08 JanBEAUTY 101: MORE THAN JUST YOUR AVERAGE BRISTLE

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What gets rid of cellulite, exfoliates the skin, cleanses the lymphatic system, improves the immune system and circulation, tightens the skin, tones the muscles, improves digestion all for a mere $9 bucks ? It’s not a pill, potion or diet.. it’s the amazing DRY BRUSH !!

Dry Brushing was recommended by the Finnish Dr., Paavo Airola for his patients 30 years ago and is still popular in European spas and many cancer treatment centers today. The Russians, Turks and Scandinavians have used this treatment for centuries. Dry brushing is promoted as a preventative for dry skin and a way to exfoliate the skin, thus stimulating skin renewal that is super soft to the touch.

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Dry brushing is an excellent way to wake up and start the day. It rejuvenates, invigorates and supports one of the skin’s important functions, ridding the skin of accumulated toxins.

Brushing the skin helps unplug the pores, increase its ability to absorb nutrients, increase circulation to the skin cells resulting in a better metabolic cellular exchange and polish it as well. Healthy skin needs to ‘breathe’. Rid it regularly of dry skin cells and the body will react by producing new skin cells more rapidly. Your skin will immediately feel silkier and on the long term will look healthier, loosing that dry, pasty appearance.

Fat deposits are better distributed, the nervous system is rejuvenated, nerve endings are stimulated and dry brushing contributes to improved muscle tone. All this from dry brushing alone?

Yes! But there is a right way to dry brush your skin for optimal benefits.

How to Dry Brush :

Begin with your feet and brush vigorously in circular motions.

Continue brushing up your legs.

Proceed to your hands and arms.

Brush your entire back and abdomen area, shoulders and neck.

Use circular counter-clockwise strokes on the abdomen.

Lightly brush the breasts.

Brush upwards on the back and down from the neck. Better yet, have a friend, spouse or family member brush your back.

I do this everyday and find that if I forget or run out of moisturizer, I don’t even need it. My skin also takes on a rosy glow and a kind of translucent glimmer that you only see in kids. I also dry brush my face every morning and it gives me that just came from a nice long run look.

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You can purchase a dry brush at any health food store. I prefer  one with a long handle so I can easily reach my back. I use a Yerba Prima and it rocks !

To purchase your Yerba Prima Dry Brush click here

05 JanBOOK OF THE WEEK: EATING FOR BEAUTY

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You can slather yourself with all the potions you like, get facials from here to kingdom come and wear Frownies 24/7 but without filling your tank with the right stuff that elusive thing called beauty will never really be all yours.

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Beauty comes from the inside. It the glow coming off your skin, the shine in a healthy head of hair and eyes that are bright and clear. The people I have met in my life that have truly blown me away with these ever present qualities are those that live mostly on a raw plant and fruit based diet. Their systems are so clear and the flow of blood is so well supported through ever capillary of their being that they are simply the most beautiful radiant creatures on this planet. One only has to look at the likes of Demi Moore, Natalie Portman or Carol Alt to see the living proof.

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Now you can get the Glow too !! Just trot down to your friendly neighborhood bookstore and pick up a copy of David Wolf’s EATING FOR BEAUTY. David Wolf is a famous raw foody who has single handedly brought the “super food” phenomenon into the mainstream and this book does not disappoint. You will learn which veggies remove dark circles, which fruits and nuts brighten your complexion, what supplements are beauty musts and more !!!

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click here to purchase  EATING FOR BEAUTY

07 DecGREEN GODDESS: RUB A DUB DUB

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About 2 months ago I was brushing my teeth, daydreaming, glancing here there and everywhere..as one is wont to do when brushing the old knashers… when my eye caught my near empty tube of toothpaste.. it was going to end up in the trash soon..and then where ? washed up on a beach in the South Pacific ? stuck in the belly of some poor Pygmy Sperm Whale ? or just simple sitting in some landfill for thousands of years ? that was it !!

I guiltily tossed the tube and immediately replaced it with a dish of nature’s multi tasker… baking soda. Me and baking soda are pals..a match made in heaven..but there are just some days where I miss that minty fresh infusion in the morning..just when I thought all was lost I heard about the oh so fabulous Tooth Soap !!

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While searching for natural dental protocols one day, entrepreneur Karen Van Cleefe stumbled upon research from Dr. Gerard F. Judd. She discovered that using soap (YES SOAP!) to brush was the first most important step in keeping healthy teeth and gums for life. Dr. Judd proved that your mother was right when she told you to wash your mouth out with soap!

