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Thursday, December 18, 2014

Dinner etiquette





I've always been fascinated by etiquette, including which fork to use and where to put your napkin when you leave the table. It's like a little game, and it can make you feel more confident and empowered. So, here's a handy guide to eating dinner, illustrated by the fantastic Gemma Correll...

If you're a guest at a dinner party (pictured above), wait to start eating until the host or hostess takes his or her first bite (unless they absolutely insist that you start).



A funny tip that my grandparents used to tell us: The way to sit in your chair is to pretend a cat is in front of you, a mouse is behind.




Your wine and water glasses are to the RIGHT of your plate. Your bread plate is to the LEFT of your plate. If you remember that, you'll never drink someone's water or eat their bread again! (A genius tip from readers: To remember the order of the placesetting, think "BMW" -- for bread, then meal, then water.)




Surprisingly, salt and pepper should be passed together, even if someone asks only for one. They're considered "married!"




Never intercept a pass. For example, don't snag a roll out of the bread basket when it's on the way to someone else. (You'll just have to ask them to pass the basket right back!)



Scoop your soup with your spoon tilted *away* from you. And surprise! It’s fine to tilt the bowl slightly away from you to get the last drop of soup. But never blow on your soup or food. Even if it’s piping hot!



Always taste your food before putting on salt and pepper. It's considered rude to assume the food is under-seasoned before tasting it.



Once you've picked up a utensil, it should never touch the table again. You want your utensils to rest fully on the edge of your plate. ("No oars!" gasp the experts.)



When you are finished with your meal, your knife and fork should be placed on your plate diagonally from upper left to lower right (11 to 5 if you imagine your plate as a clock face). This is a secret code to the waiter (or host) that you’re finished.


If you have to go to the bathroom—or if you’re getting up at the end of the meal—just put your napkin to the left of your plate, loosely folded.

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies (with Pretzels!)


 

Are you making holiday cookies this year? (It's Toby's favorite thing to do.) Today, Monique from Ambitious Kitchen shares her killer recipe for chocolate-dipped peanut butter cookies with salty pretzel and crunchy toffee. Here it is...

 

Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies with Toffee & Crushed Pretzels
by Monique Volz of Ambitious Kitchen


Peanut butter cookies are underrated. I’m not sure if it’s because everyone grew up eating the super crispy ones and found them boring, or if it’s because chocolate chip always reins king in the cookie world. Either way, I’m eager to share a new twist on peanut butter cookies. I’m quite certain you might just fall in love...

First I need to be honest: These cookies are downright addictive. In fact, they’re unlike any other peanut butter cookie you’ve ever tasted. If the instructions are followed correctly, you’ll end up with soft and chewy peanut butter cookies. And they’ll continue to stay soft for days (like they’ll last that long)!

A few secret ingredients help the peanut butter cookies bake up beautifully: dark brown sugar, honey and sour cream. The dark brown sugar adds an essential chew to the cookies, the honey gives a unique flavor and helps the cookies react to the baking soda, and, lastly, the sour cream provides moisture to keep the cookies soft.

But why stop there? Dip these babies in a little melted chocolate, then adorn them with a sprinkle of salty pretzels and sweet toffee. Yes, this cookie is sure to win you a few prizes at work. Or at least the best spouse/parent/friend award.

Recipe: Chocolate-Dipped Peanut Butter Cookies

What you'll need:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup all natural creamy peanut butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar (light will also work just fine)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon honey
1/2 tablespoon sour cream or plain greek yogurt
1 cup chocolate chips
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1/2 cup crushed pretzel
1/2 cup toffee pieces

Preheat oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer, add in peanut butter, softened butter and brown sugar; mix on medium low until well combined. Switch mixer to low speed; add in egg, vanilla extract, honey and sour cream and beat one minute or until well combined, smooth and creamy. Slowly add in dry ingredients, increasing speed to medium low; mix until just combined.

