Photo memories for a lifetime

One of the defining memories of my childhood was a Kodak commercial that ran on television constantly.
The sentimental lyrics were paired with a melody that still brings back memories to this day.  The theme of the commercial was that you better photograph your children as they are now because, before you know it you can turn around and they will be grown and out the door and you may have lost the moment.  Today as I look at my photo albums today I know my parents and my family took that message pretty much to heart. There we are my brothers, my parents, my grandparents, my aunts and uncles all looking back at me in the albums.  As we grew older the flurry of photos seemed to diminished, but by then I had taken my own camera and continued the trail of memories with my own children's pictures.

These days as I look at my pictures of the family, I long for the days of sitting with my children over Fourth of July weekend at the beach or the park, or a neighbor's yard. Just like the song from the Kodak commercials is true..."Turn around, turn around". We raise our children to leave the nest not to be mama's boys.

Beauty "thought for today" Clinique the iconic brand

"Cherish the past, but invent the future"

Clinique was the first brand that I started using as a teenager in California.

My best friend, Sue Clark introduced to me to the whole line of skin care in 1972.

Sue came from a family of beautiful women, and all of them had their beauty secrets.

Clinique the 43 year old skin care brand recently propelled themselves into the industry's leading power player.  Back in 2006, the parent company Estee Lauder cosmetics began to take equity of the brand and modernize it.

New products were rolled out with much success.

• 2007 - Redness solutions
• 2008- Lash Power mascara
• 2009 - Even Better Makeup SPF 15
• 2010 - Even Better Clinical dark spot corrector
• 2011 - Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Colour balm

Going forward,  Clinique will continue to play in the dermatological concerns arena.  In April, Pore Refining Correcting Serum launched, claiming to visibly reduce the appearance of pores by 58 percent in two weeks.  Its numbers like that keep attracting new followers to this market.
I love all of the Clinique products - even now in my fifties its my "go to beauty corrector and damage corrector".  One of my most favorite products is the "Moisture Surge tinted Moisturizer" like wearing makeup that's not really makeup, its light and fresh and feels like you are only wearing moisturizer.

Once a upon a time in 1976, I went to England on a Rotary Youth Exchange

When I was 18 years old and a freshman in junior college, I left home and study abroad for a year in England on a Rotary Youth Exchange.  The experience was my first real opportunity to study outside of the United States.  My father was a member of the local Rotary Club and he was insistent that all of his children spend time outside of the U.S., I went to England in 1976 and my brother Drew also spent a summer in Northern England.  My dad's advice as it turned out was extraordinarily 100% correct.  After several weeks in Blackpool/St. Anne in Lancashire - I was realizing a dream. Sometimes we don't always see the the important quest for education and how our parents want us to live better than they had lived. My Mom & Dad were very proud of my trip to England and I was proud of myself to venture outside of my comfort level and learn to live with a new family and study abroad.

Each day a new beginning - 30 words you'll never misspell again

Handy guide to hang near your desk

1. a lot
2. allege
3. amateur
4. apparent
5. believe
6. caffeine
7. committed
8. conscious
9. conscience
10. definitely
11. embarrass
12. exceed
13. gauge
14. grateful
15. hierarchy
16. humorous
17. liaison
18. maneuver
19. mischievous
20. privilege
21. queue
22. receive
23. recommend
24. rhythm
25. separate
26. sergeant
27. supersede
28. transferred
29. vacuum
30. weird

The Story of the Coco Palms Hotel

Once in a lifetime experience.....

As a child and also a teenager, my parents took our family to Hawaii many times.  We vacationed on Kauai and stayed at the world famous COCO PALMS HOTEL at the Wailua river.  The Hotel was famous and had been in many Hollywood movies such as South Pacific, Blue Hawaii and many more. the Coco Palms Resort Hotel was within walking distance to the beautiful Pacific Ocean and the Wailua Beach.  Each evening the Lagoon Dining room would fill with families and it was like going back in time to a simpler time.  During the holidays in 1973 my Dad took us for Thanksgiving and our family was able to see the famous tree planting ceremony for those of us who were lucky enough to be there at that time period.  That ceremony left an impression on me and established a love for the hotel and lodging industry.  The pride of the Hawaiians, and the pride of the hard work was especially gratifying for me to see.

