Past a certain age, to paraphrase iconic French actress Catherine Deneuve, it’s either your face or your figure.

In the late 70s, a woman of a certain age was probably between 35 and 40. The phrase was popularized by psychotherapist Lillian B. Rubin in “Women of a Certain Age: The Midlife Search for Self. Today’s ‘certain age’ is likely much older, although with the proliferation of botox and volumizing injectables , who knows?

Seriously though, as we age (and are no longer in our dewy 20s) striving to maintain a runway-model-thin or elite-athlete-fit body can make you look gaunt and older than you really are.

Why yo-yo dieting is bad

It’s no shocker that tanning, puffing on American Spirits and downing cocktails is a recipe for lackluster skin and wrinkles (not to mention serious health consequences). Another way to court lines and sags is to keep gaining and losing the same 10-20 pounds. When women lose weight, it comes off their face and breasts first, leading to slackened, inelastic and damaged skin.

You are what you eat

Nutritionists, doctors, your healthiest friend at work all believe that eating whole organic whole foods benefits skin. Your diet should also include good fats like salmon, avocados, olive oil and almonds that keep skin supple and safeguards against inflammation. According to uber-derm, Dr. Perricone, controlling inflammation can help delay and reverse premature aging in skin.

Exercise smarter, not harder

High-impact exercise- like running- increases stress on the skin with constant repetitive motion. Over time, this leads to too much facial fast loss. I’m talking grueling, long distance runs more than thrice weekly. Jogging is fine– just be sure to wear sunscreen if you jog outside during daylight. Yoga, biking and walking (my favorite) also give good glow.

In addition to maintaining a healthy weight (for you), follow these practical tips for lovely, covetable skin<

• When possible, avoid excess amounts of stress and get plenty of sleep (I know– easier said than done…)
  

• Shun the sun during peak hours—10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and protect your skin with SPF daily

• Don’t smoke. It’ll kill you and make you look old fast
  

• Drink lots of water—hydrated skin looks plumper is less prone to wrinkling.

Image from La Chamade via Cafe Mode

I’m back from Kauai. OK, I actually returned a few weeks ago. I’ve neglected my Beautiful Tuesdays posts, and I apologize. Here’s what happened. After a fabulously relaxing, idyllic tropical holiday, my relationship ended — and it wasn’t my choice. Anyway, the last few weeks have been rough. For my own mental health, I needed to keep a healthy distance from Internet.

But all is not lost. I’ve made being good to myself my number one priority. Of course for me that includes (sorta budget-friendly) beauty indulgences. I paint my toenails while watching Sex and the City reruns and let my Pangea Organics Japanese Matcha Tea mask work it’s magic during Season 5 of The Wire (thank God for Netflix). I also have fabulous, loving, kind-hearted girlfriends who have had my back.

Hawaiian Beauty Secret
And since I can finally talk/write about Kauai without crying, I want to share a skincare discovery. Despite my best efforts, I burned my back and shoulders (but not my face!). On a whim I bought a bottle of kukui nut oil from Oils of Aloha in Princeville. I slathered it on my burnt parts and I didn’t peel and the redness subsided quickly. Since then I’ve used it as a nighttime face and body moisturizer. It absorbs quickly, doesn’t cause breakouts and makes my skin look glowy. I seriously love this stuff.

What Makes it So Great?
Kukui nut oil is loaded with essential fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory, healing and hydrating. It contains 78% oleic acid, 19% linoleic acid and 6% palmitc acid.

Kukui oil has been used in Hawaii for centuries to protect, heal and nourish skin that has been exposed to the elements–harsh sun, drying winds and salt water. It’s also beneficial for these conditions:

• Burns – including: sunburn, windburn, radiation burns, and heat induced burns.
• Eczema
• Chapped skin
• Psoriasis
• Mature and prematurely aged skin
• Dry skin conditions
• Acne
• Scars
• Lesions
• Dry hair and scalp

xxKezia

To me, not fitting into clothes that were loose on me a mere two years ago and having a BMI (body mass index) a smidge over 25 (that’s in the unhealthy range) means something needs to change. I hesitated before blogging about this for a couple of reasons. First of all, it’s boring. I’ve never wanted to be one of those women who are always talking about their diet or sugar intake. Second, body image is a touchy subject with lots of women. I can be a bit flippant when I talk about it and I don’t want to make anyone feel bad.

