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Gail Lewis - A Girl's Gotta Spa! (sm) Top beauty blog, spa, hair care, makeup, beauty trends, skin care

J.R. Watkins Coconut Milk & Honey Body Butter and Body Scrub Review

jrwatkins-body-scrub-and-butterNothing says summer and vacation to me more than the scent of coconut.  And nothing says swimsuit ready more than soft, smooth, hydrated skin.  Now combine the scent of coconut with products  that exfoliate and moisturize my skin leaving it insanely smooth, glowing and hydrated. Who needs 80 degree temps? It’s practically summer in my shower right now…or at least it felt like it about ten minutes ago.  After I used the Coconut Milk & Honey  Body Scrub and Body Butter from J.R Watkins.

The natural scrub is a combination of sugar, shea butter and natural oils and smells absolutely delicious.  It effectively exfoliated my skin without feeling harsh and scratchy.  I loved that the scrub is also moisturizing so I did not feel like I was stripping my skin of moisturize while I exfoliated.  The body butter, like the scrub is also natural and has an amazing scent that is not overpowering.  The scent is light, fresh and clean…perfect for summer.  It felt decadent and luxurious on my skin and left it looking and feeling soft and radiant.  Read more

Posted on March 19, 2013 by Gail Lewis in bath and body, beauty Leave a comment

KYI Whipped Shea Butter Mask Review in Chamomile Lavender

kyi-whipped-shea-butter-maskTwo things that I always look for when purchasing beauty products are that the product(s) are as natural as possible and they are multi-functional.  I work hard at feeding my body things that will nourish it instead of harming it and I don’t want to undo that hard work by applying things to my skin that are unhealthy and harmful.  I also travel a ton so the less products I can lug from place to place the better, this is why I look for products that can be used in a variety of ways…plus if something is multi-functional it also reduces the amount of products I have to purchase, which is great for my wallet and for the environment since this also means less waste.  This past week I had the absolute joy of trying a product that is both natural and multi-functional.  Read more
Posted on March 14, 2013 by Gail Lewis in anti-aging, bath and body, beauty, skin care 1 Comment

How to Get a Better Hairstyle: Tips From Salon A.K.S



best-hairstylesMany of you can most likely relate to this scenario.  You have in your minds eye the perfect haircut or color that you think will look just absolutely amazing on you. You go into the salon and think that you do a pretty good job of explaining to your stylist what it is that you desire, but then you leave the salon feeling like somehow something got lost in translation because the cut or color you are leaving the salon with is not exactly what you had pictured.

So what happened? Did you not communicate clearly? Should you have brought in a better picture of what you wanted? Did your stylist think that what you wanted might not have been the best look for you? Maybe none of the above or maybe all three? Either way, this scenario is all too common and with spring and summer fast approaching, many of you much like myself, will be looking to update your ’do a little…or drastically.

In an effort to help our readers better communicate with their hairstylist so that they look and feel their absolute best this spring and summer, we reached out to the industry experts at Salon AKS in New York City for some of their tips on better communication between clients and their hairstylist. We hope this will also shed some light on what your hairstylist, (if they are a good hairstylist), should consider before cutting and coloring your hair.  Read more

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Gail Lewis in beauty, beauty interview, Hair Care, salon Leave a comment

DIY Exfoliating Face Mask



My favorite beauty treatments are those that I can create myself with ingredients from my own kitchen.  Creating my own beauty treatments makes me feel good about what I am putting on my skin because I know exactly where the ingredients came from and I know that they won’t harm my skin.

This morning my sister greeted me at her door with bright, glowing, soft skin sans makeup.  And since my sister is a walking  beauty encyclopedia, I had to know what got her skin looking so amazing.  Turns out it was her own concoction of coffee grounds, honey and lemon. The coffee grounds exfoliates the skin, functions as an anti-inflammatory and contains antioxidants.  The honey is a really great  moisturizer and leaves skin feeling soft and supple.  The lemon brightens skin and minimizes the look of pores while getting rid of oil.  Read more

Posted on February 27, 2013 by Gail Lewis in beauty, DIY Beauty, skin care 3 Comments

True Blue Spa Pumpkin Renewing Face Mask

One of my many winter skin woes is dry, dull skin. Add a lot of travelling during the winter months to that equation and my skin takes a beating.  I honestly feel like I need a weekly peel to help my skin look refreshed, bright and smooth, but going into a spa every week for a peel is just not in my budget at the moment so I have to opt instead for at home skin renewing treatments. This, can of course, also get expensive depending on how you well you expect them to work.

