This weekend I went to a sip and shop event at Pearls & Plaid in Old Saybrook, CT, organized by CT Blogger Babes. It's so great to finally have a group to bring together other local bloggers, and to have the opportunity to visit and support businesses I might not otherwise know about.
Pearls & Plaid is a boutique filled with affordable, on trend pieces - I don't think I saw a single item over $70. Right now knits are center stage and they are all ridiculously soft. In addition to clothes there's a good selection of jewelry, statement earrings and delicate layering necklaces being the most notable. A small selection of gifts currently includes handwritten signs by a local artist.
The atmosphere of the shop is light and bright, and easily flows from one section to the next on both of the small floors.
You can find Pearls & Plaid at 1330 Boston Post Road Old Saybrook, CT 06475
Huh. This set ended up going in a far more festive direction than was my intent when I started off with those adorable black velvet bow slingbacks. I think it was the plaid tote which tipped the scales. Needless to say we are now in November, and it's officially holiday season, so I should just sit here and be pleased to have a head start for once. Now to just keep it up, right?
Since turning 30, um, a year and a half ago, I've been on a mission to finally rid myself of the acne that has been plaguing me since 13. I've changed up my skin care routine, swapping my physical exfoliant for a chemical one, in addition to cutting down the number of times I use it to twice a week. I've tried weaning my skin off of benzoyl peroxide and using a rosehip oil as an alternative every other night. I've switched up my birth control, made a conscious effort to drink more water, and take regular make up breaks.
While my acne has never been super bad, it's always been pretty consistent. For the most part, thanks to makeup and more so the healing brush tool, I never let anyone see it here. I've actually been photoshopping acne out of my life for 18 years.
Several months ago my sister sent me an article about how a person gave up dairy for a month and their skin was completely transformed - do a quick search and you can find of number of such accounts - clear, glowing skin after a few weeks and I'll I'd have to do was ditch dairy.
But I love cheese. I mean, I LOVE cheese. I'm the kinda girl who goes into Whole Foods and spends $30 on two pieces of cheese... I can just close my eyes and think about that Mightnight Moon Gouda... Of course it's not just cheese - it's my morning coffee, yogurt, ice cream, and present in 90% of menu items in any restaurant which isn't asian. So I delayed the experiment until I could come up with a month when I'd miss dairy the least, and landed on October.
Eating ice cream out is pretty much exclusively dairy, unless you happen to live near a place specializing in vegan treats. I wasn't about to deprive myself of a single lick of my favorites over the summer, which was a big factor in my October decision. However there were still plenty of warm nights when ice cream was in order. Thankfully there was SO Delicious chocolate truffle cashew ice cream, and it tastes nearly as good as the dairy stuff. The price tag on the other hand, is a far cry from a Bryers two for $5 sale.
Cheese of course was the hardest thing to eliminate, since it's pretty much my go-to snack, and I'll put it in pretty much everything. No pizza, no mac and cheese, no salads with feta or goat, no grilled cheese; not realizing how overwhelmingly present cheese is in food dishes really made eating out an issue.
One thing I did not give up was butter. I tried to avoid it when I could, but it's butter. I wasn't about to decline a slice of apple pie because the crust was made with butter!
Now my month is up, and as for my skin, it's definitely not glowing. As usual I consistently got whiteheads throughout the month. First on my right cheek, then my left, and finally on my jawline. The last one cleared up on Saturday. A new one has not appeared... yet. The true test would be to continue to abstain from dairy and see what happens. If I went another month and didn't breakout at all, I might have something conclusive. But I ate pizza last night because I really wanted pizza. I'll see what happens. Though unlike some people who tried this experiment, I experienced no ill effects from that pizza. No stomach ache or bloating or sign from my body screaming "no! dairy is bad!" All I experienced was the deliciousness of cheese I've been missing.
And no, there are not any before and after photos, just my usual, with blemishes removed.
