All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything.
Swami Vivekananda
All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.
Swami Vivekananda
As different streams having different sources all mingle their waters in the sea, so different tendencies, various though they appear, crooked or straight, all lead to God.
Swami Vivekananda
Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way.
Swami Vivekananda
External nature is only internal nature writ large.
Swami Vivekananda
GOD is to be worshipped as the one beloved, dearer than everything in this and next life.
Swami Vivekananda
If faith in ourselves had been more extensively taught and practiced, I am sure a very large portion of the evils and miseries that we have would have vanished.
Swami Vivekananda
If money help a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.
Swami Vivekananda
In one word, this ideal is that you are divine.
Swami Vivekananda
Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin; to say that you are weak, or others are weak.
Swami Vivekananda
Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest idea, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.
Swami Vivekananda
Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success.
Swami Vivekananda
That man has reached immortality who is disturbed by nothing material.
Swami Vivekananda
The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him - that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.
Swami Vivekananda
The more we come out and do good to others, the more our hearts will be purified, and God will be in them.
Swami Vivekananda
The Vedanta recognizes no sin it only recognizes error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that.
Swami Vivekananda
The will is not free - it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect - but there is something behind the will which is free.
Swami Vivekananda
The world is the great gymnasium where we come to make ourselves strong.
Swami Vivekananda
Truth can be stated in a thousand different ways, yet each one can be true.
Swami Vivekananda
We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far.
Swami Vivekananda
When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state.
Swami Vivekananda
Where can we go to find God if we cannot see Him in our own hearts and in every living being.
Swami Vivekananda
You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.
Swami Vivekananda
You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.
Swami Vivekananda
Friday, October 24, 2008
Top 25 Success Quotations
Top 25 Success Quotations.
Consider what it takes to become an undeniable success with these sincere quotations that identify the fundamental factors necessary to triumph...
" Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other thing."
-- Abraham Lincoln 
"God gave us two ends. One to sit on and one to think with. Success depends on which one you use; head you win -- tails, you lose."
-- Anonymous 
"The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity. "
-- Ayn Rand 
"Success is getting what you want. Happiness is wanting what you get."
-- B. R. Hayden 
"Success is a journey, not a destination. "
-- Ben Sweetland 
http://hindijokes. informe.com
"The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes."
-- Benjamin Disraeli 
"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody."
-- Bill Cosby
"The secret of success is to be in harmony with existence, to be always calm? to let each wave of life wash us a little farther up the shore."
-- Cyril Connolly 
"All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don't discover why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you gain in life or accomplish for yourself. It's what you do for others."
-- Danny Thomas 
"Don't confuse fame with success. Madonna is one; Helen Keller is the other."
-- Erma Bombeck 
"Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire."
-- Fred Shero 
"Success does not consist in never making mistakes but in never making the same one a second time."
-- George Bernard Shaw 
"A strong, positive self-image is the best possible preparation for success."
-- Joyce Brothers 
"Failure is success if we learn from it."
-- Malcolm S. Forbes 
"The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself."
-- Mark Caine 
"True success is overcoming the fear of being unsuccessful. "
-- Paul Sweeney 
"Get up one time more than you're knocked down."
-- Peter's Principle of Success 
"Most people who succeed in the face of seemingly impossible conditions are people who simply don't know how to quit."
-- Robert Schuller
"The truth is that all of us attain the greatest success and happiness possible in this life whenever we use our native capacities to their greatest extent."
-- Smiley Blanton 
"When your physical environment is in alignment with your aspiration, success becomes the norm."
-- Susan St Lawrence 
"The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people."
-- Theodore Roosevelt 
"The way to succeed is to double your error rate."
-- Thomas Watson http://hindijokes. informe.com
"Dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price."
-- Vince Lombardi 
"Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."
-- Winston Churchill 
"Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have."
Six Reasons Salary Statistics Don't Tell the Whole Story
We've all read those fantastical career stories about starting salaries that sound too good to be true. While the old saying 'if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,' can be true in many cases, those starting salary statistics do hold some truth. There's more to those sometimes eye-popping starting salary statistics than, well than meets the eye. You've heard of six degrees of separation? Think of this as six reasons to get a degree.
Double Your Money
It used to be that blood, sweat and tears were all that someone needed in order to achieve top-dollar status. The times, however, are changing. These days, you generally need to have your college degree if you want to get ahead in most careers. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, bachelor's degree holders earn over 50 percent of the annual salary of someone with just a high school diploma. Not only does this make a sizeable impact on your monthly paycheck, consider this for further motivation to get your degree: over the average American adult's working life, high school graduates earn an average of $1.2 million; associate degree holders earn about $1.6 million; and bachelor's degree holders earn about $2.1 million.
Search for Schools
Job Retention
To paraphrase Mark Twain, there are three kinds of lies: lies, darn lies and statistics. In this case, the statistics are hard to refute. Not only do college graduates earn more over their lifetime, but finding a new job and keeping it can be easier for those who have college degrees. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 'Education pays in higher earnings and lower unemployment rates.' The BLS reports an unemployment rate of 1.4 percent in 2007 for those with a doctoral degree, 1.8 percent for those with a master's degree, 2.2 percent for those with a bachelor's degree, 3.0 percent for those with an associate degree, and 4.4 percent for those with only a high school diploma. In other words, those without at least a bachelor's degree from either an online or campus based college were twice as likely to experience unemployment. Even an associate degree improves the odds by over a percentage point.
