Zero Calorie Sweetener Stevia To Get FDA Okay

Stevia.

We hadn't heard of it until this morning. The news programs were chatting about this unique, zero-calorie sweetener made from an herb. It's said to be all natural. And the FDA, or food and drug administration, is ready, maybe even today, to give the green light to stevia's approval.

Maybe many of you have already been enjoying stevia as your sugar substitute for years. It has been available in our country, but always wore the label of 'not FDA-approved.'

Why the concern about stevia?

Like its fake sugar friends.....saccharin, aspartame, and others, bad press has dogged these sweeteners because of lab studies done on rats which concluded these zero calorie foods are cancer-causing agents.

However, these studies indicate that consumers are safe with 'fake sugars,' because normal consumption would never exceed the huge amounts needed to possibly cause cancer to develop in humans.

Stevia has been safely eaten in Japan, China, and South America for years. Australia just gave the zero-calorie sweetener the thumbs up recently.

Stevia is actually a shrub plant from the chrysanthemum endemic family. It grows quite nicely in regions where tobacco thrives. Stevia is an herbal extract from the shrub, the way we understand it.

We have never tasted stevia that we know of. We used to be a TAB fanatic. But that was until 1984, when the makers started mixing a little aspartame in with the saccharin. The flavor was forever ruined for us.

Meantime, Coke-a-Cola and PepsiCo are anxiously hoping for the big FDA okay, so they won't have to pull out new light drinks if the ruling disapproves stevia.

Bottoms up, everyone!!!

Cyber Monday Slashing Prices On All Things Beauty

This is it!!!

If you did all the running around at the malls and your favorite local shops after Thanksgiving on the biggest shopping day of the year, there's still more time to pick up some great deals until midnight. Today is Cyber Monday, the internet's idea of the largest shopping day for Christmas.

The deals on beauty and fashion are out there. Just some clever hunting, and you will reap some lovely benefits. Look for FREE Shipping, and some 15%, 20%, even 50% off some of your favorite beauty things.

Here are 4 of our favs:

1. SkinStore.com---Save 20% throughout the online store. Sale ends tomorrow, Dec. 2nd.

SkinStore.com has tons of makeup and skin care brands.....Kinerase, philosophy, Perricone MD, Jan Marini, StriVectin SD, SkinCeuticals, and more.

2. GAP.com---Buy One Sweater, and save 50% on the second one. And FREE Shipping on Any Purchase!

Who doesn't love GAP! Great buys for the entire family---women, men, maternity, baby, and kids. GAP is one of the world's largest specialty retailers.

3. BodyShop.com is also gearing up for Christmas, with 15% off all purchases today and a FREE mini Passion Fruit Body Butter with Any order.

BodyShop.com has some of the most elegant-scented body and bath washes around. Fragrances, soaps, makeup, hairstyling needs. Always makes a super holiday gift for someone.

4. OldNavy.com is warming shoppers up today with a 20% off sale, site-wide, along with some already low prices. And FREE shipping!

Old Navy is a cousin to the GAP. Great American style....from camisoles to winter coats. Junior sizes.

Nail It By Going Gray Grey Greige For Winter 2008

In this tight economy, a small bottle of trendy nail polish, won't break your wallet. In fact, staring down at some pretty polished nails might do all of us some good. It might just put a tiny smile on your face.

Going gray, grey, er....greige???!!!

Alright, not the brightest, most upbeat color on the planet, but think of gray nail polish as Parisian chic.

The new face of manicured nails is gray---all shades. From muddy, taupey greige to shimmering dove grey to bold gunmetal gray.

The trend is so hot at the moment, that even the Los Angeles Times bothered to research the story, and did an entire piece on the new color for autumn and winter 2008!

Here's what we have learned:

Ladies, keep your nails short, neat, and trimmed, when trying these trendy shades.

And gray doesn't like every skin tone. So experiment and buy a few bottles to see what looks lovely with your hands. The wrong grey can look, well, almost corpse-like. Then again, the perfect grey can look very 'rock 'n roll.' And actress Gwyneth Paltrow recently donned gray polish to the premiere of her latest film.

