Lotions and Potions

My grandma has beautiful skin.  It is just creamy and radiant. And I am not just saying that because she is MY grandma and I love her, she gets a ton of compliments from everyone, including strangers.  How can a grandma have such beautiful skin.  I think it is because she is actually an angel.  She is so kind and giving.  I think her beauty glows from the inside out.  I hope that when I am a grandma, with too many grand children and great grand children to count, that I will look as beautiful as my grandma.  I asked my grandma how she stays looking so youthful and she says "wear sunscreen".  I think every time I talk to her she tells me to wear sunscreen. So that is my first anti-aging tip.  Now I will share with you all my other lotions, potions, and tricks I use to hopefully keep my skin beautiful until I am well into my 100's.

1) Kiehl's Midnight recovery concentrate

This stuff is so neat.  It is an oil that you put on your skin at night after you put on all of your other lotions.  I don't really know much about it except that it works.  My skin just soaks up the moisture and feels gorgeous in the morning.  Most importantly it doesn't make me break out.  If you are acne prone, I would be hesitant about using this product because it is an oil that you are putting on your face.

2)  Anew ultimate contouring eye system

 My grandma gave this to me and I have been using this for about a year.  It has a cream that you put on during the day and at night.  Then at night it has an extra cream that that you put over your eye area.  It is important to keep your eye area moisturized because this skin area doesn't produce a lot of its own natural oils.  I really love this product because it is so moisturizing.  Sadly, I am almost out of this so I had to buy some new under eye cream  This is what I got.

3) 100% Pure Acai Berry Antioxidant eye cream

 I had a $10 off coupon and I am trying to switch over to all natural and organic products.  When I saw this I thought I would give it a try.  I like that it is 100% natural and 100% vegan and it is also gluten free.  With more and more people being diagnosed with a gluten intolerance it is important to be using gluten free products for your skin as well.  If you are allergic to eating something don't put it on your skin.  This lotion goes on really smooth and creamy and doesn't irritate my skin.  Another bonus is that it comes in a pump bottle, which is a very sanitary way to store all products that you are going to apply to your skin.  Especially since this product is all natural, you don't want bacteria from your hands getting into the product.  This line of skin care also has an eye cream with caffeine in it and that is their best selling product.  The caffeine is suppose to depuff your eyes and prevent dark circles by increasing circulation.  I was more concerned about hydration, so I got the Acai berry one instead.

4)Thoroughly Clean Face Wash with Organic Tea Tree Oil and Awapuhi, 100% Vegan

Tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic so this face wash naturally rids your face of bacteria that causes breakouts.  Awaphui is used medicinally for bruises, cuts, and headaches.  Therefore, if you have a pimple that is open or even a cut on your face it could be good to apply this wash.  Awaphui has also been shown to inhibit cancer growth.  If you have sensitive skin it is advised not to use products containing Awaphui because it can irritate skin.  According to livestrong.com you should not use products containing Awaphui if you are pregnant or epileptic.  Personally, I have never had a problem with this product.  It works great to prevent breakouts and is great for cleansing all the makeup off of your face.

5)Alba Deep Sea Facial Mask

I know I blogged about this product before, but I just love it!  It is made from 100% vegetarian ingredients and is paraben free.  My skin just feels so soft after I use this face mask.  It does have a fragrance in the ingredients so I wouldn't use this if you have sensitive skin.

6) Lemon Sugar face scrub

 This is pretty self explanatory but I did post a blog on the lemon sugar face scrub.  You take lemon and sugar, put it on your face and scrub.  I love this scrub because you know the exact ingredients that are going on your face.  Getting rid of the dead skin on your face leaves it glowing, gets rid of blackheads, and helps to prevent pimples.

7) Drink plenty of water


Water is so important to our bodies it is important to stay hydrated.  When you are dehydrated your body will suck moisture from your skin to keep your other organs functioning.  Being dehydrated can lead to fatigue, crankiness and headaches.  So lets drink more water.

