Avoid Eczema Flare-ups in the Winter 

No one wants to deal with itchy, flaky inflamed skin in the winter. Unfortunately, cold weather and extra dry air indoors can trigger an eczema flare. But you are not unarmed in this battle. Prepare ahead of time by stocking up on solutions for the problem.

Over-the-counter products won’t replace a prescription ointment. But the best creams for eczema keep your skin soft and comfortable. Apply them as often as you can to prevent moisture loss. Use them to resolve flaking and itching. They are your best defense.

Next, before you strip all the natural oil from your body, switch to a mild body wash or soap. It’s stunning how many popular products are packed with irritants. Happily, many manufacturers are catching on to a new and healthy trend. They’re creating more fragrance-free soaps with gentle surfactants.

mild body wash or soap

There are also sulfate-free shampoos that treat eczema on your scalp. Many of them are safe for color-treated hair and they treat dandruff.

Obviously, your face wash is essential. Choose an eczema-safe cleanser to avoid acne breakouts, too.

Now, as much as you might love seeing a little sunshine in the middle of winter, remember your sunscreen if you’re outdoors for a while. Mineral sunscreens are very effective, not greasy, and even moisturizing.

Some people might consider essential oils woo-woo science. But we know you love them. Surprisingly, there are some essential oils that improve eczema symptoms like itching and secondary infections. Just be sure to blend them with fractionated coconut oil or another carrier first.

Finally, did you know that there are foundations for eczema-prone skin? It’s true, and they are reasonably priced. From sheer to full coverage (for those flareup days), you have a lot of options. We hope you stay healthy and happy all winter long.

Sns Powder Nails

A lot of people have been obsessed with SNS nails due to the perfect finish that it provides to your nails. What is SNS really? If you think that this is just a mere nail polish like the one you have been used to, then you are wrong. Leave aside the pros and cons of acrylic, gel and shellac, SNS powder nails have their own characteristics that distinguish them from all these another kind of nails and nail polishes. In this article, we will analyze SNS powder nails into details.

sns dipping powder

What is SNS?

Signature nail system is what stands for SNS abbreviations. As much as a huge population may not be aware of SNS. Those who have used it are possessed with the numerous benefits that SNS provides. If you are wondering if using SNS is safe, this article will tell you all what you need to know about this new way through which you can look magically elegant.  SNS is not a polish but a nail powder. It involves first applying a base coat of clear gel that is followed by the action of dipping the fingers into a very fine powder that sticks on the still wet undercoat. This process is repeated in order to ensure that the colour is thick and that its intensity is to the maximum. In order to eliminate bumps that may exist, the nail surface is buffed and a top coat of glossy material applied. However, the process is long but easy. You should note that you do not have to use any form of artificial light like the LED to cure the nails since the layer tends to dry instantly.

Why Do Those Who Use It Love It?

Unlike many of the usual polishes, SNS nails provide you with a stunning ultra-glossy look that leaves you admired by everyone. Besides, I remember the first time when I applied it on my nails, 4 weeks passed before I could even think of applying it a second time. The time it takes for the SNS nails to last is longer than any other polish that I had tried in the past. It is only the obvious regrowth that forced me to go for another finish but I did not note notice any chipping within all this time when I had my SNS nails.

When I removed the SNS nails before getting another manicure, I noticed that my nails had grown stronger than there before. Initially, when I was using the common nail treatments, my nails would be left weak, chipped and brittle after removing the polish. With SNS, I have noticed a very big difference. It is said that SNS dipping powder provides you with strong nails due to the presence of nail fortifying minerals like calcium in the powder. Furthermore, you do not have to worry about the length or nature of your nails. Since it can be applied to any nail.

How Good Are The SNS Powder Colors?

SNS contains many colours that you can always choose from. But unlike gel or shellac which have limitless colours, SNS nails do not have such a huge number of colours. However, the colours are over 150 which gives you a wide list of options. However, it is a bit hard to establish how your nails will look like when you look at the powder in the container. The hue might be a little bit more or less concentrated than what the powder in the container looks like. For the other nail polishes, you can know how your nails will look like from the look of the polish in the bottle

Do Any Cons Exist?

