Beauty Products

Keeping an Eye on my Posture

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Hello,

Did you all watch the eclipse? Okay, okay, I will admit we were in the path of totality, and I must say seeing the moon completely cover the sun was really cool! I felt like I was on a different planet for a moment. It was quite intriguing. Our whole neighborhood said wow at the same time. It was a moment for sure. 

I have so many health topics and things that I am working on and dealing with. I will be sharing my journey with perimenopause in a later post but today I wanted to share my battle with posture. 

photo via: L. Shockley 

 

I have been trying to pay attention to how I sit and stand. I noticed in a mirror a few weeks ago how my neck looked when I stood naturally, and I did not like it. I had it on my list to try to do some research on sitting and standing better then I (by miracle) received an email with an article from my doctor’s office about tips to help you fix your sitting and standing posture! Funny right!

Here are the tips:

  1. Be mindful of our posture: It might sound simplistic, but being more aware of your posture during your everyday activities can bring about noticeable improvements. Whether you’re carrying grocery bags, lifting boxes in the garage or scrolling on your phone, being mindful of how you are holding, supporting and moving your body can help you make small tweaks to improve your posture and prevent injury.
  2. Stay active: Regular physical activity will help keep your joints, muscles and ligaments moving and prevent stiffness, which can lead to poor posture. Exercises that emphasize body awareness, such as tai chi and yoga, can be especially beneficial in improving posture.
  3. Strengthen your core: can also help ensure the muscles support your back, pelvis, neck and stomach are strong. Exercises such as side planks, hip ups, twists can help build abdominal strength for improved posture support.
  4. Maintain a healthy weight: Carrying excess weight around your midsection can weaken or strain muscles that support your back, pelvis and spine.
  5. Tuck your chin: Want to feel a little bit taller? Stand straight and then slightly tuck your chin, pushing the top of your head to the sky. This decompresses and elongates the neck, helping alleviate neck tightness and ensuring you are reaching your full height potential.
  6. Select Posture-Friendly shoes: Your footwear can have an impact on your posture as well. While sky-high heels might be in vogue, they can wreak havoc on your posture. Shoes with a high heel cause your back to overarch and increase pressure on your knees and back. Save heels for special occasions and instead opt for flats or low-heeled shoes for our day-to-day look.
  7. Evaluate Your Desk Ergonomics: If you spend all day at a desk on a computer, the arrangement and height of your desk, computer, and chair can play a big role in your daily posture. Evaluate your work environment to ensure your computer is at eye level, your feet rest on the floor and your knees and elbows are bent roughly at 90 degrees.
  8. Switch it Up: Neither standing nor sitting for extended periods is ideal for the body, so if you sit for long periods during your day, break up the day by taking walks and changing positions to give your body variety. Then, each time you sit again, you’ll have a new opportunity to reset your posture.

Wow, I am loving these tips. I never thought about the shoe tip but now I can see how your shoes would affect your posture. I never thought about the weight in the midsection either but now I can see that. I hope these tips shed some light for some of you as well. I love a good health checklist and I am happy to add this to my blog.

tips by Kate Bayless from Well U

 

The boutique has a new plus-size arrival! The Garden Maxi Dress is a beautiful floral dress perfect for the upcoming spring and summer season!

 

 

 

A Few French Beauty Ideas…

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Hello!

I don’t know about you, but I am hoping to get to the grocery store quickly this weekend. With the 2024 Eclipse hitting my state entirely on Monday, I have a feeling that people are going to be EVERYWHERE! I know that I should be excited, but I am not. I hate extremely large crowds. I just want to get what I need and then get back home!

So…. let’s move on. How about a little Friday beauty? I hope you all enjoyed my recent post about my beauty favorites. I was excited to update that. It’s been a while since I shared my favorite products. 

While I was finishing up the book Joie, I saw that the author shared her favorite beauty products and what the French women use and wear in France. I wanted to share this list with all of you. You may find it quite interesting…

 

photo via: Madame de la Maison (Author Ajiri Aki) 

 

This is a fabulous list of goodies to try out. Most of these I have never heard of. The only product that I have heard of is Shailmar. Do any of you have this? I have always been curious about it since I heard Sigourney Weaver mention it in Working Girl. I shared other French Beauty secrets on the blog. 

Let me know in the comments section below if you have tried any of these products. Have a great weekend, enjoy the eclipse (if you choose), and we’ll chat soon! Oh a new plus size dress will be on the website soon!

