Cairo Time

I really enjoyed this movie. It's a hauntingly romantic and sensual story set against the backdrop of exotic, gorgeous and mysterious Cairo, Egypt. Throughout the movie, I couldn't take my eyes off the incandescently beautiful 49 year-old Patricia Clarkson, who gets progressively more stunning throughout the movie. There are numerous close-ups of her elegant face and flawless skin. If this is what 50 looks like, I'm in! Her co-star Alexander Siddig is pretty easy on the eyes too, not to mention that voice and that accent...

Take a look at the trailer here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orXcdLwtVRY

Happy Birthday, Heather Graham

It's hard to believe gorgeous, fresh-faced Heather Graham turned 40 this week!

Another great celebrity slideshow!

Found this one on the Fox News site, '40 Hottest Over-40 Hotties'. Fabulous, despite the cheesy title!

http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/entertainment/2009/10/01/hottest-hotties

I apologize for not updating this blog as much as I should, I'm in the process of making some big life changes (all good stuff and very exciting!), will try to write more as soon as possible. Next up will be My Botox Alternatives: Part 2, soon I promise!

As always, thanks so much for stopping by :)

How are your favourite celebrities aging?

Take a look for yourself, here's the slideshow:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34462651/ns/health-picture_stories/displaymode/1247/?beginSlide=1

Enjoy!

Famous women who turned 40 in 2009

What better way to end this year of posts? Here they are, every fabulous one of them:

Christy Turlington
Jennifer Lopez
Kathryn Morris
Mary McCormack
Renee Zellweger
Anne Heche
Chandra Wilson
Gwen Stefani
Nancy Kerrigan
Kim Fields
Cate Blanchett
Tracey Gold
Angie Everhart
Rachel Hunter
Catherine Zeta-Jones
Paige Davis
Ellen Pompeo
Kristy Swanson
Jennifer Aniston

I hope everyone had a wonderful 2009. I am currently in Vienna, Austria for the holidays and will be having a relaxing, low key new year's eve celebration with family, champagne, and some delicious Chinese take-out. All the best to everyone for a healthy and prosperous 2010!

My Botox Alternatives, Part 1

'Frownies On... Frown Lines Gone!'
'Hollywood's Beauty Secret For Over 100 Years!'
'Made In USA Since 1889'
'Guaranteed results in 30 days or less.'

These are just a few of the exciting claims written on my little box of Frownies,
and since I somehow lost the original copy of this post, I am wearing a Frownie right now to get rid of the pained look on my face...

Speaking of that 'pained look' you wouldn't believe how many facial expressions you make in your sleep until you peel a Frownie off your smooth, relaxed brow the following morning. I have been using this product on and off for 6 years now and they work like magic. 'On and off' because every once in a while I get tired of my husband teasing me for coming to bed looking like I 'joined some bizarre cult', they are not sexy, that's for sure. I also like to take a break to see if my retrained facial muscles actually revert back to their old selves. Inevitably they do.

These very simple and easy to use little patches have been manufactured, formula unchanged, by the same family since 1889, and have reportedly been a favourite of glamorous beauties like Gloria Swanson, Dayle Haddon, and Renee Russo. Though the box claims guaranteed results after 30 days, I find I see results after about 14 days of consistent use, and the price can't be beat. $19.99 will give you 144 mornings of unfurrowed brow with no headaches or downtime vs. $425 (in my neck of the woods, anyway) for botox.

I also like that you can slip Frownies in your Christmas cards before you send them, after all, don't your loved ones also deserve to wake up with a line-free forehead at some point during this holiday season?

www.frownies.com

A quote...

Here's one we've all heard:

'There are no ugly women, only lazy ones.' (Helena Rubinstein)

I have to say, I agree with the first part, there are no ugly women. The right makeup and hairstyle can almost instantly make any woman beautiful, I truly believe that. Diet, exercise, and proper skincare can make huge improvements. Hollywood is full of examples of women with mediocre looks and talent who have been transformed into dazzling beauties with the help of top makeup artists, hair stylists, and fitness experts.

The reference to laziness, in my opinion, is a little harsh and mean-spirited. I recently came across this lesser-known but much gentler (and more optimistic) quote from actress Arlene Dahl:

'There is no such thing as an ugly woman. There are only those who have not realized their full potential.'

I couldn't agree more.

Men and aging...

