Erica on the Edge - Rants, Raves, Opinions, and More!

Gratitude Attraction Experiment on Facebook

I decided to try an experiment on Facebook by starting a group called Gratitude Attraction in which I asked people to post three things they were grateful for that happened that day.

My thinking was that the more gratitude expressed, the more the universe would provide to be grateful for. I figured I’d be lucky if 10 people joined, yet in a few short months we have close to 2300 members from all over the world! It’s so inspiring to read the posts, see their photos, and realize there is ALWAYS SOMETHING to be grateful for.

The stories people post are sometimes mind blowing. People are grateful for horrible things that have happened in their lives because they find the good in it. A man even expressed gratitude for having been stabbed and had the photos to prove it! If that’s not truly amazing, I don’t know what is. He’s had the most horrific things happen to him, yet he has found a way to be grateful for all of it.

People post lovely photos and share wonderful moments from their daily lives. It really does make one realize how much we have to be thankful for. I am also thankful for simple things like finding a dollar on the floor at work or a warm smile from a stranger.

Even on the darkest of days I have to remind myself how blessed I really am. I have my sight, my hearing, a reliable car, a cell phone, a home, a TV, a computer, a husband of 22 years, food in my fridge, clothes on my back, credit cards, etc. I am indeed more fortunate than most. I may not have the life I once had, or all that I want, but I know that by being grateful for what I DO have will bring me more of what I want.

There are still many moments when I complain and feel really sorry for myself. Focusing on those problems will only bring me more of them but sometimes it’s hard to ignore.

Focusing on gratitude changes everything – immensely.

Here’s a great example: I was at my job, which I hate beyond comprehension, and went outside to go on a rampage of appreciation. I sat on a rock and expressed gratitude for EVERYTHING I could think of – the sun, the stars, the breeze, the grass, my car, my senses, my health, my car, my home, the roads – you get the idea. I just kept going and going.

I went back into work and a few minutes later the Governor of New Jersey appeared. I started speaking to him and told him I had once worked in state government. He asked me if I wanted to get back into it and I said YES! He took out a slip of paper, wrote “Erica, I want to help,” and signed his name. Then on another piece of paper he wrote a name and phone number of his personal assistant and told me to call her.

The result of all this? I have a meeting with the head of Gubernatorial Appointments on May 11, which just happens to be my late father’s birthday. I don’t believe in coincidences. I believe that my being grateful and expressing it to the universe gave me more to be grateful for. Furthermore, maybe the universe, in it’s ultimate wisdom, put me in the horrible job so that a great job could happen.

Remembering to be grateful isn’t always the easiest thing; however I’m learning to monitor my thoughts, words and actions.

Give daily gratitude a try and if you’re on Facebook come join us in Gratitude Attraction and share your stories!

Horses touch our souls and hearts

Horses don’t just touch our lives; they touch the very core of our souls and hearts. Horses are a blessing and good for our mind, body, and spirit. For horse people, the obsession usually begins early in life and becomes a lifelong passion.

There’s nothing like hearing the little nicker from your horse as you walk into the barn, the gentle nuzzle from that super soft muzzle, or when he checks your pockets trying to find those peppermints he knows you have. Just being with your horse transcends the problems of everyday life, because when you’re with your horse, nothing else matters; all is well with the world.

The pure pleasure from being around horses can’t be measured. It’s a feeling deep within you and something you ache deeply for when deprived of it.

Being in a horse’s presence is soothing.

A good grooming session helps build the bond between horse and rider, and should be pleasurable for both. Watching your horse stretch his neck in bliss as you curry the “itchy spot” brings a smile to your face. Taking the time to carefully untangle every knot in a bushy tail can be calming, as your mind isn’t concerned with daily worries – not to mention the pride you feel in seeing the finished result.

An amazing trust is built between horse and rider. Think about a 150 pound person getting a 1000 pound animal to willingly and happily succumb to his rider’s wishes. That’s trust and a unique bond. It doesn’t matter if you’re out for a trail ride on a crisp fall day or getting blue ribbons at indoors, the bliss is the same. Even a good lesson can leave you on a high for days.

Horse people understand all of this.

Less is More when it comes to makeup

Makeup Tips for Middle Aged Women

Being over 50, I’ve come up with some makeup tips for middle aged women. The most important epiphany was that less is more when it comes to makeup and good skin care is the secret to looking better and younger.

Last year I went on a makeup kick with all kinds of products – eye shadows, concealers, correctors, powders, etc. What I noticed? I looked OLDER – a LOT older. I even started wearing contact lenses again and much to my chagrin, discovered that my glasses were hiding a lot of my not so nice eye area. I have discoloration under my eyes, some lines, and a hollow look. UGH!

So being over 50, I started to do some research and experimentation and discovered less makeup made me look younger. Take a look at older celebrities – Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Lisa Edelstein and you’ll see they aren’t sporting the same makeup as J Lo or Beyoncé. In fact, Lisa Edelstein doesn’t appear to be wearing makeup at all!

Good skin care is essential and there is so much out there that promises virtual miracles. I’ve tried ultra expensive to the drug store brands only to find none of it really works. All they do is moisturize, which is important, especially with an SPF.

The exception to this rule has been Renergie Eye Cream from Lancôme. I really have noticed after about a month of twice daily use that my lids are way less hooded and the lines under my eyes are smoother. I’ll get to my other skin care picks later.

I still use concealer (MAC) but I gave up the powder and sometimes even add a dab of moisturizer over the concealer. Sometimes I’ll use a brightening pen (MAC) under eyes and blend with a BeautyBlender. The powder (everyone said was mandatory) was actually accentuating the lines under my eyes. I’ve tossed the powder all together. The same with foundation. Primer really didn’t help and powder on top of the foundation made the makeup settle into my laugh lines, making them even more noticeable. I stopped using contour. I definitely cut down the eye shadow and sometimes don’t wear it at all. I think it draws more attention to hooded eye lids, which are far better since using the Renergie.

