Kelly Clarkson Who inspires meMy sister, Alyssa. She’s got her hands full, but she keeps such a great positive attitude. She is the needle and thread of our family. My proudest accomplishmentRecutting “Because of You” with Reba. I grew up listening to her music! I was terrified in the studio! The last thing I tell myself before I step onstage"Here goes nothing!" I don’t care if I mess up. Some nights are going to be weird, and audiences are always going to be different....
SELF asked writers to salute some of the oft-ignored internal parts that help power their complex and amazing machine. I burn my mouth on coffee. I kick myself in the ankle with my other heel. I remember the first time I realized their importance. Later, in biology, I learned about the microscopic components of blood. I was most taken with platelets. A fraction of the size of red blood cells, they are charged with preventing bleeding and bruising....
“Isn’t there anything I can do?” She had arrived for her appointment with little left to lose. A noxious black mold carpeted every inch of her condemned house. Chemo was the only thing standing between White and a lifetime on dialysis. “We had lost everything,” the single mother says. “I couldn’t come up with that kind of money.” The nurses simply shook their heads and sent her home. By now, the stories of ruin because of Hurricane Katrina are heartbreakingly familiar....
Do you have insurance? How much do you make a year? Do you have pay stubs with you today? Within half an hour of opening its doors, the clinic is full. In fact, many of them are here on this early spring morning precisely because they don’t. The clinic’s visitors probably aren’t who you would expect. Eighty-five percent come from working families, and surprising numbers are middle-class. More than half are women....
Fix it now.Use a color-depositing glaze once a week to bring back richness. (It works whether or not you color your hair.) Prevent future harm.Deep-conditioning masks are like a wheatgrass shot for thirsty, damaged hair. Apply the mask once a week to sopping wet hair, then cover with a damp, hot towel. Wait about 10 minutes, then rinse with cool water. Style spoiler:Sun exposure Your skin isn’t the only thing prone to UV damage....
The goal is for the nourishers to seep into skin, but do they really work? Dermatologists are on the (pillow) case. SELF saysDon’t count on an overnight miracle. You’ll see better results using a serum, which is more likely to penetrate skin as you snooze. A new one we like: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair. Sweet dreams!Mary Rose Almasi Buzzworthy ingredient Enzymes called sirtuins are a hot antiaging advancement. Outsmart Mother Nature at the cellular level....
Sometime after her 43rd birthday, Dawn Foley noticed she was beginning to look her age. And she didn’t like it one bit. A former beauty queen turned sales professional in Los Angeles, the blue-eyed brunette is used to turning heads. “I just did not want to look older,” she says. “You end up with wrinkles. Your skin starts to sag. She even had her breasts lifted. “I’m happy with those,” she says....
Like millions of others, I saw Al Gore’sAn Inconvenient Truthand vowed to change my use-it-once-and-chuck-it lifestyle. I now use cloth napkins, which, after washing, I hang to dry. And I can’t help preaching to anyone who’ll listen. In short, I’ve become an incessant eco-nag. Blame my obsession on my former instant-gratification mentality. (I used to drive my Saab with the air conditioner on and the sunroof open.) Going green seemed like an opportunity to absolve these past sins....
Zooey Deschanel considers herself a summer person. She fell under the spell of the season as a kid at camp in upstate New York. “It was classic,” says the 29-year-old. “Swimming and sailing and ice cream and sing-alongs!” “I like the feeling of summerit’s lighter somehow,” she says. Although Deschanel is busy this month promoting her latest film,500 Days of Summer(nice coincidence, right? Exclusively for SELF, Deschanel made a list of her favorite summertime activities....
Wake up fair skin with pinks and peaches; illuminate medium to darker complexions with mauve or raspberry shades. Don’t forget to say cheese! Smiling is the natural way to energize your face. “They should treat what you’re trying to conceal, too.” Look for formulas that contain skin-care-worthy ingredients such as firming peptides, antioxidants and hydrating hyaluronic acid. Works: L’Oreal Paris Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara in Black Use mascara on the top lashes only....
Sumo squat Works: shoulders, butt, legs Stand with feet slightly wider than hip-width apart. Hold one weight in both hands directly overhead. Extend left leg behind you in line with body; extend right arm out to side at shoulder level. Keeping left leg lifted, curl weight toward chest (as shown). Straighten arm for one rep. Do 12 reps. Switch sides; repeat. Bring left leg forward, knee bent, thigh parallel to ground (as shown)....
“You look just like your mother.” It made me smilethrough gritted teeth. It’s true that she and I share the same blue eyes, the same genial Midwestern countenance. We even have the same unruly swirl of hair at the nape of the neck. My mother has been overweight for as long as I can remember, not obese but a matronly plump. I’ve always taken a certain comfort in having a mom who is not thin....
Before ObstacleBrassy, dull color “Yikes! My hair was left two-toned and totally fried from a three-hour bleaching session.” Shanna Viola, 32, L.A. After “So long, hats and ponytails! I’m so thrilled to have my style and self-esteem back,” Viola says. Read moreabout how the stylists at Neil George Salon transformed Viola’s hair. ObstacleA lifeless style “I had grown-out-gone-blah hair and needed a wash-and-go cut.” “It looks amazing even when I wake up....
