Swell Nutrition: Blackberries

Is it Blackberry season in your area? It is here! I love Blackberries. As a kid, I lived out in the country and there was a huge bush (I'm talking more than 8 ft tall) about 30 steps from my front door. My sister and I would stand there and eat straight from the bush, always keeping an ear alert for rattlesnakes, because you know what - they love Blackberry bushes, too.

There are two bushes on my current bike training route. The other day I took a zip lock and filled that sucker up. My favorite way to eat the berries is raw, but with a couple of steps you can make a good Berry Crisp for desert or you could freeze the berries for smoothies.



To freeze them, first rinse in a colander, drain well, then lay them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet or shallow pan, allowing space between the berries so they freeze singly, not stuck together. Put the pan in the freezer, then when berries are hard, take them off the pan and put them in a freezer bag. Use as needed for smoothies, snacks (accidentally typed "snakes," because I've got snakes on the brain), or recipes.



Some quick nutritional data on Blackberries....

1 cup Blackberries have....

*62 calories

*8 grams of Fiber

*50% of daily required Vitamin C

*Blackberries are a good source of Vitamin E, Folate, Magnesium, Manganese, and Vitamin K



Image credit: Chase Your Bliss Photography

Swell Beauty & Swell Gadgets

So many mascaras, so little time.... Need some makeup guidance?  Sephora has a new iPad app that should do the trick....

Determine the right mascara for you using the Sephora iPad App!The interactive Sephora Mascara Guide exclusively available through the new Sephora iPad app, allows you to shop, compare, read reviews and zoom in on the each unique wand component to help you analyze which mascara is best for you!  The Sephora App for iPad is free to download from the iTunes App Store at www.itunes.com/appstore.

There really is an app for anything...

Swell Skin: Sebamed Soap-Free Cleanser

I was recently sent a bottle of Sebamed soap-free cleanser to try for review. Sebamed is intended for both face and body. It's formulated with a low pH, which makes it a great choice for anyone with sensitive skin.

The Science Behind Healthy Skin

Every sebamed product is meticulously formulated to a pH balance of exactly 5.5 - precisely the pH of healthy skin. This is essential in maintaining your skin's natural hydrolipid barrier against environmental stress. Any other pH level, such as found in soap may leave your skin open to break-down and deterioration. Discover what 150 clinical studies have already shown -- pH 5.5 is vital for healthy skin.

I have the bottle in my shower, where everyone in my family can get to it. It's intended for use on both the face and the body. It's very gentle and doesn't leave my face feeling dry or tight. My husband has a fair freckled complexion. He has a lot of trouble with soaps and washes irritating his skin - poor kid gets super-itchy. He's been using the Sebamed for a couple of weeks now and I've noticed a definite lack of itchiness. Sarah has 13-year-old skin and it's working great for her, too (no breakouts). 

Formulated with Vitamins B5, B3, B6, and H, Sebamed would also work well on a baby's sensitive skin. It reminds me a lot of the Phisoderm my mom used to get. Your skin feels clean, but comfortable after use. You can find more info here.



Image credit: SebamedUSA.com

Swell Fitness: Siskiyou Century

I'm a lapsed runner and a sometimes biker. I'd like to get back into both in the next month, as the weather starts cooling down around here (I'm in Northern California). My first goal will be completing the short leg - 37 miles - of the Siskiyou Century ride, which runs very close to my house.

I've found that having a goal helps to keep me on track.  I used to keep running notebooks, just your average cheapo single theme spiral-bound book, and I'd staple my race numbers inside. It felt good to keep a running count of my mileage, thinking, wow, that's almost all the way to Sacramento, etc. 

One of the easiest ways to keep track is DailyMile.com.  I've probably mentioned it before, but that's because I find it to be a great tool. You can connect it with your Twitter and Facebook account which I find helps to keep me accountable as well as helping to connect me with friends who have similar interests.

Are you active?  If so, what motivates you? 

Swell Girls: Clean & Clear Join Girl Up

Clean & Clear is one of the newest partners of the United Nation's Girl Up Foundation. The Foundation works to connect girls in the US with girls in other nations.

We, as American girls, have opportunities and a world of hope – education and a safe environment - but on the other side of the world reality just isn’t the same. That’s why CLEAN & CLEAR® has partnered with United Nation’s Girl Up Foundation to connect girls in the US with girls in Ethiopia, Liberia, Guatemala and Malawi– giving them the tools, resources and confidence they need to make a difference by raising awareness and funds for underprivileged peers. Do you want to help 600 million girls around the world stay in school and stay safe?

Go to facebook.com/cleanandclear and become a Girl Up HERo and help change a girl’s world.

