pretty pal: heather (aka @mrshoh)

can you guess who is who? (i'm on the right; @mrshoh is on the left) today marks the 32nd anniversary of my life with my bestie - well at least when we let everyone else in on the conversation that had already been going on for about 10 months prior. yes, i'm talking about my real life twin. 

born at a healthy 7lbs+ each (special shout out to my mama for carrying around 15lbs of baby - especially those 2 extra weeks past your due date), heather and i emerged into the world 6 minutes apart.  to answer your questions, yes, identical (before the days of fertility drugs), natural birth, i'm older and heather was breech, claiming she kicked me out.

the past 3+ decades (yikes!) have been a whirlwind, with most days spent, at some capacity, together. 

thanks for sharing the journey with me, heather, including but not limited to making up our own pretend language, getting crafty, honing my combat skills, telling it to me straight, and the uncontrollable bouts of belly-aching laughter.

love you lots, lil sis - happy birthday :)

pretty pal: yulady saluti

a passion for life and love, living the modern day brady bunch, at 32 years young, my pretty pal yulady saluti, is a mother, a wife, a yogini and now a fighter of breast cancer.  it's been a while since i've seen yulady, but with the recent news about her diagnosis, the whole saluti family has been constantly on my mind. while faced with the news that she will need a double masectomy and more test results to come in the next few days, i wanted to ask everyone to keep yulady in your thoughts and prayers or however else you can send postivity her way.

i first met yulady at my teacher training back in 2010 (wow, how time has flown!) at strala and we've remained pals ever since.  she has an infectious personality and is always filled with boundless energy and smiles.  so please keep her in your thoughts to help her stay strong and to continue smiling, even during the really tough moments!

yulady (and her family) has embraced the news with such courage, it's truly admirable.  this super strong mama is chronically her journey daily via youtube updates.

my strala pals! (yulady is on the far right)

5 pretty picks for mother's day

here's a preview of my pretty picks for mother's day - check out all ofthem on my examiner.com post.

tiny devotions' goddess mala

yoga jellies

pretty pal: allison lind

allison lind makes the art of dwelling pretty effortless.  she herself is gorgeous and like the mighty midas, everything she touches turns that way too.  behind all of that beauty are the brains required for such great style.  this pic is of a recent project she just completed, which she describes as: 

"a 1500-square-foot, 2 bedroom apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side, designed for a far-too-hard-working single dad who's a lover of art and all-things modern. (The second bedroom doubles as an office and has comfy lounge chairs that fold out into twin beds for when his kids come to stay.)"

check out her pretty self and all of the pretty spaces she's created at allisonlind.com.

would love to see her design a yoga space, just sayin.... (hint, hint, wink, wink)

bb beautiful skin

after surviving another international beauty show (think: a carnival/circus of hair stylists and spa people), i'm sold on bb cream. 

the newest trend on the beauty scene, bb cream is great if you really prefer minimal maintenance when it comes to your daily makeup routine.  the truth is i don't have perfectly flawless skin - that, and i'm also an ingredient snob, meaning i'm always on the hunt for quick, easy fixes for my face with the best stuff in them. 

after purusing trade show aisles, i came upon alex, a brand based out of queens (nyc) that carries organic bb cream!  it's a great one-stop shop product that works like a foundation/cover up, moisturizes while treating problem skin and blends really nicely with my pale complexion. 

alex organics pure bb cream is made with 100% natural ingredients - score!  although it's a bit on the spendier side of my beauty budget, i am fortunate to have gotten a good deal on it when i was at the beauty show.  now after using it for just a few times,i can already see the difference in my skin, plus it lightens my makeup load (since I like to schlep lots of stuff in my bag on a daily basis) and i get more bang for my buck (it's my new skin cure-all).  

insider tip: when applying, instead of rubbing into the skin like a moisturizer, pat it on for the best coverage to even out your skin tone while the bb cream works its magic on healing the skin.

alex oraganics pure bb cream is $90 for 1oz tube.