Jasmine Simone here! Grammy’s, Golden Globes, Emmy’s, oh my! Los Angeles has been a whirlwind of awards shows, hosted events, networking, and festivities over the past couple months (not to mention even more jam-packed traffic if you can possibly imagine) and it has kept me busy! I’m sure you’ve all seen the flurry of recent red carpet and after-party photos showing at the celebs at their glamorous best on Star, Perez, and even Oprah. What you don’t usually see is all the behind the scenes preparation that goes into getting the celebrities and other A-listers at their most beautified best for their interviews, acceptance speeches and paparazzi moments.
The Academy Awards closes out the season and is by far the most active. I was lucky enough to walk a couple of weeks in their shoes and get face-to-face time with some of our most beloved brands and businesses. First stop on the pre-Oscar event train was Anastasia Beverly Hills - Brentwood salon who was kind enough to invite the local Meg Heads to get a taste of the bevy of services they have to offer. Named after founder Anastasia Soare, known especially for her fabulous brow services and the A-list celebs that seek her out,http://www.anastasia.net/index.php)"> Anastasia Beverly Hills - Brentwood (http://www.anastasia.net/index.php)is a high-end salon that really is a one-stop shop for all your beauty pampering needs. They do everything here: hair, facials, waxing, make-up consultations and makeovers, massages, mani-pedis, and they even have their own line of makeup and skincare products that are specified to compliment the various skin tones and types.
Meg here, the best gift is the one you give away! If you're a snooty hoarder then this does not apply to you. If you're a snooty hoarder then go back to underneath the rock you crawled out from because we hate you. I said it. Yeah, we totally hate you.
Hate me for having fancy perks, keep in mind it is 11:30pm on a Friday and my only life is you. While I dress great and my appearance is above and beyond- I am sitting here-alone. Don't Cry For ME~The Truth Is I've Never Left You! A man is great. Her voice brings me to tears and She is better then any stupid guy. I mean those pipes ring true. I LOVE MEN! I just don't want to ever be under one! *Side note, under one that pleases me, "gets me" and won't try to dictate me-O.K.-I'll be under HIM-but just maybe. My guess is I'll be "more of the man" and hopefully he'll move on. Subservient has never been a part I've been willing to play.*
I wish my pimples would be direct like I am. I wish they would try to not to settle and see this is not fertile pimple ground and leave quickly. I wish they would have zero-tolerance for breeding as I do.
As with men, my pimpled proved "NO SUCH LUCK!" I tried everything and her Beam Me Off Acne Buster WORKS! I squeezed and this brought it to a head, It has a botanical base and it dries all natural and this works! Here is the true testament. It worked for me so I mailed it to my best friend Emilie Hann.
She is my true soul-mate, we all have one. Look at how lovingly she holds my face in that photo. We are one. I mailed Beam Me Off to Em and she was so appreciative on the work it did on her face! She is hooked. If you were all my bestfriends I would mail it to you. It's that good.
Sweetassgal here thinking about change and growing up. Spring is in the air here in the Sacramento Valley and with all things brings change. Good change if you ask me because the flowers are blooming, the kids are out playing in the park and I'm looking at this season’s cutest strappy sandals. Just got a new fuchsia pair which are a shameless knock off of the one’s Carrie wore on her "last night out in old New York" date with Big. But I don't care...they make my feet do a happy dance and remind me how claustrophobic my tootsies have been all winter!
Change in my life has brought me to a realization. At 35 years old I think I've finally had to grow up. Not that I'll ever REALLY be a grown up. I still laugh at Scooby Doo, ride the Zipper at my town’s Carnivale, and try not to step on a crack lest I break my Mama’s back. But all “kid at heart” things aside I think I’ve finally arrived at that synergistic point where my life’s experience has blended with my career goals and landed me smack dab in the middle of grown up Adultville. Population me.
BabyLove here! After having my kids, and watching my waist line expand, I thought to myself, Well, if I'm going to be overweight, then I better start paying better attention to things like my skin and teeth. I'm not yet 30, but over the last 3 years, I have seen a definite increase in the fine lines forming all over my face. Happy, I was not about this, and thus began my obsession with skincare. One of the most major problems my skin faces as I get older, is that I find it needs more moisture than usual. I was using Fresh Repair and Restore Face Balm (it retails for $95.00.) I accidentally stumbled upon Juara Skincare. I know there are already some Meg Heads that are fans of this line, but if you haven't tried this line before-you must now! I had the immense pleasure of sampling a number of products from Juara, and to be honest, with each one I tried, I liked it better than the one before it.
“I strongly believe in the possibility of connecting with people from other cultures and creating an environment in which the little things we do throughout or daily lives positively affect the lives of people around the world. Even in something as seemingly inconsequential as our choice of skin care, it’s about a consciousness of the decisions we make every day.” - Katharine Phillips L’Heureux, Founder of Kahina - Giving Beauty
Jasmine Simone here! I love essential oils - they are so nurturing to my skin and have done wonders for scarring, dryness and other skin issues I have had in the past. Recently I discovered the wonders of Argan oil. So what exactly is argan oil you may be wondering? Only found in a few countries, Morocco being the main one, the argan tree oil is revered for it’s numerous nutritive, cosmetic, and medicinal properties. It is pressed from the seeds of the argan tree fruit and has been used for cooking and cosmetics for centuries before modern times (dating back to before the Phonecians.) Presently, argan trees are near extinction due to severe drought seasons and over use for of the trees for wood over the past 50 years. They are now a protected species by UNESCO and must be harvested sustainably to preserve these ancient tress that can live up to 200 years.
