Perfect Skin Probably isn’t Possible; Take Tips for Prettier Skin

I have been doing some very frequent research on simple things every day, regular women can do to help keep skin looking healthy and happy. I know as much as anyone out there who has ever scoffed at a commercial or advertisement from some beauty product or another claiming to give you flawless skin that perfect skin is probably not possible, especially when you don’t have an exuberant amount of money to toss at beauty experts. So I have come across a few tips that may help all of my fellow women out there who do all they can to keep themselves together every day and know that while we can’t strive and expect perfection in the way we look, we can aim for skin that looks healthy and keeps us happy.

I am told that I have to drink more water very frequently. With my skin that is very prone to eczema breakouts and my bouts with adult acne, every time someone feels the need to comment on any of this, they always tell me that I need to drink more water. Low and behold, the first rule of getting healthier skin is to drink two to three liters of water a day.

Yoga is already known to help stress, trauma and illnesses that affect the body and mind, but yoga can aid the skin in many different ways and it has been said that some beauty courses even use yoga exercises. While some experts will say that exercise helps acne, a lot of people found that this claim cannot be further from the truth for them because exercise obviously produces sweat and sweat often irritates the skin, which causes acne to become inflamed and makes it look even worse. Yoga, on the other hand, keeps you relaxed, fit, healthy and healthy looking and gives the people who perform yoga a glowing complexion, very much like that “after sex glow” we women (hopefully) know so well.

Switching from product to product is incredibly dangerous to your skin and when you’re trying to find that perfect product, the worst place to take that gamble is on your face. Once you get into a stable routine, from what you apply to your face after washing and before going to bed at night and what you apply to protect your skin throughout the day, you shouldn’t have surprise breakouts or bad reactions to products out of the blue. It’s best to apply a gentle face wash and moisturizing cream every morning and night and if you don’t know what products are best for you, try the greatly-rated Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash ($4.86) or consult a dermatologist.

Frequent pimples, sudden breakouts and premature aging can all be attributed to one thing in a lot of cases–not removing your makeup every night. It is so simple to fall asleep at night after a very long day without removing your makeup, especially your eye makeup that can take a little while to get off completely. There are a ton of eye makeup removers on the market, including a formula developed by Lancome ($19.99).

What causes acne in the first place? Waste and toxins built up in your system. Your bowels and kidneys are the primary ways to get that waste out of your body, so the best way to make sure your kidneys and bowels are working the best they can is to maintain a diet high in fiber. Foods with the highest amount of fiber are apples, bananas, oranges, raspberries, strawberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, parsnips and potatoes. If you cannot keep these foods in your diet daily, it’s also important to take fiber supplements, like Benefiber.

Who has the money and the time to get a professional facial? Yeah, not many people in the least, but facial masks do wonders for your skin and a lot of women with some pretty awesome skin have long relied on weekly DIY facial masks to suck out impurities and refresh the skin. One of the best ingredients used in a facial mask is clay–try the Lather White Clay Mask ($22).

See Hungry Girl and Consumers Talk About Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt and Try it for Yourself

Ever since I first had the opportunity to try Yoplait’s Fiber One yogurt last summer, I knew I had found my new favorite yogurt and since that time, my love for Fiber One yogurt has not wavered one little bit.

Before Yoplait’s Fiber One yogurt even hit shelves, it had already received Lisa Lillien, also known as Hungry Girl’s seal of approval. In fact, it is the first nationally-distributed yogurt to receive this seal of approval. In every 4oz of this yogurt is 5 grams of fiber (20% of the recommended daily value each and every single one of us need daily,) is a great source of calcium and vitamins A and D and is just 50 calories.

In the past, we have also had the opportunity to share with you coupons for Yoplait’s Fiber One yogurt–one for $1 off of a 4-pack of yogurt, and another for a free 4-pack of yogurt. Needless to say, this yogurt rocks and I am so excited to be able to share even more Fiber One yogurt love with all of you out there!

At a recent Fiber One yogurt tasting event, Lisa Lillien chatted with consumers about this tasty snack. Thanks to Yoplait, we have the opportunity to share a video with you from this recent tasting event so you can see what other folks think of Fiber One yogurt and also a downloadable $1 off Fiber One yogurt coupon!

Yoplait’s Fiber One yogurt comes in four flavors–strawberry, vanilla, peach and key lime pie, so you will definitely be able to find a flavor that you will absolutely love. Enjoy!

Kevin Smith Deemed Too Fat to Fly by Southwest Airlines

Kevin Smith boarded a Southwest Airlines flight last night from Oakland to Burbank. After his bag was up and he was seated (with the arm rests down), he was deemed a “safety risk” and thrown off the flight. While he did end up on another Southwest flight, he turned to Twitter to express his (reasonable and totally justified, in my opinion) anger.

