Friend Friday: 10 Random Facts About Moi

The goal of this Friend Friday post is to "share 10 random facts that people might be surprised to know about you".

I am currently in LA at Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ LA (that's why this is a day late...) but I am having a blast hanging out with my fellow Curvy Collective members and taking in all the fab events. I am resting up for the grand finale runway show tonight, so I am going to keep this short and sweet.

1. I worked as an investment accountant for 14 years. I did not plan to go into this field, it just kinda happened. I worked as a receptionist at a small accounting firm and everything bloomed from there. While I didn't particularly enjoy corporate life, I met some incredible people who made it all worth it.

2. I collect old cameras. My favorites are old brownies and other types of box cameras.

3. I have had arthritis since I was around 16 years old. It's funny how little people know about it, so many people assume that only old folks deal with it, when in fact about 1 out of 1,000 children are affected with some form of arthritis.

4. I take epic baths. I mean hours long. I love them. A lot of times I sleep in the bath tub. I have a whole set up with a DIY desktop, etc. Besides helping me with my arthritis, its just where I go to chill out and relax, read, brainstorm, you name it.

5. When I love a movie I can watch it hundreds of times. I have watched Something New, Pride & Prejudice, I Can Do Bad All By Myself, The Holiday and a couple of other movies hundreds of times. Why? I don't know. There is just something about the characters and their different circumstances that appeal to me. And I am also a sucker for romance, so these all fit the bill in one way or another.

6. I play the clarinet and have done so since I was around 9 or so. I also can play the flute and I own an acoustic guitar that I have been saying I am going to learn to how to play for years now. I did recently meet someone who offered to teach me, so hopefully I will take her up on it and get my strum on.

7. I am a loner. People find this hard to believe because I am always out meeting people, going to events and I am very social in a sense. But I have also always been the type of person who really enjoys her own company. I remember when I was young and the house would be full of guests during holidays and they would always try to get me to come out of my room and I would for a while but only for a while. I just really liked being alone. Writing, reading, drawing, listening to music.

8. I love to travel but I prefer to do it alone. The loner in me meets the control freak in me when it comes to traveling and I like to go solo mainly because I don't like to be on other peoples agendas. My cousins always talk about trips that we took to New Orleans and New York City and how I ditched them repeatedly. LOL...

Also, when I do go away with a group, I rarely stay where everyone else is staying. And I think that sometimes this puts folks off but I just have to be me and do things the way that I know that I will enjoy them.

9. When I was 9 years old I went to camp and there were some thefts and they searched everyone's bags but mine. Why? Because I was so quiet and shy back then, that there was no way they could even imagine that I would do something like that. I remember to this day, some 30+ years later, hearing the camp counselor say "You don't have to search J G's bags" I always joke how I could have been racking up at that camp if I was actually stealing stuff.

10. I rarely ever participate in these types of lists because while they should be pretty easy, this thing took me at least an hour to come up with!

;-)

Til next Friday.

31 Days of Breast Cancer Awareness: Self Exams

Monthly self breast examinations (SBE;s) are recommended to aid early detection, which can lead to greater chances of survival.

Here are some general guidelines for conducting SBE's.

SBE's should take place several days after your period ends. If you are no longer having periods, choose a day that's easy to remember every month.

The American Cancer Society recommends that doctors inform women about the benefits and limitations of breast self-exams when they reach the age of 20.

After age 40, a clinical breast exam and a mammogram is recommended to be performed every year in addition to self exams.

Here are five of the basic steps that you can use during your monthly self breast exam.

Note: There are many schools of thought on how this exam can vary but this is the most basic type of exam that you can proactively perform on yourself.

Step One - Begin Visual Review

This consists of standing in front of a large mirror, bent slightly forward at the hips with your shoulders straight and your hands pressing into your hips to engage the muscles.

You should face forward and turn from side to side to view all angles.

You are checking to make sure that your breasts look their normal shape, size and color.

There should not be any swelling, dimpling, redness, puckering or nipple inversion (turning in instead of out).



