A galaxy of hot guys

"A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away..."

Yeah, I've spent the last two weekends in a Star Wars glut-fest. Watching all six movies, in order, for the first time. I have to see, it's a brilliant epic myth from the mind of George Lucas and I find more and more depth in it watching it this way.

Not only do the movies provide us with lessons like loyalty, friendship and hope...let's face it. There are some hot guys in these movies.


Sure, when I was eleven years old, I went to see Star Wars (now referred to as "Episode IV") in the theater and was fascinated and captivated by everything I saw on the screen. The special effects. The robots. The light sabres. And wow, Han Solo.

Okay, okay...this battle has raged my whole life over who's cuter Han Solo or Luke Skywalker, but honestly, women come down on one side or the other. Han Solo was just...mmmm... He was cocky and arrogant and always got his way, yet it was strong and heroic and charming and lovable. (Besides, Luke looked too much like my cousin, Ben, so I just couldn't go there.)

Flash forward (or back, if you will) to Episodes I through III. These movies caught a lot of crap when they came out as not being able to stand up to the older ones and for the most part, I agree. However, if you watch straight through, these newer movies are full of explanation, predictions and mythology that gets explained. Destinies fulfilled. And, let's face it, the first three movies are the fall of Anakin Skywalker and the last three are the redemption.

Speaking of Anakin Skywalker, talk about eye candy. As a fine, fit Jedi with bedroom eyes, he just melted the screen. No wonder Padma lost all sense of reason when she fell for him.

Then there's the young Obi-Wan Kenobi. Well, hello...it's Ewan McGregor...'nuff said. He could roll around in mud reading the phone book and I'd pay $9.00 to see it. But as Obi-Wan, he paid an immense tribute to Sir Alec Guinness, seemingly becoming him in a younger version. Obi-Wan was loyal and loving and ever so broken hearted when Anakin betrayed the Jedis. The pain and sadness in his eyes and the crack in his voice when he said "You were my brother! I loved you!" Whoa.

So, thanks to George Lucas for such amazing stories...and for such eye candy that stands the test of time.

Who do you think is the hottest Star Wars guy? Han? Luke? Anakin? Obi-Wan? C-3PO?

Maybe...Yoda?

Marley = )

Sorority Rush Begins - Spring 2008!

Rush - A Sisterhood Novel

Pledge Class - A Sisterhood Novel

Puffin Books

Prom Dress Fun!

Ohhh, Tina!

Yes, I've been wanting to post these pics all week, but decided to wait till my day to wrap up Prom Dress week! I was at B&N last Tuesday and I saw TONS of these books in the teen section. Yay Tina! I talked to the bookseller and asked her to put in front of the store with all the other "New Arrivals" instead of hidden in the back with the other YA stuff. If anyone happens to go into the Crossroads Mall B&N in Bellevue, WA, you'll see a big, ole stack of TOP TEN USES FOR A UNWORN PROM DRESS in the front of the store. Go Tina!

Now, onto my prom experiences....I only attended my senior prom and my date was one of my best friends, Akash K. He and I were both big old nerds and we'd had an agreement that we would go together if no one else was in our lives. Well, I had no boyfriends in sight, so off I went with Akash.

I bought my dress, a burgundy column dress with a drapey satin neckline at Loehmann's for only $60. I wore gold, Indian sandals and my mom's jewelry. That was the first day that I got my hair done by a professional. Surprisingly getting ready only took me about an hour, not too much more than what it took me to get ready on a normal day.

Akash arrived at my house in his car and after my mom took a whole roll of pictures (ALL OF THEM STILL LEFT BEHIND AT MY PARENTS HOUSE IN MICHIGAN NOW ), then we were off. My parents were so worried aobut me driving with someone on my own that they followed us all the way to Burton manor in our family van. So, technically I attended the prom with my parents, sister and Akash. Yes, I was the school nerd :)

The dance itself was very sweet. Food was filet mignon and the DJ was great. What I remember the most about that night was seeing all of my best friends all dressed up and we all had a great time dancing together and taking tons of pics.

