During quarantine last year, we had to resort to doing our own nails. Dislike. I am not a fan of painting my finger nails and toes mainly because it just never looks like when a professional does it. And honestly, who doesn’t want a nice foot rub with their pedicure? One day, Olive & June popped up on my IG. It’s been around for several years but just in case you haven’t heard of this line or are finally coming out of hiding from the pandemic, here you go. The 1st thing that drew my attention to it, was the claim of being long lasting like a gel mani you would get inside a salon. My gel used to last almost 2 weeks. I would say this polish FOR ME lasts 1 good full week. But, I’m VERY hard on my hands. It’s also not a fair assessment as we are washing our hands constantly and using lots of hand sanitizers. And, I tend to pick at my nails and cuticles. A big no no. Using their cuticle cream helps a lot and the glossy top coat is fabulous. I love how fast the polish dries too. The other thing that grabbed my attention is the selection of beautiful colors. These 3 are my latest infatuations. From left to right, the colors are-Lava, Sweet Gracious, and Lemony Lemon. Never too bright for me! Lava and Lemony Lemon are from their 2021 summer line. You can remove it with regular nail polish remover in a few quick swipes. This polish is also: formulated WITHOUT Dibutyl phthalate (DBP), Toluene, Formaldehyde, Formaldehyde resin, Camphor, Ethyl tosylamide, Xylene. AND it’s Vegan and Cruelty-Free! Click here for a link for 20% off any O & J nail system. 🙂

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If you love the smell of beachy summer heaven, you MUST check out Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Cream. It’s on the sweeter side with hints of vanilla, but it doesn’t smell sickening sweet. I walk by my husband and he literally says you smell delicious! Well, it was actually “bubblicious.” 😆 Or as I would say “bumbumlicious.” 😉 It is cruelty, sulfate, paraben, phthalate and mineral oil free, vegan, sustainably sourced, has safe ingredients and contains no microplastics. They have a long list of ingredients that they absolutely will never use. Their “blacklist.” It also claims to visibly tighten and smooth the skin. I love that it’s not sticky and sinks into the skin easily. It can be found here, Sephora or Amazon. Yum Yum for your Bum Bum!

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I’ve always had a little pooch after I had my son. But these last few years, I tend to look 5 months preggo on the regular thanks to lovely perimenopause. 😩 This is a perfect explanation of why the weight gravitates towards the stomach. “Even women who typically carry weight in their hips and thighs (🙋‍♀️) can find themselves gaining around the middle once they hit perimenopause. Why there? Well, estrogen, tells the body to deposit fat in the thighs and backside rather than around the middle. When estrogen declines, the body begins to accumulate abdominal fat.” Lovely. Here’s the full article. It’s a great read.

I do take a multivitamin and probiotic and that helps aid in digestion, keeps things, um, regular and definitely helps my weak immune system. I highly recommend Culturelle. 1 or 2 day. But it doesn’t tackle the daily bloat consistently. This is like nothing I’ve dealt with before. There are changes I know I need to personally make. Like adding more greens into to my diet, more AGUA AGUA, cutting down on sugar and carbs, limiting alcohol-wahhh. I also have to get my body moving more. But in tracking my diet, I really don’t eat excessively or eat heavy amounts of sugar or dairy. Unfortunately our metabolisms in our 40’s and up just don’t work like when we were younger. 😏 I am currently researching a good supplement for this very issue as well. I’ll report back with my findings! In the meantime, here are my suggestions/visual aids for how to conceal the bloated stomach. 😊

1) Blouses: Yes to flowy, peplum, tunics, crossover and asymmetrical styles

2) Long cardigans or kimonos with mid to high rise jeans and quality leggings

3) Wrap dresses are flattering on all body types

4) Don’t be scared to wear patterns. It confuses the eye a bit and won’t focus in on the mid-section

5) A statement necklace or fun scarf directs the eye up ⬆️

6) Show off another part of your body that you are happy with. Shoulders, legs, your bosom! 😉

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The people in attendance at The Oscars was scaled back tremendously this year, obvi, so there wasn’t the biggest display of dresses. But here are several (and a tux) that had me giving a standing ovation. 🤩😍 Bravo to all the winners! 👏👏

I love the sun but my days of baking myself with SPF 4 are long gone. And I especially don’t tan my face as the sun’s done too much damage to it. But I do like a nice glow during the Winter months. I’ve been using this booster by Clarins on my face and it’s super easy to use. Just add a few drops to your day or evening moisturizer. I only use 3 little drops but you can add more gradually for a darker tone. It’s very natural looking, easy to use, and dries fast evenly. And unlike most self tanner lotions, it doesn’t have a funny smell. It contains Aloe Vera extract so it’s also hydrating. It’s always recommended to exfoliate a bit before use and definitely do wash your hands after! Just Glow!

Picked up some new shades at Nordstrom after reading about Diff Eyewear. Every pair of DIFF sold, help those in need of glasses, surgeries, eye exams and more worldwide. 👏 Diff offers super stylish prescription eyeglasses and sunglasses and are very affordable. Mine were only $88. Right now, they’re having a buy 1, get 1 free sale on their site! 🎶 The future’s so bright…Who else knows the rest of that song? 😎 www.diffeyewear.com

I just wanted to quickly admire and share Kaley Cuoco’s designer outfits as her style speaks to me. Love all 3 of these she wore for The Golden Globes, Critic’s Choice Awards and SAG Awards. The hot pink dress, though. 😍👏

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Found a wonderful non-profit line of jewelry at Brisco’s Village Gifts in Arroyo Grande. Purpose Jewelry. The jewelry is handcrafted by young women escaping human trafficking. 100% of proceeds go to Purposes’ non-profit, International Sanctuary, to provide each artisan with fair wages, education & holistic care. Made in India, Uganda, Mexico and the USA. Very affordable and will make lovely gifts and support a good cause. 🙏 I love my new bracelet. 💓

Found a great shop in the town of Arroyo Grande, close to Pismo Beach on my little getaway this weekend. Brisco’s Village Gifts on 123 E. Branch St. Manager/store buyer Alisha was oh so sweet. Lots of cool treasures discovered here. There’s something for everyone!Like this amazing line of CBD products by Soul Spring. I bought the Serenity Bath Soak and it is HEAVENLY. I fell asleep in the tub, no joke. The ingredients are 100% natural, with Hemp CBD. It is vegan, gluten-free, soy free, GMO free, Cruelty-free and Made in the USA! If you’re in the area or passing through, check out this fun store that is locally and family owned since 1909! Here’s the site for Soul Spring.

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We made it through winter! Although the crazy cold wind says not so fast. So what are some Spring inclinations we can be looking out for and possibly adding into our wardrobe? Sorbet Pastels! Yes! I am all for it. And perfect timing as most of the Bay Area counties are moving into the ‘orange’ tier! Yahooo!! Which also means we are able to safely go…places! A perfect time to purchase a few new items. I found this amazingly gorgeous dress from Anthropologie. It’s not “technically” sorbet, but the colors are certainly invoking Spring time. I also love that it’s available in petite, standard AND plus sizes. Another item popping up in the fashion world is a yellow purse, bag or clutch. I dig Kurt Geiger. I have a purse by him and the bejeweled eagle head (his signature) is everythinggg. This bag I found at Dillard’s will go swimmingly with the dress. Another 90’s item that has been literally clinging on to stay relevant is the hair claw. This set is certainly not the boring solid black banana clip of my olden days. 😉 Got the Covid vaccine? Congrats! Go buy yourself something pretty. You deserve it! 🙂

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