More than Money
The intrinsic value of a college diploma extends far beyond better job prospects, career training and enhanced wage earning potential. According to College Board, individuals who have attended college receive more than just salary benefits. Benefits such as vacation time and health insurance are greater for college graduates. Those with degrees also benefited from improved working conditions and greater professional mobility. A degree often gives you more options -- not only in what you choose to do for living, but where, when and how you choose to do it.
Health Benefits
The College Board also reports encouraging demographic statistics for college graduates. For example, many who have completed a college diploma program have priceless health benefits such as longer life expectancy and lower risk of obesity and heart disease. Even more important to many parents who are considering going back to school, children of college graduates generally have a better quality of life as well as improved test scores and cognitive abilities.
A Better Work-Life Balance
In addition to the salary, employment, and fringe and health benefits, college graduates have the unexpected benefit of the fun factor. Not only are college graduates more likely to go hiking and camping, they are also more likely to go to amusement parks, art museums and sporting events. They vote more and they tend to read more. They also pay more taxes, but that's because they earn more.
Life Satisfaction
While having more money, more fringe benefits and more leisure time are compelling reasons to get your college degree, there are many less obvious but just as important reasons why pursuing a degree is worthwhile. You will have the satisfaction of learning about things that interest you and expanding your knowledge and skills. While these are not the primary reasons most people initially choose to attend college, they are the elements that many graduates appreciate the most after having obtained their degree. You'll learn to think critically and strategically. You'll also learn how to manage your time.
Money talks, but salary statistics don't tell the whole story. No matter what career path you intend to follow, a higher degree can position you to make the most of your opportunities. While receiving a bigger paycheck is a huge bonus, getting your college degree can have a wide-ranging impact on your - and your children's -- quality of life.
Does It Pay To Be the Bad Guy at Work?
One of my favorite high school teachers was also one of the least liked by many students. He assigned a lot of homework, gave the kind of exams I had nightmares about and therefore gave only mostly Bs and Cs each semester. In class, when someone gave the wrong answer, he didn't humor us by saying, "Well, almost ... " He would tell you that wasn't the right answer without belittling you and then asked if anyone else knew the correct response. He was the exact opposite of the popular teachers. Still, those who dared to take his class actually respected him quite a bit.
My GPA didn't like him, but I learned a lot more from his class than any other. If I gave an incorrect answer in class, I never forgot the right one. I learned how to study and to accept imperfect scores -- both valuable lessons when I went to college.
The whole tough love approach wasn't easy to take, and at times I imagine it wasn't easy for him to be the bad guy, but it worked out for the best. It's a good approach to use in business, too.
What does bad mean?
At work, there are two types of bad guys or gals. One is the actual enemy -- the person who sets out to make your life miserable. This could be the co-worker who steals your ideas and then makes you look incompetent in front of the boss. The other kind is the person who will take unpopular stances for the good of the company.
At first glance, being the second type of bad guy doesn't seem so bad because your ultimate purpose is an admirable one. But, do you want to explain to the boss that her new plan is actually an old one that failed miserably? Do you want to tell your colleague that his work ethic is damaging the team's reputation? Honesty can earn you a reputation as the enemy rather than the tough-love friend and alienate co-workers who don't see you as a team player.
How to make the bad image work for you
Whether you're the CEO or an administrative assistant, everybody wants respect. Remember: Anyone can complain, but a critical thinker can offer insight for people to consider. If you're going to express an unpopular opinion, justify it and offer some good alternatives instead of just problems.
When you're highlighting someone's mistake, be honest but tactful. If you have a caustic tone when you approach some team members about an unsuccessful deadline, you'll immediately put them on the defensive. Speaking down to anyone, especially in front of other people, will reflect worse on you than on the person who made a mistake.
Think about my unpopular high school teacher. He didn't coddle us but he didn't make us feel stupid. Would you want to work for a boss who didn't have the same respect for you? Probably not, says Laurent Duperval, president of Duperval Consulting.
"Employees want to be treated with respect and they want to feel valuable," Duperval cautions. If your type of bad guy is disrespectful and humiliating, then don't expect to receive much appreciation in return.
Duperval witnessed examples of the wrong kind of bad guy on multiple occasions. When a boss fired an employee via e-mail, several other employees soon found work elsewhere because they didn't want to receive the same disrespect. Chances are, if the person was fired for just cause, the other employees wouldn't have feared for their jobs. But if the boss didn't have the decency to tell the person face-to-face, in private, what else would he be willing to do when they made a mistake?
Being Mr. or Mrs. Popular shouldn't be your No. 1 work goal, of course; but you should think about the kind of culture your harsh critiques cultivates.
"One person's good guy is the next person's bad guy and vice versa. The question is: Did you get compliance or commitment?" Duperval asks. "With compliance, you get what you want in the short term, but the long-term price can be steep."
How can you do it right?
Being the bad guy (but really being the good guy) isn't impossible, it just requires careful attention.
