No More Food Pyramid!

Wow, this is pretty exciting...especially for those of us working so hard to improve out health. The nutritional food pyramid is going away...and a plate (literally) is taking its place. And the plate is super-easy to use to make better eating decisions.

Check out the details: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/06/02/136884100/new-symbol-for-healthful-eating-hello-plate-goodbye-pyramid?ps=sh_sthdl

The Sunshine Kids Foundation & Autism Speaks

What a wonderful way to help children receiving cancer treatments - and the warmer is PERFECT for children's rooms, bathrooms, schools, daycares...so many options!

The Sunshine Kids Foundation has been providing positive, exciting group activities for children receiving cancer treatments in hospitals all over North America, at no charge to the kids or their parents, since 1982. The Sunshine Kids Warmer was created to honor and support the foundation’s work. The whimsical design and bright primary colors capture the simple joys of being a child. All of the net profits from the sale of this warmer will go directly to the Sunshine Kids Foundation.

Scentsy also has a warmer (which are wickless candles - with a low watt bulb, scented wax is warmed to release delicious scents!) that benefits Autism Speaks. I love working with a company who realizes the value of children...and gives us the chance to help in our own small way. : )If you'd like further information, please send me an email - glad to share.

https://alisonsoileau.scentsy.us/Buy/ProductDetails/DSW-SFF-KIDS

The Perfect Easter Gift for Children

I must admit, this was suggested from someone else...but I love it and thought I would share!

The Scentsy Buddies, which are stuffed animals that have "scent packs" in them are so perfect as Spring / Easter gifts...children love them, and they add such a nice fragrance to the air (and the snuggle factor for the stuffed animal is extremely high since they smell so good!). Favorite scents include: Vanilla Cream (like ice cream), Clean Breeze (think of a dryer sheet) and French Lavender (great calming fragrance for bedtime!). Check them out:
AlisonSoileau.Scentsy.us/Buy/Collection/785

My children have already put in their "requests" to the Easter Bunny for the Lion and Lamb...and 4 different scent packs! Ha! They can't decide which one they love the most.

Mmmmm....Delicious Scents!!

As you know, using high-quality, botanically-based health and wellness products has been an extremely important part of my family's existence for many years. We use lotions and skincare products without mineral oil, parabens, etc...and make sure our nutrition products are vegan-certified, without animal byproducts (also important to not have animal byproducts in cosmetics!!).

The one thing I didn't think about was our home environment. We love good scents...especially candles. I usually have a different scent in each room of our home for variety. Unbeknownst to us, lighting candles produces soot in the air...which we then breathe in (think of all the black stuff on glass jar candles). Ugh.

Thanks to my mother-in-law learning about this, and passing it on - we have made a dramatic change in our home. Since December, I have replaced all our candles with wickfree, soot-free, lead-free warmers. The warmers use a nightbulb light to warm a specially formulated wax that scents the air three times as long as a traditional candle. Yay! And Yum - there are 80 scents to choose from, so my need for variety is fulfilled...and the kids have chosen their own special scents.


A few weeks ago, due to popular request from friends/family/current clients who have witnessed the change in our home, I decided to become a consultant for Scentsy, the line of products who changed our home environment. I am excited to offer the same level of service as our current business...only now with the added benefit of home products as well. I will add more details about Scenty's offerings as I learn them...this is going to be great fun! : )

Check out what Scentsy has to offer: AlisonSoileau.Scentsy.us

Great Blog with Outstanding Educational Info

I was sent a link to this blog recently, and it has such great information on the cosmetics industry...especially this video. Kind of scary to know these things are in the products we put on our faces! I bought my daughter some "play" makeup yesterday, and when I checked the ingredients - I had to throw most of it away. It was disturbing to know I would allow those items to touch her face had I not learned about what they really mean.

Healthy and Beautiful Skin Blog

Foundation Brush or Sponge

With the start of a new year, I decided to try some new makeup application techniques (well, new to me anyway!). I've heard a lot about foundation brushes - and lots of women love them.

So, I bought a foundation brush along with a concealer brush. I've used a concealer brush for awhile now, but I always end up "finishing" the look with slight taps of my fingers. For some reason, I cannot get the look I want with just the brush. But, I needed a new one anyway - and it's always good to replace brushes that are not completely washable (I didn't feel like I could get 100% of the concealer off of the brush when I washed it).

My experience with the foundation brush has had some ups and downs. Here are some pros and cons that I've seen:

Pros: (1) It would be great for a night out - when more foundation is needed and (2) it was fun!

Cons: (1) I used a lot more foundation - not good for the checkbook, (2) it was a heavier look...not as natural for a "day" look, and (3) the "finish" was not as soft as I like.

That being said, I'm going to give it a few more tries. Perhaps practice is what I need to get away from my usual technique.

When I work with women on cosmetics, I always recommend foundation application using clean fingers (dot cheeks, nose, forehead, chin - then blend using downward strokes)...and "finish" or "blend" with a sponge. That way, you are only removing the extra foundation, and you can smooth it down to the neck. I had difficulty doing this with the brush.

I'd love to hear other opinions of foundation brushes...perhaps I just didn't select the right brand? Either way, for now, I think I'm going to stick to my tried-and-true (and less expensive) application technique. : )

Dinner for All Four of Us!

Finally! A dinner that all four of the people who live in our house actually LOVED - and it's from Cooking Light, so the fat/calories/etc. are not too bad. It's Fettuccine Alfredo with Bacon (made with low fat milk and Applewood Bacon...I also subsituted whole wheat pasta in place of the fettuccine noodles). My little ones even asked for "seconds," which rarely happens! I am still shocked by dinner tonight...hope your family enjoys it, too.
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001949744