As I walked towards the line at 12:30 PM (it easily raped itself around the corner of the tall San Francisco buildings) I held my portfolio and resume tightly, which I would hope to use in my audition. Not knowing what to expect, I waited patiently at the end of the line as it slowly moved inches at a time.

More Than Americas Next Top Model!

After about two hours of waiting, I began to talk to some of the other girls who stood in front and behind me.  There was one girl in the group that was brought together that had no confidence at all. This bothered me. As I waited another hour before it was time to go inside, our new group of friends waited impatiently as the elevator made its way to the third floor.  I found myself in another line!  I waited impatiently for another hour talking about what we thought to expect. My new friend didn’t talk much, but stayed shadowed behind me as we finally made our way through the big wooden doors, only to find ourselves in a room of 200 girls waiting for auditions.  To put it simply… Another line.

We took our seats, now exchanging portfolios to see each other’s competition. I found myself in deep conversations with all the girls that sat behind, in front, and to the sides of me. All very eager, it seemed, to learn about the girls that would be competing with them when the time came. About every twenty minutes, a lady would come in and make a group of roughly eighty girls and took them into the room which would decide their fate for the competition.

My new friend looked quickly around the room at the beautiful faces that were just as anxious as she was. She stood up from her seat and looked down at me. “I don’t think I can do this. I think that I will turn in my application and leave.”  I was outraged!  She turned to speak to one of the ladies collecting our applications that we received and filled out once we entered the room with what seemed like a thousand green armless chairs.  “If I turn in my application and leave, will that be alright”?  As these words flowed carefully into my ear, I turned my head and stared at the back of hers.  I couldn’t let her leave!  I had this good feeling about her, better then my own, and leaving was not an option!

“If you walk out of this room and through those doors, I will tackle you to the ground, and drag you back into this room. There is no way your going to waste five hours of waiting in lines just to go home.” I looked at her waiting for her to argue back. She looked back to the women with the applications who also thought it would be a bad idea for her to leave now, and then back to me. With a heavy sigh, she took her seat. Our group was called for our audition.

This was it.

As we all scuffled to the exit, we wished the girls who sat in the chairs waiting for their turn to shine and wished them luck. It was time.

As we entered a small room with five or six people behind a table, some sitting and some standing, a lady told us all the drop our things in the middle of the floor in order to see our bodies. All the girls stood up against the wall with not even half an inch in between us. Passing around a microphone, we all stated our name, age, weight, and height. I said all these very clearly and smiled as I handed the mic to my new friend. She took a step forward and said her name in a beautiful Latino accent, and followed by her measurements. As the mic reached the last girl, the judges sat behind the table speaking quietly to the others. The lady who had spoken to us before called out the numbers of the girls who would wait in the room for further questioning. My number was 868. Slowly the numbers were being called out, as they reached the highest numbers, I barely heard 86…9. At first I was disappointed, but as I looked behind me, I realized that the girl who was to afraid to walk into the room, almost giving up to go home, had made the second cut!  I reached out and gave her a hug and she thanked me numerous times. I waved goodbye as I left the room and she stayed behind.

Although I didn’t make the second cut, I wasn’t sad.  I felt as if I had gained something more then winning a competition.  I had gained helping another see her beauty, and hopefully she will give it her best!  She was the BEST in my opinion.

I never found out her name or exchanged phone numbers. But I have a great feeling that she will soon be seen on Americas Next Top Model.

-Kasey Panus

Every single minute, 1,484 tubes of lipstick are sold in the United States.  I was certainly a part of that habit for a long time.

Ingredients that harm

Here are the facts:  on average, women who use cosmetics will consume 2 pounds of lipstick in their lifetimes, it’s on your lips, you will lick, and ingest the harmful ingredients that are in the luscious tube. A lot of lipsticks contain mineral oil, a petrochemical that pollutes the environment during production by releasing hazardous chemicals into the air and water.

Some lipsticks also contain palm oil, and the cultivation of this product produces a significant danger to the rain forest wildlife in Borneo and Sumatra, particularly orangutans. Companies could start choosing, castor oil.  You could too.   Lipstick with this ingredient is renewable and biodegradable.

In addition to petroleum-based oils, many conventional lipsticks also harbor preservatives, including BHA, a fragrance ingredient that has a negative impact on aquatic ecosystems and bio-accumulates in the tissues of organisms. BHA is one of the chemicals banned by the EU as a carcinogen and organ system toxin, but here in the good old USA we still permit it.  Lipsticks also sometimes contain parabens, known endocrine disruptors that are not only detrimental to human health, but are also destructive to animal hormones and development.