- Don't throw anyone under the bus. You'll come off as a traitor if you're quick to pin blame on someone without offer suggestions of how you can collectively improve next time.
- Don't mistake honesty for cruelty. Telling the truth isn't painless, but it doesn't need to be torture.
- Keep things in perspective. Sometimes it's OK to let little things slide. Nobody's perfect, so there's no need to highlight every mistake someone makes.
- Be the good guy, too. When something goes well, make a point to mention it. Being the bearer of bad news gets old for both you and others.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
"In my research, 9 out of 10 people who've lost weight and maintained it exercise regularly and make it a critical part of their lives," says Fletcher. Even if you've never been a fitness fanatic, it's not too late to get moving. Even taking a few 15-minute walks throughout the day will be a move in the right direction. Once you start to enjoy the mood-boosting and calorie-burning advantages of exercise, start looking for ways to keep your workouts interesting. Join a local gym and try a variety of classes and cardio machines, find friends to walk with, or experiment with at-home exercise DVDs.
Almost everyone is guilty of occasionally drowning their sorrows in a pint of Ben & Jerry's or taking out frustration on a batch of brownies, but thin people definitely don't make it a habit. "They tend not to eat purely for emotional reasons," says Fletcher. When you are upset (or bored, lonely, frustrated or angry), she suggests asking yourself: Is food really going to solve the problem, or will it just end up making you feel worse after you finish eating? Chances are, the food won't fix what's bothering you, so it's important to come up with a list of other small pleasures you can turn to instead of food. Some ideas include going for a walk, watching a movie, calling a friend, playing with your kids, or taking a bubble bath.
Most thin people are not members of the clean-plate club. Instead of mindlessly eating however much they are served, they pay attention to internal hunger cues and satiety. "Thin people are tuned into noticing when they are satisfied, and they stop eating even if there is food left," says Jill Fleming, M.S., R.D., author of Thin People Don't Clean Their Plates (Inspiration Presentations Press, 2005). "They often report that they don't like that feeling of being uncomfortably full, so they've learned how to stop before they reach it."
According to the National Weight Control Registry, which tracks the habits and strategies of more than 5,000 people who have maintained a significant weight loss, nearly 80 percent of these successful losers eat breakfast every single day. And most of their naturally lean counterparts do the same, and make sure that eat within about an hour of waking up. "Breakfast is literally breaking the fast of the night," says Fleming. "Until you send food into your system, your metabolism doesn't really start to kick in."Overnight Slow-Roasted Pork
Recipe courtesy of Jamie Oliver, taken from his cookbook "Cooking with Jamie"
OVERNIGHT SLOW-ROASTED PORK
Serves 12
2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon sea or rock salt
2 fennel bulbs, trimmed and roughly chopped
4 medium carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
3 onions peeled and roughly chopped
1 bulb of garlic, cloves unpeeled and roughly smashed
Bunch of fresh thyme
1 11–13 lb piece of pork shoulder on the bone, preferably free-range or organic, skin scored
Olive oil
750ml bottle of white wine
1 pint chicken or vegetable stock
Jamie says: "Pork that's cooked this way gives you the most meltingly tender meat. This is the last job we do in the evening at the restaurant before we go home, so that when we get to work the next day we have the best roast pork to serve for lunch—you can do the same at home, as it's incredibly easy. This recipe only works with a whole shoulder, so it's an ideal dish to serve on Christmas Day when you have a lot of people around (as long as you remember to put it in the oven on Christmas Eve!). Ask your butcher to prepare you a shoulder roast from the whole shoulder as you would a shoulder of lamb."
"P.S. This is a fantastic celebration meal, but before you go out and buy your meat, make sure you've got a pan—and an oven—that's big enough."
1. Preheat your oven to maximum.
2. Smash the fennel seeds with the salt in a pestle and mortar until fine.
3. Put the roughly chopped vegetables, garlic, and thyme sprigs into a large roasting pan.
4. Pat the pork shoulder with olive oil and sit it on top of the vegetables. Now massage all the smashed fennel seeds into the skin of the pork, making sure you push them right into all the scores to maximize the flavor.
5. Put the pork in your preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until it's beginning to color, then turn your oven down to 250°F and cook the pork for 9 to 12 hours, until the meat is soft and sticky and you can pull it apart easily with a fork.
6. Tip all the wine into the roasting tray and let it cook for another hour to give you a perfect sauce.
7. Once the pork is out of the oven, let it rest for half an hour before removing it to a large board. I like to brush off any excess salt from the meat, then I mash up the veg in the pan using a potato masher. Add the stock to the roasting pan, put it on the heat and boil until you have a lovely intensely flavored gravy (you can thicken it with a little sieved flour if you like but I prefer mine light). The pork is great served with some good cranberry beans, braised greens, your roast veg mash and tasty sauce.
PENELOPE COOKS THE PORK
My butcher says an 11 to 13 pound pork shoulder is a special order—"I'm not even sure they come that big," he told me, "and I've been doing this 30 years"—and sold me two 6-pound shoulders, or butts, as he put it, instead. These fit nicely side by side in my roasting pan, which is an oval ceramic one, about 20 inches long, with a top. I had the top off for the first half hour, and on for the rest of the day. I started cooking at 9 A.M.; the pork was gloriously melty by 3 or 4, and still so, when I turned it off at 6:30. You pour a bottle of white wine in for the last hour or so. After you remove the pork, all that wine is boiled and reduced to stunning sauce.
