Hers Nov/Dec 2016 by Hers Magazine

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 VOL. 3 NO. 3

No Madam President

Editor-in-Chief, Annette Johnson Design Director, Joey Shepherd Page Layout and Design, Kiryl Lysenka Design Assistant, Nairobi Guillory Online Editor, Bianca Nelson Travel Editor, Peggy Hattendorf Financial Editor, Deborah Hightower Social Media Director, Tamara King Editorial Assistant, Iman Combs Sales Manager, Mary Taylor Special Projects Manager, Veronique Thomas Contributors: Jenny Abouobaia Destini Billins Harmoni Brangman Jazmine Calhoun Allyn Evans Danielle Glosson Darren Howard Sara Jackson Mona King-Austin Meleena Murray Callie Riggle Tommeka Semien Skylar Watson Cover photo: Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images Customer Service For subscription service or change of address, including email, contact info@hersmagazine.net or write to P.O. Box 1071, Atlanta, GA 30301 Hers (ISSN 2372-3785) is published six times per year by Allwrite Communications, 50 Hurt Plaza SE Atlanta, GA 30303 404-221-0703

Nov/Dec

CONTENTS F E AT U R E S

32 Miranda’s New Rite of Passage: Beauty Entrepreneur

Model and actress Africa Miranda introduces the first product in her beauty line

8 November is National Healthy Skin Month

This season brings skin challenges and significance

Bobbie Thomas Offers Makeup Application Innovations Today Show host makes applying makeup simple as 1, 2, 3

14 Give the Gift of Beauty 12 How to Cure Illiteracy Possible solutions for those challenged in literacy.

40 It’s Not That Deep

A guy shares the things women make too much fuss over

45 The Truth About Marriage Explains who “they” are and why they’re not important to your relationship

51 Try These Stocking Stuffers Run out of ideas for small gifts? Try these…

These are great beauty items that women may love to receive or give

46 Review: Mulan Beauty

An evaluation of the Mulan V Beauty Pro Hair Care product line

48 Fall-Winter Fashions

You may need these looks in your life this winter

50 Review: Seedy Organic Snacks

Eating “seedy” snacks can help with the calories but offend the taste buds. We share our favs.

32 7 album releases left to look forward to in 2016 Make sure to check out the upcoming albums by critically acclaimed artists, ranging from Susan Boyle to Bruno Mars.

36 Tis the Season to Experience the Arts

4 Basic Exercises Women Should Include on Leg Day These are four workouts that are musts when working on your lower body

‘Tis the season to attend one of the many upcoming shows all across the country that will premiere this holiday season.

24 No Madam President

After one of the greatest political upsets, review this timeline of what would have been America’s first female president

58 Where to Go to Celebrate an Old-Fashioned Christmas From Texas to Tripoli, these destinations reign in fun and nostalgia

64 Travel Apps Worth Noting Don’t travel without your ID or maybe these apps

12 Tis the Season to Count Your Coins

In a season when more means more, we learn how to give as much with less money

16 Beyond Bad Hair Day

47 Keep Your Friends Close and Investors Closer

18 ‘Again,’ the Beginning of the End

56 Gadgets for Girls

How to put an end to self-criticism.

This one word defined the candidacy of Donald Trump and perhaps the undoing of women and minorities hers-magazine.com

Here are a few key steps to maintain and separating personal and business relationships.

From wearable technology that tracks fitness to electric eye massagers, you can see, hear and feel a little different with these gadgets

55 The Coined Celebration A look at how life is constantly changing you for the better.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

6 ISSUES FOR

JUST $9.95

F E AT U R E S • H E A R T • F L AVO R • H E A LT H L E S S O N S • W O R K • P L AY W W W. H E R S - M A G A Z I N E . C O M 6

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

Editor’s Letter When this magazine was launched in 2014, we never thought about the defining moments in history that women would claim over the next two years. For instance, that same year, General Motors, one of the world’s largest automakers, had the first female at its helm, CEO and Chairwoman Mary Barra. No other moment, however, can eclipse the historic nomination of the first woman to be a major political party’s nominee for U.S. president. Although she ultimately lost to Republican candidate Donald Trump, she will forever be an example for other women who aspire to somehow affect change in the world. To that distinction, we have provided a detailed timeline of Hillary Clinton’s life and career. If we missed or have mistaken anything, be sure to reach out to us. This issue, as you will see, is also steeped in discussion about beauty ideals and products. Longtime beauty aficionados like Today Show’s

hers-magazine.com

Bobbie Thomas and model Africa Miranda have launched their own products based on what they feel is missing in the market. We, likewise, think you’ll find these products beneficial. Pay special attention to the many holiday tips, especially counting your coins. Remember, you can always give Hers magazine as a special but inexpensive gift. Just click on the Subscription tab on our website. We’d also like to invite you to “Hers Day” on Dec. 1, 2016, in Atlanta, Ga. You can get more details on our site by simply clicking on the News tab. Happy Holidays! Annette R. Johnson

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER BEAUTY

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ HER BEAUTY

Healthy Skin

MONTH MEANS SPECIAL ATTENTION BY TOMMEKA SEMIEN

The American Academy of Dermatology recognizes November as National Healthy Skin Month. During this month, healthcare providers and skincare professionals are eager to raise awareness of how to properly care for the skin, especially as winter approaches.

rom using antiperspirants to reduce sweat to using petroleum jelly to treat minor injuries, there are many things that can be done on a daily basis to ensure your skin’s health. In addition, maintaining well hydrated, clean skin; using SPF products to protect skin from the sun’s rays; and paying attention to skin changes are essential to the skin’s proper functioning. Clean your skin Regardless of how tired you are, it is important that you clean your skin daily. Debris can accumulate in follicles and cause breakouts and irritation. Learn your skin type and use appropriate products. When it comes to your face, cleansing, exfoliating, toning and moisturizing should be part of the daily cleansing routine.

hers-magazine.com

Moisturize Your skin is your body’s largest organ. It functions at its best when it is properly hydrated. Aside from a proper diet, using a daily moisturizer will keep your skin soft and supple. When skin is properly moisturized, it helps protect against infections, reduce the appearance of wrinkles and fight breakouts. Don’t forget the SPF Fall brings cooler weather, reduced humidity and fewer hours of sunlight. However, the sun’s rays can still inflict damage on unprotected skin. It is recommended that sunblock be used on exposed skin. Choose a facial moisturizer and body lotion that includes a broad spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Pay attention to your feet When the weather cools off, don’t

forget about your feet. If you’re skipping the salon, learn how to give yourself a proper pedicure--keeping nails trimmed and feet exfoliated. Be sure to wear socks or hosiery that protect your feet from moisture to avoid problems such as athlete’s foot, ingrown toenails, or blisters. Examine your skin A monthly head to toe selfexamination of the skin will help you identify skin irregularities. To do a self-exam, you will need both a full length and hand held mirror as well as a chair to help you see all body parts. Be sure not to miss the scalp and other hard to see places including the genital area and the backs of legs and ankles. Your dermatologist should perform a full-body exam annually.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER FITNESS

4 BASIC EXERCISES

WOME N SHOULD INCLUDE ON LEG DAY BY JENNY ABOUOBAIA

eg day is often dreaded by many but is important for all. Both men and women alike need to work on both upper and lower body for symmetry. But for the ladies, leg day is the only way to get the Beyonce butt your craving. So check out these exercises that you must include in your workout, even the beginners. Most people hate leg day. This is no more apparent than in those guys you see with the enormous upper body and legs like spindles. Obviously they think they are rocking their muscle tee, but truthfully they just look ridiculous. Therefore, regardless of who you are making sure you complete leg day is hugely important. For many women, especially those new to

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

working out the prospect of working out with a barbell is a scary prospect. Many women have the misconception that using weights will bulk them up. But the only way to get those great legs you’re dreaming about in time for that perfect Christmas party dress is to go hard on leg day. That’s why I have picked four exercises that are going back to basics. Although there are so many workouts you can do, sticking to the original bodybuilding moves can be the best place to start. These exercises most experienced workout gurus will be well aware of. But they are a great place to begin for the beginners! Plus, there is always room for variations to make workouts more advanced and interesting. hers-magazine.com

HER FITNESS +

#1 - Barbell Deadlift Now for a ladies new to working out, seeing a huge guy in the gym hammering out deadlifts can be a little intimidating. Don’t be put off girls! You too can deadlift like a complete pro. Like everything start by getting your basic technique up to a good level. Start with just the barbell, no weights and have a friend spot you. Tip - remember to get a good grip, keep your chest up and back arched. Drive through your heels in order to pull the weight upwards. Try 3 sets of 12 reps. #2 - High Rep Squats In honesty there is no better exercise for women who want great glutes than a good old fashioned squat! Start off by getting a good squat technique without any weights. Once you are confident you have your technique down, you can add a barbell (without weight) carried across your shoulders.

www.jennyabouobaiafitness.com

It is great to start off with the assistance of a smith machine to help you with your balance and technique when incorporating weights into the mix. Over time you can add weight to the barbell as you progress and when you’re confident enough, move away from the smith machine altogether. Try 3 sets of 15 reps for a great workout. #3 - Leg Press Ladies, don’t be afraid of the leg press machine. This is great for everyone but also a great place to start for beginners. There are many variations you can try to change up your workout, make your workout harder or just prevent boredom. Start off with a traditional leg press with low weights to encourage good technique. Build up your weight and variations as you advance. Start with 3 sets of 10-12 reps. #4 - Hamstring Curl Hamstring curl is another great beginner exercise on leg day. With the assistance

Jenny Abouobaia is a professional health and fitness writer who to date has written over 500 articles for numerous publications. Jenny first found her love of fitness as a 7 years old girl through a passion for competitive dance. Throughout her adult life, Jenny has had a successful international career as a professional dancer and choreographer, working across 5 continents in everything from Hollywood movies to prestigious live shows such as the MTV Awards. Jenny went on to study at Northumbria University in the

of a hamstring curl machine, it is an easy exercise to get right and get results. Make sure your leg is fully stretched when performing this exercise for good technique and to get the best results. Remember to hold your contraction, take your time and don’t power through too quickly. Try 3 sets of 15 reps. So if you want to hit the upcoming party season with legs to kill for, you definately need to make sure you make leg day a priority. Remember, in the beginning you may be sore afterwards but this is normal. Follow good workout practices to keep delayed onset muscular soreness (DOMS) at bay. Get enough protein and a good stretch post workout and treat yourself to a long hot bath to soothe those aching muscles on an evening. This will help you to get enough rest, which is crucial to aid recovery. So try out these four basic leg workouts and let me know how you get on.

UK and become a qualified personal trainer and fitness instructor. She also holds professional dance teaching qualifications as well numerous dance fitness qualifications such as Zumba. Through her passion for fitness Jenny discovered her love of writing and now writes professionally full time in the health, fitness, nutrition and bodybuilding niches. She is the owner of Jenny Abouobaia Fitness and works with numerous clients throughout the world both writing authority content as well as offering online training and nutrition plans and ongoing support.

+ H E R FA M I LY

Climbing the Literacy Ladder BY TOMMEKA SEMIEN

What do Albert Einstein, Pablo Picasso, and Steven Spielberg have in common? They are each famous in their own right. Einstein was famous for developing the theory of relativity; Picasso for his impact on the modern world of art; and Spielberg for producing some of the most popular movies of all time. The tie that binds them is what many would consider their weakness--a diagnosis of dyslexia. Dyslexia is a learning disability that causes people to have problems with processing written information.

