Kristin van Ogtrop's Blog, page 383

Face Oils: To Use or Not to Use?

Hello Ladies!

 

I recently started using a product that I swore I'd never try, but alas I succumbed to my "try every beauty product once" motto. I originally strayed away because of my combination (leaning towards oily) skin type, but this product actually hydrated and didn't make my face oily at all!

 

 

About a week ago, I got a facial and the aesthetician explained to me that my skin was extremely dehydrated internally. I was complaining about breakouts and almost fell off the bed when she told me add oil to my regimen. I've been using oil instead of moisturizer during my nightly routine and in just two weeks, my face feels hydrated and brighter when I wake up in the morning.

I am in love with this coconut oil, but there are all kinds of oils on the market.

Do you use oils on your face or body? I love creams, but never really thought to venture into the oil category. Tell me about your moisturizing habits! Would you consider trying an oil on your face?

 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on body/face oils! Happy Holidays!

 

1st Option London Locations

Whenever I'm in need of decorating inspiration and want to peek in on some fabulous properties, I head over to the 1st Option website to view the many locations in and around London that are used to shoot films, books, commercials, music videos... It's simply a lovely way to relax and dream. Here is one of my favorite locations for hire, it's called the Alabaster House and it is used mostly for still life and interiors photography that is published in books and magazines and it belongs to pro photographer Paul Massey.

What I love about this property:

1. Light & Bright, I imagine it smells like clean linen, lavender and soap.

2. The fireplaces painted white with the rustic contrast of the old brick inside.

3. Wooden floors painted white.

4. All of the natural sunlight.

5. Gorgeous, ornate ceilings (and soaring ones, too!)

6. The green property and the small garden house in the yard - my dream work studio!

7. Seeing wood stacked in the fireplace, so pretty and decorative during summer months when you are not using the fireplace.

8. The shots of black and brown, which warm up all of the white.

9. The large concrete shower, so raw and uncomplicated - beautiful.

10. The center of the staircase kept in natural wood (most likely the way all of the floors looked before painted white).

11. That gorgeous white subway tile in the kitchen.

12. Okay, the gorgeous kitchen too. Especially the oven and that no overhead cabinets exist -- looks very simple and fresh.

Now it's your turn, what do you love about the Alabaster House? I want to have a home like this I think, eventually... but then again -- don't we all!?

(images: 1st option)

Can I find a cute bag for my 17" laptop?

As the owner of a 17" Apple Macbook Pro, I suffer from cute laptop bag envy. One doesn't have to look further than Cool Mom Tech, one of my new favorite tech sites, to find several laptop bags – such as the Sum Women's Laptop Purse from Sumo –  that make my inner fashionista smile.

Until she realizes that most of the most "cute" bags are designed to hold 15" notebook computers, or smaller. Not the workhorse (protected in a hot pink Speck shell) she carries around daily, as well as all the cables, cords and papers she often needs when on the road.

After much research, I have discovered there are more attractive options for those of us with larger laptops, and a sense of style:

Kailo Chic ($69.99)
For several years my . While they are roomy and inexpensive, they are otherwise unremarkable. This take on the computer tote costs more but I love the colors.

Chloe Dau Laptop Flip Tote $59.99
I liked the pattern on this water-resistant polyester laptop tote designed by Project Runway winner Chloe Dado. I would hav preferred to see the inside of the bag, so I could determine if it had any compartments (I like a bag with some built in "cubbies" rather than one big pocket).

Ice Red Shine Glossy Laptop Bag ($75.99)
With its glossy finish and white piping, this line of bags (available in black, pink, silver and red) is oh so retro, reminding me of an old bowling bag, or diner furniture.

ScanFast Element ($99.99)
According to the web site, this bag fits laptops up to 16", but a couple of the reviews gave me hope that my computer might fit into the TSA friendly pocket. The bag has three separate compartments and lots of pockets for pens, cards, cords and more.

 

If I could, I'd buy one of each, but with several business trips planned for 2011, I decided to go with a pink ScanFast Element. Not only can it accomodate my 17" laptop, with room to spare, it also combines just the right amount of retro-styling, feminine details and functionality. (I found out later it was also in one of my favorite shows, Chuck, which makes me love it even more).

