Nothing beats an oversized glass of orange juice, scrambled eggs, pancakes, and the smell of sizzling bacon. Although I rarely indulge in such an extensive breakfast (who has the time these days?), there is something about the scent of bacon that makes me hungry even thinking about it. The crispier, the better!
For those of you who are also avid bacon fans, you no longer have to settle for just eating bacon. Now, you can smell like it too. A new fragrance by Fargginay recently launched, and it’s called "bacōn," or a "Scent by the Gods." The scent comes with two options: Should you be more of a maple fan, you can smell sticky bacon sweet with their classic. But, if you're into lighter fragrance, then the citrusy gold is your go-to.
Who knew the scent Gods are so happy about bacon? This could be a dream come true for some ... think about it, bacon ... all the time. If you decide to sport this perfume, just don't be upset with us when your boyfriend or hubby asks you to cook him a hearty breakfast.
I think most of us are familiar with the term "retail therapy." I know I've certainly been guilty of it in the past. Sometimes when life gets a bit stressful, filling your arms with shopping bags somehow makes things seem a little less terrible (at least, temporarily).
According to a recent study in Taiwan, there is actually some legitimacy to "retail therapy." Going shopping is healthy for you. The study found that elderly people who went shopping regularly lived longer. Shopping gets people moving (how many of us have gone shopping for an entire day and felt completely exhausted after?). Visiting your favorite shops and walking around is an easier form of exercise to stick with, as opposed to adhering to a strict exercise regimen.
Not only are you getting more exercise when you go on a shopping spree, you are also experiencing healthy forms of social interaction. I guess we shouldn't be surprised that shopping improves your physical health as well as your psychological state.
So ladies, the next time you want to go grab that killer pair of shoes you've been eyeing and your hubby or boyfriend tells you to stop spending money, you can simply answer: "I'm just increasing my longevity."
When I take a yoga class, I must say I look forward to the meditation at the end more so than anything else (and that's serious, because I love yoga). After a good round of meditation, I open my eyes to a world filled with peace and contentment. I actually feel healthier, so I wasn't surprised to learn that meditation actually reduces pain.
A tiny, but telling, study conducted at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in North Carolina tested 15 volunteers for pain reduction post meditation. Apparently, volunteers experienced a 40 percent reduction in pain intensity and a whopping 57 percent reduction in its unpleasantness. As the findings show, pain was reduced by more than half, which makes meditation more powerful than the strongest pain medications.
Apparently, even knock-you-out-worthy drugs like morphine reduce pain by roughly 25 percent. The participants weren't practiced at meditation, either. A pain inducing heat device caused pain in the volunteers' legs while their brains were scanned for pain levels.
Why does meditation work? It reduces activity in the brain that is associated with feeling pain and being able to tell its location. Miraculously, however, meditation increases activity in the portion of the brain that deals with pain tolerance.
Although the study is of course small and meditation may not be a cure-all, it's certainly good for you. Perhaps next time you are at the office with a stubborn headache, you can take five minutes to meditate. Chances are the pain will decrease, and you'll feel more centered and focused too!
I realize that many of us want to look as youthful and wrinkle-free as we can for as long as possible (which is more than understandable!). However, I'm not a fan of injecting toxins into my face just to get rid of some fine lines. If you are not a Botox fan either, you might just have another option.
In a recent study, MyoScience, Inc. injected the nerves connected to forehead wrinkles with cold, which resulted in wrinkle-free, relaxed skin. The new treatment is referred to as "Cryoneuromodulation." The treatment gets its name from the injection of small needles called "Cryoprobes" into the skin around the eyes and forehead (also known as the temporal branch of the frontal nerve).
Apparently, this "cold" works miracles because it is able to freeze the nerve passage, thus relaxing the tense muscles that cause those lines we all hate. After this cold shot makes its way through the nerve, normal temperature is restored, yet the nerve signal stops for a potential three to four months (which still scares me!). Results were typically seen after two to eight injections.
Dr. Francis Palmer who is director of facial plastic surgery for the University of Southern California School of Medicine told Bloomberg Businessweek, "It's a toxin-free alternative to treating unwanted lines and wrinkles, similar to what is being done with Botox and Dysport." That may be so, but much research is still needed, as the procedure may cause pigmentation issues for those with darker skin, and only 31 people were tested in the study.
So, this whole "freezing" concept still needs a lot of work. I'm certainly not sold. What about you?
I've never been a huge fan of public restrooms. In fact, even after I wash my hands and leave, I feel this instinctive need to pull out the mini hand sanitizer in my purse. Since I try to avoid germs at all cost, I do feel a bit of nerdy relief when I see an automatic faucet and paper towel dispenser (that's if they actually work, of course).
For those of you who thought hands-free faucets were healthier for you, they aren't! Recently, researchers found that hands-free faucets actually contain more of the bacteria Legionella than those that are manual. Legionella is responsible for giving pneumonia to people with weakened immune systems.
Half the samples of electronic faucets contained the bacteria at John Hopkins Hospital, as opposed to only 15 percent from standard faucets. You better believe that John Hopkins Hospital had those faucets removed! Wondering why these electronic faucets contain more nasty bacteria? They have many more complex valves than regular faucets, which leaves more space for bacteria to grow (yuck!).
And I thought things were safer with electronic faucets … I suppose my hand sanitizer wasn't such a bad idea after all.
I get extremely excited each time MAC puts out a new collection. And how could I not? Not only does the company come out with amazing collections and colors, but they are constantly doing things to help the world, like recycling lipstick containers, and making collections like Viva Glam to benefit AIDS research. Well, MAC has yet another exciting invention/collaboration up their sleeves.
It's about time that a booming technological company pairs with beauty. MAC is creating a limited edition makeup collection with Apple (yep, the oh-so-adored company that created the iPhone). The eye shadow and lipstick collection called "MAC²" (cute, right?) will celebrate the 10th anniversary of the iPod and Mac OS X.
MAC public relations associate, Donna Scherzo, told sources: "Like Apple, MAC likes to think different … Their commitment to innovation and design pairs perfectly with MAC's tradition of pushing boundaries." I couldn't agree more.
What do you think of this new innovative collaboration?