Fortunately, the Kahina - Giving Beauty brand adheres to this standard of environmentally-conscious processing. L’Heureux chose the name Kahina as an homage to the Berber queen (Berbers are the indigenous people in North Africa) and prophetess who reigned in Morocco circa 700 CE and “a heroine to the Berber women, Kahina represents empowerment and vision for women worldwide.” And that is exactly what founder, Katherine Phillips L’Heureux, was inspired to do when she created this line of products after a visit to Morocco brought her into the world of Berber women, who subsequently revealed to her the amazing, versatile properties of argan oil. Kahina works with the local women to provide them with a viable and sustainable way to make a living which subsequently improves their way of life. Taking it a step further, Kahina also sources rare essential ingredients from women’s cooperatives around the world, and donates 25% of their profits to support initiatives that improve the lives of impoverished women around the world.
Sweetassgal here feeling under the weather and under a cloud. Unfortunately...I have joined our nations 12% and have been officially unemployed for over a week now due to a layoff. The cherry on my fudge sundae? I've been sick ever since and it's just been miserable. But the good news is I don't have to take sick time and I don't have to worry about calling in to work!
I have the kind of lingering head and chest cold that would prompt my Grandpa Henry to slather my chest with a stinky mustard plaster and blast the humidifier at me coated in Mentholatum. GOOD times those we're...but he meant well and was just trying to take care of me with any good ole' fashioned remedy he had at his disposal. Sometimes I think those "down home" remedies have more going for them then all the antibiotics and super pills of today ever could. At least I don't recall him standing over me with a palm full of mustard plaster emanating legal jargon and telling me that prolonged use of muster plaster could cause side effects such as hair loss, excess flatulence, flame shooting urination, weight gain, liver damage, toe fungus, feminine itching, Tourette's Syndrome, and sudden urge to bark and chase cars. MY GOD half the time the cure's side effects sound worse than the symptom they are trying to relieve!!
Gigi here! My students know little of what I write here, but one perceptive male said to me in school, "Mrs. D., your life is a lot like the woman on 'I Love Lucy.'" Point taken. I choose to call the escapades I live "colorful," sometimes enjoyable and other times not so much. I've often been told that my wedding was quite memorable - few know just how memorable. The beginning of my day was a disaster but the remainder was a dream.
I had gone to the same hair stylist for years, Jessica, with flawless results. We both decided that the heat of a June day in a cavernous church without air conditioning would make me wilt instantly. She was an artist. When I put my hair in her hands, I became a combination of Jaclyn Smith and Penelope Cruz (and the check is in the mail). She suggested pulling my tresses back and away, as my face and $1,200 veil would be highlighted (you read that correctly - in no way am I wealthy but my family encouraged me to indulge myself; the silk tulle of the veil was my lengthy train, with hand-sewn seed pearls around the plentiful fabric).
Perhaps Jess had partied too long the night before. Perhaps she was related to "Edward Scissorhands." Or maybe she had hated me all along and decided this was the ideal time for revenge. When she finished, my hair resembled Holly Hunter's in "The Piano," only worse. It was so severe that it appeared that I had put a stocking over my face, distorted my features by stretching my eyes to my ears, and was on my way to rob a bank or convenience store. I had waited until the day before the ceremony to try for this - now what?
Megken here - So I got some Ole Henriksen Invigorating Night Gel. I thought this would be a great product because sometimes I get tired at night and I can use a little invigoration before a night out!! But that is not what this does.
It is supposed to invigorate your skin when you are sleeping. Now that I am at that age where I see age really taking its effects on friends from high school and college. I think it's normal to see someone you haven't seen in a decade and a voice in your head says "he got old." Then I hear another voice say "look at those wrinkles." It's like a yenta-fest going on in my skull. The scary thing is then I hear my own voice, "do I look that old? I hope not."
I have to say that Meg's right when she says the Ole Henriksen makes good products. This stuff was really good. I like the texture and consistency when I put it on. It's so pleasurable to put my fingers in that jar and take a cool glob out and rub it all over my face and neck. It has a clean fresh fragrance, a natural smell. When I washed it off in the shower it made my skin feel very smooth and soft, it's worth trying just so you can experience that feeling when you wash it off. I don't think that "invigorating" is the right name but "smoothing mask gel" may be a good suggestion.
When Dustin Hoffman as "Charlie" spoke those words in one of my all time fav movies, "Rainman", I knew exactly what he meant! This Goddess Granny LOVES anything that sparkles, shines, blings, whatever you want to call it in all it's forms and honestly doesn't believe that you're ever too young or too old to enjoy a bit of glittering enhancement in your life! However,as a girl who tops out @ 5'10" and who has never been accused of looking "subtle", I do tend to rein in my wattage in order to hopefully avoid looking like a parade float :)
For many years, I have been a HUGE fan of a gorgeous fuschia-haired designer whose been dubbed "The Queen of Irreverent Luxury", the fabulous and oh so sparkly Miz Tarina Tarantino: from a young age, this lady knew how to make a statement and as the founder of her own brand along with her husband,she has been the gold-standard throughout the world for creating high-style, sparkling, and over the top girly-girl and amazing accessories! I personally own quite a few of her jewelry pieces and they never fail to delight and never go out of style... they make me happy when I wear them as is the designer's intent: she wants all girls of all ages to be their own true "sparkling selves" and I for one continue to covet everything she produces!