It's all about the money, money, money...

So as some of you know I've been out of work for awhile now.  

We moved back to the U.S. in August of last year and unfortunately our household didn't make it here until just before the holidays.  I didn't think that it would take 5 months for our stuff to arrive and I had only packed comfy clothing and one nice dress in my suitcase (not exactly work ware).  During those five months I tried to think of what I could do to make a little bit of money, without having to spend any money.

Along came clinical testing, my new best friend.  Basically I get paid to test cosmetics, from skin cream to eyebrow gel and everything in between.  I usually make about $40 dollars a product, but sometimes up to $200 for longer studies.  I am now known as test subject number 17 at a local San Francisco company, Biometrix, and I've probably made about $500 since October (not huge money, but money is money).  Some studies pay upwards of $500, just not the ones that are local to me :-(

I did a little bit of research and if you'd like to test cosmetics and get paid to do it (plus you get to use their products for free for 4 weeks) there might be a clinical trial in your area.  You can Google clinical studies + your city to find them and here are a couple to get you started.

Clinical Studies in Irving, TX

Clinical Studies in Princeton, NJ & Essex, U.K.:  I believe this company, Princeton, may also mail samples for trials to other locations as well.

Clinical Studies in Bozeman, MT

Clinical Studies in Fairfield, NJ:  Damn, I wish I lived in NJ...seems to be a popular place for clinical studies.

While this is not an extensive list it only took me about 10 minutes to find them so you should be able to see if there are any by you in no time.

I've also been participating in focus groups and other marketing studies.  These are easily found on Craigslist and are usually under the "Gigs" section.  I just made $175 last night for 5 hours of my time, but many only take about an hour or so.  

Another bonus to focus groups are some of the people you meet.  Most are normal, but there are some interesting folks to say the least...last night I had the pleasure of meeting the reincarnation of Baby Jane.

Good luck in your quest for extra money.  For now I'll keep on keeping on and eventually I will find my dream job and then use the money from that job to start my own skin care line (a girl can dream can't she).

  

Think Dirty...an amazing app!

Think Dirty... now take your mind out of the gutter and check this amazing app out!

"Think Dirty® empowers and educates the consumer on the cosmetics industry by allowing them to make an informed decision on what products to purchase."

This Queen couldn't have said it better.  Too many cosmetic products contain toxic chemicals and this app helps you to figure out which ones do.  My blog lists all the ingredients in the products I test and tells you which ones are filler, do nothing, do something and do something really dangerous.  This app allows you to check it out on the spot.  What could be better!

They currently only have an iPhone version, which you can download from here:

https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/think-dirty/id687176839?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

The Android version is currently being designed and hopefully it will be available soon!

Iceland: Cold, Beautiful & Stunning Skin!

My husband and I recently went to Iceland to see the Northern Lights and to soak in the Blue Lagoon.  The lagoon is man-made and is fed by the water output of the nearby geothermal power plant and is renewed every two days. Superheated water is vented from the ground near a lava flow and used to run turbines that generate electricity. After going through the turbines, the steam and hot water passes through a heat exchanger to provide heat for a municipal water heating system. Then the water is fed into the lagoon for recreational and medicinal users to bathe in.

Although it doesn't sound very lovely soaking in the run off from the local power plant, it is in fact amazing.  The water smells a bit funky, but thats from the natural sulphur.  Sulphur might be a bit stinky, but it's amazing for your skin, especially acnaeic skin.

Throughout the Blue Lagoon there are wooden boxes filled with natural silica white mud.  As you look around at everyone with their white masks its hard not to laugh out loud.  The funny thing is that they will have the last laugh as this mud is AMAZING!

Its so amazing that yours truly broke the rules and did take some home.  A carefully hidden lunch baggie and quick hands were all I needed.  Now I can apply this smelly mud in the privacy of my own home.  After using it my breakout was banished and my skin is extremely smooth.  I think my skin tone is more even as well, but that might just be my mind playing tricks.

If you're thinking of going to Iceland then you should definitely check out the Blue Lagoon.  Even if you're not going you can purchase the mud mask from the Blue Lagoon web store.  The bottled mud mask isn't nearly as smelly as the stuff from the box, but it is a bit pricey (65 euros).

The one major disappointment with the bottled mask is that it contains a LOT of parabens.  Parabens are preservatives and they have been found in breast cancer tumors.  There are natural preservatives that can be used, but parabens are cheap and sorry, but for 65 euros then can more than afford to use something better.  they could also sell it in a dry form, which would inhibit the growth of anything funky and then it could be mixed with water on demand to create a mask.

