Romy Raves

It’s that time of year again, time to evaluate, reflect, and review everything from the past year as well as set our goals, aspirations, and wishes for the upcoming year. I thought I would give you some questions to ponder that might help you focus your desires and resolutions for 2010. I recommend writing down your answers and putting them in a safe place. Revisit this list every quarter or six months and then again on New Year’s Eve next year to see your progress and stumbling blocks. Here are some things to think about:

• Overall, how did you feel about this past year? What three words capture it best for you?

• What is your biggest accomplishment (the one you are most proud of) in 2009? Any regrets?

• Do a mind dump and let all your thoughts flow: What do you most want to accomplish in 2010? Read and re-read the list and circle 2-3 goals that really resonate with you

• How will you define success in 2010? At the end of the year, how will you measure your success? What will it look like?

• What are your goals/desires for: Family, Health, Career, Money, Friendship, Relationships, Spirituality?

• What mistake do you want to avoid making in 2010? Who can support you in that?

• What will be your personal mantra in 2010?

• What will bring you joy in the upcoming year? List some things that will help you cultivate a more positive attitude in 2010

Cheers to my readers! Happy New Year and thank you for your support of Romy Raves. Stay tuned for lots of exciting things in 2010. One of my biggest goals is to grow this blog, so please spread the word and tell your friends about me.

I am not talking about jewelry ladies, I am talking about a fun new high tech looking therapeutic relief product called TheraPearl. These inspired reusable hot/cold packs are kinda cool looking and very comfortable because they conform to your skin and provide consistent therapy for the affected areas. I think this product is a creative improvement on the frozen peas concept and it can be used on sore muscles, post waxing or peeling and post surgical procedure. And another plus is that it can be used two different ways: either warm to increase blood flow, relax muscles and ease pain or cold to reduce pain, inflammation and bruising.

What I like about this product is that it is fun, kinda high tech looking, feels comfortable because it molds to your skin, and it is affordably priced. My favorite product in the line is the TheraPearl Eye-ssential Pack because it is perfect for use after those late nights out (or in my case in ) when you have the tell tale dark circles or swelling under the eyes, and after a few minutes of this blue pearl mask your raccoon eyes are a lot less noticeable.

There are four products in the line: an eye mask, sports pack, contour pack and a round pearl pack all designed to fit the different areas of your body. And I am thinking this is the perfect product to help you deal with your post New Year’s Eve symptoms (read: hangover). So in honor of the New Year, I am giving away 2 sets of all four of these Therapearl Products (valued at over $40) to some lucky Romy Raves readers.

All that you need to do for your chance to win one of these great therapeutic sets is post a comment on this blog post telling me your best remedy for those late nights or how you deal with the aches and pains of life. That’s all you need to do. I LOVE comments and want to encourage my readers to regularly post comments and share your thoughts. This contest will end at midnight PST on Friday, January 8th, 2010 and two winners will be selected using Random.org. You must have a U.S. shipping address in order to enter and only one entry per person. Happy New Year!

Given all the festivities of the season, I thought you might enjoy a delicious and inspired egg brunch dish that I have been making for years and it always gets rave reviews. It is a very tasty Mexican egg casserole that is packed with flavor and easy to prep the night before. Enjoy! 

SALSA JACK BREAKFAST SOUFFLE

Serves 8

 1 pound Jack cheese or Pepper Jack cheese, cubed

1 cup cottage cheese

1-2 cups of hot/medium chunky salsa (to taste)

3-6 white corn tortillas, cut in small pieces

9 eggs

1 cup reduced fat Buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees, grease a 9×13 pan, sprinkle half the tortilla pieces in the bottom of the pan (you want to cover most of the bottom). In a bowl, mix cubed cheese, cottage cheese, and salsa until combined and then spread evenly in pan over tortillas.

Beat eggs and buttermilk together and pour evenly over cheese/salsa mixture. Sprinkle with remaining tortillas. Bake between 45 minutes-1 hour or until golden brown. Top with guacamole, avocado slices or sour cream if desired. Yummilicious!

Please post and share your favorite brunch recipes, I am always on the hunt for new inspirations.

Rodial LA Face Lift ($99 US)

This is a high quality, very chic starter set to introduce you to Rodial, a UK based skincare line that contains an innovative anti-aging ingredient called pomegranate ellagic tannin, nature’s most potent collagen booster and firming agent.

This kit includes five travel sized products of the top selling products in the Rodial line: a-list cleanser, glamtox peel, SPF 15 glamtox eye light, SPF 18 glamtox and glam balm. These are active, results oriented products that help get rid of wrinkles and eradicate age spots more quickly.

I like the sleek pink and silver packaging, that you get to try all of these products in this prestige line at a more affordable price, and I love the luxurious multi-purpose glam balm because it moisturizes, smooths and plumps the skin.

It’s a nice little splurge, but worth the price of admission to try out these high caliber products. I think it would make a nice gift for anyone who has aging skin concerns or for those trend setting friends of yours who like to be the first to try something new. You can buy yours HERE.

MD Skincare has added a natural beauty collection of products to its line called Beauty In Toxins Out–love that! They have created a lovely introduction to this line called the Detox Duo ($55 US) which combines the Antioxidant Enzyme Buff with their Purifying Bath Crystals, this is a potent dynamic duo and the perfect gift for your beauty maven friends.

The Beauty In: Toxins Out Natural Beauty Collection is an inspired approach in body treatment because it is designed to reverse the damage our skin suffers due to environmental pollutants. It combines high concentrations of botanical extracts, essential oils, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals along with a proprietary blend of detoxifying chelators to essentially accomplish what I call anti-aging for the body.

The Purifying Bath Crystals have botanical extracts and minerals to help remove toxins, relieve tension and heal irritation. I like using this soak as one of those more potent active baths when you are feeling under the weather, have sore muscles or are just in more of a detox kind of mood. This is made with Himalayan bath salts which have a lot of healing properties and not only do they smell healing, you feel like it is doing something too.

I love the Antioxidant Enzyme Buff because I can feel it working. Not only does it physically scrub your skin, but the enzymes also remove dead skin cells and toxins. I truly feel like this is an anti-aging treatment for the body! I also like the herbal, healing smell and after I scrub with it my skin is smooth, moist and supple.

This is a well-priced dynamic duo sure to please the most discerning beauty aficionados or even you–Happy Detoxing!