Mascara is every day – waterproof always because my eyes tear. When it comes to mascara I think the only difference is the brush. There is no need to spend $30 on mascara which is going to get clumpy and tossed after a couple of months. I like Rimmel Scandal Eyes which is about $8 at CVS. I now tend to skip eyeliner as it accentuates hooded lids unless you are really good at a small wing at the end. An artist I am not. By the way, Never line your under eyes, especially with black liner; it just makes your eyes look smaller. I also think black eyeliner is too severe and prefer a dark brown. Clinique makes an inexpensive pen with a felt tip that I like a lot. I’m not sure if it comes in brown. They only had black when I bought it; but it’s very easy to apply a nice thin line right at the base of your lashes.

As for lipstick, I stick to sheer or nude colors because bold colors when you’re over 50 seem to accentuate lip lines. As much as I love the bold colors and was particularly in love with a new matte purple, my husband looked at me in horror and said “no one has purple lips!” That made me think of dead people with purple lips and now that lipstick is in the drawer of “never to be used again” makeup.

I do swear by Bobbi Brown finishing mist after my foundation as it eliminates any cakey look. It is filled with ingredients that are good for your skin, it dries quickly, and feels and smells great.

For my foundation: I’m still hooked on Too Face Born this Way. Sometimes I’ll use a stippling brush for foundation, sometimes a BeuatyBlender. The coverage is better with the brush. I have dark spots that get covered with my foundation; but as soon as I put blush on, those dark spots spring back to life. I’ve tried everything to cover them and nothing has worked. Prescription creams didn’t fade them, so now I just dab blush on ever so lightly with an angled blush brush. Milani baked blush stays on all day and it’s about $8 at the drugstore.

Now over 50 skin care:

I’ve been using Lancôme Geneifique for 6 weeks without noticing a difference. Then I use Josie Maran’s Argon Oil Milk as my serum. During the day I’m using Lancôme Renergie moisturizer with SPF. At night I use Josie’s Maran’s Face Butter over the milk and lock it all down with straight argon oil.

I haven’t noticed much in the diminishment of my wrinkles but definitely have noticed firmness, especially around my jaw line. I have noticed my neck lines are significantly improved. Now if I could get those results in other areas of my face like above my lip and in between my eyebrows. By the way, how do I still have wrinkles there when I have Botox?

As I’ve been cutting down the amount of makeup I use, I definitely look younger so when you’re over 50, less is more when it comes to makeup.

Frequent Flyer Miles, Try to Use Them!

Frequent Flyer miles,- try to use them. Go ahead, I dare you! Let me know how you make out.

I have lots of frequent flyer miles on United, American, Capital One, and American Express. I am trying to fly from Newark to London or Dublin in April and use some of them. The joke is on me. Frequent flyer programs aren’t what they used to be. Basically, you can’t use them.

Continental was a great airline. I flew everywhere from Newark directly – Switzerland, London, Paris, Rome, Prague, Budapest, and more. Then the merged with United (the worst airline on the planet) and stopped taking American Express points for miles. Well, I still had frequent flyer miles so I thought no problem! WRONG! I couldn’t get a direct flight from Newark to either London or Dublin. There was a co-share with British airways that was 132,000 frequent flyer miles (just for the first flight!) and $699 for the co-share plus taxes. Mind you, the price of the ticket was $750.

I have to mention a little side note about United. You can’t even get a snack or watch TV unless you pay for it, not even a bag of peanuts (Jet Blue at least gives you a snack.) Continental used to give you a sandwich and TV. In fact, on the newer planes TV isn’t even an option because a flight attendant told me that is an after market addition and the planes would have to go back to have them installed. REALLY? Then you have the surliest crew members. I think it’s a requirement that you be a truly miserable person to work for United. But here’s my very favorite thing about United……

They kept the Continental logo but changed the name to United after the merger. When I inquired as to why, I was told United was more recognizable world-wide. ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? What marketing genius thought of this and who approved it? Why is United a more recognizable name? Gee, who doesn’t want to be reminded of 9/11 every time they get on board? Seriously, this is the most egregious marketing error in history! This airline needs to hire me as their new director of marketing.

OK, I digressed…..

American Airlines basically doesn’t fly anywhere from Newark. The last time I used frequent flyer miles to fly to London I had to leave from JFK. At the time I was able to leave my car at my brother’s house in Long Island, use 20,000 frequent flyer miles each way and it was easy. Now I can still get those flights, but since my brother wrote me out of his life with two vitriolic letters (a story for another day), I can’t get home from JFK.

Virgin Atlantic no longer accepts Amex points for frequent flyer miles and no longer flies out of Newark. British Airways will accept frequent flyer miles BUT the flights I found had layovers from 4-28 hours. 28 hours? Seriously? I’m going to spend 28 hours in Brussels after flying all night? Shoot me.

So I thought I had the system beat when Capital One said I could use my miles anytime, any flight, etc. Score! Wrong again! I have more than 60,000 miles on Capital One; however, they aren’t really frequent flyer miles – they are cash towards travel. Apparently my 65,000 miles equates to $600 and the ticket has to be that price or less. They won’t accept the $150 difference if I’m willing to pay it. I was told that I could use that $600 for rental car or hotel.

Take a look at American Express airline partners. There are very few left. I used to use Amex points for all my travel and even flew Air Mexico with them. Now the choices are few and far between. I have 200,000 American Express points. Maybe if I get another 300,000 I can trade it in for a first generation Ipad.

It’s really a shame that these airlines tout these frequent flyer programs but fail to tell you you can’t use the miles for anything. Also did you know they expire? Oh yes they do! If you don’t travel on that airline within a certain time frame, those miles are history. I have an American Airlines credit card so I make sure I use it occasionally just to keep my miles from expiring.

All I want is a vacation. All I want to do is go visit my friends in England and go see Ireland for a few days. I have vacation time I’m going to loose if I don’t use it and now it seems my vacation is going to be spent at home cleaning the house or staining my deck if it’s warm enough in April!