Oliver says he likes to serve the pork with cranberry beans and braised greens; he doesn't offer recipes for either, which is sort of irritating. (I served salad and Dinner-Lady Carrots, too.). After the soaking and cooking, I tossed the beans with olive oil, parsley, and lemon, and they were dull. Oliver, of course, could make them sing in some incredibly simple but zingy way. I wish I knew what that was.
Knowing When to Help Others
I was recently at the grocery store checkout line. There was an older man in front of me in one of those carts to drive around the store in. He was with a woman and they were unloading the basket on the cart. She moved up to watch the scan go through and I watched him struggle with a 24-can case of soda that was by his feet. In order to place it on the conveyer, he would have to turn nearly backwards. He appeared to be struggling, so, I tried to help him.
He jerked the case away and gave me a mean look. I backed off and apologized saying that I was just trying to help. He placed the soda on the conveyer, smiled and thanked me.
I was raised to be helpful. I understand that as people age, they can feel insulted by kind gestures. How do I know when to help someone and when not to? I don't want to insult someone, but I also don't want them to hurt themselves either.
It is wonderful to be helpful, and Miss Manners commends you. But surely you know the old story about the Boy Scout who kindly helped an old lady across the street, having neglected to inquire whether she wanted to cross the street. She didn't.
For all you know, the poor gentleman might have thought you were going to wrest his soda away from him and march off with it. Next time, please ask, "Would you like some help with that?" before you grab.
*******
I am currently in a serious relationship with a wonderful man and we have been talking about marriage. The situation is this: his former wife passed away nearly 2 years ago and they did not have any children together. His wife, however, had two daughters from a previous marriage.
What is the proper way to deal with his deceased wife's diamond ring? He would like to trade it in on a new ring for me but doesn't want to cause any hard feelings with his step-daughters. Is he obligated to offer an $8000 ring to one of the daughters just because he was married to their mother? Also, should I offer to trade in the ring from my previous marriage? I am divorced and have 2 children.
Surely if the wife had wanted her daughters to have the ring, she could have left it to them, as it was hers to dispose of as she liked. And as the husband apparently inherited it, it is now his to dispose of as he likes. Just as your ring from your previous marriage is yours, etc.
But any old lawyer could have told you that. What worries the gentleman is the emotional element. Miss Manners questions whether there is any.
If the daughters had wanted the ring -- and just how would he split one ring between the two of them? -- they might have said so when their mother died. And that they should have had a sentimental attachment to the symbol of their mother's marriage to someone she married after their father seems unlikely.
It is, however, true that people sometimes develop far-fetched sentiments when diamonds are involved. For that reason, Miss Manners suggests that the gentleman not provoke such a possibility by discussing his plans. Seeing you wearing the stones in an unrecognizable setting should not then set off any alarms.
Skin Magicians: Skin Tips From the Pros Behind the Beauty Ads
Behind the scenes of every skin-care ad, there's an expert who's fine-tuning the model's every pore. Here, tricks from the dermatologists, facialists, and makeup artists that keep them glowing from "Action!" to the last face splash.
Three little words in the English language make skin-care advertisers weak in the knees: "natural," "fresh," and "clean." A model who radiates those qualities is worth her weight in soapsuds. That's why a team of experts is hired to moisturize, buff, and highlight her face to perfection before and during the shoot.
Unlike other beauty advertisement photographs, there's nowhere to hide in a skin-care ad—no elongated lashes, richly pigmented lipsticks, or cool, geometric haircuts. "Skin-care ads call for fresh, minimal makeup," says Collier Strong, a makeup artist for L'Oréal Paris who has worked on skin-care shoots for their Advanced Revitalift products featuring Andie MacDowell and Age Perfect Pro-Calcium with Diane Keaton.
Skin-care shoots also present a number of unusual obstacles for makeup artists. Not only are the artists faced with the usual challenge of creating gorgeous makeup that won't melt under hot lights, they also have to ensure their work can withstand a good drenching. "To give the ads a spa-like feeling, these shoots often involve a lot of splashing water and wet hair," says Kristofer Buckle, a makeup artist who has worked on ads for Dior Capture XP, in which Sharon Stone is shot in extreme close-up. "Sometimes they even want dewdrops on the skin."
The makeup artists, dermatologists, and facialists who specialize in these kinds of shoots have particular tricks up their sleeves for presenting the skin at its absolute best. And their biggest secret is that each trick is just as effective (and surprisingly easy) in real life.
FIGHTING WRINKLES
Book the right kind of facial. Skin-care models rely on their aestheticians before the camera looms. Sonya Dakar, a Beverly Hills-based aesthetician who tends to the faces of celebrities who have hefty skin-care contracts, says that six weeks before the shoot, she starts performing a series of weekly infrared light treatments. These stimulate collagen production, decreasing the look of fine lines and wrinkles for the next month. Dakar prefers them to lasers and chemical peels because they don't use any heat, so her clients don't have to worry about burning or irritation. "This treatment really plumps up the skin by boosting the collagen," says Dakar.
