How To Make Bethenny's 90 Calorie Skinnygirl Margarita

Summer is fast approaching.....that means shorter skirts, shorter shorts, baring arms, dare we say a bikini, and so on.

We're all watching our waistlines, but we also want to have fun, and that means a sweet cocktail once in a while. And that brings us to the legendary, tropical margarita.

The average margarita has about, well, several hundred calories!!!! According to WikiAnswers.com, the number is frightening:

"Frozen: 180 calories (all carbs) for a 4 oz serving. Considering the average margarita glass holds 12 oz you're looking at 540 calories."

Wow. That's a ton of calories. And that's why, we are so looking forward to Bethenny Frankel's new line of Skinnygirl Margaritas coming out this June in a liquor store near you. The beauty of Bethenny's margarita is a dieter's dream---only 90 calories a drink. Or as The Real Housewives of New York star, Bethenny Frankel, likes to say: "The margarita you can trust."

And we have Bethenny's recipe for a Skinnygirl Margarita. You can also find the recipe at her website: http://www.bethenny.com/skinny_margarita.htm.

2 oz of Clear Premium Tequila (count 1, 2 while you pour, no need for measuring)
Tiny splash of Orange Liquor
Juice of 4 Fresh Lime Wedges
Splash of Grand Marnier or BOLS Triple Sec
Combine all ingredients over a glass of ice + garnish with a lime wedge. Makes one serving.


You can also check out Bethenny's step-by-step YouTube demo of how to make a Skinnygirl's Margarita. It's an excellent, easy-to-follow process:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHtrFXb1s40&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ebethenny%2Ecom%2Fskinny%5Fmargarita%2Ehtm&feature=player_embedded

Yummy! Enjoy!

Coral Hot For 2009: Very Wearable From Lips To Hips

If you want to look hot for spring and summer 2009, then you need some coral in your life.

Coral always looks so glamorous and trendy, and it's a shade that is very wearable for everyone. The color adds warmth. Just a hint of coral can add a pretty punch to your makeup or your wardrobe. And when you pair up coral and turquoise, you're making one beautiful, bold statement.

From lips to hips, "coral-ize" your look.

If you like to wear coral-shaded lips, we suggest checking out Chanel's Spring 2009 collection. We like Rouge Hydrabase Creme Lipstick in Fuego ($27, fine dept. stores).

If you aren't comfortable with coral lip shades, then dress up your nails with OPI Nail Lacquer in Conga-Line Coral from the OPI South Beach Collection ($9, www.opi.com).

And you can always accessorize with some handsome coral-colored must-haves, like Michael Kors gorgeous bag or Christian Dior's Coral Necklace for Summer Resort 2009.

It's all coral-icious.

L'Oreal Pumps Up Curls With 2 New Glossy Style Products

You with the beautiful curls! Nothing beats a mane of bouncing curls.

Curls that spring!!! With gloss that shimmers!!!

And now L'Oreal is introducing 2 new Vive Pro. Glossy Style hair treatments to their excellent collection:

1. L'Oreal Vive Pro. Glossy Style Glossy Curls Mousse ($4.99, 6.8 oz., drugstores)

2. L'Oreal Vive Pro. Glossy Style Glossy Curls Spray Gel ($4.99, 8.5 oz., drugstores).


Both L'Oreal Vive Pro. hair treatments are designed to control frizz, lock in super, glossy shine, and keep curls and waves moisturized.

Actress Penelope Cruz is the L'Oreal spokesperson for these 2 new Vive Pro. products. And she has incredible hair. We also love the price......only $4.99, for each generously-sized bottle.



Both hair products contain special formulas with ceramide and conditioning protein technology to boost and contour curls with glossy shine while helping to control frizz.

These are 2 new and great products to try with the hot summer days approaching. And shape, style, and hold, are the keys to a super hairstyle.

Do Push-Ups And Get Rockin' Body Like Gwen Stefani

We're here to say, that working out gets results. And if there's one exercise that can reap you many benefits, it's the humble push-up. No equipment required.

Look at lean and mean, no-belly, flaxen-haired Gwen Stefani.

Need we say more?!

The 39-year-old mother of two, was jumping and bouncing all over the American Idol stage last night, in a performance of 'Just a Girl' with band No Doubt. With a lime green bra, whose straps were peeking out of her white tank, Gwen Stefani went on to amaze the audience with 5 push-ups behind the Idol judges' chairs.

Check out Gwen's fantastic performance here and those cool push-ups, not the girl push-ups, either:

http://www.doghousegallery.net/blog/no-doubt/video-just-a-girl-live-on-american-idol/

So, what's so great about doing push-ups?

It's an overall body strengthener. And this one, simple exercise works multiple parts of the body at the same time. And it is considered a resistance exercise, which means you get muscle strength, as well as bone-building results.

We found some great information about push-ups from the webmd. website:

If you're thinking the push-up is the best upper body exercise, many fitness experts agree. But, personal trainer Jessica Bottesch tells WebMD, the push-up benefits many muscle groups body-wide.

"The primary movers [the major muscle groups that produce the motion of a push-up] are the chest and tricep. However, if you look at the form your body takes during the perfect push-up, you're typically suspended from your toes all the way to your neck, so in reality, every muscle between your shoulders and your toes is engaged," says Bottesch, co-owner of Empower Personal Training in Durham, N.C.

This includes the all important core muscles of the trunk, as well as the abdominals, legs and hips, she says.

To learn how to do the proper push-up, visit the webmd site here, and get some super tips:

http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/doing-the-perfect-push-up?page=2

A Good Makeup Sponge Can Make All The Difference

The BeautyBlender Sponge(pink) and the Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge(blue).

