To All My Readers + Weekend Reads 31-11-2011

   Aaand its the end of 2011! Hope you had a great one and if not, next year is a new year! For me 2011 was a year of learning and healing. I dealt with old health and emotional issues, and feel strong and able to take on the new year. There is something so fresh and exciting about another year starting -- I can't wait !

   Before I give you the links to waste your weekend on, I want to thank all of you. For reading, for commenting and sharing. For all the lovely emails that still make my heart beat faster. Thanks a lot !!!!


   Now without further ado, go read these:

* Life: How to Stay Motivated When You Aren't In Your Dream Job

* Hilar: An Open Letter to People With No One to Kiss on New Year’s Eve had me in stitches.

* Skills: Learn Wine Etiquette for ultimate sophistication, and you might also want to know How to Pose for Photographs.

* Beauty: Looking for a hair care routine for the coming year? The Beauty Department has several for different hair types

* New Year:  Making resolutions and creating a 2012 Resolution Action Plan is smart, solid advice.


      Have a great New Years Eve!

   PS don't forget to enter the giveway!

How To Drink Yeast For Hair Growth And Stronger Nails

   Intrigued by Anwen's hair growth experiment? Today I will tell you how to drink yeast for strong nails and hair that grows at light speed.

   Basically there are two things to it: the yeast must be "killed" by pouring boiling water over it, so that it doesn't continue to ferment inside us. And it must be made palatable, unless you happen to like the taste.

Which yeast to buy?

    There should be fresh yeast in every supermarket, usually in near the dairy section. You're looking for baking yeast, the kind that comes in little cubes. I suggest getting an organic brand if you can find it. Of course yeast supplements are available as well, but I firmly believe that the less processed it is, the more easily it will be absorbed by the body.

Now, to make it edible:

     Some people love the taste of yeast, and drink it just after pouring boiling water over them. Others can't stand the taste and need to disguise it. There are two approaches: sweet and savoury.
For the sweet method: add one or more of these to the yeast + boiling water: milk, honey (only to cooled water / milk), cocoa, cappuccino, mashed fruit, fruit jelly or any combination of these. The savoury method means: boiling water + vegetable stock / soup from a sachet.
You can even add yeast to your oats, muesli or whatever it is that you eat for breakfast. Basically you can be as creative as you like -- any way that you can eat them is the right way! If you have invented a delicious way to eat them, do share in the comments!

Dosage:

    You can eat 1/4th to 1/3rd of a cube, that's 25g to 33g every day. Store the rest in the fridge, and remember that it's very perishable! As with all supplements, it's a good idea to take breaks: after one month of yeast take a break of one to two months.


    So, who will be drinking yeast starting tomorrow? Or maybe you have taken yeast in the past? Know of any good ways to make them taste good?

Giveway! Giveway!

Hey everyone,

  The lovely Megan of Charadestyle.com has a special treat for you!

    In Megan's words it's "a course is stuffed to the brim with practical, actionable, inspiring steps to imagining and crafting some heartfelt happiness." Can't think of any better way of starting 2012! 

The course includes: 

• 10 days and 40-pages worth of inspirational articles and proactive exercises
• A 15-page workbook in which to write your exercises and track your progress
• A list of ‘Recommended Reading’ to further your quest for happiness
• 8 Ways to Be Happy NOW
• 20 extra Happiness Quotes that didn’t make it into the course itself
• A unique, 10-point ‘Happiness Formula’ to take away
• Plus whipped cream, and sprinkles! (Loosely translated as: loads more good stuff!)

 Here are some more delightful details about the Ambitious Happiness eCourse.


   Megan is giving away a free copy of the Ambitious Happiness eCourse to one of you! Hurry, you have until Dec 31st, midnight to enter!

How to enter:

• Mandatory: Like Venusian*Glow on Facebook and leave a comment to this post telling me you did. Easy! If you already liked it, just comment saying so!
• Extra entry: Tweet this giveway and leave a second comment saying you did! You can use this template:
   #Giveway Ambitious Happiness eCourse http://goo.gl/UNwq5

Rules:

• Giveway is open worldwide
• Winner will be notified via Facebook
• Winner will be picked on 12 August 2012
• Winner will be chosen via Random.org

So watcha waiting for, enter and keep your fingers crossed!

