Mondays With Meg

Meg here! I'm writing this post from Jeanasina's livingroom in Minnesota. I'm usually a lot closer to the Oscars when I watch it and get ready for the after parties! This year our own Jasmine is hitting the Oscar beat while I'm still hitting the road.

Before I go into some terms that are commonly thrown around can I just say Sandra Bullock is looking amazing! I hope my little handy dandy guide clears up any confusion you may have...

What on earth is a "humectant?" Humectants are anything that promote the retention of water. Glycerin is a natural humectant. Glycerin is found in many moisturizers and face creams but watch out for mineral oil! That's a naughty humectant.

What's the deal with "Surfactants?" The definition of surfactant is "surface-active agent" Found in tons of facial cleansers, it's the element that stops oil and water based ingredients from separating so you can get a great foam.

Why is everyone so freaked out over "Parabens?" People are avoiding parabens like the plague and companies are touting "paraben-free" all over their labels.  They are toxic and synthetic and have been connected to everything from asthma to cancerous tumors. It can also be called the following names Methyl, Ethyl, Propyl, Butyl, and Hydroxy Methyl Benzoates. It's probably best to avoid them as well. The other names you don't want in your products are green3, blue1, padimate-O, sodium hydroxymethyl-glycinate, toulene, xylene, BHT, propylene glycol, crystalline silicia, coal tar dyes, talc, DEA and TEA (diethanolamine and triethanolamine), pthalate, parabens, soduim lauryl sulfate and formaldehyde. If it is hard to pronounce then there is a pretty good chance it is linked to cancer or hormonal disruption. The following terms above have been linked to both.

Meg here! I was just editing Megken's  upcoming "Manly Monday" article and sometimes I just want to reach through the computer and pinch his little cheeks! He cracks me up with his campfire memories from his Grandpa Tar Shampoo. It must be a guy thing because my first thoughts would not be of sweet, nostalgic campfire stories if my head started to smell like pine oil.

I love white flowers. I love gardenias. I love the perfume Fracas and I LOVE the entire Kai scented line. I'm not the only one. In Style Magazine named it "One Of The 5 Great Cult Perfumes." I'm so glad I'm writing this post because Valentine's Day is coming up and I'm out of my Kai Perfume Oil. So if anyone is reading this and wondering what to get me then... What? I included the link! Sometimes it's a heck of a lot better to accidentally send this write up to your boyfriend then risk getting a big bottle of Jean Nate marked half off from CVS bought at 6pm February 14th on the way home from the office. Just sayin'.

Meg here! I guess it was the Wednesday before last when I looked over my "to-do" list and felt more then a little dizzy. I needed a change of scenery and a break from my third appendage-i.e. my laptop!

It had been years since I decided to "take a break." Sure, I've been away for a week or weekend here and there but it was always somehow work-related and always included me lugging my computer with me. With one finger I was dialing up Eleni and asking her to cover for me. With the other finger I was clicking through Orbitz.com looking for a place to unwind.

Sun? Check. Sand? Check. A flight that wouldn't take up the entire trip, a place I could chill out but had activities once I got restless and would not completely break my piggy bank-Eureka! I found it. Before I could talk myself out of it I hit "click!" I secured everything with Eleni and then called Megken with this message "Pack your bags, grab your passport. I'm not drunk or fleeing the law (yet) but we're off to Mexico early Sunday morning!"

Since it had been about NINE YEARS since I had taken a vacation this caught everyone slightly off guard.

Meg here! Let us all welcome Eleni A Very Happy Birthday! You better, she not only keeps me sane but also is in charge of Makeup Points.

Eleni is your own personal Santa. She goes through your profiles before you get your gifts. She will not give an "acne treatment" to a forty year old with dry skin. She matches it up with the 28 year old that is oily (be specific in your profiles ladies!)
She never lets me forget focus. If I wander off in thought she'll say "Thees ees a beesniz" to bring me back.

If I drink too much wine she insists I sleep over. If I look pale she cooks steak for lunch. If a man is breaking my heart she's breaking his legs. She gets the stuff done on this site and she gets the stuff done in my life and she's cooking a gourmet meal all in the while just to show who is in control!

This is me and Eleni and Vivi, Eleni's 75 year old mother that came to Los Angeles to visit her. Her mother flew all the way from Greece and once in L.A. Cooked the entire time for us and our friends. Eleni is from a long line of givers and does so much for us.

"This is really who I am, and it took a long time to be okay with that... Maybe in high school you, Ellen, you feel discriminated against. Like you don't fit in and you want to be like everyone else, but not really, and in the inside you want to be like Boy George - well, I did anyway. So I want my fans to know that it's okay. Sometimes in life you don't always feel like a winner, but that doesn't mean you're not a winner, you want to be like yourself. I want my fans to know it's okay." Lady Gaga interviewed on The Ellen Show

Meg here! I am here to report back that I was not in fact thrown into jail for trying to become a Lady Gaga back-up dancer! I was on the best behavior I am capable of under such a joyous event. I am also really lucky that I got to see the Lady as I would have a better chance of seeing Jesus then her perform NYE in Miami.

Have you heard about her New Years Eve show? Well, I heard there are a couple of tables left if you would like to go. Yes? Did I mention she is selling out each table at $25k. I know, right?

Clearly I am not the only lady that has gone a little goo goo gaga. A few of you lovelies left in the comment section below that you wanted to know what products I grabbed for to put on my Poker Face.