Please---No More Diet And Health Tips From Oprah!!!

Yes, the divine Miss Oprah is a wonderful, intelligent, and very generous woman, but when it comes to losing weight, diet plans, and health advice, well, maybe Oprah should just stay silent.

Here we go again. Oprah is on another diet. As you might recall back in October of 2007, Oprah told her viewers and readers in O Magazine, that she had packed on the pounds because of a medical problem.

“My body was turning on me,” she said in the October issue of O. “First hyperthyroidism, which sped up my metabolism and left me unable to sleep for days. (Most people lose weight. I didn’t.) Then hypothyroidism, which slowed down my metabolism and made me want to sleep all the time. (Most people gain weight. I did! Twenty pounds!)”

Then in February of 2007, Oprah blamed her weight gain on "too much bread and mashed potatoes," and not hitting the gym enough.

Now Oprah is blaming the weight gain on something new---an attachment to certain foods. According to People Magazine, Oprah has embarked on a vegan, 21-day detox plan. O is impressed with Kathy Freston's book Quantum Wellness and online sessions with Canadian motivational speaker Eckhart Tolle. (She's also getting help from chef Tal Ronnen.) And she is keeping a diary about her progress at her website.

"This 21-day cleanse gives me a chance to think about [eating] differently and see what my attachments are to certain kinds of foods – and what I'm willing to do to change," she wrote on Sunday (day one). "Don't know if I'm going to feel better or worse, but I'm willing to try to see if my body at least feels differently."

So far, so good, for Miss O.

"I had been focused on what I had to give up – sugar, gluten, alcohol, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, cheese. 'What's left?' I thought," she wrote on day two. "Apparently a lot. I can honestly say every meal was a surprise and a delight, beginning with breakfast – strawberry rhubarb wheat-free crepes."

So what's the big deal? Look, Oprah, by her own admission, has tried just about every diet plan out there. Is Oprah a yoyo dieter?

"She tried the Atkins diet, she tried diet pills. She tried the Scarsdale diet, the banana, hot dog and egg diet. She tried a 1,000 calorie a day diet. She tried Weight Watchers, Diet Work Shop and Diet Center. She tried Nutri-System," explained a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

In addition, Oprah has a personal chef and a personal trainer. Some women figure, if Oprah can't keep the weight off with all these resources, how can the rest of us, even have a chance?

Maybe Oprah should stick to a sensible diet and moderate exercise, and go from there. Detox plans probably work in the short term, but offer little else for maintenance.

Simple And Smart Skin Tips By Sandy Linter

Are you going to bed? Then wash your face. That is a must for maintaining beautiful skin. Go ahead and laugh, but it is true.

Most of us have gone to bed with stale makeup on at least once in our lives. But it really isn’t good for your skin. Clear pores are necessary. And the body's natural skin-repairing activity goes on when your are sleeping. Therefore, your skin needs to breathe and be very clean!

It’s best to have a routine, according to Sandy Linter. Good nighttime cleansing and skin protection are essential. And Sandy would know. She's a highly-respected makeup artist( working professionally since 1972), who has applied makeup to the skin of so many famous and gorgeous faces.

"A routine is necessary," she says. "I feel miserable when I wake up with mascara around my eyes, etc. Everyone leaves makeup on occasionally. When I do QVC and the Estee Lauder breast cancer events, we start so early, that I tell my client to leave it on (makeup), and I’ll retrace in the a.m. But that is really not often. At first they kind of looked at me suspiciously, but when it can save 20 minutes at 5 a.m., you do it. And that’s the only time I can think of that it works."

For waking up to super skin, Sandy advises using a cleanser, toner, and a night cream. She raves about Lancome's Absolue line. As Lancome describes it, ‘it addresses the effects of chronological aging.’ For more information, go to http://www.lancome-usa.com/.

Sandy says this trio of steps each night, reaps fine results. "This line (Absolue) is for women over 50. My skin has never looked so clear. And I almost never wore a night cream before. But the texture of this cream is fresh and stimulating. You will feel like you did something good for yourself—like going to the gym."

