Spa Towells

I received a sample in the mail recently of these nifty new Spa Towell towelettes, which are "lightly scented 8” x 8” body moisturizing towelettes drenched with a rich blend of natural oils, antioxidant rich vitamins and moisture attracting humectants that leave skin feeling smoother, softer and more supple."

Intrigued? Well, I was! So I tried one this morning after getting out of the shower. They come in individually wrapped packages, so I opened one up and noted that the towelette did indeed feel like it was loaded with lotion. I slathered the towelette on my legs first, as they usually are the part of my body that needs the most moisture during this time of year. The towelette was a bit awkward to use as I tried to spread the lotion evenly onto my skin, but I think that's a result of it simply being a towelette and would simply require some practice to figure out how to handle it. I was a bit dissappointed to note that most of the lotion seemed to have gotten used up on my legs. You probably need 2 towels to really get your entire body.

The lotion did absorb quickly, with no greasiness. The scent is light, not overpowering as with some scented body lotions. I wouldn't rely on these for everyday use, if nothing else because of the waste of throwing away the towelette each time, but they're brilliant for travel! You could pack them in your carry-on without having to worry about the liquids restrictions.

You can order packs of 10 ($19.95), 20 ($39.95), or 30 ($59.95) towelettes online, or go to the website to find stores near you.

Beauty Expiration Dates

Courtesy of the February issue of Real Simple magazine:

Your products won’t last forever, but here’s a comprehensive list of cosmetics and how long you can expect to keep them:

Anti-aging and acne treatments: Three months to a year. Antioxidants are easily oxidized, so be on the lookout for any changes in color.

Body lotion: Two to three years, particularly if it’s in a pump container.

Shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel: About three years.

Bath oil: One year.

Sunscreen: Check the package for an expiration date.

Mascara and liquid eyeliner: Three to four months. Make sure you’re diligent about replacing these items to prevent contamination and infections.

Eye and lip pencils: Three to five years. Sharpen them before each use as a way to preserve them and keep them clean.

Lipstick and lip gloss: Two to three years.

Foundation: About two years. Most bottles are designed to last that long. And if you don’t use it, chances are you didn’t love it to begin with.

Perfume: About two years. To get more mileage out of a perfume, resist the temptation to display a pretty bottle on your vanity. Instead, stash it away in a cool, dark place.

Nail polish: One year.

Hairstyling products: Three to five years. Most are alcohol-based, which helps preserve the formula.

Bar soap: Up to three years.

Shaving cream: About two years.

Deodorant: Up to two years.

BodyGlide

(another repost [from 5/17/06]... sorry, guys, I'm flying back to California tomorrow, I promise I'll have some original content later this week!)

Ok, so this isn't exactly what you'd immediately call a "beauty product" but bear with me here for a moment and you'll thank me later...

Several months ago I signed up for the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. This will involve me walking up to 39 miles over 2 days (insane, yes). As I've been training many experienced walkers have shared with me the wonders of this fantabulous little products called BodyGlide. It looks like a deodorant stick, but is actually this stuff that you put on your feet when you're running or walking long distances to prevent blisters, or can be used to prevent chaffing in other parts of your body (surfers use it under their wetsuits for this purpose).

Well, if it works when wearing sneakers, why not when wearing heels? I tell you, this stuff is AWESOME. Rub a bit on wherever your shoes may rub you the wrong way and you'll be set all night long, enjoying your beautiful and sexy new stilettos rather than suffering in agony because of them! I've tested it out several times, and I've been so happy with the difference it makes. Seriously, awesome.

You can find this BodyGlide at drugstore.com, REI, Sports Basement, or any other sports/running store out there. It's about $7 for a stick (REI has mini ones for less), and also comes in a formula with SPF 25.

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Hand Cream

As someone who has suffered from dry, cracked hands every winter for the past, oh, as many years as I can remember, it seems I'm always on the look-out for great hand lotions. My most recent find is a good old-fashioned inexpensive drugstore find-- Neutrogena's Norwegian Formula Hand Cream! ($4.39 at drugstore.com)You only need a dab, and it immediately makes my hands feel soft and uber-moisturized (without feeling too greasy). And it's inexpensive enough that you can buy several tubes and keep them stocked anywhere you might need them. I unfortunately left mine in California, and I've been dying without it. I will definitely be hitting Target up tomorrow and grabbing some of this stuff.