Yellow Almonds: Beauty Food On The Go

   This ad in some random magazine I picked up in turkey caught my attention. Mainly because I love almonds and they are my favourite on-the-go healthy snack. (They are the only kind of nut that I can digest without problems.) But also I totally dig the colour-coordinated stuff this chick seems to own. And that key-chain is adorable. Not sure how I'd pull of this look though, as I own several handbags in assorted colours: should I have key-rings and sun shades in each of those colours or what? I think I'll just stick to carrying my almonds around in a cute box.

Drinking Yeast Quickens Hair Growth And Strengthens Nails

   A while back Anwena of the beautiful hair did a yeast-drinking experiment on her blog to test whether yeast really does make the hair grow faster (spoiler: yes it does, and has great side-effects too). She and her readers drank yeast for one month and reported back with the results. All of the 24 girls carefully measured the length on one strand of hair, and made 'before' photos.

Here are the results:

Hair:

* The average hair growth reported was 2,5cm (in one month!). To compare, normal hair growth is approximately 1cm per month.
* Baby hair: many girls reported "new" hair
* Hair fall: slight improvement -- only 8 girls noticed less hair falling out.
* Hair looks better: stronger and shinier. Less oiliness on the scalp.

Skin:

* Blemishes: most girls experienced skin detox that lasted from two days to even longer than two weeks.
* Better skin: Ten of the girls noticed that their skin visibly improved after the detox phase ended, others (8) didn't notice any improvement or felt their skin got worse. Girls that had the best results were ones with oily skin.

Other effects:

* Longer eyelashes were reported by some girls!
* Nails got stronger. More than half of the girls reported that their nails got harder and stopped splitting. Apparently minerals and vitamins go to all other parts of the body before they get to the nails, and they get to the hair at the very end.
* Yeast curbs sugar cravings. I personally noticed this too!

   The girls above drank yeast for only one month, this is quite a short time. It is possible that after several months more they would get different results. The effects / lack of them depend very much on the hair and skin type, and on dietary habits. If you lack the nutrients that yeast provide you might notice much more improvement than someone who is eating extremely healthy.

 Intrigued? Here are the instructions on how to drink yeast.




     Have you every tried taking yeast as a supplement? What results did you notice?

Christmas Wishes + Weekend Reads 24-12-2011

  Loving Christmas wishes, dear readers! Have a great time, whether you are spending it with all of your extended family or by your own sweet self.

   And, in case you still have the time to be online, the weekly dose of lovely links:

* Hilarious: I'm a half-Jew celebrating Christmas. Am I doing this right? (click on pic)

* DIY: On making moisturising oil blends

* Beauty: Vegan Beauty reviews of vegan beauty products

* Style: Secrets of French Girls by Ellen Wallace

* Skill: How to…Pose in Your Wedding Photographs (not just for brides)

* You: How To Increase Your Attention Span (Or At Least Stop Refreshing Facebook Every 3 Minutes)

Making My Own Conditioner

        Several of you asked about how I make my own conditioner. I use base products from a popular German DIY-cosmetics shop called Hobbythek. They sell the ingredients and have books with recipes. Here is the one I use:


There is a conditioner base, and to that you add extras depending on the hair type.

Base:

Water (distilled)
Chitin
Lactic acid
Haarguar HT (Hydroxypropyl Guar, Hydroxypropyldrimonium Chloride)
Haarsoft (Coco Glycoside and Glyceryl Oleate)
Cetyl Alcohol (I skip this now)
Biokon (conservant)

Now, to this base you add the fancy stuff. It goes like this:

Normal hair: plant-based oil, silk protein, D-panthenol
Fine, thin hair: plant oil, silk protein, D-panthenol, Vithaar (= Aqua, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Oryza Sativa Extract, Phenethyl Alcohol, Proline, Alanine, Serine, Citric Acid, Biotin )
Dry, split hair: plant oil, Nuratin P (= Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Hydrolyzed Wheat Gluten), silk protein, Elastinpulver P (= Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein), D-Panthenol
Very dry, or negroidal hair: plant oil, Fluidlecithin CM (= Glycine Soja, Lecithin, Tocopherol), silk protein, D-Panthenol

    Since I skip the fatty phase, all I have to do is mix the ingredients together and pour into a container. I'm pretty satisfied with the conditioner, apart from the fact that the last batch I made was a bit sticky. So far I have been too lazy to examine the ingredients and find the guilty one.


