Houston Restaurant Week Kickoff Party

AT POLO'S SIGNATURE RESTAURANT

By Nancy H. Rosenberg

Every once in a while, we run across a product so complete, so effective, so perfect, that it is rewarded with a place of permanence in our beauty regimen. These products have very little in common: sometimes they’re fancy, sometimes they’re downright pedestrian, but the one factor they all have in common is their superiority to the competition.

CHURCH FITNESS CENTERS ARE WHERE
WORKOUTS AND WORSHIP MEET

While religions may differ on things like doctrine and traditions, they mostly agree that you should care for your body by staying physically healthy, whether that is through the practice of yoga or fellowship on the basketball court. However, several Houston area churches have taken staying healthy to a new level by building fitness centers to rival any large gym, complete with climbing walls, weight rooms, sport courts and organized sports for toddlers and senior adults alike.

RACHEL McNeil

ON THE COVER

Looking good is a job requirement, and McNeill says her skin requires constant care to look its best. “I’m very strict about skin care. I take my makeup off every night, and I don’t wear any when I’m not working to give my skin a chance to breathe.”

The advent of high-definition TV made skin care and polished makeup even more of a necessity, says McNeill. “A lot of people think we have makeup artists, but we don’t. We do our own makeup!” she says. “Once we started shooting in high-def, skin care and flawless makeup application became an absolute necessity.”

Rachel relies on Arbonne skin care and Bobbi Brown makeup, which carries “the only foundation I’ve found that matches my skin tone perfectly.”

“Being in Houston works to my advantage,” she says. “The humidity keeps skin dewy and fresh-looking. Looking good in this business would be more challenging in, say, Arizona!”

—Nancy H. Rosenberg

Photography by Evin Thayer
Hair and Makeup by EmpireFaces.com
Earrings courtesy J. Silver

Heat-Proof Makeup

Texas heat can melt more than asphalt. It can melt makeup, too! Applying makeup–and keeping it in place–during the summer months can take a bit of advance planning and makeup know-how, says Lara Toman, a makeup artist with Empire Faces Studio in Houston.

First, be aware that intense summer heat can impair the texture and performance of many types of makeup, particularly foundation, cream shadows or blushes, and lipsticks. Take care to keep makeup out of particularly hot locations, such as the car or on a windowsill. “If makeup will melt in the car, it will likely melt on your face,” Toman adds.

Houston Dynamo midfielder Brad Davis has been playing soccer since he was five years old. Now, in his eighth MLS season, the 28 year old native of St. Louis says he’s finally hitting his stride after being voted into the 2009 MLS All Star game and being named the Houston Dynamo’s team MVP.

THE HEALTHY CHEF

JEAN-PHILIPPE GUY
BISTRO PROVENCE and BISTRO DON CAMILLO

“There has always been a paradox about French food. The myth is that French food is very rich and, therefore, not good for you. Ironically, there is a best-selling book called “French Women Don’t Get Fat” in which the author discusses the merits of not just the ingredients common in the French diet, but also the lifestyle.

“Eating is very important in French culture, but it is a love of seasonal, fresh foods and natural flavors, not just filling the appetite or overpowering the taste buds. Growing up, I had three meals at specific intervals: breakfast, lunch and dinner, with one snack at 4 p.m. If I got up late, I did not eat anything until lunch. Fruits, vegetables and dairy products, particularly cheese, are in almost every meal. People think of French food having so much butter. At Bistro Provence, we are more likely to use olive oil, butter is more for cooking. You do not see people covering bread in butter.”

JULY 2010

A Do Over

By Aaron Benzel

Remember when you were a kid playing a game with your friends and if you screwed up you could call out “Do Over!” and get a second chance? Hopefully, at that point you knew what you did wrong so you could fix it on your next try. Sadly, life doesn’t normally give you a do over, but every once in a while it does.

As a kid I found that my weight was a part of my life where I had very little control. Things didn’t get any better after I grew up. As the years went by my weight slowly got worse until it eventually got as high as 395 pounds. I can’t claim some medical reason for my massive weight. The painful truth is that I simply love to eat. My need for food was the most powerful force in my world. It was greater than my dignity, my relationships and even my life.

At a weight nearing 400 pounds, my addiction to food was extremely destructive. Sleep apnea, joint pain, fatigue and depression all topped a long list of physical issues I battled daily. The emotional devastation of being morbidly obese is so damaging I am unable to convey the pain in this article. Unlike other addictions, when you struggle with your weight it is visible to everyone.

JUNE 2010

March 2010

Fitness Scene
presented by The Winning Circle®