So now what is one to do with all these unusable frequent flyer miles?

If you have any suggestions please let me know. Also if you live on Long Island and will let me park my car there for 10 days I can actually use American Airlines frequent flyer miles to get to the UK!

Is Lisa Vanderpump Ruling the Roost?

Is Lisa Vanderpump ruling the roost on the new season of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills?

This is probably one of my favorite casts of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, and while this season has been a bit boring so far, I’m not missing the hot mess that is Kim Richards or her equally host mess side-kick, Brandi.

Let’s talk first about the new addition, Erika Girardi, aka Erika Jayne. There are lots of reasons to hate her; but, alas I find myself irresistibly drawn to her and am growing fonder of her with each episode. First, she looks like Malibu Barbie. She’s married to an uber wealthy attorney 33 years her senior. She’s the trophy wife living the jet-set lifestyle complete with private plane. She has an alter ego, Erika Jayne who makes dance videos that the other women seem to find scandalous. I watched a bunch of them and find them totally benign. She seems to have some talent and basically just shows her ass a lot. Of course if I had an ass like that I’d run around with no pants on at all. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her, but she has incredible candor and honesty that’s so refreshing. While she has every reason to be a snob, Erika Girardi appears totally grounded. Her compassion for Yolanda exceeds all the other women by leaps and bounds.

I miss Yolanda being part of the regular cast and was shocked to hear that she and David Foster were divorcing. However, since she was wife number four for the Grammy winning musician, it’s not that much of a surprise. My guess is he’s no angel in the marriage department. Yolanda appears to be really suffering and Lisa Rinna’s suggestion of Munchhausen’s Syndrome was appalling. Yolanda’s surgery showing all the free-floating silicone in her body was truly disturbing and I hope it’s the answer to all her suffering. Yolanda Foster seems to be an incredible woman and I have nothing but well-wishes for a speedy recovery.

Lisa Vanderpump gets paid $500,000 per episode of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! That’s a staggering number. I thought she was terribly rude in the questions she asked Eileen Davidson regarding the start of Eileen’s relationship with husband Vinny. However, Eileen should have stopped the discussion in its tracks. I imagine Lisa Vanderpump is very intimidating and this is why Eileen let the conversation continue despite her obvious discomfort. Lisa Vanderpump appears to have a perfect life. Yes she works hard and has her hands full with her bat shit crazy Sur employees. (I’ll have to do a blog post on Vanderpump Rules although at this point I can barely stand to watch it.) Lisa Vanderpump can best be summed up with one word: excess. Who hires a private plane to transport a miniature horse? I did love when Kyle said that can’t possibly be her biggest problem! There must be something that keeps Lisa up at night and maybe it’s the British in her that just keeps a lid on things and she doesn’t talk about it. Everyone seems a little bit afraid of Lisa, yet I predict Erika Girardi will confront her at some point. Lisa Vanderpump has too much money, way too much. I’ve never seen a Louis Vuitton purse with pink trim anywhere except on the arm of Lisa Vanderpump. Custom made? $$$$$$

This is a person that takes one of her swans to the vet – in her car no less. Everything she does seems to be over the top, done well, but over the top. The luncheon she threw for Ken’s 70th birthday came complete with a new hat for each guest. Who does that?

Then there’s Kyle Richards. This woman bores me to tears. I honestly don’t see what she contributes to the show. There was the conflict with her sister Kim, but that’s been eliminated and it seems no one in Kyle Richards’ family is speaking with her, although Kyle has not gone into any details. The whole thing with Nicky Hilton’s wedding was brushed over without explanation. This was probably the most interesting thing about Kyle all season. The best thing about Kyle is her hair and her incredibly good looking husband.

The current cast of the RHOBH gets along really well, maybe too well for the season to be interesting. While I’m not a fan of the f-bombing mess Brandi, she did at least add some spice and there was always some argument or something crazy going on caused by her.

I will continue to watch this season in the hope that something interesting happens; but, so far it’s been a snooze fest.

Josie Maran’s argon oil miracles

Josie Maran and her argon oil products are true beauty miracles.

I have to say, I’ve been watching Josie Maran on QVC for years and finally took the leap, buying a kit of argon oil, body butter, divine dip, and a shower milk – all in a caramel apple scent that is beyond heavenly. I want to eat it. The only product I’m not crazy about is the shower milk because I find it doesn’t lather very much, I don’t feel it cleanses, and you have to use quite a bit of it. That being said, it does smell amazing.

I had been using Volumagen, because it was inexpensive for getting eye cream, serum, and moisturizer. Besides not wanting to put more money into the pockets of Heather and Terry Dubrow, I didn’t see any results after 90 days. My face was the same as with the Vichy I’d been using from CVS.

Enter the beauty miracle of argon oil. First of all, I have replaced my moisturizer with pure argon oil, which is NOT greasy at all. It hydrates, has no chemicals and after just a week have noticed a reduction in fine lines, especially the annoying line above my lip. Unfortunately, it hasn’t eliminated any hair frizz. I need my keratin treatments.

My neck has been the bane of my existence. I’ve tried everything to no avail. However, the Divine Dip (combo of honey and argon oil) has virtually eliminated the “tree like rings” at the base of my neck.

The body butter is sublime. It’s whipped into a deliciousness I cannot describe. Not only does it smell good enough to eat, but the changes in my skin are incredible. I have been to several dermatologists for the red, scaly patch on my left elbow and nothing has worked – except Josie Maran’s whipped body butter. The red patch is barely there and the flaky skin is gone. My thighs also seem to be getting firmer!

I’ve been using it when I get out of the shower and I can’t tell you how amazing the caramel apple smell is. Josie, PLEASE make this scent available on its own. The 8 oz. tub is supposed to last three months. There is no way that’s going to happen. I’ve also seen a huge difference in my cracked heels and dry feet using the body butter.

