Incredible!

So yesterday I was out and about and stopped by Victoria's Secret in West Ed Mall ... I wasn't planning on buying anything, but happened to come across, what the sales associate called, the most comfortable of all bras. Of course, me being the skeptic, thought to myself, "Yeah right, no bra is "comfortable" and began to question the sales associate what made it the "most comfortable". This new incredible bra is apparently seamless with no metal, there are no adjustable straps (the straps are self adjusting to the individual) and the under wire is double padded.

OK, so far you've got my attention ...

The perky sales assistant proceeded to show me one of the three types of incredible bras available - and the first thing I noticed was the band on this bra was wider than a normal bra ... The fabric is a wonderful stretchy silky nylon/spandex. OK, another plus.

Then of course were the colors ... WOW ... they had blues, pinks, purple, black, leopard print, and even a conservative white.

Seeing the interest on my face, the now even perkier sales associate asked if I'd like to try one on. hmmm ... OK why not ... so off I go to the fitting room. Now, I've been wearing bras for many years now, but the incredible bra was truly one of the most comfortable bras I've ever worn. The fabric was so soft, if just felt nice to wear and it fit really well. I was hooked!!

I headed back out to the store floor (of course after putting my old bra and t-shirt back on), and promptly picked up 2 of the incredible bras to take home. As I was selecting my purchases, another shopper came up and commented to the sales associate that she was there earlier in the week and purchased one of the incredible bras ... after wearing it for one day, she decided that she was throwing out all her old bras, and she was back to pick up a couple more.

I've been wearing my incredible bra all day and I do have to say that this is a most comfortable bra. The self-adjusting straps are awesome - there is no need for any tightening or constant adjusting of straps. My only real concern was the under wire, however, because it is "double-wrapped", there wasn't any pinching or digging at all (the main reason I hate under wire bras). The real test will come when we head down to Florida in a little under a week ... if it's as comfortable in the hot Florida heat/humidity as it was today, I think I may be heading back to Victoria's Secret to pick up a few more myself!

Stila One Step Correct

According to the Stila website, Stila's One Step Correct is a "primer, color corrector, brightener and anti-aging skincare serum that does it all with the help of Stila's Youth Revival Bio-Available Mineral Complex".

It's supposed to instantly make imperfections disappear, reduce fine lines, wrinkles, pores and pigmentation plus hydrate, control oil and improve skin texture.

The product contains 3 color-correcting brighteners:

- green, which instantly neutralizes redness and conceals blemishes;

- lavender, which counteracts sallow undertones for a vibrant, energized look

- peach, which brightens, illuminates and helps diminish the appearance of sun spots

The product itself is a gorgeous swirl of green, lavender and peach correctors suspended in a clear primer/moisturizer, and the overall look is enough for me to want to own the One Step Corrector. According to Stila, the weightless, creamy formula, blends imperceptibly into skin, won't clog pores or settle into fine lines. Stila professes that this is a multi-purpose product which combines moisturizer, skin corrector and foundation primer all in one.

I'll admit, the product is very intriguing and I am a sucker for inventive products. From a color theory perspective, I'm not sure how this works. Each color separately does a specific job, but when used all together, how does it work? I'm assuming that the colors are subtle enough to add what your skin needs and ignore what it doesn't. So, over the next couple of weeks, I'll give it a whirl and let you know what I think!

22 Days

... 22 days until our annual pilgrimage to Florida ... and we both can't wait!

Florida is one of our most favorite vacation destinations for many reasons. Florida is blessed with a very hospitable semi-tropical climate almost year-round. Unfortunately it is also subject to the threat of tropical storms and hurricanes during the late summer and fall (usually when we go!! LOL). Luckily, we've only ever encountered one hurricane in all the years we've been heading down (hurricane Wilma in 2005) - and during that encounter, we managed to fly home the day before the hurricane hit.

Besides the great weather, Florida has some great attractions and beaches (both Gulf coast and Atlantic coast), amusement parks (Disney, Universal, Seaworld, Busch Gardens), and then there's the Florida Keys. There's just so much to see and do in Florida and it's all within driving distance!

