Asian style massage: Reconstruct your body

Do your body a favor and try one or all of them.  So far the shiatzu (japanese) style massage and the thai massage are my favorite.  But you have to decide yourself the intensity of the massage.  Some people are more comfortable with a simple swedish massage that is very relaxing and firm.  10 yrs ago I could not have a shiatzu massage, it was too painful for me.  Today I can have one everyday after teaching 100 middle school children. Also you should tell the massage therapist the level of intensity that you prefer, they usually ask before you start, and don't be afraid to point areas that you need them to work more on or areas that you feel sore.  A good hint that something is off is when you feel uncomfortable and you feel pain.  We all have different comfort level so what might feel great to someone might feel awful to someone else.  All good massages are almost in the nude. Don't be shy, you can ask for either a female or male massage therapist.  One added perk of living in a major city is that you most likely have a Chinatown.  You can get very cheap and good massages for almost a quarter of the price of regular spas. Try it.  You still need to do a bit of research but you can find most on Yelp.com.  Don't expect luxury decor but you will be happy with the service for that price.

A good gauge for a massage is you feel like you are floating after you are done.


An excellent place for shiatzu in NY is the Ido Center.

 

Customer IS KING

After a whole year of home renovations and dealing with contractors of all sorts of shapes and sizes, I came to one conclusion,if the customer is not IMPRESSED, HAPPY, RELEAVED, ENTHUSIASTIC about YOUR PRODUCT,...then your product, DOES NOT MATTER. In other words you are removing yourself from the competition.
So companies of all types of products/ services should take note and better create a top of the line product, that leaves you dreaming happy thoughts, and makes you come back for more.
To my surprise the contracting world does not work like that.  It is full of big promises with very little delivery, like a flat warm soda.  The soda can looks good on a hot humid day and when you taste it you want to spit it out.

Now back to skin care since this is a skin care blog.

My list of products that deliver is short and I have truly become a life customer.  Most companies aspire for that but few successed.

My number 1 favorite: The Lancome Press powder
My number 2 favorite: The Clinique Moisturizer
My number 3 favorite: The Avene Eau Thermale (Spring water)
My number 4 favorite: Au maison de chocolate Champagne truffles,...dark chocolate is full of antioxidants which are good for skin repair.
My number 5 favorite: Tiffany jewelery because it makes me smile just like Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany" and when you smile you always look good.
My number 6 favorite: a glass of spanish Rioja red wine,...makes your cheeks really rosy

Now back to real skin, I love trying new products all the time, but the ones that I come back to time and time again, I don't feel guilty about hording them since I know they deliver.


XoXo
JoJo

Beauty Sleep:Chamomile: Magic Flower

Since going back to work, I have been using chamomile tea to decompress after a stressfull day.  I stopped smoking around 4 years ago and I had to find healty ways to minimize anxiety, stress, and blue days.  I have a glass of red wine once in a while but that can interfere with sleep.  So I started reading up on the benefits of chamomile and here is what I found. 
It reduces:
1) Insomnia, it contains a chemical that is like a natural sleep aid,
2) Depression, maybe because once you have a good night rest you feel like you can take on the day
 During the night the body restores all it is cells, I call it the night time "auto-shop".  If you don't have that restorative sleep everything starts breaking down and more problems start appearing with your whole body.
3) anxiety,
4) it has anti-inflamatory properties,
5) it helps with digestion
6) it has anti-bacterial properties.



See the scientific abstract below for more detailed information:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995283/

Winter dry face

A friend inspired this short post.  First, streamline your skin routine.  Morning and night spray some evian water, chamomile tea or Avene Eau Thermale (from a Duane Reade drug store) onto your face and leave it one. You can buy a spray bottle from any drug store. Another option is to have a humidifier in your room at night.  Follow this with a night cream or moisturizer.  In the morning apply your moisturizer/and/or sunscreen.  Next, you have two options here depending on your age: in your twenties a press powder can be enough, in your thirties a light foundation will do wonders for giving you a finished look and as it also protects your skin from further daily "grime". And most foundations contain extra anti wrinkles ingredients that prevent further those little age lines. Don't forget about your eye cream and under eye concealer or you can use your foundation for a lighter under eye coverage.

Hope this helps

Too much exercise and the wrong FOOD can AGE YOU

Trying to stay healthy and maintain a good weight is ideal for anyone, however when we exercise too much the body's cells don't have enough time to RECOVER and REGENERATE.  They start breaking down.  The same is true for not having the right kind of nutrients in your body.  Without the right amount of vitamins, minerals, and good fats,...the builiding blocks that are needed for the cells to recover are missing.  The collagen in your skin starts breaking down and you get the sagging wrinkly look that we all dread. At around age 35 the cell recovery process starts slowing down significantly, that is why it is so important to WATCH what you EAT.

What is recommended to do to help your skin and your well-being

1) Sleeping plays a very crucial role.  No sleep no time for the cells to rebuild themselves with the right nutrients.

2)Yoga and strength training are recommended for stress relief that keeps at bay "bad" hormones that increase in your body with high stress levels.  These hormones break down the collagen in your cells as well.  Also yoga helps in increase oxygen flow to all parts of the body. The more oxygen flow the more cellular respiration which converts nutrients into energy use for the YOU.

http://health.yahoo.net/articles/aging/photos/8-diet-and-exercise-mistakes-age-you#0

L'Occitane En Provence, Let your skin take a trip to FRANCE

Over the years I have discovered different lines and brands that just stopped time while enjoying their marvelous smells and products.  There was the Body Shop, in the early 90's that made everything smell delicious, and now there is L'Occitane that makes high quality body and skin products that are worth every penny.  My favorite products hands down are : 1) The Shea Butter Dry Skin Hand Cream, 2) Amande Supple Skin Oil (almond oil), and 3) the Amande body milk or body butter.  They also have very light fresh frangrances made from native Provence flowers and fruits.  The fragrances are very subtle and they add a bit of mystery since they are not the traditional known brands.  And just recently they have introduced slimming creams and gels to the Amande line.  If you are in the NY city area there is a big promotional event at their Upper East Side store on 86th street on April 5.  I have not tried their slimming products but SHAPE MAGAZINE has given them a big thumbs up.  And just a quick suggestion,...have a glass of champagne while you try their products.

Take your SKIN out of WINTER HIBERNATION

As we make our way out of our winter caves for some sun and vitamin D, we still have to consider our skin.  During the winter months our skin is dormant.  You need some pick-me up therapy to bring it back to full on spring freshness.

1) Exfoliate,...either using a store brand or a made at home one. (some brown sugar or coffee with a bit of olive oil).  When you exfoliate, do it gently do not rub too much.  Just a light touch will do. Wash your face with cold water afterwards. 
2) Apply some vitamin E for your eyes.  Take a capsule and break it open.  Be careful it is very greasy so apply a small amount.  The rest you can mix it in with your sunscreen/and/or/ moisturizer.
3) Dab on lots of sunscreen.  The best that I found is Athelios SPF 60 made by La Roche-Posay. You can find it at Duane Reade.  It is very light and absorbs quickly.  It can also double duty as your moisturizer.

4) Add some eye cream concealer.
5) Mascara.
6) Press on Powder,...my favorite the Lancome brand.
7) Blush.
8) Lip gloss/lipstick and you are good to go.