Tag: Lifestyle

Beauty /

Adult Acne: Which Product Option is Right for You

There are so many acne and breakout busting treatments on the market. It’s common to get a feeling of product overload. Dr. Margarita Lolis a Board-Certified Dermatologist in northern New Jersey who takes a holistic approach to treating skincare issues; breaks down the list of common products to consider using with the benefits of each. Hopefully this menu of options will clear some confusion.

Go simple on cleanser. People who are prone to breakouts may use a cleanser with salicylic acid triggering excessive dryness which only increases oil production leading to a breakout cycle. Gentler products that are appealing to all skin types such as Cetaphil or CeraVe are great options because they don’t strip away moisture and soothe the face.

Exfoliate weekly. They key here is not to be too harsh. You want to gently rub product into your face in circular motion then rinse with luke warm water. There are new products available with charcoal an ingredient which does a great job controlling oil in acne prone skin. People with sensitive skin should opt for an exfoliating mask which is less irritating.

Soothe with serums. Acne prone skin needs moisture not oil. Serums that address acne without compromising moisture are a great bet. Serums penetrate the skin quickly making them a great option for nighttime healing as you sleep.

Try skin oils. You can add drops of vitamin C oil, argan oil, or vitamin e oil to your serum or directly onto your face after cleansing which is like a vitamin boost to skin. This will address acne scarring helping them heal quicker.

Don’t skip moisturizer. Many people who are prone to breakouts want to skip moisturizer because they think their skin is oily enough. The reason skin is producing oil is because it is lacking moisture. Moisturizers with Hyaluronic acid draws water from the atmosphere and keeps skin hydrated. This is great for all skin types. You cannot go wrong with more water in the skin.

Consider a peel with a pro. Chemical peels are a great option for skin that has scarring and Hyperpigmentation. While there are at home, do it yourself options available I have seen many people harm their own skin with peels. You really want to work with a professional as not to make matters worse. People often think a burning sensation means it’s working so they mistakenly leave peels on for too long and hurt themselves.

Balance skin with a toner. I like toners because they do a nice job of clearing away dirt and make-up, shrinking pores, and restoring skin to its natural pH balance. Witch Hazel is a simple no fuss astringent found at any drug store which works wonders on acne or break out prone skin.

Do a mask every week. You want to choose “detoxifying masks” featuring ingredients like, charcoal, clay, sulfur. You may want to alternate between a more soothing mask one week and a treatment mask when a breakout first occurs. Another option is using a soothing mask on the cheeks and then a clarifying mask on the chin and jawline.

Spot treat and refrain from picking. We touch our faces approximately 25 times per hour. It’s hard to be conscious of it. When we have a breakout, we may sit at our desks or behind the wheel picking away. It is a habit that spreads bacteria and leads to scarring. Getting a prescription level topical spot treatment is key because many are designed to work immediately which lessens the need to pick.

Ultimately, when in doubt see your dermatologist who will assess your skin and the many factors that may be causing acne. Oftentimes dermatologists will outline a treatment regimen that is more customized to you considering age, skin type and lifestyle.

Dr. Margarita Lolis, M.D. is a board-certified cosmetic, medical dermatologist and a fellowship-trained Mohs surgeon with over 20 years of experience. In her practice, she addresses common skin concerns such as acne prevention and treatment in both teens and adults, sun-damage, skin discoloration, wrinkles, changes to skin texture and loss of volume. On the medical side, she is a trusted expert in melanoma and over-all skin health. Dr. Lolis prides herself in honoring facial symmetry to deliver a natural look to her clients. She always recommends a healthy skin care regimen plus lifestyle habits that are aligned with her holistic approach to beauty. Dr. Lolis is a member of the American Academy of Dermatology, American College of Mohs Surgery, and the American Society of Anti-aging. Her practice, Skin, Laser, and Surgery Specialists is in New York City and Bergen Country, New Jersey.

Beauty /

Stress Relieving Lavender Beauty Products: Holiday Self-Care Options

Relieve holiday stress with two Lavender scented products that help you unwind and slow down thanks to the soothing aroma.

