November 28, 2008

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my allergist’s office after my injection, and happened to read in some random magazine about a product that actually firmed up “that area”. You know the area I mean; the dreaded cellulite zone. I was intrigued so I ordered the product, and have been using it for about 10 days now.  I am happy to report that in the never-ending search for an effective caffeine-free cellulite product, there is hope!  It’s Borba Firming Body Cleansing Serum ($20).

Borba Firming Body Cleansing Serum

This is kind of a thick gel that you massage into your skin in the shower or bath, and then let it sit on the skin for 30 seconds or so.  Then rinse it off.  It feels a little tingly, and smells great.

I couldn’t find any retailers in the Dallas area so I placed my order online, and received two samples of Borba’s contour cream.  I used it for a couple of days, and it may be wishful thinking, but I’m telling you I could see some firming.  So my next order will include the Firming Diamond Shimmer Contour ($32).

Borba Firming Diamond Shimmer Contour

I’ll continue this trial, and let you know how it goes, but so far I’m encouraged!  There is hope!

~BigSis

November 26, 2008

The day started off running across the street in the freezing cold rain to the Tropicana to play BigSis’ new favorite game!

Meowing for Moolah!

Meow meow meow!

Here’s LilSis’ favorite game! She hunts this one down in every casino she visits.

Congratulations Podnah! We're drilling for Oil!

Who knew we would run into Luciano Pavarotti at the Venetian with a birthday greeting for BigSis!

An unexpected birthday greeting from Pavarotti!

After our meeting with one of the great tenors, we had a fabulous lunch on the canal at Taqueria Canonita.

Lunch at Taqueria Canonita

Now at 9 pm, we’re back at our hotel and freshening up to go on to birthday celebration phase 2!  We’re off to the Wynn to have a birthday cocktail at Tryst, and then maybe whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!

~BigSis

November 24, 2008

What the L is Big Sis up to?

• Leaving for Las Vegas, baby!  Adios North Texas, Hola Vegas
• Looking forward to a few days with SisMama and LilSis
• Lunching on Southwest Airlines’ honey roasted peanuts
• Loving my new Relastin Eye Silk

~BigSis

November 22, 2008

Since I’ve been vegetarian for over 14 years, you won’t find any turkey tips here today.  I’ll have to leave that up to LilSis or SisMama.  What you will find are a few quick links that might give you an idea for something a little out of the ordinary this Thanksgiving.  LilSis, these first 2 links and photos are for you and your candy corn obsession!  Do you have any left from Halloween?  No, I didn’t think so.

Turkey Candy Corn Cookies from Pillsbury start with refrigerated sugar cookie dough and are seriously cute!

Thanksgiving Turkey Candy Corn Cookies

Turkey Pops from Bakerella are adorable and beyond imaginative!

Bakerella's Turkey Pops

Pumpkin Butterscotch Cake from Culinary Concoctions by Peabody looks scrumptious!

Mini Pumpkin Turtle Cheesecakes are also from Peabody…she’s got this pumpkin thing DOWN!

Cranberry Streusel Cake from Amanda’s Cookin’ looks like a fabulous use of the berries.

Gramma’s Woozie Cake from BetterRecipes is made with sweet potatoes in a cake instead of pie.  Grand Marnier puts the “Woozie” in the cake!

Chef’s versions of Green Bean Casserole from DallasNews take a classic and add a twist.  The Green Bean Tempura with Cream of Mushroom Mousse and Fried Onion Praline from Anthony Bombaci at Nana sounds amazing!

~BigSis

November 21, 2008

LilSis, I hear that you put a call out for easy Thanksgiving recipes, and I have one for you.  I’m not a huge expert on what is freezable and what is not, so I can’t make any promises about that.  I can tell you that this Spinach Artichoke Casserole is so so easy, that it’s almost as quick as a made-ahead frozen dish.  The hardest part is cooking the onions, and I bet Big T will do that for you!  Most casseroles with these two vegetables have cream cheese, heavy cream and/or canned soup.  This one does have small amounts of Parmesan and sour cream, but I think it’s lower in fat than the others, and the flavor is fantastic.  I’ve made this a couple of times.

