book – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Books for The New Year!

Hi All, how’s your 2020 going? Mine is going okay. I’m trying to eat better and exercise more. It’s hard to improve yourself, you know?

Below are some great books to help along your resolutions, or just make you smile!

Gratitude with Attitude - How Journaling Thankfulness for Just 5 Minutes a Day Can Change Your Life

Gratitude with Attitude: How Journaling Thankfulness for Just 5 Minutes a Day Can Change Your Life by Ronnie Walter ($10.65 USD) — Whether it comes at the start of our day or the end, making time to think about what we’re grateful for is beneficial in many ways. Practicing an attitude of gratitude strengthens our spirit and quiets our mind, even if just for a moment. It provides the peace and zen we long for and need in the midst of busy days and packed schedules. Find inspiration through writing prompts and quotes in this gratitude journal by bestselling author Ronnie Walter. The creator of The Coloring Café®, a coloring series dedicated to stress relief and fun, Ronnie brings over twenty years of successful illustrating and writing to this daily journal dedicated to personal growth and happiness. By using this 5-minute journal to record things we’re grateful for, spot meaningful intentions, and celebrate tiny victories, we create a space to grow in gratitude for what we have and see better who we want to be.

Life Is a 4-Letter Word - Laughing and Learning Through 40 Life Lessons

Life Is a 4-Letter Word: Laughing and Learning Through 40 Life Lessons by Dr. David A. Levy ($16.95 USD) — The path to living a smarter lifestyle is not always smooth. Levy encourages readers to embrace all the feelings his book may bring out as they read his stories, from laughing to wincing, and learning along the way. Discover the power of positive thinking as Levy shares a lifetime journey of personal reflections, growth, and wisdom.

Dive into Dr. David Levy’s latest book, Life Is a 4-Letter Word, and find…

40 autobiographical essays, each one containing a relatable and applicable life lesson
A unique source of both humor and inspiration that reassures readers that life is good
A self-help book for men and women from a published professional in psychology

I'm So Full of Happy Today - The Hygge Wisdom of Children

I’m So Full of Happy Today: The Hygge Wisdom of Children by Martin Andersen and Moira Tuffy ($4.58) — Is there anything more likely to make you laugh and put a smile on your face than the innocent and funny remark of a child? The Danes have a word for the feeling of happy delight that you get from simple things in life, such as the funny things kids say: hygge.

I’m So Full of Happy Today is a heartwarming collection of the remarkably observant, funny and wise things said by children. All of the stories are real and personal, and include the name and age of each child. These playful, sometimes tongue-in-cheek tales straight from the minds and mouths of kids will have you learning, laughing, and sharing the love long after you’ve turned the last page.

The Healthy Teen Cookbook - Around the World In 80 Fantastic Recipes by Remmi Smith

The Healthy Teen Cookbook: Around the World In 80 Fantastic Recipes by Remmi Smith ($12.99 USD) — Who knew healthy cooking could be so awesome and delicious?! This Chopped kid chef and entrepreneur is on a mission to bring healthy food options and easy-to-cook scrumptious recipes to a busy and heavily-scheduled generation of teens. The Healthy Teen Cookbook is not your typical teen cookbook: it’s written “for kids by a kid,” and is filled with tried-and-true recipes with budding cooks in mind, using limited ingredients and steps. Through the colorful, easy-to-read book, Chef Remmi sets out to inspire her peers to adopt healthy eating habits by introducing them to the glorious pastime of cooking. The Healthy Teen Cookbook takes you on a culinary journey across the seven continents, highlighting countries and their top foods. Each section features a map, a full menu (from appetizer to dessert), fun facts, helpful tips, and fantastic recipes―making it a geography lesson, a cookbook, and a social studies class all in one.

The Crafty Gardener - Inspired Ideas and DIY Crafts From Your Own Backyard

The Crafty Gardener: Inspired Ideas and DIY Crafts from Your Own Backyard by Becca Anderson ($16.33 USD) — The perfect gift for any gardener! Gardening allows us to live in a much more human way, grounded in nature and connected to Mother Earth and all she provides. It adds pleasure to your life and gives you a sense of calm. With your garden, you are quite literally growing a bounty of blessings. Lifelong gardener and bestselling author Becca Anderson has put her love of crafting and of gardening together in this book of inspired DIY ideas. Along with gardening tips and secrets for growing flowers, herbs, and veggies, Anderson shares dozens of how-to’s in this delightful guide on making candles, potpourri, bath salts, essential oils, floral waters, tinctures, liquors, pickles jams, and even fountains, birdhouses, and fairy doors. Even if your garden is just a hanging basket of cherry tomatoes or a windowsill filled with herb pots, you will still reap the benefits of gardening.

There are so many good books to get the year off to an amazing start! Are you reading anything helpful for fun currently?

