Blog Posts by DivineCaroline

Ways to Boost Your Career

With any luck, the job market will start to turn around soon, but it's still a good idea to make some positive changes in your work habits. Doing a little extra or trying something new will likely get you that attention you deserve, and who knows-it might also help you keep your name off your employer's list of possible layoffs. Here are some small things you can do to make a big impact.

1. Suck Up (Subtly)
No one wants to be the office brown-noser, so don't start polishing your boss's shoes or anything, but a little gab at the water cooler won't hurt you. It's much harder to fire someone when you can put a face to a name, so developing personal relationships around the office is a wise strategy for protecting your job. It's also a good networking opportunity; in case you do get laid off, you'll have solid contacts, good references, and excellent chances of landing another job quickly. Being more social in your work environment can also make going to the office

Ways to Quit Your Job Gracefully

Everyone loves a good job-quitting story-the more dramatic and bridge-burning, the better. Of course, an exit of such epic proportions isn't in the cards for most of us (though they're still fun to watch and read about). The further along we get in our careers, the less dramatic our reasons are for quitting-and the more easily our bosses can jeopardize our future employment with one bad reference.

But regardless of the cause, quitting's never an easy thing to do. Miscommunication abounds, feelings get hurt, and potential networking ties are irrevocably severed-but only if you don't know how to do it right. It's possible to quit a job gracefully if you take the right steps and avoid certain pitfalls.

Tell your boss in person that you're leaving.
He or she should be the first person in the office to know that you're quitting. Even if you swear your closest coworkers to secrecy, word has a way of getting around quickly, and you don't want your boss to hear it from

Health Benefits of Cleaning

Cleaning is undoubtedly one of the most annoying chores on our to-do list, but a new study shows that it might just be worth that extra effort. An online issue of Neurology revealed that physical activity, including something as mundane as cleaning or washing the dishes, can reduce your risk of Alzheimer's disease. Although this doesn't mean you're in the clear entirely, cleaning your home on a regular basis can lessen your chances of getting it, even in people over the age of 80.

This isn't the only health perk of cleaning. Busting out that vacuum cleaner can also help you drop those extra pounds or make that stress melt away. With all these health benefits, why wouldn't you want to clean every week (or even every day)?

1. It Burns Calories

Although it might not seem like too much of a workout, cleaning is one of many unlikely calorie melters. You can burn an average of 205 calories an hour during a cleaning frenzy, even more if you're really moving (think

Weirdest Ingredients in Your Cosmetics

Although most ingredients are harmless, some substances in cosmetics do raise an eyebrow or two. Like formaldehyde, for example. Recently, California's Department of Toxic Substances Control found that even nail polishes that claimed to be free of the "toxic three"-formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, and toluene-contained the substances. (For the record, most major polish manufacturers have come out and said that surely their polishes were fine and they never lied. Ahem.)

But harmful carcinogens and unidentifiable chemicals aside, there's still weird stuff lurking in cosmetics. Stuff that's not necessarily toxic, but definitely strange. Stuff like this:

Crushed-Up Bugs
Carmine is a natural red dye. Natural equals good, right? Well good in the sense that's been around for a long, long time, but bad in the sense that it's made from crushed beetle shells. Yes, carmine (sometimes called crimson lake or cochineal) is derived from the crushed exoskeletons of tiny female

Live Green the Fancy Way

Preserving the environment doesn't mean sacrificing your everyday comforts-in fact, in some cases, it means living the life of leisure! Simplify, fancify, and greenify your life all at the same time by following these five easy tips.

Get Your Produce Delivered
You don't need to peruse the fruit aisles of grocery stores, trying to determine which veggies are organic, local, and sustainable like a mere commoner! Instead join Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), a service that delivers seasonal food directly to your door. Buying locally helps support farmers and reduces emissions from planes and trucks used to transport produce. Getting your food direct from the farm also means it's fresher. Some services even allow you to pick and choose so you won't get stuck with five bunches of collard greens. Visit http://www.localharvest.org/csa/ to find a CSA in your area.

Let a Car Wash Do the Cleaning
Why spend your hard-earned Saturday scrubbing the scum off your hubcaps?

It's Rosacea Awareness Month, the perfect time to support the over sixteen million Americans who suffer from the chronic skin disorder. Rosacea manifests as any combination of facial redness, acne-like bumps, and small visible blood vessels. Although Rosacea cannot be cured, it can be controlled by avoiding common triggers like sun exposure, stress, and alcohol consumption. (For a full list, visit Rosacea.org.)

Skincare and cosmetics formulas designed to minimize redness and inflammation can also help. If you suffer from Rosacea, considering treating your skin to one of these soothing products:

Eight Instant Fixes for Rosacea

(clockwise)
Cleansing with Mario Badescu Keratoplast Cream Soap reduces redness associated with broken capillaries and extreme sensitivity without drying skin. Try it with the Clarisonic Cleansing System and sensitive skin brush head for maximum benefits. Mario Badescu Control Cream is famous for alleviating red, rashy, flaky and irritated skin. Wear under night cream or

Six Phrases to Nix Now!

Are the following phrases part of your vocabulary when dealing with the love of your life? Remove these fighting words from your love lingo and you'll reap the rewards. Don't, and your relationship just might meet the grim reaper!

1. "Then maybe we shouldn't be together!"
Oh no she didn't! She may have a groovy dress on, but anyone who says something like this may fulfill that exact prophecy. You wouldn't tell your boss you're quitting your job unless you meant it, would you? But sometimes, in a relationship, people are tempted to pull out the nuclear option just to get the other person off their backs: "If you don't like the way I season veal, then you'll never understand me! We should just break up!"

Save breakup talk for when you truly want to end a relationship, not as a rhetorical weapon. Otherwise, you risk your match taking you up on the offer and leaving you crying over steak for one.

2. "You know, (insert ex name here) never would have done that!"

Six Reasons We Have Bad DreamsNo one likes being jolted awake from a deep sleep, especially when what riled you up was an assailant, a snake in the bed, or being engulfed by flames. Bad dreams-or worse, nightmares-aren't just annoying; when reoccurring, they can disrupt a good night's sleep, and sometimes, life.

On the spectrum of dreams, missing an important exam or showing up naked to work pales in comparison to nightmares, which are defined as bad dreams that wake the sleeper. They occur during rapid eye movement (REM) late in the evening and because we jerk awake during them, we usually remember all too clearly the fear, anxiety, and horrors.

Though more common among children, nightmares and bad dreams happen throughout life. But is there anything we can do to prevent the bad things from creeping into our sleep?

1. Anxiety and Stress
Anxiety and stress, often as the result of a traumatic life event, are sometimes the cause of nightmares and bad dreams. According to the International Association