Josie Maran makes a host of other products including lip balm, lipstick, concealer, eye shadow and more, all comprised primarily of argon oil. I plan to be switching exclusively to these products when I run out of all the stuff I currently have. Unfortunately I have a LOT.

I just started using Rimmel argon oil mascara and really like it; but, Josie has a mascara that’s next on my list to try. It has a unique brush that curls, defines, volumizes, and lengthens, all with argon oil. She even says to sleep in it as a lash treatment!

The lipsticks are unique in that the color is in the center with a core of argon oil around it. It seems amazing, although without lip liner it will be interesting to see how long it lasts. I drink water constantly and without a lip liner underneath, I’m constantly applying my lipstick. I have the perfect nude shade with a combo of a MAC lip liner and Bobbi Brown lipstick, so it’s going to be tough to transition.

As for Vollumagen, I’ll be selling it on Ebay as there is no need for it and I have 4 months worth of unopened product. (If you’re interested, let me know.) Josie Maran makes an argon oil milk that takes the place of a serum and since I was lucky enough to get a sample at Sephora, I’m going to start using that tomorrow. Sorry Heather and Terry, your proprietary blend of peptides doesn’t do a thing.

I keep noticing more and more Josie Maran cosmetics and I am craving them all. Basically I want a head to toe Josie Maran argon oil makeover. How nice it would be to get rid of everything I own and just use argon oil based products if I can get the coverage, concealing, and contouring I need. There is a concealer; but, I’ve been bugging poor Josie on Twitter to make a contour kit! Wouldn’t it be nice to get everything you need that’s good for your skin, gets results, and has no chemicals? Even though my makeup has good ingredients for my skin, there’s still a fair amount of things in it that I can’t pronounce.

I am now totally obsessed with all things argon oil and all things Josie Maran. The problem is when I get obsessive about something I tend to go a little nuts, which is why I have a TON of things I use daily. When I find them at a good price I stock up; hence, the back stock of Volumagen. Now I’m dying to throw it all out and buy all of Josie’s products.

I would love to see Josie come up with a full face kit starting with the pure argon oil and moving on to all the necessary products for a full makeup look. Um, Josie are you listening? I really really want a Josie Maran makeover!

Mac Makeup and Too Faced top the list for 2015

Mac tops my list for makeup this year along with Too Faced; but, here are all my picks for the year.

I’ve recently become a makeup junkie and have been busily trying everything I can get my hands on (thank you Mac and Sephora) and here are my top picks for the year when it comes to looking your best, especially as we get older.

Skin care is the number one priority. I’ve used everything from drugstore brands to the most expensive products on the market. As much as I hate to put more money into Heather and Terry Dubrow’s pockets, I found their Volumagen (found only on Evine Live) to be the best bang for the buck. After two months of use, I am finally starting to see the fine lines around my lips disappear and the creases under my eyes begin to diminish. At $98 (on six easy pays) for a two month supply of eye cream, serum, and moisturizer it’s a great deal and does seem to help. However, that being said, I do find their eye cream is not hydrating enough and the solution is rose hydrating eye cream by Fresh. If I use that after the Volumagen, my eyes stay hydrated all day long. The package says 30 hours of hydration. It’s $40 for a small jar; but, it’s worth it. (Fresh’s soy cleanser is a joy; but, it’s pricey. I got a tube free when I bought my Clarisonic.)

A Clarisonic is a MUST have for removing all the makeup you think you took off. Take off your makeup with a makeup remover wipe and then use the Clarisonic. You’ll be shocked at how much was still on your face. If you search hard enough you can find great deals on Clarisonic. There are a million different bush heads and it’s confusing. I’ve tried several. The deluxe cashmere brush is heavenly; but, the radiance brush works great too; although, I didn’t find any reduction in dark spots, even when I used the matching cleanser.

Once you’ve applied your creams, lotions, and potions, it’s time to prime! Yes, I’ve tried them all and I keep going back to Too Faced Poorless Primer. It has healthy ingredients for your skin and keeps your makeup looking perfect all day.

The Beauty Blender (I’ve written an entire blog post on it) is the perfect way to apply liquid foundation. If you think you don’t need foundation, you DO. Trust me on this. My preference is Too Faced Born this Way Foundation, applied with the Beautyblender. I follow that with Mac Pro Longwear Concealer (although the mineralized one is great too and more moisturizing) and blend it all in with the Beautyblender. To brighten the under eye area, bridge of the nose, forehead and chin, Mac’s Prep and Prime Highlighter Pen is awesome. The Radiant Rose is a great color and I put it under my eyes, out to my temples, down the bridge of my nose, middle of my forehead, center of my chin, and a wee bit at the center of my Cupid’s bow. I blend it all in with the Beauthyblender too. After foundation and highlighter, I set everything with Nars pressed setting powder, although just about any setting powder will do the trick. The Nars was highly recommended and pricey and probably doesn’t work any better than anything else.

Contouring – just about any dark color will work, like Too Faced Chocolate Solei. I will be buying this soon. Smashbox makes a compact of a contour, bronzer, and highlighter but I find that the bronzer really doesn’t add much and the lighter color seems to do nothing. It’s nice because it’s relatively inexpensive and comes with a great brush; but, honestly, I don’t think all three colors are necessary. I definitely contour my nose, under my jaw line, and just under my cheekbones. I put a little of the bronzer right above the contour, and blush above that. Another nice thing about the Smashbox kit is that it has a mirror and a little card that shows exactly where to put what.

When it comes to blush, I can never get it to stay on. Urban Decay’s blushes do stay on; however, save yourself the money and go to the local drugstore for Milani Baked Blush. These do stay on just as well and are only around $8.

Once you’ve applied contour, foundation, and blush, blend, blend using a large fluffy brush. If you want a little extra glow, Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone is perfect. It’s about $36, but will last you the rest of your life. Take a small fluffy brush and give a little sweep right on the bone under your eye. You can also put a little but above the end of your eyebrow.

