So far, only 1 comment in my Comments For a Cure Campaign.

I really want to reach my goal of 50, and you only have until tomorrow at midnight to leave a comment. Remember, that for each comment I receive on June 4 - 6 I will doante $1 to The National Brain Tumor Foundation in support of my brother.

Please, please, please! Leave a comment to show your support. It won’t cost you a thing - only a few seconds of time!

Thank You!

As this post publishes, I will be on a little getaway with my hubby. Oh, yeah - little… NOT! I will be in Las Vegas with my husband in celebration of my 40th Birthday!!! Haven’t I told you this, like, a thousand times, already?

Anyway, I thought I would fill up a few posts with my favorite things. Today I will list some of my favorite fellow bloggers, tomorrow my latest favorite reading material, and on Wednesday I will list some of my favorite beauty products.

Without further adieu, the blogs I MUST READ every day:

eBeauty Daily
Blogdorf Goodman
Lipstick, Powder ‘n Paint
A Socialite’s Life
RedSox.com
Style Bakery
Makeup Minute
Ageless in Los Angeles

Stop by a few of them and see if you would like to add them to your daily must-read list too!

Forgive my rant here, but I must tell you something. I am a people watcher. A people critic. And I love to critique those that just think they are “all that” and then some!

Imagine the things I had to say to my walking buddy this afternoon when a 50-something lady with way too much makeup on, with way too much bleach in her hair, too much perfume, high heeled sneakers, and too short shorts breezed on by. Who did she think she was? Seriously. The only person that could nearly pull off this look would be Paris Hilton.

We need to act dress our age, folks. I am not talking all elastic waists and tee shirts. I am talking flattering, comfortable clothes ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE OUT TAKING A WALK!

It got me thinking, how short is too short and at what age do we stop wearing cute short-shorts? Besides the fact that you really need to have a nice behind and legs to wear them. I just don’t think a 50 year old should be wearing them. Even a 40 year old. Maybe stop somewhere in the mid thirties? I am not sure.

I have a good friend with the smallest frame - she eats like a horse, and is very athletic, and has no problem maintaining her size 2 figure even after having 3 kids. She is 42 years old, and sometimes I even find myself thinking that some of her skimpy things are too skimpy.

Gosh, I hope I am not being a prude, but I think we need to be realistic as to how we dress at a certain age.

If you are still wearing short shorts, please do tell!

Have you heard of the thread lift?

A friend of mine, in her fifties, had a thread lift last year. I saw her about a week after the procedure, and I noticed some swelling to her cheeks. I honestly thought that maybe she had just had her wisdom teeth pulled, and thought not much more of it. Then a month or so later when we got together, she had two dimples on each of her upper cheeks, on each side, so four in total. I then had to ask her what she did. She explained that she had a countour thread lift, and wondered if I thought it was too tight. Her doctor wanted her to wait out a full three months before making any adjustments, but she ultimately decided on getting the threads loosened, just about two months after the initial procedure. Once loosened, she had a bit of swelling again, but within about a week, her face looked back to normal - just a bit more refreshed.

She was pleased with the procedure, saying that it caused little discomfort.

Serums are in huge demand when it comes to anti-aging skin care. And this serum from Renee Rouleau Skin Care, full of Vitamins C & E promises to help in our fight. This is her Vitamin C & E Complex.

From reneerouleau.com, a bit about this best seller:

“This unique serum helps to smooth lines, firm skin, reduce redness and fade pigmentation with a no-sting vitamin concentrate. This formula uses a unique time-released delivery system to slowly diffuse three stabilized forms of Vitamins C and E throughout the skin for anti-aging protection. You’ll love the way this makes your skin look and feel. An anti-aging must!
Key Ingredients: Magnesium ascorbyl phosphate - stabilized, time-released Vitamin C (anti-oxidant), Ascorbyl methylsilanol pectinate - stablized, time-released Vitamin C (anti-oxidant), Bioflavanoids - delivers Vitamin C to ensure activity.”

Jeanne, a 40-something friend of mine, tried this serum for almost 4 weeks.

Her results:
“I have very sensitive skin, and was happy to be able to try this serum to help in my anti-aging fight. I am a huge fan of Vitamin C Serums, and have used others in the past. And I have to say first off, that my results are better with this Vitamin C & E Complex. And I like it more because there is no stinging that is common amongst high doses of Vitamin C in serums. I used this only at night, and applied 3 drops. That’s it. It covered my entire face and neck area. Within the first few days, I noticed how extra smooth my skin felt. Within about 10 days, I noticed that a lot of my redness and sun damaged spots were fading away. Lastly, I am beginning to notice that my face and neck are much firmer, so my wrinkles appear less.