 

 

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Current Favorite Beauty Products

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Good Morning,

We had snow earlier this week! SNOW! Goodness, it happens every year. I don’t know why I think we are out of the danger zone when March gets here. I really doesn’t matter. We always get snow!

I don’t have much planned this weekend which makes me happy. I will be doing a house review and try to do some website work. I also want to go to Whole Foods so I hope that I can fit that in.

Today I am sharing my beauty regimen favorites. I try to update my creams and try new things, but I am such a creature of habit. The first thing that I want to share are my facial cleaners. 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I am still using the Purity by Philosophy. It has been a constant in my facial cleaning regimen. I recently tried Estee Lauder’s Soft Clean facial cleanser and I like it very much. My Estee Lauder Perfectionist Pro Rapid Brightening serum is perfect for my dark spots and scaring that I have on my face. It clears them right up in a few weeks. 

 

 

For day cream I have been trying the L’Oreal Age Perfect cream. I absolutely love this! It’s a beautiful blush color and gives your skin a lovely hint of color. The Fresh Floral Recovery Calming mask is great in the evening. The Estee Lauder Nightwear Plus is still my evening go-to as well as the Revitalizing Supreme Night cream. Advanced Night Repair is an influencer favorite, and the Clarins Double Serum is life changing! 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

New products that I have been trying are the Elizabeth Arden 8-hour mist. This is such an affordable luxury. I think trying and owning a facial mist is such a treat. I saw the Estee Lauder Swiss Performing Extract serum at Von Maur. I could not help myself. I put this on at night and the smell is HEAVENLY! It’s a great moisturizer and helps with tone and elasticity. 

 

 

For those pesky blemishes, I use the Neutrogena Cleanser Mask. Now this is very STRONG. It has benzoyl peroxide in it. I only put some on my pimple, I let it sit then wash it off. It gets rid of them pretty quickly. 

 

 

Now let’s get into some makeup. For my eye shadow I love my Gucci eyeshadow palette. It is currently sold out, but this Laura Geller palette has some similar colors. I also have the Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy palette, but the Mary Kay eye shadow is another good option. If you are looking for a Mary Kay consultant reach out to Rosenda. She is my Mary Kay consultant and would be happy to assist you! If you do reach out, please tell her that you are an A Home for Elegance follower. In regard to my eyebrows, I have been using the Anatasia Beverly brow dip for years. I also just found this brow pencil from Amazon. I am quite intrigued by it. For my blush I am using the Laura Mercier face illuminator, but this looks promising, and I may have to try it. Let’s not forget the Laura Mercier Kabuki brush! 

 

 

Lastly are my lips. I keep it very simple when it comes to my lips. I ABSOLUTELY adore a Clinique chubby stick, but I did find this similar item on Amazon. I am still carrying the L’oreal Paris lip balm in my bag. I did splurge on our trip in Atlanta, and I purchased the Hermes lip oil. I have no regrets. It’s wonderful and as you can see almost gone! For Mary Kay please contact my friend mentioned above. 

I hope that you all loved these beauty products. Let me know in the comments section if you plan to purchase any or if you already use some of them. 

SPECIAL SALE!

Have any of you heard about the Sarah Flint Archive Sale?  It is huge! Just an example, I got the Sarah Flint Gracie’s for only $199! There are some shoes on there that are only $80! Move quickly this sale will not last long. Click on my link above and then click on archive sale to shop! Use my code: SARAHFLINT-CCMRSSHOCKLEY. Enjoy!

 

  • This post is not sponsored. Affiliate links attached. 

August Favorites ~ 2023

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Good Morning Friends,

Empty-nester week 2! It has been going well so far. Lauren will be coming home this weekend because there are no classes on Monday so we will be so happy to see her. We do have some running around. She has a hair appointment and I have my first waxing appointment! Oh my goodness you guys wish me luck! I have never done waxing before, but I need to try it. Shaving is causing me all sorts of issues! And I mean issues! If you would like for me to share my experience, please let me know below. 

Okay, let’s get into my favorites for the month of August!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

First on my list is this beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas from my very kind neighbor. I was opening the windows to my home office and saw his huge hydrangea tree and thought, “oh I would love a few of those for my crystal vase”. I sent my husband over to ask and he cut me a few! How grand is that?