Spinach Artichoke Casserole

2 (14 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained and halved
2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup butter (or olive oil)
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I use more!)
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp pepper
Dash of cayenne pepper
2 TBSP grated Parmesan cheese

Cook onions in butter or oil until tender.  Meanwhile, arrange artichokes in bottom of a greased casserole dish.  Drain spinach very thoroughly, pressing out as much water as you can.  I like to just pick up a handful with clean hands, and squeeze it completely dry.  To the cooked onions, add the spinach, sour cream, 1/4 cup Parmesan, salt and peppers.  Spoon spinach mixture over artichokes and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350º for 25 to 30 minutes or until completely heated throughout.

I also found a couple of recipes from AllRecipes that I thought sounded really good for Thanksgiving.  How about Carrot Broccoli Casserole with cheese, but without rice or canned soup? I love carrots and broccoli together, and cheese would just make the combo even tastier!  Crumb-Topped Broccoli Bake sounds delicious too.  Again, no rice since you have those scrumptious mashed potatoes for your starch.  It has crushed Ritz crackers on the top, and calls for a can of process cheese sauce.  I think that means Cheez Whiz! 😀

I hope you like one of those.  Maybe someone will have an idea we haven’t thought of yet!

~BigSis

November 18, 2008

Can you ever get enough of cats in hats?  I can’t!  So I’m bringing you more of what cracks me up.  These furkids own one of my coworkers, K, and her sister, L.  May I present Beau, Brady and Bruschi (Patriots fans, ya think?) in alphabetical order to avoid any hurt kitty feelers:

Beau in his favorite baseball cap

Another pose from the handsome Beau

Brady may be hissed off, but his whiskers are gorgeous!

Brady working those gold peepers

Adorable Bruschi loves the chicken hat...

...can't you tell??

Thanks for sharing the photos of your cats in hats, K and L!  We love them!

~BigSis

November 16, 2008

I just talked about this eye cream that’s been getting a big buzz among the beauty world; Relastin Eye Silk.

Relastin Eye Silk

I decided that BigSis needed to try it since her eyes have been looking pretty pitiful since the Nasty Virus struck.  Guess what?  Relastin has a special going on now for $20 off the price of the Eye Silk, so you’re getting it for $49 instead of $69 plus shipping!  I call that a fabulous deal.  I don’t know how long this special is going to last, so if you’re interested, grab yourself a bottle like I did and we’ll compare results!

~BigSis

November 14, 2008

Ok, LilSis, let me wrap up my contribution to the Sister Showdown skin care extravaganza week!  I mentioned that keeping my skin clean clean clean is the key to my skin care regimen, so effective exfoliating products are super important.  Without a doubt, the queen of this category for me is Origins Modern Friction.

Origins Modern Friction

Oh my gravy, do I love this product!  Use this 2 or 3 times a week, and just see for yourself how smooth your skin feels.  The amazing thing is that it works so beautifully at removing what needs to be removed, but it’s incredibly gentle and doesn’t feel rough or scratchy in the least.  Origins calls it “Nature’s gentle dermabrasion” and that is no exaggeration, in my opinion.  It’s made with rice starch, lemon oil, and aloe, and it smells like peppermint and bergamot.  If you’re skeptical about my glowing praise, do yourself a favor and go into an Origins store and see if they’ll demo the product for you.  I betcha they will, and then you’ll be sold!  For $37 you get 4 ounces, and it actually lasts longer than you might think.

Let’s stay in Origins for my favorite mask Clear Improvement.

Origins Clear Improvement Mask

Ok, so it’s not a gorgeously photogenic product.  This isn’t a Barbie pink or mint green mask, nope, this is a serious mask that will launch a serious attack on the junk in your pores!  It’s a clay mask with active charcoal, and it sweeps out your pores like nobody’s business!  Apply this deep dark mask, let it dry, and remove it to reveal your glowing purified skin.  It’s $21 for a 3.4 ounce tube.

That’s it for me, LilSis!  Are there any scrubby little secrets in your skincare routine that you want to divulge?

