Tissue Paper Ball Holiday Craft!

You could not help but find this craft all over Pinterest this year, and my assistant and I fell in love with the look of these for holiday decorations. My idea was wanted to hang something fun and whimsical in my entryway before my holiday parties this year.

Here is how we arranged our different sized tissue paper hangings:

Start with 20X30 sheets of tissue paper. We found various versions with 6,8, or 10 tissue sheets stacked together. We found that 6 works best - 8 is just too thick.  We also tried varied versions of thickness of the accordion folding: but 1.5 inches works best for us :)

We aren't perfect at folding, you might not be either. Just cut off the extra on both ends and the side until everything is square. Measure the middle of the stack for the next step.

 We used florist wire to hold the pile together, Pinterest said you could also use a twist tie to hold the middle of the pile.

 Before you start the unfolding process, add the ribbon/string/fishing string so you can hang this beauty when finished.

 Layout the stack on its side and start by pulling up the top tissue paper.

 Since we used 6 sheets on this tissue ball, I pulled 3 sheets "up" and 3 sheets "down"  being able to adjust at the end.

 Before any pulling of the sheets you can cut the edges of the stack in a rounded or pointed edges. We preferred not doing anything to the edges.

 Didn't this turn out well? My entryway is covered in sparkle and holiday cheer!

 The pink ball is 18 inches in diameter, the blue is 15 inches in diameter. These pointed-edged silver balls are 10 inches in diameter.

Happy Holidays everyone!!!

Spa Party: Hideous Holiday Outfit Spa Party!

We had a fabulous time last weekend at my friend Wendy's Hideous Holiday Outfit Spa Party. We all got dolled up with those fabulous Christmas Sweaters and fun holiday hats and accessories. All the ladies had facials and were quite silly with holiday cheer.

Joy and I all ready with our hideous holiday outfits.

The fabulous hostess, Wendy and me.

 Facial Station

 We offered 2 facials that night: Anti-Aging or Hydrating

The Anti-Aging facial included the following steps:

1. ageLOC Cleanser and Toner
2. Polishing Peel
3. Galvanic Spa
4. Future Serum
5. TruFace Essence Pearl
6. ageLOC Night Moisturizer
7. Eye Cream







The Hydrating Facial included the following steps:

1. ageLOC Cleanser and Toner
2. Exfoliant Scrub
3. Hydrating Mask
4. Future Serum
5. TruFace Essence Pearl
6. ageLOC Night Moisturizer
7. Eye Cream

 Wonderful fun ladies together on a chilly night

Gift Ideas: Stocking Stuffer Edition!

I feel like when this time of year comes around I always seem to forget the "extra" gifts that need to be given to show my appreciation for their kindness/service to teachers, neighbors, friends, co-workers...and on and on. Think about the little things for the hard to buy...teenager/young adult stocking stuffers!  Here are some great ideas for this year. You can order all these pampering gifts that people love to receive. Enjoy this holiday season!

1. My FAVORITE Glacier Mud Mask - For clear, smooth skin click to learn about the amazing benefits of this mask. 

2. The BEST Lip Gloss - "lasts all day even through an hour long workout so my lips never get dry and chapped" - comes in sweet pink and crystal clear making them perfect gloss over any lip color.

3. Celltrex Ultra - Your first anti-aging serum - perfect for that 20-something year old.  Perfect way to begin prevention of environmental damage to your skin.

4. ReNu Hair Mask - My girls and assistant LOVE this product, makes your hair so soft and more shiny.

5. Moisture Intense Moisturizer - It does exactly what it says - provides moisture during the dry winter both day and night without feeling greasy. Perfect for dry, sensitive skin.

6. BEST SHOWER ITEM Liquid Body Lufra - We adore this product. The fresh scent awakens your senses, cleanses without soap and polishes your skin to silky smooth . 

7. FOR THE MAN IN YOUR LIFE: Dividends Shave Cream - This is so different than the average shave gel - it conditions the skin to keep your man's face smooth, soft and either prevent or minimize fine lines and wrinkles.

8. Epoch Baobab Body Butter - A rich cream for supple skin that stays touchably soft and hydrated all day. The perfect gift.

9. SWEET FEET: Sole Solution - Therapeutic foot cream for those suffering from rough, dry, or cracked feet. See our way to keep your soft sandal ready for whenever you get to show off those pretty feet.

10. BASIC BUT NICE Hand Lotion - This is the perfect size for a backpack, office, or bedside. Who doesn't love good quality lotion?


Happy Holidays!!!

Check out all my products at my website, then contact me (ajulie@me.com) for a 25% discount! 

The Importance of Daily Supplements for Proper Nutrients

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite holiday of the year because my house is filled with family, friends and the aromas of delicious feasts.  Thanksgiving is a week long event at my house with family arriving from far and wide as early as the weekend before the main event.  By the day before Thanksgiving every spare bedroom is filled with family that have come to enjoy the festivities.  I love to play holiday music while we cook, visit, play games and eat.  My holiday favorites are Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Perry Como and Andy Williams.  