Step Two - Raise Arms Over Head

During this step, you are continuing your visual review looking for the same signs as you were when your hands were pressing at your hips.

You can also press your palms together (this engages the muscles in a different manner) and look for any changes.

Step Three - Check for Nipple Discharge

During this step you want to squeeze each nipple between your finger and thumb to make sure that there isn't any fluid (bloody, milky or yellow) discharged.



Steps Four/Five - Physical Exam: Lying Down and Standing (in/out of the Shower)

The major differences between these methods is that when lying down you would use a folded towel to bolster your shoulder and when in the shower, you would lather your fingers and breasts with soap to help your fingers glide more smoothly over your wet skin.

This step is simply about preference. I prefer to lie down. I just feel that I am getting a better "feel".

Lying Down -

Use a folded towel under your shoulder and extend your arm on an angle.

Use your right hand to check your left breast and then your left hand to check your right breast. You should check the entire breast area (12 o'clock to 12 o'clock) from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.

Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. Use the pads of your fingers and applying increased pressure with each movement, complete three dime size circles in each area of your breast.

Keep your hands on your breast at all times as you incrementally slide from one area to the next to insure that you cover the entire breast.



Standing In or Out of the Shower -

You should perform the same examinations that you did when lying down during this step.

Many women find that the easiest way to conduct the standing exam is when their skin is wet and slippery in the shower.

As noted above, lather your fingers and breasts with soap to make the movements easier.



Please remember that applying pressure to a breast lump may cause some discomfort. If you do detect any changes or lumps, seek medical attention immediately.

Sources: Mayo Clinic BreastCancer.org Susan G. Komen Foundation

Joined the Friend Friday Family!

Recently my girl, The Fashionista Next Door posted about a new bloggers group where every Friday you answer different questions on your blog about a variety of topics.

I love meeting other bloggers and I thought it sounded like a fun idea, so I joined also.

The group, is called Friend Friday and it was started by Katy Rose of Modly Chic.

There is a huge variety of bloggers in the group, so I am looking forward to reading the different responses every week.

You can learn more and join Friend Friday here.

Here's this weeks topic/my answers.

The discussion about the Chilean Miners has really sparked some great conversation and it is an interesting enough topic that I think we can all find something unique to say on our blogs. So, without further ado, here are this week's questions.


Q1. As we watched the Chilean Miners being rescued last week, there were many things to take note of - the amazing faith of these people, the joy of life, love and family, and - interestingly enough - product
placement. As you watched the rescue efforts did you notice the products? What were your thoughts?

Curvatude: I didn't really pay attention to anything other than the interaction between the miners and the people around them when they reached the top. I listen to tv more so than watch it, so I would just go and look when I heard that one was reaching the top.


Q2. Product placement is all around us today, what do you think makes it such a marketing gold mine?

Curvatude: Well they essentially have a captive audience that will consciously and/or subconsciously take note of the products, so that's the perfect ingredient for success.

Also, I think appearing to be affiliated with something that people like or that they connect with, say their favorite show, breeds a level of interest.

And it definitely never hurts to be associated with something joyous such as the safe rescue of the miners.

Q3. On your blog, either now or in the future, what is/will be your stance on highlighting specific products?

Curvatude: I have a very clear policy of only highlighting products that I have personal experience with, i.e., I have used them, know the brand, etc.

I never say that I will review an item if someone sends it to me but even if I don't end  up blogging about it, I still give them my feedback. I also never use anything once and write a review about it because there are times when I product is fabulous the first time you use it and then it goes blah...

I also review a lot of things that I purchase myself. I share them because I love them. I also tweet a lot of products because I am always out and about.


Q4. If the opportunity arose would you give a bad review of a product?

Curvatude: I have a series called Curvatude in the Stores where I review products straight no chaser. If I don't care for or find something wrong with a product I say so. I am never harsh but always honest. I think it would be a disservice to my readers to do anything else. Especially since I blog a lot about plus size clothing and how they fit and their quality, etc, which is a really big issue for us because of so much inconsistency in the market, I have to spell it all out.


