Beauty & Fashion Inspirations

Read this post — I love this post – it really shows why Scales do not tell the whole story or even most of the story:

Now that you are done staring in amazement, eyes darting back and forth between the two Debs and down to “155lbs” to make sure you read it right, let this information really sink in.  Let it change your perspective to something healthier.  Forever!

Now go throw away your scale.

Faced with the facts above, basing your goals – or even worse, your happiness – on the number on your scale is absolutely ridiculous.  I’ll give you an example of why weight is useless information in all but extreme cases.  Let’s pretend Deb came to me at a weight of 200 lbs and told me she wanted to get down to 155 lbs.  Which side of the picture above do you think she would prefer?  Do you think she would have been satisfied with the left side?  Look at her face.  She is ecstatic with her body on the right, but on the left she can hardly stand to have her picture taken.  We can glean from this that goals based on weight are too vague to be useful.  If I had only given you her circumference measurements (waist, hips, thighs, bust, etc.) and no photos, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind which 155 lb Deb you would have chosen as the more aesthetically appealing.  But when you look in the mirror and see a body like the Deb on the left you probably say, “Damn, I need to lose some weight.”  Now you have undeniable evidence that defies that thought.  Losingweight is not what you want and pursuing a number on your scale is not the path to success.  It will drive you insane, though.  But that’s probably not your goal.

Change your perspective to something healthier.  Forever!

 

 

Why You Might Be Dangerously Dehydrated

When you skimp on fluids (check out the ideal amount here), it’s hard on your body, which makes sense because water is essential to just about every process in our body and, in fact, to the very existence of life on Earth. Life first emerged in the salty, primordial ocean; it stayed there until it was able to capture a bit of that water inside itself, the so-called “milieu intérieur” in which cells are bathed. Our inner ocean is a calm, salty broth providing cells with the raw materials they need to function, removing waste products, allowing them to communicate with each other and buffering them from the unpredictable world outside.

This water within accounts for about 60 percent of our body — about 11 gallons, or 92 pounds, inside a 155-pound person. Most of it lurks inside our cells (where all sorts of important substances are dissolved in water) and outside them (the milieu interieur), but we also use it to cool our body with sweat, to circulate oxygen and fuel to our organs and to take away waste products via blood. The elderly, infants and sick children are most prone to dehydration, but no one is risk-free. “lf you’re really busy, it’s easy for all morning to go by and you don’t really drink much until you notice you are thirsty, at which point you’re already slightly dehydrated,” says Cheuvront. And when we exercise hard, such as playing soccer or football or running distances in the summer, and forget to hydrate, we can easily lose 4 to 5 percent of our body weight (take a look at the best after-workout drinks here).

The Sex Difference in Sex Scandals

There are some things that you can’t change about genetics and attraction I guess – no matter how far we have come. I posted this with regards to how women and men are viewed when they are in positions of power – and what is considered acceptable traits for one are actually detractors for the other.  Think about all the scandals involving famous men – Kobe, Magic Johnson, Sir Charles, Presidents Clinton/Kennedy, White House Staff, Finance Moguls, Celebrities — most of them weather the storm of bad press and resume their careers. Some even seem more famous and  powerful post scandal. As a society it seems to be the norm. Sad…

One has to do with what we typically consider attractive and/or sexy in men versus women. For better or worse … as a culture, we see competence and power as very attractive features in a man. The more power and competence a man and his position (and money) denote, the more attractive he will seem to a whole host of women. This, by the way, explains the appeal of the military flight suit. I single out the flight suit, as opposed to military dress uniforms, because there is nothing inherently attractive in what military pilots refer to as their “green bags.” And yet, a pilot walking into a bar in one increases his chances of getting a date by an order of magnitude over a guy in a t-shirt and jeans. Why? Because the flight suit denotes competence and a certain level of power.

A woman pilot wearing a flight suit into a bar, on the other hand, will see her chances of a date fall. Why? Because (and again, this is a general trend, there are always exceptions), we don’t see competence and power as sexy in a woman. If anything, they’re threatening. When I bought my current airplane 12 years ago, (a simple, four-seat, single engine model), a male friend of mine congratulated me on the purchase, but then added,

“You know, Lane, this is not exactly going to help your love life.”

Is that image changing? Of course it is. More and more men are waking up to the benefits and appeal of a smart, competent, independent and powerful woman. But as a culture, what makes a woman appealing is still her looks, not her power.

Today is a rest day — from exercise.

I’ve recently discovered some great skin care products that I wanted to share.