The Kevin Smith vs. Southwest Airlines fire storm began with one Tweet from @ThatKevinSmith:

“Dear @SouthwestAir – I know I’m fat, but was Captain Leysath really justified in throwing me off a flight for which I was already seated?”

And that was just the beginning. He went on to Tweet, “Dear @SouthwestAir, I flew out in one seat, but right after issuing me a standby ticket, Oakland Southwest attendant Suzanne (wouldn’t give last name) told me Captain Leysath deemed me a “safety risk”. Again: I’m way fat… But I’m not THERE just yet. But if I am, why wait til my bag is up, and I’m seated WITH ARM RESTS DOWN. In front of a packed plane with a bunch of folks who’d already I.d.ed me as “Silent Bob.”"

But that wasn’t all Southwest Airlines would hear from Silent Bob Kevin Smith. He got really, really pissed off and went on to tweet, “So, @SouthwestAir, go fuck yourself. I broke no regulation, offered no “safety risk” (what, was I gonna roll on a fellow passenger?). I was wrongly ejected from the flight (even Suzanne eventually agreed). And fuck your apologetic $100 voucher, @SouthwestAir. Thank God I don’t embarrass easily (bless you, JERSEY GIRL training). But I don’t sulk off either: so everyday, some new fuck-you Tweets for @SouthwestAir. Wanna tell me I’m too wide for the sky? Totally cool. But fair warning, folks: IF YOU LOOK LIKE ME, YOU MAY BE EJECTED FROM @SOUTHWESTAIR.”

Even though he was deemed a “safety risk,” he did end up boarding another flight with Southwest Airlines, completely disproving that whole “you’re a safety risk” sentiment, Kevin Smith still didn’t stop tweeting about his horrendous experience with Southwest Airlines and even took a picture of himself sitting on his later flight.

“Hey @SouthwestAir! Look how fat I am on your plane! Quick! Throw me off! http://twitpic.com/1340gw”

“The @SouthwestAir Diet. How it works: you’re publicly shamed into a slimmer figure. Crying the weight right off has never been easier!”

“Hey @SouthwestAir! I’ve landed in Burbank. Don’t worry: wall of the plane was opened & I was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised.”

Southwest Airlines did eventually start tweeting back to Kevin Smith apologizing and wanting to make it up to him in some way:

“@ThatKevinSmith hey Kevin! I’m so sorry for your experience tonight! Hopefully we can make things right, please follow so we may DM!”

And here is where my love for Kevin Smith goes much, much, much deeper. In fact, my heart could just about explode from Smith’s next tweet:

“Hey @SouthwestAir? Fuck making it right for me just ’cause I have a platform. I sat next to a big girl who was chastised for not buying an extra ticket because “all passengers deserve their space.” Fucking flight wasn’t even full! Fuck your size-ist policy. Rude…”

Regardless of the jokes Kevin Smith made in the bulk of his tweets, such as saying the plane was opened and he was airlifted out while Richard Simmons supervised, the real core issue here is a size-ist policy that is enforced not just by Southwest Airlines, but by all airlines. There is also a little thing we like to call fat phobia that exists and is the product of an increasing amount of ignorance, not just by corporations and businesses, but by the people behind them and the people who use them.

Just because a person is big, fat, plus size or any other words commonly used to describe people who do not fit within the body image standards set forth by media and advertising companies directed at all people–women, girls and men alike, does not mean that it is okay to treat them any differently than you would treat someone who does, in fact, mirror corporate beauty. What we saw go down through Twitter between Kevin Smith and Southwest Airlines was not a safety risk in the least and it was not a policy being enforced due to him compromising the comfort, safety or well-being of the fellow passengers. It was a series of Southwest Airlines employees demonstrating fat phobia and casting one person on the flight out and embarrassing and fat shaming that person for no reason. This is not a one-time case; stuff like this is happening to bigger people every single day and on all flights from all airlines. If anything, Kevin Smith spoke the truth for every single big person who has ever been singled out on an airline for no reason.

Progresso Souper You Giveaway Winner!

Thank you to everyone who entered our Progresso Souper You giveaway! We are so thrilled to be able to share the Progresso love, being huge fans of the brand ourselves and even bigger fans of a way to manage our weight and calorie intake in a very, very delicious way. The winner of this giveaway will receive the Progresso prize pack which has been provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark, pictured above–2 cans of Progresso Light and 100 calorie soups, a Progresso soup mug and a digital jump rope that keeps track of your jumps and also of calories burned.

