FACE IT: RAW

As we evolve and age we should expect to see some evolution in our wardrobes, taste in food & drink, hair styles as well as skin care regimes. I for one was ready for a change for my skin when I had to FACE IT: RAW! Model/Actress/Author Carol Alt has a new line of skin care that is RAW, all active ingredients never heated above 115°

I have been vegetarian for almost 4.5 years now and as I age care more and more what I am putting in my body and on my skin. When I heard about her new line I was so EXCITED to try it! Carol has spread her love and enthusiasm for raw food by educating people over the last decade via her 2 books and her lifestyle. Carol says "I decided to take action by creating my own skin care products out of the same raw ingredients I eat."

RAW ingredients retain all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants providing maximum nourishment to the skin. Carol Alt is proof to me that there is something behind the RAW food & skin care movement. She is still as beautiful as she was in the height of her modelling career and I know she attributes her aging so gracefully to a combo of raw food, exercise and fabulous skin care. I had to investigate and try the line.

I am currently using:

1) The All Day Eye Cream
2) Radiant Face Scrub
3) Night Time Firming & Nourishing Face Moisturizer
4) Nourishing Face Serum
5) Clarifying Pore Tightening and Face Toner
6) All Day Eye Cream

In 3 words: I LOVE IT!
Why I love it:

* My skin feels AND looks amazing
* the line is cruelty free and not tested on animals
* the price points are AMAZING ($15-$30)
* I feel really good about what I am putting into/onto my body
* The products smell like fresh citrus
* My skin does not feel oily
* Available in both Canada (at all Shoppers Drug Mart locations) and the USA (FREE shipping on all orders over $75)

When I had a chance to talk to Carol (Check out her Style Maven interview HERE) she said "Your skin will never get oily because the oil in our product is “raw oil”. It is in a form that the body can understand and utilize immediately."

According to the RAW ESSENTIALS WEBSITE; "Many chemical-based traditional skincare products may provide short-term superficial results, but did you know they can also encourage long-term damage and premature ageing? This is because your body absorbs up to 60% of what is placed on your skin. It doesn’t discriminate between beneficial or damaging ingredients. By feeding your skin with raw ingredients, instead of synthetic chemicals (that your body was never designed to assimilate), your skin becomes nourished, naturally healthy and balanced. RAW ESSENTIALS skincare incorporates an abundance of super-nutrients, nature’s vitamins and minerals, essential fatty acids, enzymes and proteins."

I however need to get used to using a serum as opposed to a moisturizer so I may try the RAW ESSENTIALS moisturizer for day. Now that I love the line I am off to get the body wash and the body oil.

I have used several skin care products from high to low end and this is by far my FAV! Don't take my word for it though. Give it a TRY! Literally while I was composing this blog my cousin is down the hall using the face scrub and the night time moisturizer. Her thoughts after one try? She's going to Shoppers Drug Mart Tomorrow.

Have you already tried the line? Post your thoughts and/or comments. Let me know if you do give it a try and your feedback. Also check out the FAQ page for RAW ESSENTIALS.

Got a question that needs an answer? Tweet it to Carol @ModelCarolAlt

LisaG's GIFT GUIDE

Can you believe it? 38 days until Christmas. I am 99% done my shopping because for me on top of my baking, home decorating, tree-trimming, wrapping, pre-school participation, and socializing yuletide duties I have little time to shop as the actual holiday approaches. I attempt completion by Dec 1st (at least that's the goal). This year I also get to go home to Canada and enjoy my entire family in the snow too; 2 kids on a plane from LAX to Toronto with all my Christmas gear in tow .. Good Times. Yup, I'm going to be "that person" on the plane this time.
So for the stressed and time crunched, or just for those who have no idea what to give this year I wanted to offer a few suggestions that may help you check the shopping portion of the Christmas program off your list.

LOVE is obviously the BEST gift as is TIME spent with love ones but let's be realistic. We ALL have people on our list to BUY for.

1) EVOLUTION VINTAGE GIFT CARD - Give the gift of FASHION! The card are electronic (emailed - you can print & give!) in $50, $100, $150, $200 denominations. You can use this toward shipping too. If you know someone who has unique taste and loves high quality Vintage this makes a great gift!
2) PICNIC BACK PACK - A gift that makes you want to explore the great outdoors, with some comforts of home dining. Cruise the site too: Red Envelope has a lot of unique gifts (some you can customize!)

