Pierce Mattie Public Relations New York

I hope this dosent mean that my favorite foods from Jenny Craig are going to stop being made. I will die without my chicken fajitas and chocolate cake! But just maybe this means that finally they can start to make some seriously good chocolates!

Jenny Craig Finds Buyer In Brabeck-Letmathe's Nestle A good omen? As far as we know, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe is not in league with the devil. But he is the chairman and chief executive of Nestlé, whose announcement on Monday might have struck some as slightly diabolical: The Vaud, Switzerland, conglomerate announced it is buying Jenny Craig for $600 million. But we urge the trepidatious to read on: What you learn might drastically alter your beliefs--in a good way. Sure, the first thing you think of when you hear "Nestlé" is the dark goddess, chocolate: the sweet, irresistible temptress that elevates the mood--and expands the waistline. And of course, Jenny Craig is in the worldwide business of helping people carve off unwanted bulk. Led by CEO Patti Larchet, the "classroom" company offers education, prepared foods and phone support as part of a full way of life to health-seekers.

Smokey Sue demonstrates dramatically the quantity of tar which is collected in the lungs when a single cigarette is smoked. The tar normally inhaled directly into the lung is collected in a transparent tube, and thus shows very clearly the quantity of tar which reaches the lung with each cigarette.

You have to be retarded to smoke. I have said this over and over again. And yet still some of my team has cancer sticks in their mouths at lunch. It makes me so upset that I had to blog on this.

Curbing tobacco use and taking other steps to eliminate some of the most common risk factors for cancer could save millions of lives over the next few decades, health officials said Monday.

Tobacco alone is predicted to kill a billion people this century, 10 times the toll it took in the 20th century, if current trends hold.

Nutrition researchers have made an amazing discovery about the link between eating and brain power. A 4-year study of more than 2,000 people published in the Annals of Neurology shows there is a specific diet that appears to significantly reduce your risk for Alzheimer's disease.

When you practice yoga or Pilates, like many of us at Pierce Mattie do, be careful which mat you’re using. I hope it’s not a communal one!

In the last two years, there has been a 50 percent increase in patients with athlete’s foot and plantar warts, according to Greg E. Cohen, a podiatrist at Long Island College Hospital. The culprit - dirty exercise mats!

Even though there’s no “official” link between unclean yoga mats and fungal, bacterial and viral infections, dermatologists and podiatrists have noticed a rise in the number of skin infections in their patients who practice yoga and use public mats. Scary!

Although many gyms provide disinfectants so we can wipe down machinery, not all of them provide the same cleanliness with exercise mats. So, ask your gym if they provide antiseptic solutions for their communal mats or if they clean their mats daily, it will save you a trip to the doctor’s office!

Keep healthy in more ways than just practicing yoga – use a disinfected mat! Try investing in your own mat or yoga wipes to avoid the risk of getting infections. There are so many yoga-mat wipes and disinfectants now available, so please exercise with caution!

A new report recently came out that Americans are too fat now to receive X-rays and other medical care that can be beneficial.

64 percent of the US population is now obese and of that 64 percent most are unable to receive full medical care because they are either too big to fit into scanners, or their fat is too dense for X-rays or sounds waves to penetrate.

It’s been almost a week of unbearable, triple-digit temperatures here in the city (and almost everywhere else in the country) and I can’t take it anymore! The brutal heat wave has left New York with record-breaking temperatures in different parts of the city, train slow downs, and thousands of Con Edison customers without power.

It has been so hard to do anything in the city for the last week since you can barely breathe walking down the street because of the thick air. So, to keep cool for the last few days I’'ve been trying to keep myself hydrated in different ways: drinking plenty of water, spritzing my face with jane iredale’'s D20 spray and of course, applying sunscreen –- even the short walk to the office can harm your skin without the right protection!

Fellow Pierce Mattians and I already started to feel a little cooler yesterday, even though it was temporary, with a nice afternoon treat - free iced café con leches that Starbucks was handing out. Despite the long lines going around the block, the efficient baristas kept the coffee coming and the lines moving quickly.

Hopefully, the cool down will continue this weekend - just in time for this Saturday’s launch party for Bond No. 9'’s newest summer scent, Fire Island. I’m excited about it...are you?

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ISPA Knowledge Networks are a venue for spa professionals to openly discuss current circumstances and to create practical solutions for business. Expert speakers; Mary Bemis, Rona Berg & Pierce Mattie will address pertinent industry-related topics, while also providing time for in-depth group discussion. Regardless of your level of experience, the education offered at the ISPA Knowledge Networks will be invaluable. Each Knowledge Network includes a Marketplace on the first evening providing an opportunity to network and learn about the latest products.

The ultimate goal of the Knowledge Networks is to provide spa industry professionals with the opportunity to build relationships in a one-on-one environment with their peers. View Invite">We encourage you to join us for the final 2006 ISPA Knowledge Network & Marketplace.

We already use bacteria to inject under the skin to get rid of laff-lines. Why do we love these wrinkel creating viral videos so much? "Ugly" men get "hot chicks" when they have a good sense of humor. The message, subliminal or viral, does seem to go down easyer with humor as a chaser. Viral videos are everywhere. It’s hard to escape the swarm of links I get from friends, family and colleges. These free, interesting and sometimes amusing videos spread over the Internet in almost pandemic speed. I have to admit, I've been guilty of forwarding them on to others when the clip makes me giggle (like a school girl) or those I find clever enough. Not all videos are truly viral marketing. In fact, most clips are just creative expressions, which entertain. Obviosly where ever you have an audience and peer-to-peer networks your going to find marketers trying to relate and persuade and advertise.

Here are a few videos, can you spot which one is viral and which are just entertaining?

Treadmill Fitness Equiptment Viral Or Music Video?

This week, the TODAY show has been doing a series called Hidden Germs. Who knew Matt Lauer was such a germaphob? They did germ investigations in grocery stores, baby bags, and …makeup counters! Now, I was always squeamish when trying on different shades at counters (who knows who’s been touching those things!), but after watching Janice Lieberman’s report, never again will I try ANYTHING at these counters, no matter how pretty the colors look. Not that I have to anymore, but I’ll get to that later.

Liberman brought samples of the makeup testers from some unknown department store to researchers. They found germs in everything – lipstick, lip gloss, eye shadow, brushes and even the containers that hold the little spatulas! One of the germs found was staphylococcus aureus which causes pink eye and other infections.

Just by using the testers at the makeup counters, you can spread your germs and pick up someone else's. Even free makeovers can be harmful if the makeup artist that’s doing it is using the testers on display. The Consumer Product and Safety Commission reported that thousands of people can contract skin and eye irritations from shared testers every year.

Now, onto why I don’t have to be afraid of germs in my makeup – JANE IREDALE! Iredale Mineral Cosmetics has done extensive bacterial testing so every product in safe and healthy for the skin. Her line of mineral cosmetics is inert, meaning nothing can harbor bacteria. So, in a nutshell there’s no need to be afraid of germs in her testers!

Last week I was out for cocktails with a few other business owners in the service industry. One was a skin care manufacturer, the second was a clothing line designer and the third was the owner of a large fitness chain of health clubs.

We got into an in depth discussion about managing client relationships

We were discussing how to repair a client relationship where things have gone wrong, for example clients whose expectations are unrealistic, clients who are abusive towards the staff and those clients who for whatever reason have become dissatisfied with their service.

The Wall Street Journal had run an article on entrepreneurs a few years back where I was quoted by saying “My New Year’s resolution as a business owner is to only work with people, places and things I really care about and that respect my team, work and over-all business ethics.”

1. Choose clients carefully

4. Live Up To Your Own Standards. Give What You Expect, Set The Example.

If you have done all your work working with your clients and have defined what you can achieve and there are still insurmountable problems, then it is time to re-evaluate whether that client is appropriate to have.

About a month ago we had a client call the office and demand that I get on a conference call. The brand was new to the market, had very little distribution (only one salon in New York) and the consumer awareness was simply not there (she refused to do salon events with us). The owner had worked with two other PR firms before us (our biggest competitors) for about two years who both did not secure the regional and national glossy press that the client was looking for. We were given about 3 months to change her entire media platform and correct the damage that the other PR firms had done during the course of two years. Naturally I slipped off my dress shoes, undid my tie, sat back in my chair practiced my breathing exercises and then took her call.

David Dean, a former account executive for a breast implant manufacturer, witnessed his mother suffer at the hands of two unqualified plastic surgeons, including one who painfully misplaced an implant after her breast cancer reconstruction and another who severed a major facial nerve. After his mother’s tragic experience, David became inspired to create a web-based destination that would hold plastic surgeons to a higher standard, as well as act as an unbiased educational resource for women considering breast augmentation and reconstruction.

This is when he began www.Breastimplants411.com. Breastimplants411.com was designed to help consumers make informed decisions about plastic surgery as well as find and research only those plastic surgeons who have achieved the highest level of certification – Board Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.

Celebrities have long used their clout and visibility to promote products that they love just as marketers and publicists have leveraged star power to help promote their products. Suzanne Summers could be considered the ur-marketer of the stars from the Thigh Master to protein shakes. But her current project, a book about bioidentical hormone replacement therapy has more than a few people worried.

The book, though, has raised the hormone levels of at least seven medical doctors. The doctors — three of whom are quoted in the book — generally support the concept of bioidentical hormone therapies but say that too little research has been done to assure that they are safe.

Further, they are outraged that Ms. Somers endorses a treatment plan created by T. S. Wiley, a former actress with no formal medical training.

They continued, “The so-called ‘protocols’ endorsed and promulgated throughout the book may expose women to serious health dangers.”

This all raises plenty of medical questions certainly but more urgently it questions how we as consumers should trust and interact with celebrity spokespeople. While we can all agree that Ms Summers looks just as good as always do we attribute this to her "juice of youth" or to her new makeup artist? There are so many factors that go into our perception of celebrities from our thoughts on their most recent relationship to our idea how how one should conduct oneself in public that all ultimately influence whether or not we take their advice. And when this perception comes up against troubling medical evidence then it is worth questioning our motives indeed.

Spa-nyc.com is celebrating their 4th year online this November. Instead of receiving gifts, they are giving a gift to you. Spa-nyc.com and many New York City spa's are offering Spa Services at 50% off all November long.

As I am sure you know, a relaxing massage or just pampering yourself in general is great for your overall well being. So why not take advantage of some wonderful Spa Treatments while they are 50% off?

Spa-nyc.com has a calendar on their promotional page listing all of the Spa's participating and which treatments they are offering each day at 50% off. Why not get pamper yourself a little? You'll surely need to be rejuvenated in time for the Holidays (and maybe even after).

For our readers who cant get to New York to take part in this offer, punch up Spa Finder or if your a Mac user download the Spa Finder Widget to find great deals at spas near you!

Here are some of the issues I have that I continually have to work on everyday:

* My hair—It can dry out easily or become overly moisturized, it is always a fine line of balancing. When the balance is out of wack, it contributes to its frizziness, and frizz is always an issue with me.

* My face—During the winter my forehead and between my eyebrows tend to get dry and need extra attention, otherwise all year round I have a t-zone that won’t let up. Ever since I can remember, I have always only gotten acne on my chin and being pregnant just makes it worse.