 

 

Second on my list is the new Aerin Lauder Rose de Grasse perfume called Rouge. I had to go and smell it and it smells just like red roses. It’s quite lovely. If you want to try a sample here is the link to order that. Enjoy! 

 

 

Third on my list is my new monogram tote from Abbot and Lyon! I have always wanted to try a monogram tote and I actually got to see this tote in person while I was in South Carolina in May. A woman walked by me, and I stopped her and asked about it. The quality is quite exceptional, and the price is incredible! I have no regrets ordering it. It is quite large and has lots of organizational compartments on the inside. 

 

 

Fourth was my delicious meal that I got at Ford’s Garage. It was a new restaurant that my family and I decided to try and it was really good. The lime vinaigrette was outstanding! Oh so good! 

 

 

The fifth is my new Kate Spade Leopard tote. I saw a beautiful influencer with this bag and went on the hunt for it. It is sold out everywhere. I managed to find it on Poshmark. Yay Poshmark! This is going to be perfect for the fall. 

 

 

Sixth on my list are these travel contact lense containers. I found these on Amazon and they come two in one pack! Great for traveling or keeping in your handbag for easy access! 

 

photo credits: Mrs. Shockley 

 

Seventh is this incredibly chic white umbrella that I also found on Amazon. I love the gold handle and gold hardware. It is so elegant and comes in different colors. I ordered it and took it to my office immediately. It’s quite lovely.

 

 

The eighth item is this lovely goat milk soap from Beekman 1802. Now I have been watching this company on QVC for years and was always curious about their products. I saw a recent show of their bar soap and after seeing how it lathered on t.v. I had to give it a try, so I ordered it from Amazon. I have been using it for a month and I LOVE IT! Oh my goodness, it is so creamy, and the lavender smell is very light. I love using it. 

 

 

And the last item is my new lip balm from Elizabeth Arden. I found this on Amazon and wanted to give it a try and I must say it moisturizes my lips very nicely. I use it daily and carry it in my handbag. You should give it a try. I will be ordering the 8-hour hydrating facial spray, and hand cream as well. Those items will go nicely in my handbag especially with winter on the horizon. 

I hope you all love my favorites for the month of August. My monthly newsletter will be hitting your mailboxes soon! Please make sure that you check your spam folder if you are not getting it! Have a great day and…

 

 

 

 

*Blog post not sponsored- affiliate links attached 

A Beauty Secret ~ Skin Tag Removal

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Good Morning!

I was recently antiquing, and I heard some of the owners of the store talking about estate sales. I went over and asked them how they found out about estate sales nearby. They then told me how they signed up for notifications on Facebook Marketplace. So I signed up a few weeks ago and got my first notification! There is an estate sale tomorrow morning, and I am thinking about swinging by. Wish me luck! 

Yes you read the title of this post correctly! I am talking about skin tag removal today! I know it’s a nasty subject, but I had a few that just drove me nuts and I tried so many things to get rid of them. The problem was my tags were too small for a lot of the solutions but they “stuck out” enough from my skin that they were irritating and were causing me pain.

I researched tons of products, creams, lotions, rubber band devices that I thought would work, but the reviews were just not good. It must have been a “God” moment because this ended up in my Google search and the reviews I could not ignore.

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I ordered the Forces of Nature Organic Skin Tag Remover. I wanted something organic or as natural as I could get! This has numerous raving reviews and for the price I thought, why not try it! I am so glad that I did. It WORKED!

Now the bottle is very small but your tags don’t need much liquid on them. This came with a rollerball applicator, so it was easy to apply. I just rolled it on my tags at night and then went to sleep. The smell is okay but trust me you can deal with it. I noticed as the days went by the tags got harder and harder. Then the one under my pit fell off! Then the second one on my neck fell off! Both tags took about 3 weeks, but I didn’t care about the time. It worked. 

I had one on my inner thigh that was huge! I kept applying the liquid to it and it took closer to 2 months but one morning I noticed that it wasn’t irritating me as much and it began to dry up. Then the next day I noticed that it was gone! I was so happy to see that little guy gone! I had been dealing with that thing for almost 10 years. Enough was enough! So, if you have a skin tag that is driving you nuts, I would seriously consider ordering this. I don’t think you will regret it. I am not being paid to say this. I paid my own money and went through the process myself. Order it!

Have a great weekend!