Here's an interesting example of two extremes:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1216592/Wham-star-Andrew-Ridgeley-succumbs-ageing-process.html

Though fairly unrecognizable, I have to give Andrew Ridgeley credit for aging gracefully and still looking like a man. George Michael, on the other hand (scroll down) has had some kind of crazy eye lift that even his sunglasses can't hide.

And if you read the entire article, you'll notice the mention of a Bananarama reunion, which of course I am very excited about!

Vintage perfume commercials

Remember these?

Le Jardin with Jane Seymour
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvefZFNj_sw

I'm gonna have an Aviance night!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yd9gQkikr50

Jontue ('Sensual, but not too far from innocence...')
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDsPLNT2qq0&feature=related

And my favourite, Chanel No. 5 with Carole Bouquet and Marilyn Monroe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmozdUvkgsY


I loved this commercial so much that I actually bought myself a bottle of Chanel No. 5 with money I earned delivering newspapers. I was convinced that I was the most glamorous 12-year old on the block.

So what fragrances are you wearing this spring/summer? I'm currently testing out a few, but have yet to decide what's bottle-worthy.

UPDATE (August 19, 2009): So far this summer, my favourite has been Child Perfume Oil, a musky pikake blend that has been getting lots of compliments.

http://www.childperfume.com/

The Stressroller: Rolling away my stress and loving it!

I love reading about how celebrities stay fit and feeling great. A while I back I happened upon a fitness magazine article in which 38 year-old mother of two Denise Richards mentions some of her favourite products. One of the items listed was the Stressroller, and I was immediately interested because a)I have stress! and b)stress is aging! and c)Denise Richards looks great, I knew this was worth investigating.

The Stressroller was invented by chiropractor-to-the-stars Dr. Stephen V. Jochen, and it's basically two balls (tennis ball size) enclosed in a cushiony, sturdy fabric that you place between your body and a hard surface (like a wall or floor) and roll yourself against to massage your muscles. I received mine about a month ago, and have been using it religiously ever since. There are several different body parts you can use it on, but I am finding it's doing absolute wonders for my back. According to the website (www.stressroller.com), tension and pain in the mid-back and neck can result in poor posture. We all know poor posture is very aging.

Here's a direct quote from the site on how it works:

"The pressure applied by StressRoller™ moves energy within the muscles, re-aligning the spine, increasing circulation and restoring the body to its natural state of balance and well-being."

It certainly feels really, really good and I will continue to use it as part of my fitness/wellness/anti-aging routine. I also find it excellent at alleviating headache pain, and I'm even getting a better sleep at night. This concept isn't new, however. For years I have heard about putting a couple of tennis balls in a sock and using in the same fashion, which I have not tried. What I do like about the Stressroller is that it's well made and the balls don't move. It's also much nicer looking than a do-it-yourselfer and has a little carrying bag with all instructions for use printed on little plastic discs that are attached with a keyring. Very convenient and very reasonably priced at $19.95.

http://www.stressroller.com

UPDATE: On April 29, 2009, The Stressroller was featured on Rachel Ray's 'Human Lab' series, you can check out the story here:

http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/human-lab-back-pain/

Barbie turns 50!

Check it out, it's absolutely hilarious, though may not be suitable to view at work:

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=51788462

Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop

I've never really thought Gwyneth Paltrow was a spectacular actress, but lately I have been seeing her in interviews, and she seems quite interesting. She seems to have found her place in life and feels good about it. She certainly looks healthy and happy, so I was very interested to see what this 36-year old mom of two has to say.

Check it out at http://www.goop.com/


The recipes look great (especially that detox one!) and I enjoyed reading about her travels and the way she stays fit and fashionable. Critics are saying she's condescending and rubbing her fabulous life in our faces, but I don't find that to be true. Plus, I don't mind reading about someone else's fabulous life. What I do mind is the name 'goop' though, this almost kills it for me with it's bizarre and slightly disgusting connotations.

A very Happy Birthday to...

JENNIFER ANISTON!

She turned FORTY this past week. I have always admired her natural, carefree style, sexy hair and beautiful smile. She looks really fantastic.

Madonna's Anti-aging plan?

Read on!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1078650/The-mad-world-Madonna-Grains-meal-rice-milk-TV-sleeping-plastic-suit-covered-500-cream.html

Who knows how much of it is actually true, but in my opinion, it doesn't seem to be working so well for her. Sure she's still great, and she's in absolutely fantastic shape, but there's nothing luscious and juicy about her anymore. There is definitely something to be said for having some body fat as one gets older.