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All photos are courtesy of   IN STYLE . Click to enlarge .  1) Jennifer Hudson is wearing a glittering dark blue Roberto Cavalli dress; 2) Kristen Stewart selected a cream Reem Acra gown. It doesn't photograph well, but cute details; 3) Jennifer Aniston's red dress is by Valentino; and 4) Sandra Bullock is wearing Elle Saab. Some years you see lots of wow at the  Academy Awards.  Standouts, both good and bad.  Not so much this year.  What you saw on the red carpet this time was tasteful dressing and pretty packages.  Tame, but elegant and smart.  Here are a few of my favorite Oscar gowns.  What about you? (Another gorgeous dress was worn by best actress winner, Jennifer Lawrence, to Vanity Fair's Oscar after party.  She changed from the earlier Dior Couture one.  I like the second dress better and posted it on our facebook page : here .) You many enjoy: Favorite Oscar Dresses 2012    Oscar Looks For Less    Fas...

Lavender Photo courtesy of  Flower Picture Gallery Your skin, measuring 20 square feet, is your largest organ and the first line of defense, keeping all kinds of wicked microbes from entering your system. At the same time, everything you rub on your skin can penetrate it and get absorbed into your blood stream. As winter sets in many of us slather on moisturizers from head to toe to counter the dryness. Some of us wonder: Are the chemicals in the beauty products we use every day harmful? Although I haven't given up commercial products (I still love my corner drugstore); when all things are equal, such as performance, price and convenience, I prefer products with certified organic, or 99% all natural ingredients. Patricia, writer of the  Red Cardinal  blog, asked me to feature a few  paraben-free products from time to time, and I'm happy to oblige. If you live in the US, UK or Australia, you can order many certified organic lotions, potions and creams, as well as, vi...

In celebration of  Valentine's Day ... a deep dark chocolate cheesecake straight from the gourmet food magazine, Bon Appetit .  As this blog credits sources whenever possible, the recipe was created by Jeanne Thiel Kelley.  My habit is to tweak recipes a little bit, but not this time.  (Oh, no, I can't help myself -- I always cut the sugar in cakes by  ½  cup . )  Here are the easy steps: Ingredients: ♥ Crust 24 chocolate wafer cookies (9 ounces) 1 tablespoon sugar ¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted Use a high quality 70% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate in the following steps. The magazine recommends Scharffen Berger . ♥ Filling 1 9.7-ounce bar 70% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature 1 ¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder 4 large eggs ♥ Topping ¾ cup whipping cream  70% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped 1 tablespoon sugar ♥ Bittersweet chocolate curls Directions: ♥ Crust ...

Patagonia Lugano Waterproof Trust me, I have looked.  The right snow boots are a challenge to find.  If you want style, comfort and function, as opposed to, sacraficing one for the other ... good luck.  And how much must you shell out for lightweight boots that are durable enough to track through ice, snow and slush?  One week's salary?  Two weeks ... or more?!? I think Canadian companies have mastered making the perfect snow boots, giving fashionistas a lot of bang for a buck: flair, comfort and toughness. Unwittingly, I bought a great pair of Canadian snow boots a few years ago -- designed by Cougar , a company I hear cut back on their production of boots.  So I'd love for Canadians to weigh in with their favorite winter boot picks.  Please, if you are Canadian, we need you! Meanwhile, my quest leads to two brands sold in the U.S.: Patagonia Lugano Waterpr oof - A beautiful suede, the upper boot is a soft waterproof pigskin.   Inside, they have...

Photo by Osmosis skin care Cosmeceuticals is a new vocabulary word I leaned by picking up a street copy of a magazine called Image .  The free monthly is published by plastic surgeons, and according to them cosmeceuticals are the new wave in skin care.  Let me sum up the article for you.  Our new word is a hybrid of the words cosmetic and pharmaceutical .  Cosmeceuticals are key ingredients with anti-aging benefits that can be bought without a prescription.  Common over the counter cosmeceuticals include glycolic cleansers, anti-aging moisturizers, skin lightening serums and skin tightening creams.  Skin ages due to oxidation and free radical damage.  Sun exposure is a major cause of free radical damage.  Free radicals breakdown the skin's molecular structure leading to wrinkles and the loss of elasticity and resilience. According to the article, studies show that antioxidants slow down free radical damage and can improve the skin's appearan...