    I think that each make-your-own-cosmetics store carries different ingredients and shares its own recipes based on those ingredients. This means it might be hard to get the exact match to the above ingredients in your local DIY-cosmetics store (which probably has its own recipes which might be equally good or better).


    On that note, care to share names of make-you-own-cosmetic stores that you have had a good experience with?

Conditioner-Only Washing: Dec 2011 Hair Update

cucumber-seed oil treatment, modified co-wash, beer as last rinse

   It's been almost a year since I have started conditioner-only washing. Remember my April update? I am happy the changes in my hair: the curls are climbing higher up, the hair looks shinier and more moisturised and most important of all frizz is minimal. The photo is starting to look similar to those on naturallycurly I have been drooling at! It's hard to believe, because a couple of years back my hair was one of the features I disliked most about my body.

As a reminder, here is my "old" hair:

   Here is how my hair care routine has evolved since last spring:

Modified co-washing:

    After months of experimenting with pure conditioner-only washing, I switched to modified co-washing. Like most wavies I need a bit of gentle shampoo in my roots, once or twice a week. This keeps my roots fresh and creates more volume.
    Most of my hair doesn't get shampooed, ever. I even use shampoo on my roots while the rest of my hair is already covered with conditioner, so that the conditioner will keep the shampoo away from my ends when I rinse.

Conditioner:

     I still make my own conditioner but I completely skip the oil phase -- I leave out the part where you melt Cetyl Alcohol etc. Since I am not shampooing, an oil-free conditioner is much lighter. I still need to tweak the formula --- something in there is too sticky.
     Meanwhile I have been trying out the Granatapfel and Aloe Vera Haarkur from Alterra (Rossman). It's a masque treatment so it's richer than a regular conditioner, and my hair loves it.

Scrunching and Plopping:

     I scrunch the conditioner into my hair with my palms, and I also plop almost every time after washing. This makes the hair clump together and form curls. You can read about these techniques and more here.

Hair treatments:

     I love my newest discovery which is grape-seed oil --- I use it an hour before washing, and it conditions the hair really well. I try to remember to do a protein treatments once a month. I still use flax-seed gel as a leave-in, but I don't depend on it so heavily anymore: my hair is moisturised enough to look good without it.
 

     My hair plan for 2012? To try out other conditioners and masques. To be more consistent with oil and protein. Oh, and to actually do these updos. Umm.... I'm stuck for more ideas. Anything I should try? I'd love suggestions!

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Furoshiki: Eco Gift Wrap Using Scarves

    Furoshiki is the Japanese art of wrapping stuff in fabric: gifts, school books, your lunch, you name it. It's actually very easy: all you need is a cute piece of cloth and your fingers. As a gift wrap, the Furoshiki is perfect: cute, eco and so practical. It also makes you look creative :)


    You can even make a cute purse from a scarf: a perfect skill when travelling or at the beach:

Click for instructions

Or a grocery bag. How adorable is this?

    Here is one of the many how-to Furoshiki videos online:

    I suggest buying cute scarves from a flea market or a set of pretty kitchen cloths (the latter are perfect for kitchen-themed gifts or food). The recipient can chose to keep the fabric or to pass it on by using it to wrap a gift for someone else. Of course, you'll need to tuck it a note with the instructions. The Japanese Govt put up a cute guide which is unfortunately not printer-friendly. Here is my improved version that prints well on a A4 sheet (click to see the big version):

Print out and slip into Furoshiki wrapped gifts!

   Since I discovered Furoshiki, I have been searching for scarves in flea markets and wrapping everything possible in them. I hope you have as much fun with them as I do!

Weekend Reads 17-12-2011

* DIY:  Make your own eyeshadow primer.

* Beauty: Glamology

*Eat: Protein for Vegetarians (& the myth of incomplete proteins)

* You: how generous could you be?

