Field Trip to the Fire Station

T's class took a trip to the fire station and I was able to go too. They had lots of fun and I'm so glad I work for myself and could take the morning off to go with them. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...

Sale and NEW

Only 4 more days to take advantage of the 10% off sale on BeautiControl's Skinlogics Clear and Skinlogics Sensitive


Skinlogics Clear is great for acne prone skin. I have several teen clients that use this to help control acne.

Skinlogics Sensitive is great for sensitive skin and I have several clients with Rosacea that use this to help their skin condition!

Check out all of the sale products for March here.

NEW BC Color Hydrating Lip Color

Simply said, you are going to love this lip color. The coated pigments allow you to have full, intense coverage without irritating the lips. Natural anti-oxidants are combined with age defying peptides to both protect and repair the lips with every application. 16 beautiful shades will give you and your clients lots to choose from, plus, we have even kept the 4 best selling shades from the Mineral Lip Color Line...Fire and Ice, Sand, Shiraz, and Mocha Mauve.


NEW FOR SPRING...
Island Sunset Collection

Over the past few years, our Spring and Summer bath and body collections have been very simplistic...very tropical, yet identifiable notes such as pineapple and coconut, mango and guava, etc. This year, we took a slightly different direction as industry trends have evolved. Rather than creating scents with identifiable notes, we chose a very complex blend of natural fragrance oils formulated more like a complex fine fragrance, rather than a bath and body collection. The results...irresistible. You will find that the scent warms to your body's chemistry and becomes a signature scent for anyone who wears it. The top notes are comprised of finely blended tropical fruits. As these notes "flash-off", the middle notes of exotic tropical florals is revealed. These notes will linger on the skin and slowly succumb to the warmth of vanilla and soft musk that anchors the bottom notes of the scent.

The collection includes:
• The Dry Body Oil is amazing for moisturizing and providing a non-greasy sheen to the skin.
• The Body Wash, as always, contains natural foaming agents to gently cleanse without stripping away moisture.
• The Body Butter is made up of natural mango and shea butters that richly and deeply moisturize the skin and leave a soft golden shimmer on the skin. There is nothing sexier than a soft golden glow on lightly tanned skin during the spring and summer months.
• The icing on the cake is our delicious Island Sunset fragrance concentrate. Packaged in a convenient roll-ball package, you can apply the fine fragrance to your pulse points for a scent that takes you on an island escape with every breath you take. It is convenient enough to put in your purse or overnight bag for travel.

Are You Willing To Take A Financial Risk?

Another great post from Joseph Sangl....

Are You Willing To Take A Financial Risk?

Equipping my children to be a blessing to others is one of my top priorities in life.

As part of this quest, I have had my daughter invest some of her money into a mutual fund. As I explained mutual funds to my beautiful seven-year-old girl, she immediately grew alarmed.

“I could LOSE some money?!?!?”, she exclaimed. This outburst was immediately followed by, “I am not interested in that type of investment.”

It was a very interesting discussion that helped me understand why so many people are financially stuck – they absolutely refuse to take any risk.

I know a couple that have budgeted their entire lives and have always lived within their means, but they are arriving at retirement with virtually zero savings. Why is this? Because they never prioritized investing because it would require risk and “they might lose some of their money.”

Many people jumped out of the stock market when it collapsed in 2008. They jumped out at rock bottom due to fear of losing it all. Those who remained in the market were generally financially whole within two years and have gained substantial ground since then.

Some people have said, “I would have been better off to leave my money in a CD instead of investing it into the stock market.” I ran the numbers on my investments and discovered that even with the drop of 2008, my investments were still way ahead of CD rates of return!

In fact, CD rates are lower than the inflation rate. Even if the CD interest earnings are tax-protected, the saved money will still lose overall purchasing power.

What are your feelings about taking risks with your investments?

Help the Children of Lee County

Jr. League Rummage Sale is this Saturday, March 24th! At the old Johnson Galleries Building on 10th St. in Opelika; early bird shopping is $5 from 6-7 a.m.; then open to everyone at 7 a.m. Come shop and help us serve the children of Lee County!

Also, our annual Art Walk/Run is coming up April 14th. Register now for only $15!!
Let me know if you need information or click here for more info about the Art Walk/Run. Please put my name as the league member!!