OPI, one of the world's most famous nail polish makers, has given us a big winner. Even Cosmopolitan magazine has rated You Don't Know Jacques! as their Ultimate Nail Polish for 2008. (see photo of large bottle with lace background).

You Don't Know Jacques! is from OPI's La Collection de France, autumn/winter 2008. This is an elegant, very Parisian look. (about $5, at hair and nail salons everywhere, also online, and Ebay).

A gentler shade of OPI grey, called Run With It! is a lighter, more brown/grey tone (see small photo). This shade is hot all over New York City. You can pick up a bottle ($9) at Sephora.com.

OPI has another gray, not for the faint-of-heart. It's called My Private Jet. Sounds sexy and chic. It's a strong gunmetal shade with some noticable silvery sparkles.

To get your gray on, visit http://www.opi.com/.

Sexy Eva Mendes Loves This Famous Facial Scrub!

Actress Eva Mendes is a sexy woman.

No wonder the great Calvin Klein has made her the star of his Secret Obsession perfume ads. You know, the racy, controversial commercials that were banned from being aired here until after hours,because of Eva rolling around almost naked between the sheets.

The 33-year-old Latin beauty recently shared a longtime beauty tip today. And maybe many of you have used this wonderful beauty treatment, too.

It's been around for a number of years in many bathroom cabinets------St. Ives Apricot Facial Scrub. Eva Mendes says the scrub is a favorite of hers. We also love this stuff, because it's available at your local drugstore and for about $5, depending on the scrub type you choose.

We know a number of women who love St. Ives Apricot Scrub for its wonderful exfoliating agents. And yes, lots of men use it, too. Your face feels so smooth and clean after a few moments of cleansing. And acne stays away when you're washing with this beauty routine.

This #1 selling scrub* contains 100% natural exfoliants to deep clean pores. Apricot Extract deep cleans pores while gently removing dull, dead skin cells to reveal smoother skin.

And yes, St. Ives sells an Apricot Body Wash Lotion. But we know girlfriends who use the facial scrub as a body scrub instead, because of the grainier formula that can tackle rough elbows, feet, and legs.

Every face is unique...whether your complexion is dry, aging, pimply, St. Ives has a scrub, cleanser, or mask, just for you. You can pick a scrub from these categories:

Invigorating
Blemish Control
Aging Skin
Sensitive Skin
Beautiful Skin
and Elements

Check out their website at http://www.stives.com/.

Jan Marini Says This Is the BEST Hand Cream Around

If you travel in beauty/skin care circles, then you know the name Jan Marini.

She is the gorgeous woman in the photo.

Jan Marini is a well-respected product researcher.

We explored her skin care website, http://www.janmarini.com/, and found this nugget in her "About Me' page:

"Well before the technology was available to the mass market, Jan Marini pioneered the use of Glycolic Acid to improve the skin's appearance and texture. She was also the first to market a stable topical Vitamin C technology to promote healthier skin."

Here we go again, with these two special words: glycolic acid.

So, how does that relate to hand cream? According to Jan Marini, the two go hand in hand, so to speak.

Let's be honest, when fall and winter arrive and everything is cold and dry, our exposed skin takes a beating. No one wants rough, red, chapped hands.

Here's Jan's beauty tip today---her favorite: Alpha Hydrox AHA Enhanced Lotion Anti Wrinkle Treatment($11.99, 6 fl. oz., at drugstores).

"I've tried every hand cream on the market," she says. And she loves this brand because of it's 10% Glycolic AHA content.

"Its molecules are so small that they penetrate more deeply, dislodging dead cells and lifting the skin, giving it a smoother appearance. And glycolic acid also helps get rid of age spots!"

What's also wonderful about this product, you can use it on your face, neck and entire body. Alpha Hydrox has a huge following. People seem to love it, and swear that their wrinkling is kept to a minimum.

Hey, if Jan Marini says this hand cream is the best, well, then we believe her.

Roast Turkey Still A Great Holiday Diet Choice

Okay, here are the bare facts:

Turkey is actually an excellent dietary choice----good protein with very little fat. And if roasted, low in sodium.