* My skin—I have Keratosis Pilaris on my arms and legs. It is a skin problem that was passed down to me through genetics and which seems to worsen being pregnant, but also if my skin gets dry. Winter is obviously the worst months for my skin, summer is not so bad since I am always slapping on my sunscreen.

* My body—My chest is a big issue with me, both size and their appearance. Now being pregnant with baby #4, stretchmarks are another issue I have to contend with.

It sounds very cliche, but while all of these are truly issues that I have to work on everyday, I don’t let it get me down. I absolutely believe 100% that my beauty is not only on the outside, but that once people get to know me, they will see it radiates from the inside out.

On a weekly basis, I will share my reviews with you of products I have been using or have tried out to resolve some of the above issues. Hopefully you may find a solution to your problem too.

What’s lurking in your bathroom? Besides the fabulous products you have going on in your cabinets for your friends to snoop, do you really know what lurks around your bathroom?

Lipstick—check
Toothpaste—check
Bacteria—check

All sorts of bacteria lurk in our bathrooms, from moist wet areas to products gone bad in our medicine cabinets. So what can you do to minimize your risk from your bathroom making you sick?

The Pet Care industry has been growing rapidly in recent years. The way we treat our pets is mirrored through celebrities such as Paris Hilton, among others, who clothe and pamper their precious pets. No more sleeping on the floor, it’s a posh doggie bed for Fido.

Pets are beginning to be treated more like people then ever before, bringing true meaning to “Man’s best friend.” It seems as we change over to a more healthy lifestyle with better diet and eating habits, so has the way we feed our pets changed. Simple dog food like Pedigree is no longer the only way, but instead it is being replaced with healthier nutritious brands like Beneful or Dick Van Patten's Natural Balance. My two Parson Russell’s (formerly called Jack Russell’s), it’s the Raw Food Diet.

It doesn't stop at dog food. Whiskers, a holistic pet care retail store makes deliveries of formaldehyde free rawhide chews, toys, bedding and vitamins. That's just the beginning. As you want to look your best each day, you also want to take pride in your pet’s appearance. Trips to Petco for your pet’s grooming is no longer just considered a luxury, but now a lifestyle.

How many of you have purchased something that was a knock off? I admit it, I purchased knock off Chanel sunglasses this past summer from a vendor next to me at a local fair. Imagine my surprise when I came across this blog and the video it shows.

The buying and selling of counterfeit products is costing American businesses $200-$250 Billion dollars a year and the loss of 750,000 jobs according to The U.S. Chamber of Commerce. This is not only the knock off of sunglasses, purses and watches you can find on any New York City street corner, but it also carries over into cosmetics, movies, music and even clothing and footwear like Air Jordans.

In a previous post, I mentioned being all for the healthy kids initiatives being launched into schools. However, I also think that sometimes good intentions can turn into scaring parents.

Take this new ad from Birdseye, for example, that I found on Adrants. The ad documents a child growing in waist size each year instead of height. Their point is taken and in the fine print they let you know what they have been doing to make their microwavable dinners more “healthy.”

Instead of more positive ads, like showing healthy kids exercising or eating healthy as a model for children to mimic, it seems to becoming more the trend to scare parents into getting their kids “healthy.”

Still warming up to Second Life? I am asked about it almost daily and wanted to get some basic info posted for those friends who read our blog consistently. Backstory is here. Follow the links.

New World Notes

From April 2003 to February 2006, I was a contract writer for Linden Lab, creators of Second Life, primarily hired by the company to cover SL as an embedded journalist in an emerging society-- its controversies, its personalities, its innovations and ambitions, along with larger themes of identity, social norms and organization, and cultural expression important to online worlds in general.

That contractual relationship has ended, but the story continues here. -Wagner James Au

Second Thoughts Do's and Dont's for Big Business.

"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden

Second Life Herald The Second Life Herald was founded on October 23, 2003, by philosophy professor Peter Ludlow. Its mission, as described the next day, was to observe, record and study "the legal, social, and economic implications" of life in the virtual world. Originally established as the Alphaville Herald and reporting for the most part on life on the Alphaville server of The Sims Online, the Herald soon branched out into coverage of other massively multiplayer online games and virtual worlds -- helped along by the murder of Herald publisher Urizenus (Ludlow's avatar) after Electronic Arts got wind of the stories the newspaper was printing about the scams and cyber-prostitution that were taking place within its game, and the company's indifference to reports of real-world violence.

As evidenced by the men in the Wonderbra ad below and the prevalence of super-sized products in the US, Americans often believe that bigger is better. I think at some point all women have thought about breast augmentation, even it was a momentary thought. There are many different breast procedures. Some women only want breast implants while others are looking for a reduction or a breast lift that will create a youthful appearance. Some women consider breast implants to be a necessity and not a matter of enhancing natural given assets.

Back when I was in high school, I toyed with the idea of a breast reduction. Kids often made fun of me in high school, which lowered my self-esteem. A few seniors called me out by one of my nicknames, “Twin Peaks,” in my high school yearbook. Funny how something that happened 14 years ago can still affect you.

While I never went through with a breast reduction, a few women in my family did. They were inherently unhappy with the way they looked and it affected them emotionally for years. Once they had their augmentation, it was as if their real self was revealed. They no longer lived in the shadow of their chest size. Their burden was lifted once and for all.

No matter the reason for a reduction or implant, you hear stories from women far and wide about their experience with their surgeons. While there are success stories, it is the disastrous, life-altering surgeries gone wrong that seem to have the greatest impact.

David Dean began BreastImplants411.com (you can read more about David’s story here) because of two unsuccessful breast augmentation procedures performed on his mother. He started his site to help women find qualified surgeons and make informed decisions about their breast surgery. This site has now become the #1 source for women looking to learn more about breast augmentation.

This year about 564,830 people are expected to die from cancer. That is 1500 people per day. I can confidently say that I am sure anyone reading this has been affected by cancer in some way, shape or form. Cancer has been a destructive force in my and my husband’s family. My husband lost his sister to Liver Cancer 6 weeks after being diagnosed in her senior year in high school. Recently his aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. For me, it was my Great Grandfather passing away from Lung Cancer and my friend Maureen from Sarcoma. There are many other people between the two of us who have either battled or passed away from cancer, but it’s just too many to list.

I was recently able to speak with Kim Erikson, President of the Board of Directors for the Wayne County unit of the American Cancer Society for whom I am coordinating Shop for a Cure with. Ms. Erikson, whose mother is a volunteer for the Look Good, Feel Better Program for the ACS in Wayne County, shocked me when she told me that my local area of Northeast Pennsylvania was in the top ten for the highest cancer rates in the country. In fact, when I looked up the information on the American Cancer Society’s website, it appears that PA is in the top 5, with a projection of 73,630 new cancer cases for 2006. Other states in this top 5 are California, who ranked the highest for projected cancer rates, followed by Florida, New York and Texas.

I know this isn't exactly breaking news for everyone. However, for those who have lives and don't live and shop online exclusively, this may be news to you, it was to me. Many "recommendation" sites are popping up all over the Internet, yesterday a Fashion blogger referred me to one that is getting kudos in the New York Times; ThisNext.com. I was impressed just how organized this site was and even more impressed to find fashion and beauty bloggers I know doing Shopcasts there, such as Kristopher Dukes, The Jewelry Weblog, and Lola is Beauty.

What's a Shopcast? It's basically shopping and broadcasting combined. It's a playlist of products you recommend and you run them on a badge on your site and they also run on the ThisNext site, as well. You can create wishlists and also make recommendations by downloading a few buttons for your browser.

There are some really great recommendations just waiting for you to discover them, or if you feel so inclined, for you to make them at ThisNext.com

I'm currently reading The Ten Faces Of Innovation (Tom Kelly) and thought Trekinetic’s K-2 All Terrain Wheelchair must have come from the cross-pollinator (a face of innovation identified in Kelly's book). It's part dirt bike and wheelchair, Makes me want to take it for a spin. It offers a design and beauty inspired departure from conventional manual wheelchairs.

• Front wheel driven with a singular rear trailing castor for stability
• The seat is of carbon fiber,
• A dynamic braking system for slowing down and steering
• Weather equipment is in the form of an attachable automatic umbrella

Professional trendwatchers are saying this falls under the Beauvalanche trend or could have easily been filed under Innovation Overload as well. Regardless, it does prove that everything can be beautified and reinvented! FYI, Trendwatching.com just released the Transumers briefing which is free to everyone.

"Because there are things women need to know about breast implants and augmentation." For more information, please visit www.Breastimplants411.com

Cast Your Vote
(1). Size: 32 A
(2). Size: 32 B
(3). Size: 34 B
(4). Size: 34 C
(5). Size: 36 C
(6). Size: 36 D

Any woman can tell you the color and scent of a Victoria’s Secret store. Branding a business by color has been around forever, branding a business by scent deliberately is a rather new practice.

We have become inundated with never ending commercials, advertisements, pop-ups and infomercials, smart, progressive businesses realize that the use of scent is another way to make their business or brand not only stand out, but be remembered and associated with a certain positive experience or product.

While color may be an easy branding tool and will surely distinguish you from your competitors, such as that yummy, chocolate brown trademarked as "UPS Brown", scent can be a little touchier. Scent can either turn someone away or reel them in. It's a scientific fact that women are attracted to an ever so slight smell of skunk. Too much, and they are repulsed. Repulsion can be a good thing if your an international airport and you need to clear a building fast. Scents of danger need no interpretation. The scent of coffee can calm people, the new car smell increases sales of vehicles, Victoria’s Secret puts you in the mood the minute you walk into their store with the scent of a woman (or a man in drag) that remind you of romance and desire. Pierce Mattie's Media Oasis has a branded scent, complete with a high tech scent delivery system. Scents that relax you and put you in the mood to shop can increase a businesses bottom line.

I am a dark chocolate eater. It’s something I have had quite the addiction to for as long back as I can remember. So today’s news from John’s Hopkins University that dark chocolate may aid in heart health, made me jump for joy. You mean all those Godiva dark chocolates I have been consuming over the years were actually good for me?

John’s Hopkins study showed that study participants who ate dark chocolate as part of their daily diet, showed similar effects in blood clotting to that of people who take aspirin on a daily basis.

Professor Diane Becker is quoted as saying,

“Eating a little bit of chocolate or having a drink of hot cocoa as part of a regular diet is probably good for personal health.”

So no longer do I have to make excuses to my husband like, “The baby is making crave Hershey’s Special Dark,” I can simply say, “I need it because it is good for me, it’s clinically proven.” Gertrude Hawk, here I come.

I often get asked where my phone skills come from -- as a publicist, I can pitch over the phone like no one's business (toot-toot, goes my horn). Little do some know that I spent my senior year of high school as a telemarketer selling timeshares on the beach over the phone. Yes, in less than two minutes, I would talk, pitch, book and invite you to come to a new condo complex on the Gulf of Mexico to meet with a realtor. Today those phone skills are used daily and I encourage our team to "get on the phone." Email over the years has replaced the pitch calls.

However, trends come and go and this season, the phone will re-establish itself to become "the new email." This holiday season, the next marketing call consumers receive may not be from a credit card company or a politician. A growing number of apparel chains are making personal-sounding phone calls to tout sales events or the arrival of new merchandise, according to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research firm.

