Tuesdays with Talent: Nancy Stukey, a.k.a Urban Corner

Hi! My name is Nancy Stukey and I’m a stay-at-home mother of two girls. I love being creative, original, making people smile and feel good, and most of all I love to dream. My business, Urban Corner, allows me to let loose on my creative side. I wanted to offer stylish jewelry with a rich look without the high market price tag. I take pride in my craftsmanship and I hope you enjoy my jewelry as much as I do.

                                                                       

 

Q: What would you say is your talent?

This may sound a bit quirky, but my main talent really is a juggler! I’m a Stay-at-home mother to my two wonderful daughters, who are 11 and 9 years old, and a wife to my husband who is works for the Fire Department. His schedule leads me to also be a housecleaner, plumber, gardener, animal caretaker, etc. Because he can be gone for 16 days on a fire, it is up to me to take care of everything.  Last but not least in my free time I like to express my creative side through my jewelry making.

Q: How did/when did you discover this talent (or passion)

I have always been interested in maintaining a healthy lifestyle and appearance. About 10 years ago, I decided to become an Esthetician.  This move was fitting for me because I loved helping people feel good about themselves.  Becoming an Esthetician opened me up to the world of natural healing methods which included healing stones. Last year, I started taking beading classes and dicovered how much I really enjoyed creating jewelry.  I’m looking forward to creating jewelry that I can incorporate healing stones.

Q: What need/problem/condition do you serve?

I like to give back to our community whenever I can. I’ve been a Girl Scout Leader for my youngest daughters troop for five years. Through our troop we participate in Operation Gratitude, Casa Pacifica (which provides temporary shelter for children removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect or abandonment) and serve many other community service needs. I’m also a big part in volunteering at my daughters schools. Twice a year during our fundraisers, I participate in a silent auction and I donate a portion of my sales to our school. I beleive the children are our world and the better we can educate them and assist them while they are growing up, they will become better people with good values.

Q: Who is your customer?

My target customer is the average person thats wants quality original jewelry and a rich look without the high-end price tag.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

My stay-at-home status allows me to spend time with my family and it allows me to have a flexible schedule. 

Q: What do you like least about your job?

I wish there were more time in the day! I think everyone can agree with me on this one. Because I stay home, one would think I’d have all the time in the world to make bracelets. Sometimes, I can go for a week without creating something new. I have so many ideas, but yet so little time. 

Q: What do you want our readers to know about your business?

As I create pieces, I truly put my heart into my work. I enjoy what I do and hope to put more of my ideas in my shop. I also try to promote and encourage others whenever I can. Communication is very important to me. When I create custom orders, I try to connect with my customer to give them exactly what they want in their piece.

Q: How can we reach you?

You can find my jewelry in my UrbanCorner shop on Etsy 

You can also follow me on twitter 

Finally, I'm on Facebook here

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you very much for featuring me.

You are welcome Nancy!  Here's an interesting tidbit...Nancy has a sister who is also very talented, and hopefully, I can convince her to be a Tuesday's with Talent Feature in the near future.

 
© 2011OC Skin Solutions, LLC

Sunscreen Sunday: Don’t Mess with the DNA

Next weekend is a holiday weekend here in the States.  We consider it our summer coming out weekend.  We get together with friends, we BBQ, we garden, we open up our swimming pools, we go boating, and we check the expiration dates on our leftover sunscreen from last year.  What???  You are not aware of this tradition? With much hope, by the time you finish reading this post, you will run, not walk, for your sunscreen and do the right thing.

Sunscreen works to protect the skin from Ultra Violet (UV) damage.  We all know that, but by doing that one thing well, it actually makes many physiological actions better.  Let’s look at visible aging. Sun damage creates a litany of problems for a youthful appearance, and healthy skin.

When ultra violet rays penetrate our skin’s protective layers, our healthy cells become inflamed, our blood vessels dilate, and our collagen degenerates at a rate significantly higher than our chronological aging would allow.  We see the results of this on our skin by noticing, fine lines, wrinkles, sagging skin, bruises, broken blood vessels and uneven skin tone. 

