tips

Skin Secrets

Posted on by Shoe Daydreams

Poochie Close-up 3am, February 2010

I’m a long range planner. I have goals for ten years out. And I was thinking about how my skin would age back in high school. I’m not as OCD as it sounds, I hope. Part of that is because I grew up in Miami, FL but have exceedingly fair and sensitive skin. I had to be careful of it. And because of that and learning from a few things I’ve read, I think I’ve aged pretty well so far. I get a lot of surprised reactions when I say my age.

I’m 38 by the way.

So what have I learned and what regimen do I follow? How you age does have some genetic factors to it, but a lot of it is under your control. Start incorporating these tips now and I think you will go a long way to looking healthy and full of energy.

1. Wash your make-up off every night. No matter what kind of make-up you are using, it’s best to wash it off before you go to sleep. No matter how late I’ve been out or even if I was a bit tipsy, I’ve always washed my face. Mascara, which I love, is especially bad to leave on. It can cause your eyelashes to break and I’m very protective and vain about my lashes.

2. I wash my face with a mild soap, Cetaphil bars, and then tone with Thayer’s Rose Water Witch Hazel. Thayer’s has several versions of witch hazel but this is my favorite. It’s also great to refresh your skin in the morning or other times throughout the day. It’s not drying at all.

3. Always moisturize. I use an eye serum and face lotion or serum morning and night. I’ve never been fussy about the brand. As long as my skin reacted okay with it and it didn’t feel too goopy or smell weird, I used it. Freebies are a good way to test this out.

4. Don’t forget to moisturize your neck, chest and hands. These areas have delicate skin and age as well.

5. Avoid the sun! Yes, use sunscreen too, but frankly just stay out of the sun as much as you can, especially the 10am-3pm time period. Tanning is not your friend. And especially don’t use tanning beds; they are even worse than being outside. Invest in pretty parasols and bronzer. And make sure to get a full body check at your annual check-ups.

6. Drink lots of water. Water, water, water. Tea is good too.

7. Avoid coffee and alcohol. Coffee is very dehydrating. So is alcohol. And soda too. Especially if you are on a plane. Get the water. Skip the pricey drinks.

8. Don’t smoke. Not only can you get lung, throat, lip and tongue cancer, it’s a bitch on your face.

9. Never eat junky fast food like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, BK, Taco Bell, etc. Not only is this food devoid of nutrition, it also suppresses your immune system. Frankly, where your body is concerned: Garbage in, Garbage out. And that garbage is going to land right on your face. There are a ton of quick options out there that are delicious and healthy.

10. Eat vegan or raw. I haven’t been sick in years because I don’t eat meat, dairy, eggs or much processed food at all. But I do feel great, have great skin and never get an upset stomach. Nowadays its an easy switch. Great for you, the animals and the environment.

11. Exercise in moderation. It’s important to exercise but don’t get obsessive about it. There are even studies that show people have increased the amount of sag on their faces because of the high-stress repetitive impact that is generated in exercises like running. Better to walk or swim (although be careful of the drying chlorine!)

12. Don’t make yourself get too thin. Women’s bodies need to have some fat on them to be healthy. You know how celebrities are injecting fat into their face (duck face look). Yeah, that’s because they starve themselves thin their whole lives and then as your skin naturally loses fat their face looks hollow.

13. Don’t do unnecessary plastic surgery. That is all. It never works out. Just my opinion.

14. Use a humidifier if you live in a dry area or have the heater on in the winter. I also like to add essential oils to mine, which is a cool mist humidifier. The room smells great and I breathe easier at night. I even have a travel sized one for my office and hotel rooms and keep a mister in my purse all year round. I take hydration seriously.

15. Take care of your teeth. Nothing is as aging and painful as dental problems. Avoiding coffee and smoking will lesson the amount of staining. Get regular cleanings – maintenance is cheaper than pricey dental work down the road. Floss whenever you can. Use an electric toothbrush so you don’t scrub your gums away. Mine is a $20 model that I had to get after I was told I was, you guessed it, scrubbing my gums away. But I’ve never had a cavity!

16. Don’t pick at your face. Just back away from the magnifying mirror.

17. If you can, do yoga and meditation. I’ve read that 50% or more of the aches and pains people associate with aging is because they just don’t stretch. Also, sit on the floor at least once a day. The reason many people in the US can’t sit on the floor and then get up is because we all sit on these cushy couches and chairs all the time.

18. Sleep.

19. Try not to stress out. Enjoy the moment.

20. Be happy and fun-loving and your happy, youthful outlook on life will shine through.

There you go! My top 20 tips. What are your tips to looking great and staying healthy?

Destruction before Construction

Posted on by Shoe Daydreams

It’s a known fact that you have to make a bigger mess and pull everything out before you can put it all away, neat and tidy.

That’s how I’m feeling right now.

