Posts from — April 2008

Hi all

Heading out to Texas for your summer vacation or planning on trying your hand at horseback riding? Well then it is time to do a little western wear shopping. Now if you are serious about spending some time outdoors don’t just go for what is trendy. Especially if you are planning on hiking or riding, you need clothes that are both comfortable and durable, while still making you look fabulous.

For cowboy hat and boot combinations you can’t go wrong with Cavenders. They specialize in western outfits that look good and feel great. If you buy from their site, check out their fit chart. They tell you exactly how to measure for an optimum fit, when buying cowboy hats, boots, etc…

If you end up at one of their retail stores, their staff is extremely nice, knowledgeable and helpful. They have that southern charm down pat.

Check them out for yourself at:Â http://cavenders.com/

Sincerely,

Caterina - founder of stillagirl.com - a positive place for women and girls

P.S. They are now holding a contest where you could win a George Straight signed guitar! Go to their site and register now for your chance to win.

You probably know that by using hair dryers, hair damage should be a main concern. Hair dryers are a great tool, but they are also quite damaging to hair. However, for most women it is difficult, if not impossible, to stop using them. That is why it is important to seek out hair dryers that are the least damaging to the hair.

Do you know how hair dryers damage hair?

The extreme heat of a hair dryer, concentrated on the hair dries it out and makes the cuticles of the hair open up instead of lie flat. This causes the hair to look frizzy and over time will cause damage to the hair follicles.

In addition to using hair dryers, hair damage is also caused by other styling tools like curling irons and strengtheners. There really is no way to completely stop all the damage you do unless you stop using hair dryers and other styling tools, which is probably not going to allow you to get the look you desire.

The truth is that in the name of beauty we women are willing to risk a little hair damage. Fortunately, the industry has recognized this problem. There are an array of hair dryers, hair straighteners and other tools that are designed to help reduce the damage to hair.

One such product is the T3 Bespoke Labs Medium Duality Iron. I like this straightening iron because it also dries your hair. You do not need to blow dry your hair before straightening because it will be dried as you straighten. You will be eliminating that one damaging step and combining everything into one step. Besides saving your hair from damage, this saves you time, too. Keeping your hair looking great should include proper care and that means you have to pay attention to all the abuse you throw at your hair.

Here are some other great tips:

• Using a dual straightener and dryer is one great step towards beautifully healthy hair.
• Get regular trims and deep conditioning treatments to really keep your hair healthy.
• Beauty reviews recommend a cut every six weeks and,
• Deep conditioning once a week.

Sincerely,

Caterina - founder of stillagirl.com - a positive place for women and girls

The Ritz Carlton Spa in Orlando Florida has only been with us for five short years and has had its share of growing pains, yet today it redeemed itself with flying colors. My sister, mom and I went to relax, pamper ourselves and reconnect and the staff at this premium spa made this amazingly easy.

As soon as you walk into the spa, the staff tells you to leave the world behind you. You are given your robes and slippers and brought to a lounge with fresh fruit and ice cold water tinged lightly with the taste of fresh oranges. I scheduled a seaweed wrap and although the girl performing it looked young enough to be my daughter, her demeanor and technique were amazing.

My sister had the same and loved it and my mom had an anti-aging facial that she absolutely raved about. She told the skin care professional assigned to her that it was the best facial that she has ever had. She wasn’t just being polite either. My sister and I could not believe how amazing her skin looked. She looked years younger, refreshed and without a bit of redness!

We then wandered down to the spa cafe, where most people lounged in their robes and had bottles of water and delicious light dishes like bento boxes with grilled chicken and your choice of 3 vegetables.

During your spa day you are allowed to linger at the Ritz until 9pm. You can go to the pool, the sauna or just hang out in the lounge. If we hadn’t had a full day scheduled after our treatments, I am sure that we would have taken advantage of this access. Oh well, all the more reason to return.

Check this amazing spa out for yourself. Here is the spa menu:

http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/Orlando/Spa/Menu.htm

Acne Pimple Remedies straight from your pantry or medicine cabinet.

Have a sudden one or two pimple flare up but don’t have your usual acne medication in the house? Try dabbing a bit of toothpaste on it. Toothpaste generally has alcohol in it which will dry up that impromptu pimple. Now this doesn’t fix the cause of the acne but if you have that hot date that night and don’t have time to run to the drugstore that day this may be your answer.

