Your new platform shoes not fitting right? How about a little plastic surgery to make them fit better? It's true! Women are actually having plastic surgery on their toes and feet to wear those fabulous stilettos. Toes have been shortened, lengthened, even removed!  Feet have been narrowed, liposuctioned and plumped up with fat. Then, there is the popular filler Restylane being injected into the ball of the foot for cushioning. I don't know about the surgery, but a little filler doesn't sound like a bad idea!

Plastic Surgery For Fitting Feet In High Heels Is Still Happening, Still Probably Not A Good Idea (P
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As summer slowly approaches, so does our favorite summer ritual: whip out our pretty high heels, get warned that they're totally dangerous for us, wear them anyway.

I'm a Barbie Girl.....

Barbie Doll

Barbie Human

Well, not me! Don't get me wrong, Barbie dolls were my favorite growing up, but I don't want to look like a Barbie. Apparently, some women do!  There are a number of women out there striving to look like a Barbie doll with the help of plastic surgery! There is the UK's self proclaimed 'Human Barbie', Sarah Burge, who gave her 7 year old daughter vouchers for future plastic surgeries. Cindy Jackson has had 52 plastic surgeries to be beautiful and young. I don't know if a Barbie look was her goal, but she definitely has that Barbie look. Now there is Ukrainian Valeria Lukyanova. She really looks like a Barbie Doll! It's crazy!

Check out the links below to view Cindy and Valeria!

http://abcnews.go.com/International/cindy-jackson-sets-world-record-52-plastic-surgery/story?id=13296809#.T5hm5asV1f0

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/04/23/the-real-life-ukrainian-barbie-doll/

Check your hair

Always double check your look! Your makeup may look great from the front view that you saw in the mirror while you were applying, but what about the side view? Did you miss covering that zit by your ear? Do you have a foundation line? Check the side view using a hand mirror before you dash off. Oh, and don't forget to check the back view of your hair while you are at it!

Earth Day 2012

April 22, 2012 is Earth Day in case you didn't know. The Natures Conservatory wants you to celebrate Earth Day 2012 with a picnic! You can participate in the Picnic for the Planet event and help set a world record for the most people picnicking in a 24 hour span. Sounds Fun! Get the details at

http://www.nature.org/earthday/fun/help-us-set-a-world-record.xml

 Also, Visit a Target Store on April 22 and get a free reusable shopping bag!

Blister Prevention

It's time to break out the sandals! Unfortunately, that can mean blisters! The friction of shoes can cause blisters especially shoes that are new or haven't been worn for awhile. There are a few steps you can take to help prevent blisters.

1. Wear well fitting socks with your sneakers.


2. Wear well fitting shoes to prevent your feet from sliding in the shoes. 


3. Apply moleskin to areas of your foot that a shoe is rubbing.


4. Apply an anti friction stick. Dr. Scholl's Blister Defense Anti Friction Stick and Footglide Foot Formula are two examples of anti friction sticks. They put an invisible protective film on the skin to help prevent shoe friction.


5. Make sure shoe inserts are not too thick. Thick inserts may crowd feet in shoe creating shoe rubbing.

6 Ingredients (and more) I Don't want in my Food!

It is crazy what food manufacturers are putting in our food! Butane, estrogen, antifreeze! You don't believe it? Click on the link below to see 6 nasty food ingredients.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-republic/6-ingredients-food_b_1400970.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

Then, there are the pesticides and fungicides. Don't forget the hydrogenated oil, the BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene) and the BHA (butylated hydroxyanisole). Oh, but I guess it's okay since the FDA allows it because the amounts are small. Think about how those small amounts add up in all the foods you eat throughout the day. The amounts may not be so small after all. No wonder there are so many people with cancer! What can you do? Avoid processed foods, go organic and read the ingredient labels!

