New Year's Resolution #1 - Exercise

Many of you have made New Year's resolutions, which include to exercise more or just plain start exercising. If that entails doing some moving (like running) then the Enell sports bra is for you. Being a long-distance runner, I know how important it is to keep my girls protected. Not having a good sports bra that fits you correctly can cause damage to your breast tissue. Because of how much I run, it takes a while before I realize it's time to replace my sports bras. This past week I have worn one of the Enell sports bras and my girls were so secure, I had no idea how much support I wasn't getting before. I have always bought my sports bras at Fleet Feet, but didn't realize that I needed a model with more support. This bra prevents anything from moving - at all! What's great about this company is that they make bras for all sizes (including the larger breasted woman) and donate 10% of proceeds to FORCE (Facing Our Risk of Cancer Empowered), a nonprofit organization for women with increased risk of cancer due to family history and genetic status, and for members of families in which a BRCA mutation may be present. The sports bra retails for $60. For more information, please go to the Women's Sportswear page on Uptown Liz.

Merry Christmas from Uptown Liz

Since its inception in July, Uptown Liz has been such a blessing. From the overwhelming response from the public to the large amount of media coverage, I couldn't ask for a better validation that I am headed in the right direction.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and hope the New Year will bring you good health, happiness and success. My heart goes out to those of you who have lost loved ones, and I wish you comfort and peace however it may find you.

I am so grateful and appreciate your continued support of Uptown Liz.

Ramona Russell
Founder

The Perfect Gift for Every Woman - The Gift of Life

I have just come across a genius product - it is one of the smartest ideas I have ever seen! Boob Lube from save the tatas is the first ever breast check soap and has just hit the market. Made from shea butter, lavender and rosewood, Boob Lube is a soothing herbal soap for the hands and body that was created to promote early detection. Retailing for only $14.99, the adorable pink labeled bottle has instructions on how to do a self breast exam with a check list calendar as a reminder.

“We received a letter from a mom who was buying a save the ta-tas shirt for her 15 year old daughter and herself because her daughter recently had a cancerous lump removed,” says founder Julia Fikse. It was then she realized how important practicing early detection is, and how little we really talk about breast checks. "The idea of finding cancer is so scary", Fikse continues, “but Boob Lube™ isn’t as much about looking for cancer as it is about getting to know our bodies so if something new shows up, we know it’s new and we can get it checked out.”

There is no argument that early detection saves lives, so this is the perfect gift for the women in your life (from 15 years old on up) and a great way to show them how much you care. For more information, please go to the Beauty page on Uptown Liz.

Better Sleep with Giving

My new favorite pajamas are the Pink Ribbon Cotton PJs from Bed Head. Made from 100% fine Egyptian cotton detailed with baby pink piping and an embroidered pink ribbon on the left breast pocket, these white striped pajamas are classic and super comfortable. They are your all day pajamas that you wouldn't mind answering the door in for the UPS man, and would make a great gift for the woman in your life who puts herself last on the list (and probably would never think to buy herself a nice pair of pjs). With their celebrity following (Jennifer Aniston's character, Rachel, wore a pair of Bed Head pjs on an episode of Friends), these luxurious pajamas retail for $142 and Bed Head donates 15% of the proceeds to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. For more information, please go to the Women's Sleepwear page on Uptown Liz.

A Personalized Gift with a Conscience

Looking for gifts that not only give back but are personalized as well? Dragonfly Designs, jewelry with a conscience, has hundreds of beautiful pieces of jewelry and the company donates 10% of proceeds to a different charity every month to organizations that are dedicated to improving the human condition (especially for women and children), promoting equality, and protecting the environment. The owner, Stacee Gillelen, sent me a Hand-stamped Heart Bracelet with my sister's name on it. The bracelet is not only beautiful (like everything she makes), but I thought this was an incredibly thoughtful gift to give someone who has lost a loved one. I love seeing the bracelet on my wrist with Liz's name on it, but this is something that you can also give someone with their own name, their child's name, spouse's name, or initials. To further personalize the bracelet, you can choose any gemstone that the company carries. It retails for $79.00 and it comes in child sizes as well. For more information or to purchase, please go to the "Bracelet" page on Uptown Liz.

The Gift of Giving

If you are looking for ways to give back this holiday season, here are a few ideas. First and foremost, you can do your Christmas shopping on Uptown Liz. Not only are there hundreds of wonderful products to choose from, your gift has more meaning when it is supporting a cause close to some one's heart (or your own).

If you want to do even more than "shop for a cause", take your shopping budget and cut it in half. For example, if you spend $60 on someone, then spend $30 on them instead and donate the other $30 to charity. This could be an organization that's important to you, or maybe one that's important to the person you're shopping for. Put a note with their gift letting them know you made a donation to charity in their name.

If you want to be an example of giving for the little ones in your life, take them shopping for people who are less fortunate than them. Last year I took three kids in my life (who I normally buy Christmas gifts for) to Build-A-Bear. I told them that instead of buying them gifts, I was going to give them money for them to each build a bear for a child who wasn't going to have any gifts this year. They were very excited as they built their bear, and wanted to make it as special as they could for the child that would receive it. Afterwards, I took them to dinner and we had a great time visiting. I realized that by doing this, I also got to spend more quality time with them compared to buying them gifts and dropping them off at their house. The next day, I took the bears to a children's home and the staff was so shocked that someone brought in three Build-A-Bears, that it brought tears to my eyes. It was an amazing feeling.

So this holiday season, try and find a way to give back to those who are less fortunate than you. Whether it be donating to charity, volunteering or bringing a friend dinner who is having a difficult time, you will discover it is always better to give than to receive.

Marathon-proof Polish

Since I am a long distance runner, my feet take a beating. I like to have pedicures all year long - even during the winter when no one sees my feet. Usually by the six week mark, the nail polish is chipped and it's time to go in. But during my last pedicure (over a month ago), I used the new nail polish (in the color Hong Kong) from Soulstice Spa. This past Sunday I ran my 6th marathon and to my surprise, I did not have one chipped toe nail. My polish looked exactly as it did before I ran the race. Not only is this nail polish long-lasting, it's 100% vegan and free of DBP, toluene and formaldehydeorganic (which I love since I have been slowly changing out my products for more natural ones). A set of five bottles of polish sells for $30.00 or you can get a set of all their beautiful colors (10 total) for $60.00. And with every purchase of a Soulstice Spa product you are making a difference. A portion of all their proceeds are donated to vital non-profit social and environmental organizations working to make the world a more beautiful place, which is apparent in their motto - "Look Good. Feel Good. Do Good." For more information, or to purchase the nail colour, go to the beauty page on Uptown Liz.