Ginger Garrett

Today’s the birthday of one of my favorite novelists, Siri Mitchell. On my  blog roll you’ll find a link to her site and see a cover of her newest release, Love’s Pursuit. It’s a great read for those dreary afternoons when it’s raining and cold. It’s Siri’s birthday but give yourself a present and pick up one of her books.

(I tried to load the cover below, but this WordPress application hates me. No, really.)

This Thursday, the 22nd, I’ll be chatting it up with Atlanta’s favorite radio morning show hosts, Kevin & Taylor In the Morning. We’re talking about Sunday morning emergencies. If you’ve got to get everyone out of the house on time and looking good, conditions are ripe for snafus to surface.

Here are a few time-tested tips to help you get out the door for church without losing your testimony:

SUNDAY MORNING EMERGENCIES

Traveling doing media I needed an emergency kit to handle any last minute disaster. Then I noticed I was raiding it when I was at home, too.  Emergencies always happen when you need to get the whole family out the door at the same time.

It’s a good idea to put the kit in one spot where everyone knows where it is because you don’t always want to be interrupted to handle minor emergencies

 

What to Keep In Your Emergency Kit:

Double sided fashion tape (available at Wal-Mart in the lingerie department)

Safety pins in different colors

Lint roller

Baby wipes
BOUNCE dryer sheets

SHOUT stain wipes

Scissors

Hairbrush

Superglue

Q-tips

 

Keep your emergency kit in the car for those last minute, “I’ve got to fix this!” nightmares.

 

Here are a few tips for common annoyances:

 

NECKLINE OR SHIRT THAT GAPS OPEN?

In

Texas we had a saying growing up: if it’s not for sale, don’t advertise it

The problem with using a safety pin to hold a neckline closed is that it always seems to pucker a bit and be an obvious problem. I like to use a post earring on top of the safety pin to make it look a bit more glamorous and disguise the safety pin.

If you inherited any clip-on earrings from Grandma, these work, too.

 

BRA STRAP THAT KEEPS SLIPPING AND SHOWING

You can use double-sided tape to keep it in place but the trick is to remember to stick the tape in between the garment and the bra strap. Don’t try to tape the strap to your skin—natural oils can make the tape less effective

I don’t recommend trying to safety pin the strap to your shirt because when you move, it can pull and rip the shirt.

 

DOG HAIR
Dog lovers swear by Bounce dryer sheets—not only for repelling hair but for getting it off. Use them in the dryer as well as emergency “wipes” to remove dog hair

LOOSE BUTTONS

            If you see a button is about to come off, you can use a little superglue dabbed on with a Q-tip, or clear nail polish, to seal the loose threads and keep the button on .

 

Blemishes that appear overnight

Consider adding a blemish concealer stick into your Sunday morning emergency kit: a blemish stick combines blemish medication plus a concealer. They’re great to have on hand. Find them at WalMart, Target, anywhere skin care products are sold

If you don’t have one handy and you need a short term fix, you can conceal it if you know the right order for foundation and concealer. For blemishes, you work backwards: it’s foundation first, then concealer.

First, apply a light layer of foundation over the blemish using a sponge or brush, a light dusting of powder, and then apply a light layer of concealer over that.

If you apply concealer first, it tends to slide off, because blemishes are warmer than the rest of your skin. All the blood is drawn to the inflammation, which makes that little bit of skin warmer than the surrounding skin, and it can melt concealers off.

 

 

Undereye circles

Our eyes give everything away: if we’ve been up too late, or trapped in a room with cigarette smoke, or we watched Terms of Endearment before bed, our eyes will look terrible the next day. So these are a few beauty tips that actually work:

 

1. This first one is a redneck beauty tip for puffy eyes. Get two spoons and pop them in the fridge for a minute or two, then press them against your closed eyes. The cool metal will go to work immediately reducing puffiness and irritation and I promise…you’re going to look silly but feel so much better.

 

2. If you have trouble with undereye circles a lot, you need to keep on hand a color corrector. You buy it in the makeup section of any big retailer. It looks like a tube of concealer, but it has a yellow tone. That’s because yellow cancels out the dark blue circles. But the trick is in the application: you want to make sure you apply a moisturizer first so the concealer glides on and doesn’t look gloppy. Use just a little concealer, and then Put your normal foundation or powder over this with a light touch.

 

 Email me with your own tips and I’ll post them next week!