There's also a new fast absorbing formula out, if the regular cream feels too greasy to you (it doesn't at all to me).

Maryam's Soap Nook

I recently recieved a wonderful little goody bag from Maryam's Soap Nook. This is a brand of bath & body products that are all hand-made with natural ingredients, and infused with aromatherapy to entice the senses as well. Maryam's inspiration for this line of products was the birth of her daughter in 1999. Since then, she's been making her own hand-made bath and body products, and using only these on her daughter (nice story, isn't it? And you know the stuff's high quality if she's using it on her own kids)

Here's a quick review of a few of the products I recieved and have had a chance to play around with:

Whipped Shea Monoi Herbal Body Butter ($15/8oz)- This is a thick, luxurious body butter made up of shea butter, monoi de tahiti oil, cocoa butter, sweet almond oil, sunflower oil, goat milk, vitamin E, and silk fibers. It takes some getting used to at first-- the concoction felt grainy as I first scooped it out of the tub, but then I realized that the "grains" are little bits of shea butter that melt on contact with your skin. My skin felt incredibly soft and silky after slathering this body butter all over. I recieved the Lavender Rosemary scented butter, which smells nice (smells moisturizing, if that's possible) though it's a bit overpowering for me-- I used this lotion right before bed once and my sheets smelled like it for days. However there's many scents to choose from and even an unscented version.

Exfoliating Body Wash with Kukui Nut Oil & Jojoba Beads($10/8oz)- The kukui nut oil promises to heal, renew, and moisturize dry skin, while the jojoba beads exfoliate dead skin cells away. I first tried to use this body wash by pouring some into my shower pouf, but most of the mixture simply dissappeared into the pouf rather than going onto my skin. It's probably better to use it with your hands or a washcloth. The Pomegranite & Wild Berries scent smells incredibly refreshing. This wash also comes in a variety of other scents, as well.

Shea Butter & Dead Sea Salt Glow Scrub($15/8oz)- The claims: "Helps circulation and is a great way to invigorate and rejuvenate your skin. The deep pore cleansing and exfoliating effects will leave your skin feeling baby soft, and refreshed." I have to admit, I've been loving this trend of sugar and salt scrubs. I love feeling the exfoliating action of the sugar or salt beads, plus feeling the oils truly lubricate my skin to make it uber-moisturized. It feels like just what I need during these dreary, dry winter months. Although this body scrub and the above exfoliating wash in many ways are quite similar (exfoliation + oils to moisturize), I like the scrub better as it;s thicker and more substantial. Beware, however, as the oils in this scrub (and any other) will make your tub more slippery!

Bottom Line? I'm not sure if I'd seek out these products on my own as opposed to going with other brands where I can easily waltz into a store to pick them up. However, if you like having natural, hand-made products to use on your skin, then these are definitely a good thing for you.

How NOT to Overeat on Thanksgiving

We're all too familiar with the situation-- it's Thanksgiving Day. You haven't eaten much all day in anticipation fo the day's feast. You go to pile up your plate and, of course, want to try EVERYTHING. So you pile it on and, afterwards, end up feeling more stuffed than the turkey itself. Now you're left with not only indigestion, but the guilt of having consumed one too many servings of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.

So what do you do?

Well, here's a bit of advice. I know with me, often in situations like these the food will be so good that I just want to keep eating it-- even once I'm already full and am not enjoying the taste as much anymore. And that's the key to focus on-- the first few bites of your food are the ones that taste best, anyway. So go ahead and try a little bit of everything-- just make it only small portions. You only need a few bites of each of the various dishes available. This way you get to try and enjoy everything, but you keep your overall food intake to a reasonable level.

And, of course, you might actually have some room left to enjoy a slice of pumpkin pie, as well. ; )

By the way, I also suggest not worrying too much about fat content, or trying to use low-fat versions of your favorite Thanksgiving comfort foods. I'm a firm believer in allowing yourself to indulge in the good stuff (meaning things like REAL sugar) and simply limiting portion size to make up for it. Remember, Thanksgiving only comes around once a year anyway. If you induklge a bit more than usual, it's not the end of the world. You can always go for a run tomorrow.