The only way you can completely remove SNS nail powder is through the use of acetone. However, acetone is known to dehydrate and weaken the skin surrounding the nails as well as the nails themselves. This simply means that continuous application of SNS and the use of acetone will eventually damage your nails just like acrylics.

Conclusion

As much as SNS colour nails may seem to be the best in the market, there is also the question of health. Do not apply and remove them after just a fortnight and then apply again. Such an act will weaken and damage them in the long run. It would be okay to give them some time to breathe. Regardless, SNS nails will always give you the look you want from a variety of colours that you can choose from. Moreover, they help you save a lot since they can last much longer than the other nail polishes.

Trending

A recent article was published about the “Rise of the Asian Male Supermodel,” and all I could think was, “DUH.”

I mean, the cheekbones, exotic eyes, and flawless skin, what’s not to love. Not to mention, in today’s global world, we are seeing some mind-blowing beautiful specimen. Case in point, my new friend Master (pictured left) who is a Laotian and French mix, but mostly just magic in my opinion.

One of my dear friends Andrew Ley, I originally met when he modeled for us at RUFSKIN. I pretty much think Andrew is perfect in every way, and have been so happy to see his success as a model.

Apparently, I’m super on trend too because my amazing boyfriend Patrick is Vietnamese. Even last night over dinner, our waitress wouldn’t stop flirting with him until I told her politely to calm down. I mean, I get it… he’s hot. Only then did she proceed to ask if he had a brother, after apologizing and explaining how she has a “thing for tall Asian guys.”

While the sentiment of recognizing Asian beauty is Western culture shouldn’t be news worthy, it still is. Honestly, maybe that’s a good thing though. At least at this point it’s being recognized and appreciated. To further show my appreciation of our Eastern boys, enjoy a slideshow of the top Asian Male Models right now, including Master and Andrew of course.

Chill Out

So much of current fitness messaging is encouraging “No Breaks,” or “No Days Off.” I instantly cringe, because “no days off,” means very soon…. you might be taking many days off due to a new injury. You see, believe it or not, fitness is just as much about the recovery, as the quality of your work. I don’t train every day. I don’t spend hours in the gym. I dedicate a killer hour, and I take days off (sometimes a couple in a row). Yes, I admit to freaking out sometimes if I don’t get a pump on in two days, but in reality, whenever I do get back in, I always feel stronger, more refreshed, and ready to go. Point is, it’s ok to chill out.

Take a day off, hit the beach, and maybe even eat some french fries. Life is short, and what’s the point of working so hard on that beach body, if you don’t get to enjoy it and show it off because you’re always training in the gym. Just like almost everything in your life, it’s all about quality, not necessarily quantity.

Fitness is about longevity, and the future you want to live.
Looking good today just happens to be a great side effect.
Enjoy some extra words of wisdom below courtesy of Bodybuilding.com

Shantel

It’s no surprise, my clients become great friends – and friends become clients. In my continued series to feature some of the amazing Team WIMBERLEAN, we meet Shantel, one of the original WIMBERLEAN crew.

Shan (as her friends often call her) has this glow that is magnetic. She has that quality about her that you just want to be her friend instantly. Charming, Generous, and Beautiful, she embodies everything #teamwimberlean is all about.

While fitness may have not always been Shantel’s favorite thing, she loves the way it makes her feel, and knows the work she does today, will give her a better life tomorrow. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t had it challenges. Working in nightlife for the last few years, Shantel struggled to be consistent like so many of us do. That hasn’t deterred her from giving her all when she can, and loving the sweat life.

Let’s meet Shantel, and learn a bit more about this gorgeous Angeleno.

Question : Has fitness always been an important part of your life?
Not always but more so the last few yearsQuestion : Do you enjoy working out?
I enjoy certain workouts

Question : What is the biggest challenge of maintaining your health and fitness regime?
My work schedule and discipline when it comes to food

Question : What is the most rewarding part?
The way I feel when I workout, my energy level increase, and the results 🙂

Question : Who, or what, inspires you to keep going?
Well for one, Jason is very inspiring and just helps me love myself more and to want to better myself, to do this for me! I also keep going because I like the way I feel when I’m fit

Question : What new fitness goal are on the horizon for you?  
To get back into the rhythm of working out on a regular basis. To make time no matter what to work out at least 3 times a week.