Ole Henriksen

from Sephora:

Nature, science, beauty, and wellness. These four key elements are behind every Ole Henriksen product, making it a total lifestyle line and a true depiction of the man behind the brand. Ole (pronounced “ooh-lah”) Henriksen’s studies in cosmetic chemistry, and hands-on experience treating some of Hollywood’s most famous complexions at his Los Angeles spa, have resulted in the ultimate in at-home luxury—skincare that treats the face and body while helping to achieve overall health and wellness. What we love most? Just like his sought-after spa treatments, every Ole Henriksen product is an absolute treat for the senses—they smell delicious and feel sensational.

I can’t remember where I first heard about Ole’s products but I decided to try them after seeing them at Sephora. I bought one of those specially priced packages that included:
Three Little Wonders
- 1 oz Truth Serum
- 1 oz Invigorating Night Gel
- 1 oz Sheer Transformation

I also use the On the Go Cleanser which I love –

I noticed a difference in my skin in a matter of days.  Discoloration and flaky skin issues seemed to lessen and I would say that after a month or so of using it along with my Clarisonic — my skin looks better than ever.
Ole has a whole skin care line so I am sure they have products for every skin type or issue! Let me know your thoughts on Ole Henriksen or what other skin care line you love!

via Gear: No-sweat holiday gifts for serious athletes

Need ideas for the athlete in your life? Take a look at some of these suggestions —

The serious athlete is a picky fellow or gal, normally quite unwilling to delegate the critical task of shopping for high-tech training gadgets to mere holiday well-wishers. But the stuff here is disappointment-proof — compact, functional, not prohibitively expensive and, best of all, so new that it will impress any recipient’s hard-core buddies.

I love this video because it shows all kinds of women doing Crossfit. It doesn’t matter how old you are you can do it — and how awesome are they? This is the stuff we do in boot camp which makes us strong and lean — combine that with diet changes — you can be one of these ladies too!

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Have you bought anything from those Group Deal sites yet?

I have and havent been disappointed yet. Here is a good one today for Nordstrom Rack:

$25 for $50 Worth of Shoes, Apparel, and More at Nordstrom Rack

Here is the fine print:

# Limit 1 per person

# Good for $50 value of merchandise ($25 customer Paid For value plus $25 Add-On Offer value)

# Add-On Offer Value EXPIRES ON* December 31, 2010 ($25 customer Paid For value never expires)

# Add-On Offer Value is valid from November 19, 2010-December 31, 2010

# May not be redeemed for cash except as required by law.

# Valid only at Nordstrom Rack locations

# Offer may not be used as payment on account

# Will not be replaced if lost or stolen

# Must be used in a single transaction and surrendered in store at time of merchandise purchase

# May not be used to purchase Nordstrom Gift Cards

# Value of merchandise purchased must be at least $50, or remaining balance will be forfeited

# Offer cannot be combined with any other offers, discounts, promotions or with a Nordstrom employee discount

# Offer not valid in Nordstrom Stores, Last Chance, nordstrom.com or by phone

# No adjustments on previous purchases

# Not reloadable

via Nordstrom Rack Complete Terms and Conditions.

Today only, GAP is having a 40% off sale!

WOW -real deals for real people.
I have been missing my husband Scotty lately all because he has been working super hard with his team at Aol. on this new product – called WOW -real deals for real people. Think group deals with the influence and deal making power because of the sheer number of Aol. users. The team at Aol. have been working night and day to bring this to market and I know it’s going to deliver!

Free Yoga Session for Kids at Flow Yoga in Leesburg
My friend Marcia is an awesome person and practices Yoga – and asked me to let others know about Free Kids Yoga this Saturday at Flow Yoga in Leesburg for kids 3-8! Have your kids try something new…..fitness related!

And dont forget -

Nordstrom Beauty Event at Tysons Corner
Cosmetics Trend Show Saturday, November 13, 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Join us to paint the town beautiful highlighting the newest makeup, skincare and fragrance must-haves. Industry experts will update you on the latest beauty trends and share their secrets. Tickets are $15 and are redeemable towards your Cosmetics purchase of $15 or more on the day of the event. Plus, receive a gift for attending the show, while the supply lasts. To purchase a ticket, please call the store and ask for your favorite cosmetics counter. *Offer valid on event date for cosmetic department purchases over $15.00 only

One of my favorite stores for many different reasons – Nordstrom -  is having an event that I am told is super fun, informative and you get a ton of samples/free stuff. I bought a ticket for 15 bucks and that money can be put towards a cosmetic purchase! Deal! I also booked a makeover appointment and eyebrow shaping appt. Figured why not update my look a bit….