Grab a tablespoonful of dough and roll into a ball with your hands. You can also use a small cookie scoop if you have this available. Place dough on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches apart between each dough ball. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes before removing and transferring to a wire rack. This allows them to set and harden slightly around the edges. Repeat with remaining dough.

In a small bowl, mix crushed pretzels and toffee pieces.

Once cookies are completely cooled, you can prepare the chocolate. First, line two baking sheets with wax paper. Next, add chocolate chips and coconut oil to small pot and place over low heat. Watch carefully and stir often until chocolate is completely melted. Dip each peanut butter cookie in chocolate then sprinkle with toffee-preztel mixture. Place on wax paper and repeat with remaining cookies. The chocolate should set up within 30 minutes, but if you want to speed up the process, just place the baking sheet in the fridge for about 5 minutes.

Cookies will keep for 3-5 days if stored in an airtight container.

 
Thank you so much, Everybody!

How to pack without wrinkles


 


Are you traveling for the holidays? (We're going to California to visit Alex's family, and I'm excited to escape this insanely cold weather.) Well, if you're packing bags, we just discovered a cool way to pack clothes without wrinkles. Here's how...

 

Here are the easy steps:

1. Lay pants flat in the suitcase, so the waistbands line up with the edge and the legs hang out.
2. Lay the things that are most likely to wrinkle—like blouses and shirts—on top, so the collars line up with the edge of the suitcase and the sleeves hang out.
3. Place heavier sweaters and dresses on top.
4. Put your socks and underwear into a small bag. Place the bag in the center of the suitcase. This little "pillow" will keep your clothes from wrinkling.
5-7. Gently fold the ends of your clothing around the tote bag.
8. Tuck your shoes, belts and toiletries bag around the clothes.

 

Voila! A perfectly-packed suitcase. And when you arrive, your clothes will be wrinkle-free.

TOP 10 WAYS TO ELIMINATE CHEST WRINKLES

                                                             (photo courtesy Chestwrinkles.net)

The other day I had a customer in her late 30's/ early 40's ask me about how to eliminate chest wrinkles. I've had them myself since I began to sleep on my side after a car accident over a decade ago and they don't tend to bother me because my skin is so fair. It's not something I or others tend to notice. In her case she is tan and wrinkles can be more pronounced on tan skin as the wrinkles have grooves that get less exposure than the layers that are exposed to the sun. 

Most of us neglect to take care of our poor necks and décolletés, not to mention hands. I have compiled a list of my top ten ways to either repair or prevent chest wrinkles since Photoshopping ourselves in real life is still not yet an option.

 A FEW WAYS TO GET RID OF CHEST WRINKLES

1. Sleep on your back- Simply put if you sleep on your back the skin does not fold over causing the grooves. I say that it is better to get quality sleep than worry about sleeping on my side.
2. Laser- Laser, especially Fraxel® can temporarily restore the collagen and make the grooves less apparent, but over time this can thin the skin and cause sun-sensitivity. If you sleep on your side you'll still eventually have the same issues.
3. Silcone Pad- A silicone pad is my favorite. You can slap on some cream, slap on the pad and give yourself an overnight anti-aging treatment. I find this to be one of the more effective ways to not only repair, but prevent the wretched train tracks.


