I’m leaving for Big Bear for the weekend, where I’m going skiing, hot-tubbing and vino-ing with a group of friends, so I’m signing off now until 2010.  Last night, I sat down and took stock of 2009 in my now yearly tradition, reflecting on the good, the bad, the triumphs and the sadness (on the whole, surprisingly, a very good year!), and just now a friend, the wonderful Sarah Klein of Sarah Klein Coaching, sent me the following.  I liked it so much that I wanted to share myself.  Here’s to a very successful, happy, fulfilling and loving 2010 for all of you!  I love you guys!  xo

“It’s not about the pose, it’s about your reaction to the pose.” Over and over I’ve heard this in yoga class the last few weeks. When my standing leg turns to jelly, when I quit while the rest of the class keeps going, or when my arm strength isn’t there and I plop rather than float to the floor, my wonderful, funny yoga teacher, Natalie, softly reminds me, “it’s not about the pose, it’s about your reaction to the pose.” When I lose my balance and topple sideways, Natalie cheerfully calls across the room, ”nice dismount, Terry!” Encouraged, I grin and quickly return to the pose. With her good humor and gentle guidance, I can focus on my present efforts, rather than gnash and thrash about what I didn’t do, how impossibly hard the pose is, or how I’ll never get it right.

If my arms are weak and I don’t pop up into full wheel effortlessly, or at all, it’s fine. My inability to hold chaturanga becomes almost as interesting as my graceful execution of a fully extended dancer’s pose. In that accepting, light-hearted environment, I can stay calm and strong, moving forward with less and less effort, steadily improving even as I topple, wobble, and flop.

Slowly and surely, I progress physically. Little by little, my balance and stamina improves, my legs lift higher, my headstands last longer and become more stable. But the most empowering aspect of this very challenging class is the transformation of my attitude, from one of competition and judgment to a powerful attitude of acceptance. It’s not about the pose.

This same concept will serve us well throughout the rest of the holidays and into the New Year. It’s not about what happens, it’s about our reaction to what happens.

When, despite your very best efforts, life’s challenges still arise (as they always will), what will your reaction be? When the weather changes and your eagerly anticipated plans have to change with it, when loved ones let your down, when life just doesn’t cooperate with you, how will you react? Will you gnash and thrash and struggle? Will you mutter under your breath that it’s too hard, not fair? Will you regretfully scold yourself, tell yourself you should have done better or you should have handled it differently? Will you give up?

Or can you smile, tell yourself “nice dismount,” and jump back in, renewing your efforts? Can you remember what you did well, how you showed up and reached out, how well you communicated, how you stayed calm under fire, took a risk, stayed in your truth, took responsibility, and aligned with your values?

And just as important, will you forgive yourself for the times you didn’t? When you fell out of the pose or didn’t do your best, when you didn’t reach out when you could have, when you were thoughtless and didn’t say the right thing, can you move forward without judgment? Can you let it go, and simply acknowledge that it’s not about what happened? Can you remember it’s always about how you respond this time, right now?

During this time of transition to the New Year, and new beginnings, let’s remind ourselves, over and over, it’s not about the pose. Over and over, we will have the opportunity to answer these questions: How do you want to react? How will you choose to respond?

By remembering this simple truth–It’s not about the pose, it’s about our reaction to the pose–we can stay peacefully empowered, eager to jump back in, ready for the next challenge, and fascinated by the wonder of it all.

Thanks for being here this past year, and have a wonderful, fun, and prosperous New Year!

Stop the presses!  Britney Spears is brunette again.  It’s refreshing when bottle-blondes go back to their roots, so to speak, but I personally think Brit looks much better as a sunny blonde.  What say you?

Blogger Nouveau Cheap alerted me to these adorable, yummy new Maybelline Shine Sensational Lip Glosses, which are available in 15 flavors including guava, blackberry, chocolate truffle and French pastry.  Check out her review (in which she compares them to Lip Smackers, but “waaaaay prettier,” here.)

Strangely, I can’t find the glosses on the Maybelline website, and as Nouveau Cheap noted, the launch seems to have been done pretty quietly.  Will update you on whether I can locate them at my local CVS.  In the meantime, while poking around the Maybelline site, I discovered they’re featuring a web-series created by Candice Bushnell called The Broadroom, starring Jennie Garth, Jennifer Esposito and Talia Balsam (who is the only woman that ever managed to, briefly, tame George Clooney into marriage).  It’s mildly entertaining, although nowhere (nowhere) near Sex and the City levels of quality.  Still.  If you’re bored.

