ShopNBC: Day of Summer Beauty

These all day of beauty extravaganzas are always so much fun!  Not only are the newest of seasonal beauty items by top brands showcased, but we get the opportunity to see first-hand techniques and presenations on how to get flawless looks.  And with ShopNBC, you know you're always going to have mega opportunities for easy-pay options on days they feature nothing but beauty.

Here are a few selections in store for you from ShopNBC Day of Summer Beauty:

CANE + AUSTIN GLYCOLIC TREATMENT PADS
 (Retail $60) ~ Special Beauty Day Price: $49.09 (3 Easy Payments: $16.03)

I'm thrilled to see Cane + Austin's Glycolic Treatment Pads being offered.  I'd refer you to my review of this item in an earlier post.  I've seen real results in a very short time using these, so can highly recommend them to you.  These sugar cane infused pads were developed by dermatologist Craig Austin, MD as an effective one-step, at home exfroliating glycolic treatment, which helps rebuild collagen.

•Contains the purest, strongest and most effective form of glycolic that can be found on the market.
•Derived from natural sugar cane, these pads effectively exfoliate and retexture skin, revealing a clear, more radiant complexion.
•Experience a reduction in the appearance of pores.
•Clinical study participants saw an average of 27% reduction in the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
•Contains witch hazel for additional toning and tightening.
•Recommended for all skin types.

ANGEL LIFT DERMA LIPS
(Retail $60) ~ Special Beauty Day Price: $43.59   (2 Easy Payments: $21.80)

Ok, this I have to say I'm very interested to test drive.  This is a brand new item for ShopNBC and promised to safely and softly increase lip volume and size without injections, implants or chemicals. Hmmmm.

How do I use this?
Directions inform you to moisturize your face prior to use with a deep penetrating moisturizer. Wash Angel Lift Derma Lips before each use with an anti-plaque mouthwash. Wear under your upper lip along the gum line, just above your teeth.  They recommend wearing Angel Lift Derma Lips only for a few minutes at a time to check for any gum irritation. As your mouth begins to adapt to the strips as it would for any perioral device, the possibility of irritation is said to dissipate. Wear only one at a time. Optimally, work your way up to 30 minutes twice per day depending on the comfort level. The longer and more often you wear them, the more effectively they will work. It is reported that initially, most people find they need to use them regularly for three or four weeks, depending on the desired effect.

EPIONE BEVERLY HILLS SUNBLOCK PROTECT & CORRECT SPF 40+ WATER RESISTANT - LIGHTLY TINTED
From Beverly Hills top dermatologist Simon Ouarian, MD (and touted by RHOBH Housewife Lisa Vanderpump - love her!), this cream will completely change your mind about sunscreen. Oh yes, you heard me, I said, "Completely!"  Here's why.  Sunblock Protect & Correct is SPF 40+ protection that simultaneously helps reduce redness (and appearance of rosacea), fine lines and discoloration while moisturizing skin.  It leaves a radiance to skin and does indeed cover nicely with its lightly tinted formula.  It's a paraben, sulfate, oil and fragrance free product.  You'll notice immediately it doesn't have the usual sunscreen smell.  This is a must-have item for anyone wanting to protect against sun damage AND create a flawless complexion all at the same time.  Just beautiful!

 click images to enlarge

This item is available during Beauty Day in a sweet little kit that includes Dr. Ourian's Epione Hydration Moisturizing Creme and the Sunblock for $96.87 (or 4 Easy Payments: $24.22).  This kit normally retails for $160.00.  I'm really hoping ShopNBC will offer the Sunblock Protect & Correct on its own in the future as well.

SKINN COSMETICS DERMAPPEAL THERMO-ENZYMATIC MICRODERMABRASION TREATMENT
Beauty Day Price: $29.75 (2 Value Pays: $14.88)

Hard not to be enthusiastic about Dimitri James products as he is so charismatic, and rightly so, himself.  Rightly so as Dimitri truly does create wonderful products, not available anywhere else, and more affordable than similar products of the same high quality. There are lots of new Skinn Cosmetics items available for Beauty Day, but one item you want to be sure not to miss is his DermAppeal.  Bonus: It smells delicious and feels as if you've just been to a spa!

