Real Beauty goes more than skin deep...

As I started writing this, I decided I needed a little inspiration and, let's face it, a little bit of a pick-me-up.

It's beach time already - and I still haven't lost the last 15 pesky pounds that I was determined I was going to lose by this summer.

And right now, if you took a picture of my skin and stuck it in the dictionary, it would be the picture for the "Sahara."

So, I decided to run (figuratively speaking of course), over the to the Dove "Pro Aging" Website. If you haven't see the commercials yet, you need to.

The first one is what started the whole thing for me - and for hundreds (if not thousands) of other women as well. It's called "Evolution" and it rips back the curtain and shows you what goes on behind the making of a glamour ad. It shows a rather ordinary woman who comes into the studio for hair and makeup before having her photo taken for a beauty advertisement. Which is fine - we all know that the professionals who work for the studios, the beauty advertisers - could make anyone look gorgeous with the right hair and makeup and lighting. But it goes further than that. After the photo shoot, the real "make up artists" take over and they do a little "tweaking" of the model. And what you end up seeing - the completely distorted end result - which is the fantasy that we all use for our measuring stick of what is beautiful - is a fake.

After the success of that advertisement, Dove went a little further. They actually had the nerve to find real women - wrinkles, gray hair, 50 year-old-bodies and all - and used them for their models of the new product.

And guess what? The women are beautiful, and glamorous - and REAL.

I love it!

Check them out and see what you think.

And in the meantime, I'll find what I was originally looking for, which are some tips for skin care in the summer sun...

Are You Watching Me Now?

Sometimes you need to have someone watching over your shoulder - encouraging me to do what you know I have to do -
which, in this case for me, is writing.So, meet Lilli. (She's French.) She is part muse, part watchcat, part taskmaster.

All female.

She sits with me when I'm working, and if I seem to be having a difficult time, will sit on the keyboard - although whether that is to encourage me to keep slugging away or to tell me it's time to take a break, I haven't decided yet.

When any of us are sad, or sick, she always knows and comes to snuggle next to us. At night, when Alain is home, she likes to lay by his feet on the bed.

She does cat tricks - although only of course, when SHE wants to. She can hunt like a lioness, and will chase Jon through the house when we say"Sic him Lilli!"

She also understands breakfast, and will go running into the kitchen anytime I tell her it's time for breakfast.She has a passion for raw green beans (not to eat them, just to carry them around and play with them!)

And we've learned not to leave the sack up on the counter, because as soon as your back is turned, she'll jump up and sneak one out of the sack and carry it out of the kitchen.She also likes to practice her tightrope walking on the narrow metal railing out on the balconies (and since our flat is 4 stories up, my heart is always in my mouth when I watch her jumping nimbly from one balcony to the next)...in fact, I'm sure she gets a perverse pleasure from knowing that.In all, she's a wonderful writing companion, and if she criticizes my work, it's always gently and with sympathetic eyes.

What You Need to Know About Herbal Remedies

It used to be that anyone who was interested in herbal remedies or alternative
medicine was looked at as though they were a bit "kooky" in spite of the fact
that practitioners of eastern medicines have used such cures for thousands of
years. But that's no longer the case. In fact, herbal remedies or alternative
medicine has become a billion dollar a year business.

Which means that if you're lookng for information about herbal remedies, you can
find plenty of information - the problem is finding reliable information about
plant-based herbs that work. One surprising source these days is your own doctor.
Many doctors these days are becoming trained in the use and integration of
alternative healing methods. And, if nothing else, it's always a good idea to let
your doctor know what herbal remedies you're using, as it's entirely possible that
something you're taking can be contra-indicated with other medications. (Remember
that many synthetic based medications are based on herbs).

Here are a few things you need to know before begining any alternative treatment

"Natural" doesn't mean "Safe"

One of the most dangerous misconceptions people have about herbal remedies is that
just because a product is all natural, that it's harmless. This is not always true -
a good case in point is "ephedra." It was very popular for weight loss not that long
ago, but eventually it was banned when its dangerous side effecs were discovered.