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

H E R FA M I LY +

ow many people are affected by dyslexia? The jury is out; however, some estimates suggest that anywhere from five to ten percent of the population has some degree of dyslexia. Amongst children and adults who have trouble reading, writing, spelling or understanding text, it is estimated that nearly 70% of them may have dyslexia or some type of learning style difference. Estimates regarding “poor readers or slow readers” are significant because they include people who do not have a formal diagnosis and are not participating in specialized instructional programs. The estimates potentially include students who struggle in school as well as older teens and adults who have dropped-out. In the United States, it is estimated that about 25% of high school freshmen do not graduate on time. What happens to these students if they do not complete school? They become adults who lack a high school diploma or the equivalent. Once out of school, adults do not have access to the specialized education offered by their local school system. Instead, they must turn to support from friends and family members to help them with day to day activities. If these adults want to go back to school, they often have to depend on help from adult education programs offered by local schools, faith-based organizations, not-forprofits, and community colleges. While everyone’s story is different and unique, we can assume that almost all people who struggle with reading and school success have this in common… No child, no adult aspires for their highest academic achievement to be climbing only to the lowest rung of the literacy ladder. Being able to read and write, completing high school, choosing a career are just like sitting up, walking, talking and, eventually, and growing up--they are highly anticipated components of the life cycle. So the question becomes “How can we help children who struggle in school and adults who haven’t earned a high school diploma or the equivalent?” There are several answers. First, we must identify the cause of each person’s struggle whether it be medical, environmental or a combination. Second, we must identify solutions to individual problems--problems that no doubt affect many people. Third, We must initiate grassroots efforts that work and can be replicated to end cycles of low-literacy for families, school districts, cities and states. Fourth, we must work with our local school districts to institute policies, procedures and programs that work for all students including

hers-magazine.com

the estimated 25% of students who do not complete high school on time. Unfortunately, we know that effective and systematic change doesn’t come overnight. Therefore, it is important that we take immediate action that can yield positive change today. For any child or adult who is struggling, with reading and school / life success, finding the root cause of their problem and mapping out a long-term plan for achievement is the best solution. However, sometimes (for many reasons that require much further reflection), identifying short-term, achievable, straight-forward solutions is the best place to start.

We can all be a part of the literacy solution. Here are just a few ways that you help. •

Donate to a local literacy organization.

•

Organize a book drive.

•

Volunteer to read at a health clinic or school.

•

Learn about and share information about local adult education programs.

•

Sign-up to provide tutoring for an adult or child.

•

Work with your child’s school to set-up a “reading buddies” program.

•

Buy books as presents for birthdays, holidays and other special occasions.

•

Take your kids and other people’s kids to the library.

•

Help someone who has lost their glasses.

•

Talk to your elected officials about what is being done in your community.

Just like Einstein, Picasso, and Spielberg, obstacles to success can be overcome. Remember, we all learn at our own pace. A patient, supportive team made up of friends, family and caring people can help ensure that even those who struggle with literacy climb the ladder. For more information about promoting the importance of reading or the impact of the world’s literacy crisis, visit the ProLiteracy website at www.proliteracy.org. For more information about organizing a grassroots “reading buddies” program, contact Tommeka Semien at tsemien@literacyswla.org.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER BEAUTY

BEST BEAUTY GIFTS for the

HOLIDAY

SEASON

The best Christmas gifts for her are things that make her feel or look more beautiful. These are just a few suggestions that you can give and maybe even ask to receive.

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ HER BEAUTY

hers-magazine.com

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER PERSONAL GROWTH

Beyond Bad Hair: Thin Lips, Square Breasts and Other Horrors BY ALLYN EVANS

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

HER PERSONAL GROWTH +

I love to walk into a bookstore and then wait for a book to find me. And you know what? “It” always does. On this particular trip with my daughter in tow, a book titled The Merry Recluse caught my attention. The book is a compilation of mostly reprints from a weekly Boston Phoenix column written by the late Carolyn Knapp. I first experienced Caroline’s work when I read Appetites: Why Women Want. Caroline never attempted to sugarcoat her flaws. In fact, she openly shared her self-loathing with her readers. Yes, she told it all—the good, the bad, the ugly, and everything in between. Caroline had so many demons, but the ones that plagued her the most were food and alcohol. Eventually, Caroline died of cancer in 2002. She was only 42 years old. One essay from The Merry Recluse immediately grabbed my attention. Actually, she intended to make us laugh with this one. However, as I read it, I wasn’t laughing. The words were laced with pain. In “Beyond Bad Hair: Thin Lips, Square Breasts, and Other Horrors,” Caroline shared things that plague most women. She claimed having a bad hair day was the least of our worries. She shared plenty of “it-could-be-worse” worries with us: • Why-are-these-pants-pinching-me-around-the-waist Day. (Been there, done that.) • My-lips-are-too-thin Day. (Can’t say that I own that one.) • Since-when-have-my-pores-been-so-cavernous Day. (Oh, yes, definitely been there.) Although I don’t have all the same thoughts or moments, I did understand what she was saying. And I bet that most women reading this article do too. My recent beyond-badhair-day moments go something like this... • • • •

My-face-is-swollen-and-my-eyes-are-puffy Day Where-did-those-new-wrinkles-come-from Day I-weigh-what? Day When-did-I-start-growing-gray-hair-on-my-arms Day (Yes, that happened.)

Probably the one that tickled me the most was Caroline’s mention of the Oh-no-I-missed-a-patch-of-hair-on-myknee Day. Okay, so I seem to have more of those than I care to mention. Caroline had the perfect ending to all the ranting. “God, it’s hard to be a girl!” Amen, Caroline. Amen.

hers-magazine.com

Yes, it is hard to be a girl. I’m ready to play another game now. Here’s to trying especially hard to put this beyond-badhair thinking to rest. Really, let’s stop playing. Let’s write a new script.

How Do We Change Our Self-Bashing Ways? Step One: Awareness What did I do? First, I became aware. Let’s face it, most of us have a “mean voice”—a powerful mean voice at that. It’s constantly at work in our lives and, ahem, in our heads. What about you? It’s easy to determine. Just answer this question: Do you say nice things to yourself or think nice things about yourself most of the time? If the answer is: “No,” then consider yourself made aware that you have a mean voice telling you negative message about yourself on a regular basis.

Step Two: Create Replacement Statements Start by creating counterattacks. Create positive phrases to use when you find your mean voice speaking to you. For your mean voice, change things like: “I am stupid” to “Life is all about learning.” “I am fat” to “I’m making healthy choices now.” If you are not, though, don’t use this one. Maybe instead say: “Acceptance is the first step.” Or, “I like me.” Or if you can’t say you like or love yourself, then you can think more about the function of your body. “My body is my friend.” The key is choice. Don’t grapple with your inner critic. Simply notice her fully, and then choose to redirect your awareness—or not. Mean voice taming takes time and effort, just like improving your ability to paint or play tennis. The good news is that practice works. If you keep at it, eventually the mean voice will be background white noise and you will become an expert in inserting your replacement phrases.

Is It Worth Taking on Your Mean Voice?

YES. YES. YES. When you stop being directed by your mean voice, which can happen I promise, you’ll be happier and more at peace. Stopping the onslaught of negativity will give you confidence and courage to move forward towards your goals and dreams. With each step, you will grow stronger and more directed.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R S O C I A L C O M M E N TA RY

BY ANNETTE JOHNSON

WHAT â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;AGAI

MEANS FOR AND MINOR 18

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R S O C I A L C O M M E N TA RY

IN,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

R WOMEN RITIES hers-magazine.com

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R S O C I A L C O M M E N TA RY

Donald Trump won his presidential bid with the campaign slogan: “Make America Great Again.”

he word “again” at the end of his campaign slogan was strategically included. It immediately forced people into two factions: progressive or nostalgic. It further divided people into groups of those who accepted bad times in certain sectors as part of a changing economy and those who blamed others, specifically foreigners, for their bad times. Trump supporters seek change, but they want to turn back time to achieve it. No matter how much certain people want to believe otherwise, manufacturing, to the degree it had been, will never be the same in America. The U.S. has lost nearly 5 million manufacturing jobs since NAFTA took effect in 1994. However, even in companies returning from overseas to the United States, factories are using automated equipment and other technology to replace humans. The economy has, instead, become service-based economy, especially seen in the healthcare industry, which

has nearly doubled in size since 1990 (Bureau of Labor Statistics). The focus should then be on servicing the machines or products produced rather than manufacturing or assembling them. Campaign speeches should have been centered on retraining factory workers instead of promising some type of manufacturing renaissance. A message like that probably wouldn’t inspire out-of-work factory workers and their families, but blaming the Chinese or Mexico for job loss surely did. Furthermore, America’s past may have been great in certain industries, such as manufacturing, but its civil rights history in regards to women and minorities has not been great. In fact, it’s been shameful to some degree. Ever since the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, American society has found itself embroiled in civil unrest, at times, concerning segments of the population. Institutional racism has

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

replaced segregation, for the most part. As such, “again” represents a negative historical connotation for African Americans, for example, who see progress but still say they confront stark socioeconomic disparities. Again, the problem with “again” in a campaign slogan is that it is unnecessarily divisive. Everyone in America wants the country to be great, so that’s common ground from which we all could assimilate. After that, policy differences would naturally cause people to align with a particular party or person. The issue with the Trump campaign message was that many, namely minorities, felt that they never shared a common ground with him. Even Latino members of the Republican Party felt alienated because they could never be part of his America. For women, they should not want “again” in terms of occupational opportunities. Women have had exponential growth in certain occupations that had been male-

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R S O C I A L C O M M E N TA RY

Women’s Representation in Select Occupations Occupation

1970

2006-2010

Registered nurses

97.3%

91.2%

Dental assistants

97.9%

96.3%

Cashiers

84.2%

74.7%

Elementary and middle school teachers

83.9%

79.3%

Pharmacists

12.1%

52.6%

Accountants

24.6%

60.0%

Computer programmers

24.2%

24.4%

Physicians and surgeons

9.7%

32.4%

Lawyers and judges

4.9%

33.4%

Police officers

3.7%

14.8%

Civil engineers

1.3%

12.7%

oriented. For instance, careers in pharmacy (40% increase since 1970) and accounting (36% increase since 1970) have experienced some of the most significant growth, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The Affordable Care Act, or “Obamacare,” mandates that women cannot be denied coverage based on

hers-magazine.com

gender or pre-existing conditions. Under ACA, women are entitled to free annual well-woman screenings (i.e. pap smears, mammograms), maternity care, birth control coverage without a copay, and counseling for domestic violence victims and contraception. Trump says he wants to repeal and replace it, but he has never provided

any details. The fear is that women may return to “again” in healthcare, a time when women had less access to affordable medical services and limited reproductive rights. For now, we can only speculate, so we will have to wait and see what again actually looks like for women over the next four years.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER MONEY

‘ Tis the season

to Count Your Coins BY DEBORAH HIGHTOWER

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, but don’t let overspending rob you of the good time. It is estimated the average family will spend about $800 on holiday gifts this year. That figure doesn’t include the food, parties, outfits, travel, decorating, and all the other peripheral items that go along with the holiday season. This year, use these tactics and ideas to make it the best ever – for you, family, friends, and your wallet. These are eight tactics to defend against delusional, indefensible spending this season:

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ HER MONEY

Tactic 1: Set a gift budget.

Budget for holiday spending based on YOUR financial situation. If you only have an extra $500 for gifts, then work with $500. It is easy to get caught in the spiral-outof-control web when gifts are chosen based on what the Joneses are buying or to one-up someone who gives you a great gift. On the other hand, “it’s the thought that counts” doesn’t really sit well if it’s a crappy gift. Make sure you actually put thought into your gift selection, as well as your budget. Be sure to include in your budget costs for shipping, tax, travel, and other related costs.

Tactic 2: Make a list, count it twice and stick to it.

Begin the list with everyone to whom you would like to give a gift. Categorize them according to priority and percentage of budget. If you find your list longer than your budget, make adjustments. Opt for an eCard, digital magazine, or home-baked cookies as an inexpensive alternative for those whom you would like to show appreciation. Set expectations with the children; perhaps one primary gift and two smaller items. For those who live far away, set up a video conference call for a visit; it’s the next best thing to being there when you don’t have the money to get there. If you find compromise a necessary evil, make wise lifestyle choices now. If you decide the number of gifts cannot be shortened, skip the latte or new party outfit in order to make up the difference.

Tactic 3: Think, Plan and Plot.

Prepare for the excursion. Pre-think potential gifts. Plot your plan. For example, give a memorable ‘couple gift,’ such as a couples massage or happy hour gift certificate. Perhaps, tickets to a concert would be on-point for a teen on the list. Look for stores that can accommodate more than one gift – it will save you time, gas and frazzle. Need to buy for someone who has everything? Surf the web for ideas or give a donation in her name to a favorite charity.

delectable cookies. What about a tin of someone’s favorite tea or coffee? Perhaps a personal note inside a lovely journal is just the thing to encourage a future writer. A memory book is a wonderful option and will start the best conversations.