Automated calling services or store clerks who might otherwise be folding sweaters are dialing past customers - using phone numbers gleaned at the cash register - in an attempt to woo them back, he said. Some might even address the former customers by their first names to establish a kind of pseudo-familiarity. Cohen noted that the number of retailers vying for customers by phone has risen from about six to more than two dozen in the past year and a half. Chain stores such as Victoria's Secret, Limited Too and Lane Bryant started adopting the approach during the back-to-school period last year, he said.

Cohen said he expects a flurry of retailer calls after the holidays, when they will be trying to draw consumers into their stores to use gift certificates. "The bad news is the more stores that do this, the less effective this becomes" because customers may stop answering the phone or simply run out of money, Cohen said.

I often get asked where my phone skills come from -- as a publicist, I can pitch over the phone like no one's business (toot-toot, goes my horn). Little do some know that I spent my senior year of high school as a telemarketer selling timeshares on the beach over the phone. Yes, in less than two minutes, I would talk, pitch, book and invite you to come to a new condo complex on the Gulf of Mexico to meet with a realtor. Today those phone skills are used daily and I encourage our team to "get on the phone." Email over the years has replaced the pitch calls.

However, trends come and go and this season, the phone will re-establish itself to become "the new email." This holiday season, the next marketing call consumers receive may not be from a credit card company or a politician. A growing number of apparel chains are making personal-sounding phone calls to tout sales events or the arrival of new merchandise, according to Marshal Cohen, chief analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research firm.

Automated calling services or store clerks who might otherwise be folding sweaters are dialing past customers - using phone numbers gleaned at the cash register - in an attempt to woo them back, he said. Some might even address the former customers by their first names to establish a kind of pseudo-familiarity. Cohen noted that the number of retailers vying for customers by phone has risen from about six to more than two dozen in the past year and a half. Chain stores such as Victoria's Secret, Limited Too and Lane Bryant started adopting the approach during the back-to-school period last year, he said.

Cohen said he expects a flurry of retailer calls after the holidays, when they will be trying to draw consumers into their stores to use gift certificates. "The bad news is the more stores that do this, the less effective this becomes" because customers may stop answering the phone or simply run out of money, Cohen said.

• Personal Care Appliances - Global Strategic Business Report : This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Personal Care Appliances in Thousands of Units.

• Spinduggery, The Flack: Peter Himler posts about Jeff Jarvis' snarky comment insinuating PR professionals have dishonesty in their DNA. Jeff Jarvis, being the 'spin'-ster he is, should love the quote "you can’t polish a turd."

• KFC Logo Relaunch - From Space, Near Area 51: I know all of you are saying "I thought of that months ago." Ever since Google launched satellite imagery on its maps, I've wanted to pitch this idea to a client. While not the first, KFC is doing it on a grand scale; a nice publicity stunt. For those of you who know my New York address, you can see me on the roof of my apartment building with my dogs, frozen in time from space.

• Loyalty VS. Advocacy CRM Lowdown: Most companies think that their job is done when they manage to convert a regular customer into a loyal customer. They tend to forget the guy because now ‘he can take care of himself.' Wrong! Once you’ve converted a customer, your job becomes even more difficult.

• Link Karma From The Copyblogger: 21 Surefire tips for a successful blog launch, 10 things to consider when choosing a site meter, and the five W's of great content.

• Hotels offer lots of freebies during winter (just not in New York City), The Mercury News: Winter travelers can take advantage of a number of hotel deals. Properties are offering free nights, free gift cards, special rates and other perks.

• How To Stop Comment Spam Without Lifting a Finger, Tubetorial: If you're a wordpress user, you have to visit tubetorial. Quick, easy-to-understand flash video - enjoy.

• The European Newspaper Design & Concept Awards Europe‘s most innovative newspaper 2006: Look and learn. This year, Europe’s best designed newspapers come from Belgium, Norway, Finland, Portugal and Spain. 287 newspapers from 26 countries participated in the eighth European Newspaper Award.

I thought my client was very relaxed, until after the treatment I realized she died on the table during our session, and I thought to myself...were those moans of joy or pain!

Sometime blackheads aren't the only thing extracted at spas. A few souls have been extracted as well. While some of us have had wonderful experiences at a day spa, there are some out there that snap us back to reality that you really do need to heed warnings and pay attention to the reputation of spa's.

Some stories lingering around the internet:

Gut Feelings: A Kuwaiti woman tells of her awful experience at Al-Corniche Club Spa in Kuwait. Always go with your gut, if customer service is bad just from a telephone call, you must know it is going to be just as bad at the spa itself.

The Roach Treatment: What would your reaction be if you signed in at Eo Inn Spa with a roach crawling across the clipboard?

Sawful! Edges Salon and Spa get a pretty bad review from this spa patron. No shower available after an oily massage and waiting in the parking lot while the spa opened 30 minutes late are just some of the complaints.

About.com reminds you how important it is to tell a spa your medical history before having any spa treatments done, a story not for the faint of heart, but a message worth heeding.

If you've never experienced a spa before, but would like to, be sure to check out Spa Finder. You can really break down your search for the type of spa you are looking for to provide you with as much detail as you need to make an informed decision.

Have you had a bad experience at a spa? Let us know in the comments.

We'll return to posting about luxury, lifestyle and wellness on Friday. Enjoy the cartoon and whether it's a extra long walk around the park with your dogs, raking leaves, a jog, turkey-ball in the backyard or shopping – physical activity over the holiday need not be strenuous to be good for you. Remember that short bursts of activity, three times a day, can pave the way to better health.

As if you need another excuse to book that long-overdue Hawaiian vacation, SELF Magazine, the premier well-being lifestyle magazine for women, has named Honolulu, HI the nation's healthiest city for women in its "7th Annual America's Healthiest Places" survey. This is the most comprehensive examination of its kind, distinguished for its broad scope and profound revelations about life-improving health secrets specifically for women in the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.

Whether your hometown is riding Honolulu's wave of good health or stuck in nutritional-neutral like the Motor City (Detroit brings up the rear as number 100 on the list), SELF will help all American women embark on a journey of health, happiness, and fitness.

As I was washing my hair today I noticed that my ISO Shampoo had an expiration date on it. I thought that was unusual, as I haven't noticed any of my other shampoo's alerting me to when they would expire. I decided to look through some of my other products in my bathroom to see if any others would have expiration dates. I was surprised to find that half did and half didn't. All the products that did varied in expiration. For example, my Ojon Revitalizing Mist expires in 18 months; my Jane Iredale blush in 24 months and my Joico Silk Result in 12 months. Since I am one to horde beauty products until I have finished every last bit of them, I decided it’s best to note shelf life on your beauty products.

Steve Hultgren asked me an odd question the other day. Come to think of it he's always asking me odd questions! Most likely to stimulate some content for these blog posts. He asked me whether or not I think a hint of body odor on a guy smelled sexy. There really was nothing to think about, hands down the answer was no. He was surprised at my answer and said he likes musky smells. As a woman, I have been trained since birth that what is sexy is something that smells good (I know, "good" and "sexy" are subjective.) Body odor to me is the epitome of uncleanliness. In fact, when I buy my husband's antiperspirant, it has to have scent, most times smelling like cologne. My husband does not wear cologne so his antiperspirant is the closest I can get to having him wear fragrance. The bottom line is that good underarm scent makes me want to snuggle closer to him, while the scent of body odor...not so much.

There is a difference between antiperspirant and deodorant, that being that antiperspirant is for controlling both underarm wetness and controlling body odor, while deodorants kill the bacteria that causes body odor. Antiperspirants can contain deodorant, but not vice versa.

Joanna Roche is the Senior Managing VP of Pierce Mattie Public Relations. She has a proven track record of success and corporate experience. She is high energy and passionate about her work, which makes her direct, up front, realistic approach with Pierce Mattie PR clients what makes her a true asset.

Joanna is a married mother of a 2-year-old son, who loves to run, cook and travel. The best way to describe her is balanced. She loves to dive into her work, yet still maintain the proper balance of her hobbies and family life. Joanna is goal oriented and believes that nothing is impossible.

Tell readers about a typical day as VP of Pierce Mattie.

There is nothing typical about being a VP at Pierce Mattie PR! Every day is different and it is one of the things I love about my job. Most days include working on new business, coming up with creative ideas to promote our brands, meeting with clients, nurturing the staff and helping them develop pitches and reach editors, and keeping abreast of trends and happenings in the PR world.

Sometimes there are products I get excited about and then there are the products I want to shout from the rooftops about. Some products I got to try out for review from Earth Therapeutics have me wanting to shout from the rooftops without a doubt.

Purifying Salt Scrub Detox Formula: Out of the three products, this is the one that I was most excited to try. I know the benefits of using Salt Scrub, especially those made with Dead Sea Salts. Earth Therapeutics Salt Scrub also contains organic Tea Tree Oil, which enhances cleansing and detoxification, and moisturizing essential oils. While the oils feel slick in the shower, once you get out and dry off, you feel nothing but baby soft skin. Using this once a week has given me fabulously soft skin, which has helped solved my winter-skin dilemma.

Soothing Leg Lotion: The scent of this lotion is heavenly. This lotion has Rosemary, Wild Mint and Aloe Vera. The consistency is almost like a silky shower gel. It spreads easily and absorbs nicely. It made my legs feel wonderfully soft and I loved the scent so much, that I put it on my hands before bed. I found the scent to be so relaxing, that it helped me fall to sleep.

Nail & Cuticle Care: If you are someone whose nails are brittle and whose cuticles crack easily, this is surely the nail conditioner for you. When I rubbed it on my nails and over my cuticles I could almost hear them saying, “ahhh,” in relief. The scent was a nice citrus scent, which I love. It contains Sesame Oil to moisturize, Pure Australian Tea Tree Oil to protect your nails from infection and an Organic Nutrient Matrix to nourish and deep condition your nail bed and cuticles.

Have you used any Earth Therapeutics products? Let me know what you thought in the comments.

I’ve honestly never paid much attention to products that were celebrity endorsed, in high school, maybe a little, however there have been plenty of my friends who live by what products “Celebrity A List” says are the best. There was a time, back when I was very young, that I did follow what my favorite celebrities endorsed. One such product was Pepsi, simply because I was a very big Michael Jackson fan. Luckily, I wised up.

So when I saw one of my favorite fashion designers, Isaac Mizrahi, pitching StriVectin-SD in a commercial the other day I felt such utter disappointment. Strivectin-SD, which claims to be an anti-stretchmark cream turned anti-wrinkle cream, is trying to pitch their product to men through Mizrahi's popularity. Isaac is a talk show host and thus a "lifestyle advocate" however, as a person who admires Mr. Mizrahi for his outstanding fashion, I wonder why he had to go this route. Seeing him in a commercial promoting an anti-wrinkle cream made me lose a little bit of respect for him and I didn't want too. I'm sure I am not alone.

I believe there was a time when celebrity endorsements held clout, but the times have been changing, most especially as blogs have become more and more popular. There are so many blogs out there that review products and I am more apt to listen to the average Joe tell me their likes and dislikes over a product than to run out to buy a product because Mischa Barton has been using it. According to a survey done by Allure and Essence, the same holds true for many of their readers.

Microdermabrasion is a nonsurgical cosmetic procedure that has been increasing in popularity in recent years. While many over the counter brands are now offering their products for the purpose of Microdermabrasion, it is still best to have the treatment done by a skincare professional and/or using the products developed by one.

