Allurez Promotion: Beautiful Jewelry! Happy V-day :)

Hey everyone!

Allurez is having a Valentine's day Sale of up to 55% off select items at the store.



Allurez is an online jewelry store, which sells high quality jewelry, engagement rings, diamond jewelry, and other beautiful accessories. It's definitely worth checking out. :)

This is a great time to buy gifts for your loved ones and ensure they arrive just in time for Valentine's day.

Click here for the Holiday Sale at Allurez.com! Enjoy up to 55% OFF on all Loose Diamonds & Fine Jewelry!

Take a look at some of my favorite pieces from the store (click on the images to see more information about each product):







Happy Upcoming Valentine's day; it's only 2 weeks away!

Aviva :)

Stila Lip Glaze Set: Review

The following is a review of Stila Lip Glazes submitted by model Augustine York
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Most of the things I want for gifts are sexy lingerie and other really inappropriate items, so when my someday-mother-in-law asked me what I wanted for Christmas I had to scramble together a small list of things from Sephora. On Christmas day I found underneath my tree the Stila Lip Glaze Set.

The set contains eight lip glaze shades (Kitten, Guava, Grapefruit, Apricot, Seashell, Blush, Majesty, and Merry Merry) in "travel size" .05oz containers and is priced at $25—a steal considering that a buying one individual lip glaze will cost you $22 (though to be fair, the individual tubes are full size at .08oz). So this set is more of a sample, see-what-you-like-best thing, which is perfect for me as a model because I don't wear them every day—just on shoots—so I like having a range of shades to use.

The lip glazes each come in a tube with a brush attached, and they have a click/turn method of getting the product out which I'm not a huge fan of. It took a really long time turning the base of the applicator before any glaze came out, and when it finally did, it spurted out too much at once and I ended up with a little extra. Not ideal since there isn't a lot of product to begin with, but a little goes a long way with this lip glaze, so it's not a deal breaker for me given the low price of the set.

The smell and taste of the gloss is amazing—very fruity but not sickly sweet like some drugstore glosses. I think the term mouthwatering is appropriate. They look good too: I tried out a vibrant red "Merry Merry"—which is an exclusive holiday color—and was surprised at how much pigment was in it. It is certainly a step above drugstore lip gloss that claims to have color but is just lightly tinted. Application was easy: it slides right onto your lips in all its shiny, delicious goodness.

Overall, this set is a good value, but it's important to note that while Sephora is still selling this particular kit for $25, you can also buy a seven piece kit directly from Stila for $19.99 - you'll save $5 and still get a good range of shades. While I do like the set, I can't bring myself to pay full price for one individual glaze; so if you're looking for an introduction to Stila's products or just want a little diversity in your make-up kit, get this set and go to town with it!
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You can also check out Augustine's blog by clicking HERE.
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I would like to thank Augustine for the review and I wish her all the best!!
We hope that you found this review helpful and that you will come back for more!

Aviva :)

8 Tips To Keeping Your Body Healthy

This is a guest post by Toni Falcone of Lean Fit Body.


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For most people, starting a daily fitness routine is somewhat hard to do. For some people, it can never be the top priority because something will always come up that needs your immediate attention like your work. For others, work always comes first, setting aside the health activities, which should not be the case.


Yes, most people do plan to engage in fitness activities, but they never get to the point of making their plans a reality.
Goals must be set and acted upon in order for you to achieve your plans. Your goals must be realistic enough to minimize pressure and ensure achievement. It will guide you through the achievement of your desire to have a healthy body.

These tips will help you stay on the right track of keeping your body healthy:

1. Follow a healthy nutrition and a well balanced diet:According to health experts, healthy foods and nutrients fuel up your body to function properly.You need a healthy balanced diet to keep up with your daily nutritional requirements.


2. Get enough rest:Get enough uninterrupted sleep with an average of 6-8 hours. Your body needs rest to fuel up and restore your energy. Sleep will also help boost your immune system and give your nervous system enough time to heal.


3. Be present:Thinking about several things at the same time compromises your mental health. Worrying about other things will just keep you distracted and give you stress. You must concentrate on and enjoy what you are doing now.


4. Exercise:It is vital to exercise at least 30 minutes per day. It improves your body's circulation, helps relieve stress, and keeps you fit by burning excess fat and expending excessive calories. Aside from physical exercises, you can also do mental exercises, like meditation, to help keep your mind relaxed and at ease.


5. Keep yourself surrounded with good support system:Your family and friends are important to motivate, inspire and support you in your endeavor. With their support, encouragement and appreciation, you will be motivated to pursue your fitness goals.


