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Good morning! I'm back with my last picture of my beautiful nails. It's now been three weeks and I'm off to get my nails done again by Tabitha. I'm very excited to get a new color but must say, I have never been so enamored of my nails, ever. As you can see, they are still wonderfully shiny, smooth and have NO chips! You can see the growth that's happened but from far away, it's difficult to see. With a lighter color, it's even more difficult to notice.
I will post another picture next week of my new nails, but that will be the end of my nail pictures. I'm sure you're very disappointed but its on to bigger and better.
We had our monthly staff meeting last week and the purpose of it was to grill me on different products and ingredients. Lanora asked the first question, one I loved and thought I'd share here. It was - What are your top three ingredients? I loved it because it wasn't something I'd ever considered before.
So, what are they?
1 - (and by far my all time go-to ingredient) Green Tea
I could go on and on about this ingredient but to sum it all up, it's my favourite because of its versatility. It can do so many things, and do them well, that its an ingredient I add to many many of our products.
2 - Canola Oil
I'll let you in on a little secret - canola oil ROCKS!! Many people do not know this, but we'll just keep it between us, right? ;o) Canola oil contains only 7% saturated fatty acids (the ones we want to stay away from) - half the present levels in olive, soy and corn oils. It is also characterized by a relatively high level of monounsaturated fatty acids (the good kinds that can lower cholesterol levels) and has a good balance of the omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. While these are usually used in dietary terms, they also apply to the skin. It is also a lighter oil and absorbs more readily into the skin, which is great for lotions because it doesn't stay on the top of the skin, making it feel greasy. And, its produced right here in Manitoba!
3 - Orange Oil
Besides the fact that this oil always make me smile when I smell it, it is a powerful antibacterial agent and an amazing cleaner. Next time you have gum residue from a price tag, try a little orange oil. It will remove almost all stubborn sticky stuff.
I have to say that while the first two were right at the top of my head, the last one was more of a challenge. There are so many great ingredients that I had trouble picking. Stay tuned because as time goes on, I'll go into deeper depth about the different ingredients we use (and why).
Enjoy the day!
It seems that almost every day, I receive a request for a product NOT containing a certain ingredient because someone has told someone else a horror story about it. The latest concerns I dealt with were regarding Canola oil, cocoa butter and lavender - three fantastic, wonderful ingredients. I really wanted to write this post to caution people about what they take at face value.
Now, don't get me wrong. I understand how badly we all want to be healthy, make the right choices and if pregnant, do right by our unborn children. However, every time I hear one of these stories, I'm reminded of my son who comes home from school in tears saying his friend's friend was bitten by a rabbit with rabies and had to spend the next year in the hospital. Anyone can say anything but that doesn't make it true!
Today, I'm going to address the cocoa butter issue that came up last week. A customer came into Tiber River looking for products that DID NOT contain cocoa butter because someone told her that cocoa butter could increase her child's heart rate (she's pregnant). Naturally, she was desperate to make sure she didn't do this, however, she can rest easy. There is an online warning that the caffeine in cocoa butter can cause the heart rate of an unborn child to increase dramatically, thereby causing an heart arrhythmia. As I mentioned earlier, though, just because someone says its so, doesn't make it so.
Now, here are some caffeine levels of some very common food products, that are ingested orally, not via the skin, as cocoa butter would have to be.
Brewed Coffee: 120mg/cup
1 tablet analgesic (pain killer): 30 - 66mg each
Mountain Dew: 55mg/cup and a half
Brewed Tea: 48mg/cup
Chocolate Milk: 5mg/cup
In contrast, a 10g piece of pure cocoa butter will contain only 0.04g of caffeine! And this has to be absorbed into the skin, through the placenta and to the baby. No, of the hundreds of things you need to worry about when you are pregnant, cocoa butter is not one of them!
If I can leave you with anything, its this - PLEASE do a little research before getting too scared about things people may tell you. And, don't just go online and read people's comments! Remember, just because someone says it's true doesn't mean it is!! (Have I repeated that enough, ;o))
Enjoy the day!
Good morning again.
WOW! Winnipeg seems determined to prove what a great place it is to live - this weather is unbeatable!! How lucky are we Peggers?!
As promised, I have a picture of my nails, now almost two weeks into my polish. (It'll be two full weeks tomorrow.)
As you can see, they've started growing out a bit but the polish itself is just as shiny and smooth as it was on the day Tabitha applied it. From a distance, you can't notice the small amount of growth.
I put these nails through the ringer, these past two weeks. They have been banged, scratched, and put in the garden and still, no chipping, no dulling, no nothing! I LOVE having my nails look so good for so long!
This polish is available in all kinds of colors from gray to clear - I am wearing Merlot, which is a beautiful wine color with a hint of sparkle. If you are someone who loves having their nails look great all the time, without the problems of a gel nail, but with the durability the gel provides, this is the polish for you. We offer this at both our locations. Phone 474-2333 for Academy or 284-4247 for Kenaston to book your appointments.
Enjoy the sun!!
Good morning all!
I am finally getting back in the grove after our exhausting week in New York City. I wish I could say that I came back well rested and raring to go but sadly, that wasn't the case. I was very glad to be home, though. I found New York actually kind of depressing. Granted, it was raining and dreary there most of the time but I felt like I was being suffocated by buildings and garbage. If you looked up, all you saw was buildings, not much sky - as you can see below.
At night, it was even more claustrophobic feeling because of all the lights, horns and garbage - check out what was waiting for us outside our hotel room every night when we got back!
The one thing I loved was the shopping - INCREDIBLE!! I think, though, the next time I go back, I have to be making a whole lot more money because I could have gone through my entire year's salary in one afternoon.
The tradeshow was supremely successful for us. We weren't displaying products, we were only there to find contacts for ingredients, packaging, etc. And we did! We even solved a few problems that have been haunting us for years!! All in all, very worth while!
Check back in tomorrow because I've got pictures of my nails to show you what they look like 2 weeks in.
Enjoy the sun (and the air, space and quiet). Winnipeg really is a GREAT city!!!
