Beautiful Change Challenge #6 - Give Back to your Community

I’ve come to the end of my Beautiful Change Challenge series. This is the last challenge, and by far, one of the most rewarding. I’m challenging you to think about your community, and how you can make a positive change or have a positive impact on it.  

There are so many opportunities for everyone to give back in their community, but unless you seek them out, you may not find out about them. My husband and I participated in the Big Brother’s Big Sisters program and it was a wonderful experience. Not only did we learn a lot from the experience, but I’m hoping the young boy we mentored did too. I’ve also been a volunteer camp counselor in the past at a Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America camp. I’ve had Crohn’s/colitis for almost 18 years now, so this was a volunteer opportunity that was near and dear to my heart (see picture: camp photo collage). I encourage you to find an opportunity that you are passionate about, and you will no doubt give it your all.

Food banks, soup kitchens and other volunteer opportunities are probably less than a 20 mile radius from any location. Here are a few sites to find one near you:

Food Banks finder

Habitat for Humanity site

Big Brother Big Sister site

Already giving back? Make sure to comment below and share what you are doing with readers. Also make sure to share it with Aveeno! This year, Aveeno is celebrating everyday Active Naturals by awarding eight grants in the amount of $10,000 to continue to make a beautiful difference - apply on their Facebook page! 

New AVEENO® PURE RENEWAL™ lets you renew your hair to its naturally balanced state daily.  Unlike ordinary shampoos, these sulphate-free formulas have Balancing Seaweed Extract; bringing hair back to its naturally healthy, most balanced state with each wash, for beautifully healthy-looking hair. Learn more here http://bit.ly/A1cjWg

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by AVEENO® via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of AVEENO®

Beautiful Change Challenge #5 - Get Physical!

 

The challenge for this week could almost be considered a lifestyle change for some people. The challenge: exercise. I’m talking about committing to being active and exercise at least 30 minutes 4-5 times a week.

I know this is hard. If you work full time and/or have kids, I know it’s hard to find the time. But this should be worked into your ‘me’ time, and whether you hit the gym up at lunch or work in a quick video before the kids get up, it’s important for your health and will make you feel better!

If you find yourself in an exercise rut, you may need to try something new to peak your interest and get you excited about working out and feeling good.

This happened to me. Last year, February 2011, I came across a local gym that offered kettlebell training and decided to check it out. So I show up to this class, by myself, not knowing anyone, and I fall in LOVE. It’s been over a year now that I’ve been going to kettlebell classes (for those of you in Michigan, it’s Fast Fitness Kettlebell) and I’m training for my first kettlebell competition in May! Not only that, but my husband goes to class with me on the weekends, and we've met some really cool people!
           

Here are some pointers to help get you started…

• Start a workout journal. Moleskin has a great exercise journal that I use. Keep track of how you feel after a good work out, or better yet, how you feel when you miss a workout. Flip back to these pages when you find yourself needing motivation to go to the gym
• Put your goals in writing (in ink!). And don’t forget to reward yourself when you hit your milestones.
• Buy a monthly membership or punch card so you’ll stay committed.
• Can't afford a gym membership? = not an excuse for not working out. There are 100s of sites and YouTube channels committed to bringing you kick butt at home work outs. Check out BodyRock.tv, happens to be my favorite one, that offers quick 20-30 minutes videos to knock out in the morning and then be done with your workout for the day!
• Added bonus: Joining a new class or gym is a great way to make new friends! 

Do you have an exercise class you are committed to or favorite gym workout? Please share!

New AVEENO® PURE RENEWAL™ lets you renew your hair to its naturally balanced state daily.  Unlike ordinary shampoos, these sulphate-free formulas have Balancing Seaweed Extract; bringing hair back to its naturally healthy, most balanced state with each wash, for beautifully healthy-looking hair. Learn more here http://bit.ly/A1cjWg

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by AVEENO® via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of AVEENO®

Beautiful Change Challenge #3 - Spring Cleaning

It’s getting warmer out and it’s officially Spring…yay! It’s the time of year for the ‘grand switch.’ This is what I call swapping out Winter clothes and Summer clothes in our drawers and closets. I have a few huge Tupperware containers that I keep all of our off season clothes in, and when the seasons change we swap out what’s in our closets for what was in storage. I store the containers in my basement until the next season.

Here are some ideas for Spring cleaning season:

• If you didn’t wear it last year, you won’t wear it this year.  Donate clothes, shoes and accessories to Purple Heart or the Salvation Army. Make room for new trends in your closet
• Having a bag ready for Purple Heart also encourages (and challenges) me to find other household items I’m not using any longer. I usually leave the bag(s) out for one week before scheduling a pick up.  I’m always finding stuff I can get rid of it and help unclutter my home.
• Find a consignment shop near you for clothes that are ‘like new.’ If you have gently used clothes that you’re not going to wear again, try bringing them to a consignment shop. Consignment shops usually take in season clothes that are only gently warn (no deodorant stains, holes or visible wear). If they take on your items, you get a cut of what they sell for (I think 50% is normal). Extra cash for shopping trips!
•  It’s garage sale season! I’ve never hosted one, but I’ve always gone in on friends’. This year, I’m joining forces with my neighbor to offload some household items we don’t use anymore.

If you find yourself giving a lot of clothes away, maybe because they were last year’s trends, then it’s important to think about this during your next shopping trends. I love joining in on new trends, but if a trend is very extreme (example, neon colors) then you most likely won’t want to wear that the next year. So to cut down on what you get rid of next year, try maybe adding accessory trends to your wardrobe, which are usually less expensive (Forever 21 and H&M are great for this) or pieces that aren’t extreme in trendiness (for example, color blocking with more neutral colors will carry over to other seasons).