A jar of Lancome's Absolue Replenishing Cream costs about $110, but many women believe this is a skin-saving investment.

And which celebrity beauty has the best skin she's ever worked with? Cover girl and model Christie Brinkley wins this one, hands down, Sandy says. And Christie Brinkley is 50-something, which just goes to show, that beautiful skin can endure and can be maintained. In other words, a nice complexion doesn’t always belong to a 20-something.

"I still see Chrisitie Brinkley from time to time," Sandy says. "And I made her up initially when she was around 20. She had the best skin then, and she still does. No pores. Even skin. Smooth, healthy coloring. She wins that contest because she has stood the test of time. And she took a lot of sun over the years."

Well, we want to hate you Christie, but we can’t. In fact, we respect and admire you. And to keep looking so attractive and vibrant after 40, and then 50, is simply a standard we can all hope to shoot for.

Whatever you do, remember to treat your skin with loving care. It’s never too late to improve the canvas you were born with. Like Sandy Linter says, ‘It’s all about beautiful skin."

Lose Weight With The Flat Belly Diet!

Even the skinniest women sometimes complain about their flabby bellies. Crunch after crunch, abdominal sit-ups in every position, and still, the jiggly tummy is there.

So what's a gal to do? Try the Flat Belly Diet, of course! You can lose weight with this diet plan. That's what the editors at the popular health magazine Prevention say. And why not? Prevention's editor-in-chief, Liz Vaccariello, put the diet plan together with the proper nutrition folks. The Flat Belly Diet was introduced to the world last January. And now four months later, the diet plan is helping many women and men lose stubborn tummy fat. The weight loss plan is all the rage these days, so we decided to explore the diet a little further.

The Flat Belly Diet sounds too good to be true. You get to eat yummies like chocolate and pistachio nuts and get to refrain from abdominal exercises. What? No crunches? No. Not a one.

According to Prevention's Liz Vaccariello, there is smart science involved in this diet plan. What you must do at each meal, is eat a specific kind of food, actually a fat. This good fat attacks belly fat. It is called a MUFA. It stands for 'mono-unsaturated fatty acid.'

The good MUFAs in the Flat Belly Diet include: nuts, seeds, oils, avocados, and dark chocolate. You are scheduled to eat 4 times a day, and consume 400 calories at each meal.

For instance, Liz revealed one of the delicious breakfast recipes---a Cherry Chocolate Waffle. Take a frozen waffle. Heat up. Melt some semi-sweet chocolate chips over the waffle, and top with a few cherries. There---what a tasty breakfast. The MUFA in that one, is the chocolate drizzled over the top.

Now, some dietary experts are pooh-poohing the Flat Belly Diet, calling it a scam, an unhealthy amount of food intake, etc. Others claim the diet plan is a rip-off of the Mediterranean diet which encourages healthy oils, seeds, nuts, olives, and so forth.

But the people on the Flat Belly Diet, love the plan. One woman lost 47 lbs. in just 5 months. Another dropped 3 pants sizes in months.

It couldn't hurt to look into the diet plan. Everyone loves a flat belly. The diet plan does include great foods like nuts, avocados and olive oil. I mean, you're not eating cardboard-tasting rice cakes all day. Check with your doctor and see what he or she thinks.

For more information, visit: http://www.flatbellydiet.com/.

Wavy Hair, Bobs, And Ponytails for 2008

Ladies, you really have a choice this spring/summer 2008. Hair is making a statement, and this time, the lengths and textures are all over the place. And if you really crave a platinum head of hair, be brave and go for it!

Backstage at the fashion collections earlier this year, models walked the runways with some of the hottest styles going. And you know how the catwalk rules real life. Sooner or later, you begin to see the trends on the streets of cities and towns all over America.

Let's begin with the very short boy cut. Popular British model Agyness Deyn is rocking the look in a punk way( see left photo). The platinum dye is new for Agyness, but it's really grabbing a lot of attention. Orlando Pita who styled the hair for the Oscar de la Renta show, told In Style magazine this:

"A boyish cut is a good contrast to spring's brightly colored clothing and flowered prints. Short hair is also great for those who want to express a bit of their personality."

