Author:Shelly Wu
ISBN-10: 1601630786
ISBN-13: 978-1601630780

If you’re like me and have this thing for Chinese Astrology, you will want to start the new year learning about your true life path with this book, The Definitive Book of Chinese Astrology.

Part 1 of the book will teach you about the Four Pillars of Destiny or better known as Ba Zi, the cornerstones of Chinese astrology. The Four Pillars Chart is derived from the Date of Birth of a person using the Chinese Solar Calendar, which is based on the return of the sun and the subsequent cycles of the sun’s orbit. The 8 chapters in Part 1 covers in depth details of how the Four Pillars can be used to forecast the destiny and characteristics of an individual and the relationships and interaction between the individual with the surrounding environment.

Next, the author Shelly Wu shares with readers about Zi Wei Dou Shu, or “emperor astrology,” known as the best-kept secret for millenniums and formerly accessible only to royalty.  The most accurate and profound divination tool ever discovered—a kind of Dewey decimal system of the universe—will help you identify your inborn capabilities, achievement potential, and life path. One word of caution though, this book may give you some basic information on Zi Wei Dou Shu but it will actually take you years to actually master this astrology.

In the final part,  you will learn about the Chinese astrological subspecialties, from the IChing, feng shui, and Chinese palmistry, to Face reading, 9 Star Ki, and what the combination of your western birth month and eastern birth year reveals. Included in this book is also an interactive CD-ROM which helps  readers create Chinese  astrological charts for themselves, their friends, and family. This will enable them to better understand  their destiny and assess their life options.

BUY IT : The Definitive Book of Chinese Astrology (EAN 978-1-60163-078-0, pages: 216, price: $18.99) was published by New Page Books. The book is available at Barnes & Noble, Borders, Amazon.com, and many other booksellers

Review copy courtesy of NewPageBooks.com

The month of February the world over is associated with one specific day: the 14th of February- Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day in its original form is meant to be celebration of love of all kinds but has universally taken on the general identity of being a day for romantic love. Lovers of all ages mark their relationship and celebrate their life together by spending the day as specially as possible with their beloved.

Recent years have seen the day move away from being a simple expression of happiness to becoming an extravagant and overdone occasion. While there is no harm at all in going overboard for the one you love it is important to remember your limits. One day cannot become the focus of all your attentions and if you have a tight budget to stick to there is no reason to stretch yourself thin in trying to go the conventional route on Valentine’s Day with expensive flowers, chocolates, cards and gifts, especially with the ongoing recession. In this article we share with you some ideas on how to celebrate Valentine’s Day on a small budget.

A beautiful idea is to prepare a picnic for your beloved. Plan it for the nighttime to add a romantic touch to the occasion. If the weather is nice plan it for a park or the beach where you can lay out a rug, light a few candles and enjoy the food and each other’s company. A portable disc player with a specially made CD will add to the mood while you and your partner spend some quality time under the stars. Incase of cold weather, plan it around a small fire and spend a cozy night together.

Plan the day in advance and do all the things your beloved likes. This doesn’t necessarily involve spending money as a scrumptious breakfast in bed, a luxurious bath and pampering massage, a day out at a local park, zoo or monument and a dinner to top it off can make for a memorable and enjoyable day where you can focus all your attention on your partner without anything to distract you.

If you’re good with an instrument you can make a recording of all her favorite songs and present to her. Music speaks louder than words across all races in the world and soothing classical music sets the mood beautifully. The fact that you played it yourself will add a sentimental value to the gift.

A great yet inexpensive gift idea would be to make a box of the things your partner likes best. Try your hand at arts and crafts by making them a pretty card, handmade jewelry, their favorite chocolates and a good novel. You can also add flowers, a CD, scented candles and a photograph of the two of you together to the box. Be sure to decorate the box well.

Celebrity hairdresser David Babaii achieved this red carpet look by combining eras of vintage fabric textures with the perfect epoch red hair color. According to David, “Nicole Kidman always inspires me but for the 2010 SAG Awards, her beautiful skin tone and breathtaking beauty took the lead. The right style and hair color became my main objective.” David fell in love with this unique period wig that had various tones of ginger. In order to achieve the perfect color match, David sought out the master talents of celebrity hair colorist Lorri Goddard-Clark. Lorri created Nicole’s rich new color, while David created the perfect texture needed to enhance this natural but classic “Bohemian” look.