As hostess of 20+, I can easily get tired if I don't take my supplements which brings to mind a study I just read about getting enough nutrients.  I know if you don't, you are at risk of disease as well as experiencing fatigue.  I may be 50 years old but I don't want to feel it or look it so I take my vitamins every day.

In the study I read, "Older adults who use vitamin/mineral supplements differ from nonusers in nutrient intake adequacy and dietary attitudes," done by a few different national organizations (please read the entirety of the study here) came to the conclusion that "A large proportion of older adults do not consume sufficient amounts of many nutrients from foods alone."

In this study "older" was defined as 51 and older. Which means your generation should heed the warning and make sure you remember to take a good quality multi-vitamin supplement daily.

The importance about taking vitamins is that the nutrients be absorbed. Quality of ingredients are worth the price for your health. NS has their Lifepak Family of multivitamin supplements - comprehensive supplements that promote longevity, wellness, and vitality. Lifepak can be a life-long supplements with a grouping for all ages - check all of them out here.

Lifepak Nano - my recommendation for everyone over the age of 18. Nano technology is used so that you are most able to absorb all the nutrients - this technology is not used to manufacture the vitamins sold in stores.   (click above for the LifePak Guarantee)  


Nanotechnology Helps Make Nutrients  More  Available to the Body

"Pharmanex has revolutionized a way to apply nanotechnology principles
to anti-aging nutrients. When applied to nutrition, this nano
process involves physically altering a hard-to-absorb nutrient so that
it becomes more available to the body without altering its function."

Lifepak Prime Anti-Aging Formula - LifePak Prime provides an array of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants often missing in the average adult diet. 

Be sure to check your vitamins for a USP label, indicating they contain all the ingredients within a percentage so you get what you bought.  After trying many 'doctor' recommended brands I found that Lifepak Nano overall works better for me. If you are interested in trying these supplements, please email me (ajulie@me.com) for a 25% discount.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! 

Gift Ideas: Skin Care (Which Skin Care line is right for your gift?)

The Holidays are right around the corner so lets jump start that gift buying with a creative new gift idea for the hard to buy for: more beautiful skin. Now I know what you are thinking. "Why would we want to gift a skin care line?" Think of the confidence boost you are giving with smoother, softer, lovelier, unblemished, youthful skin. I have always loved receiving skin care as a gift.  To me it is the ultimate luxurious gift I can receive.  I trust the quality of these skin care lines that cover a great range of skin care issues. Give a new kind of gift this year.

1. Nutricentials: Protect your body's first line of defense with this daily skin care regimen, for combination to oily skin or combination to dry skin. 

2. Clear Action: For both the teenager and adult acne alike, this gentle and effective treatment system is designed to help clear the blemishes you have now, fade the signs of past breakouts, and, most importantly, keep skin clear and vibrant for the future. See my blog comparing this acne system to the others out there.

3. Tri-Phasic White:  Minimize dark spots, prevent discoloration, and maintain a luminous, bright complexion. This clinically proven system helps you achieve even-toned, glowing skin. Ideal for people with existing and preventing future hyperpigmentation, discoloration, and dark spots.



4. 180 System: Begin to reverse the effects of environmental aging in as early as one week. Known as "The Cell Renewal Specialist" skin care system, the vitamin C infused in NS's 180° Anti-Aging system enhances your skin’s natural cell renewal for younger looking skin. Ideal for those with fine lines, wrinkles, and discoloration due to sun and wind exposure.

5. ageLOC:  Transformation kit is our most advanced anti-aging system ever, delivering unsurpassed anti-aging benefits. This complete and comprehensive skin care system reveals younger looking skin ideal for those looking for a total transformation. 

Please let me know if you have any questions about any of these systems or the types of skin that would benefits from their use. Be sure to email me (ajulie@me.com) to get up to 25% off these skin care lines. 


ALSO: look later this month for the Stocking Stuffer addition to Gift Ideas. Great body butters, face masks, and more! Be sure to learn more about any of the products I sell (NuSkin) by checking out my facebook page!

How To Choose the Right Anti-Aging Products For You

I have always been concerned about preserving my youthful appearance.  As a matter of fact, I began using the best cosmetics I could buy when I was in college.  It helped that I worked at the cosmetics counter of a boutique pharmacy and received the old “testers” when the cosmetic company replaced them with newer, more glamorous products.  Even at 18 years old, I knew the value of a good skin care product.

I haven’t changed a bit over the years and continue to aggressively fight the signs of aging with anti-aging skin care products.  Don’t be fooled by a big price tag…you are NOT necessarily getting more for your money by paying more for an anti-aging product.  I know, I’ve tried many products from cheap to expensive and I have actually found an entire product line that covers the spectrum of prices with the most expensive not being near what some cosmetic companies charge.

Why am I saying this? Because when it comes to “beauty” or “anti-aging” products, how do you know what will work and what is just plain lying? It is ALWAYS a good idea to find product reviews online. Be sure to read both the good and bad reviews in order to gain the “why” something did or didn’t work for that person. And remember something that you love simply won’t work for others. So here are a few sites I like to check for beauty product reviews.

