February 2008: The Passions Issue

HELP INCREASE HEART HEALTH AWARENESS

By Linda Lacina Photos provided by American Heart Association

February is about more than Valentines – it’s American Heart Health Month. Strut has a number of ways that you can educate yourself – and others – about heart disease, the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S.

HOW A SINGLE TUBE CAN TURN HEADS AND CHANGE OUR MIND-SETS

By Cindy La Ferle

There’s got to be something seriously wrong with a woman who keeps 36 tubes of lipstick in her bathroom drawer. That woman would be me. I’m a beauty product junkie on a perpetual quest for the perfect shade of lipstick.

As every lipstick junkie knows, temptation is everywhere – at the local drugstore or in upscale department stores. The names of the colors alone are as irresistible as a box of Godiva chocolates: Double Fudge … Rum Raisin … Molten Caramel … Chocolate Ice. Other shades, with seductive names, such as Stiletto, Voodoo, French Kiss, or Red Hot Mama, promise a whole new life of high drama.

Who can resist?

A TOAST TO OLD FLAMES

By Noël Rozny

This Valentine’s Day, I’d like to take all my ex-boyfriends out to dinner. In my head it paints a pretty picture.My past loves lined up at a table in a cozy little Italian restaurant somewhere. Me at the head of the table with a glass of champagne, toasting all of them and the many memories we shared, both bad and good.

Of course, they might not be as agreeable to the idea as me. I’m sure some of them would be just fine never speaking to me again, much less sitting down to dinner with their predecessors/successors. But that’s OK, because for me, just wanting to embrace my exes and the role they played in my life is a big step.

THE UNPREDICTABLE ALLURE OF WHAT GETS US GOING

By Maggie Hathway

Ask most people what turns them on, and the usual response is utter embarrassment or George Clooney. Ask again – no, really, not a particular person, just a situation that turns you on – and most people with libidos that weren’t boxed up with the curling irons and leg warmers of their youth will give you an interesting answer.

I’m not asking about fetishes. I’m not interested in men who wear diapers or women who like to change them. Fetishes are fixed and compulsively pursued; what I’m researching, in my unscientific fashion, is the unexpected and improbable stimuli.

By Karen Buscemi

By the time a female reaches the age of 18, I believe she should be thought of as a woman. She’s legal, she can vote, she can make her own decisions and choose the life she wants. These are not the actions of a girl – but of a woman.

HOW TO SOLVE 3 UNDERLYING PROBLEMS

By Meghann O’Malley Powell Photos By Rosh Sillars

We’ve all stood there, looked in the mirror and wondered, “Can I get away with wearing this? Is it too tight? Do I need to go up a size?”Most of us don’t realize that it might be what we are wearing underneath our outfit that is creating all that stress. Giving more thought to your choice of foundation garments could be the answer to all of your figure issues! Metro Detroit’s lingerie experts reveal our most common underwear mistakes and how to fix them.

FOOD VALENTINES TO GIVE AND SHARE

by Linda Lacina

Chocolate and wine pairing kit

Chocolate? Wine? Perfect. This pairing kit from Gayle’s Chocolates includes chocolates ranging from zero cocoa content (white) to 72% cocoa content (extra bittersweet), providing a full range of flavors. The lot comes with a useful manual for experimenting with flavor combinations. With 60 pieces of chocolate, there’s more than enough for two.

$30. 417 S.Washington Ave., Royal Oak, 248.398.0001; www.gayleschocolates.com

VALENTINE’S MEAL WITH ASIAN FLAIR

Recipes and food photos provided by Christine Wickram

Christine Wickram of Ann Arbor runs the ultimate foodies blog for fans of Asian and French cuisine (http://holybasil.wordpress.com). HolyBasil, her blog, is a collection of the recipes, discoveries and experiences that come to a woman with a varied food background. She’s of Vietnamese descent, and has studied and lived in Angers, France.