Here are a few facts that Clean & Clear would like you to consider:
* In Liberia, close to 45 percent of girls ages 10-14 have received no formal education.
* Studies show that every year of schooling increases a girl's future earning power by 10 to 20 percent.

Image credit: Clean & Clea

Swell Smells: Fan di FENDI

Oh, FedEx man, how I've missed you bringing me deliveries.... Today, I recieved the new Fan di FENDI Eau de Parfum.

All the aesthetic codes, all the values and the elegance of the house of FENDI are crystallized in the fragrance Fan di FENDI. The Forever buckle on the Baguette bag, the absolute "it-bag" since 1997, the nobleness of the shapes and materials, the boundless creativity, the sun yellow and handcrafted leather. Fan di FENDI is a modern irresistible fragrance; fresh luminous, sensual, and addictive.

FENDI bills this one as a "warm floral" with the following breakdown of notes:

Top Note: Pear Blackcurrant accord, Tangerine, Pink Peppercorn
Middle Note: Damascena Rose, Yellow Jasmine
Base Note: Soft Leather Accord, Patchouli

My impressions: I like the bottle with the gold emblem and the short boxy shape. I think they are going for classic rather than wow-factor here. The top note of tangerine really stands out. It's not over-powering, but it is very clear. The rose kicks in within a couple of minutes, the whole thing mellows out to a patchouli-floral mix pretty quickly. The peppercorn is a mid-note, but I smell it more after drydown. Pepper and patchouli are a couple of my favorite notes. A very nice fragrance.

The fragrance was created by Francois Demachy and the bottle, modeled on the FENDI handbag, was designed by Fabien Baron.

Fan di FENDI is only available at Saks Fifth Avenue for the month of August. After September, it will be available in other department stores, as well.

50 ml Eau de Parfum - $76
75 ml Eau de Parfum - $92
Perfumed Bath & Shower Gel $39
Perfumed Body Lotion - $44

Image credit: Chase Your Bliss Photography

Swell Etsy Finds: Shirred Dress

I love, love, love this dress....

You can find it here.  I love the shirring, the feminine shape, and the color. You can find out more about the designer here. 

Swell Exercise: Proper Hydration

Want to know my secret to toned arms? Landscaping as a side job. Seriously. I pushed a wheelbarrow an accumulated 7 miles yesterday. Then, I went to work at my regular job. It was a long day, let me tell you, but I was able to get through it because my handsome husband brought me some Gatorade.

I've learned that when I'm exercising or working in the Summer heat I need more than plain water or iced tea - I need a sports drink to replace what I lose through perspiration. Does "perspiration" sound more feminine than "sweat", because really it's just sweat - my arms look great, but I raise them and... you get the picture.

We all know that hydration is important, but how much is enough? Well, according to Web MD....

If you are not running a race, "the rule of thumb is to drink 8 ounces of a sport drink or water possibly every 20 minutes," says Maharam, who advises the ING New York Marathon. No more, no less. "If you are exercising less than 40 minutes, water is fine, but for anything over 40 minutes, you want a sports drink that has sugar or salt in it because this helps you increase the fluid that goes into the body. Most sports drinks contain the equivalent of an "active pump" that gets more water into the body faster than the unassisted process - simple diffusion of water - would have.

So, if you are planning to get active in the heat this weekend, plan accordingly. The risks associated with dehydration are severe. And don't forget the sunscreen!

Note: I like the Gatorade G2 best. It's lower in calories.

Image credit: Gatorade.com

Fall 2011 Color Trends

Summer may be in full swing, but the retail world has already been focused on Fall for some time. If you are interested in purchasing a few Fall-toned pieces to supplement your Summer wardrobe then here are the "must-have color trends" for Fall 2011....

I like the teal and mulberry shades, but I'm a brown fan. Where are the rich chocolate browns, the caramels, the coffee tones?  Does it make you wonder who picks this stuff? Me, too.

According to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute and the head of the Eiseman Center for Color Information and Training, buyers may want to look to the past, present and future to get a sense of coming color trends. “The big picture theme is a Mosaic of Color and Style,” she says. “This reflects cultural, universal time frames and seemingly disconnected elements. Though new technologies continue to reinvent the future, we may notice some things have a vaguely nostalgic feeling.”

How did they come up with this particular palette? Apparently the economy has something to do with it.

“Since people are thinking about the economy, that’s telling us some of the styling of the past isn’t discarded, but instead brought back in a new way. What’s important today is to think in terms of practicality. People are going to ask themselves, gee, I already have six pairs of black shoes, so why do I need another pair? Retailers are going to want to give them something new, and this is where color plays an important role. For example, maybe a consumer is drawn to a purple car, but when they get to the show room they decide to go with the black version. But you need to have that purple car to get their attention.”

