Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Maybe She's Born With It...Maybe it's Lip Injections

People always look surprised when it comes up in conversation that I get my lips injected.

"But, they look so real..." They say.

Well, that's how they should look. A girl shouldn't walk around with Trout Pout.

I worked in a Dermatologists office years ago and as a perk, I could get any injections I wanted for free.

My friend and associate, Bunny, who I nicknamed because she looks like a Playboy Bunny and is as sweet as she is beautiful, insisted that I get my lips done.

"You have to do it! You have to!" She cheered.

I was so nervous.

And my husband was like "$400 for lip injections!? It's your money, but sheesh, you could get something so much better, like clothes or something else you like. I mean for $400 you could get a Michael Kors purse."

"First of all," I said "Might I compliment you on your knowledge of luxury handbags. Well done. However it's not called a purse, it's a Michael Kors Handbag and the one I want is $500, but that's a discussion for another time."

"And second, let me tell you what it's like to get my lips done. It's like my birthday and Christmas and Disneyland all in one."

That helped him put it in perspective. ;)

Ok, so...

Here's how it goes. For those of you considering having this done.

First they put a cream on your mouth.

This numbs you so you don't feel the needle with the actual "big gun" numbing agent they inject into your gums.

Then, they do the actual injections.

I had Restalane done once and Juvederm the other two times.

The results were equally as good. Here are the links if you want more info.

http://www.restylaneusa.com/

http://www.juvederm.com/Views/

I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life.

My friend Vonny asked me, "Does it hurt?"

And I said "Like a MOTHER!"

So, why go through this pain?

As we age, we lose the filler substances in our skin, which makes us look older. Our lips get thinner and our skin starts to sag. This makes us look old.

The injected fluid plumps your lips back up to create a youthful look.

If you get them done correctly, they should look natural and sexy.

If done incorrectly, it looks really bad. Especially from the side view. You don't want people looking at you and going "Oh she had her lips done and she looks weird."

After I had mine done, they were numb for a few hours and the next day I flew to NY and taught an 8 hour class to dermatologists, plastic and cosmetic surgeons.

I interrupted my own class and said "Please raise your hand if you can tell I had a procedure done on my face yesterday."

Not one of them could tell.

That's how it should be. You don't want your lips walking into the room before you do.

I recommend this to anyone who feels like they want some lip plumping.

I don't like the plumping lipsticks and glosses. First of all they sting and burn. And they don't seem to last.

I would rather go through real pain of needles and look exactly how I want, rather than use a product that stings and then wears off, and hardly does anything.

In the following days I felt so beautiful and it was just what I needed.

It's kind of like wearing really pretty bra's and panties under your suit.

No one knows, but YOU do and you feel really good about it. Right girls, am I right?

The other day I was working with one of my clients and everyone kept raving over her lip gloss. She had just had her lips injected in the weeks prior.

They looked gorgeous. So plump and juicy.

It was funny because she whispered to me "All I have on is clear lipgloss. It's not the gloss they're noticing, it's the injections." And I was like "TRUE!!"

All I know is after I had my lips done the first time, I went to Subway for lunch, the Sandwhich Artist offered me a free cookie and later the UPS guy walked into a wall when he saw me.

Coincidence?

I don't think so.

:)









Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Alexandra Sassypants Gets a Makeover

I have always loved makeovers. Especially in movies set to music!

Years ago, in college, I would do makeup for the girls in my dorm.

On many Friday nights they'd line up for me to get them all beautified.

Jenny, my best friend and roommate would have their names on a list. She'd greet them at the door with her clipboard.

"Is your skin clean? Did you moisturize? Are those your own brushes?" Jenny would ask.

Then she'd put a check mark by their name and say "Ok, she'll see you now."

I would doll them up 80's style with lot's of black eyeliner, peach blush, sparkely eye shadow and pearly pink lips.

Then the hair. Ohhhh the hair. AquaNet Baby! I would tease it up, spray it. Spray it some more.

One more spritz and done!

"This should withstand a 2 to 3 hour make out session, or a Category 5 hurricane," I'd promise.

Some of the girls offered to pay me.

No. I took no money for this service. That's not what it was about. I really just had fun and wanted to make the girls look good and more importantly feel good.