I have been getting so many compliments on my skin, even when I venture out with no makeup on, now that I have been making it a priority to keep up my regime.  This makes me so happy because I never thought I had great skin.  I have always had pimples and dark spots. Now I am pimple free, dark spot free, and my skin looks hydrated.

Angie's Tip of the Day

Don't Strip for your Husband while he is Talking on Webcam to his Family




This may seem like a no brainer but it happens.  Just like it happened to me.   First I heard the phone ring and then I heard Gavin talking on the phone for sometime.  I went upstairs to visit him in his office and I heard him talking and saw him browsing deals online.  I figured he was just talking on the phone.  What better time than to show him my stripper moves for the week?  (Oh come on; I know you all practice your stripper moves around the house.  I mean with this economy, you never know when you are going to need those moves for real.)  Yep, there I was dancing away and shaking my booty when he clicks on his webcam and there is his family staring at us through the computer screen.  He had been talking to his family on the webcam through my whole show. 

Gah!  I am so embarrassed. Not ever going to practice my stripper moves anywhere near a webcam ever again.

Declaring War on Spiders

It is finally Fall and there are so many spiders in my house.  There is a freakin' army of spiders and by army I mean that I have seen at least six huge spiders in my house.  And by huge I mean a size of a dime.   One spider even landed on Gavin's face.  That is the last straw Mr. Spider.  I need to get rid of these spiders.  It is me or you Mr. Spider.  These guys are not welcome in my house.  After taking a look at the screens in our windows and doors I noticed some tiny spaces where the bugs could crawl through the space into the house.  Now I won't even open a window for fresh air out of fear that a spider might crawl its way in.  Killing spiders is not really my thing.  Even though they are creepy, annoying and have a mean bite, I am sure they didn't mean to wander into my house.

Today I declared war on these spiders.  These are my tips on getting rid of spiders.  I found these tips on the internet and I am not sure if they work at all.  Don't believe everything you read on the internet by the way.   But these tips are worth a try; I am desperate here.  These spiders are driving me crazy.   As I was spraying my lemon water around my door frame I kinda felt like I was hanging garlic to repel vampires.  LOL.  I just felt silly.  Here is what I have done to hopefully get rid of the spiders in my home.

• Spiders don't like the taste of lemon.  I bought some lemon oil  and a spray bottle.  I mixed 20 drops of lemon oil in two cups of water with a little soap.  Then I sprayed the heck out of my house paying close attention to spraying around windows and doors, stairs, and in corners.  I felt so silly doing this, but even if it doesn't work to repel spiders, at least my house will smell lemon fresh.
• Spiders cannot escape the vacuum, I hope.  Gavin vacuumed the house and vacuumed up a few spiders along the way.  Gavin and I have vacuumed every nook and cranny and not leave a single floor space undisturbed.  This includes vacuuming behind dressers and under the couch.  Spiders like to make homes places that they will not be disturbed.
• Boxes are no longer allowed in my house.  For some reason spiders love boxes.  They lay their nasty little eggs in boxes too.  Every box will be replaced with a plastic bin. Boxes are kinda ugly to look at anyways.
• Nothing is allowed on the floor.  Keeping things off the floor will give spiders fewer places to hide.
• Clutter is not allowed.  I hate looking at clutter, but sometimes I kinda let it go a little bit.  Now that I am at war with the spiders I will make sure I don't let clutter build up.
• Remove any old spider webs in the house and around entrance ways.  I scoured my home looking for spider webs and I found some webs in some pretty obscure places.  I also made sure to clean out webs around windows and doors, including the outside.
• Lemon Pledge.  I heard through the internets that spiders hate lemon pledge.  Spiders taste with their legs and if they come across the taste of lemon pledge they will retreat.  I polished all of the wood and leather furniture with Lemon Pledge.  I also polished our granite counter tops.  Finally, I used lemon pledge to clean around the windows and doors.  Hopefully this will discourage spiders from crawling in through the small spaces in the screens.
• Spiders are suppose to also hate lavender.  Well, I love lavender.  I am going to get some lavender oil, when I find it on sale, and make a spray just like the lemon spray.  Then I will spray corners of my house with lavender.  Getting rid of spiders never smelled so good.
• I wonder if I can borrow the neighbors cat for a day.  Cats love to eat spiders.  Dogs do too.  