Hmmm...maybe I should buy this stuff in bulk and add it to my collection of skincare products...

Ingredients List for Blue Lagoons Silica Mask:  Sea water/maris aqua (Blue Lagoon geothermal seawater), silica/silt (Blue Lagoon silica mud), ethoxydiglycol oleate, cetearyl isononanoate, polyacrylamide, C13-14 isoparaffin, laureth-7, phenoxyethanol, methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben, butylparaben, isobutylparaben.

Cutting, Tying and Drying Lavender

I like to use my own lavender in the beauty products that I make as well as for cooking. Since I use no pesticides or fertilizers in my garden I know that it's safe. Lavender is great for the garden, it invites bees and keeps away invasive pests such as aphids. If you can grow your own lavender you definitely should.

Lavender is harvested just as the buds are beginning to open. Unfortunately this year I was away for a month, and London had very hot and dry weather. My lavender was a bit overdue by the time I got home, but there was still plenty that I could use.

1. The first step is to gather the flower stems into bunches and cut them.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Next, strip off the leaves and pull out any bad stems.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
3. Separate the stems into short, medium and long piles.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
4. Line up the flower heads and tie into bunches. You should tie directly under the flower heads as well as several inches down the stems.
   
   
5. Dip the tied flowers into slightly soapy, cold, water, I use a non-toxic Ecover. Then rinse them under water and blot dry with paper toweling.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
6. Hang to dry. Note that after a week or so you will have to retie the strings, because the stems will shrink a bit as they dry
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

In about a month the flowers will be dry enough to start using. There are many uses for lavender and many recipes out on the web. I use them in my lavender and rose body scrub, I grind them into salt and sprinkle over boiled potatoes and simmer them in milk for a bed time treat.

The Big "C"

I have been quiet lately, because life has been hectic. The holidays are here and shopping, traveling and spending time with loved ones is what's on most people's minds. My loved ones, my brother in particular, has been on my mind.  He has stage III malignant melanoma and we're all trying our best to help him deal with his feelings and get as healthy as he can.

Today's blog post is dedicated to my brother. I've learned more about skin cancer in the last month than I ever learned in school. An esthetician is taught to refer a client to a dermatologist if something looks like it might be cancerous and you can't refer someone without knowing the signs. The best prevention for skin cancer is being aware of how to protect your skin. The earlier skin cancer is caught,  the better off you are, as it is a serious killer if kept unchecked.

These tips are straight from the CDC and they deal with how to protect your skin from the sun:

The CDC recommends easy options for protection from UV radiation:

• Seek shade, especially during midday hours. 
• Wear clothing to protect exposed skin. 
• Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears, and neck. 
• Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block as close to 100% of both UVA and UVB rays as possible. 
• Use sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and both UVA and UVB protection. 
• Avoid indoor tanning.

Those are great tips for sure, but be aware that not all skin cancer comes from UV radiation.  My brother's didn't, his is due to a welding burn that happened over 18 years ago.  A tiny spark got inside of his boot, this tiny burn took a long time to heal and when it did it left behind a small mark.  Now fast forward about 17.5 years and my brother notices that this tiny dot is now a bit bigger in size, but not much and it's not discolored or anything so he just attributes it to age, like a really light liver spot or the original mark stretching a bit.  He has really bad eye site and doesn't often look at his ankle so he isn't really sure how long it has looked like that.  A couple of months later and he feels a small bump.  That sets off alarms and he goes into the doctor. Fast forward another couple of months and all the testing has led to the diagnosis of stage III malignant melanoma.

Skin cancer can be caused by over exposure to UV rays, but it can also be caused by other things such as these:

• Previous skin cancer 
• Previous radiotherapy treatment 
• Lowered immunity 
• Exposure to chemicals 
• Genetic conditions
• Bad burns (there are arguments against this, but I tend to believe it)
• Skin grafts (there are arguments against this, but I tend to believe it)

According to the National Cancer Institute Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. Each year, more than 68,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, and another 48,000 are diagnosed with an early form of the disease that involves only the top layer of skin. 

