Month: October 2019

October 31, 2019 at 11:15PM by CWC If you’re woo-woo-curious (and hey, there are a lot of us), you’ve probably heard this advice from an astrologer/shaman/life coach before: “It’s a good time to let go of things that no longer serve you.” Which, honestly, is really hard to do! When does all this work pay off? Right now, according to “RockStar Shaman” Alyson Charles, who predicts that in November you could even see “lifelong dreams actualizing and coming true.” Finally! Here’s what you need to know, plus the spirit animal to support you through it all. Wow, October was not playing when it came to excavating and clearing some of the most ancient aspects of ourselves that are no longer serving us—and opening up new space for new-paradigm energies to now enter in. There were a lot of great, deep changes and purging-type activities, along with themes of unshackling our hearts more, to experience greater love for ourselves and others. Very, very alchemizing and amplifying times for sure! As all these major shifts were happening, I was seeing something else as well: new golden energy grids, energy codes, and frequencies that are now making their way in. These will support us moving forward as we begin to truly live and be witness to huge outward changes for the good in our lives. Many who walk the spiritual path and do this brave inner work have been wondering lately—due to the sometimes-exhausting nature of clearing and going so deep—if it will

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October 31, 2019 at 11:00PM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL4fkeHmC6c] From fancy lasers to injectables, dermatologists have no shortage of beauty tools in their offices (none of which should ever be used by an untrained hand, BTW). But when board-certified dermatologist Mona Gohara, MD gets home for the night, there’s one at-home device in particular that she can’t live without—and that you should be swearing by, too. In the latest episode of Dear Derm, Dr. Gohara calls out the microneedling device as her favorite at-home tool on the market. Her fandom comes thanks to the prickly roller’s effective, triple-whammy of skin-boosting benefits. Microneedling devices are teeny, tiny needles— don’t worry, they don’t hurt—that create microscopic puncture wounds in your skin, which kicks collagen production into gear, increases product absorption, and gets your blood pumping. The result of the whole process is a radiant complexion that products on their own just can’t compete with. Though they may sound fancy—and you certainly can drop a few hundred dollars on a top of the line one—you can grab a microneedler on Amazon for under $20, and it will do the job just fine. As for the tool that she’d ditch ASAP? While she sings the praises of gua sha to lift and sculpt the face and loves a bit of microcurrent here and there to de-puff and get the lymphatic drainage going, we were stunned to find out that Dr. Gohara could live without one of most common tools around. Wonder which one she’s talking about?

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October 31, 2019 at 09:24PM by CWC To me, the thought of plastering goopy foundation onto dry skin evokes the same response as the thought of nails on a chalkboard. The resulting cakey-ness of slicking one dry thing against another is downright unappealing, and leaves behind a complexion that is the complete opposite of the natural, dewy radiance that I’m trying to achieve. In order to avoid all of that drama, it’s really necessary to find formulas that will work with your skin—to hydrate it—instead of drying it out even more. While the general rule is that cream and liquid formulas tend to be more hydrating than powder foundation, that doesn’t always hold true 100 percent of the time. “A liquid foundation could have drying alcohols that might dehydrate the skin more than a powder foundation with nourishing ingredients,” cautions makeup artist Jeannie Vincent. And while labels might tout words like “hydrating,” “nourishing,” and “moisturizing,” the real story, says Vincent, is in the ingredients. Look for formulas with ingredients like aloe vera, shea butter, and good-for-skin oils like sweet almond and jojoba. Makeup artist Chauntal Lewis, from 901 Salon, adds that hyaluronic acid is the number one most hydrating ingredient to have in a foundation. If you’ve got a formula that you love but find a bit drying (or if it worked all summer and suddenly rebelled against you once cold weather came in), there are a few things you can do to amp up its hydration. First up, always

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October 31, 2019 at 07:00PM by CWC Even without a menstrual tracker, many people can tell when they’re a couple days away from getting their period. That flash of irrational anger when Starbucks is out of almond milk starts to make sense when it’s coupled with a craving for cookie dough ice-cream and a wave of fatigue. IMO, tampons should just come with a dark chocolate bar. While it may seem like the universe is rigged against you, there’s actually a purpose behind the types of foods people crave before and during their periods. In her new book The Better Period Food Solution, registered dietitian and You Versus Food host Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, reveals not only the reason for craving carbs and fats instead of healthier foods, but also how menstruation affects hunger levels in general. Seriously, where was this intel in seventh grade health class? How your cycle affects how hungry you are There’s one specific time of the month where you’re more likely to be hungrier than normal. No, it’s not during your period—it’s in the first few days after ovulation (roughly halfway through your cycle if you have a 28-day cycle.) According to Beckerman, this period of your menstrual cycle is called the luteal phase, which is when your body’s main goal is to thicken and build up the uterine lining to prepare for a potential pregnancy. “If you don’t get pregnant, that uterine lining is ultimately what is going to be shed during your next

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October 31, 2019 at 05:30PM by CWC If there’s one word for someone who’s just The Worst, it has to be “narcissist.” The Mayo Clinic defines the personality disorder as “a mental condition in which people have an inflated sense of their own importance, a deep need for excessive attention and admiration, troubled relationships, and a lack of empathy for others.” While it’s true that this particular type of human doesn’t make for a great partner, friend, or boss, new research suggest that having just a hint of narcissism in your personality could be a strength—not a weakness. In three independent studies of 700 total adults, Kostas Papageorgiou, PhD, director of the InteRRaCt Lab in the school of psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, found a correlation between narcissism and mental toughness. Dr. Papageorgiou’s team of researchers specifically looked at two types of narcissists: the vulnerable variety (who go on the defensive to protect themselves from others) and the grandiose kind (who have an inflated sense of self-importance). One type beat out the other when it came to experiencing lower stress levels and less vulnerability to depression. “The results from all the studies that we conducted show that grandiose narcissism correlates with very positive components of mental toughness, such as confidence and goal-orientation, protecting against symptoms of depression and perceived stress,” said Dr. Papageorgiou. Just to be clear, he’s not giving you carte blanche to lean into your “me, me, me” tendencies. Instead, Dr. Papageorgiou says it’s a first step in

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