Be Nice to Your Neck

I love this information from Martha Stewart on Being Nice to Our Neck!!

Guilty of neck neglect?  Fight the droop with an effective skin regimen that doesn't stop at the jawline. 

We love our necks, honestly, we do.  Without them, how would we stick our neck out for a friend, move our head around, or get oxygen from our lungs to our brain?  And don't forget the abundance of nerve cells clusterd at the base of our neck- that's an erogenous zone.  Oh la la!  Clearly this statuesque structure performs very important functions beyond being a showcase for those fabulous beads you found on vacation. 

Fact is, we're busy, frugal, and frankly, uninformed.  Who knew necks needed special attention?  Is it really worth squandering that costly antiaging salve just to save our necks?

The answer is yes, say dermatologist, makeup artists and women (most famously Nora Ephron) who wish they had paid a little more attention to this swath of skin.  Avoid the pull of gravity and get a chin up with a few toning tips. 

Lotions and Potions...

Cleanse and Moisturize

Think gentle- emollient cleansers, nonirritating creams.  Skin on the neck is thin, with very little connective tissue, so the signs of aging (a crepey appearance, brown spots, line) appear much more pronounced there than on the face. 
Naomi Kunizawa, a Shiseido research associate who explored neck physiology in 2006 International Journal of Cosmetic Science paper, suggests a light, easy to spread neck cream "to avoid excess force" and excess stretching.  The neck also contains fewer stem cells to help promote skin renewal, so those classic clock-stopping tools, such as peels and retinoic acid, aren't the right routes to take in this instance. 

Neck Cream or No?

Moisturizers formulated specifically for the neck are generally smoother than typical face creams, so they create less pull on the skin.  And the antiaging agents are carefully designed to deliver results without a reaction. 
If you're in your 20s- and your skin looks it- a face or body moisturizer will do fine, says Jeffrey Dover, Yale University associate clinical professor of dermatology.  "You don't need to own 6 different creams."  He does, however, stress the importance of being religious about sunscreen. 
It's the 30+ set who may want to give neck creams a go.  "Look for those directed at treating fine lines and wrinkles,"  says Elizabeth callahan, a dermatologica surgeon in Sarasota, Florida.  Many boast toners that offer an immediate skin-tightening tingle and brighteners to help camoflage dark spots.  The addition of peptides and plant stem cells help promote collagen regeneration, for results said to be similar to a doctor-superised, in-office treatment.  (At $900, ReVive's Peau Magnifique, is almost as pricey.)  "Ten years ago, it was all about hydration," says Nadine Pernodet, executive director of skin biology, research and development at Estee Lauder Companies.  "Now we have new teachology to address the speficic functions of skin." 

This is a side not from Blakely (since it is my blog, lol).  I love BeautiControl's Tight Firm and Fill Neck Serum- check it out here.  I use it everyday and LOVE it!!  I love all of this info from Martha Stewart Living because I feel like my neck is a trouble area.  I am only 25 but want a tight, smooth neck and don't want to be mistaken for a turkey, as there are lots of hunters in Alabama and turkey season arrives in March.  I am all about prevention now to look great later!!!

Don't Forget the Sunblock

"The neck is one of the hardest areas to rejuveante, so repsect it,"  says Callahan.  Use a sunscreen EVERYDAY."  If you're outside, be sure to reapply.  A drag, yes, but so is contemplating turtlenecks in July. 

For Stressed-out necks.....
We crane it forward to stare at the computer and contort it to cradle the phone.  Here are 3 healthy hapits to keep your neck in line.

Good Posture
Keeping your shoulders back, try to line up your ears with them, suggests A. Lynn Millar, a professor of physical therapy at Winston-Salem State Univeristy in North Carolina.  If you find yourself dipping your neck to hold the phone, stop!  Briefly bend your neck to the opposite side, and focus on remaining in proper position- or invest in a headset.

Edurance Exercises for Neck Muscles
Lie on your back with your head on a pillow.  Tuck your chin to your chest, and hold that position for 5 second (longer as it becomes easer).  Then press your head back.  Repeat 10 times daily. 

Cat-and-Cow Pose
To alleviate tension and tightness, get on your hands and knees and inhale, dropping your head downward and rounding the spine like a startled cat.  Next exhale, arching back, lifting your head, chest, and derriere toward the ceiling.  Repeat 12 times daily, advises Loren Bassett, an instructor at Pure Yoga, in New York. 