While simply exfoliating your skin is something you should be doing on a weekly basis, Microdermabrasion is a more effective treatment to treat fine lines, crow’s feet and acne scars. It’s use of a polishing your skin with crystals to resurface your skin is a safe alternative to chemical procedures and can be successfully done on all skin types. This resurfacing of the top layer of skin removes the dead skin cells and helps with the regenerating of new skin cells. With this top layer of dead skin cells removed, application of lotions and creams are more effective at moisturizing your skin. Most treatments can be done in 30-60 minutes and do require several follow up treatments. To maintain that healthy glow, maintenance treatments should also be done.

Dermalogica on Montana offers exfoliating treatments like Microdermabrasion. As with any skin treatment you are considering, you should first be seen by a skin care professional to ensure that this is the correct treatment for you. Dermalogica offers Face Mapping in which licensed Dermalogica skin therapists analyze your skin from forehead to collarbone, identifying potential problems, unique needs, and how to treat them professionally. Face Mapping only takes 10 minutes and is free.

Take an inside look into a Skin Treatment Pod at Dermalogica on Montana (the brands flagship store):

Although Blogging has been around for years, approaching Bloggers to review or pitch your products is fairly new and growing in momentum. If you are thinking of approaching a Blogger to review your products, there is a protocol that sometimes many companies do not invest their time to understand and follow.

As a beauty Blogger, I receive many emails on a weekly basis from companies and PR firms big and small to find out if I am interested in reviewing their products on my two beauty blogs. There are some that exude professionalism both in the way they approach me through their emails, through the way the package is sent and in their follow up. Then there are the mass emails, lack of PR materials with the product, presentation of the product and lack of follow up. The difference between the two potentially means your emails go in my trash folder.

Things you should not do when you approach a Blogger:

Send out a mass email, most notably saying “Dear Bloggers” or having no greeting at all. While some newer Bloggers may respond to this, many seasoned Bloggers won’t. It is the sign of a company simply harvesting your contact information and not taking the time to personally contact you, as they want you to personally review their product. It is a two way street.

Have the expectation that the Blogger will want to review your product simply because you offered it for free. Bloggers know their readers and most will only review products that are 1. Related to their blog and 2. Something that would be of interest to their readers.

Insincerely attempt to flatter them. So many companies do it and many times I receive the same email to each of my accounts for my blogs when the company doesn’t even realize they are sending it to the same person. Bloggers can read between the lines.

The other day I took a pretty nasty fall down a flight of stairs. My first concern, was for my unborn baby, so an ultrasound was scheduled to be sure things were okay. While waiting, worrying and feeling the intense pain of a possible broken tailbone I began to think about the stressors in my life and how to minimize them. It is known that stress can manifest itself through physical pain and I had to wonder if all of the pain I was feeling from the fall was also exacerbated by the stress in my life.

Some things that are so simple and basic can really make a difference in how you think, feel and act. It’s all common sense, but how many of us really take the time to do the basics to ensure good health?

"I'm talking about good vibrations," an emerging trend in the fitness industry is whole body vibration. Many trying to launch this trend have said that whole body vibrations can improve muscle strength, increase bone density, burn fat, increase metabolism and improve circulation.

Most Whole Body Vibration Machines on the market state that for only 10 minutes a day, 3-7 times a week, it can make a huge difference in your body’s health and fitness. If this is true, then that means all those excuses of not having time to go to the gym will no longer be valid. The verdict is still out on whether this type of fitness is beneficial or harmful.

How whole body vibration machines work:

* Scientifically calibrated machines deliver vibrations through oscillating plates from the feet up distributing vibral energy to your entire body.

* Vibrations can be delivered two ways, left to right or up and down.

Many athletes and fitness and rehabilitation centers are using vibration in their exercise programs and now whole body vibration machines are available to the public. Soloflex has their own and there are many out that can vary from reasonably priced, such as Soloflex, to very expensive.

What do you think of whole body vibration as fitness? Is it harmful or helpful?

A few nights ago I was watching a show regarding “Pumping Parties.” I was really quite blown out of the water when hearing about these parties and how they continue to increase in popularity despite the inherent risks. A pumping party is when you are invited to a host’s home and everyone is injected with silicone in the parts of the body they want to see rapid results. They pay hundreds of dollars to the injectee, who has no medical training, versus the sometimes costly price of plastic surgery and Botox. Many see this as an easier and less costly way to obtain pseudo plastic surgery results.

Pumping parties have been around for a while (and are illegal), but as the demand for physical perfection continues to daunt us, the popularity of these parties increases. What many people attending these parties don’t understand is that silicone injected that is not medical grade or done by a board certified plastic surgeon, is just plain deadly. Silicone that is injected improperly travels through the bloodstream and causes blood to coagulate in the lungs, creating circulatory obstructions that can be immediately life-threatening if not identified and treated quickly according to the Radiological Society of North America. The imaging findings of pulmonary silicone embolism include dark, hazy patches in the lung tissue on x-rays or computed tomography (CT) scans.

If you are invited to a pumping party, please know the risks involved. While your results may be immediate and the price tag associated with it may be attractive, any cosmetic procedures should be done soley by a plastic surgeon. While you may be saving yourself some money in the short-term, isn’t your long term overall health priceless?

So you made a New Year’s resolution to get in shape and be healthier, but you are overly addicted to grabbing that muffin when you buy your Starbucks coffee. Well no need to worry about your Starbucks addiction any longer, eating their treats such as muffins and doughnuts now became healthier on January 3rd, minus the trans fats.

While those in New York City are aware of the ban on artificial trans fats and their transition out of the food industry, Starbucks has decided to begin removing trans fats from their food menu across the country. It will begin in a few select cities, including New York City, Los Angeles and Philadelphia and then eventually have all 5,600 coffeehouses throughout the U.S. at zero trans fats. Trans fats are believed to be harmful and thought to be the reason cholesterol levels continue to elevate.

So will this draw an even larger appeal to Starbucks in the coffee wars? It seems logical, more so in these first few months of the year when New Year’s fitness goals are in full swing and possibly again when we jump into getting ready for bathing suit season. Certainly it is more alluring to buy a “healthier” muffin with that delicious Starbucks coffee than it is to drink a McDonald’s Green Mountain coffee and an egg mcmuffin.

I suppose it’s only natural to think that with our ever-growing waistlines, our pets are also at risk for being overweight. With so many diet pills and weight loss programs for humans, someone finally began paying attention to the dogs.

The FDA has approved a diet drug for dogs made by Pfizer called Slentrol. Slentrol is a liquid prescription drug that suppresses your pup’s appetite and reduces fat absorption. As many dog owners know, an obese dog is at risk for many health problems such as diabetes, heart problems and their excess weight increasing joint pain. Slentrol is being introduced as another aspect to a dog’s overall weight management program, which means diet and exercise are key, as they would be in any human’s weight loss plan.

Some things Slentrol is not: for cats and humans. So don’t go getting any ideas taking a dose of your pup’s medication to lose your own weight.

While this may be a great breakthrough for pet owners with obese dogs, I have to wonder if this drug will be another Fen-phen.

The area in which I live is known to have character. Each house is different, or has historic presence, and stands out among other places nearby. There really is no “big business” in our area overcrowding every street corner and making their over domineering corporate-America presence known. This is a place that embraces entrepreneurs.

So when driving down a road I haven’t traveled in a while, I noticed something out of the ordinary; cookie cutter houses. A new development was being built and each house looked exactly the same. Their yards were the same, with the same tree in the same spot, and the grass all the same length. Nothing about these houses or this development had anything exceptional to them. They lacked character.

As we become busier, so comes our need to find time to relax. Relaxing doesn’t necessarily mean vegging out on the couch. More and more people are taking the time from their schedule to indulge in posh spa treatments as the ultimate relaxation indulgence.

Going to the spa is like taking a step into a different world, it’s peaceful, it’s therapeutic, but it also speaks to luxury. As individuals continue to keep spa treatments in demand, more businesses are beginning to capitalize on this.

Hotels and resorts are beginning to offer spa services for their guests making what would’ve been an average hotel stay into an extraordinary one. One such resort that comes to mind that is local to me is Woodloch Pines Resorts. They recently opened their Lodge at Woodloch this past June, which is a Destination Spa that from its beginning stages, demanded high quality professionals for the ultimate in service. Woodloch wanted to stand out among its competitors and become a leader in the industry. They accomplished just that by being listed on the Forbes Top Most Luxurious Spa’s list, as well as being listed among the 100 Best Spa’s in the World by Insider’s Guide. Spa’s like The Lodge at Woodloch are thriving due to the growing demand for pampering in luxury and the overall concept of health and wellness.

If you watched the second two-hour premiere of 24 last night you'll know why Los Angele's is stocking up on Clarins Expertise 3P. It's a new plant-based mist that is said to shield your skin from electromagnetic waves and daily environmental pollution by reinforcing the skin’s natural barrier, protecting against free radicals and increasing cellular energy. Since this product only launched this month I have yet to use it, however I did a lot of searching online to see what others have been saying about it. It appears that there is some debate over whether this is hype or a true plausible product.

While many beauty Bloggers seem thrilled with such a product coming out on the market, it seems that those in the tech world find it laughable. Engadget made a stab at it and a commenter on Yahoo Tech cited the National Toxic Encephalopathy Foundation as one who exposes the truth on Clarins. Pierce wrote about the NTEF, a client of Russ Fons PR, back in October when they issued a press release bashing Clarins.

As I get sent products to review often, one thing I have been seeing more of is shielding lotions. So the concept of a shielding mist is really not that far fetched. A few commenters on Engadget brought up a good point and one that I agree with. Shielding products appear to work in the same way sunscreen is meant to work; blocking out what is bad for your skin and letting the good pass through. Our president loves the idea and placed his order last week and made it his pick for the week. I’m not sure why the idea of a shielding mist is that hard to grasp. As we come to know what affects our skin, doctors and scientists are able to move forward in finding ways to protect it. While the FDA does not regulate the cosmetics and skin care industry, it certainly polices itself. Many companies do their own laboratory research to create products that deliver a solution to a skin care issue. I’m sure Clarins did a substantial amount of research to produce a product that delivers on its promise.

If you have tried this product, let us know what you thought of it.

Weight Watchers is sexing up their appeal featuring Jenny McCarthy in advertisements. Some people might struggle with the Playboy centerfold being a weight loss spokesperson and not some midwestern housewife, but those who are fans of Jenny know she's the real deal.

Early on in my public relations career, I worked in the PR department at Weight Watchers International. I was thrilled when word had broke that Jenny had attended Weight Watchers meetings and lost all of her baby weight on the program. I prayed I'd get to work with Jenny, but unfortunately celebrity contracts take forever and by the time it closed I had moved on. I've heard many people bashing Jenny saying that "she was never fat" but photographs don't lie and I've personally seen the pictures of her when she was nearly 200 lbs. and yes she was certainly heavy to say the least. However, SHE WAS PREGNANT and should be heavy.

All and all, I say good for you Jenny. She lost weight naturally and not overnight. It took her 6 months to do it and is making and an old diet new again. Most young women look at Weight Watchers as an old fashioned "mom" diet, but it's truly not. Its a lifestyle change based on scientific research and works wonders if you do it correctly. No pills, no gimics, just eat healthy and exercise. Way to go Jenny for spreading a good message.