When it comes to looking out for skin cancer check your feet, between your toes and under your nails as well as your ears (not places we often look).  In men, it’s often found on the skin on the head, on the neck, or between the shoulders and the hips.  In women, it’s often found on the skin on the lower legs or between the shoulders and the hips.  We seem to have this idea that cancer is going to look like some big, scary mole, but it doesn't start out that way.

I won't post any scary pictures, you can Google them for yourself.  This web site has a slideshow of what cancer can look like that will scare the bejesus out of you, but if you think something might be off when it comes to your skin you might want to take a look at it.  I will, however, describe some of the things that would make you want to visit your doctor.

The single most important feature that may signal the presence of a skin cancer is a new, changing, enlarging skin growth that persists. Look for changes in color, size, thickness and surface texture of a mole or other suspicious skin lesions. Sores that won't heal may also indicate cancerous or precancerous conditions of the skin that need attention. Examine your skin once a month for any suspicious changes. Not all skin cancers are symptomatic, many are painless. Early treatment is critical. (UCSF School of Medicine)  In a nutshell if anything seems off or different, and not in a good way, just talk to your doctor!

If you're wondering what happens when you are diagnosed with skin cancer...well it all depends.  The severity of the cancer that you have will be described in stages.  Understanding staging is an enormous task in and of itself, because they are many aspects to determining your stage.

The TNM staging system is done first:  

• The T indicates the size of the tumor 
• The N shows whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes 
• The M shows whether the cancer has spread to another part of the body (metastasis)

Once the TNM categories (types) have all been decided, the information is put together to give a number stage of 0 to 4:

• Stage 0 - the cancer is only in the top layer of skin (the epidermis) 
• Stage 1 - the cancer is 2cm or less across and has not spread 
• Stage 2 - the cancer is more than 2cm across and has not spread 
• Stage 3 - the cancer has spread to the tissues under the skin and possibly to nearby lymph node
• Stage 4 - the cancer has spread to another part of the body

In a nutshell, the higher the number, the worse off you are.

Cancer is different for everyone so no matter what stage you're in only you can decide how you want to handle it.  There are so many different opinions, even for treatments that have been around a very long time.  Once you start discussing anything holistic you will find that some doctors say that you should try anything that you feel will help as long as you follow the standard procedures and others will tell you that anything holistic is a waste of time..  Sometimes the information overload will be overwhelming.  Take a deep breathe, try to relax and carry on.

Some of the holistic treatments that I, and others, feel merit some research are the following:

• Cut out sugar.  Cancer loves sugar and every doctor will tell you this.
• Detox your body immediately.  Eliminate all dairy, sugar and processed foods.  Become a vegetarian, eat organic, eat foods that naturally detox the body.  Leafy green vegetables, flax seed, and green tea are just some of them.  
• Coffee isn't just for drinking when you're battling cancer.  Do coffee enemas, they are excellent for detoxing the liver.
• Exercise your body and your mind.  You want to be in top physical condition when you start your battle with cancer and you also need to be mentally prepared.  Take time out to read and view things for pleasure.  Don't obsess about your prognosis, stress is definitely a bad thing.
• Boost your immune system.  Most of the treatments for later stage skin cancer is going to wreak havoc on your immune system, so get it as healthy as you can.  A raw food diet, using a blender to make smoothies or just eating them raw is best as cooking destroys the immune building properties that you need.  There are too many foods that naturally build your immune system to list, but carrots, cabbage, green asparagus, broccoli, red beets (i.e. beetroot), beet tops, cauliflower and related vegetables are amongst them.  Peppers also have cancer fighting substances and the spice turmeric can be added as well. 
• Look into vitamin C IV drips.  I've read so many articles from people studying and treating cancer with vitamin C that it can't be ignored.  It's not cheap, it's more effective if it's taken intravenously and insurance is not going to cover it.  This is something that you'll have to pay for on your own.  Read about it and decide if it is for you.
• If you live in a state where medical marijuana is legal look into hemp oil, which contains cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are a group of 21-carbon–containing terpenophenolic compounds produced uniquely by Cannabis sativa and Cannabis indica species (in laymen's terms...pot).  Cannabinoids may cause antitumor effects by various mechanisms, including induction of cell death, inhibition of cell growth, and inhibition of tumor angiogenesis invasion and metastasis. (this is from the National Cancer Institute).  Once again some will say that it works and others will say that it doesn't.  It's your call to decide what you want to do.

So now you know a little bit more about skin cancer (hopefully). Feel free to pass this information on and to add to it if you'd like.  