Onto the eyes. Don’t forget the primer! Elf primer for $3 works as well as anything more expensive that I’ve tried. I recently purchased the Mac Burgundy x 9 palette and couldn’t be more excited about it. There’s only one color out of the nine I don’t use on a daily basis. The Mac girl (thanks Nicole) showed me how to mix and match the colors, often using two at a time to create a daytime or evening look. I’m anxiously looking forward to their spring palettes and the Amber x 9 is a great set of neutral browns.

I’ve used every eyeliner imaginable and forget pencils, gels, and everything else. Kat Von D’s Tattoo Liner has a really thin tip, allowing you to get right down to the base of your lashes for an inconspicuous look or build it up as much as you want. Go wild, wing it out if you dare! I got a mini black one as a sample, then bought the brown. The brown, however, is just about black and there isn’t a whole lot of difference.

When it comes to mascara, save your money. They are basically all the same except for the brush. That being said, Estee Lauder makes a cool vibrating one that keeps lashes totally separated, if you’re willing to pay $35. I’ve tried every mascara and keep coming back to Rimmel Scandal Eyes. It’s inexpensive so I don’t mind that I only get a couple of months out of it before it gets clumpy. It’s the one in the solid lime green tube (not the new metallic looking one). I wear the waterproof (orange tube) because my eyes tend to tear a lot; but, I’ve worn both. I’ve tried other Rimmel mascaras; but, the Scandal Eyes has a big fat brush and it’s the one I always go back to.

Now the lips! I have tried everything out there because lipstick dries out my lips, no matter what …. until now. First exfoliate your lips. You can use a damp washcloth or an inexpensive lip exfoliator like Elf ($3), then apply a small amount of lip balm. I’m a sucker for those cute little Eos ones. Let it sit for a while. Mac’s Prep and Prime for Lips is awesome. Apply it while smiling so you get in all the creases of your lips and smack your lips together (don’t rub them together) and let it sit and get a bit sticky. Lip lining is a life saver when it comes to prolonging your lipstick. Line your lips and fill them in! You must fill them in or you wind up looking ridiculous if the lipstick wears off. Mac’s Pro Longwear lip liners are creamy and invest the $10 in their sharpener, because it’s worth it. It doesn’t destroy your pencils, just gives them a nice point again. Now pop those lips together a couple more times. As for lipstick, Bobbi Brown’s Blue Raspberry is my favorite “nude,” although it doesn’t have much staying power. Mac’s PatentPolish lipsticks are awesome, especially in Ruby and Sultana (a dark wine color.) They wear pretty well; but, you do have to reapply after eating or drinking. This is where the lip liner is a life saver. The Ruby combined with the lip liner in Dark Out is just gorgeous and will definitely be my next purchase. By the way, if you’re looking for a new fragrance, Mac’s Turquatic is heavenly. It’s also on my wish list.

If you don’t want to spend $20+ for a lipstick, Revlon has a couple good alternatives. Their liquid lipstick comes in a good assortment of colors, is not too drying, and stays on almost all day without transferring. Their new gel matte lipsticks are also good but is a bit drying as the day wears on. I also find, as I’m getting older, matte makes my lips look older too. I like a bit of shine, but I find lip glosses to sticky. There’s nothing like having your hair stuck to your lips every time the wind blows.

I finish everything with several sprays of Bobbi Brown Face Mist which keeps my makeup fresh and makes my foundation smoother. I hate when you can see the foundation on someone’s face and this mist eliminates that!

So there you go. My top picks for 2015. I’m sure I’ll be trying new things in the coming year; but for now, I’m pretty happy with this routine.

Let me know your faves!

Customer Service -the best and worst

Customer service seems to be a thing of the past; but, I’m going to give you a list of the best and the worst based on my experience.

Remember the days when you called a company and a person answered the phone? Now it’s an automated system; good luck trying to get a person on the phone at all. The menus send you round and round, the voice recognition software doesn’t work. I end up screaming obscenities into the phone only to have it say “I didn’t get that. Please try again.” There was a movie a couple of years back with a group of terrorists sitting around a phone with “for nuclear missiles press 1, for automatic weapons, press 2, etc.” It was hysterical because it’s so true.

There are, however, a handful of companies with incredible customer service and I remain loyal to them.

Nordstrom – the best ever. Nordstrom will return ANYTHING even if you don’t have a receipt. They will work tirelessly to look up old stock numbers and find out what you paid. They will refund it to any credit card you want, not just give you store credit. I was once in Nordstom in the shoe department and mentioned I had bought a very expensive pair of boots, wore them once and they killed my feet. He said, do you have the box? I said yes and he said bring them back. I said that was about 4 years ago! He said it didn’t matter. I got my full $245 back and subsequently returned a bunch of clothes that no longer fit and I didn’t have receipts for. The sales people could not have been more congenial and helpful. I got all my money refunded to the credit card of my choice. Another great thing about Nordstrom’s customer service is the personal shopper. It’s free and the shoppers are amazing at finding and bringing you clothes that look perfect on you.

QVC – this shopping channel has incredible customer service! You have a brief automated system that gets you right through to an English-speaking person just dying to help you. I bought a tooth whitening toothbrush (it’s the bomb) but I had braces on and wasn’t able to tell if it was working. I called about the 30 day money back guarantee and said my braces wouldn’t come off during the 30 days. No problem, they extended the guarantee period for me immediately. QVC used to reimburse you for your original shipping; but, unfortunately they don’t anymore.

EVINE Live. I never heard of them before and then found out it used to be ShopNBC. I bought some face serum and moisturizer and the serum bottle was leaking and about 1/3 of the product was gone in three days. I called their customer service number and they said they would immediately send me a new one and I didn’t have to return the one I had. SCORE.

Victoria’s Secret – always helpful, will jump through hoops to help you, and when you have too many bras (like I do) they will let you use the $10 off coupon on another product!