Q5. Do you view your blog as a product? Where have you or do you hope to place it?

Curvatude: Curvatude: I don't view my blog as a product per se. I view it more as an outlet to connect. An extension of my social life almost. Its like my second home. So anything that I post on it has to feel right and be genuine.

But I am working on a lot of things, that are not necessarily about placing my blog but more about building the connections that I make via my blog and developing those into opportunities.

For example, I am a member of the Curvy Collective for the first ever Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ in LA next week. This would have never been possible if I did not have my blog.

I am also working to eventually design my own clothes and I am working on getting more involved in two great loves of mine; events planning and PR.

--------

Til next Friday!

31 Days of Breast Cancer Awareness - Giveaway Winner

The winner of the 2010 OPI Pink of Hearts Nail Lacquer, set of OPI pedicure toe separators, breastcancersite.org bracelet, TY breast cancer awareness beanie baby and a copy of one of my favorite pictures is: Toye Wall Beamer

Please use the "Let's Talk" link above to send me your mailing address!

If I don't hear from you by Sunday 10/24 @ 10am cst, I will choose a new winner.

Thanks to all who entered!

Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ VIP Tickets Giveaway!

Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ is fast approaching and it's gonna be a fab 3 day weekend full of fashion and fun, that you know you don't want to miss out on.

If you haven't gotten your tickets to all of the great events yet, today may be your lucky day!

The fine folks at Sonsi™ have generously donated two VIP all-access Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ tickets to me and I am going to give one away to two lucky people!

So, if you live in the LA area or you have been wishing that you had tickets to attend all of the fabulous Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ events, here is your chance to possibly make that happen!

Since this is such an extra fabulous giveaway, I am going to have you do a little more work than I normally do, so make sure that you read this carefully and comply with ALL of the requirements.

To enter:

1. Sonsi™ has created a plus size social networking site of which I am a member.

Go to SonsiLiving™ and add me as a friend.

If you are not already a member, sign up. It's free and easy.

To add me as a friend, go to the Members Directory page, which can be found on the lower right hand side of the home page.

Search for my name "Goody" and click the green "Add Friend" link to the right of my picture.

2. Leave a comment here on the blog answering this question:

"What is your VIP Style? You know, what could we expect to see you rockin at Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™?"

3. Make sure you leave a link to your Sonsiliving.com profile in your comment here on the blog.

Easy right?

Now, check out the ultra fine print:

Note: NO Travel/airfare/lodging or accommodations will be provided.


A VIP all-access Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ ticket only provides complimentary entry to all of the events listed here.


The entrants that have complied with all of the entry requirements will be included in a drawing to win one of the two VIP all-access Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ tickets.

The winner will be announced Thursday,  10/21/10 @ 11:59pm CST. (note time was changed)

Bonne Chance!

31 Days of Breast Cancer Awareness - Giveaway

One of the fun ways that companies have used to get involved in supporting the breast cancer awareness cause is by selling products that give back.

As they have the past few years, OPI has created a Pink of Hearts Nail Lacquer to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure® and guaranteeing a donation of $25,000 to the organization.

Pink of Hearts contains no DBP, Toluene, or Formaldehyde and its a really pretty, fun pink to boot.

While most of the things that I will write about during this series are serious topics, I thought it would be fun to giveaway a little set that I put together of some of my favorite products out there that support the cause.

So, I am giving away the following: A bottle of the 2010 OPI Pink of Hearts Nail Lacquer, a set of OPI pedicure toe separators, a breastcancersite.org bracelet, a TY breast cancer awareness beanie baby and a copy of one of my favorite pictures.

The quote on the picture is a fav from Ghandi - Be the change you wish to see in the world...

To enter to win, leave a comment below with one of your favorite quotes AND also hit the green tweet button to retweet this post on twitter.

You must do both to be entered to win.

A winner will be chosen Tuesday 10/19/10 at noon CST.

Only those with US mailing addresses are eligible.