Product Tip and Pictures worth a 1,000 words

PRODUCT TIP...BC Spa Restructuring Eye Creme... as Tina Turner would say..."It's Simply the Best, Better Than ALL the Rest!" This product reduces lines, wrinkles and sagging skin around eyes. Hyaluronic filling spheres plump cells and make skin look instantly younger! HERE'S MY TIP...Product Application...pat the product around the BONE area of the eye...NOT right under or over the eye next to lashes. As the body warms the eye creme it will slowly leach into the skin closer to the lashes. Apply to the bone area under the brow. Wilkie Cutrer says if you're 18 or older you need any eye cream until death, lol!!

Are you legs picture perfect? Check out these AMAZING results! I have a great special right now on 2 piece set!! Purchase the sculpt set and pick one of our NEW waterproof eye crayons FREE!! I only have 2 sets left in-stock. You can see more products on my website as well. www.beautipage.com/averybc

How To Be Broke from Joseph Sangl

At our house we are always looking for ways to save money.  This is great info from Joseph Sangl on how to be broke.  Check him out here. 


SERIES: How To Be Broke

Welcome to the latest series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com! In this series, I will be sharing the top ways that people end up being financially broke. If you want to be BROKE, be sure to follow every single one of these tremendous ideas. On the other hand, if you want to win with your money – do the OPPOSITE of these amazing tips!

Never say NO!
It is no fun to say the word “No!” anyway. We don’t like to say the word to our children, and we definitely don’t like saying it to ourselves! So, stop saying, “No!” Just give in to everything that you, your spouse, and your children want.

■Buy another video game (because they only have 91 already – with three different game consoles)

■Purchase another toy (and watch them play with the box more than the toy itself)

■Buy a new car (even though the other car was just fine – and nearly paid for)

■Go out to eat for the 20th meal this month (at TRIPLE the cost of a home-cooked meal)

■Go to the movies multiple times (at the low low price of a movie ticket – and a big-gulp soda)

On the other hand, let’s use the word “No!” for one thing: Saving for the future. Say “No!” to putting money into the retirement account and college fund. “Just say no!” to saving money for future plans, hopes, and dreams.

Employ these great tips, and you will be on your way to being completely broke!

QUESTION: Did you know that sometimes “No” means “Yes”? Click HERE for a thought that could revolutionize the way you view saying, “No!”

It must stop

So sorry for the blogging hiatus.  We have moved and are finding our new normal.

I received this in an e-mail today from Focus on the Family and wanted to share this with you.  Big government has to stop.  Big government makes weak people. 


Dear Friend,
I want to bring you up to date on an important development in the battle for religious liberty, involving one of America's beloved businesses.

Hobby Lobby® is a family-owned business that began in 1972 in David Green's Oklahoma garage. It now employs 13,000 people at 500 outlets in 41 states. The Greens are evangelical Christians who run their business on biblical principles. They are closed on Sundays, employ chaplains to minister to workers' spiritual and emotional needs, and take out full-page ads every Christmas and Easter, wishing everyone the best.

This week Hobby Lobby's owners filed a federal lawsuit against the Secretary of Health and Human Services over what has become known as the HHS contraceptive mandate. This is the 28th lawsuit filed against it to date.

The increasing encroachment on our religious freedom arising from government regulations adopted under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has prompted dozens of individuals and organizations to rise up and say "This is not right."

Hobby Lobby and Mardel®—a national chain of Christian bookstores also owned by the Greens—provide health insurance for employees, but don't cover the possible abortion-inducing drugs required by the HHS because they believe all life is sacred. Now they face a government-imposed deadline that forces them to choose between abandoning their deeply held beliefs or pay fines of up to $1.3 million per day for refusing to comply with the mandate. With their backs in the corner, the Greens filed a federal lawsuit in Oklahoma this week asking the court to block the enforcement of this mandate.

A few weeks ago, another secular business owned by a Catholic family in Denver won temporary relief from the mandate: A federal judge ruled that they don't have to comply as their religious-freedom lawsuit against the government proceeds.

This is significant because the federal government has argued that secular corporations cannot possibly "exercise" religion, and therefore are not entitled to any protections from the conscience-violating provisions of the HHS contraceptive mandate.

The growing chorus of objections to it, however, tells me that Americans of all faiths are recognizing that business owners—along with nonprofit religious organizations—should not be required to compromise their deeply held beliefs in order to participate in public life.
For faith and family,
Tom Minnery
Senior Vice President, Government & Public Policy

Why Smart People Sometimes Do Stupid Things With Money?

More great money info from Joseph Sangl.  Here is one of his blog posts and you can check out other posts by him here.
Why do smart people sometimes do stupid things with money?
I’ve seen really smart people make strange financial decisions.

■Bought a brand new car and financed 106% of it (sales tax and all!)

