Valentine's Day Gifts For Her

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Guys, I'm here to help. I told all my gals what you REALLY want for Valentine's Day. Now, it's your turn to step up to the plate.

I'm the aberration: I think this is a lame holiday. Maybe it's because I was never much of a dater. I was always too busy working to date much. But for 75% of the women out there, Valentine's Day and its gifts are a big deal.

I have had girlfriends complain about getting Tom Thumb carnations, cheap jewelry and bad dinners. If you focus on these categories when it comes gifts, you will likely have the best Valentine's Day ever.

Purses & Jewelry

Purses and jewelry are great gifts. Most women go crazy over a new purse. They go even crazier over a designer one. Think Louis Vuitton, Prada, Gucci, Tory Burch (a relatively affordable designer brand). You can't go wrong.

TIP: if you're at the point in your relationship where that engagement ring might be expected, go with a purse. She'll be heartbroken if you give her some earrings and she was expecting an engagement ring. That's happened to three of my girls.

If you're married, get some bling. Designer stuff is better. She can get the cheap stuff for herself. A simple Kendra Scott necklace is a nice touch. A Cartier Love Bracelet? Amazeballs. Anything in between, ranging from David Yurman to Lagos or gorjana, would be awesome.

Nice Flowers

Women really do love flowers. Don't go the cheap grocery store carnation route. Get some nice flowers. In Tom Thumb's defense they have lovely bouquets. The thing is you will probably have to order them in advance because most guys who wait until Valentine's Day are stuck with those cheap carnations.

If she is a girlie-girl, you can get the bouquet of roses (Gilt City is running a special HERE). If she kills weeds or has a more sophisticated eye, a gorgeous orchid bouquet will knock her socks off. Bonus? Orchids last forever.

Good Champagne and Chocolate

I am not an advocate of dining out on Valentine's Day (AKA Amateur Night). Restaurant menus are usually dumbed down to appeal to the folks who dine out only a few times a year. Get creative and cook dinner or order something. Buy some good champagne (Ruinart, Moët & Chandon or Veuve Cliquot are all wonderful) and chocolate or chocolate covered strawberries (Gilt City has a deal on them HERE) to end the night. My favorite Valentine's Day memory involved a bottle of Krug and chocolate covered strawberries.

Have Fun

Don't be afraid to have some fun with your gift. If she's not into the holiday, like me, this cute pajama set or something else that will make her laugh is perfect.

What Are Your Plans?

Thinking about something for Valentine's Day? Don't be afraid to share your plans in the comments section.

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What He Really Wants For Valentine's Day

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I have worked with men my whole life. I am more comfortable having cocktails with a group of guys than I am with a group of girls. They tell me things they don't tell their girlfriends or their wives.

Girl, I'm here to tell you:

He doesn't want a tie or cologne for Valentine's Day. 
He wants your booty.

He's buying some cute trinket or purse for you. All he wants for February 14th is some V-Day action. Sorry. 99.8% of the men I know complain about the lack of booty. So to make your man's Valentine's Day, or any day for that matter, give it up. Give something up.

Now that we have that out of the way, these are fun gifts he might actually like. Again, this is from years of mingling with guys who complain about the lame gifts (most of them) and brag about the cool gifts (rare) the women in their lives give them.

Do you celebrate the Hallmark holiday? Personally, we stay in on Valentine's Day. It, like New Year's Eve, is another amateur night when people who never go out venture out for dinner at restaurants that dumb down their menus to feed the masses. Man, I sound old and bitter.

What are you Valentine's Day plans?

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SkinPen Review: Dynamic Results With Little Downtime

Press play for a sneak peak of my SkinPen facial at Luxury on Lovers

If you're anything like me, you're over wasting money on beauty treatments and products that don't work. I am at the point where I'm willing to spend a bit more to get results from a treatment versus some bargain procedure that doesn't really do anything. That's why I am always on the lookout for beauty innovations that work. Friends, the SkinPen facial does the job.

RELATED: DermaPlane Review: A Simple Way to Get Glowing Skin with No Downtime

What Is The SkinPen?
The SkinPen is a micro-needling device, created by Dallas-based Bellus Medical, featuring 12 tiny surgical-grade needles that produces microscopic punctures in your skin. That, in turn, stimulates the production of collagen and elastin which give you a more youthful appearance. There are no lasers or heat involved. It mimics what a fractional laser does but with little downtime.

"(There is) no risk of burning, hypo or hyper-pigmenting the skin," says Lisa Cobb, owner of Luxury on Lovers, a leader in the SkinPen treatment.  "We can do it any time of year. Sun exposure should be limited for a week or so after but one does not have the risk of photo-sensitivity like with lasers."

Interested other beauty gamechangers? Read my photofacial review, DermaPlane facial review find out about 10 instant beauty treatments that work.

The Nike Training Club App Review: A Butt-Kicking Virtual Trainer

The Nike Training Club App is the nuts. It's a booty kick and personal trainer all rolled into one downloadable package of workout brilliance.

