Pampering At The Aveda Institute in Provo! {Review and Giveaway}

Congratulations to #37, Deanna, who said, "tweet
https://twitter.com/#!/dlw447/status/108854997004988416"
The best thing to give myself is self-respect. (According to Benjamin Franklin) Close second - a trip to Aveda Institute for some pampering (According to Me)!

    This week I got spoiled at the Aveda Institute in Provo!   I got a cut, blow and style!  AND I got a 90-minute facial.  I loved it!  

The haircut:  Courtney was my stylist and she was so cute!  She is a senior at Aveda Institute and will be graduating with the required 1200 hours in January. She knows her stuff!  After I got my complimentary cup of Aveda comforting tea, a 100% organic, no caffeine, herbal tea, we headed into the salon. With every cut at the Aveda Salon a scalp massage with a sensory journey is included.  This means that you get to choose one of several hand-selected natural oil fragrances for your scalp before you shampoo.  It is wonderful!  I picked vanilla.  

Natural Make-up Display in the lobby

    Courtney asked me what I wanted to do with my hair and how I would describe my hair.  She gave me her own product recommendations based on the Aveda line.  We decided that I should use a lot of the Brilliance Line because I have thick, frizzy, dry hair.  (It's a nightmare, actually)  The Brilliance Line is designed for all of those features.  Also the Dry Remedy Line is for extremely dry hair.  I love all of their products because they use as many natural ingredients as possible and that is very important to me.  Almost all of them are 100% certified organic!  She brought an instructor to OK the selection she had made for me and we got started.

First we went back to get shampooed  The shampoo room is beautiful.  They have massage chairs you can relax in while you watch beautiful nature scenes on their big screens.  And you get even more scalp massaging with the wash.  I almost fell asleep during that time! 

Next came the cut and the style.  She was great at what she does and at the end, there was an instructor making sure that everything was done right.  I loved the way my hair looked and felt after the session.  It took about an hour and a half. 

The Facial:  This was a first for me at Aveda.  Kaylynn, my esthetician, took me back to the quiet facial rooms. Here again, I was first introduced to a sensory experience and given my choice of 3 oils.  This time I chose lavender because I wanted to relax!  Kaylynn took me through the facial experience by asking me what I was concerned about for my skin and would like to see in a facial.  I thought that I'd like to have an anti-aging experience, since my summer hasn't been very relaxing and I feel like I have aged about 10 years so far this summer, with my son graduating from college and my 14 year old being a crazed adolescent.  Kaylynn introduced me to the Green Science line, which is for anti-aging concerns.  And so to classical music, I received a foot soak, foot massage, 5 facial treatments (cleanse, tone, treatment, eye treatment, and moisturizer), scalp massage, neck massage, decolletage treatment and hand massage.  It was wonderful and when I was done, I saw a visible difference in my skin!  I felt really relaxed as well!  Thanks so much Kaylynn!

Kaylynn, my esthetician

Aveda Institute Provo is located on 1700 S. State Street, Provo, UT   84604.  For services call 801-375-1501.  If you are interested in becoming a student at Aveda, and being part of one of the top 200 salons in the country, give Tiffany in Admissions a call at 801-448-2683.  They are accepting new applicants!

GIVEAWAY:  If you live in or near the Provo, UT area, you can win the same pampering spa package I had from Aveda Institute Provo!  ($60 ARV)  Trust me, it's a good one!

Mandatory Entry:  Check out the Aveda Corporate site and pick out a product that you'd love to try and come back and tell me what it is!

ADDITIONAL ENTRIES - The more you enter, the better your chance!  (1 entry = 1 comment, 2 entries = 2 comments, etc.)

(+1 each)  Like @AvedaProvo and @Xocaisgood on Twitter! 

(+2) Visit Aveda Institute Provo and tell me about a service you'd love to try!

(+2) Visit Aveda on YouTube and like a video.  Tell me which video you watched.  

(+2) Follow @evmiller on Twitter and tweet "@evemiller Aveda rocks-- @Xocaisgood sent me to say hello and give you a follow"  Leave me the tweet link and your Twitter name!

(+5) e-mail 5 friends about this giveaway! Make sure you CC me at helenalemon@comcast.net!