With Dr. Judd’s info, some soap to brush and the zeal to put her whole family on Dr. Judd’s plan, Karen did just that and wrote about it in her second book, “The Perfect Prescription For Your Teeth”. Self published and over 15,000 hard copies sold, thousands are now saving big $$$ in dental bills because of the simple 3 step plan provided in?”The Perfect Prescription For Your Teeth”.

Customers love how clean their teeth and gum feel …

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Perfect Prescription Tooth Soap® became available in October 2003 and sold out immediately after to going to market. Customers loved how clean their teeth and gums felt and many said they felt like they had just went to the dentist and got a cleaning!

With a registered trademark and a patent now pending, Tooth Soap® made with whole food ingredients lets nature do what nature intended, which is support the body so that it can build and repair as needed in a natural manner.

Tooth Soap comes in an array of delish flavors like: mint, chocolate mint, ginger, cinnamon, fennel, raspberry fudge, and fennel.. all sweetened with raw honey and delivered straight to you and earth friendly reusable glass jars. Forget those oh so passe plastic tubes..get on the horn and order yourself some Tooth Soap.

ps Perfect Prescription also has a whole line of natural dental care..from flosses, to rinses to whiteners…in loads of yummy flavors

Keepin it Green !!

click here to order Tooth Soap

02 DecGODDESS IN THE RAW

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Since this blog began I have given you the low down on beauty… the skinny on fitness… we’ve gotten Zen together, explored all Women’s Cinema has to offer, explored Iconic Women and their stories all while keepin’ it Green and Earth Conscious.. well now I think it’s time to kick it up a notch..it’s time to scale back and leap forward… it’s time to get really juicy…to go LIVE..it’s time Goddess Gumbo went RAW !!!

I have spent many years being very conscious of what I put in my body.. nothing with fur or feathers..I have spent periods of time as a macrobiotic,  a vegan and there are months when I slide on over to the pescaterian side of the fence. But nothing and I mean NOTHING has given me the energy, power, and at the same time, lightness and clarity of the Raw Foods Diet.

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For those of you who haven’t heard of it, The Raw Foods Diet is exactly what it sounds like. Everything you eat is RAW. Raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, honey and for some raw meat, fish, milk and cheese. I can hear the yawns and gasps from here.

Well, I’m here to tell you that after spending a few years of my life totally raw, there is nothing boring about this diet. Your taste buds actually reawaken and you begin to notice the wondrous subtleties in flavor in simple foods, you will have more energy and sleep less, lose weight and never get sick..all while turning back the clock and honoring our planet. Look no further than the ageless  Demi Moore, Alicia Silverstone and the devestatingly  gorgeous Carol Alt as testimony to the benefits of this lifestyle.

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In this weekly post, we will explore the origins of raw foodism. I will post interviews with raw food gurus. We’ll talk about books, supplements and beauty products, information about retreats and restaurants in NYC and around the country as well as some yumalicious recipes that will make you positively glow. At the same time I will be living the raw lifestyle and posting a little bit about my journey back to RAW…with pictures of moi throughout my transformational journey.

Are you ready to get fierce, vibrant and gorgeous all while loving your planet ?

Then buckle up ladies.. you are in for a RAWESOME ride !!!

Check in next week for the first of many rawvalutionary posts !!

30 NovFIT GODDESS: FLEX EFFECT

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I have spent many years of my life trying to fight off the inevitable pull of gravity… carefully monitoring what I eat, doing The Bar method religiously to keep my ass from hitting the floor and my stomach as tight as a drum and an occasional visit to the endermologist’s table to keep that horrifying fold of skin from forming right above my knee ( for those who know what I am referring to, we all know how alarming that can be )..well now, there’s something else you can add to your little bag of tricks..something that will keep the skin on your face as firm as your bottom.. it’s the fabulous Flex Effect and in just 20 minutes a day you can literally take back years in just a few weeks !!

FlexEffect Facial Resistance Training is a complete Facialbuilding program involving all the voluntary muscles of the face and neck. Through Facial Resistance Training, the muscles increase in size creating a firm, smooth lift. The majority of facial exercises taught today, such as isometrics, stop short of actually increasing the size of the facial muscle. Isometrics do a great job of replacing tone, (a slight contraction found in all muscles) but render very little result. Only Facialbuilding is capable of increasing the size of facial muscle. No creams, no gloves, no nonsense.

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When it comes to elastic fiber, subcutaneous fat, and facial bone, facial muscle literally calls the shots. Only when facial muscle begins to lose its proteins (protein fills the individual fibers of the muscle giving it size) will a domino effect take place… When facial muscle atrophies, you begin to lose elastic fiber because the demand for such an abundant amount of elasticity is no longer needed for the stretching of muscle and skin … the skin becomes slack. Once the elastic fiber begins to break down (fibers become rigid due to lack of use and photo damage) a loss of subcutaneous fat takes place simply because it is stored between the fibers of the elastin, collagen, and to some degree within the muscle itself. Just as important… the atrophying of muscle will also bring about the loss of bone… another reason for a flattening of the face as we age.