What are your Spring cleaning tips? Please do share!

New AVEENO® PURE RENEWAL™ lets you renew your hair to its naturally balanced state daily.  Unlike ordinary shampoos, these sulphate-free formulas have Balancing Seaweed Extract; bringing hair back to its naturally healthy, most balanced state with each wash, for beautifully healthy-looking hair. Learn more here http://bit.ly/A1cjWg

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by AVEENO® via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of AVEENO®

Beautiful Change Challenge #2 - Beauty Routine

Now that Summer is around the corner I want to try and tighten up my morning beauty routine. With a shorter morning regime I can get to work faster, and ultimately, leave earlier, at the end of the day, while there is still plenty of sunshine left to enjoy.

I challenge YOU to do the same, not just to shorten up your routine but to also make positive changes to your routine.

The longest part of my morning routine is my hair. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to add product, dry and style every morning. And what’s worse, is everything I do is harsh on my hair. Even though I add leave in conditioner and oils for smoothing, drying it with high heat and then using a straightening iron is really tough on hair.

So as a challenge, I’m going to try and be less harsh on my hair. Here’s how: I’m not going to wash my hair every day. I’m going to try and only wash it 5 out of 7 days of the week. On my non-wash days, I’ll use a dry shampoo to restyle.

A celebrity stylist once told me that short hair looks better the next day without a wash, and I’ve found it easy to go a day without washing. I also have best friend who has long thick hair and she can go up to 3 days without washing and using dry shampoos. So no excuses, it can be done!


Are you going to try my challenge? If so, please tell me about it in the Glam chat below. Are you going to try something else? If so, please share!

New AVEENO® PURE RENEWAL™ lets you renew your hair to its naturally balanced state daily. Unlike ordinary shampoos, these sulphate-free formulas have Balancing Seaweed Extract; bringing hair back to its naturally healthy, most balanced state with each wash, for beautifully healthy-looking hair. Learn more here http://bit.ly/A1cjWg

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by AVEENO® via Glam Media. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of AVEENO®

9 Best Self-Tanning Tools

9 Best Self-Tanning Tools

Get your sexy, summer tan on -- the sunless way

This is a TotalBeauty.com skin care products article Total Beauty readers give these self-tanning lotions and potions a tanned thumbs up. See products

No. 9: Aveeno Continuous Radiance Moisturizing Lotion, $11.99

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8

"It adds a nice sun-kissed glow without streaks or an orange cast …"

No. 8: Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa Shade to Order, $18.50

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.1

"Best of the best tanners out there …"

No. 7: L'Oreal Paris Sublime Bronze Any Angle Self-Tanning Spray, $9.99

TotalBeauty.com average reader rating: 8.2

"It is the easiest self tanner I've ever tried …"

Want to see what other products made the list? Click here!

What's in my Beach Bag? Sunscreen!

This post is majorly delayed...should have been sent out last Monday. Better late than never...here it is:

Finally - Nice weather in Michigan this past weekend! Spent some time on the lake and loaded up my beach bag!

First things first, sunscreen. You can wear beach cover ups and long linen pants, but you can't walk around with a bag on your head. I always wear a higher SPF on my face since it sees the most sun (I'm not a fan of hats!). Here is what Mike and I wore on our faces all weekend:


CellCeuticals Photo Defense SPF 55+
I used this while I was in Vegas and it was a scorching 90+ degrees out. I only used it on my face and didn't burn at all while out in the sun by the pool all day. PhotoDefense is meant to protect skin against daily UVA and UVB sun exposure while simultaneously combating premature skin aging and moisturizing. This didn't turn my face white, went on smooth, absorbed quickly, and didn't break me out!
$45

La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Ultra Light Sunscreen Fluid
I love love love La Roche-Posay sunscreen. They don't mess around with their products. It's designed for normal to combination skin, super light and has a matte finish. This one didn't break me out either.

This fluid provides SPF 60 and broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection with breakthrough Cell-Ox Shield, to protect skin. Other benefits and pluses: High UVA protection, water-resistant, helps protect skin from sun damage, fragrance free, non-comedogenic and tested on sensitive skin.
$27.90

Aveeno Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer SPF 30
Quick warning: this is not to be used alone for sunblock for your face. I love this stuff, but it's not the only lotion I use when out in the sun all day. This is my DAILY moisturizer and it is divine. It gives my skin a dewy look, but without making me look or feel greasy. It moisturizes really well and doesn't break me out. I can use it by itself with just some blush or a bronzer and don't feel the need for foundation. I love using it alone, I feel like I'm giving my skin some room to breath!

My dermatologist turned me on to Aveeno and I use it for body lotion (Positively Smooth smells great!), facial lotion and face wash (Ultra Calming Cleanser).

Friday's Freebies

Crest 3D Whitening Strips
Aveeno Shampoo & Conditioner
Pureology Haircare Sample

Contest Break - Aveeno Envirosax

Be one of the first 1,000 people to enter to win, starting April 22, 12pm EST, a limited edition Aveeno Envirosax reusable organic cotton bag and sample of new Aveeno Nourish Hair Care Collection shampoo and conditioner. For each bag given away, the Aveeno Brand will donate $10 to Global Green USA, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing climate solutions by creating green homes, schools and communities.

Enter to win at Aveeno.com/Jubilance!

Happy Earth Day!