You can imagine that sometimes a girl needs to keep it real to stay away from the couch in the psychiatrists‘ office.
Today is that day for me.
No, I am not necessarily being funny as quitting smoking and gaining weight is critical stuff. Why you ask? Because last week I came to the realization that I have gained 15lbs. since I quit smoking the last quarter of 2007…Yep! That has been some slow and steady weight gain that is exclusively attributed to giving up up smoking.

My original plan to control my weight was to use hootia lollipops. Those hootia pops worked well athough I couldn’t keep it up and found that in social situations they looked downright silly.

This morning, I had my assessment with my NEW trainer, Michelle. Today, I am smiling and feeling hopeful that these 15 pounds will depart very soon from my being. I will offer up more about that later in this article.

Encouragement for my continued success with not smoking comes daily from those around that don’t smoke, continue to smoke and even strangers that may smoke or not. If anyone of those people would guarantee me that I would not get lung cancer or worse yet emphysema then I would start again ASAP. For me, cigarettes were like a best friend that only listened and a constant and consistent reward system for just about anything I would choose …Um…I woke up this morning! guess I’ll have a cigarette, Um…I just took a long brisk walk so I reward myself with a cigarette. Need I go any further? Those of you that smoke or have smoked (and loved it) in your past will certainly understand that aspect of smoking.

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Have you ever noticed a woman that appeared to have incredibly blushing over the top red cheeks? So much so that you were certain that she had no idea what she looked like when she walked out of her house that morning? Or she must have forgotten to look in the mirror. In most cases, those women were not actually adding color to their cheeks but instead they have a menacing red skin condition that is ever present. This is in no way just a pretty blushing red as the woman in the picture but more to the side of a dull, lifeless ruddy red…

Not too pretty and OH so un-wanted.

It is necessary prior to reading this article that you know in fact you may have a skin condition called Rosacea. This skin condition can be very problematic and in many cases require the care of a Dermatologist to keep it in control and in check. You will notice that Rosacea will generally affect the nose, cheeks and forehead and in some extreme cases your eyes. Those of you that know you have Rosacea are aware that it is much more menacing than just a red, ruddy skin. On the brighter side, I have seen wonderful cammouflage techniques that can reduce the appearance of red in your skin even if it is Rosacea…It’s worth a try.

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As I continue to be in search of the “Brightest White Eyes”, I came across a product that will knock your socks off. I never considered that I would be writing a review on contact lenses. Meet Equinox Allure Contacts by Marietta Vision .
Check our the BEFORE & AFTER Below:

You may think that it sounds to good to be true! When you apply these highly unique contact lenses, instantaneously you notice yours eyes appearing much enhanced & whiter. These types of contact lenses are actually referred to as a Cosmetic enhancement lenses. The “Allure” contacts have a very natural looking black rim called a “Blacklimbal Ring” on the outer most edge of the lenses. Read the rest »

Blush is a the best way to accent and enhance your cheekbones. Depending on the look you want to achieve you may want to consider using blush as a highlighter or to contour and in some cases both.

The easiest way to find & identify where you should apply your blush is to actually suck in your cheeks. You should be able to locate what looks like a natural hollowing. The hollow area is where you will apply a deeper color such as a deeper foundation color, light brown or an actual bronzer. You will want to use a brush or a sponge, make a shape that resembles a half moon up to you temple.
Now it is time to smile! Read the rest »

Many women of various ages have difficulty in choosing the correct foundation color for their skin tone. Have you ever noticed a woman that appears to look slightly orange or even pink? Oh! And have you ever seen a woman whose neck is a completely different color than her face? These types of problems generally occur when a woman does not understand the concept of her underlying skin tone.

Before you head off to Walgreen’s to grab a foundation, make certain you know which one of the following basic skin tones is your very own. Foundations at the Chain Drug Stores or Mass Merchandisers such as Target are wonderful places to purchase foundations as long as you know your exact shade. Most packaging in these stores is not conducive to choosing an appropriate color for your skin tone.

The Basic skin tones are Warm, Cool and Neutral. Those skin tones are fairly self explanatory although I will go into a little further detail to make it easy for you to determine which your skin tone is. When you think of warm you should gravitate towards gold, golden yellows, bronzes, burnt oranges. At this point….Try holding up an article of clothing in one of the warm toned shades to see if it enhances your natural beauty. In some cases you will actually see yellow, or an orange red in your skin tone which is a dead on clue that you are warm toned. My personal feeling is that it is much easier to spot a true cooled toned girl. Oftentimes you will see the blue or blue green skin tones thru very thin skin on a cool toned face. Think Silver, Blue and very rosey blue pinks. You will also want to look for veins near the skins service that are that same blue or blue green skin tone. Now on to the Best…Neutral. Do you look great in Pure Beige? You lucky girl when it comes to color cosmetics and clothes! You will only need to be careful to purchase a truly beige foundation.

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