Right time to buy? Monthly bargains...

According to an article by Kathryn Cavanan in USA Today, Friday, September 4th, there really are seasonal bargains. I was just wondering when the best time to buy a lawn mower was and her article was placed on my desk.

There has always been a myth that bargains can run seasonally and I believed in some, like baking ingredients are always on sale around Thanksgiving. So I stock up like many others do and cringed in March when I need to restock.

In her article, Plan purchases a year out to get bargains, Kathryn lists out the bargains month by month during the year. Some may seem straight forward, but others are a welcomed surprise. Read her article here and see if an item on your list might be cheaper if you wait a month or two.

September is the month for these bargains:
• New cars
• Landscaping, plants, trees
• Appliances
• Holiday airfares

Spend a little more money or wait another year for August bargains, which most of us will not need until next spring anyway:
• Patio furniture
• Swing sets
• Beach toys
• Large outdoor toys
• Swimming gear
• School supplies
• Fresh produce
• Coolers
• Barbecue grills

Free Striking Friday - Question of the Day 9/25

Winner drawn 10/2 is Roxy. Congratulations Roxy!


Question of the Day:
How many products are in the Striking Skin Care line?

Prize:
1 free Striking Restorative Moisture Creme, 1oz ($42.00 value!)

Post your answers here or email us at strikingskin@gmail.com. All answers must be posted by 9am Pacific time on Friday, October 2, 2009 in order to qualify. Winners will be randomly selected and then emailed for contact information. Please do not post your address or other contact information to this blog other then your email address.

Striking Product Review - Cool News for Women

Cool News for Women is a blog that focuses on health and life issues important to women. Anita Mahaffrey is the founder of Cool-Jams Pajamas and the writer who blogs about aging, night sweats, menopause and much more.

She has been using Striking Skin Care products for a couple of weeks and really likes the results that she has experienced so far. Read her blog post to learn more about her Striking experience.

Cool News for Women is also running a giveaway for five lucky winners to receive Striking Multi-Peptide Serums from now until October 20th, 2009. Click on Cool Jams Comment Form to enter your information in the form.

http://www.cool-jams.com

Style Secrets for Real Women - Video

Sam Saboura from Extreme Makeover and stylist among celebrites posted a video just today on Style Secrets for Real Women. We stumbled upon it and wanted to share it with our friends in our Striking Community.

A Clean Sweep - Striking Multi-Vitamin Cleanser

I do not like cleansers. Don’t get me wrong, I love the feeling of a clean face. I have eczema, so trying a new cleanser makes me tremble with fear. Worse yet, is that I love foaming cleansers, which are the worst for my sensitive, eczema-prone skin.

When I was asked to try Striking Multi-Vitamin Cleanser, I was nervous. I had just solved a 2 year long eczema breakout on my face by using a foaming baby wash and I wasn’t ready to trigger another flare up. On top of that, it’s a creamy cleanser. Not exactly my favorite because I haven’t ever used a creamy cleanser that left my face feeling clean. So, with major reservations, I tried it and surprisingly enough, I liked it and (bonus!) it didn’t trigger my eczema.

Striking Multi-Vitamin Cleanser is a lightweight creamy cleanser that is really efficient at removing makeup (even eye makeup), dirt and environmental grime from your skin. I’ve had long standing issues with feeling like my face isn’t clean after using a creamy cleanser, but that’s not the case with this cleanser. I use my Clarisonic (more on my love for the Clarisonic later) when I wash my face so that’s probably part of the reason I’m getting over using a creamy cleanser in the first place, but I’ve also noticed that it rinses very thoroughly. I feel clean but not stripped of all moisture.

This cleanser is chock full of age-fighting vitamins A, C and E as well as plant extracts that are rich in vitamins as well. For instance, it contains evening primrose oil which is full of essential fatty acids (vitamin F). EFA’s are excellent for eczema-prone skin. It also contains avocado oil (rich in 20 different vitamins and minerals), carrot extract (vitamin A) and seabuckthorn extract (high in vitamin C which supports the activity of vitamin E). All of these skin-loving vitamins help to fight free-radicals which can attack your skin, mangle your DNA and accelerate skin aging.