If you can't carry off the pixie sweetness of a short hairstyle, that's okay, too. If you have medium to long hair, there are several options. Namely, the loose waves. Wavy, long tresses were bouncing by the runways. Models at the Betsey Johnson show all had the look (see right photo). Long layers can create the effect. Think Jennifer Aniston. That's her trademark these days. And it's a carefree, classic style.

And then we have the bob. Victoria Beckham always has a bob of some length and asymmetry. And maybe you saw Eva Longoria on the red carpet with what appeared to be a wavy bob cut. Surprise, it was carefully coiffed by her stylist and pinned underneath to mimic a bob without losing her real hair length.

Also in vogue at the moment are ponytails. Just about everywhere. The look is young and polished. The straight ponytail is in, and also the curly tail, where the bottom half is coiled up into bouncy curls.

And lastly, the undone bun. It's not your grandmother's severely pulled back bun. This bun is modern and romantic with more loose volume and wave. It looks like it could be pulled apart at any moment. Take out a few strands slightly around the crown.

Still have bangs, and hate to 'part with them,' so to speak? Don't worry. Stylists tell us, fringe is still in. Last time I saw model Heidi Klum at a red carpet event, she had big bangs and long layered hair. Very glam.

Hairspray, mousse, gel, and anti-frizz treatments all help complete the sexy hairstyles for 2008.

Laser Lipo Melts Away Fat Permanently

This isn’t your mama’s traditional liposuction.

It’s a procedure that actually melts away fat. It’s called laser liposuction, laser lipolysis or better yet, ‘SmartLipo.’ It’s been around Europe, Asia, and South America for a few years now, and less than two years ago, the FDA here, gave the SmartLipo machine the thumbs up.

In a ‘People Magazine’ article, it was reported that, "SmartLipo may be as close as humans can come to that fat-melting fantasy."

And for that idea alone, 'SmartLipo' has become a very popular cosmetic surgery procedure these days..

Todd K. Malan, M.D., a board-certified, cosmetic gynecological surgeon at the Innovative Cosmetic Surgery Centers of Arizona, was the first west coast doctor to offer this breakthrough procedure. He has also become a national trainer of the SmartLipo device. (see photo right)

"I routinely perform 15-20 procedures per week," Malan says. "SmartLipo has been very popular in my practice with patients waiting two to three months for a consultation. I have treated patients from 36 states and five countries, and I train 10-20 physicians a month."

SmartLipo is liposuction with hardly any suction. Lasers are used to melt away fat. Traditional liposuction can remove large quantities of fat. However, it can also produce scarring, bruising and bleeding, sometimes lumpy results, and a longer recovery time.

According to Dr. Malan, laser liposuction can melt away any area of unwanted fat. Fat that is stubborn and remains even after constant diet and exercise. And not just bellies, buttocks and thighs.

"It excels at treating hard to reach areas such as ankles and knees. More importantly, SmartLipo also tightens the skin. It is the preferred method for treating fat in and around the neck, face, and arms.," Malan explains.

What’s remarkable about the SmartLipo procedure, is the control the surgeon has in creating a more perfect silhouette. First, there is the permanent removal of the targeted fat areas. Remember, adults do not form new fat cells.

Then, the laser surgery smooths out the skin and tightens it, too, promoting new collagen growth. A big plus. Lastly, a talented SmartLipo surgeon can sculpt the body like never before. And even more comforting, is that most SmartLipo surgeons prefer to use only local anesthesia.

"This is not only safer for the patient, but allows us to have the patient stand up during the procedure to re-evaluate fatty pockets in the normal, upright position, I prefer to use SmartLipo as a body-contouring tool. With body-contouring, our aim is not for weight loss but to provide a more appealing figure. If done correctly, a size 12 could in many cases, expect a three to four size drop."

So how expensive is SmartLipo? A ballpark figure Dr. Malan gave us—$2,000 per area. He says that is a very common amount charged by most SmartLipo surgeons.

To learn more about SmartLipo and Dr. Malan’s cosmetic surgery practice, visit http://www.irisdocs.com/.