Kneipp Lavender Aromatherapy Bubble Bath – “Relaxing” ($15, Kneipp.com)

With beneficial ingredients such as essential lavender oil, this bubble bath allows you to relax and bring your mind and body back into balance.

The bubble bath fills the tub with beautiful shades of blue and lavender, which can play a part in calming one’s mood through the use of color therapy.

MegRhythm Eye Mask in Lavender ($10.99 for a pack of 7, amazon.com)

MegRhythm self-heating eye mask in lavender is the perfect way to de-stress and relax.

The advanced self-heating technology will heighten relaxation with the warm sensation of steam heat, while the lavender scent releases a calming effect on the mind.

This can be an intense time of the year and there’s several options to help us practice self-care:

  • Create a holiday shopping list and budget.
  • Don’t overcommit to holiday parties.
  • Start food-prep early; take a look at recipes and ingredients.
  • Place some food items in the freezer for ready-made meals.
  • Purge unused household goods and donate to local charities.
  • Take time for yourself by getting a massage or therapeutic remedies with essential oils.
ABC /

Talk of Alabama Lifestyle Segment: Breast Cancer Awareness Fall Must-Haves

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  To celebrate efforts of the National Breast Cancer Foundation I hosted a Lifestyle Segment with ABC 33/40 on Monday, October 30, 2017.  The television appearance featured beauty and wellness tips to help women that are undergoing cancer treatment.

A few of the suggestions discussed on-air included the use of hair turbans, scarfs, mineral makeup, and water-based nail polish.  Companies such as STILA Cosmetics provided makeup from the Living Beauty Collection and Dana’s Bakery shipped Pink Cotton Candy Macaroons that encouraged proceeds to be donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation.

This particular segment was dear to my heart because my mother is a Lymphatic Cancer survivor.  Special thank you to Talk of Alabama for allowing me to share cancer related beauty tips with a local audience!

Hair:

Turban

Scarf

Face:

Alima Pure

Deborah Lippmann

STILA Cosmetics

Wellness:

Pill Box Organizer

Take a look at the segment clip here: Talk of Alabama 10/30/2017 Kim West

Accessories /

The Holiday Shopping Season Starts Now! Amazon Opens its Black Friday Deals

Amazon today announced the opening of its Black Friday Deals Store, officially marking the start of the holiday shopping season. The Black Friday Deals Store, available at www.amazon.com/blackfriday, offers deals across every category now through Black Friday. Customers can find deals on everything from toys and electronics to holiday entertaining essentials and wardrobe must haves – all in one convenient location. Today, customers can save up to 30% on favorite toys including Baby Alive Sweet Tears, Dropmix, Tickle Me Elmo and more. This holiday season, customers can also expect great deals on premium TVs from brands like LG, Samsung and Sony, as well as popular toys from LEGO, Melissa & Doug, Nerf, Paw Patrol, Star Wars and more.

“We’re excited to officially kickoff another holiday season, bringing customers better deals than ever before on everything they’ll need – from electronics and toys to clothing, home essentials and more,” said Doug Herrington, Senior Vice President of North American Retail at Amazon. “Customers shop Amazon year-round for our great prices, unbelievable selection, and free shipping on over 100 million products. During the holiday season, customers love to discover great deals and must-have holiday gifts for friends and family. Some of the most popular starting points for holiday shoppers are our Black Friday Deals Store, Amazon’s curated Home and Electronics Gift Guides, the Holiday Toy List, the newly redesigned Gift Finder, our Handmade Gift Shop, and Interesting Finds.”