Control your climate. Patricia Wexler, a New York City dermatologist, suggests that her model clients put a humidifier in their hotel or bedrooms. "It puts moisture back into the atmosphere, preventing the skin from drying out," she says. "When the skin is dehydrated, lines become more visible and the color looks sallow."
Get a rubdown. The morning that Sharon Stone shoots a Dior skin-care ad Buckle massages her face as he moisturizes it. "Massage brings color to the skin, and helps relax the muscles, so ten minutes later, the face looks softer and creases disappear."
Smooth the lips. No matter whether a model is 14 or 40, her lips naturally have fine lines, which are exaggerated if her skin is dehydrated from cold weather or a long flight. In this case, makeup artists have to do what the post-production crew can't. "Lips look fake when they're retouched, and even the lips have to look good in skin-care ads because the entire face needs to be youthful and supple," says Mathew Nigara, who has worked on ads for Nars skin care. His solution is to rub them with Smashbox Emulsion Lip Exfoliant to get rid of any flakes, and gently wipe the granules away with a washcloth soaked with baby oil (which also moisturizes the lips). He then layers on a "generous amount" of Laura Mercier Skincare Lip Silk. "This combination creates a smooth surface, so lip color goes on evenly," says Nigara. This also increases the blood flow to the lips, making them look young and rosy, he says.
Use a primer. Long hours under hot lights can cause makeup to settle into a model's fine lines. To prevent this, the pros at Elizabeth Arden have discovered an alternative use for their Ceramide Gold Ultra Restorative Capsules skin-care treatment: They open two and use them as a primer. The formula fills in any fine lines, creating a silky surface for foundation. With two capsules, makeup artists can cover the neck and chest, which often also need to be primed for makeup.
Hide lines with light. Just as you learned in art class: Shadows recede, light comes forward—which is why makeup artist Susan Giordano, who has worked on skin-care ads for Olay and Avon, pours a drop of liquid luminizer in her foundation. "Anything that reflects light makes the skin look more youthful," she says. "This trick works as well off-camera as it does on." Layer on the liquid. Judicious use of a balmy, thick moisturizer, a brightening serum, or a petroleum-based product creates the look of smooth, line-free skin. "They give skin this amazing, high-gloss shine," says Nigara. He applies the cream on the bridge of the nose, eyelids, and cheekbones.
BEATING BREAKOUTS
Avoid last-minute facials. While it may be tempting to have an aesthetician purge every last pore the day before a shoot, a smart model knows that's a silly idea. Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann, who stars in Lancome UV Expert ads, books her microdermabrasion treatments with Christine Chin in New York City weeks in advance to avoid any redness. "All of the travel and makeup really takes a toll on my skin," says the model. "The deep cleansing and exfoliation helps me start from zero again."
Give it time. Although she eventually appeared in an infomercial for Proactiv Solution, Alicia Keys used the anti-acne system for over a month and saw minimal results. "She was calling us because her skin still had problems," says Kathy Fields, Proactiv Solution cofounder and assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco. The doctor encouraged Keys to "stick with it," and within two months, "her blemishes diminished." (Proactiv urges users to see a dermatologist if the program doesn't work for them after 60 days.)
Try a budge-proof concealer. The less time a makeup artist has to spend touching up a honking zit, the happier everyone is. On the face, Nigara prefers Laura Mercier Secret Concealer, and on the body, he likes using Dermablend, because it doesn't melt under hot lights. Also, its long-lasting formula won't slip around as easily as creamier versions, allowing it to withstand the abuse of constant touching and the (often) obligatory splash scene. His application technique is odd, but it works. He first taps the tiniest bit of Decleor Aromessence Baume Essentiel on the pimple and then sponges skin-matching concealer on top of the balm. "It keeps the concealer from looking heavy and works as a water-resistant glue," he says. "This combination of products is hard-core, but it achieves a perfect look."
Defuse a breakout. Even if a huge zit rears its head 24 hours before a shoot, a model doesn't have to panic. "A mild cortisone injection can bring down a blemish," says Fields. If you can't get to a dermatologist, Heidi A. Waldorf, director of laser and cosmetic dermatology at Mount Sinai Medical Center, suggests applying a topical cream with 2 percent benzoyl peroxide.