The Basics of Beautiful Skin

In BeautiControl, I have met many types of women:

•Those who want beautiful skin, yet they are not willing to take the steps or make the time necessary to get it

•Those who say they want beautiful skin, but want to use the products that they want to use, rather than what they NEED to be using (whether they are the right ones or not)

•Those who say they want beautiful skin but are always looking for the next best brand or always reading reports on the dangers of skin care or looking for "all natural" products...basically looking for a reason not to use products

•And then, I have had the privelege of working with women who will do whatever it takes to have beautiful skin for a lifetime.

Regardless of who you are and what your skin condition is, BeautiControl has a solution for you. It may take time to find the right fit, but I have yet to meet a face that we can't help. The question is, "How badly do you want Beautiful Skin".I can tell you with complete confidence, you don't have to be either a celebrity or wealthy to use the best products on the market. You won't find products of higher quality or higher efficacy anywhere else. Magic? Not really. The only magic that we have is that no one understands the process of aging and how to reverse that process better than we do. You could go to a dermatologist, but they are really only going to offer you products that treat a particular skin disorder. You could go to a plastic surgeon, but they are going to want to do a little nip here, and a little tuck there. You could go to your local med-Spa and pay for lasers or a series of treatments that cost a fortune. OR...you could do the less expensive, less invasive and far more logical thing and look to BeautiControl...your anti-aging experts.

This blog is going to outline the things the skin needs to stay young, healthy and beautiful. I have touched on these topics before; however, these are topics we can't cover enough.

What Does the Skin Need to be Healthy? That's easy. The skin needs 3 basic components:

•Maintenance: keeping the skin cleansed and hydrated
•Repair: using chemical and physical exfoliation to accellerate the rate that skin cells are turned over as well as ingredients that stimulate collagen and elastin production and speed the rate of cellular renewal.
•Prevention: protecting the skin from both UV and oxidative damage.
If you incorporate products into your daily skin care regimen that address these 3 basic needs, you off to a great start.

Before you Begin: Have you taken your Skin s.p.a. quiz ONLINE to receive your customized skin care prescription? Not the paper quiz...the ONLINE quiz? If not, then chances are strong that you are not using the correct products. Step #1...find your correct skin care prescription. If you haven't made the switch to BC Spa Facial...I really urge you to make the jump; however, read this blog so you understand what to expect when you begin using a skin care line that is designed to give you more advanced clinical strength results.

Maintenance: Basically speaking, the skin needs to be cleansed and hydrated twice a day, every day, regardless of your age, gender or skin type.

Cleanse: Cleansing is one of the most fundamental skin care needs. If you wear a water based or powder based foundation, then a cleanser alone is likely enough for you to completely remove your makeup. If you wear a heavier cream foundation, you may find that you need an oil based cleanser (such as the Skinlogics Platinum Plus Cleansing Cream) used prior to your cleanser to break down and remove your foundation. If there is any oil in foundation at all, only an oil based cream cleanser will break it down and completely remove it, followed by either the BC Spa Cleansing Gel or Cleansing Lotion. The thing that I love about these cleansers is that they are free of harsh artificial sulphates (ingredients that creates a lather) so they won't strip the skin. Both the gel and the lotion are appropriate for all skin conditions; however, your Skin s.p.a. diagnostic tool will recommend the lotion to you if you have drier, more sensitive skin conditions.

Hydrate: As we age, the skin loses the ability to produce and maintain adequate moisture reserves. Not only does the skin not get the external hydration that it needs, the skin stops producing key essential moisturizers in the skin the way we did when we were young. One of the skin's key nutrients that is lost as we age is hyaluronic acid. Think of hyaluronic acid as a moisture magnet. Not only will each hyaluronic acid molecule hold 1,000 times its own molecular weight in pure water, it is known as the most powerful natural moisturizing ingredient known to science. The use of Hyaluronic acid to both provide and attract moisture to the skin, as well as provide an effective delivery system and natural skin plumping benefits is one of the key functions of many of our most advanced repair products. When combined with effective film formers, each of the products not only attract and hold water in the skin, but also create a barrier to prevent water loss.

Repair: Repair products are the ones that are working to repair past damage by increasing cellular renewal, increasing the rate that new cells are produced and stimulating the production of collagen and elastin, forcing the skin to act the way it did when you were young.

