Sunday, May 3, 2009

Move Over Green Tea: White Tea Can Make You Skinnier

Have you heard of white tea?

If you haven't, don't feel bad. There's been so much talk about the wonderful benefits of green tea for the past few years. Green tea had taken over as the beverage darling. But wait......drinking white tea has even greater anti-oxidants and can keep you skinnier.

And some new, encouraging research on white tea may make you forget all about the green.

So let's take a closer look at this no-calorie, healthy beverage.

We have just learned that there are compounds in white tea that are capable of breaking down fat cells and preventing new ones from developing. That is what German scientists said last Thursday.

Wow! That's a dieter's breakthrough.

"We've shown that white tea may be an ideal natural source of slimming substances," Marc Winnefeld says. And he led the team of researchers.

What we really like about white tea is its non-staining ingredients. Sure, white tea contains tannic acid, which can discolor teeth. But white tea is a very clear liquid, like white wine, and contains much lower amounts of tannic acid. So no worry there.

If you really want to take off the pounds, you should start drinking white tea:

1. White tea is a fat-buster. This tea has zero calories. So that means the body has to work harder to digest and metabolize it. So your body is expending more energy.

2. White tea has less caffeine. Also a great feature. You won't get the jitters, and you can enjoy cup after cup, all day. This in turn burns more fat, because if you keep your caffeine level up all day, experts say the body burns calories evenly for hours.

3. White tea takes away your sweet tooth cravings. This unique beverage acts like a natural appetite suppresant for a couple of hours after you drink it.

4. White tastes better than green tea. Of course, that's really a matter of opinion. But white tea has a lighter taste than most teas. Some describe it as similar to the fresh jasmine tea. Whereas green tea can have a grassy sort of taste.

5. White tea is full of healthy things. Like green tea, white tea undergoes very little processing and no fermentation. White tea is the first tea to be harvested in the spring. That means this tea is able to keep its nutrients in tact. And white tea is said to contain the most anti-oxidants, 3x greater than green tea. And scientists say white tea may help prevent cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and other conditions.

Hey, drinking white tea can't hurt. And if you're really concerned about staying skinny, why not try a cup?

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Halle Likes New Revlon ColorStay Mineral Mousse Foundation

If you're a big fan of mineral-based makeup, there's a new addition to this sheer, natural-looking makeup.

Our friends at Revlon have just introduced to your local drugstore, ColorStay Mineral Mousse Foundation Liquid. It retails for $13.99. Gorgeous Revlon spokesperson Halle Berry, adores it, too. She's always photographed modeling the ColorStay Mineral Foundation collection.

This new mineral mousse foundation(pictured at left) is a bit different from Revlon's original and still popular liquid ColorStay foundation.

When you're working with mineral-based makeup, it's a whole new ballgame. And by that, we mean texture and coverage. But what many women are attracted to in mineral makeup, is its sheer look, naturalness, lighter coverage, and less-irritating formulas.

Revlon's new ColorStay Mineral Mousse Foundation Liquid offers women a medium coverage. It comes in 8 shades, at the moment. It goes on easy, not cakey like some mineral foundations. It's quite blendable and chases the 'greasies' away. It also offers an SPF20 for secondary sun protection. And Revlon swears their Mineral makeup lasts for hours and hours.

The new mousse consistency might be a better choice for those humid, very hot summer days ahead, when a full coverage liquid foundation might 'melt' away in the scorching temperatures.

You could also try Revlon's ColorStay Mineral Foundation(pictured with Halle Berry). This lightweight foundation comes with its own brush for a quick and easy application. And it features a 'loose powder' formula with an SPF10.

Friday, May 1, 2009

How Chewing Gum Can Actually Help You Lose Weight


We love chewing gum, much to the dismay of our dentist. And yet, we really believe, along with the folks at Wrigley's gum, that you can actually lose weight by chewing gum.

Wrigley's has a group of researchers that look into the merits of chewing gum. The organization is called WSI, or the Wrigley Science Institute. Yeah, for real. And they conducted a study in 2007, that revealed some amazing things:

Chewing gum significantly reduced caloric intake by 25 calories and specifically reduced sweet snack intake by 39 calories; salty snacks were decreased by 11 calories.

Hunger and desire to eat were significantly suppressed by chewing gum at one, two and three hour intervals after lunch.