Do you carry a larger laptop? Have you found a bag that looks more like an accessory and less like a piece of luggage?

Get Organized and Enjoy the Holidays!

With Christmas just days away, you might be feeling overwhelmed by all the preparations left to do. Instead of freaking out and yelling at everyone who crosses your path, or shutting down and giving up entirely, take a few moments to breathe and put everything back into perspective.


First, remind yourself why you're going to all of this trouble. Do you want to celebrate the holiday with your family? Do you want to share the Christmas spirit with others? Why are you running yourself ragged?


Second, if you haven't already done so, make a written list of all of the things you have left to do. Don't put anything on your list that doesn't help you get closer to your holiday goals. If you've already made your list, cross off anything that doesn't belong. This means that if you put "spend time with family" on your list, you either need to enlist your family to help you with meal preparations or reconsider making everything yourself. If you're alone in the kitchen, you're not spending much time with your family.


Third, schedule all of the things you have left to do on a calendar. If you're finding it impossible to schedule everything, you'll need to cut the less important things off your list or ask others to help you. You are not Superman.


Fourth, smile, relax, and have fun as you're working through your list and from your schedule. Life is short, even if you live to be 100, so enjoy as many moments as you can.


Happy holidays!

Is It OK to Give One Child More?

I have three daughters. Every year in mid-December, I start agonizing. Have I spent more on gifts for one girl? Did I buy a lopsided number of presents? If so, do I need to buy one more for another daughter? And if the "one more" turns out to be something particularly "nice," could that set off a terrible chain reaction of more and more and more, as I attempt to ensure every daughter enjoys perfect, equal parity on Christmas morning?

These are irrational worries, by the way, because no one in my family has ever acted jealous or disappointed or anything close to that on Christmas. In fact, I keep a scrap of paper around here somewhere, dating from the mid 1990s, as evidence of sibling selflessness: "Dear Santa: Please bring me a doll and, for my older sister, two dolls. For my baby sister, is there something babies like? Love, Ella"

Yet, I obsess. I have impassioned discussions with each daughter about what she thinks her sisters would really like. Then I spend the third week in December hurriedly returning items that suddenly don't seem like such good gifts —generally, what falls into this category are things I bought because I would like someone to give them to me—and replacing them (blessedly, almost everything is by now on sale, the one good byproduct of my frenzy).

And on Christmas morning? Everyone will be thrilled to unwrap presents, like every year. We will have sour cherry muffins for breakfast, like every year, and spend the afternoon playing Scrabble and Boggle, like every year. And I will wonder why I got so worked up. Like every year.

Is there a better way? Do you give each of your children the exact same number of gifts every year? Or is it OK if one child gets an extra?

(image courtesy of Quittner family archives)

Happy Holidays From The Real Simple Fashion Department!

 

I, along with the rest of the RS fashion department would like to wish you a happy, amazing, fabulous...and of course stylish holiday and New Year!

 

...and our GIFT to you (click HERE) will bring plenty of happiness and good cheer! We promise.

 

xxx

Julee, Victoria, Randi, Elinor & Allison

 

lip stains

Hello, Bookies

I'm Danielle Virgin, associate director of digital technology for Time Inc. My job is to take ideas that folks come up with—for example, updating the look of a website or figuring out how to integrate with Facebook—and bring them to life on the Web. I have had the pleasure of working across many of our sites here at Time Inc., but have always had a soft spot in my heart for RealSimple.com because it is the site that I have worked with the longest.

I was so excited when asked to lead this month's book club, but then immediately went into a state of panic about choosing the right book. I dug up every book review I had saved over the past two years and spent hours researching and reading online reviews to come up with the choices for January. I hope you are excited about this month's pick and that you get some nice reading time in over the holidays! Let's plan to cover the book in four sections, just as has been written: Early Twenties, Late Twenties, Early Thirties, and Late Thirties. I will return on January 3 for our first discussion, Early Twenties.

Happy holidays!