My skin feels comfortable and moist after washing and I’m not scrambling to slather on the moisturizer to get rid of that claustrophobic skin-tightening feeling that happens after I insist on using a foaming cleanser. I’ve definitely become a fan.

What cleanser are you using?

Posted by Brigette, contributor

Product Review: Cool Jams – PJ’s that Keep you Cool

I have been trying out a pair of pajamas from Cool-jams for the last week or so. Cool-jams is based in San Diego, California and was founded by Anita Mahaffey. Her idea came to be when on a factory visit to Turkey, she discovered a new micro-fiber fabric that “wicked” moisture away from the body and dried quickly. Combine her experience as a manufacturer of apparel and sleepwear (she sold robes of her own design at Neiman Marcus and other retailers) with this soft, lightweight fabric and suddenly she had a winning idea.

Cool-jams targets women 40+ who suffer from night sweats, a common side effect of menopause. However menopausal women aren’t the only people who suffer from night sweats. This condition also occurs during pregnancy, use of certain medications, thyroid conditions, diabetes, obesity, chemotherapy or sleep apnea. Here’s how it works: Cool-jams uses a special wicking fabric that is similar to athletic clothing to help keep the sweat or moisture off the skin. The moisture is absorbed from the skin into the fabric and then evaporates out the other side, leaving the body comfortable and dry. A dry night’s sleep can also mean a good night’s sleep for someone suffering from night sweats.

When I received my package I was surprised to find a “bonus”: a drawstring bag was included for use when washing to prolong the life of the clothing.

While I typically don’t get night sweats, it has been very warm in the Seattle-area this month and like most Western Washingtonians, I don’t have air conditioning. I’m happy to report that I have been sleeping comfortably when I would normally wake up due to the heat and subsequent sweating. I have been wearing the Savannah night shirt in periwinkle blue (it also comes in peach) and I love it. It has lace edging to make it oh-so-feminine. The fabric is soft and silky so that when I sleep it doesn’t catch on my sheets but instead moves with me. The fabric is definitely keeping my skin dry and helping me rest without waking up due to discomfort. I was pleasantly surprised that the nightshirt came out of the dryer wrinkle-free and also that it didn’t shrink. I also read that it is snag free which is very nice so that it will look newer longer and not become snagged from my rings or from wear.

The website (Cool-jams) is very informative in discussing how the wicking fabric works and why it makes sense. There is a size information chart online to help pick the size that is right for you.

Win a pair of Cool-jams pajamas or night shirt here (http://www.cool-jams.com/cust-care.html). Under Contact click on “Do you want to enter one of our contests?” Fill out the form and in the drop down click on Cool-jams Contests. Post what your favorite pajama or nightshirt is there on the site and winner will be selected randomly.

http://www.cool-jams.com

Free Striking Friday- Question of the Day 9/18/09

Winner drawn 9/25 is Janet Faye. Congratulations Janet!

Answers accepted were: Menopause Awareness Month, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and Gynecological Awareness Month.
_________________________________________________

Question of the Day:
What women's health related awareness month is September?

Prize:
1 free Striking Rejuvenating Eye Creme, 0.5oz ($35.00 value!)

Post your answers here or email us at strikingskin@gmail.com. All answers must be posted by 9am Pacific time on Friday, September 25, 2009 in order to qualify. Winners will be randomly selected and then emailed for contact information. Please do not post your address or other contact information to this blog other then your email address.

Free Striking Fridays!

Every Friday, we will post a question on women's skin care, Striking products, events, product review or something related to our Striking Community. We will give readers the chance to post by the following Friday. Answer the question correctly (or close to) and you will be entered in a random drawing to win one free Striking product.