Finally, most lipsticks contain pigments used for coloring, especially lead acetates or coal-tar dyes, frequently labeled as FD&C and D&C colors. These two ingredients contain carcinogenic impurities, as well as toxins that can affect the brain and nervous system.

This is just some of the well known facts about what we are placing on our lips… there is so much more.  But for now, I am committing to the simple recycle plan that MAC has established…  Just take it back.

There are other choices…

Clean products with color for those models who, like me won’t leave the house without their lips being brightly painted.

Jane Iredale lippy

Aubrey Organics Natural Lips

CARGO PlantLove Botanical Lipstick

be more than a model… be yourself!

tasty treat

I was suddenly struck with the hmmms, the haaaaas, the I don’t want to get ready for the job… the Model Citizen Happy Mood had totally disappeared.

I had eaten my breakfast, gotten myself ready and NO, as if I were a 5 year old, “No I don’t want to GO!”

I looked around to find my amazing bowl of Clemitines… yummy, candy like small tangerines… the color instantly changed my glumness.  Bright orange is  far from GLUM… I decided to grab one for the road.  I peeled it.  I ate it.  I drove on to my appointment.  Before I arrived I was feeling like the young skippy Model Citizen I am use to being… Hurray!

Next time you are in the dumps reach for the orange… in addition to the improvement in your mood you benefit from these findings as well.

1. Studies have shown that the pectin present in oranges can help to suppress appetite for up to four hours after eating.
2. Oranges help to activate the body’s own detoxification process and even the skin and zest of this fruit contain anti-oxidants which help to transport oxygen around the body and protect the skin from free radicals which cause signs of aging. NO saggy skin.
3. Recent research also suggests that oranges contain a natural skin cancer fighting chemical. This isn’t an alternative to using sunscreens, but it does help.

More Than A Model.

Becoming a Model Citizen.

For Help…

yes I got my nude!

What I know… is that if I sincerely try to show others that there are simple, accessible options in the Eco life… well I have done my job!  This past Saturday’s NUDE Eco Chic Event at Barneys was a total BLOWUP SUCCESS!!!  Models and guest learned about clean skincare, eco-friendly beauty products and were pampered to their hearts desire…

Stacey Bales said… “I love the NUDE products and have been using them since the event.  My husband, Chuck has even noticed, don’t know if he just being a loving husband or really has…my skin feels great.  My daughter and I had a great time, thank you!”

Julie Green said… “Hailey and I enjoyed the Eco Chic Workshop.  We were able to sample a few new items and be more aware of the ingredients.  I now have a few new favorites.  We are feeling good and lookin’ good too!  Thank you so much for hosting a wonderful event!”

NUDE Eco Chic Girls!

Chere Kelly said… “My friend, Barb W. and I tremendously enjoyed the Eco Chic event.  Thank you for giving us the opportunity to discover these wonderful luxuries and NUDE. We were so HOT looking afterward with no where to go, we went and had a cocktail together hoping to see if the men would notice us two beauties, and they did!”

There are more thank  yous…. but I think you get the idea… what a wonderful LIFE…

Eco CHIC!

Does this make sense?

A lack of regulation allows personal care product companies to tout their products’ green attributes with claims that at times can be confusing and misleading, and without any third party certification that the claims are true. To help you determine whether your new deodorant is, in fact, clean from something toxic, learn more about product testing, labeling, and reputable certifications!

There is a LACK of testing…

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for ensuring the safety of personal care products and cosmetics, which it describes as all products, “intended to be rubbed, poured, sprinkled, sprayed on, introduced into, or otherwise applied to the human body … for cleansing, beautifying, promoting attractiveness, or altering appearance.” {WOW, really that is good news, at least that is what they want you to think…I’m safe, they are looking out for me!}

Here is the truth… despite the fact that the FDA is charged with ensuring the safety of cosmetic and personal care products, neither the actual products nor ingredients are reviewed or approved by the FDA before they’re sold to the public. It’s up to the manufacturer to ensure that a product is safe, and to theoretically attach a warning label if it isn’t. {OKAY, what company is going to give you a red flag stating: This Product is UNSAFE!} Clear safety guidelines are lacking, and no independent third-party safety testing is required. Submitting product formulations is voluntary, and according to the FDA, only about 35 percent of cosmetic companies do so. While the European Union (EU) approved a cosmetic ingredient listing of over 1,000 prohibited substances, the FDA list only prohibits eight. That is right here in the great States we are only protected from EIGHT ingredients.

