Monthly Archives: January 2017

A Skincare Regimen That Actually Works.

Posted on by
4

skincare collage.jpg

Hello Y’all!! I hope you have had a great week so far and you are looking forward to the weekend. I guess we aren’t out of the freeze just yet :/ but I decided to  do a half hour lunch and take a nice walk. I discovered a Mediterranean cafe tucked in the corner of a building that I have walked by for almost a year without noticing; I’m already making plans to check it out. 😀

I was thinking to myself, ‘January isn’t over and I have pretty much riveted back to my usual skincare routine…which is ‘skincare at my convenience’. A friend of mine suggested using a combination of natural oils to remove my makeup which I think is a great idea but imagine me jumping off my couch at 2.00am after a late night or dozing off while trying to keep up with some late night TV show – then repeat that suggestion again – that would be an epic fail 😀 Having a skincare regimen that works shouldn’t be hard to keep up with and in my bid to kick old habits, I came up with what I would call  a basic skincare regimen that A-N-Y-O-N-E can follow and I’m sharing these basic to do items that will work with any skin type. These items range from grocery store brands to high end cosmetic lines depending on what your preference is. 😀

A Doable Skincare Regimen – 101

Clay Mask. Helps unclog your pores. Twice a month works great but if you’re out and about a lot, you might need to use it more often. There are so many products on the market from Queen Helen clay mask that are  more affordable to high end products like La Prairie masks.

A Gentle Astringent. Products that do not contain alcohol are best. Trust me, your skin will thank you for it a couple of years down the line.Witch Hazel is an amazing product!

An Eye Cream. With so many serums and instant result creams out there, I tend to go the organic route. Burt’s and Bees has an eye cream that works and has non of the scary ingredients in it. Use it twice a day.

Eye Makeup Remover. Having tried so many brands that claim to remove ‘ALL’ of your eye makeup. I’ve been disappointed to still find those mascara induced smudges you see first thing in the morning. But I was a little surprised to find a product that actually worked – Avon Moisture Effective Eye Makeup Remover Lotion!

Lip Balm. Brands from EOS, Blistex work great. A friend gifted me with a Cinnamint Lip Balm by Young Living Essential Oils that’s also very good. Thanks M. 😀

Mineral Peel. I cannot stress how important this is for your skin. If you are in your late twenties and up, I would recommend you try this at least once a month. Being out everyday coupled with daily makeup application plus all the toxic metals in our environment; you need a gentle mineral peel regimen that gets rid of the dead skin cells and help resurface new skin. I would recommend Avani mineral peel products because they are gentle, natural and affordable but if you would prefer high end lines, Vine Vera mineral peel works equally well.

Face Wash. I always go with any products that are gentle on the skin.

A Water Based Body Lotion. Water needs to be the major ingredient. Be on the look out for products that have collagen in them. The older we get, the more collagen we need to maintain the firm texture of our skin.

Sauna. One of the best ways to unclog and detox your whole body at once. I try to make it a habit to sauna after a swim. I can’t recommend a specific time frame (30 minutes – 1 hour) for a sauna session because our skin reach different breaking points -where we begin to sweat after being exposed to hot air – at different times.

Wipes. Organic, oil free, unscented baby wipes – yes I said baby wipes – work great! 😀

A go-to Homemade Facial. Take a peek in your kitchen cabinets and I can guarantee that the possibilities for a good facial are endless! 😀 We all have different skin types and varying levels of sensitivity to products, so please pay attention to your skin. Feel free to let me know what skincare regimen items work well for you. 😀 Until I come your way again next time, its ciao for now!

Periwinkle Starr

Advertisement

The Art of Handcrafting: A Distant Memory

Posted on by
2

early-british-women1

Hello Y’all! I hope you’ve had a good week so far. I was on YouTube catching up on a few channels I subscribe to and I came across – as always – another makeup tutorial that I usually end up watching even if I have other things to do. :/ As amazing as the ‘after’  effect was in comparison to the ‘before’, I see that the art of having a skill or a craft is fast becoming a distant memory in our generation. People need an outlet and in this case, makeup fills that void.

In every culture of the world, the women were raised with some crafting skill or the other. It was a requirement to be able to use your hands for a skill. I was thinking to myself that I do not know anyone in my age bracket that knows how to use a sewing machine (myself included)…and not that we would make our clothes ourselves 😀 (that would be disastrous), but just to know how to tinker with one. :/ Anyways no worries if you have no skills, feel free to blame it on the industrial revolution 😀 😀 for rendering us all inept in one way or the other.

Taking a ride down memory lane, It was my first week of 4th grade, there was a girl in my class who sat behind me that seemed to be poking around with two huge pins and some yarn; I later learned the term was called knitting. I was instantly fascinated and it wasn’t long before I pleaded with her to teach me how to knit. Before long I learned how to make a shawl, then a pair of socks and a cap – for fun! After 4th grade, my family moved to a different state and we had new neighbors. While playing outside every other evening, I noticed our neighbors cook would sit outside on their porch and knit. At the time, I had never heard the word ‘crochet’ before. She would do this between chores and as always, I was curious about how she was able to do that with one pin instead of two? I was fascinated and wanted to learn how. I would go and sit by her and watch her hands move very intricately between loops creating the most beautiful table cloths I have ever seen. I had to learn this new style of knitting and fast. She didn’t speak much english but she was very patient and happy to show me how.