After the dance, my parents were back to pick me up and take me home at the crack of 11 pm. I never claimed to be a cool teenager. :)

I have no regrets about Prom nor would I do anything differently. Since Akash and I are still friends to this day, and I still smile when I see my prom pics, I think everything worked out for the best.

I am currently reading THE ART OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT (I have to read a lot for work as well!). I have finished PROM DRESS and will be posting a review on my blog tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Dona Sarkar-Mishra

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HOW TO SALSA IN A SARI - January 2008 Kimani Tru>

dona@donasarkarmishra.com

http://www.donasarkarmishra.com

http://donasarkar.blogspot.com

http://booksboysbuzz.com

Fishes and Wishes a.k.a. Heather's Prom

One of the downsides of moving this last year is all my photo albums are away in a cold, dark, and probably lonely box.


There are no pictures of me in my prom dress to post. But I can set the scene for you...

The dress I wore was a short, black, gathered, strapless peplum dress. At the top, I clipped a vintage rhinestone brooch to help keep it from falling as I was then a size two and had very little up top. (Good tip for making cleavage, BTW.)

Over the dress, I had a cropped faux fur jacket with mutton leg sleeves (vintage 30’s purchased at a cool store near the U of Washington).

I can’t remember the shoes, but they were probably black, and I pulled my hair back into a pony tail with a gold clip. Slightly fluffed 80’s bangs completed the look.

My date, Michael, was my best boy-friend and went to a private school. We went to each other’s proms. He wore a cool black tux with a white tie, very old school. We looked awesome together. My dad took a picture of us near the front door, but as I said, it’s been filed away in the dark boxes.

So my prom, lazily themed “The Time of My Life” was at the Seattle Aquarium. It sounded like a cool venue, and it was, but the prom committee totally crapped out on the refreshments – I think there was tang and oreos. (Note to future prom planners, don’t let a Running Back be in charge of that kind of thing!)

I remember sitting on a bench under the giant fish dome, where you could see bottle-nosed sharks and other creatures swim by overhead, and thinking about how cool it would have been to be with someone I loved and who loved me.

Michael was great. He was good-looking and a fabulous friend, but I never had the prom-romance you read about in books. In fact, until that moment under the fish dome I hadn't even wanted that kind of thing before. It's funny what a little watery lighting and sharks will do to a girl.



Anyway, maybe as a result of my epiphany under the fish dome, school dances figure prominently in my young adult novels.

I have this fantasy about what those events should be like – and they’re a bit like John Hughes’ movies like Pretty in Pink. Although in my fantasy, Andi ends up with Ducky, not Blaine. :)


Anyway, congrats to Tina on her wonderful release! I’m so proud of you!!!!

Hugs,

Heather

Heather Davis is the author of
Never Cry Werewolf
Coming in 2008 from HarperCollins

My Prom, Circa 1994

It seems like eons ago, BuzzReaders, that I was going through the traumatic days leading up to my senior prom. Weeks before the actual prom I was hunting for a dress and a date, discussing arrangements with my best friend, and putting a lot of hopes and expectations into one perfect night that, in retrospect, was really a night like any other--with better shoes.

I attended Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri (see my first post to learn why KHS was so special) and the Class of '94 prom theme was: For Just A Moment. (No, I don't know what that means, but I had to look it up to remember it.) A lot of my stress over this night stemmed from the fact that, just a few short days beforehand, I still had no dress and no date. It was a toss-up as to which one had me more stressed. In the end, everything worked out--for the best--and here are some reasons why:

1. I ended up going with Corey Tucker, my best friend's brother's best friend. We were good friends, too, so that totally eliminated all that additional boyfriend/date/pressure/stress stuff. He was sweet and brought me a beautiful corsage (which I still have). In this picture (from left to right) are my best friend, Debbie, her date, Joey, me (yes, that's really me!), Corey, my friend, Susan, and her date, Ben (whom I almost didn't recognize without his Minnesota Vikings sweatshirt on).
2. My mom made my dress. In her early years (late teens and twenties) my mom was a theatre costumer, so she can sew just about anything. (Because she was used to sewing things that wouldn't be seen from less than 10 feet away, sometimes the details were a little raw, but if you can dream it she can sew it!) So, when I still hadn't found a dress the week before prom, we headed to the fabric store, picked out a pattern, and bought yards of beautiful black jacquard. It was the perfect dress (even if one of the stays popped out halfway through the night). Here's a closer picture of me in the dress and my best friend.
3. Even though I didn't get to go with one of my many crushes (I only got up the nerve to ask one of them, and he already had a date) I had a great time. Especially since my main crush at the time purportedly had an awful time with his date. (Not that I found joy in his misery or anything!) Here's a pic of my senior crushes. From left to right in the front are James (he's probably some super-famous doctor right now), Ryan (main crush and now an engineer), and John (a hard-core cross-country runner who ended up at a tiny college in Minnesota).

My prom wasn't perfect (see the aforementioned lack of proper date and stay-popping dress, and to top it all off it was raining!) but it is a perfect memory. From the perspective of history, I wouldn't change anything. (Except maybe asking Ryan to the dance... I mean, how can you resist a guy in a 101 Dalmatians tie and cumber bun?)

Hugs,
TLC
Growing Up Godly, Summer 2008
Dutton Children's Books

what I'm reading ... Top Ten Uses for An Unworn Prom Dress by Tina Ferraro (as soon as I get to a bookstore!)

Top Tips for a Fun Prom Night

I'm so excited that we're celebrating Prom Week here at Books, Boys, Buzz in conjunction with Tina's release of TOP TEN USES FOR AN UNWORN PROM DRESS. Can't wait to get my hands on this book and read it!

I don't know how much a prom expert I am...I did attend three (sophomore year as the yearbook photographer) and had a lot of fun. Thank heavens the attire has changed, morphed and updated in the years since I was in school. My junior prom, our theme was "A Night in the Old South" and everything was all deck out in ivy and lattice work and columns and magnolias and all the girls (including me) wore hoop skirts.

It was sort of hard to gather all of us around for the class picture because our dates couldn't get close enough to us because of the hoops and crenalins were spread out. My date was a friend from another high school and, in fact, worked part-time at the Piggly Wiggly wearing the pig costume. I kid you not! Nice guy, but the day before the prom, his mom gave him a body wave, so when he danced and sweated...his permed hair...well, it stank!

Nonetheless, we had a great time, danced the night away, got lots of pictures made and went to the junior breakfast and stayed up all night. It was the perfect prom experience, despite the Scarlett O'Hara dress.

So, what are some tips for enjoying the prom? Here are just a few:

1. Don't overdo with the hair and makeup. Sure, you want to look pretty, but you want to look like yourself. You don't want your kids to laugh at your prom pictures in 15 years.



2. Share the ride. In order to save some money, go with a group of friends and split the expense of a limo or van to take you to and from the prom.

1. 3. Enjoy yourself at all times. Don't be worried about which person is dressed the best or who paid the most for their gown. Sit back, relax and enjoy the evening. Take it in for all it's worth and treasure the memories.

4. Take lots of pictures. Capture the night from start to finish with lots of photographic memories. You'll be glad years later that you did.

5. Don't ruin the night by drinking too much. Sure, it's a celebratory occassion, but don't you want to remember it? Getting ripped and running the risk of making a fool of yourself is not the way to remember this night. You want to get to the after parties sober and enjoy all of the food.

6. Finally, after the prom, you can also donate your prom dressto organizations across the country that will give them away free to eager prom-goers. Check out The Princess Project, which offers a list of such organizations.

Most of all, proms are about fun! Reading Tina's book is fun, too! Congrats again to Tina on her accomplishment.