That said, guess what? I’m on a diet. Oops—I mean I’m changing the way I eat and exercise. Most of my new has gone straight to my boobs and belly, which is why I decided to try the embarrassingly-named Flat Belly Diet (FTB).

Get Sassy!

Confession: until recently diet coke was my beverage of choice. It may be calorie free, but the fake sugar in it makes you crave the real stuff. Plus, it’s loaded with freaky chemicals and makes you bloated. Not surprisingly, soda isn’t allowed on the FTB. Instead, we get “Sassy Water.”

It’s called Sassy Water for its creator, Prevention nutrition director Cynthia Sass. The sassy ingredients include fresh ginger to calm and soothe your GI tract. Luckily, I totally love it and don’t mind drinking all day. I’ve been off Diet Coke for 6 days and my tummy is definitely less bloated. If you’ve been looking for way to up your water intake and reduce bloat, this is it.

Here’s the recipe:

• 8.5 cups water
• 1 TSP Grated ginger
• 1 Medium cucumber, peeled and sliced
• 1 Small or Medium Lemon, sliced
• 12 Spearmint leaves
• Combine everything in a pitcher and let stand overnight

I stopped by the SF Library on Saturday to attend an event sponsored by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. And I’m so glad I did. It was energizing and gratifying to see women (and men) of all ages come together for such an important issue. And while the subject of toxic beauty products is undeniably heavy, the complimentary samples and demos from the event sponsors (all signers of the Compact for Safe Cosmetics) made for an uplifting afternoon.

Safe, Pretty Manis (plus Savings)
Manicurists from Acquarella gave non-toxic manicures with pretty, water-based polishes free of phthalates, methyl acetate and other petrochemical solvents.

This promo code SFEV7198 gets you a free polish with purchase of $20 on http://store.acquarellapolish.com/. I’m getting the clean, classic “Bikini.”

Uplifting Scents
I couldn’t resist helping myself to the basket of samples from Pharmacopia Natural and Organic Bodycare. Who needs coffee when you have the invigorating and energizing Citrus Organic Body Lotion.
Save 20% with this code: PHRIEND20.

All promo codes expire 7/31/2008.

We’re having another heat wave here in the Bay Area. Yesterday was ridiculously hot– and the (lack of) AC in my office didn’t help. I sure picked a great time to shun conventional deodorant/antiperspirant for the natural stuff. I can turn into a rashy, sweaty mess when the temperature rises. Here’s how I stay cool and fight the funk.

1. Drink Up
Hot weather makes us more vulnerable to dehydration and sun stroke. So drink lots of fluids. That means water, not diet coke. I’ve upped my H2O intake since buying a sleek SIGG bottle. No more disposable plastic bottles for me.


2. Freshen Up
I’m not one of those women who can’t deal with a little bit of b.o. or sweat. We’re human, right? When I’m at work, however, I want to feel and smell clean Also, excess perspiration makes me break out horribly on my chest and back. Body wipes or towelettes help my between-shower situation. I like Action Wipes because they’re not filled with horrible chemicals and they smell good. Plus, they’re made by people who go to Burning Man.

3. Mop it Up
I skip most makeup when it’s hot (except waterproof mascara). It melts off anyway. I’m all about dewy skin. Shiny? Not so much. Thank goddess for blotting papers. I use them throughout the day to mop the sweat from my face and chest. In my experience, most blotting papers work equally well. I don’t have any brand preference. In a pinch, try a toilet seat cover. It works!

Top image by Frida Borjeson Photography

I’m an emotional spender. My concepts around money revolve around handing over a plastic card and hoping I did my finances right (in my head). Most of the time getting right, sometimes, not so much. A year ago, I couldn’t make it through a week without buying something… while that makes for some interesting blogging, it’s not really good for my financial status.