The Color: Lorri Goddard-Clark matched the vintage wig selected by David Babaii by utilizing a combination of deposit-only color, her signature foil-out reverse highlighting technique and a sulfate-free glaze. Nicole’s hair was transformed from a medium blonde into a rich, warm Gingered Toffee Red to enhance her azure eyes and porcelain skin.

According to Lorri, “It was truly an honor to work with David: he is a genius. I was thrilled to collaborate with him on this look for Nicole Kidman.”

The Style: David gently towel dried the hair and sprayed Bohemian Beach Spray throughout. Next, he gently rough dried the hair moving his hands in various directions to create texture. Once dry, he fashioned a center part and divided tresses into 4 sections (sides, back crown & nape). Starting at the nape area, he alternated between 1″ and 1 ½” ceramic curling irons, taking “V” shaped partings. He then wrapped hair around the inside of the barrel, holding for 10 seconds then gently releasing the curl. With each alternating curl, David slid his fingers up the curl to gently create a soft back combing effect and enhanced texture. After finishing the entire head, David used his fingers and added extra Bohemian Beach Spray to loosen the curls and highlight the richness of the hair color.

Teeth grinding is something that is very common amongst ordinary people. If grinding your teeth is something that is a habit for a person, then a dental appointment should be made immediately so that the problem, as to why you do it, can be determined and resolved.

There are many reasons that a person may grind their teeth, and when it happens, it happens mostly at night when you are asleep, so it can be hard to determine unless you wake up with a sore jaw. If you are someone that has an overbite or an under bite, you may be someone that has a tooth grinding problem. You may be someone that has some missing or broken teeth as well. Not only do these problems cause grinding teeth, but if you’re stressed out or if you are someone that goes through a lot of anxiety as well, you could be experiencing a tooth grinding problem.

If the cause of your teeth grinding is from stress, then you should find ways to calm your stress whether you do it during your awake hours, or during the night time when most people are unable to detect themselves doing it. Try exercising before bed, taking a hot bath, or having someone give you a nice relaxing massage to release the tension that may be in your jaw. You could also go to your local pharmacy store and buy a mouth guard to protect your teeth during the night from grinding.

The best thing to do would be to make a visit as soon as you can to your dentist where he or she can help you to better determine what could be going on with your teeth, and what remedy would be great for you.

We have all gone through one of these. They are the bane of our existence and a terrible reality which haunts us from time to time. Bad Hair Days are unfortunately, no strangers to anyone, and can completely take away from one’s looks and confidence. There are, however, ways and means of dealing with one of these icky days, and we are presenting them here for you:

The best method is, of course, prevention. This can be done by planning your hairstyle and look for the next day in advance and taking the appropriate precautions. If, however, your hair still looks like a little hairy monster one morning, here is what is to be done.

Is Carrie Underwood having a bad hair day?

BANDANNAS: they are cool, they look great and they scream “confidence”. However, you need an attitude to carry a bandanna well, and one can easily go over the top when choosing the colour and design, so please be careful and have an appropriate bandanna ready in case of emergencies.

A PONY TAILis a girl’s best friend when it comes to coping with a bad hair day. Of course, it can be a man’s best friend too, if they ever recognize their bad hair days. Have fun with different colours of rubber bands, and be sure that the rubber band has a protective fabric covering. A silicone based hair serum can go a long way in smoothening out your hair and giving it a finished appearance. If, however, you have problems getting your hair to settle down, there are other weapons like hair gels, sprays and mousse to be considered.

Alternatively, if you have some time on your hands, dab a little olive oil on a straightening iron and straighten your hair out. A straight haired look is always more neat than a frazzled, monster head look. The olive oil can be replaced with almond oil, and is responsible for protecting your hair and leaving it with a slight sheen after the ironing.

Of course, you can always wear a hat or a wig but this is a last minute resort known as camouflage. 

