New and Improved?

It's back, it's back! The Aveeno line of shaving gels are back on store shelves!

In August, I posted a blog about Aveeno Active Naturals Positively Smooth Shave Gel being taken off the market with out a proper farewell. I had called their customer service line and was told that they were removed from stores due to a malfunction with the pump. The product was being dispersed as a cream, instead of a gel.

Oh, what difference does it make? Be it a cream or gel, I just need it to get the job done of protecting my legs from nicks and cuts.

Last week, as I was walking through the pampering products aisle at a Wal-Mart store, my jaw dropped when I saw the return of my favorite shaving product. It comes in a new rust-proof can, which is a nice improvement. But honestly, gel or cream, I do not see a difference when using it. I'm just glad it's back.

Photo and story by Olivia N. Castaneda

More Lotioning sans Oil

A few weeks ago, I posted a blog about my favorite moisturizing products for the winter season and asked readers to share their favorites. Well, I have found a new cream that tops any other product I have ever used. I am highly recommending the Lancome Nutrix Royal Body Intense Lipid Repair Cream.

I received the sample bottle- seen above- as a free gift with purchase, a couple of months ago from my local Macy's store. Because the cold weather had not settled in until recently, I barely took the pink champaign colored bottle out of my drawer and did a test run. In a matter of minutes my skin felt amazingly soft and smooth. The rich cream definitely does its job of relieving that tight feeling from dryness, and kept my skin hydrated through out the day. The cream is not greasy, so my skin was still touchable with out an oily residue rubbing off. Also, I instantly noticed my skin, especially my legs, had a natural shine to them. I use the word natural here because the cream does not contian shimmer. And my last observation is its light fragrance, which smells oh-so good and clean. I am awestruck with this product.

I then called the store where I had received this gift and spoke to a Lancome representative and found out that this is not a new product. The representative says that the cream has been on the market for a few years now, though she could not specify what year it debuted.

The cream is available at any Lancome counter in a 7 oz. jar for $34 and a 6.7 oz. bottle for Nutrix Royal Body Intense Restoring Lipid-Enriched Lotion for $29.

Photo and image by Olivia N. Castaneda

Tackling The Chef In You

It's time to bring out the pots and pans and make some noise in the kitchen. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, why not dig up your cook books and start the sizzling early. One recipe that will be sure to knock your socks off is a chicken alfredo and rice casserole. Bring your family and friends because this dish will be a success.

All you need for this recipe is:
1 container of light Alfredo pasta sauce
1/2 cup of milk
2 1/2 cups of cooked white rice
2 cups of cubed cooked chicken
1 cup of frozen peas
1/3 cup of chopped red sweet peppers
1 tablespoon of basil
1 cup of soft bread crumbs
1 tablespoon of butter melted

When you have all the ingredients preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl combine pasta sauce and milk. Stir in rice, chicken, peas, sweet peppers and basil. Then transfer all the contents to a 1 1/2 court baking dish. Put in the oven and bake covered for 30 minutes. After it has baked for 30 minutes, take the dish out of the oven, and combine bread crumbs and melted butter as you sprinkle that on the top as well. Let stand for a couple minutes before serving.

This meal will be sure to leave you and your guests completely full and satisfied. This recipe is not only delicious but healthy as well. A full serving of this appetizing treat is only 456 calories. If you want more recipes and deserts that are sure to leave you and your guests running for seconds go to www.bhg.com/recipe.

Longer Lasting Lipstick

Here are four simple steps to prep those pillowy lips, in order to make your lipstick wear last longer through the day.

Step 1: Gently exfoliate your lips. Use your everday face cleanser, and preferably one with exfoliating microbeads. Washing off dry, dead skin is an important step. Lipstick will stain and naturally look better on fresh skin.

Step 2: Pat dry your lips and immediately moisturize them. Moisturized lips retain the lip stain longer, than dry lips. Use your everyday lip moisturizing product or even lotion. Personally, lotion works best because it keeps lips hydrated longer, and the thicker texture works as a fill-in for fine lines on the lips, allowing me to glide on my lipstick smoother.

Step 3: Kiss the back of your hand to remove any excess moisturizer.

Step 4: Now you're ready to smooth on your favorite lipstick shade. Make sure to apply it straight from the tube.

Photo and story by Olivia N. Castaneda

Political Attack Ad Era

You've seen them on TV, and in your mailboxes trying to persuade you to vote for a certain candidate. But how far are political attack ads willing to go to grab a check mark next to their name on a ballot?