Cosmetics Trend Show at Tysons Corner in Northern VA
Saturday, November 13, 8:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Join us to paint the town beautiful highlighting the newest makeup, skincare and fragrance must-haves.  Industry experts will update you on the latest beauty trends and share their secrets. Tickets are $15 and are redeemable towards your Cosmetics purchase of $15 or more on the day of the event. Plus, receive a gift for attending the show, while the supply lasts.  To purchase a ticket, please call the store and ask for your favorite cosmetics counter. *Offer valid on event date for cosmetic department purchases over $15.00 only.

Online Shopping | Gap | Price Difference.

Online Shoppers Beware! Gap.com Has A Sneaky Online Price Mark-Up

Last week I told you all about my hunt to get my daughter this great shearling coat I saw in my local Gap store. The short version of the story is they didn’t have the coat in her size anywhere in N.Y.C. so I had my mom get it for me from a Gap store by her…two states away.

Well, you’re probably wondering why I didn’t just order it online. Here’s why:

The jacket is $59.50 if you buy it in a Gap store, but if you buy it online it’s $64.50.

I know, I know, it’s only a $5 price difference, but it infuriates me that Gap is selling the exact same coat for $5 more on their website. Add shipping to that and it’s a $12 mark-up just for shopping online. What gives?

And just to be sure it wasn’t just this coat, I did some research. I bought my daughter the cable knit hat for $16.50 in a Gap store.

If you buy it online, you’ll spend $24.50 for it. That’s an $8 difference for the exact same hat.

Of course, because I can be a little maniacal about my online shopping, I emailed Gap’s customer service to see why the jacket was more online and it they would honor the lower price offered in stores. 2 days later I got a horrible response about not being able to sell me the coat at the lower price with no explanation for why it was more expensive online. They also offered me a 10% off discount, which never came but that’s another story.

So a word to all you smart shoppers out there–go to your Gap store first! Gap.com is a total rip-off because they’re selling the exact same merchandise for $5-$10 more than in the stores. Maybe they thought no one would notice because of the whole logo controversy, but we’re smarter than you think Gap.

I was shopping recently and came across a t-shirt in the men’s dept that was a stick figure with muscles that said welcome the gun show and I wanted to get one for my friend – Ms Connie B. She has the most amazing arms and has worked hard for them. Well they didn’t have any small sizes so I asked my good friend Karina – a designer to create one for me.  And I Love what she came up with!!

I have been meaning to write this post for a while but haven’t gotten around to it but today I read a post in one of the blogs I read regularly: Gigi’s Gone Shopping and it reminded me about it once again.

About 4 months ago, I decided to buy the Clarisonic Classic Skin Care System. I got it at Beauty.com with a 20% off coupon. I had been debating about buying it for a while because it’s so expensive but after thinking about how much I spend on facials in general, decided to bite the bullet and buy one.  You have to think about it as an investment because taking care of your skin when you are young will reward you as you age.

The thing I like about it is that your face really feels clean when you are done. It’s not a harsh scrubber but yet my face has never felt cleaner. It’s water proof so you can bring it in the shower in the AM and wash your face. I use it in the morning in the shower and in the evening at the sink.  I have a recharger as well so it sits in that when not in use.

I also have been trying to go more organic with my face products — so I started using Alba Products. Wegmans had a sale a few weeks ago so I decided to try these facial products and so far, so good!

After 4 months, I think the overall appearance of my skin has improved. It exfoliates and stimulates your skin which promotes growth and renewal.  Also, it really does a great job of getting all of your makeup off at the end of the day without harsh scrubbing which can contribute to wrinkles.  This pic is of me this month, with no make up on getting ready to go for a run.  I think it’s a great example of how nice my skin looks and I think it has a lot to do with using the Clarisonic 2x a day.

So if you are looking for a good skin care system and believe it’s a worthwhile investment, then I recommend it because I really did hem and haw about buying it but I don’t regret the purchase at all.  And I do recommend getting the one with the recharger. The Mia version will work great too but it doesn’t have the rechargable cradle and for me — that was worth the extra money!

Let me know what you think of the Clarisonic if you have one or share your own skin care regime.

I’m down in body fat and lbs this week. The 4th week of the 4 week boot camp session we get our body fat checked. While not 100% accurate – it gives you a general idea of where you are.  I have been much more diligent about my extra snacking and have been trying something new. Before my 545a workout, I have been drinking 8oz of Fat Free Calorie Countdown Milk with 1/3 of a scoop of chocolate protein powder mixed in – so it’s like chocolate milk. My theory is that I need some fuel to get movin in the morning and so far, I am down 4lbs since I started doing that. I’m not saying that’s what is doing it because I have also curbed my after dinner dessert routine as well.