Here is what we can do… get involved, get educated! Participate in an Eco Chic Workshop that I hold…

also sign up for SKIN DEEP!
Tagged: eco workshops, lane kennedy, safe cosmetics, skin care ]]> http://lanekennedy.wordpress.com/2009/01/30/fda-dirty-skin-care/feed/ 0 lanekennedy http://lanekennedy.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/is-your-face-clean/ http://lanekennedy.wordpress.com/2009/01/28/is-your-face-clean/#comments Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:37:17 +0000 lanekennedy http://lanekennedy.wordpress.com/?p=384 ]]> Being a girl, can be daunting especially when your face breaks out… what do you do?

CLEAN.  SCRUB.  SLEEP and EAT WELL… then don’t touch it!

Nude Skincare is also helpful with keeping your skin fresh and beautiful.  I use it everyday, twice a day!  SIMPLE.  Since using it my skin has changed, for real.  I wouldn’t lie.  Good news about the product is that it is clean, no junk… nothing toxic.  More Good NEWS… it’s now available in wholefoods!  Get yours today.

only use nude.

don’t forget this weekend is our ECO chic workshop at Barneys New York with NUDE… you can indulge now!

MODEL CITIZENS always need to be prepared.

get your Model Citizen Kit today!

Go to More Than A Model NOW!

only use nude.

Okay I will admit it, I use products, I can’t help myself, I mean who wants to have dry skin?

BUT… what I have done is research… Everyday people use products… face cream, shampoo, deodorant, and makeup— which can all contain chemicals linked to cancer, birth defects, liver toxicity, and other serious health consequences. And with even greater or long-term exposure from continued use will place YOU and me at even a greater risk!

I didn’t know which products contained ingredients that could harm me or which were benign because labeling standards don’t require manufacturers to list all ingredients, and some of the most harmful ingredients don’t appear on the label. That is right, not required, you read it correctly.

Even when they are listed, do you know what they are… ? I certainly didn’t until I did a ton of homework. Being a woman, a model, an advocate for better living has really kicked me in the behind, I have to know! I have made it a point to learn… I don’t want TOXINS on my face, I really don’t want something to happen to me, call me VAIN sure, that is fine.

I went to Burke Williams yesterday for a spa facial a friend was treating me… as I walked in, there on the shelves stood proud, the BW skin care line… and all of it had… yes that is right ingredients which I would tell my clients to DUMP!

I was immediately horrified, what had I gotten myself into… now what? I entered the spa, ready for my facial. The aesthetician greeted me and brought me to the dark room where she talked about skin care… She reviewed my skin, “WOW you have great skin what do you use? Most women are a wreck when they come in here, but you have moisture, no blemishes, really what skin care line do you use?” I was there to be pampered not tell her my secret… I told her, “Nothing goes on my skin that I can’t pronounce… ” She didn’t get it, but she was quiet for the rest of the treatment.

As she lathered and scrubbed my skin tingled, and not in a good way… I wanted to be an everyday client, experience it. I wanted to go through their routine to see what the hype was all about with the Burke William Facial. Afterward I sat looking at my skin, it seemed dry even with the magic moisturizer she had used.  I thought about washing it off, but no I would wait to see if the nourishment moisturizer would magically work like she said it would… At 10:30pm when I was ready to hit the pillow I reviewed my skin. I had aged 10 years at least… SCARY!  For real… tired, old, creapy skin!  AHHH I freaked out, and suddenly was scrubbing with my NUDE… skin care that I love and use religiously. I woke up this morning still a bit aged… more NUDE!  MORE please…LOTS!!!  By this afternoon I’m feeling better and my skin has bounced back to it’s normal soft appearance and feel, thank goodness.
NOW fast forward to me using a product with chemicals I can’t pronounce for a year…think about that… if this example only shows one day…AHHH I’m screaming!   Options: I would want to kill myself… have plastic surgery or be filled with botox.

Solutions…
Choices, we all have the ability to choose SAFE, CLEAN products. Review your ingredients. Know what is in your products (from what you clean your face with to the floor). Work with me. Its simple I have done your homework…

Oh no...

The refreshing personality comes from self-esteem and strong self confidence.  They asked me how and when will they have that… “Well”, I told them, “it takes time and a lot of practice”.  Throughout class we revealed that each of them were shy, more so than they thought, while they also found out that it was hard to stand infront of others and really be themseleves… without a prop or friend.  The class was an eye opener for them.

I gave them their homework… a journal to record every action.  Next week we shall see if they accomplished the “homework” and can carry out the next assignment which will most likley be the hardest that they will face… yet.

I can’t tell you… so hang tight til next week to find out how these refreshing personlalities change… and take on the mystery assignment.