6. Laugh:As the common saying goes, “laughter is the best medicine.” Laughing helps keep you young and healthy. Laugh at your problems and do not think too much about them.


7. Think positively:Do not listen to discouragements because it will just pull your hopes down. It is normal for some people to try to pull you down. Always think about the good things and never forget your goals.


8. Learn to handle your emotions:It is normal for people to have problems. Your best defense against worry and other negative emotions is an effective coping mechanism. If you healthily cope with your stresses, you will have a stable mental health.


Now you are all set to formulate your own health and fitness plan. Determine your goals and follow these tips for a healthier and longer life. It does not only help you in keeping your body healthy but your mind as well.

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This wraps up Toni's 8 Tips to Keeping Your Body Healthy. We hope that these tips will help you reach your fitness goals. For more information, please visit Toni's website, http://www.leanfitbody.com/


We hope you enjoyed this article, and come back for more!

Aviva

Harrison Ford: Imperfect Hero...Reflection and review

A couple of days ago, I finished reading the biography of one of the most successful film actors in Hollywood, Harrison Ford. The book was written by Garry Jenkins, an entertainment journalist, who worked very hard to research everything about the actor. Garry Jenkins conducted hundreds of interviews with Harrison's colleagues, friends, and family. He went above and beyond in describing Harrison's tough road to success.

I believe that this is a must-read for anyone who would like to pursue acting because this book describes Harrison's reality as an actor before he was famous. He went from being rejected by his peers at school, to broke actor who couldn't get representation to one of Hollywood's biggest A-Lister's who ever lived.

His movies have sold more tickets and made more money than any other actor in movie history.

Harrison's road to success was the farthest thing from easy, and people would be foolish to believe that acting is an easy road to fame and money.

A few lessons that I would like to take away from reading this book that can benefit aspiring actors are:
~It takes years to prove to someone that you are worthy of being renowned for your acting. It takes VERY hard work and dedication to succeed in the movie/show business, including facing one rejection after another and still having the courage to continue to audition while perfecting your craft.

~You must want to act because you LOVE acting, and not because you want fame and money. VERY few actors, unless they are very lucky, ever get A-list status, or even make enough to live on. When Harrison first started pursuing acting, he was broke, rejected and struggled to find enough money to pay mortgage and feed his family.

~Sometimes you have to be picky with what projects you choose to take part in. For example, when Harrison was starting out, although broke and out of work, he did not take part in projects that could undermine his reputation as someone who is serious. He did not take part in commercial acting, although it paid good money, because he believed that doing so would prevent the serious movie people from taking him seriously.

~The completed project that you think will fail might end up being a hit with the public.

~Those who are worthy of fame are usually the ones who do not want the fame/media attention. In the book, he said that "being normal is kind of a victory". The only time he wanted to be covered by the press was when he had a movie to sell, but not any other time.

~You should only contribute to charities because you genuinely care and want to help. Although Harrison Ford donated millions of dollars to worthy causes, he did NOT use his philanthropy as a publicity stunt. In fact, he kept quiet about it.

If you would like your own copy of Harrison Ford: Imperfect Hero, you can purchase it HERE

Some quotes from the book that I liked:
"My job is not to show you that the character and I have something in common. My job is to show you that you and the character-even one who may seem a little crazy-have something in common"-Harrison Ford to American critic Gene Siskel (pg. 250).

"He is very strong; he has a lot of determination and doesn't quit"-Steinfeld said [about Harrison Ford] (pg. 264).

"The only reasonable place to be a movie star is on the set where you can use it to control your own destiny, and that's its only use"-Harrison Ford(pg. 316)

Of course, there are many, many more, but I won't completely ruin the book for you.


Happy Reading!
~Aviva

L'Oreal Paris Natural Match Hair Colour Review

If you are considering colouring your hair, I hope that this review will be useful for you.

A few days ago, I went dark (photos of the new hair coming soon) because a recent catalogue shoot called for a darker colour. My hair was blonde before.

Since I have never coloured my own hair (I went to salons) before, I was not sure how my dye job was going to turn out. I was a little worried that I was going to miss strands of blonde hair and that the colour will somehow be off. A bad dye job does not look good, and women should not have to deal with it. If you've had a bad dye job, you know exactly what that's like, and it's not fun.

So, I went to Shopper's Drug Mart, and the lady at the counter recommended me L'Oreal Natural Match, Medium Brown, 5N Natural. Let's just say, it was a wise choice for me to ask her for a recommendation because that colour WORKS. Not only did it cover every strand of blonde hair that I had, but also it was very easy to apply (even for a newbie, like myself). I would highly recommend it to anyone who is considering colouring their hair.