Tactic 6: Design a new normal.

The era of simple living has prompted others to live for the experience instead of merely the collection of goods. Instead of exchanging gifts, make a donation to a local charity (have everyone sign the card); gather the family together to serve a meal at a homeless shelter (be sure to arrange it ahead of time); or drop off a bag of toys at the children’s hospital (encourage the children to make cards and write notes). Follow it with a stop by a local coffee shop for java or tea. If you still want to participate in a gift exchange, give a small token of love coupled with big hugs and extra time together.

Tactic 7: Use credit wisely (if at all).

Credit cards should be viewed as a very short-term loan. If you can’t pay off the balance by the statement due date in January, refrain from using them. An $800 balance paid at $25 per month with a 15% interest rate, will take 41 months to pay off. Three holiday seasons will have passed before this balance is paid in full.

Tactic 8: Celebrate the reason.

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or simply the time away from work, live in the moment. Celebrate your life and be grateful for experiences, family, and friends. Tell the ones close to you how much you love and treasure them. Dream and dream big! Design the future you desire and deserve. Reflect, but let bygones be bygones. Focus on the beauty and newness of every day.

Tactic 4: Coupon it!

May your holiday be filled with fun, good food, fellowship and new adventures, and may your bank account remain flush with the coins you didn’t spend.

Tactic 5: Think crafty.

Deborah Hightower writes for networking and lifestyle blogs and magazines and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Morningstar, CNBC, NBC, CBS, FOX, ABC, and other news outlets. She has been listed by INC. Magazine as one of America’s Trendsetters in Health, Wealth and Success. Find out more at www.deborahhightower.com. Follow her on social media at: www.facebook.com/DeborahHightowerInc; www.twitter.com/thedeborahhigh; www.instagram.com/thedeborahhightower

Shop sales and look online for coupon codes. Simply joining an email list may get you discount codes and early notification of upcoming sales. Check prices and shop online, taking advantage of free delivery. Savings of $10 here and $20 there will add up. For upcoming travel, search online for the best price on air travel and accommodations. Make early reservations for the best prices. Make something memorable if you can. Fill beautiful apothecary jars with fragrant bath salts, colorful candies, or hers-magazine.com

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

Hillary Clinton A Timeline of Almost

50 YEARS OF PUBLIC SERVICE IMAN COMBS

er bid to become the first female president of the United States ended unexpectedly on November 8, 2016, but Hillary Clinton’s legacy of public service and commitment to social justice can never be diminished. At 14 years old, then Hillary Rodham went with a church youth group to Chicago to hear Rev. Martin Luther King. Hillary’s minister, Don Jones, took her and others backstage to meet Rev. King. “Because of [Dr. King], after 219

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

years and 43 presidents who were all white men, the next generation will take for granted that a woman or an African American can be President of the United State of America,” she said recalling their meeting. What has Hillary achieved in her 45 years public service life since that moment? Here is a summary since graduating from Wellesley College, when an excerpt from her graduation commencement address and picture were published in Life magazine.

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R F E AT U R E

LAW STUDENT (Yale, 1969): - She began an internship at the Children’s Defense Fund, alongside its founder Marian Wright Edelman, during the summer of 1970. Edelman became her mentor and inspiration for Hillary’s career path in helping poor and disadvantaged children. - She began working in the Yale New Haven Hospital to develop procedures to handle suspected child abuse cases. - She got so involved in children’s issues that she actually took an extra year in law school working at the child studies center to learn what more could be done to improve the lives and the futures of poor children. - In the summer of 1972, she went to Dothan, Alabama, to visit one of those segregated academies that then enrolled over half-a-million white kids in the South. The only way the economics worked is if they claimed federal tax exemptions to which they were not legally entitled. She got sent there to prove they weren’t. - Then she went down to south Texas, where she worked with union leader Franklin Garcia to register MexicanAmerican voters. - In her last year in law school, Hillary went to South Carolina to see why so many young African-American teenagers were being jailed with adults in men’s prisons. Her report helped to change the law. - After Yale, Hillary moved to Massachusetts to keep working on children’s issues. This time, she was trying to figure out why so many kids counted in the Census weren’t enrolled in school. She did research about families with disabled children and filed a report that ultimately helped influence Congress to adopt the proposition that children with disabilities, physical or otherwise, should have equal access to public education hers-magazine.com

ARKANSAS (1975) - She started the first legal aid clinic in northwest Arkansas, providing legal aid services to poor people who couldn’t pay for them. - She joined the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi. Soon after, she started a group called the Arkansas Advocates for Families and Children. - In 1979, just after Bill became governor, Hillary chair a rural health committee to help expand health care to isolated farm and mountain areas. They recommended to do that partly by deploying trained nurse practitioners in places with no doctors to provide primary care they were

trained to provide. It was a big deal then, highly controversial and very important. - In 1983, Hillary chaired a committee to recommend new education standards for Arkansas in response to a court order to equalize school funding based on a report by a national expert that said Arkansas’ “woefully underfunded schools were the worst in America.” Nine years later, just before Bill Clinton took office as president, the same expert said that Arkansas was one of the two most improved states in America. - Hillary got the Home Instruction Program for Preschool Youngsters

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R F E AT U R E

of the National Guard. Working with Senator Dodd, she got longer family leave, for people caring for wounded service members. - She worked for more extensive care for people with traumatic brain injury. She also served on a special Pentagon commission to propose changes necessary to meet our new security challenges. - Hillary was a strong supporter of comprehensive immigration reform as a Senator, cosponsoring Senator Ted Kennedy’s 2004 bill. - Senator Clinton led a bipartisan effort to bring broadband access to rural communities. (HIPPY) program, which teaches illiterate parents to become their children’s first teachers, started in Arkansas after discovering it in Israel. Soon it became a model for states across the country. FIRST LADY OF THE U.S. (1993 – 2001) - She led an effort to pass a health care reform bill that was obstructed by Republicans during Bill Clinton’s presidency. After its failure, Hillary immediately went to work on solving the problems the bill sought to address one by one. The most important goal was to get more health insurance for children. In 1997, Congress passed the Children’s Health Insurance Program, still an important part of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. It insures more than 8 million kids. - In 1996, Clinton published her first book, It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us. The following year, she won a Grammy Award for the “Best Spoken Word” recording for the audiobook edition. - In 1997, she also teamed with the 26

House Minority Leader Tom DeLay. They worked on a bill together to increase adoptions of children in foster care. The Adoption and Safe Families Act and the Foster Care Independence Act passed with an overwhelming bipartisan majority and led to a major increase in the adoption of children out of foster care. U.S. SENATOR (2000) - As a senator from New York in 2000 and re-elected in 2006, she sponsored three bills and co-sponsored 74 others. - Her early years as a senator were dominated by 9/11, when she was working to get $21.4 billion for the recovery and monitoring the health and providing compensation to victims, first responders and volunteers. - In 2003, she became the first senator in the history of New York ever to serve on the Armed Services Committee. She tried to make sure people on the battlefield had proper equipment. She expanded health care coverage to Reservists and members

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

SECRETARY OF STATE (2009) - As secretary of state, she worked hard to get strong sanctions against Iran’s nuclear program. - Her team negotiated the New START Treaty with Russia to reduce nuclear weapons and reestablish inspections. She got enough Republican support to ratify the treaty. - She conducted many diplomatic missions and visited over 100 countries, more than any previous Secretary of State. - She flew all night long from Cambodia to the Middle East to negotiate a cease-fire that would avoid a full-out war between Hamas and Israel in Gaza. - She helped negotiate the firstever agreement for China and India to officially commit to reducing their emissions. - She visited more countries than any other secretary of state in history. -Oversaw free trade agreements with allies such as Panama, Colombia, and South Korea.

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R F E AT U R E

-She initiated reforms in the State Department, including the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review, which established a review process to increase the effectiveness of the department. - She was vital in conducting relations with Pakistan and Afghanistan. - Hillary worked to restart negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, establishing direct talks in 2010 and traveling to Jerusalem in 2012 in an effort to stop the 2012 Gaza conflict. - As Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton promoted womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right and human rights as vital to U.S. political interests. - The Clinton Foundation, founded by her and her husband, has improved the living conditions for nearly 400 million people in over 180 countries through its initiatives. - In 2016, Hillary became the first woman in history to be a major partyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nominee for U.S. president.

hers-magazine.com

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

“ALL SHE NEEDS IS A LITTLE SUPPORT” We need more than just flowers and a card on Mother’s Day. We need your support year-round! Have a project that never quite got off the ground due to lack of funding? Fund Her Projects (FHP) is an innovative funding platform just for women. FHP is not your typical crowdfunding site, as it allows members to promote a well-intentioned cause and request needed items within the community.

WHY FUNDHERPROJECTS.COM? • We Understand and Value You

WE EVEN SUPPORT NEEDS THAT HELP YOU SUPPORT THOSE PEOPLE AND IDEALS YOU HOLD DEAR BY OFFERING:

• We Are Community Who Cares About Your Success

• Rewards-Based Crowdfunding • Support for Meaningful Causes

• We Support Your Campaign from Start to Finish

• Virtual Baby Showers for Mothers without Means • Back-to-School Gift Registry

VISIT WWW.FUNDHERPROJECTS.COM

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ HER BOOK

LITERARY

(Recent & Upcoming Releases By Women Authors)

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two (Harry Potter #8) by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany

Ruined by Amy Tintera

hers-magazine.com

The Reader (Sea of Ink and Gold) by Traci Chee

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

The Book of Harlan by Bernice L. McFadden

Solemn: A Novel by Kalisha Buckhanon

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R F E AT U R E

Miranda’s New Rite of Passage:

Beauty Entrepreneur BY DESTINI BILLINS

Africa Miranda has made a name for herself as a model, actress, spokesperson, host, speaker, blogger, social media guru, and a hair and beauty icon. She’s done it all, heightening her fame in 2013 on the short-lived reality series The New Atlanta. The newest addition to her credits is “entrepreneur.” A natural beauty from Montgomery, Alabama, Miranda is releasing a facial elixir as the first product in her new beauty line, Beauty by Africa Miranda, in November 2016. She took a moment out of her busy schedule to catch up with Hers magazine, telling us about her upcoming plans and looking back on this year’s accomplishments. 30

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R F E AT U R E

Tell us a little about your experience as a new entrepreneur.

Being an entrepreneur has been a huge learning curve for me. I’ve had to learn a lot about marketing and ecommerce. It’s been a lot of research in beauty and working together with Erika Douglas, or ‘Sister Scientist,’ who works with small entrepreneurs to develop [cosmetics].

What advice to you have for new entrepreneurs in beauty?

My advice to other entrepreneurs is to just be authentic, do your research, and build an audience that trusts [the product]. Developing Beauty was the next logical step in my career. I’ve built an audience around giving honest beauty tips, so they trust that Beauty will deliver. I had already been building my audience for 10 years, and of course, not everyone is going to have that, but people should really know their product and the people that would buy it. They have to go out and ask to see what [consumers] want.

What is the story behind the evolution of the product?

The facial elixir is inspired by Brazil, my favorite place in the world. I’ve always loved traveling and seeing different styles, so I wanted to capture that glow I see in Brazilian women. It has maracuja oil and a little coconut oil. Besides working steadfastly on developing her product line, Miranda has been a part of a pilot for a scripted dramedy called Make Time 4 Love.

What’s up next for Make Time 4 Love?

I was approached by a duo of husband and wife filmmakers who had seen me online. Right now, we’re shopping [Make Time 4 Love] around to producers, and we’ve been featured in several film festivals.

Has your time in reality TV carried over?

Although I’m very thankful for my time in reality TV and it’s given me and continues to give me a lot of the opportunities I enjoy today, it’s just not something I like to do. When I got out of it and look back, there just weren’t that many positive images to be seen. Of course, I respect the people who do it, but it’s just something I’ve almost outgrown. It doesn’t hers-magazine.com

fit me and my career anymore. Make Time 4 Love is going back to my roots, doing what I already do as an actress. As the year comes to a close, Miranda reflects on her rising popularity on social media. Beauty icons like Miranda connect with their tens of thousands of fans using social media, which become an integral part of their career as they promote themselves and grow their audience. In fact, Miranda was a 2015 “Periscoper of the Year” finalist in the Shorty Awards, an annual awards event honoring the best content creators and producers on social media.

