Spa Week is coming back this spring – Yay! Spas and salons nationwide are offering full-service treatments for a fraction of the normal price. Book your appointment between April 15^th – April 21^st and only pay $50! Choose from a wide selection of massages, facials, and even wellness treatments.  Here are my top picks from around the country!

Where: Luminique MedSpa by Dr. Fiorillo
350 Hudson Street
New York, NY 10014
212.647.0007
What: 50 Min Deep Tissue or Swedish Massage

Where: Skincare by Pevonia
6475 Southwest 40th Street
Miami, FL 33155
305.662.2083
What: Microdermabrasion Treatment including Facial and Organic Masque

Where: The Facial Center for Plastic Surgery
7700 San Felipe Street, Suite 420
Houston, TX 77063
866.920.FACE (3223)
What: Be Hair Free! Laser Hair Removal for Lip, Underarm or Bikini

Where: Clarins Spa at Nordstrom
55 East Grand Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611
312.464.1515(x1427)
What: 50 Min Brightening Performer with Choice of Total Eye Lift OR Lip Contouring Treatment Add-on

Where: LifeSpa – Beachwood
3850 Richmond Road
Beachwood, OH 44122
216.292.6844
What: 60 Min Nail Pampering Package: Signature Manicure and Pedicure with Deep Hydration Therapy

Where: Body Massage Wellness Spa
1616 Welton Street
Denver, CO 80202
303.893.2543
What: 60 Min Detoxifying Body Contour Wrap with Reflexology Session

Where: Verabella Skin Therapy
301 North Canon Drive
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
310.278.4733
What: 50 Min The Instant Lift: A Non-Surgical FaceLift

This year I think I might indulge in an oxygen facial  or maybe even a lymphatic massage. Oxygen facials are supposed to do wonders for your skin – just the wake up call my face needs after this long and cold winter season. A lymphatic massage is a technique used to drain your lymph nodes. This helps the body get rid of unwanted toxins and excess fluid.

For a list of participating locations please visit spaweek.com - and remember always tip accordingly! Happy Spa Week!

LORAC POREfection Mattifying Face Primer is the most ingenious primer out on the market right now. It’s oil-free, paraben-free, fragrance-free, and colorless. To top it all off – its formulated with salicylic acid to help keep nasty pimples away and also contains vitamins A, C, and E that will keep your skin looking fresh and beautiful.

I love it for it’s mattifying effect – if I don’t use a primer underneath my foundation, I end up with 5 o’clock shine! It helps my makeup last longer and look better because it’s like Spackle for your face – it leaves you skin smooth and even – masking away unsightly pores. Wish it had SPF in it, but both my moisturizer and foundation have it, so I’m good!

LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer is my favorite eye shadow primer right now. I even like it better then that cult favorite one. I like to you use it on my eyelids and under eye area. It has a silky finish and helps my eyeshadow go on beautifully. I am able to blend shadows like no other and the final result looks fabulous. I can totally see the difference between when I use it and when I don’t. Using it under my eye concealer helps even up the area and concealer just glides on – we never ever want to tug the skin under the eye.

BTW for a limited time LORAC is offering a Daylight Savings Value Set! A $72 value for only $25!

The Set includes:

• Multiplex 3D Lashes Mascara
• Travel-Size TANtalizer Highlighter/Matte Bronzer Duo
• Travel-Size TANtalizer Body Bronzing Luminizer
• TANtalizer Lips With Benefits in Marco
• Gold Cosmetic Bag

LORAC POREfection Mattifying Face Primer 1.7 Oz.$32

LORAC Behind The Scenes Eye Primer 0.5 Oz. $21

(Photos courtesy of LORAC)

 

Here it is – my last and final peel on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin. For my grand finale, I decided to use the 70% glycolic solution. I was worried about how my skin would react to such a strong concentration of glycolic acid, but I’m glad to report that I didn’t end up like Nicolas Cage in Face/Off! I seriously recommend building your tolerance up before using the 70%. I feel like my first peel (30%) was more irritating than my last peel (70%) – go figure!

