Protecting Against Skin Cancer in a Recession...inexpensive skin products in the news!

no make-up

happy inside my skin!

When I got past the fact that skin creme is never going fix what has been done to my skin for 68 years and moved on to preventing skin cancer and being comfortably attractive, I was relieved. Now I can go about my life relaxed inside my own skin. I live 6 month a year in Arizona and I love sunshine. I am learning to protect what I cannot change. It is a good thing! And I am becoming a smarter shopper.

Today I am shopping for moisturizer/sunblock. To begin my search I did something I have never done before....I actually looked at ratings for the products online based on price and quality. I don't know about you but I am always shocked when I go to the department store counter and am told that a small bottle of lotion is $$$$$. Gulp! While I can afford it I am not a dunce. $$$$$ does not work for me. So I went looking for some information that did not have a connection with any particular product. A search on google for "inexpensive moisturize sunscreen in the news" led me to dallasnews.com, the online version of The Dallas Morning News. Today in an article called "Find the best inexpensive sunscreen and moisturizer" they talked about the importance of using sunscreen even when money is tight. I was very interested in what they had to say.

Dr. Clay J. Cockerell of Dermpath Diagnostics Cockerell & Associates in Dallas says even in an economic downturn, you shouldn't neglect your health. And skin protection is vital to good health.

"You might save a dollar or two here and there, but you'll pay in the long run," says Cockerell. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, more than 1 million new cases of skin cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year.

Yike! I may have been wrong to think that skin products are a frivolous purchase. It seems that while consumers have cut back on moisturizers 10% in the last year, they may have put themselves at risk for skin cancer. There is no need for this to happen. Dallas News has rated the skin products AND found products that are affordable. Their choices were:

Avon Ageless Results Renewing Day Cream SPF 15 ($15 for 1.7 ounces)
Clinique City Block Sheer Oil-Free Daily Face Protector SPF 25 ($16.50 for 1.4 ounces)
Good Skin All Bright Moisturizing Sunscreen SPF 30 ($12 for 1.7 ounces)
Olay Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotion SPF 15 ($18.99 for 2.5 ounces)
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle Cream Night Formula ($13.99 for 1.4 ounces)

You will notice that all of these products are under $20...not bad. Plus they can be purchased at your local drug store. I have used Cetaphil products because they do not contain perfumes. I have asthma so perfumes are my enemy. Cetaphil is affordable and the quality is great. But I think I will try something new and the Clinique product may be the one. I like the oil free part.

So here is a little trick I have learned about that foundation. Putting on foundation to cover a little bit of the damage is good but most products are simply too heavy and cause my skin to break out. Still I love a little makeup. I have found that if I buy a semi-expensive foundation...I love Este Lauder...and mix a very small amount with my moisturizer in the palm of my hand, I can kill two or three birds with one stone. The feel is wonderful and I have sunscreen, moisturized, foundation applied all at once. My skin does not break out and the light feel of the makeup is just the look I like. Some days I apply blush and most day my Este Lauder mascara. It is a very natural look and perfect for my lifestyle.

So there you have it...a day in the life of Barbara's skin...sigh!

b

Five Little Ducks...stories played out!

The children's song about the little ducks leaving the nest to fly away has always been one of my favorites. Every mother has seen their babies fly away and rejoiced. Life comes full circle. Animals live that same cycle. Babies grow up. Birds leave the nest. Life goes on. So when the three ducks show up every year near my patio I am not surprised. But I am puzzled that it always seems to be the same three. Something just doesn't seem right. It appears the one did not fly away at all. Five little ducks Went out to play Over the hills and far away. The mommy duck went "quack, quack quack," Four little ducks came swimming back... And then Three Two and One. A drake, a female duck (a hen) and a not quite a drake but still not a hen gather here on the 5th green of the golf course. She leads and the other two follow along obediently. They eat, sleep, and guard each other. Each and every day this time of year they come. I have not named them. Jinxing them would be very pos...

How to be a 12 Month Snow Bird

Vacation Rental in Mexico I live around snowbirds 6 months of the year. I have heard those people say that they all want to live the "snowbird" lifestyle when they go home. But it just is not possible. They are isolated and cold. Social activities with friends and beautiful weather are greatly missed when they return to the realities of their "real" life. One couple I visited with lately returned to Florida this morning where they own a home. The woman is a nurse and works in the summer. They are not going home until May this year. It is too cold in Michigan in the spring so they are hoping to extend their good weather season by simply staying away. Besides that they love their Florida lifestyle a lot. Last week I visited with a woman that lives the snowbird lifestyle year around. No going home to the Midwest in the spring. They essentially vacation 12 month out of the year. And I thought their solution for avoiding unpleasant weather and keeping their lifestyle in...

If You Build It, They Will Come...Maybe!

It all began with a antique window in front of a local shop. It had been painted yellow, the glass was loose and all of the hinges and latches were gone. My old friend Betty would have approved...she would tell me it was just broken enough and damaged enough for me to drag it home. When my dear husband saw it, he wondered what he was meant to do with it. Imagine his surprise when he was presented with the plan to build a small neighborhood library exchange. It wasn't the first time he had heard me ask "How hard could it be?" Now it is six weeks later and we mounted the darling little library exchange on two posts in our front yard. I love it. Now the question is, will they come or has the time passed when people actually read something made of paper? Our association president stopped by and admired the box but left after telling me that he only read books on his Kindle. We will see. Would you bring a book and take a book? b+

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