The Curvy Collective! The Who, What, When & Where

I posted a bit ago about being selected to be a part of the Curvy Collective and wanted to share some more information about us with you today.

The Who:

The Curvy Collective was co-founded by Marie Leggette of The Curvy Fashionista and Johara Tucker, of Luvin’ My Curves and launched in the Spring of 2009 with the inception of Full Figured Fashion Week™.

There were over 50 submissions to the Curvy Collective for Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ Los Angeles and the chosen bloggers are as follows:

· Cid’s Style File

· Curvatude (moi of course)

· Curves and Chaos

· Curvy Girl Chic

· Full Figure Plus

· Les Pitreries De Vanoue

· Lips, Hips, and Fashion Tips

· Musings of a Fatshionista

· Return to Sender

· The Aspiring Model

· The Marcy Minute

· Xoxo Nikstar

The What:

A dynamic group of the plus size community’s leading fashion bloggers who will capture, expose, and share up-to-the-minute news for Full Figured Fashion Week(end) ™ Los Angeles with the masses.

In addition to keeping you informed, The Curvy Collective will also co-host some great events during Full Figure Fashion Week(end)™.

The When:

These events include the Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ "The State of the Curvy Community" panel.  Kelly Price - yes, that Kelly Price will be on the panel for this event along with other well known community members.

And also on the Curvy Collective's co hosting calendar is the "pre show time" fun of  Curvy Cocktails L.A. (held on 10/27) which is being brought to you in conjunction with the L.A. Fatshion Bloggers.

The Where:

Of course all of this takes place at Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ in Los Angeles, October 28-30th!

This will be a great chance for US the Curvy community to come out and have fun and show support for those designers and businesses that support us!

Get all of the information about these events and a host of others that are taking place during Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ in Los Angeles here.

31 Days of Breast Cancer Awareness: Male Breast Cancer

It is rarely spoken of and most people probably think that it does not exist because when you see most things related to breast cancer it usually focuses on women.

But male breast cancer does exist and although it makes up less than 1% of all cases of breast cancer, it is usually not detected until it is at an advance stage.

Women have more breast cells than men do, so women are about 100 times more likely to get breast cancer.

This is perhaps due to the fact that women's breast cells are constantly exposed to the growth promoting effects of female hormones.

But any man especially those between the ages of 60 and 70 can develop breast cancer.

Important distinctions such as breast size and awareness affect early diagnosis and survival in cases of male breast cancer.

Just as in women, breast cancer in men is caused by abnormalities in the cells. In most cases it isn't clear what triggers abnormal cell growth in the male breast tissue but doctors do know that between 5% and 10% of breast cancers in men are inherited.

Prior to puberty males have a similar amount of breast tissue as females but during puberty and beyond, male hormones produced by the testicles prevent further growth of the breast tissue. The male breast tissue contains ducts but only a few if any lobules.
 
The most common type of breast cancer found in men is infiltrating ductal carcinoma. It starts in the cells that line the milk ducts in the breast, grows and breaks through the walls of the ducts, invades the fatty tissue of the breast and often spreads to the lymph nodes.

In the past, breast cancer in men was often diagnosed at a more advanced stage, partly because of the belief that it is a "woman's disease".

The most recent American Cancer Society estimates for male breast cancer in the United States are for 2011:

About 2,140 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed among men
About 450 men will die from breast cancer

There are numerous risk factors and life style choices that are believed to be attributable to all breast cancers but some more so to male breast cancer.

Learn more : Cancer.org

Rockin Curvatude - OOTD Chillin in the Park

Although I am still camera less, I convinced Dex to take a few pictures of me while we were downtown watching tennis matches in the park, so for the first time in a long time, I am posting a "regular" OOTD.

I purchased this dress from ASOS Curve back in July but never wore it because it was just too hot and then when it got a little cool enough to wear it, I was in the midst of Rock 10 for 30.

They no longer have this dress in stock, but here is a similar one currently available.