So, without further ado, the lucky winner is…

Congratulations, Jennifer T!

Brittany Murphy’s Cause of Death Released

The death of Brittany Murphy came as a tremendous shock to us all. She died of cardiac arrest, but what caused that has been a mystery. Many speculated what played a part in her death–from her husband, Simon Monjack, who had released statements that he did not want an autopsy performed on Murphy and made us all speculate a lot more, to drugs, to the flu, to H1N1, and so on. Finally, the cause of Brittany Murphy’s death has been released.

The official report states that it was an accidental death caused by “community acquired pneumonia,” iron deficiency anemia and multiple drug intoxication. The L.A. County Coroner concludes that “injury occurred” because of drug intake.

This is incredibly sad, because Brittany Murphy did not have to die. This story is still developing, but we can, at least, stop speculating on what exactly caused the death in this incredibly young woman. Also, keep in mind that “multiple drug intoxication” and “drug intake” does not necessarily mean illegal substances. As we have seen so many times throughout the years, it is the prescription drugs that are just as lethal as illegal substances.

Our thoughts continue to go out to Brittany Murphy’s family.

4/365 Days: I’m an Angela Shelton

In 2004, a woman left her house and her dog (well, not completely, I’m sure she left her dog with other responsible adults that cared for her needs) and went on the road with a small crew to film a documentary across America. She wanted to survey women; to see how we, as a gender, were doing and what we were up to. She met some amazing, inspiring, spectacular, successful, kick ass women and they were all named Angela Shelton. They all had a story, but a great deal of their stories had very similar themes as she moved from one to the next to the next. Their stories were also her stories. Their stories are my stories, and the stories of countless women, girls, men and boys all over the world.

Angela Shelton wanted to survey women in America who all just happened to share her name. She wanted her documentary to be light, airy, fun and hilarious, but it ended up being a documentary about not-so light, airy, fun, and definitely not hilarious issues. Angela found that most of the women she was able to talk to for her documentary had either been raped, beaten, or abused in their lifetime.

I heard about Angela Shelton through a forum I was active on quite a number of years ago. I saw her documentary, Searching for Angela Shelton, during the worst time in my life. I whole-heartedly believe that Angela Shelton, along with the fabulous volunteers for the RAINN hotline, saved my life.

I am a survivor of child abuse, childhood sexual assault and rape. I live with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and major depressive disorder. I wear this shirt when I need to be reminded that I survived. That I am a survivor. And I am never going back.

Learn more about Angela Shelton at AngelaShelton.com, as well as the Angela Shelton Foundation, The Survivor Manual and join the Army of Angels.

3/365 Days: Progresso

I recently had the opportunity to try 15 out of the 40 new flavors of Progresso Light and 100 calorie soups, thanks to Progresso and their new Souper You Debut contest, and MyBlogSpark. They are so delicious and like I mentioned in the full-length review of Progresso Light soups, I have recently been going through a great deal of physical pain because of my crowded, impacted wisdom teeth that I have not been able to get pulled and having Periodontal Disease, which also attributes to that major cheek-swelling you can’t help but notice in the above picture, so needless to say, soup is one of the major items on my extremely limited list of food items my mouth has been able to handle lately.

Progresso, you couldn’t have come at a better time.

We are also giving away a Progresso Prize Pack which consists of 2 cans of Progresso Light and 100 calorie soups, a Progresso mug (which you see in the above picture,) and a digital jump rope that keeps track of jumps and calories burned over time. Enter for your chance to win! The giveaway ends February 10th at 11:59PM EST.

Progresso Souper You Review and Giveaway

This giveaway has closed.

At the start of every new year, most of the women I know and connect with regularly openly talk about how their New Year’s resolution is to lose weight and/or to eat healthier. These are some great resolutions, especially the eating healthy one because while losing weight is a perk for a great deal of women, I whole-heartedly believe that crash dieting and the diet industry as a whole is a multi-billion dollar business for a reason, so if you do truly want to lose weight, it should be for purely health reasons, which is why eating healthy and choosing foods that will nourish you instead of just fill you is really important.

Now that we are more than a month into the new year, (by the way, can you believe that? I know I can’t!) a lot of women have been reporting on their progress with their New Year’s resolutions and if they have been able to stick to what they had planned before January 1st. I have noticed that a lot of women are increasingly strong-willed this year in the commitments they have made to themselves, nearly everyone I’ve checked up on who I had read on their blogs had made a New Year’s resolution has been sticking to it pretty phenomenally. So, for those of you who made the resolution to eat healthier and who are still on the fast-track to healthy eating, I have something really great to share with you!