Exfoliation: This is the MOST IMPORTANT process in your skin care regimen, and it is the thing that is most often skipped in a person's regimen. If you are not getting the results you are looking for in your skin repair regimen, this would be the first place for you to look.

The process of repair requires exfoliation…both chemical and physical exfoliation! One, without the other is not as effective.

The skin’s turnover slows as we age. The ONLY way to help make the skin act as it did when we were younger is through the process of exfoliation…both chemical and physical exfoliation. Only when we get rid of surface cells will the body force the production of new skin cells.

Think of it this way…have you ever removed wallpaper from a wall? If you have, you know that it is no easy chore, but, if you are going to do anything to the wall underneath, you have to remove that paper first. You could use sandpaper, but it really just smoothes the surface, it really doesn’t get below the surface of the wallpaper. You could use a scraper, but you will only get the loose, flakey bits and pieces of the wallpaper removed and it takes FOREVER! Luckily, they have this really great stuff that you can spray on top of the wallpaper that kind of melts the paper and causes it to bubble up. After it has done its work, then you can take your scraper and quickly and easily remove that layer of wallpaper to reveal a pristine surface underneath. Are you with me?

Ok, think of your skin the same way. Think of your surface skin cells as a layer of wallpaper. You can use a scraper (Microdermabrasion), but you are only removing what is loose and flaky. Now when you use your chemical exfoliant (either AHAs or PHAs), they loosen the skin’s dead surface and allow you to exfoliate more deeply that you could have without it. Your daily skin care scrub (polyethylene beads) is like the “sandpaper” we talked about above. It smoothes the surface and makes it feel baby smooth, but to really get in there and remove the surface, you need to use something more aggressive such as Microdermabrasion which is designed to shave the skin’s surface for maximum benefits.

Retinol

Retinol is the whole vitamin A molecule, which can be broken down into thousands of smaller components, including “retinoic acid” (also called tretinoin, the active ingredient in Renova and Retin-A). Essentially retinol is just a fancy name for vitamin A; however, it is perhaps the most important vitamin for the appearance of the skin. It is one of the few substances with a small enough molecular structure to penetrate the outer layers of the skin and work to repair the lower layers where collagen and elastin reside. Retinol is vitamin A in its purest and most active form. It penetrates deep into the skin, where it becomes fully operative. Wrinkles and lines are gradually smoothed, moisture and elasticity increase, the complexion glows and the appearance of damage is diminished.

The skin cells have a receptor site that is very accepting of retinoic acid. This relationship between retinoic acid and skin cells allows a type of communication in which the cell is encouraged to function normally and continue regular cell renewal— as opposed to the often misshapen and altered cells associated with the natural aging process.

It now seems clears that retinol is a beneficial cell-communicating ingredient, as well as an antioxidant. In other words, it assists in creating stronger, healthier skin cells and increases the amount of skin-support substances. Retinol has also been shown to help stimulate new collagen production, which is critical in the battle against aging. Thus it has become clear that retinol is a vital component of high quality skincare products, providing visible, long-lasting results.

Peptides

Peptides are bioengineered molecules formed by linking chains of amino acids, the body’s building blocks. These ingredients are readily recognized by the skin and have the ability to be manipulated to penetrate to multiple layers of the skin, and be designed to serve a variety of purposes. Some peptides are engineered to reduce the depth of wrinkles on the face caused by the contraction of muscles of facial expression, especially in the forehead and around the eyes (muscle relaxing). Some are designed to help expedite the production of collagen and elastin in the skin. Some peptides are engineered to help repair the cohesion of the dermis to the epidermis, helping with sagging skin by increasing skin firmness.

VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: I am going to be very diliberate with this statement, so please pay attention. The repair ingredients, as well as the products that they are included in are clinically active and highly aggressive products. It is not only possible, but highly likely that you will experience some mild to moderate side effects when you begin using them. This is a clear indication that the products are working. This is NOT an indication that you are having a reaction or an allergy to the products. When using products such as the BC Spa Facial Tonics, BC Spa Resurface Resurfacing Peel or Regeneration Overnight, it is very likely that you will experience some tingling, redness and perhapes even flaking or peeling after a few days of use. This is not only normal, but should be the desired result as these products are working to rid the surface of the skin of damaged cells. If any of these side effects become uncomfortable, simply reduce the frequency of use and allow the skin to adjust to the clinical strength nature of of these products. \

Prevention: There are 2 primary causes of skin damage...UV Damage and Oxidative Damage. Effective prevention of these causes will help the skin from recover from enviornmental assaults and prevent skin damage and abnormal cell development/mutations.