But why does this really happen? Here is a really basic description of what happens inside.  When we are born, we come with an owner’s manual—it’s called “Our DNA”.  Our DNA is a very specific code that was written for us individually.  This code is the rulebook for the health of our cells, and when the cells get damaged, our DNA instructs our body on how to self-repair (if possible).  Ultra violet rays have the potential to mess up the DNA in the cells they penetrate.  So, let’s say the code I was born with was “ABCD”, and ABCD has worked 43 years on my behalf, without fail.  Then one day I decide to plant a tree for Arbor Day.  Before I go into the garden, I forget to put on my sunscreen.  While I am out there, doing good for the world, the UV rays penetrate my skin, and scramble up the code in some of my cells.  Now, instead of reading “ABCD”, the affected cells read “BCAD”.  The damaged cells no longer understand the rulebook, and do not know how to work with the healthy cells, so they start fighting.  Who wins? Who knows—if you don’t get cancer (which you could), but you get saggy discolored skin, have the healthy cells won?  And by the way, the UV rays don’t discriminate, nor do they care if you have worn sunscreen every other day of your life.  If you don’t wear sunscreen, your skin will get damaged—that is an absolute.  Getting cancer from it is roulette (the worst odds in Vegas).

It has been said (and I am still looking for the original source) that if we all wore a [broad-spectrum] sunscreen, every single day, from when we were babies, we would have found the fountain of youth.  Who knew the fountain of youth could be found at Walgreen’s?

Now that you know this, if you could prevent/slow all this down by wearing sunscreen, wouldn’t you do it?  Of course you would, and you do when you go to the beach right?  But what about when you drive to work, or mow the lawn, or work in your garden?  Are you wearing it then?  The truth is that most do not.  I am just asking you to be conscious of what you might be taking for granted.  Please make wearing sunscreen, every single day, and part of your basic routine.  Your DNA will thank you!

Professional Tips:

1.     Apply sunscreen AFTER applying all other skin care products, but before make-up.

2.     Do NOT rely on the sunscreen in your make-up.  Better safe than sorry.

3.     Do not forget your lips.  Apply sunscreen to lips, then apply lipstick, balm, or go au natural.

4.     Do not forget the back of your neck, your ears and your chest.  Any area that will be exposed to sunlight needs to be covered (even if you have long hair).

5.     Re-apply if you find yourself in direct sunlight for longer than two hours, and after getting wet.

6.     Never carry over sunscreen from one year to the next.  I don’t care what the expiration date is, it is too important to mess with.  Buy new sunscreen at least once a year.

Wordless Wednesday: Flip Flop Massacre

New Feature! "Tuesdays with Talent"

I have been very fortunate, throughout my career, to meet some incredibly talented people.  I have decided to introduce you to one of these amazing people each Tuesday in a blog series called "Tuesday's with Talent".  Without further adieu, may I introduce our very first "Tuesday's with Talent" feature....

Nancy Stuckwisch of Silver Magpies has had a life-long fascination with vintage silver. She began Silver Magpies to sell antique and vintage silver and blogs regularly about it on Notes & Observations. She believes we should get the silver out of the cupboard, onto the table, and then into the dishwasher.  Get her (free) e-book Every Day Best: 7 reasons to get your silverware out of storage and start using it right now!

Q: What would you say is your talent?

A: Making sterling silver flatware an item of interest and worthy of everyday use for people.  We’re all so busy, and silver has an unfair reputation of being old-fashioned and high maintenance.  It’s neither of those things and fits very smoothly into modern life.  It’s one of those things that add to making Every Day Best. (My comment: Nancy is very talented at connecting people--you really should follow her)

Q: How did/when did you discover this talent (or passion)

My Grandmother inspired me when I was very small.  She used to tell me stories about “before you were born” and I was always fascinated when she would then show me an object owned or used by that person - amazing! I’ve admired and studied vintage silver all my life, it has always interested me.

Q: What need/problem/condition do you serve?

Silver Magpies addresses two issues.  The first is providing resources for people to learn about silver. The more my customers know about silver the better.

The second is to show people how silver can easily become a part of everyday life.  It doesn’t matter if you have a single spoon or a whole grand set.  Don’t store it away - just use it.

Q: Who is your customer?

