Tag: lifestyle

Gifts for Mom

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Happy May, everyone!

One of my favorite celebrations this month is Mother’s Day, which is less than a couple of weeks away.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 14th.  Of course we have to spoil her because she is supermom and every amazing thing about you, you most definitely got it from your mama! 😉  If you are not sure what to get her yet, don’t worry too much as Miss Honey have some wonderful gift ideas that will sure to wow mother dearest.

Here are some of my faves:

GiftsForMom

Pandora Vintage Allure Gift Set –  An exclusive, dazzling set with silver drop earrings and matching necklace will sparkle mom’s heart and any room she’ll walk into while wearing this striking jewelry set from Pandora.

Fraas Lightweight Solid Scarf – A wardrobe staple that can be worn for all seasons.  The pastel color is perfect for spring and summer and can take any of mom’s outfit up a notch!  For fashionista moms, let her know this one’s made in Italy 🙂

Desserts LaBelle: Soulful Sweets to Sing About– Ms. LaBelle, the original Lady Marmalade songstress, superstar singer and bestselling cookbook author recently came out with her desserts/baking book!  This will definitely have mom singing and you wishing for more, more, more pies please.

LipSense Lipstick– Say goodbye to smudged lipsticks, lipstick on cups, clothes or even on your loved ones! As a loyal user of LipSense, I can definitely say it what all the wonderful things everyone say it is!  Mom needs lipstick that will stay all-day and LipSense will give her that.  She can pick from a whole range of color and gloss styles, from glassy to matte.  For my fellow island girls, please contact my dear friend Lila Uyeno, or order online through LipSense Distributor #277486.

Kate Spade Flower Metro Watch– For no-nonsense moms that don’t want anything too fancy, but they deserve it, this rose gold watch etched with a single blossom will surely catch her attention. Simple but special enough to wear every day and/or on special occasions.

S’ip by S’well Insulated Water Bottle in Pineapple Bliss – This stainless steel water bottle use ThermaSwell to keep drinks cold for 24 hours and hot for 12.  It will keep mom well-hydrated for all of the multitasking that she have to do.

Godiva Sweet Dreams Deluxe Chocolate Gift Box – The perfect indulgence for a chocoholic queen who is as sweet as what she eats.   Pamper her with this gift set that includes two boxes of chocolate, cosmetic bag and a satin pillowcase.

Nest Fragrances White Camellia Reed Diffuser – A breathtaking scent of fresh camellia, wisteria and Indonesian jasmine with notes of white tea and amber will fill mom’s home with luxurious and memorable fragrance.

Minnie Rose Cashmere Slippers – For the low-maintenance mom who wants comfort around the house.  These cashmere slippers speak for themselves with a “Cool Mom” embroidery.

Tory Burch Block-T Brogue Tote– This sleek leather tote is ideal for any tasks that must be done whether it is for quick errands or a weekend away.  It features a distinct perforated trim and can easily hold a full-day’s essentials.  It also includes a removable zip pouch for smaller items.

Hope I inspired you a little.  As most of us can agree on, mother knows best, and she deserves the best.  To our angel mother in Heaven, you know if you were here I would get you anything you ever wanted.  To everyone else, have fun shopping for mom! The price shouldn’t matter, the most important thing is the thought and effort you put in it 🙂

**For more ideas, SHOP Mother’s Day Gifts here.**

Love,
Honey

Secret Tips to Combat Aging After 30

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Well here I am.

After talking about it for years, months, weeks, days…. I’m finally here.  And yes, for those who have heard my daily rant counting down to this momentous event, this may be the last time I publicly acknowledge it.  I however am not making any promises, haha! 😉

Anywho, in a haze of fabulous shoes, career changes, bridesmaids dresses, blessed godchildren, familial bonding and getting hitched…I managed to somehow get here.  As of yesterday, Dec. 27th, 2016 I reached the point of true adulthood.

A crowned thirty-year-old.

That’s three decades.  360 months. 1565 weeks. 10,957 days.

Oh, and thank you to my wonderful friends and family who greeted and celebrated with me on this fabulous day! Hugs & Kisses!