Marley = )
Sorority Rush Begins - Spring 2008!
Rush - A Sisterhood Novel
Pledge Class - A Sisterhood Novel
Puffin Books

What I'm currently reading: "Venus Envy" by Shannon McKelden

It's Prom Week!

Tomorrow is the day I’ve waited 21 months (and, well, my whole life) for. Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress will hit booksheves. So I thought it might be appropriate to go back to Day One of that book, to answer the question that I’d been asked several times, How Did You Come Up With Your Idea?

Drift back to November of 2004. My soon-to-be-agent, Nadia Cornier, had requested the full of another book. It had occurred to me that IF she liked my book and IF she wanted to sign me, I should have another idea to pitch.

So...I was book browsing on Amazon, punching in key words that sounded fun, one of which was “bridesmaid”. A bunch of books came up, including a nonfiction book about things to do with a bridesmaid dress.

I stared at it for a moment and thought...huh, but what about a prom dress? What if it was an UNUSED prom dress? Oooh! Oooh! What if the guy dumped you 2 days before the prom...and the dress is still hanging on the back of your door all these months later, like a symbol of your disappointing life? And what if your mom makes you start a list of ten things she could do with it, in hopes it would get you back on track?

So I raced over to my on-line brainstorming group, The Loony Binners (comprised of some very talented romance writers) and asked for help. Soon, Ten Uses for an Unused Prom Dress was smoothed to Top Ten Uses for an Unworn Prom Dress.

A few days later, Nadia called to say she wanted to sign me. (Yea!) And when she asked what else I had in the works, I tentatively spoke this new title. Nadia does not remember this, but she laughed and said, “Oh, I could sell that on the title alone!”

The sale, alas, wasn’t that easy, but no complaints. Selling to Krista Marino at Delacorte Press on June 17 of the next year continues to be one of the best things that has EVER happened to me.

Tomorrow is going down in my life history, too!


Instead of closing with what I’m reading, I’m going to end with some thank-yous. To Stephanie Hale, for pre-ordering five copies of PROM DRESS and giving them away in a contest on her MySpace yesterday. And to the rest of the Buzz Girls for the wealth of support given to me and my book! You guys rock!

www.tinaferraro.com
Top Ten Uses for An Unworn Prom Dress, Available tomorrow
How to Hook a Hottie, Spring 2008

Calling all Coffee Junkies!

Continuing the PW Northwest trend today to discuss one of the favorite pastimes of Seattlites everywhere...drinking coffee. I read that Seattle has the largest number of coffee shops per capita and I totally believe that. Every corner in the city has a Starbucks, a Seattle's Best Coffee, a Tullys, or an independent coffee shop. I love all of them :)

There's something about sitting in a cozy coffee shop, steaming white chocolate mocha in hand warming up from a drizzly day that befall us Seattlites nearly half the year. On a Saturday night, you'll find the all-night Starbucks almost as packed as Tiki Joe's bar.

For us, a coffee shop isn't just a place we go to to get a cuppa joe. A visit to the corner coffee shop is where we go to meet friends, people-watch, write novels, read novels, get in quiet-alone time, and best of all try a huge variety of yummy and calorie filled drinks!

Some of my favorite coffee shops and drinks of choice:

Kahilli Coffee - this Kirkland-waterfront staple is where I wind up writing 2/3 of every novel. Something about the fireplace, the bustle of people coming in, the free WiFi and out and of course the White Chocolate Macadamia-Hazelnut Mochas and the Tahitian vanilla teas keeps me coming back every weekend.

TerraBite - This is the first of it's kind for the Kirkland area. A Pay-What-You-Want coffee shop. You go in, order from a variety of mochas and lattes from the menu, you pay exactly what you want into a donation box. My order of choice is a Sugar Daddy. I don't know what's in it, but damn is it good!

Sureshot - This U-Washington hole-in-the-wall was introducted to me by one of my good student friends. They have an amazing concept of "white coffee". Coffee beans that are roasted and ground in a way that allows them to carry MORE caffeine with less acidity. A White Coffee White Angel (White chocolate plus coconut) is pure heaven.