We head down to Florida twice a year (in May and October) and Orlando has really become our home away from home. We've got more friends in Florida than we do here at home, and yes, eventually we'd like to retire there (YAY no more snow!!) ... but that is some years off yet.

Back to our October trip ... we usually head down the same time each October (early to mid October) and start off the vacation with Spooky Empire's Ultimate Horror Weekend. Spooky has become a staple in our October vacation - as much as Disney and Universal - and we've met some great friends there, who are basically extended family. We very much look forward to kicking off our vacation by spending the weekend with them all! Once Spooky is over, we pack up our belongings and head over to our Disney resort for the 2nd part of our vacation, where we visit the parks (Universal and Disney), we take in Halloween Horror Nights every year, as well as Disney's Food and Wine Festival, and of course Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party (yes we're just big kids).

As I mentioned in a previous blog, this year we're splurging and staying at Disney's Polynesian Resort instead of our regular Pop Century Resort. I honestly don't know if we'll miss Pop Century or will be spoiled by the Poly and never want to go back to Pop. One good thing about staying at the Poly is it is a monorail resort, therefore when heading to the Wine and Food Festival at Epcot, we both can partake in "drinking around the world" without having to worry about one of us driving. The Poly is also just a short boat ride/monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom which means not having to park at the Transportation and Ticket Center and taking the monorail or ferry over to MK (which usually adds about 20 minutes to your travel time) ... so I can clearly see the pros to us staying at the Poly.

Even though we are staying at a Disney resort (and thus have free Disney transportation to any of the parks, Downtown Disney, etc), we do rent a car. Mostly for the convenience of not having to wait for Disney buses, plus we do like to see and do other things in the Orlando area. This year I booked our October rental in early April when I booked our rental for our May trip. I'm so glad I did because car rental prices for our dates are outrageous ($218/week for a mid-size rental). That is the highest we've ever seen in our many years of traveling to Orlando in either May or October!!

With only 22 days left, we're getting our items ready to take to Spooky (posters, etc for signing). The suitcases are out ready for packing (the cat seems to like snoozing in them/on them) and I keep checking our flights for last minute changes and car rental for a better rate (this is something I do until usually the day before we leave). Our tickets for HHN have been purchased and have been put in a safe place, along with our daytime tour (Unmasking the Horror) ticket. I'll be paying off our Disney hotel in the next few days (so we don't have that expense while we're at Disney) and I'll start freshening up our warm weather clothes for the trip.

... I'm sure 22 days will go by very quickly ...

Hugging Is Good For You Try It And See!

It's been said that life’s essentials are: air, food, water, Hugging, clothing and shelter, and experts say that “four hugs a day keep the doctor away”.

Hugging is natural, organic, without pesticides and having no preservatives — 100% wholesome. It’s healthy because it helps the body’s immune system, reduces stress and has no unpleasant side effects. Hugging is a miracle drug!

Adults love to hug babies and do so often. Adults love to hug adults too, but seldom do. A hug is a hug, and people must stop thinking about hugging as a means to an end. Hugging is a loving end in itself.

Hugging is practically perfect, because it has no moveable parts, no batteries to wear out, needs no checkups, and has low energy consumption and high-energy yield. It’s inflation proof, non-fattening, requires no monthly repayments, no insurance, it’s theft proof, non taxable, non polluting and fully refundable.

Hugs are free. Maybe that’s why so many people take them for granted. If hugs were costly, people would probably knock themselves out to make money to buy hugs.

But even though hugs are free, hugs are not worth anything if they are not used, and a hug not used is lost forever.

Experts will tell you that they approve of hugging because it is therapeutic, calming and has a pleasant effect. What they mean is … it feels good.

Here is a recipe for a perfect Hug:

Ingredients:
Two people
A touch of love
Four arms
A pinch of humour
Two hearts
A sprinkle of glee

Method:
Extend arms and wrap them around each other. Clear your minds, take a good look at each other. Then pull yourselves together and mix well. Serves two.

Come on … have a hug; hug your partner, hug your friend, hug your pets and hug your Teddy and remember…

Sometimes you need a hug when your feeling down, it can even take away a frown.