Deep in the Night (What’s Your Beauty Routine?)

As the moon calls and you’re ready to go to bed, what do you do as part of your nightly ritual? Whether you’re a wash-and-go (to bed) type, or have a more lengthy, luxurious routine, you are invited to an opportunity to participate in Exuviance’s give-away- a full size Super Retinol Concentrate.  Twenty-five lucky winners will win this $78 value!

Simply share your favorite nighttime beauty tips & tricks on Twitter and other social media channels. Be sure to tag @neostrataskin and using #sleeponit.

If you’re interested in trying this unique anti-aging nighttime transformer that delivers a gradual, time-released infusion of pure Retinol in a microencapsulated form to maximize potency and tolerability of this high-strength formulation, this is the giveaway for you!

Widely recognized by dermatologists for its antiaging power, Retinol helps build natural collagen and its surrounding support matrix for plumping and firming benefits, reducing the look of deep-set wrinkles and minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles from the inside out. Patented NeoGlucosamine® is clinically proven to work synergistically with Retinol, building skin’s support matrix to increase skin firming and smoothing effects versus Retinol alone. As skin becomes firmer and new cells emerge, skin is transformed, younger looking. For an immediate visual boost, optical brighteners provide visual softening.

Designed for maximum efficacy and stability, the formula contains a retinol-stabilizing complex and utilizes an opaque airless pump-top tube to maintain freshness. This light, serum-like formulation is fragrance free, Paraben free, and oil free.

Studies show after 8 weeks (data on file):
100% reported firmer skin
98% noticed skin is lifted, less droopy
95% observed Wrinkles are less apparent
95% said fine lines are less apparent
98% saw better clarity/radiance
88% noticed brown spots are less noticeable

Ready to play? Enter today with this link, be sure to share on social media with the tags @neostrataskin and #sleeponit. Add Exuviance to your nightly beauty routine ’round midnight!

Color Perception

I start paying a lot of attention to my vision right before a visit to the ophthalmologist. In the days leading up to it, I find myself carefully observing my eyesight- what I see, how well I see, how dry my eyes are… I get caught up in following my floaters–almost voraciously, obsessively tracking those grey and black amorphous blobs, dancing in a sound-free symphony. My latest visit was on Thursday, and immediately after getting a clean bill of eye health- retina intact, no change in vision- I’m faced with the ocular issue of the century:

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….. Is the dress white and gold, and black and blue?

white & gold? black or blue? You know, THAT dress, uggghhh!!

If only I had seen this societal crazy-making before my ophthalmologist visit. I surely would have asked him about it. Though I may not really care what the “science” behind it is. I don’t like for my senses to be played with this way!

Billowing Brown Curtain

Sitting and waiting at Friedman’s Lunch for my dining partner yesterday morning (yes, we came to a place with “lunch” in the title for breakfast!), I looked around the dining area at the quaint yet sleek, cool vibe. The dark, heavy brown curtain that hung hovering over the doorway would billow every time someone walked in. Sitting so close to it, sometimes it would caress my thigh or knee. I really liked the fabric and its velour heaviness. The way the curtain made a show of presenting each person who entered through the door was slightly captivating. The whole experience was one that caught my senses.

Solo “Artist Date”

I recently started “The Artist Way at Work” by Julia Cameron to help me fuel my creativity and passions. (Maybe you’ll be seeing a lot more blog posts from me as a result.) I also signed up for an in-person course led by Kaeshi Chai, Brad McDonald, and Arielle Adamy . I “jumped ahead” a bit because I also started the Audible version of the original, “The Artist’s Way” and became familiar with the idea of the “Artist Date” or “time out”, and decided to take the opportunity as soon as it came to me.

I was scheduled to have afternoon tea with some friends on Friday, an excursion that would bring me not far from the Princeton area. While searching for something else to do, I came upon two exhibits at the Princeton University Art Museum: Chigusa and the Art of Tea in Japan, and Kongo Across the Waters. While I didn’t have much time before our tea, I decided to take what was available to me and set out on a solo (albeit short) adventure.

The surrounding area is lovely and quaint, and the museum itself is lovely. I definitely plan to go back one day when I have more time. The exhibits were really interesting as well. Of course, there was was a heart for me to see within the museum:

From Chigusa and the Art of Tea in Japan exhibit

And I just loved being around artifacts and beautiful artistry. Neither exhibit disappointed. I felt a tingle run through me as I made my way through the exhibits. It was just wonderful! I recommend Artist Dates for everyone!

Going out into the World Without Glasses

Over the weekend, I had the misfortune of having ripped a contact lens, with no replacement available to me. I was about two hours away from home and hadn’t brought a pair of glasses with me either. My eyesight is bad enough that I could not go the entire day wearing just one contact lens without having other repercussions (in the form of an extremely bad headache). So I resorted to what seemed like the best option at the time- I took the other lens out and went sans vision enhancements. This is something I haven’t done in years. It was definitely disconcerting even while only dealing with the world inside. When I ventured outside, it was nearly frightening. I was astounded at how little I was able to see and read. Naturally I wasn’t doing any of the driving, but I was shocked at how difficult it was for me to even be able to see that there were letters on the street and highway signs, much less be able to read them. All the street lights and headlights looked like huge lit-up snowflakes. It was all I could do to even keep my eyes open.

I tried to look at it as an opportunity to engage my other senses more intensely. It was actually pretty difficult to do as I was so focused on the ill state of my ability to see. Perhaps I am more moved by my sense of sight than I ever realized.

Berries of all Different Colors

One of the things I love about going to a gym adjacent to a nature area is that I get to see nature unfold throughout the seasons. During a recent visit, I noticed a berry bush with berries of all different colors. Today’s post features an assortment of photographs I (feebly) took, to chronicle all the different colors I saw. Enjoy!

Ordinary Objects with Personality

I’m not one for knick-knacks all around the home. They tend to be nothing more than dust collectors, so I try to keep them at a minimum. Of course I do have a few choice objects that complement the rest of my home decor, but rather than clutter my home with lots of little figurines and placeholders, I prefer to purchase everyday usable (and usually consumable) items that have flair.

Journals, notebooks, and files with fun, colorful prints are ways I bring patterns and artistic flair into my life without adding clutter and chaos to the tops of my furniture.

Stylish folders

I’m also not one for dozens of paper snippets attached to my refrigerator with a bevy of souvenir magnets. Lucky for me, my unmagnetizable stainless steel refrigerator does not even allow for magnets of any kind- they all just slip off.

On occasion though, I do have a hankering for the chance to hang up a visual reminder of my to-do list for the week, or an invitation for an upcoming event. So over the weekend, I wound up purchasing a magnetic clipboard, at Pier 1 Imports (for which I used a 15% off coupon!) which I hung on the wall thanks to the help of a Command hook.

Magnetic clipboard

My saunter through the local Pier 1 store was a banquet of beautiful, exotic items that tantalized my sights. Just being around the different colors and prints is such an inspiring and uplifting experience for me and my stimulus-soaked senses!

I’ve already put the clipboard to use, tasking it with holding the invitations to a couple of upcoming events:

It matches the style of my home perfectly and has the right mix of “contemporary”, “global”, and “whimsy” that I so love. It is not only nice to look at but functional.

What are some ways you bring colors, patterns, and/or texture to your home without creating clutter? Share in the comments if you are so inclined!