The PT Savvy Center

April 24th, 2008

Choose Your Wedding Cake To Suit Your Personality

Posted by admin in Gender Studies

The job of choosing the right wedding cake style is the
responsibility of both the future bride and groom. The style of
cake you’ll choose will largely depend on the wedding theme and
the size of the wedding. You’ll want to be sure your cake is
large enough for all attending guests to receive a piece. If
you’re having a super large wedding you can always have two
cakes. In fact, a new trend is for there to be a bride cake and
a grooms cake.

It can actually be quite a fun event where you can let a little
bit of creativity flow. The solution to a “no stress” cake
selection is simply knowing what you need and doing your
research before hand. The information below will assist you in
making sure you’ve got your icing covered! The wedding cake is
usually cut into small slices, packaged and tied with a ribbon
for your guests to take home. You can also serve your cake for
dessert. A cake large enough to serve all your guests may cost
more but by the same token you eliminate the cost of dessert
from your catering budget.

Choose a cake that you both enjoy. The size of the cake is
directly related to the size of your wedding and your budget.

If your budget for your wedding is low or you just do not wish
to pay very much for your cake. If your budget is small, check
around with friends and family - there may be someone who has
the expertise to do your wedding cake for a fraction of the
cost. Friends, family, magazines, your local bakery, and the
internet are all great places to get ideas about the types of
cakes available. Or go crazy and get the cake you’ve always
dreamed of having.

Types of Wedding Cakes There are many types of wedding cakes you
can choose for your wedding depending on your budget and size of
your wedding. Here are just a choices  Small or large
round cake  Small or large sheet cake  Single
level wedding cake  Multi level wedding cake 
Themed wedding cake - for example for a beach wedding you might
tie seashells into your cake, or have a sandy textured icing.
 Fresh flowers on your wedding cake  Icing
flowers on your wedding cake  Silk flowers on your
wedding cake  Match your cake with the colors of your
wedding theme - the colors of the flowers or the color of your
bridesmaid dresses are popular choices  Traditional
wedding cake is fruit cake with white icing

 More traditional choices are chocolate or orange cake,
sponge cake or carrot cake. To be able to keep the top layer of
the cake it must be a fruit cake. Order your wedding cake 6
months to a year in advance. The month you are getting married
in is important because the type of cake you choose may not work
well with the season. For example, mouse in wedding cakes does
not work well during the hot month of August. Winter wedding
cakes have fewer restrictions.

Questions to ask your Bakery and or Baker

1) Are samples available to try before you buy? Just because a
cake looks good doesn’t mean it will taste good, or not be as
hard as a rock. Best to taste test so you’re not disappointed..
2) When is the last day I can make changes? By finding out when
the last day you can make changes is, you will most likely be
getting the answer as to when they will be starting your cake..
3) Do you deliver? Cakes do not ship well, so unless you’ve made
arrangements for someone to pick your cake up and bring it to
the reception, it is best if the bakery can deliver it. 4) How
do you ship your wedding cakes? 80% of wedding cake damage
occurs during shipping. Shipping is also your friend picking it
up in their car. The cake needs to be packed properly to ensure
it arrives at the reception intact. 5) Should something go wrong
what is your back up plan? Many will say that they either have
no plans or that nothing will go wrong. Not a good enough
answer. When it’s the day before your wedding and something goes
wrong it’s too late to come up with a backup plan. 6) How much
would it be for regular cakes the same size as the wedding cake?
This will determine if you are being gouged or not. As with all
elements of your wedding planning and preparation are important.
Decide the type of cake, get pricing, and order early. Then you
can place another nice big fat checkmark on your “to do list”.

© Copyright Sher Matsen, All Rights Reserved.

April 16th, 2008

Pure Truth About `All Natural’ Products & Other Beauty Myths

Posted by admin in Gender Studies

Myth: “All Natural” Beauty Products Are Best

Pure Truth: First of all, there are not really any ‘all natural’
products available for commercial sale. Unless you make them
yourself, and are prepared to refrigerate them & use them within
a few days, you really can’t find any. This is because, just as
in food products, the ingredients are perishable.

Just think what would happen to a jar of ‘natural’ ingredients
sitting on your vanity… The smell alone would keep me from
opening the lid, let alone touching it! So beauty products, like
foods, use preservatives to give them added shelf time. When you
buy products, they have to last through storage with the
company, shipping and still have some time left for you to use
them. As for the term ‘natural’ it is not even regulated. This
means any company can call their product natural, no matter what
it contains.

Myth: Chemicals Are Bad For Your Skin

Pure Truth: Not all chemicals are bad for your skin. Just as
medicines are chemical or synthetic versions of medicinal
plants, so the science of chemistry brings us beauty products.
Many natural ingredients have been re-created in synthetic form
for ease of use & distribution, which can also make them cheaper
to supply.