The instruction that came in the box were super easy to follow. After this experience with L'Oreal Natural Match, I will certainly try their other colours when asked to colour my hair a different colour. You can buy theL'Oreal Natural Match on Amazon for about 1/3 of what I paid for it (which is still about 1/10th of what you'd pay at a salon).



Image found on the Internet, but it's the same box that I have.

What colour would you like to dye your hair (name your favorite products)?
~Aviva

Interview with Los Angeles Casting Director Danielle Eskinazi

Danielle Eskinazi has been in the film industry for over 20 years. Throughout her career, she has worked with Hank Azaria and Milla Jovovich, David Bowie, Woody Harrelson, Buck Henry and Rosanna Arquette, among many others.

She is an award-winning casting director who is able to spot talent from afar.
Danielle was nominated for the Talent Managers Association prestigious Seymour Heller Award for Best Commercial Casting Director of 2009, and was a runner up twice for Favorite Commerical Casting Director in BackStageWest

AVIVA: You have been in the film industry since 1988, what do you feel has been your favorite part of your career?
DANIELLE ESKINAZI: My favorite part of my career? Has been the industry in itself, it's ever changing business and nothing remains the same-that's what makes it so exciting... New products pop up all the time. About 7 years ago it was all about .coms and now it's a lot of Internet and webisodes which can be very creative if done right. I just cast a car webisode/commercial with Justin Timberlake that was so creative for me.

AVIVA: What inspired and motivated you to become involved with films?
DE: I have always wanted to cast films and commercials ever since I could remember. I love the quick turnaround of casting. We get a project on a Monday, by Friday we are in callbacks and the week after it's shot and out on TV. It's quick and the results are right there in front of you. I love instant gratification.

AVIVA:If you weren't a casting director, what else do you see yourself doing? (other passions, interests)
DE:I would love to direct/I tried my hand in directing a video for a Band called Kid Moxie a French Video called "Ma Romance D'hiver" (my winter Romance) we did it on a $500 budget and it was an awesome experience for me. The song was featured on the "L word". I also directed a short called "Atmosphere", a comedy about glorified extras. So directing is something I may pursue when the time is right.

AVIVA: What do you believe has been your greatest accomplishment in your career?
DE:The greatest accomplishment is an on going thing for me. I mean I can look back now and see how I created this life for myself but to look in the future and see what more I can do is more exciting for me.
I mean I put Milla Jovovich in her first film when she was 12 in a film called "A night Train to Kathmandu" and also found Hank Azaria and cast him in a film called "Deep Blue" with Woody Harrelson. I could say that was pretty cool but my best accomplishment is yet to come.

AVIVA: What is one piece of advice that you would give to an aspiring actor/actress?
DE: Stay focused, don't let yourself esteem get lost in a sea of rejections, get into workshops, never stop learning, be passionate, and it will happen. Acting is a 9 to 5 job, 8 days a week. Don't leave it all up to your agents. Do your homework and network.

AVIVA:Could you tell me more about your new website, ACTVICE?
DE: www.actvice.com came to me when I was on Twitter. I would do Q&A's 2 or 3 times a week to help actors have a more accessible reach to a casting director, but I realized I could only give them 140 characters back when they would ask me a question which required a much longer answer. So I came up with actvice-it's a site for an actor to go to if they have an audition for a scene for an agent, manager, or a film where they can upload their scene and I would give back critiques. I also included if an actor has a reel and needs a cd's eye to help them edit it down to the most important scene to show off themselves. We just added a link for 8x10's as well.
Actors seem to love it and it has been very successful.

AVIVA:Do you have any funny/crazy/exciting casting story that you would like to share?
DE: Well, I was casting a film once and I was reading. An actor came to my office, the scene was about a thug and his victim, well the actor pulled out a gun and pointed it right at my head I was speechless..I freaked. After the scene, he said it was a fake gun and I politely asked him to leave my office and told him to NEVER do that again. Not a good move for an actor in this day in age. I called his agent and I'm sure they gave him a tongue lashing because he came back to my office with flowers.

AVIVA: What are some of your upcoming projects that we should be on the lookout for?
DE: I just did a Reliant commercial, Nokia commercial, playstation and, skittles and Capri Sun amongst others.

AVIVA:Do you have any additional comments?
DE: I would just tell actors to stay true to themselves keep motivated and don't lose yourself in the process.
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I would like to thank Danielle for this interview. I wish her all the best in every project that she takes on.

You can check out Danielle's website, twitter, as well as Actvice.

Cheers,
Aviva