Life's Necessities & Luxuries

I just loved the movie Mermaids  with Cher and Wynona Ryder.  There was a scene when Wynona's character was asking Cher how would she know if this boy was "the one" and Cher bursts into song singing "The Shoop, Shoop Song (it's in his kiss)".  well, I often wonder if it's in his kiss or is it in yours?

One of the things I feel is often neglected are our lips.  We worry about wrinkles around our eyes, sagging skin, etc., but do we worry about taking care of our pucker? 

You're probably already saying to yourself "well, I put onl lipstick every day isn't that enough?"  Well, the answer to that is a big fat N.O.!!!

Our lips need special attention just like our eyes, neck or any other part of our face and body.  

If you find you have chapped, flaky lips, one of the quickest ways to heal them is to first take a dry toothbrush and rub it across your lips, this will help loosen the dry flaky skin and remove it.  Just don't brush too hard.

The second is to be sure to protect them especially in the harsh months during the winter and summer time.  I love the Clinique Targeted Balm.  I use this every time I go out in the sun or if in harsh winter I use it then as well.  It keeps your lips from getting sunburned and moistens them at the same time.  

A couple of my favorite chapped lip remedies are Carmex  and Blistex Lip Ointment .

And please don't forget -- not only do we need to take good care of our lips, but, we also need to take great care of what's around and in-between them as well. 

One of the quickest ways to look years younger is to whiten your teeth.  I'm a huge fan of the Crest White Strips. What I love most about them is that they work, they're affordable and you can travel with them.  The second best way which is a bit more time consuming a little bit more messy is to use a whitening bleach with trays and an LED Light which work very well for darker stains.

I love the feeling of mouthwash it always makes me feel like I have a clean mouth.  I'm so digging this cool mouthwash decanter.

Now don't forget after all your great efforts to make your pout beautiful and healthy, be sure to make it stand out and shine.  Some of my favorite lipglosses are from MAC, Estee Lauder and Bobbi Brown.

Well my friends, there you have it. Now go get smooching. MMMMWWAAH!!  Big kisses to you.

Love & Kisses,

Dawn-Marie

XO

This week was National Sister's Day. Do you have siblings?  Are any of them sisters?  Are you close with your sister(s) or is there some friction between you?

I have two older sisters.  One is 16 years older and the other 14 years older. When I was growing up, especially during my teenage years I definitely felt as though I had three mothers.  They would say, "you can't do this", "don't do that" it was very constricting and that's probably one of the reasons why I rebelled.  Now that I'm more mature, I can truly appreciate their love and care they had for me while growing up.  

Do you appreciate your siblings or do you take them for granted?  Are you still fighting or competing with them?  If the later, it's time to take off the boxing gloves and start pulling on the heart strings. 

Our time on this earth is quite brief and it seems to move at lightning speed the older we get.  Don't waste any more of this precious time.  Begin today to tell her how much you care. You can begin by picking up a small token of appreciation.  Here are some fun gifts you can buy today to begin your sisterly love journey:

Popcorn Set

Clinique Gift Set

The Relaxation Bubble Bath Gift Set

There are many ideas for gift giving to the ones you love.  Happy Sister Day!! Remember, there's no love, like sisterly love.  God Bless!

Remember to live Peacefully, Successfully, Lovingly and Happily.

Namaste!

Dawn-Marie

XO

Today is National Don’t Fry Day.  It is the day where we are to become more aware of learning ways we can protect our skin from the sun’s dangerous rays and the damage that it can wreak on our skin. 

My dad had skin cancer on his face, on his nose and shoulder to be exact.  He loved to sit in the back yard on his days off in the summertime without a shirt and with his fair skin, he’d burn and turn red like a lobster, but that didn’t seem to deter him from doing it again the next day. 

I understand, it was his way to relax, he would read the paper out in the back yard, chill out and get some Vitamin D.  Little did he know it at the time, but, he was severely damaging his skin by doing it year after year which is why he ended up with skin cancer.  When he began having issues, the doctors had to remove several growths that were cancerous.   He was in a lot of pain.

I also was a sun worshiper as a teen.  I couldn't get enough time at the beach.  I can remember me and my girlfriends slathering on baby oil mixed with iodine in it  to give us more of a “glow” and then to boot, we’d use the sun visors up under our chins begging the sun to fry our faces a little bit more.

My mom would always yell at me to stop tanning so much and to wear some sun screen.  I eventually listened and in my late 20’s I began sitting under the umbrella at the beach.  Although I still enjoy a great tan, I use the highest SPF I can find and limit the amount of sun exposure.  Premature aging is not pretty.  Have you ever seen the movie There’s Something About Mary?    Remember the old lady neighbor who was wrinkled like a prune?  Do you want your skin to look like that?  I know I don’t and it frightens the heck out of me.

In order to keep your skin free from sun damage, be sure that when you go outdoors that you wear sunscreen with at least an SPF of 30 or higher.  Be sure to reapply often as I believe most of them only last between 60-80 minutes so be definitely read the labels so you'll know when its time to reapply.

There are many natural products out there now as well in case you’re looking for alternatives to what’s at the drugstores and supermarkets.

Here are some products to keep you from frying not only your skin, lips, hands and hair to keep yourself protected from the sun’s damaging rays:

Natural Sunscreen

Face Protection

Lip Protection

Hair Protector from the Sun

Hand Protection

And if you do over do it and get a bit crispy, here are a couple of life savers to remove the sting from the burn:

Sunburn Relief

One of the best things I like to do to protect myself is to always wear sunglasses (be sure they have a UV coating) and a hat when spending time outdoors.  Here are a couple of my favorites:

Greetings Lovelies,

Spring has finally Sprung and summer's soon to follow suit.

