Since the super bowl is this weekend I wanted to share a yummy recipe that NaturaLook's very own Fabianna created!  Sometimes she will surprise us by making a pot and bringing it to work.  It is really good, easy to make in the crock pot and healthy too!  Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 white onion
• 4 cloves of garlic (more if you love garlic
• 1 can of corn
• 3 cans white beans
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• sour cream
• avocado

Directions:

Boil the chicken breast with 1/2 the onion, 1 clove of garlic, salt and white pepper.  While the chicken is cooking pour the beans, corn, cream of chicken soup, the remaining onion (diced) and the remaining garlic (chopped) into the crock pot.  Once the chicken is cooked, cut it into cubes and dice the onion and garlic that was boiling with the chicken.  Add everything to the crock pot and ladle some of the broth into the pot as well. 

Note:  This can all be done the night before the game so that all you have to do is plug in the crock pot in the morning.  The house will smell delicious and clean up will be minimal!

You have two options when it comes to cooking in the crock pot.  You can put it on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours depending on your schedule.  Serve with sour cream and sliced avocado.

This past Sunday was the half marathon for Jeans 4 Justice, an organization that supports rape victims.  The name "Jeans 4 Justice" was inspired by a 1999 case in Italian High Court in which a rape conviction was overturned because the victim was wearing jeans. The court concluded, “It is common knowledge…that jeans cannot even be partly removed without the effective help of the person wearing them…and it is impossible if the victim is struggling with all her might.” The founder of J4J was distraught by the idea that jeans, such an integral staple to a woman’s wardrobe, could lead to this unjust ruling. This case has motivated many to act and use jeans as an awareness tool to take a stand against this case and other rape myths such as ‘she was asking for it because she was wearing revealing clothing’.

Before the marathon, participants met for a lunch provided by NaturaLook at the Cosmopolitan in Old Town.  We were excited to be able to help this strong group of women in their training for the marathon and their continued support of sexually abused women.

CITY BEAT MAGAZINE

Jeanee was recently featured in the body art issue of City Beat Magazine!  Our very talented permanent makeup artist is part of the SAAVE program and donates her services to breast cancer survivors who have undergone reconstructive surgery.  The events editor at City Beat Magazine, Alex Zaragoza, interviewed Jeanee on what it's like to help these women who have already been through so much.  If you'd like to read the whole article, click here.

My little red mustang is now 12 years old and she's starting to show signs of aging!  The southern California sun is not only foe to our skin, but hers as well!  The fabric on my sun visors was looking pretty shabby, so this weekend I decided to give them a makeover.  I went to JoAnn's and bought some really cute home decor fabric.  I was hoping to find Sunbrella or another brand of indoor/outdoor fabric, but the selection was pretty limited and I ended up falling for a bohemian/islandy print!  First I removed my visors from the car, then I roughly traced the shape onto my fabric and cut it out.  I fired up my hot glue gun and started attaching the cute print to the visor.  I did one side at a time and then covered the joint, where the two sides overlapped, with ric rac.  The end result:  a fun and fresh new look for the inside of my stang, Roxy! 

Before:

After:

At NaturaLook, community participation is of outmost importance. We sincerely believe that lending a helping hand is what makes the world go round. Throughout the year we donate our time and resources to different charities for the benefit of the community.

To open up the year with great vibes, our first donation was made for the benefit of the charitable organization “Mainly Mozart.” Mainly Mozart reaches out to more than 40,000 children annually in San Diego through their educational outreach programs, which include in-school assemblies, free community concerts and a free student ticket program.

We would like to commend Mainly Mozart for their charitable efforts, and as a token of our appreciation we have donated our services to be auctioned off at their Annual Fundraising Soiree taking place on January 22, 2012 at the Westgate Hotel.

Plenty of people make New Year's Resolutions about losing weight, quitting smoking, or learning a new skill. But you can also make resolutions about your beauty routine!  Here are some resolutions we found with suggestions and tips from the staff at NaturaLook.

1. Take more risks

You may not want to jump out of an airplane, but you can go bold with bright red lips. Whether it's matte or sheer, a stick or a stain, it's like true love: you know it when you see it. And unlike true love, you can have five different kinds without anybody judging you.  And contrary to popular belief you CAN change your lip color even if you have permanent makeup!  Since the color is going into the skin not on top of the skin, you can change your lip color by applying lipstick or a tinted gloss.

"True red lipstick is both mysterious and dramatic.

However, when it comes to choosing a red lipstick, there are no rules.

Just go for what you are most attracted to."

- Francois Nars of Nars Cosmetics

This past Friday NaturaLook held a hands-on advanced troubleshooting workshop.  Master trainer Jeanee Lusby covered topics like boosting and refreshing old designs, color correction and extreme eyeliner designs.  We had 8 established permanent makeup artists attend the event at our office in La Jolla, CA.  Hands-on training can sometimes be tricky because the antendees are taking turns working on models and, in our case, are moving back and forth between two procedure rooms practicing different techniques.  Luckily, we all felt the workshop was success!  Everything ran smoothly, our wonderful models were very patient and every artist that wanted to was able to practice what they'd learned in the fundamental training. 

Master trainer Jeanee Lusby shares her knowledge with fellow permanent makeup artists.

Jeanee beginning the eyeliner procedure while the attendees observe.

Thank you to everyone who attended!  It was a great day with a great group of people!  If you'd like to receive information about upcoming workshops with Jeanee please send us an email or check our news and events page for updates.