There’s an App for That

Must-download programs for fun and fitness

Dear Beautyqueen,
I just got the new iPhone! What apps do I need to get?
Ilyssa

Dear Ilyssa,

Lucky you! I am obsessed with my iPhone. With its sleek lines, sexy design, and ability to do countless time-saving tasks, I may have just found a replacement for my boyfriend (just kidding of course, it’s more like a backup than a replacement).

Anyway, these days there’s an app for pretty much everything. The problem is that most of us don’t have time to sort through the hundreds of thousands of apps that are currently just waiting for your download.

Although I wouldn’t necessarily consider myself a technology expert, I do use a bunch of fab, must-download apps. Some can help you save time, some can help you get in shape, and some will just let you have a little fun. Check out a few of my faves:

Pose: Fierce fashionistas will love this chic, free app that allows you to snap pics of your fave pieces that you find during your latest shopping spree and then share them with your friends to receive instant feedback! The app can also give you great inspiration by following fashion-forward influencers like Theory, Levi’s, and stylist Tod Hallman (who works with Drew Barrymore, Jessica Biel, and Eva Mendes to name a few).

P90X: Now you can take your fave calorie-burning, muscle-toning, butt-kicking workout everywhere you go. The app offers two free guided workouts and 12 other ones that you can buy. Combined with fab fitness tracking, P90X is a must-have.

Matchbook: Keep your fave places in the palm of your hand with this super helpful bookmarking app. Remember fab places or mark down spots you’re just dying to visit. Need to plan a date or maybe a holiday party? Search through tags to get the best spots in your town!

The Eatery: This one is super cool. You take a pic of your food and then rate it “fat” to “fit” on an 11-star scale. Helping you focus on what you are eating rather than just how much, the app will then send you weekly summaries based on your eating habits and help you make healthier choices.

Viddy: Edit and share short videos with ease! Viddy helps you take 15-second videos, quickly edit them, add special effects, and share with your friends on all your fave social media sites.

GasBuddy: Sitting in city traffic means sometimes you can run out of gas unexpectedly. It helps to know you can always find the closest gas station and compare prices!


OpenTable: With this app you’ll never have to slip the host $20 to get a table again! Just pick your dining date, time, and party size and get a confirmed reservation at one of 15,000 Open Table enabled restaurants. If your restaurant of choice is full, it will even show other nearby options!

HeyTell: Do you ever wish it was still socially acceptable to radio your friends on a walkie-talkie? Well now it is! Leave your friend a HeyTell instant voice message that they can play back on their phone and respond to.

Hipstamatic Photography: Become a professional photographer with amateur experience. This app lets you add different effects, colors, and exposures for fab results.


Nike Training: With workouts from your fave celebs and athletes, Nike Training helps you get toned, lean, strong, or focused in no time at all!

BarCode Scanner: Can’t find a price? Want to read a review on two similar DVD players? Then this is the app for you. Scan any bar code in a store and find out prices and reviews!

A Flashlight: How smart is this little app that turns your phone into an emergency flashlight? Don’t be in the dark ever again.

xx, Beautyqueen

THINK YOURSELF THIN

Think Yourself Thin
Practice these meditation techniques for a better body


Close your eyes. Imagine yourself in a skinny pair of jeans, saying “no” to chocolate cake, and going on a 3-mile run.

Do that for five to 20 minutes twice a day and you’re one step closer to the body of your dreams.

Sound too good to be true? Clinical hypnotherapist Lisa Jackson, author of the book Adore Yourself Slim, says it’s absolutely true — hypnosis helped her find the motivation to lose 49 pounds.

“Practicing self-hypnosis first thing every morning is a powerful way to stay focused on your weight-loss goals,” she says.