4. Breast Pillow- The breast pillow has become popular from television reports, but I find strapping them on appears to be tedious. At bed time I just want to finish my beauty routine and drop into bed. Some of the reviewers of these products suggest sticking a towel or another object between the breasts to keep them from folding over instead of forking over the cash for the pillow.
5. Fillers- Filling the skin is another way to effectively help reduce the grooves. Juvederm tends to be the filler of choice, but Restylane® is also an option.
6. Dermarolling- This is another favorite of mine. I like to perform dermarolling for my customers to help strengthen the collagen and imbed vital nutrients like vitamin c, e. Please don't do this at home.
7. Sunblock- (not sunscreen) Self explanatory. Sunscreen helps to keep cell damage minimal and keep skin elastic.
8. Antioxidants, Vitamins and Peptides- Eating foods rich in antioxidants and vitamins (vitamin c helps to build collagen) is very important in keeping skin elastic. If you feed your body, your cells and thus your skin will greatly benefit. Topically applying vitamins can also be beneficial. Vitamin C at 15 or 20% is great at building collagen. I also just discovered a line called Bionova that builds the skin through vitamins.
9. Exfoliate- Exfoliation (SUPER fine grain) helps to improve circulation and keep skin more elastic causing the wrinkles to minimize. Physical exfoliation is great for skin tone. Chemical exfoliation is for age spots and other discoloration, but you must be careful in the sun.
10. Moisture- This one is also self-explanatory. The more hydrated the skin, the less lines appear and more elastic the skin. Moisturized skin also helps to fight harmful UV damage. I prefer raw coconut oil or whipped shea butter.


Please note I did not add items like the Dermawand or LightStim as other options. I find that most people are not diligent enough to do these things, which is why they did not end up in my top ten list.

DIY DRY SHAMPOO FOR DARK AND LIGHT HAIR

Recently International artist Mercedes Parilli of the George Salon in Chicago caught my attention when I saw her yummy recipes for dry shampoo! I love a good dry shampoo especially because I have such fine, heavy hair. I grew up with my mother using Clairol's Psssst when I was a kid and saw how much time it saved me as a teen especially during the Rave and Aquanet days!

According to hairstylist icon Orlando Pita (whose client roster includes Madonna and Gweneth Paltrow among dozens of others) there is such a thing as washing your hair too much.  He always used to remind me that we really should only be washing our hair once or twice a week otherwise we could be stripping the essential oils from our hair. In fact, washing your hair too often can make your hair even oilier. Teen Vogue has a nice article about that.

Mercedes Parilli informs us that "our cupboards hold everything you need to make your own dry shampoo! Just grab corn starch (which is more natural compared to baby powder and baking soda). Corn starch is also very oil-absorbing!"

 Brunette Formula = Mix Corn starch + Cocoa Powder
If you have darker hair, mix unsweetened cocoa powder with cornstarch.









Redhead Formula = Mix Corn starch + Cinnamon
If you're a redhead, use cinnamon with cornstarch equal parts.







 
Blonde Formula = Mix Corn starch + Essential Oil

If you have light colored hair, mix cornstarch with an essential oil of your choice for fragrance.








DIRECTIONS: 




Once mixed, apply with a large cosmetic brush or put into a salt shaker and apply to roots. After application, rub in really well to absorb oil and style accordingly.


Parilli says making your own natural dry shampoo is inexpensive and helps you avoid hazardous chemicals. Dry shampoo made at home is fast-acting and your hair will feel, look and smell amazing. Using dry shampoo the second or third day of not washing your hair saves time while keeping your hair looking great. But, it is also important to cleanse your scalp regularly. Cleansing the scalp keeps hair follicles stimulated for healthy hair growth.

HOW TO AVOID EYE WRINKLES



For many years now I have been doing skin evaluations thanks to the Beau Visage (3mm below the skin). The photo on the right shows blood flow with sun damage on this customer's skin. The photo on the left is just sun damage that is coming to the surface. What's cool about these images is that it shows the customer has been super diligent wearing her sunglasses- so much so that hardly any sun ever reached her eye area. She hardly has any wrinkles or pigmentation around her eyes (even if you can tell in the blood photo she has had lid surgery).

The other cool thing about this photo is that if you look VERY closely you can see a big white patch right in the middle of her forehead. This is where she has had botox injections. Botox stops blood flow from going to the muscle so that the muscles don't contract. Unfortunately it also stops the nutrient supply to the cells and skin around the injection site. In person her skin is very thin and shiny in that area compared to the rest of her forehead.

