Need to jazz up your style? Easiest way is to get a new hair do! We recently stumbled upon a blog called berlinhairbaby.com and Twitter: @BerlinHairBaby. It features tips on celebrity make-up, hair & style. Berlin Baby shows us the do-it-yourself way to the most iconic and recognizable hair and makeup styles. Here are some of our favorites:
1950′s look
1920′s Waves
Queen Sophie Anne from True Blood
Grecian Goddess
Who doesn’t long for a spa day with the girls? I was recently so excited to meet the gal pals for a “play date” at the spa, only to be reminded how much work it can be to relax!
I got out of the house late and landed in bad traffic. I found myself frustrated, honking and yelling at my fellow commuters “HURRY…I’M LATE TO RELAX!” I dug deep and used the child birth breathing techniques but to no avail, I could feel the stress-o-meter rising. I was tempted to jump into the carpool lane in hopes that if I was stopped the officer would support my desperate desire to chill and provide me a police escort instead of serving up a ticket for double what the massage costs.
When I realized I was going to be WAY late for my appointment, I called the spa and was greeted with a very sweet zen voice on the other end. I explained my predicament and she calmly told me that all my friends were already in session and not to worry, to just “relax, enjoy the drive and we’ll see you shortly!” After circling for parking, I finally came rushing through the spa door. I could literally feel the cloud of angst around me, like Linus with that big cloud of dirt swirling behind him…that was me, only I was infecting this beautiful lobby oasis, with its babbling brook and chimes, with my stress tornado.
The receptionist explained to me that they still had time to give me a short head and neck massage. I’m sure she was looking at me thinking, “Can’t hurt, chick!”
I skipped the relaxation room, foot soak, water with lemon, comfy robes and slippers, and proceeded right to the treatment room. A nice therapist greeted me in the candlelit room with a calming approach. She explained she could help me relax and asked if I had ever had my chakra cleared? I said “clearing the five lanes on the interstate would have been great but I’ll settle for my chakra.”
She starts slow and easy but pretty soon she tells me she’s going to work on my third eye and she starts pulling my hair. At first I thought this is just a more intense head massage than the hair salon but then she moved into a full blown hair pulling session, resembling the ones I used to have with my sister over that killer blue cardigan sweater.
Needless to say, I arrived in the coom-by-ah room only to be greeted by all my friends (looking all relaxed, rejuvenated and cute in their robes) and they busted a gut laughing at my new Debbie Harry 80’s doo. Not only had my chakra been cleared but my hair now looked exactly like a felt….like a maniac.
Don’t get me wrong, I love spas, those therapists are underpaid miracle workers… but relaxation can be such hard work sometimes!
High end gowns, shoes, and bags go mostly untouched, on the floors of Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, Bloomingdale’s and almost every fancy department store. Even though times are tough you still CRAVE those designer duds, but how can you afford them? There are online stores that allow you to purchase designer goods for surprisingly discounted prices. So what’s the catch? There are two ways you can become a member of these sights. You either have to receive an e-mail inviting you to join from another member or you can put your name on a waiting list and they will e-mail you personally when you can join. The sites also put new items on sale at the same time every day for a limited period, usually no more than 24 hours. Check out some of our favorites.
Rue La La (ruelala.com) offers all kinds of designer goods from Betsey Johnson to Burberry to bridge lines, house wares, vacation packages, shoes and accessories. When you sign into Rue La La there is a list of “Today’s Boutiques”, where sales end either in 2 days, 12 hours or 30 minutes depending on what it says. Once you click the boutique you’d like to shop at, pieces are extremely discounted and some let you know there is only 1 or 2 left.
Gilt Group (gilt.com) carries designer trends from Seven for All Mankind, Jewelry from Kara Ross, Susan Hanover and Emanual Ungaro, among others. Although all of the sights carry high end goods, it seems as though Gilt Group reaches the highest, with the most exquisite couture and unique, almost quirky, lesser-known brands. If you get the opportunity to become a member of Glit Groupe you will have access to premier fashion and luxury brands at up to 70% off retail price. When you access their site it even lets you know what time of day their sales end.
Haute Look (hautelook.com) offers designer clothes for women, men and children. They also sell home goods and a good selection of make-up. They host their own private 36-72 hour sales. When you sign on under each designer, the site will let you know how long the sale is going to last and also lets you click to read about each of the brands.
If you ever wondered how your friends got Marc Jacobs bags and shrugged like it was no big deal, ask them to invite you onto their online discounter, because chances are, that’s where they got them.
