Fashion Friday - A Little Late... A Little Lululemon

Thursday my husband and I drove through the gulf national seashore to Navarre Beach, Florida about 10 miles away. The gulf was rough, red flag, because of Tropical Storm Andrea which hit south Florida.

I wore a white Lululemon athletic tank that I purchased a couple of weeks ago and a Lululemon floral running skirt that I purchased last year. I don't usually run in the skirt, but usually wear it for casual wear.

Tank: Lululemon running tank;  Skirt:  Lululemon;  Sandals:  Tory Burch;  Bracelets:  Free People

And one more workout outfit by Lululemon that I love...

Tank:  Lululemon;  Running shorts:  Lululemon;  Running shoes :  Mizuno Wave -Here;  Sunglasses:  Oakley

I'll try to put more links in for the clothing.  The tanks are new so should be still available for purchase if you are interested. The shoes are new too.  I love the bright color and they are very light and comfortable. The shorts and skirt I got last year.

That's all for now!  It's late and I have a race in the morning!

It's Good To Be Back!

I'm back! I'm back on Obagi C Rx skin system that is. I've been on it for about 5 years with breaks of a few months or so and always seem to go back on it. This past break from Obagi C, I started using the Cindy Crawford Meaningful Beauty day and night creams as well as a couple of other things I use before applying makeup. My friend L loves CCMB and is on the automatic mailing system of the product so she receives it every month whether she's out or not. She's accumulated tons of it so she gave me a couple of the products to try.

Since I was out of the Obagi C tretinoin cream (Obagi's retin A), I found an almost entire tube of a Retin A cream that the Boy had tried a few years ago for acne and never finished. I finished the tube off and then it was time to get another. I try to never go without a Retin A product. Bad things happen to my pores and skin when I do.

While we were in Birmingham this week, I headed over to Spa 119 to finally restock my Obagi products. I had planned on getting the C serum without the added skin lightener, hydroquinone, since I am a little suspicious of long term use of it even though it really works to get rid of age spots and freckles. I had freckles all over my chest that are now gone from using the night cream on my chest for a while a few years ago to give my face a break from it. Totally works!

I like the Cindy Crawford Meaningful beauty cream as a moisturizer with added sunscreen, but I still needed something stronger. My skin started breaking out (only minor, but still!) probably more from the drug store sunscreen I was using and my skin was flaking. Dry, yet breaking out! It was a mess!

Get Obagi C Rx System 20% Here with code May2013

I ended up purchasing the entire Obagi C starter kit since it is less expensive to buy it that way and I was out of everything anyway. The C serum in the kit had the hydroquinone so I went with it this time, but when I need a refill I'm going with the non-hydroquinone despite the fact that I was reassured that the 4% in the product was very mild and didn't cause any problems. It's still a chemical that I don't really need year round.

And I got the .05% Tretinoin Cream.

Obagi C Rx system also available for Normal to Dry skin Here 20% off with code May2013

Now Obagi C Rx has SPF 50 sunscreen instead of 35. That is much needed these days since I'm in the sun a lot. I'm going to avoid the drug store brand so hopefully the breakouts will stop.

I can already tell a difference in my skin after only two days of use. It is not peeling, seems more moisturized and the break outs are clearing up.

It's good to be back! Back on Obagi and back at the beach!

White dress: Free People; Black Jog Bra: Lululemon; Flip Flops: Juicy Couture; 

Necklace: Free People Here

This Week's 5k Run For Another Great Cause - Transverse Myelitis

Run 4 Mike 5k

A few months ago a good friend of ours who knew I liked to run asked if I would do a 5k run for Transverse Myelitis. Her 30 year old son was diagnosed with TM a year or two ago when he woke up one morning paralysed. He eventually was able to walk again, but TM is a very scary and unpredictable disease of the spinal cord. There is no know cause or cure right now and it can leave patients permanently disabled or worse since it can be fatal.

