EXPERT SECRETS | Best hairstyling secret of 2011!

Here's a taste...

Can you tell which picture is before, which is after? If not, have those eyes checked, love. I can reveal that this costs zero dollars, requires zero product and even works on a butchered barnet that's thin and fine like mine. For real. I mean the husband hasn't titled my before bun "the pencil eraser" without cause.

The full tutorial is coming soon [tomorrow.... as my sodding USB cable has gone and hidden itself]... and we'll keep 'em coming throughout the month.

We figure our December Advent calendar this year should be a month of gifts TO YOU instead of gift ideas for others. And experiences are more fun and lasting than things anyway. Teach a man to fish girl to do her hair and all that.

[Editor's note: Please excuse the crackpot pictures. Taken post-workout with my phone. Classy, I know. but too excited to wait... or, indeed, put on makeup, or something other than workout gear for my closeup, dahling.]

EXPERT SECRETS | Karyn Calabrese of Karyn's Raw

KARYN CALABRESE is the sexagenarian who opened (according to Karyn) America's first raw restaurant in 1992 in Chicago of all places. Since then, business-headed Calabrese has created something of a raw health and wellness empire that encompasses a shop, spa, three restaurants, supplement and nutritional ranges and makeup. As the walking talking poster-woman for the lifestyle she promotes, packages and sells, I buy into it wholesale. She radiates energy from her honed figure and crease-less, youthful face, has the lithe body of a dancer 30 years her junior, hasn't been ill in decades and possesses an earnest passion that would put most university-aged idealist to shame. 

We talked with Karyn to get a few of her top tips and secrets just for you, so pull up a chair and a mug of tea to hear what this living, breathing fountain of youth has to say...  

BWM: What's your favorite way to treat yourself to a sweet and/or snack on a raw diet?

KC: Is there a specific food or recipe that is great? A specific brand or product?

During the 25 years I’ve been a raw foodist I’ve created hundreds of delicious raw snacks for myself and for sale in my store. My all time favourite are my Kale Chips. It’s simply raw kale marinated in lemon juice, sea salt and raw honey and then dehydrated. They are sweet, salty and crispy and so satisfying.

BWM: What exercise class/gym do you recommend to people or do yourself and why?  

KC: Ballet is my passion. I take a professional adult ballet class at the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center. I also do and recommend that everyone take a great yoga class. We have a teacher at my center, Janice Cadwell, who’s phenomenal. Her classes blend Vinyasa yoga, meditation and Pranayama (breath work). For a great Iyengar class I love The Yoga Circle in River North.

BWM: Where's the best place in Chicago for a bit of Zen?

KC: I’ve created a whole world around myself to stay Zen. I stay healthy and grounded at my Inner Beauty Center where I have an infrared sauna, ozone bath and many other amazing therapies. My other favorite place for zen is the Chicago lakefront. In the summer there’s no better place.

BWM: Do you have any teas, hot drinks or cold drinks you drink every day? 

KC: My biggest focus everyday is getting lots of greens. Greens are healing and alkalizing. My favorites are a smoothie with my Karyn’s Green Meal Powder or my Karyn’s Green Kamut. I also love High Country Kombucha. It helps calm my stress.

BWM: What is your favourite hidden shopping spot or boutique in Chicago?

KC: I love Intermix. It has the best clothes and customer service It’s not really a hidden secret but it’s a small boutique with a great selection. I always joke that I eat the way I do to wear gorgeous clothes as much as to feel healthy. 

BWM: Do you use or recommend any at-home fitness or wellness DVDs?

KC: I use Rodney Yee’s AM Yoga DVD everyday. I think it’s a wonderful way to start your day with light movement. It’s only 15 minutes long so no matter what your day is like you can get it done. It’s something to easily commit to on a consistent basis.

BWM: Where do you go for beauty treatments?

KC: The reason I opened my Inner Beauty Center was to make sure I could get beauty treatments without chemicals. I have wonderful estheticians and therapists who do natural manicures, pedicures and facials. I do facials regularly with our myopulse machine, which restores collagen and smooths out fine lines and wrinkles without botox or surgery!

I have a wonderful stylist, Ricardo Alvarado, who comes to my house to do my hair.

BWM: Where's your favorite outdoor place/gym, etc. to exercise during the summer?

KC: My favorite place to exercise outdoors in the summer is the lake front in Chicago. I walk on the beach or play ball with my dog.

BWM: Is there a non-raw healthy restaurant you love? 

KC: I love going to Charlie Trotter’s. It’s a great date place for my husband and I because they offer their normal menu as well as accommodating my special dietary requests. They even do an all raw menu option. The quality of the food and service is beyond great. It’s a place everyone should experience.

BWM: Do you have a favorite place for cocktails that are healthier?

KC: Well I don’t drink alcohol but the big emphasis at my new restaurant, Karyn’s on Green, is on fresher healthier (but still delicious) cocktails and mocktails. We use ingredients like aloe, kombucha and fresh herbs in our drinks. Our wine list focuses on sustainable and organic selections.

Find out more about Karyn's.

New Year's resolutions...

Drink enough water: every time I go for a facial, the therapist berates me for my perpetually dehydrated skin. Stay like that and your skin will continue to appear dull. Plus, fine lines show up more clearly when you're parched (water plumps). We're not saying guzzle 2 litres a day (honestly, it's impossible to do. We've tried it in the office. You spend the entire day racing between your desk and the loo.); just drink enough, so a glass whenever you remember. It will make a difference. Also, apply your moisturiser (face and body) while skin is damp.

Get time strips for makeup: we've cleaned out the makeup bin and chucked away anything that's become crusty, comes from a shop that no longer exists or smells a bit fuggy. From now on, we're using those nifty makeup expiration strips too, so we can be sure that we're not coating our face in bacteria-ridden cream with completely degraded and inactive ingredients.

Massage more: Give your face a good massage with your fingertips every time you wash your face or apply oil or moisturiser to it and you'll be glowing. Not only do you stimulate the skin and capillaries but you're also draining toxins if you massage towards the lymph nodes.

Regularly wax, if you're going to bother doing it: This is something (along with flossing and taking control of my schedule) that I need to do this year. Now ladies, there's no point in going through the horrific pain of a single Brazilian wax a year. It hurts 100 times more if you leave it for just once every twelve months. The more you do it, the less it hurts and the more sparse the regrowth. If you're going to do it, make it routine or just get into the habit of trimming and having a gentle, regular wax for bathing suit season. You'll dread the Brazilian much less if you just get into the habit of doing it. I know it seems counterintuitive but it really does make sense.

Stop biting your cuticles: It's a fact that if you have well-groomed hands that you're entire appearance looks better. If you wear acrylic nails, stop it immediately. They're horrible and should only be worn by old women in fuschia kaftans on South Beach. Keep your nails neat and don't chew them or your cuticles. Opt for a buff instead of polish when you get manicures as it lasts longer. Keep your cuticles moisturised, especially during winter. If you're out of lotion, use a couple drops of olive oil. Works a charm.

Be less stressed: Other than smoking and the sun, this is probably the biggest reason for pre-mature ageing. Just look at JK Rowling pre- and post-Harry Potter windfall. Rumours of plastic surgery or whatever aside, she does look much better and I bet alot of it has to do with the huge stress of financial problems being lifted almost over night. Don't let everything get to you. Life goes on and things can only annoy you and stress you out if you let them.