You could call it, "The Sponge Wars." And a good makeup sponge can make all the difference. Sure, some makeup artists prefer to apply foundation with fingertips only. And some won't touch a face without a makeup brush, like the trusty MAC 190 and MAC 187.

We're here to say, that the sponge is the way to go. And both makeup sponge applicators are excellent products. And as you can see by their interesting shapes, not the usual triangular sponge, both items have an easy form to hold on to, and are able to get into the little 'nooks and crannies' of one's facial features, to perfectly blend, blend, blend.

You end up with beautiful skin and a foundation makeup that appears air-brushed.

In these hard economic times, however, every smart recessionista is still on the hunt for a beauty product that costs less and performs with the very best. In this case, we will have to pick the blue sponge, or the Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge. This little product can be purchased at Target, currently marked down to just $8.99. http://www.target.com/dp/B00149XKOY/ref=cm_reviews_pg1?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=1T4PAHF3F33PJW3E9G3B&pf_rd_p=468561591&pf_rd_i=B00149XKOY&page=1&pf_rd_s=bottom-6&activetab=Reviews&pf_rd_m=A1VC38T7YXB528&pf_rd_t=201

And the Sonia Kashuk sponge is just as effective as its more expensive sister sponge, the BeautyBlender. One fallback, the Kashuk sponge has a funny odor to it.

Both blending sponges are best used when dampened with water. These sponges expand and get nice and fluffy and soft, and makeup glides across the face.

The famous BeautyBlender Sponge can be purchased online and at some makeup stores like Sephora's for $19.95. Some might say that's a bit pricey, but the sponge has a huge fan base, and many call the BeautyBlender, the ultimate makeup applicator. http://sephora.com/browse/product.jhtml?id=P228913&shouldPaginate=true&categoryId=5938

We're not sure how deep your pocketbook is these days, ladies, but you'd be wise to buy either the BeautyBlender Sponge or Sonia Kashuk Blending Sponge. Both applicators are good investments and can give you the flawless complexion you dream of.

To learn how to use a unique makeup applicator like these, just click here, and watch celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic in action with the bright pink BeautyBlender and his client Kim Kardashian:
http://www.beautyblender.net/videos/mario01.html

Inhalable Chocolate New Way To Delicious No Calorie Fix

Has it really come down to this?!

We all love chocolate, but now we can't enjoy it the old-fashioned way. There's a new method of chocolate madness. It's called Le Whif. And this is so bizarre, it will knock your socks off.

Take a look at the picture below. No, ladies, that is not a tampon, ha ha. That is the new way to enjoy a piece of delicious and sinful chocolate. With no calories! That's right.......calorie-free. Zero. Nada.

Scientists have gone way beyond the boundaries, folks. Now you can actually taste chocolate without chewing. You inhale it! Breathe it in, baby! This ain't your mama's chocolate. And believe it or not, you feel satisfied with an inhalation using this chocolate gadget.

Hard to believe, but you can thank a Harvard professor for this sweet tooth apparatus. David Edwards calls it 'whiffing.' Okay, we like the concept.

"Over the centuries we've been eating smaller and smaller quantities at shorter and shorter intervals," Professor Edwards says.

"It seemed to us that eating was tending toward breathing, so, with a mix of culinary art and aerosol science, we've helped move eating habits to their logical conclusion."

And yes, the beautiful taste of real chocolate is in there. It's actually a chocolate powder placed in a small, plastic cylinder which users breathe from. It's safe and easy to use.

"It fills your mouth with almost pure chocolate - it tastes really good," says a member of Professor Edward's collaborators.

"It's zero calorie, so could also be used as a diet tool," one says.

"But chocolate is only the beginning - we're going to be unveiling more different types of food in the future."

The cost?

The dispensers can be bought separately (at $2.40) or in a box of 24 (at $53). But we could not locate an exact place just yet. Flavors come in raspberry, mango, mint, and plain chocolate.

Yum. But if I had my choice, I'd really love a big piece of chocolate to chew, even with the sinful calories.

What do you think?

People's Cover Girl Christina Applegate And Her Fav Beauty Things

We aren't surprised that actress Christina Applegate graces the cover of People magazine's annual 100 Most Beautiful People for 2009.

The 37-year-old stunning blonde and star of telelvision's Samantha Who? had been through a public battle with breast cancer. She was very open about undergoing a double mastectomy last July, and then following up with reconstructive breast surgery last November.

Christina Applegate has been an inspiration to many and a truly gutsy woman.

In the meantime, we were curious to see how this slender and all-American Hollywood beauty keeps looking so healthy and pretty.

We stumbled upon a beauty list she gave to InStyle magazine last summer. Let's put it this way, Christina Applegate has very luxurious taste:

1. La Mer Face Cream (starting at $125 and up, at fine dept. stores)

2. It's a 10 Leave-In Hair Conditioner ($18, at professional salons, and beauty online stores)

3. MAC Tinted Lip Conditioners ($14.50, at fine dept. stores, and beauty online stores)

4. Child Perfume Extremely Rich Body Creme ($86, at fine dept. stores).

That is some good stuff, Christina.

She also has a super nice boyfriend in musician Martyn Lenoble. And Christina Applegate says she's not a timid girl any longer:

"I used to be really shy but I started to come into my own in my late 20s and early 30s," Applegate, 37, tells PEOPLE in the cover interview for the annual Most Beautiful issue. "Now I'm not afraid to speak up in a room full of people and be a part of the conversation."