This week’s picks and tip: Glitter and Gold - Make Up Forever’s Star Powders are a Jem! are inspired by my favorite childhood cartoon character, Jem, and my ladies, Sophie (color selection) and M.I.S.S. Reina (look). Rock n’ roll, romance, rival girl bands, secret identities, eighties excess, awesome outfits, and a non-profit, Jem was the It cartoon for young girls in the late 1980s, and is my muse for this year’s New Year’s Eve look.

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Staying fit during the holiday season is one of the most difficult things to do, especially for a food lover like myself. So to get me through the holidays without bursting my seams, I depend on healthy snacks like this week’s pick: Rachel’s Essence yogurts.

I fell in love with Rachel’s Essence yogurts a few months ago when I was handed some free samples during my commute home from downtown San Francisco (FYI: Marketers – FREE SAMPLES WORK!) I am VERY picky when it comes to yogurt, and I was so impressed by the delicious and palatable flavors Rachel’s was offering in their variety of yogurts that I went ahead and bought a dozen to try them out. Flavors like Plum Honey Lavender (Calm Essence) are uniquely wonderful, but my absolute favorite is Pink Grapefruit Lychee (Refresh Essence), which is pure heaven, totally the nectar of the gods in my book.

The Essence flavors aren’t only to die for, but are good for you too, since they, as most yogurts do, contain probiotic cultures, (microorganisms that help maintain your body’s intestinal balance), and are made from all natural ingredients. Most importantly though, Rachel’s yogurts are rbST-free, which means the cows that provide Rachel’s milk are not given any artificial growth hormones. They also include omega-3 fatty acids (see my post on the benefits of omega-3s), which help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. One serving of Rachel’s Essence yogurt has approximately 150 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, and 10 mg cholesterol, and 8 grams of protein. I am totally satisfied eating half a serving at a time, which cuts my caloric intake to 75, perfect for any snack attack!

REVIEW:
Cost: $1.19 for 6 oz.
Value: Good
Accessibility: Moderate
Where to Buy: Whole Foods Market

Enjoy and stay posted for more beauty tips and picks to come next week!

It’s that time of the year when mistletoe and holiday romance are in full effect, and there is nothing worse than sweet stolen kisses and also of course, lingering vampiric ones, when one has fallen victim to the cold weather curse of chapped lips. My best defense against chapped lips (mine get pretty gnarly and painful too, since I have a nervous habit of biting them when I’m concentrating), is using good ol’ Blistex Ointment.

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Every year for the past seven years, I’ve made Christmas gifts for friends and family. I came up with the idea of the Organic Cotton Muscle Packs/Neck Wrap/Eye Pillows last year after seeing similar products on the market that were not very “Green” and also not washable, and being a slight germaphobe, I thought, ewww. The Muscle Packs are made from rice infused with chamomile and lavender essential oil, and are encased in a 100% organic cotton cover that is removable and machine washable. You can heat these in the microwave for heat therapy (wrap around your neck/place on abdomen/ lap) or freeze them for a cooling effect (good for puffy eyes/face and headaches). On cold winter nights, I heat a couple up and toss them in my bed, and in the summer, sleep with ones I have stored in the freezer. These make great practical gifts and people love them. They can purchased at: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6343986

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M•A•C always has fabulous gift options for the holidays, but one of my favorites of late is their Viva Glam lip palette collection, two lipstick palettes each featuring three different shades of Viva Glam, based on cool or warm tones. These come in a very sexy looking jeweled red metallic case and retail for only $22.50, so it’s like paying $7.50 for each shade of Viva Glam, (a tube of which normally retails at $14 each)! Like all M•A•C Viva Glam products, proceeds go to the support of people living with AIDS and HIV. These palettes are limited editions, so you’ll want to move fast cause after the New Year, they will be outie 5000!

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This week’s picks are part of Sephora’s new Tricks-of-the-Trade line, which are really great since these products work extremely well and are fairly inexpensive. By creating their own products and using simple packaging, the Sephora brand eliminates much of the middleman, and is able to keep production costs relatively low, resulting in a very reasonable price point for us, the consumer; huge factors to take into consideration, especially in our current state of economic strife. The following picks are my favorites from the line, and will help you get the most out of your basic beauty routine, whether it’s on the natural side, or if it’s done with a bit of bling.

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Since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month this week’s tip and picks are all about optimizing your bust line. The following is an old Hollywood makeup technique used to create more intense cleavage, and through the application of cosmetics, light and shadow are altered, thereby creating the optical illusion of bigger, deeper cleavage. Learn how to below.
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I would never wear bras or jewelry if I didn’t have to, but like the other, they both provide a sense of adornment I can’t resist, and since October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, this week’s picks are dedicated to what I call Bra-tras, and along with these are my top three favorite bra picks. Also, check out my post on how to properly fit a bra, and my Bra-tra picks from last year too.

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Whether through a direct experience, or through that of loved ones, friends, and family, breast cancer affects the lives of millions of people everywhere. Each year, over 40,000 women in the U.S. alone, die from breast cancer, according to The American Cancer Society. There is no known cure for breast cancer, although advances in medical treatment are achieved through breast cancer research funded by companies such as, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, and The National Breast Cancer Coalition. It’s remarkable so many retail companies participate in Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this week’s picks are a few of my favorite products supporting the cause.

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For as much of a freak as I am, I can be insanely practical as seen in this week’s, picks: M.I.S.S. Michelle’s Bag of Tricks, which are great on the go products for $10 or less. These are products with very compact packaging that I always carry, and are especially helpful for when I travel, and were definitely in my bag of tricks during the craze of New York Fashion Week.

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