I paired the dress with a jacket that I thrifted for $5, my green suede boots and a white scarf.

I was originally going to wear my black ankle booties but decided on these because I felt they added an unexpected vibe because they are kinda rugged.

I hate that they never photograph well. They are not as light as they look in the pictures. They are actually a really rich green.

Here is a picture of the shoulder detail of the dress. Very fun with a nice touch of edgy.

I think that the earrings are from Forever 21, the sunglasses are from New York & Co.

Me and My Clarisonic Mia...

Recently QVC had the Clarisonic Mia on the Go Sonic System on easy pay and because I had been reading and hearing so much about it in the blogosphere, I bit the bullet and purchased it.

While the easy pay option was a nice perk, when I sat down and thought about how much money I spend on products ALL THE TIME, I realized that I spend way more than what It costs on a regular basis on a bunch of products that I rarely end up using for long.

The kit came with:

• Sensitive skin brush
• Normal skin brush
• 1 fl oz Gentle Hydro Cleanser
• 1 fl oz Nourishing Care Cleanser
• 1 fl oz Refreshing Gel Cleanser

I usually only like to talk about products after I have used them for a bit because I want to really get the full "experience" of them.

Because I hate it when you use a product a couple of times and it's just fabulous and then after a while it's like "what the hell?"

So, I have been using it for over a month now and I must say that folks aren't exaggerating when they profess their love for this thing.

I am loving it.

It truly feels like a getting a facial every time that I use it.

Normally my skin is your typical combination variety, oily T zone and dry everywhere else but when it's dry, it's really dry and it runs me crazy!

And as I have aged, {I am 41} it hasn't just been dry but it would also get red and patchy {see below}.

I went to the derm because of it and he just suggested that I use a cleanser like Cetaphil and he also gave me a prescription for Hydroquinone to deal with some discoloration that I had.

I used the Hydroquinone for only a short period of time because I just never really felt at ease about it and in the end, I still had the issue with the dry patches.

I had also picked up some RX for Brown Skin products at TJ Maxx and was loving them but ran out and no one knows what the heck is going on with the company because now you can only buy it on ebay.

But since I have had the Mia, I have used it both in the morning and at night, uhh...well on the nights that I actually get around to washing my face. I am just not that as religious about that as I should be.

It's gentle and it really leaves my face feeling clean but not stripped.

Picture that I took of myself this morning sans makeup

Now I can totally say that I am very happy with the condition of my skin and I haven't been dry or flaky at all, so it was totally worth the money.

Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ Semi Formal Finale Runway Event

Of course one of the highlights of Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ will be the grand finale of the weekend, the Semi Formal Finale Runway Event.

The brands showcased during this event are well known national brands like Kiyonna, Lane Bryant and Hips & Curves along with some fabulous independent brands, like Chan.nel Karama Limited (CKL) and Karama Denim Luxe and Youtheary Khmer that you may not have heard of but who will rock the runway for sure.

It's gonna be haute!

See the full lineup of designers and get your tickets here!

Rockin 10 for 30: The Final Week!

I am so excited that I can sit here and write the above.

When I started this challenge, I wont lie, I had doubts that I would really actually get to this day.

Why?

Mainly because I know me.

I have so many balls in the air at times, and since I don't have a clone, sometimes some of them get dropped.

So, for me to Rock these 10 items for the entire month makes me feel really good.

During the challenge I only made a couple of changes, although there were moments when I just wanted to chuck the pieces and rock some of my other clothes, especially the new ones that I had sitting in the closet with the tags on them!

But, I didn't.

Yea me.

Anyway, the two changes that I made were the jeans and the leggings.

The jeans because the color was just not as versatile as I needed it to be and they were a little too big on me.

I also ended up changing the leggings towards the end because the ones that I started with were getting a little too threadbare and while I had repaired them a bit, it was just not cool. So, when the ones that I got for 6 bucks from Old Navy arrived, I switched them out. (I got four pairs and I will do a review of them later in the month)

My main challenge over the course of the last week was that in addition to losing my wallet, I realized that I had lost my camera also, so I had to wing it from there on out.