 More Ways to Shop than Ever Before 

  • Voice Shopping: Customers can voice shop with Alexa for tens of millions of Prime-eligible items, including many of the products available in the Black Friday Deals Store and featured in the 2017 Holiday Gift Guides. Available on the Alexa family of devices including Amazon Echo, Echo Plus, Echo Dot, Amazon Tap, and Amazon Dash Wand, as well as screened devices such as the all-new Amazon Fire TV, all-new Fire HD 10 Tablet, Echo Show and soon to be released Echo Spot, it’s as simple as saying, “Alexa, order [product]” and Alexa will find a top-rated product that ships with Prime. Just say, “yes” to buy it. Changed your mind? No problem, any physical product purchased with your voice is eligible for free returns. Customers must be Prime members with default payment and shipping information.
  • Amazon App: The Amazon App is designed to make your holiday shopping fast and easy. In fact, last holiday season, more than 70% of Amazon customers worldwide shopped using a mobile device. Customers can find where their holiday packages are in seconds, use camera search to quickly and easily find the items they want by pointing at an item or barcode, and never miss a deal by setting Watch-a-Deal alerts. Customers can also search and reorder with Alexa. Once Amazon boxes begin to arrive, customers can use the Amazon App’s Package X-Ray feature to scan the barcode and see what’s inside, allowing them to wrap gifts without ever opening the box or spoiling the surprise.
  • AR view: Amazon’s latest augmented reality offering within the Amazon App launched today for customers with iOS 11 installed on their iPhone 6S or later. Using Apple’s ARKit, AR view helps customers make better shopping decisions by allowing them to visualize the aesthetic and fit of products in their own living space. Customers simply open the Amazon App, click on the camera icon and choose AR view. They can then select from thousands of items – from living room, bedroom, kitchen and home office products to electronics, toys and games, home décor and more. Whether customers are buying a sofa or a kitchen appliance, they can overlay it onto their existing living space, move it and rotate it to get a full 360-degree peek in a live camera view to make sure it fits their style and aesthetic.
  • Amazon.com in Spanish: Since adding the option for customers to set their language preference earlier this year, millions of customers have chosen Spanish as their preferred language to shop on Amazon.com and in the Amazon App. Customers can shop, browse and search for millions of products, view their shopping cart, and place orders in Spanish. Customers can update their language settings in their Amazon App, as well as visit Amazon.com and click the ‘globe’ button – located in the navigation bar at the top of their Amazon home screen – to set and begin shopping in their preferred language. Preferred language settings will be saved for future site visits under ‘Your account’ settings.
  • Treasure Truck: Now available in 25 select cities, Treasure Truck is a new way for customers to shop this holiday season. Customers can opt-in to receive notifications from the Amazon App for special must-have offers from Treasure Truck, order the item, and pick-up at the truck all season long. Each time the truck rolls, one hand-picked offer will be available including gifts for the adventurer, foodie, hostess, kids and techie, as well as delicious seasonal food items, and more. Look for the truck at various locations this holiday season.
  • Amazon Books: Now open in Seattle, New York City (on 34th St and at Columbus Circle), Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston (Dedham and Lynnfield), San Diego, San Jose, Portland, Bellevue (Wash.) and Paramus (N.J.), Amazon Books integrates the benefits of offline and online shopping to help customers find books and devices that they’ll love. Whether customers want to discover a new book for the holidays or test-drive an Amazon device, Amazon Books offers gifts for everyone. Browse in-store deals and holiday features like Most-Wished-For-Gifts, Hidden Gem Gifts, the Holiday Toy List and customer favorites like Page Turners: Books Kindle Readers Finish in 3 Days or Less, Local Bestsellers, 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime.

Shop with Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs

Half of the items sold on Amazon worldwide are from small businesses and entrepreneurs, many of which will be offering deals on their products throughout the holiday season. Some of the small businesses and entrepreneurs offering deals include Sleepyheads, Furbo, Lightaccents, Owlee and TigerSecu.

