Filed under: Great Finds
The subject of men’s beauty is horrible ignored these days. More than likely it’s because most men would dare admit to having a bueaty regiment. Yet, two-thirds of my clients are men, and most of them have asked me at least twice what they could use for soft, clear skin, great hair, and even healthy nails.
A lot of men these days, I think, are taking notice to the little things that make up their overall appearance. Of course, most are too rugged and “manly,” and look at taking care of details as something that women or feminine men do. But, a growing number of them are starting to come around, for a number of reasons. Whether it’s to impress the ladies, or get an edge up on the competition – especially when working with foreign business associates – proper grooming is starting to take on a new meaning.
So, in light of such a [great, in my opinion] development, I’ve taken some time out of the past few days to make a list of great beauty products for men. Though I’m pretty sure they’ll wish I picked a different name for this post.
1. Jack Black Supreme Cream Triple Cushion Shave Lather. With such a long name, I’m sure it’s bound to do something. But seriously, this stuff is pretty great [from what I've heard]. I may even give it a try for my legs. [Yes, I've been know to use products geared towards men. I'm not as girly as one may come to believe.]
2. Sharps Mission: Control Bald Head Balm. Great name, you have to admit. Plus, this is good for all those guys that don’t have to worry about shampoo and conditioner. It’s even SPF15, for an “even-toned dome.”
3. Peter Thomas Roth Anti-Aging Cleansing Gel. Of course, men seem to age far better than women, but there are still some guys that are willing to take that extra precaution. Personally, I love the color…
4. Curve for Men. I know, it’s not really a beatuy product per se, but I had to throw it out there. I love this stuff [I have a nearly empty bottle in my purse right now].
5. Every Man Jack 2-in-1 Thickening Shampoo with Conditioner. Great company, even better products. I personally like the branding approach that Every Man Jack took when it comes to marketing to the male market. Not every guy can use the same Pantene that his wife or girlfriend buys.
What about you guys? What are your favorite beauty finds of the male persuasion? Tell me all about them in the comments section.
Filed under: Great Finds
As you may have figured out, I love to create things. From stationery to events to random drawings that will never see the light of day. I love to express myself through arts and crafts and other things that involve using my hands. So, you can probably see that I love ReadyMade Magazine.
ReadyMade is a DIY-er’s heaven on paper. And the website is just as great. Full of great projects to try and articles to read. I love the handy little reference cards they include with each project, too. Makes shopping for matreials a breeze. [I used to do construction work with my dad when I was a little tomboy, so making things has a special place in my heart.]
While I don’t really have much time to devote to doing it myself these days, I have decided to take on [yet again] a side project. Just something to mess around with on the weekends. I’m going to be flipping through the pages of the bi-monthly magazine, as well as clicking through their archives online to find something that’s worthwhile. I’ll let you know how that progresses.
P.S. I’m finally getting some headway with the book. I’ve gotten in touch with a friend of mine – a photographer named Grant Lewis – and he’s agreed to help me out with capturing images for the book. While stills aren’t really his cup of tea, he’s a good friend, and I’m really glad we met at that horrible company [I'm not saying any names].
Filed under: Musings
If you’re like me, you don’t wear foundation.
Okay, so you’re probably not like me. I probably shouldn’t be like me. But there is a reason for this insane blasphemy that I’ve committed.
I don’t wear foundation because I can never find one that suits me. It’s always a smidgeon too light or too liquidy, or just too ugh! So, I skip foundation and clog my pores with the rest of the stuff in my makeup kit. But now, I think I’ll be putting an end to that really soon.
Prescriptives, the brand we all [may] know and trust, has a new process called Color Printing. The basis of it is finding the perfect foundation for you, based on your skin’s undertones and such. I’m so excited about this – not once has any makeup been perfect for me. So, if the people at Prescriptives can find a way to match my skin, I’d definitely start wearing foundation more often. You have no idea how ready I am to stop looking like a clown every time I want to protect my skin.
In other [not-so-important] news, I found a new food site that I’m sure I’m bound to enjoy. It’s Epicurious.com. There are lots of great recipes and articles here to try out and read, and the site itself is organized very well, if I do say so myself. If you ever have some free time on your hands, go check it out. And be sure to tell me about any cool sites you’ve found in the comments section.
Filed under: Musings
I was checking out SpaFinder.com for a client of mine, and it got me thinking – where would I go if I had a week off. Now that the holidays are over, things are starting to get back to "normal" [as if you could call any workday for me normal].
So, with all my clients getting back into the 9-to-5 swing of things, and the phone finally taking a break from ringing non-stop, what would I do if I had a week off. With that notion in mind, I decided to take a look at the spas and resorts that SpaFinder had to offer. [Off the clock, of course.]
I had to keep a few factors in mind when choosing a spa to possibly go to. For one, I’m about six months along now [and I'm starting to feel it], so I couldn’t [or wouldn't, rather] go with anything too fitness-focused. I think of relaxing when I think of spas, not having some personal trainer barking at me. The next thing is that while Paris and Italy and Japan would all be nice, and I do plan to visit all those places some day, I still want to stay in the States. I don’t want one of my clients to have a dire emergency and not be able to get ahold of me. Of course this is supposed to be a vacation, but what can I say – I’m a workaholic and I love it.