You’re a prominent figure on Periscope, but you’ve been using Snapchat a lot more. What are your thoughts?

I think Periscope and Snapchat are really apples and oranges. Snapchat is great for when you don’t want to show people every aspect of your life. You know, you want things private sometimes. It’s something I don’t have to worry about because it all goes away in 24 hours. Periscope is completely different because it’s live and authentic. You never know what’s going to happen. My audience is experiencing everything with me. I think it’s a lot easier to compare Snapchat with Instagram [Stories]. I have a much larger audience on Instagram, so I’m not going to be using Snapchat as much… I would never leave Periscope for Snapchat. It’s just too different. I really can’t compare the two.

You’re really connected to your fans. What has been the hardest part of this active lifestyle?

The uncertainty is the most difficult part. It’s hard to make long-term commitments, because maybe I’ll plan something but have to cancel because a new opportunity arises. I have to make sacrifices for my lifestyle.

Thanksgiving is coming up. What are you most thankful for? I’m thankful for all the opportunities in my life. There’s a lot of freedom. I’m blessed to travel, get up, not go to an office, and hate my job. My life is really what I make it.

You can keep up with Africa Miranda and her beauty line by checking out her website www.africamiranda.com or following her on social media (especially Periscope!) with the handle @ africamiranda.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER MUSIC

album releases left to look forward to in 2016 The year is coming to a close, but new music is still on the horizon. Check out these new releases before closing your 2016 collection. TORI RIGGLE

Emeli Sandé, Long Live the Angels

Alicia Keys, HERE

Susan Boyle, A Wonderful World

Keys released her last album, “Girl on Fire,” four years ago, but the soulful star has been busy ever since. She may have just returned to the spotlight this year, but she returns home to her Brooklyn roots on her new album HERE, set to release Nov. 4. The R&B singer took to Twitter to promote HERE’s singles “In Common,” “Blended Family (What You Do for Love)” featuring A$AP Rocky and “Holy War.” She rewarded a few of her most loyal followers on Oct. 29 with a direct message revealing the full track list. Keys told fans what to expect from her newest record during a TODAY show appearance in September. “This album is so much about life. It’s about New York City. It’s aggressive. It’s raw. It’s me being my most truthful…my most honest,” Keys explains.

British singer Susan Boyle caught the world’s attention when her audition video for Britain’s “Got Talent” went viral in 2009, gaining over 200 million views. She stunned the judges, the audience and the world with her rendition of “I Dreamed A Dream” from Les Miserables. Boyle has even more treats for listeners on her seventh studio album in seven years. A Wonderful World features a virtual duet with legendary Nat King Cole on “When I Fall in Love.” Boyle is the first British artist ever granted this privilege. She says, “It’s a real honor, seven years on I still get to surprise people.” The album features a wide variety of genres, from children’s classics like “When You Wish Upon A Star” to Madonna’s late-80s hit “Like a Prayer.”

Sandé skyrocketed from obscurity to fame when her 2012 single “Next to Me” rose to No. 25 on the Billboard charts. The soul pop singer decided to take a break from the music scene following her sudden success, but she comes back this fall to deliver her most genuine music yet. “This entire album is about me not holding back and not censoring myself,” the Scottish artist said in a statement. “Hurts,” the record’s first single, explores all the changes Sandé endured since her first album, namely a divorce and a new record label. “‘Hurts’ explores assertiveness,” Sandé says in an interview with Fader in September. After her announcement of the “Hurts” release on Twitter, Sandé fan and pop star Katy Perry tweeted, “I am ready to lose it and then recover!!! Bring the truth!” The album has spiritual and gospel influences, but focuses on being in tune with your sensuality and inner voice.

Release Date: Nov. 4, 2016/ RCA Records

Release Date Nov. 4, 2016/ SYCO/ Columbia Records

Release Date: Nov. 11, 2016/ Virgin Records Ltd

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ HER MUSIC

Bruno Mars, 24K Magic Funky R&B/pop singer Bruno Mars went back to the studio with British producer Mark Ronson to create true magic for his latest record. The duo’s collaboration on “Uptown Funk” won 2016 Record of the Year at the Grammys in February and spent 14 weeks at Number One on Billboard’s Hot 100. While Mars shared the spotlight with the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Super Bowl XLVIII halftime show in 2014, and again with Beyoncé and Coldplay at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show in 2016, the star’s 24K Magic features no other artist but the self-proclaimed “player” himself. Mars released a single by the same name, seen on the album cover as XXIVK Magic, in October. Release Date: Nov. 18, 2016/ Atlantic

DNCE, DNCE By now you know tunes “Cake By The Ocean” and “Toothbrush” from their debut EP album SWAAY released in Oct. 2015, but DNCE’s new album hers-magazine.com

promises even more groovy pop jams. DNCE is front man Joe Jonas’s second solo effort after his Jonas Brothers claim to fame. DNCE gained popularity this summer when they opened for Selena Gomez’s Revival World Tour, and then took home the Best New Artist award at the MTV Music Video Awards in August. The band’s self-titled album features the new single “Body Moves,” which is sure to get stuck in your head just as easily as their first two singles. Release Date: Nov. 18, 2016/ Republic Records

The Weeknd, Starboy

Miranda Lambert, The Weight of These Wings One year after winning Best Country Album at the 2015 Grammy Awards, and one year following her high-profile divorce from country music star and NBC’s “The Voice” judge, Blake Shelton, Miranda Lambert has a wealth of new beginnings. The Weight of These Wings is Lambert’s first release under Vanner Records, her new label imprint in conjunction with Sony Music Nashville. In January 2016 Lambert kicked off her countrywide Keeper of The Flame tour, visiting 30 cities. The singer’s new double album delivers 24 new songs, including singles “Vice,” and “Keeper of The Flame.” Exploring topics such as darkness, resilience, self-worth and change, Lambert’s new record could be her most powerful yet. Release Date: Nov. 18, 2016/ Vanner Records

The mysterious Abel Tesfaye, as known as pop sensation The Weeknd, releases his new album this November to follow his record-setting sophomore breakout Beauty Behind the Madness, released in August 2015. His first single from the record, also named “Starboy,” teams up with French powerhouse duo Daft Punk. The song is a beat-heavy techno tune with the unique crooning that made The Weeknd a household name in pop music. No matter how familiar his name, however, the star might still have something up his sleeve. He appears on the album cover without his legendary hair and hinted at “a new era” in his last Instagram post before completely erasing all his pictures on the social media site—a sure surprise to his 6.6 million followers. The Canadian artist called his new release his “best-sounding album” in a September interview with VMAN, citing influences from The Smiths to Prince. Release Date: Nov. 25, 2016/ Universal Republic Records

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER MUSIC

4 New Holiday Releases To Remember This December

Grab your holiday cheer and get your hands on these new seasonal releases. Prepare to fall in love with new favorites and reminisce with old classics. TORI RIGGLE

Pentatonix, A Pentatonix Christmas The Grammy Award-winning acapella group is best known for winning NBC’s third season of The Sing-Off in 2011, but soon they may be known for their breathtaking arrangements of holiday classics. Pentatonix’s holiday albums have cumulatively sold over 2.5 million copies in the United States, and 34

the group’s holiday videos on YouTube have over 340 million views. The members of the acapella sensation are currently on the last leg of their 2016 Pentatonix World Tour, supporting the self-titled album released in October 2015. A Pentatonix Christmas, the group’s third holiday album, has 11 tracks, including two originals. In an

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

interview with Entertainment Tonight, PTX member Scott Hoying talked about the group’s newest release, saying, “I’m very proud of this one, especially a couple of the tracks are my favorite Christmas music we’ve ever made.” Release Date: Oct. 21, 2016/ RCA Records hers-magazine.com

+ HER MUSIC

Kacey Musgraves, A Very Kacey Christmas Amy Grant, Tennessee Christmas Multi-platinum recording artist Amy Grant released her first holiday album in nearly 20 years this past October. Tennessee Christmas was recorded at the singer’s home in Nashville. Grant has sold over 6 million holiday records since her first holiday release in 1983. She will promote the release, and share her most popular Christmas hits, on tour this holiday season, joined by Michael W. Smith and NBC’s The Voice winner, Jordan Smith. Grant also joins her husband and fellow country music star, Vince Gill, at her annual Christmas at the Ryman shows in December. Release Date: Oct. 21, 2016/ Sparrow Records/EMI CMG

hers-magazine.com

Singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves brings a new twang to modern country music. Best known for her hits “Merry Go ‘Round” and “Follow Your Arrow” from her 2013 debut studio album, Same Trailer, Different Park, the southern songstress released her first holiday record in October. The record has 12 songs with features from Leon Bridges and country music legend Willie Nelson. “I really wanted to create a whimsical throwback holiday record,” she said in a press release, “One that evokes feelings of nostalgia and simpler times.” Musgraves kicks off an eight-city tour by the same name beginning in Windsor, Ontario, on Nov. 26 and ending in Evansville, Indiana, on Dec. 17. Release Date: Oct. 28, 2016/ Mercury Records

She & Him, Christmas Party When she isn’t busy playing Jess on Fox’s hit television show New Girl, Zooey Deschanel is half of the dreamy folk duo She & Him. Deschanel and M. Ward’s sixth album, Christmas Party, is available now. The pair described the album in a press release as “an organic and minimalistic approach to holiday covers,” saying “highly produced classics get stripped down to their most fundamental elements.” The simplistic singers found success with their first seasonal album, A Very She & Him Christmas, back in 2011. Release Date: Oct. 28, 2016/ Columbia Records

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R T H E AT E R

Tis the Season to Experience the Arts On any given day, you can find a diverse array of musical artist, spoken word, fashion, fine art, crafts, book signings, festivals, dance, and theatre to experience.

So what are you waiting for? This holiday season gather friends and family or enjoy some “me time” and partake in some of these captivating displays of artistic expression.

DECEMBER Scarlett Scarlett is the dramatic love story of two talented architects, Chase and Scarlett. Their dreams for the future are abruptly ended when Scarlett is diagnosed with cancer.

Movies Dance Dance Alive National Ballet 11/05/2016 – 04/22/2017 (various cities) Alvin Ailey 11/30/2016 – 05/14/2017 (various cities) The Pulse 12/04/2016 – 07/1/2017 (various cities) Dancing with the Stars Live 12/16/2016 – 02/14/2017 (various cities) 36

NOVEMBER Loving Richard and Mildred Loving, an interracial couple, are sentenced to prison in Virginia in 1958 for getting married.

Run Run is a dramatic thriller following Levi, a young businessman who marries the love of his life, a passionate journalist who reports on human trafficking and fights to expose it. On their wedding night Natalie is kidnapped and in the process to be sold into sex slavery.

Almost Christmas A dysfunctional family gathers together for their first Thanksgiving since their mom died. Elle A successful businesswoman gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she tracks down the unknown man who raped her.