London Correspondent Katherine McKenney writes:

When I’m having a strongly feminist moment, I don’t wear any make-up.  (After all, what’s wrong with what god gave me?!)  Then the beauty blasphemy washes away and I pine for Bare Minerals, the only makeup that I wear.  Bare Minerals has improved my skin’s condition over time–the foundation contains SPF and keeps the sun’s damage at bay (yes, there is occasional sun in London!)–plus doesn’t clog my pores and reduces breakouts on my oily T-zone.  It actually helps me like what I see when gazing in the mirror under the harsh fluorescent bathroom lights at work.  I know I don’t need to tout the benefits of Bare Minerals to you, dear reader, as Jolie is not too shy about her opinion on the topic–just check out her infomercial as evidence!

I recently had a make-under at the new Bare Minerals kiosk at Selfridges, and I was in heaven.  All dark wood and hot pink, the new counter beckoned from across the hall with the minerals in their naturally colorful glory, beautifully displayed at circular stations.  The beauty ambassadors were decked out in hot pink tee shirts and black skirts, their arsenal of tools and brushes wrapped in a holster around their waists–ready to spring to action quicker than you can say “mineral veil, stat!”

While my designated beauty ambassador Hayley swirl, tapped, and buffed Fairly Light foundation and Warmth onto my face, I pondered the term “make-under,” considering the Bare Minerals were under supplying the usual nasty synthetic chemicals found in most cosmetics. Hayley applied Queen Phyllis minerals to my eyelid and lined my eyes with Green Tea minerals, and I thought about how appealing I found the term “make-under.”  I didn’t need to be made over; I simply wanted to enhance my true beauty while allowing it to shine.  At the end, I still looked like me, only better.  And, really, isn’t that the point?

For all you Lush lovers, this great promotion just arrived in my inbox!

“Santa didn’t bring every gift on your list this year? Not to fear, LUSH is here to extend the season of giving for another week. From December 26th to January 5th, LUSH is running a special online promotion: buy any holiday item or soap and get two products of equal or lesser value FREE! Or, buy a holiday pre-wrapped gift or a year round pre-wrapped gift and get one of equal or lesser value free. No promo code required, customers will automatically be prompted to select free product (s) during the check out process.  The offer is only limited to available inventory, so stock up while supplies last! Check out all the great products here: http://www.lushusa.com/shop/boxingday”

A few goodies you might want to check out include the popular Angel’s Delight soap ($5.95) and detoxifying Jingle Spells bath bomb ($5.95), perfect for pulling out all the toxins inevitably floating around in your system after that 7th glass of champagne.  Hey, ’tis the season!

Reading Style.com’s roundup of the biggest beauty trends of 2009, the thing that really jumped out at me is the green Chanel nail polish called Jade that is apparently retailing for upwards of $100 on eBay.  Quoi?  How did I miss this?!  It never ceases to amaze me how trends can take off and then reason flies out the window. (Similar shades that won’t break the bank–”dupes”, as they’re called: OPI Hey! Get in Lime!; MAC Peppermint Patti; and Essie Mint Candy Apple.)

Other big trends?  Blake Lively’s waves, airbrushing backlash, Latisse, and Rihanna.

Check out the rest of the slideshow of 2009’s beauty stories here.

For months, I’ve had an organic skincare line called L’Uvalla sitting on my beauty counter (otherwise known to my roommate as our dining room table), continually meaning to try it out…and continually forgetting or getting sidetracked.

Last week, I finally got around to testing the products, and I can say that L’Uvalla is a line I think all my natural-beauty-enthusiast readers will love (we have Katherine McKenney at Natural Beautee to thank for pushing Jolie in this organic direction!).

All L’Uvalla skincare products bear the European COSMEBIO organic certification (see below), are “sustainably produced for optimal environmental preservation,” and are free of parabens, sulfates, propylene glycol, synethtic preservatives, synthetic fragrances, GMOs, and a whole host of other chemical baddies.

Side note: What’s the COSMEBIO/Eco-Cert Certification?
It’s considered the strictest certification available for natural/organic products. To receive this certification, products must meet the following requirements:

A minimum of 95% of the total ingredients must be natural
A minimum of 10% of the total ingredients must be organic
A minimum of 95% of the total Plant ingredients must be organic

I’m currently using the Gentle Foaming Cleanser ($26.99) and Eucalyptus Toner ($30.99), which are both gentle enough for dry and sensitive skin, but suitably cleansing and clarifying for oily, acne prone complexions (like the oil-slick blemish factory Jolie has going on).  If you’re in the market for natural skincare that’s still glamorous, read their FAQs about organic/natural products and check the line out for yourself!