What if it was Your Daughter?

New National Survey Shows Stark Contrast in Parents’ Perceptions and the Reality of Teenagers’ Relationships

A new survey was recently published about parents' perceptions of their daughters' romantic involvements as compared to their actual relationships. It was a startling wake up call to me that only 1 in 4 parents reported that their teenage daughter had been in an unhealthy relationship but in actuality 1 in 3 adolescent girls reported being in an unhealthy relationship.

I don't have a daughter but I do have two boys. Even though they are far from their first relationship (I hope!), my husband and I teach them how to respect and care for women. We don't present it in a "weaker sex" kind of way but we do encourage chilvary and special attention.

I can't help but wonder if the sexualization of women through the media and the degradation of women through "gangsta" rap culture adds fuel to the fire and contributes to the low self esteem of women young and old in our country.

What are your thoughts?

Before & After

Everybody loves a good before & after makeover photo, right? Well this past weekend I had the pleasure of building a relationship with one of my clients whom I didn't know very well. She was so excited about Mary Kay's Hollywood Makeover Contest and called me when she saw an ad in Ladies' Home Journal. It was a great pick-me-up for me because I was contemplating eating the cost of a hotel conference room that I'd rented for a bridal event. Neither of my brides were able to make it do to life circumstances and I was a little down, to say the least. Then my client called me, she was available, and the two of us enjoyed some great girl time and she got a fabulous, free makeover!

Check out her contest entry then post a comment here to let me know what you think of her new look. Personally, I think she looks FABULOUS but then, I might be a little biased. :)

Make A Difference Monday

Kind of a short post today but wanted to give a shout-out to "Make A Difference Monday," courtesy of K-LOVE--a radio network I ADORE!

It's amazing how we can make a difference in the smallest ways. Today has a been a black-hole day for me. In other words, sucking to the infinite power! I won't go into all my stuff but I'm sure you've had days like that, too. You know, when the universe decides to point its big guns your way and has you in its sights to exclusivity of everybody else? Well, maybe not but it sure feels that way, right? Thankfully, God sent a couple of angels my way and I know their prayers were heard. Such a small thing but it made such a huge difference to me.

Here's another small way to make a difference: check out Samaritan's Feet--I'll bet the last time you checked out Zappos, you weren't thinking of the fact that so many adults and children go without shoes. I know I wasn't. Why not take a little time today to make a difference in a small way? It may not be with this organization, it might be with your neighbor or your child's teacher, but make a difference in somebody's life today.

I'd love to hear how you made a difference or someone made a difference in your life--go ahead and post a comment, you never know whose day you might make better!

Getting Personal

Just read a great blog post today by Jeannie Spiro called "The Fine Line of Getting Personal in Your Business" and it reminded my of one of my favorite movies, You've Got Mail. Remember? Joe Fox "It's just business. It's not personal." and Meg Ryan's character "Whatever it [business] is, it should start by being personal!" YES!

I feel exactly the same way. I hate when people refer to my business as a "MLM" (multi-level marketing), One, because it's wrong--we are a dual-marketing model, and two, because it conjures up a nasty feeling in my stomach of some smarmy late-night infomercial guy with too much gel in his hair proclaiming that "you too can be like me." As if. If I had to label my business (and I hate labels unless they're P-touch labels) I would rather label it Relationship Marketing. The whole reason I decided to go into business with Mary Kay was because I wanted meet fabulous women, get to know them, help them in areas that I could help them in and-ultimately-enrich their lives.

The funny thing is, when you set out to enrich someone else's life they usually end up enriching yours, too. Isn't that the beauty of relationships? By the way, if you don't think you're fabulous--you are!!

I'd love to know what you think--feel free to comment!

Dark Circles - Get Rid of 'Em!

I loved this post at http://tinyurl.com/d2x82wc about removing dark circles but I wanted to add a couple of things:

• You can also have dark circles if you have chronic allergies. You can alleviate the problem by taking a daily allergy medication such as Zyrtec or whatever your doctor has prescribed.
• A dark eye circle corrector such as Mary Kay's TimeWise Targeted-Action Eye Revitalizer or TimeWise Repair Volu-Firm Eye Renewal Cream are great products to use as their application tip is metal and helps to break up puffiness by stimulating microcirculation.

I prefer the Volu-Firm Eye Renewal Cream because it does double-duty as a dark circle corrector and an eye firming cream--helping to correct and fade fine lines and wrinkles around the eyes as well has firming up sagginess.

Try it--you'll love it!

My Teal Sparkle Nails

Thought it might be helpful to post a pic.

Jammin' with Jamberry!

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to change my nail polish every week. I don't know why, but somehow it's an extension of the more funkier aspects of my personality that beg to be let out every now and then. Plus I think it's a great way to take some "me" time as I just sit in front of the TV, watching my favorite show or movie, and pamper my toes for about 1/2 hr or 45 minutes.

So far, I am a HUGE fan of FingerPaints--to the point that I only own one color of one other brand and that's because somebody gave it to me. Recently I discovered a cute little direct sales company called Jamberry Nails. Curious as to what they were all about, I checked them out online and contacted a couple reps in my area to see if I could get an idea of what they were all about.

Heather Tarbox was the first to respond and invited me to an Open House she was having with two of her friends that are reps for two other direct sales companies. She showed me the product which is a nail shield made from a special adhesive-backed vinyl that will last 2-3 weeks on your finger nails and up to 6 weeks on your toe nails.

She was so cute! Brand-new to the business, she's only been doing this for about 3 weeks but she was great! She was very knowledgeable about her product and when she didn't have an answer to a question she said she'd find out and get back to me. Very professional, I thought.

She trimmed the nail shields and put them on me and then I applied heat with a home-made rice bag that was nuked in the microwave for about 15-20 seconds, I'm guessing. (Btw, I think she soaked the rice in lavender oil which is my favorite scent and very relaxing!) I went with the Teal Sparkle and bought a sheet at $15. For me, this did not seem budget-friendly. However, I rarely go to the salon for a manicure or pedicure and I change my polish every week DIY-style.

With that being said, a woman who enjoys going to the salon for a mani-pedi on a regular basis will find this a very reasonable alternative. You can get a manicure for $15 but not a mani-pedi, that's for sure! In addition, you're lucky if a polish lasts on your natural nails for 4 days. Toes, 2 weeks tops although mine usually starts chipping at about 1 week.

When I got home, I did my toes. It is definitely easier to do it yourself that it is for someone to do it for you but I was nervous about trimming the shields with my left hand so I begged Heather to do it for me. I did have to replace a shield the next day by myself and was surprised to see that it wasn't that difficult to do. I think that heating the shields up by hair-dryer before applying definitely makes a difference.

All in all a great experience! So far, I'm loving the look--check out Heather's site at www.heathertarbox.jamberrynails.net and tell her I sent you!

TTFN