I removed all my makeup with a makeup removing wipe (I like to use the Biore wipes), then I thoroughly washed my face with a washcloth and Cetaphil cleanser. I dried my face and swiped my face with a cotton round dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Next I applied the medicated numbing spray; I made sure to cover every inch of my face and neck. I was so scared that it would burn! Finally I soaked another cotton round with 70% glycolic acid and went to work. I left the solution on for a full five minutes. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. It never got uncomfortable and I only felt a slight itching sensation after three minutes.

Once time was up, I rinsed and washed my face. I patted it dry and immediately applied my moisturizer. Two days have passed, and I only had a small amount of peeling in my chin and nose. I’ve been washing my face morning and night, so I think that’s helping remove the flakes.

I really enjoyed The Skin Regime: Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin. It was simple to do and very effective. My skin looks so much better now that when I first started. My skin is smoother, clearer, and more even-toned. It has helped keep my blemishes at bay and with the help from Cetaphil’s DermaControl line – my excess oil is also gone. I am visiting my parents for the holidays, and the first thing my mom said to me was how great my skin looked! I plan to do a maintenance peel ever so often to keep my skin looking and feeling great. I recommend this peel to anyone who wants beautiful skin!

For more information on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp to Beautiful Skin and on products I used please visit TheSkinRegime.com – there you can order the book and get product recommendations.

Click here to read the first 30 pages of The Skin Regime for free!

 

Hey guys, sorry it took so long for an update on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp For Beautiful Skin Challenge. In the past two weeks  I’ve dealt with a cold and then Hurricane Sandy decided to hit the northeast! Things are slowly getting back to normal and I am happy to say that I my home didn’t suffer any damage.

Since I took a week off from the regime; I was worried that the 50% glycolic peel would be too much for my skin to handle. With that said, I decided to only keep the solution on for four minutes.

I prepped my skin as I always do – read about the first peel here – I also made sure to use the medicated spray to help numb my skin.  I applied the 50% glycolic acid to my entire face and neck area. With a cotton swab, I applied extra solution to my trouble spots.

My skin was not as irritated as I thought it might be. I did have extra peeling around my chin and upper lip area. For my next peel, I might apply a 50% glycolic acid solution to my entire face and then apply a 70% solution to my trouble spots. I think this would speed up the spot clearing process.

For more information on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp to Beautiful Skin and on products I used please visit TheSkinRegime.com – there you can order the book and get product recommendations.

Click here to read the first 30 pages of The Skin Regime for free!

Ahh beautiful flawless skin, we all dream of it – don’t we? We spend tons of time and money trying to get that perfect pore-less complexion. But sometimes, even with the best fool-proof regime; we still get that occasional breakout. Skin is unpredictable, and largely non-cooperative, and when it’s good it’s great but when it’s not? You dread leaving the house! And we always seem to get the worst pimple ever when we have important things to do – like an interview or the first day of school!

So I’m super excited that the writers behind the new eBook ACNE: A comprehensive guide on identifying, treating and generally showing blemishes who the boss is saw this blog, and recognized that my readers – you  - are exactly the kind of women who understand what it is to not only look their best, but also feel their best.

The writers asked me to ask you to get involved. They are working with the doctors from Court House Clinics to assemble a free online eBook that covers the biology behind why we get spots and acne, how to control it, things we think we know about skin but might have actually gotten wrong, and  – this is why I want to get involved – how to feel good about the skin you’ve got.

So, what do you want to know about skin? Maybe:

What’s the difference between a spot and acne?

Does eating chocolate really make you break out?

I get acne on my shoulders and chest, how can I fix it?

I’ve always had perfect skin, but then I got pregnant. What happened?

Whatever your thoughts, questions, or ideas, stick ‘em in the comments box (or email me directly) and I’ll send them over to the writers, who will ask the experts, who will give intelligent answers and help everybody involved (yay free advice!) Once the ebook comes out, I’ll have a bunch of copies to give out (yay freebies!)