Fast forward to 2003, my husband and I were married on the beautiful island of Kauai.  The Coco Palms Hotel has been closed since 1992 when the Hurricane Iniki damaged the resort with winds and rain. Through a long time friend, Joe Kauo my husband and I had the good fortune to meet the original Hotel Manager of the Coco Palms, his name is "Big John Kauo" in 2009.  Big John started out as a waiter and worked his way up to Hotel Manager.  He tells the story of doing almost every job at the Hotel from dishwasher to panty manager to managing the bellman. 

Transform your face, eyes, brows, nose and lips with a safe natural technique

From Publishers Weekly

Designed for the woman who is unhappy with an aspect of her face or body but who "either cannot afford plastic surgery or does not want to risk its very real potential side effects," Pearl's guide to makeup techniques is a friendly, affordable alternative to the doctor's office. As a makeup artist to celebrities such as Barbara Walters, Brooke Shields, Mira Sorvino and Kelly Ripa, Pearl has blue ribbon credentials among the rich and famous. This book, however, leaves starry glamour aside and focuses on the common problems of ordinary women everywhere: dark circles under the eyes, blotchy complexion, unwanted freckles and double chins. Pearl uses normal-looking people, including her own family members and herself, as the models for her before and after demonstrations, which makes her results seem both more doable and more believable. (Several of the models are African-American.) For example, in the section titled "Bye-Bye Crow's-Feet and Laugh Lines" she shows how concealer and foundation can be used in a "two-step process of spackling and painting" that fills in and covers signs of aging. Other sections cover techniques like contouring and setting. Some readers may wish that more time had been spent explaining basic techniques like blending foundation. But for readers who already have some experience using makeup, and are satisfied with a transformation that can be washed off at the end of the evening, Pearl's how-to book should be just the trick.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

'Eve is not only a make-up artist, she is a magician who reveals the tricks of the trade' - Kelly Ripa

Plastic Surgery Without the Surgery: The Miracle of Makeup Techniques

See all Editorial Reviews

Quote of the day - Happy February 1st, 2011

"we can learn to use makeup to emphasize our eyes or downplay a feature.  But, self-assurance involves learning to live with (and treasure) those fundamental things we cannot change: the very features that make each of us beautiful and unlike anyone else." 
- Bobbi Brown

9 pieces of advice to get through a terrible day

9 Pieces of advice to Get you through a Terrible Day

1. do something for somebody else - it will help you feel a bit better.
2. Rent a movie - perhaps a romance comedy
3. find yourself a friend, shrink or a stranger to talk to.
4. forget about what you cannot do
5. meet an old friend for lunch and listen to her woes
6. step away from the ice cream, lasagna etc - don't lose the ability to tuck in your shirt.
7. Do something for - yourself- anything, I promise it will make you feel better.
8. go to church, mass, temple or wherever you worship
9. buy a new tube of lipstick or gloss - may I suggest Sephora it will always make you feel better.

SPANX -- my favorite way to whittle the middle and have great Legs!

Spanx has got to be the greatest invention known to mankind.

• Makes our legs look glamorous
• Invisible to most 
• Wear as underwear to avoid VPL (visible Panty Lines)
• Mega compression zones minimize love handles
• Comfortable waistband stays in place all day long, thank you.
• High waisted shaping sheers with super tummy control
• Helps us get into our skinny jeans - thank you Sara Blakely for helping us look Beautiful.

Also Spanx is now featuring:

• Camisoles
• Bras
• biking shorts

for 2011 - this is my new favorite product !! 

The Sephora-to-Go App: Take a tour