And as mentioned earlier, combining certain medications with herbal remedies can be
dangerous - and this includes both prescription and over-the-counter drugs.


Herbal treatments come in many different forms

Just like with many synthetic medications, herbal remedies often come in different forms - sometimes in pill or capsule form, to make them easier to take and tolerate. There are also tinctures (which is a strong liquid "tonic" put on or under the tongue using an eye dropper.) Many herbal remedies come in tea form. Still others can be used in cooking or eaten fresh. And there are also herbs that are refined into essential oils and used on the skin or heated and used in the air.

Which herb you use and the reason you're using it will determine what form you should
be using.

Some herbal remedies are as effective as synthetic medication

This is a well-known "secret" that almost everyone knows. Probably the best known
case of an herbal supplement being as effective as a prescription medication is the
herbal remedy for depression. In study after study, St. John's wort has been proven
to be equally effective for the treatment of mild to moderate depression as any
prescription antidepressants - and it doesn't have all the side effects of the prescription drugs. (Warning: Never take St. John's Wort with prescription antidepressants, because they have serious side effects when combined.)

Peppermint is another herbal remedy that has long been used to treat an upset stomach
just as well as over-the-counter drugs. Raspberry tea, and ginger root tea are both
effective for pregnant women in treating nausea and morning sickness.

These days you have a much wider range of choices for maintaining your health than ever before. If you are ready to consider herbal remedies, make sure that you spend the time to become well-educated about what is available, the forms it comes in and the possible side effects. There are plenty of well-qualified alternative medical practitioners these days and remember to always let your doctor know what you're taking before beginning any treatment to maximize their effectiveness and minimize risk.

Luxury or Lunacy? Would YOU spend $800 on a haircut?

I recently went to the hairdresser, to get my hair trimmed before we went to Austria. My hairdresser shook her scissors at me, because I really hate having my hair in my face, especially when I'm working - and if I don't have time to get in to get a cut when it's time, I have a tendency to grab the first pair of scissors I can find (even nail scissors) and cut off the offending locks. And, with the rush for getting ready for the trip, I'd hacked away a bit at one side of the front fringe, when it had gotten too long.

(I faithfully promised to come in BEFORE I felt like whacking at my hair the next time - again. This is a promise I make about every three haircuts or so.)

I've gotten used to paying more for haircuts here than I do when we're in the states, and barely wince anymore at the 45 Euro bill. But after reading an article about a guy who charges $800 for a haircut - and celebrities like Madonna, Naomi Campbell and Gwyneth Paltrow are happily plunking down the money for it!

Now ladies, I love a good haircut as much as the next woman...but this just offends my sense of morality. I mean it's one thing to enjoy luxury - we all do, and I'm definitely a proponent of pampering yourself from time to time. (A good massage, a great pair of shoes, Opium scented skin cream...ummm...) But $800? For a haircut that's going to have to be redone in 6 weeks?

I'm sorry - but I just don't get that kind of excess. Especially when there are so many things that could be done with that money, when it's so much spent on something so frivilous. How many hungry kids could have a decent meal for $800? Or how many homeless families could have shelter for a night? Or how much of a carbon footprint could be erased by planting trees, or spent on recycling?

If you want to read the article, click here. But I'd be more interested in hearing what you think. If you had that kind of money to spend, would you spend it on a haircut? Or do some good with it?

It's just plain nutty - but it helps your heart!

I just read an interesting article online about the heart healthy benefits of eating nuts. According to Dr. Gerald Gau (who is a Mayo Clinic preventive cardiologist and a specialist in internal medicine and cardiovascular diseases), studies show that eating nuts can help your heart by:

• lowering the LDL, low-density lipoprotein or "bad," cholesterol level in the blood
  
• reducing your risk of developing blood clots that can cause a fatal heart attack
  
• improving the health of the lining of your arteries
  

According to the article, walnuts are the most healthy for you, but you can also enjoy hazelnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts and pecans are also good for your heart. Even peanuts, which are not nuts at all but legumes, are good for you - as long as you eat them in moderation, of course.