* Copy editing by Melisa Miller
These days we are all trying to navigate the quickly evolving world of social media. Whether you use it in your personal life or for business, it is a constant battle to stay on top of the game. Thankfully, there are experts we can turn to, such as Viveka von Rosen. Viveka is a Certified LinkedIn expert & trainer and social media speaker. She is a dynamic woman who uses her knowledge to coach her clients on using social media marketing to propel their business. Read our interview with Viveka to learn a few expert tips and get a peak into what her business entails.
What do you say to clients who are intimidated by taking theirbusiness online?
First of all, even though social media looks like it’s “online” there is a bit of a different dynamic. It’s important to remember that Social Media is about communication – there are no special codes or tricks you need to know – there is no specific sales analytic to worry about. Use social media to communicate what you know with your “tribe” of friends and connections. Let your personality and knowledge shine through – that’s the only “trick” to social media. Most women are good communicators, so social media is a natural outlet for us. Don’t let the “online” nature intimidate you – that’s only the channel. You are the content!
Is social media marketing something business owners should be trained to do, or should they hire someone to a new position?
You can certainly hire someone to do your campaign – but they must understand that social media is about communication. In this case, about communicating for your business. So whoever you have must be enthusiastic about your business, product or service. Social media is about attraction or inbound marketing – you have to attract your client by being interesting and useful. Pushing a sales message on social media NEVER works.
What are some ways to avoid blending your personal and business profiles?
I’m not sure you DON’T want to blend them – you want your personality to shine through. Having said that – Facebook – being the most social of the mediums, might blend a little too much. I.E. – you might have your friends saying something you don’t want your clients to know. In that case, make sure you have a fan PAGE that you direct your clients too – not your personal profile.
When did you become active in the social media world, and how did you become an expert?
I’ve been involved for about 5 years now – I became an expert by getting the name first. Honestly though, I am such a social media enthusiast that I probably spend way too much time on it. Not only using the tools, but learning about them. I have a very helpful fan base that shares useful info with me as well. I am not the end all and be all of social media, but I try to know as much, and use as much of it as possible. I suppose that’s what makes me one of the experts.
Your upcoming book looks at how social media becomes a tool of empowerment for women- can you give us a sneak peak?
I have training as a life and business coach, and early on I realized social media gives women a voice, gives them freedom, gives them flexibility. My book speaks to how social media empowers women – as a tool they can use. I have some amazing guest authors contributing as well. Some of the top women in their fields who have experienced great success through social media in their own careers. We are all going to share secrets!
What are some common misperceptions about Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook? How can each be used to promote a business?
I think the biggest mis-interpretation is that you have to be on it all the time. Which would be impossible. Like any tool, you need to know how to use it strategically and successfully for the best results. There is strong ROI – but you have to be very clear on your business, your message and your strategy to receive it!
What is the most common consulting question you receive?
How much time is this going to take?
What business mistake have you made that you will not repeat?
I thought I was more clever than some of the social mediums and didn’t follow their EUA (End User Agreement). That mistake has cost me dearly. But now none of my clients have to experience it! A common mistake other people make: treating social media like normal media and trying to push their sales message. Just like a commercial – people will turn you off if you do that.
Who is your role model or mentor?
I have a lot – Mari Smith, Tim Sanders, Al Lautenslager, Miles Austin, Dr. Joan King, Ava Diamond, Laurie Macomber, Pete Cashmore, Colin lewis, Zig Ziglar, I could go on and on.
People may be surprised to know…
I actually look like my picture
You know the whole “devil’s in the details” saying? well, I’m a professional at details. I get paid the big bucks to manage every last detail and let nothing slip through the proverbial crack. Piece of cake, right?
Well, as a professional meeting planner I was knee deep in an awards banquet for 500 tourism professionals when I got a call from my nanny saying, “Where are the treats?” I literally took the call backstage at the luncheon event as the Governor who had just sipped her perfectly served “Diet Pepsi, no ice” in the green room, was taking the stage.
“What treats?” I say under my breath. She informs me through a crackly cell connection that it was my day to prepare “snack” for 12 hungry pre-schoolers and my son showed up with nothing! I promptly went to that dark foreboding place in my mind, you know the one where you see your kid in the far corner of the play yard being heckled by the 5 year old with sideburns about being the kid who’s Mom forgot “snack day”…holy crap!
Luckily, my delegation instincts kicked in and we (yes, my underpaid priceless nanny wife and I) pulled off a miracle and got a dozen brownies to Raggedy Ann & Andy Preschool by noon. Thousands of dollars and millions of lives later, we are heroes (her & I combined ours to add our allotted 18 lives to the cause).
