High Standards and High Quality of Life.

A really good read from Simply Luxurious Life.

So how do you set your standards and quality of your life?

1. Fuel your body with food that is from the earth – eliminate all processed foods and refined sugars.

2. Choose to surround yourself with people who are positive, hopeful, honest and inspiring.

3. Purchase clothing that is made well, will last more than one season and fits your signature style.

4. Fewer items in your closet, yet all items are worn consistently, are high quality and therefore, give you many more stylish options.

5. A home that has less square footage and not worrying about impressing the neighbors.

6. Saving up for one quality vacation every year (or every other year) that offers many opportunities for widening of perspective.

7. Finding downtime to relax and recharge so that when you do socialize for fun and at work, you are your best self.

8. Not following the crowd. Not because you want to be different, but because something else is more interesting, more comfortable or sits better with your conscience, interests or tastes.

9. Say less, but when you do speak, be clear and sincere about what you say.

10. A handful of dear friends, who you may not see all of the time, but each knows the other will be there for them in good and bad times.

{Read more: http://www.thesimplyluxuriouslife.com/2012/09/high-standards-equals-high-quality-of.html}

Trendy Ways To Tie A Scarf.

So much for browsing ATV or UTV and even Polaris Accessories. I can’t afford them anyway, at least for now. I need to browse for things within my budget. I am eating a little too much these days, I need a diversion. Haha! I’m keeping this image. I’m thinking of buying scarves. Only the cheaper ones for now as I am not sure if I’m going to pull off wearing one. Anyway I am hoping I’d be trendy enough to wear them. I don’t want heavy rains, but I do wish for a weather cool enough to demand a scarf.

Source: http://www.tipjunkie.com/how-to-wear-a-scarf/.

6 Things You Should Never Reveal on Facebook.

And this goes for Twitter and other social networking sites, as well.

Your birth date and place. Sure, you can say what day you were born, but if you provide the year and where you were born too, you’ve just given identity thieves a key to stealing your financial life, said Givens.

Vacation plans. There may be a better way to say “Rob me, please” than posting something along the lines of: “Count-down to Maui! Two days and Ritz Carlton, here we come!” on Twitter. But it’s hard to think of one. Post the photos on Facebook when you return, if you like. But don’t invite criminals in by telling them specifically when you’ll be gone.

Home address. Some 40% listed their home address on the sites; 65% didn’t even attempt to block out strangers with privacy settings. And 60% said they weren’t confident that their “friends” were really just people they know.

Confessionals. You may hate your job; lie on your taxes; or be a recreational user of illicit drugs, but this is no place to confess. Employers commonly peruse social networking sites to determine who to hire — and, sometimes, who to fire.

Password clues. If you’ve got online accounts, you’ve probably answered a dozen different security questions, telling your bank or brokerage firm your Mom’s maiden name; the church you were married in; or the name of your favorite song. Got that same stuff on the information page of your Facebook profile? Are you playing games where you and your friends “quiz” each other on the personal details of your lives? You’re giving crooks an easy way to guess your passwords.

Risky behaviors. You take your classic Camaro out for street racing, soar above the hills in a hang glider, or smoke like a chimney? Insurers are increasingly turning to the web to figure out whether their applicants and customers are putting their lives or property at risk, according to Insure.com.

Read more: http://summify.com/story/TZ8j1yuhtnc8ACiC/moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/devil-details/6-things-you-should-never-reveal-on-facebook/2360/.

Ten Ingredients To Avoid in Your Face Products.

1. Petroleum and related petrochemicals Your run-of-the-mill moisturizer probably contains something like mineral oil or paraffin in it and they suffocate the skin and may interfere with perspiration.

2. Lead-tainted lipstick Go for organic small-batch lipstick lines, or kiss a beet instead.

3. Formaldehyde-leaching preservatives Found in hair treatment (and later in our nail polish). It’s considered a human carcinogen by many health agencies worldwide, and when it’s not giving rats nose cancer, it might still be giving you a rash.

4. Fragrance Fragrance is in everything from your fancy perfume to your face wash. Lab studies by the EWG have shown them to contain a whole cocktail of hormone disruptors (among other things).

5. Parabens This popular preservative group used in more than 10,000 products became very controversial when their presence was discovered in the tissue of breast tumors.

6. Sodium Lauryl Sulphate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulphate (SLES) Found in shampoos and are sometimes contaminated with a carcinogen called 1,4-dioxane. They also strip your skin and scalp of their protective barriers, which we need for protection. Surfactants are also known irritants.

