L'Bri, the best skin care that you have yet to hear about!

Hello! Welcome to November everyone! Here in Plymouth , MA it was nearly 70 degrees today. I'll take it.

Anyhow, I wanted to take a moment to spend some time talking about a line of products that have shaken up my skin care routine . The line is called L'Bri and it is fantastic.

I love a bargain as much as anyone, however when it comes to skin care, this is one place I am unwilling to cut corners. 

For years and years ( since I was 14) I have been using Clinique and Estee Lauder for my skin care needs.

Enter in to the picture, my dear friend Pam. Pam is someone who if she offers me advice, I listen.  She is a very even keeled and sensible person. She doesn't fall for fads or suffer fools. Plus, she has amazing skin.

It was originally Pam who had told me about the brand L'Bri. She had been using it for months and could not stop raving about it. If she speaks that highly about anything, I know its something I want to try too.

My skin tends to be VERY dry. This is especially true in the winter. I live in Massachusetts right on the Atlantic ocean. The winters are BRUTAL here. The biting wind off the ocean will cause your skin to crack. Its awful. I figured if there is anything that might help, now is the time to try it.

The L'Bri cleansing system is a three step process. 

Step 1 is the cleanser   

The first thing I noticed when I used the cleanser was that my skin did not feel tight and irritated right after washing my face like it normally does.  My skin felt as if it had just had a skin cream applied, not a cleanser. Yet, it took off ALL of my make up.

Step 2 is the gentle refresher 

After you wash your face, you spray this on. I'll admit , I was afraid it was going to sting. Everything I'd ever sprayed on my skin before stung like hell. Surprise of all surprises , this did not sting one bit. It was cool and refreshing on my face. After reading the ingredients , I see that its alcohol free. Finally , someone gets it! 

The last step, is my favorite!

Step 3 The Intense Moisture Cream.

This stuff is hands down the BEST. MOISTURIZER. I .HAVE. EVER. USED.

Its so emollient. It just feels so good to put this on. Even though its thick, it absorbs right in.

I can tell you now, I'll be using this as a skin protectant all winter long. Its the perfect thing to put on your cheeks before braving the elements all winter long. Put this on your face before going out for a run, walk etc. 

Those of us who live in the North East, know that when its really cold, to rub petroleum jelly on your face if you need to be out in the bitter cold. 

This will protect your face the same way, but with out clogging your pores the way petroleum jelly does.

The most recent L'Bri product I have tried and LOVE is the Rejuvenating Facial Peel.

I've only used this once so far. It cleaned out my pores with one try. Also, my pores looked smaller the morning after I used it.

I know, when it comes to skin care , there are SO many choices . I know its also kind of hard to pull ourselves away from the department store makeup counters.

When it comes to this line, its SO WORTH it though. Ive been using this line daily for about 6 weeks now. My skin is softer then I ever remember it. When applying my makeup in the morning now, I can forego the primer. Thats something I would have never guessed would happen.

If you are even remotely curious as to if this line is for you, reach out to my friend , Pam. She is the epitome of a warm, friendly southern lady. She'd love to hear from you and your skin would love for you to reach out to her!

www.pamala.lbri.com 

If you have tried L'Bri, I'd love to hear your thoughts as well.

Till next time, keep shimmering !

XO

~S

It was a double vanity sink...I still had cosmetics and hair product EVERYWHERE! :)

Once my foundation was on, I applied the setting powder. First, i used the smaller brush to apply it under my eyes, then the larger brush to apply it all over threats of my face.

After that, it was brows, blush, eyeliner and mascara. I noticed the finished product had an almost airbrushed appearance.

However, we all know that there are ton of products that look great when first applied, yet they just don't hold up.

From here I went out and about. I did a lot of running around in 104 degree heat. I then went to Drybar for my blow out. 

After about 3.5 hours of errands, it was time to go back to our room and get ready for our fun night out. To my delight, NOTHING needed to be reapplied.

Here I am at dinner. This is 11 hours after it was applied.

This is hands down the best concealer that I have ever used.

I see there is now a foundation from this same line.

I cannot wait to get that as well.

If you are interested in trying anything from this line out, Its available at Sephora.

http://www.sephora.com/lock-it-concealer-creme-P409985

You will not be disappointed. 

Keep on shimmering lovelies.

XO

Sheila

Pizza. Who does not love pizza? It is the perfect food. Life is too short to eat bad pizza. If you are going to indulge, make sure it is worth it.

I had tried making pizza at home before. It never ever came out like pizza that you'd buy.

I'd end up with soggy, doughy crust, which wasn't crispy at all.

Enter in to the picture my aunt Gini. Gini is the most cultured, elegant person that I have ever known. Gini is also the best damn cook, I've ever encountered. I'm not talking about someone who can make a good casserole. I'm talking about a woman who trained for years in Europe and who's cooking can rival any chef, celebrity or other. 