 

 

 

 

My Spring & Summer Scents for 2023

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Hello!
I have a three-day weekend ahead of me and I am a little excited about it. We have Monday off because it is now a federal holiday. We have a women’s professional group in my office, and we had an event this past week where we had a professor speak and teach about Juneteenth. It was quite interesting and informative. I really enjoyed it! 

Lauren has been working at the antique mall for about a week now and I think she likes it so far. I plan on going antiquing this weekend but not at her job. I don’t want to embarrass her yet. I thought about going to Trader Joes and Whole Foods. It’s been a long time since I have visited those. Lots of ideas but we will see. 

Today I wanted to share my favorite spring and summer scents so far. I really want to keep it to just these scents. I always feel overwhelmed when I have too many scents for the season. It can be a bit much. I did find a new scent and cannot get enough of it!

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley

 

Of course, I cannot get enough of my scents from Aerin. I love almost every scent from her collection. Aerin Lauder, granddaughter of Estee Lauder, is a brilliant creator in this industry. She certainly has “nose” for scents. For the spring and summer I am wearing her Lilac Path (which I first purchased in 2015), Rose De Grasse, and Mediterranean Honeysuckle Clementina. All three scents are full of florals and citrus. You can layer these scents together. I have people stop me all the time asking me what I am wearing. 

 

My second set of favorites are my Philosophy scents. My favorites from this collection are Amazing Grace Jasmine and Amazing Grace Lavender.  I love the scent of jasmine and bergamot. You can also smell the lavender, grapefruit, and bergamot in the second scent. 

 

 

My last scent is my newest find. I found this in Sephora about a week ago. I walked in to buy another item and decided to spray this on my wrist and let it sit. I finished purchasing my item, walked out to my car, smelled my wrist, got out of my car and went back inside to buy it! It was that enchanting! I could not leave it there. I have been wearing it all week and every time I spray this on it captures me. Wisteria Blue is amazing especially if you love florals! It has notes of wisteria, Bulgarian rose and jasmine. You must go and try it yourself!

I know that all of these scents are so expensive so I would recommend getting a sampler. Here is an Aerin Lauder Discovery set for under $30. Here is a Discovery set for Nest Fragrances and here is a bonus set for Jo Malone. I hope some of you will try these new scents and let me know your thoughts. 

In boutique news I do have a new plus size arrival. The Rose Blush Midi is a great addition to the boutique. I just love the rose details and the flutter sleeves. It comes in 1x, 2x, and 3x. I maybe keeping one for myself! 

 

 

 

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Beauty Lessons from Living in Paris ~ Thoughts on Elegance Series

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Good Morning,

I am so ready for the weekend! Tomorrow is my last Showhouse shift. I am looking forward to it. It has a really bittersweet kind of feeling. On one hand I am so excited to be there and on the other hand I am so tired! My weekends have been so full because of the schedule. Sunday is Mother’s Day and I really don’t even want to leave my house! But I will. There are some things that I need to get from Lowes. I really need to get my porch cleaned up and I really want some new furniture for my porch. I will be sure to update you all if I purchase anything! 

 

In my quest to find information for my “Thoughts on Elegance series”, I recently stumbled on to this article about what living in Paris has done to this antiques owner from America. I have been following the author of this article since 2020 and I am in love with her antiques account Madame de la Maison. 

 

Aki with her signature red lips.

photo credit: Ajiri Aki

Ajiri wrote a wonderful article about how living in France has changed her views on beauty. I especially loved how honest she was in the beginning of the article. She said, “In 2011, I moved to Paris with a $700 weave and green contact lenses camouflaging my dark brown eyes. I was chasing the superstar-meets-supermodel look I aspired to throughout my twenties when I lived in New York City. I lusted after luscious flowing locks like Beyoncé’s and a long, lean body like Naomi’s. (I tried each and every fad diet to attain that body—most of which required severely unhealthy calorie restrictions and pungent elixirs that left me in a rotten mood for days). What’s more: I hated my wide nose and gap teeth and spent hours researching possibilities to change them”. 

Wow…. I read that paragraph over and over. I think we all have been there. Trying to be something that we are not. You have to finish reading the article. It is truly eye opening and inspiring. 

 

photo credit: Mrs. Shockley 

 

I ordered Ajiri’s new book called Joie A Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life. I have been reading it for a week. You guys it is so good! She is really honest about her life in France.

She gives tips and locations on how to enjoy Paris as well. I hope you read the article in Vogue and let me know your thoughts! Have a wonderful weekend!