Stilettos

Here’s the funny thing. I really strapped on my first pair of heels in NYC with a GUCCI suit for a nightclub, just because I wanted to be taller than everyone else. No one even saw my feet in a dark crowded club, but they did notice I was standing over 6’4″. My “dressing up,” has never been an attempt to be someone else, or to impersonate another person or gender, but rather, a celebration of beauty. I have always loved beautiful things. I was drawn to the aesthetic as a child. Earlier on it manifested in my artwork with a brush and canvas. Later in the ballet, using my body as an instrument. I wanted to create beautiful things. I love beautiful things. High heels, are beautiful….and just so happen to make my legs look better too….so who’s to say I shouldn’t wear them?

I started playing with make-up much earlier on, although it initially was just a way to cover a blemish, or darken my blond eyelashes. I colored my hair and glossed my lips all through high school, and never felt I shouldn’t have. I really always just thought, “Why do girls get to have all the fun? Who made up that rule?” As a society, we only think lip color is feminine, because someone before us decided it was and told us so. We also call a tree a tree, because that’s what some one else taught us. The majority of our behavior is learned, and we often refuse to challenge those norms. Does strapping on a YSL pump make me less of a man? Absolutely not. In my opinion, it takes some serious courage and confidence to step out the house as a 33 year old man in booty shorts and a open-toe sandal with a 5 inch heel. I know that same day I was lifting weights with my callused hands and dripping sweat in the gym, and I can be both people, and everything in between if I want to.

As a teenager, I always had immense support from my family in all I did, even if I was covered in glitter while doing it. I have no doubt it was their love that helped me be so confident in who I wanted to be. I was never worried they would judge me, and while I know there will always be plenty who are happy to judge, knowing the ones closest to me did not, gave me the confidence to be myself.

It’s a hard thing not fitting into a box though. I do remember my Mom asking once or twice if I wanted to “Be a drag queen?” The answer was always “No,” but that was the only thing she knew of when it came to men putting on make-up.

It all goes back to the “Exposure Theory.” We accept more of what we are exposed to. A dog and cat are seen as a traditionally conflicting pair, but if a puppy is raised with a kitten, the conflict no longer exists. The same applies to us as people. When my sister had her first child, I insisted we were open about me being gay from the beginning. Once she was old enough to realize her parents were a couple, there would be no reason for her to not know Uncle JJ (that’s me) could have a boyfriend. If we hid the fact, it would only mean it was something we were not proud of, or ashamed of. Now with two more nephews as well, while they may giggle when I whip out my compact to touch up in the car after a soccer game, they don’t pass judgement. It’s just what they’re used to.

Even with all the support from friends and family, it doesn’t mean it was always easy. I work in fitness as a trainer and  group instructor. I have spent countless dollars and efforts trying to “fit in,” more with my colleagues. To have bigger muscles, to maybe dress differently, to be the hyper masculine ideal that is portrayed in fitness. It wasn’t until I accepted that would never be me, nor did I want it to be, that I finally found success in my career.

I was the trainer who would probably show up in booty shorts, leg warmers, and definitely some mascara, and still sweat my butt off and kick yours along the way. It became my brand. Sort of a glamorous showgirl of fitness. Although it wasn’t a show, it was simply who I was.

Dating often presented a whole new slough of conflicts. I remember hiding the heels if a date was coming over. I used to try and even butch up my apartment for fear of someone else not understanding that for me, high heels were just a small part of me. I wouldn’t give my whole name, for fear of them googling and finding photos I would then have to explain. Now, in my 30’s, I keep a pair of heels on display in the living room. There is a 5 foot tall portrait of me in knee high stilettos boots next to the television. While that glamazon may not be out all the time, if you’re not strong enough to handle it, then we’re probably not a match. So for that reason, I now keep everything front and center. If you have questions, I will gladly answer them, but the one thing I refuse to do is be ashamed for liking a little something sparkly just because you think it’s too feminine.