Kiss My Face was a green beauty company before green became an in thing. Every product they sell is organic without anything artificial at all. Yet going organic certainly doesn’t mean that quality is compromised at any point or that organic means a heavy price point. Most Kiss My Face users will tell you, their products are top notch and won’t break the bank in the process.

It’s not very often that you can go to a company’s website and read the background on how things were started, and if you can find one, you certainly will not find one so personable and down to earth. When you read the story behind how Kiss My Face began and their mission and purpose of their products you can’t help but feel their humor, lightheartedness, and of course their love for our great Earth. Their story is definitely a Squash to Riches story and one I think everyone should read.

Kiss My Face sells a variety of products for your bath, body and more. The products range from hair care to soap to facial moisturizers. Since we all know that organic is not only earth friendly, but also skin friendly, more people who may have a sensitivity to ingredients in other products may find comfort here.

If you use Kiss My Face, what is your favorite product from their line?

Parabens. (Que the horror music sound effect) Just say the word to anyone on the street and you will get a variety of responses. Many believe what they have heard and warn you against using any products that contain them and many just want to wait until science proves that parabens are really harmful to you, as that is not proven yet. It just seems that these days the words parabens and cancer go hand in hand without any conclusive evidence that they actually do. I like to make sure I'm not subscribing to a lobbyist who has ulterior motives for financial gain, and no I'm not a conspiracy freak, (ok maybe just a tad) I was recently told (by my therapist) that that quality is at the heart of all good journalists... a desire to dig for the real truth... or conspiracy!

I’m certainly not a scientist, but I am pretty educated and try to always read both sides to a story. Just like when everyone screamed that mineral oil was bad for you, it eventually was proven that it was not. However, you still find many companies today touting how awful mineral oil is for your skin while offering you their version of something safer. I have yet to find a website stating that mineral oil is harmful while not trying to also sell you something in the process. I had been skeptical myself, but after some researching of my own and contacting my friends at The Beauty Brains blog (who happen to be both cosmetic chemists with 30 years experience), they insisted it was all hype and that mineral oil was indeed the best moisturizing product for your skin. So I have learned to look deeper into an issue than to be frightened by scare tactics.

Unfortunately, scare tactics are the route that Dr. Epstein of the Cancer Prevention Coalition is taking when going after Origins, an Estee Lauder company. They try pointing out that Origins cannot be taking, "A totally integrative approach to skin care ... to help your skin be as healthy as possible, (and) optimize its defenses against age accelerators" claiming that Origins uses parabens (among other ingredients) in their products. They site that parabens are known to cause “endocrine disruptive.” However, there has not yet been one study that has conclusively, 100% proven this.

NicoDerm has launched a new anti-wrinkle campaign for smokers looking to quit called “The Beauty of Quitting.” This new campaign is targeted at the other effects smoking has on you that many do not take into account. Of course cancer is serious and absolutely life threatening, however smoking has a long list of side effects that also include wreaking havoc on your skin. Pierce Mattie is very much against smoking and encourages all of his employees not smoke. In fact, he pays for those that do to go on the patch.

As an ex-smoker myself, I can tell you that there were definite things I noticed while smoking. My “smoking hand,” most especially the fingernails nearest my cigarette, were always yellow; my skin was always dry no matter how much lotion I slapped on; and my teeth looked grayish in color. I was only a smoker for 5 years, but still began to see the effects take shape in that small period of time. When switching to a new health insurance 3 years after quitting, a blood test told them that I was still a smoker. I contested it and they revealed to me that nicotine stays in your bloodstream for up to 10 years after you quit.

MTV and The Body Shop have collaborated to help in the fight against HIV and AIDS. The Spray to Change Attitudes will launch on January 29th with a new fragrance by The Body Shop called Rougeberry Eau de Toilette. The Body Shop will sell this limited edition fragrance until March 30th.

Both MTV and The Body Shop will host ad campaigns to try to reach their young demographic, the most vulnerable of all the ages for HIV and AIDS. Nearly half of the 5 million people infected with HIV last year were 15-24 year olds according to The Body Shop founder, Anita Roddick. Since MTV and The Body Shop have world-wide appeal, they are hoping that through reaching this demographic and educating them through the Spray to Change Attitudes campaign, that they can make a difference in the lives of young people and hope that they will in turn educate their friends.

Proceeds from the sale of Rougeberry Eau de Toilette will be given to the Staying Alive Foundation; in the US that should be about $8.70 per bottle. The Staying Alive Foundation, as described on their website, is a multimedia global HIV and AIDS prevention campaign that challenges stigma and discrimination associated with HIV and AIDS as well as empowers young people to protect themselves from infection.

What do you think? Will the campaign be effective in educating and changing the attitudes of their targeted demographic?

Tarte Cosmetics, known for their fabulous Cheek Stains and double-ended lipgloss and BORBA, known for their all natural products and drinkable skin care, have come together for what is likely to become a trend among cosmetics companies this year. tarte Cosmetics has teamed up with BORBA to create their newest lip gloss set to launch in February called Inside Out. Inside Out is a vitamin-infused lipgloss that tarte calls a “double-duty” beauty product. It’s one that not only works on the outside of the body, but on the inside as well. The gloss works to soothe and hydrate your lips, while the nutraceutical blend delivers powerful skin care ingredients.

Scott Vincent Borba exclusively created the blend of vitamins for tarte’s Inside Out lipgloss. It is a combination of all natural ingredients from BORBA’s Clarifying, Age Defying and Replenishing lines. They include Acai & green tea extract which help strengthen capillary walls, reduce epidermal irritation and enhance skin’s clarity and radiance; Grape seed extract & Vitamin C which help accelerate production of natural elastin, protecting skin against free-radical damage & restore skin’s clarity, Vitamins A, E & K which act as antioxidants to give you that healthy glow, and Lychee extract promotes long-term skin hydration and chamomile extract soothes skin and helps to counteract redness. Inside Out comes in 3 colors; shimmery pale pink, hot pink and nude. Each gloss is 5.7oz. and is scented with pomegranate, the same scent as BORBA’s Clarifying Cotton Fibers.

Well frankly, I hope she has more than one thing to say on her show today, when she confronts her critics wearing the same swimsuit that has been plastered all over the tabloids with the title, “America’s next top waddle.” It takes courage to stand in front of millions of viewers with just your swimsuit and the body people have been making a mockery of.

I decided to pick up People Magazine last night to read her interview to hear how she felt about the constant pummeling of insults being thrown her way about her weight. Before even reading the article, I in a sense, knew how she must be feeling. In my own youth many people often told me I was fat, even when I was only 5 lbs over what I should’ve been for my height. In fact, one day my dance teacher announced to the class that we couldn’t wear a certain costume for our dance recital because I was too fat. When I looked at my size 8 body in the mirror I felt ashamed and sad that I wasn’t good enough. I can only imagine how magnified that is for a Supermodel who made her living off her body and then has the world zone in on her weight gain. See more posts like this on our Buzzed Industry Dirt Blog

With New York City’s ban on trans-fats come July 1st of this year, McDonald’s has been at work trying to come up with an oil replacement for their French fries without losing their distinct taste. Back in September of 2002 they pledged to go trans-fat-free, only to voice concern a few months later that their fries would lose the flavor that has become part of the McDonald’s brand for so long.

Five years later, they believe they have found the right formula and say that 1,200 out of their 13,700 US locations are currently using the new oil. McDonald’s, just like Starbucks, wants to go nationwide with this change rather than just relegating it to New York City locations. Not only is that good for them money-wise and marketing-wise, but also puts them a step ahead for any trans-fat bans in other cities in the future.

While McDonald’s trails behind other fast food chains like Taco Bell and Wendy’s, it is certainly not dead last in making the change. Burger King has yet to comment on whether or not they have come up with a trans-fat solution for their fries, as well. Taco Bell has also taken the initiative of going a step further by creating 15 of their current products “Fresco Style.” Fresco Style is basically items that have cheese and sauce replaced with fiesta salsa for a low fat alternative. One example is their Baja Beef Gordita, which normally are 350 calories and 19 grams of fat. When you order it Fresco Style, it is only 250 calories and 9 grams of fat.

It’ll be interesting to see how New York City’s ban on trans-fats changes the way the entire country eats fast food. With fast food being a major way of life in American Society, reducing trans-fats and fat overall, can only benefit all of us in the end.

For a few months now, I have been talking about childhood obesity and some of the initiatives being launched to reverse the damage that has been done on this generation of children with expanding waistlines. If you don’t have children, it doesn’t take much to look around and see what is happening. If you are a parent, then you may very well know yourself either through your own children or their friend’s/classmates that this is a serious issue.

The Bush Administration recently held a meeting with the private sector to encourage a collaborative effort to get involved with the government to create awareness, encourage fitness and prevent obesity in children. Some of the attendees were Cyma Zarghami, President, Nickelodeon Television; Don Thompson, President, McDonalds USA; Lance Friedmann, Senior Vice President, Global Health and Wellness and Sustainability, Kraft Foods, Inc. and Roger Enrico, Chairman of the Board, DreamWorks Animation SKG. These companies are directly involved in products that are geared towards children and can offer valuable solutions and help put childhood obesity at the forefront in American society.

While their initiative also touches on adult obesity, some of the programs and campaigns they hope to put in place are:

+ School wellness policies (I am already seeing this in my school district).
+ Generating greater access to public lands and National Parks to promote physical fitness.
+ Public messaging partnerships, which will include working with the advertising, entertainment, arts, food, and beverage industries to recognize achievements and increase support for obesity prevention initiatives.
+ Dietary and physical activity guidelines for Americans.

I thought my parabens rant would be my last regarding claims and beauty scare tactics used in various parts of the press without substantiated and undeniable proof. After finding another press-covered story, by the AP no less, about the possibility of oils in bath products potentially causing breast enlargement in boys, I decided enough was enough.

The study the AP is reporting on was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The study, which was looking into a condition called gynecomastia, suspected that essential oils such as lavender and tea tree oil could be the culprit for the condition. While the study could not pinpoint any estrogen-like compounds in the oils or make any solid claims to prove that without a doubt these essentials oils cause such a condition, the hormone specialist who oversaw the boys involved in the study went so far as to tell their parents, “I would not give these products to my children.”

Before I go any further, it should be noted that this was one study only done on three boys. It confuses me how this federally funded study without substantiated claims made it into the New England Journal of Medicine and then got picked up and distributed among the news media by the AP. We contacted Paula Begoun, founder of Paula's Choice and well known for several best-selling books such as The Beauty Bible and Don’t Go to the Cosmetics Counter Without Me, for her input on this story. Paula told us,

“We looked at this story too, and your reaction was mine as well. Three kids is hardly a study by any standard and it doesn't prove a thing about those two ingredients. There can be many reasons why a male child might have enlarged breasts. This is not direct evidence and it would take hundreds of children in controlled, monitored environments to prove the possibility (soy milk would prove a bigger risk for phytoestrogens). The news media's job is to grab our attention and keep us on the same channel regardless of truth, reality, or balance.”

L'Oreal is looking to add ayurvedic beauty products to its current skin care line up through acquisition of an Indian ayurvedic brand. Although L'Oreal hasn't identified a brand that it wishes to acquire just yet, it has been aggressively pursuing the ayurvedic market in India to tap into consumer's growing desire to use exotic beauty products. It was also reported last November that L'Oreal expressed interest in acquiring Ayusoft, ayurvedic software that they approached the CDAC (Centre for Development of Advanced Computing) for customization and further product development of.