I am a big, big, big fan of soup. I have been not-so blessed in the teeth department, having been diagnosed with Periodontal Disease and rapid tooth decay a few years ago after my wisdom teeth had started to push their way in. Because I am a professional blogger and also a freelance writer and web designer and developer who works from home, I have a very modest monthly income. I can pretty much cover my expenses month-to-month and that’s about it. That, coupled with the fact that I also live with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and major depressive disorder, (which I have blogged about here before,) makes it impossible for me to hold a job outside of the home, it isn’t a possibility for me to go out and get a part time job to help pay dental bills. Needless to say, this causes me a great deal of excruciating physical pain where for days at a time, I am unable to open my mouth wide enough to get most foods in it. That is when soup saves my life and the sanity I would not have after getting insanely frustrated with how big bite-sized food is.

Progresso has always been a great source of delicious and nutritious soup and they have made it even healthier than before by offering an entire product line of light soups that are all 100 calories or less! It is officially super easy to get a great and satisfying meal in your belly and help manage your weight at the same time. To celebrate their line of light soups, Progresso has launched the Souper You Debut–a contest where you can enter for the chance to win a full makeover in New York City!

To enter the Progresso Souper You Debut contest, all you have to do is go to www.Progresso.com/SouperYou and submit an essay (200 characters or less) telling Progresso why you love Progresso Light or 100 calorie soups and why you would like a full makeover. You will also need to submit a photo of yourself that visually reinforces the theme of your essay. Three grand prize winners will be awarded a trip for two to New York City from May 21st-23rd and includes roundtrip airfare, a two-night stay in a NYC hotel, a full makeover, a $1000 wardrobe shopping spree and personal consultation at a New York department store. Pretty fabulous if you ask me!

Review & Giveaway

To get the good word out about new Progresso Light and 100 calorie soups, I had the opportunity to try them out for myself and thanks to Progresso and MyBlogSpark, received 15 cans of Progresso Light and 100 calorie soups in a variety of different flavors, along with a Progresso soup mug and a digital jump rope that keeps track of jumps and calories burned to help you start working out more, in addition to utilizing soup to help manage your weight.

The variety of soups I received is absolutely insane; I was completely blown away by the amount of different flavors offered and there is definitely something for everyone’s specific tastes. My partner, who usually despises soup and will not eat it regardless of what you bribe him with, loved the Italian-Style Meatball with Penne and I cannot get enough of the Chicken and Dumpling. I love, love, love the Progresso soup mug and now refuse to eat my soup out of anything else. It has a great little thumb indentation at the top of the handle to make carrying it from the kitchen to my computer desk very comfortable.

And we want to share the Progresso love!

Because Progresso is awesome like that and MyBlogSpark is always all about extending the opportunity to try awesome products to others, we have the opportunity to give one lucky Woman Tribune reader 2 cans of Progresso Light soup, a Progresso soup mug and a digital jump rope.

To win the Progresso Prize Pack, all you have to do is visit ProgressoSoup.com and tell us what flavor of Progresso Light soup you would love to try. [REQUIRED]

Additional Entries: [Leave a separate comment for each additional entry.]

• Tell us what steps you take to manage your weight.
• Subscribe to Woman Tribune
• Follow Woman Tribune on Twitter
• Become a fan of Woman Tribune on Facebook
• Subscribe to our videos on YouTube
• Tweet about this giveaway. Feel free to use the following tweet or write your own: [Can be done once per day.]
  

  Win 2 cans of Progresso Light soup, soup mug and digital jump rope from @WomanTribune: http://tinyurl.com/yf24hmk #giveaway

• Blog about this giveaway. [2 entries, so leave 2 comments.]

This giveaway ends Wednesday, February 10th at 11:59PM EST. This giveaway is open to all US residents over the age of 18. The winner will be contacted by email and has 48 hours to respond with their necessary information. If no action is taken, another winner will be picked.

Full Contest Disclaimer

Disclosure: I was given the opportunity to spread the word about Progresso’s Souper You Debut and new line of Light and 100 calorie soups from Progresso and MyBlogSpark. For this post, I received the factual information, 15 cans of Progresso Light and 100 calorie soup, a Progresso soup mug and digital jump rope from Progresso and MyBlogSpark. They have also provided me with the opportunity to give away two cans of Progresso soup, soup mug and digital jump rope to one lucky Woman Tribune reader. All opinions throughout this post are 100% mine.

Urban Girl Squad FREE Event! Two-Year Anniversary Party

Happy Birthday, Urban Girl Squad!

Important Update: Due to the popularity of this event, the venue of their anniversary cocktail party has changed. The party, which was scheduled to be held at the Ava Lounge Rooftop Bar, will now be held at the Hudson Hotel Bar. Updated details below.