Post your answer with your email address or email your answer to us. All entries must be posted by the following Friday before 9am Pacific time to qualify for the giveaway. Once we select a random winner, we will contact you to retrieve your address and then mail the prize to you.

Good luck to all!

Striking Product Review - Goldivas.com

We received a fabulous product review from Rita at Goldivas.com and are thrilled to share it with you.

Goldivas.com is an internet magazine for women 50 +. This website posts articles every month that cater to the interests of women who are 50 and over. The topics covered include beauty, careers, creative living, fashion, fiction/poetry, fitness/health, money, technology and travel. During the month of September, Striking products are featured under the beauty topic.

Goldivas is offering a giveaway for 5 lucky winners in a drawing that will take place at the end of the month. You can enter by signing up for their newsletter here.

Calling all menopausal women...Are you prepared?

I’m reading “The Wisdom of Menopause” by Dr. Christiane Northrup, not because I’m going through menopause but because I need to learn more about what happens to our bodies (and more specifically, our skin) during that stage so I can write about it more accurately on the Striking blog and newsletter.

I was sharing with some of my friends that I was simultaneously reading books about raising teenagers and going through menopause. Then the questions came up:

“Why are you reading about menopause?”

“Are you perimenopausal?”

“Which book are you reading? Maybe I should get a copy too.”

Then the realization hit me: as a generation of women, we are unprepared for menopause. We get to see the movies about menstruation in grade school, but there’s no mandatory movie about menopause to watch in our late 30’s/early 40’s to prepare us for that next stage of life. Some of us may get some information from our mothers if we ask, but there’s no “birds and bees” type conversation like the ones we get when we’re learning about the facts of life, so it’s up to us figure out this next phase of womanhood.

We throw around words like “perimenopause” and “menopause” like we know what they mean, but really, most of us are grossly uneducated on the subject until the doctor tells us we’re right in the middle of it. Do we really know what happens? Do we care enough to research it before it happens to us or does all the book reading and information gathering start once the doctor has given us the official diagnosis?

I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands. I’ve started to ask questions of my mother and my aunt. So far, I’m not following in my mother’s footsteps: she gave birth to me at 18 and started menopause at 40. I, on the other hand, gave birth for the first time at 29 and had my third (and I think, my last) child 18 months ago at age 42. I’ve started reading about menopause and asking other women who have been through “the change” what they would recommend to read, or if they read anything at all.

What will do you to prepare?

Posted by Brigette, contributor

Striking Product Review - Fabulous After 40

Read Fabulous After 40's product review of Striking on their website.

Fabulous After 40 is a website for women over 40 who are fashionistas. When women hit 40 their lifestyles as well as their bodies start to change. There is no need to look or feel frumpy or outdated. Women are coming in to their own in their 40's and should be able to express their new found confidence through their clothing.

JoJami Tyler and Deborah Boland are the women who own Fabulous After 40 and are known as the Glam Gals. They are style consultants that work mainly with women over 40 and are the authors of the eBook, The Glam Plan ~ 12 Simple Steps to Take You from Frumpy to Fabulous. This eBook is the first step in helping you find your own signature style that is age appropriate and fits your lifestyle.

Check out their site and sign up for their newsletter for fashion trends and advice.

For the month of September, each subscriber will be entered in a drawing for 1 Striking Product Set, a value of $170.00! This set includes 1 of each of the following: Striking Multi-Peptide Serum, Striking Restorative Moisture Creme, Striking Rejuvenating Eye Creme and Striking Multi-Vitamin Cleanser.

Sign up here for the Fabulous After 40 newsletter.

Ladies Home Journal - October 2009

Check us out in the October 2009 issue of Ladies Home Journal with the women from The View on the cover.

Two of our products, Striking Multi-Peptide Serum and Striking Restorative Moisture Creme, are located on the Tips n Trends page as well as on their website. Click on the photo of the products to read more about them and see other products that were included on that page.