Amazing how time goes by faster than you know it.  The goal is to age gracefully, yes? Soon enough I’ll be in my sixties, older, wiser, grumpier, wrinklier.  Although at that point of my life, I would love to still feel (and look) like I’m in my thirties, (it doesn’t feel that bad at this moment, kind of glamorous almost) hence this blog post.

To look and feel healthy and young for as long as the hands of time allows can indeed, be possible.

Let’s unveil some secrets to fight off the not-so-glamorous signs of aging.

stopaging

WATER
Water is essential to all living things, making up 2/3 of the human body.  It’s not only important to life itself but also for the quality of life so make it your best friend.  Water is needed in our bodies to transport nutrients to our organs and oxygen to our cells. Water lubricate  joints and eyes and keeps skin healthy by eliminating toxins.  Did you know that when you are dehydrated your body pulls liquid from  your tissues and skin to maintain the balance in your blood?  When that happens, your eyes look sunken and your skin feels dryer, there is no elasticity, hence you look older. Make a conscious effort to drink water to keep hydrated. There is no denying water is the elixir of youth.

MEDITATION
Meditation is important to keep a stress-free life.  Without stress, life is happier!  Stress affects our bodies in more ways than you can imagine.  Our immune system, quality of sleep, our hearts and mind…. our relationship with others can be affected by stress.  Meditation can help relieve stress by focusing on being in the moment and appreciating the present. Studies show that there is an increase of melatonin in our bodies after meditating.  Melatonin energizes the immune system and slows the aging process as it has the ability to repair damaged cells.

ANTI-AGING SERUM
Serums are more lightweight than creams so they are able to penetrate deeper into the skin delivering active ingredients.  Industry fave Estée Lauder “Advanced Night Repair” serum is a must-have. The serum contains the exclusive ChronoluxCB™ Technology improving dryness and dehydration, reducing the appearance of lines and wrinkles and restoring radiance.

EYE CREAM
Keep an eye on your peepers! One biggest sign of age is that thin-skinned area under and around your eyes. Crows feet dig in during this decade so commit to purchasing a high quality eye cream such as La Mer “The Illuminating Eye” Gel. Great eye creams protect against the aging effects of the environment, fatigue and stress while making eyes look youthful, energized, and awakened.

SLEEP
There is a reason why we call it beauty sleep. Our cells grow and repair while we sleep and our immune system is strengthened by sleep. The more sleep we get, the less time aging catches up to us. Be sure to get about about 8-9 hours of sleep to keep your mind and body healthy.  If you are a light sleeper grab a cute sleep mask to help you sleep faster and stay asleep.  Besides that, sleeping is absolutely free.  

TEETH CARE
Your smile is one of the first things people notice. Protect it. And keep them guessing about your age by showing those pearly whites!  Brush and floss at least twice a day or after every meal.  Basic habits can go along way.  In advanced technology, now available at your Dentist’ office is a toothbrush designed to build better oral care routines, the  Phillips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected toothbrush.  You can download its coordinating app that offers in-depth tracking of your brushing habits. The toothbrush includes location, pressure, and scrubbing sensors, which allow the app to map out the areas in your mouth that need some work.  What a way to throw off a youthful look with missing, black or rotten teeth!

EXERCISE
Exercising regularly can fight aging by protecting cells and lowering the body’s level of inflammation.  Yoga, due to the extent of stretches and core exercises involved, is believed to help reverse signs of aging such as sagging skin and loss of muscle strength. Endurance activities such as running may also be able to slow down aging.  Benefits of running include a stronger heart, more efficient blood flow and a powerful immune system.  Exercise fights aging by protecting your cells from the ticking clock but make sure that you also protect your body by investing in proper attire and gear.  On a personal note, this is the best time for me to include running as part of my physical activity and to do so properly, I will need to purchase running shoes, like the  NIKE Air Max 2017.  I am in love!
They are the perfect running shoes, but can also be street casual.