Inspired Gifting for Everyone on Your List

  • Curated Gift Guides: Thoughtfully curated and inspired by Amazon product experts and influencers, Amazon’s 2017 Holiday Toy List, Electronics Gift Guide and Home Gift Guide take the guesswork out of gifting and offer customers quick and easy access to the top gifts for everyone on their list.

o   Customers can browse more than a thousand of the most sought-after products for kids of all ages and interests on the 2017 Amazon Holiday Toy List, available at amazon.com/holidaytoylist.

o   Those who want to shop more than 500 of the season’s hottest technology products, from TVs to gaming systems, can do so while shopping the 2017 Amazon Electronics Gift Guide, available at amazon.com/electronicsgiftguide.

o   And customers can browse the 2017 Amazon Home Gift Guide, available at amazon.com/homegiftguide for more than a thousand products for inside and outside the home.

o   New this year, the 2017 Business Gift Guide by Amazon Business is a curated list of more than 200 items designed to make holiday gifting easier for office employees, company clients and colleagues. Available at amazon.com/businessgiftguide, Amazon.com and Amazon Business customers can shop from numerous categories, including Electronics, Grocery, Entertainment, Audio & Accessories, and more. Shoppers can also discover white elephant gift exchange and budget-friendly gift ideas in the Business Gift Guide.

  • Handmade Gift Shop: Support small businesses and entrepreneurs this holiday by shopping Amazon Handmade where all products are handcrafted by local Artisans from around the world. New this year, the Amazon Handmade Gift Shop, available at amazon.com/handmadegiftshop, allows customers to shop handcrafted products for every occasion.
  • Gift Finder: For those in need of additional inspiration, the redesigned Gift Finder helps identify gift ideas when a customer doesn’t have a particular idea in mind. Gift Finder, available at amazon.com/giftfinder, offers a diverse collection of unique, but universally appealing gift ideas across categories. Shop gifts for men, women, teens, kids, toddlers, babies, pets or holiday fun.
  • Amazon Lists: Customers can find and shop friends and family’s Wish Lists at www.amazon.com/yourfriends to give them what they really want this holiday. To customize your own list, click ‘Add to List’ from any product detail page or go to www.amazon.com/yourlists to add multiple items in one convenient location. To save a gift idea in the Amazon App, customers can simply press down on any product image to fling it to the bottom of their screen.
  • Interesting Finds: Interesting Finds, available at amazon.com/stream, is an endless stream of beautiful products that inspires customers daily. There are a number of categories that customers can scroll through including “holiday toy list,” “gadgets,” “workspace” and even quirky customer-curated collections of products like “Nautical or Nice,” “Talk Nerdy To Me,” “Dog Gone Cute Dresses,”  “Rock Your Socks Off” and “Happy Glamping.” Customers can ‘heart’ products they love and we’ll get better at showing them more items like those. Customers can access Interesting Finds via the banner above the search bar on Amazon.com and in the ‘Programs and Features’ section of the Amazon App.

Free Shipping + Convenient Delivery

All Amazon customers can choose from more than one hundred million items that are eligible for free shipping this holiday and all year long. This includes eligible orders of $25 or more shipped by Amazon, as well as free shipping offers from the millions of small business and entrepreneurs selling on Amazon. For customers who prefer to pick up their packages when it’s convenient for them, Amazon Locker is a safe and secure way to receive Amazon packages. Available in more than 50 cities across the U.S., Amazon Lockers are strategically located near offices, major convenience stores, grocery stores, apartment buildings and malls across the country. To learn more about Amazon Locker, visit amazon.com/locker or to find the nearest Locker visit amazon.com/findalocker.

 Fast Shipping, Deals and More with Prime

Prime is designed to make your life better every day including the convenience of fast, free shipping and great entertainment. Prime members can shop thousands of Lightning Deals with 30-minute early access and, with the Amazon Prime credit card, members will earn even bigger rewards this holiday season. Members can also enjoy Free Two-Day Shipping with Amazon Prime, as well as Prime FREE One-Day Shipping and Prime FREE Same-Day Delivery on more than one million items in orders of $35 or more available to members in over 5,000 cities and towns. And, withPrime Now, Prime Members in more than 30 U.S. cities can benefit from one-and-two hour delivery. In addition, starting on November 8, Prime members in 37 cities and surrounding areas across the U.S. will have access to Amazon Key, the new service that radically improves the convenience of receiving deliveries. Amazon Key will allow Prime members to have eligible packages securely delivered inside their homes without having to be there.

About Amazon

Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.