What about you guys? Any coffee junkies out there?
Currently I'm reading VENUS ENVY by my good friend Shannon McKelden. Love Venus and love Hannah!

Dona
-------'----,----@ @----,-----'-------
HOW TO SALSA IN A SARI - January 2008 Kimani Tru
dona@donasarkarmishra.com
http://www.donasarkarmishra.com
http://donasarkar.blogspot.com
http://booksboysbuzz.com

All A-buzz about...

What is buzzing on the West Coast?

First, I made this one up, but it is so true. People are "twalking" everywhere Downtown!

What is twalking?

Walking (usually through dangerous traffic) while on the cell phone. This is related to Twalkxting – walking and texting. It's not just dangerous in the car. I mean, crossing a four lane road while discussing your cat's hairball issues? Someone's going to get hit!

Fragrance goes techno...

In the 90's there was CK One -- The Calvin Klein perfume/cologne a guy or girl could wear. Now, for the Internet age there is In2U.

There was a big spread in the New York Times about the launch of this two fragrance collection to the “techno-sexuals” of the e-generation and lots of people are talking about it. Here's the 411:

http://http://www.shoppingblog.com/cgi-bin/sblog.pl?sblog=308072

For starters, the word "techno-sexual" cracked me up. I guess, with the amount of texting/emailing we do, CK was bound to go there. So many books have passages of emails and/or texts these days.... especially young adult novels.

Emovers – Emo dudes (guys who like bands like Modest Mouse and other slacker electronica) with their swept-across-the-forehead bangs are everywhere in my city. And, it's not just the dudes.

Here is a website where you can actually rate people's emo hairstyles. http://ratemyemover.com

There you go! With the exception of celebrity buzz, that's what has people talking in my neck of the woods. And one can only have so many conversations about Poor Britney...

Hugs,

Heather

Heather Davis is author of

Never Cry Werewolf

Coming in 2008 from HarperCollins

The buzz on Betty's

One of my favorite sayings of all time is, "She's a total Betty." The way I always understood this was that the girl being described was a hottie. Like Betty from Archie. The sweet, smart, girl next door constantly vying for Archie's attention. But recently a friend told me that this wasn't the Betty intended for this statement at all.

But that the true Betty intended was Betty Boop. Well, this gives a whole new meaning to "She's a total Betty." So now does being a Betty mean that you are kind of a sex object? And as if this wasn't confusing enough, now another Betty gets thrown into the mix.

So now because of the popularity of Ugly Betty, does being a Betty mean that you are homely but have a heart of gold? I'm stumped. And leave it to America Ferrara to go and complicate things further by spouting her political beliefs during an awards ceremony certainly resulting in the loss of viewers, but more importantly, causing me to ask, "Is being a Betty" mean that you stand up for what you believe in, no matter what the cost?"

I think I'll stick to my original definition. And don't even think about telling me that this saying isn't cool because I'm totally bringing Betty back. If you'd like to see what else bush and Betty have in common besides America's speech, swallow all your liquids, then click here. http://www.bettybeauty.com

Do you have a favorite saying that others insist is lame? Do tell.

What I'm reading....DRAMA...the four Dorothys by Paul Ruditis

Steph

All that matters is what's inside...as long as your outside is wearing the tiara!REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN, July 3,2007, Berkley Jam Books

WWW.STEPHANIEHALE.COM

Buzz Buzz

Since we’re talking Buzz this week, I thought I’d do a quick Google and see just what “Buzz” turned up. Here at the top five search results and relevant comment.

1. Yahoo! Buzz Index -- This is actually pretty cool. There’s “The Buzz Log: What the world is searching for...” Current topics include The Perfect Prom Hair and We All Want to Be Gym Class Heroes. The Buzz Index also includes a raking of the top searches of the day, both overall leaders (Britney Spears, Antonella Barba, and Anna Nicole Smith) and movers--searches that have climbed the rankings the most by various categories. The number one mover as I write this post is “Hang Seng” which is some bank in Hong Kong. Maybe we should buy stock.