Myth: Product Packaging Does Nothing But Add To The Price

Pure Truth: Many people believe there is no importance to the
packaging of beauty products, that the bottles and jars are just
made ‘neat looking’ in order to make us buy the products. This
can be true, but with some of the ‘new’ beauty ingredients,
packaging has a much larger, more important role. Some
ingredients are considered unstable, meaning they are affected
by sunlight and air exposure. For those ingredients, like
retinol and some antioxidants, the packaging is a big deal. If
you want to get some use of what you paid for, look for
packaging that limits the products exposure. This may mean a
dark colored container, or those similar to pharmaceutical
products.

Myth: Buying Beauty Products Is a Gamble

Pure Truth: If you want to avoid buying products that simply
don’t work, being an educated consumer is your best bet. For the
best information on cosmetics ingredients in the US, go to the
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/cos-prd.html, the FDA site. This
site also has information on labeling & label claims.

There are also several websites with product reviews, done by
independent consumers, just like you. The best sites will post
the reviewers’ information, so you can get an idea if the
reviewer’s skin type, age etc. is similar to your own. Two
review sites are http://www.cosmeticconnection.com and
http://www.emakemeup.com/reviewboard/cgi-bin/main.cgi. You may
also try the various message boards devoted to beauty. These
boards are a great place to get information on new products or
companies before you buy. And reputable companies will allow
exchanges and refunds. If the company you are considering
doesn’t, look for another… In the competitive beauty game, you
can always find a company that is more like to cover your bet.

April 1st, 2008

Hair Style Magazines? Dont Waste Money, These Are The Best

Posted by admin in Gender Studies

It’s no secret that there is a lot of misleading beauty advice out there. So, where should you turn for the latest styles, trends and advice? A good place to start is with a leading, reputable hair style magazine or black hair magazine.

When you choose one of the leading hair style magazines or black hair magazines over other publications, you gain access to the latest trends and insider secrets in the beauty industry. No longer will you have to wait until a trend becomes popular and dozens of people are wearing it before you catch on. By subscribing to a hair style magazine, you can keep your eye on the upcoming styles and get them before anyone else.

So, which style magazine should you buy? Here are reviews of five of the leading hair style magazines to aid you in your decision (and details of how you can get them at discounted prices):

” American Salon. American Salon is the leading hair style magazine among professionals. Inside the pages of this magazine are insider trade secrets, trends and techniques that have just been introduced by top-of-the-line beauty professionals. Here you can learn about the latest innovative products and beauty treatments, the newest cutting and color trends, and other tidbits of knowledge at the same time that the professionals do. While this magazine is great to keep informed of all that is going on in the beauty industry, it is not ideal for choosing your next hair cut. Filled with industry jargon and how-to articles, most of the information contained in this hair style magazine would not be fully appreciated by a non-professional.

” Celebrity Hairstyles. If you’re looking for all of the hot styles worn in Hollywood, Celebrity Hairstyles could be just the hair style magazine to bring it all together for you. Ever wonder how Hilary Duff and Faith Hill got those softly tousled locks? Wonder no more. Not only is this hair style magazine full of color photos of the latest celebrity styles, it also has technical how-to information that you can take along with you to the salon.

” Hype Hair. When it comes to finding a leading black hair magazine, there is none better than Hype Hair. Called the “the style handbook for today’s black woman,” Hype Hair features up-to-date innovative hairstyles, interviews, contests and funky fresh hair styles. From the sleek and sedate to the funky and corn rowed, there is a style for everyone in this black hair magazine.

” Modern Salon. This hair style magazine is similar to American Salon in that it caters to professionals only. Featuring the latest trends and interviews with top professionals, Modern Salon takes a fresh and modern look at the beauty industry in its entirety including nails, make-up, hair, color, skin care.

” Short Hair Styles. This is perhaps the hair style magazine and black hair magazine that I have seen brought into the salon most often by clients. The pages of Short Hair Styles are filled with color photos of the latest color and cutting styles. In here, you can find a cut for any texture of hair and ethnicity. From the textured spike to the soft curled, there is really a short style for everyone in this magazine.

In addition to these hair style magazines, there are several women’s magazines that offer great hair care advice. Vogue, Glamour and First are just a sampling of the many magazines that feature in-depth hair care articles and advice from top hair care professionals. For many, these magazines are the best way to keep up with current trends and style ideas.

These are just a few of the many hair style magazines and black hair magazines available, but they are top of the line. Whether you’re a professional or someone just looking for a cool new style, you cannot go wrong with hair style magazines. And finally, the best news is that you can get most of them at heavily discounted prices. For further details check my website at http://www.great-hairstyles.com/magazine.html

Michael Barrows’ website gives great advice for good hair. Get your free ebook packed with hair style and hair care tips and advice, visit the great hair styles website.