Stracci's Winter Break

Hope your holidays were full of joy and harmony!

It has been a long winter break and thank god I had quite a few orders- crochet hats,scarves,bags,totes. Now it is time to resume on our beauty quest. Our next blog will be about inner beauty and our “outer beauty”.  Stay tuned, I promise this one will be worth it!

My question to all would be-

WHAT IT IS YOUR NEW YEAR”S RESOLUTION?

Blackheads & Pores

Source: Flickr.com by estelabelleza

Pores are enlarged, right after puberty, due to the increase sebum release by the skin. The purpose of this sebum is to protect and hydrate our skin, but among those benefits it also contains fat and debris. Therefore, excessive release of sebum equals larger pores and oily skin, resulting in acne and/or blackheads. I have gathered tips to treat blackheads and pores.

First tip that applies to just everything in skin care, wash your face before you go to sleep, especially if you are wearing makeup. When you sleep your pores close, if you have a dirty face, you know where all that make-up and debris goes to.

Sarah Jessica Parker's facialist Yana was interviewed by Kym Douglas and Cindy Pearlman in the book The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets. Yana's tips was to buy a scrub with the beads the same size as your pores. Smaller beads will not be enough to penetrate the skin. On the other hand, larger beads will hurt your skin. (41)

To tighten pores, Rachel Ray recommends a banana mask. Yes, a BANANA mask. Squish the banana and rub it on your face. No, really make a creamy mask and apply to face. "Leave on for twenty minutes, rinse off with warm water, then dash on cold (water)." (Douglas and Pearlman 11)

Lisa Rinna uses an egg white mask to tighten her pores. (Douglas and Pearlman 12)

The best alternative for nose strips and to remove blackheads is glue. Ha ha, did I say glue? Yes, I did! Glue such as Elmer's glue it is nontoxic since mainly kids use it for crafts. Smear Elmer's glue on your T-Zone and let it dry. Remove it gently. (Douglas and Pearlman 10)

I hope you find this enjoyable and useful. Comeback for more tips.

Sources:

Douglas, Kym and Pearlman, Cindy. The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets. New York. Penguin Group, 2006.

Deals!

Stracci is having a very nice offer. Customers will receive a free bag with any purchase. Offer is valid while supplies last and is first come first serve.

Hat Fashion

Just when I thought hats were OUT, I find out Hats are IN. Hats make me feel good, I love them. I remember the days when everyone wore hats. The days we used hats as a fashion statement, not as a way to keep warm. Making a hat work is crucial for your look. If you do it the wrong way, it can look out-of-place. Now you can enjoy or try to work with Cowboy Hats, Fedoras, Cloche hats, Gaucho hats and much more! The fashion industry is going way out with hats, especially fur hats. There is also another head accessory that is in style, but we will discuss that tomorrow.

This gorgeous hat (image above) from Stracci is as fashionable as the ones on the runway, except this hat is affordable. This hat's design is made to manipulate the hat in any way that may fit your wardrobe.  The image below shows another hat in fashion for the upcoming seasons. This design, by Stracci can be worn in many ways to suit your style.

Now, what are YOU going to do with these great hats that are now in style? How are you going to apply them to your wardrobe?

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Something to know about your body.

Did you know that when working out your muscles swell? Yes, I was surprised too!! I have heard of this but had yet to experience it. I did, I stopped working out for a week and I could swear my tummy seemed flatter and firmer. So, maybe the lesson is to let your body recuperate once in a while.

Upcoming Fashion

I've said this once and a billion times. You are you and you decide to wear what makes you, yourself. But you can always add to your styles with whats coming, starting this Fall up to next year.

• Plaid
• School girl styles are in!
• Squares and flowery prints are in!
• Pony tails and side braids
• Dark reds lipstick

Boys are going to LOVE the school girls style! Haven fun with the plaid and don't always settle with the common. Low pony tails can be worn like such, messy top iron straight the tail, sleek and tight top and messy tail and many more. Oh! the possibilities. Red is back! remember red lipstick and high heels? The twist is dark reds such as  burgundy and plums.

Chris' Workout Tip

A great burn doesn't necessarily mean a great workout. 

No pain no gain? Sometimes pain can mean that your body is not being treated right. As long as you are doing the workout you are supposed to, you are working out!  Overworking your muscles to achieve "the burn" can actually damage your muscles. So if your workout consists of 3 sets of 20,  that is exactly what you should do. Be safe and do not double your exercises if you don't feel THE BURN.

The Benefits Of Water

Picture provided by Flickr.com 

Doctors have said drink 8 glasses of water a day, but do people actually do this? Most people don't, I know I can't.  My average intake of water is around 4 glasses of water. Even if you can't or don't, water still has many benefits. Drinking water has been proven to help with weight lose. Water should be your best friend for the rest of your life especially, after hearing these tips. I am not a nutritionist, doctor or personal trainer, but with experiences, myths, word of mouth, and most importantly proven studies, I can pass this information along to you.

Jump start your metabolism by drinking 12-16oz of water first thing in the morning. Chris Baker, personal trainer, fitness instructor and martial artist,at Recreation Atl., describes the benefit of water speeds your metabolism and helps you burn calories throughout the day.Chris also recommends replacing caffeinated drinks with water. Word of mouth, by a member from the website cafemom.com, says you can see results as soon as one week.

Drinking a glass of water before a meal, I have not yet read any studies for this but if you have, feel free to share. This is based on word of mouth and experience. Based on my experience, water made me feel full resulting in less intake of food. Therefore achieving less calorie intake.

Of course, you can't rely solely on water to loose weight. We have to get motivated to workout at least 3 times a week, with a steady heart rate for 20 minutes. Now, please make sure you know at what rate your heart should be, before attempting this. Ask your doctor or personal trainer. After your workout, drink a room temperature glass of water to get hydrated, after all that's why we seek water the most.

Get your water bottles now and start getting in shape.

What is Stracci?

Now this is a great way to grab people's attention. Its entertaining, it keeps moving and it is informative. I have to say this is from prezi.com, since they are free!

Stracci on Prezi

Colors for the fall

Colors are a very power tool used by companies, restaurants, web designers and most importantly, yes, here it comes FASHION. Colors have the power to make us feel good or make us feel blue. We use colors to slim our bodies and/or emphasize our goodies. My belief is always "if you like it, wear it", only because that's how we can see the truly you. We can use colors to identify our moods and our personality. But if you are unsure on what to wear or want to follow the fashion trend for fall 2012, here are the colors that fashionising.com predicted in one of their articles. This palette is for the ladies.

Fashionising.com is one of my favorite sites, it contains a little bit of everything under the category FASHION. I love their photography work and most of all the STREET STYLE articles. I can definitely describe each and one of their fashion articles and photography as unique and inspiring. Given that after a few months it won't be unique anymore. I truly enjoy this site.

Tip of the day: fall colors or 2012 are truly something you should look into.