3) Book: 100 Unforgettable Dresses – by Hal Rubenstein Fashion. Eye Candy with Great information about each dress.

4) Vestige Jewelry Recycled Vintage metals and jewels. All the pieces are unique!

Read her Evolution Revolution Vintage Feature HERE


5) Visit InvenTORI: A variety of unique gifts! Gifts for your home, baby, pet, library and MORE! The treasures in Tori's Finds are from her own personal collection of one-of-a-kind items!! Stop by the store if you are in the LA area or shop on-line. An amazing assortment of gifts and great prices. There is really something for EVERYONE! EXCLUSIVE to Evolution Revolution readers - SAVE 10% on ALL ON-LINE purchases using the code: HOLIDAY

6)Decades of Style – 60’s & 70’s How to Hair & Make-up. Great information about the decades and the looks along with quotations. EXCLUSIVE for my readers: message the author though her website and SAVE 50% before Thanksgiving and 40% until Christmas!!

7) Dreaming of Chanel & Dreaming of Dior: Vintage Dresses, Timeless Stories Travel though one woman’s inherited Vintage Collection of over 3,000 pieces from her godmother in these 2 books! Great illustrations too.

8)Dragon Voice Software Great for writers, bloggers, or people who can speak/think faster than they can type. Also good for people who have sustained injuries and have a hard time typing or navigating with their mouse. Let the Dragon do the work! Special Christmas sale for home computers on now!

9) Central Coast Sea Scape Calendar Enjoy the beauty of California’s Beautiful Central Coast, with amazing images and quotations. The bonus is 10% of the proceeds are being donated to Breast Cancer. Mention Evolution Revolution and get FREE SHIPPING!! 10) Custom Portrait – Marty Parker ART! Be forever immortalized in pencil by the hand of a great artist. It is a unique and custom gift for friends or family. You can also purchase an existing print from Marty’s collection to be framed for your gift! Mention Evolution Revolution and SAVE $20 on a fine art print of your choice and if you live in the US SHIPPING IS FREE on all items!

11) Raw Essentials Skin care line. If you care what goes into your body give the RAW line a try (the price is right too)! Model Carol Alt has created a line of skin care products that use Raw ingredients that are better for your skin because they are never heated above 115° and retain all the vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants providing maximum nourishment to the skin SHOP: www.rawessentials.com (FREE Shipping over $75) also available at Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada

12) Kam Bey Jewelry - Scott Kam & Andrea Bey collaboration combining Kam's Vintage Native American Jewelry along with Bey's Contemporary Jewelry Designs. There are some unique pieces in their collection. EXCLUSIVE to Evolution Revolution readers: Buy a Kam Bey Piece and get another piece for 50% off (of equal or lesser value)

13) Pennies From Heaven: A Medium's Two Cents on Life and Death by Christopher Stillar. Not only did I have the pleasure to write the forward to this book I have also witnessed the impact Chris has made in the lives of others by providing them with validations from the other side. Don't take my word for it ... READ IT and GIVE IT to those who believe and the skeptic's too!

I hope this guide will help you get ready for the holidays!!

The real joy of this and ALL seasons comes from giving. Your time, love, service and of course a gift or two!

Style Maven Series: Carol Alt

1979 was a fabulous year; It's the year I was born, US & China began diplomatic relations, Margaret Thatcher becomes the First Woman Prime Minister of Great Britain, Mother Theresa was Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize
AND it was the year Carol Alt burst onto the modelling scene on the cover of Harpers Bazaar (Italia). She is a Multi faceted and talented Maven who has an amazing career as a model with over 700 magazine covers to her credit and countless editorials, ads and features.
This is one of the most iconic Sports Illustrated images I remember.

She is also an actress, and author 4 times over writing about her passions: Fashion and Raw Food.
She is an entrepreneur with a RAW & NATURAL line of skincare products called RAW ESSENTIALS.

