresh them and to provide entertainment as Katie rescued them a few times from sliding off! Then after 20 minutes or so, Katie wiped the facials off gently (yep, we didn’t even need to go rinse in the sink) and then applied moisturizers. All natural ingredients were used for everything, including eggs, banana, ground avocado pit, lemon and honey!

Katie all the infos she used for everything by searching online, Blog. Here are some websites she recommends:

• 
  
  ingredients and recipe ideas: www.fromnaturewithlove.com
• awesome source for shea butter: www.nasabb.com
• ehow is always a great source:www.ehow.com/homemade-masks

Here’s to our health!

We capped off the day with lovely glasses of dry champagne with fresh raspberries. It was time to just chat and enjoy each other’s company for awhile. That was the perfect way to conclude the perfect day!

It goes without saying that Katie put a lot of prep, research, and work into treating us to this wonderful spa day. (She also took all these awesome photos during the festivities!) But speaking for her, Blog, it was all worth it. It was a day her sister and I will never forget, and meant so much more because she did it for us herself.

So if you dabble in home spa or would like to get into it (Katie was totally new at it), what better to do than treat a friend or family member or two into a spa day?

So what if you don't know how?

Dear Blog, I’m sure you’ve been reading my recent posts and thinking, “Why can’t I dabble in hobbies for which I have no aptitude or training, like my pal Diana does?”

Well, there’s no reason why everyone can’t do like me and take wild stabs at things they’ve never done before. As long as there’s no danger involved to yourself and others (like dabbling in Air Traffic Control), what have you got to lose? There’s definitely a certain thrill to trying something absolutely new, even if you don’t prove to be a natural. (Like for example, I’ve not been hearing “Wow, Diana--I love ‘Living in Catmandu,’ it seems you’re a natural!”)

Worried about looking foolish, Blog? Well, the key to that is to be sure to publicize ahead of time that you realize you are going not going to win any gold medals for your attempt. The only way to really look foolish is to be blind to your own shortcomings. Kind of like ninety percent of the people who audition for network talent shows like “American Idol” or “So You Think You Can Dance.” Now if Julia Louis-Dreyfuss seriously auditioned Elaine-style for SYTYCD, that would look foolish.



But because we know she knows she sucks, we can’t get enough of watching her dance that way. See how it works?

Now Blog, I’m not only going to suggest this little scheme, but actually give you a boost. I’ll provide a couple of nifty examples you can try yourself!

Home Spa Treatment Concoctor

For what Bath & Body Works charges for its products, you’d think you have to have an advanced degree in chemistry to make that stuff. Sixteen bucks a jar? That’s expertise, right?

Well, actually, you can make stuff just as good. Fight the Man! The Home Spa Treatments Man is goin’ down! (Er, would it be ‘Woman’?) Anyway, all you need is some cheap generic olive oil (I use Roundy’s), and either some kosher salt or granulated sugar. If you want to feel even more like a skin chemistry pro, get some Vitamin E oil at a place like Walgreens. And if you don’t mind spending a bit more, get some essential oil in a fragrance you like.

Just mix the olive oil in a jar with enough sugar or salt to make it the consistency of super wet packing snow. Add a little Vitamin E (I put 6-8 drops in a 6 oz. batch) and a couple drops of the essential oil. That’s it! You feel all cool about your mad spa skilz AND you save money AND you get super smooth!

Flower Arranger

I have no training in the fine art of flower arranging (which is actually more complicated than you might think), but I’ve found the secret to doing it in a fashion that looks completely professional. Just copy a professional!

A couple years ago equally inept husband Davie and I went on an outing to Joann, to become pro flower designers. We looked through all their pre-made silk flower arrangements till we found the one we both liked best. Seeing as it was for sale at Joann, it was made totally out of elements you can buy at Joann. So we went around the store finding all the elements, then took them home and assembled them like the arrangement. And see how nice it turned out?

Never underestimate the wonders of copying, Blog. In fact, training at anything starts out as copying someone way better than you, whether the skill be extreme ice tunneling or making cakes that look like subatomic reactions. Actually, there may not be anyone around to copy yet in either of those fields, but you get my point.

You may find you actually have some hidden skill worth developing. Or you may just end up with a half-assed copy of someone else’s thing. But either way, it’s gonna be much less a waste of time than playing Peggle for two hours.

Yeah, I’ve done that. What? It’s Peggle, how can I help it?