 

Beauty /

15 Doctor Recommended “To Do’s” to Fight the Flu

As we head into flu season there are many things we can do to “flu proof” ourselves. Regardless of whether you choose to get a flu vaccine or not, there are things we can do to heighten our chances of not getting sick this winter. Dr. Christopher Calapai, a New York based Osteopathic Physician board certified in family medicine, and anti-aging medicine provided us with a comprehensive list of 15 to do’s to fight the flu.

  1. Keep your surroundings clean, wipe surfaces at work, keep your cell phone clean. According to the CDC viruses can survive on a surface for up to 8 hours

  1. Wash your hands frequently and use a hand sanitizer. Remember the workplace and public spaces are a hotbed for germs. This is where the hand washing comes into play.

  1. Increase intake of vitamin D, C, E and A.  Include foods such as red bell peppers (add to salads), sweet potatoes, chicken soup, salmon and garlic. Research shows that keeping vitamin D levels at 80 ng/ml or so decreases the risk of catching the flu and swine flu.

  1. Bring your own lunch to work where you can control food prep and ensure surfaces are clean.

  1. Get a full night’s sleep.  When you feel run down you’re more susceptible to illness.

  1. Work from home when feeling sick. These days it’s easier for people to work from home at the slightest signs of cold or flu.

  1. Eat kimchi!  It’s delicious and a great probiotic which boost immunity.

  1. Add mushrooms to your meal.  Packed with selenium they’re an immunity booster.

  1. Sip green or black tea rich in polyphenols and flavonoids which ward off illness as well as L-theanine,

an immunity boosting amino acid. Green and black tea are also packed with polyphenols and flavonoids.

  1. Munch on sweet potato fries which are high in vitamin which helps us fight off bacteria and viruses.

  1. Don’t touch your face especially the eyes.  The average person touches their face around 15 times per hour! It’s something we do unconsciously so if we can be more aware of face touching the more we can stop.

  1. Soup it up!  Chicken veggie noodle or ginger garlic soup fights flu and sinus infection.

  1. Exercise regularly!  Doing 30 minutes of moderate cardio per day is optimal to enhance the performance of infection fighting white blood cells.

  1. Go hands free on the smartphone.  When we put our phones down and then pick them up or touch them this is where viruses can spread. Using earbuds and cleaning the phone with a devise friendly cleaner will help.

  1. Lose the booze.  You really want to cut back on alcohol consumption during flu season. It dehydrates us and lowers our immunity so our ability to fight off virus is impaired.

About the Doctor:

Dr. Christopher Calapai, D.O. is an Osteopathic Physician board certified in family medicine, and anti-aging medicine. Proclaimed the “The Stem Cell Guru” by the New York Daily News, Dr. Calapai is a leader in the field of stem cell therapy in the U.S. His stem cell treatments have achieved remarkable results in clinical trials on patients with conditions as varied as Alzheimer’s, arthritis, erectile dysfunction, frailty syndrome, heart, kidney and liver failure, lupus, MS and Parkinson’s. He has worked with Mike Tyson, Mickey Rourke, Steven Seagal, and Gotham’s, Donal Logue; and as a medical consultant for the New York Rangers. Connect with him via twitter @drcalapai or at www.drcal.net

Beauty /

Nordstrom Beauty Holiday 2017 Collection

Discover this holiday season’s must-have beauty gifts at the all-in-one shopping destination: Nordstrom! With exclusive festive offerings from top brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, Diptyque, La Mer, MAC, Tom Ford, Jo Malone and more, you’ll find everything from impressive luxury sets to mini stocking stuffers – spanning cosmetics, fragrance, skincare and men’s grooming – for all your gifting needs, OR for yourself to get holiday-party-ready!

MORE NORDSTROM NEWS:

YOUR BEST FRIEND IN BEAUTY Nordstrom Beauty Stylists are also what make Nordstrom a unique one-stop shop. Similar to personal shoppers, Stylists offer complimentary services to customers to help them find the perfect makeup, skincare and fragrance products across ALL brands and counters!

These experts are available in-store, by phone at 1.800.7BEAUTY or online at (http://shop.nordstrom.com/beautystylist). Prefer to communicate while you online shop? You can Live Chat with an expert Online Beauty Stylist at (http://shop.nordstrom.com/c/beauty-stylist).