If these spider treatments don't work at least my house will be super, duper, duper, clean and will smell good.  So far, since my treatment, I have not seen any spiders in my house (crossing my fingers).  I treated every nook and cranny in the house except for Gavin's office and we did find a spider in his office closet last night.  The reason I didn't treat Gavin's office is because he thought my plan to get rid of the spiders was silly.  Have fun with your spider friends Gavin.

Taking Charge of your Health

I have been wanting to write this post for a long time.  I love and care about all of my friends and family and I want you to be the healthiest friends and family anybody could imagine. 

You really take your body, and how wonderfully it all works, for granted until something goes wrong.  When something goes wrong with your health it changes your life.  I want everyone to be the healthiest they can be.

First I want to talk about going to the doctor.  I know a lot of people find annual check ups annoying and unnecessary, but these check ups are so important.  If your doctor can find something wrong with you before it progresses, or before you have symptoms, that is worth all the annoying check ups in the world.

Many women dread their annual gynecological appointment and might put it off for years.  Please don't put this appointment off.  Going to your gynecologist is not just to check for STDs, it is about your reproductive health.  Bacterial vaginosis is disease that is not an  STD, any woman can get this.  It can lead to pelvic inflammatory disease and infertility.  If caught early, it is easily treated.  Also, if you are ever thinking about having children, you can start talking to your doctor about this years before you are actually trying to conceive.

Men are less likely to see a doctor than women are. If you are hurt you should definitely go to your doctor.   If you treat the injury immediately you can better your chances of a full recovery.  If you just hope the injury will get better on its own, it might not.  The injury could get worse in the long run and you will have more health problems down the road.



Next I want to "lecture" you on finding a good doctor.  There are so many doctors to choose from, the task of finding a good doctor is a very difficult one.  To find a good doctor you can go online and look at the doctors profile.  Online you can find out the school that they graduated from and how long they have been a doctor.  Then you can also ask friends, families, and acquaintances for recommendations.  Looking at reviews online can sometimes be helpful.  If there are only 4 or 5 reviews, this is not a very accurate representation of the doctor.  However, when I was looking at surgeons, I found hundreds of reviews from patients, and this way I could get a more accurate representation. The last thing you have to do is go visit the doctor.  If you like your doctor and feel that he is competent you can stick with him.  If you feel like your doctor is mean, rude, or and idiot, find a new doctor.



Now lets talk about what to do at a doctors visit.  Go to your doctors visit knowing more about your symptoms and possible diagnosis than you think your doctor will know.  Knowledge is power.  I always hear doctors say they hate it when patients google their symptoms, but there are conditions that doctors dont even know about, like my FAI, so bring your knowldege.  When I tell doctors I have FAI they don't even know what that is, so I bring a google printout and a nice picture diagram with me to all my doctor visits.  Bring online print outs with you so you don't forget anything.  You should also come with a list of questions written down.  Bring a notebook and a pen to write down any information your doctor tells you.  Sometimes doctors are not good at explaining things in lame-mans terms and you will need to look up some terms later.

If you feel something is wrong with your body and doctors are blowing you off, don't give up on getting the proper treatment.  I spent 13 years living with my painful FAI and hip dysplasia until I finally got a diagnosis.  I wish I would have been more aggressive in a diagnosis sooner.   Once you get a diagnosis you can have a treatment plan and hopefully get your life back on track.  Even if it is not a curable disease,  there are always different ways to manage a disease and you can get support from others living with your condition. 