Some of the looks are "potty shots". Basically shots that I snagged when I came across good mirrors in bathrooms while out and about. Others are pics that I took at events or while out and about.

And the others will just have to be described, which kinda sucks but it's the best I got.

Day 23 -  The dreaded day, was a warm day, so I wore the Asos Curve Cami Wrap Jersey Jumpsuit solo again.

Day 24 -  I wore the Asos V Back Jersey Dress and the New York & Co sweater.

This is the day that Jessica from That Tech Chick and Danyelle from The Cubicle Chick came to town and hung out with me, Raijean from Swai-Rai and Kim from The Styleish Life

They are fab bunch of women!

Day 25 -  I wore the Cato jeans and the ASOS CURVE Printed Oversized Tunic and the New York & Co sweater.

You can see part of that outfit in this picture of me with Deborah Lippmann at the Nordstrom beauty event.

Day 26 -  I wore the new leggings and the same tunic because I didn't go home the previous night and I had just picked the leggings up from my p/o box.

Day 27 -  I thought that I had snapped a picture of myself this day but alas I did not and honestly I can not for the life of me remember what I wore, but I know I stayed true to the challenge

Day 28 I was in Macy's so I snapped this pic. I wore the jacket, tunic and leggings, along with my new favorite boots.

Day 29 I wore the sweater, white blouse jeans combo again. At this point I was really ready to end the challenge, simply because the weather was changing and I wanted to wear my fall things.

Day 30  I wore the jumpsuit and the colorful top. I hate that i didn't get someone to take a picture of me in that, the colors worked really well together.

Closing out this challenge, I want to thank those of you who left comments and tweeted encouragement thru-out the month.

It really kept a girl going!

Coming up during the month of October; more of my 31 Days of Breast Cancer Awareness campaign, Halloween with Curvatude, (I have no idea what I am wearing) the first installment of Curvatude on the Streets, another Rockin Celebrity Style w/Curvatude and of course major fashion hauteness from Curvatude on the Scene at Full Figured Fashion Week(end)™ 

31 Days of Breast Cancer Awareness - What is Breast Cancer?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and today is the beginning of my monthlong series of posts related to this cause.

This is the 4th year that I have used one of my blogs to share this cause and while most of the time I blog about fashion, beauty, the activities and events that I get into, I will also share other more important things that I am passionate about here.

I am not an expert on this subject by any means, but finding a cure and helping to raise awareness is a really big deal for me, so I have spent hours reading and extracting data from numerous sources in an effort to provide as much valuable information as I can.

Hopefully these snippets will encourage you to seek out more information on your own and share it with others.

So, here we go.

I am starting off with basic information that speaks to the question:

What is Breast Cancer?

The female breast is made up mainly of milk-producing glands called lobules , ducts which are tiny tubes that carry the milk from the lobules to the nipple and stroma, the fatty tissue and connective tissue surrounding the ducts and lobules, blood vessels, and lymphatic vessels.

All parts of the body experience gene controlled growth and rest cycles. When the genes are working as normal, the growth of the cells in the breast are controlled but when they develop an abnormality, they sometimes lose their ability to control these cycles.

In the breast, these uncontrolled cycles develop what is known as a malignant tumor, which is called breast cancer.

Breast cancer may invade surrounding tissues or spread (metastasize) to distant areas of the body. It develops mainly in the cells that line the ducts (ductal cancers) or in the cells that line the lobules (lobular cancers).

Breast profile:
A) Ducts
B) Lobules
C) Dilated section of duct to hold milk
D) Nipple
E) Fat
F) Pectoralis major muscle
G) Chest wall/rib cage

Enlargement
A) Normal duct cells B) Basement membrane C) Lumen (center of duct)

While only 5–10% of cancers are thought to be inherited from your mother OR father, 90% of breast cancers are due to genetic abnormalities that occur as a result of the aging process and life in general.


Sources: Cancer.org Breastcancer.org