~BigSis

November 12, 2008

Hey, thanks for the great info on your eye creams, LilSis!  Too bad my skin is so different from yours because I’d ask you for good advice on my daytime moisturizer too! I just finished up a bottle of the serum recommended by my trusty dermatologist, and I’m not really feeling a repurchase of it coming on.  I liked it ok, but it seemed to make my skin a bit tacky and I’d be shiny about an hour after applying my makeup.  That effect was worsened when I applied the dab of sunscreen that I’m supposed to wear on top of the serum every day.  I really think it’s best for skin a little bit drier than mine.  And most skin is drier than mine!  But that’s ok, they say drier skin wrinkles easier, don’t they?  What I used is the SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic.

SkinCeuticals CE Ferulic

I’ve heard there is a new breakthrough SkinCeuticals product out that is more suited to oilier skins, and I believe it’s the Phloretin CF ($150).

SkinCeuticals Phloretin CF

The CE Ferulic was $135 (gulp) so I’m not keen on buying it again since I didn’t love it, but I need some serious evidence before I plunk down $150 on this new product.  The challenge is that almost every reasonably-priced moisturizer breaks me out, so that’s money down the drain.  It makes more sense to buy something that’s going to work instead of trying this and that random drugstore brand, and then having to try to return it, or adding it to your pile of deserted products in the bathroom cabinet.

Thankfully, my nighttime product is a no-brainer.  Every night after cleansing, I let my skin get completely dry, and then apply a pea-size blob of Tazorac.  It’s a prescription retinoid that was prescribed by my dermatologist.  My insurance won’t cover it (snarl snarl) and the tube is about $125.  Thankfully it lasts a LONG time, and it’s worth it!  It’s marketed as an acne product, but in reality it does more than that for me.  My experience is that it causes turnover of the skin cells, so my skin is much smoother than it used to be pre-Tazorac, and I think it also tightens and smooths wrinkles somewhat. That’s just my opinion though – consult your dermie!

That’s my moisturizer story, LilSis.  Now tell me; what works for you?  Inquiring minds want to know!

~BigSis

November 10, 2008

I never start the day or end the day without using an eye cream, eye balms, or serum, but I am actually not completely satisfied with my eye product situation right now, so I’m on the prowl for something new since the Chanel eye cream I used to use was discontinued.

• My morning eye treatment was recommended to me by the esthetician at my dermatologist’s office, and I’ve been pretty happy with it. It’s Replenix Intensive Eye Lightening Serum. I don’t have much problem with dark circles, which this says it will address, but it’s also supposed to tighten and firm the under-eye area, and I think it does a good job of that. In BigSis’ Perfect Eye Cream World, it would just be a little bit more moisturizing. At skincarerx, I pay $54.95 for it.
• I like for my nighttime eye cream to very hydrating, but not make my eyes puffy, which most eye creams will do to me. Currently, I’m using Loreal Skin Genesis Multi-Layer Cell Strengthening Daily Treatment Eye Serum. Is that a big name for an eye cream, or what? The price tag is pleasingly small though, at less than $20 at discount stores. I read about it on makeupalley, and it got great reviews. It’s performed well, but I think I need a little bit more oomph from my nighttime eye cream.
  

  Loreal Skin Genesis Eye Serum

• According to the Best of Beauty feature in the October issue of Allure magazine, the best anti-wrinkle eye cream is Relastin Eye Silk ($69) so that one may be worth a try. There are 15 reviews for it on drugstore.com, and the only 2 negative ones were about packaging and that the product didn’t last 60 days.
• I do have to give a big thumbs-up to my all time favorite eye makeup remover, Lancome BiFacil. I’ve tried the highly-recommended drugstore brands to save some money, because the BiFacil is a pricey little product in my opinion ($26), but the less expensive products seem to dry out the skin around my eyes, and that’s not good! So I always go back to BiFacil. NOTHING clears eye makeup away like it does, even waterproof mascara, and it never causes clogged pores or eye irritation. It’s one of BigSis’ Hall of Fame Beauty Products!

So, LilSis, give me the lowdown on your current eye cream favorites. I could use some guidance!

~BigSis