I don’t know if it’s the month of February or what, but I’m feeling like things are crashing down on me right now. Maybe it’s because I’m not feeling so great these last few days. Or all the cold wet weather keeping us stuck in the house. Or nervousness/anticipation of travelling next week.

I love going to New York but it feels very hectic. The weather is throwing me and may packing capabilities off-balance. I grew up in Florida. I’m still learning how to dress for colder weather. And combining that with a desire to look nice, not take a million suitcases and having to hand carry my camera, computer, purse and shoes…. well, it seems to be a recipe for disaster more than fun.

I’m trying to balance the trip prep with my work prep. My work offline does not stop or even slow down just because I’m out of town. Not in the slightest. So I need to be able to cover that while covering what I’m spending a good chunk of change to come to NYC to see.

Combine all this with knowing I’m ditching the hubby with all the pets and house duties and other everyday concerns, I’m stressing.

Oh yeah, and I’m not thrilling to my new haircut from last week.

I’m sure it will be good when I’m there (I hope… please let’s minimize the rain, okay?) and I’ll probably be too busy to fret but right now I’m in a frenzy and can’t concentrate.

Who has some great tips on how to calm down, focus and pack to dress cute in cold rainy weather!

I fee like a big mess so any thoughts are appreciated!

Luv
Poochie

Tips for NYFW and Beyond

Posted on by Shoe Daydreams

I don’t think any of these are that major but here are some helpful little things I use when I’ve gone to NYC.

Getting from Airport to City –

Hopefully many of you know this but I saw first hand that some people did not… the guys you approach you at baggage claim offering to take you to the city for $50+ are not legal. The transit authority should be removing them but they still get in. You should only go to the taxi stand or the ground transportation counter. They can help you.

If you have plenty of time and don’t mind getting a big squished and you want to save some money, have them set you up on the SuperShuttle. It’s about $15 a person plus tip but plan on waiting anywhere from 15 – 60 minutes until the next shuttle comes. Also, once you are on the shuttle you will be dropping people off at their destinations and the order is picked by the driver. I’ve taken the taxi, SuperShuttle and a hired car in. The hired car is the way to go.

That sounds kind of fancy right? Well, it is generally a nice experience but it’s not that much more than taking a cab. I’ve used Dial 7 a few times and think they are good. If you book in advance online you get a discount too. It will be somewhere in the range of $40. I took the SuperShuttle in this last trip and it took over 2 hours from when I landed to get to my hotel. If you have an early flight too and want a reliable pick-up, do the car.

In the City –

But when you are in the city, it is a different matter. I like to walk around and have become much more comfortable with the subway. And having an iPhone makes doing both of these so much easier.

The first think I do is use Google Maps to list all the places I might possibly want to go. This gives me a general idea of where things are located so I can group stuff together. I think put all of these places into my phone contact list. When I’m walking around I can tap the address in the contact info and it will show it on the map as well as show where I am. I can then see where I need to go without carrying around a paper map or guidebook. I could be texting or whatever.

I also love this particular Subway app.

What’s great about it is it downloads all the information to your phone so even when you are underground or without a signal you can still see the lines. It shows the lines on the map and all the stops by line. Very handy.

Services –

There are more that I may check out, but the above is my favorite so far.

Desparte times call for desparate measures. You’ll never know when you made need this…

I also love the Yelp app for checking out places to eat that I pass by when I am walking around. That’s how I decided to eat at Q2 Thai on this last tirp. Good reviews and good food.

Airfare –

I wish I had time to do this… I remembered at the last minute that I could have used my Delta points to book my flight. I was worried they wouldn’t transfer in time so I didn’t but that would have saved me some money. Even if you don’t have enough points for a ticket, sometimes it’s cheaper to buy the points you need to make up the difference than it is to buy a ticket.

Hotel –

Priceline can be your friend and can be a total pain in the butt. Enough said. I wanted to only pay a certain amout and Priceline wasn’t finding it for me. In the end I was looking at packages on Travelocity and then ended up going to the hotels shown in the package website and getting a deal they had going independently. I traded off amenities and location, yeah, but I hit my price in a very busy time in the city, so that was good.

However, I’m pretty sure I like Midtown best.

Just for Fun –

I’ve also decided that I’m always going to wear something stand-out-ish for the trip. This past trip I wore my Ann D. boots and received a lot of positive responses. People like to connect and this humanizes the process. Travel can be such a pain why not have a little fun if you can.

Have any tips to share?

Tips from the Luxury Business Newsletter

Posted on by Shoe Daydreams

For my work, I read a lot of information speaking to retailers, especially those targeting the Luxury market. But in this time of economic troubles, even the luxury research group can help provide some tips for “cash-strapped shoppers”

Expert Pam Danziger offers shopping tips for consumers this holiday season. Her credentials as a shopping authority include her latest book, entitled Shopping: Why We Love It and Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience from Kaplan Publishing.