She told me "We are the ONLY chemical free skin care line on the market. That’s good for healthy bodies because everything you put on your skin is absorbed into your body; which is why women are having problems with breast cancer tumours from paraffin, because paraffin’s mimics hormones. We are also results driven. We get unbelievable results. Our results are so fantastic that the photographers taking the before and after pictures said “these are the best before and afters we have ever seen!”
I asked Carol; If someone was going to try RAW ESSENTIALS what should they start with? Carol suggests "Start with a scrub, it is good to get rid of the old dead skin cells and bring up beautiful young skin. Then a moisturizer. We have a sensitive skin moisturizer and an anti-aging moisturizer. Your skin will never get oily because the oil in our product is “raw oil”. It is in a form that the body can understand and utilize immediately."

RAW ESSENTIALS WILL BE FEATURED IN GREATER DETAIL IN AN UPCOMING BLOG - PURCHASE IT HERE

Carol LOVES FASHION and since being in the business since 1979 she has acquired a collection of pieces, gained invaluable knowledge of design, textiles and the business of fashion and seen trends come and go (and perhaps come back again). I had the chance to chat with Carol via telephone recently and ask her my Style Maven questions.

LISA: Can you describe your personal Style aesthetic AND attitude about fashion?

CAROL: I’m a classic Sexy, I like tailored. I love the female form and I think it should be shown off. I like simple, sleek, chic, classic sexy things that show the form off. There is a problem with that because some people cross the line and it becomes trashy. There is a very fine line of just being a classic, simple, sleek, sexy dresser and I don’t over do it with accessories.

LISA: What are the key components / pieces in your closet?

CAROL: It depends what we are talking about. If it is dressing for an evening I like my simple black dress. I also have the simple black dress in lots of different colours. For day, I think anything paired with a nice pair of jeans is fine. I think dressing up jeans is great. I LOVE, LOVE White Shirts (fitted). I have different versions of the fitted white shirt. I think it's great for people who don’t have a lot of money to spend or don’t have the excess money to have a lot of different things. You can wear a pair of jeans and if you change your shoes and bag people think you are dressed completely different. Things that aren’t as expensive as say your blazer or your silk shirt.

LISA: How do you feel about Vintage Clothing and Accessories?

CAROL: LOVE IT!!! last night I wore a vintage piece to dinner.

LISA: What are your favorite Vintage pieces (Clothing and/or Accessories)? Do you only wear designer vintage?

CAROL: I like what suits my body, I don’t really care what is in fashion. I really like to wear things that look good on me. Ultimately if they look good on you people are going to ask you where you got it anyway. I have a girlfriend who is a Vintage shopper and she dresses me. Her name is Melanie and she picks all my pieces for me. In a sense I am somewhat spoiled because she knows me better than I do.
She is into designer pieces and likes picking designer pieces. For the AMFAR gala I wore a gold Gucci vintage gown that she had picked out for me.

She also has picked me up little Vintage sweater vests, not your typical vests but really unique styled sweater vests that you would wear open over a white shirt and jeans in a very soft brown knit. She also picked me up four Vintage shirts that are long, stretch jersey knit that I wear over stretch pants. I have no clue who they are, there were no labels in them at all. I really don’t care about labels, as long as it is a beautiful piece and looks good on me.


LISA: What are you wearing this Fall/Winter? Tell our readers the key elements for your F/W 2012 wardrobe?

CAROL: Unfortunately the platform is back so it makes all your other shoes look old if you don’t get a pair or two of platforms. It is unfortunate because I am 5’11”. I’m getting a couple of pair of platforms. I still like a sleek look and my skirts a little bit longer, it’s much more sexy and of course always a tailored jacket. I’ve gotten a couple of really short that I will wear over stretch pants but into boots. I am doing a real mix, I am finding at this age I don’t really care what people think. It allows me to experiment a little bit more because I don’t care.

LISA: If you could give women 1 piece of STYLE advice, what would it be?

CAROL: Simple. Just Simplicity.


CLICK ON IMAGES TO ENLARGE ~ Carol's Closet:














EVOLUTION VINTAGE Pick's for Carol:

VINTAGE FAUX FUR JACKET - SAKS FIFTH AVENUE 70's

VINTAGE CHRISTIAN DIOR CROP COAT 80's

VINTAGE RIDING JACKET - NAVY

VINTAGE Late 70's/early 80's EVENING GOWN - ROBERT DAVID MORTON for NEIMAN MARCUS

1990'S RICHARD TYLER SILK BLAZER

VINTAGE 80'S BACKLESS COCKTAIL DRESS

SHOP: EVOLUTION VINTAGE