Jenny told me I was like Mother Teresa with a stippling brush.

And I had all the tools. The Revlon manufacturing plant is right here in my home state. Back in the day, you could go there and get makeup for almost nothing.

Large cases of eyeshadows, blush, mascara and perfumes for $10. And lipsticks and eye liners for $2.

I'm not kidding.

I'll never forget the first time I went to the Revlon Plant. I was in highschool.

My Mom gave me a hundred dollars and was like " Go crazy, Kid."

And I did. I walked in and it was like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but with cosmetics. I stopped breathing for a moment, in complete awe.

"Are you alright, dear?" The lady behind the counter asked me.

"I think so...can I sit in that chair for a minute," I asked.

I swear I almost fainted.

So I got cases and boxes and bags of makeup. I went home and handed my Mom a lipliner. "I got this for you!" hahaha...so generous of me.

Anyway, if you're still reading...I have a client, Alexandra Sassypants. (Not her real name) who told me she wants to get a face lift.

I asked her why.

"Well, Doll, you see all this dry wrinkled skin? I want it gone!"

And I said "Alexandra, I understand your concerns, however, if you get a facelift, you are simply cutting and pulling all that dry sad skin tight to give the illusion that it's healthy and young, and it's just a bad idea and your face is going to look like a Coach bag."

So, I suggested the 5 Week Make Over.

She was all ears.

I read Dr. Murad's books called The Water Secret and The Murad Method, and put together a plan based on his writings.

For the next 5 weeks, do the following:

Get a facial every week - Massage Envy offers them for an affordable price with Murad products, which are world-class.

Get a massage

Drink a smoothie everyday - put greens and any kind of fruit you like.

Eat a salad everyday - you don't need to change your whole life, just add these 2 things in and see how you feel.

Get your sleep. Make it a priority. They don't call it beauty sleep for nothing.

Write in a journal. Chances are if you can't sleep, something's bugging you. Try writing it down.

Use great skin care products. I recommend Murad.

For Alexandra, I told her to start off with the Time Release Retinol Concentrate for Deep Wrinkles.

It will diminish deep wrinkles by 45% in 6 weeks. But you will see results right away. 

A friend of mine saved up $400 for injections for her wrinkles. I sent her one of these and she was so happy with the results, that she's putting that $400 toward her breast augmentation fund instead!  Go girl.

Then I recommended the Murad Rapid Collagen Infusion. This wonderful product infuses collagen into your skin and you'll see results in 2 hours!

Laugh every day - sounds silly but I do this all the time. I call my friends during the day sometimes and we laugh so hard we cry. When I hang up the phone I feel amazing.

Talk nicely to yourself....do you find yourself saying things like "I'm so dumb! I can't believe I did that!" Start talking to yourself in a positive way. You would't say that to your best friend, now would you?

Have some fun. What do you do that makes your little heart happy? As grown ups we almost forget to have fun. Go swimming, go for a bike ride, go shopping - a little retail therapy is good for you. Painting, cooking, glass blowing, I'm just thinking out loud here.

The idea is to do something where you enjoy it so much, you lose track of time and you feel refreshed and invigorated. I try to go the movies with my brother every month or so. We hang out and eat popcorn (no butter of course) and just get to be kids again for a while.

Read something each day. Exercise your mind. Even just a few pages of a good book. It will help you sleep, too.

Exercise - Again, make it a priority. Walk, hike, take a Zumba class, Pilates, swim. Make a plan to exercise with a friend.

Get some plants for your house. They clean the air and make your home look pretty. I have lots of plants. One of them is so gorgeous I named her Pamela Anderson :)

I've had so much great feedback from my clients who have implemented this into their lives, and from their clients, too.

I hope you liked this and found it helpful. That's all for now.

Good night my darling friends...



Monday, May 27, 2013

Food Today...Vegan Treats

Watermelon for breakfast...sorry I ate it before I could take a pic. I was hungry! Lol.

Lunch - "World's Best Sandwich" (That's what I call it anyway!)
Toasty bread with sweet and spicy mustard, avocado, spinach, tomato, onion, olives, pepper rings, salt and pepper. It made me so happy :)




Snack - smoothie made with rice milk, strawberries, and half a banana
And a side of mixed nuts.