Sunscreen

It is estimated that 85 – 90% of the signs of aging are caused by sun damage, so it makes sense that sunscreen would be at the top of the list of things you need to stave off the aging process. While we all love the glow of a summer tan, the sun can cause some pretty extreme damage to our skin’s DNA that can result in both reversible and irreversible damage. There are 2 types of UV rays that are emitted by the sun:

•UVB rays – these are the ones that cause the skin to burn
•UVA rays – these are the ones that cause the skin to age
The UVB rays cause our skin to burn or tan. They penetrate just under the skin’s surface and the damage can be seen pretty easily. UVA rays, on the other hand, penetrate all the way through the skin and their damage is not obvious to the naked eye. UVA rays are the ones that are responsible for the long-term damage that will manifest itself down the road in the form of sagging skin, lines and wrinkles and age spots.

It is crucial that your sunscreen contain both UVA and UVB protection. Simply keeping the skin from burning does not ensure healthy skin.

Antioxidants

Damage to the skin that is not the result of the sun is caused by oxidation. To put it in very simple terms, think of it like this. Each skin cell is like an apple. The outer coating of the skin cell is pretty durable and will help maintain cellular moisturization and normal cell growth. UV rays act like a knife, jabbing into the apple’s skin. What happens to an apple when the skin is broken? It turns brown! This is the result of oxidation. The same thing happens to your skin. When the UV rays break the outer protection of each skin cell, it causes the skin cell to oxidize and become defective. Antioxidants prevent the process of oxidation and allow the skin cells to “heal” as well as ensure that the damage caused by the sun does not affect the skin’s DNA, resulting in long-term skin damage.

While vitamin C is the most recognizable antioxidant ingredient, it is far from the most effective. It is crucial that your products contain a comprehensive blend of anti-oxidants to ensure that your skin is protected…preventing oxidation AND helping the skin recover from UV exposure.

So...if I were putting together a regimen for every person who is serious about using the best skin care available, it would be:


You can look for imitations, but you won't find another brand on the market that offers the concentration of ingredients, the quality of formulation and the delivery to the skin that these age defying solutions offer. With BeautiControl, your face is in good hands!

Fast From Something

One thing we are "fasting" from is only eating out once a week during the week and once on the weekend. Occasionally we splurge but we do try stick to it for the most part. We need to take Joseph's advice and put that money directly into a our savings.

Great info from Josheph Sangl. Check him out here.

Here’s a savings tip that can be a lot of fun and a serious challenge if taken seriously – Go on a spending fast and give or save the difference.

It’s a simple concept. Stop spending money on a specific item for period of time, and deposit the money that would have been spent on that item into savings or give that money away.

Here are some examples:
■Stop buying soda (or pop or Coke or whatever you call it) and redirect the money to savings
■Refuse to purchase any new clothes for an entire year and redirect the money to savings
■Eliminate the daily $4 coffee drinks (gasp!) and redirect the money to savings
■Park the car and ride a bike to work for a month and redirect the money to savings

A young lady I met a year ago embarked on a journey just like this. Her name is Sarah, and she resolved to “not buy anything new for 365 days.” Her year-long quest began on March 21, 2011, and she is about to finish her journey. On March 21, I will be posting the blog post that I asked her to write. You won’t want to miss it.

QUESTION: What will you choose to go on a spending fast for? What will you do with the money that would normally have been spent on that item?

Horses

A while back, T and I joined the Lamberth girls at an equestian event!! If you live in a college town, this is a great thing to take your kids to. They had lots of kid friendly activities and the horses were fun too. We look forward to doing this again!!

A Choice

Here is another great post from Joseph Sangl's blog. Visit him here. He has great Biblical Financial advice.


I meet so many people who are believing something that is completely false and untrue.

They believe that their financial situation determines their dreams.

They will dispute this, of course, but their ACTIONS (which speak way louder than words) indicate otherwise. I tend to look past the rhetoric to see a real indication of belief.