As I mentioned yesterday another French company, L'Artisan Parfumeur, will be launching Jatamansi next month. Jatamansi is their first venture into the skin care market and is one that is based on the Himalayan plant used in Ayurveda, an alternative medicine practiced in India. Beauty and personal care products that are ayurvedic are organic and promote healing and health without the use of synthetics or chemicals.

This is a story I just plain had to write about because I was, well, disgusted to say the least. Big tobacco, specifically R.J. Reynolds, has decided it wants to lure more women in to smoking their brand. Their brand, Camel, only has a 30% female customer base. Despite the fact that the leading cause of death in women is lung cancer, R.J. Reynolds has pushed that aside in the name of dollars and cents.

Most marketers know that women respond to the aesthetic look of a product through eye pleasing colors, as well as, luxurious fragrant scents. R.J. Reynolds is running with this notion for a new cigarette they have created called Camel No. 9 (I’m sure Chanel will be thrilled). Camel No. 9 is designed in hot pink fuchsia and minty green teal with the brand’s slogan boasting “Light and Luscious.” Ads, which will appear in such magazines as W, Cosmopolitan, Flaunt, Glamour, and Vogue, will be wrapped in flowers and offer coupons for the cigarette. Just the name Camel No. 9 is intended to evoke thoughts of the luxurious fragrance of Chanel No. 19. Cressida Lozano, vice president for marketing of the Camel brand says Camel No. 9 is intended to bring a wow-factor to the brand and add “fun and excitement.”

If you have ever been to Disney in Orlando and toured “Future World,” then you may be familiar with Aeroponics. Aeroponics is the process of growing plants in an air/mist environment without the use of soil, producing larger growth and harvests. AeroGarden is the first company to bring an aeroponic kitchen appliance into homes, so that those of us who love to cook with fresh herbs and veggies have the opportunity to grow them at our convenience without needing any actual acreage to garden.

Pierce Mattie’s President's Pick for the week is the AeroGarden. Steve Hultgren (confessed foodie and gadget lover), purchased two AeroGarden’s today and bubbled with excitement when he told me all about it. Steve used to have a 10-acre garden in Oregon growing up and has fond memories of being able to eat and cook with fresh vegetables and herbs. Some people may think living in a big city you can't get fresh vegetables, it's actually quite the opposite. New York City has some of the best, freshest produce right off the farm, you just have to know where and when to find them. From the Green Market at Union Square to Fresh Direct, nothing is quite as fresh as homegrown herbs right from the kitchen and that's where AeroGarden performs.

The AeroGarden is very easy to use with its bio-dome seed system that guarantees 100% seed germination, computerized “Smart Garden” technology that alerts you when you need to add water and nutrients and automatically turns on and off the built in plant lighting system, as well as its aeroponic optimizing chamber that reproduces a rainforest-like environment. Each seed pod comes with 4 to 6 months worth of continuous harvests. The AeroGarden’s computer automatically detects how often your plants need light, water and nutrients based on the kit type. There appears to be no way that even those of us who lack a green thumb can mess up growing a garden with AeroGarden.

Ever since the Atkins diet made its debut, it has been the focus of criticism in the way it promotes weight loss. That criticism comes from the diet plan’s low carb-high fat way to lose weight. While many Atkins dieters always lose the most weight in the first several months, rumor has always been that in the end, they gain it all back. The fact that eating sausage, bacon and other fatty foods may sound like a dieters dream, those in the medical field wondered its long term effects on the body. Now a year long study done by Stanford University reports that the Atkins diet may be the better diet after all…or is it?

By the end of the year long study Atkins dieters were shown to have lost more weight overall than the other three diet plans involved; the Zone, Dean Ornish’s Lifestyle Program and LEARN (a diet that many physicians recommend). The Atkins participants also had a significant drop in triglycerides, their blood pressure dropped and they had an increase in high-density lipoprotein (protective cholesterol). Most importantly they didn’t show an increase in their levels of low-density lipoprotein, something that many medical professionals felt was associated with a diet high in saturated fat and cholesterol.

The ultimate goal of the study was to find out if dieters would be able to follow a diet by simply following its plan in a book. While that may have been the main goal of the study, researchers provided more than that in the first two months. 311 overweight and obese women each received a book that described their diet plan in detail; however for the first 8 weeks each participant was involved in weekly one-hour group sessions with a registered dietician and subsequently received follow up calls to ensure that they would keep their dr.’s appointments. Participants were paid a fee if they attended each follow up appointment. Certainly these extra factors alone may show that the study is skewed.

We are all familiar with all the various bidding sites that are out there that bring consumer and seller together such as the highly popular website Priceline.com and of course its now defunct name your price grocery website WebHouse (which I sadly miss). Of course there are other variations of sites that look to capture an audience by allowing various businesses to compete for your business such as with Lending Tree and RentalCars.com (owned by Priceline). As more and more consumers are always looking for the best deals, a new trend has been emerging that Doc Searls dubbed last year as the Intention Economy.

The Intention Economy grows around buyers, not sellers. It leverages the simple fact that buyers are the first source of money, and that they come ready-made. You don't need advertising to make them. The Intention Economy is about markets, not marketing. You don't need marketing to make Intention Markets.---Doc Searls”

With this idea in mind, it opens another market and another way for brands to think outside of the box when it comes to getting exposure for their product. This is a market that is virtually untapped and one that many are beginning to see as a golden opportunity to connect in another way with their target market. One such example is in a specific part of the travel industry: cruises. Cruise Compete is a website that is similar in notion to Lending Tree in that Travel Cruise Agents compete to offer you the best deal on a cruise package. Although sites like Lending Tree, Priceline and Cruise Compete work with a limited amount of businesses to offer you the best deal, these sites still remain popular in this niche of price competition and continue to have a small amount of rival sites.

UPDATE March 23rd: It has been confirmed that it was rat poison in the Menu Foods wet food. See the full story on CNN.

Rat poison found in recalled pet food. A chemical used in rat poison was found as the source of contamination in Menu Foods brands, officials say.

March 22, 2007: If you haven’t heard about the recall regarding Menu Foods and of many of the brands it manufactures it’s wet dog and cat food for, please be sure to pay attention as your pet’s health may be at risk. Menu Foods produces pet food for such brands as Iams, Eukanuba and Science Diet among many others. The recall is specific to their cuts and gravy variety in cans and foil pouches that were sold between December 6, 2006 and March 6, 2007. The recall involves 48 brands of dog food and 40 brands of cat food that are sold throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico by many major retailers.

While Menu Foods hasn’t been able to prove that it is their product causing kidney disease in the pets who have eaten this specific product, or the death of 9 cats and one dog, it is still looked at as more than coincidence that the common factor among these ailing and deceased pets is that they all ate the product in question. The recall is causing panic with pet owners and brings back memories of the recall in late 2005 by Diamond Pet Food Co. when mold contaminated dry dog food during the production process and resulted in the death of more than 23 dogs and sickening many others.

As our pets are becoming more like family, it is easy to question if top pet food brands really are as good or safe as its lower ranking competitors. Many may wonder about this since a large majority of the brands called into question are top shelf pet brands. Whether you give your pet wet or dry food, just as with food for humans, there is always a risk of being contaminated at some point and causing illness.

To see a complete list of all 88 brands being recalled, please see the Menu Foods website.

Everyone experiences stress, most of us every day and some more than others. We stress over daily issues such as our health, getting to work on time, finances, family members and so on. Work-related stress can keep us up most nights—meeting deadlines, keeping clients happy, trying to impress the boss for that raise, making sure you are meeting all of your job duties and the issue of job security can keep our minds racing and making for a lot of tossing and turning and waking up groggy and less than productive each morning. This week’s President’s Pick is the StressEraser, a handy little gadget that has been getting rave reviews since its debut at the annual meeting of the APA in August of 2005.

The StressEraser is a portable biofeedback device developed by Helicor to reverse how your body biologically copes with stress through fine tuning the rate at which you breathe. Helicor calls it “ergotropic tuning,” the way the nerves in your body respond to stress. Tension headaches, sore muscles, it’s all related.

The way it works is to insert your finger into the left hand slot and hit start. The StressEraser is able to “read” how your system paces its breathing during bouts of anxiety and stress and help you to focus on proper pacing of your breathing to get you to a healthy level in 15 minute sessions. All of this is done through a point system and Helicor points out that while you will notice a difference the first time you use it, after two weeks you will feel the difference all day long and after a month the fine tuning will become part of your life.

Besides using this device during the day when most of us are focusing on our stress and anxiety, the StressEraser is said to be the most beneficial when used before bed. After all, everyone knows that a good night’s sleep is the key to a healthy mind and body. The StressEraser will help you to adjust your breathing rate and focus on melting your anxiety away helping you to achieve a more pleasant, restful sleep. Just imagine getting restful sleep each night, I think that is something most of us desire.

Check out the StressEraser’s website to learn more about this innovative product, but also make sure to stop by the Sounds True website which has a really wonderfully detailed review.

Mother’s Day is only a few short weeks away and happens to be, in my opinion, a day that all mothers look forward to for the pampering, the gifts and demonstrations of love by her family. With consumer spending for Mother’s Day gifts expected to be $15.73 billion, these last few weeks before the big day are a fantastic opportunity to get your brand noticed, especially online.

According to the National Retail Federation’s 2007 Mother’s Day Consumer Actions and Intentions survey, 20% of consumers are expected to do their Mother’s Day gift shopping online, which is a 3.1% increase from last year. Although the other 80% do their gift buying offline, many still use the internet to research and look for gift ideas. While Mother’s Day shopping and gift research typically begins at the beginning of April, far more consumers make their purchase much closer to the holiday, which occurs on May 13th this year.

By utilizing the internet to spread the word about your product(s) as great gift ideas for mom, your advertising costs will be much less versus commercial and print ads and more likely to spread the word faster due to viral marketing. A few ways to utilize the web to get your products before Mother’s Day gift searchers are:

Press Releases
Advertisements on targeted websites
Advertisements on targeted blogs
Promoting them to blog owners

Online press releases are great for search engine optimization and will quickly get you picked up by the likes of Google and Yahoo when consumers do an online search. Using keywords in the title of your press release is a key factor. Key phrases to use are “Mother’s Day gifts” and “Mother’s Day gift ideas.” Some online press release services are PR NewsWire, Send2Press and PRWeb Direct. You can also use these same press releases to email to blog owners, but make sure to include links to your products (if you have an online site) and pictures as well.

When it comes to your brand, are you soley focused on the bottom line and how to bring in the customers and drive your sales? Or are you willing to set aside a portion of your profits and time to focus on the one thing that makes your company a success: your customers and what they need. Tom’s of Maine recognized a consumer issue related to their niche and have created a program to serve a public health need. Not only is this a great way to generate positive feelings about the Tom’s of Maine brand, but also a great PR generator, as well.

Tom’s of Maine has a dental program they established in 2004 called Dental Health For All. It’s a program aimed at helping those who are without dental insurance and seek dental care through clinics. Since 2004 they have granted clinics throughout the US more than $670,000, which has helped more than 15,000 children and adults gain access to dental care. With more than 120,000 people in the US without dental insurance, Tom’s of Maine stepped up and decided to contribute to a cause that is beneficial to both the brand and potential consumers. Since they are one of the top leading brands in natural personal care products, it only made sense for Tom’s of Maine to extend their relationship beyond just their customers, but onto others where dental care due to lack of insurance is an everyday struggle.