Happy Turkey Day!

Do you want to be So...? Desirable

A week or 2 ago I recieved a sample of So...? Desirable perfume spray. The accompanying note mentioned that this perfume supposedly smells just like Salvatore Ferragamo's Incanto Charms fragrance. Seeing as So...? Desirable retails at $15.25 (on sale at Kohl's!), and the Ferragamo scent is $55 for the equivalent 1.7 oz bottle, I figured this was something worth checking out. So I finally got my butt down to Sephora (I know, I can't figure out what took me so long, either) and brought home a sample of Ferragamo Incanto Charms. And ya know what? I honestly cannot tell the difference. They both have a funky, feminine, fruity/floral scent. Unfortunately I'm not s huge fan of what it smells like one it's mixed with my body chemistry (I seem to have this problem with most perfumes, though-- I'll love how it smells just out of the bottle, then something wierd happens when it's on me), but the scent itself is quite nice and surely would smell dreamy on many others.

Wishlist: Holiday Gift Sets!

Ok, so as I was looking through the Sephora website for yesterday's post, I stumbled upon all sorts of new, incredibly yummy-sounding goodies that Philosophy is offering as Holiday Gift sets. And... I want them all!!!

Let's see, first there's The Ski House ($35), which includes a 4 oz Double Rich Hot Cocoa ultra rich, award-winning 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, a 2 oz Marshmallow Body Souffle, and a .5 oz Kiss Me Pink peppermint lip balm. I mean, my god, who doesn't want that? If I had Hot Cocoa body wash and marshmallow lotion, I don't know if I'd ever leave the bathroom. Ever.

Then there's Holiday Rescue ($25), complete with an 8 oz 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, plus a 3.5 oz Exfoliating Hot Salt Scrub. Another reason not to ever leave your shower.

And let's not forget some of the men that can make the holidays so sweet... Like The Ice-Cream Man, The Milk Man, and The Gingerbread Man. Each kit contains an 8 oz 3-in-1 shampoo, shower gel, and bubble bath, a 2 oz Pampering Shimmer Body Souffle, and a .5 oz. Delicious High-Gloss Lip Shine, for $38. If you're not a one-man kind of wioman, there's always A Few Good Men ($25), a lipgloss trio including one lip gloss in each of the scents above.

I've already added a few of these to my Amazon.com wishlist, and am considering getting them as gifts for friends and family. They just look too cute (and sound way too yummy) to pass up!

Perceptions

Oh my gosh... I saw this over at The Beauty Brains, and it's amazing. I've seen before/after pics of celebrities once or twice from photo shoots, but it's still amazing, espceially the part where they photoshopped her. It's like models can't even say it's their own face or body anymore. This video was made by Dove as part of their Campaign for Real Beauty, which I am a HUGE fan of. Yay Dove!



(YouTube link)

Lend Me a Hand

My hands always get dry and chapped every winter. I mean, they get bad-- to the point that putting lotion on stings. It must be a combination of the cold weather, heaters, and washing my hands every 10 minutes at work every day. Thus every winter I'm faced with the struggle to find a hand lotion that could work small miracles for me, but usually to no avail-- I still end up with chapped, cracked hands.

Last year I made a startling discovery though-- Hemp Hand Protector ($6 for 1.25oz) from The Body Shop. When I spread some of the tester onto my chapped hands, I felt immediate relief, that lasted. I used it constantly after that, though by then temperatures were already rising again and I was needing it less and less.

Well, as of this month I started noticing my hands feeling dryer again. I tried to put hand lotion on after each time I washed my hands at work (Bath & Body Works Hand Repair Healing Hand Cream, $12 or buy 3 get 1 free) which helped, but couldn't do enough. Then I re-discovered my Hemp lotion, and started using it every night before I went to bed-- and immediately I noticed a difference in my hands. Now I hardly even need to use lotion during the day, even after washing my hands so often. I'm amazed, to say the least. Now, this hand lotion can feel a bit greasy after I put it on, but that's why it's perfect for beditme-- I let it sink in overnight, and I get to enjoy soft, happy hands all day long!

