Fave sugar Scrub: Sweet Moroccan Scrub

Okay so I have raved about Rhassoul Clay, and Argan oil is so wonderful for skin, hair and everything. Combine the two and you have a great mask or separate them and it can be a Rhassoul clay mask/ facial cleanser, the Argan oil moisturizer post mask/cleanser. If you add Sugar in the Raw, you have a great sugar scrub that leaves your skin hydrated and baby soft.

For single preparations I love using the Sugar in the Raw packets. It's cheaper than buying a bag, it's space saving and I can usually squeeze 4 preparations out of it. 3 if i really need a strong scrub.

Here is my Recipe:

Sweet Moroccan Scrub:

This is for a single preparation:
1tbs. Rhassoul Clay
1tsp. Argan oil (yup that much)
1/4 packet of Sugar in the Raw

Wet face with luke warm water.
place Rhassoul Clay in palm of hand
Add Argan oil to clay
Add sugar
Mix with indx finger hen evenly distrubute on hands and scrub into face.
Use gentle circular motions.
Rinse face with cold water and pat face dry.  Face should feel smooth, hydrated and silky.

If you need a little more hydration use 1 to 2 drops argan oil and apply to dry areas.

Love doing this before bed and my face is perfectly balanced when i wake up. Argan oil is such a  God send for me. If you do not wish to prepare the scrub in your hand use a small nonporous bowl or cup and mix ingredients with a spoon then follow the rest of the directions.  I hope you enjoy this scrub and please let me know how it works for you.

"The Nutcracker" and BFTE Eyeshadow Giveaway

Merry Christmas y'all! I am so glad to have some time to be able to post. I haven't in soo long. Well with the Christmas season in full swing, I have to say one of my favorite things about Christmas is the Nutcracker Ballet. I have been watching
it on PBS and live since i was a little girl.

While it's best live, it can get expensive, so i am eternally grateful for my PBS station to allow me to see the George Balanchine Nutcracker and various other versions of the ballet (love the San Francisco Ballet version). Now that i have my own kids and in particular my daughter is now big enough to understand it, watching the Nutcracker with her for the second year in a row has been very fun and educational for us both. It also has provided us with something to
bond over and discuss. Who doesn't love the Sugar Plum Fairy?

The colors of the costumes and the Land of Sweets always captivated me as it does now with my daughter.This year she was so enamoured with the Flowers and the Dewdrop fairy...pink was everywhere.

Beauty From the Earth has put out three Limited Edition eyeshadow collections which I think capture the feel of this beautiful ballet.Each set contains three full sized jars of loose mineral eyeshadow. enough to provide for many fun looks and days of enjoyment.

The first, Sweet Tooth, with a beautiful purple, sugary pink and spicy yellow colors reminded me exactly of the backdrop to the New York Met Balanchine Nutcracker.  It just cries out candy shoppe.  Lovely for a party or to spice up a neutral look.

The Nutcracker Collection also with three stunning colors, has Cavalier which is the beautiful red color. The Cavalier has a great solo after his dance with the Sugar Plum Fairy. With such great leaps and turns, very exciting. Red is such a great shade to describe how powerful this male dancer has to be in order to lift, catch, spin, and leap in the Nutcracker. The Mouse King shade would look great in the center of the eye to give an extra pop.  Clara, the green shade is wonderful because i always associate her with the Christmas tree as it grows large and Clara shrinks to the size of the Nutcracker. It is truly amazing how the theater works to make a production larger than life. 

The final collection, still yet to be released is called Winter Wonderland. Another favorite part of mine is the Dancing in the Snow scene. The icy cool shades of light blue, white and the dark of the night time sky in a beautiful shimmering silvery grey are wonderful combinations.

To this end, BFTE is having a blog contest and the winner receives one of the three collections. I would love to have Sweet Tooth.  To enter the contest click here for the FB page and details on how to enter.

For the true Nutcracker enthusiast this collection is a great tribute to the ballet and captures beautifully the mood, fun, and innocence of Tchaikovsky's ballet, which he had doubts about after writing the suite. I am glad he decided to allow people to hear it, because it struck me as a child and turned me on to ballet and has brought so much joy to so many generations. It is a tradition on my house and next year I hope to take my daughter to see it live as performed by the Moscow Ballet.

Cheers y'all and Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Feliz Dia de Los Reyes!

Underwear..Foundation Garments....flatter your figure from the inside out

I was dress shopping today for my Christmas dress. Yes i understand Christmas is still a ways a ways, however, I plan ahead and hate a crowded store so shopping ahead of time is always a plus for me. I did find some dresses I liked. The Mad Men cable show has had such a positive influence on fashion and has embraced clothing that shows curve and is feminine via character Joan Holloway.

I love how she has real curves and a real bustline. Christina Hendricks is just so buxom and gorgeous. The fashions she wears in the show make me go gaga. I love the jewel tones and the hip huggin fit. The length is perfect for curvy gals with the majority of the outfits hitting the knee.  There is just something about an exposed knee that can be very sexy and not trashy.

So with all these dresses hitting the scene since the series hit the air I have been stocking up on dresses of this type. So one of my fave types of ways to dress.  However, pulling off a dress like this does take some effort when you happen to be a curvy gal. I remember an interview with Hendricks where she had to learn about the foundation garments that help to polish Joan visually.  It reminded me of the movie Pleasantville with Reese Witherspoon where she complained about wearing 50lbs of underwear and that she might kill someone with the pointy boobs. I always marveled at how much underwear went into making a polished look. It is something that i think is often neglected today where mega skinny is the way of life and mujeres con curves get pushed to the back.

Foundation garments are another way of saying shapewear. They are garments that help to smooth, lift, and tighten, and in some cases minimize the body so that one can present the best shape possible in a given garment. Think about a wedding gown or even a prom gown. These are two times in a woman's life when we truly concentrate on foundation garments to help us look our best on these important days. Well, foundation garments also help us to look fab when wearing dresses for work or for any occasion. I found some vintage explanation of such garments on Couture Allure Vintage Fashion Blog.  The one in particular i really appreciated was the garments for the sheath dress. There was a strapless bra and a high waisted girdle to bring in the hips and flatten and control the tummy. What gal couldn't use some help there. The contraption may look uncomfy but hey ladies if we can wear 5" heels during the day, then we can wear shapewear to help present a better picture of ourselves in a dress.

Spankx help alot with being able to present a more flattering figure when wearing dresses and more form fitting garments. However, don't discount the need for a long line bra and high waisted girdle..yes girdle.  Rago makes really good quality shapewear that is fantastic in it's construction and durability. Less expensive shapewear can ride up or roll down and this stuff does not. Herroom.com has the Rago line and presents some reasonable prices. also check Retailmenot.com for further discount coupon codes. 

Taking the time to put on foundation garments can help you to lift your bust, smooth you tummy and improve your posture and improve your appearance in a garment. It's worth a try and can even be sexy. Go for the Mad Men curvacious body of Joan. You're soo worth it.