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

Hidden Figures A team of African-American women provide NASA with important mathematical data needed to launch the program’s first successful space missions. hers-magazine.com

H E R T H E AT E R

Festivals Denver International Wine Festival, November 2, 2016 Westin Hotel Denver International Airport, Denver, Colorado Orlando Urban Film Festival, November 3, 2016, Cinemark Theatre Festival Bay, Orlando, Florida Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival, November 4, 2016 New York, NY Festival of Parise Tour, Starting November 5t Various cities Shop for the Holidays Craft & Gift Show, November 6, 2016 Veil Pavilion @ Silverton Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada Untapped Dallas, November 12th, 2016 Dallas, TX House of Creatives, November 18, 2016 Miami, FL hers-magazine.com

Sojam A Capella Festival, November 18, 2016 Atlanta, GA Mariachi Festival, November 20, 2016 Los Angeles, CA Snowglobe, December 29, 2016 South Lake Tahoe, CA Decadence, December 30, 2016 Phoenix, AZ Tomorrow Never Knows, January 11, 2017 Chicago, IL Shiprocked, January 16, 2017 Miami, FL Fire & Ice Winter Festival, February 5, 2017 Lava Hot Springs, ID Polar Fest, February 5, 2017 Detroit Lakes, MI

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R T H E AT E R

Theatre (Now on Tour) Love Jones A stage adaptation of one of the greatest urban films of all time, starring Chrisette Michele, Raheem DeVaughn, MC Lyte, Marsha Ambrosius, Musiq Soulchild, Dave Hollister, Angie Fisher and more, who all bless the mic at some point in the show. Check www.ticketmaster.com for show times and location. An American in Paris Gerry is an American expatriate painter in post-WWII Paris. Struggling to find success in both art and love, his life is turned upside down when he meets and falls in love with Lise. This musical won the Best Picture Oscar in 1951 with an endearing story, amazing dance sequences, and a beautiful, often times melancholic Gershwin score. Check www.anamericaninparisbroadway.com for show times and location. The Lion King Based on the 1994 Disney animated film, directed by Julie Taymor and produced by Disney. Check www. lionking.com for show times and location. 38

Dirty Dancing Based on the 1987 classic film, tells the story of Baby & Johnny, two people from different sides of the tracks, that come together in what proves to be one of the most exhilarating times of their lives. Check www.dirtydancingontour. com for show times and location.

The Bodyguard Based on the 1992 film with the same name and includes a score with music by the late, great Whitney Houston, “The Bodyguard” is stage musical written by Alexander Dinelaris. Check www.thebodyguardmusical.com for show times and location.

The Sound of Music This cherished childhood favorite tells the story of Maria, who takes a job as governess to a large family while she decides whether to become a nun. She falls in love with the children, and eventually their widowed father, Captain von Trapp. Filled with songs and music that has become some of America’s Favorites. Check www. ticketmaster.com for show times and location.

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

The Phantom of the Opera The longest running show in Broadway history, the music was written by Charles Hart and composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. Based on the French novel “Le Fantôme de l’Opéra” by Gaston Leroux, this story revolves around a beautiful and talented woman who becomes the obsession of a mysterious, disfigured musical genius. Check www.thephantomoftheopera. com/ustour/ for show times and location.

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R R E L AT I O N S H I P

SOMETIMES… IT’S NOT THAT

DEEP BY DARREN HOWARD

know, I know. He left the toilet seat up again. You just slipped, fell and sank right into that cold porcelain bowl. It’s not a good feeling being so close to toilet water and all. Really, it’s awkward. You feel embarrassed in a room by yourself. After you’re all cleaned up and flustered, you remind him, yet again, to put the toilet seat down. How forcefully you say it is directly determined by how many times you’ve had to repeat yourself. Your man, in all his

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

wisdom, unwittingly sets off your fuse with three simple words: “Just look down.” Now, before we get to the *bleep*show that is guaranteed to ensue, let’s look at this from the bigger picture; Relationships are riddled with arguments. Sometimes, arguments between couples get started over concepts shallower than, well, a toilet bowl. To prevent these small squabbles from turning into all out gender warfare, I’ll give you some advice in quirky list format.

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R R E L AT I O N S H I P S

Here are 10 common disputes that just aren’t that deep. From here, we can pick up right where we left off with our first dispute:

1. Leaving the toilet seat up Now before you tell him about himself and the many ways that he isn’t anything related to the confines of your toilet, think about it this way: We have to look down when we drain our proverbial snakes. He’s saying this because it’s second nature to him. Should he listen to you and at least try to remember? Yes. Should you also at least look before you sit so that cold, forbidden water doesn’t get in there? Yes. Should you two be arguing in the middle of the night over commodes and excrement? No, because it’s not that deep.

2. Begging for Nudes Now, as a straight man, I can say there are few things better than the pleasant surprise of getting an unsolicited nude from your woman. But there’s nothing more high school than begging for them. Ladies, you know where I’m going. You think he’s cool, probably one of your guy friends or associates that you’re not really even into. Or, best-case scenario, he’s someone you think you might be into and

hers-magazine.com

you hope that he’s into you. You’re texting every day, and on the seventh day (an sometimes even earlier than that) you casually mention you’re about to take a shower and that you’ll text him later. You decline, either respectfully or otherwise, and the conversation is dropped for a few days until he tries again the following week. Or, maybe you’re one of the lucky girls that receives a direct message from some random stranger that just says: “Nudes?” What’s sad is that several women will relate to either one or both of those stories. What’s sadder still is I was like that myself when I was 14 and didn’t know the difference between intercourse and intermission. What’s the most pathetic, though, is that grown men still do this. Fellas, it’s not that deep. She said no, it’s time to move on.

3. Not texting/calling back This one will be short and sweet. When we (speaking for men) don’t remember to call or text you back, it’s not because we don’t like you or like talking to you. We could just be caught up doing something else. And no, not caught up texting some other broad. More like watching TV, trying to find our phone (I lose mine all the time), using the bathroom (and putting the toilet seat down when we remember to), or really we just forgot. It slipped our minds. We didn’t forget about you, love. Just like when you forget to text back when you’re caught up talking on the phone to your home girls, or watching anything from Game of Thrones to The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Or even playing some Facebook Farm game and forgetting to text back. We know you didn’t forget about us. Things happen, just call us again, or send a second text. It’s not that deep sweetheart.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R R E L AT I O N S H I P

4. Wandering Eyes “You are important,” “You deserve my attention.” These are the things your man says when he is staring you right into your eyes as you converse about any and everything. When the two of you are out in public and things are going great, the birds are chirping because its finally stopped raining outside, the food from your date was delicious, and now you two are laughing about something one of you said and you notice something: a man looking like The Rock Johnson, Boris, and Idris fused together walks by. The amalgamation of celebrity doesn’t pay you any mind as he walks past, and you steal a glance or boldly stare for a couple seconds. Your man notices too, but even more so, he notices you noticing him while he (The-Rock-Boris-Idris) doesn’t notice anything. He (your man) goes off. “Why are you looking at him when you could be looking at me? I’m your man, I’m the only one you need to be gawking at.” And you feel ambushed. I mean, it’s not like you slipped the man your number in the two seconds you were admiring him. TheRock-Boris-Idris just seemed unreal. You just had to take a look. It was just an innocent glance; there was no intention behind it. You didn’t even have one of those split second dirty thoughts that are usually crammed to the back of your mind along with they others. You try to explain to him that it didn’t mean anything but his only response is “If it didn’t mean anything then you shouldn’t have done it.” This is ridiculous, right? Just because you look at someone else doesn’t mean that your significant other is any less attractive or important, sometimes you just can’t help yourself. And it might not be just because Dwayne-The-Idris-Kojo is attractive, he could just remind you of someone (like apparently every conventionally attractive male celebrity), but even if he was attractive, that doesn’t matter because you’re not with your man solely because you’re attracted to him. You like, or love him, as a person, even his weird laugh. So stealing a look every now and then just isn’t a travesty because you and he both know that you’re not going anywhere. So ladies, cut your man some slack when the roles are reversed. It’s not that deep.

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

5. Not showing appreciation for her sacrifice To shake things up a bit, let’s go with something that really can be serious. Feeling appreciated in your relationship is very important. What is also important is how you both define what a sacrifice is and making the effort to ensure you’re on the same page. For example, if he doesn’t think that you letting him use your car to get to and from work is a sacrifice but instead a given within the relationship, that is a problem. You have two options in that case: learn him or leave him. You two both have to be on the same page and you should both show gratitude for the efforts that you take to keep your cruise ship of a relationship moving steadily. Otherwise, it will pan out to be more like the Titanic (sans Leo DiCaprio freezing to death, I would hope). However, sometimes what he believes are sacrifices, you may brush off as unimportant. Perhaps consider how many times he concedes to you – even when you’re wrong. If he misses out on sleep to see you, or takes off work, or even work a job he hates to support you, these are sacrifices as well. This will not apply to everyone; some of you may well be entertaining very selfish people. The only way to find that out is to open up communication for that, and once in the while tell each other thank you for what you do for each other. Everyone likes to feel appreciated – even if he won’t admit it.

6. Not Cuddling Moving right along… let’s talk about cuddling. When you and your significant other find the right position – big and little spoons in position – everything is grand. However, sometimes you’ll steal the sheets, or his toenails would scratch your legs, or one of you is snoring into the other’s

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R R E L AT I O N S H I P

ear. Well, he’s probably snoring in your ear like I do to my girl, but it is okay. It builds character, that’s all. We’re just exercising your eardrums. All jokes aside, cuddling isn’t always comfortable. Your hair could get in our face, our one arm under you falls asleep when we’re trying to hug you from behind and your hair gets in our face, or just rolling over might let us breathe a little bit. Being so close to someone every night could be nice, but we could also feel a bit claustrophobic. So rolling over just feels better sometimes. I know I’m guilty of it. I know you all like cuddling, and we do too – we really do. But we just aren’t going to want to all the time, just like you won’t. Trust me, there’s gonna be one day when you don’t want his hot breath on the back of your neck or his heavy arm slung around you. That night you’ll probably shift away and turn around to face him so that you’re both still close, but you also have your own space – and there is nothing wrong with that. Space is something everyone needs, even from cuddling.

8. Not inviting you to the event/party Your man should at least tell you if he’s going out to a party or some sort of showcase. That’s just courtesy, but you don’t have to attend every event or party. And the same goes for him as well, if you want to go out with your girls, then obviously he’s not invited, right? 9. Not paying attention to you when you when you’re talking I’m gonna be honest, sometimes there’s something on my mind or I’m caught up doing something else when my girl is talking. Is that right? Absolutely not, I should definitely listen when my girl is talking – even when it’s something I don’t think is very interesting or important because she extends me that same courtesy. So guys, it’s not that deep. Listen for a few minutes and contribute to the conversation. Everyone needs a sounding board and that gets to be your duty, along with others. There’s going to be things she’ll talk about that you honestly don’t find any interest in, and I know it’s annoying, but listen anyway. There’s probably some things that you talk about that she doesn’t care for either.

7. “Liking” pictures on social media Men liking an Instagram pic isn’t what you need to worry about. However, if he’s in her DMs, then you two need to have a conversation. Liking pictures is harmless as long as he keeps it that way. The important thing is how he handles things if she likes his pictures back. If he’s liking pictures just out of habit or just because he actually liked the picture, then it’s not that deep. If he didn’t put much thought into it and neither should you. hers-magazine.com

10. Farting in Bed Please, please, please, do not act like he’s the only one that does it. Don’t lie to me. Just warn him and make sure he warns you. If he doesn’t, you’re fully within your right to push him off the bed with your foot. Everything in this list boils down to communication. What really matters is how deep your relationship goes when you’re learning about your partner. Whether it’s about toilet seats or wandering eyes, talk first, argue (to an extent), make up, and move on. If you’re having problems and it doesn’t seem like things are moving the way you want them too, step back from the situation and ask yourself: is it really that deep? | N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

MULAN V

+ H E R R E L AT I O N S H I P

A New Beauty on the Rise HAIR

MULAN V HAIR COLLECTION

LASHES MULAN V LASH COLLECTION Rising hip hop star from Los Angeles California Mulan V, has captivated social media with her new music and her all natural beauty line, Mulan V Beauty Inc. This beauty collection features amazing products from luxurious hair extensions, to cosmetics and hair care products for all women around the world! With her loyal V Doll following, she has been able to take the Internet by storm as well as building an audience that appreciates her brand all around the world. From music concerts promoting her upcoming songs, to beauty shows such as the Bronner Brothers Hair Show in Atlanta, Georgia this woman does

GET THIS LOOK! â&#x20AC;&#x153;KHLOEâ&#x20AC;? Jumpsuit

www.fashionnova.com

it all! A musician with an entrepreneurial spirit and an ambition to motivate all women to be whoever they want to be!