All in all, I would recommend this to anyone who likes Vitamin C serums, but have had trouble with them. Like I said, my skin is extremely sensitive, and this serum was very gentle.”

Renee Rouleau’s Vitamin C & E Complex retails for $59.50 at her website.

Have any of you ever done this?

For my 40th birthday, a few of my friends and I are planning a girls only spa getaway weekend. I cannot wait.

I love the fact that it will be about me, me, me - of course, but that I will indulge myself - mind & body - into relaxation with close friends. I will admit that I am a bit worried that we might get a bit caddy and gossip sometimes, but my main goal will be to rejuvenate and relax.

Here are the spa choices we are looking at. One is for a totally mellow weekend, and another is for relaxing and pampering during the day, with some fun out at night.

The totally mellow weekend would be at The Canyon Ranch Spa in the Berkshires. It is only about an hours car drive from here, and the weekend would go something like this: check into the hotel for 3 nights of relaxing, health meetings, yoga, bike rides, hiking, while making time for a massage, body treatments, and lingering pedicure and manicure, no doubt.

The next choice is at a world class casino with an Elemis Spa, which are world renowned. This weekend would only be for two nights, and include day spa treatments, a massage, manicure, pedicure, body scrub, self-tanner application, and a facial. The evenings would be spent dining amongst the masses and having fun in the casino.

I really can’t make up my mind as to which I rather do. Either way, I will be without the kids or my hubby and with a few of my best friends, so that makes the trip relaxing from the get go. But I can’t decide if I will be bored at Canyon Ranch or stay up too late and have too much going on at the casino.

Which getaway would you choose?

Dan Buettner refers to them as Blue Zones — geographical locations people reside that appear to give them an advantage when it comes to living longer, active, healthier lives. Buettner has been traveling the globe in search of these locations in order to learn the secrets of longevity from the residents who live there. In his quest thus far, the writer and avid adventurer has traveled to Costa Rica, Sardinia, Okinawa and Loma Linda, California.

In profiling the residents, Buettner states he has discovered both unique and common characteristics of people who not only live much longer than most of us, but are defying the stereotype of what it means to age. They are healthy and active well into their 80s, 90s, and beyond.

What are the secrets to longevity? Buettner shares his observations at Blue Zones.

In Loma Linda, a healthy social circle was important, as well as snacking on nuts. In Okinawa, the lack of urgency about time, being likeable and turmeric stood out. In Sardinia, fava beans and drinking red wine high in polyphenols were common factors in longevity. In addition, overlapping lifestyle and behavior traits included women who felt empowered by the society they lived in, adequate daily exposure to sunshine, gardening, constant moderate physical exercise, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, keeping meat in the diet to a minimum, staying connected and actively involved with family, friends and community and living at a higher altitude. It appears that people who live in higher altitudes have lower blood pressure.

Buettner has partnered with the University of Minnesota, Allianz Life Insurance and the National Geographic Society to create the Blue Zones Compass, a program that can predict how long you might live based on your current lifestyle. To learn more about this and read the latest in Buettner’s quest to continue to discover the secrets to living a long and happy life, visit Blue Zones. To watch an ABC News video interview with Buettner, visit Searching for the Fountain of Youth.

It’s the friends you can call up at 4:00 a.m. who matter.
Marlene Dietrich

Is there anyone on your list of friends that wouldn’t mind you calling them at 4:00 a.m?? Damn, I need to find some new friends. The only person that I would dare do that is my sister, my mom and my brother… oh yes, I can add my son’s name to that list, but friends… I don’t know??

How would you feel about calling someone in the wee hours of the morning??

I was talking about this problem yesterday and thought that I would stay just a little longer. A friend pointed out that social support was one good way to handle it. She is certain that the clubs that she has joined over the years has provided her with a network of women she can talk to when she needs to.

Makes sense to me. Any other tips for dealing with stress that is working for you??

*Journey into Deep Relaxation

Everyone is the age of their heart. ~Guatemalan Proverb

I think that my mom and her friends must know about this proverb. They all love music and have formed their own little band. My mom is the youngest at 73 and they are quite popular group. They even played at a prison! The stories my mom could tell!