Hemp Hand Protector, you are my savior.

Back to Basics

Sometimes the most brilliant beauty solutions are the simplest ones. I have to send a bit Thank You! to The Beauty Brains for reminding me of what a useful little product good ole petroleum jelly can be, and pointing me over to this site full of pointers for how to use it. Such as....

Moisturize your lips and more--If you don't want to pay a lot for expensive lip balm, makeup remover, or even facial moisturizer, then your answer is a tube of petroleum jelly. It can soothe lips, take off foundation, eye shadow, mascara, and more. It will even act as a moisturizer on your face. (I've also heard it can be great as a conditioner for your eyelashes).

Lengthen the life of perfume--You've picked out a great scent to wear on your night out, but it's got to last. Worry not. Dab a bit of petroleum jelly on your pulse points. Then spray on the perfume. Now you can dance the night away and not worry about your perfume turning in early.

Soften chapped hands--If you're constantly applying hand lotion to your tired, chapped hands, but then taking it off again so you can get more work done, try this tip. Apply a liberal amount of petroleum jelly to your hands just before you go to bed. By morning, they'll be soft and smooth.

No more messy manicures--During home manicures, it's hard to keep the nail polish from running over on your cuticles. Petroleum jelly can help your manicures look more professional. Dab some along the base of your nails and the sides. If polish seeps off the nail during the manicure, all you do is wipe off the petroleum jelly and the sloppy nail polish is gone.

Smooth wild eyebrow hairs--If you have runaway eyebrows -- the ones where the hairs won't lie flat but curl up instead, control the wildness with some petroleum jelly. Rub a dab into your brows. They'll calm down and behave.

Stop hair dye runs--There's nothing more embarrassing than a home hair color job gone awry. Imagine finishing applying that new auburn shade to your tresses when you notice that you've dyed your hairline and part of your forehead too. Next time, run a bit of petroleum jelly across your hairline. If dye seeps off your hair, the petroleum jelly will catch it.

Heal windburned skin--You've just had a glorious hike through the countryside in autumn. And as much as you enjoyed the changing colors of the season, the hike has left you with an unpleasant souvenir: windburn. Grab a jar of petroleum jelly and apply it liberally to your face or wherever you've been chapped. The jelly helps relieve the pain.

Click here to see even more uses.

I actually feel silly realizing that I don't have any Vaseline in my home at the moment, but I think I'll have to go out and buy a tub of it.

Neutrogena Body Clear Body Scrub

There was a time when I had little faith in Neutrogena products. Since then, I have been proven wrong many times, and am now a Neutrogena convert. I love their sunscreen, their powder, their mascara, etc etc etc. So it was with high hopes that I bought their Body Clear Body Scrub($5.99 at drugstore.com).

I was pretty happy with this scrub at first. It smelled nice, it felt nice and thick, it gave a satisfyingly clean feeling. But aftr a few uses I noticed that it was harder and harder to get the scrub to squeeze out of the bottle.

Turns out that when they designed this bottle, they gave this thick scrub a teeny tiny little hole to come out of at the top! Which means that it gets easily plugged up, and is hard to squeeze out after a while. I had to unscrew the cap and rinse it out in water for a few minutes to clear it back out.

As a result, I find I don't use this scrub very often. It's a fine product, but someone really needs to re-engineer the cap so that the opening is a bit wider and the product doesn't become all gummed up (ya hear that, Neutrogena?).


BTW, Ellen over at Lipstick, Powder 'N Paint will be doing special posts all week long looking at what products different beauty bloggers have in their makeup bags. I am quite honored to be one such beauty blogger. =) So be sure to head on over to her site and check out what I and other beauty bloggers use as our favorite products!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Lots of beauty brands, big and small, have been launching special editions of their products to help fund Breast Cancer research. I was going to put together a post full of such products that I've come accorss, but then found that other blogs have already done so-- and possibly done a much better job than I could! So here are links to some great posts highlighting products that support breast cancer research.

Lipstick, Powder 'N Paint

Beautiful Makeup Search (this looks like it'll be an ongoing series of posts, so be sure to check back over the course of the month)

The Product Girl

If I find others along the way, or if I spot products that aren't already spotlighted in any of the above, I'll be sure to mention them here. Shop to your hearts' contents, gals, it's all for a good cause!