WWW.MULANVBEAUTY.COM 44

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R R E L AT I O N S H I P S

Finally, the Truth about BY SKYLAR WATSON

“Marriage is hard,” they say. “You have to constantly work at marriage,” they say. “A marriage is a lifetime commitment,” they say. In the words of The Breakfast Club radio personality Angela Yee, “Who is they?” “They” only make thinly veiled references as to what marriage is, but no one ever tells the unadulterated truth. “They” didn’t tell me that some days I would not like my husband, which led me to question if I made the right decision to get married. “They” didn’t tell me that I would have to yell at my husband every week to put the toilet seat down. “They” didn’t tell me I would have to smile through all my husband’s exaggerated stories a thousand times whenever company comes over. And “they” most certainly did not tell me that the men who open car doors; make sure their wives don’t pump gas after dark; and are all-around stable providers disappeared with my father’s generation. I am not saying that I do not like being married or that it doesn’t have its benefits, but what I am saying is that I wish I had a more realistic view of marriage so I would’ve known what I was getting myself into. Most little girls are spoon-fed this fantasy of a big, glamorous wedding while topping it off with a house on a hill and a white picket fence. As hard as marriage is, I definitely don’t think it’s something you should wish or dream about your whole life or think that becoming someone’s wife is a “status” symbol. I was recently asked what sustains my marriage. Besides all the typical stuff like love, commitment, etc., what makes me want to stay married is the ability to completely be myself. Understand that marriage is not a place where you get to hide; it’s a situation where you should be completely free. My husband has always accepted who I am as a person and never tried to change me. I’m a free spirit who doesn’t like to conform to traditional norms, so as one can imagine,

hers-magazine.com

I’d never thought I would get married. However, I did know that if I were to, as Jay-Z eloquently put it, “jump out the window,” my husband would have to accept my whimsical ways. Marriage is too hard without having to worry about trying to change to please your partner. What makes marriage worth it? The consistency. I know that if I am having a bad day, my husband is only a phone call away. He always has my back and is extremely supportive. I once described marriage as having your own hype man, 24/7 because that is what it feels like. My intention is not to paint a gloomy picture of marriage, but a realistic one. Marriage is the intertwining of two separate lives becoming one, so of course, there will be some bumps in road. Marriage is one of those situations that you cannot fully understand unless you are in it, and by then, you’re in too deep. You have no way to prepare for what’s to come. I always tell my friends, “Marriage is the best and worst thing you can ever do in your life.” You have your good days and bad days just like any other situation. On the bad days, I am comforted by thought that “trouble don’t last always,” and we may be in a bad space now, but tomorrow is a brand new day of second chances. I have found that what helps keep a marriage successful are the usual suspects: trust, communication, loyalty, and excitement. Marriage is not for the faint of heart. It is hard as hell and cannot be perfected, but it is totally worth it. Marriage is a wonderful, frustrating enigma of paradoxes, so proceed with caution because only the strong will survive.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER HAIR

Mulan Beauty Review BY MELEENA MURRAY

Hair product of the season goes to the Mulan V Pro Hair Care. Each bottle is a conversation up for grabs, starting with the moisturizing Argon oil shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo is a sulfate- and paraben-free gentle cleanser that is safe color. Although as a natural hair stylist I will use this on wavy textured natural hair that has even balance of porosity, and elasticity. Simply because it is a weightless product, which means it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t weigh the hair down or leave the hair with a heavy coating. The conditioner is a revitalizing hair formula, and from the feel, it is also sulfate and paraben free. It is very light and allows for a free flow of the hair. If you like the type of body in your hair that blows in the wind, then this is the product for you. Among the line, my favorites are the Curl Amplifier Cream and Ultra Styling Mist. The Curl Amplifier Cream provides thermal safe hydration and shine. After shampooing and conditioning the hair, I utilized the cream just before the blow dry, and the hair felt really soft with a silky appearance. Afterward I used the Ultra Styling Mist, which provided a weightless shine and humidity resistance for flat ironing or curling hair. This was my ultimate favorite product. Overall, this pro care line has a light and citrus sweet aroma, and I give it thumbs up. 46

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ HER BUSINESS

Keep Your Friends Close and Investors Closer BY DANIELLE GLOSSON

Most have heard the saying “ keep your friends close but your enemies closer.” When it comes to business, an entrepreneur should consider following those guidelines. Founders rely on investors to assist financially when starting or growing a business. These finances are derived from three types of investors: family and friends, angel investors, and venture capitalists. By no means is an angel investor or venture capitalist an enemy, but due to a lack of trust or personal relationship, the entrepreneur tends to initially ask family and friends for financial capital. Investments from loved ones are very common, although businessmen should take precaution in relying solely on those funds.

amily and friends are critical when running a business and, "investments from friends and family are often what make a startup possible in the first place" (Wasserman 257). Those individuals also provide support, encouragement, and constructive criticism for the entrepreneur. The ability to bounce ideas off others and gain confidence in presenting a business plan is invaluable. "A founder is greatly influenced by the family and culture in which he or she grew up in. The most powerful influences may come from the early messages sent by the words and action of older relatives or by the culture in which a person grew up" (Wasserman 30). The founder will ultimately have the final decision though loved ones take part in a powerful influence. Regardless of the business stage, startup or growth, the entrepreneur should be prudent in choosing an investor(s). According to David Amis and Howard Stevenson in the book, The 7 Fundamentals of Early Stage Investing, an investor can participate in one or more of the five fundamental roles: Silent investor, reserve force, team member, coach, controlling investor, or lead investor. Other considerations when selecting an investor should includ 1. Investor’s goals and passions 2. Market knowledge/expertise 3. Social capital in a specific industry 4. Successful experience and reputation 5. Financial capacity

hers-magazine.com

It is not out of the realm of possibility to have a friend or family member(s) invest in the entrepreneur’s business and attain a high level of success. The founder either provided a professional structure for the member to abide by or the friend/family member encompassed several or all of the characteristics listed above. Investments from family and friends are difficult to handle when the member values the small amount of wealth donated, does not provide any business skills or industry knowledge, and struggles with a professional relationship. “A bosssubordinate (entrepreneurinvestor) relationship may make perfect organizational sense but will not suit a pair of best friends very well; nor will positions of equal authority suit a father and son” (Wasserman 102). The success of the business sits on the shoulders of the entrepreneur and all decisionmaking is his/her responsibility. Stressful business situations and differences in opinion can significantly increase tension in a personal relationship. Retaining a friend or family member as an investor eliminates a nonbusiness environment, which can cause impacting relationship damage. In conclusion, family and friends will always be a valuable part of an entrepreneur’s business. Personal investments can be beneficial, especially in startup, but it is imperative to define boundaries and limit activity in order to preserve personal relationships. Entrepreneurs should keep friends close for support and encouragement while working closely with quality investors to further advance the business.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R FAS H I O N

Macy’sFall Winter Fashions Macy’s has the greatest assortment of fabulous gifts to make the fashionista on your list giddy with excitement. Weather she’s prim and proper, diva magnifico, or edgy-fierce, Macy’s has gasp-worthy shoes to add to their collection.

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R FAS H I O N

hers-magazine.com

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

HER FOOD

REVIEW:

ORGANIC SNACKS MADE FROM SEEDS

rom schools to fast food restaurants, as the effort to prevent sickness and gain optimal health wages on in America, companies are creating better options for one of the main culprits of poor health: snacking. Potato chips, cookies, doughnuts, and candy bars line the snack aisle in most stores, but seed-based snacks are becoming more popular for those who seek healthy options besides fruit. Currently, these options include: Eden Foods Organic Pumpkin Seeds Nutiva Organic Shelled Hempseed Thrive Market Organic Sunflower Seeds We decided to try a new brand, Organic Superseed Crunch, that combines several types of seeds: flax, chia and sesame. Absolutely GlutenFree recently introduced Organic Superseed Crunch in August 2016, and it comes in three different flavors: plain, cinnamon and coconut. 50

The company states that the kosher snacks provide 2000 mg of Omega 3 ALA per serving, prebiotic fiber, antioxidants, and lignans along with minerals such as calcium, iron, B1, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, copper and manganese. Each 4.5 oz. re-sealable bag retails for $4.99 - $5.99, and contains enough toasted clusters to eat over several servings. After trying the original, or plain, variety first, we found the taste agreeable, which is often the foremost challenge with healthy food products. The toasted sesame seed flavor was dominant, leaving us guessing what an actual chia tastes like. We then tried the cinnamon flavor and was pleasantly surprised that it was easilydiscernable. Again the taste of toasted sesame lingered, but it was less prevalent in this variety. The last sample was the coconut flavor. For those who like coconut flavored foods, they will certainly appreciate the natural coconut flavor

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

that eclipses all others. This was the editor’s least favorite flavor because she generally doesn’t care for coconut flavored snacks in general. Overall, the favorite among our staff was the original variety with no added flavoring. Our only minor gripe was that some of the snacks crumble at the bottom of the back, and the composition becomes more like cereal. That didn’t deter us though, we turned the bags upside and poured the toasted seeds into our mouth. It’s also interesting to note that a few days after eating the snacks, the editor, Annette, noticed a lingering knee pain had stopped. She thought that it was linked to the calcium or essential fatty acids, but whatever it was, she is now a fan of these Dzseedy snacks,dz as she calls them. Our magazine has no financial arrangement of any kind with this company and its products, so our remarks are purely subjective, based solely on our opinions. hers-magazine.com

Making the Most of Stocking Stuffers Some people may consider stocking stuffers as forgettable gift items because they are inexpensive. Well, here are holiday stocking stuffers they wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t forget.

hers-magazine.com

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R F E AT U R E

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R F E AT U R E

Beauty: Bobbie’s Innovations in

MAKE-UP WITHOUT THE MESS UP BY MONA AUSTIN

Today Show beauty and style expert Bobbie Thomas was enjoying a girl’s night at home in New York when her bestie, Andrea DeVos Abraham, asked for makeup tips. Knowing every woman wants a simplified beauty routine, Thomas didn’t just toss information at her friend, she organized her make up palettes for ease of use and created a step-by-step numbered system for applying it. This “problem-solving” process became the template that sparked a partnership for the development of their very own make up company, Woosh! Beauty. The company does not only offer cosmetics, but also it has developed innovative tools to apply the makeup. Since entering the market a year ago, Woosh has already garnered recognition. In fact, the v-shaped corner brush that allows the user to accurately apply liner and eye shadow sold out within 10 minutes when it was first launched on HSN. The mess-catching eye stencil is also a nifty development, which is a guide for applying eyeliner and cat eyes, as well as catching debris from shadows. Thomas said that after years of hearing consumer complaints, she knew what they really needed was more

hers-magazine.com

help understanding how to use the products. Thus, the goal became to help consumers achieve the look they could get from a pro on their own. “I noticed that a lot of brands, while they had great products, they really didn’t do enough of holding your hand when it came to getting that kind of help. It’s like getting your hair done at the salon is an amazing experience. It looks great, but when you go to recreate that style at home, there’s the challenge. So when it came to makeup, that was an area I felt could be better served.” Woosh’s unique handwritten instructions give the products a personal feel, and the most inexperienced users can get a boost of confidence. The simplified beauty system also provides another surprise: empowering messages. On the inside of the step-by-step “Fold Out Face” palette, the first thing you’ll see is the definition of “pro-girl,” a woman who supports other women instead of competing with them. Woosh! Beauty is available exclusively on HSN.

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ H E R F E AT U R E

Bobbie’s Beauty Tips BY MONA AUSTIN

Hers chatted with the beauty guru to snag some ideas for what to wear when you step out to parties this holiday season. In general, Bobbie says when it comes to outfit colors “Think Thanksgiving table.” People are dying their hair every color in the rainbow and beyond. I never thought I’d see 21-year-old color their hair gray. Can you speak to the trend of hair coloring? I think women are more comfortable in their selfexpression. We are seeing a trend where people are pushing the envelope. Younger girls are having fun with the unexpected. These young girls have to go to a corner that hasn’t been tried so they are trying gray. It’s fun to see women 50, 60 even 70 who are a part of the amazing clique called ‘advanced style.’ They all love and embrace firebrand red hair or purple. I think it’s nice that people are embracing it, and that its’ not just celebrities. It is definitely a fun trend. What are you seeing people wear more in terms of clothing colors? This fall is more about the camel, the butterscotch, the eggplant. A lot of those colors are back in vogue.