* Shop: Buying Handmade: 15 International Online Marketplaces

* Funny: The comic on the top is from Toothpaste For Dinner

Bra Fitting and Pectus Excavatus

I recently got a mail form Caitlin:

I have a not-wholly-uncommon but not-often-talked-about issue called pectus excavatus, where my sternum and ribs form a shallow concavity in the center while the lower part of my ribs sticks much farther forward. While it's not particularly severe, this is why I often feel my breasts are smaller than they actually are; because of this concavity, they don't really sit out in front of the rest of my side silhouette at all. It makes me look pretty flat-chested. This has also caused me lots of problems with bra fitting- the center gore NEVER sits flush, no matter what bra I'm wearing, and I've worn the gamut.

Caitlin also mentions being petite, with highly-set tear-shaped breasts and an asymmetry.

Thanks for writing in, Caitlin. I asked around on the Lobby Biusciastych hoping that someone experienced with pectus excavatus would chime in. Basically I got some pieces of advice for you:

• You will need to try out many brands and models, and you might be very surprised at how a random model sits really well on you, while another very similar one in the same brand doesn't work at all.
• You could try plunge bras, they might sit better because the underwires go very low in the front.
• Try bras that don't have very hard underwires.
• You might have to come in terms with the fact that most of the time the underwires will not be flat on your sternum. As long as the support is good, you feel comfortable and the bra flatters you, that is ok.

    I have no idea whether having pectus excavatus wouldmean that you need a looser band or not. I would be great if you could try out band 28 and 30 bras on backwards, and see how it feels. I think that in your case you should not really follow the calculator. You will need to order a bunch of bras online, from the description of the bras you have I'd suggest ate least 30DD, 30DDD(E), 28DDD(E), 28F --- if you can I would suggest even more sizes. When you try these on you will be able to determine your size. You can then return most or all of them, and order different models in the size that fits you best. I know this sounds tedious and you might have to temporarily freeze quite a bit of money, but it's totally worth it. Otherwise you will only be able to guesstimate.

      Does anyone of you have Pectus Excavatus or knows anyone who has? Any tips for Caitlin? 

Gift Guide, Venusian*Glow Style

    If you are still at a loss what to get your loved ones, here are some ideas:

Something To Drink Out Of

   I am a huge fan of Sigg bottles --- I always have one with me to make sure I stay hydrated. I was pretty thrilled when Sigg bottles got the best marks on an Öko Test test --- not only the inner coat prevents aluminium from leaking into the water (unlike in many cheaper lookalikes), they are sturdy and don't leak. These bottles can hold water and other drinks (green smoothies, anyone?) and they come in lots of delightful colours and designs.

For the Geek

     Think Geek has everything for the geek in your life, ranging from the really cool to awesomely useful to WTF. From Star Wars Chop Sabers to the Caffeine Molecule Mug to the Steampunk Wrist Monocular to the Bag Organizer to the Pocket Microscope (I own something similar and it is totally cool). There is plenty of neat stuff for "normal" people too.

Something Beautiful

    higher-end natural cosmetics make a beautiful gift. Dr Hauschka cosmetics come in gift-sets with mini-sized products in a stylish tin box. If your friend is more of a crafty type, DIY cosmetic kits make a great gift, like these and these.

For the Rapunzel

* Seamless Bohn combs from Hairsense -- these seamless combs handcrafted from organic resin won't snag the hair follicles or cause split ends. I have two and I adore them.

Something To Wear

* A gift card to Ewa Michalak Lingerie --- gorgeous bras that won't break the bank, for busts of all sizes.

A Grand Gesture

    Sometimes what someone really needs is on big thing that will help them in their life instead of ten assorted trinkets. Like the cousin that just moved in a new apartment and is saving up for furniture. Why not band up with other friends / relatives and all chip in to buy them big, huge gift? Ideas: a trip, a fancy camera, a kitchen, a bicycle...

Something To Read

   First, search if they have an Amazon wish list. If they do, buy the books from somewhere else (Amazon deserves to be boycotted for cutting off Wikileaks.) May I suggest some titles? Man's Search For Meaning, The Happiness Project, Your Money Or Your Life, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Anna Karenina, It Does Not Die were amazing reads. A magazine subscription is also an amazing gift.

More Than You Paid For

       Did you know that the buying price of a Groupon coupon remains a secret if you click on the "buy as gift" option? This means no one will ever know you paid 30€ for that 50€ restaurant coupon. Jut be sure to read the fine print before you buy -- every Groupon coupon has different terms and conditions. Get coupon for something luxurious like a spa visit, a restaurant, or even a trip.

