Best celebrity legs

If you are a fan of Dancing With The Stars, you might recall that Stacy Keibler was famous as much for her dancing as for her long, beautiful legs. And as you can see in this slide-show, not only her but Regina King and Haylie Duff chose evening dresses that emphasize their legs. The message from this party held at the Conde Nast Host Movies Rock Kick Off - Inside held at St Vibianas Cathedral is that if you have any physical asset that makes you look good, use it. Whether it is your perky breasts or long legs or slim waist or luscious lips or dreamy eyes, show them.

Feeling beautiful during pregnancy

During pregnancy, our bodies undergo tremendous changes, both physical as well as hormonal. Obviously, some changes are not very flattering and there is a tendency to hide behind baggy clothes or cut down on public appearances. On the contrary, as Isla Fisher showed how to dress when you are pregnant, it may also be the best time to show your beauty. I do not think that you need to follow Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears or Demi Moore and go public, but it is perfectly fine to show your beautiful body to your lover during this special time.

How much to tip, whom, and when?

I love Japan because there is no tipping involved. Of course, prices are high for everything but I like the idea that I do not have to deal with figuring out all the complexities of tipping. You can tip too much and spoil the recipient. You can end up tipping too little and make the recipient unhappy. Fortunately, Peter Post of the Emily Post Institute has all the answers about tipping during the holiday season in this insightful video.

Partner yoga moves video

Yoga is a great form of exercise because you can do it almost anywhere and while it is a good idea to have a yoga mat, you can simply put a towel on the floor if you are in a hotel room. Almost all the time, you can do yoga by yourself.

But what if you want to involve your partner (trying to motive him or her to lose weight and be fit) or just want to do some yoga with a friend, models Tara Stiles and Desiree Dymond demonstrate some great yoga moves in this video.

Dr Robert Rey shapewear review

If you want to look slimmer quickly and hide some fat deposits, Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Rey has a clever solution for you. He has created a complete line of shapewear and undergarments (available at Sears and the Home Shopping Network) that can let you look more shapely.

This product line has been created in consultation with Bruno Schiavi, a lingerie designer.

Pedometer for measuring your workout

In the world of business it is often said that what cannot be measured cannot be changed. For instance, if you do not know what your cost of shipping is, how will you reduce it?

The same may apply to weight loss. For instance, if you decide to go on a diet, you have to start measuring each and everything you do. For instance, how will you know that you are eating less calories if you do not document each and every thing that you eat.

New research also find that you are more likely to complete your daily physical activity goal if you measure it, say, with the help of a pedometer. A study by Dr. Dena Bravata found that those who wore a pedometer (like the one from Oregon Scientific - one of the best) not only increased their physical exercise, they also reduced body weight and blood pressure.

Of course, it is also important to have a target and try to at least reach it everyday. If you are trying to lose weight, a reasonable goal to have is 10,000 steps daily.

My favorite things from Oprah's favorites

Yesterday Oprah presented her highly anticipated "Oprah's favorite things," an episode in which she shares with the audience her favorite things and the lucky ones who attend the show get to take home one of each of these articles.

In previous years I have checked out some of her recommendations for gifts and for myself. She is very influential in shopping habits. I remember a few years ago she picked one item from the Bath and Body Works products (a pumpkin mask or something similar) and I wanted to buy the product, but it was sold out for months after her program aired.

Obviously not every object on the list is of everybody's liking. So I thought I will pick my favorite things form this year's list.

Samsung SC-HMX10C. This camcorder is small and powerful at the same time. It is not cheap at almost $800.

Toywatch watches. I love the colors; Oprah also does. These watches are a great gift. They start at $150 and go all the way to $1,500.

The Artisan Stand Mixer. This is a classic appliance in all American kitchens, has wonderful quality and looks so beautiful. I do not have a mixer (because I do not bake much), but I have always wanted one.

The Discovery Channel's 11-part series Planet Earth. I watched the whole series (I think) on TV, and as Oprah said, it is breathtaking. Our planet is so beautiful and there are so many unscrupulous people trying to destroy it
for money or convenience.

I picked 4 out of 20. I also like the movie collection, but at almost $900, it is a bit expensive.

