The truth about tanning

When I was in Florida two weeks ago, I was embarrassed by my white legs. I usually use a self-tanner (since my legs no longer tan naturally) but hadn't yet taken the time to do it this spring. My friend Debby said I just needed to think about the issue differently. She suggested I tell myself that "white legs are pretty and they're healthy." I tried it and it worked! At least I wasn't embarrassed anymore. (But I have been using a self-tanning moisturizer since - I recommend the Jergens brand.)


This is a copy of an article in the most recent issue of a friend's e-newsletter. Louise Kahle is a professional image consultant and publishes a monthly newsletter that she sends out via e-mail. I have her permission to share it with you.


This is a thoroughly researched and well-written article that I hope everyone will read and seriously consider. Thanks, Louise.

IT'S OFFICIAL: TANNING IS OVER

The Skin Cancer Foundation, www.skincancer.org, recently polled several beauty editors for their take on this dangerous (and finally fading) fad, and, according to Lois Johnson of More magazine, "Tanning as a life priority is over."

Instead, beauty editors like Johnson are urging women to "go with your own glow" by celebrating their natural skin tones and avoiding tanning.

Some people still think it is fairly safe to use tanning beds. Unfortunately, ultraviolet radiation, which causes skin to tan and burn, is a proven human carcinogen, and high pressure sunlamps used at tanning salons can emit doses of UVR up to 12 times that of the sun.


People who use tanning beds before age 35 increase their risk for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, by 75 percent. Tanning bed users are also 2.5 times more likely to develop squamous cell carcinoma and 1.5 times more likely to develop basal cell carcinoma. Both of these skin cancers can be disfiguring and, in rare cases, fatal if untreated.


The tanning industry is launching a campaign to try to convince people that it is safe. Show them that you know better and stay away!

I refuse to participate in a recession.

I recently returned from the annual National BNI conference in Orlando, FL. My primary goal was to suck information from other people's brains to help me be a better Assistant Director. (For those of you unfamiliar with BNI, please visit bni-ohio.com or bni.com.)

At registration, everyone was given a badge that said "I refuse to participate in a recession." Our opening address was by BNI Founder and Chairman, Dr. Ivan Misner, a charismatic and powerful speaker. He talked at length about the impact that one's attitude about one's business and the recession has on that individual and encouraged all to avoid that thinking at all costs.

It really gave me a lot to think about. Everyone always thinks that my business is recession-proof - that because I deal in resale that my business should be great. But buying clothing, new or not, isn't usually a necessity. People aren't running around naked. And between buying gasoline, food and other necessities, clothing and accessories are way down on the list of priorities.

So that makes me have to work harder to sell the same amount as I did before. It means I have to work harder and smarter. It's not always easy to figure out how to do that. I still have all my expenses and, of course, I have to buy gas and food, too.

But I now understand that sitting back and whining and blaming everything on the recession is a cop-out and I'm not going to do it anymore. I refuse to participate in a recession.

How about you?

The facts on "fakes"

Friends and acquaintances have quit inviting me to 'purse parties.' I thank them. I went to one a couple of years ago and only bought a pair of $30 fake Chanel sunglasses that broke within two weeks. (Thus, a major difference between the real designer goods and the knockoff goods is that the latter lack quality.) But I couldn't believe the prices of the fake designer purses !! I go wholesale shopping in Chicago several times a year and the fakes are so cheap there. Talk about a ripoff.

But the price is not why I don't buy fakes. I don't buy fakes because it's illegal. It's illegal to sell them (even if they're clearly marketed as not being authentic) and it's illegal to own them. People often don't believe me when I tell them that, but do your own online search or visit narts.org/shopping/fakes.htm and see for yourself. This website has tons of links to other sites that you can explore.

Yes, there's a store here in Toledo that almost daily has an ad in the paper announcing "designer look-a-likes" for sale. Don't ask me why the paper continues to publish the ads. And don't ask me why the practice continues although rumor has it they're more careful after getting in trouble several years ago.

I love (or used to) authentic Louis Vuitton handbags. But I'll never carry one because they're so many fakes out there. So whenever I see someone carrying one, my first thought is, "It's probably a fake."

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this, but check out the facts online if you don't believe me.

It's about time, hey?

Some of my good friends have been asking me to write a blog post. Everybody is busy, but since I last posted, I have: worked 39 days in the store, attended 6 business meetings (not including BNI) and 1 networking mixer, attended 11 BNI meetings and made a presentation at 5 of them, attended or taught 11 hours of BNI training, organized one and went on two out-of-town resale bus trips to Cincinnati, attended a 3-day BNI conference in Orlando, spent 6 days in Washington with the cutest 2-year-old in the world, set up two fashion shows and conducted one, attended two fund-raisers and volunteered for one of them, attended another library Author!Author! talk, held a two-day fund-raiser at the store, organized and conducted an outdoor sale at the store, spent a weekend in Dayton for a family funeral, and attended 6 Mud Hens games and 3 Little League baseball games.

But I am not complaining - I wouldn't have done anything differently. I love my life and am easily bored. I've also been able to spend time with good friends and eat at our friends' restaurant an average of twice a week. And I've
completed two online crossword puzzles a day and
played a few hundred games of Scrabble.


And believe it or not - I consider myself lazy! I really do. If I have no evening plans, when I come home from the store, I do nothing - my husband cooks dinner or we carry in or eat out; I check e-mail; I put my PJ's on as soon as it's dark; and I vegetate in front of the TV (I love reality shows) and read in bed.

But cooking, laundering and cleaning? Not in my schedule. Is my house a mess? Yes. Do I have a huge mound of dirty clothes? Yes. (One of the advantages of having so many clothes.) Do I feel guilty? No way. I'm not proud of this - it just is what it is. I know women who spend most of their free time doing these chores and they seem pretty miserable to me.

Ok - I've aired my dirty laundry (really, no pun intended). Why don't you share some of your 'dirt' here? I sure can commiserate with you.

I guess I just haven't had anything to share lately. ;)