•Aluminum oxide free resurfacing and revitalizing treatment utilizes a naturally occurring mineral from the Dead Sea
•Along with Papaya and Pineapple Extracts to give you the benefits of a microdermabrasion treatment at the convenience of your own home
•Use once or twice a week for a softer, smoother, less lined, no pore look

Additionally, I must refer you to the video presentation (click link at left) to see a presentation on application and results after use. You'll see why I love this!

    l-r: Romance, Confident, Passion            t to b: Romance, Confident, Passion      Passion (top), Confident (b-left), Romance (b-right)

CELESTINE LIP GLOSS TRIO
(Retail $63, $21 each if sold separately) ~ Special Beauty Day Price: $33

Ladies, the colors in this gloss kit are soooo beautiful and very sheer.  Don't let the darkness of the pigments in the tubes, or the glittery/shimmer distract you.  They apply beautifully, feel a bit tingly on the lips (adds fullness) and contains anti-aging peptides. Each shade is designed to work on all skin tones, so you can't go wrong whether you buy it as a gift or for yourself. Formulated with a polymeric network that forms a gel and this helps maximize the shine and clarity of color.  It feels so hydrating on the lips, and not at all sticky. It has great cushion and it is long lasting. Contains aloe and anti-aging antioxidants.

L - R: Romance, Confident, Passion

Celestine Signature Color Cosmetics is a brand new line to ShopNBC and uses smart molecules and smart mineral technology that is said to allow their makeup to float on the skin. It has self-adjusting pigments so it always perfectly matches your skin tone. This innovative color cosmetics collection is infused with peptides and is 100% paraben and fragrance free. Check out other products in the Celestine line here.

DENTALOGICA 3-DAY TEETH WHITENING SYSTEM with LIP BALM
(Retail: $120) ~ Special Beauty Day Price: $89.68 (3 Value Pays: $29.89)

This kit is a dual action teeth whitening system.  The Fierce White Dual eneded unit Chamber 1 delivers a primer that you paint onto the teeth. Chamber 2 is the whitening agent and is painted on top of the primer.  It's enriched with peppermint oil and Blood of the Dragon botanical extract.  Fierce White Retouch Pens extend the efforts of the whitening system.  It's a simple way to noticeably whiten teeth.  Dentalogica's scientifically advanced system is formulated to achieve luminous results in an innovative delivery system. Safe on crowns, veneers, implants and partials. Works great if you have coffee, tea, red wine or other foods likely to stain teeth.  The Mandarin Orange Lip Balm contains collagen microspheres that help maximize volume. It enhance the natural color and shape of your lips with its lip plumping properties. You feel the tingly blend on your lips a few minutes after applying. Natural marine spheres, like micro-sponges, expand in the gaps caused by aging and overexposure to the sun. It's rich in beta carotene and an all natural moisturizer that contains essential bio-nutrients to sooth chapped lips. Other ingredients include mango seed butter, oligopeptides DPHP.


Be sure to check out other great summer beauty products and tools from brands like AminoGenesis, Peter Coppola, DermaWand, Toni Brattin Tan Fabulous and more.

And you absolutely don't want to miss your chance to enter to win this fantastic Christian Audigier Tote filled to the brim with beauty products.  Visit ShopBeauty at ShopNBC on Facebook to enter.  Contest ends tomorrow, May 1st.


Watch All Day of Summer Beauty on ShopNBC beginning Saturday night and all day Sunday, May 1st. You can also check them out online at ShopNBC.com.

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If you're a writer, read this.

I found the link to this post by Ira Glass on the DorothyL list (thanks Bonnie Riley). 

“What nobody tells people who are beginners — and I really wish someone had told this to me . . . is that all of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste.

But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, and it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not.

But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you.

A lot of people never get past this phase. They quit.


Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this.

And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know it’s normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work.

Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story.


It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions.

And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile.


You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”

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Get ready!

Gold Jewelry Sets

 

 

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Say it in Llama font!

Now, do you know what it says?

A prize for the first correct guess in the comment column!

Good company!

The April 15th edition of Library Journal had a nice article on crime fiction. I read it on one screen with another screen open to Amazon so I could buy the ones I knew I wanted to read.

As I was clicking merrily along, I came to this:

Mysteries with muscle
Agatha Christie–style murder mysteries à la Jane Marple typically attract individuals—usually more female than male—interested in particular kinds of settings/communities or in stories that highlight characters and character relationships before crime. This year, a somewhat overlooked mystery genre subset featuring tough-guy narrators in gritty worlds dominated by male characters is muscling its way into prominence.

Among the most hard-boiled of these titles are three excellent series debuts. The Cut (Reagan Arthur: Little Brown, Aug.) by acclaimed crime fiction writer George Pelecanos deals with an ex–Iraqi War vet who recovers stolen property for anyone with enough cash and whose work gets him entangled with the criminal underworld.

Fun & Games (Mulholland: Little, Brown, Jun.) by cult crime and Marvel Comics writer Duane Swierczynski channels pulp fiction noir in the story of an ex-cop who stumbles across a ring of sociopathic hit men specializing in accidental deaths. In newcomer Wayne Arthurson’s Fall from Grace (Forge: Tor, Apr.), a prostitute’s death leads a down-and-out reporter to uncover a scandal that could cost him everything, including his life.

Purgatory Chasm (May) a first novel by amateur race car driver and builder Steve Ulfelder, is one of several “tough guy” mysteries St. Martin’s Minotaur imprint plans to launch in 2011. Other titles by the likes of Steve Hamilton and David Housewright are also on the list. Ulfelder’s protagonist is an ex-alcoholic and mechanic who finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation involving a fellow AA member with a shady past.

However testosterone-driven these novels may appear, St. Martin’s executive editor Keith Kahla admonishes that “[it] doesn’t mean that men are the only readers of these books—in fact, [established writers of similar crime fiction] have a substantial following among women readers.” He argues that to label these mysteries as male- oriented or female-oriented is to shortchange both the books and the readers.

Holy Murgatroyd!!! That's OUR Steve Ulfelder! Mentioned alongside George Pelecanos! And Duane Swierczynski!

Dear Readers, I gasped for air, clutched my gills and swam for shore the nearest bar to quaff a celebratory glass of sparkling cider (since Conway Sax belongs to AA!)

Pub date is May 10!

I ♥ Zachary Ruthless!

(Please don't tell his mom.)

Zachary Ruthless is clearly a shark in training.   (He's also 10, which reveals a lot about the level of my sense of humor.)

If you or one of your young friends would like a blueprint for becoming Ruthless! Evil! Dastardly! this is the book for you.  And it's your lucky day: it's on sale NOW.

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Awesome Aussies!

They've nominated THE PERICLES COMMISSION for the Ned Kelly Award!




I've always wanted to visit Australia. Now I have a legitimate business reason to do so! I wonder if they'll let a shark swim through the Panama Canal?

The art of a template query letter

Obviously you do not write a new query to every agent. (You do know that, right?)

What you do have is a template: the body of the query, the signature, etc. that stay the same for each agent. If this is new territory for you check out the QueryShark blog that critiques query letters sent to the Shark. Read all 200 entries and you'll see what I mean.

Where you want to be careful on those templates and in personalizing the query is that you get the information RIGHT.

Here are some mistakes I've seen recently:

1. "I'm querying you because you like MG fiction"
I love my colleague's MG fiction but I don't rep it and I don't sell it. You're welcome to query me for it; I'll send you a form rejection. When you specifically write that I like MG fiction, it shows me you're either not paying attention, or you're keeping sloppy records. Neither of those things are positive attributes.


2. "I"m querying cause you're at a small agency."
This just makes me laugh. In case you think FPLM is small, consider that we have 12 agents on the FPLM team and we're actually one of the biggest independent agencies in town. There's nothing wrong with wanting a small agency, but FPLM isn't that. Again, this shows you're not paying attention.


Personalization can be tricky. The truth is you really don't need it. Write well enough, and have a project I want to read, and you can leave off all the personalization.

Be careful. Don't bite yourself in the asterisk. Leave the chomping to The Shark Herself.

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A very smart guy said

"For all of the "how-to write" blog posts and con sessions, the best place to learn the craft is by reading voraciously."

I believe that is true.


On the list of things to read is GALVESTON by Nic Pizzolatto.  The first 22 pages are a master class in how to start a novel.

If you're looking for a place to send some "thank you God" money

I am profoundly grateful to have work I love, colleagues I respect, clients I admire, and a life that is full of amazing.  I never want to take that for granted.  One of the ways I try to remember to say "Thank you God** for all of this" is to make donations. Some small. Some not.

Here's the place I'm sending money today.

I found it via this email from a friend:

The NYC MS Society is beyond amazing. They helped me with paperwork and campaigns to cut my hospital bills by half, they helped me fight with my insurance company to ensure they cover my medication (that would be close to $1,300 a month without insurance), they gave me the medication for free for 12 months when my first insurance company wouldn't cover it, they sent nurses to my home free of charge when I didn't feel well and they've been a support system since day one.

I would never ask you for money, nor do I expect you to donate. I know that one's greatest fear when donating to an organization is "well, what will they actually DO with the money?" However, if you make a donation to any charity this year, I urge you to make it to the NY MS Society, because I know from experience they go above and beyond what they are required to do.

**To whomever you thank when you realize it's been a very blessed day.

earth day 2011 feature: celebrating with mōksa organics

I am so honored to be celebrating Earth Day with a feature on mōksa organics.  The first thing you need to know about mōksa organics is they are so much more than soap!  Allow me to delight your senses and inform your mind.

I have to admit it's really kind of hard to find a starting point.  Founder Melanie Martin has created such a rich melange of goodness with mōksa that one wonders whether a feature about the brand should begin with the products or the philosophy and non-profits they hold dear to the heart.  Melanie exudes so much passion and energy about her company one can actually feel it warming the heart and soul through everything she seems to touch.

Melanie and Haskell, her husband, Owners/Founders of mōksa organics, sum it up this way:

"We make soap. But not just any soap. Because regular soap is plain ol' boring. We've created a clean revolution."

There's no bulk packaging, wasted materials or lists of ingredients a mile long or that contribute to environmental hazards here.  Their products contain ingredients you recognize as pure, simple, natural.  They are certified organic. They also use fair-trade whenever possible.  Melanie is quick to point out that their products never include palm oils.  Why? Commercial harvesting of palms for their oil is the leading cause of ecosystem's loss of habitat and deforestation.  mōksa organics' ingredients are chosen with the least amount of environmental impact.  Their packaging is tree free.  They use post consumer waste, recycled materials and no virgin plastics.

mōksa organics has received federally recognized certification as a carbon neutral company.  All of their offsets are used locally to purchase trees for Alachua Conservation Fund.  mōksa's mission is to be an active part of solutions for a sustainable future.  Let me reiterate, when they say they intend to play an "active" part, they mean it.  When I first contacted Melanie she was dashing off to a local Sierra Club meeting (she's a board member), where they were busily planning for a campaign launch about Bottled Water awareness.



Melanie at the lake behind her house

 Melanie couldn't have been more gracious about supplying me with information (and product) to showcase mōksa for Earth Day, a month/day she shares is her favorite.  As I've gotten to learn more about her, I can't think of anyone or any brand better to feature on Earth Day than Melanie and mōksa organics.  They are the epitome of Earth Day celebration.  And as you might expect, giving back is a huge part of what they do through mōksa. More on that in a little bit.

"Our products allow us to do what we love and it allows us to work with progressive people and groups that help minimize our (society's) impact on nature and our eco-system.  Our mission focuses on habitat preservation and conservation...soap helps us accomplish that.  That's why we call it soapy love."

Allow me to introduce you to some of mōksa's gorgeous products.  Let me set the scene for these by telling you when I opened the package of soaps, my office filled with the delicious scents of essential oils, as if it had been transformed into my own little mini spa.  The chemical reaction between us (soaps and me) had ignited.  It was destiny ... I was falling in love ... quickly.

Bohemian Forest
A blend of wintergreen and woodsy aromas for that Bohemian experience. Check out this ingredient list (and note the shortness): Organic oils of olive, coconut, soybean, castor, hemp, babassu, shea butter; blend of pure essentail oils; organic rosemary extract.

It's named after the beautiful Bohemian Forest, which has a beautiful, diverse eco-system (all mōksa soaps are named after a cool spot on the planet).  The environmental advocacy group that it's dedicated to:  Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment  (ATREE).  Based in India, ATREE does much in the field of research, outreach and conservation. Melanie says, "They are one of those hard working organizations that few people know about and they fly under the radar.  They have a huge emphasis on EDUCATION.  They need support."

Abbey Road
A blend of sweet orange, clove, vanilla and English tea blends will transport you without moving from your shower to the green fields and quaint villages of Britian. Abbey Road body bar is the perfect remedy for fighting off the blue meanies or just getting the grit of the man off your back!  No environmental significance, other than "peace and love" that is associated with the musicians that frequent Abbey Road Studios.

It's dedicated to Aaranyak, another small organization Melanie says flies under the radar and is in need of support for its wonderful contributions. Aaranyak's mission is to foster conservation of biodiversity in Northeast India through research, environmental education, capacity building and advocacy for legal and policy reform to usher a new era of ecological security.

Lavender Avignon
One small whiff of the perfectly balanced blend of lavender and vanilla and you're headed straight to France.  Sometimes you've just got to keep it pure and simple. Take a break from your daily routine, slow down, and enjoy the simplest of organic pleasures.

Named after the lavender fields in Avignon, France, this soap is dedicated to The Sierra Club: Suwannee-St. Johns Group. This is an organization very close to Melanie's heart.  Hear her passion as she elaborates here:

 "I'd like to try and explain. The Sierra Club has a very well known national name. What people don't know is that communities around the country have LOCAL chapters within the Sierra Club. This is HUGE! We (mōksa) believe in local first and foremost. Local is the base where change happens. These local chapters around the 50 states are comprised of Board Members that lobby, attend state meetings at capital headquarters, and are an environmental voice for their community with regards to city and county laws, development, preservation of state parks, etc. I proudly serve on the Executive Committee here in Florida. Our group covers 15 counties and our members have done so much to protect and preserve Florida's local and state environmental gems."

The theme Melanie most wants to convey is that Sierra Club functions as a whole because of all the hard work of thousands of local groups around the country. Local Sierra Club chapters need support. Hence, the dedication and proceed/profit dedication to the organization she hold near and dear to her heart through sales of Lavender Avignon.

But Are They Any Good?
All this looks and sounds great, right, but what of the products themselves ... are they lovely to use?
I'm not sure I can fully express in a blog post just how incredibly gorgeous these products are.  These are substantial, big bars of soap, not slivers of product.  They are 6.5 oz in weight and much more in essence.  The bars provide a rich, luxuriously creamy lather.  They all smell divine.  You know how generally you'll smell a few bars of soap on display somewhere and be able to come up with a favorite from the line?  Yeah, you can't do that with these - they're all amazing. The blends of the essential oils in each bar are spot on ... not too much of one or the other to overpower the senses.  It may sound cliche', but using these bars truly does lend the experience of washing in nature. 

I mentioned to Melanie that my face never felt cleaner than after using her soap (I tried Abbey Road first).  I had a healthy glow to my skin I haven't seen since I was in my 20's - shocking!  I hesitate to even call the bars soap as that conjures up thoughts of something drying to skin.  There is nothing in mōksa soap bars that are drying to skin.  I'm telling you, I can't wait to jump out of bed in the morning to wash my face.  When a bar of soap can do that for a mood (especially for a mood of one who is in NO way a morning person), that's saying something.

L-R: hand before body butter, mōksa organics Lavender Bergamot Body Butter, hand with body butter

Don't think mōksa's soaps are their only product worth salivating over.  I had the good fortume to also try their body butter in Lavender Bergamot. Omgosh!! The consistency is a firm yet somehow whipped texture of deliciousness.  Ya know, lab produced, synthetic, amalgamations of chemically infused products just cannot give you these same results: simple, pure, healthy.

Well, clearly you see I am completely enamored with mōksa organics and its founder, Melanie. But really, who wouldn't be?  Honest, pure, back-to-nature (literally) goodness handcrafted from a place of integrity and heart.  It's just a winning combination all around.

mōksa soaps retail for $6.50 a bar and body butters for $14 a jar.  You may also seek out their body oils, bath salts, t-shirts and totes (they are "revolutionary" he he!).  Please do yourself a favor and check out mōksa organics online; your skin and conscience will thank you!  Products by mōksa organics are also available online at nimli.com, bellafloria.com and other boutique retailers.  Enjoy! xo