7. Triclosan This very powerful antimicrobial—used in everything from hand soap and face wash to deodorant and acne treatments—has a serious ugly side. For one, it stays in our bodies. There’s concern that regular exposure to the stuff may actually be creating resistant strains of bacteria and hermaphroditic marine life, just like Atrazine. It may also impact thyroid function. It’s easy to find on labels. If it says triclosan, put it down.

8. Chemical Sunscreens Your best sunscreens are ones formulated from physical blockers like titanium dioxide and zinc.

9. Hydroquinone This skin-lightning ingredient is objectionable for so many reasons: It’s incredibly toxic. Exhibit A: It’s a suspected carcinogen that, according to industry “guidelines,” shouldn’t be used in formulations above 1 percent or be left on skin. But it is, and it’s available at 2 percent over the counter and 4 percent by prescription. Exhibit B: It’s banned in Europe. Exhibit C: Blue-black lesions are also a possible side effect.

10. Nanoparticles According to Dr. Michael DiBartolomeis, a toxicologist and the chief of the California Safe Cosmetics Program, a nano may be able to “get into places it shouldn’t get into—like cells or DNA.”

Read more: http://www.good.is/post/ten-ingredients-to-avoid-in-you-face-products.

Detoxify Yourself.

Tips to Remove the Poison from Your Body and Your Life

10 Goals for Everyday.

1. Watch less TV: Watch less TV, if any. Your mind will be freer to concentrate on more important things than annoying commercials, celebrity gossip and superficial materialism.

2. Limit your online activity: It’s pretty much impossible not to log on to your e-mail accounts everyday, but limit the rest of your online activity, including going to fluff sites and playing online games. You’ll be more productive and will probably end up using the time you would have wasted on something more important and fulfilling.

3. Stop gossiping: Always thinking and spreading nasty thoughts about others brings your own mood and self-confidence down.

4. Use non-toxic cleaners: Using non-toxic home cleaners helps rid your home of unnatural substances that can be harmful to your health.

5. Quit smoking: Cigarettes contain over 4,000 different chemicals, including nicotine, tar, hydrogen cyanide and even arsenic, all of which are poison to your body.

6. Exercise: Exercising helps purify your mind and your body by releasing aggressive emotions and endorphins. Exercise also helps your body take in more oxygen and pump your blood faster.

7. Sleep better and longer: Learn valuable techniques for getting a more relaxing, effective sleep each night in order to let your body fully recuperate from the previous day.

8. Introduce organic produce into your diet: Fresh, organic fruits and veggies are free of toxins that harm your body and interfere with great taste.

9. Limit the number of pills you pop each day: If you have a chronic health condition, we’re not asking you to stop taking pills. But if you pop several pills every time you have a teensy headache, you’re putting way too many kidney-damaging chemicals into your system.

10. Breathe deeply: Breathing deeply increases the flow of oxygen into your body and relax your mind.

More tips: http://www.nursingschoolsearch.com/blog/2008/07/detoxify-yourself-101-tips-to-remove-the-poison-from-your-body-and-your-life/.

Clutter Control.

Sort your mail over your garbage can or recycle bin.

Avoid impulse purchases.

Create homes for your belongings.

Store items where you use them.

I can always use another.
Keep this tip in mind: No matter how useful something is, you only need so many of them!

Take Only Pictures. Leave Only Footprints.

Decide to Decide.

Read more: http://www.simplify101.com/clutter-control.php.

7 Ways To Look Younger In 30 Minutes.

1. Keep your eye-cream in the fridge for quick under-eye depuffing.

2. An at-home gloss treatment dramatically amps up shine and refreshes your highlights.

3. Define your eyebrows.

4. Apply a firming body cream.

5. Have your stylist snip you some layers.

6. Take a brisk 30 minute walk.

7. Short nails, painted sheer and pink give off a young, fun vibe and make your hands look effortlessly flawless.
Snagged from http://shine.yahoo.com/.

I love the tips above for quick little ways to make us look younger. I am not so fond of following beauty regimens so these tips will be a great beauty first aid for me. But as they always say, nothing beats a clear and clean skin, before anything else. So should I include an acne scar removal or cream in the list?

Secrets to Sneaking in More Sleep.

1. Ban the snooze button
2. Become a champion multitasker
3. Limit caffeine after 4 p.m.
4. Nap the right way
5. Make the most of your evenings
6. Establish a bedtime

Read more: http://productivity.yourway.net/secrets-to-sneaking-in-more-sleep/.