If you feel a pimple about to flare up the night before a big event this works even better because you can sleep with the paste on that spot the whole night without worrying about having toothpaste on your face.

Another natural way to deal with pimples, if toothpaste is too abrasive for your skin is to dab a bit of honey on the problem spot. Honey is a natural antiseptic and can also be used to dry out one or two acne spots.

Try these simple acne solutions for yourself. Remember to try any skin solution on a very small patch of skin first to make sure that you don’t have any personal adverse reactions. Everyone’s skin is different. See what works for you.

Sincerely,

Caterina Christakos - founder of stillagirl.com - a positive place for women and girls

Hi all

Need naturally softer lips in seconds?

• Rub a bit of honey on them using the tips of your fingers.
• Leave on for 30 seconds then gently wipe off with a warm, wet towel.
• Follow with a lip moisturizer or even some chapstick.

Enjoy your softer lips or better yet find some lucky guy to compliment you on them daily.

Sincerely,

Caterina Christakos - founder of stillagirl.com - a positive place for women and girls

If you are like me your friends and relatives tend to give you Starbucks gift cards for all major holidays. Hey that caffeine addiction can get pretty costly. What you may not know is that this Seattle based coffee house is offering additional perks for starbucks gift card holders. While I was using my Starbucks card, this morning, the barrister ( I love that word) told me that they have added some incentives to your card that saves you additional cash.

Now when you get one of these cards you get, just for registering it online:

1) Protection in case it is stolen or lost

2) Syrup and milk options added to your coffee for free

3) Brewed coffee refills at no extra charge.

4) A complimentary tall beverage when you buy their coffee beans.

Now I know that this isn’t a traditional beauty tip but these Starbucks rewards save you money, which saves you stress which saves you those little wrinkle lines. Hmm maybe it is a beauty tip after all.

Sincerely,

Caterina Christakos - founder of stillagirl.com - a positive place for women and girls

Hi all

Do you have a birthday or anniversary coming up? Any celebration where champagne is involved will do. If you can manage to save a cup of the bubbly, you are in for a rare treat. Take that remaining champagne and mix it with hot water ( one cup of water per one cup of champagne). Go wash your hair, as usual. Then pour the champagne over your hair, catching it in a bowl if you can. Re-rinse it with this mix two to three times and blow dry as usual.

The champagne will give your hair a lovely natural shine and you will feel luxurious just performing this ritual.

Try it for yourself.

Sincerely,

Caterina Christakos - founder of stillagirl.com - a positive place for women and girls

Hi all

Many of you made the decision to lose weight this year and keep it off. Congratulations! Now for those of you on low carb diets, there is a new site that has over 300 fabulous recipes to choose from. I love when you can get everything that you need all in one place. Don’t you?

Here is the link to the site: http://www.low-carb-diet-recipes.com

I explored this site and found tons of low carb recipes to choose from. When you get to the site scroll down to find the links to their entrees, appetizers, desserts, etc… They even have low carb candy recipes, like their Chocolate Bar with Nuts. Yumm.

If low carb is the diet path that you have taken, check out this free site.

Sincerely,

Caterina Christakos - founder of stillagirl.com - a positive place for women and girls

It is a well known no-no to ever sleep in your makeup. You know to have a healthy face and skin that you must remove your makeup every night. One of the trickiest parts of make up removal is removing eye makeup. Without an eye makeup remover you will have a hard time getting all the eyeliner, mascara and eye shadow off completely.

A good eye makeup remover should be gentle on your eyes and skin, but do a good job at completely removing all the makeup. You want to look for something like Bare Escentuals bareEyes - Eye Makeup Remover 4 oz . I have checked this out and it has also had some amazing beauty reviews. I like it because it’s gentle and effectively removes all traces of eye makeup with its combination of remover and moisturizer.

To remove eye makeup you have to be careful. Keep in mind that the skin surrounding your eye area is pretty fragile. So here are the basics.

• Start with a cotton ball and your eye makeup remover.

• Gentle wipe your eye, inner corner to outer, until all makeup is removed.

• Be sure to replace the soiled cotton ball with a clean one if needed.

• Try to avoid pulling at your eye or rubbing it. This can cause irritation and damage to the skin around the eye.

Sincerely,

Caterina Christakos - founder of stillagirl.com - a positive place for women and girls

Hi all

I have finally found out where to buy Annick Goutal perfume online without spending a fortune. Watch my video to find out more:

Go to Amazon.com now and get your next Annick Goutal perfume for less: