Yes, this stuff is uber luxe, and not only in price. It’s kind of perfumy, rinses through your hair like silk, and blow drys super nice.

The only downside is that by the time I got down to the end of the bottle, my hair was tired of the stuff, fatigued and a bit limp. I wonder if they make a clarifying shampoo? Due to the quick fatigue, I probably won’t buy it again unfortunately, because it was just a bit too pricey for the quick poop-out.

If you’d like to try Alterna out, or if you have a really good clarifying shampoo on deck (Fekkai Apple Cider clarifying is great IMO) you might want to give it a try – for the first 3 weeks at least, your hair really will feel fabulous. I found it cheapest at FragranceNet.com

Alot of you know already that I am a semi-bonkers animal lover, and lately it has been super important that the products that I spend my money on don’t test on animals. One of my favorite brands fortunately doesn’t test on animals, AND they are fabulous AND they are affordable AND the products rock, so I just wanted to give them a shout out for thier sheer awesomeness. Thanks DHC for being all that and a bag of chips!!!

xoxo

Here’s a list of quicklinks of my faves and totally stand by:

Organic Skin Care by DHC. Four Free Samples with Every Order.
DHC Olive Virgin Oil Nurtures and Revitalizes Skin. 100% USDA Certified Organic.
Fight Aging with DHC Q10 Cream. Four Free Samples with Every Order.
Fight Aging with DHC Q10 Cream. Four Free Samples with Every Order.

Here’s a roundup of links that I loved this week:

Tonya and Atlantis Bellydancing in Long Beach: LONG BEACH SHOWCASE: EVERY WEDNESDAY at KHOURY’S RESTAURANT- LONG BEACH. W/LIVE MUSIC BY VIKEN AND CARLOS AND/OR JOHN BILIZIKJIAN. TONYA IS VOCALIST AND MC. FULL BAR. FULL DINNERS. $10 MIN FOOD AND/OR BEVERAGE PER PERSON. NO COVER CHARGE. SUMMER SCHEDULE: SHOWS START AT 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. SIGN UP SHEET AVAILABLE ONLINE. MINORS WELCOME WITH ADULT SUPERVISION. FOR RESERVATIONS PHONE 562-433-6615

New Orleans French Perfume : Bourbon Fresh Perfume: Voodoo Love: Marie Laveau became known as the most powerful Voodoo Queen in the world. This deep, earthy fragrance is a re-creation of the special potion Marie Laveau gave to her favored clients so they could gain the object of their affections.

EcoStilleto: “EcoStiletto is for the woman who wants to do the right thing and still look good doing it.“–Kelly Rutherford, “Gossip Girl”

I always get a bunch of moans and groans regarding the high prices of eating healthy. What’s funny is that no one ever complains of the price of eating unhealthy. Go figure.

Anyway, with today’s prices being much more higher at the grocery store, shopping at more organic and non-superstore shops is not only good for your body and mind, but not so heavy in your wallet either. The produce at Whole Foods or Trader Joes just plain taste better too! I picked up a whole pineapple and a box of blackberries for under $7, chopped them up and added them to salads, yogurt toppings and my cereals and so far that mix has lasted 3 days. Now That’s a Deal, baby!

Today’s morning snack granted me not only lots of yummies, but the pineapple nourished my body with vitamin B1, vitamin C and natural enzymes that will help break down proteins in the the body. Blackberries delivered natural fiber, vitamins C and K,  folic acid (a B vitamin) and lots of essential antioxidants. The natural seeds that are within the Blackberry fruit contain Omega 3 good and natural fats, small amounts of protein, and natural sources of fiber.

Here’s something you might not have known: Pineapples are indigenous to southern Brazil and Paraguay and spread up through the north americas by native peoples. In 1493 Columbus found the fruit on the island of Guadaloupe and carried it back to Spain and it was spread around the world on sailing ships that carried it for protection against scurvy. The Spanish introduced it into the Philippines and may have taken it to Hawaii and Guam early in the 16th Century.

Source: Wikipedia

This Saturday night is the Love Movement hosted by BodyWorks Studio! I am way excited!

Taken from BodyworksStudioInfo.com:
“Join me and 16 lucky women for The Love Movement, as we explore the “History and Art of Belly Dance” Saturday, February 21, 2009 at BodyWorks. Tickets are only $25 and will include a dance workshop, live performance, pampering services, gifts AND refreshments. This is such a fun, relaxing and empowering event. Valentine’s Day can’t compare…hurry, tickets sell out fast every year!”

I stopped by Whole Foods today after bellydance class to pick up some ingredients for Trina’s supergood fun salad that she made us last week, but I had to kind of wing it because I couldn’t remember what exactly was in it. I added spinach to the mix, some dried cranberries and now that I think about it, I’m missing the bell pepper that was in it. Oh yea, and I added some of whole pecans in lieu of walnuts (I think that is what was in Trina’s, but I’m not sure).

Another thing that I took heed from our Total Body 12 week kickstart program at Bodyworks Studio is to pre-package and stay organized, ahead of the game to fight the last minute ‘grab a bite to eat’ routine that never seems to work in my favor. I made 2 salads and pre-packed them for quick and easy transport to work, so I’m good until Saturday.

I also made some chicken and black beans and tomato dishes for dinner. I’m pretty glad that I can eat the same thing for a few days in a row without any problem with variety – it makes things SO much easier and way more convenient.

“If you want different results, you have to try different things.” I’m in a good space tonight.

I thought all Mac lipglass products were created equal, but today as I put on my new Ample Pink Plushglass and felt the tingle, I knew I was wrong. One of the reasons why I never was a fan of the Venom lip plumpers or any of the trendy lip-plumpers that came out was that I absolutely detest any sort of minty or tingly effect on my lips.

And now, I own yet another gloss that I probably won’t wear too often because of the tingle factor. I kind of wish someone would have told me that it would do that. So now I am telling you, MAC’s Plushglass has the minty tingle sensation. You are welcome.

So…last night in our Total Body 12 week jumpstart class, Trina challenged us to go for a week of only drinking water. Sounds easy enough…until she said NO COFFEE. Sigh. I don’t know how well my head and mental stability is going to like that, truth being totally told. This morning, we had 1 red berry waffle with flax seed and a strawberry, followed by a FiberOne yogurt (which was totally good btw).

I am fully aware of my weakness in portion control. Even after a year plus some months on Jenny Craig, I find that I am still hungry when I eat the alotted portion, and even with my 2 hours of cardio I do 6 days a week, I am not loosing any weight. How frustrating!!

Next week is our “Mid-Term” weigh in where we get measured and compared weight wise from the time we got on the program, so today I did a sneak peek and got on the scale and found that I haven’t lost one single pound. Not one!!!

One thing that I do keep hearing her say, though, is “If you want different results, you need to do different things”. I hear that in my head every morning, and at least a couple of days throughout the day as I attempt to resort to older habits that are still hard to break…even as I made my cup of coffee this morning

One step at a time, I say. One step at a time. Maybe my body is just meant to stay at this size. I’m looking pretty good, feeling pretty good, and love the exercising. But still, I am internalizing the ‘doing different things for different results” and am going to start today by attempting to meditate this afternoon in hopes of staying on path.

Ohh it’s that time!! Be on the lookout for new MAC tutorial/haul vids, I just got a nice size box in the mail lovies!!!

When I was a kid, I had a baby sitting gig for occassional weekend nights with the healthy-obsessed couple that lived across the street. After the kids went down, I would check out the snack situation and was completely disappointed that they were super vita-nerds and had cupboards and stacks of suppliments, organic food that smelled weird and a bunch of dried fruit in bushels. I promised myself that I would NEVER be like that. And here I am…a total vita-nerd, all about the functional food and even considering going raw. Isn’t it funny how life throws major life changing episodes?

So I’ve incorporated a bunch of supplements into my life in the last year or so, and have been able to find some pretty good stuff. I will be blogging about different distinct products and giving a link of where you can get the best deal, but so far, Vitacost has been the best for the competitive pricing.

I’ll start with my daily multi-vitamin that I am kind of digging right now: It’s by TwinLabs. On the good side, it comes in a capsule form which is easy (well, easier) on my stomach (I have major vitamin sensitivity even when I eat with food). On the bad side – you have to take 4 capsules as the serving suggestion is labeled. For me, taking a handful of pills has never been a problem LOL, but if you don’t like taking pills, these might not work for you. Vitacost sells them for less than $14.00 and I think I paid close to $19.00 from a local vitamin store, as I needed some retail expertise/guidance to discuss my stomach sensitivity issue. It’s a “Women’s Blend” which is touting proprieties for healthy skin, hair and nails as well as “blends” for energy and mood stability. I don’t know about the whole energy and mood stability as I felt sluggish all day today, but I could have just had a bad day…we all are partial to those every now and again, no?

Anyway, it’s got some pretty good reviews from users from Vitacost, so check it out if you’re in the market for a good general multi-vitamin.

I just got notification that Olay is cutting checks in the amount of $20 bucks through a mail-in rebate for purchases over $50. Check out the details here: Olay Professional Pro-X Anti-Aging Starter Protocol

I’m feeling the winter blues, big time. I’m staying busy doing the routine stuff, and not especially feeling fabulous. Long gone are the days for a quick trip to Sephora for a retail pick me up…so I decided to start writing on an ongoing list of things that I can do to make me feel fabulous..for free.

Quicklist time:

1. Drink a glass of water. Sounds funky and cheesy, but it’s a quick refresher, pick me up and I’m feeling good that I actually hydrated instead of ‘not remembering’ to hydrate. Plus it kills whatever snack-boredom-stress eating that I might have resorted to at that particular moment.

2. Take 10 deep, cleansing breaths. I remember this from the Tony Robbins tapes that my mom ordered over 20 years ago. It has always worked for clearning my mind and giving me a sort of metaphorical ‘clean slate”.

3. Remove your current nail polish. Whether it’s chipped, old or your simply tired of it, clean nails will always make you feel fabulous. Plus it’s good to have a clean slate to start up when you do feel the urge to polish your nails.

4. Clean up your Brows. Even if you don’t have the skills to actually shape your brows, you can always clean up strays and fix that upcoming unibrow that you have been pretending you didn’t see the last time you looked in the mirror.

This weekend was pretty hectic. I got a new puppy, and unfortunately my family isn’t being very supportive of my new family member. Thank goodness that I live with OJ who is just fabulous and accepting of my doggy family. My parents on the other hand, have made me give away my past puppy (my chow-chow named Zeus) and have made it clear that the new puppy Obi is NOT welcome at their home. It caused a bit of a trife, but for now, thats TMI, so I will leave it at just having had a hectic puppy-weekend.

In the midst of all the familial dramz, I was able to get in a few quiet moments to check out some cool sites online that I’d like to share with you, as well as some info that I learned at Trina’s Total Body Makeover last week that was a surprise to me, and I am sure will be to you too.

In the quest for going green and saving our planet one tiny bit at time while being and staying fabulous:
EcoStiletto: The secret to smart & sexy green living

Sustainable Cotton Project
In 2007 there were 2 organic cotton farmers growing 240 acres, reducing• chemicals by a little over 500 pounds

Finally, a big thanks to Trina from BodyWorks Studio for making me aware that you shouldn’t ever microwave food in plastic containers, OR freeze food in plastic containers because when you either heat or freeze plastic, the chemicals that were used in forming the shape are released and absorbed into your food. Did you know that?? I totally didn’t!!!

Yea, that was 10 days ago that I placed the order. AND I paid over $8 USD for shipping, and guess what? I still haven’t gotten my hair bumps. That sucks. Just keeping you posted, because I know a bunch of you are anxious for the review.