So, close your eyes. Inhale through your nose for a count of four. Pause briefly. Exhale through your nose for a count of eight. Do this for two minutes, then try one of Lisa’s top three tips:
Celebrate yourself by taking a daily Praise Pill. Recall your good qualities. Admire the parts of your body that you like. This helps to put you in a positive, can-do mindset.
Mentally rehearse your healthy choices for the day in great detail — from eating oatmeal for breakfast to going for an evening power walk.
Imagine how amazing you’ll look, act, and feel when you’re at your goal weight. It creates a mental blueprint for your body to follow.
If other thoughts pop into your head during this process, don’t worry. Lisa says: “Acknowledge them. Then gently bring your mind back to the task at hand.”

For more of Lisa’s self-hypnosis tips, visit her website, adoreyourselfslim.com.

xx, Beautyqueen

HOLIDAY HAIR 2011

                 The Holiday Hair Bun

Two weeks left til the Holidays, and you know what that means…. Endless holiday parties, High heels, red lips, champagne, and that dress you’ve been waiting to wear . Plus that cute hair style would really complete the look.  Playing around with different hair styles adds so much more fun to this festive month. I think the bun has always been popular all through out the year and would be perfect for this holiday! Try different variations of it and dress it up with  more curls or add a clip.

The Ballerina Bun: A clean, classy look. To do this, brush up your hair and tie it where you want your bun to lay. With the excess hair, gather all together and roll into a bun. Bobby pin to secure

I Recommend: Paul Mitchell Sculpting Foam to comb through your hair. Bumble and Bumble Shine Spray to finish

Mila Kunis The Undone Bun: To get the look, Create beachy curls by wrapping hair in a figure 8 around your iron while holding it vertically. Do a low, loose bun and push out some pieces in the front.

I Recommend: Bumble and Bumble thickening spray to set the hair while wet, and blowdry. Finish with Bumble and Bumble Does It All

Hayden Panettier The Textured Bun: Apply Curl foam while wet, use a diffuser to bring out natural curl. Loosely gather hair above nape and tie. Take loose curls and randomly pin around the tie.

I Recommend: Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious Holding Foam while wet. Finish with Bumble and Bumble Spray de mode

XX, Beautyqueen

MAKEUP TIPS: PRIME IT UP!

Prize Primers

Get a flawless foundation for your face

Everyone knows it’s what underneath that counts the most.

But we’re not talking about inner beauty, your personality, or even your soul. No ladies, I am talking about what really matters: the primer you pick to go under your makeup.

OK, OK, I don’t want to sound shallow and we know that other inner stuff is really important, but a good primer can be a life-saver. It can help smooth out your skin tone, reduce shine, and make even inexpensive makeup last all night! It is a must-have beauty find. Check out a few of my fave primers!

Cover FX Skinprep FXNourishing Foundation Primer & Anti-Aging Serum: Not your typical primer, this must-have is also an anti-aging serum to keep you looking younger while creating an even surface for your foundation.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion Duo Original and Sin: Prep your lids with one of these primer potions, and you’ll be able to hit the town, then hit the sheets, and your shadow won’t budge an inch! Use the original formula or super shimmery Sin potion for more glam (and more sin).

Make Up For Ever HD Microperfecting Primer: Check out this line of gorgeous primers to give your eyes that extra boost of fabulous! The primers come in seven different shades, including a translucent one for that all-important neutral look.

Too Faced Lip Insurance Lip Primer Nude: Stop leaving your lip color all over your napkins and cups, instead keep it perfectly on your pucker. Prep your lips with this gloss and say goodbye to reapplying!


Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer: The award-winning Smashbox Photo Finish is the Taylor Swift of foundation primers. The solution reduces the appearance of fine lines and keeps your foundation put for hours! As long as Kanye doesn’t take it from you.


Trish McEvoy Eye Base Essentials: This eye primer will make any shadow stay on all night. Not to mention that the upper eye brightener helps correct discoloration, creating a bright, crease-free look.


xx, Beautyqueen

Take it Slow

Delish, skinny Crock-Pot® recipes for the girl on the go

These days the world is moving faster and faster. We’re surrounded by fast food, instant messenger, speed dialing, speed dating, microwave meals, streaming movies, 3G, 4G, and two-month marriages.