Beauty secrets of supermodels-2
Gold Rush For a fast smoky eye, Leonard dotted black pencil between the lashes and lined the lower inner rims. Then she blended the liner with a slick black gloss for extra sex appeal. As a final touch, she mixed a dab of lip balm with gold shadow and gilded the inner eye corners. "Highlighting the eyes opens up the face," she says.MC RECOMMENDS: L'Oreal Le Kohl Pencil in Carbon Black, Lancôme Color Fever Lip Gloss in Piha Black, Make Up For Ever Star Powder in Yellow Gold, Chanel Facettes d'Or Nail Colour in Gold Fiction
Violet Femme To warm up the purple eyeshadow, Leonard blended peach blush with a hint of shimmer high on the cheekbone and up to the lids. "Too much powder can look dated. A touch of iridescence gives skin a youthful luminosity," she says. Salmon lips have more attitude than nude but still look soft.MC RECOMMENDS: Sonia Kashuk Enhance Eye Shadow in Purple Velvet, CoverGirl TruCheeks Blush 3, Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Inspired by Carmindy Color Comfort Lip Color in Sunburst, Rescue Beauty Lounge Nail Polish in Stormy
Pinkberry "Fuchsia lipstick is more fun and playful than the classic red," according to Leonard, who first lined the model's lips with MAC Lip Pencil in Magenta to prevent color bleeding. "It's a versatile shade that suits girls with fair or dark hair." To balance the bold look, she suggests a clean swipe of lengthening - not thickening - mascara. "With a bright lip, you don't want heavy black lashes."MC RECOMMENDS: Revlon Beyond Natural Defining Mascara, Vincent Longo Lip Vinyl in Carmen, OPI Nail Lacquer in Parlez-Vous OPI
Gray's Anatomy Black cat-eye liner can look like Amy Winehouse on a bad day, so Leonard prefers more wearable gray hues instead. With surgical precision, she filled in the upper lashes with gray pencil and dragged out the line at the outer corners of the eye to create a slightly winged shape. Then she smudged a bit of gray shadow along the lower lashline "to make it a little sexier. You don't even need mascara." Call it smoky lite.
MC RECOMMENDS: Estee Lauder Artist's Eye Pencil in Slate Writer, Clinique Colour Surge Eye Shadow Stay Matte in Slate
beauty secrets of supermodels
30S SHOULDER LENGTH
"This haircut exhibits a sense of style and complements most face shapes," says David Evangelista, creative director of the eponymous salon at New York City's Cornelia Day Resort. "Plus, it gives you maximum versatility."
GET THE CUT: "It's a very basic blunt cut," notes Paul. "The hair should hit the clavicle bone to give it a slight edge," adds Evangelista. "Have your stylist lightly layer it with thinning shears." If your hair is thick and curly, go an inch and a half longer and thin it out with a razor to make it look more piecey.
STYLING TIPS: Spray Redken's Real Control Thermal Resist ($15.95) on damp hair to smooth frizz and protect against heat damage. "For a straight look like Gwyneth Paltrow's, roll the ends under with a round brush and blow-dry for 10 seconds to give the hair added movement," recommends Evangelista. "For a curlier style like Thandie Newton's, use a one-inch curling iron, holding it vertically to create a natural curl," says Paul. FHI Heat's curling irons ($195 each) use tourmaline crystals and nanotechnology to remove static and add shine to the hair.
"Blake Lively's look is glamorous but still young and playful," says hairstylist Ashley Javier.
GET THE CUT: "Keep layers near the midcheekbone or chin, adding more on the ends so your hair lands in waves," says Bumble and Bumble stylist Jimmy Paul.
STYLING TIPS: Use Pantene Pro-V Texture Foam Wax ($6.49) on damp hair to create texture. Blow-dry while scrunching to get volume. "Then curl two-inch sections, holding the iron vertically, and let the curls drop," says Paul. Finish by combing with your fingers.
Sheer Genius The bare necessities for this "no makeup" look? Rosy-pink blush and lip balm. For a dewy glow, makeup artist Maxine Leonard dabbed Jo Malone Vitamin E lip balm on cheekbones, inner eye corners--and lips, of course. Then she carefully filled out the brows and brushed them up. "With a fresh, natural look, it's important to have groomed brows. They frame the face and add definition," she says.MC RECOMMENDS: Victoria's Secret Very Sexy Blush/Highlighter Duo in Runway, Benefit Instant Brow pencil in Light to Medium
Bigger Is Better(hair,lips,lashes)
You've heard the expression Go big or go home. Translation: As long as you’re putting the time into something, invest as much effort and passion as possible for the most awesome results. It's a motto that works these days not only in life and love but also in beauty. "We're more confident than ever, and we want our hair and makeup to take us to the next level," says trend and lifestyle expert Jane Buckingham, CEO of the Intelligence Group. In other words, big is beautiful. So think ultrasexy lashes, lips with major impact, and supervoluminous hair. Because if you aren't going to take it to the max tonight, why bother?
Get Superbig Lashes
"Lush lashes have an innocent yet flirty effect," says Chanel makeup artist Kate Lee, who created the looks seen here. Dust loose powder over your lashes first — it'll absorb oil and help your mascara stick. Then squeeze an eyelash curler as close as you can get to your roots, and work your way up. Coat on volumizing mascara (Rimmel Volume Flash Mousse Air-Whipped Mascara, $6.75). To stand out, attach a small section of false lashes (just a bit longer than your natural ones) for a dramatic flutter every time you blink, says Lee.
Get Superbig Lashes
"Lush lashes have an innocent yet flirty effect," says Chanel makeup artist Kate Lee, who created the looks seen here. Dust loose powder over your lashes first — it'll absorb oil and help your mascara stick. Then squeeze an eyelash curler as close as you can get to your roots, and work your way up. Coat on volumizing mascara (Rimmel Volume Flash Mousse Air-Whipped Mascara, $6.75). To stand out, attach a small section of false lashes (just a bit longer than your natural ones) for a dramatic flutter every time you blink, says Lee.
