Posted by Christy Pastore

Static hair can be a huge problem during the winter when the cold, dry air dehydrates hair. Here are a few tips to tame your electric locks!

Step 1: Deep-condition your hair regularly. Properly moisturized hair is less likely to be affected by static. Try Neutrogena's Triple Moisture Daily Deep Conditioner ($6.09, www.drugstore.com). This product is designed to treat extra dry or over-processed hair. It can be used as a daily conditioner. It will give your hair a smooth, silky look that is soft to the touch!

Step 2: Use a leave in conditioner on your hair after you wash it, or apply a conditioning hair gel. These products will help to weigh your hair down. Try Biolage by Matrix Daily Leave-In Tonic ($12.59, www.drugstore.com). This product instantly moisturizes hair with a revitalizing botanical mixture of kelp, hops, sweet almond and light conditioning agents. Renews shine and improves manageability for all hair types.

More on taming your locks after the jump.

We all have excuses why we didn't make it to the gym or our water aerobics classes. We have a million things to do, we're tired or we just want to go home and sit to catch Oprah. Working out is just as much a mental game as it is physical. The trick is to learn how to counter the excuses that keep you from exercising. Michael Sachs, Ph.D., a professor of exercise and sport psychology at Temple University says, "By adjusting your thinking, you can overcome any hurdle." Taking control of your workouts you can not only help you attain the body you want, but will also make you feel more in control of your life.

Excuse Number One - I'm too tired! Unless you are sleep-deprived or you have jet lag this is no excuse. Believe it or not, working out actually gives you more energy. How to Beat it - Try taking a brisk 10-minute walk, or drinking a cup of coffee before your workout. The caffeine will give you a jolt and by going on a walk it can give you up to two hours of
increased energy.

While some diet books may suggest that you have to avoid entire food groups when snacking, the truth is that the healthiest snacks are actually combinations of food groups. Combining carbohydrates with proteins is one example, the reason being that it provides satisfying flavor and texture, while digesting slowly, so you feel full longer. Here is a list of a few snacks with 150 calories or less that you can enjoy without the guilt and added weight gain!

Dark Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries Between the fiber in the strawberries and dark chocolate's antioxidants and cholesterol-reducing fats, this sweet treat is actually a healthy indulgence. Ingredients: 1 ounce dark chocolate chips, melted 3/4 cup strawberries (about 5 to 6 medium). Calories: 150

Cheese and Crackers High-fiber rye crackers spread with light Rondele or Boursin cheese is a great choice. (My favorite is Laughing Cow Light Swiss spreadable cheese) Each equals a crisp, creamy snack that's got lots of flavor without a lot of calories. Ingredients: 3 rye crackers, 2 tablespoons spreadable "light" cheese. Calories: 140

More "Body Buzz" after the Jump.

Say goodbye to your Lip smackers! Lip gloss will soon be available in fun and flirty ready-to-wear accessories, available either at a store near you or online. These pieces can be a fun and fashionable way to spruce up your your attire, without having to commit to an entire new look. Here is a list of some of the exciting and very stylish couture-inspired charm bracelets that double as undercover make-up holders.

Yves Saint Laurent's velvet fashion bracelet looks like a luxury watch, only the face cleverly contains three shades of makeup. The trifecta of shades is designed to work for both your eyes and lips. From Kimora Lee Simmons, comes a chunky link bracelet with a toggle-style closure and a shiny square lip gloss charm ($35.00, www.sephora.com). Dior has a couture-inspired charm bracelet consisting of a heart-shaped locket surrounded by dazzling crystal pearl drops filled with one shade of pink lipstick and on the other side, a sparkly lip gloss ($35.00, www.sephora.com).

These also make wonderful gifts for the holiday season, perfect for any one of your fashionable, trend-setting friends--or for yourself!

If the option were to join a gym on a luxury liner or visit your local Crunch, I think the choice would be obvious. I compiled some research on cruise ships with the best workout facilities, for those of you planning on working out during your next vacation to the Caribbean.

Don't you know, we socialites have to stay thin and fabulous, darling!

Costa Concordia - This beautiful luxury liner offers a 20,500 square foot wellness and fitness area that covers two decks. For the ultimate treat in relaxation, book yourself a room in one of the 55 cabins or 12 suites inside the Samsara Spa (www.coastacruises.com)

Cunard Queen Mary 2 - The QM2 is a grand ship totally designed for both fitness and pampering. Not only does this 20,000 square foot fitness area contain a multitude of cardio and strength equipment, it also contains the Canyon Ranch Spa Club. This is basically a floating version of the popular spas in Las Vegas and Kissimmee Florida (www.canyonranch.com).

More cruise tips after the jump.

In my opinion, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. I really do love the holiday season, but shopping for people can be a real pain in the ass. You pretty much have to learn an entire new language because, "Oh you don't need to buy me anything!" really means, "I don't want to be greedy, but wow you are thinking of me so I will let you ask me a few more times before telling you." There's also: "I really don't know what I want," which inevitably translates into, "I am very picky about what I want for Christmas so I will just avoid the question until the last minute and then I will suggest a gift card so that I can get what I want."

Seriously, I love a gift card and don't think it's an exaggeration to say that it's probably the best gift-item ever invented. People really do hate getting crap for Christmas, and when they don't even bother saying, "Well it's the thought that counts," you know you've really f*ed up. So, to help you put some consideration into your gift giving this year, we here at ASL are providing you with ideas--either for you, or someone you care about--for the holiday gift-giving season. And with that in mind, here are a few fantastic beauty gifts under $25.

