Eastern State Penitentiary Photo Shoot!

Yesterday I had a photo shoot at the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA.  I had never been there before and so I didn't know what to expect!  The have ghost tours during the day and at night.  I can't imagine that place at night because it was super scary during the day!  The photographer that I went with had been there before and was trying to creep me out the whole ride there which was an almost 3 hour drive.

A little history about the Penitentiary, it was operational from 1829 until 1971. Notorious criminals such as bank robber Willie Sutton and Al Capone were held inside its unique wagon wheel design. Known as being the most expensive building built in the U.S. at the time, the Eastern State Penitentiary became a prototype in design to 300 prisons.
This system, used by the Quakers, was designed to force the inmates sent there to look inside themselves and find God. In reality, the system which placed inmates in complete solitude, drove many a sane man to madness.

Prisoners at Eastern State had a toilet, table, bunk and Bible in their cells, in which they were locked all but one hour a day. When the prisoners did leave their cells, a black hood would be placed over their head so they could not see any other prisoners as they were guided through the halls of the prison. Interaction and any form of communication between inmates was forbidden.
Inmates lived a life in mundane solitude and would only get a glimpse of sunlight, known as "The Eye of God" which came through a slit in the prison ceiling. In desperate need of human interaction, prisoners would tap on pipes or whisper through vents to each other.

If caught, the penalty was brutal.  

The Water Bath
The inmates who broke the rules risked being dunked in a bath of ice-cold water then hung from a wall for the night. During the winter months, when this punishment was most popular, the water on the inmates's skin would form into a layer of ice before morning.

Iron Gag
The most deadly punishment was known as the Iron Gag and specifically designed for those inmates who refused to obey the no communication policies. An iron collar was clamped onto the tongue of the inmate, and then chained to his wrists which were strapped high behind their back. Any movement resulted in a tearing of the tongue and severe bleeding. Many inmates who suffered this torture died from loss of blood before their torment ended. 

The Hole
Dug under Block #14, the hole was nothing but a pit in the ground where incorrigible inmates would stay locked, sometimes for weeks. There was no light, little air, and those thrown into its tortuous grip would receive water and a slice of bread, if they got to it before the rats and roaches.

While there I sometimes felt like there was someone right behind me....or feeling like there was someone touching me...and there wasn't.  A couple of times I thought I saw someone run past in a hallway or in a prison cell, but no one was there!

Here are some of the pictures:
         Click on any of them to enlarge them.

 

Adam (photographer) and I

Some of the pictures are photo shopped to give it that "antique" look!

Hope you like them! I had a great time even if it was spooky!!!!  Tonight is Trick or Treat here in our neighborhood!  I may even dress up!

Moisturize Moisturize!

Had I known when I was in my 20's the importance of moisturizer, I would have taken a bath in it every night! I never even thought about it then because I was "young". I did a promotion a couple of months ago for some facial moisturizers at Costco and I remember a young girl (20's) coming up to me asking what I was demoing....when I showed her the age defying moisturizer she said, "oh I don't need that...I don't have any wrinkles"....I explained to her the importance of starting young and continuing on because having healthy skin in your 20's leads to healthy skin in your 30's and 40's.

My facial routine consists of only 2 products and have given me some really great results. I can't say whether or not my "young" looking face comes from using these or good genes! My Mom is 63 and looks no where near her age:



I shower at night and when I wash my face, I use water only! Then when I get out of the shower I use the towel and wipe off any remaining make-up. I don't wear alot of make-up and if its a day that I do, then I use a make-up remover cloth.

After my face is dry I use L'Oreal Revitalift Double Lifting Cream. Its a 2 in one and it works great! I couldn't find a coupon for this particular product but L'Oreal has some other great Coupons and samples that you might be interested in!!



This unique dual-action treatment instantly retightens skin and effectively fights the look of wrinkles. Advanced RevitaLift Double Lifting is the first double-action treatment that combines two exclusive complementary formulas in one application an ultra-concentrated lifting gel and a powerful anti-wrinkle cream for intense lifting action.

Then I use Garnier Nutritoniste Ultra-Lift Pro Deep Wrinkle Night Cream:



Visibly plump deep wrinkles, hydrate & intensely firm your skin while you sleep with this night cream. Click here for a $2.00 coupon!

And that's it!! Another Beauty Tip is to make sure you don't forget to moisturize your NECK!! I can't emphasize that enough! Alot of people don't do their neck and it is very important!

I'd like to think that I have great looking skin but not sure if its the lotions I use or the fact that I laid under a Sun Lamp when I was in 9th grade and had 2nd degree burns on my face...then I popped all the blisters and my whole face peeled! Talk about exfoliating!

This was from a recent photo shoot...unretouched!