My customer is confident and inquisitive.  They are certain of their own taste and feel comfortable living by their own rules. Many, many of my clients have told me they prefer quality over quantity and want their homes to be an expression of their taste, not a replica of someone else’s.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

I love, love, love finding a tarnished piece of silver and then diving into the books to track down as much information about it as I can.  It so incredibly rewarding, especially when a hunch about an obscure piece is correct!

Q: What do you like least about your job?

Without doubt it’s informing someone that a piece they thought was sterling silver is silverplate. It happens far more often than you might think and it’s always awful to do. It’s the main reason why I have added, and continue to add, identification resources to my site and discuss the issue on the blog.

Q: What do you want our readers to know about your business?

Silver Magpies is passionate about silver - not just for it’s physical beauty, but for what it can tell us about history, politics, art, economics, social and personal fashions at the time it was made. I want people to know that when they use a silver piece it is part of a tradition and history that stretches back for thousands of years.  That’s a lot to be packed into a single everyday spoon!

Q: How can we reach you?

The best way to reach me is via email: Nancy@SilverMagpies.com
On Twitter I’m @SilverMagpies
On Facebook I’m http://www/Facebook.com/SilverMagpies

If you search SilverMagpies or Silver Magpies on Google you’ll find me.

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?

Thank you so much for inviting me, I’m very flattered to be thought of as “Tuesday with Talent! It’s been a real pleasure getting to know you.


It it has been wonderful getting to know you as well!

Sunscreen Sunday: Throwing your money away

It’s 2011, you know that you should be wearing sunscreen, but so many of you still do not, so I am going to try my hardest to convince you to do the best thing for your skin, and your health.   I am dedicating each Sunday to a post about sunscreen because it is that important. 

Helping to prevent skin cancer is the obvious reason to wear sunscreen, and I will get there, but starting out this series with that is going to make your run away.  You already know it, but what you probably don’t know is what I’m going to share first.

The basic skin care routine should include a broad-spectrum sunscreen; otherwise you might as well do nothing for your skin at all.  I’m serious. 

The ultraviolet rays coming from the sun can, easily damage the ingredients and technology that make skin care products as effective as they are today.  Let’s take a look at Vitamin C.  We LOVE vitamin C in our products, 
right?   It fights free radical damage, it’s a collagen synthesizer, and it can “brighten” the skin.  However, topical Vitamin C is extremely sensitive to ultra violet rays, and can become very unstable, if not inert when not properly protected.  What that means for you and me is that the active ingredient we paid a lot of money for, can become useless if we don’t wear sunscreen over it.  This is true of many of the active ingredients we put on our skin.  Responsible product manufacturers take the photosensitivity of the active ingredients seriously by placing them in packaging that is dark, or opaque so that the rays have a harder time doing their damage.

So if I can’t convince you to wear sunscreen to reduce your risk of cancer, perhaps I can convince you by saving you some money.

Important note:  Not just any sunscreen will do.  To help protect your skin, and the products you put on it, you should wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of a minimum of 30.  According to the MelanomaCenter.org, a broad-spectrum sunscreen is one that offers protection against both UVA and UVB radiation.  This should be considered the bare minimum, and it needs to be applied every single day.  WHAT????  Yes, every single day. 

I am going to stop here today because this is a huge topic, but this is what I want you to take away from this post:

1.     Wear a broad-spectrum sunscreen with an SPF of 30, every single day.

2.     Not wearing sunscreen over your other skin care products is the same as throwing money away.

3.     Look at your skin care products, are they in a clear glass or plastic container, or are they in dark or opaque containers?

Next week I am going to discuss sunscreen as a vital component of any anti-aging skin care routine, even if you’re 20.

Have a great week!

© 2011, OC Skin Solutions, LLC

Healthy Skin Care: Moisturizers

The third step of a solid skin care routine is moisturizing.  If you have taken the time to research the appropriate cleanser for your skin type, and found a hydrating and balancing toner, then let’s make sure the moisturizer you select is going to complement and enhance your healthy skin profile, and not create havoc on your face.  *Note: this entire discussion is regarding over-the-counter moisturizers, not pharmaceutical-grade products.

