Made in... ?

It's my fourth day checking out the labels of things I eat, wear and use.
Have you been checking ? 
Let me know if you have, I would love to add a link.
I find a new country everyday !
My new country for today was Pakistan, my skirt was made there.
I have to say that Zara is one of the stores where I find the 
most diverse origins.

Today the bra is Bali brand made in El Salvador and underwear 
is Sanrio's Hello Kitty made in China.
(wait, it this TOO MUCH information ?!)
I washed my hair and came across the following:
While doing my make up, I tried to use other of the stuff I have in my make
up drawer so I could see where else my cosmetics are being made.
As usual, there is always one item I have no idea where it is from, 
today it was a Smashbox clear lipgloss.
My nail polish, in this case Avon's Olive Green tone is made in the US.

The accessories are silver from Peru and Mexico.
My sunglasses are from Italy, I am wondering if the case is too..

Breakfast was local coffee sweetened with Splenda (made is US).
I also had local bread and local cottage cheese.
Lunch will be local meat and salad made of local goods and
strawberry yogurt, also made locally.

I will be doing a recap that should be interesting...



Where is it from ?

Today is my third day checking out labels on things I wear, 
items I use and goods I eat.
I have to say it's eye opening and sometimes even surprising.
For example, the Bath and Bodyworks liquid soap does not say 
where it is made. It says it is not animal tested but, no
indication on origin.
Do you have any B&Bworks soap you can check for me ?
Maybe yours says where it is made...
I would like to know.
My make up is mostly Smashbox and some items are made in 
the US and others are made in China. I wonder why ?
If you can make a an eyeshadow trio in the US why can't you make a blush ?

My silver accessories are from Mexico, Spain, Peru and Italy.
Another item I could not find a place of origin for
was the lint remover. But, I am pretty sure it was not made in Australia.

In my outfit I continue to have pieces from China.
Note that I have nothing against China.
It's just amazing how they have taken over producing
everything we use.

I drove to my office in a German car assembled in Mexico.
For breakfast had local grown coffee sweetened with Splenda 
sugar substitute made in the US. 
Once again had my Nabisco crackers made in Nicaragua and 
my local made cottage cheese.
For lunch I will most likely have a vegetable soup made locally.
I am posting from a MAC computer assembled in China and
my watch is made in Switzerland.

Below are links from other bloggers who have also checked out their labels, 
so check them out to see what they have found...

Hillary of ByHillary
It was interesting how three of her items, all of which are recognized brands 
did not have the origin information...
One thing I found striking was that her hand soap was from Guatemala!

Francis Joy of Mad Dress Game
I thought it was so cool that she had in one outfit stuff from Haiti, Turkey, Indonesia and China !

Other fellow bloggers will be posting about it, I will
give you heads up as they have.
I think it is interesting to see how the origins of items may differ depending 
on where you are.






Made Where ?

As you may have read yesterday this week I am doing a challenge 
that you are cordially invited to join.
It's to just check the labels on things you are wearing, eating, using.
See where they are coming from,
what country was it made in ?
I will be checking labels for one week and
taking note on them.
Today I checked my undergarment's labels, the bra comes from
Mexico and the underwear from Jordania.
Soap and perfume are from France, deodorant is Dove made in Mexico
and the list continues...
(Yes, I know you are thinking I need to replace some of my make up. I can assure you that I have 2 more blushes and 3 face powders in my drawer that are waiting in line for me to finish the above products so they can jump into action)
In today's outfit the shoes, bag, and dress come from China.
The belt is made in Peru by Michelle Belau
My accessories are silver pieces from Italy and Mexico
and my watch is Swiss.
Regarding my food intake, my breakfast consisted of crackers 
made in Nicaragua, local cottage cheese and local coffee sweetened with Splenda (made in the US).
I am writing this post on a MAC assembled in China.
My lunch will be local made pasta, tap water and Quaker granola 
bites - not sure where these are made.
Unless I looked I would have never guessed my Nabisco crackers 
were made in Nicaragua !
Nicaragua ?
Have you read a label that surprised you ?
Let me know if you want to join so I can add your link you to this
experiment :)




Depending on the World

Yesterday I was reading Delane's post on a challenge which consists on buying and eating only local food. I found it extremely interesting.
Personally, I don't find myself often wondering where something
I use or buy came from.
Sure I look, but I do not give it too much thought.
This got me thinking on how dependent we are on our
everyday life on the products that other countries make.

A couple of weeks back I was just reading about Sara Bongiorni's experiment 
on "A Year Without China" where she and her family held back 
from buying anything made in China for an 
entire year and how difficult it was.
So, how dependent are we ?
I did a little exercise that I will be conducting all week
which consists on looking at where things I use come from.
So I begin...

Items of personal use such as soap, deodorant and perfumes
come from France and Mexico.


My toothpaste it's made is the USA and the Smashbox blush I wear is
made in China.
My face powder is made in the USA.
Continuing with products on that I use almost on a daily basis:
eyeshadows and lipstick are made in USA, mascara is made in England,
Eye pencil is from Germany and the brush from China.
I finally got dressed to find that the only garment made
in the USA from my clothes today was my skirt.
When I was dressed, I realized that China
was the number one maker, no matter the brand's origin,
of today's wear.


Drove to work in a German car that was assembled in Mexico.
For breakfast I had local grown coffee with Splenda sugar substitute (made in USA), Nestle dairy creamer (no made in information ?!) local bread and local cottage cheese.