Lands End – This is the only company I know where an actual person answers the phone. It usually doesn’t even ring on my end before they answer. They are always helpful and will do whatever it takes to make you happy. I do think LL Bean might still answer their phones too.

The Skin Store also has great customer service. I had made a return but used a coupon and was confused about the return amount. They were very helpful. The new products I wanted to buy were ineligible for the current 20% off promotion; but, they said they had no problem honoring the discount, made a note on my account and told me to give them a call when I was ready to make the purchase.

Sephora is wonderful for may reasons. First they give you samples of everything and returns are easy even with no receipt as they can look up your member number. People there are always willing to help; although, I was a little taken aback buy the gentleman giving me his list of faves on eye shadow primers and such. I asked him if he wore eye shadow and he said of course. Ok, who am I to judge? He gave me great samples.

Violife answers your emails or calls you in a day or so. I was trying to make a purchase with a 30% off deal but couldn’t get their website to work before the coupon expired. When they called me they gave me a code to use any time for 30% off. That’s good customer service!

Ebay and Paypal also offer great customer service and have resolved my issues. You have to hunt like hell for a phone number; but, once you get it you’re golden.

There are a couple other small companies with good customer service; but they are few and far between.

Now, the list for BAD customer service could take up a book the size of Webster’s dictionary. The worst customer service award goes to Comcast. I have a friend who worked there for 11 years and always called it Shitcast and now I know why. If you call, expect to be on hold for more than 30 minutes, transferred dozens of times, and ultimately hung up on. The last call I made I was talking to someone in the Philippines! My first call was two hours, transferred 10 times, disconnected and had to drive 40 minutes each way to the call center. I was promised a call from a supervisor and that I would get a break on my bill for my trouble. Of course that didn’t happen. They shipped me the wrong remote, then shipped me the correct one and charged me for shipping the right one. (I fought that charge and got it removed.) The next call was because my equipment wasn’t working correctly. I was told I had the wrong equipment and an appointment was made to install another DVR. My friend who worked there said that was wrong. Another phone call, 5 transfers and 40 minutes on hold I found out he was right; but, the tech did install the wrong box. So, they had to reschedule the appointment and I had to wait another week. They couldn’t modify the original appointment. Then the bill came and of course that was wrong too. Another 40 minute phone call. I figure I’ve lost about ten hours of my life to this company.

Nomorerack – non-existent customer service. In fact, the company has changed its name now, no doubt to all the complaints. My roommate and I ordered from them, got wrong merchandise, no merchandise at all, broken merchandise, etc. Hours on the phone with them were futile. We sent things back with delivery confirmation and they claimed they never got it. It literally took months to sort it all out. STAY AWAY.

United Airlines just plain sucks. When it was Continental it was a great airline; but then it merged. They said they picked the name United because it was more recognizable. Gee, wonder why? What marketing genius though naming it United and reminding everyone of 9/11 every time they get on a plane was a good idea? Geez, and I’m overqualified because I’ve got a Masters Degree.

Get on a United flight and be prepared to get NOTHING except surly flight attendants. I actually think it’s a requirement that you be a completely miserable person to be hired. Continental used to give you entertainment and a little sandwich. Now if the plane has any entertainment at all, you have to pay for it. Food choices are severely limited to expenses “snack boxes” which basically have nothing in them. Make sure you bring food from home and something to occupy your time. But it gets better.

I book airline tickets online and United’s website saves your last search, which is naturally the return flight. When I booked a flight in June it booked it backwards and I did not find out about this till I got to the airport! They charged me $580 additional to get on the next flight. I had to get there for a doctor’s appointment so I had no choice. I spent two hours on the phone (40 mins. on hold) with a rep who said not only could I get a refund for these fees; but, I could cancel the ticket and fly standby on any flight for $75. I knew this couldn’t be right. I went to three counters in the airport before I found someone helpful – helpful enough to charge my Amex another $580 on top of the $247 I had already paid. Of course she said you can’t fly anywhere without a ticket so the standby theory was incorrect. No shit. She said I could file a refund form with United, which I did, only to be denied. Not being willing to take no for an answer I took to Twitter and started an attack. At first I got some snarky responses from someone masquerading as United. The actual United Twitter people helped me and I got $200 refunded. Hey, it was better than nothing but took hours of my time. By the way, attacking Comcast on Twitter does nothing and it is IMPOSSIBLE to find a phone number for the corporate headquarters in Philadelphia. I tried. I was a journalist for more than a decade I have damn good research skills. I think the only option is driving to Philly and demand to see someone.

Whatever you do, NEVER EVER rent a car from SixT. This was the most unbelievably horrible experience I think I’ve ever had. The car I had rented – a brand new BMW – died on me. They left me on hold for an hour then disconnected me. I called back (it was evening and I was thankfully at my hotel) and they said they’d have a tow truck there in half an hour. Three phone calls, three disconnections, and three hours later I had no tow truck. I called AGAIN and was told it was too late and a tow truck would be there in the morning. I told them it was too late and that I had a flight early in the morning. I returned the key to SixT and since their computers were down AGAIN (same when I picked up the car) I made them give me a hand-written receipt. The next night I got a call telling me they were there to pick up the car and could they have the key. I told them I was in NJ and the key was with them! Then they tried billing me for an extra day. Fortunately American Express (a top-notch company) fought this for me and I got the entire cost of the rental refunded. But, it wasn’t over yet!

I got a letter with a bill in excess of $300 saying I had drained the battery by leaving the lights on. This was impossible for several reasons. First I was only out of the car for about half an hour and you need to have the key in proximity to the car for the lights to work. I had a local BMW mechanic review the SixT mechanic’s report and he confirmed it was a “bunch of crap.” He knew the dealership they had taken it to. American Express ended up paying the claim but SixT still wants a $50 administrative fee. Bite me; you’ll never get it. Fortunately they haven’t pressed the issue.