When Chad and I were married a year ago this month, as a wedding gift Gini put together a special cookbook that she made just for us. Her pizza recipe was in there. It made me want to try my hand at making pizza again. I lamented to my aunt about how my attempts at pizza always fell short.

Turns out, my technique was 100% incorrect.

In the past, I'd assemble the pizza then place it in a 450 degree oven until the cheese was melted .

Nope. That is NOT how you do it.

Below is a fool proof step by step that will get you a finished product that will beat out your neighborhood pizza place.

A few thoughts before we start...the crust and the sauce. This sauce could not be more simple. Take one 28 oz can of the highest quality San Marzano tomatoes and put them through the blender with 1/4-1/2 a teaspoon of sea salt. This is all you need. However, if you are using regular, old , plain tomatoes from the 59 cent rack...you will NOT get the same results.

As for the crust, its made at home two nights before making the pizza.  My aunt told me that sometimes she'll "cheat" and buy her dough at a local pizza restaurant. She did caution me to NOT buy supermarket pizza dough, as that is typically sitting around for who knows how long.

Now, on to making the pizza!

The first thing that you'll need to do , is position one of your oven's racks in the top 1/3 of the oven. Put your pizza stone in and set your oven to 550. (Some oven's only go to 500, that's okay too.)

Once you have your oven at 550 degrees, leave it for one hour (this step scared me at first) The idea is to get that pizza stone screaming hot.

While this is going on..its time to get to work on your pizza.

I cannot recommend strongly enough, getting a pizza peal. I tried numerous ways to avoid buying a pizza peal. Don't be a fool like I was. You can get a decent one for under $25.00. It makes all the difference. 

Take your pizza peal and cover it with corn meal. This is key. Once your oven and pizza are ready, you will need the pizza to slide right of the peal and into your oven. The corn meal will make that happen.

Start working with your dough. You'll want your dough to be in a ball when your first begin. Working from the center out, start to knead the dough. As you get going, let the weigh of the dough work for you in regards to stretching it to the desired shape and thickness. (This recipe works best with a thin dough.)

Once you have the dough shaped to your liking, the fun begins...assembling the pizza! I'm a pizza purest, I like a nice cheesy margarita pizza. However, feel free to get creative with the toppings.

Start always with the sauce. Here is where many home cooks go wrong. They will put on FAR too much sauce. It doesn't look like a lot at the time, but they sadly find the pizza is drowning as soon as they bite into it. Depending on the size of your pizza, you will want no more than 5 or 6 tablespoons of sauce.

This is the right amount of sauce.

If you'd even consider topping this with mozzarella that is shredded up in a bag, raise your hand. Okay, now use that hand to slap yourself. (Kidding! Nothing but self love here!!) 

For this, we are using fresh, wet mozzarella from the deli. Roughly 6 ounces,which we will drain and peel into 1 inch pieces.

Along with the mozzarella , we'll also add fresh basil leaves.

Once you have put the mozzarella and basil on, you'll want to grade fresh some Parmigiano-Reggiano directly onto the pizza. 

At this point, my dear friend, Lisa said me "Can we just eat this now?" The scent of freshly picked basil is very hard to resist!

Now, here is a step that I had never known about , yet it is crucial . Once you have all of your toppings on take one tablespoon of best quality olive oil and drizzle it over the entire pie. This step is what will get you an artisan pizza in your own oven.

Once that oven has been at 550 for a full hour, open the oven door and slide this gem right on to your pizza stone with one, quick motion.

You'll leave this in with the oven on for only 3-4 minutes.

After the 3-4 minutes, turn the oven off and turn your broiler on high. This step should last another 3-4 minutes. You'll know when its done when the cheese is golden and bubbling.

Remove from your oven and immediately transfer off of your pizza stone. Ideally, you'll have a vented pizza pan to transfer onto.

The vented pizza pan is ideal, because the bottom of the pizza will be steamy when it first comes out of the oven. You do not want to let that steam make your crust soggy.

If you do not have a vented pan, transfer it off of the pizza stone to a regular pan. Using a spatula , lift the pizza an inch or two off the pan. Do this twice on alternating sides of the pizza.

Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then serve! Its SO SO SO Good. If you are anything like me, you'll have a hard time believing that you made this at home.

My beverage recommendation for this, is to keep it in Italy with a nice, chilled Santa Margarita Pinot Gregio! 

Okay, here is a quick shopping list for you.

* 8 -10 oz homemade pizza dough

*6 Tablespoons of homemade pizza sauce (see above)

* 6 ounces for fresh Mozzarella

*On the block Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (I've always just eyeballed this step. Maybe 2 ounces?)

*1 Tablespoon top quality olive oil

*Corn meal for your pizza peal

* 5 or 6 fresh basil leaves.

Thats it! You are those few, simple ingredients away from this!

ENJOY!