At a doctor visit I was filling out a regular questioner and my doctor read through it and asked me about my sore throats.  I had been suffering with sore throats since I was a child and all the doctors I had seen previously told me it was psychosomatic.  Well, this doctor diagnosed me with GERD, or acid reflux disease.  The acid from my tummy was causing my sore throats.  Now that I know what was wrong I can manage it.  I don't eat or drink anything acidic after 5 o'clock and I don't wake up with sore throats anymore.  No more orange juice at bedtime.  It was such a simple diagnosis but it helped my life so much. 

The last thing I want you to remember about seeing a doctor is that your doctor is working for you.  You are paying him a lot of money to see you so he better be working hard for his money.  Make sure he is listening to you and taking your symptoms seriously.  Without you, the patient, your doctor would be out of a job.  Don't let your doctor bully you, or be condescending to you.  I don't know why, but some doctors think they are smarter than everyone else.  They are not smarter, they just went to medical school so they have more knowledge of medicine.  If you do get one of these egotistical doctors, use it to your advantage to ask a lot of questions and get answers at your visit.  If you don't feel comfortable going back to this doctor, then get a new doctor.

Taking charge of your health also means remembering to be healthy every day.  This means making good choices for your body like remembering to floss and eating a balanced diet. And you can't forget to take care of your mental health as well.  If you are feeling down or sad, you can talk to someone you trust.  If you are feeling stressed you can go for a walk, or take a long bath with a glass of wine (if you are not an alcoholic).  Don't forget to tell your doctor about your mental health as well.  Anxiety and depression can be a symptom of another disease, and frankly, are just difficult to live with.




I know this seems like a simple post, but I am writing it from my heart to yours.  These things seem so simple but I wish I would have put my health as a priority sooner.  I know life gets busy, and you feel like you don't have time to put your health first.  Just remember, you only get one body in your lifetime.  You will go through a handful of jobs, numerous cars, and gadgets, but you body is going to be with you forever.  Doctors are not miracle workers; they cannot fix all the bad things that can happen to your body, so please be proactive in taking care of your health.

Things I love about Fall

Fall is one of my favorite seasons.  The beautiful leaves, the crisp air, cozy sweaters, the list is endless.  I have never spent a fall in the Bay Area, but I am looking forward to experiencing Autumn San Fransisco style.  I want to share with you some of my favorite things about fall.

1)Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks.



2) Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. It is so fun to dress up, go to parties and eat delicious candy and treats.

 

3) Warm Cozy Sweaters.  I hate having my skin exposed because I am so sensitive to the slightest breeze.  I just like to curl up in big sweaters.  Right now I am loving bulky long sweaters that open in the front.

Peruvian Connections $249

4) Leaves changing colors make for such a romantic backdrop to any day.

Fall in the Bay Area

5) The crisp, clean smelling air is so refreshing and invigorating.

6) The squirrels out and about getting ready for winter.  Fall is a squirrel's favorite season too I think.  They are always out and about munching on some goodies.  Squirrels are so funny.


7) Fresh Fall vegtables!  My favorite vegtables are yams and corn.  These are so easy to prepare with dinner, and these vegetables taste so sweet and yummy.



8)  Fall makeup trends.  No matter what the new makeup trend is for Fall, Fall makeup is always warm and glowy.  We still have our tan left over from summer, or if we don't we can fake it with some bronzer.  Fall makeup colors are golden and peachy.

9) Scarves.  I am always excited for the day I get to bust out my cold weather scarf.




10) New seasons of my favorite tv shows.  I love curling up on the couch and watching tv shows with my Husband. 
 

11) Apple pie.  And it is good for you too right?




12) Hot Chocolate with Baileys and Peppermint Schnapps.


13) More cozy blankets on the bed to cuddle up in.

