Who doesn’t love a good lip gloss?! Well I for one am a lip gloss-aholic! I love all types of lip gloss in all types of shades. I’m not really sure what the allure is but it’s definitely undeniably there. You can imagine my surprise to have stumbled across this little find. Oh you’re going to want to know about THIS one!!

It’s called “Beaute”. “Simple, elegant, classy and smooth”, those would be the best way to describe this sumptuous little lip gloss that was sent to me to try. The li’l darling was called “Girlie Show”. Anyone that knows me knows that by the name alone they had me hooked. Naming a product so unwaveringly feminine is sooo the way to get me to want to use it!

Loving the vision of this brand goes a long way for wanting me to dish out any amount of money to support a company or product. That being said, allow me to give you a little insight to the vision of this company. They have what they call “Science meets Beauty”. What does this mean? It means that there are no Parabens in their lip crème or lip gloss. Mango butter and Vitamin E in combination with Orchid Extract and Maxi-Lip (a patented tri-peptide that stimulates collagen synthesis and provides anti-aging benefits to the wearer).

It has been said that Leonardo Da Vinci believed that a person's nose set the whole character of the face. He may be right. It is the center of your face after all, and for me it is a focal point. It is most definitely the first thing I notice if it is decorated with a nose ring of any type. Then again, I am partial to piercings. A lot of my friends have modified their body's image to give a vibe. Most with tattoos and piercings; and the vibe all depends on their demeanor. I think of it as fresh, and free. Others, especially elderly men and women, may connect a negative notion about the artful expression of the body. Some believe it is completely unbecoming, but no matter the opinion, the art of piercing has been here longer than you may think. In fact, it was said that in the Bible, Abraham gave his son's wife the gift of a golden nose ring. It was a symbol of many things, and has been for years, depending on the culture. Four thousand years ago in the Middle East is where nose piercing is said to have begun. But with new finds discovered by archeologist, piercings have been around much longer than that.

The tradition has continued to spread throughout the world, including Africa, India, and popularly, the United States. In some cultures it is said that the larger the nose ring, the more wealth the family encounters, and it is given from some husbands to wives to sanctify their marriage. Piercing a nostril isn't as easy as turning your head and letting a needle slide past your skin and cartilage, it has been thought out and done methodically for years. Either nostril is acceptable to have pierced but in India, the ring is usually placed in the left nostril. In their culture they associate that spot with Indian Medicine, and the belief that it eases that of child birth and reproduction. Nose piercing didn't become popular in the United States until the 1960's. It was then that some hippies traveled to India and back, noticing the trend. It was until the 1970's when it really took off; it was then that it was considered a sign of rebellion and punk nature. Conservative values, moms, dads, employers and schools did not embrace the effort. With most movements, however, I found that the West Coast was a bit more laid back at the thought of a full time employee with a nose ring than those on the East Coast. But as our country continues to melt in the pot we're given, body piercing isn't as denied as it once was.

Developing a lean, flat stomach takes time and patience, especially when it comes to those last few kilograms in those hard to lose places. There is only one way to lose fat in the so-called ’stubborn areas,’ and that is with the correct combination strength training (with a extra focus on mid-section), cardiovascular exercise (short, hard workouts), and stable blood sugar (keeps you from adding additional fat and makes it easier for the body to use body fat for fuel).

Spot Reduction is a Myth

The first thing you need to realize is that it is impossible to ’spot reduce’ fat from one specific part of the body. Fat loss occurs systemically, meaning that you can’t control where the fat comes from. When you burn fat for energy, you will draw it from all areas of the body, and the first place you tend to put it on will be the last place it comes off.

Cardio, cardio, cardio

Doing all the abs exercises in the world will do nothing if you have a layer of fat covering it. Doing strength training, or lifting weights, would help, but not as much as aerobic exercise. If you want to add some ab exercises in after the cardio, that’s great, but be sure to work your whole torso, not just the upper abs — that includes the lower abs, lower back and the muscles that wrap around your sides.