This week on Atlanta’s favorite morning radio program, Kevin & Taylor In The Morning, I’m sharing some insider secrets from the beauty industry tthat will save all you recessionistas some big money. Here are my notes from the interview, and don’t forget to join me this Sunday at Atlanta’s premier consumer lifestyle expo, The Passion Drive Life show. For more info and tix, visit www.passiondrivenlife.com 

I’ll be there Sunday at 3pm and my live shows are filled with laughter, encouragement, and information you can’t get anywhere else. You’ll walk away from the Passion Driven Life event feeling refreshed and energized, ready to rediscover what you’re truly passionate about.

Secrets from the Salon:Want to stretch the time between salon visits and still keep your hair, nails and skin looking salon-fresh? You can save money and time with a few secrets from the pro’s: 

 

NAILS

• Always use a base coat formulated to increase adhesion of polish

• Clear top coat can be reapplied every other day and make sure you paint the front edge of your nail, not just the top

• Choose a color with shimmer or tiny glitter speckles: those have the longest adhesion

 

SKIN

• You can pick a good night cream and skip the eye cream. Eye creams are usually more expensive and you get less anyway.

• Studies aren’t usually done on cosmetics the same way they’re done for drugs, but one study was done of women who used multiple products: eye cream, moisturizing night cream, etc., and these women got the same good results even when they stopped using their eye cream.

• If you want to buy one of the more expensive creams but your budget won’t stretch that far, there is a company called Reviva Labs that uses very high end ingredients and has a very small price tag. You can visit my favorite website, www.iherb.com and type in the company name Reviva, and you’ll see creams that are formulated with many of the same ingredients of pricey department store brands—with a very small price tag. Most of them are under $20.

I don’t have any financial connection to this company or this website, but this is the best deal going for high end skin creams without a high price.  

HAIR

• If you color your hair, you can extend the life of your color by switching to Loreal’s new line called EverPure.  EverPure does not contain any sulfates, a harsh ingredient that “eats” color and nearly every other shampoo contains. Plus, EverPure is 100% vegan, so it’s a natural haircare system with a little price.

• And if you go to loreal’s website right now, they’re giving away free samples at

• www.Lorealparisusa.com. Click on the haircare tab.

• Also, if you use heat products when styling, like a blow dryer, straightening iron, etc. you must get in the habit of using a heat protection gel or lotion before you style. It will protect your hair from damage, which will keep it looking better, longer. You won’t need an emergency haircut from badly damaged ends.

• One of the best is from Tresemme, Heat Tamer Spray, and you can find it at WalMart for under $4. 

VINEGARVinegar, especially apple cider vinegar, has been a folklore legend for treating everything from heartburn to arthritis.  

Here’s what the science says:

• Studies show it lowers blood sugar and may slow down the rate your stomach empties your last meal. So…it can keep you feeling satisfied longer and keep your blood sugar from spiking after a meal with a lot of carbs.

But here’s the downside: it can be hard on your teeth and on your stomach and it tastes horrible. 

I interviewed Dr. Carol Johnston the scientist who pioneered the studies on vinegar and she told me any vinegar should have the same effect as apple cider vinegar. You can use a flavored vinegar, which tastes better, and get the same results. I’ve been using a blueberry flavored red wine vinegar for a couple of weeks and I’ve noticed what a lot of other people say: a couple of tablespoons in the afternoon does give extra energy and cuts down on the craving for sweets and munchies. 

Want a bit more science?

• In  the Harvard Nurses Study, women who used vinegar and oil dressings several times a week had a significantly lower risk of fatal heart disease

• In separate studies, women who consumed vinegar in the morning ate fewer calories throughout the day and reported feeling less hungry

• Red wine vinegars contain more antioxidants than apple cider vinegars

• Studies have shown that women who consume the most antioxidants will develop fewer wrinkles

But a few words of caution:

• Don’t buy vinegar pills: they don’t contain the active ingredient, acetic acid. You can consider using cinnamon instead, which does the same thing: it lowers blood sugar and may affect the rate at which your stomach will empty out.

• BUT: if you’re diabetic, you must talk to your doctor before you add anything into your regimen that will affect your blood sugar levels.

• If you want to use it, ask your dentist about switching to a toothpaste and mouthwash made to protect enamel.

• And, don’t use vinegar that is labeled as unpasteurized.