HEALTHY EATING
Fruits and vegetables contain antioxidants that combat free radicals, oxygen fragments that attack cell membranes. Nutrients in fruits and vegetables can also help do everything from preventing wrinkles to killing off cancerous cells. Luckily I have had a pescatarian diet for half my life now (since age 15) so I just have to continue the greenery and fish intake.

SUNSCREEN
SPF not only prevent skin cancer, but it also prevent wrinkles.  A study conducted has proven this to be a fact.  So be motivated to SPF your skin every day. AVEENO Sunscreen with SPF 50 For Face contains sun protection while hydrating skin to keep it soft, smooth and feeling healthier than before you went in the sun.

GREEN TEA
Green tea contain powerful anti-aging and antioxidants that help slow down the skin aging process such as sagging skin, sun damage, age spots, fine lines and wrinkles. The polyphenols in green tea help neutralize harmful free radicals, which can cause significant damage to the skin.  Antioxidant properties of tea help fight off cell damage, can help revive dying skin cells, and even prevents high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Besides green tea, white tea has been shown to slow down the breakdown of elastin and collagen, which is essential in keeping skin look young and supple.

Purposefully, not mentioned in this list is HAIR CARE, which is as important as  those above. If you have time, read a couple of my favorite health and beauty posts “Locks of Youth- Secrets to Luscious Hair” and “Superfoods for Superhair”, both which goes into detail about how to keep your hair healthy and lustrous as it indicates well-being and youth.

The other unsaid secret of youth is laughter.  Lots and lots of it.  I’ll elaborate but I’ll save it for another day 😉

Love,
Honey

Love & Happiness

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Are you happy?

Happiness is a choice.  Choose it.  It’s not hard.

Just live life as if everything is magnificent, a miracle.  Look beyond the imperfections, the teeny things that don’t matter because there’s bigger more important things that do.  Enjoy, seize and love every moment. In reality it’s not really what you have that makes you happy… or who or where you are, or what you’re doing….It’s what you think. If you’re in a miserable place but you think beautiful, happy thoughts, then you’re happy.  Believe that if you think it, it will be.  So if you want to be happy, there is no other way but to be.

And love?

Don’t go looking for it.  Because it will find you. I promise.

Love yourself first.  Love the world and the people around you, and everything will fall into place.

The person you are meant to be with- he/she will come around.  The secret is to know that the this person, they’re already a part of you.  And when that one day come, you will know. 

So don’t worry…be happy.

Honey Aubrey Millon

Sometimes cheating is okay…really.

honeyaubrey4 Comments

Sigh…

Summer is coming up, and the island girl in me needs her beachin’ body back.

So…I have decided to once again put on my workout shoes, and go back into a strict no-rice, salad, fish and vegetables only, no ice cream, French fries, cupcakes, cookies, or chocolate…. and absolutely no stardust, sparkles and pretty rainbows diet.

After browsing through April’s issue of Muscle and Performance Magazine, I was relieved. Interestingly enough, there was an article that promotes cheating…on your diet. Written by Matthew Kadey, “The Cheat Sheet” explains why it’s perfectly fine to occasionally give in to your anti-diet cravings.

If cravings are driving you crazy, don’t wallow in misery: FIGHT BACK AND CHEAT. Planned cheating can conquer cravings and even help your physique continue to progress into awesomeness.

Here’s the few good reasons why:

BOOST YOUR METABOLISM
Many diets involve some degree of calorie restriction, and after a period, your brain thinks you’re in starvation mode therefore telling your body to slow down your metabolism. A break from dieting can interrupt this slowdown with your sudden intake of extra calories, keeping your metabolism revved for additional fat burning.

BOOST YOUR HORMONES
Leptin, a metabolism-revving and fat burning hormone, has the tendency to fall when calorie intake drops. Think: if your body is low on calories, it releases less leptin to keep the little energy it has. Consuming more calories increases leptin levels further boosting your metabolism.

BOOST YOUR ENERGY
Cutting down your calories can leave you feeling weary, especially during workout sessions. Occasional cheating can help restore energy, giving you more ability to train hard.