Back to eyes- I can't emphasize how important it is to wear large UV 400 sunglasses if you want to reduce eye wrinkles. I have seen hundreds of photos like the one pictured above and there is no question sun damage correlates with eye wrinkles. There are two reasons why: one cellular/dna damage that breaks down the cell and the collagen and the other is the actual act of squinting deepening the lines by separating the collagen deep below the skin.

Dr. Mercola is not a fan of wearing sunglasses for many reasons, but if you follow this link it goes into why. He has some great tips as to choosing the correct sunglasses (not sun wear that might hurt your vision). While I may not entirely agree with everything he says here there is a lot of great information at that link.

Also, beware of eye cream. Most eye creams out there are irritating because they are meant to bring extra blood flow to the delicate tissues around the eyes. This helps to temporarily puff out the wrinkles. This method is counterproductive in regards to anti-aging. The puffing stretches out the skin and causes loss of elasticity. It also does a lot of other things, but for now just know if it irritates you then stop using the eye serum. Go for a coconut oil or shea butter instead to help hydrate the delicate tissue around the eyes. Many fine lines around the eyes can be prevented with just a little moisture (applied with your ring finger with movements towards the nose)!

Thursday, December 4, 2014

Shine Beauty Beacon: 2014 Howl-o-Scream Polish Giveaway: Bewitching Nai...

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Fall Spa Week: Polish, Pamper & Protect Your Skin ...

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New Weight Loss Myths and Facts



Even though we all know that this best way to remain
healthy as well as physically fit would be to eat well-rounded, nutritionally
audio meals and also exercise no less than 20 mins a day, it can human nature
to search out better, "cutting-edge, " get-thin-quick fads and glom
onto them such as their gospel. Don't consume after 8PM.? You got it.







In an effort to
bring clarity and get returning to solid fundamentals, we chose to tackle probably
the most prevalent weight loss "facts" available and uncover them
since the myths they may be. See the ten biggest weight loss myths and facts
now.