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

For the busy mom who is going on a girl’s night out but has no clue what makeup to wear, what do you advise? There is a big movement toward a ‘fresh look,’ which means investing in your skincare, getting a great concealer and powder so that your skin is the best it can be, and then just simply adding on a bold lip. That is a really hot trend. A lot of women are foregoing a bold eye to do a bold lip. On the opposite end of the spectrum, some women don’t like wearing color on their lip, and I think you can equally argue that there is a huge trend toward smokey eyes and cat eyes. Even colored eye shadow is in vogue again. We see lots of color. So the great news is that there’s choice. You have the younger girls who will look to Kylie Jenner, who sometimes overdoes the eyes and lips. Older women will look to Hoda and Kathie Lee, who will have a fresher approach to their makeup that’s more youthful.

hers-magazine.com

+ H E R FA I T H /S P I R I T UA L I T Y

GETTING BACK ON TRACK WITH YOUR GOALS BY SARA JACKSON

Remember the diet, the weight loss challenge or the new hobby you enjoyed for all of two weeks in January as part of your New Year’s resolution. You possibly even started your very own vintage collection of wine until that became too much or your “No New Friends” motto went out the window when your old friends weren’t enough. The difference you sought in yourself is not lining up with the anticipated growth that you prayed for on December 31. As you look around, the seasons look familiar but you do not. The people, places and things haven’t moved, but you indeed are not where you want to be.

omewhere along your path to annual renewal you’ve become distracted and lost dedication to some of your more important goals. The loss of something valuable, such as a goal, is something we all struggle with in life, but the good news is you can always get back to YOU. In Luke 15:8 the woman had ten silver coins and realized that she lost one. Does one not turn on the lights, look under the furniture and search until it’s found? And once the coin is found, doesn’t one celebrate for securing and finding the lost coin. Biblically, the coin is understood as something valuable, and when something is of value, it is worth the search. Similarly, how do you get back on track with your lost goals? You create a plan to attain your objective rather than thinking it was unworthy or unachievable because you failed to achieve it the first or even the second time. The point is disruptive challenges are inevitable, but they don’t have to be permanent. Take on only one aspect of

hers-magazine.com

your goal at a time, so it doesn’t seem insurmountable. For instance, instead of joining a gym to lose 50 pounds, begin by simply becoming more active. This may mean taking the stairs instead of the elevator at work. Accomplish that feat and then move on to changing some dietary habits, such as drinking more water. So as you gather with family and friends, coworkers and strangers this holiday season for mere moments in celebratory passing, remember that life is ever-changing, but being stuck isn’t an option. Do not forget where you started and how you want to finish! Check for your coins and if you have lost anything of value. Do not focus on what you have failed to accomplish, but rather, be bold and search for the lost. As there is more joy in reclaiming what you have lost than the many that already make you strong. “Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost.”

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER GADGETS

GADGETS FOR

GIRLS BY IMAN COMBS

With 2016 coming to a close, and Christmas fast approaching, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about that time that we start looking for gifts, whether it be for our friends, or suggestions for our friends to get for us. These are some of the five hottest gadgets out this year:

Breo iSee 4 ($149) Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a long week, month, and year, and we are all deserving of a little pampering and relaxation. One of the best ways to achieve that at-home selfindulgence would be to sit back, relax, and let an electric eye massager do its magic. The Brew 56

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

iSee 4 is a wireless massager that has a variety of different vibration speeds, peaceful music, and even a massage feature that focusses on the pressure points. Even better, it comes with a travel case for you to take on a plane ride or to work for a midday break. hers-magazine.com

+ HER GADGETS

Phone 7($749)

Apple has, yet again, made some pretty impressive updates to the iPhone. While some are hesitant to buy a product that has eliminated its headphone jack feature, in all actuality, there is a pretty intelligent and customer-beneficial reason behind it: water resistance. Without a plethora of cavities, water is lesslikely to flood and completely disable your expensive, lifeenhancing device. Another neat feature is the camera, which is 12.3 MP rear and 8 MP front.Improvements have been made to the quality of the pictures, and there are new editing options ready to be put to use.

JBL Charge 3 Portable Wireless Speaker ($149) When isn’t it useful to have a portable wireless waterproof speaker on hand? The answer is ‘never’. You can carry the JBL Charge 3 in your purse to any music-loving party, and have blast, or just listen to some smooth jazz while you reread your Jane Austen novel on the couch. What’s more? It’s water-friendly. Hydrophilic hip-hop at a hot tub party sounds like plan.

Google Chromecast ($35 for 2nd Gen.; $69 for Ultra HD)

Google Chromecast is one of the cutest, most convenient home accessories to have. Not only can you stream your favorite T.V. shows from your smartphone or laptop, but you can also listen to music from Spotify or Pandora, and playentertaining or helpful YouTube videos. Tired of hooking that large, bulky laptop up to an HDMI cord to do your YouTube yoga? Just stream it to your nifty Google Chromecast, place down a mat, and start those sun salutations.

Lumo Run Shorts and Capris ($99 for the shorts or $119 for the capris)

Like everything else in our lives, even exercise has adapted to the Digital Age.Lumo Bodytech, a technological company that strives to help people know more about their health and body, has developed a product that aims to make collecting running data a bit easier. The Lumo Run Shorts and Capris are bottoms with an attached tracker that records and analyzes distance, pace, and body movement, and then sends the feedback directly to your smartphone. By examining the metrics, it even makes suggestions for ways to improve your running. hers-magazine.com

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER TRAVEL

WHERE TO GO TO CELEBRATE AN OLD-FASHIONED

CHRISTMAS BY PEGGY HATTENDORF

What images come to mind when you envision an oldfashioned Christmas? • • • • •

Christmas trees with handmade ornaments Popcorn garlands for the tree Gingerbread house Sugar cookies in holiday designs Nativity scenes

Well, if you want to preserve a traditional holiday but in a novel place, these destinations are filled with holiday charm and old-fashioned traditions that deliver the spirit of this festive season. 58

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

How could it get more festive than in a town called Santa Claus? www.santaclausind.org. This small Indiana village calls itself “America’s Christmas Hometown” and holds a Christmas celebration the first three weekends (Friday through Sunday) in December. Here’s a sampling of fun things for the whole family: •

Listen to the story of Santa Claus and chat with an Elf on the North Pole Network as you wander through Santa Claus Museum & Village.

•

Kids can write a letter to Santa and mail it at the original and one-and-only Santa Claus Post Office. While there, request a Santa Claus Station Christmas postmark for your holiday mail.

•

Spend time during the day at Santa’s Candy Castle and return in the evening to roast chestnuts at an oldfashioned campfire.

•

Shop for unique holiday gifts at The Santa Claus Christmas Store, the Evergreen Boutique & Christmas Shop and the gift shops inside the town’s famous attractions. Browse the displays of homemade crafts and specialty foods available for purchase at the Santa Claus Arts & Crafts Show.

•

Watch the kids enjoy face painting and view Sheri’s holiday themed chainsaw wood carving demonstrations.

•

Other festivities include the Santa Claus Land of Lights – Family Christmas Light Adventure and the magical story of Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer, just a short distance away at Lake Rudolph. hers-magazine.com

+ HER TRAVEL

back for this year’s holiday season. Have some mulled wine or hot chocolate and pizza at the indoor Ice Lounge Bar and café in the lovely surroundings of Royal Victoria Park.

The town’s hotels include Santa’s Lodge, which has an onsite restaurant, Santa’s Lakeside Cottages and The Holiday House. Northstar Vacation Rentals is another choice with its festively named units including the Gingerbread House that sleeps 10 and the Mistletoe Bungalow which offers loft-style accommodations to sleep 6. The town of Bath England www.VisitBath.co.uk is a beautiful city to visit anytime of the year, but during the Christmas holidays, it decks out in English splendor. With Christmas lights and street entertainers, even shopping is a festive affair. Here are some seasonal highlights: •

•

Positioned dramatically in front of the iconic Bath Abbey, the annual Christmas Market lines the quaint Georgian street of the central square. This 18-day event has many new vendors this year displaying their wares in the traditional wooden market stalls. Claire Pickup, the PR & Communications Assistant for the Bath Tourism Office noted, “The market is so picturesque, purposefully English and local, not heavily influenced by the German Christmas Market style.” Enjoy the seasonal entertainment from the street musicians and carolers as you relax with a coffee or drink in one of the local cafes and bars in the surrounding area. Participate or watch the skaters at the Bath Ice Rink

hers-magazine.com

•

Tour the Festival of Light featuring an Edwardian Christmas at the stately Elizabethan home, Longleat House. Expansive outdoor displays greet visitors as they make their way inside the home dressed in traditional Edwardian festive décor.

•

Try a different spin for your New Year’s Eve celebrations. The Roman Baths and Pump Room have a Gala with a reception around the steaming waters of the Great Bath before guests partake in a five course dinner with wine.

Bath’s gorgeous architecture, the Roman Baths, Bath Abbey, top restaurants and hotels make this a delightful tourist destination. Top hotels include The Royal Crescent Hotel, Abbey Hotel, The Hilton Bath Hotel and Sofitel’s Francis Hotel. The Bath Priory, the Macdonald Spa Hotel, The Abbey, the Royal Crescent hotel and Bailbrook House have offerings for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals according to Claire Pickup from the Tourist office. What a perfect place to celebrate a traditional English Christmas holiday season! Are you ready for an Ozark Mountain Christmas? Branson Missouri www.explorebranson.com/festivalsfairs/old-time-christmas has been celebrating this tradition for over a quarter of a century. The city transforms into a holiday wonderland from early November through New Year’s Day. What fun things are in store this holiday season? •

Start the December festivities with the lighting of the Adoration Scene on Mount Branson followed by the Adoration Parade in downtown Branson the first Sunday in December.

•

Open during the holidays are most of the area’s popular attractions like the Branson Scenic Railway’s Polar Express Train Ride and the Zipline Tour.

•

Drive through the Christmas Lights displays – Branson has three!

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER TRAVEL

1. The Ozark Mountain Christmas Lights and Village is a magical mile and a half drive featuring light displays in all colors and sizes. Try an old fashioned horse-drawn carriage or wagon ride while at the Village. 2. The Branson’s Gift of Lights is a one-mile drive that winds along a lighted path with more than 300 displays. 3. The Shepherd of the Hills Trail of Lights is on the 160acre historic homestead decked out in holiday splendor. Capture another view of the lights by ascending Inspiration Tower.

Many hotels and resorts pull out all the stops during the holidays including Santa visits and special activities for the kids with lots of tasty sweets and treats. The chain hotels from Hilton, Comfort Suites, Holiday Inn Express and Suites and Best Western are represented along with Vacation homes and resorts such as Thousand Hills Golf Resort and the Chateau on the Lake Resort, Spa and Convention Center. The holiday festivities – add to the uniqueness which is Branson. Ah . . . nothing could be sweeter than a Hershey’s. Hershey Pennsylvania www.hersheypark.com is the town that chocolate built by its founder Milton S. Hershey. This small community surrounded by farmland employs people in all enterprises named Hershey – the Hershey Chocolate Factory - Hershey Park - The Hershey Story Museum - Highpoint Mansion, the founder’s former home, now the headquarters for the Hershey Foundation - Hershey Corporate Offices - The Hershey Bears hockey center - Milton Hershey School and the Hershey Gardens. •

Start with a tour of the Hershey’s Chocolate Factory and see how the legendary Chocolate is made – Hershey Kisses, Hershey bars and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

•

Spend time at Hershey Park and Christmas CandyLane. Enjoy live holiday entertainment, see Santa with his nine live reindeer or go skating on Rudolph’s skating pond. However, it’s the park’s thrill rides and roller coasters that get the adrenalin pumping. In the evening, see the magical light display called Sweet Lights which glistens with over 4 millions lights!

Silver Dollar City, just a short drive from Branson, presents an eye-popping light display with over 5 million lights! There is much to see with - two live Christmas shows - 1,000 decorated Christmas trees - a musical living nativity - a Christmas on Main Street light and sound show with a five-story special effects Christmas tree - and the Holly Jolly Christmas Light Parade with decorated floats, costumed characters and Rudolph. 60

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com

+ HER TRAVEL

•

Take in the pleasures of the German Christmas Market for last minute and unique holiday gifts. Enjoy the holiday concerts, events and sample the hot spiced wine called Gluhwein.

•

Bring the kids to the “Cookie Crawl” on Sundays to collect free cookies by following the Cookie Crawl map.

