Zlogger - Learn, Live Well And Share.

Uniqlo , the innovative Japanese "lifewear" retailer collaborates with Princesse Tam-Tam, the chic French womenswear line to create a darling beachwear collection that includes mix and match  bikinis, one-pieces, cover-ups, sun dresses, shorts and resort pareos.  Additionally, Uniqlo offers several useful and stylish beach accessories, such as sunglasses, flip flops and straw bags. The devil is in the details ... and as usual at Uniqlo, customers get quality garments  with lots of inventive bells and whistles for less. As always, the prices seem too good to be true considering it's for durable, not fast fashion. With pleasing prints, stripes and solids, it's a beautiful collection, much of it 100% cotton that you could wear all summer long to the beach, pool or resort. The swimsuits contain a bit of shape flattering spandex. The 100% cotton Women's PTT Pareo (above) can be styled as a dress or wraparound skirt. It also comes in red and the green floral print. All ...

Edouard Manet's Masked Ball at the Opera - on display at the National Gallery of Art and in my living room. Havenly , an online interior design company, invited me to tell the story behind a decorating piece I have in my home. I will depict not one, but a few things, as well as, talk about making the most of a small space. As it is, I live in a modest Manhattan apartment compared to the 3-4 bedroom houses that people elsewhere tend to occupy. My #1 decorating rule is, there is to be no clutter , and so all the objects I bring into my space are full-sized, yet compact and multi-functional. Often I say, " I don't buy pretty. Everything must have a purpose." My couch and ottomans have storage for pillows and blankets. What's more, the top of a sturdy ottoman can be flipped over to use as a table. I painted my walls an off-white (with a tint of warm yellow) and the trims a bright white for a pop of crispness. A bright white as a main color looks institutional and st...

As a child, when I needed new shoes for school, or a special occasion dress my parents loaded me into the car for a drive to an old time dry goods, department store. With many floors (at least 5 or 6), it was a wonderland of everything a shopper could possibly want or need. A customer has choice galore as he/she walks through floor after floor, each one stocked with  luxuries and pretties. What fond memories! Is it any surprise how I love an old fashion department store? Boscov's is a traditional, well-stocked department store that has expertly adapted to online shopping.  Immigrant Solomon Boscov  started in sales  in 1902. He opened his first brick and mortar store in Reading, Pennsylvania in 1911. Today the family-owned business has grown to 50 stores throughout the eastern United States and includes a thriving web business. The merchandise ranges from apparel, shoes, handbags and accessories, watches and jewelry, home goods and beauty products, as well as, a 21s...

Even people who are not tightwads have something they don't like to pay money for because perhaps they feel: If a person applies him/herself, he/she could get "it" for free. My father's money quirk was not wanting to pay for parking . An acquaintance of mine dislikes paying to check her coat at an event. I may have a touch of each since I will drove around a block several times, only pulling into a parking garage if there's no other place to park a car. Ditto with the coat checking . If I can be discreet and the layout of a gala allows it, I prefer holding onto my coat and my $5-$10. Plus at the end of the evening, leaving is easy if I don't have to return to a coat check. But I'm not going to claim either of these examples as my money quirk. I'm going to list two others.  1) Makeup bags - Buying cosmetic bags? I mean, what a waste of the green! There are so many promotions that give bags away for free. I keep a few of the freebies in a drawer, u...

Dental Duty Tooth whitening is trendy at the moment, but I'm not too keen on using bleach or chemicals. Therefore, I want to  try the ingredient, activated charcoal. Reportedly, it is one of the most effective ways to whiten teeth naturally without harsh chemicals. A black paste, the color of soot: How ironic to blacken teeth in order to whiten them! FineVine I'm super curious to test one of these brands on my pearly whites. All 3 have high costumer ratings.  Each is organic and mixed with coconut oil. Charcoal powder alone whitens teeth, but is messy to use. So the charcoal power is mixed with coconut oil.  Schizandu Organics Occasionally, I see people whose teeth are oddly too white for their complexion. I think you can avoid artificial-looking results with a natural whitener.  Moreover, charcoal powder is a muti-tasker. It will also brighten your skin.  Any of these brands would do. Next step, look for the best price. Extra tip: Eat strawbarries to whiten te...

My Mom will surely quirk, "I'm your only mother." This is the Mother's Day card I'm sending my Mamma. She does not like to receive fresh flowers, so I often send her cards decorated with pretty flowers so she doesn't miss out on the beauty of nature. My Mom is an alien (or rather an overly practical German. Same thing!😄). Unfortunately, if she receives a vase of flowers, rather than focusing on how lovely and thoughtful real flowers are, she thinks about how much money will soon end up in the garbage. And ... how that money could have been spent on something more permanent. Luckily, she approves, as well as, appreciates a pretty card and good wishes on a day that honors mothers. So I'm covered. I'm even allowed to buy a pretty card (but if crazy expensive, she would not approve).  The last two years, I made her Mother's Day cards for fun, and they look fancy  [free printable cards here] . Sometimes I throw in an unexpected nonperishable gift too....

Gold Caviar for anti-aging Skinfood is a skin care, hair care and cosmetic line that uses the highest quality food, such as black sugar, royal honey, egg white, avocado, peach sake, yuja and gold caviar to create its products. The company buys food from organic farms around the globe, which utilizes eco-friendly and sustainable growing methods, then formulates powerful food-based skin care, hair care and makeup. Address specific skin concerns like acne, dryness, redness or anti-aging with a variety of special face serums and creams; or add an Argon Oil Serum to repair and condition your hair. The focus is "on long-term beauty, not short lived results."  The cost of items start at $5 and go up. With promotions, prices are reasonable for clean, top-notch ingredients. It's another winning brand to get to know. Makes terrific gifts; and choice is a Savvy Shopper's best friend! Currently beauty editors are excited about Skinfood's limited edition  Snoopy Collection , ...

Photo: King Arthur's Flour Nothing beats Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie ice cream . The cold, slurpy scoops of goodness (2 scoops, one is never enough!) must be what Homer names ambrosia , the food of the gods. B & J's ice cream contains rich cream and loads of sugar, but undoubtedly, it is worth every single calorie. So delicious! Well I cannot duplicate the results of the Ice Cream Masters, but what I like to do with my overripe bananas is make an, easy, refreshing, creamy, low fat ... and yes, healthy ice cream in a food processor. When my bananas get too ripe to eat, I slice one up, throw it into a container, or plastic seal bag and store it in the freezer. When I feel like a dessert, I use it.  If I slice 4 overripe bananas, I still freeze each one separately for single serves.   Here's how I like to make and flavor the ice cream: Quick Chocolate Moca Ice Cream Ingredients (for one serving. You can always double, or triple the servings): 1 sliced fro...

Geometric designs for the Papr Watch Paprcuts , a  Berlin start-up, was founded by Nils Wagner in 2012. The German company makes innovative, feather weight accessories, such as wallets, makeup bags and pouches. Recently Paprcuts invented a trendy watch using the same material as in their other accessories. The material, which is called Tyvek® , derives from paper.  Like regular paper, it is light-weight. Yet unlike ordinary paper, it is strong, durable and waterproof. Animal designs The new digital timepiece is called a Papr Watch , and it comes in 29 chic designs - from Retro, Maritime and Animal to Geometric and Black and White. Weighing less than a clove of garlic, there is a Papr Watch design to suit a variety of tastes. A video (play it below) shows customers just how strong and durable the watch is by having two people tug the Papr Watch in opposite directions and tossing it into a glass of water. It does not break, or get ruined. Moreover, you get see how the watch...