Fine Print

No product review or link for today's post.

I'm going to be lame and just offer a tiny but important piece of advice. ALWAYS READ THE FINE PRINT. Yes, that seems simple enough. But these days, we're all in such a hurry that we never stop to examine whatever we're about to involve ourselves in. Whether it's buying, branding, or befriending (ha!), always take a good luck at that piece of writing that explains all the rules and restrictions.

LIVESTRONG

Looking for a great gift for a special male loved one? Try the LiveStrong Nike Pullover for Men in a Yellow shade from the Lance Armstrong Foundation. It's a good $70, but all the proceeds go the Foundation to benefit cancer patients. So you're really just donating to a wonderful cause.

Double Gift-Giving

Warning: This is an extremely expensive skirt. Made by designer Lauren Conrad, it's the Cindy Skirt in the Brush Strokes variety. It's colorful, so it'll match with nearly anything. Wear it high waisted with the adjustable tie or normally. The high price for this piece of clothing? $185 (see title link). But 10% of the profits made from sale of this graphic skirtare donated to the Girls' M.powerment Campaign, a mission to prevent dating abuse. So you can give to yourself AND others!

Rachel Salomon

Rachel Salomon is an illustrator who creates different pieces of art for music, books, ads, and plain old decoration. This one symbolizes "giving" and is incredibly beautiful, in my opinon (see title link).

HIV

This is a very serious topic. Not exactly a product review, but an important issue, obviously. Did you know that more Americans under age 30 are contracting HIV than any other age group in the United States? And most of the cases are caused by having unprotected sex. Which means that most of the time it is 100% PREVENTABLE. So why is it still spreading through this way? The question is ours to answer (see title link).

Camila of Paris

Have a busy weekend day? You definitely don't want your hair in your face all the time. So use a few hair pins to tuck them up. I recommend Camila of Paris Hair Pix in the Tort shade. Extra small (3" long, 1.5" wide) is best and usually sufficient unless you have long, thick bangs. For two clips you pay just $3 and imagine all the possibilities (see title link)!

C-U-R-L

Hair needs personality sometimes, especially for a great Saturday night out on the town. Get gorgeous curls and your hair will have both volume AND character (see title link).

Twist!

I went to the opera last night, and wanted to look extremely classy and elegant. So to emulate that high-society look in two minutes (of course a girl decides to get ready at the last minute!) I just pulled it up in a French Twist. A very sophisticated bun with an even more elegant name (see title link). A how-to is in the link provided.

Hair=Hot

Here are some really cool new hair ideas. Some are a little too intense for a day at school, but be adventurous and try one when getting primped for the next big bash (see title link)! Your hair will look its hottest yet.

Is It Love?

We all have those secret flings at some point in our lives, where we fall hard for certain people that our parents and friends utterly dislike. We say, "they don't understand" but is that REALLY true? Maybe it's their perspective that you are too blind to see (see title link). Sorting out your feelings is difficult, but there's lots of advice out there helping you to understand your gut feelings about forbidden love.

Stripes

I just picked up this awesome little bodysuit from Golden State Clothing. It's a classic black-and-white stripe print and the whole suit cost $40. Matches with anything, really (see title link).

Post #300!

To mark this 300th post, I decided to write about a product we all love and wear; it's the basic component of any casual outfit: a pair of jeans, of course! This pick by Unionbay is a great dark wash that has cool hoop zipper pockets. They're a standard $40, which is fairly average for jeans at any store these days. They're high-waisted but still somehow manage to look sophisticated, especially if you want to flaunt those curves (see title link)!

Glitz and Glamour...

I found this wonderful little black bag from Kenneth Cole New York. It's black with sparkly material so that you look dressed up in a flash. A bit pricey at $68 but still fairly inexpensive for Kenneth Cole standards (see title link). A silver-colored shoulder strap really complements the look, since it's extremely thin and delicate (without being unsturdy, of course). There's no question that the item is overpriced, but it's definitely a unique design that won't be found in department stores.

12/2008-1/2009

Check out this month's issue of Seventeen magazine (see title link). The December 2008/January 2009 issue has lots of cool ways to get the party started (literally!)

Bleach!?

Yes, I really am posting about Clorox Regular Bleach. Why, you ask, would this product have anything to do with teenage girls? Well, my favorite pair of white knit flats have been turning a brownish hue from use for a long time, now. Basically, it's impossible to keep them brand-new white forever, right? Well, I just stuck them in a bucket of some of this bleach and now they look like I just bought them from Lord & Taylor, as they did two summers ago. So really, this product does deserve a bit of our attention. Bravo, Clorox (see title link)!

Mark!

This is a bit overdone for simple days at school or work, but the product is awesome and perfect for a girl's night out. Red lips give you instant glamorousness, after all. It's Mark Glow Baby Glow Luxe lip gloss and it's absolutely vibrant. I'm a lip gloss fan in general, but this one never allows my lips to look dull or feel dry because of the pearlized particles in its composition that capture and reflect the light. And after beauty and comfort, what else matters (see title link)?

Slugs!?

Cheesy blog post of the month, I suppose...
This is a print ad I came across that's for one of those "Above the Influence" campaigns. It's a picture of two slugs sitting around a kitchen table eating salt. Yes, just salt. Check it out, it's kind of eye-opening in a weird, bizarre kind of way (see title link).

Dream a Dream...

