Facial Cupping

Before I write a Paris recap and move onto Rome I'd like to mention something I recently discovered: facial cupping massage. My regular body massage therapist also does this type of facial and suggested I try it, I'm super glad she learned this ancient technique and shared it with me. Using little glass suction cups (different sizes for different facial areas) and gently pulling the skin in a lymphatic massage (toward the lymph nodes in the neck and upper chest) drains excess fluid and promotes - natural- collagen production. I'm sure you can google it for more extensive information, but let me tell you it is:
super relaxing - like getting a full body massage but in a half hour; reduces puffiness and helps to sculpt the face; stimulates the skin to renew itself - in my experience the banding/lines that are horizontal across my neck and which I've had forever - are softening and disappearing!
So that's today's tip - I'd love to answer any questions and/or hear about your experience with facial cupping massage.
xo La

Aldi's Lacura Face Creams

I've been using 2 creams from the Lacura line: Q10 Restorative, which comes in the pink packaging as shown and Hydra Complete, which comes in a blue jar. The Q10 is for mature skin and is intended to increase the skin's firmness and diminish fine lines. It has a light rose scent and is a fairly thick formula. Along with coenzyme Q10, this formula contains E, F and B5. I use it as a night cream. A small amount, gently massaged, absorbs quickly. I'm very happy with the texture, scent, price (USD $5 for 1.7oz)and, most importantly, the results. I think my skin looks firmer and smoother.
The Hydra Complete (comes in blue packaging) is now my daily morning moisturizer. Containing sea minerals and vitamin B5, this cream is much lighter than the Q10 and absorbs quickly. It's intended to moisturize and freshen the skin. It also appears to have some illuminating ingredients as it makes my skin brighter and glowing. I love this formula and find it compares favorably to the pricer Neutrogena Visibly Even daily moisturizer I've also been using.
I give both creams very high marks and have read that, when tested, they compared favorably with the much pricer Lancome brand.

LACURA LIPS

Aldi's lip line includes lipstick, but I don't normally emphasize my lips with a lot
of color so I won't be reviewing their Lacura lipstick. I like a soft shimmer, somewhat pearly, but not super pigmented for my lips. I love Aldi's Gentle Lip Care - tubes that are similar to a lipstick - that come in 3 varieties:
Pink - which is the one I use and gives me just the hint of pink shimmer I like. Blue - which is unscented and uncolored and Yellow - which has a honey scent. These lip balms are a lovely texture (not chapsticky tacky), mineral oil and preservative free. They contain Vitamin E and B5, jojoba oil and (says the packaging) protect against harmful UV rays.
I bought several 3 packs of the Pink tubes when I discovered them in early December and passed them out to a few friends: RAVE REVIEWS! It's a wonderful feeling to find
great skin products that seem/feel/are luxurious for literally pennies. The 3 pack was $1.50 - that's right fifty cents a tube! (It's whats on my lips in my photo if you can see it - it's so subtle and the photo is not the best).
bisous,
La

AN ALDI PRIMER

To begin my little series on Aldi here is some background on the store. Primarily a grocery store, Aldi is a European company based in Germany. Aldi has been operating in Europe for some time, but is fairly new to the U.S. The same company owns Trader Joe's, and many in the U.S. are familiar with their wonderful (and thoughtful - no high fructose corn syrup!) assortment of foodstuffs. Aldi (like Trader Joe's) concentrates on food, and also sells cleaning products (laundry and dish detergent), paper products (plates, toilet tissue etc.) and personal items (shampoo, soap, body lotion, feminine hygiene etc.)but Aldi also has weekly specials that have run from slow cookers to men's work boots to 400 thread count sheets (at $35!!)in the 3 years I have been shopping there.
I am an informed consumer,a foodie, a label reader who eats well and I love this store. The prices are very low and this is not because of inferior product but the structure of the entire process. For example, at Aldi there is only one brand of saltine cracker. This is the Aldi brand and the crackers are of the highest quality (obviously outsourced from a major producer as Aldi is not a food manufacturer). Offering only the Aldi house brand means lower prices. I have done my grocery shopping almost exclusively at Aldi for years, have never been disappointed in the food and love the savings! Before Aldi I shopped at 2 markets that are considered very nice - and I don't miss them at all.
Be aware that you need a quarter to unlock a shopping cart, but you will be refunded when you return the cart to the corral. At Aldi you bag your own groceries($avings!) but here's my tip on that: grab a few banana boxes while shopping (they are sturdy and have handles built in) and keep them in the trunk of your vehicle. After checkout - which is super fast, they are timed on this - take your cart to your car and unload (no bags!) sorting as you go. When you get home it's sort of like an old movie: groceries delivered in a box AND the stuff is sorted for putting away. Go on try the fresh mozzarella, dark chocolate bars or the chibatta bread and tell me this is 'generic, inferior' food. I dare you.
Do not be afraid of Aldi.
Disclaimer: I am not employed by or paid by or anything by Aldi. I am just a foodie on a budget who is happy that they are in my heighborhood.
And now they have begun shelving their Lacura line of cosmetics - which I will review in this series.

Discriminating facial care

In my last post about frugality, which will from now on be referred to as discrimination (although that may have to change as it sounds weird!), I mentioned the expensive facial cleanser, toner and moisturizer I bought from Mme Jane Seybroyen. Her products were lovely, but it cost over $100 for a supply that lasted just a few months. Some have raved about how Mme's stuff cleared up problems they were having, but I have been blessed with normal skin and didn't see any amazing changes. One of the best things about her program was just that - it was a program. She detailed how to apply the creams and how to remove them. How to tap your skin lightly to increase absorption and circulation. And having an expert tell you to do this, this exact way, daily....well it made me do it! The bottom line is that any program - from skin care to finances and everything in between - must be done with some regularity in order to promote results. I have dabbled in the oil cleansing method and it seems that it would be very inexpensive. Some use olive oil and report amazing results. As soon as I finish up my current bottle of (generic) cetaphil I am going to experiment with more oils (I tried coconut and olive once or twice but not with any regularity, so I can't report any results!). I found this website that explains the process:http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/. If you use this method or a variation thereof, I'd love to hear about it. I highly recommend Thayer's Rose Witch Hazel, available at health food stores, as a toner http://www.thayers.com/store/?main_page=index&cPath=3