Participants reported that chewing gum improved their mood by reducing anxiety and stress, and increasing contentment and relaxation.

We swear this activity or hobbie, ha ha, of chewing gum, can really help you lose weight.


Of course, the best kind of gum to chew, is sugarless. It helps protect your teeth from cavities and kills off bad breath. And studies have shown, that sugar-free gum containing sorbitol, can help you shed some 11 lbs. a year!!

That is according to results published in the New England Journal of Medicine, that showed people chewing sugar-free gum could burn off a considerable amount of weight each year.

The results from this study also indicated that chewing sugar-free gum at 100 chews per minute, will raise the metabolic rate by approximately 20%, and someone chewing gum all-day can burn off an equivalent of 11 pounds of a year.

But heck, that's a lot of gum chewing 365 days a year, for just about every waking hour.

We love Bazooka bubble gum!!!! You can blow bubbles when appropriate. It's just a fun gum to chew. And we also are addicted to Wrigley's Extra gum in spearmint. Yummy, and the flavor lasts a long-ggg time.

We're not saying you will be bikini-ready, just by chewing some gum, but let's be honest here, enjoying a few sticks of gum, are so much healthier than inhaling a slice of cheesecake.

Check out the Wrigley Science Institute here:
www.wrigleygumisgood.com/science_institute.html

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Makeup A Breeze With Bobbi Brown's New Nautical Collection

We are falling in love with Bobbi Brown's new Summer 2009 Nautical Collection.

We are ready to set sail (excuse the pun) for the warmer days ahead, with a simple and sheer makeup plan.

"I love sheer colors for summer - they're wearable, easy and look good on everyone."- Bobbi Brown

And if you are even a bit shy about putting on makeup, don't be, not with these natural and sheer shades. You can't miss. There is nothing complicated. Just pretty and breezy. Here's how makeup legend Bobbi Brown describes her new Summer 2009 Nautical Collection:

Sheer Color Gloss
Our newest gloss formula is super sheer and super wearable. The see-through finish makes it easy for any woman to wear the season's punchy shades. Available in four shades ($20).

Sheer Color Cheek Tint
Bobbi's NEW Sheer Color Cheek Tint gives cheeks a sheer tint of natural-looking color. The
translucent, lightweight formula glides on and blends evenly onto skin. Packaged in a swivel-up stick for convenient and easy application. Available in six shades($22).

Perfectly Defined Mascara
Perfectly Defined Mascara makes the most of every lash. In one easy sweep, this ingenious mascara lengthens, separates and curls lashes for perfect definition. The secret? A unique multi-comb brush and equally innovative formula, working together to enhance each and every lash. The flexible, long-wearing formula resists flaking, doesn't smudge and stays in place all day. And best of all, it removes easily with warm water ($22).

To learn more about Bobbi Brown's new Summer 2009 Nautical Collection, just click here:

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Kim Kardashian Poses In Bikini Without Airbrushing

One great thing about Kim Kardashian, she isn't afraid of not fitting into the size zero and size 2 Hollywood mentality.

In fact, she actually embraces her curves. And now she's posing with cellulite and no airbrushing for the cover of Life & Style magazine, hitting newsstands today.

Let's be very honest, here. There's a lot of airbrushing going on. We don't care how stunning, and skinny or rich and famous the celebrity is, when that cover shot or lay-out is printed, all you see are perfect, slimmer lines, wrinkles gone, flab zapped. Even the whites of their eyes are as white as a sheet of paper. So not real.

What we love about Kim Kardashian, is her honest admission, that yeah, she has cellulite,
and as she has responded, "So what!"

"I love my body the way it is," Kim told Life & Style. "I'm not perfect. I have cellulite, so what ... I chose to do the shoot because I am so sick of people giving me a hard time for those photos that came out in Complex. I wanted to say, 'This is me, take it or leave it."

Kim is actually 5'3'' and petite. But because she is curvy, she appears much larger, when the truth is, she's not a big girl. She says these are her stats, and we will take her at her word:

"I'm 35-26-40. My dress size is a 4 or a 2/4. I wear a size 4 skirt and size 27 jeans."

Do you know how many women have cellulite?! Most women on the planet. Sadly, you can never get rid of cellulite permanently, but, you can halt its further progression and reduce its dimpled appearance.