SAMPLING: TRY IT BEFORE YOU BUY IT

Nordstrom Beauty wants you to love your purchase, so why not try it first? We offer in-store samples on almost any beauty product, every day. Nordstrom also offers 3 free samples with any beauty purchase online!

FREE SHIPPING AND FREE RETURNS ALL THE TIME

Nordstrom will ship almost anything on our site to you for free – no minimum purchase ever! Don’t love it? Returns and exchanges are free via mail, in-store or over the phone – it’s that easy.

 

Beauty /

Makeup, Skincare, and Beauty Pop-Up Shop Recap: Erika Liles and Gizelle Bryant

EveryHue Beauty hosted a Makeup, Skincare & Beauty Pop-Up Shop in Birmingham, Alabama on Friday, October 27, 2017.  Presenters for the event included Dr. Corey Hartman of Skin Wellness Center, Chic Hair, Angela King Brows and Posh Luxury.

EveryHue Beauty founders Erika Liles and BRAVO TV star Gizelle Bryant of the Real Housewives of Potomac greeted guests.

The beauty event featured makeup, wellness stations and product sampling.  While attending, I received brow tips from Angela King Brows.  She reshaped my brows and suggested products to help them grow from waxing.

EveryHue Beauty Consultants matched the tinted moisturizer to event participants.  I discovered that my hue was #4 and very impressed with the moisturizer coverage.

After visiting all of the beauty stations, I decided to purchase the Glow Perfect Moisturizer and received a Hue Blending Sponge.

A few facts about EveryHue Tinted Moisturizer:

  • Weightless
  • Buildable formula with a satin finish.
  • Broad Spectrum SPF 25.
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • Aloe
Fall 2017 /

NEW CANDLES THAT SMELL FOR YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON

BOY SMELLS IS THRILLED TO SHARE THE NEWS: YOU CAN NOW SHOP NEW CANDLES THAT SMELL FOR YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON. 

TWO NEW SMELLS HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE BOY SMELLS STANDARD 8.8OZ CANDLE: CINDEROSE + ST. AL. ALSO NEW FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON – THE VERY FIRST BOY SMELLS VOTIVE SET; PETITE VERSIONS OF THE STANDARD 8.8OZ CANDLES OFFERED IN A SET OF THREE + FEATURING THE ORIGINAL SCENTS FROM THE BRAND IN ADDITION TO NEW HOLIDAY SCENTS.

ST. AL
sandalwood, clay, clove flower, oud, and ylang-ylang
This incredibly well-balanced sandalwood scent takes its cues from colonial missions; exotic florals mixed with frankincense undertones result in a holy and exotic experience
Neutral coconut and beeswax blended candles with a braided cotton wick, in a glossy black glass tumbler. Comes in an embossed matte pink carton. Manufactured in Los Angeles, California. 8.8oz per candle. 
RETAIL PRICE – $29.00
AVAILABLE now at www.BOYSMELLS.com

CINDEROSE
rose, tuberose, oakmoss, and smoke
Inspired by the floral photographs of Gregory Crewdson, the newest scent Cinderose exposes the sinister side of the familiar. Notes of rose, orange blossom, and jasmine are mixed with smoke, cedar, and birch tar to create a scent that is both beautiful and troubling.
Neutral coconut and beeswax blended candles with a braided cotton wick, in a glossy black glass tumbler. Comes in an embossed matte pink carton. Manufactured in Los Angeles, California. 8.8oz per candle. 
RETAIL PRICE – $29.00
AVAILABLE now at www.BOYSMELLS.com

BOY SMELLS VOTIVE SET – KUSH, ASH, and CEDAR STACK
the original three smells from BOY SMELLS
Neutral coconut and beeswax blended candles with a braided cotton wick, in a glossy black glass tumbler. Comes in an embossed matte pink carton. Manufactured in Los Angeles, California. 3oz per votive candle. 