6 Pieces of Advice from Women Who’ve Been There

Here are some pearls of wisdom gathered from the wise women in my life who have hit menopause and emerged fabulous on the other side:

1. If you’re not a water-drinker, get into the habit now. Staying hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your body as well as your skin.

2. Stay out of the sun, but if you just can’t help yourself, wear sunscreen. Choose an SPF 30 with a combination of chemical and physical sunscreens (titanium dioxide or zinc oxide). Cover your entire body with at least an ounce and reapply every hour. If you start getting red, get out of the sun, pronto! Remember that overexposure to the sun is the skin’s enemy.

3. If you smoke, you may want to consider quitting. You already know what it can do your skin, so I won’t preach to you.

4. Don’t forget to use your anti-aging products past your chin. Pay attention to your neck, decollete and even your hands.

5. If you feel like you need a little “extra work”, go for it! But remember, you need to take care of your skin to maintain the results whether it’s Botox, fillers or surgery.

6. Since collagen starts to diminish by 1% every year once you hit 40, choose products with ingredients that are known to boost collagen production. Striking Skin Care with SmartPeptides is a good place to start.

All pretty common sense notions, but sometimes, it’s common sense that we lack!!

Posted by Brigette, contributor

The “M” Word

From time to time we’ll have guest bloggers posting. Our first guest blogger is Brigette, a 43-year old skin care professional, mother of 5 and part-time blogger.

Menopause. There, I said it.

Truth be known, I’m not there yet. I am actually an anomaly in my family: the women in my family for the last two generations started at 40, and here I am in my mid-40’s with an 18 month old. But still, I know what happens and I am not looking forward to it.

All that being said, the thing that I’m most concerned about is my skin. This might stem from the fact that I’ve been in the skin care industry for over 20 years, or maybe because I’m just plain vain (or a little of both). All I know is that what my aunt warned me about: “You’re going to dry up from the inside out and then your face is going to fall in your lap.” Nice.

During menopause, the lack of estrogen being produced in the body causes skin dryness and in some cases, acne, never mind the fact that once menopause starts, collagen production decreases dramatically (hence, the face falling in your lap comment). In fact, once you hit 40, your collagen diminishes by 1% per year. I was really starting to panic about the dryness (my skin already has the moisture content of the Sahara and I am prone to eczema in the winter) and the sagginess (I hate gravity) until I started working on the Striking Skin Care line.

I had been using another product with peptides that I was completely satisfied with when I came to work for Helix BioMedix (the manufacturers of Striking). Not one for change once I find a combination that works for my fussy skin, I switched over because we kept getting incredible feedback from customers about the quick and positive changes they had seen in their skin after using the product. They were right. I started by adding the Multi-Peptide Serum at first. This product contains Palmitoyl Hexapeptide-14 and Heptapeptide-7. These peptides encourage keratinocyte proliferation and migration as well as collagen production, which make the skin look and feel firmer while diminishing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. I literally saw a change within a week. My skin looked more hydrated, felt firmer and those pesky lines that keep cropping up around my eyes seemed softer. I added the Restorative Moisture Creme as soon as I ran out of my favorite peptide cream from another company and I’ll have to say, my skin has not looked this good in years.

About Brigette:
Brigette is a 43-year old veteran skin care industry professional who has worked with retail, direct sales, spa and medical skin care companies. In her 20+ years she has worked in all facets of the business from sales and marketing to training and product development. She’s also a part-time blogger and mother of 5 children. She loves leading women to the right products for their skin and readily admits her overwhelming addiction to lip gloss (for which, she notes, there is no 12-step program).

September is National Menopause Month

Celebrate women and life's changes during the month of September. Learn more about menopause on the North American Menopause Society website. This is an easy to use website to find answers to common and not-so common questions about menopause.

Search the Web site of The North American Menopause Society NAMS for accurate, unbiased information about menopause. NAMS is the leading nonprofit scientific organization dedicated to improving understanding of this natural biologic event.