How is your closet and wardrobe looking?  Are you up to snuff on your Spring fashion? Are you thinking about a little refresher? If so, take a listen to today's episode and catch up on what's hot and what's not! 

A few months ago I was interviewed on the Ed Tyll show, we covered various topics on fashion including the upcoming Spring 2017 fashion trends, color theory and headshot what not to do and what to do to look your best in your headshot.

Please listen till the end as I make an offer to help you get your fashion on for Spring!  Enjoy the show.

Live Happily, Successfully, Lovingly & Peacefully,

Dawn-Marie Mutell

XO

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Today's episode is a short one but packs a powerful punch.  Do you ever feel stuck in your situation, almost frozen like, or feel like you're in prison and are unable to live the the life you want?  We all have our binds that tie us from what we really want.  Now to think about how you can gain some freedom back into your life.

Do you feel free to be (fill in the blank)? Whatever it is you are seeking, it seeks you too.  So go on, break free from those chains that are binding you and feel free again to be....

Namaste,

Dawn-Marie

XO

Do you often feel like you’re stuck at the red light waiting for it to turn green? If you’re  anything like me, impatience can quickly set in when I know I have to be somewhere or have lot to do and its taking too long. 

Do you give yourself permission  to be the person you want to be or live the life you want to live?  Sometimes, I think we wait for permission from other people to move forward on a thing, or goal, or a life dream and can get zapped from ever seeing the light of day.

One thing I’ve learned from living here in Tampa coming from NYC is that lights here can actually take 11 minutes to change (I timed one once). I can eat breakfast, make a few phone calls, check my email and give dictation memo  before it even turns green.  Talk about frustration. 

One day I thought about the difference between the frustration of waiting for the light to turn green, it also made me realize that I can have a better life is to stop being impatient and make use of the time while waiting. But, when, it came down to real crux of the matter, I used to wait for the "green light", the "OK", the "permission" from others to do the things I wanted to do but there was this huge, bright RED light stopping me dead in my tracks.

I’d find myself beginning to feel guilt, or, worse, undeserving of wanting this for myself.  I fought these feelings and had to persist.  So, without one day without further hesitation, I decided I would make my own decisions and listen to my gut and follow the spirit guiding me.  I’m so happy I have, because there have been so many times when I listened and things worked out for the best. 

Check out today’s episode is about thinking about whether or not you give yourself permission to do the things you’d like to do in life (in all areas of your life).  Are you thinking about going back to school to make a  change in your career but might be afraid of what your family, husband, etc. will feel?  Does the guilt hold you?  I’ve had it happen to me more than once and I’m here to say, it, well, sucks.  We want to be able to shoot for the big dream, then BAM something transpires to make us change our minds, or, put it on the back burner or forget about the idea all together.  Don’t let this happen to you. 

Take a listen to today’s episode and I hope it’ll help you turn your light from red to green and give yourself permission to lead your best life.

Remember to Live: Peacefully, lovingly, happily and successfully - Namaste!

Dawn-Marie Mutell

XO

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It's a new year and with that in mind, I'm going to discuss some ways to get yourself motivated to reach your goals and aspirations for 2017.

Are you tired of living the life you currently have?  Do you want more out of life?  Are you looking for a new job, lover, husband, wife, soul mate?

What are you willing to sacrifice to make the necessary adjustments and changes you'll need to get what you want in 2017? 

Do you know what you want?  Or, do you just have an inkling as to what you think you might want?  Do you know how you're going to get it?

Check out some ways you can use persistence when it comes time to reaching your goals.  These tips will definitely help you get to where you're looking to go.

Well, grab a pen and paper and take a listen.  Take as many notes as you feel necessary.  Now let's get moving!  Have a very happy and successful 2017!

Live Successfully, Happily & Lovingly,

Dawn-Marie Mutell

XO

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Today's episode will be a short one, but, a very important one.  It's about questioning yourself on how you feel when you are surrounded in silence?  Do you feel uneasy?  Do you feel like running out of the room like it was on fire? 

Silence is the only place you can go to where you can hear your inner thoughts, desires and dreams.

So, take a listen and let me know in the comments below if you have any issues being in silence, or crave it, or how it might have helped you with a problem.

Live Successfully, lovingly and happily,

Dawn-Marie Mutell

XO

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One of the hardest things for me growing up was to ask for what I wanted.  Even if someone asked me what I wanted, I was often vague and a bit squeamish trying to articulate what it was that I wanted.  Until, one day, as I was reading a book, (I don't recall which one it was) and it read "do you ask for what you want?".  I thought about that question for some time and realized I truly didn't.

As the time went on, I slowly began asking for what I wanted and was in awe of the great responses I'd receive.  I seemed to get more Yes' than no's. 

Today's episode is a quick but important one to help you reach your goals and strive to fulfill your dreams.  So take a listen and begin to ask for what you want.  If you don't ask for what you want, guess what happens?  You'll never get it!!!  So, today's episode is to make you ponder the question:  Do I ask for what I want? 

Take a listen, and get determined to start asking for what you want, you'll be amazed and what happens.

If you like this episode, please share the love, subscribe and please leave me a comment to let me know how this affects your life and if it makes a difference in it.

Live happily, lovingly, peacefully and successfully,

Dawn-Marie

XO

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Are you one of those people who love to travel?  Or, are you someone who still has a bucket list of places you'd like to visit?  Either way, travel is an amazing way to learn and grow.  Unfortunately, it has become much more expensive and definitely not as much fun as it used to be (getting there that is). 

I've been an outside travel agent for more than 25 years.  And it's getting harder and harder to find great deals in travel.

Today's episode I give you 10 quick tips on ways to save money when booking your travel.

Enjoy,  I hope you visit many beautiful places and your travel dreams come true.

Bon Voyage,

Dawn-Marie Mutell

XO