2. BuzzMachines -- I’m not sure what this site is all about, but according to their own definition, buzz is “the first ever "easy to use" free modular software based synthesizer.” I still don’t know what that means, but since the first pages talks about algorithms, autopanners, and crunchy frogs, I don’t think I want to know.

3. BuzzFlash -- This sites supposedly “provides headlines, news, and commentary for a geographically-diverse, politically-savvy, pro-democracy, anti-hypocrisy web community, reaching five million* people a month and growing.” Tops on their site for the day are links to a YouTube commercial of a scary gun dealer guy, an article about Jenna Bush’s upcoming book, and the senate majority leader’s reaction to a guilty verdict for Scooter Libby. Not really the kind of news I need.

4. TheBuzz 94.5 -- Houston’s Rock Alternative. Even though I used to live in (near) Houston, I never listened to this station. Rock Alternative (or Alternative Rock) isn’t really my thing. I’m more of a pop/top 40 kinda girl. Their current top ten are: 1. Hey There Delilah by Plain White T’s, 2. Into the Ocean by Blue October, 3. Everything by Buckcherry, 4. Lazy Eye by Silversun Pickups, 5. Save Me by Autovein, 6. Paralyzer by Finger Eleven, 7. Snow by Red Hot Chili Peppers, 8. The Kill by 30 Seconds To Mars, 9. Dashboard by Modest Mouse, and 10. Forever by Papa Roach.

5. Blogger Buzz -- All the latest news about our favorite blogging platform. If you're a major blog geek, I bet this stuff is thrilling. Otherwise.... hmmm.


(I’m not sure where BuzzBlog ranks, but I stopped scanning after #500 out of about 60,700,000 hit returns. We definitely have better Buzz than any of these sites.

TLC
Growing Up Godly, Summer 2008
Dutton Children's Books

what I'm reading ... Size 12 Is Not Fat by Meg Cabot

Royal Buzz

I was a big Princess Diana fan. In fact, one of the golden moments of my life was standing beside the dining room table in the Governor’s Mansion in Sydney, Australia, and realizing that it was the same table in the room where she and Charles hosted those state dinners after William was born. (It doesn’t take much to thrill me.)

So when I was in London last July, I signed up for a tour of Buckingham Palace, and I tried to soak in as much royal heritage and Diana-ness as possible.

Naturally, I have an innate fondness for her sons--both of whom seem to have matured into responsible young men who would have made her proud.

And I am delighted with William’s apparent “choice” of Kate Middleton. She seems to understand his lifestyle, and to make him happy.


While rumors continue to fly that he’s going to pop the question, I heard another rumor while I was in London, that apparently--like his Uncle Andrew and Aunt Fergie did so many years ago--William and Kate are already secretly living together.

I’m not sure if I believe this. Yes, Andrew got away with it. But the press being what it is today, I can’t help thinking that the British--if not the American--press would “out” them. Or maybe they have and I just haven’t heard?



But in any case, William and Kate seem like a terrific couple, and given the difficulties of his childhood and the daunting demands of the days ahead of him, I wish them both every happiness. And I hope Diana is smiling down on them.

What I’m reading: an Advanced Reader Copy of Graffiti Girl by Kelly Parra

Tina
www.tinaferraro.com
Top Ten Uses for An Unworn Prom Dress, available a week from today
How to Hook a Hottie, Spring 2008

Beauty Buzz

No one believes me when I tell them my real age. Honestly, why would I lie and say I’m older than I am? I guess it’s because I don’t have any wrinkles yet (and Patzy the wonder-stylist takes care of the grays.) But it’s really because of good skin care since my teen days.



When I was a little kid, my mother got me on a skin care regiment every day of washing, cleansing and moisturizing. It was this stuff called Vanda Beauty Counselor, but it worked. She told me that it was never too early to pay close attention to your skin, take care of it and prevent against aging and wrinkling.