(Photo courtesy of © Krasphoto | Stock Free Images & Dreamstime Stock Photos)

It’s week three of The Skin Regime: Boot Camp for Beautiful Skin Challenge and I already see results. My skin is much smoother and  even-toned. For my third peel I decided to do another 50% glycolic acid. I prepped my skin as I normally do and this time I made sure to apply to medicated spray properly. I sprayed it directly onto my skin and waited about a minute until it dried completely. I was able to feel the numbing sensation from the spray, especially above my lip.

During the six minutes, the skin under my eyes and on my cheekbones showed the most irritation. My skin was red afterwards and slightly itchy. The next day I woke up with a small scab on my right cheekbone. At least I know it’s working! Bye-bye sunspots!

Next week I’m taking a break because I have an event to attend and I don’t want to go with red flakey skin! I’ve  upped my moisturization to three times a day and I have been using a BB cream  instead of regular foundation.

My skin really started to peel on the third day. To remove the flakes, I made sure to wash my face with my washcloth using a gentle circular motion. I noticed I shed a lot more skin this time around. I’m excited to see more results!

For more information on The Skin Regime: Boot Camp to Beautiful Skin and on products I used please visit TheSkinRegime.com – there you can order the book and get product recommendations.

Click here to read the first 30 pages of The Skin Regime for free!

It’s Spa Week! Yay!

Check out my latest Fitness Magazine Beauty on the Go Blog Post

Treat Yourself: Your Guide to Some of Spa Week’s Hottest Deals!

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Hey Beauties! Please check out my new Fitness Magazine Beauty on the Go Blog Post - Favorite Find Friday: Revision Retinol Facial Repair

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(Photo courtesy of Revision Skincare)

Glam Glow is a mud mask that all the celebs have been raving about, so I decided to try it myself and I was impressed. Glam Glow is an exfoliating anti-aging facial mud mask. It’s formulated with volcanic pumice rock that exfoliates the skin; French sea clay which helps absorb oil and minimize pores; and green tea leaf which is a powerful antioxidant.

It’s a green mud mask that kind of smells like a mix of mint and licorice/anise. It glides on smoothly and has a warm tingling sensation. It tightens as it dries and you can actually see the green tea pieces on your face.

Glam Glow SuperMud Clearing Treatment removes impurities and toxins from your skin. It leaves skin looking fresh and glowing. I loved it, this mask is luxury and nature in a jar. It’s like a high-end spa treatment in the comfort of your own home. I’m so glad I tried this, especially since I have oily skin – it sops it all up! Areas of the face that overproduce oil, dry up darker than other areas. Glam Glow shows you exactly were your oily spots are and helps keep it under control.

You can use this once or twice a week as a full mask or as a spot treatment. Use it to treat acne, razor bumps, and ingrown hairs. Recommended for both sexes, Glam Glow is an all natural, vegan, paraben-free product.

Glam Glow SuperMud Clearing Treatment $69 also available at Sephora

Now Sample it for only $11.99

Miley Cyrus recently tweeted this picture of her holding a box of Glam Glow, she’s a fan too!

*photos courtesy of Glam Glow and Twitter

The list continues with some more interesting skincare ingredients. This group is packed with some of my all time favorites that I always make sure to look for and use.

P.

Peptides are composed of amino acids and essentially work by sending “messages” or “commands” to skin cells. Some peptides can increase collagen production and other kinds aid in wrinkle reduction.

Q.

CoQ10 is a natural enzyme found in every cell. It helps fight the signs of aging by fending off free radicals.

R.

Retinal is a form of vitamin A that helps stimulate collagen production and increase cell regeneration.

S.

Salicylic Acid is used to treat acne and removes excess oil from skin.

T.

Titanium Dioxide is a mineral added to sunscreens that protects skin from UVA and UVB rays.