Between worrying about whether my Tupperware container can be microwaved or my plastic water bottle contains BPA, it’s a miracle I have any time to eat at all.  (!)  With all of this concern about containers, I recently turned my attention to skin care containers, wondering if they could potentially be harmful as well.  While there are no likely estrogenic or carcinogenic effects from any of the containers I reviewed (whew!), there were a few other concerns I had, such as: 1.) You might have fecal matter bacteria in your makeup. If... read more

Happy Holidays, Everyone! In lieu of a few challenges and other commitments recently, I’ve decided to take a breather and return to blogging fresh for the new year on January 01, 2012. Please feel free to submit any questions or ideas for posts you may have to me at nicki[at]futurederm[dot]com, or use our Comment form. Happy Holidays! read more

So I’m SUPER excited to announce that I’ve teamed up with 18 fellow awesome beauty bloggers to giveaway a free $500 Sephora gift card to one lucky reader! How to Enter To enter, wait for the Rafflecopter widget to load below. You’re more than welcome to leave comments, but they will not earn entries into the contest. Each action in the Rafflecopter widget (below) earns you another entry. Actions will only be counted one time – even if you click on the widgets on the other participating blogs. You may tweet once per day – just... read more

As a follow-up to the popular How to Lose Weight: 6 Methods You Haven’t Tried post, I started looking for even more unusual ways to lose weight. Granted, these are all small changes, but each have one thing in common: They will make you more cognizant of when and what you are eating, and heightened awareness means weight loss. Here are five unusual methods I’ve found: 1. Make mashed cauliflower instead of mashed potatoes. Although skinned potatoes only have 57 calories per cup, cauliflower has just 28 (CalorieCount.com). Still,... read more

  I went through my first twenty-five years completely ignoring my inner voice. I imagine this is pretty common – most of us have a group of friends or a certain special person growing up whose feelings about us we care about more than our own. I often felt as though I needed to live up to “Everybody’s” standards and expectations of me. Only after I nearly lost everything at age 24, I realized my perception of “Everybody” was merely that – a perception. I started to question my idea of... read more

The bad news:  No daily giveaways were posted for the past 3 days! The good news:  We get to play catch up now!  So four winners will be selected on Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 11:59 EST to win a two-pack of Mederma: Skin Care for Scars! Just answer today’s question to be entered to win:  When do you feel most beautiful?   I feel most beautiful after I’ve worked out, showered, and have gotten ready to go out!  I always feel like I have an extra glow after a great workout.  What about... read more

Greek Gods loved to drink sweet nectar.  If the modern rumors about resveratrol are true, then surely resveratrol must have been the secret ingredient in their sweet juice, granting everything from cellular life extension to the eradication of cancer cells. Resveratrol (3,5,4′-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a phytoalexin, a compound plants like grapes, berries, and peanuts produce naturally when under attack.  Though two distinct forms exist, cis-resveratrol and trans-resveratrol, the trans-formation has been found to be more stable... read more