Substance of Living

You read that right! Magnetic Eyelashes If you're a bride, part of the wedding party, or someone who becomes teary at weddings, then I think you're going to like wearing magnetic eyelashes.  They stay on, smudge free, and most of all there will be no mascara streaks down your cheeks. Cosyway Magnetic Eyelashes and Eye Liner have officially replaced mascara in my daily morning routine.  No more messy glue, or inadvertent removal of my own eye lashes with other false eyelashes. Reasons I'm so happy to have found these: They're vegan Super light - don't even know they're there Easy to use With seven pairs to choose from, I can go from natural to ultra glam No more smudges or runs from mascara Blends naturally with my eyelashes Maintain their shape Shake the eyeliner tube, apply two layers of eyeliner, once it's dry use the tweezers provided or apply by hand.  They're smudge proof and last all day; through working out, sweating, and even a shower.  I haven...

Apothecary Extracts Tea Tree Oil I remember years ago, and I'm talking almost 20 years now, a co-worker friend of mine introduced me to Tea Tree Oil.  It's been so long that I don't remember which brand she used, and suppose that doesn't really matter.  What does matter is that she had been using it for a long time.  She used it to treat all kinds of skin problems including acne.  She also used it as a cleanser around her house. To my uneducated thought process, I couldn't fathom using an oil to clean anything in my house except maybe to condition my wood. Fast forward to 2014 and here I am ordering Tea Tree Oil from Amazon and loving it.  Besides the pureness of this product, it was really quite gentle on my skin.  It is recommended that another oil, such as coconut oil, be used if trying on your skin for the first time. Upon ordering my Apothecary Tea Tree Oil , they also sent me a recipe / use type booklet via email in PDF format. Bes...

Dead Sea Mud Facial Mask - Purifying Natural Facial Mask and Skin Care Treatment for Women, Men and Teens Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial. I haven't had the opportunity to use this purifying mud mask for a full 30 days but was so excited with my immediate results that I had to share. I received my Adovia Purifying Mud Mask with Pure Dead Sea Mud through Amazon from Cleopatra's Choice . "This Dead Sea Mud Mask contains 30 Treatments which lasts for 3-4 Months. Each treatment provides the ingredients and results of a $120 facial at a high end dermatology spa! Made with Pure Dead Sea Mud with the highest concentration of minerals - vital for facial skin treatment glow. This mask is made in Israel - by the Dead Sea experts and contains the highest and freshest concentration of Dead Sea Mud. Reduce Oil and Blackheads and get more clear and radiant skin. Works great for Eczema and Psoriasis as well due to Dead Sea salt and mud k...

Are your eyes ever bigger than your stomach when it comes to food?  Mine are all the time and now my brain thought I was up for a challenge - beyond something I've ever done!  I've pledged (unofficially) to not purchase home decor or ready-made clothing this year.  When I talk about home decor, if it is something that can be sewn then it will not be purchased but made.  Purchasing fabric is permissible. This isn't a new idea and you've probably seen recycling , upcycling, refashioning , and other descriptions of such around the internet and in the book stores for some time now.  Since DH and I moved, we've been downsizing and a lot of the items were donated but now we're to the point that we are into the soft items.  Items that are still in really good shape but no longer wearable for whatever reason.  We don't want to pass along a top if there is a hole in the knit or a stain - so I'm reusing the material to make other things. A challenge, that...

I am so honored to introduce you to one of my favorite artists and people -- Kristen Monacell. To give you a little background before you meet her, Kristen is one of those super talented artists that seem to be able to do anything.  She can paint, create amazing outfits, and as you'll see her ability maintains its high standards of quality in her jewelry. Here's a little secret that she'll probably want to clobber me for telling and that is that she is a little on the shy side so today is extra special because she opens up with us. One afternoon Kristen and I were sitting in her studio and the idea came to me to interview her.  All we had was my phone as a recorder so I've typed our conversation rather than having you sit through the not-so-great sound quality. Kristen Monacell Kristen, thank you for this opportunity to record our conversation and share with my readers.  So let's see, where do we begin - that's a good word - we'll begin at...

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.  Lilly Lilly, whom you may have seen around here and here, is our unofficial Substance of Living mascot.  I mention Lilly and not the other kitties because she has to take medicine on a daily basis.  Lilly has, what I've been able to understand, feline equivalent to human lupus. The type of illness that Lilly has is one that her body has for some reason become allergic to the enamel on her teeth.  She has had some of her teeth pulled but the rest are in such good shape that the consensus is to not pull them but to manage the inflammation and pain for the time being. Lilly has to take Prednisolone on a daily basis.  Sometimes, depending on her stress level or allergens in the air, she may have to take more than one pill a day and other times she gets to skip a day.  She gets a break twice a year when she is allowed a steroid shot that is really strong.  The shot is nice...

There have been so many diet plans that promised us weight loss.  And that's great!  What was it about that particular diet that was healthy or unfortunately unhealthy?  Did we really keep the weight off or have we found the "lost" weight and some of its friends? Comments I've heard through the years about various diets (can you guess which ones I'm talking about?): "You can eat all the meat you want!" "There's no fat so I can eat as much as I want and not gain any weight!" "All the stars are doing it and look how great they look!" "I can eat anything I want within a certain color." "All my food is prepared for me." "I can eat one of anything and still lose weight." The list of comments can go on and on and on.  You get the point. Diets are fantabulous for businesses and marketers.  Not so much for us. Getting back to my question about gluten-free being a fad.  For those of us who ca...

Minimalist Wardrobe When did my closet become no longer a place of respect for dresses, pants, shoes, tops, and become a dumping ground?  Somewhere along the line, I became a hoarder of clothes. It is time to finish the 7-7-7 Challenge and start it anew.  Hard earned money purchased all those items that are now sitting in my closet.  Seriously, with our move last year, I'd hoped to have completed this challenge. Thankfully there is still time in the year to act on this year's word - RELEASE . Not that I've mistreated my clothes, that's not it at all.  I don't wear them and that is neglect.  Every couple years it seems as though my tastes and lifestyle changes and yet clothes of the past remain.  That's not fair to the clothes. Do you still respect and love your clothes from two or more years ago?  Are they still your favorite go-to?  Does that dress that used to make you feel so slim, beautiful, and sexy still make you feel that...

Our very first Giveaway here on Substance of Living ! We're so excited that we made a Celebration Cake in honor of You, Betty Crocker , and Publix .  We spent the first part of this year looking for the right fit to kick off our giveaways.  (DH thinks we've found the perfect fit.  Maybe that's because he gets to eat the celebration cake and banana bread.  Hmmmm.) The first time Marie had the chance to taste a Celebration Cake or otherwise known as Tres Leche Cake was about 10 years ago in Arizona.  It was heaven without the chocolate.  I know, that is really hard to believe that anything without chocolate could be included in the same sentence as heaven. It really is hard to decide which mix is our favorite.  Seriously!  We've enjoyed all but the rice flour blend only because we didn't know it was out there.  Everything else has been wonderful, so we have to guess it will be and look forward to trying it out in the near future. W...