My business is advising retailers and marketers how to get shoppers to spend more money when they shop, but this year with shoppers feeling the economic squeeze, it is only right that I turn the research around to help the cash-strapped shopper,” Danziger explains.

Danziger offers five tips that will make shoppers more effective this holiday season.

1) Don’t buy it just because it is on sale: Finding things on sale is great and bargains give the shopper a thrill, but one of the best ways that shoppers can save money is not to get trapped into buying things they don’t really need or want just because it is on sale. You can easily spend too much money if you focus on what you are saving, rather than what you are spending in order to save.

My rule of thumb about approaching items on sale is it is only worth buying IF it is something that you would pay full price for. My advice: Be watchful and careful when responding to sales. Keep your wits about you and only buy if it is really something that you would want at full price. If you wouldn’t pay full price for it, than it probably isn’t worth buying it on sale.

2) Don’t be afraid to spend for quality: This is another trap for shoppers, especially those prone to shop only for sale items. It is often better to spend more, sometimes a lot more, for quality that will give you a lifetime of wear or use than to buy lots and lots of cheaper stuff. You definitely should spend more for an item that is a classic, that will always be in style and appropriate for all occasions. Sometimes you want to go for the cheap, but other times the smart shopper splurges for the best.

I have met shoppers in research who say they only buy something if it is on sale. That is simply a losing proposition because often times what is on sale is the stuff nobody wants anyway. Shoppers should never be afraid to pay full price or spend more if the quality and value is there. And this brings me to my next piece of advice…

3) Educate yourself about what quality is: Shoppers often limit their shopping trips to just the stores they usually shop in and never cross the threshold of a luxury boutique or department store because they feel priced out. Forget it! The only way to learn about quality is to experience it and that means taking time in upscale stores like Saks 5th Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman or Nordstrom to see, feel, touch and try on the better brands.

To be a smart shopper, you have got to educate yourself about what quality is. Then you can take what you learn and apply it to shopping in the mass-market stores, as well as in the manufacturer’s outlets and discount shops.

4) Mass-market has never been better: This is the really big opportunity for shoppers today. The retail environment has never been better for shoppers with excellent quality products available at all price points. You can find outstanding quality goods that can rival the luxury brands in stores like H&M, Target, Gap, Banana Republic, J Crew, Ann Taylor, Macy’s, the list goes on and on, if the shopper knows what to look for. Armed with education and understanding about the quality features of the top-notch brands, you can shop much smarter and more effectively in any store. You don’t have to buy the well-known brand name anymore to get quality, but you do need to be smart when you shop.

5) Think strategically before you go to the store: One of the most profound changes my research has found among shoppers, especially younger shoppers, is how strategically and business-like they approach shopping. They plan in advance by researching over the Internet the products and brands they want and the stores that are their destination before they head out to shop. Impulse shopping takes a back seat, while shoppers become more careful, more strategic and let their left-brain lead when shopping.

The simple fact is retailers play to emotion and pepper their store with powerful emotionally-laden cues and clues that encourage the shopper to indulge, buy and spend. The best strategy for shoppers to block these efforts is to keep their left brain in control and use discipline when entering the retail environment.

Danziger concludes, “Armed with these strategies, shoppers this season can take advantage of the wonderful shopping opportunities available in this recessionary environment without digging themselves deeper and deeper into debt buying more stuff that ultimately may not be worth it. Today’s shopper needs to keep focused on value – getting the most value for the least amount of money. Often times that may mean turning away from poor-quality stuff marked down to fire sale prices and trading up to a more premium, higher quality brand that will offer years of use and enjoyment.”

About Pam Danziger and Unity Marketing –

Pamela N. Danziger is an internationally recognized expert specializing in consumer insights, especially for marketers and retailers that sell luxury goods and experiences to the masses as well as the ‘classes.’ She is president of Unity Marketing, a marketing consulting firm she founded in 1992.

Advising such clients as PPR, Diageo, Waterford-Wedgwood, Google, Lenox, Swarovski, GM, Orient-Express Hotels, Italian Trade Commission, Marie Claire magazine, The World Gold Council, and The Conference Board, Pam taps consumer psychology to help clients navigate the changing consumer marketplace.

Her latest book is Shopping: Why We Love It and How Retailers Can Create the Ultimate Customer Experience (Kaplan, $27) is in the bookstores now.

Her other books include Let Them Eat Cake: Marketing Luxury to the Masses-as well as the Classes, (Dearborn Trade Publishing, $27, hardcover) and Why People Buy Things They Don’t Need: Understanding and Predicting Consumer Behavior (Chicago: Dearborn Trade Publishing, 2004).

She has appeared on CNN’s In the Money, NBC’s Today Show, CNBC, CNN International, CNNfn, CBS News Sunday Morning, Fox News’ Your World with Neil Cavuto, ABC News Now, NPR’s Marketplace and is frequently called upon by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, American Demographics, Women’s Wear Daily, Forbes, USA Today, Associated Press, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune for commentary and insight.