Although fast can often be good, sometimes slow is even better. Think a leisurely lunch with the girls, an afternoon walk through the park, and a weekend in bed with your man (yes, I said weekend).

And since we're taking everything slow I have to share my renewed love of the slow cooker(and no, I am no longer talking about that weekend with our man). Although its popularity may have waned over the years, the kitchen essential is back and better than ever thanks to the geniuses at SkinnyCrockPot.com.

Slow-cooked dishes are actually fab for the girl on the go as the Crock-Pot® does all the work for you while you’re at work. And now you, yourself can put a healthy spin on traditional Crock-Pot® recipes!

1. Skinny Turkey Stew, Texas Style

Everything is bigger in Texas and this hearty stew is huge on fantastic flavor. But with less than 200 calories per serving, it will fill you up without filling you out.

SKINNY TURKEY STEW, TEXAS STYLE

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 stalk celery, diced 


1/2 cup diced onion


1 clove garlic,

minced 
Olive oil (for sautéing)


2-3 cups turkey meat


1 cup sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes


2 carrots, peeled and sliced


1/2 teaspoon black pepper


1/8 teaspoon allspice


1 bay leaf


1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)


1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)


1 cup frozen peas (no sugar or salt added)


2 cups chicken broth (fat free, low sodium)


1 (14.5 oz.) can fire roasted tomatoes


Salt to taste

Directions
1. Sauté garlic, celery and onion in oil over medium-low heat until tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Add all the above ingredients to the slow cooker, stir to combine.

3. Cover and cook on low 8 hours or until carrots are tender.

NOTE: If you prefer not to sauté, simply leave out the olive oil and add the remaining ingredients to the crock pot, cover and cook as directed.

Minimum Crock-Pot Size: 5 quarts

Nutritional Information
Makes approximately 10 servings; 1 serving is 1/2 cup. Nutritional Content for 1 serving:
Calories: 183
Total Fat: 4g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 47mg
Sodium: 253mg
Carbohydrates: 17g
Dietary Fiber: 4g
Sugars: 5g
Protein: 21g

Nutritional Information estimated at Nutritiondata.com. Data may not be accurate.

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Work Out In Bed

Jump start your mornings with these quickies

  What’s the best way to burn calories in bed?

OK, yes I totally know what you’re thinking and while I am definitely in favor of that…thanks to the help of Laurel House, aka The Quickie Chick, we ladies have a new way for you to get your burn on right in your very own bed!

Seriously! Laurel explains, “How many times have you gotten in bed only to realize that you ‘forgot’ to work out that day? Or what about when you wake up in the morning and you just can’t seem to motivate yourself to get out of bed because it’s too cold beyond the covers? Stop hitting snooze! Do butt squeezes instead.”

Sounds strange? Well it may be, but doing bed exercises in the morning will not only tone muscles but it will also get your heart pumping, blood flowing, and get you wide awake and ready for the day!

Think that the bed is just for sleep and sex? Laurel said, “I used to believe in that bed sanctity too. But the fact is that exercising in bed is a great place to get in a few minutes (even an entire hour) of exercise. At night I would get in bed and knew I hadn’t really gotten in my workout yet, so I started doing Pilates-style moves in bed while watching TV. The next day my thighs were seriously sore. Two weeks later they were slimmer.”

As the concept grew and Laurel’s body shrunk, she developed an entire workout plan done entirely in bed! Check out a few of her fave bed exercises in the easy to follow videos below:
FLAT ABS QUICKIE WORKOUT IN BED 

TRIM THIGHS QUICKIE WORKOUT IN BED 

SHAPELY ARMS QUICKIE WORKOUT IN BED 

xx, Beautyqueen