Just a little background on the beauty buzzword, antioxidants. Antioxidants are basically products which rid the body of free radicals by combining with these to deactivate them. Free radicals? These are the by products of metabolism and are produced by the body continuously in various amounts, depending upon the metabolism, age and diet of the person concerned. These active metabolized agents are very reactive and react with various body structures, causing them to degrade and age. Therefore, antioxidants are, to put it simply, cleaning agents that rid your body of harmful radicals. What you really need to know is that these antioxidants are very important from the point of view of both health as well as beauty, as they have many benefits. The various antioxidants are the Vitamins E, C etc, Selenium and Beta Carotene. There are others, of course.

Selenium enhances the body’s natural immunity, protects against cancer and helps maintain healthy nails and hair. Vitamin E also reduces the risk of cancer and heart disease, and also delays the effects of ageing on the skin. Vitamin C is very important in the maintenance of healthy connective tissue and also aids in wound healing, which translates to less cellulite and prevention of bruising. It is also essential for healthy gums and reduced risk of cataracts. Beta Carotene promotes bone growth and development, aids in various metabolic processes of the body and keeps the eyes and skin healthy.

Most antioxidants therefore help delay and fight the visible effects of ageing, along with protecting the body from diseases like cancer and degenerative diseases of various organs and organ systems.

Antioxidants are already present in all the foods that the doctors and dietitians of the world recommend: fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low fat dairy. Though antioxidants are present in full fat dairy, but the risk versus benefit assessment makes low fat dairy a healthier way of obtaining your antioxidants daily. Supplementation is therefore not necessary and can even be contra indicated in certain cases. Eating healthfully and concentrating on whole, natural, ‘real’ foods should in any case be the aim for all of us in order to lead healthy, happy and wholesome lives.

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

Luxtural®, the newest player on the beauty block, is redefining luxury skin care by emphasizing not only safety and efficacy, but the quality of their natural luxury skin care products.

The brand’s unique approach to skin care is a return to true luxury – by combining the best aspects of the luxury, natural skin care and scientific industries; Luxtural achieves what no other skin care company can. Luxtural’s primary concern is a green approach to anti-aging. The powerful formulation contained in each of the three skin care products are clinically tested, hypoallergenic, free of parabens and synthetic fragrances, and are created using sustainable ingredients like Pure Pacific Ocean Rainwater. According to the brand’s founder Pnina Vilinsky, “real anti-aging starts with proper hydration,” therefore ingredients found in Luxtural are original collaborations and unique to the line.

Luxtural aims to appeal to a woman’s aesthetic preferences while still delivering high performance. “Our customer has always been a woman who seeks the best in skin care,” says Pnina. “You don’t have to sacrifice luxury for effective and quality skin care products. Luxtural is truly the only one of its kind: a results-orientated skin care line emphasizing natural ingredients.”

WIN IT : Mystique Fountain Deep Hydrating Rainy Mist by Luxtural®

The first step in the Luxtural skin care regimen, the Mystique Fountain feels like a gentle mist of ocean water. A superb hydrator for any skin type, it tones, calms, cools and refreshes the skin while naturally protecting it from environmental damage. The Mystique Fountain is based upon Luxtural’s Pure Pacific Ocean Rainwater, which allows for increased absorption and moisture retention. Mystique Fountain also contains Luxtural’s special exotic extract (SEE), a one-of-a-kind complex that adds additional moisturizing and antioxidant properties. Mystique Fountain can be used as a primer or enhancer for the other Luxtural products or any time of day as a refresher. Price: $78, 3.4 fl. oz.

One lucky reader will have a chance to win the above product. All you need to do is:

• One mandatory entry – Follow me on twitter. Please leave your twitter id.
• Three additional entries – Tweet this giveaway with a link back to this post.  Please leave your twitter thread. You can do this daily until the contest ends.
• Giveaway is open to US and Canada shipping address only.
• Giveaway closes on 10th January 2010. Please check back here for the contest result or subscribe to my blog’s feed as I will not be emailing winner.

Disclosure : Giveaway courtesy of http://www.luxtural.com/

Here is an interesting experiment. Without hesitating for a second, quickly think of the one body part which you think is the most neglected. Chances are, you will not even think of your feet when you answer this question, you see, the feet are so neglected that we never even realize how we neglect them.