Bottom line:

The longer you keep facial muscles strong and highly elastic they will …

(1) continue to put stress on the bone, retarding bone loss.
(2) maintain the demand for supple healthy elastic fiber (elasticity)
(3) slow down the loss of subcutaneous fat and collagen.

Flex Effect was founded by Deborah Crowley in the late 70’s. A student of facial isometrics, Deb was also a professional body builder. When training for competition she began to notice weight loss in her face.Around the same time, Deb was experimenting with facial resistance training. When combined with the concept of isometrics it proved to be the winning combination. In just 2 weeks her facial muscles were 35% stronger and after 8 weeks a whopping 350% stronger. The proof is in the pudding.. check out these photos of Deb through the years… she gives any Beverly Hills plastic surgeon a run for their money.

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So say goodbye to Botox, Restylane and..god forbid..the knife.. and start flexing those facial muscles !!

For more info and to order Flex Effect click here

Stay Beautiful !!

17 NovCHICK FLICK PICK OF THE WEEK: PRECIOUS

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Ok, I’m just going to get right down to it.. this is the BEST movie I have seen this year. Directed by Lee Daniels and based on the novel Push by Sapphire, Precious is the story of an overweight Harlem girl with the odds stacked against her. She lives with her abusive mother, has had 2 children by her child molester father, been kicked out of school and has not a soul in the world in her corner.. till Precious enrolls in a school for special needs kids.

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There she meets Blu Rain, a teacher who encourages Precious to explore who she is and find her own voice.
I’m not going to lie, this movie is hardcore and can be rough to watch. The year is 1987 and pre Giuliani NYC is a much edgier place.

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The performances in this film are absolutely astounding..Gabouray Sidibe shines as Precious; giving her just enough softness without losing her mettle. Mo’Nique is unspeakably sinister as Precious’s mother and is a sure bet for Oscar season..she takes this character to places many other actresses would not. There are also amazing performances by a stripped of artifice Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz and Paula Patton.

I can’t tell you more without revealing too much of the story but suffice to say this film will stay with you long after the theater lights have gone up.. this is a film that is tender, beautiful, ugly, frightening, cruel and one of the most inspiring I have seen in a long while.

Run, don’t walk, to your nearest theater !!

click here to view the trailer for Precious

15 NovBOOK OF THE WEEK: AMERICAN EVE by Paula Uruburu

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For that first heady decade of the 20th century, Evelyn Nesbit was the American Dream Girl whose “face was her fortune” and whose life reflected the era’s intoxicating, accelerated, and daring mood. By age 16, Nesbit, already an icon for the Gilded Age, embodied all its contradictory impulses; at times she seemed the picture of Victorian sentimentality, but her bewitching Mona Lisa smile promised something forbidden.

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She was “the American Eve” who proved too much of a temptation for famed architect Stanford White, shot to death in the “New Garden” he had created at Madison Square by Nesbit’s demented millionaire husband, Harry K. Thaw. The star witness in the first sensational “trial of the century,” Nesbit was cast forever as “the girl in the red velvet swing.” Tragically, almost as quickly as her star rose, America’s first super model, sex-goddess, and bona-fide celebrity fell victim to the very culture that created and consumed her.

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I started this book on a cold, rainy Sunday afternoon and had devoured every last sentence by Wednesday. Written with the perfect mix of true crime and  biography, I couldn’t put the bloody thing down. Sex, fashion, glamour, madness, mayhem and mystery course through this tale like a locomotive and I found myself missing Evelyn long after I finished the afterword and put her back on my bookshelf. A trip back in time that left me dazzled. It gave me a whole new perspective on the history of pop culture and the roles men and women play. I will never look at New York City quite the same way again.

click here to purchase AMERICAN EVE by Paula Uruburu

14 NovBEAUTY 101: BAR NONE

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Like alot of ladies out there, I love my products. There’s something very decadent about perusing the product aisle at your local beauty supply… a zillion fragrances, a million promises and row upon row of plastic bottles in every shape, size and color.

But as I have become more and more eco conscious in my life I have begun to question my monthly excursions down the aisles de beaute.. what am I pouring down my drain ? what am I putting on my skin and scalp ? how much waste is created when producing that lovely lavender plastic bottle with the chamomile blossoms emblazened on the side ? and when I am finished with the bottle where exactly is it going ?

