Check out Essie's Art-themed, spring 2010 collection, The Art of Spring. I like! Good job, Essie. One of these polishes is not like the other ones. Left to right: Lilacism, Neo Whimsical, Pop Art Pink, Nouveau Red, Tart Deco and Van D'go.
Image via Essie.com
Check out Toast! Driving through the desert on her way cross-country, entrepreneur Gina Carney of the new RGB Cosmetics (they make 17 chemical-free, chic nail colors) needed a polish change.
Toast, a cool, urban mushroom shade, won out. She's quoted in Lucky mag, "When I made it, the shade seemed arty and downtown-ish, but suddenly it had a dusky, road-trip feel-like when you get off the highway in the middle of nowhere, very dirt-road-in-the-desert." I agree, it's the perfect, nouveau neutral!
Images via RGB Cosmetics
Illamasqua Nail Varnish is not natural or organic but it's rich, highly pigmented and really glossy. Perfect for the holidays or when you want to pump up the volume and modernize your mani. Available at Sephora.
Liz turned me on to this stuff in Jamaica and I've been totally hooked to the Hazelnut Coffee Shea Butter ever since.
For years, caffeine has been used topically to reduce cellulite (it dehydrates fat cells and makes skin super smooth). I've noticed that caffeine has really started to get a lot of attention for it's antioxidant properties when used topically. In fact, recent research suggests that topical caffeine may offer powerful anti-carcinogenic benefits and may even repair UV damage. Who knew? Get some at Whole Foods!
Image via me & Perfect Organics via Lucky Mag
Wow, I think Kate looks great. Check her out here in Elle UK.
Hi Lauren- I'm about 5'6'', 120 lbs and have been lithing since March 09. I LOVE what Lithe has done to my body in terms of tightening and toning (I've lost about 4 pounds total) and I love the energy and confidence it gives me. The problem-area I can't seem to shake, though, is the cellulite on the backs of my thighs which has been there ever since I was old enough to know what cellulite was.
Is it true that there's really nothing a girl can do about cellulite?? I hope your answer is no, and if it is, I would love to hear any suggestions you might have on what might make a difference. Thank you for your help! "L"
Hey L! Thanks for writing! Well, I so wish that I could definitively say YES, but cellulite is mostly related on how you rolled the dice genetically. Even super thin and super fit women have it. You're really lean, so I'm not going to tell you to lose more weight. For me personally, Lithing, slightly tanned skin (real or fake) and taking off the last five pounds takes those dreaded lumps away completely.
That said, there are a few strategies that will help. The first is to shrink your fat cells. Cellulite is essentially the appearance of fat underneath your skin. It “shows” because fat cells are round, so they will always look somewhat bumpy when visible, even when they’re small. Some ladies are lucky enough to have a thick layer of connective tissue covering the fat, which masks the bumps, while others have a wimpy layer that reveals them (this explains why even heavier men rarely have "cottage cheese" legs when they sit down -- guys have thicker tissue, so unfair!).
As fat cells grow in size, the width of the "valley" between the bumps expands (think of the surface atop a layer of loose grapes -- now imagine they’re apricots). You’re basically stuck with the type of connective tissue you were born with, but shrinking your fat cells via diet and exercise can lessen the severity of cellulite big time.
Strategy number two: Stay hydrated. Some experts believe that plump, well-hydrated skin can camouflage the appearance of cellulite (it could also be that dehydrated skin worsens it). In either case, aiming for about eight 8-ounce cups of water each day isn’t a bad idea.
Finally, eat skin-friendly foods. Skin takes a lot of wear and tear, and cells slough off constantly. You’re continuously repairing skin cells and regenerating new ones. And like every cell in your body, your skin is knitted from the nutrients you eat.
Keep it in tip-top shape by choosing foods filled with the vitamins and minerals that “do the job” -- almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and avocados (for healthy fats and vitamin E), citrus fruits, peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries (rich in vitamin C), carrots, spinach, cantaloupe, apricots, papaya, and mango (for vitamin A), beans and lentils (for protein), and water-rich produce like melon, grapes, greens, and cucumbers for fluid.
Simple skin-nourishing dishes include: a taco salad made with greens, black beans, salsa, peppers, and avocado; spinach salad tossed with strawberries and walnuts; fruit salad sprinkled with slivered almonds; and lentil soup alongside a garden salad topped with carrots, cucumbers, and sunflower seeds -- Yummy!
At Lithe, we offer two things that can really de-lump...Our Watershed class and Watershed body booster! I recommend taking watershed (coming back in November) at least once a week. Watershed addresses the four causes of cellulite: Fat storage, fat burning, water retention and slackened skin. If you want a better "fix" before an event or just for fun, you can book a 30 minute watershed body booster with Tif to pummel those fat pockets fast!
If none of these strategies work, try to focus on loving your body despite its lumps and bumps. As cheesy (no pun intended) as it sounds, I do recommend writing a love letter to your body once in a while. Thank it for all the things it can do that have absolutely nothing to do with the way you look -- When you really sit down and focus on this question, you may be amazed at what you think of!
Image via Garance Dore.
Like me, many of you are developing a slight addiction to Preventiv and are hoping that you can purchase it by the case and drink it til' your heart's content (and healthy). Sure, you can! A case of Preventiv (12 bottles) is $36/$3 per bottle and you'll end up saving $1 a bottle buy buying in bulk--It's like getting 3 bottles free! You can mix and match or make it all your favorite flavor.
Image via GaranceDore.com
6/3
UPDATE: The sweet and very generous, Leah at Tierra Mia would like to
extend a 10% discount for a "first time" visit to all Lithers &
Fithiphealthy.com readers. Thanks, Leah!
I had the most amazing experience yesterday at Tierra Mia in Rittenhouse. I can't believe that Tierra Mia is the nation's first truly organic nail spa... And it's right here in Philly!? I don't think that many people realize that the nail industry is one of the most dangerously toxic sectors of the beauty world. Most conventional nail polishes contain extremely hazardous chemical ingredients and since nail polish is left on for relatively long periods of time, these toxins have a nice, long time to soak into our system.
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