—Danielle

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Mom's Must-Have Corn Soup Recipe

Every time I'm at my parents' house for dinner and my mom says there's soup on the menu, I always ask hopefully, "Corn soup?" The last time this happened was on Thanksgiving Day, and sadly, she was not serving corn soup. When my uncle's family came over for Thanksgiving dinner later that night and my mom mentioned soup, my aunt also perked up. "Corn soup?" she asked, with that same hopeful note in her voice that I recognized all too well. And like me, she was disappointed when the answer was no.

 

 

I didn't have any soup at Thanksgiving dinner—whatever it was my mom had decided to serve. But the next night, my mom made a pot of her corn soup. It's ridiculously easy to make, yet is incredibly flavorful and satisfying. I had two big servings and decided to take the recipe home with me. I made it the other night, and it took about 10 minutes to throw together.

 

Here's the recipe for this sweet-and-savory, slightly creamy, Asian-style soup.

 

Mom's Corn Soup
Serves 4

 

1 quart chicken broth
1 14-ounce can creamed corn
1 10-ounce package frozen corn kernels
1 egg, beaten
2 scallions, sliced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

 

1. In a saucepan, combine chicken broth, creamed corn, and corn kernels. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

2. Slowly drizzle in beaten egg, stirring the soup simultaneously so that the egg forms thin ribbons instead of large clumps. Add the sliced scallions. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.

The College Application Crunch: Keep Borrowing to a Minimum

While many families are in full holiday-preparation mode, those with high school seniors are in the final frenzy to complete college applications before the winter break. But there's something they must weigh seriously if they want to get real value out of that four-year investment.

 

It's borrowing -- specifically, minimizing student loans. According to a new report from the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, more than 317,000 college graduates were working as waiters and waitresses in 2008, a figure that has tripled since 1992. Federal data "clearly shows that, with increasing frequency, college graduates took blue collar, retail and other employment not requiring a collegiate educational background," the report says. Because the payoff isn't guaranteed, families need to think carefully about the cost of the school, and avoiding debt in pursuit of a higher degree.

 

 

I recently profiled a student who graduated from Northeastern University with a bachelor's in sociology and $200,000 in student loan debt. Her loan payments rise to $1,600 a month next year. Although red ink that high is rare –- the average student borrower graduates with $24,000 -- student loan debt has ballooned: It grew roughly four-fold in the last decade to $833 billion as of June — surpassing outstanding credit-card debt for the first time.

 

 

Overborrowing for college can ruin other life plans, because borrowers cannot escape the debt, even if they file for bankruptcy. The monthly payments will eat up income that might otherwise be used to buy a car, travel, and save for a home, wedding, retirement and college for children. If borrowers default, the lender may garnish their wages.

 

 

Here are a few rules of thumb for would-be borrowers:

 

 

-Start saving now in a 529 college savings plan, even if your child is just a few years away from college. Every $1 borrowed in student loans will cost about $2 on average by the time it's paid back.

 

 

-Maximize scholarships and grants first, and then tap federal loans. Experts say families should borrow no more than the current direct student loan maximum of $27,000 over four years. Families who have to borrow from private lenders to fill the gap should consider a cheaper alternative, such as two years of community college, living at home and commuting to school or a state institution over a private one.

 

 

-Beware of schools that offer a fabulous financial aid package that must be renewed each year. Chances are it may not be as generous later on. And the Byzantine rules of financial aid will penalize families who look to fund the shortfall in common-sense ways, such as having a child or parent work more hours. In other words, a state school that costs $15,000 a year and offers no financial aid may be a better deal than a private college that costs $50,000 and offers a $35,000 discount that must be renewed each year.

 

 

-Do not borrow more for your entire education than your expected starting salary. Just keep in mind that if you use this rule of thumb and switch from, say, an engineering or accounting major to one not as potentially lucrative, like humanities or social work, slash your borrowing accordingly and transfer to a cheaper school. Alternatively, take a year off to work full-time and earn the tuition money.

 

 

For more tips on avoiding higher education debt, see this story and check out the new book "Debt-Free U: How I Paid for an Outstanding College Education Without Loans, Scholarships or Mooching Off My Parents," by Zac Bissonnette, a senior at the University of Massachusetts. It's an eye-opening guide to understanding the real cost of borrowing.

 

Were you able to earn a bachelor's on a budget? How did you avoid student loan debt?