I agreed to race in honor of her son and raise money for research to help find a cure for this terrible disease. The run was called the Run 4 Mike, named after Mike L. Jezdimir, who was diagnosed with TM in the 1960's. You can read more about the Mike L. Jezdimir Transverse Myelitis Foundation here.
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It was a beautiful day and a perfect course on paved trails in Veteran's Park in Alabaster, Alabama about 30 or 40 minutes south of Birmingham. The course was a couple of loops in one part and then an out and back the last mile which had a few more rolling hills, but nothing too bad. I've been using these 5k's as speed work since I haven't done real speed work in years. I took off as fast as I could and was in the overall lead for almost two miles before a guy passed me. I thought it was pretty cool to be behind the cyclist who was showing us where to go with no other runners ahead of me, temporarily at least.

Me with Mike

When we hit the hills around 2 1/2 miles another guy passed me, but I held on to be the third person to cross the finish line and the first female overall. I forgot to start my watch and I'm not sure but I think the time when I crossed the finish line was 22:34 or something, but I'm really not sure. All I know is my first mile was 7:24 minute mile. I felt pretty strong the entire way and only briefly felt nauseous on the hills, but it went away before I crossed the finish line.

Several of our friends were walking the 5k course for Team Daniel and wore white t shirts and white ball caps with a blue ribbon for Transverse Myelitis. I love the fringe! I would've worn one, but I think I would have gotten it all sweaty by the time I finished the run. I wore the same Lulumon tank that I wore in the Rumpshaker 5k because it fits so well, holds everything in and I love that it has wider straps that crisscross in the back. They don't dig into my shoulders and the material wicks so no sweaty wetness. I think I'm going back to Lulumon's and purchase another tank similar to this if they still carry them. I bought the one I wore during this run a couple of years ago.

Overall, a great race for a great cause. Maybe next year I will form a team for the Autism 5k (which was the one I did last weekend here) in honor of my son. The Murph and I were trying to come up with a cool Aspergerish team name but couldn't think of anything cool. My suggestions were Team Asparagus or Team Hamburgers, but the Murph said nobody would get it. Any good ideas?

Go Team Daniel!

More pictures of the fun from Facebook page of Alabama Transverse Myelitis Awareness.

Hauling Out The White Clothes and Shoes

 You can't open a door around here without this cat running out.  And I thought I could condition him to think that every time he gets out he would get a bath when he comes back inside.  He hates baths, but I still have some work to do to get him to make the connection.  Outside = Bath.

I think I can officially start wearing all my white dresses and shoes now that it's after Easter.  I never wait until Memorial Day.  It's already hot here in the south.   I wear white year round except shoes and summery dresses like the one I'm wearing here.  I chose to wear pink Tory Burch sandals today though instead of white ones.  I thought a contrast would be better.

This is one of my favorite white Free People Dresses.  See Phantom trying to get past me to run down the steps and off the porch.  Don't worry, he didn't make it past my leg.  I'm faster.  I love his tuxedo!

While I was running errands today I stopped in Lululemon's and spent way to much on athletic wear.  I don't feel too bad about it since I wear work out clothing everyday for almost the entire day, except going out or sleeping.  My friend at styleodyssey.blogspot.com turned me on to them when she was visiting over Christmas holidays.  She warned me that I would get addicted and there would be no turning back.  She was right!  I love it and I'm not getting paid to say that.

Even the Lululemon bags are way cool.  Or should I say "Hip".

Walk In The Park

Yesterday was such a nice, warm day that Ken and I decided to go for a walk at a nearby park after I did a short 4 mile run in the neighborhood.   I wore my Lululemon tights.  I love them!   My friend S was right about Lululemon workout wear - once you start wearing them there's no going back.  I can't wait to go buy more workout wear from them for Spring/Summer.   Got a nice picture of Ken in his "workout wear" which is also his usual day wear.   Then we played with the camera and took pictures of each other in various places along the trail.  Practice for future "photo shoots" maybe.....