Firm your Skin with Lotion

I don't know about you, but the skin my legs could use some firming. It's time to get on the ball with my routine! Summer is right around the corner. My routine consists of stimulating exfoliation, a skin firming moisturizer and lots of high Vitamin C fruits and veggies! First, my legs get a good body scrub in the shower. Burt's Bees makes a nice Honey and Shea Sugar Scrub. This stimulates circulation and removes dead allowing better penetration of treatment creams. Then, I massage in a skin firming lotion. These creams help firm the skin a bit with Coenzyme Q 10, collagen, elastin, ginseng, coffee or seaweed extract and moisturize making the skin look better. St. Ives Skin Renewing Collagen Elastin Lotion (this product is paraben free), Nuance Salma Hayek Cocoa and Coffee Firming Body Cream (this product is paraben free), Jergens Skin Firming Daily Moisturizer, Nivea Skin Firming Moisturizer, Clarins Extra Firming Body Care and Philosophy Amazing Grace Body Firming Emulsion are a few body firming lotions available. A good seaweed wrap at a salon or spa is also great for skin firming too! Most importantly, I always eat lots of fruits and veggies high in Vitamin C to help my body with collagen production. Collagen keeps our skin firmer and younger looking.

Toxic Chemicals in Nail Polish

Many nail polish manufacturers have removed three dangerous chemicals from nail polish, formaldehyde, toluene and dibutyl phthalate (DBP) or have they? According to a recent study, some nail polishes tested contained trace amounts of one or more of these chemicals even though the labels said they are free of the ingredients. This is quite disappointing for all of us trying use healthier beauty products. Click on the link below to read the article and see the list of nail polishes.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/11/MNG41O1CDD.DTL&type=health

Food and Rosacea Flare Ups

Rosacea is a skin condition that causes excess inflammation in the capillaries. It is commonly seen on the nose, on the cheeks, on the chin and on the center of the forehead as redness or a rash. The capillaries, small blood vessels are very red and obvious. The skin can feel sensitive and hot.

Foods to Avoid

Certain foods can cause rosacea to flare up for everyone with rosacea. People with rosacea should avoid the following:

spicy food

alcohol (especially red wine) 

hot beverages

Food that may trigger a flare up

Some people find that certain foods cause a flare up for them but not everyone with rosecea gets a flare up from them. These foods are among the foods that people have reported as rosacea triggers. 

cheese 

soy sauce

sour cream 

yogurt 

citrus fruits

chocolate 

vinegar 

Foods that may help

Some foods may actually help improve the appearance of rosacea.

blackberries

blueberries

cherries

These fruits are vascular constrictors therefore, they may actually help the blood vessels look a little less red. 

Keep a food diary

A food diary is a great tool to help you pinpoint foods that cause flare ups so you can avoid them. Right down the foods you eat each day and note how your skin is looking and feeling at the end of the day. You may start to see a pattern emerge when you eat a particular food. Then, you can eliminate the foods that cause irritation and help to calm your skin.

Have a Beautiful Day!

xo

Jill

Eye Shadow Tip

Do your find your eye shadow looks muddy sometimes?  Avoid browns and use taupe instead. Choose clear looking colors rather than heathered muted colors. Try peach and sage, pink and gray, or popular jewel tones in purple, green and blue for a bright clean look! 

Skin Cancer & Tanning Beds

Melanoma is on the rise among women. Tanning beds are probably a major contributor. View the video by clicking on the ABC World News Video below.

http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/skin-cancer-rise-women-16058485

New Injectable: Xeomin

Xeomin is an injectable treatment to reduce the appearance of wrinkles. It is a Botulinum Toxin type A product, like Botox. It has been used to treat abnormal neck pain and eyelid spasms and is now approved by the FDA to treat frown lines. It works like Botox to relax muscle contractions that cause wrinkles. There are a couple differences between the two products.

The differences between Botox and Xeomin are, Xeomin does not need to be refrigerated making it easier to distribute (hopefully making it a bit less expensive!) and it contains no additives which lessens the chance for developing antibodies to it. Antibodies would cause you to be resistant to it. It may take about 1 week after injection to see the full effects, lasts 3 to 6 months and costs $400 to $600.

Visit xeomin.com for more info.

 Have a Beautiful Day!

xo

Jill