Your skin is technically the biggest organ in (on) our bodies. It needs care and feeding and moisture and love. It’s tough, yet sensitive. Elastic and supple.



Of course, no amount of washing and cleansing can halt genetics, but you can certainly help fight time and Mother Nature by taking care of your skin at a young age. I had the typical teen bout with acne and hating my skin. There was no such thing as Pro-Activ back then with an 80’s-version of Lindsay Lohan or Jessica Simpson pushing the products at you.



At twenty-five, at the mall, I discovered the world of Clinique and their 3-step system. (And no, this isn’t a commercial for Clinique, although I am the poster child for them.) I took the skin test and these were the results:


We have determined that you are a Skin Type II, meaning your skin is not too oily, not too dry, with some sheen in the T-zone, and dryness around the eyes. On your very fair skin tone a little colour goes a long way. When choosing lip, cheek, and eye makeups, begin with paler tones or transparent formulas.


Well...sure...that makes a lot of sense. Thus, began my love affair with Clinique and the path to “freezing” my face at a younger place in time. I begin every morning with a gentle liquid facial soap in the shower, followed by a scrub. Then, I moisturize from my forehead to the base of my throat. I use Moisture Surge for Eyes to reduce puffiness. Then, at night, I wash off my makeup with a gentle soap and then use Turnaround Cream and thicker, more intense eye cream before I go to bed. This routine won’t necessarily work for everyone, but it shows the importance of establishing a routine.

I have a scene in the first book of my Sorority Series where one of my heroines is horrified that she has a huge zit on her forehead and another heroine takes are of her, stepping in with her skin care products and talking about the importance of washing, toning and moisturizing. What? I can “preach” a little bit in my books, can’t I?

Here are some secrets I’ve learned over the years and things you can do for your skin:

1. I’m not one to think we should stay out of the sun. I think a nice, healthy tan or glow is good for our skin. However, ALWAYS use good, strong sunscreens when you’re in the sun and moisturize your skin when you come in.


2. Try not to smoke. If you smoke a lot when you’re young, you run the risk of lines around your mouth that will not go away no matter how much you moisturize.


3. When you wash or moisturize, stretch your face out by opening your mouth wide. This allows your products to get into the skin really well and by stretching, you’re exercising the muscles of your face.
4. Be gentle with your eyes. The skin around our eyes is very sensitive and delicate. Treat it with care. Don’t rub a lot and use a gentle eye makeup remover or merely warm water.
   
   
5. Water. Water. And more water. Our skin is thirsty and water is an excellent thing to give it on a daily basis. Doctors recommend eight (8) eight ounce glasses of water a day.
7. 6. Find a product line your skin (and budget) loves and stick to it. I love Clinique, but there are many other awesome skin product lines out there like Lancome, Almay, Cover Girl, Origins, Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, Prescriptives, etc. Or go to Sephora and explore many other brands. Treat yourself to a makeover and consultation to make sure you’re getting the products that are best for you.

7. Get enough sleep, eat well, exercise and try not to stress out. Frowning and squinting and other facial ticks due to stress, an unhealthy diet and lack of sleep will only lead to wrinkles.

8. Wash your face every morning and every night. Don’t just buy the products, but use them.

9. Use “clean” makeup. Don’t let makeup get old and caked and crusted. Use fresh sponges. Cosmetics only last about 6-10 months, so make sure you’re putting good things on your face. Know the ingredients and avoid too much alcohol on the skin or over-oily products.

10. Wear sunglasses. Wearing sunglasses, even on a not-too-bright day will decrease squinting and keep the lines around your eyes to a minimal. Sunglasses are cheap and expendable...your skin isn’t.

I hope these skin care tips have been helpful to you! Like I said, I’m no expert, but these are the things that have worked for me over the years. What has worked for you? Any beauty buzz secrets? Any “miracle” products? Share your regiment with us.