If you have a personal story with cancer and want to share, go for it.  I created a Facebook page to share my brother's experience with others and I also created a web site to raise funds for his treatments. Don't be ashamed to ask for help. People out there empathize with you and you are not alone.

   

My First Sale(s)

Yesterday I started selling my scrubs and moisturizing lotion.  I've been working on getting my stuff into the marketplace for years (a lot of the work was just day dreaming).  Although the sales weren't huge, I won't be retiring anytime soon, I did sell 7 scrubs, which is great for a small crowd at a school and I handed out at least 20 cards.  I also met some great people and had some laughs.

Some of the things I've learned:

• The Lavender & Rose scrub is by far the best seller.
• Little girls love Strawberries & Cream.
• People like interesting stuff in their scrubs (i.e. flowers) and I need to think of something to add to my scrubs to make them "prettier".
• Even if you don't make a sale you always get something out of putting yourself out there.

Another bonus was that this morning one of my co-workers stopped by my office to buy a scrub since she wasn't able to make it to the sale yesterday.  Completely unexpected and a nice surprise.  I also received an email with the picture below that a girl of about 8 had taken of my display.  I think it's a pretty great photo!

New Review Coming Soon

The folks over at The Naural Skin Shop, have offered up their 18Actives Dynamic Eye Pack and the Alpha Light Essentials Kit for me to review....yeah!  Ch...ch...check it out right here:

18Actives Dynamic Eye Pack:  http://www.naturalskinshop.com/new-and-hot/faux-filler-with-eye-essence-duo-pack.html

Alpha Light Essentials Kit:  http://www.naturalskinshop.com/alpha-light-essentials.html

I have several goals this winter when it comes to looking and feeling better about myself.  One of my goals is to do an overhaul on my body as well as my skin.  The holiday season is coming and my backside is not getting any smaller on it's own.  This girl likes her sweets, but they don't like me back. 

My skin also needs some serious help.  I was bad this summer and laid in the sun a LOT.  Even though I know how horrible it is for the skin I just can't help myself.  I love nothing more than to lay out by the water on a hot summer day (I swear I'm half lizard).  Unfortuately my love of the sun has caused my leopard spots to reappear and my eyes are looking a bit tired.

Of course now that the London gloom is back in full effect and my tan is a thing of the past the dark circles under my eyes are looking darker than ever as well.

What's a girl to do....well for one I'll be using the products in the 18 Actives Dynamic Eye Pack and the Alpha Light Essentials Kit. The 18Actives pack is designed to diminish dark cirles, strengthen the skin and decrease fine lines and the Alpha Light Essentials kit renews and rejuvenates your uneven skin pigmentation with an advanced AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acid) Exfoliator.

Lets see if it can plump up the caverns under my eyes, clear up my leopard spots and turn back time!

Trade Show aka Tranny Show

I attended the Olympia Beauty Show, my 2nd beauty trade show in London, this past weekend. Honestly, it could have passed for any Friday evening at a gay club.  I've never seen so many trannylicious looking ladies in my life.  This goes for any beauty show, as even the mother of all skincare shows, IECSC in Las Vegas, is just as, if not more, tacky, but does have a much better layout and amazing discounts.

Why is it that so many women in the beauty industry look so tacky? How can you promote makeup, when you don't even know how to apply it properly? Stripper lip and obviously fake eyelashes don't look good on anyone....ever!

I've noticed that one of the big sellers (for obvious reasons) at the beauty shows in London are the spray tans that you can get for free or almost free at the show.  Women are practically beating each other to strip down to their underwear, in public, and have their bodies painted.  They don't even provide paper bras and panties at the shows here...you just stand there in your own underwear...very strange.  To be honest I would have probably gone for one myself if I wasn't behind in the waxing department.  I am in a constant state of pale since moving here. 

As always there were teeth whitening systems, waxing systems, various skincare lines and LOTS of Nail Technician supplies available at the Olympia Beauty Show.  The discounts were few and far between and the aisles were not large enough for people to comfortably walk around the show, much less get in and out of the booths.  There were hoards of rolling luggage toting ladies, giggling school girls and of course the over the top fashionistas (at least in their own minds).

I would have loved to see a booth offering make-unders, but at least everyone attending seemed to have sparkling teeth.

Post Show Synapsis

The show was great.  It was nice to catch up with friends, learn new things, sample new products and of course shop.