Dinner - I felt lazy today so I didn't make anything. I just had a small romaine salad and half of an Amy's Pizza. My favorite!


I've never felt better in my whole life and I really think it has to do with my new food choices. Although last night I dreamed I was eating a steak wrapped in bacon. Not like a lady with a fork and knife, but with my bare hands.

Gross!


Sunday, May 26, 2013

Ran a 5K This Weekend :)

I'm running the 5K Summer Series by the AZ Road Racers.

They have 5 races each month, starting in May. There are four 5K (3.1 miles) except for the one on The Fourth of July which is 4 miles.

The first race was so much fun!

I'v always loved running. As a child I always used to ask my Mom, "How many miles to the grocery store? How many miles to Gram's house?

And I was like "Can anyone run that far?" And she'd say, "I guess they could but who would want to?"

I always wondered how far I could run. I'm by no means any kind of elite athlete, I just really enjoy running. It's like a vacation for my brain where I get to think about anything I want. And it gets the blood flowing and makes me feel happy!

Whenever I tell people that I like running, most of the time they say they hate it, but they wish they liked it because it woud be such great exercise.

Well, my advice is always this- do the exercise that you think is fun! If you don't like to run, then find something else that excites you.

There are so many things you can do, and you don't have to join a gym.

You might check your local community centers. Some offer classes that are very inexpensive. A friend and I took a Pilates class years ago and a BLT class. (Butt, Legs and Tummy). 

They offered all kinds of classes from weight lifting to belly dancing.

I even took a water aerobics class, which is great if you have arthritis or if you have trouble doing anything too strenuous.

Or, you could order workout DVD's online for just a couple of dollars. I have a bunch of them! My favorite is The Firm.

My city has tennis courts where for a couple of dollars you can rent a set of rackets and go have a blast. 

Exercise is so good for us. We know that, but for some reason when I ask my clients if they work out, they say "no" quite a bit of the time.
They say they don't have time. Well, what about making time for yourself?

Remember as a kid, how much fun it was to go out and play?

That's how I think of exercise, it's playtime!

So why not make it something fun? We already do chores that are no fun at all like paying bills, washing dishes, flossing....blah!

And PLEASE get yourself some awesome workout clothes. Here is a good place to start, for the ladies...

Bebe Sport has adorable outfits, and remember, it's not whether you win or lose, it's how you look when you play the game. ;)

http://www.bebe.com/bebe-Sport/232.sec

Exercise helps so many things!

Working out helps manage your weight, puts you in a good mood, keeps you healthy, clears up your skin, makes you look sexy and feel good about yourself.

And it gives you energy.

Don't believe me? Try this. When you're feeling all sleepy and yawny...jog on the treadmill for 5 minutes or do some jumping jacks.

You will be all jazzed up like me, with a Miley Cyrus song loop in your head for hours ;)

"So I put my hands up
They’re playing my song,
And the butterflys fly away
Noddin’ my head like yeah
Movin' my hips like yeah

Yeahhh...It's a party in the USA!"





New Pink Lipstick


For my fellow beauty enthusiasts and pink lipstick lovers...here is my new YSL lipstick in "Pink Lingerie." That's the name of the color...not what I'm wearing ;)

I don't get nearly the amount of compliments as I do when I wear my MAC lipstick in "Snob," but this is a good one.

It's very cosmetically elegant, feels good, tastes and smells good, and it feels moisturizing. It also stays on pretty well. And it creates the illusion of making me look tan. I noticed when I wear this, everyone is like "Why are you so tan?" haha!

I like it.

The packaging is beautiful, too, which is important to me. :)

Price: $34 (a little high but I treated myself)



Burritos


I made burritos yesterday...so good!

First I made pico de gallo...it's easy!

In a bowl mix chopped tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, avocado, garlic, cilantro, lime juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Let it set up in the fridge for a bit.
Then I put some black beans in a tortilla and added the pico de gallo.
I grilled the burrito in a pan with a little olive oil so it got all crispy.

And that's it!

Friday, May 24, 2013

Food - A Typical Day

I change it up quite a bit, but these last few weeks, here is what I have been having.