Holiday Gift Guide 2018 — Books Gifts Part 2

Hi All! Still going strong with my gift guides! I know I’m still shopping, and being an Amazon Prime member means I can get almost anything in two days! All of these books are on Amazon and most can be purchased on Kindle.

The books in this guide are all about health and fitness. I did lose a few pounds in 2018 and are hoping to do even better in 2019!

Active by Holly Davidson — We all want to feel fit, healthy and strong, but with today’s fast paced lifestyles it can be hard to find the time or motivation to exercise. What if there was a way to find the fitness that’s right for you — workouts that will fit into the time and space you have available? Holly Davidson is a top personal trainer who works according to the fundamental belief that fitness is within each one of us, and we can find it wherever we are. She has used her years of experience to devise an exercise program that is varied, flexible, and fun in her new fitness book

ACTIVE: Workouts that Work for You (Kyle Books; January 2019; Paperback; $16.99)

Totally Buf by Libby Babet ($19.99 USD) — The BUF Girls are Australia’s revolutionary new team of fitness and nutrition gurus for a new generation of healthy-minded, empowered women. Being a BUF Girl isn’t about competition, body image or comparison, it’s about friendship and community, healthy bodies and healthy minds, and inspiring, supporting and celebrating all women.

THE BUF GIRLS ARE:
LIBBY BABET #ATHLETEMAKER
CASSEY MAYNARD #CURVECREATOR
ALICIA BEVERIDGE #BUTTKICKER
SIAN JOHNSON #BOOTYSHAKER

Together, the BUF (BEAUTIFUL, UNSTOPPABLE, FEARLESS) Girls are on a mission to show women everywhere how to get healthy and fit – and stay healthy and fit – through easy and simple steps.

This 6-week plan (one focus habit each week) will completely transform your health and wellbeing, with core fitness, nutrition and mindset tips that every woman can implement in their day-to-day lives.

With over 100 recipes (including vegan and vegetarian options), easy exercise and nutrition tips, TOTALLY BUF will give you all you need to be a BUF Girl.

Low Carb Express by Annie Bell — Adopting a low carb diet doesn’t mean you have to deprive yourself of delicious food. Author of Low-Carb Revolution, award – winning food writer Annie Bell offers a speedy update to this diet, revolving around fresh, seasonal ingredients with her latest cookbook

LOW CARB EXPRESS: Cut the Carbs with 130 Deliciously Healthy Recipes (Kyle Books; January 2018; Trade Paperback; $19.99) . Every recipe lists the carbohydrate and

protein values and can be made in 30 minutes or less. Chapters include: Bread, including a low-carb Rosemary Focaccia and Sesame Parmesan Crackers; Eggs and Frittatas, which features three Omelet Pizza recipes; Protein Pots such as a Chicken, and Chile Pot with Miso Dressing; Very Veggie, including a zucchini noodle salad; the Sweet Satisfaction of Papaya Creams and Chocolate, Date, and Orange Mousse; and more.

Beat Your Bloat by Maeve Madden — Being honest about bloating is something Irish-born blogger, model, and fitness guru Maeve Madden has never shied away from. In fact, her social media channels depict her real-life battle with IBS and PCOS, as well as adult acne. Her transparent, “no filter” approach is a proven hit and she has gained her more than 140k Instagram followers as a result. Our increasingly stressful lifestyles and poor diet choices means people are crying out for relatable, informative, and inspirational advice.

BEAT YOUR BLOAT: Recipes and Exercise to Promote Digestive Health (Kyle Books; January 2019; Trade Paperback; $16.99) covers Maeve’s personal journey to achieving a healthy lifestyle and shows how you too can transform your digestive health and fitness. Chapters cover Getting Started, Beating the Binge, Cut the Cravings, Rescue Remedies, and Consistency Not Perfection, and provides guidance not only on how to beat bloating but also on achieving body positivity.

What do you still need to get this year?

My Current Summer Faves!

Summer is flying by this year! It has been a long, hot one. My youngest daughter starts high school in a couple of weeks and my middle daughter goes off to college. It’s crazy!

This summer I have been loving the items below. They include a cute quotation book on friendship, Biotin chews to help my skin, a fresh new summer perfume and fun holographic nail polish:

The Joy of Friendship: A Thoughtful and Inspiring Collection of 200 Quotations ($12.50 USD) — The greatest gift in life is friendship. The Joy of Friendship celebrates these all-important relationships by exploring the nature of friendship, how it forms, and how it endures. From childhood friendships to lifelong best buddies, it is the friendships we build along the way that defines who we are and what our lives are about. As Aristotle said, a friend is “a soul living in two bodies.” The Joy of Friendship collects this and other wisdoms to help you better appreciate those who make your world a better place.

