Summertime brings two of our favorite things: trips to the beach and sundress weather! But remember to stock up on sunscreen to protect yourself from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays that could lead to skin cancer — May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month, after all. In honor of that occasion, beginning May 15 ViX Swimwear is offering two sundresses ($285 each; one in black and one in white) with 50 percent of the proceeds donated to the Skin Cancer Foundation.
We’re obsessive about scanning food labels for calories, saturated fat and sugars, but sodium hasn’t really ranked all that high on our list of priorities — until now. According to the American Medical Association, as many as 150,000 early deaths might be prevented each year if people slashed their salt intake by half.
We’ll admit, we have a tendency to be a bit germaphobic — regularly scrubbing down the kitchen counters, scouring sinks and mopping the floors. It’s all in the name of a sparkling and safe home … or so we thought. See, a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Seventh Generation now suggests our efforts may be backfiring. In fact, the average American is living dangerously close to a whole host of toxic products, disregarding potential harm to the environment and personal health.
For some reason, we’re fascinated with President Barack Obama’s food and beverage likes and dislikes. Recently, press secretary Robert Gibbs revealed that Obama doesn’t drink coffee. (He runs the nation without the aid of coffee!) Many of Obama’s preferences were recounted last year in a New York Times interview with his personal aide Reggie Love, who revealed Obama loves broccoli and spinach, but will eat asparagus only “if no other vegetables are available.” So, to help Obama overcome his aversion to asparagus, RegionalBest.com is running a recipe contest. Asparagus Lovers Unite for Obama! calls for favorite asparagus dishes, from appetizers to entrees. Recipes must be emailed to recipes@regionalbest.com by May 20.
Fresh from rubbing shoulders with the teen idols in her April box office hits Hannah Montana: The Movie and 17 Again, March/April VIVmag cover model Melora Hardin has been hard at work promoting You, her directorial debut film. “It means a lot to me that there are people out there seeing me up on the big screen and giggling or just plain enjoying what I’m doing,” Hardin wrote recently on Twitter. “You the film is my passion project.”
Good news, style mavens: You don’t have to wait till August and the long-delayed return of Project Runway for a fashion-fight fix. Bravo’s answer to losing Klum & Co. to Lifetime is The Fashion Show, a design competition premiering May 7 that will challenge contestants with such tasks as creating a posh look for $40, using real people as models and presenting their garments before live audiences. The panel of judges includes Grammy winner Kelly Rowland, designer Isaac Mizrahi and New York Fashion Week organizer Fern Mallis.
With Mother’s Day approaching May 10, we look for the perfect gift for the woman who always has been there for us, with unwavering love and support. For something that matches a mom’s natural beauty and one-of-a-kind love, we thought we’d try Om Aroma’s Pearls & Diamonds Collection ($125), featuring organic Elixir de Perle Mother-of-Pearl Facial Cleanser and Crème Luxe White Truffle Age-Defy Face Cream. All Om Aroma & Co. products are organic and free of parabens, formaldehyde, mineral oil and synthetic fragrance.
In honor of Cinco de Mayo, we’d like to serve an appetizer that is more festive than the typical chips and salsa. So we looked for creative recipes on the website of Emeril Lagasse’s Emeril Green show on the Discovery network’s Planet Green and found this shrimp ceviche recipe from his “A Meal to Remember” episode. There’s also an instructional video for anyone who is nervous about trying her hand at ceviche.
We’ve been familiar with the works of Chinese-medicine practitioner Maoshing Ni since the release of Secrets of Longevity (Chronicle Books, 2006) and, of course, his appearance on Sex and the City as fertility specialist “Dr. Wow.” So when we heard Dr. Mao had penned a new book on natural and Chinese-medicine practices to improve energy, health and sexuality for women 35 and up, we checked out Second Spring: Dr. Mao’s Hundreds of Natural Secrets for Women to Revitalize and Regenerate at Any Age (Simon & Schuster, 2009).
With the 135th Run for the Roses coming up tomorrow, our minds are focused on hats, from lovely designs by Council of Fashion Designers of America Award nominee Albertus Q. Swanepoel to the showstopping crystal-trimmed cloche by Luke Song, made famous earlier this year when Aretha Franklin wore it to Barack Obama’s inauguration. Though we’ll have to wait to see the majority of creative millinery adorning the heads on Millionaire’s Row, we took a peek at one celeb’s topper of choice.
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