American Brain Tumor Association Fall Festival

On September 15, 2012, I had the honor of attending the 15th annual American Brain Tumor Association Fall Festival at the St. Louis Science Center. The mission of the American Brain Tumor Association is to advance the understanding and treatment of brain tumors with the goals of improving, extending and, ultimately, saving the lives of those impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis.

Funds raised at the benefit went directly and exclusively to brain tumor research funded by ABTA. The festival was started in 1997 by Jeanne Savel in memory of her sister Terri Sepac Yarbrough who lost her battle at the young age of 36 after giving birth to her third child.

This year’s event was put together by dedicated individuals whose lives have been forever touched by a brain tumor diagnosis and volunteers from local high schools and universities. 

If you have questions on how to support their efforts please call 800-886-ABTA (2282) or visit here.

Streetscape TV interview

We discuss Miss USA, the Donald and pageant controversies..

xoxo

Miss USA 2012 interview

Find out what I do that drives everyone crazy..

xoxo

Road to the Crown

An inside look into my personal life..

xoxo 

Favorite Products

In no particular order, my top 20 favorite products that I use each and every day. Enjoy! xoxo

20. Jan Marini Vitamin C Anti Aging Face Serum

19. Chanel Makeup Quad LES 4 OMBRES

18. Neocutis Journee Biorestorative Day Cream with SPF 30

17. Infinity Sun Exfoliating Skin Renewal

16. Not Your Mother's Knotty To Nice Conditioning Detangler

15. Fekkai Advanced Salon Technician Color Care Conditioner

14. Make Up For Ever HD High Definition Loose Powder

13. Neocutis Neo-Cleanse Gentle Skin Cleanser

12. Tresemme Fresh Start Dry Shampoo Spray

11. Bumble and bumble Thickening Hairspray

10. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20

9. Farouk Royal Treatment by CHI Pure Hydration Shampoo for Dry and Color Treated Hair

8. Chanel Le Pinceau Teint #16 Foundation Brush 

7. Dior Hypnotic Poison

6. Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer

5. Nars Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Bourbon Street

4. Bobby Brown Eyeshadow and Blending Brushes

3. Redken Hot Sets 22 Thermal Setting Mist

2. Nars Blush in Orgasm

1. St. Tropez Skin Illuminator in Gold

Bonnie Nichoalds- STL

Brian Keith- NYC

"Happiness lies, first of all, in health."

I have been getting a lot of questions regarding my diet and workout regime. It's pretty basic and I do not follow it everyday. In fact, cheating is actually good and keeps you sane. Basically, I just try and make healthy choices instead of considering it a "diet." It really helps every aspect of your life from your energy levels to your skin to even your mood :)

Disclaimer: I am not a certified fitness or nutrition professional, this is simply what my awesome trainer, Brian Attebery and I found to work FOR ME. He gave me the foundation for my plan and then I tweaked it to my own tastes. Take what you will from it but remember everyone has different body types, metabolisms, health issues. Please talk to a professional before starting any fitness plan.

Here are some basic tips:

-five to six small meals a day

-avoid eating after 7pm

-drinks LOTS of water

My pre-Miss USA diet: (NOTE: this is A LOT stricter than I am on a normal basis)

Breakfast:
Eggwhites with some fruit (half a banana, berries, etc)
or All bran cereal with unsweetened vanilla Almond Milk and one splenda
or Kashi Go Lean Vanilla oatmeal

Lunch:
Fish, Chicken, or turkey burger (with mustard) and veggies (I mainly ate broccoli)
*Be careful when you cook it not to use too much butter or oil. Use the least amount you need or I like to use under a tbsp of coconut oil. But if you have time, the best is to bake it.
or Salad (spinach or romaine) with a chicken breast and a little Walden Farms zero carbs, zero calorie dressing

Dinner: Same as lunch
If you are sick of eating meat and craving carbs, you can try miracle noodles (zero carbs, zero calories) from whole foods. Warning: they are very bland, you have to add a little pesto or low cal sauce to them.. or else they are pretty bad

Snacks: (I'm a huge snacker)
veggies
nuts (almonds, pistacios)
berries (blackberries, blueberries)
tuna packet (lemon pepper is good)
small spoon of peanut butter on celery
low carb protein bars (under 10g of sugar)
beef jerky
protein shakes (just whey & water, no fruit, milk, etc LESS IS BEST)

I tried to stay under 1,200 cal a day.

I love this. Story of my life!

Fitness: 

For Miss USA, I worked out once, sometimes twice a day. However, that's a little over kill. On a normal basis, I try and stick to 5 days a week. I do lots of cardio and weights. Although, I get bored easily so I like to do classes. Some of my favorites are spinning, yoga, zumba, pilates, and core classes.

Hope this helps some of you! If you have any other questions, let me know. I am always happy to help when I can.

xoxo,