The moral…yes, the devil is in the details but when he rears his ugly head, use your magic powers of being creative and resourceful to kick the devil’s butt.
Superwoman (plus nanny) : 1 Devil : 0
Our definition of winter is more or less “the dark time”. Clouds, rain and 4pm sunsets have a way of draining all the energy out of you until you almost can’t remember what the brightness and warmth of the summer months felt like. If you happen to live in a northern country, you probably know exactly the feeling. We spend a majority of the fall months gathering, celebrating and being thankful with family, good food and colorful warm lights. What a perfect time of year for whole cities to light up and fight the darkness. But come January 2nd, the plug is pulled. The family is gone, the diet starts, the work resumes, the lights go out and you’re left alone. Some people even suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD, a mood disorder that causes depressive symptoms in the winter months. Here are just a couple of ways to bring the light back into the dark months.
Your home is the most important place to fill with warmth and light. It’s where you go to get away from work or errands or anything that leaves you dealing with stress and the dark outdoors that always seem to encroach on your happiness. Don’t leave your home too dark. It’s easy to leave a light bulb unchanged for weeks after it’s burned out because you just can’t seem to get around to it. You may be able to live with it, but you’d be surprised to realize how much the change in light actually affects your mood. Some psychologists suggest using full-spectrum lighting to help treat SAD. Full spectrum is a type of light that covers the entire electro-magnetic spectrum from infrared to near ultra-violet. This is the closest type of artificial light that man has been able to produce to emulate natural sunlight.
Stay connected with your friends and family. Have a summer-themed party in your home with tropical drinks and bright outfits to help remind yourself that summer is coming and your attitude is what you make it. You have the power to make yourself optimistic and so do your friends. When you’re down, shop in indoor malls or go to the movies and see a bright comedy (nothing gets you down more than watching a dark depressing movie in a dark theater in the middle of a dark nasty winter). Take a hot yoga class or just exercise at the gym instead of fighting the weather.
Exercise! It’s been proven scientifically that the lack of light and the cold temperatures of winter cause some people’s bodies to go into a sort of hibernation response where they are more fatigued, find themselves hungrier and actually have more trouble burning fat. Not only does exercise fight off the extra weight but the added oxygen flow to your brain is crucial in raising energy levels, stimulating your mind and boosting your mood.
Or if you’re like some of us you’ll just keep the Christmas tree up till February and leave the shades closed so the neighbors can’t tell. Whatever you do, the most important thing is to keep a positive attitude because spring always follows winter.
“Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” –Chinese Proverb
With the arrival of each new year, we once again have a chance to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. What is it that you want this year? So many of us seem to be constantly searching for happiness in our lives – we want to be happy in our job, our family life, our friendships – we are continually striving to reach the point in our lives where we are finally happy – with all of it. Maybe this is the year – to finally discover what it is that makes you happy, find out what brings you joy, and go after it.
Writer, wife, and mother of two, Gretchen Rubin, recently took her own journey to happiness and wrote about it all in her new book, “The Happiness Project”. Full of practical advice, humor and charm, her memoir chronicles the year that she spent learning to be happy by test-driving different studies, theories and lessons. She consulted poets, novelists, philosophers, scientists and psychologists. She drew from history, analysis, real-life experience, research and pop-culture. From Oprah to Thoreau, she used it all to gain insight into this feeling we call happiness.
What she found was that you can be happier simply by taking small, concrete steps in your daily life. The Happiness Project is an approach to changing your life.
Step One: Identify what makes you happy. Spend time to really discover what things in life bring you joy.
Step Two: Make resolutions. Just like New Year’s, put together a plan and concrete actions that you can take, that will bring you to the happiness you are searching for.
Step Three: Now this is where, as Rubin says, “it gets interesting”. You have to keep those resolutions.
Since her book arrived on shelves, groups all over the country have started their own Happiness Projects – not to mention the hundreds of blogs that have popped up of people sharing their journeys towards lives filled with more joy. So, why not start your own Happiness Project in 2010? A few tips from the woman herself to get you started:
Be You.
Let It Go.
Do it Now.
Enjoy the Process.
Lighten Up.
Act the way you want to feel.
Sounds like a good plan to us. This book and life-philosophy will definitely make you smile and think. Get to it ladies! Find out what makes YOU happy in 2010.
They love us unconditionally no matter what, but we still cannot seem to help doting on our favorite canine friends. Dog lover and now business owner Val Stouffer decided to create Methow Dog, launching own line of healthy dog treats. The product line is all-natural and comes in scrumptious flavors named after Val’s pets. A new business owner, Val is now doing what she enjoys and creating a product for the ones she loves.