What a moisturizer is, and is not.  A moisturizer is a product that we place on our skin to condition, protect, and help slow down the evaporation of water from our skin cells.  Technically speaking, a moisturizer does not “moisturize” our skin at all; if using the right product, it facilitates the body’s natural ability to hydrate itself.  Think this through for a moment; most moisturizers you have used are somewhat thick, as compared to water, right?  When you put them on your face they don’t immediately get absorbed do they?  No, they don’t, and the reason is that the molecular size of the combined ingredients is too large to be absorbed by our skin cells.  So what happens is that the product gets moved around the surface of your skin, and absorbs the already dead skin cells.  This is why your skin looks good immediately after applying moisturizer, and why make-up goes on smoother.  Now remember, the moisturizing product has not been absorbed into the skin, it is only sitting on top.  This is really important to understand, especially if you are considering investing in a $300.00 jar of moisturizer that is going to ‘plump up your skin to it’s youthful radiance’.

So now that you know what a moisturizer cannot do, you should know what it can do.  First, there are two types of moisturizers; occlusive, and humectants.  An occlusive moisturizer lies on top of the skin, and helps to prevent the loss of hydration from your skin, awesome right?  Well sometimes, but not for daily use.  An occlusive moisturizer keeps hydration in, but it also clogs the pores, and prevents oxygen from getting to the cells, Oxygen is critical for your skin’s overall health.  Preventing oxygen from being absorbed makes your skin more susceptible to the spread of harmful bacteria.  Since bacteria cannot live in the presence of oxygen (it oxidizes), it is a skin care best practice to allow oxygen to reach the skin by not preventing it with occlusive products.  So how do you know if a product is occlusive?  Look on the ingredient list for items like mineral oil, petrolatum, and lanolin to name a few.  Naturally, there are valid reasons for wanting to use an occlusive product, but this should be done for a short period, not on a daily basis.

The second type of moisturizer is a humectant, that is, a moisturizer that works to attract hydration. Humectants draw moisture from the dermal (living layer) of the skin, to the epidermal layer.  Additionally, when the relative humidity is above 70%, a humectant will pull moisture from the air.  How great is that?!  Humectant-type moisturizers are what you find most commonly in spas, medical offices, and in the beauty aisle. Humectant moisturizers make an incredible delivery system for active/performance ingredients that you want to work in conjunction with the ingredients from your toner and/or serum.  If you read yesterday’s post on toner, you may now being seeing how this all comes together for the benefit of your skin.  When you apply a moisturizer over skin that is damp from toner, you are creating a layer of hydration between the two products, that lasts longer, and works to more effectively hydrate your skin.

A note about sanitation: Generally, any product you put your fingers into will be fully contaminated within three weeks time.  For some reason, product manufacturers L.O.V.E to put moisturizers in jars. Yes, yes, they usually include a little spatula so you won’t stick your fingers in there, but you do anyway, and so do I (BTW, bad choice if you have just spent $300 for that jar).  Please, I implore you to only buy facial care products that are packaged with your safety and sanitation in mind.

So here are the Pro-tip’s for moisturizer:

1.     Only purchase moisturizers that come in sanitary containers.

2.     Apply moisturizer to freshly washed and toned skin, while the skin is still damp from the toner.

3.     Place the moisturizer on your forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, and neck.

4.     Starting with your neck, using your hands, make small circular movements in an upward direction, all the way to the top of your forehead. Be gentle.

5.     Repeat two times a day.

Tomorrow we will finish our baseline skincare series with sunscreen.  Until then, take what you’ve learned so far, and get started.  Your skin will love you for it.

© 2011 OC Skin Solutions

Healthy Skin Care: Toner

 

Toners are one of the most misunderstood components of a healthy skin care routine.  Some people think that they don’t do anything, and some think that only people with acne need it to “dry” out their pimples.  It is confusing, but I am going to try to separate the fact from the fiction on this, and show you why toner should be in everyone’s skin care kit.

Toners are often lumped into the same category as astringents, even though they function completely differently.  Traditionally, an astringent is made up of alcohols, and other such ingredients to “shrink “the pores and dry up acne.  Perhaps some of you remember Bonnie Bell, or Seabreeze—these astringents felt bracing and stung when they went on, so we assumed they were doing what we were told.  Fortunately, cosmetic science has come a long way, and we now know that it is (currently) physiologically impossible to shrink the size of a pore by using an astringent, or toner.  We also know that alcohols strip the skin’s surface of it’s natural lipids (or barrier layer), and causes photosensitivity.  This paves the way to premature aging of the skin, and an increased susceptibility to sun damage.  As a skin care professional, I cannot, and do not recommend astringents for facial care, for anyone; I see no up side.

