Looking for a quick and easy alternative to bring to a Fourth of July party this weekend (besides the standard pasta salad)? Here is a fresh and festive Independence Day recipe that kids and grown-ups alike will gobble up faster than you can say “WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL,” that is after they upload a picture of it to Facebook.

What’s so SPA about this Spa Foodie post?: No, (sadly) we are not recommending that you  squish your face into this patriotic platter as DIY facial. However, remember the Dr. Perricone 3-day skin care diet? He suggests strawberries and blackberries to enhance your skin and eat for beauty. Just by swapping out the neighbor’s apple pie for these delectable berries loaded with anti-oxidants vitamin C, your belly and your skin will thank you. (Although you should probably have a piece of pie too.)

Note: For ultimate freshness, prepare this treat right before serving. Present with toothpicks for spearing the fruit and a bowl of yogurt dip or whipped cream, if desired.

Recipe courtesy of Family Fun Magazine

Ingredients

• 29 large strawberries
• 30 large blackberries
• 7 or so large bananas
• Lemon juice

Instructions

• Hull and halve 29 large strawberries and set them aside.
• Arrange 30 large blackberries, as shown, in the upper left corner of a serving tray or cutting board (it should be at least 8 by 13 inches).
• Cut 58 banana slices, 3/4-inch-thick, into a bowl. Sprinkle on lemon juice and toss the slices gently with a rubber spatula to keep them from browning.
• Assemble the banana slices in rows as shown and top each slice with a strawberry half.

Present on a large tray with handles and cover with saran wrap for easy transportation to the nearest block party or bbq. Wear this for added impact.

Few holidays throughout the year allow you to truly let your freak flag fly—Halloween and the Gay Pride Parade are two of them—but there’s only one where you can let your American freak flag fly. The Fourth of July is just a few days away, and it’s time to let your star spangled soul shine through. We claimed our independence 235 years ago, and freedom is yours to dress as you please! You can keep it classy, but this holiday is not complete without a touch of American cheese. There’s a certain finesse to dressing like a flag while keeping your patriotic cool, and it looks like this. (Best worn to the tune of our All-American Playlist)

Your top should pop with American pride. Red striped shirt – $50 at TopShop

You’re not usually one to wear a bow in your hair, which is all the more reason to wear one today. Polka dotted bow – $17.99 from ModCloth

As long as you’re not genetically prone to dripping ketchup or sliding across freshly cut grass, white bottoms are the way to go. Sure jeans are blue, but that’s the easy way out. White belted embroidered skirt – $21.99 from Rue21 or white high-waisted shorts – $34.50 from Delias

Fly that flag right under your shoulder. Sparkle as rays of sunlight hang onto the best accessory at the barbecue. Sequined flag bag – $16.99 on Amazon

Rock strappy wedges with a neutral base to give your outfit classy oomph. Matching red shoes to a red shirt is more than likely to fail (see pinup above). White “Braxton” wedges by Nine West – $49.90 (half off!) at Nordstrom

Blame the Chanel J12 – white watches are summer’s timeliest accessory. O’Clock watch – $36 on BornUptown

Lounge poolside in something festive. Even if you’re not laying out in a bathing suit, a bandeau top like this Jcrew one on sale for $29.12 is the perfect bra sub to contrast your red striped shirt, appropriately undone one button too many. (The one pictured is sold out)

Although bright red lipstick may seem intuitive, it could look too heavy for daytime. Try a light coral like this one by Estee Lauder for $28.

The final touch? Americanize your manicure. These were my nails last year, and I’ve never gotten more compliments! And look how nicely it matches the beach…

Column by Jackie Silver

Think of your skin as kind of like your permanent “party dress.” You want to keep it in the best condition possible because it goes with you everywhere and helps you look your best for any occasion. A lifetime of over-tanning or smoking can wreak havoc on your skin and make you look older than you actually are. In fact, studies were done with identical twins and the results showed that the smoking twin looked significantly older than the non-smoking twin.

Here are a few of my best-kept skin secrets for Aging Backwards:

Skin Defense Complex supplement from the Japanese company Astavita – keeps your skin young from the inside, out. I have been taking this little powerhouse for about three years and not only do people guess my age as low 30s (I’m over 50), but my hands look ridiculously young, too. It’s not sold on the company’s Web site, but it is sold in some stores and we’ve found it on Amazon.com as well.

Stemulance – skin care based on science using adult stem cells. This product really works to keep skin young and supple. The key is getting your hands on it because it’s not so widely distributed. It’s sold by cosmetic surgeons and skincare professionals at this time, but you can find a list here.

Brazilian Peel – a must-have for weekly exfoliation. You’ve probably heard that we get a “whole new skin” just about every 30 days. The old cells on the top die off and new, fresh cells form underneath. Here’s the important part – you need to get rid of those old, dead top cells or your skin is going to look gray and dry. Not only that, but all those expensive skin care products your using won’t penetrate your skin and instead will soak into your pillowcase, ugh. Brazilian Peel is a 30 percent glycolic acid facial product for exfoliating that’s five times stronger than any other glycolic product available in retail. Don’t get scared, though, it’s not going to have you looking like a lobster and hiding at home for days.

It’s actually very gentle because it has a patented dual chamber dispenser that keeps the glycolic separated from a patented neutralizer that’s only activated when the two are mixed together in your palm at the time of use. Here’s how it works: squeeze the entire amount of product into your hand, mix, apply a thin layer to the face, neck, chest and hands, wait ten minutes, wash it off. Seriously, it’s that easy. It’s available at Sephora stores nationwide and at the company’s website.