VS Very Sexy Makeup

Victoria's Secret recently launched its own makeup line, Very Sexy. I had a $10 off coupon I recieved for my birthday recently, so I went to my local Victoria's Secret Beauty store and checked some of their new products out.

I have a mosaic eye shadow kit that I bought from VS before they had their own official makeup line, and I adore it. So I was curious about some of their new mosaic compacts-- they have eye shadow, bronzer, and blush (left) powder mosaics, plus mosaic lip palettes ($18 each). If you like playing with blush, you may really like these-- they had a good variety of different shades in their mosaics that looked very fun. I liked the shadows-- they go on surprisingly sheer, and the colors are very pretty.

I also spent a good bit of time looking at their eye shadows ($12), and was very temped to buy Blindfold (a pale lilac) and No Strings (a darker, shimmery purple). They would have gone great worn with their sparkling eyeliner ($10) in lilac flash. I actually was very tempted by these eyeliners, they would be so fun to wear for a night out on the town!

The loose shimmer powder ($18) looked cool, too, but it didn't seem to come with a built-in applicator meaning I'd have to buy a separate brush for it. For $18 I'd rather it be a complete package. I also liked the gel eyeliner duos ($12, right), gel liner is such a great way to achieve a dramatic look that's much easier to use than liquid liner.

As for lips, they had a fun selection of lip gloss($12) and lip lacquer($12, left). I liked the lacquers, particularly Crush and Get Lucky, though these also did not come with any sort of applicator so you'd have to use a separate lip brush or your fingers. There's even a lip plumper (I'd expect no less from VS) for $18. It apparently has "Self-adjusting pigment [that] reacts with skin's pH to enrich natural lip color." Hmm.. asounds interesting. Perhaps I should've tested this one....

In the end I settled for an eye liner ($10) in Exotic Plum. I like that these eyeliners have a built-in smudger at the end.

Aveda Body Wash

Several months ago I recieved a gift box of Aveda's Energizing and Calming body cleansers ($14 each). At the time I wasn't too thrilled at the gift, as I believe my bathtub was already cluttered with at least 1-2 bottles of body wash already, but I did feel sorta fancy at receiving them so I put them in my shower for future use.

Now, I find I use these almost exclusively when I shower. I don't know if they really do much as far as "energizing" or "calming" me, but they smell divine and just feel very luxurious. And my skin has felt fairly well moisturized and clean after washing with one of these products.

I've never been one to splurge on body wash, I figure they all work pretty much the same and so usually get something from the drugstore for $5. When I run out of these I'm not sure I'll be able to justify shelling out the cash to buy a replacement... but I know I will be temped to. I think that says a lot about how much I've enjoyed using them.

Open Letter to All Girls with Bad Posture

Dear Slouchies,

I've been noticing y'all a lot lately as I've been out and about. I've seen you at the beach with your teenage friends, or at the outdoor concert this past weekend... I've even seen you on the red carpet (yes, I'm talking to YOU, Scarlett Johansson). And I have a few words to share with you.

It pains me to see your shoulders all slumped over, your belly sticking out, your body basically looking like a big question mark. I just want to walk up to you and pull your shoulders back. I see you standing like that, and it makes me cringe, for your sake. Do you realize that when you hunch like that it makes your upper back curve forward and look like an old lady with bad osteoperosis? Do you realize that it makes your stomach and hips jut forward, making you appear a good 10lbs heavier than you actually are? Now, I know that many of you are tall, and in your teens/early 20's and so may feel self-conscious about your height. I also know you may feel self-conscious next to your prettier girlfriend. I've been there (not the tall part, but feeling like the dumpier friend of the duo). But you know what? I PROMISE you that if you only straighten up your shoulders and tuck in that tummy, you will look that much more attractive and even feel better, too.

When you slouch, you look uncomfortable. You look unsure of yourself. You look shy. And you look sloppy. When you stand up tall, you exude confidence. Your belly looks flatter. Your back looks regal. People will want to approach you more.