Toners are a different story.  There are all different types of toners, some terrific, some are just astringents being called “toner.”  As always, really look at the ingredients in your product.  If an alcohol is listed as one of the first few ingredients, you are probably looking at an astringent.  If it is near, or at the end of the list, it is probably a component of the preservative, and fraction of a percent of active ingredient. 

Typically, an effective toner will contain highly concentrated ingredients that will benefit, hydrate and nourish the skin.  Most toners have the consistency of a thin liquid, which makes it possible to penetrate the skin’s surface more easily than a cream, thereby delivering the ingredients more efficiently.  And this is the root reason for my love-affair with toner—if used effectively, toners make it possible for the performance ingredients in your serums, moisturizes, masques, and spot treatments to work more successfully.

Here is how to make your toner work for you. 

1.     Make sure you choose a toner that has ingredients appropriate for your skin type.

2.     Look to see if the toner is in a spray bottle, or if you need to put it on cotton first (see note below).

3.     Close eyes, and apply a fine mist over entire face and neck.

4.     Important: while toner is still damp, apply the next step of your skin care routine.

5.     Re-apply during the day, whenever your skin needs a boost in hydration.

Note:  If a toner is in a spray bottle, you can be reasonably assured that there is little or no alcohol in the product.  If the toner has no spray bottle, it does not necessarily mean that it has alcohol in it, it just means you need to check the label carefully.  If you do need to apply with cotton, place a thin coat all over face a neck, then proceed as directed above.

You can expect to read more about toners in future posts, but as a component of your baseline skin care routine, please understand that toner is the workhorse—it makes all your other product work more effectively.

Healthy Skin Care: Cleansing

Yesterday, I talked about creating a skin care routine that not only cleans your skin, but also creates the perfect baseline for healthy skin.  This basic routine has only 4 components to help your skin get back to it's natural starting point, and to break down any barriers that are preventing your performance products from working.  To recap, the four components are 1). Cleanse, 2). Tone, 3). Moisturizer, and 4). Sunscreen.  Today, I am going to go over the first step, cleansing.

Cleansing 101

A cleanser is a product primarily formulated to gently but thoroughly clean the skin.  Most often, you will find cleansers to be in a gel, cream or milky form.  Occasionally, a manufacturer will create a cleansing bar, which may be in the form of soap, but is not “soap.” The ingredients in soap tend to be harsh on facial skin.

Some manufacturers create their product to do more than just cleanse.  They may include ingredients to exfoliate, hydrate, or even reduce sensitivity.  It is beneficial to find a quality product that does double duty, but know your ingredients--some multi-functional cleansing products are worthless.  There is a book that I recommend to help you navigate the world of ingredient information called  "A Consumer's Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients," by Ruth Winter

Before you spend one more dollar on a skin care product, find out what skin type you are, and only purchase those products that are made for your type—regardless of what the product claims.  Seriously, who hasn’t been sucked in by advertising that targets our perceived week spots, only to end up having a reaction to the product, or discovering that it was completely ineffective for us?  I know I have.  Here is a link to a skin type quiz (of which I am not affiliated in anyway).  I do not endorse or not-endorse the products on this site, however the quiz results tend to be pretty accurate.  If you don’t already know (for sure) what your skin type is, go ahead and take the quiz now—I’ll wait.

Once you know what your over-all skin type is, you can design your baseline skin care routine around the needs of your skin.  As a (very) general overview, the label on the cleanser should say what skin type it was designed for.  If it doesn’t say anything specific, here is a (very) general guideline for matching the cleanser to skin type:

Normal/Combination Skin:  Gel based, milky or creamy cleansers.
Oily Skin:  Gel based, cleansing bars, even clay-based cleansers.

Dry/Dehydrated/Aging: Creamy, or milky cleansers.
Sensitive: Gel, creamy, or milky, but must be formulated for sensitized skin.

Acne:  Gel based, clay based, or milky if formulated to address acne.