      1.      TotalBeauty.com – (talking about Future Serum) “I have been using this serum for a year and have definitely AGE-LOCed my skin! I just turned 60 and people are amazed that I don't look any bit that number. I love what this product does for my skin and will continue to use it twice a day FOREVER! I only have one face....I want the best product to keep the look of YOUNG skin.”   

      2.      Amazon.com – (talking about Galvanic Spa) “Love it, but it takes time.
I have been using the galvanic spa and gels for over a year, my skin has had a dramatic improvement. This is a product that will help your skin get better and better over time. You're not going to see dramatic results in a week, have patience it's worth it!!”

      3.      The Individual Blog! I trust people that can prove to me that the product worked for them and how they made it work. Type in an exact product and see what you find!

Health Tip:  4 Tips From the Dalai Lama’s Instructions For Life

There are 20 instructions from the Dalai Lama but I wanted to share my top 4 favorites with you to help you maintain peace during the hectic schedule of the holiday season:

     1.      Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.

     2.      A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.

     3.      If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.

     4.      If you want to be happy, practice compassion.

      

       For the full list click here. 

Why DO we Get Wrinkles???

Ever wonder why as we age, we seem to HAVE to get wrinkles?  Hopefully your life has been filled with many reasons to smile and laugh but they contribute to...Mechanical Aging.


Here are our wet sponges. It mirrors young thick skin. We added the rubber bands to mimic the repetitive usage of our facial muscles which over time can create fine lines and wrinkles as we age.

As we age, our skin starts to dry out and thin. After our sponges dried, we took off the rubber bands to reveal what happens to our skin with repeated movement of facial muscles.

Mechanical aging is the repeated movements that we do with our facial muscles: squinting, smiling, puckering, etc. Just like the sponge, when our skin is new, it easily goes back into the shape we want. But as we age, our facial expressions get “stuck” and our skin does not want to go back to its original position. Adding moisture to our skin can deter wrinkles and skin aging just like adding water to the sponge gets rid of the crease. We are not going to stop smiling (we hope!), squinting, and laughing so it may be necessary to apply additional treatment product to prevent and correct wrinkles caused by mechanical aging. (explanation credit by NuSkin) (photos: by us!)

If you are looking to rid yourself of your wrinkles think about trying one of the many products I believe in.

The Pain and Agony of Aging Digestion

Have you ever been awaken in the middle of the night with heartburn or acid reflux?  If you have, you know how uncomfortable it can be.  It happened to me recently and I was actually quite scared because it was so painful in the center of my chest I thought at the young age of 50, I might be having a heart attack!  I survived the incident and realized in the morning when I was awake that it was only acid reflux and gave myself a reprimand for not having had my apple cider vinegar (ACV) before I went to bed.  I have noticed as I have aged I do not digest certain foods very well and that by drinking ACV before I go to sleep I no longer experience heartburn.

Quite by accident, I saw a magazine with an article on digestion and stomach acid.  I read in the September/October 2012 Well Being Journal, “Proper Digestion, Stomach Acid, and Acid-Suppressing Drugs”.  The bottom line is that heartburn is caused by too little stomach acid (HCI) not by too much.  Well, this is news.  The article continued to explain that in addition to heartburn and ulcers, a wide variety of symptoms and conditions are associated with low production of stomach acid, including but not limited to: constipation and diarrhea,; gas and/or belching; bloating, sense of excess fullness, and/or sleepiness after meals, nausea from eating fatty foods; candida overgrowth and other gut flora imbalances, including parasites; fatigue; food allergies and sensitivities; frequent infections; nutrient deficiencies, especially B12, folate, iron, calcium, and zinc; general malnutrition and poor nutrient absorption; weak or brittle fingernails, liver toxicity; and depression and anxiety.  Wow!  A lot of health concerns can be avoided by having the right amount of stomach acid to properly digest your food! 

HCI production lowers as we age to how do you prevent having low stomach acid?  Avoid eating when upset or distracted by other activities.  Chew your food well.  As a general rule, avoid drinking more than half a cup of water within 30 minutes before or 2 hours after eating a meal.  Add a little lemon or lime juice or raw apple cider vinegar in a small amount of water before eating to improve digestion by stimulating acid and bile production.  You can also take HCI supplements or eat foods that normalize acid production.  To read the entire article on how proper digestion works and what happens when things go wrong, see the September/October 2012 issue of the Well Being Journal at or email me (julie@anuyoubyjulie.net) to receive a copy of the article.

Health Tip:  Antacids Among Most Prescribed Drugs In The World– They Can Actually Aggravate Your Heartburn So Go Natural

When experiencing heartburn a glass of warm water with baking soda will naturally ease the pain!  Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is a natural way to prevent heartburn with added health benefits. Here is my blog that featured a article on the benefits of ACV.  Read it to enjoy the many benefits to your health and anti-aging program.