•

Enjoy the winter recreation facilities open for downhill and cross country skiing, tubing, old-fashioned sleigh rides, dog sledding rides, snowmobiling, snowboarding and snowshoeing.

•

Plan to stay for New Years as many of the restaurants, breweries and beer gardens, wineries and wine tasting rooms, offer their own New Year’s Eve celebrations.

The namesake establishments, The Hotel Hershey and the Hershey Lodge, offer Christmas-themed packages which include tickets to Sweet Lights and either milk and cookies delivered to the room or breakfast with Santa Claus at the resort. Traditional holiday fare is served at the restaurants on property at each hotel. In addition to these hotels, there are some mid-range priced chain properties and for additional lodging choices Harrisburg is 15 miles west of the town. The holidays are truly special in the Bavarian village of Leavenworth Washington www. leavenworthchristmaslighting.com. Take a trip to Germany without living the U.S. This quaint town in the alp-like mountains of Washington State is consistently rated one of the top Christmas town’s in the United States. The whole town comes alive with festivities from Thanksgiving through New Years. •

•

Start the festivities with the arrival of Santa and his Christmas character friends – Mrs. Claus, Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman along with Angels and elves - at noon every Saturday and Sunday of the lighting weekends. At the Gazebo in the center of town, there’s a host of entertainment including military bands, musicians, strolling carolers and high school choirs. See the downtown area come alive with over a half million LEDS lights used for the Christmas lighting display, now in its 50th year. Lights and displays adorn the city while the carolers sing favorite holiday classics. These lighting ceremonies take place every Saturday and Sunday at 5:00pm the first three weekends of December.

hers-magazine.com

Accommodations include The Bavarian Lodge, The Icicle Village Resort along with bed & breakfast inns and condos. Most of the restaurants are open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day offering traditional American or classic German holiday meals. Leavenworth brings German yuletide without going to Europe. Think Myrtle Beach South Carolina www. VisitMyrtleBeach.com as more than just a summer vacation spot. Although the winter temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean may not invite running into the surf, December weather offers crisp sunny days for walks on the less crowded beach and boardwalk and cool evenings for beachside holiday events. •

See live shows, special events, Christmas parades and beautiful decorations as the Grand Strand transforms into an extravaganza for the holidays. Current show line-up includes: | N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER TRAVEL

•

The Carolina Opry’s - Christmas Special a colorful holiday musical variety and comedy show.

•

The Palace Theatre - “Christmas Wonderland,” with holiday costumed chorus girls.

•

The Alabama Theatre – “The South’s Grandest Christmas Show,” its award winning production.

•

Salute the season at Ripley’s Aquarium with a “Festival of Trees.” There are trees for each of the 50 states decorated and designed to reflect a particular theme for that state.

•

Take a short drive to Murrell’s Inlet to see the spectacular Brookgreen Gardens, a personal favorite. Set on the grounds of four former rice plantations, today it houses the largest collection of American sculpture art in the world. At the holiday season, the gardens are adorned with more than 5,000 hand-lit candles and sparkling lights for its celebration called – “Nights of a Thousand Candles.”

•

Shop at the premier holiday event, The Dickens Christmas Show & Festival, celebrating its 35th year.

•

Brookgreen Gardens has an early New Year’s Eve called “Garden by Candlelight” with hand-lit candles, holiday lights, food and music. Other New Year’s Eve celebrations take place at La Belle Amie Vineyard, Broadway at the Beach with its annual New Year’s Fireworks and Southern Time Square at the Market Common.

Many of the hotel properties offer holiday packages that include meals and live entertainment. Choices are the Island Vista Resort, Marina Inn at Grande Dunes, North Beach Plantation and the Caribbean Resort. Sea Captains House serves hearty holiday meals. Myrtle Beach offers a Southern style holiday - sans the snow. Your favorite holiday Christmas songs can be heard around Music City, starting in mid-November. Steeped in Southern traditions 62

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

and country flare, Nashville Tennessee http://www. musiccity.com/visitors/events/acountrychristmas , throws out the stops for an extravagant and fun-filled Holiday season. There are Christmas light displays all over Nashville and the surrounding areas. •

Join in the kick-off festivities with the Nashville Christmas parade happening December 3rd. This is a fun event for the whole family. This year’s Grand Marshal is Kelly Clarkson.

•

Experience the nightly Opryland Christmas Lighting Ceremony that runs from late November to New Year’s Day. It’s a glitzy, stunning spectacular with over twomillion Christmas lights and two-million pounds of ice for sculptures.

•

Check out the annual Parade of Tress decorated by country music artists and celebrities.

•

Skate outdoors on a 6000 square-foot ice-skating rink. Kids will enjoy The Arctic Plunge, a five lane snow tubing hill, covered with 1.5 million pounds of snow. This year, the attraction ICE has four ice slides for children. On the more subdued side, take a carriage ride or view the beautiful outdoor Nativity display.

•

Get tickets for holiday performances at the famous Ryman, where Amy Grant and Vince Gill headline on December 22rd.

•

Indoor attractions include Santa’s Snowball toss, Santa’s Tea Cups ride and a kiddy train. Youngsters can also enjoy having cookies with Mrs. Claus.

•

Pack the kids in the car for a short drive to see the Dancing Lights of Christmas on the “North Pole route” at Jellystone Park. This drive-through light show has huge displays of LED lights dancing to the Christmas tunes that come through the car radio when tuned to Big 98 WSIX. The grand holiday light show continues with the “South Pole route” through the streets of the elaborately decorated homes in the suburbs of Brentwood and Franklin.

•

Enjoy more Light Displays at Cheekwood Holiday Lights. From the mansion to the gardens, the grounds are adorned with one million lights, elegant displays, live reindeer and beautiful views.

•

Visit Grassmere Historic Home, the first three weekends in December, for a taste of a traditional Victorian hers-magazine.com

+ HER TRAVEL

Christmas. The home is fashioned in holiday finery and vintage decorations that have been collected over the years by Margaret and Elise Croft, the former tenants of the property whose family owned the land and home for five generations. •

Experience a country New Years at the Jack Daniel’s Music City Midnight: New Year’s Eve in Nashville. With a new location at Bicentennial Capitol Mall State Park this year, enjoy traditional music, fireworks displays and the (musical) Note Drop at midnight all set against the backdrop of the State Capitol building and the Nashville skyline.

a glimpse into how Doris Duke decorated, entertained and planned her holiday festivities. The Chanler at Cliff Walk and the Castle Hill Inn offer sumptuous accommodations. For less expensive lodging, try one of the chain hotels or vacation rentals. The nearly city of Warwick also has a wide range of lodging choices. Although known throughout Europe for its particular spin on Christmas Markets, the small town of Valkenburg Netherlands www.kerststadvalkenburg.nl may not be widely known in the United States. Valkenburg’s markets are unique and here’s why:

The city has no shortage of fine places to stay with the Omni Hotel, Hyatt Place, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center, Hilton Nashville Downtown, Sheraton Nashville Downtown, Loews, The Hermitage Hotel and the Union Station Hotel. A great destination all year long, but during the holidays, this city shines!

•

The Christmas Market Municipal Cave, now in its 31st year, is the oldest, largest and most visited underground Christmas Market in Europe. In this unequaled setting, you can spend hours roaming the many stalls filled with Christmas gifts and one-of-a-kind items while you listen to holiday music.

There is a certain mystique about Newport Rhode Island www.christmasinnewport.com and at the holiday season a city-wide celebration takes place centered on old fashioned traditions. Check the comprehensive schedule for Christmas in Newport 2016 on the website.

•

The Christmas Velvet Cave, smaller in size than the Municipal cave but still packed with beautiful decorations, offers visitors not only the market stall shopping experience but also the chance to see mural paintings, sculptures and an 18th century chapel.

•

Rollout for the season officially begins early in the month with a proclamation read by the Mayor. This is followed by the Christmas tree lighting ceremony, the Newport Artillery cannon salute and live music.

•

Enjoy the Christmas in Newport festival, which started 46-years ago and is activity packed for most of the month of December. Many of the festival events are free of charge.

•

Plan to take the spectacular Christmas tours at the Newport Mansions. Products of the Gilded Age in America, these magnificent homes – The Breakers, Cornelius Vanderbilt’s 70-room Italianate Palazzo - The Elms - and Marble House - are all decked out in holiday majesty. The tours take you through artistically designed, professionally decorated and elaborately costumed rooms with thousand of poinsettias and poinsettia trees, fresh cut flowers, evergreens, wreaths, ornaments and holiday displays.

•

Savor the Mistletoe Madness at Glen Manor House with a cocktail reception and dancing, as well as a Christmas tour of Whitehall, an 18th Century mansion, where visitors enjoy wassail and Christmas specialties. Whitehorne House is where you can experience an 1800’s traditional holiday in Newport.

•

Visit the Duke mansion in Winter Rough Point. The tour called the “Undecked Halls: Behind the Scenes,” gives you

hers-magazine.com

Add MERGELPIJK, another underground cave experience, with beautiful Marlstone sculptures and works of art. Marlstone is a rock containing clay materials, calcium and magnesium carbonate. Highlights include a film about the Marlstone wizard who sketches the story of Christmas and a life-size Marlstone sculpture of Rembrandt’s Nightwatch. In addition to these renown underground Christmas Markets, there is more to enjoy “above ground” in Valkenburg. There is Santa’s Village, the Christmas Parade and for a culinary treat, make reservations for the Route D’Amuse. These are organized walks, in and around the center of the town, along comfortable paths and roads, where you stop at host restaurants for appetizers known as “taste pleasures.” The town has a good sampling of 3-4 star hotels including a former chateau! Feast on Dutch holiday favorites including game meats, roast pork, fondues and fruited Christmas loaf roll called Kerststol at the restaurants and hotels. List of credits, acknowledgements and photos: The Spencer County Visitors Bureau – Santa Claus, Indiana, Public Relations VisitBath.co.uk – Public Relations ExploreBranson.com, Director of Communications Hershey Entertainment, Reservation Coordinator Leavenworth Chamber of Commerce, Media Director Nashville Chamber of Commerce, Christmasinnewport.com, Public Relations Valkenburg Netherlands, Secretariaat Stichting Kerststad Valkenburg

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

+ HER GADGETS

FIVE ESSENTIAL

APPS FOR TRAVEL BY PEGGY HATTENDORF

Besides the obvious, what else should you take on your upcoming trip? These handy (and free) apps, will make your travel experience a lot easier, especially in a foreign country. Maps.me http://maps.me. This app gives you a map of any country – any place from large metropolitan cities to small remote villages. And it can do this without an internet connection as long as you download the maps ahead of time. The speed is fast, the zoom capabilities are good and it conveys detailed information. It is available for iPhone, Blackberry and other Android platforms. Periscope http://periscope.tv. Through the use of live video, you can stream exciting happenings of your travel experiences to family and friends from your camera phone. The company calls it “Discovering the world through someone else’s eyes.” It is owned by Twitter and is available for iPhone and Android platforms. XE Currency App http://xe.com. This app uses live proprietary exchange rates and historical charts providing 64

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

you with up-to-date currency exchange rates to help you know the cost of your purchases or services. It will store the latest updated rates in the event you are without an internet connection. It’s a free app and available for most platforms. Google Translate http://translate.google.com. This app can instantly translate words, phrases, web pages and voice translations from English to over 100 other languages. It is a free service. It now works offline on iPhones. Android users can now translate within an app. Yandex.Translate http://yandex.translate.com. This app has the benefit of being able to be used offline or when no internet connection is available. Offline it can translate text from photos – free offline dictionary and translator. It offers free online translation from any pair of 80+ languages.

hers-magazine.com

6 ISSUES FOR

JUST $9.95

F E AT U R E S • H E A R T • F L AVO R • H E A LT H L E S S O N S • W O R K • P L AY W W W. H E R S - M A G A Z I N E . C O M hers-magazine.com

| N ovem ber/D ec em ber 2 0 1 6 | H ER S Ma gazi n e |

Something to write with, on, about, and We provide extensive editorial services from inception to production to marketing. We donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t let writers just publish anything because we care about your success.

Expert Author Services www.e-allwrite.com 66

| HERS M a gazine | Novemb er/ Dec emb er 20 1 6 |

hers-magazine.com