Help Me Get Gorgeous In 5 Minutes

Welcome to the 5 minute face. Yes, you can apply makeup within five, tiny minutes and achieve a polished and pretty look. And all you need to have---are 5 beauty items. So stop screaming that you don't have even 5 minutes to waste. Help is on the way.

1. Foundation. Yes, we all need a little, unless your complexion is just about perfect. That means zero undereye circles, zero uneven pigment, zero zits, zero lines and wrinkles, etc. Our makeup legend friend, Sandy Linter, says that we all need some coverage for those reasons. And Sandy says that foundations usually offer some amount of SPF, so you are protecting your skin from the elements when you wear foundation, be it liquid, cream, powder, or mineral.
Try: Revlon ColorStay Makeup with SoftFlex ($12.99) ColorStay comes in 12 shades and in Normal/Dry or Combination/Oily. Halle Berry is said to be a big fan of ColorStay Makeup. Okay, she is a spokesmodel for Revlon, but I believe her.

2. Eyeshadow. We could all benefit from a little color on the eyes, especially when it's classic and pretty. Go for a neutral shade and apply all over the lid.
Try: Nars Cream Single Eyeshadow in Paper Tiger (Toffee, $21). This is a nice, soft, brown-beige shade and complements most eye colors. A long-lasting cream to powder formula.

3. Mascara. Need we say more? Mascara is probably one of the more important beauty items to always include in your makeup plan on a daily basis. Why? Simply put, mascara opens up the eyes. You don't have to put on 30 coats. Just a couple and you will see the difference that long lashes and wide eyes can make.
Try: CoverGirl Lash Blast Volume Blaster Mascara ($7.99) This mascara is a great lash-plumper and comes in 4 intensities: Black. Brown. Black Brown. Very Black.

4. Blush. Cheek color. According to Sandy Linter, it's THE most important cosmetic to use every day. "It shows off your bone structure and gives your face depth and warmth." Blush gives you a healthy glow. A sheer bronzer can also give you the same healthy look, but with more of a tan and can be swiped all over---forehead, nose, chin, and cheeks. Bronzers come in a big variety of hues. But remember to keep it sheer and not too dark.
Try: N.Y.C. New York Color-Color Wheel Mosaic Powder in Pink Cheek Glow ($4.99). These mosaic wheels come in 6 pretty palettes and give brightness to underlying skintone. Each wheel contains 4 shades, but when you apply to your face, the 4 combine into one color hue. An amazing beauty item at a great price.

5. Lipstick/Gloss. The finishing touch. You don't need to waste time lining your lips. And if you can't be bothered with lipstick, a gloss is very quick to apply to your lips. Lip color comes in so many, many colors. You can go neutral, light, or stay in the pink family for a classic look.
Try: Prescriptives Rain Gloss in Watery Melon ( $18.50). A soft, sheer pink coral shade. Light and healthy, not a heavy gloss. Lips look 'dewy,' as the Prescriptives people say.

There, you're gorgeous in 5 minutes!

Carmindy And Sally Hansen Launch New Makeup Line

If you've ever watched 'What Not To Wear,' then you certainly know makeup artist Carmindy Bowyer. Carmindy has always emphasized that women need to highlight their natural beauty, instead of piling on gobs of makeup and/or not wearing cosmetics at all.

Carmindy is proud of the new Natural Beauty line she inspired under the Sally Hansen brand. It just hit store shelves in mid May at CVS and other department stores. And right now at www.Ulta.com, buy one and get the other Natural Beauty item at 50% off. Plus, use the Ulta.com 20% coupon at the website, and you get some super money-saving deals.

The Natural Beauty Makeup by Sally Hansen, is priced from $7.95 to $12.95, and features everything from lipsticks to blushers to eye shadow palettes, and foundations. And the cosmetics are made with skin-friendly ingredients, including mineral, natural extracts, and active botanicals such as--bamboo, soy, papaya, and mango.

Carmindy will be using beauty items from her new makeup line on 'What Not To Wear,' when she performs her magical makeovers. Women always look so healthy and attractive after sitting for a Carmindy makeup session.