American Express is amazing. Use your Amex for everything, especially travel. Had I known it at the time, Amex would have sent a tow truck, picked me up if I were stranded and sorted everything right then and there. Whenever I have had a problem with a purchase, American Express has been there for me. This is another company that will jump through hoops for you. I have five Amex cards and have been a member since 1984.

The sad fact is most companies have terrible customer service, automated menus that won’t let you speak to a human, and if you’re lucky enough to get one on the phone they don’t speak English (but their name is Dave Smith or Sally Martin) and are located in a foreign country.

Even if a store is slightly more expensive, I would rather deal with a place that has exceptional customer service. I will drive 45 minutes to the nearest Nordstrom when Macy’s is right around the corner. I have nothing against Macy’s; but, it doesn’t hold a candle to Nordstrom, especially in the customer service department.

Please share your customer service stories with me as I know I’m leaving out some companies worth mentioning!

Beauty Blender – Best Thing EVER

The Beautyblender is the best thing that’s ever happened to makeup and actually it’s the best thing that’s happened to me in eons. This little pink egg-shaped slice of heaven literally makes me want to get out of bed in the morning and I am NOT a morning person. That’s how much I love it and can’t wait to use it.

For those makeup novices, the Beautyblender is a pink, egg-shaped sponge that you use to apply makeup. Big deal, you say? Oh it is a HUGE deal! First of all it’s freaking adorable. You run it under water and watch it get bigger, squeeze out the water, give it a good squeeze with a washcloth and get ready for makeup magic! It’s $20 for one which seems insane; but, once you’ve used it you will never use a brush or those triangle thingies ever again!

I never used liquid foundation until the Beautyblender came along and now I will never look back. My foundation of choice is Too Faced Born this Way. I don’t know if it’s the foundation that’s amazing or the Beautyblender because when I first tried this foundation it was put on me with the little pink wonder.

You put one pump (that’s MORE than enough) on the back of your hand. Then you dab the fat end of the Beauty Blender in the foundation and start dabbing and rolling it across your face. The foundation glides on seamlessly, evenly, effortlessly. Often an entire pump is too much even when I go back to use a little more on my age spots.

Oh but we are not done! Since it’s shaped like an egg, the Beauty Blender’s next task is concealer and corrector. I use MAC concealer and again, one pump is too much. I put a little on the back of my hand and switch to the pointy end of the Beauty Blender which gets into every little area under my eye and into the corners. I have bad discoloration under my eyes so I also use a MAC corrector on top of the concealer. I slather it on (it comes in a twist up pen that’s a cream) willy nilly then back to the Beauty Blender which makes it all come together effortlessly! I even use some of this magical corrector/highlighter on some other areas of my face and the Beautyblender makes it all work.

They claim you can use the Beautyblender for powders but; I haven’t been able to make that work for me yet. I am going to experiment because I’ve seen videos of an entire face done with no brushes at all.

I have just read that the Beautyblender can be used for serums, creams, and primers which is making me ache for a white one for this purpose. Oh, I forgot to mention they also make lime green mini ones for the eyes! You’re supposed to be able to put eye shadow on with it but I’m not quite sure how it will work. At this point I’m seriously thinking about adding the white one and the minis to my collection…..ok, they’re sitting in an online shopping cart waiting for me to hit “submit order.”

The only “problem” I have is cleaning it. I tried soaking it a bowl of baby shampoo and various other methods; but, the Beautyblender Solid Cleanser works the best. It’s also great for cleaning makeup brushes. It’s a bit prices and doesn’t last that long; but it works. It still takes a bit of effort to get all the makeup out of it. I usually keep a spare tin of the solid cleanser around, especially if I find it on sale.

When the Beautyblender dries it returns to its smaller size. You can store it to dry on top of the case in which it comes; however, I cannot be without my Beautyblender. For $18 you can get a great travel case that is mesh with a magnetic closure and a clip on it. The best part is that it holds two of the little beauties. I always keep it in the travel case to dry after washing it.

I never thought I could be so in love with a sponge. It’s supposed to last three months and many people have said they’ve had theirs for up to a year. I think I used mine daily for about four months. I actually kissed it before I put it in the trash. Now that’s a sick addiction to a sponge!

Makeup: necessity and new obsession

Makeup is a necessity at my age and it’s my new obsession. My husband calls makeup a luxury. At my age it’s a necessity and I’ve gotten to the point where I won’t leave my house without foundation and concealer – at the least.

I’ve been on a hunt for the perfect makeup. I watched You Tube videos till my eyes were blurry. I literally stayed up all night watching videos on eye makeup for hooded lids. This was after I discovered – in horror – that I HAD hooded lids!

I walked into Sephora and it was a sex shop for makeup addicts. I’m pretty sure I had a makeup orgasm. There was so much to choose from; I was in complete overwhelm. So many brands! So many choices! Sephora will give you samples of absolutely anything, and boy did I get samples! I am completely obsessed with all this makeup. Don’t even get me started on the brushes!

My new list includes, primer, foundation, contour, bronzer, blush, eye makeup primer, eye shadow, and brushes.

After experimenting with so many different brands these are my conclusions.

To start you MUST wear a primer. There are lots of great primers. I found this out thanks to all the Sephora samples. Too Faced makes a great one; but, Smashbox’s original is amazing. Without a doubt, Too Faced Born this way foundation is the BEST ever and I’ve used them all. Put this on with a Beauty Blender (worth the $20) and you’ll look amazing, like you have no makeup on; but, it covers everything you need covered. It’s also fun to use and is a really happy shade of pink.

Smashbox’s contour kit gives you a highlighter, contour powder, bronzer, and a brush. Perfect! I admit their highlighter doesn’t seem to do much; but, I still use it. The contour and bronzer are great. The bronzer doesn’t leave you looking like George Hamilton.