Check out all the great gift ideas after the jump.

Thank God for iPod's and MP3 players! I cannot live without my iPod and it has vastly improved the way I work out. Additionally, ipods allow you to set up several different playlists to help customize your workout experience. For example, I have a cardio playlist, a running playlist, a weight-training playlist and warm up/cool down playlist to help me power through my exercise routine. Here are a few songs that I recommend to add to your iPods or mp3 players to help punch up your workout experience.

Warm-up -
Back to Paradise - .38 Special
Boogie Shoes - KC & the Sunshine Band
Heart of Glass - Blondie
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2

More playlists are after the jump.

The holidays seem to make us want to eat and especially drink more...ahhh family and co-workers! This holiday season don't let the holiday cheer make you forget your diet and your calorie counting! Not only will you wake up the next morning after a night of drinking with a scorching hangover you will wake up fatter too! An average serving of one ounce of 80-proof alcohol contains about 90 calories before mixtures are added. Here are some tips to avoid the extra weight gain and still enjoy the "spirts" of the holiday season.

First I would avoid a Long Island Iced Tea it has way more calories than a Big Mac. Not only do spirits, such as vodka, gin, rum and whiskey, contain a higher percentage of calories than beer and wine, but if you add fruit juice, syrups and sodas to the mix -- for example, orange juice has 56 calories per serving and Coca-Cola has 105 calories per eight fluid ounces -- the calorie count keeps growing. And don't think that drinking fewer cocktails with a bigger kick will solve that problem: The higher the proof, the greater the calories. For people who exercise regularly and are in reasonably good physical shape, drinking a few drinks on Friday or a Saturday night won't be a huge deal. For those of you trying to shed a few pounds here are some drinks here is a list of cocktails to avoid this holiday season.

Long Island Iced Tea - 780 calories, 44 grams of carbohydrates
Margarita - 740 calories, 56 grams of carbohydrates
Pina Colada - 644 calories, 90 grams of carbohydrates
White Russian - 425 calories, 26 grams of carbohydrates
Mai Tai - 350 calories, 30 grams of carbohydrates
Champagne Cocktail - 250 calories, 13 grams of carbohydrates
Fog Cutter - 225 calories, 13 grams of carbohydrates
Gin/Vodka Tonic - 200 calories, 14 grams of carbohydrates
Mojito - 160 calories, 12 grams of carbohydrates
Cosmopolitan - 150 calories, 10 grams of carbohydrates

Instead of these high calorie drinks try a wine (90 -100 calories) or indulge in cocktails made from fresh-squeezed juices. Vodka with a splash of juice or a better alternative is vodka on the rocks or with soda water! For more info on weight loss and other tips for a healthy lifestyle visit www.weightlossforall.com.

Many women only experience chapped lips in the Fall and Winter months. Avoid licking your lips and use a moisturizing lipstick in the daytime hours and apply lip balm before you go to bed. If you're a teen, enjoy the many lip products on the market for your age group and dazzle your smile.
To remove any unwanted dry skin off of your lips, you can exfoliate them with your toothbrush when you brush your teeth. Then you can add a dab of Vaseline to protect them. There are some fabulous products on the market that help prevent chapped lips! A wonderful product is Philosophy's Kiss Me Exfoliating Lip Scrub ($15.00, www.sephora.com ) enriched with natural butters and oils, Kiss Me Exfoliating Lip Scrub is formulated to help keep your lips in perfect kissing condition. Perfect for renewing dry, flaky lips this simple to use treatment exfoliates dull, dry, flaky skin for super soft, super smooth lips in seconds. Rub a small amount on dry lips until smooth then remove with a tissue or a warm washcloth.
To moisturize your lips try Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm From Clarins.
The Moisture Replenishing Lip Balm will give your lips instant relief! Replenishing balm provides all the hydration and protection required for soft, more younger-looking lips every day. It's available at Sephora for $23.00!

Every time I watch The OC I feel like Julie is on her way to "Cardio Bar". I am like what is this Cardio Bar thing? Is this a place where you go and do some cardio and then you have a beverage, maybe a healthy martini or something? Since, I had never heard of this type of workout before I gathered some information on this interesting workout method.

Cardio Bar or "The Bar Method" is an exercise system that creates a uniquely lean, firm, sculpted body by reshaping and elongating muscles while maintaining a powerful speed that burns fat and increases stamina. The Bar Method is a combined aerobic, strengthening and toning workout, it is unlike Yoga and Pilates in that it works large muscle groups not just the small ones and it's significantly more intense. By using the bar and mat Working the large muscle groups adds muscle density, which in turn develops more definition and an increased metabolic rate. The best thing about The Bar Method is that this exercise has two times the advantage of producing both a high caloric burn and a more compacted muscle mass. Muscle density is a key part of getting and staying lean, because those firmer muscles increase your metabolic rate so that you burn more calories all day. Thus you will lose weight and you should see a change in your appearance in a matter of weeks!

The Bar Method Inc was developed in the late 1990's in Connecticut and is entirely owned by Burr Leonard and Carl Diehl. However they sold their studios in Connecticut and opened studios in San Francisco in 2001 and became shareholders of the Los Angeles Studios in 2003. The Bar Method was named the "number one workout in Southern California" by KCAL TV and Extra cited the Bar Method as "the best of the best when it comes to star workouts." The Bar Method is available at seven studios in Connecticut and California and for those of you that don't live in either area it is available on video and DVD! For more information on The Bar Method please visit www.barmethod.com.