(+1) daily - Tweet this: "Get pampered with a pamper-me package @AvedaProvo ($60 ARV) @Xocaisgood #provo #orem #americanfork #heber http://bit.ly/p64xlf"

(+2) Blog, Facebook, Stumble, Digg or list this giveaway post on a giveaway linky.  Let me know the link where you do!  Do as many as you want!  2 entries each!

(+2) Click the +1 icon on the bottom of this post for Google +1!

This giveaway will run through August 31, 2011 at 11:59 pm at which time a winner will be chosen with random.org and notified with e-mail.  Winner will be given 48 hours to respond.  Open to Utah residents only.  Thanks to Aveda Institute Provo for providing services for review and giveaway!  Special Thanks to Brittany Sharp for facilitating this giveaway and for all the great students and professionals at Aveda Institute Provo!

Underage Drinking - Lots Of Hazards

Today I read about a mom who is charged with hosting an underage drinking party. 

"Julie A. McPike, 49, of the 200 block of Beverly Road in Barrington was charged July 28 with hosting an underage drinking party at her home..."

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There are so many things on so many levels that are wrong when a parent chooses to host parties like this.  I can almost hear the rationalization--"well, at least they're at my house so I can monitor their behavior...."  Apart from the stark fact that alcohol kills more teens than all other illegal drugs combined, here are a few hypothetical situations:

What about the neighborhood kid who gets so drunk at the party that he totally forgets where he lives?  He staggers around the neighborhood and finally recognizes a familiar street corner and that's when it hits him.....the car, that is. Seriously, 6000 kids per year that are 15 or under end up in a hospital because of alcohol!  

Or what about the inebriated kid who is just playing around and accidentally shoves a broken bottle into his friends face, lacerating him badly and then ending up in juvenile detention for it?  It's true that 1 in 5 sixteen year old kids are involved with violence after drinking alcohol!  

Here's another possible scenario--A young 15-year-old girl goes to a party and gets royally smashed for the first time.  But that's not the only first.  She also hooks up with a guy there and they have unprotected sex and then she ends up with a baby.  Yep, 1 out of 8 15-16 year old girls have unprotected sex after drinking alcohol.  

It's just too easy for teens to become victims to the effects of alcohol.  And for adults to think they are doing any favors by promoting drinking in any way, shape, or form, is a badly misguided mistake!

I'm glad that some states are stepping up and holding adults responsible for what is happening on their property.  For instance, Missisippi just stepped up to the plate and established the "social host" law, which holds adults responsible for underage drinking.  Violations result in a $1000 fine and/or 90 days in jail.  

I have a 14-year-old son and I feel inclined to not only be aware of the friends that he will be with, but also have a good feel  for the parents.  Just because he is going to a party and the parents will be there doesn't mean that he will always be in good hands.  Thankfully, I know many of the parents in my community and I absolutely shouldn't have to worry about something like that.  But it's always a good idea to be sure!

Another thing that should give my son pause when confronted with a drinking situation is that we don't drink in our own home.  He sees his parents doing just fine without booze and so most likely he will stop and think twice before drinking.  Personally, one of the reasons I don't drink is that I want to know when I'm having a good time!  That's just me, though!  

Here are some more reasons, if you're still on the fence, as to why you shouldn't expose your underage child to alcohol!

• Teens who begin drinking before age 15 have a 40 percent higher chance of becoming alcohol dependent than those who wait to 21 to begin drinking.

• Teens who drink regularly can shrink the part of the brain that controls learning, memory and decision-making. An adolescent's brain is still developing and is especially sensitive to alcohol and drugs.

• According to a recent Monitoring the Future survey, nearly 1 out of 5 10th graders and 1 out of 4 12th graders had engaged in binge drinking at least once in the previous two weeks.

• A 2009 national CASA (Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse) teen survey found that 1 out of 3 teen drinkers usually drink with the intent to get drunk, and teens that get drunk are 18 times likelier to have used marijuana.

• Teens who drink are more likely to get poor grades, drop out of school, have unplanned and unprotected sex, and be a victim of car crashes, date rape, alcohol poisoning or suicide.

• According to a recent study, an estimated 29 percent of high school students rode in a car with a drunk driver in the last month.

• An alcohol conviction can limit a teen's scholarship opportunities and future career choices. Many careers require a license to practice, which may be denied.

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source:  cafeprevention.com