I’ve found that I have been susceptible to this as well! We are so good at self-deception.

For example, here are some situations I have seen a person say that they:

■Really want to be debt-free, but they continue to spend money without a budget!
■Really want to be debt-free, yet they pull the plastic out to charge items not in the budget!
■Want to improve their marriage, but they refuse to work with their spouse to plan their finances.
■Believe they can take a dream trip, but no money is saved for the trip.
■Want to start a business, but have never started the first step toward it because the challenge is so intimidating and daunting.
I’ve determined that I am going to pursue every dream given me. I will surely fail at some of them, but the successes are so very worth it!

You have a choice – TODAY – to write down your dreams or to never write them down.

You have a choice – TODAY – to write down dreams regardless of the cost or to write down only the dreams you know you can afford.

You have a choice – TODAY – which will you choose?

Lips and Face

Don't let this happen to your lips. Find BeautiControl's Lip Apeel here!!

Microderm Abrasion helps the skin look younger by taking a layer of dead skin cells off. When we take off a layer our skin produces a new layer of skin cells thus making us look younger!!
I love how BeautiControl saves us time and money!!! You don't have to worry about making an appointment to use it, you can use it in your own home at the fraction of the cost. I saw an advertisement to enjoy 1 Microderm Facial for $75 (and that was the special of the month because it is regularly $100). BC offers the Facial Buffer and the Microderm Abrasion creme for $70 and it contains 10-15 treatments (depending on how much product you use per application)!!!
To enjoy Microderm Abrasion at a fraction of the cost and enjoy it in the convenience of your own home find Microderm Abrasion call me today or check it out here.

BeautiPick and Skinlogics Sale!!

Do you love BeautiControl's Lip Apeel? Then you will love this!!! Great for Spring Break at the beach or pool, outside gardening or ball games!! Skinlogics Lip Balm with SPF 20 improves hydration while helping protect skin from harmful UV rays.

Since it's our BeautiPick of the month, you'll save 20% off of this amazing product in March!!


Plus the following products are 10% off this month for the Skinlogics Sale!!

Corticure Comfort Lotion with Chamomile great for bug bites on kids!!

It helps relieve and comfort irritation and itching due to chapping, chafing, contact dermatitis, sunburn and other sensitive skin discomforts.


Skinlogics Lash and Lid Bath, our gentle make-up remover, cleanses and refreshes the delicate eye area without the oil feel!!


Hydrating Mist is great if you need a pick me up at the office or slip it in your beach bag to take down to the pool or ocean!!


Thermal Facial Scrub (great for men too)
Experience brighter, smoother, more hydrated skin delivered through the luxurious and relaxing benefits of a thermal masque and scrub in one. Savor the warming sensation as your pores are freed from clogging dirt and impurities that are swept away by gentle exfoliating beads.


Lip Apeel
Your lips will be softer than ever in just two easy steps. Use the special exfoliator to remove dry skin and minimize lines. Then apply the lip balm to moisturize and soothe for extra-soft, kissable lips.


Lip Balm in a Jar
Lip Balm helps minimize environmental aggressors that weaken the lips ability to maintain a youthful appearance.

Check out everything here and click specials!!!

The Pantry and Freezer

Another great money saving time from Joseph Sangl. Visit his site here.

If you are looking to gain substantial margin in your budget, try this tip: Open up the pantry!




Seriously, you probably have a month’s worth of canned and dry goods in there. Yes, you will have to purchase the perishables like milk, bread, and veggies, but you could probably get by on 30% or less of your typical monthly grocery spending this month!

Here are some tips to maximize the use of your pantry inventory:

1.Pull everything out and place on the dining room table
2.Put meals together based on this total overview of your inventory
3.Write down the meals on paper so you don’t forget the ideas you have
I love these types of meals! Is there anything better than chicken chow mein? Or spaghetti? Or sardines and saltines? Or made-from-scratch biscuits and gravy?

For many families, doing this for just one month will save $200 or more!

I have also found cleaning out the freezer to be helpful!!

Happy Money saving Monday!!

Pumpkin Patch

We had fun at the Pumpkin Patch again this October. T had to have a picture with the pumpkin in his soccer uniform!! We were glad to have a family outing at the pumpkin patch!!