■Go to college and finance it 100% with student loans while obtaining a degree comparable to a degree in basket weaving

■Go on a very expensive vacation to Hawaii and put 100% on their credit card and have no money to immediately pay it off

■Withdraw all the equity out of their home to start an unproven new business

These types of decisions are made every day by very smart people! Perhaps even YOU have made one or more decisions like this. You may have to only look into the mirror to see someone who has done one or more of these financially horrendous items. I know that is as far as I have to look!!!

Back to my question. Why do smart people sometimes do stupid things with money?
Possible Answers

1.No plan. They wanted to spend the money on the item, but they did not plan for the expense. Consequently, they only money available when the purchase was made was very expensive debt.

2.No self-control. They wanted it! They wanted it now! They did not want to wait. No! Must have item … Must have item now … Will be emotionally scarred for life if item is not obtained now …

3.Hope I can pay for this. Not willing to face up to the fact that they can’t have an item now, but they buy it anyway hoping that “the money will come from somewhere.” The reality is that “hope is not a strategy” and this usually leads to tremendous financial penalties.

4.Talked into it. See #1, #2, and #3. You’ve seen it happen. The friends start talking about it. The friends are going on the vacation. The friends have the new car. Your friends are going to college and are not having to work while there. Justification is found through others’ circumstances.

If I were to attempt to sum the reasons that smart people sometimes do stupid things with money, I would say it is because they were ignorant of the REAL and LONG-TERM COST of those major financial decisions. If they truly knew the COST of those decisions, many tears of sorrow and regret and many money fights with their spouse could be avoided.

Beat the Heat

Beat The Heat With BeautiControl's Herbal Hydrating Mist

 So, why do I love Skinlogics Herbal Hydrating Mist? Here are just a few of the reasons:

•It instantly cools and hydrates the skin

•It protects from environmental assaults

•It is great to keep in a cooler or refrigerator for an instant "pick me up"

•It is a MUST when you are outdoors, in the pool, working out, at a baseball game, etc.

•It is the perfect "attention getting" product. If you are out an about in the summer heat and pull out this product, EVERYONE wants to know what you are doing, and more importantly, how they can get some.

•It provides anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients to the skin to protect and nourish

•It is a great makeup lock to apply after finishing your makeup application to keep everything in place

•Applied to your skin immediately before or after applying your moisturizer aids in the absorption and penetration of your moisturizer

•Applied to the skin prior to your liquid or cream foundation can help your foundation blend more easily and look more natural

•Transferred to an "airline friendly" bottle, you can avoid dry skin that always occurs during frequent travel

Seriously...I have one at my desk, in my refrigerator, on the patio, in my car, in every bathroom in the house, etc. Don't believe me...just watch:

Check out BeautiControl's hydrating mist here on my beautipage.

Accountability

I love learning ways to be smarter with my money and Joseph Sangl offers lots of them.  I thought you would like to read his info too.  Check him out below and more here.

In school, if you did not pay attention in class and did not study the subject matter, you would receive an undesirable letter grade. It would be the dreaded one-legged “A” – also known as a big ole “F”.

I don’t know what would have happened in your family, but if would have ever brought home a “F” on my report card, I am pretty sure that I would have become the first person who achieved near-earth orbit via an explosion from my parents.


This is an example of near-instantaneous feedback. If I choose not to study, it would take no more than a few months later to receive the dreaded “F” and ultimate accountability with my parents.


It is NO DIFFERENT with your finances! You might think that you are getting away without studying the subject. You might have convinced yourself that you do not really need to take time to plan your finances. You could even believe that you are doing well enough without learning more about finances.

I will tell you that you are dead wrong.


If you do not learn about the subject of your personal finances, you WILL have accountability.

It will come in the form of:

■Not being able to pay for your children’s wedding

■Not being able to pay for your children’s college

■Not being able to retire

■Not being able to take that vacation that the rest of your friends/family are taking because you are broke

■Daily FINANCIAL STRESS that just will not go away

■Questions from your children on why you and your spouse are always arguing about money

■Having to work tons of overtime just to pay the bills

■Having to take a second job just to pay the bills

■Not being able to be a stay-at-home mother because bills have forced you into the workplace

■Not being able to start that business you always wanted to start

■Not being able to realize a lifelong dream to travel around the world

I do not know if any of these have hit home with you, but I made a decision long ago that I would NOT allow money to dictate what I do and do not do. I will take the money that I have and tell every single George Washington where to go. I will ensure that quite a number of George’s are given away and that large quantities are saved BEFORE I start spending them on anything else.
My PRIORITY is to get an “A” on my finances. The only way I will accomplish this is to continue learning and applying what I learn to my finances.

Every. Single. Day.