This link is actually really cool. There's lots of explanations to different daydreams we have (come on, I know you drift off during physics class like me, too!). It analyzes them and, contrary to cheesy horoscopes, it seems pretty accurate and relevant to your life! Check it out (see title link).

Infinity. Always.

Here's a cool site I found. Sure, it's advertising Always Infinity like crazy, but who knows if that's actually a bad thing? I've no idea about the product...but there's a cool little sweepstakes ($250 gift certificate) just for voting for the finalists in their Greatest Innovation Contest (see title link). Nothing to lose!

Play.List.

Throwing a hot party? Can't wait to ask someone to dance? Download all kinds of awesome playlists specially compiled for parties (see title link). That way, everybody is sure to have fun.

Body Vow

Criticizing our own bodies is definitely an issue that all of us girls deal with at some point. The thing to remember is that we're not alone: there are billions of females all around the world that are going through the same insecurities. Next time you look in the mirror and complain that your nose is too large (for example, like me), vow to stop thinking that way! Confidence makes us look better to other people, not extreme dieting or genetics. Post your vows online (see title link) so that other girls in the Seventeen Body Peace online community can read them and share your support.

Fitness

I recently read about Odun, a sixteen-year-old girl from New Jersey who has been working out and eating nutritiously with a celebrity trainer thanks to Seventeen magazine. Odun is blogging about her experiences of getting fit and toned over the past six months. You can get inspired by her success. So start tightening those thighs. I know I'd better start (see title link).

H.I.P.

This product is something I've started to use on an everyday basis. I'm not one who uses much (if any) makeup daily, but my personal opinion is that if you do have to use makeup but want to keep it simple, all you really need is some simple lip gloss. Everything else looks overrated if worn every day. I use L'Oreal HIP Jelly Balm, which comes in a tiny little case that's easy to carry in my school bag! Plus, since it's from HIP, the bright, vibrant color ensures that it's not like the other clear, colorless balms out there, but it soothes my lips just like any other balm does. The one problem I've heard through product reviews and never thought of myself: it has absolutely no SPF protection. If your skin is sensitive and prone to sun damage, you may want to think twice before using it. However, for all the rest of you, I'd definitely recommend it for the $9 price (see title link). Oh, and make sure to buy it in the Ripe shade. It's the most natural-looking one, I think, although that varies a bit depending on natural lip tone.

1% for the Planet

I just found this awesome, effective clear lip gloss called Green by Nature Lip Glaze. The Cherry Mint flavor tastes wonderful and my lips feel fresh because of the mint. Plus, the product only costs $4 (see title link), meaning that you've got practically nothing to lose by trying it!
But the best part is that Green by Nature donates 1% of its profits from this product to onepercentfortheplanet.org, which uses these funds to donate to global environmental organizations. Sure, one percent isn't enough, but its better than nothing. By helping the Earth AND yourself, it really is a win-win.

BenzaClin

A friend of mine uses BenzaClin Topical Gel for his acne, and I was amazed at the results that are just evident on his face each day. Although it's a prescription medication, it definitely makes an impact on your complexion which is bound to give you confidence! Make sure to talk to your doctor to make sure that this is right for you, though, since the stuff is pretty concentrated (see title link) and can provide lots of unpleasant side effects. Oh, and make sure to get the pump version! It's a lot easier to use and more efficient.

Miss Utah 2007

This is old news, but what an inspiring person Jill Stevens is. After serving in the National Guard and spending some months in Afghanistan in 2004, she entered the Miss Utah pageant and won the title in 2007 (see title link). She has truly shown the world that it is possible to make a difference in the world as a beauty queen and still understand what you're fighting for. Miss Utah 2007, we salute you.

Ringtones!

Don't you hate those ringtone services that give you a lame instrumental tone instead of an actual song? Well, mp3 Music Ringtones provides actual tones. So, for example, if I want Ray J/Yung Berg's latest hit 'Sexy Can I', I can just text its code '5651' to 323232 (see title link).

Secondhand...

I'm certainly not an expert in this department since I don't use tampons, but I've read extremely good reviews about Playtex Gentle Glide Tampons, especially the Slender Applicator Multi-Pack. It's 15% slimmer than before and has the usual 360 degree protection that Playtex allegedly guarantees in its commercials. Plus it has a double-layer, cross pad design for extra leak protection. What more could you want (see title link)?

Beauty!

Here's a great online guide to Beauty. There are lots of choices, tips, and general amusing things on the website, all courtesy of Seventeen magazine. You don't even have to be a subscriber to access the content (see title link)!

Light Reading...

Here's a title I just found at Barnes & Noble the other day. It's what I'm reading this New Year's Day, curled up inside since everything's closed! Ring in 2009 with a good book, that's what I always say. This year's pick is called The Dragon Heir, the last in a trilogy by Cinda Williams Chima. I suppose I'll have to read the first two titles to fully understand this one, but so far it's turning out to be quite intriguing. It's a nice 512 pages to keep me entertained all day. A great work of fiction. Read the summary (see title link) and I'm sure you'll want to read it, too. Not too expensive, either: on Amazon.com it's listed at $12.23.

Rule #1

Interview any fashion-conscious female celeb and ask her what piece of clothing is essential for her closet and most anyone will tell you: a sleek, strapless LBD (little black dress). It's pretty versatile, since you can use it for any occasion and look completely gorgeous, sophisticated, and classy. Make sure it's long, though, as in at least knee-length. Strapless, fitted, and short just makes you look trashy.