In between packing for the big move I am putting together more posts with detailed information on what I learned as well as putting together my first give away, a very nice travel kit from PCA.  I have lots of goodies to give away in the next several months as well as plenty of samples for myself to test and review.


A quick low-down on what I found to be the most interesting topics at the show:

Several classes were on stem cells and how they are revolutionizing the skin care industry.  Stem cells and peptides are the heavy hitters when it comes to ingredients and they are here to stay.

Another fabulous class that I took was the "Read an Ingredients Label like a Pro!" class offered by Dermaquest.  This class was filled with information and I learned a lot of quick tricks for deciphering product labels.  Knowing your ingredients is a must when you're making a purchasing decision.  Just because a cream costs $400 a bottle, it doesn't mean that it's doing anything more than the $12 bottle you buy at the corner store.  Along that same line, it may not do anything at all.

Skincare Show - Yeah!

I am so excited to be attending the skincare show in San Jose this Sunday and Monday! I will be scouring the vendors looking for samples as well as taking a few classes.

I am really looking forward to the "Read an Ingredients Label Like a Pro" class since that is one of the most important things a consumer should know - What You Are Putting On Your Skin And What It Does.

I will be reporting my finds and I am hoping to score some nice samples that I will put together for a drawing at the end of August.

New Product Reveiws Coming Soon

I've just been sampled 2 new products that I'm liking so far.  The caffeine primer from Greensations and the ThermaSkin Facial Cleanser from Youthfultrends.

I will have a full review in around 2 weeks, but if you can't wait to try these products enter the code "SHEBLOG" for a 25% discount.

Bollocks to Boots: London Skincare Shopping

The London trip went smashingly well.  I spent a lot of time just wandering the city and looking for stores that carry beauty supplies.  It was quite a learning experience and a bit of cultural shock.  I spoke to people, compared ingredients in products, compared prices and even tried something new.

I couldn't throw a stick without hitting a Boots pharmacy, but unfortunately their product line was mostly horrendous. Their Botanics line has beautiful packaging and boasts about organic ingredients, but I also found that some of the line included parabens (toxic chemicals used for preservation).  In all fairness to Boots they do have a decent selection online and some stores carry the Weleda brand, I just couldn't find anything decent within their actual stores and I went into about 10 of them throughout London.  Let's face it when you're on vacation you need to get your hands on something quickly, not order it over the Internet.

A friend tipped me off to the So Organic shop in Greenwich, which was AMAZING.  They carry a large selection of excellent products and also provide skin care services such as facials.  My number one rule is that if you can't find anything good, go to an organic or natural store.  Guaranteed you'll be able to find cleansers without sodium laureth sulfate, which I despise for it's natural oil stripping properties.  So Organic also sells their products online for anyone wanting to check their selection.  Unfortunately, they do not currently ship outside of Europe so if you see something you like and you live in the U.S., you'll have to buy it elsewhere.

Another rule of thumb if you're having difficulty finding a good product while traveling is to check out skin care lines for babies or children.  As a general rule these will be milder and contain less chemicals.  My favorite line in London is the Weleda brand.  They have excellent ingredients and can be found in many stores, even Boots.

I decided to stop by a Jo Malone store to see what all the fuss was about.  They had excellent smelling products, but I wasn't blown away by the ingredients list.  Once again sodium laureth sulfate was found in many of the cleansers and some contained parabens.  I did, however, sample some excellent smelling body lotions.  My favorite was the Blue Agava & Cacao Body Crème, which smelled amazing and the Lime Basil & Mandarin was delicious smelling too.

While walking around the Camden Market I found a booth that offered fish pedicures.  Fish pedicures are performed by Garra Rufa a.k.a. doctor fish.  You emerge your feet into a bath filled with them and they nibble away at your dead skin.  I had been reading about this for years, but in San Francisco this service cannot be found.  Although it was fun feeling little fish nibbling at my feet I didn't really notice any improvement.  I have pretty decent feet to begin with so maybe it's only noticeable on someone who has really dry and cracked feet.  It was only 8 pounds for 15 minutes and even though I didn't find it effective the experience was fun.

An Inspiration

I'm currently visiting London and I went by this Body Shop store in Covent Garden yesterday.  I haven't been in a Body Shop store in years.  I used to go there all the time when I was a teenager, and I loved making my own signature perfume from their selection of scents blended with a base oil.  That does not exist any longer and honestly I have no idea when they stopped doing that.