1.   
AVOID
CONSUMING AFTER 8 PM DIETIt's not whenever you eat, it’s  what (and how
much) you eat. The main reason some diet programs suggest a person close your
kitchen after taking pleasure in the early-bird special is the fact that people
have an inclination to overindulge at night, particularly if they have
overlooked a meal throughout the day. "If you might be finding yourself
binging during the night, chances are you aren't eating anyplace near
sufficient good calories from fat during the day.
2.   
A
CALORIE IS A CALORIE IS A CALORIEYou gain bodyweight when you eat more calories
from fat than the body burns. Yet, not all calories from fat are the same. This
really is the good carb/bad carb differentiation. "Bad carbs (refined easy
sugars) tend to be rapidly broken down and assimilated into the blood stream,
If there exists a high focus of blood sugars (hyperglycemia), then [the extra
sugars] can be saved as body fat.  The actual fiber within good carb helps
slow up the rate associated with digestion, managing blood sugar levels,
resulting in a longer windowpane of time where the body may burn body fat from
all those good carbs before the extra is saved as body fat.
3.   
DRINKING
BROTH-BASED CEREAL BEFORE YOU EAT CAN HELP YOU FEEL MUCH MORE FULL AND, THUS,
CONSUME LESS FOODA study carried out at Penn State College demonstrated that
consuming meals with a higher water content material increases a person's sense
associated with fullness. Curiously, drinking water by itself has not been
proven to have the same effect. Evidently, drinking water is purged out of your
belly more quickly compared to water integrated into meals you eat, therefore
it doesn't induce any of the entire body cues which tell your mind you are
complete.
4.   
IF
YOU ARE ON A DIET YOU SHOULD AVOID RED MEAT AT ALL COSTSA person swear away red
meat. Beef, in small amounts, is a great supply of protein as well as iron.
5.   
 ALL
GRMS ARE CREATED THE SAMERemember the actual riddle: Exactly what weighs much
more -- one hundred lbs associated with brick or even 100 pounds of down? They,
naturally , weight exactly the same, but the scale the feather pile will be much
larger than the collection of stones. That example kind of assists when you
think about grams associated with food: the gram associated with protein offers
four calories from fat; a gram of carbs also has 4 calories; however a gram of
body fat has 9 calories. The differnce in calories from fat a gram is the
reason why 1 food might have way more calories from fat than the same serving
size associated with another. It is also the reason for the actual
proliferation associated with low-fat as well as fat-free items. Limiting the
amount of grams associated with fat a person consume every day makes it easier
in which to stay your calorie budget (and your slim jeans).
6.   
 OVER-THE-COUNTER
WEIGHT LOSS PRODUCTS WHICH ARE LABELED "NATURAL" OR
"HERBAL" ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVEIt was a gimme, right? Ephedra ring
any kind of bells? Simply because you can buy something in a discount vitamin
store doesn't imply it's healthful. Unless and until the product's statements
have been examined by the FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, you should be
suspicious. And, in case, it's really worth consulting a doctor before using
any medicines. Not all weight loss pills are dangerous.
7.   
 YOUR
BODY FEATURES A BIOLOGICALLY PRE-DETERMINED SET BODYWEIGHT AND ALL EFFORTS TO
CHANGE IT IS GOING TO FAILBlaming your grandma and grandpa for the yo-yo-ing
you see within the scale isn't very going to travel. "While our own
genetic traditions does play a role in our body composition, inch Simpson
describes, "we can have manage … through leading the lifestyle as well as
eating nicely. " And when you're pre-disposed to be slim, you'll still
ought to be consumind right and exercising -- for your health.
8.   
IF
YOU'RE NOT REALLY SWEATING WHILST WORKING OUT, YOU ARE NOT WORKING HARD
SUFFICIENTThere is absolutely no correlation among perspiration and weight
loss. The one thing sweat indicates is that the person is working to awesome
itself away. Everyone sweating differently. And, anyway, it is far from clear
which working out for any shorter time period at a greater intensity is
preferable to working out for any longer length at a reduced intensity. When it
comes to weight loss, what realy works best for your way of life and your
routine is what is likely to work best -- because you will stick with it.
Muscle tissue will still burn calories right after both cardio exercise and
anaerobic exercise.
9.   
YOU
SHOULD DELAY UNTIL YOU ARE STARVING TO EATIndividuals who skip foods or consume
erratically tend to overeat to create up for the meals they skipped. And
consuming too less calories from fat actually activates your body to support
fat and burn less calories. "Hunger is a great indicator that your
metabolic process is switched on, " states Borden. "If your
metabolism is actually turned on, you need to feel food cravings every 3 to 4
hours. inch Bottom line: Becoming hungry is a great sign, this means that your
human body's working the way in which it's designed to, to burn calories to
hold running easily. On the other hand, depriving yourself to the stage where
your body believes it needs to save calories for your long haul is actually
both harmful and functions against your fat reducing goal. Therefore don't be
scared to eat for all those hungry -- just make sensible choices.
10.
THERE
IS NO MIRACLE FAT-BURNING FOODNot mustard, not grapefruit, not green tea
extract, not oatmeal. No meals are going to do the job for you. During your
stay on island are meals that might briefly speed up metabolic process, it
won't maintain any suffered way which will impact weight reduction. Simpson
highlights that "much of the information to support these types of claims
originate from nutraceutical research or even studies [where] people consumed
very large amounts of the specific food or even natural natural supplements for
an prolonged period of time. inch And don't attempt replicating all those
studies in your own home. Simpson alerts that eating large quantities of
particular foods may balance the body's stability to break down, absorb or even
neutralize byproducts or harmful toxins in the body. "For example, despite
the fact that grapefruit has its own benefits, it can also affect the method
the body absorbs, processes as well as eliminates specific prescription drugs.
inch