Marley = )
Sorority Rush Begins – Spring 2008!
Puffin Books

Oye Caramba!

I think we can say almost unanimously that those Latino boys are some of the sexiest in the world....those deep eyes, those toned and tanned bodies, those devilish I've-been-up-to-something-bad grins....

My penchant for the Latino Lovers started when I was in high school, and to this day, these are the boys that attract my eyes the most. So much so that my first pet's name was Enrique Che Guevara Iglesias :) That was one good looking goldfish.

Enrique Iglesias. My first serious celebrity crush ever. I was so in love with his voice that I went out and bought all of his Spanish language CDs in 10th grade...and I didn't speak a word of Spanish. That very year, I switched my HS language requirement class from French to Spanish and it's been Enrique all the way...

Mark Consuelos. I kept seeing his pictures on the Teen Beat and Tiger Beat magazines and I had no idea who this amazing man was. Finally, I had to ahem, be sick, and stay home to watch an episode of All My Children.

Antonio Banderas. Is there any other man that can be the Zorro like Antonio? He was super-dashing in both Zorro movies, but did you know he could sing too? For years, my favorite movie was EVITA, where he plays Che Guevara.

I know I called out Jay Hernandez in last week's post, but we have to have him our collection again. SwimFan, Six Degrees. Where will we see you again Jay?

And last, but not least. Oliver Martinez. How can we not have a half-French, half-Spanish god on our list. WHen I imagine the "perfect man", it's always Oliver's face that comes to mind...

So ladies, who have I forgotten?

Currently, I'm reading THE ENGLISH INSPECTOR AND THE AMERICAN TEMP by Pat White and am loving it. As I told Shannon McKelden, Pat White and Geri Russell at their book reading, I love books with Inspector in the title!

;)

Dona Sarkar-Mishra

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HOW TO SALSA IN A SARI - January 2008 release from Kimani Tru

dona@donasarkarmishra.com

http://www.donasarkarmishra.com

http://donasarkar.blogspot.com

http://booksboysbuzz.com

Boys to Men

Uh...

You may have heard that Harry Potter's Daniel Radcliffe is starring in London's West End in a production of the play Equus. Apparently, it requires nudity and Daniel is getting rave reviews. (On the acting! Sheesh!)

This brings to mind the whole TV child actress does scandalous photos in men's mag to prove she is no longer America's Sweetheart...

But, I actually think Daniel is in this for the acting. Seriously. And, he has signed on for the final two Harry Potter films. He's not going to bite the hand that feeds.

Has anyone else made the transition from scrawny boy to hottie man? And no fair if you say Leonardo. He's a given.

Hugs,

Heather

Heather Davis is the author of

Never Cry Werewolf

Coming in 2008 from HarperCollins

My favorite bad boy

is Robert Downey Jr. Sigh. I can't help it, I just love the man. I don't run around cyber stalking him or anything, but anytime his gorgeous face graces my TV screen, I'm instantly mesmorized!

It started with Less than Zero(which now has a six degrees connection with the buzz girls thanks to Simone!), and his heartbreaking role as Julian Wells, the spoiled teen drug addict. I still cry at the end even though I've seen it twenty times.

Even though he's been arrested several times and is an admitted drug addict. I can't help myself from drooling over him. I really do love his acting. He always seems to get so into his characters. I think he's one of those truly tortured artists. I haven't heard much about Robert lately, I'm hoping he's staying out of trouble. But why do we love bad boys so much?

Is it the drama? Is it because we know we wouldn't REALLY want them in real life? Or is it just because they are so dang smoking? Who is your favorite bad boy?

BTW, my favorite RD Jr. movies is Chances Are and Only You. I could watch them both a hundred times.

Isn't he adorable?

What I'm reading...What happened to Cass Mcbride? by Gail Giles

Steph

All that matters is what's inside...as long as your outside is wearing the tiara!REVENGE OF THE HOMECOMING QUEEN, July 3,2007, Berkley Jam Books

WWW.STEPHANIEHALE.COM