Due to Tom’s of Maine’s ability to look beyond sales figures and profits, they have been able to establish themselves as a leader in their industry. Being a leader doesn’t mean your company has the highest profits or best sales tactics, being a leader means being the one to think beyond yourself, step out of the box and contribute to the community not only in a way to help your niche, but to help those customers in an unselfish way. By providing grants each year to various dental clinics around the US, Tom’s of Maine establishes a relationship with dental professionals and the clients who utilize their services and isn’t that what public relations is all about; creating a relationship and positive image of your brand that has the potential to do more than marketing alone?

Tom’s of Maine has done it right, what are you doing to establish a positive relationship with your target market to create brand awareness and create that personal connection with consumers?

Announcing National Fresh Breath Day on August 6th; a day when you don’t be the only one not celebrating! It also gives you the prime opportunity to give a breath mint to that co-worker who always seems to seek you out for some chatty conversation after eating a lunch that included garlic and onions.

Bad Breath Fun Facts:

* 25% of the population has chronic bad breath.
* There are over 600 different types of bacteria found in the mouth.
* Over 50% of bacteria found on the tongue contributes to bad breath.

Don't be a statistic! Freshen your breath!

Indulge in Oral Fixation's Spare Mint, the official flavor of National Fresh Breath Day. With it's spearmint flavoring and sleek container, fresh breath has never been so cool!

We all know that there have been widespread smoking bans put into place for the general purpose of health, but for one woman in Detroit, she would like to see fragrances added to the list when it comes to the workplace. Seems like a far fetched idea? While, banning employees from wearing fragrance in the workplace may never come to fruition, another advocacy group and medical charity, Allergy UK, is pushing for the recognition of Multiple Chemical Sensitivity as an illness.

Up until now, those who have no physical reaction to fragrance just couldn’t grasp the idea that there are some people who have an adverse reaction to various chemicals found in perfumes, lotions and personal care items. These infractions on one’s health include a severe to migraine headache, skin rashes, muscoskeletal pains and other allergic reaction-type symptoms. This can make it difficult to get through a pain-free workday and affect your performance on the job. I can attest that this syndrome is very real, as my husband will have adverse health affects when around things such as perfume, cigarette smoke, intensely fragrant lotions, shower gels and soaps and so on. He is also severely allergic to a chemical called MSD found in some epoxy flooring. Breathing in its fragrance swells his throat and he has difficulty breathing, with each exposure the reaction seems to get worse. Such is the case with those whose bodies have an intolerance to certain chemicals found in personal care products.

Allergy UK’s mission is to have Multiple Chemical Sensitivity recognized as a true illness and to educate health care professionals and the public about this syndrome. Their Health Care Panel is comprised of General Practitioners, Allergists, Dermatologists, Immunologists, Pediatricians, Nurses and Dieticians to assist in meeting the goal of this mission. They also have a "Seal of Approval" for products they endorse that restrict/reduce/remove allergens from the environment. They feel that once it is a recognized medical illness, then health care providers can properly treat it and there can be medical backup to a person who becomes ill in the workplace due to this chemical sensitivity. No longer can employers feel their employee is making it up or not take their health complaints seriously, such as the case with my husband’s employer despite having his co-workers witness his severe allergic reaction first hand.

Pierce Mattie has products he absolutely loves and the Star Trac Elite Cross Trainer is one of them. This luxury fitness machine, that can be placed in the gym or your own home, is the concept made reality through the collaboration of Star Trac and BMW Group DesignworksUSA. Designed with the latest cross section of technology and fitness that is FitLinxx certified, I can see why this elliptical has become his recent obsession.

One of the top reason’s Pierce loves this elliptical is because of the built-in fan. The fan helps you stay on the machine longer because you don’t overheat and if you're somewhat claustrophobic, it will help you feel like you are actually running outdoors. It is due to this fan that he can remain on the Elite Cross Trainer for 60 minutes while burning up to 800 calories.

However, that is not all that this fitness machine features that proves to be of value. The Elite Cross Trainer features Pro Partner technology that communicates via infrared (IR) beam with Palm OS software. Through another collaborative effort, SingleTap and Star Trac have created technology that allows the user to receive workout data from the elliptical directly to their Palm that they can then compare and review to previous workouts. They also create their own workouts on their Palm and bring them to the gym and upload them into the Elite Cross Trainer. Thus helping them to remain focused and note progress towards their fitness goal.

With 20 levels of resistance and the integration of strength training into a cardio workout, Pierce is pretty positive that the Star Trac Elite Cross Trainer will become an obsession with you, too.

Institut' DERMed came to fruition as a result of Founder, Lyn Ross' battle with teenage acne. While most teens battle a pimple here and there, Lyn fought acne since age 11 with her defining moment being her Senior Prom. The embarrassment and heartache she felt over her blemished skin is what lead her to her life's purpose of formulating cosmeceuticals and founding her Georgia-based company, Institut' DERMed.

Growing up in the 60's, skin care was not as advanced as it is now and Lyn's only known way to fight her acne were with Clearasil and Noxzema. It became a never ending cycle of drying out her skin and attempting to cover it up with makeup. When her acne flared up, her self -esteem would sink and it is with that understanding of the connection between emotional well-being and skin health that Lyn Ross is able to do what she does best--helping others with their skin afflictions.

Lyn Ross is licensed through the Georgia Board of Cosmetology as a Master Esthetician and has over 25 years of experience in the field of professional aesthetics. Lyn is passionate about skin care and her focus is educating physicians, nurses, and estheticians on the benefits of clinical skin health care. She lectures frequently on the latest advances in skin and body rejuvenation. She has appeared as a guest on radio and television programs addressing common concerns of skin health including acne, skin discolorations and premature aging. She has been a contributor to several professional and consumer publications, in addition to authoring chapters for textbooks. Lyn is committed to researching and innovating the latest products and therapies for healthy aging.

Lyn is "hands on" when it comes to skin care, keeping in touch with her clients so that she can learn from them and develop new products to meet their needs. Their skin health is a priority for Lyn; watching her client's spirit heal as their skin heals is infinitely rewarding and inspiring to her.

About Institut' DERMed:

Institut' DERMed encompasses three distinct services: a MediClinical Spa, an education facility and an extensive line of treatment products. The Spa combines aesthetic beauty therapies with scientific medical approaches offering unrivaled care and superior treatment results. Institut’ DERMed offers the latest in technologically advanced skin and body care and medical affiliations include distinguished and nationally recognized plastic surgeons and dermatologists who endorse DERMed treatments and recommend the extensive therapeutic options for facial and body rejuvenation. The collaborative relationship between medicine and aesthetics insures client results, comfort and satisfaction for preserving a healthy, youthful appearance and creating radiant health.

Press Release November 19, 2007: TheraBreath, the industry leader in resolving the issue of halitosis, has retained Pierce Mattie Public Relations to spearhead their health public relations campaign throughout 2008. Pierce Mattie Public Relations, known for its innovative communication methods and trailblazing campaigns, will begin the campaign this month assisting TheraBreath to gain more exposure for their current line of products, as well as their upcoming PerioTherapy products.

TheraBreath is a revolutionary premium oral care system created by Doctor Harold Katz at the California Breath Clinics. The exclusive, original formula went on the market in 1994 and has been used by over 1,000,000 people worldwide to solve the problems of bad breath and unpleasant mouth taste. It is the first company of its kind to actually treat the underlying causes of bad breath rather than covering it up. Dr. Katz, a graduate of UCLA, the UCLA School of Dentistry and holder of a separate degree in Bacteriology, is also the author of the “Bad Breath Bible” now in its second edition, with over 1 million copies in print.

TheraBreath is an effective all natural, vegan, vegetarian and kosher line of breath care products. TheraBreath began with only 6 products, but now has over 50 products available both online and at select retail stores. “We are looking forward to an exciting year of consumer education with the assistance of national and regional magazines and other media outlets,” notes Kim Tobman, Account Director in Pierce Mattie PR’s LA Office.

For more information on TheraBreath visit www.TheraBreath.com or call 1-800-97-FRESH.

To find out what Pierce Mattie Public Relations can do for your brand, learn more about us at www.piercemattie.com or by calling 212-243-1431.

Live in NYC – or just visiting? I recommend taking a nap. Pick up any recent magazine or newspaper and there is bound to be some reference to the lack of sleep we Americans get. We are overworked, overtired, overextended. Yelo Spa on W57th aims to improve our collective condition one nap at a time.

I was dubious about going to a spa that was known primarily for napping – but curious. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a quiet low key space with pods and special chairs designed for taking a restful break. You can also choose to have hand or foot reflexology, sip tea and listen to relaxing music. I choose the reflexology and thoroughly enjoyed my nap time. In fact, I actually did doze off and woke up feeling completely refreshed.

Read more about Yelo Spa & our tips for achieving calm & serenity at work on Beauty Pro.

While many people wait until the last minute to file their taxes, others do the same when it comes to getting their bodies ready for swimsuit season. This year, invest part of your return towards something that will give back to you long-term; your health. We’ve searched for some of the hottest workout programs on the market today that will help motivate and whip you into shape. Who knows, you may even be able to use some of these as a tax write off at the end of the year.

Motivation is Key The most important part to any exercise program is motivation. Whether youworkout alone or have a gym partner, having positive feedback is key to continued success. FitFiend.com, one of many social networking communities geared towards fitness and health, recently launched with a number of interactive tools to help guide you on your path to a better body and overall health. Similar to Facebook, FitFiend.com allows users to connect with fitness and health experts, search for workout partners and trainers in their area, get fitness and nutritional tips, watch original fitness programming, read about the latest in workout trends, and interact with other fitness enthusiasts for positive feedback. The best part is that this service is free, but the benefits keep on giving. Log on today at www.FitFiend.com.

Read the full post on our Fitness PR blog.

PR has long misused and misunderstood pitching to Bloggers, most specifically, mommy bloggers. Yesterday I caught the segment of the Today Show featuring mom bloggers Mir, Kristen, Jill and a live interview with Heather B. Armstrong. After watching Hota Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford totally miss the boat with "air quotes," backhanded compliments and asking Heather, "Is it all moms who are on your blogosphere," it basically solidified for me, if the media doesn't "get" mommy bloggers, how can PR expect to understand how to reach out to them either? Well, being a mom myself, I decided to do something no one else has seemed to do before--I asked them.

Erin Kotecki Vest who writes Queen of Spain, Elizabeth Thielke writer of Busy Mom and Jenn Satterwhite who writes Mommy Needs Coffee all graciously took the time to answer my questions when it came to pitching mommy blogs. If you are thinking of pitching your products to mommy blogs, it's definitely best to hear the right and wrong way to do it and avoid your pitch hitting the spam folder.

Shannon: How do mom blogs differ from a tech blog, beauty blog, foodie blog (besides the obvious niche differences)? Is there a difference in who the audience is?

Erin: We're not selling anything and odds are we don't review products or services. Normally we are discussing our lives. It's much easier to connect with a site that is in the business of discussing an 'industry' or category.