RETAIL PRICE – $42.00

BOY SMELLS – ABOUT

Boy Smells scented candles are the creations of David Kien and Matthew Herman who established the brand in 2014 in the Pico-Union District of Los Angeles California.

Whimsical and irreverent, the eclectic collection offers a variety of smells ranging from subtle to bold, designed in easy sophistication and hallmarked by the signature Boy Smells matte pink label.

What began as a scent experiment has quickly emerged into a robust collection of eleven styles. Each candle is designed with a uniquely personal expression in mind; notes plucked from a catalog of olfactory memories are offered in a modern context by crafting candles that are familiar yet unexpected.

BOY SMELLS  – BRAND IDENTITY

Boy Smells is purposely tongue and cheek. We approach candles the same way we approach all design: with a sense of humor and accessibility for everyone.

Identity is so much more layered and complex than it used to be, and the scent is a landscape that can truly explore these cultural changes. There are masculine scents that our girlfriends like, and feminine scents we love. So, for us scent is gender-fluid. In fact, Boy Smells intentionally plays with the preconceptions of scent designed for gender.

It’s meant to be fun and irreverent and enjoyed by all. This is what differentiates Boy Smells.

BOY SMELLS  – THE PRODUCT

Coconut and beeswax blended candles with a braided cotton wick, in a glossy black glass tumbler. Comes in an embossed matte pink carton. Manufactured in Los Angeles, CA. 8.8 ounces (249g). 3.4 inches (8.6cm) tall.

RETAIL PRICING RANGES FROM $29.00 – $30.00

Beauty /

Halloween Beauty Looks Right At Home with YouCam Makeup

YouCam Makeup just released its first-ever 3D AR Halloween costume collection so users can now try out hyper-realistic Halloween beauty looks right at home. In addition to trying out these realistic beauty looks, YouCam Makeup partnered with Lancôme to help users bring these looks to life through product recommendations for in-app purchases – with just a few taps you can try on the looks and purchase the products!
This extensive Halloween beauty series marks the launch of YouCam Makeup’s newly revamped AR 3D engine that makes virtual beauty trials more accurate and realistic than ever before. The powerful new feature reconstructs a real-time three-dimensional face model based on a facial scan of 100+ landmarks per second allowing users to experience the styles in live camera for a unique true-to-life try-on. This advanced technology enables users to experience unprecedented virtual makeup effects that bring these striking Halloween styles to life.
ABC /

Talk of Alabama Lifestyle Segment: Healthy and Quick Breakfast Recipe Ideas.

Last week I served as a Lifestyle Expert for Talk of Alabama:  ABC 3340 sharing healthy breakfast recipes.

I was excited to host the segment because breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day.

Due to our hectic schedules, making a hearty breakfast can be a challenge but with the right appliances it can be an easy task!

During the segment I discussed the importance of creating a toast bar with the Krups 2 Slice Toaster Oven.  There are so many delicious toast recipes adding peanut butter, avocado, bananas, and olive oil as a topping.

For breakfast meals (on the go) make a fruit smoothie as an option; top with Carrington Farms Organic Flax and Chia Seeds to boost the immune system.  Munk Pack Oatmeal Squeezes are gluten-free, vegan snacks that are compacted with whole grains and fruit bites.

The TFal Pressure Cooker not only makes delicious dinners but breakfast dishes such as Cinnamon Roll Steel Cut Oats.

Take a look at the segment clip here:  TALK OF ALABAMA:  HEALTHY BREAKFAST

Cinnamon Roll Steel Cut Oats Recipe

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup steel cut oats

3 1/2 cups water

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup raisins

Brown Sugar Topping

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Add butter to pressure cooking pot, select Sauté. When butter is melted add the oats and toast, stirring constantly, until they start to darken and smell nutty, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add water and salt to pressure cooking pot.
  3. Select high pressure and set 10 minutes cook time.
  4. When beep sounds, turn off pressure cooker and use a natural pressure release for 5 minutes and then do a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure.
  5. When valve drops carefully remove lid. Stir oats. Stir in raisins. Cover and let sit five or 10 minutes until oats are desired thickness.