And by the way, turkey contains more protein than the same size serving of chicken or beefsteak.

So, you want the breakdown, here we go. We got this information from dietbites.com:

Roasted Turkey - 6 Ounces Dark + White Meat, Untrimmed
450 Calories

Roasted Turkey - 3 Ounces White Meat - Trimmed (no skin, no fat). White meat contains a little less calories than dark. Add 30 more calories if you prefer dark meat.
130 Calories

1 Cup of homemade stuffing
400 Calories

1/2 Cup of boxed stuffing prepared with no calorie refrigerated butter spray.
110 Calories

1 Cup of Giblet Gravy
300 Calories

1/3 Cup of Giblet Gravy
100 Calories

1 Cup of Mashed Potatoes
350 Calories

1/2 Cup of Mashed Potatoes prepared with skimmed milk, no calorie refrigerated butter spray
100 Calories

Stuffed Celery - 1 stick
100 Calories

1 Stick of stuffed celery prepared with reduced fat cream cheese.
40 Calories

2 Sweet Pickles, 10 Black/Green Olives
125 Calories

2 Black Olives, 2 Green Olives
25 Calories

1 Cup of Candied Sweet Potatoes
400 Calories

1/2 Baked Sweet Potato w/ small pat of butter, dash of cinnamon, a couple of packs of no calorie sweetener.
100 Calories

1/2 Cup of Cranberry Sauce
200 Calories

1/6 Can of Cranberry Sauce - Jelled or Whole Cranberries
100 Calories

2 Rolls With Butter
300 Calories

1 Roll With 1/2 Pat of Butter
125 Calories

1 Cup of English Peas with Butter
150 Calories

2 Glasses Sweetened Tea, Wine, Punch or Cider
300 Calories

1 Slice of Pumpkin Pie With Topping
450 Calories

1 Slice of Pecan Pie
650 Calories

1 Cup of Fruit Salad
100 Calories

1 Cup of Egg Nog
400 Calories

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Oral B Pulsonic Makes Teeth Whiter And Cleaner

Your smile is extremely important. People really notice your teeth. That's why today's beauty tip focuses on your mouth.

We are taking a closer look at the newest electric toothbrush out there---this is a slim one-------the Oral B Pulsonic toothbrush ($69.99, at stores like Best Buy, Walgreens). This baby is slender, almost like a regular, non-electric toothbrush, with maybe a couple of inches longer. Or as the Oral B makers like to joke, "so slim, it makes your bathroom feel bigger."

Let's be honest. Electric toothbrushes have come a long way. They were once bulky, and difficult to maneuver inside the mouth. Some had very abrasive bristles. Others were annoyingly loud.

But not anymore. The Pulsonic features 2 speeds, rechargeable battery power, a 2-minute professional timer, custom precision tip brush head, thin precision bristles, and a quiet sound.

What we adore about the new, slim toothbrush is its 2Week White. This new gadget claims to whiten teeth by reducing up to 94% of surface stains in just 2 weeks."

This is a great dental gadget for the entire family. Young kids will enjoy brushing teeth this way, and adults can get a more thorough cleaning.

And if you head to the oralb.com website, there's a $15 rebate waiting for you.

Also, if you're always searching for the best and cheapest whitening toothpaste, we have it for you!

Back in June, we wrote an article about Ultra brite All In One Advanced Whitening. We had just caught a report by the well-respected and well-researched http://www.consumerreports.org/. And they claim, the best whitening toothpaste is:
Ultra brite All In One Advanced Whitening.

Consumer Reports tested 41 toothpastes, toothpastes that all boast about whitening your teeth. And they found that most brands do not live up to the hype or expensive price tags. But only one was really superior at stain removal. And this one wasn't too abrasive, meaning, the toothpaste would not harm teeth and gums. And that is---Ultra brite. And what a bargain at just $2.19 a tube, 6 oz. But it's not available on all store shelves. You can get it at http://www.drugstore.com/ and drugstores like CVS.

You can also pick up the toothpaste for $1 at those one dollar stores, if you're lucky.