Get Really Huge Hair
"Thick, flowing hair is so enticing," says NYC celebrity stylist Giannandrea, who created the hairstyles here. Build volume at the roots by working in a thickening mousse postshower. Blow out until nearly dry. Then twist up medium-size sections, pin them to your head, and blast with the dryer again. Undo the pins, and shake out waves. Finish by curling 2- to 3-inch sections with a large iron for extra bounce. Mist with hair spray upside down, and — pro secret — spray a little on your fingertips, then rub your roots. "This keeps your hair lifted all day," says Giannandrea.
Get Extrafull Lips
"We show emotion with our lips, so a healthy, plump shape and red stain are totally sensual and seductive," says Lee. Prime your mouth by dipping a cotton swab in a rich moisturizer and rubbing it across your lips to loosen dry flakes. Pat with a tissue, and swipe on a creamy red lipstick that accentuates your pout. "If you outline your lips with a nude-colored pencil first, the bright red color won't creep out from the edges, so your mouth will look even fuller," says Lee. Dot a shimmery highlighter in your cupid’s bow — if your lips are flat to begin with, this helps add depth so it seems like your lips puff out a bit more.
Four Ways to Maximize Your Degree
Congratulations! You're heading back to school. Unfortunately, earning the degree is only half the battle. While conventional wisdom says a new degree means a new job, experts warn that a degree alone may not cut it.
"Just having a degree isn't enough anymore," says Martin Yate, author of "Knock 'em Dead 2008: The Ultimate Job Search Guide." "It's how people prepare themselves for the world of work that matters. When you don't have a degree, the door is shut. When you do have a degree, it's 'OK, now what do you have to offer?'"
In a market where employers value experience and leadership skills as much as a degree, older students who don't plan their college curriculum in accordance with prospective jobs could find themselves losing offers to their 22-year-old competitors. Here are four ways to maximize those tuition dollars:
1. Choose the right school
For older students, there are two types of schools -- those that cater to adult learners and those that don't. When eyeing prospective schools, returning students should be on the lookout for institutions that provide working adults with opportunities to gain real-world work experience without sacrificing their full-time employment.
A few select schools across the country are dedicated to doing just that. In the adult degree program at Prescott College in Prescott, Ariz., students create their own curriculum by selecting mentors in their communities and writing class curricula based on their personal academic and professional goals.
While students are periodically evaluated by Prescott faculty, the flexibility of the program allows students to explore their field and network with future employers, all while studying and maintaining a job.
That's how Dave Richins, a Prescott student, skipped the post-grad job hunt entirely. Pursuing a degree in sustainable community development, Richins enlisted local developers as his mentors and tailored his thesis to solve a local development problem.
Richins credits both the networking and the project as helping him land a policy director position at the Sonoran Institute, a Phoenix-based conservation agency, prior to graduation.
Offer: Thinking About Returning to School?
| • | Business degree programs |
| • | Criminal justice degree programs |
| • | Psychology degree programs |
| • | Design degree programs |
2. Make your own opportunities
Unfortunately, schools like Prescott are scant. A few select institutions such as Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., offer self-directed, mentor-based learning options for adults.
However, most older students have to build experiential components including internships, portfolios or thesis projects into their learning programs and around their full-time jobs.
Those that do will be rewarded with significantly better post-grad job prospects, says Katy Piotrowski, author of "The Career Coward's Guide to Job Searching."
"The biggest mistake students make, especially older students, is missing an internship," Piotrowski says. "For about 50 percent of people engaged in an internship, it turns into employment after. If you can't do an internship, do a project customized to a job you want or an employer you want to work with ... employers want evidence that you're capable of applying what you're learning."
Independent projects do more than just woo employers -- they can also provide an outlet to create your own dream job. That's how Vincent Wiggins, a recent graduate from DePaul University's master's program in adult education, created his own company and new job.
"I was working at a marketing research firm and had advanced into a career that wasn't totally fulfilling," Wiggins says. "I was just sitting in an office and working in a corporate environment. I felt I needed a career change and this final project was an opportunity."
Wiggins started Online Education Solutions, a Chicago-based nonprofit agency that provides computer training for people in interim housing. He got the organization off the ground enough to work there part time after graduation.
Though he currently maintains a second job at a local community college, he plans to eventually transition to the nonprofit full time as the agency becomes more established.
3. Document it
For a full-time employee with family responsibilities, a thesis project is ambitious. And a low- or non-paid internship may be impossible.
Piotrowski advises busy students to try for programs with virtual internships that allow for scheduling flexibility, and to ask their current boss if they can work class and career-relevant projects into their current job. No matter what you do, keeping careful records is crucial.
"Start a 'rah-rah' file when you do a cool project, then later ... you'll have concrete examples right in front of you," Piotrowski says.
Included in your "rah-rah" file should be outstanding papers and projects that chronicle how much time and research went into each one, as well as letters of recommendation that testify to your experience and competence.
Detailed results, such as financial savings, productivity increases and number of people affected, "make you look more motivated and can help if you're looking to prove your knowledge in a particular area," she adds.