NeoCell Biotin Burst Brazilian Acai Berry 30 Chews ($11.96 USD) — All natural formula bursting with delicious flavor. Acai Berry for protection from free radical damage. Having beautiful and radiant skin has never been so easy- or so delicious. NeoCell Biotin Bursts deliver high absorption beauty nutrients in delectable, gourmet soft chews.

I’ve been taking these for about a week. I like the berry taste and the fact that they are chews instead of pills. They are fun and easy to take. My skin has been looking pretty clear lately. I don’t know if it’s too early to see results, but I will continue to take them!

Philosophy Pure Grace Endless Summer ($49 for 2 fl. oz EDT) — summer is a state of mind—and a new limited-edition fragrance. This fragrance celebrates the sultriest of seasons with delicate layers of iced lychee, exotic pomelo and warm musk, conjuring calm and a carefree sensibility with a single spritz.

I have been loving this during the summer. It’s citrusy and fresh at first, then the musk gives a sultry finish. I received this in a set that includes a body lotion, but the set doesn’t seem to be on sale any more. You can get the perfume still. And I definitely recommend it!

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The gorgeous nail polishes shown above are The Morgan Taylor Lacquer Platinum Collection.

The claim for this is that it embraces pure excess with rich textures, effects, and an extended-wear formula.

“With Platinum, we wanted to give the wearer an indulgent experience by creating shades, effects, and textures straight from their wildest dreams,” explain brand namesakesMorgan Haile and Taylor Daniel.

These are so gorgeous! I love all of the shades, but especially Disco Days, a mint green and Glow all Out, a rosey coral shade. They wear best with a top coat.

What new summer products have you been loving?

New Beauty Book: HOW TO LOOK EXPENSIVE: A Beauty Editor’s Secrets to Getting Gorgeous Without Breaking the Bank

I have recently read a fabulous and helpful new beauty book by beauty industry insider, Andrea Pomerantz Lustig called HOW TO LOOK EXPENSIVE: A Beauty Editor’s Secrets to Getting Gorgeous Without Breaking the Bank (List Price $25, Gotham Books).

The New York Post did a three-page spread of the book, featuring makeovers Andrea did on 4 women. The results were amazing. The Wall Street Journalhas praised the book: “There are too many beauty books on the shelves, so the bar for actually buying one is high. This one leaps it, with room to spare.”Allure, Glamour, Shape, Self, USA Weekend, Family Circle, Brides, Today’s Black Woman, andIn Style have all jumped on this must-have book.

Andrea is Glamour magazine’s “Beauty Sleuth,” known for her wildly popular beauty advice column and her contact list bursting with the hottest beauty pros. Prior to becoming a contributing editor atGlamour, she was pioneer Editor-in-Chief at Sephora.com, and before that she spent nine years as Beauty and Fitness Director atCosmopolitan.

In the book, Andrea, shares her career’s worth of beauty advice and her beauty BFF contact list to reveal the exclusive tricks of the trade women need to boost their beauty confidence and look fabulously high-end—in any economy. Andrea shows women how to bridge the gap between what they want to look like and what they can afford to look like, how to upgrade their look to upgrade their life.

In the book, Andrea shares:

The four NEW luxe looks and how you can achieve them.
The top beauty tips and tricks that will upgrade any look.
What it means to “look expensive” now (it’s not necessarily what you think!)
The four rules of modern makeup and how to shop smart for beauty purchases.
Cheap cosmetic secrets of expensive makeup artists.
The makeup (or beauty) mistakes women make that cheapen their look
How to makeover your makeup bag—for half the price
The seven qualities of expensive looking hair color
Princess-perfect skin on a pauper’s budget
Affordable DIY versions of the celebrity manicure, facial, self-tan, blow-dry, red carpet makeup application stars pay gazillions for

Celebrity status is about to get a lot more affordable, as Andrea shares her “wealth” of beauty knowledge; the tips, tricks, and techniques culled from both her beauty insiders and the twenty-plus years she’s spent collecting, testing, seeing, and hearing the world’s best beauty advice.

Purchase at book stores and Amazon.com.

Announcing the Paperback Release of How To Never Look Fat Again by Charla Krupp!

Style expert and two-time New York Times best-selling author, Charla Krupp (www.charlakrupp.com) celebrated the paperback release of her wildly successful book, HOW TO NEVER LOOK FAT AGAIN this week and is also about to unveil her new and improved website, a haven for women who never want to look fat or old. The site will be updated daily with videos, tips and product recommendations.

Charla Krupp, former InStyle and Glamour Editor and best-selling author of HOW NOT TO LOOK OLD and the newly released HOW TO NEVER LOOK FAT AGAIN, believes you can look good at any size or age, and her theory has nothing to do with surgery, diet, or exercise. What’s her secret? Something only years of magazine and media training can teach – fast, simple and effortless styling tips to get you looking like your most gorgeous self!

I am going to be reviewing this awesome book in a few weeks. In the meantime check out www.charlakrupp.com for tips on how to look your best!