BOOST YOUR NUTRITION
Consuming foods that are not part of your diet can help you intake nutrients that you may be missing out on. For example, vitamins and anti-oxidants that aide with muscular recovery and growth not present in high-protein food can be found on carbohydrate-rich food that is not normally part of your diet regimen.

BOOST YOUR DIETING SUCCESS
Cheating in your diet program allows you a much-needed mental break from a repetitive, monotonous meal plan. You’ll look forward to your cheat day, and you’ll be able to keep your sanity during your strict diet, rather than completely falling apart and giving up. I have done this, countless of times. Yes, darling there is room for donuts or cupcakes, and flat, sexy abs ;).

BOOST YOUR SOCIAL LIFE
You can eat dinner with your friends and not have to count calories in your head. And you don’t have to spend Saturday night home alone either.

YAY. Let’s make a toast to a brand new, healthier, cheating you. “Good luck to a leaner, fitter, sexier you.”

**Holds up my Krispy Kreme Donut**

Love,
Honey

Locks of Youth- Secrets to Luscious Hair

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“The hair is the richest ornament of women.”
-Martin Luther

In the beauty scheme of things, it’s difficult to underestimate the importance of hair.  Healthy hair indicates well-being and youth.  For women, hair is an important sign of beauty and age.

People who have it, treasure it.  People who don’t, grieve the loss of it.  Hair is sexy.  We want it to look fabulous, at all times.  If it doesn’t we don’t feel good.  At least, I don’t….

I was blessed with thick, jet-black hair- a physical attribute my beautiful late mother passed down to me and my sisters, and my brother.  She constantly reminded me never to dye my hair, because all of the chemicals will destroy the growth, strength and natural shine and texture of it.  I believed her, but I what I didn’t learn until later in my life (now) is that there are several factors that affect hair growth.

Among the factors that affect hair’s growth are hormonal changes caused by aging, emotional stress, change of diet, iron deficiencies, and hereditary tendency toward hair loss.  Add to these hot irons, color treatments, and overstyling, and hair is overwhelmed from all sides.   At this time in my life, I am highly concerned about the effects of growing old, not having enough vitamins, and dwelling a very anti-stress-free lifestyle has on my hair.  I am lucky enough not to worry about hereditary hair loss.

I have had a lot of great compliments about my hair.  It’s the single characteristic that I am delighted to be vain about, therefore when the day finally comes when my hair starts falling, thinning, and going gray, I will be in misery.

Still blooming in my mid-twenties, I make it a point to maintain my locks of youth.

The secret to long, lush, youthful hair?   Allow me.

DIET
Hair is made up of proteins and nutrients, and can be malnourished just like our bodies if improperly fed.  My normal diet includes fish, eggs, yogurt, apples, grapes, spinach, strawberries, broccoli, and cabbage.  If you are a meat eater, include lean meat and poultry.

SLEEP
Sufficient rest is important for our bodies, our health, and our hair.  Lack of sleep can affect our bodies’ chemical balance disturbing our hair growth.  I make sure I sleep a total of 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.  When my workload gets in the way of my slumber, I make sure my body catches up on lost sleep and rest when I can.

STRESS
Stress, worry and depression have an adverse effect on hair growth and can lead to premature hair loss.  Reducing stress can help fight against hair loss, allowing your growing hair to flourish.  When I am stressed out, I meditate or do yoga.  I also pick up a book, write, make jewelry or sew.

EXERCISE
Daily exercise improves circulation throughout your body, including your scalp, which can result in faster hair growth.  Thick hair springs from a healthy, clean scalp.  Proper exercise plays an important role in supplying oxygen needed to promote hair growth rate and length.

HAIR CARE
Ah, yes, the puzzling question on how often to wash hair.  Wash, wash, and wash your hair- preferably once a day.  While shampooing, massaging, conditioning, oiling, gently combing and brushing your hair can help to promote your maximum hair growth rate and length as well.  My no-longer-little-secret::: I leave my conditioner on at least 5 minutes.

WARNING!  Following Miss Honey’s advice will result to undeniably smoother, shinier, voluminous hair.

Don’t say I didn’t warn ya! 😉

Love,
Honey