Just to give you a sense as to how far a political candidate will go to bash his or her opponent take the Illinois Governor elections for example. Democrat Pat Quinn and Republican runner Bill Brady went head-to-head trying to win voters by attack ads, which can threat voters and make them suspicious or fearful of the targeted runner in the ad. Bill Brady stated recently that he had a lot of attack ads against him. So with Pat Quinn being reelected as governor, could that mean that his means of attack ads worked? Bill Brady insists that something could have gone wrong during the counting.

I'm sure you have already seen this attack ad against Bill Brady. But are the things they are accusing Brady of true?



In the very few seconds of the video you see them attacking Bill Brady for making 76,000 a year and not paying Federal income taxes. After a few seconds of looking up information I found out that Brady didn't owe taxes in 2008 and 2009 because his business had suffered major financial losses from the recession. I have to say that this year's political attack ads against both parties for governor got pretty ugly.

Political attack ads have gotten worse in recent years, and some blame it on the economy. The most vicious attack ad in my opinion was this year. During the weeks leading up to California's GOP gubernatorial primary, candidate Steve Poizner ran an ad accusing Ebay CEO Meg Whitman of promoting pornography. If these ads are false, they can really ruin someone's career and life for that matter.

So next time you see one of those attack ads come on and try to make you think that this candidate is wrong for the job, do your own research? You would be surprised at how many people think what is said is on TV is true. First of all you don't know who is producing these attack ads, and often times they get taken off the air because they are completely and utterly false. Don't let political attack ads fool you.

Vaseline's 140th Anniversary

The how-you-doing host Wendy Williams, from- obviously- The Wendy Williams Show, celebrated Vaseline's 140th anniversary this week during her show. She involved the audience by quizzing them on the different ways to use the petroleum jelly product for your skin, your baby's skin and even corky ways to use around the house, such as to silence noisy door hinges. It was quite obvious that the audience studied for the quiz, because they were getting all the answers right!

During one of the questions, I learned something new. Mix sea salt and Vaseline, and use it as an exfoliating scrub to remove and smooth rough skin. Remember to exfoliate dry areas, such as elbows, knees, heels and even hands, gently! I was too excited to use this new inexpensive scrub I conjured up over my bathroom sink that I scrubbed a little too hard. Ouch! But it did the trick! After washing off the scrub, my skin felt amazingly soft and supple as a new born's.

Here's some historical information on the product from its website at http://www.vaseline.com/. Robert A. Chesebrough is the father of Vaseline. In 1859, when he was a 22-year-old, he journied to Pennsylvania to study an oil well. While there he noticed that the oil workers used this thick, natural substance, known as Rod Wax, to aid in the healing of cuts and scrapes; as Vaseline does. He went back to his home in Brooklyn, NY with a sample of the wax. After expirementing, he came up with the product that we use today. In 1870, the name Vaseline was marketed and made its way into homes, nationally and internationally, during the following decade.

Vaseline can be found at any drug store in the medicine aisle. I found my 3.75 oz jar at my local Walgreens for $2.99.



Photo and story by Olivia N. Castaneda

Celebrity Halloween Hits

It's not every day you get to dress up as your favorite celebrity let alone look like them. This year the celebrity Halloween award goes to reality star Snooki, and second place not far behind is musician Lady Gaga.

With dozens of poofs, and many meat dresses strolling the street across the nation on Oct 31., this makes Lady Gaga and Snooki as the celebrity Halloween hits for this year.

Although every Halloween you always have your Elvis, Michael Jackson and Marylin Monroe costumes, there was a variety of new celebrity Halloween costume ideas. From legendary Betty White, Tiger Woods cheating scandal, pop sensation Justin Bieber to President Barak Obama, this year was a fun time to think outside the box.

The best celebrity couple costumes this year was by far the now broken up Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush. Many rocked their style by adding a little junk in their trunk and sporting a New Orleans Saints jersey. Also another popular celebrity couple costume was Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

As for the little ones, there was plenty of costumes for them to wear this year. From being their favorite super hero to their favorite character in a book, the kids can't wait till next Halloween. The new thing this year for infants and toddlers was to make their costumes into little bumble bees or fairies.

Always remember to be safe on Halloween especially if you're taking your little ones trick -or- treating. Never let your kids out of your sight, and walk them up to the door, or be somewhere where you can see them at all times like maybe a sidewalk for example. Halloween is a fun holiday to dress up and to indulge in chocolate or sugar treats.