So, please, gals, listen to what your mother told you. Or what all the magazines tell you. Do that trick of imgining the string being pulled up from above your head. Practice it in the mirror, to see what a big difference it makes. I realize posture is a hard habit to change, so ask your friends and family to help remind you if you slip back into your old slouch habits. You'll be doing yourselves (and your backs, which must be very sore by now) a huge favor. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Marcy

Best of Sephora 2006, PLUS Sephora Blog!

I recently went over to the Sephora website to discover their new homepage listing all their Best Products (voted on by 150,000 Sephora shoppers)! Check out results such as Best Cleanser (Philosophy Purity Made Simple), or Best Lipstick (Nars Lipstick in Dolce Vita). And there's much, MUCH more where that came from!

AND get this... Last week Sephora launched its own Beauty BLOG! You bet your booty I'm adding them to my bookmarks list!

Is it silly how excited these 2 findings have made me? I'm positively giddy... lol! I guess that's what a growing addiction to beauty products will do to ya... ; )

Campaign for Real Beauty

I LOVE Dove's new ad campaign. I remember seeing the first of their Campaign for Real Beauty ads in a fashion magazine several months back and thinking "Hooray!" In the era of Mischa Barton, Nicole Ritchie, and The Olsen Twins, it's nice to see images of real females, with real bodies, not only being displayed but being celebrated!

I'm tired of hearing my gorgeous girl friends complaining about their bodies. I'm tired of seeing Hollywood actresses tout their refusal to "conform to the standards of Hollywood" one day, and revealing their secrets to super-slim downs the next. It's ridiculous the standards we set for ourselves!

Dove is not only taking a risk by choosing this alternative model type (which is fabulous, by the way) but they are also taking strides to help girls all over the world gain better self-confidence and feel better about themselves in general. According to a world-wide poll by Dove, almost 70% of women ages 15-64 have withdrawn from life-engaging activities because of their negative views of themselves and their bodies. As a response, Dove has created their Self-Esteem Fund, and has tools available on its website (a downloadable workbook, ideas and exercises) to help mothers and daughters (almost 70% of teenage girls reported that their mothers have an influence their feelings about themselves and their beauty) reconnect and feel better about themselves.



I applaud Dove for celebrating all the various shapes and sizes we come in, and taking the steps to help our young women attain better and healthier views of their bodies. Perhaps If Dina Lohan can snap out of her desire to be 21 again, she can look up some of these tools and help save her daughter from a drunken and undernourished demise....

The Beauty Brains (my new fave site)

I found this website (thanks to Delightful Blogs) last night, and have hardly been able to tear myself away from it since! (ok, so I slept for a few hours between perusing it last night and this morning...) The bloggers behind The Beauty Brains are professional cosmetic chemists whose job is to create and test different beauty products. Their blog is a series of question-and-answer posts about everything from shampoos and conditioners to makeup, and how it all works. This site is AMAZING! I keep clicking through their old posts and learning all sorts of new things! For example:

What are the best cheap hair care formulas?
Are expensive beauty products really worth it?
What do antioxidants and vitami C really do for your skin?
Do sunscreens work on hair?
How well do anti-aging products really work?
Are salon products sold at Target, etc, trustworthy?

And much, much, much, much, MUCH more. There's also a link to a cosmetics ingredients dictionary, and general info on how products like shampoos, conditioners, face lotions, etc actually work. This is a great site to get information on what's behind the marketing ploys of different new products, and how to educate yourself to be a better, smarter consumer so you can known what you're buying and get what you want. Go check them out!!

My Virtual Model

So, I've been aware for a while that Glamour has a virtual model tool on their website where you can go and "try on" the season's latest jeans, swim suits, etc. What I didn't realize is how many other sites were jumping on the bandwagon!

There is anow a My Virtual Model webpage, where men and women can create a virtual model of themselves and shop at such online stores as H&M, Adidas, Land's End, Speedo, and Sears. You can customize the model according to your overall body shape (pear, hour-glass, apple?), your hair color and hair style, and your height. The H&M site even let me enter inch measurements for my bust, waist, hips, thighs, etc for a more exact replica of myself (at left, trying on some stylish H&M fashions). And your model has a unique username and password that can be used accross any of these sites.

Sure, this doesn't exactly replace trying on the clothes in real life, but it's a fun tool for playing around with different styles and outfits. =) Enjoy!