Anushka of New York City, is the best cellulite pioneer that we know of. She has been studying this dimpled fat for decades now. She advises that women drink raspberry tea, to
help slim the silhouette and fight cellulite. (Read our article here:)
http://www.beautytiptoday.com/2008/03/anushkas-special-tea-fights-cellulite.html.

To read more of the Kim Kardashian interview in Life & Style, visit here:
http://dynamic.bauerpublishing.com/mt-search.fcgi?IncludeBlogs=2&tag=Kim%20Kardashian&limit=20&IncludeBlogs=2

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Bye-Bye Back Fat! Newest Plastic Surgery Procedure

Ladies, if you often worry about the size of your rump, well, it might be time to look behind you, but in a different area of the body. We couldn't believe this when we stumbled onto an article at lemondrop.com.

The plastic surgery procedure takes about an hour. And it's actually called a bra-line back lift.

Can you imagine? We have come this far, and now, we are removing the "dreaded back fat rolls and lumps."

What's next? We're afraid to imagine. Apparently, society won't let women be human. Every extra inch of flesh has to be removed and the rest tightened, it seems, until the perfect, ideal silhouette has been artistically designed.

The ASPS, or, American Society of Plastic Surgeons, is introducing this new plastic surgery procedure to the world. The surgery has been performed on 20 women for the past few years now, and studied closely, and has been deemed a safe and effective surgery.

According to the ASPS:

"The study concluded that the procedure is a safe and powerful method to contour the middle and upper back – literally removing all of the back rolls and folds. By placing the scar within the patient's bra-line, it is easily concealed even by a two-piece bathing suit, according to the study.

"This is an exciting new procedure that gives patients concerned about this area of their body a possible new option to discuss with their plastic surgeon," said James Wells, Chair of the ASPS Public Education Committee. "As with all new procedures that are not yet widely practiced, patients need to choose an ASPS Member Surgeon who has a comprehensive understanding of how bodies change over time, the impact of environment and lifestyle and the know-how to develop the best treatment plan for the best result."


Now, some would say to get off your rump and exercise away the back fat rolls and bulges. But it isn't that easy to firm up that particular part of the body:

"For many patients—even the very fit ones, such as an aerobics instructor—the upper to mid-line back where the rolls and bulges form was very frustrating," said senior author Joseph Hunstad, MD and ASPS Member Surgeon. "This redundancy of skin occurs generally from aging and cannot be exercised away. For those who desire to wear form-fitting outfits, this procedure eliminates the problem."

So there you have it: the new bra-line back lift.

To read the article at lemondrop, click here:
http://www.lemondrop.com/2008/09/12/plastic-surgery-for-your-back-fat/

Monday, April 27, 2009

America Ferrera: Ugly Betty's Beauty Favorites



Who doesn't adore Ugly Betty?

The beloved but frumpy fashion assistant character has won America Ferrera an Emmy and a Golden Globe.

At age 25, America Ferrera also has legions of fans, and many of them love her just as she is---not a size zero, or 2, or 4. America has a real body. She's petite and curvy, and naturally pretty.
We found out in the May issue of InStyle magazine, that Ugly Betty's America Ferrera loves to get glam for red carpet events, but when she's not working as an actress, America doesn't wear makeup. And she doesn't like to exercise, either.

"My workout situation is pretty grim at the moment," America tells InStyle. "But I do take my two dogs to the park."

We love her already!

Meantime, here are America Ferrera's beauty favorites:

1. Rodin Olio Lusso moisturizer ($135, http://www.store.nydg.com/, http://www.oliolusso.com/). This is a sinfully elegant liquid moisturizer, blended with 11 essential oils. Makes your skin soft and dewy. America says, "It's so luxurious."

2. YSL Golden gloss No.2 (Golden Prairie) ($29, fine dept. stores). This is a lovely golden neutral shimmering lip gloss. If you're addicted to gloss, YSL is one of the best.

3. Nars Velvet Matte lip pencil in Cruella ($24, http://www.narscosmetics.com/). This jumbo crayon in the bold Cruella shade is a must for America at her red carpet appearances. Provides a creamy, highly pigmented color that lasts and lasts. This shade allows America's pretty features to pop. And who doesn't love Nars makeup? Duh!!