So, with those two extremely important things to think about , I browsed and browsed the pages of this holistic website until I found what I was looking for: The Golden Door Resort.
Even the website is relaxing [the great handiwork of some designer who was probably paid handsomely]. As I looked through the pictures and read through the web pages, I was sold. The other locations look great, but I chose the original spa in Escondido because I love the Asian essence of it. I’m a huge fan of Japanese architecture and culture, so this place does it for me.
If I ever get a week off, I’ll definitely give a great amount of thought in going there for their Inner Focus program. I would love to spend seven days doing tai chi and sen archery. In fact, now that I’ve seen this, I think I may look a little further into the art of meditation. I love the practice – I just never have enough time to really do some good with it. Maybe a week off would help.
Filed under: Musings
I decided to take the day off yesterday [whoopie!], and I was still sitting at my PC. What can I say – old habits die hard. But I digress.
As I was Stumbling about [I love StumbleUpon - it's a great site and toolbar addition], I found a website called LoveYourBody.org, and I took a closer look at it. Seeing that being pregnant changes your body so much, and you really have no control over it, I think I was really looking to see if they had any advice for me.
The site [though lacking, in my opinion, in the colors department] is pretty much a hub for the founder’s many projects. Ophira Edut created LoveYourBody.org as a way to show women around the nation that they can love what they’ve got. She’s what they call an social entrepreneur.
As I came across that word, I looked it up on Wikipedia [I love that site]. Social entrepreneurship is really starting to spread. It’s not just about making your annual donation anymore – it’s about treating social issues as a business endeavor. I must say, as a businesswoman I love the idea.
I’ll be looking further into social entrepreneurship, as I’m sure a few of my clients will find it just as interesting as I do. Some of them are looking to do mare than just the hackneyes donation check, but they simply don’t know where to start. Plus, since I’ve been working with them, they seem to have a lot more free time on their hands. I guess I must be doing something right.
Filed under: Great Finds
As you probably know by now, I am a nut when it comes to organization. If you look through any of my dozens of notebooks, or even on my browser’s home page, you’re bound to find at least fifteen different lists – along with various versions of each one. (I know – I’m a weirdo.)I make so many lists because it helps me to get things done, in an orderly and timely fashion. That’s one of the principles that I built The Company on, and it’s still a core value for me personally.
So, in my efforts to perpetuate my organizational frenzy, I turned to searching the internet for ways to stay organized. I found various wishlist and grocery list sites, but one site turned out to be a godsend.
That site was Backpackit.com.I found out, through further reading and clicking, that this site not only allowed me to make lists, but it also allows me to make notes about lists, and whole "writeboards," and allows me to organize my lists and information on separate pages! It was a dream come true.As I sent my mouse into fifth gear, I found the source of this website of the organization gods – 37 Signals.
I immediately fell in love with all of their products. Whether it’s to organize company information in Basecamp, work on new ideas and leads in Backpack, or manage my contacts and clients in Highrise, I’m always using at least one of the 37 Signals products at any given moment. I even subscribed to their company and product blogs to keep me informed on what’s going on in these young people’s minds.
The Chicago-based company has been in business since 1999, and the founder, Jason Fried, is probably rolling in the green right now. I even read an article featuring this web applications guru on one of my favorite websites, Entrepreneur.com. He’s one of the Faces of Web 2.0, something that I plan to become intimate with.
Soooo, with all of this said, I urge you to take a look at what Jason and his team at 37 Signals are doing. I’m sure you’ll find something useful to use their products for something.
Filed under: Links Gallerie
Welcome to another edition of Links Gallerie. As this is the last day of 2007, I have decided to share some links that have been inspirational to me throughout the year. So, here are my top five links for 2007.
The Five Steps to Creating a Personal Mission Statement. It’s really helped me focus my efforts and has given me a personal road map to follow throughout the year.
Barnes and Noble. This website has saved me a lot of time and mileage. You have no idea [or maybe you do] how annoying it is to see something online, just to drive all the way to the store and find out that they don’t have it in stock, or that it’s only sold on the web. Geez…
Entrepreneur.com. This place almost became my home page these past few months, I was there so often. The articles and how-to guides for starting and growing your business are extremely helpful. I think I’m about three credits from a MBA after reading all this website has to offer.
Creative Pro Office. This is a great tool for keeping track of my clients’ time and services, and it even allows my clients to log in and see their accounts as well. It’s the online program that I use when registering new clients and recording the time that I’ve spent working for them.
Hostess with the Mostess. This site is great. So many ideas, so many articles, and so many links to great artists, product lines, and other blogs. I do like reading blogs in my spare time, so this site is really great for me.
I hope that everyone has had a great year. I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to 2008. A new year, a new leaf, if you know what I mean. I feel that now is the time when I can take stock of everything that’s happened to me and around me and really look closely at how I can change things for the better.
But that doesn’t mean that I’m making a New Year’s Resolution. Those things are overrated and sadly depressing at times. Especially when you forget about them within the first two weeks of January. I’d say that this is my Anit-Resolution, but that would just be too cliche. So, I’ll just call it my New Year’s Musings.
So, what are you going to do for New Year’s? Some soul-searching? Partying? Reading? Feel free to share your traditions in the comments section.