Something Self-Made

   Got any special skills? Do you knit better than my grandma, bake or maybe do makeup? Your friends would adore it if you offer them something you make or Or admired one of your creations?

     Try one of the DIY cosmetic ideas I listed here.

A Gift Of Your Time

   This is perhaps the most precious gift of them all. Take a friend on a day trip. Gift a babysitting coupon for a mom (she will love you for ever, trust me).
   If you are really good at something, consider sharing your skills.

Online Memberships and Classes

    If you know what your friend is into, you could buy subscriptions for something they would find useful. A Flickr Pro account for someone experimenting with photography, a Mystic Medusa for the astrology freak, or one of the many online bootcamps and classes (research first to make sure you choose the best one). If you are listening, dear Santa, I want a SaFire online hooping class, please.



   And for everything else, there is Etsy, folksy, Dawanda and more.

Reader Question: Table For Floor Seating

I had this pop into my mailbox a while back:

 I read in one of your posts that you use a floor seating arrangement in your home, and I am interested in learning more about how to set one up. Pillows, and actual floor SEATS are easy to find online, but I have been having trouble with tables. If you use a table in your setup, where did you get it, or did you have it made? What height is it from the ground, and do you find it to be a good height?
I am very concerned about table height. I've been trying to research floor seating, especially what height a table ideally should be, and I've not found much of anything. 

Here is my reply:

 Hi there, first we used a random second hand coffee table which worked well for two adults but as the kids grew it became too small for a family meal. Then we bought an IKEA table and cut the legs -- it is the Bjursta table, the table top can be extended. The table is 46cm high, but I feel it is a mite to high and plan to cut it to around 10 cm lower. Our floor seating is 10 cm high --- take the height of yours into account before you cut the table. I'm not sure about what the ideal height should be, but I find that it has something to do with how much lower your elbows are when you sit from the table top. You can see what that distance is on your dining table and desk, and whether you find that comfortable. When in doubt, keep the table higher, it is always easier to cut more off or make the seating higher, that to deal with a table that is too low.

    Hope this helps you. I'd love to know how it turns out.

Proof That Breast Tissue Can Migrate To The Back

   I often get skeptical glances when I tell girls to gather the breast tissue into the bra from their back. I guess it does sound strange: how on earth can breasts escape that far?

    Here is a rather extreme proof that breast tissue can migrate to the back if not given enough support / squashed by wrongly fitting bras:

    Of course this example is rather extreme, but still many girls who have been wearing the wrong bra size for years have a bit of breast tissue at the back. And it's not necessarily the plus-sized ones either.   

   Regular gathering of the breast tissue, (of course you are already wearing with the correct bra size) will bring the breasts back where they belong: in the front.

Weekend Reads 09-12-2011

* Beauty: Six Reasons Aging Isn’t as Awful as the Cosmetics Industry Claims

* DIY: How to make your own deodorant

* Cute: Dino western

* Life:  How can you change the way you see things?

* Eat: What a Difference a Diet Made

* Body: Of six-pack abs and real girl bellies

* Bras: you need to be reading Busts 4 Justice

Yoga cat makes sure your asanas are properly done:

DIY Bath & Beauty Gift Ideas

   The main things to remember about gifting self-made beauty products are:

Make something generic:
    It's hard to make a shampoo or cleansing oil when you don't know what kind of skin / hair the person has, whether they like oils at all, and what their beauty routine looks like. However things like bath salts or scrubs will delight almost every one.

Make it pretty:
    Think 'spa', think 'luxury'. Get inspired by a Lush store. The prettier the cosmetic is, the more special it looks. Don't forget the container: Find a cute tin, jar or bottle and decorate it.

Also, do read Rules For Making DIY Gifts That People Actually Want. Finally, don't forget to let the recipient know that the gift is natural and eco-friendly!

Here are some ideas for self-made cosmetics as gifts (click for tutorials):

Bath Fizzies	Body Scrub
Solid Perfume	Mint-eucalyptus foot scrub
Body butter	Body Moisturiser
Lip scrub	Bath-tub fizzies
Lip Balm	Bath soak
Infused Bath Salts	Body mousse
Lip balm	Mint Toothpaste

   Will you be making DIY gifts this Christmas? Do share!