This is my favorite breakfast:

A green smoothie that I usually drink out of a fancy glass, but I used this one today instead :)

It's very simple...

Water, spinach, frozen banana and mango. It tastes soooo good!



So, typically I drink this and that's all I have before noon. If I'm really hungry I will eat a few nuts.

For lunch I like to have a salad:

Tons of lettuce, avocado, olives, a little bit of cooked pasta and balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing.

Snack: A small amount of White Bean Hummus and Veggie Flax Tortilla
Chips, both from Trader Joe's.

Or an organic brown rice cake with crunchy peanut butter.

Dinner: Another salad with tons of vegetables and some vegan pizza or a small amount of pasta with sauce.

I don't usually eat dessert, but when I want something sweet, I make Rice Pudding that is awesome!

I got it from a book I just bought called 500 Vegan Recipes.

It's just cooked rice, vanilla, rice milk, tons of cinnamon and real maple syrup. Let it get nice and cold. :)

I noticed I don't have any sugar cravings since I've cleaned up my diet, which is very freeing. I hated having those stupid cravings!

Also, I take spirulina and chlorella supplements for complete protein. I know you were gonna ask me about that, hee hee!

Oh, and yes, I do still drink coffee. You couldn't pry that out of my cold dead hands!

I put coconut milk creamer in it...SO GOOD!

Colonics

Jack say's "You're only as healthy as your colon."

Words to live by don't you think.

Yes, I went and had 2 colonics.

Why? You ask. Well, Kris Carr, Author of the documentary "Crazy Sexy Cancer" said I should.

In my attempt to get as healthy as possible, as I came to find out I really hate hospitals and tests and being poked and stuck with things and nervous, and at the mercy of doctors who shrug their shoulders and go "Huh, that's really strange, I've never seen that before," I made a list of things to do for myself.

Let me back up a little bit. Colon health is something that's very serious.

Years ago my brother had an issue with constipation and he became extremely ill. He spent days in the hospital drinking mineral oil and getting colonics to clear out his system.

This not only freaked me out, it also prompted our Dad to quiz each of us each and every morning for years. 

"Did you go to the bathroom today?" He'd ask, often ambushing us outside the bathroom door.

"Yes, Dear Lord Above Quit Asking Us!!!" Was what we wanted to say.

So, alright, now I will tell you about my experience. I'm going to try to keep this classy.

I went in and met Jack, who is a very nice man who calls people "Kiddo" and "Sweetie."

My dear friend and associate, Arlene was like "Who is this guy? What are his credentials? Is he certified in anything? Is he a licensed medical professional?"

"Well," I said, "If you must know, he took a 2 day course on how to give colonics and he also is a musician who toured with the one and only Miss Dolly Parton."

That was good enough for me. :)

So, I went into my appointment, so excited.

You undress from the waist down and lay on the table.

Jack then has you turn on your side, and puts a tube up your butt.

While you are laying down, trying not to be mortified, you have a TV screen in front of you that is going to show everything leaving your lower intestine during this process.

He slowly starts the warm water that enters through the tube into your colon.

He told me that once the colon is full of water, I will have a sensation that I have to go to the bathroom.

He said to give him a sign once I had that feeling and then he'd reverse the water to drain back through the tube and you can watch this take place on the TV.

Here was my sign for him to reverse the process.

I would simply say "Jack, it feels like I have to go to the bathroom!" And he would say "Ok Sweetie."

So, this went on for several minutes and all of the water that drained out of me was clear.

Clear, clear, clear water.

I was kind of dissapointed because I wanted to be cleaned out.

Turns out I'm already pretty clean.

A few days later, I did have another colonic, just to see if the first one was a fluke and it was clear again.

Even Jack was like "Ok, you're done Kiddo."

I think he was disappointed as well.

However, I did force one of my good friends to make an appointment.

To protect her anonymity, I will call her Penelope Bon Jour.

I knew for a fact that Penelope has very unhealthy and sparse bowel movements so I pressured her to go in and get this done.

Penelope's experience was very different than mine.

She has over 40 years of impactions lodged inside her large intestine, coupled with years of suffering with stomach cramps and issues.