Where to start with the Fall 2011 color trends? I like to be thrifty in my choices - I go classic for basic pieces and accessorise with the trendy colors.

How about a soft flowing scarf in a deep teal or a purple eyeliner in the phlox (Patone 19-2820) shade?

Color Mosiac Image Credit: Pantone
Scarf Image Credit: Target.com

Swell Savings: Lovely Winter Coat

I love when items that you can wear for the current season are marked way down, because the store needs to make room for all the next season stuff. An example of this would be a coat that I picked up at JCPenny today. It was originally priced at $200, but I got it for $39.97.

It's perfect for wearing to work. I picked the boysenberry color - a good color for any complexion shade.

The green, blue, and yellow could be a bit trickier. You can find it online here, if you are interested - a little pricier than in my local store. If you are in need of a mid-season wardrobe boost, now is the time to look, because your local anywhere-store is in a mad rush to stock swimsuits (which we won't need in my area for a few months, in which time they will be pulling the suits and stocking the back to school items).



Image credit: JCPenny.com

Swell Style: Full Leg Jeans

What are your thoughts on the wide-leg jean?  Too That 70s Show? Right on trend?

They come in, go out, come in, go out. I have to say that I always love them. I'm a girl with full thighs, no matter what my weight, so wearing a skinny jean is tough for me. A jean with a fuller leg is so much more forgiving, plus they are funky and that's fun.

SELF magazine has a few pairs listed here, but Forever 21 has the same look for even less. Take a peek here and here.



Image credit: Forever 21

Swell Teens - Rihanna's Reb'l Fleur Fragrance

PlumWillow.com, an online social shopping community created just for teens, is offering readers a chance to win Rihanna's brand new fragrance Reb’l Fleur. PlumWillow is the first community of it's type. For your chance to win, log on to PlumWillow.com and make an account.

Reb’l Fleur fragrance notes: Peach, Plum, Red Berries, Tuberose, Violet, Coconut, Hibiscus, Musk, Patchouli, Amber, Vanilla.

An interesting batch of notes. The fragrance is being billed as a Fruity Chypre, but it's being promoted as a floral. The bottle is meant to mimic a high heel.

Image credit: PlumWillow.com

Swell Greetings!

Happy Valentine's Day to all you swell ladies!

I will be celebrating with my new husband - I got married last Friday.

Swell and Not So Swell

Making the transition from ChicoMichelle to MontagueMichelle has been interesting, but not very post-worthy when it comes to matters of beauty or style. I spend much of my days wearing a uniform in the market where I'm working - black pants, black shine-able shoes, and a polyester shirt  in maroon and off-white. It's not cute, but on the plus side, I work my butt off in that outfit and in the time that I've worked at the market (2 months), I've lost 30 lbs.

Losing weight is not easy when you are in your 40s. It requires a bit more effort, a tweaking of your work out schedule, etc. Unless, like me, you are in a business that requires constant motion. Want to lose weight?  I suggest getting a job as a bagger. (Unless you find it necessary to pay bills - in that case, you are pretty much screwed.).

I highlighted my hair a little yesterday. I feel the need to do that as soon as the weather starts warming up. Sun equals highlights in my brain, apparently. I also have some fun new products to review for you - Nexxus's new Pro-Mend anti-split-end line and Lily B's botanical skin care. Watch for those reviews later in the week.

For now, here's a photo of my cute puppy, Katmandu. I think he's swell....

Swell Skin: LUSH Massage Bars

My boyfriend is one of those manly wood-cutter types. He can cut, split, load, and deliver a cord of wood in a day. What is a cord of wood? My point is this - my man works hard. Working hard usually translates to a sore back, so I give him massages just about every day. I've used a variety of oils on him, but my favorite thing to use is a massage bar. I got one from LUSH last year and that worked perfectly.


LUSH sent me one of their newer bars to try last month. It was one of their Once A Year Massage Bars (similar to this one) made especially for warming with cinnamon essential oil and a touch of glittery gold. I found it to work as well as the first bar, melted nicely, very smooth for a massage, but after awhile I got tired of sleeping next to the cinnamon scent every night and the glittery bits went through my sheets onto my feather bed underneath. Next time I'll pick up a bar that has more of a neutral scent or maybe one with a cocoa butter fragrance like the first one.

LUSH products are made with pure essential oils. They are handmade with no preservatives and they contain only vegetarian ingredients. These bars are great for massages or moisturizing straight out of the shower. They come with a little tin, so you can take it with you (our bars have gone camping with us). The bar is much more convenient than an oil. I've shopped around for a similar product locally and have been unable to find anything that works as well.



Image credit: LUSH.com