A hair dresser introduced me to it when she told me she simply exercised at home. She had a phenomenal figure and was around 40. I took her advice and downloaded the app with extremely low expectations. 

It blew me away, literally and figuratively.

Is This The Week New Year's Resolutions Die?

The third week of January is critical when it comes to New Year's resolutions. It is the week most of them die, according to the Wall Street Journal. Gym attendance declines, that commitment to eat better weakens, you know the routine.

The thing is, three weeks is barely enough time to give a resolution a chance to stick. A 2009 study by University College London found it takes about 66 days to develop a habit (Tweet this).

How can you stay committed to reaching your 2015 goals? 

• Stay Focused. Being focused on a goal can help you reach it. How do you do that? Read blogs, websites, magazines and news articles about the particular area in which you're interesting in improving. Want to get in better shape? Read Shape or Women's Health. Want to cook healthier meals? Make Eating Well part of your regular reading. Shameless plug: sign up for The Real Skinny, a digest of diet and fitness tips for the real world, like this one. Or check out my blog every Monday for News To Help You Have A Healthier Week. Reading about it, helps you think about it and keep those goals present in your mind. 
• Write It Down. Research repeatedly shows that writing down your goals helps you reach them. Failing to write your goals means you will forget them or won't focus on them. Put them somewhere you will see them every day. Here's a 2015 goals worksheet.
• Be Specific. Don't be vague in your goals. For example: "I will wake up by 6am five days a week" is one of my goals for 2015. That's a better and more specific goal than "I will wake up earlier this year".  In fact, according to experts, being specific about when, where and how you will take action can set you up for success. 
• Be Realistic. You probably won't lose 25 pounds in one month. Five pounds? That's doable. Don't set goals that are completely unattainable. Take it a step further and create that specific action plan (see above) for you to achieve this. 

So if you do abandon your 2015 goals this week. Don't stress it. You can always start again next week.

How You Doin'?
How are you doing with your 2015 goals? Are they too tough to attain or are you rolling along? Please share in the comments section.

Me? I am struggling with the wake up at 6am thing. I am getting up about 6:30am which is at least a step in the right direction.

News To Help You Have A Healthier Week

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I hope you had a great weekend. Full disclosure: I have been dieting like a mad bitch for a photo shoot today. The nice thing about the diet (which I will detail in an upcoming post) is that I really haven't craved anything. I have been a bit of recluse, though, and avoided going out to dinner all week. I am a night eater and didn't want to be tempted.

Here are a few things that caught my eye. Hope they help you have a healthier week!

Fasting 12 hours a day can help you lose weight. I try to do this most days of the week (think 5) and it is so much easier than you would think. Eat dinner before 7pm, have breakfast after 7am. That tends to be the most manageable window in the real world. If you need to eat a bit later, try to do it before 8pm and eat your breakfast after 8am.

Writer Andy Leeks tried 10 different diets in 50 days and lost 25 pounds. He lost the most weight on the 5:2 Diet and the Special K Diet.

Dr. Oz has a new diet plan: the Total 10 Rapid Weight Loss Plan. On it you ditch coffee for hot lemon water (the bitterness of the lemon stimulates bile flow which helps emulsify and remove fat-soluble toxins, according to Dr. Oz - Tweet this), eat protein in the morning (smart!) and two healthy snacks a day are allowed (think kale chips, lentils and almond butter quinoa balls).

Need more motivation to exercise? A sedentary lifestyle can be twice as deadly as being obese, according to a new study. 

Still not moving most days of the week. Here are three ways to find your exercise sweet spot.

Get The Real Skinny 
Looking for more diet and fitness news? Sign up for The Real Skinny. It's my email newsletter featuring diet and fitness tips for the real world, like this one.

Barrington Gifts St. Anne Tote: A Golden Globe Swag Bag Darling

St. Anne Tote Swag Bag Assembly

North Texas will be well-represented at the Golden Globes this Sunday night. Dallas-based Barrington Gifts' St. Anne Tote is THE swag bag for Golden Globe nominees. According to Barrington Gifts, they were delivered into the private hotel rooms of nominees on Friday.

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The likes of Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (I LOVE her...Veep is my favorite show), Emily Blunt, Helen Mirren, Viola Davis, Mark Ruffalo received the bag in various patterns: Checkerboard, Navajo Mesa, Glen Plaid, Black Watch Plaid, Reptile and Axis.

Best actress nominee Reese Witherspoon is the only celebrity gifted with the tote in the French Stripe pattern. It's personalized with her initials, LRW. That's the cool thing about Barrington's products: you can get virtually anything debossed with your initials.

I first met the Barrington Gifts team when I discovered their gameday line (click HERE to learn more about it), which allows you customize any of their bags in your alma mater's favorite colors. It's brilliant. They also have a slew of goodies for guys and great corporate gifts.

Get Your Own Golden Globes Bag
Barrington's St. Anne Tote may become a new celebrity favorite but it has an incredibly real world price. It's only $145. You order it online and get your initials on it for an additional $5.

Buy Barrington Gifts St. Anne Tote Bag