Jenn: I think every blog is going to have an audience that finds interest in the main topic of the posts. I think with mom blogs there is more of an interest in community and stories. However, there is a lot of cross over. Not all of my readers are parents. And not all the blogs I read are mom blogs. I just think people gravitate to what interests them most. Whether it be a narrow group or a large array or interests. Mom blogs are not the big influencers when it comes to products because many are now talking about them. Similar to the playground of our day when our moms would share opinions. We just share them online.

Elizabeth: A "mom blog" can be defined many different ways, the common factor is that they are written by a female who is a parent, but the content can vary widely. Many are exclusively about parenting, while others a more of a reflection of life in general, comedy, tech stuff or other topics mixed in the conversation. The audience is the same in that they are people who are interested in the writer and the topic. But, they are perhaps different in that a mom blog's audience is often people who are having or have had the same types of life experiences as the writer, where that's not usually a factor in other niche blogs.

Shannon: Why do you feel that PR firms and various brands are pitching mommy blogs and placing more value on them than the average niche blog?

Erin: There are many reasons-most of which have to do with stats. Women control .83cents on every household dollar. Women are now the heaviest web users. Women are turning off the TV and putting down the magazine in favor of being online. Women are the best word of mouth advertisers in the world.

Jenn: Two reasons: First: Moms do the majority of the household spending and are the ones who are going to go out and purchase most of the things that we are being pitched. We are the ones who are making most of the house hold purchases. Secondly, many women/moms look to each other for advice and recommendations on products before they buy. I will definitely take the word of a mom blogger I trust over any pitch, advertisement or branding tactic that comes my way.

Elizabeth: Moms often make everyday purchasing decisions for wide variety of items and aren't limited to a niche. With growing children, they will be making kid related and household purchases consistently over a long period of time. Additionally, moms are perceived as people who will talk to their friends about products and the reach is extended.

A Master Class in PR Partnerships at 24 Hour Fitness 

California based chain, 24 Hour Fitness, has choosen celebrity endorsed centers as part of their Fitness Public Relations strategy to combat forecasted consumer frugality. Celebrity endorsements might not be a new form of PR, but the cross-promotional tactic has been enjoying frequent use across many industries recently. High-profile personalities have been linking themselves with clothing collections, perfumes, restaurants, television shows, record labels--it seems no single product/service/idea cannot avoid being branded with a well-known person including fitness centers.

Read the complete post on our Fitness PR blog.

Here we are again, last week we critiqued Biden and Palin and this week it’s Obama and McCain. Remember this is Pierce Mattie after all. We don’t talk politics; we talk fashion, grooming and lifestyle choices. Though they reference Reagan, JFK and Roosevelt, let’s remember – they are none of the above. Are you ready to examine?

Some of us might be taking the recent headlines as an order to re-evaluate your budget.  I can bet a lot of us might be looking at gym memberships as a cost you can do without.  In a stressful time in your life, a gym membership could be the most important investment you make.   Here are my top three reasons why it’s a no risk-high return investment that we shouldn’t ignore (and what sounds better than a no risk high return investment right now?)

Read the complete post on our Fitness PR blog!

Typically I would've been putting out this forecast on PR trends last month, but I think it's safe to say that the economy is turbulent and therefore what may be a great business and PR strategy one day may not necessarily work months down the line. While everyone may be all doom and gloom about the current state of public relations, I remain an eternal optimist and think that success lies in being educated, creative and having a willingness to let the diversified background of your team make you collectively stronger to meet your clients needs.

1. The spotlight can no longer shine on just one star, 2009 is about teamwork. Sure, we all have that one employee who is so amazing that everyone wants to emulate them, but look close enough, and you will find that each one of your staff has incredible talents, that collectively, make your firm a powerhouse. Find ways to help your staff let those talents emerge and yes this may take some investment of time by upper management to really identify each of your team members strengths (and weaknesses), but in this economy our best weapon is from within our own resources.

2.  Education equals vitality. No one can be ignorant any longer to the shift in the way the public consumes news and researches/purchases products. Everyone everywhere is looking to make cuts in their budgets, but educating your team should be considered a priority and not something that can be put on the backburner until the economy pinks up. Our industry will need to keep up to speed on how to work with and remain flexible during this time of transition.

With the current state of the economy, companies may be questioning the value of PR and how publicity can directly translate into increased sales. I understand this and all too often our industry sees clients cutting PR from their budgets when it is the one thing that is most important in an economic downturn. The economy has caused the priorities of public relations to begin a seismic shift and our main focus is no longer solely about consumer awareness, but now includes the added challenge of positively impacting the bottom line. For the industry to remain afloat here are some public relations strategies we implement here at Pierce Mattie PR that we've found to be successful:

The results are in! The team at Pierce Mattie Public Relations has compiled their annual "What’s Hot, What’s Not" list for 2010 pertaining to all things beauty, fashion, lifestyle and media. What’s in? The stiletto heel, Jeggings, Minx Nails, diesel fuel and the use of condoms have made a major come back over the pill. And what’s out? Skinny jeans, Starbucks, Hybrid Technology and Zoloft just to name a few.

What’s IN:

Fashion –

Annabel Tollman
UNIQLO
Velcro
Navaho Prints
Stiletto Heels
Tie Clips
The Boyfriend Jacket
Jeggings

Beauty –

Blushing Nails
Bouncy hair that is air dried
neuLash & Latisse
Fresh Cut Cedarwood
Injectables
Goth inspired makeup
Violet/Carnation Scents
Minx Nails
Invisalign
Push-up Bra

Accessories –

House of Harlow
Metal Statement Necklaces
Bib necklaces
Alexander Wang handbags

Lifestyle -

How To and DIY stories
Blog stories
Brewing your own coffee
Berlin
Diesel Fuel
Condoms
Farm Weddings
Vampires
Pilates
Your real figure
Wine
Life Coach

Media -

Oxygen
Open source
Helpareporter.com
Real Housewives Washington DC
iRex
Wendy Williams
Glee
Megan Fox
Alexandra Wentworth (comedian)
David Baldacci (novelist)
Roberta Gellis (romance)
Taylor Lautner
Katie Cassidy

What’s OUT:

It appears it is not only bloggers that are feeling the heat from the government in regards to their relationships with the brands they write about, but cosmetic dermatologists as well. Recently the FDA made an example of Dr. Leslie Baumann by sending her a warning when she was sourced for several beauty magazine articles regarding her positive praise of Dysport, the newly approved Botox competitor created by Medicis prior to such approval. The warning appears to have more to do with disclosure than anything else, which, mark my words, will be the buzzword of 2010 due in part to both the FTC and FDA.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Anyone that has ever met me knows how anti-indoor tanning I am. This comes from a place of experience, having been a huge indoor tanning lover for years while growing up in Florida, needless to say I have the skin cancer marks on my face to show for it. I salute any communication efforts made to shut down the industry all together. Especially the use of the tanning beds under any circumstance.

This week The American Academy of Dermatology applauded the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for issuing a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. There is nothing safe about indoor tanning. The Academy raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial. The Academy and several of its leading members cooperated fully with the agency's investigation into this important public health issue. The FTC is the federal government agency that works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them.

Good customer service has always been the sure fire way to land the best publicity on earth. When economic times were good, many companies bypassed emphasis on this principle and strictly built value based on which publications featured their products. Certainly if they had a showcase of magazine hits here and broadcast hits there, that certainly was enough to make people buy (and repeat buy), enough to make people trust and enough to get people talking about their brand...right?

Maybe this was the way before, but in a want-it-now generation coupled with a troubled economy, there is a shift back to the "old school" principles of listening to what your customers want, then delivering. Or in other words, putting the customer first again. And honestly, I for one, love retro business standards. We could argue that the fervor around social media + business along with the demise of our economic stability created the perfect storm. 

Forever Books will hold a raffle at the Romance Writers of America National Convention later this week to raise money for BreastCancer.Org in support of author Jennifer Haymore.

Haymore, author of the forthcoming A Season of Seduction, was diagnosed with Breast Cancer earlier this year. After undergoing a successful surgery, Haymore is responding well to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. She has been able to continue writing through her treatments but she’s had to make other adjustments, including missing this year’s Romance Writers of America National Convention. 

Haymore’s publisher, Forever, an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, is passionate about supporting their author through the disease.  Because Haymore is unable to attend the RWA convention, Forever has decided to hold a raffle to raise money for Breast Cancer awareness.  100% of the proceeds will go to www.breastcancer.org , a non-profit organization selected by Haymore, which is dedicated to providing information and community to those touched by this disease. 

Low carb diets seem to be the fast track to losing weight and with the popularity of Atkins and South Beach, it's no wonder the diet industry is loving the craze. As recently as last week one of my friends tweeted the praises of a low carb diet contributing to her weight loss. And while for the short term low carb may provide quicker results, thinner doesn't always mean healthier when you follow this diet track. Due to the way low carb foods and diet products are marketed, many times consumers are misguided to believe that what you "read" on the front of the package is what you get...and that's not always true.

Think about it, how many times are we rushed in the market only glancing at the front of the package to deliver us the information we need to make a quick, and what we believe to be, informed decision? How often have you taken the time to not only read the front of the label, but the nutrition facts panel on the back as well? If you are anything like me, not as often as you should. And due to a recent study by the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, we're not alone.

Just because it says low carb doesn't mean nutrition and caloric-wise that it is beneficial. So take the time to look beyond the front label, or low carb marketing hype, directly to the nutrition facts when shopping for products to manage your weight.

To read more about the study, visit www.jneb.org.

Have you noticed the surge in popularity over the years of diets and exercise trends? From South Beach to the Cookie Diet to even "lifestyle diets" dubbed The Caveman Lifestyle and Evolutionary Fitness, it seems that as diet pills took a nose dive in the U.S. since Fen-Phen, but it certainly has helped diet books, programs and foods keep a steady hold on weight loss!

While the OTC weight loss pill, Alli continues to remain popular, prescription diet pills continue to get a bad rap. Legitimately so, as sometimes the side effects don't hardly balance out the benefits of taking the diet pill in the first place. Recently Meridia was taken off the market for this very reason, and the FDA has rejected new diet pills submitted for approval (Acomplia, and most recently Qnexa, Vivus and Lorquess.)

When I heard about the Orange County dietitian who lost almost 30 pounds on a so called "Twinkie diet," I couldn't help but think about the movie Zombieland and Woody Harrelson's character who was completely obsessed with the spongy, yellow, delicious cream filled cakes. And while the junk food junkies may be rejoicing at the idea that you can lose weight by stock piling Twinkies, and I'm sure Hostess is enjoying the public relations blitz, we all know that such a diet is too good to be true.

While Mark Haub consumed Twinkies for two months to lose the weight, he also demonstrated two key components to losing weight regardless of the method: portion control and consuming small meals several times per day. Haub also stayed under 1800 calories and while it's not noted how many calories he was consuming prior to the Twinkie Diet, I'm sure his caloric intake was much higher, therefore a cut in calories would contribute to his weight loss as well.

Losing weight AND maintaining it, is about lifestyle. Healthy eating habits and good exercise are the only way to go.

Will the Twinkie Diet catch on? If it does, I'm sure dentists around the country will certainly see an uptick in business. 

Men’s Health Magazine, which covers all features of life and fitness for men, is the leading name for men’s magazines. Launched as a health magazine for men, it has evolved to become a lifestyle magazine covering everything from health, fitness, weight loss, nutrition and sexuality to and other matters pertaining to men. Although Men’s Health Magazine is very popular today, can you believe that it started out as an experiment in the late 1980s?