14) Boots Boots Boots!  I love when I can wear my Timberland boots again in the Fall.  I have some similar to these but mine are in a bronze color.  I get a lot of compliments on my boots and they are functional.  They hold up and keep your feet dry in wet, rainy, or muddy weather.  Of course I have my Ugg boots that I love.  I bought a new pair last winter.  And then there is my riding boots that I have in both the color black and in the color brown. 

15) Inviting your friends over for game night.  Now that the days are shorter, you can spend evenings indoors, watching the latest fad tv shows and playing games with your friends.

It's Time to Kiss and Makeup

It is probably no surprise to anybody that I love makeup.  I want to share with you some of the makeup treasures that I have recently acquired.

My cousin was so sweet and sent me a bunch of makeup and hair clips in the mail.  It was so exciting to get all these goodies.  I loved everything she sent me and most of it was probably stuff that I would not have bought on my own.  Let me tell you about some of the great things my cousin sent me.

1) MILANI LIQUIF'EYE metallic eye liner, 01 black

I have been looking for an eyeliner just like this one.  It goes on smooth and dark.  It is very pigmented.  The thing I don't like about liquid eyeliners, is that they are hard to put on over eyeshadow because the liquid just absorbs the powder.  This pencil goes on dark and smooth like liquid eyeliner, but it also works great over powder eyeshadow.  I would have never have picked this up on my own because one day I bought a gorgeous Milani eye shadow and it was really disappointing.  The eyeshadow was dry and cakey.



2) MAKE UP FOREVER HD high definition primer

This makeup primer helps makeup adhere to your face so that your makeup isn't dripping down your face by the afternoon.  It also helps your makeup to go on smooth by filling in any fine lines.   Its like having a clean canvas.  I really like it and it does work.

3)Rock & Republic LUXE lipgloss, loudmouth

Who doesn't love a hot pink lip?  This lip gloss is so gorgeous.  It goes on smooth too.  The gloss is not sticky or tacky at all.  It is just juicy, watery goodness

4) Eco Tool Brushes

These brushes are so soft and fluffy.  The brushes are made from earth friendly materials.  The brushes are made from synthetic materials that are cruelty free.  Also, the company donates 1% of its revenue to environmental causes.  Makeup brushes are an investment piece since, if you care for your brushes properly, they should last you a long time.  Unlike makeup, that you have to throw out every 3 months to a year.  I like these brushes a lot better than my Estee Lauder brushes that I have been using.  I am glad that my cousin sent me some of these.  Since I already had a lot of brushes, I never would have bought these on my own.

Next I did some makeup shopping for a friend's birthday and I couldn't help but pick out some new things for myself.  I have no control.  Let me share with you what I got.

I know I already told you about my

5) Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain, Passion

I am just in love with this color.  It is so gorgeous.  During the day I can wear a thin layer of the lip stain with some chapstick over it.  At night I put a few layers of stain on, then pump it up with my Rock & Republic lip gloss.  It lasts all day and all night.  The lip stain doesn't come off on my drinking glasses and doesn't kiss off on Gavin's cheek, to his disbelieve.

6) MAC highlight powder, Silver Dusk

This highlighter is so angelic and pretty.  It adds a beautiful shimmer to your face and makes you look awake.  It is not over sparkly or glittery and that is what I like about it.   It is very age appropriate for anybody over the age of 23 since it is not a glitter.   You can dust it on over your makeup or even put it on under your moisturizer for a pretty glow.

7) Revlon PhotoReady Concealer, Fair

This is my favorite concealer.  I also have a makeup forever concealer that I like because it is easy to disinfect but Revlon's is my favorite.   Revlon's concealer glides on smooth and blends perfectly.  I also use it as a highlighter.  I use it under my eyes, around my nose, and down the center of my nose.  This makes my nose look a little narrower.