Your feet are the most hard working and active part of your body, bearing your weight day in and day out. If you are a woman, chances are that you take good care of your feet, with regular pedicures, massages and grooming. The most probable cause is the satisfaction and thrill of showing off healthy, clean toes when you flaunt your latest peep toes! Men are more prone to totally ignoring their feet. Whatever the reasons, and whatever your gender, it is best to sit up and take a hard look at your feet. Start caring for them from today. Here is how to go about it:

For starters, change your socks daily. Fresh socks will not only wick away sweat more efficiently, but will also keep your feet smelling good. After a rigorous workout, wash your feet and dry them well. Similarly, shoes should be aired and dried in the sun as frequently as possible in order to get rid of bad smell and microbes.

Now to the basics of foot-care. Trimming your toenails regularly is important to avoid accumulation of dirt and microbes. Remember: toenails, unlike fingernails, should be cut straight across, not in a curve. This helps eliminate most niches where bacteria may accumulate.

Soak your feet in warm soapy water at least once or twice a week for about half an hour to soften and clean them. This is the best time to cut your toenails as they are soft. File your toenails so that there are no irregularities where dirt can lodge. A pumice stone can be rubbed on the calloused surfaces to get rid of dead skin. Dry and moisturize your feet. Doing this at night so that you can sleep with your moisturized feet in socks.

Say good morning to happy feet the next day!

Moulay Yacoubi, the owner of New York’s exclusive Pierre Michel Salon is a celebrity hair stylist who has worked with Gwyneth Paltrow, Naomi Campbell, Uma Thurman, Elizabeth Hurley and Kate Moss. Moulay has extensive knowledge of the science behind hair products, hair texture and styling techniques. Some of his favorite, celebrity-inspired looks for holiday festivities include Amy Adams’s sweet side chignon, Blake Lively’s bohemian fishtail braid, Katy Perry’s bombshell waves and Drew Barrymoore’s sleek ‘30s up-do. Check out his following tips:

 Blake Lively’s look

1. After shampoo and conditioner, prep the hair with light mousse. This will help the hair hold the braid shape.
2. After combing and drying the hair, smooth it with a flat brush.
3. Make a very tight ponytail using a bungee ponytail holder (it should have a hook).
4. Use a shine serum (Phytolisse finishing serum works well) and smooth it over the top portion of the hair to create a sleek look.
5. Braid the ponytail and secure it with a small ponytail holder (matching the hair color)
6. Lightly “open up” the braid by tugging it gently in random portions. Don’t do the whole braid or it will lose its shape.
7. Spray the hair with a very light hairspray (L’Oreal Elnett is a great option)

Amy Adams’ look 

1. Wash hair and prep the hair with medium hold mousse.
2. Dry the hair, parting it to one side with a comb.
3. Comb through the top of the hair so that it is smooth and flat against the head.
4. Gather the hair into a low ponytail on the parted side and secure it with an elastic band.
5. Twist the ponytail into a loose bun and secure it with an elastic hairband the same color as the hair.
6. Using finger tips “fluff up” the top of the hair to add some volume.
7. Finish with a shine serum.

Katy Perry’s look

1. Prep hair with shampoo and conditioner.
2. Separate damp hair into a side par.
3. Set with large hot rollers for 30 minutes.
4. Remove the rollers and let the hair cool for 5 minutes.
5. Brush the hair into large, bouncy waves.
6. Separate bangs or the front of the hair and push it toward the side. If you don’t have bangs, hold the hair in place with a fun barrette, so it sweeps across the face.
7. Use a light shine serum to hold the bangs in place.
8. Set the style with a light hairspray.

Drew Barrymore’s look

1. Prep clean hair with light mousse.
2. Using a 1 inch curling iron, separate hair into small sections.
3. Curl each section until you have curled the entire head of hair.
4. Spray hair with light hairspray.
5. Using a flat brush, gently brush through the hair so the curls become waves.
6. If you have long hair, gather it into a low ponytail and flip it under the hair, securing it with bobby pins.