She paid for 10 colonics and currently has completed 5.

So much debris has come out of her system.

I asked her to describe it to me.

This is what she said, brace yourself.

Her poop was very dark brown, almost black and smelled really bad, worse than anything she ever smelled.

Then she eliminated matter that was grey, almost like ash.

At some point, the matter was green and yellow, as in infection.

She said she is feeling better and has more energy than ever.

I'll keep you posted with updates on Penelope.

I don't know if I have inspired you at all to go have a colonic. It may be what you need, or not.

I just know that sometimes I am flicking through the channels on TV and if I land on Dr. Oz, I look at his audience members and I find myself guessing when the last time each of them went to the bathroom.

I don't know, they just all look stopped up to me.

Here is a link you may find helpful, for more information.

http://healingwatersaz.com/

Anyway, have a wonderful and blissful evening my loves. :)







A Pretty Felon?

I've been thinking a lot lately about Jodi Arias and how she demanded makeup for her jailhouse interview after being convicted of Murder One. She was like "Um, can a girl get some gloss over here?"

She required the following:
Base, waterproof mascara and lip gloss. All of which the media provided for her.

This made me wonder, was she limited to only three products? And then I was thinking, what would my demands be, you know, for my jailhouse interview if I were convicted of ruthlessly and mercilessly murdering an innocent person without a hint of remorse?

Here's what I came up with.

1. Murad Hybrid - haven't decided yet on Matte or Dewey finish. I'm thinking Matte for the camera.
2. Benefit Brow Kit - Browzings in Medium to Light
3. Light brown eye liner
4. Mascara - Again, I'm gonna have to go with Benefit.
5. Urban Decay Naked Palette
6. Mac Lipstick - Snob

I am quite a bit older than Jodi, so I guess I would need more products than her.

I would also request a great pair of high heels. I know they may not show during the interview, but I'm thinking they might make me feel more confident and sexy.

I'd also request a visit from my stylist to touch up my highlights.

Oh and some Crest Whitestrips...the 30 minute ones.

And last but certainly not least, I'd have Tom come in and do my backfill on my nails. Polished to perfection.

That's all for now...just my deep thoughts...on my blog.

Have a fantastic day, Everyone!!

Thursday, May 23, 2013

I Made Dinner Last Night!!

Look at my fabulous flat bread!

Craig's best friend Chris stopped by yesterday and I was very excited to see him and to make dinner for all 3 of us. They LOVED it!

Chris was like "This is so F***ing GOOD."

The ultimate compliment when you make food for someone.

Here's how to make it:

Go to Trader Joes and get flatbread.

In food processor blend up basil, garlic, onion, olive oil, salt, pepper and a few red pepper flakes.

(Add the olive oil while it's spinning.) I don't measure anything, it bores me, so I just throw in what I think would be good. :)

Put the mix on the flatbread.

Chop up tomatoes, onions and mushrooms. Throw them on top.

Bake on 400 degrees for about 15 minutes.
The edges burned a little, but Chris was all "I like it burnt."
Perfect!



Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Dry Brushing

I keep hearing about dry brushing the skin and I couldn't understand what the big deal is.

Also, I wondered what difference does it makes if you dry brush or just exfoliate with a loofah in the shower....so, I tried it.

Amazing results! But also kind of gross.

I bought a loofah for $4 at Ulta, a flat one that you can put on your hand, and I gently buffed away. If you try this, don't brush too hard. It'll irritate your skin and make it red. The last thing you want is an impaired barrier function!

Then, I jumped in the shower and here's what is so disgusting...all the water in the drain was this very dirty brown color, I KNOW!

I towel dried, applied coconut oil (Trader Joes $5), and another moisturizer on top to occlude.

My skin feels glorious!

I didn't expect miracles, being an aesthetician, we're always skeptical of any skin beauty product or ritual. But try this...so good!

Word on the street: the claim is that dry brushing is good for loosening dead skin cells, moves your lypmph fluid, wakes up your immune system and improves circulation. It makes your skin feel very soft and velvety.

OH! And I had to travel this week, which usually dries my skin out horribly, and it stayed silky smooth for 2 days without applying any body lotions or moisturizers.

I'm going to continue this daily. :)