The Body Shop was started by Anita Roddick, after visiting a company by the same name, in Berkeley California, which is in the Bay Area, and is where I am currently located.  I saw this shop yesterday and thought about how small the world really can be when you start to pay attention to everything around you.

I always loved the social activism that the Body Shop promoted.  However, I don't like the fact that they bill themselves as "natural", but their products are anything but.  Yes, they will contain some natural elements, but they can contain some nasty preservatives and chemicals as well.  I did a quick scan of some labels and was a bit disappointed.  I've been searching the London beauty scene on this trip, trying to find some places where I can buy good products, with good ingredients.  Unfortunately, this was not the place.

My search will continue and it has inspired me to write an article about what to look for on the label when I return home.

Too Busy For Beautiful Skin

It's very important to take time for yourself even if you feel you don't have the time. I've been running myself ragged getting ready for my big move and man my skin is paying for it.

Check out this great article, which relates to stress and the affect of it on our skin.

The Love Boat

After a much needed trip to Mexico and wonderful romantic happenings I am back home and it's raining. 

Mexico was amazing, the people were beautiful, the colors were bright and the UV rays were kicking.  Of course I slathered on sunscreen throughout the day and still managed to come home with a raging case of hyperpigmentation. 

I have been battling hyperpigmentation for the last 15 years.  I have spots on my upper lip and forehead, which were hormonally induced and on my nose and cheeks from UV exposure.  There are a variety of things that can be done to lessen the pigmentation, such as chemical peels, bleaching creams, or pigment suppressing treatments, but one time out in the sun without sunscreen and BAM it's back.

Sigh, weeks of peels and hydroquinone for me.

When Free Isn't Really Free

Today I received an email for a free mineral makeup "discovery kit". Of course it contained the word free so I was instantly intrigued. Upon further inspection it turned out to be a "not really free" situation. One that's common in the cosmetic industries "club" programs. You know, the type of club where you're billed every 30 days to continue receiving the product.  Sometimes in our excitement we miss the part of the offer that states you will be enrolled in a club and just see "free".

Today's not really free promotion was brought to me by the folks over at The Glow Beauty Lounge and it was for the Raw Minerals discovery kit.  I've never tried the product so I can't speak to it's greatness, but I never trust any promotion that automatically enrolls me into a "club" that bills me every 30 days.

The "Internet Advertised Offers" on The Glow Beauty Lounge site are all "club" type offers.  I had received one awhile back for another mineral makeup "Glow Minerals", which was suspiciously the same as the Raw Minerals deal I received today (same free gift of cheap brushes and all). 


I am definitely a huge fan of mineral makeup.  Not only as a 40+ year old woman who wants to look natural and nice, but also as an esthetician who takes ingredients and the health of the skin into consideration as well.  In the next several weeks I will post several articles with regards to applying mineral makeup correctly, reviews of mineral makeup and a DIY for creating a hydrating mist that does double-duty when used as a setting spray for mineral makeup.

If I come across free offers in regards to mineral makeup I'll post that as well.....

Birthday

I'm the big 41 today an this is one of the reasons I am passionate about skincare for ageing skin and trying new products.  Of course a good display gets me every time. 

I was in Walgreens yesterday when I saw a display filled with pre-cut facial mask sheets from The Face Shop.  I scanned the ingredients and wasn't completely horrifie so I grabbed an Essential Collagen Mask Sheet and can't wait to give it a try. 

Mary Kay Products

My Mary Kay products arrived today. The Time Wise firming eye cream ingredients look like a long list of chemicals. Have to do some research tomorrow and then will post. Getting ready to dance tonight. I will try out the mineral powder tonight to see how it holds up to my sweat.

Wellness International

Went to a Wellness International luncheon yesterday to learn about their products and hear their WIN Reps stories. I was sampled and given a 14 day sample pack of the BioLean II and Winrgy energy drink.

This couldn't have come at a better time. I could use some extra energy, couldn't we all. I've been counting calories, working out and I'm still not losing weight...aargh!

I'm not expecting miracles, because let's face the facts, the diet industry can be a pretty shady place. If there was a miracle pill wouldn't everyone be taking it!

I'll still give it a try and post my review in 2 weeks. At the very least I received a free lunch at a beautiful venue and you know I love anything free.

Sleep Now

Since I'm feeling extremely tired, why not an article on how important sleep is to your skin.


http://articles.latimes.com/2009/nov/08/image/ig-beautysleep8