Jackie Silver is Aging Backwards and she shares her secrets, tips and shortcuts in her book, Aging Backwards: Secrets to Staying Young, on her websiteagingbackwards.com, on TV, on radio, in print and in person. She is a frequent television news guest, one half of The Ageless Sisters radio show, a columnist with The Tampa Tribune and contributor to numerous websites. In addition, she is the National Anti-Aging Beauty Examiner, New York Beauty Products Examiner and NY Charity Examiner for Examiner.com. Silver is a New York City based speaker and coach and is sought-after as an anti-aging and beauty expert by the media.

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101 puppies endured a whole lot of stress to reach Roger and Anita’s new house in London… their toes was froze, their ears was froze, their noses was frozes!… but once they did, they lived happily ever after. (Disney is pretty reliable like that.) Get ready to stomp out the Cruella de Vils in your life (back pain, aging skin, SPOTS of the unwanted sort…) because the famous national biannual celebration of $50 spa treatments for Fall 2011 is 101 dalmatians days away.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
The 15th installation of Spa Week is taking place nationwide October 10-16th. Already, hundreds and hundreds of incredible spas and wellness centers have signed up to participate, prepping to deliver their finest massages, facials, scrubs, mani-pedis and more with the sweet signature Spa Week price tag. The event is taking place in just about every major city across the USA and in Toronto. September 12th is when you start booking appointments – that’s the day the $50 directory goes live on spaweek.com.

BONUS: STOCK UP ON GIFT CARDS NOW WHILE THEY’RE STILL ON SALE
Through June, which you may have noticed ends at midnight, you can get Spa Week Gift Cards for 15% off. You can redeem them at over 3,500 spas ANY time of year and they never expire, but if you hold onto yours till Spa Week you’ll be getting one heck of a deal.

Before you know it you’ll feel like Lucky, literally…

This is PART TWO of the Gua Sha & Cupping double treatment – first catch up on Gua Sha if you haven’t yet – a lot of it applies here as well.

Cupping. It’s one of those out-there spa treatments that most people vaguely hear about along the way, like an ancient Chinese folklore (two of those words are accurate, however) but most people don’t think to try it for themselves. What is it? In short, cupping is a healing therapy that uses suction on the skin’s surface to “suck” stagnant blood from deep beneath the surface, mobilizing blood flow and delivering a range of benefits. Bottom line, it greatly improves circulation—the holy grail of spa benefits.

It’s similar to Gua Sha in terms of the holistic healing goals, but different in method and strength. Unlike the scraping technique of Gua Sha, traditional Ancient Chinese Cupping employs a glass dome that becomes a suction cup after a flash of fire. Scraping mobilizes blood just beneath the surface, while the mighty suction of cupping is able to stir up blood deeper within the body.

I had my first cupping treatment with Stephanie Maceiras, Licensed Acupuncturist at the Village Wellness Project in NYC. I quoted her in the Gua Sha post and it’s worth repeating here: “Nobody likes the bruising but everybody loves the way it feels, so it’s worth it.” Yes, the visual result of cupping is a bruise—simply blood being moved to just beneath the surface. That means it’s working! I only did a small dose of cupping for fear of long lasting bruises, but since it faded in only 3 days, I wish I had done more because the feeling afterwards was truly outstanding. My back seriously felt better than it had in years.

There’s sliding cupping as Stephanie demonstrated on me, where the cup moves up and down the body to get the blood moving evenly. It feels a bit like a massage, and the first cup she used was bigger and felt great. Then she used a smaller cup with a little more suction (she placed it on my back faster) and it started to hurt a bit. The pain means it’s working, but she released a little air to be less severe.

There’s also stationery cupping, where multiple cups are placed on your body at once. The longer it sits in one place and the stronger the suction, the more bruising occurs, as I saw when Stephanie left mine in one place to snap a photo on my iPhone – I had small, highly defined red circle on my back. A very intense version looks like this:

Don’t let this scare you – your practitioner has complete control over the level of cupping that occurs, and you by no means have to do it to this extreme to feel the effects. Here’s a look at a milder version, and the bruising that may occur:

Who is a candidate for Cupping? You are. Yes, cupping is a great treatment for anyone, just as a massage is, to improve circulation and general physical and psychological well-being. It helps treat everything from chronic pain to common colds, bronchitis and the flu. It alleviates back pain and tension tremendously, as I learned first hand. Some forms of cupping have also been used to treat serious medical conditions, such as blood disorders (anemia, hemophilia), arthritis and joint problems, muscular conditions, fertility and gynecological disorders, skin problems such as eczema and acne.

Another benefit? You could become a sexy Twister board for miniature colorblind people:

Gwyneth is doing it too!

Speak to your acupuncturist and find out how cupping could improve your health and well being. It is often paired with gua sha as you know, but it can also be combined with acupuncture and other holistic therapies.

Are you for cupping? Comment below and let me know if you’ve tried it or are thinking about it! And please never mention my comment about miniature colorblind people.

Village Wellness Project
80 E. 11th St., Suite 407
New York, NY 10003
Book on their website
To book with Stephanie directly, call 646-396-9756

This spa treatment was comped for editorial consideration, but all opinions stated are genuine and my own. Disclosure Statement

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