1. If you want healthy nails and a longer-lasting manicure, use cuticle oil or solar oil daily. It promotes healthy nails, prevents split nails and hangnails, according to Kerry Conklin of Charsima Salon in Erie. “Not using it is like skipping conditioner on your hair,” she said. With all the hand sanitizers  and other soaps we use that dry out our nails and hands, cuticle oil makes just plain good sense. And it smells good. Oils can include coconut oil, soybean oil, almond oil and other oils. That photo at left is a sparkle CND manicure, courtesy of Kerry.
2. Allergies can be triggered by things we use in our cosmetics and hair care products. Recent breakouts I had were due to something in a shampoo. This is particularly important for people with gluten sensitivity. Read a blog on Celiac.com that discusses it.
3. This time of year, my hair has been fried by the sun, but I love being in the sun. Crowning Glory studios features a great article on the Top 10 foods for shiny hair. The article notes that women need to pack on the protein for healthy hair. Iron deficiency in women also has a lot to do with hair loss and dried out hair.

And for fun, here’s a look at Ellen DeGeneres giving Jennifer Aniston a makeover.

For more fun, peek at Debby Boone, 55, who sang “You Light Up My Life” back in the ’70s. She is the daughter of eternal crooner Pat Boone — he’s 78. Both are pitching forLifestyle Lift — an alternative to traditional facelifts.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

Three things I’m loving this week:

1.Chocolate Tootsie Pops. How awesome is it that they now make entire bags full of just the chocolate-flavor Tootsie Pops? I found some on clearance after Halloween and grabbed them right up. Honestly, I don’t even know why they make the other flavors.

How many licks does it take to get to the center? I’ll never know, I can’t resist chomping into it halfway through.

2. A women-only trip to sunny Florida with 4,000 of my closest friends. More about that here (if you get the “warning” message, ignore it…it’s safe, trust me!).

3. “Mommy Mantras.” This little book is chocked full of great advice. The cover says it all: “Affirmations and Insights to Keep You From Losing Your Mind.” You can read more about it in this Sunday’s Nov. 22 issue of Her Times magazine in your Erie Times-News.

My favorite Mantra so far? “Within me there is a peacefulness that cannot be disturbed.”

“At any given moment, you have the ability to feel tranquil. Period. While it might seem alien or bizarre to lay aside the anxiety, fear and frustration that we often associate with stressful situations, it’s find to do this.”

“Mommy Mantras” calls this a mega-mantra and says, “if you can really internalize its logic and power, you have the ability to radically alter the way you manage stress in your life.”

Amen.

Three things I’m not loving this week:

1. Holey socks. Seems every pair of trouser socks I own now has holes on both sides (you know how usually you can just put the hole on the bottom..no more…now I have holes on the top and bottom) and it’s driving me insane.

I keep checking the local stores for new ones, but refuse to shell out good money for flimsy, thin, nylon-like trouser socks. I want the thick tights-like trouser socks. Seen any locally? Share and I’m certain that karma will reward you.

2. “Yesterday’s News” cat litter. I’m all about recycling and, of course, I’m all about finding a creative use for old newsprint, but this cat litter is, well, crap. I had to use it when one of my kittens came home from a spay/declaw operation and could only hack about 5 days of it before I tossed the entire lot of it into a bag and took it outside.

First, it’s expensive. Second, you can’t effectively “scoop” it. Third, it does not, ahem, control odors.

I’ll take Fresh Step or Tidy Cat over Yesterday’s News any day.

3. Christmas shopping. Bah humbug. I’m just not in the mood to spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars on Christmas gifts. Sorry Santa, I’m just not that into you anymore.