Now that you have found the proper cleanser for your skin type, study the ingredients, and make sure it is beneficial for your skin.  If so, proceed to cleanse your face by using the following techniques, two times a day:

1.     Get your face damp with warm (not hot) water.

2.     Apply a quarter-sized dollop of cleanser on you hands, and rub together to emulsify.

3.     Place the cleanser on your forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, and neck.

4.     Starting with your neck, using your hands, make small circular movements in an upward direction, all the way to the top of your forehead. Try to do this for a full minute.

5.     Rinse completely with warm water, and repeat the process one more time.  Yes, if you want to get the most benefit, repeat this process twice. It is what the pro’s do.

6.     A second technique that you could use instead, and that I highly recommend, is to use the Cairsonic Mia, instead of your hands.  This is an ultrasonic facial brush that completely cleans your skin with out being abrasive, or drying.  To learn more about this tool, click here.

Now that you have completed the first step in your baseline routine, your skin it perfectly prepared for all the benefits that come with toning.  Tune in tomorrow to learn more.

As always, if this post brought up any questions for you, please feel free to comment below, or email us directly.

 

Healthy Skin Care: a.k.a “Baseline Routine”

      Billions of dollars are spent every year on skin care products and cosmetics in an effort to “fix” or cover up some type of skin issue.  Each month we open up the pages of a magazine, and get bombarded with advertisements selling “the-next-greatest-skin-care-technology.” It’s easy to get sucked into these ads—“hmmmmm, maybe that is the product that is going to make my skin fresh looking again.” Unless you have a solid, daily routine, it is likely that you will spend the money, and not get the results you seek.

     As a Medical Esthetician, I typically see people who “have tried everything” and are still not getting the results they want.  After a very thorough assessment, we usually discover that the foundation of their routine is not effective; therefore the products they are using are less effective, and or completely ineffective.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend $45-$75 on a hydrating serum if the active ingredients will never get to the cells they are intended to affect.

     So here it is, the baseline routine to pave the way for better skin. I will go into each component more completely during the week, but for now, here is the formula (my “prescription” if you will):

Two times a day:

1.     Cleanse

2.     Tone

3.     Moisturize

4.     Sunscreen (sunscreen should not be worn at night, however, it should be reapplied often during the day if you are outside a lot.  If you are in an office all day, you still need to apply it in the morning—more on that later).

      That’s it. That is the most basic routine that can improve your skin, and keep it healthy.  Tomorrow I will start to be more specific with each part of the routine.  Until then, follow the routine tonight, eat healthy food, drink a lot of water, and get a good night’s rest—your skin will love you for it!

Happy Mother's Day to all

My little Smarty-Pants went all out this morning!

Mad Science

 

Now that BTG is healing (a.k.a sleeping), I can get back to formulating.  What do you think I should make today?

Just Another Day in Paradise

I finally found time to start this blog, however it did not come easy.

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous Southern California day, or so I heard.  At 5:30 AM I got up, made the coffee, showered, and proceeded to wipe my husband down with "sage wipes".  I would love to tell you that sage wipes are some kind of exoctic/erotic new skin care product, but they're not.  They are anti-bacterial wipes, the kind that you need to use before surgery to help reduce the potential of MRSA, etc.  My husband, Barry-the-Great (we will call him "BTG") was having back surgery 9:00 AM.

I then made breakfast, packed a lunch for "Smarty-Pants" (my son), and made sure his 12-year-old attention span would remember to leave the house on time for school, as this was the first time he would need to be so self-responsible.  Without a moment to spare, I threw some stuff in a bag and rushed BTG out the door.

It was 7:00 AM when we walked through the hospital doors, and I was carrying 12 lbs. of laptop/working materials so I could occupy my time so that I would not go to the dark-worry place that I have a tendency to do.

About two hours into the wait, I had a burst of creativity that surprised even me.  I created 3 new serum recipes, balanced my checkbook, and finally wrote a post for this blog (you will see it later this week).  I spent the entire day in the hospital, and I was able to take care of a lot the behind-the-scenes work that you need to do when you have a business, but never seem to have the time for. In the most odd way, I am grateful for those hours I had to refocus, and center on my stuff.

The day was a lot of things for me, with "scary" leading the emotional pack, but I am very happy to announce that BTG had a very successful surgery, and that Smarty-Pants made it to school all on his own, and on time.

I am also happy to announce that Juicy Segments is alive and ready to kick it!