Business Description/ What is your story?
Methow Dog manufactures a line of delicious, healthy dog treats. They’re made with high-quality, all natural, human-grade ingredients, grown and manufactured here in the Northwest. Our treats are made by hand in small batches in a commercial Seattle kitchen.
What are your most popular products or services?
Methow Dog Healthy Treats are available in four delectable flavors. Our current best-seller is “Aurelia’s Peanut Butter Carrot Kisses.” However, our newest treat, “Larry’s Wild Cherry Squares” is very popular in beta testing. Look for ‘Larry’s’ treat in stores and online in early January.
People may be surprised to know…
Our treats are named after our three greyhounds Larry, Aurelia and Ducati. “Madeleine’s Liver Peanut Butter Brownies” are named after our dear canine friend Maddie, who we love very much. She was was our yellow lab tester. Maddie is no longer with us.
What or who inspired you to start your business?
Our dogs. They are very important members of our family. We want them to enjoy long and healthy lives. That includes good nutrition and high-quality foods with no by-products, preservatives or anything artificial. We want to know where our food comes from and what’s in it, and we also want to know the same for our dog’s food. We strive to offer premium products for your pet and ours that reflect our love of animals and our values of high-quality and sustainability. We also love the Methow Valley, located on the eastern edge of the North Cascades and hope to become full-time Mazama residents in 2010.
Who is your role model or mentor?
I don’t have any one person I can claim as a role model. I find inspiration in ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
What business mistake have you made that you will not repeat?
I’m so new to all this I don’t yet know what I don’t know. Ask me in a year…
How do you spend your free time?
Cycling and hanging out with my dogs.
What is your indulgence?
Quitting my job in TV news last year to focus full-time on Methow Dog.
Where is your favorite place to go with your girlfriends?
A bike ride around the south end of Lake Washington. We’ll throw in a loop around Mercer Island if it’s a nice day.
What do you CRAVE? In business? In life?
In business I hope to continue to make beautiful products and achieve financial success without compromising my standards. In life I hope to gain the wisdom to make good choices and the courage to act upon them.
Where to Find:
Phone: 206.619.8251
Website: www.methowdog.com
Twitter: @MethowDog
Ahhh, the New Year… so full of hope and possibility. Whoo hoo! I have always had hopes of ringing in the New Year at one of those fabulous celebrations you see on TV. I’d be wearing a very hip, cool, shiny dress, insanely uncomfortable shoes that would hold up to dancing into the wee hours, and have a fantastic looking date on my arm to dip and smooch me at midnight. Who does that really happen to other than Cinda-frickin-rella? Even she had to leave the party before the ball dropped.
I rang in 2010 in my sweats on the couch, watching all those fashionable people whose adorable “Happy New Year” tiaras perfectly accented their cute up-dos. I missed the party this year but I was still hopeful and dreamy-eyed about what the new year may bring: fewer pounds, more business, and that hot date!
Just before New Year’s, Melody and I shared a holiday tottie and she asked if I would join the CRAVE team. I am so excited to have the opportunity to share my fun stories and silly views on this crazy world that we all try to navigate (in cute but uncomfortable shoes) in hopes that it might bring a smile to your face and maybe even crack you up a little this year.
Smile,
Sara (my Vegas name)
Adorn
Adorn. To me, that word means “bobbles.” For those who know me, I’m the girl who wants to wear cool hats, fashionable bobbles and colorful wraps… but I don’t. I have one pair of fake diamond earrings that I wear every single day, despite the outfit. My college roommate was the “adorn” queen, the chick had gold lamé shoes for crying out loud. She has tried for 20+ years to accessorize me. Her latest attempt was when I showed up at her house headed to a holiday party and she said, “Is that all you’re wearing for jewelry?” I of course said, “be glad my earrings at least dangle. This is my holiday wear!”
She promptly went to her closet of accessories and reappeared with a necklace that looked like a left over item from a Mad Max film. It had huge black square jewels and weighed five pounds. She dropped it around my neck and said, “It’s fabulous!” I figured, what the heck, if ever there was a time to be fabulous it was at a holiday party. So I braced my neck for the workout it was about to endure and headed out the door.
I had a bazillion comments on my lovely necklace and I chuckled every time I heard, “that necklace is fabulous.”
Now, most of you CRAVE ladies know the value of a five pound necklace, but I am just joining you in the world of being adorned with such treasures.
I might just get to like it… and buy a second set of earrings for casual Friday.
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