I will never forget being told “Men are gay, because they like men, so stop “dressing up.” Silly me, I always thought men were men because of their character. Men were made by their actions. Men protected and took care of their loved ones. Real men fight for causes they believe in, and work to make the world a better place. Masculinity was not something simply translated by a beard and beer drinking. I may have on two sets of false eyelashes from time to time, but I will still open the door and offer to carry your bag along the way.

Sleepy Head

Question. Does your morning look more like the photo on the left, or the photo on the right. Be honest….
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Trust me, as someone who starts the day anywhere between 4:30am and 5am, you’d think mornings are rough (especially since Im usually not in bed until 11 or 11:30) but not true. I maximize my sleep time, and create routine so that even if its 6 hours, its a GOOD six hours. When I hit that pillow, I am out cold in minutes.

According to a recent article in SHAPE Magazine, if you’re pressing the snooze button a dozen times or pre-setting six different alarms on your smartphone, getting out of bed may be even more of a drag.“The biggest problem with the snooze button is that it creates a lot of inconsistency in your wakeup time,” says W. Christopher Winter, M.D., medical director of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Virginia.

A snooze-happy habit also impacts the quality of your sleep so it can be counter-productive. “Waking up and falling back asleep several times each morning fractures your sleep so there’s not enough time to achieve a deep, restorative rhythm again,” Winter says. He likens repetitive snoozing to patients with sleep apnea who fall asleep, stop breathing, wake up to catch their breath, and fall asleep again. Even if they spend eight hours in bed each night, they never feel well rested. “You’re better off sleeping until the time you need to get up versus waking up early and going back to sleep several times, which may leave you feeling more tired,” Winter says. How else can you improve your snooze?

Lighten Up
Seamlessly start your day by turning on a light or opening your curtains as soon as your alarm goes off, Winter says. “The light tells your brain to stop making melatonin, a neurotransmitter that has a sedating effect, so you feel more awake.” Starting your day with light every morning means that your body will eventually start to anticipate it—and begin to suppress melatonin around the same time every morning making you more alert.

Now, when I wake up, the sun is usually not even out yet – but even still, I only always sleep with nothing but the white sheers on my bedroom windows, so in the summer I get to see the sun peeking out.
For fitness fanatics, quality sleep is just as important to your training as the actual training, so don’t skimp. Poor sleeping habits can not only increase cortisol levels, but can sabotage your gains.

BONUS – Can you guess what song my alarm clock plays every morning?

H2O

As a Group Fitness Instructor and personal trainer, I get paid to sweat. Literally.

Often times between coaching and demonstrating, taking a sip of water is totally overlooked…which is totally a bad thing.

You’ve more than likely heard this before … you can live for days, weeks, and even months without food, but 2 to 3 days without water could kill you.

Why is being hydrated so important?
in saliva and stomach secretions it helps to digest food
in blood, it helps transport nutrients and oxygen to all the cells of the body
in body fluids, it helps lubricate joints and cushions organs and tissues · in urine, it carries waste products out of the body
in sweat, it removes body heat generated during exercise

Why is it so hard to stay hydrated?

For one, our bodies are constantly losing water. The most obvious way is through daily urine output. If you exercise, you sweat. Studies of athletes have shown sweat losses of 2 quarts per hour while exercising! Most of us will lose less than that on our daily walk/run, but sweating is still a large source of water loss. Even when not exercising we are losing water through our skin – this is called ‘insensible losses’.
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Another reason we have a hard time staying hydrated is that our thirst mechanism has a sort of lag time. Once we are thirsty, our bodies have already reached the point of moderate dehydration, and it becomes more difficult to replenish the fluids to the point of hydration.

FIT TIP

I have figured out a way to trick myself into tricking more water, especially after class. When I have a plastic water bottle, I remove the lid, and throw it away. Yep, no lid, means I have to finish my water before I head home. It may seem a little extreme, and of course there’s always an option of spilling, but this little trick has helped me immensely in the last few weeks. Give it a try. Toss that lid, and drink up!