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Then I discovered Chagrin Valley Soap and Craft Company. This amazing Ohio based company has been churning out a myriad of natural soaps for some time now. There are body bars, lotion bars, bath bars, pet bars even shampoo bars. Every soap is made by hand and uses only all natural herbs, flowers, oils and coconut milk.

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They are super conditioning and smell divine in Carrot Milk and Honey, Babbassu and Marshmallow, Chamomile and Citrus, Honey Beer and Egg and Coconut Milk. They even have a special Coffee Shampoo bar that will do wonders for the tresses of any brunette. As well as a full line of body creams and healing salves.

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The best part is every order is delivered to you in a recycled paper box. All for about $8 smackeroos.

Your hair will love you..your skin will love you and most of all the planet will love you.. and what could be better than that !!

Keepin’ it Green !!

click here to order

from the Chagrin Valley Soap and Craft Company

29 OctBEAUTY 101: THE DR’S IN THE HOUSE

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Like most of you ladies, I love a good mani/pedi. I don’t care what time of year it is, there is something about dipping my feet into that warm bubbling foot bath, having my soles scrubbed and kneaded within an inch of their lives and leaving with those perfectly manicured and varnished nails that makes me feel just a smidge more glamorous.

All was well in the garden, till I noticed my first green nail and then another and another..then one or two fell off..hmmm could it be the dreaded fungus ? Afraid so..and that’s not all you can leave your corner nail salon with. Conventional nail polishes dispensed at most drugstores and nail salons contain a veritable witch’s brew of chemicals, including toluene, which has been linked to a wide range of health issues from simple headaches and eye, ear, nose and throat irritation to nervous system disorders and damage to the liver and kidneys.

Another common yet toxic ingredient in conventional nail polish is a chemical plasticizer known as dibutyl phthalate (DBP). According to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit research and advocacy organization that campaigns to educate consumers about the health risks of cosmetics, studies have linked DBP to underdeveloped genitals and other reproductive system problems in newborn boys.

As such, DBP is banned from cosmetics in the European Union but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States has taken no such action, even though a recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found DBP and other toxic phthalates in the bloodstreams of every person they tested. Further, five percent of women tested who were of childbearing age (ages 20-40) had up to 45 times more of the chemicals in their bodies than researchers had expected to find.

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Well, have no fear..DR REMEDY is here !! The brainchild of two well known podiatrists. Dr. Cirlincione partnered with Dr. Spielfogel and together they formulated Dr.’s REMEDY®, free from THE BIG 3, but also UNIQUELY ENRICHED with ingredients, such as tea tree oil and garlic bulb extract, which are naturally occurring anti-fungal, antibacterial, and healthier for the nail.

Not only is Dr.’s REMEDY® better for you, it comes in a rainbow of today’s most fashionable colors.

* Enhanced with naturally occurring anti-fungal ingredients and vitamins to promote healthier nails.
* Appealing to women with discolored nails, pregnant women, or parents looking for safer alternatives for their children.
* Allergen friendly for those sensitive to chemicals in commercial nail polish.
* Enriched means a stronger, healthier looking nail, which is appealing to everyone.

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So skip the nail salon and get yourself some Dr Remedy.. you’ll be healthier, you’ll save alot of green and your hoofs and paws will look fab at the same time !!

Go here http://www.remedynails.com/ to purchase Dr Remedy

*or if you live in NYC trot on over to Ricky’s.. you will find Dr Remedy in the makeup section

28 OctCHICK FLICK PICK: AN EDUCATION

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It’s 1962 in a pre Beatles London and a precocious 16 year old Jenny is on the cusp of womanhood. The trajectory of her life has been long ago mapped out for her by her controlling yet bumbling father..school, Oxford University and then the inevitable union with a man of considerable means who will not only value her for her youthful beauty and insouciance but for her finely tuned University educated mind.

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Despite her passion for everything French, her love of the cello and her fantasies of travel abroad and a life of art, haute cuisine and the glamour of being a citizen of the world, Jenny has fully accepted her role and she is focused whole heartedly on living it out.Enter David Gold. A dashing, Jewish, much older mystery man who sweeps her off her feet and gives her an “education” of a different kind. I’m not going to spoil the story by telling you more but suffice to say this movie knocked my socks off.

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Directed by Lone Scherfig, written by Nick Hornby and beautifully acted by the amazing Carey Mulligan ( a girl to watch ), Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson and a supporting cast of near perfect performances, this movie is the best I’ve seen in a long time. It explores that tender time in a young woman’s life when she is on the cusp of everything and it all comes down to that choice of path that will define and/or undo her. With a smashing soundtrack of fab tracks from the early 60’s, couture to die for and the witty but weighty script I dare anyone not to come away with an education !!

click here to view the trailer