Lunch was a tomato and lettuce salad (local produce) with Paul Newman's dressing (made in USA) and tuna chunks from Costa Rica.

And my day is not close to over.
As far as I can see I have not consumed anything from
Antarctica, the South American, African or Australian Continent...

Would YOU LIKE TO JOIN ME In this challenge ?

It's just one week.

 I would love to see where your stuff is coming from.








Detox Saturday

On Saturday I went to get a foot detox. 
I had heard about it and decided to give it a try. 
It's referred to as "foot detox" as it is supposed to be done through 
your feet but should work on all of your body.
It is really called the Ionic Detoxification Foot Bath and 
promises to help your body get rid of radiation, pollution, chemicals,
preservatives and so on that prevent your body from healing.
According to them the toxins flee your body through the pores in 
your feet thus turning the water dark.
It takes 30 minutes.
While sitting there I felt a little shaky and unstable.
I sat there watching the water turn darker by the minute
and it smelled like acid.
Below are pictures of my feet as time went by,
when I first put my feet in the water was clear.
Later on I read that the color of the water meant what
part of your body was being cleansed and then I read
that it's just the oxidation process of the black device 
(in between my feet)
 that supposedly carries the ions.

I also read afterwards that this is a total scam.
What do you think ? Have you tried this ?

Anyways, here's what I wore, something I 
had not worn in over a year:

After I did my foot detox, I went shopping for pots and plants.

How was your Saturday ?




Anti Frizz Anyone ?

This is one of the products I use on my hair.
I use it when I do not have time to blow dry.
I use it when I feel that my hair has its 
own brain and cannot be controlled:
Advance Techniques Anti Freeze Capsules from Avon.
It's cheap, about 3 bucks AND it is good AND works !
The fact that the product comes in capsules tells you how much
you need to apply and it also makes it really simple to take the product in your
beach bag or if you are traveling.  It does not take up space.


This tiny gem works wonders.
It will control the frizz, I usually only use one, but
my hair is mid length, you may need two.
Trust me, I have tried MANY brands but,
so far this is the only one that has stayed with me.
I only keep stuff that works.

NEVER SAY NO TO PANDA !

A friend sent me this link.
Was LMAO, laughed so hard I cried and began to choke.
Could not breathe. All I could think of was the Panda.
Just had to share this with you.
I love the Panda, I want to be the Panda.
Could this be love ?

Finally Friday

 What a week people !
What a week...
DKNY Jeans · Top Solitaire · Flats Franco Sarto

Cherry necklace and pendant (self made)

Have a good weekend.... and keep your head up !
I will sure try.


I don't even want to complain...

I don't even want to complain because things could get worst.
But today is so much more than I bargained for.
I was at the Police Station filing a LOUD MUSIC report at 2:30 AM.
Before coming to work had an incident with my grandmother.
Got to work and my mother's tenants called so I could fix some
things in the apartment.
Then the building administrator called to tell me we could have
issues with the Fire Department.
And it's only noon.
In addition to all the above listed I feel like crap (cold?) 
and look like crap.
These low rise chinos from GAP have been in my closet since 
I got them about 4 years in LA. 
They are not working for me probably because of the
extra weight and they mark my midsection in the
worst of ways.
The top is not helping either.
I am not sure if I am going to be wearing these again
or maybe I will give them a second chance and 
wear them with other garments.
For now, all I want is to get through the day.
I just wish your day is BRIGHTER,
A LOT BRIGHTER,
than mine :)

A nice comment...

For some reason I am accustomed to asking my H how things look.
It's almost masochism. We usually differ but, not this morning.
He actually said that I looked like a magazine ad.
This is a huge accomplishment considering previous 
comments, the most memorable being
"You look like a tree"
So I walked out of the house feeling really confident but, 
now I feel kind of slouchy after seeing the pictures.


Blue equestrian skirt Zara · Cardigan H&M · Red flats Franco Sarto · Brooch vintage

For Hillary

I have been meaning to do this for sometime.
But, I have not.
SO, it seemed like a good idea, 
after reading Hillary's birthday wish post.

The idea is to show show what I carry with me.
I emptied my purse on the sofa as I was going to change
the contents to another bag.
Anyways, here it is:
Some things make sense, others don't.
For example I carry a calculator with me as I travel and sometimes
need to get exchange rates. 
I could use the calculator in the Blackberry, but I rather not.
Three pens .... and I can never find one.
The knitting needle is another story. I use to knit in traffic and for some
reason the needle has stayed around.
My cosmetics bag is falling apart, I have others but they are too big.
It usually carries one lipgloss and one face powder. That's it.


I have to admit however that my sunglasses are missing, 
probably left them in the dresser- they are usually in my bag.
I also throw in snacks sometimes...

SO, there is it...

Happy Birthday Hillary :)

Today is Tuesday

Yes, in case you have not noticed it's Tuesday.
I started to cut down on my food intake (a.k.a. diet) yesterday, 
so day two seems like forever.
My pants are tight, my jeans do not fit and as much as 
I may enjoy shopping it is not in my plans to build a new 
wardrobe with my new weight.
Grey skirt Casual · Blue top Mossimo · Silver tone belt vintage · Red patent bag Nicole Lee · Black and grey patent shoes 


I want to add some exercise to the plan, let's see how it works.