A few years ago I cooked Oprah's suggested menu for New Year's eve, the whole menu for 2. I had a hard time getting all the ingredients, because I did not know some of them, but it was easy, different, low cost and really delicious. I looked for the recipes to include them in this post, but they are not in website anymore, but I think I will try some new recipes this coming holiday season.

You can see some of the products: Oprah's favorite gifts 2007

Do body wraps work?

We all want to lose weight and many spas offer all types of exotic body wraps promising you that you will lose pounds and inches. You must have also heard your friends rave about the results. But do they really help you actually lose weight and become slimmer?

No, and this is why. The body's weight comes from bones, muscle, fat, and water. When you have a body wrap treatment, you lose water and nothing happens to fat, bones, and muscles. Of course, being pampered for a few hours will make you feel good and you will see a reduction in size and weight, but the reality is that during the course of the day or days as you drink water and eat normally, most of your weight will return fairly quickly. Even those so-called detox treatments are also effective in the short run. As soon as you return from the spa and eat normally, your weight will come right back or you might even gain weight since you were starved all this time and end up eating more than normal.

So are they worth it?

Not for weight loss. If you just want to be pampered and lose a few inches for your wedding or a special moment, they might be fine, but there is no short-cut to losing weight. Long-term, stable weight loss can only be achieved through smart eating, regular exercise, and lifestyle changes. Of course, liposuction or tummy tuck help too.

Soft feet in the cold weather

A fast way to keep your feet soft during the cold weather

During the cold weather (most of the time where I live) our skin becomes dry and can be flaky. The feet and, in particular, the heels become really dry.

To prevent or treat this is easy and it does not even require any money or if you choose, you can treat yourself to great pampering products. The key to as soft as a baby's feet is:

1- Moisturize. Apply a heavy cream or Vaseline on you heels after the shower and at bedtime. Great natural options are shea butter and other vegetable butters.

2- Exfoliate. You can either buy a product to exfoliate in any price range, from the inexpensive products at supermarket to the most expensive brands available at department. You can either make your own or use one of our recipes: exfoliant. One more option is to buy a feet file or a puma stone. Use after every shower until your feet are normal and then every 2 to 3 days. It takes only seconds and it will make a big difference in your feet.

If you are a busy person, then avoid the oil and salt or sugar exfoliants because they leave the bathroom oily. This is a fast treatment and you do not have time to be taking care of slippery surfaces. There are many products that do not leave any residues in all price ranges.

Enjoy the cold weatherPublish Post with you soft feet.

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Product review: Under age moisturizer

I love to try new cosmetics; sometimes I get good ones other not so good ones, and sometimes something really good. In this last category I found Under Age by the natural skin care line Kiss my Face. As its label said, it is an Ultra Hydrating Moisturizer. It is a rich cream for normal skin in winter and to dry skin the rest of year.

Although it is rich, it absorbs very easily and leaves no residues. You get really soft skin. I plan to get it for winter. I love the smell and how it leaves my skin.

Bad luck

In August, Allure magazine had sweepstakes for about 20,000 giveaways. For some of them, there was a raffle, for others the person needed to go to the Allure website every hour to participate. Whoever got there first would get the products, according to them. Some products were only or a few but others had many opportunities; I think there was 1000 of one product.

I thought I had a good chance to log in at the hour and get something since I work on a computer all day. I synchronized my clock with the official USA time and logged in. I participated in almost all giveaways. I got nothing, absolutely nothing, not even one of the 1,000 one-dollar items for the first 1,000 people who logged in.

I do not know what I did wrong. Perhaps, their time in the computers was really off or perhaps I had bad luck.

I do not think of myself as a bad luck carrier, but who knows. Perhaps since I chose not to receive any newsletters (they had an option to receive mailing and promotional materials from the sponsors) I was disqualified, but that was not a requirement so I hope that was not the reason. Something was definitely wrong.

I have since been wondering if participating in sweepstakes and raffles like this are worth the effort. Yes, I see some people winning them, but like the lottery, it seems that the probability is rather small. I have not given up hope, though. Next time I will opt in for the marketing messages and see if I win something.