The correct amount is a tiny handful once a day, and used in place of saturated fats.

The article lists the following reasons that nuts are so good for you: "...the unsaturated fats in nuts — both monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats — lower bad cholesterol levels. Many nuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s are a healthy form of fatty acids that seem to help your heart by, among other things, preventing dangerous heart rhythms that can lead to heart attacks. Omega-3 fatty acids are also found in fish, but nuts are one of the best plant-based sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts also have lots of arginine, which is a molecule that increases the production of nitric oxide in your body, which may in turn help improve the health of your artery walls and make them more flexible and less prone to blood clots. Other substances in nuts that could improve your heart health include Vitamin E and fiber."

To read the entire article about why nuts are good for your heart, just click the link.,

It may keep the vampires away, but new study crushes garlic's hopes for fighting cholesterol

If you're worried about vampires, bad good night kisses from blind dates, or just enjoy the flavor, keep plenty of garlic around. But if you're using it to lower your cholesterol, you might just be crushed by the latest study about garlic!

The result of the study, which appeared in the Feb. 26 issue of the "Archives of Internal Medicine" reported that the study included both fresh garlic and some of the most popular garlic supplements.

"We did a bigger and better trial than has ever been done before and with NIH (National Institutes of Health) funding, not with supplement-manufacturer funding. And as far as lowering cholesterol, garlic didn't work," said Christopher D. Gardner, study lead author and nutrition scientist and assistant professor with the Stanford Prevention Research Center in Stanford, Calif.

If you have too much LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol in your arteries, you are at greater risk for having a stroke or heart attack - which is still one of the leading causes of death in women, especially women
of that certain age."

Having LDL levels below 130 mg/dl is considered to be in the healthy range.

Historians have traced the use of garlic as a cure for many serious illnesses back as far as Egypt, around 1500 B.C.!

192 men and women between the ages of 30 and 65 participated in the study. All participants had what is considered "moderately high" LDL cholesterol levels (about 140 mg/dl on average).

Garnder's team focused on the moderate-level group because they wanted people who were not taking prescription drugs like statins, to keep the results from being affected. They assumed that people with moderate LDL levels were more likely to be using herbal or natural supplements to try to reduce their cholesterol.

And, by the way, pregnant women, smokers, people with heart disease, cancer, or diabetes, and current users of high blood pressure or lipid-lowering medications were excluded from the study.

The study ran for six months, and all participants took the equivalent of a four-gram clove of garlic in one of three forms: either mixed into a sandwich in raw form or as one of two popular commercially-available supplements, Garlicin and Kyolic-100 six days a week during that time.

The results: Blood tests revealed that none of the garlic options had any "clinically relevant effect" on LDL concentrations over the course of the study, either in the short run or the long run.

They concluded that neither dietary garlic nor supplements are likely to offer any such benefit to most patients seeking to lower their LDL levels.

To read more about their findings, click here: study shows garlic doesn't lower cholesterol.

Sunday June 3rd is Mother's Day in France - and it was my worse Mother's Day ever

I know moms who live in the states celebrated Mother's Day three weeks ago. For those of us in France, Mother's Day is today.

If you're a mother, I hope wherever you live, your Mother's Day was a happy one.

Mine, I'm sorry to say, was not. In fact, I think this day has to go down in history as the worst Mother's Day I've ever had. It was an eye-opening experience, in any case.

It wasn't really that anything horrible happened. But it's not a day that I want to celebrate, or will look back on with fond memories. So since mine sucked, I thought I'd take a look to see how other Mothers spent their day...

I like this post - it's about "What Mothers REALLY Want for Mother's Day" and you can read it by clicking the link above.

If you've ever wondered how Mother's Day got started, check out this post by EchoDitto Blog - it offers you a link to the Mother's Day Proclomation written by Julia Ward Howe in 1870 - and makes you realize that the more things change the more they stay the same.

Curious how some celebrity moms spent Mother's Day? Check out PopSugar's Post here and if you've ever wondered where celebrity husbands and partners go to buy flowers for celebrity mothers, check out Mark's Garden - the florist of the stars!