When it comes to blush, I could never get it to stay on for more than an hour be it powder, cream or stain. Milani baked blush stays on forever! The best part is you can get it dirt cheap at CVS. Urban Decay’s blush is great too but about three times the price of Milani. How do I know Urban Decay blush is great? A sample from Sephora, of course.

Setting powder is a must and Nars is the best by far. It gives you a flawless finish. It’s $26; but, it’s worth it.

Concealer and corrector? I never thought I needed this but once my under eyes were pointed out to me I was, once again, horrified. MAC got rid of the dark circles and discoloration under my eyes with a combination of concealer followed by a color corrector. (I had tried everything from Bobbi Brown to Sephora’s brands and back again.) It’s creamy and blends seamlessly using my little pink sponge. Sadly, Sephora doesn’t sell MAC. You have to get it at a department store or buy it from MAC online. Attention to the under eye area is an absolute necessity for those of us that aren’t 20 anymore, trust me on this.

Eye shadow will crease unless you wear an eye shadow primer or buy eye shadow with built in primer. ELF’s eye shadow primer is only $3, works really well, and is available at CVS. The problem is it’s made in China and I was told by a forensic chemist that the Chinese factories are filthy and to never put anything on your face that’s made in China. Urban Decay’s original eye shadow primer is also top notch and is not made in China; but, it’s also a lot more costly. Thank you Sephora for that sample.

After my all night session of You Tube videos on makeup for hooded lids, I found out shimmer is a no-no. Upon looking at the hundreds of eye shadows I own, I discovered most were shimmer. UGH. I found a great makeup palette in neutral shades by MUA on sale for $10 at CVS. The only problem is it’s made in China; but, for now I’m sticking with it.

There are a million brushes and most You Tube videos showed every application required dozens of brushes. I have it narrowed down to a few. A kabuki brush by ELF ($6) for powder, three Pop Art brushes for eye shadow (about $2 each at CVS), a Chanel crease brush that I’ve had for years that’s perfect for blending, and the Smashbox brush that came with the contour kit. (How I wish I could find the flat Chanel eye shadow brush I bought years ago.) Smashbox also has the best flat eyeliner brush that’s perfect for gel eye liner. The problem is that the gels dry out really quickly. I’ve tried liquid liners but haven’t found one as good as the gel. I hate pencils. Not only do you not get a thin enough line, you can’t keep the tip sharp. By the way, there’s a little trick to putting on eye liner if you have hooded lids. Don’t follow the shape of your top lash line. Don’t go all the way to the outer corner or it makes your lids look more droopy. And on the bottom, don’t line the whole thing – just go from the outer corner about a third in. With your shadow, make sure you go way above your natural crease with the darkest shade and blend the whole thing like crazy. I’ve tried to “wing out” my liner; but, unless you’re a true artist, you just wind up looking crazy.

So my daily routine is: moisturizer patted on my face and eye cream under my eyes. You have to let it soak in for a bit before you go any further. Then foundation, concealer, and corrector all blended with that little incredible egg – shaped Beauty Blender sponge. (Ok, I got mine for $10.99 on Ebay.) Don’t waste the money on their liquid cleanser, but the solid is very convenient and effective. Invest in the mesh travel pouch; because, it dries it without creasing the sponge and it’s great for taking the Beauty Blender with you.

My next step is contouring. bronzer, and blush.

Then I highlight with Becca Moonstone powder. It’s ridiculously expensive; but, you use such a small amount for highlighting that it will last you the rest of your life. Make sure to blend the contour, bronzer, and blush. The moonstone goes just in a couple of spots.

After this, I pat on some Nars translucent powder with my kabuki brush then spritz my face with Bobbi Brown setting mist. I’m not sure this part does anything but it feels good and I’m too lazy to mail it back.

Then it’s on to my eyes. Neutral color shadows are best and for hooded eyes make sure to go above your natural crease with the darkest shade. Sometimes I’ll use a little shimmer in the middle of my lid or in the corners. I still need a pencil brush for the corners. That’s the next purchase. Then eyeliner – a gel applied with the Smashbox flat eyeliner brush and finish with Rimmel waterproof mascara. I’ve tried every mascara on the market and keep going back to Rimmel.

As for my lips I’ve tried every lipstick known to man and still can’t find one that doesn’t dry out my lips. I have been using a Bobbi Brown one that matches the color of my lips so it looks very natural. I love the way other people can use bright lipsticks; but when I do, I feel like “here comes Erica’s lips!” So I stick to the neutrals. If anyone knows of a lipstick that REALLY doesn’t dry out your lips please let me know!

I now have to get up an extra 15 minutes for this routine; but, it makes me look and feel so much better having a nearly flawless complexion that lasts all day! And I’m so obsessed with my Beauty Blender I honestly can’t wait to use it. It’s great for foundation, concealer, and corrector. I’ve seen videos where they’ve used it for powders too; but, I just couldn’t get it to work. I switch to brushes for powders.

I spritz my brushes daily with ELF daily spray and then wash them once a week or so with shampoo and let them air dry.

At the end of the day when it’s time to take it off I’ll use any eye makeup remover and then a makeup remover cloth. Invest in a Clarisonic! It’s amazing to get rid of the remaining makeup, leaves your skin feeling great, and makes your serums and creams go on so much better.

Oh, another thing, Lierac Cleansing Water is awesome. It’s expensive ($24 a bottle) but use some of this on a cleansing pad in the morning and you’ll be amazed at the stuff that’s accumulated during the night! I also use it after a makeup remover cloth if I’m too lazy to get out the Clarisonic.

My husband still thinks make up is a luxury. So one night I took it off, went downstairs and asked him if he still thought it was a luxury. His answer, “no, you need it.” That’s what you get after 25 years with the same man.

As for skin care – I’m still experimenting. I just got a new brand tonight that promises miracles. I don’t have the money for surgery at the moment, so let’s see if this stuff really does the plumping and line removing it promises!

I’ll keep you posted. Hopefully my makeup obsession will not turn into a skin care obsession.

Is there a 12 step program for this stuff?