Urban Girl Squad turns two in February, and to celebrate, they are throwing an Urban Girl Squad-style bash on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 7:00PM.

Help us celebrate in style at a cocktail party at the Hudson Hotel Bar, where we’ll have drink specials, door prizes, gift bags, and more. Whether you’re an Urban Girl Squad regular or you are totally new to the group, come join the fun, have a few cocktails, and spend time with friends – old and new – in NYC.

We’ll be featuring cupcakes and cookies from Sweet Hunnie Cakeshop and door prizes & gift bags from:

• Bliss
• Molton Brown
• Pure Yoga
• By Carolina
• The Andean Collection jewelry
• Swarovski crystal-studded sports bra from BodyRock Sport
• Dowry Design silk scarves
• Stella Dot jewelry
• Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife
• Fiber Hair Spa
• Knit1 Purl2

… and much more! We’ll be adding more prizes as t hey come in, so look out for more great brands!

Bring five friends to the party and you’ll be entered in a raffle to win The Ultimate Urban Girl Squad Package: 5 free events and an Urban Girl Squad t-shirt!

You don’t want to miss this FREE event. RSVP is required to attend. Space is limited, so reserve your spot now and invite your friends!

About Urban Girl Squad
Amanda Hofman created Urban Girl Squad, a community-based social group for women in their 20’s and 30’s in New York City, in January 2008. Urban Girl Squad creates opportunities for these women to try new things, spend time with friends, and meet new people. Our events include food and wine tastings, beauty and fashion nights, dance and fitness classes, sports, events, cocktail parties and more. We provide special, discounted access to the city — you’ll meet store owners and designers, taste gourmet food and drinks, receive personal attention from popular venues, and score some amazing gift bags. The welcoming atmosphere at our events makes it easy for members to attend on their own or with friends.

Fast Facts:
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010

Location: Hudson Hotel Bar
356 West 58th Street
New York, NY 10019

Time: 7:00PM

RSVP: Anniversary Party

Info: Urban Girl Squad

Cost: FREE

Haiti Emergency Relief Milk Program Update–Red Cross Advises Against Breast Milk Donations

Earlier this month, as all of the different information on relief efforts and how people could lend a helping hand to the people of Haiti after the devastating earthquake that has left millions of people dead, homeless and in desperate need of resources, we published a post on how nursing mothers could donate breast milk to Haiti to benefit Haitian babies in need of a food source.

Information on how to donate your breast milk to babies in need in Haiti came to light after a press release was put out by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. The International Breast Milk Project soon after launched the Haiti Emergency Relief Milk Program, who said that they would be helping to cover hosts for the Human Milk Banking Association of North America to collect, process and ship breast milk that had been donated to Haiti. While the International Breast Milk Project does have several updates on their website from up to January 28th reporting that donated breast milk has arrived in Port-au-Prince and awaiting pick up, the Red Cross has recently released a statement saying that they are 100% sure that they did not ask for breast milk donations and have asked women to stop sending it.

The Emergency Nutrition Network and the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance have asked the Human Milk Banking Association of North America to retract their press release, saying that breast milk donations to Haiti present an “unfeasible and unsafe intervention.” In fact, milk that had arrived in Port-au-Prince as part of the International Breast Milk Project’s efforts, has remained unused because of concerns raised by the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance and other agencies. It has also been stated that nursing mothers donating breast milk with the intentions of it being sent to Haiti, while done with the best intentions of helping to provide emergency relief, has stemmed from quite a bit of confusion when the milk banking group, as well as several associations, bloggers and heavy-hitting media released information saying that their milk was in great need, while it turns out that there never was a need for donated milk.

Across the board, every major relief organization agrees that the best way to help Haiti’s struggles at this time, as well as the best way to help any relief efforts, is to donate money so that non-profit organizations and others helping to aid Haiti are able to continue their efforts. If you are interested in donating money to the relief efforts in Haiti, check out our list of worthwhile charities working towards relief in Haiti.

If you are a nursing mother and would like to donate breast milk to help babies in need in the United States, the International Breast Milk Project has stated that they, along with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America does collect milk to help critically ill babies in neonatal intensive care units, as well as babies that cannot tolerate formula. You can contact the Human Milk Banking Association of North America on their website or by calling 1-866-998-4550 for further information and the donation process.

Woman Tribune has been reporting on the relief efforts, current conditions, ways to donate and how people around the world are uniting to help Haiti in a time of serious and desperate need. We will continue reporting as information becomes available, so please consider following our reporting on Haiti to stay up to date on what is happening there.

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