Because Scott is away – I had my neighbor Tim come over to watch the kids and I headed for a 915a boot camp.  It’s good to try a different group every now and then to mix things up. It’s amazing how a smaller group of women can change the entire feel of the workout. Not good or bad — just different.

And I am not sure if it was the heat later in the day or the cup of coffee I drank before I headed off — but I had the dry heaves after finishing this workout. I probably should have eaten something but my routine was all off….or maybe I just pushed myself hard — who knows.

Warmup:
Rockette Kicks
Forward Lunge
Bounding
Backpeddle

Corex2
pilate half-pikes
crunches
bicycle up and downs
25 bottom up push-ups
general stretching

workout
15,12,9,6,3
65lb back squats
power clean press 25lb db
lunge squats x3
ring push ups x2
200m,100m, 200m, 100m, 200m

I’m on a week vacation from work and will be kicking it by the pool today with the kiddos. Ahh… pool time!

Nordstrom Uses Web to Locate Items and Increase Sales – NYTimes.com

I love Nordstrom and its customer focused philosophy. And it shows that by focusing on what the customer actually wants, not what you THINK they want is a win/win situation.

Wal-Mart hoped that deeper cuts in its standard rollbacks would be a draw, but then said the prices went too low. At Saks, perhaps customers would go for designer labels if the lines offered less-expensive items. And for Macy’s, how about inexpensive clothes by Madonna?

The secret, at least for Nordstrom, has not involved a piercing insight into a customer’s mind. Rather, it has changed the way that it handles, of all things, inventory. And that has brought the department store more success in improving sales than at most of its competitors, whose recent reports signaled that their consumers were still cautious.

Fall Fashion – What Do Young Fashionistas Want? – NYTimes.com.

I love reading about fashion trends. Here’s an interesting article in the NYT about Millennials and their take on fashion this fall….what are your thoughts?

There is plenty of research about the so-called Millennials — people ages 18 to 29 — to suggest you can’t lump them all together. Not only is this group likely to become the most educated generation in American history, according to a Pew Research Center survey this year, it is also the most racially and ethnically diverse. At the same time, this generation’s 37 percent unemployment rate is certain to affect taste. It may explain an underlying conservatism in fall fashion — penny loafers, camel coats, longer hemlines — that goes beyond “Mad Men” hype.

Sometimes when I am driving to work or out doing an errand – I will randomly notice other women that look to be close to may age. Some of them look great – while others, well they don’t look their best. In some cases, it looks like they have given up any sense of self. They don’t put themselves together, take a few minutes each day to tidy themselves up. I am not talking about full on glamour, but more than just wake up and put on the first pair of sweats you find on the floor. It really doesn’t take that much to do. I think the way you look says a lot about the way you feel about yourself in many ways.  So when I came across this on Piperline’s Facebook, I loved what it was saying- I used to not put a lot of thought into how I dress – then I found my passion and started to see the results of taking care of myself and part of that is looking my best.

I’m not talking about spending a fortune or having enough shoes to rival Imelda. I am talking about buying a few things that make you feel great, are comfortable and fit well.  A great pair of jeans can be found relatively inexpensively and for most of us, nothing is more comfy than that.  A great shoe – Target has some great ones to choose from. Just a few things that says to anyone around you – I do give a damn about me.

And if your reason is because you have gained weight or don’t like something about yourself — do something about it. If it bothers you that much, either learn to accept it or change it. To sit there stagnant is not the right thing to do. My heart sinks for some of the ladies I see out there – I am not talking about one certain kind of body type either. Fat, thin, skinny, tall, short – everyone can take a few minutes before they head out and fix themselves.  So why not start tomorrow?

Friday means Rest Day! I appreciate this day so much – get a few extra Zzzz’s, get up and don’t have to rush with the kids, and let my body rest. Makes me very happy – I am planning on getting up early to go for a run before the heat of the day comes tomorrow AM.

Summer is here and that means getting in bathing suits. For women, it means getting rid of unwanted hair so you can look good in your suit. Here are some suggested products to help you …

Guide To The Best Hair Removal Products

Some women get a little off schedule when it comes to hair removal during the winter months. But with summer on the horizon—along with shorts, skirts, spaghetti straps, and swimwear—now’s a great time to get back on track. Whether you like traditional blades, look to electronic aids, or yank it out by the roots, we found the best at-home hair removal solutions to get you beach ready in no time.

I love the store Anthropologie. But man, it’s expensive. So I love a good sale. A blog I read: Anthroholic is a great resource for all things Anthropologie – sale info, outfit reviews, outfit suggestions, community, and support. Anthroholic is Kim – a bonafide Anthro addict and I am glad she is one. Here is her recap of the big sale that is going on starting today at Anthropologie:

Confirmed List of Anthropologie Items