Fast forward to present day, although a large portion of my job is done by clicking a mouse and sketching, every now and then I bring out my knit kit and continue working on that supposed table spread or blanket I have been knitting for a couple of years now… 😀 Its something I still find time to do. There is something very calming about knitting. Its as if your thoughts are streamlined into two basic things: where the hook needs to go and when to pull on more thread…very therapeutic if I might say. I have attached a few pictures. Let me know what your favorite crafting skill is and how you learned it. Until next time, I remain

 

Periwinkle Starr

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Opinions: Yours, Mine and Theirs.

Posted on by
Reply

collage13

Hello All! Hope your week is going really well so far. I will be speaking about something that affects each and everyone of us (myself included) and would welcome your thoughts and comments on it. 🙂 So lets start off with a pop quiz question!

Do you know what the cheapest commodity on the planet is?…And I’m not referring to air because clean air is not even cheap. :/ The cheapest commodity on the planet are “OPINIONS”. And if you stand still long enough, I can bet you there’s someone waiting to dump one on you…because they can. :/ 🙂 ha ha

One of my industry favorites is renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. My fascination with architecture is not so much with bold and complex designs because any artistic individual can draw up the first weird – and often times a tad bit crazy – thing that comes to mind; but how that design is translated into a form with structural integrity…now that is what i call pure genius.

Santiago started out as a young man wanting to be an artist but a series of events led him to architecture school, and then to civil engineering becoming one of the few architects fully trained as an engineer. He has an amazing line up of successful projects over the years; but it wasn’t overnight. He endured many struggles and harsh opinions along the way to become the icon we applaud today. When he was first trying to break into the New York design scene through a showcase which he themed ‘sculpture into architecture’, he is quoted saying ‘ I am not aspiring. I would just like to contribute with a couple of gestures’. It was tough but he was persistent.

When I look in the eyes of little kids, I see dreamers who haven’t become tainted by the opinions and cutting remarks of people, family members, close friends and strangers. As adults, a lot of people have abandoned dreams, ideas and opportunities because someone said it couldn’t be done and had never been done before. A lot of people have been cowered into submission and conformity for so long that they do not know what might have been had they dug their heels in and stayed true to their dreams. The fear of  the backlash that comes with standing up for your dreams and daring to think differently is so strong that a lot of people are content to just tow the line like everyone else.

But guess what guys; as safe and secure that lifestyle might be…realize that we only get one shot at this thing called life and its better to try and fail than to never have tried at all. Its a new year and a new day. Shut out and shut down all and any opinions that are not stretching, challenging or pushing you towards reaching your fullest potential. You are worth it and you owe that much to yourself. 🙂 🙂 So until I come your way again next time, its ciao for now!!

Periwinkle Starr

We Made It!…Now What?

Posted on by
2

2017-collage

Happy New Year Everyone!!!! Hope you had a wonderful celebration. It doesn’t matter how you got into the year; whether you snoozed into, prayed into, played into or partied into the New year; what matters is ‘We’re Here! We Made It!…Now What Are You Going to Do About It? I imagine it almost feels like once the clock strikes 12:00 am, an imaginary timer starts ticking, everyone runs to an imaginary line and then its ‘on your mark, get set….Go’! 😀 😀

This year, I decided to get my list of New Year Resolutions done early…which was a lot of fun (not really…lol). I felt like I was about to pop a blood vessel and I wasn’t even halfway through my list yet :/ the pressure was on. My new year resolutions -as wonderful and easily attainable as they may be – don’t exactly last the whole year much less survive a couple of months 😦 and chatting with a few pals over the holidays made me realize one simple principle.

Commitment

You Need To Commit. It doesn’t matter how bold or how large you print those resolutions; whether you have them taped to your door, bathroom mirror or the ceiling over your bed. If you’re not committed to following through, you are ‘NOT’ going to.

On the other hand, it appears as if the year has been reduced to a bunch of checklists, goals, events and deadlines. :/ Unfortunately, that’s the way a huge number of the populace (myself included) keep themselves on track these days; coupled with the dilemma of having a million things vying for your attention on a daily basis.

Now, there’s really nothing wrong with having goals and resolutions but sometimes we put so much pressure on ourselves that if we aren’t careful, we might loose sight of what’s actually important. Life is too short to be lived to attain goals only – that’s what robots are for- and since we have a loooong 363 more days to go, why not have fun while you’re at it.

A Few Snippets From My New Years Resolution For 2017

  • I will take my earphones out more often and experience the sounds around me.
  • I am determined to be mindful.
  • I will be present.
  • I will have fun while I’m at it.. 😀 😀

So while writing up those New Year Resolutions, don’t be afraid to dream big and expect big breaks but also be kind to yourself, find a balance and be realistic. Most importantly, learn to enjoy the moments you have with the people around you. 😀 Until I come your way again, its ciao for now!

Periwinkle Starr