The past few months I’ve been purging clothes I don’t like anymore, it felt like all that spending was such a waste. I knew I was trying to fill a hole in my soul with clothes, and the clothes I was filling it with were cheap and poorly made.

Right now, I’m looking for dresses. Really, what I want is a handmade dress gorgeous ruffles. There seems to be so much thought that goes into what I chose to buy, how much money something I want actually costs. It’s hard to separate some issues, like do I want it because of the brand name? Do I want it because it’s of the moment? And, does it reflect my personality? My values?
Do I love it? Can I wear this dress during the day? On my bike? Do I love it?

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot about ‘emotional spending‘ how to curb it, how to control yourself, etc. I feel that a lot of financial information is rather logical and doesn’t really make sense to me. I don’t see why emotions have to be curbed.

Oh yeah… I have to get my finances in order.

So right now, I’m in progress of becoming a financially sufficient woman. It’s hard because I really wasn’t taught how to manage my finances, and as a creative, numbers are hard to visualize.

I’m trying.

By translating or personalizing information I learn about finances, trying to put things in perspective so I care, right now. Not spending hundreds of dollars of month of cheap bits and pieces I think I have to have, and holding on to it, enables me to find something that I really love. Something I can use in my daily life. I’m finding that if I keep going back to a certain dress, and imagining the ways it would fit in my wardrobe probably means it’s my style, since I keep fantasizing, I probably love it.

And if it doesn’t cost too much, I can probably have it.
1. Drunk Circus Dress, $175 • 2. Look at me, $160 • 3. June Dress, $142

What’s the most you’ll spend on a single dress?

Survey by Quibblo

Right now, I’m going through a thing about my figure, my age too, but mostly my figure.

Last year, before I started blogging, and I had more time to obsess with other things, my figure was my main obsession. I measured all my food. Made sure everything was homemade, organic, whole. I exercised 3-5 times a week. I felt good… and I had a goal to look a certain way. Skinny. And once I reached that goal, it was depressing because I thought I would be happy if I were super fit. I wasn’t any more or less happier than when I began my quest. Although, I did like wearing clothes more.

Now that my life is different… and I have different priorities, like spending time with people I love, having a nice home, sleeping. It’s still important to maintain a healthy figure. Nutrition and physical activity is one of the most important parts of a happy life.

One of the sites I use to keep informed about what and how to eat, is Nutrition Data dot com. It’s a free (extensive) database that not only tells you the caloric content and it’s nutritional value, but it also shows you how nutritious food is. Like when people tell me spinach is good for you. I usually take their word for it… but I don’t’ really know what that means. Or empty calories? What the heck is that?
The thing I like about this website, is that I can take the food I want, and analyze whether I think it’s worth it or not to keep in my diet. If I have a goal to loose 5 pounds (which usually takes me 2 months… I do things slowly) I can look at what I’m eating, and I can also look for other possibilities, say I saw baby artichokes are in season… or they are having a sale on cherries. I can also see what the nutritional content is, and maybe make some room for pizza or cookies if I want.

The key is learning to have a diet I can be happy with. There is no use in punishing myself into being thin… because being thin doesn’t mean happy.

Also, Michael Polan wrote an very informative article in the New York Times, Unhappy Meals, which talks about our toxic portion sizes. I know it sounds crazy, but you can actually be sustained on the recommended portion sizes. At first they seem small, but that’s just to encourage lots of variety in your diet. Always look for the positives!

And last but not least, I’m not into starving. I have to eat several times a day, I get low blood sugar, I get super moody, sluggish… etc. I need to eat well to be happy. I have noticed, that food that was cared for, grown organically from smaller farms by people who are passionate about their crops, home cooked by your loved ones… etc., always tastes better. I can’t even think of eating frozen pizza.

As for my body issues… I’m still figuring that out, it’s an evolution.. I hope sharing this with you, will somehow inspire good eating!

Resources and other relevant sites:
Nutrition Data
Unhappy Meals, Michael Pollan, NYT magazine, 1/28/07
Back in Skinny Jeans
How to Cook Your Life