8) Tarte natural eye primer

This eyelid primer can be worn alone for a pretty nude color or under your regular eyeshadow.  My favorite thing about this is that it prevents the cakey eyeshadow crease.   I really hate that crease.   It also prevents the eyeshadow from sliding around on your eyelid so your eyeshadow looks fresh all day.  This primer has also been proven to decrease the appearance of lines and wrinkles.  According to Sephora's website, Tarte's eyelid primer is free of parabens, sulfates ect.  That is good, since you will be putting this on your delicate eye area.  The packaging is also biodegradable. 


That is it for my latest makeup finds.  My next beauty blog will be about my favorite lotions and potions.

Update on my botox injection

So my eye twitch is back in full swing.  At first my eye twitch was much weaker.  Then the twitched just moved to the inner corner of my eyelid.  Now the twitch is back in full force, twitching to its little heart's content.  So overall the botox didn't work like I hoped it would.  Maybe the doctor didn't inject enough units or did not inject the botox into the right place.

Oh well, I am not going to get it done again just to pay a whole bunch of money for it not to work.  Maybe in the future when I am like 30 I will have more botox injected for my wrinkles, but for now, I am laying off the botox.

Angie's Tip of the Day

Cleaning your bathroom is now a beauty treatment for your hands.  I clean my bathroom at least once a week.  I am kinda a germ freak, so if I feel up to it I might clean it more often than that.  Now let me tell what I mean by it being a beauty treatment.  Whenever I get ready to clean my bathrooms (I have 3, Gavin is only allowed to pee in one bathroom to save me cleaning time) I slather on my favorite hand lotion.  I really like organic products, but right now I am using Gold Bond Hand lotion.  It is really moisturizing.

Gold Bond Hand Lotion, $7 at drugstores

Then I put on my disposable latex cleaning gloves with aloe. Any gloves you clean in will do. You can even put on cloth gloves under your cleaning gloves

Gloves with aloe, $8 at drugstores

Then I clean, clean, clean, my bathrooms, kitchen, and dust my living room. An hour later my house is clean and my hands are silky smooth.

Master bath

And here is my bathroom all sparkly clean!

Test Results for Rhumetoid Arthritis and Lupus are in

Today I visited my pain management doctor's office.  However Dr. Sontag wasn't in today so I met with his nurse practitioner.  I was anxious to go over my test results for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and for Lupus.  The disease that I was most worried about was RA, since it runs in my family.  My grandma and my aunt has this.  I felt there was a good chance I had this too since I was experiencing so much pain.  Lupus was never something I worried about.

When I asked the nurse to look at my results she carefully read over the test results.  She said I was negative for RA.  Oh good, I was about ready to leave when she got a concerned look on her face and said, "I will be right back, I am going to go talk to one of the doctors.

My heart dropped.  The only test she would be referring to was the test for Lupus. As I waited for the nurse to return, my palms started sweating, my hands were shaking, and my eye was twitching.  Every time a heard a person walk by, I hoped it was the nurse.  Finally, after the longest 5 minutes ever, the nurse came back in.  She said that she couldn't find a doctor but that I had tested positive for ANA and for DNA antibodies, "but these tests are inconclusive.  So I will have the doctor call you tonight after he looks over these."

So now I am thinking about the possibility that I might have Lupus and my eye is twitching and won't stop.  I am so anxious right now.  Nothing will calm my fears until I have a follow up test.  I am trying not to freak out too much.  At this point, I really don't know what the results mean.  It is possible that I have some other sort of autoimmune disease that is not Lupus.  It is just so nerve racking not knowing what these positive lab results mean. Lupus is pretty rare, occurring in 1/1000 white women msn health.  The odds are on my side.

 
I hope Dr. House is right.  He usually is......


ONE HOUR LATER: Okay, so my doctor called my back and told me that it is probably nothing to worry about.  He told me to follow up with a rheumatologist just in case.   I feel better having a doctor tell me it is nothing to worry about.  My eye stopped twitching right after my doctor called.