4. Start searching now
No degree yet? No problem. Students are in a better position to job hunt than recent postgrads, Yate says, because they have the benefit of an on-campus career center jam-packed with job-search databases, alumni networks and contacts with local employers.
Students are also advised to beef up their network by joining professional associations before they turn the tassel.
"That way you can identify companies you want to work with [and] meet people likely to hire you, instead of putting your résumé on Careerbuilder with 30 million others," says Yate.
When presenting themselves to future professional contacts, Yate says the most important factors for adult students to highlight are the fact that they're older, wiser and bring a wealth of work experience to the table that simply can't be matched by a fresh-faced graduate.
Offer: Want to Maximize Your Career Options?
Getting a degree can increase your employability. Why not get started?
| • | Associate degrees |
| • | Bachelor’s degrees |
| • | Master’s degrees |
| • | Doctoral degrees |
| • | Online degree programs |
| • | Campus degree programs |
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Angelina Jolie,Leslie Tripathy,Hannah Montana,Britney Spears Top-Selling Celebrity Faces
.JPG)
If America is falling into the recession economists fear it is, Angelina Jolie may prove more important than ever.
To the country's celebrity magazine editors, that is. Shrinking wallets could mean shrinking readership, and nobody moves magazines like Jolie, according to Forbes.com's second annual analysis of the top-selling celebrity faces.
In Pictures: The Year's 10 Most Valuable Celebrity Faces
Video: Top-Selling Celebrity Faces
"The idea of spending $3.99 on a magazine when you don't know what your economic future is is very, very difficult," says Star magazine Editor-in-Chief Candace Trunzo. "It makes it that much more important for us to present a cover that is so appealing that they can't help but buy it."
For the newsstand-dependent celebrity weeklies, compelling covers are absolutely crucial, making editors' choices of cover stars more important than ever. How these magazines fare in the face of economic hardship remains to be seen, since none of them, with the exception of People, were around in their current forms during the last big downturn in the early 1990s.
So expect to see a lot more of Jolie. We analyzed the newsstand sales for the six biggest celebrity weeklies-- People, Star, US Weekly, In Touch Weekly, Life & Style and OK!--over a year-long period ending June 30, eliminating non-celebrity and "collage" covers as well as one-off cover subjects and special issues with exceptionally large rate bases.
We then counted how many more--or fewer--issues the celebrity's cover sold as compared to the magazine's average newsstand sales per issue. We also factored in the number of full covers a celebrity individually graced as well as his or her appeal, a measure provided by Los Angeles-based market research firm E-Poll Market Research. Stars were left off the list in rare cases when "likability" data wasn't available.
Jolie earned the top spot, thanks to strong performances in all three categories. Whether it's her humanitarian efforts or her ever-expanding brood, the globe-trotting A-lister has little trouble garnering interest at the checkout line.
Jennifer Aniston also proved highly appealing, this time landing second on our list (she was No. 1 last year). Thanks to her ever-tumultuous love life, the former Friends star appeared on eight covers all by herself, and many of them flew off shelves.
Rounding out the top three is Heath Ledger, whose life was cut tragically short earlier this year. In his case, it was his mysterious and all-too-early death that made him front-cover news--something he hadn't been prior to his passing. Traditionally, male covers sell far fewer copies than female ones with the typically female reader base (both Brad Pitt and Matthew McConaughey failed to make the top 10, though another tragic cover subject, Owen Wilson, did). But the idea of a talent like Ledger dying so young left readers grasping for clues--and buying magazines in search of them.
Sound frivolous? It may seem so, but it's also big business, with the six weeklies accounting for hundreds of millions of dollars in annual revenue for the magazine industry. Taken together, newsstand sales account for 53% of the 9.4 million copies sold weekly by the sextet. Of them, only People counts on subscriptions for more than half its weekly sales. For two of the titles-- Life & Style Weekly and In Touch--newsstand accounts for more than 95% of sales, making them particularly vulnerable to bad cover choices.
"You have basically five seconds, maybe less, to grab a reader at the newsstand," says In Touch Editor Michelle Lee. "So they either have to love that star or they have to be fascinated by their story that week."
If it were just about frequency, Britney Spears would have topped our list. In fact, she landed more than 30 covers this year, but proved a bust with readers, ranking dead last in both our likability and cover sales categories.
People Managing Editor Larry Hackett says Spears is a case of editors going to the well too often without much new to say. "The way people are covered these days, even if you were Cleopatra, people would get tired of you," he says. "You just can't be covered 24/7 and remain that interesting."
Still, Spears no longer ranks last in our rankings--a dubious title she earned last year. Instead, Hollywood's top-earning tween Miley Cyrus loses this time around, scoring poorly in all three categories. While there's no doubt she's powerful and popular, it seems the Hannah Montana star's appeal isn't broad enough for the celebrity weekly set.
"Here is a teenager who's quickly becoming a multi-millionaire, if not a billionaire," says Lee. "It's pretty hard to relate to that."Another teenager creating ripples inOrissa is the Romantic Princess of Orissa Leslie Tripathy,the teen sensation and romantic actress has been the talk of orissa,magazines,tabloids and channels airing anything related to her is guaranteed of huge TRPs.The only Superstar in Orissa.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
.jpg)
