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At the end of summer and during the dry winter months, skin takes a beating from the sun, wind and cold. It needs some tender loving care. Beauty editors are raving about  Laneige Water Sleeping Mask , comparing it to 2 expensive luxe cousins, La Prairie Skin Cavier Luxe Sleep Mask and Valmont Moisturizing with a Mask . Yet Laneige costs much less ... $25 vs $350. Laniege Water Sleeping Mask is good for all skin types, from oily to dry and sensitive. A gel, it has patented  (what it calls) " Sleep-Tox™"  ingredients such as antioxidant-rich Hunza Apricot and Evening Primrose, plus " Moisture Wrap™" technology -- which are 6  moisture rich minerals   formulated to calm, hydrate and rejuvenate the skin overnight. Apply it as a last step over your face serums before bed.  Customers and beauty editors alike give this skin care gel top marks for its moisturizing and rejuvenating properties. Not only does it add moisture back to the skin, it softens lines...

Recently  Aerie  opened down the street from Bloomingdale's (at 716 Lexington Avenue on the corner of East 57th Street) adjoining its parent company, American Eagle . Once inside, you can walk from one store to the other.  Have you had the experience of your basics wearing out, seemingly overnight? Well it happens to me, and I love Aerie's style, quality and prices on clothing we tend to buy in multiples. You won't break the bank by picking up a few essentials such as: t-shirts, cute tops, leggings, jeans, undies, hoodies, sweatshirts and causal dresses. Inventory also includes leather jackets, belts, fashion jewelry, sweat pants and sports shoes. Dare I address this next topic? Nowadays Aerie  offers undies which are much better and cheaper than the Victoria's Secret brand. There are many styles from sporty to slinky in the collection. The leggings, undies and t-shirts are ultra soft and adorable. Gosh, so are the dresses! The fabric of the summer garments are mos...

All Photos: Macy's A London Blue Topaz has become one of the top selling gemstones in the jewelry business. That's because, it's a lovely, saturated deep blue stone, as durable as an emerald (rating an 8 on the Moh Scale of Hardness), yet not as pricey as other precious stones like diamonds, rubies, emerlds or sapphires. In fact blue gemstones with good hardness and brilliance are rare in nature, which drives the price up. However topaz, a silicate mineral of aluminium and fluorine, is plentiful. Natural topaz is usually colorless (also called "white") or brown. A London Blue Topaz is created by treating a white topaz with radiation. The radiation changes the color centers in the crystal, affecting the way it absorbes light, and thus producing the deep blue color. A blue topaz can come in a range of shades from light to medium to dark, referenced in the industry as: "Sky Blue," "Swiss Blue" and "London Blue," with the latter being t...

To be honest fragrance is a beauty item I rarely buy. Skin care and makeup are more my scope. Perfume and eau de toilette , not so much. To me, it's an extra step to mess with ... and jeez  don't I do enough already? I mean as a shower obsessed American, daily I lather up with SheaMoisture soap, shampoo and conditioner; use coconut oil , underarm deodorant , baby power; and apply makeup. As needed, I slather on skin serums, lotions and creams . How many more smells do I need? I'd like to leave my house! That said, I do like the clean, fresh, subtle scents found in Philosophy's Pure and Amazing Grace eau de toilettes. I sometimes try them on at Ulta, or Sephora . Frangrances that smell good to others are personal preferences, and Philosophy has many scents. I like one of their clean, crisp sprays called,  Pure Grace , as well as, the floral scent,  Amazing Grace Ballet Rose . Ulta, the beauty retailer,  makes Philosophy's Grace scents more affordable with coupons...

Photo:  TazaniteJewelryDesign Some people like to breakfast at Tiffany's . (Know the waiting list is a year long.) Recently I had a ball perusing Tiffany's fine jewelry collection, my research for   THE SAVVY SHOPPER . The first floor of Tiffany's is set up with showcases of one beautiful, flawless stone set in trinkets after another. Under the glass and lights, diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds and other fine gems are ultra translucent in all their glory. I like to tell a sales associate that he is selling the stones, I wish I could buy instead of the ring I'm wearing!😍 Unlike some high end retailers, Tiffany employees are very kind to smile when I say it. They are well aware that most of us who walk in their door are only lookers. And yet, I see high-rollers! Hellooo serious buyers, pleased to meet you!🙂 Let's talk about a jewel, which Tiffany & Co. named after  the country where it was discovered:  Tanzanite , a blue and violet stone, consisting of...

Photo: King Arthur flour Today I'm making a Honey Cake , which traditionally is served without frosting. But, what is a cake sans frosting? A loaf of bread ... unfinished, right? So I will include a recipe for a buttermilk frosting. A Honey Cake is delicious dressed, or naked. You decide how you wish to eat it. Honey Cake Ingredients: 1 cup sliced almonds 1 1/4 cups Whole Wheat Flour 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 cup honey 4 large eggs 3/4 cup butter at room temperature 1/4 cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Directions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F and pull out 2 large mixing bowls and 2 cake pans (either 8'' or 9'' cake pans will do). 1) In one bowl shift together the dry ingredients: whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and 1/4 cup of sliced almonds. 2) In the 2nd bowl with an electric mixer, beat together the honey, egg...

Good makeup brushes are a beauty essential. Quality ones can be costly, but they are vital tools in applying makeup evenly and flawlessly. BH Cosmetics offers a fabulous mid priced 11-piece set worth considering. The  set is a pretty rose gold metal material. Sold by various retailers, I first spotted the set at Urban Outfitters for $23. Sometimes a single brush costs more! The 11 piece set includes: 1) Powder brush 2) Flat buffer brush 3) Foundation brush 4) Pointed crease brush 5) Blending brush 6) Angled blending brush 7) Round smudge brush 8) Flat concealer brush 9) Oval shadow brush 10) Brow/liner brush 11) Lip brush The synthetic bristles feel soft-to-the-touch and can be dipped into liquids, creams or powder. They blend makeup without shedding. A cute matching rose gold vinyl case is included. This is a good basic brush set. You can apply a full face by multi-tasking the brushes. Makeup mavens will know what is missing. It does not contain a blush brush, highlighter...

If I decide not to pay an arm and a leg for a  thing , but desire one that performs, here is my numero uno shopping rule : Only buy goods from retailers whose expertise is in the area of the goods being sold. Examples include:  Buy hair products, such as blow dryers and flat irons from companies like  Conair or Revlon , who specialize in hair products. Conair or Revlon will offer a superb hair dryer for about $25 if you don't wish to fork over $100+ for a Chi  brand; because that's what Conair and Revlon do, make hair gadgets. They are in the business and know what they're doing! And because they are established in the hair industry, they have a reputation to uphold. Buy your mattress from Beautyrest for $800 when you don't wish to pay $2,000+ for a much more expensive Sterns and Foster  mattress. Beautyrest (established in 1931) makes an excellent mattress despite its lower ticket price. Buy a Hoover vacuum cleaner (selling since the 1930s) when you ca...