Thanks to my amazing sister, I have in my possession a  renewing face mask that is only $12 and works great on my skin.  I am visiting my family in Minnesota at the moment and noticed the Pumpkin Renewing Face Mask by True Blue Spa in her beauty stash.  I, of course, had to try it. Especially since she seems to be crazy in love with it.  Read more

Posted on February 25, 2013 by Gail Lewis in anti-aging, beauty, skin care Leave a comment

Mane Message Hair Ties Review

I feel like I take the necessary steps needed to keep my hair in tip top shape.  I get regular trims, eat well and take my vitamins, get deep conditioning treatments, etc.  But imagine my surprise when it was brought to my attention that despite my good intentions towards my hair, the types of hair ties I use might be contributing to hair damage!

Some hair ties, depending on the types of material, can snag and cause breakage to strands of  hair which also results in split ends.  I have noticed that when I remove some of my hair ties a few strands of hair will accompany them, but I assumed this was a normal part of shedding. Needless to say, my hair ties had to be replaced immediately; which is how I ended up with the most gorgeous selection of hair ties by Mane Message.  Read more

Posted on February 21, 2013 by Gail Lewis in beauty, Hair Care Leave a comment

Spa Sonic ® Face and Body Polisher Review

Meet my brand new best-friend and constant travelling companion, Spa Sonic’s Face and Body Polisher.

I took an immediate liking to this device and absolutely refuse to leave home for more than a day without it, after all what’s not to love since it beautifies from head to toe?  The seven piece professional kit includes, 1 Polishing unit, 2 Facial Brushes, 1 Body Brush, 1 Facial Buffer, 1 Pumice Stone, and a battery four pack and they all do an awesome job.

The facial brush feels really gentle on my skin and I especially love the size of the brush because it cleanses and exfoliates my face without getting any excess of cleanser and water on my hair.  The body brush is also amazing.  Like the facial brush, it’s not harsh or irritating, but really gentle and also exfoliates and cleanses perfectly.  Read more

Posted on February 14, 2013 by Gail Lewis in bath and body, beauty, skin care, Spa, Travel Beauty Leave a comment

Daisies & Dukes Bubbly Sugar Scrub And Body Butter

So far this year, I’ve been lucky enough to sample some truly amazing beauty products and I’ve been pretty excited about the majority of them. But this week I got the opportunity to try two new products from a new line of bath and body products that I am absolutely beserk about!  The line is called Daisies & Dukes and as their name may suggest, their products are inspired by the fresh air and natural beauty of America’s countryside.

I used the amazing Bubbly Sugar Scrub and Body Butter and did not want to get out of the bathroom.  Honestly, normally I have a tendency to speed shower and speed moisturize, but both of these products made me want to just hang around and dawdle in my bathroom for a spell.  The Hayfield Romance Bubbly Sugar Scrub has a fresh and clean yet feminine and romantic scent.  When I applied it in the shower it felt like I was applying frosting to my body, which I quite enjoyed.  The scrub both cleansed and exfoliated my skin gently, but thoroughly.  I loved that it transformed from a sugary scrub into a bubbly cleanser!  Read more

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Gail Lewis in bath and body, beauty Leave a comment

Farmaesthetics Lip Softener Review

Another outstanding product from Farmaesthetics that I instantly fell in love with–this time it’s their Lip Softener.

As with all of their products, the lip softener is 100% all natural with ingredients such as sweet almond oil, calendula*, Vitamin E, beeswax, peppermint, orange wax, grapefruit peel oil, iron oxide & mica.  It has a really refreshing minty scent and taste that is never overpowering.

All it took for my lips too feel  hydrated and moisturized was just a tiny dab of the softener, just a little really goes a long way and my lips never felt like there was a layer of heavy, greasy lip product sitting on top of them.    The ingredients in this lip softener treat the lip tissue by preventing cracked, dry lips and also aids in preventing fine lines and creases.  The Farmaesthetics Lip Softener is my definition of clean, simple and effective beauty.  Read more

Posted on February 1, 2013 by Gail Lewis in anti-aging, beauty, lip balm Leave a comment

Bodycology Sweet Love Nourishing Body Cream Review

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, a flowery scented body cream from bodycology.  From their new Sweet Love Fragrance collection, the Nourishing Body Cream contains notes of sweet mandarin, sparkling red pear and vanilla orchid. Fruity top notes dry down and give way to a floral heart of sweet rose and amber.  If you like very feminine fragrances, then this body cream will definitely appeal to you.

I generally prefer clean, light fragrances but did not mind the Sweet Love Fragrance.  I would however, only use one product at a time from this collection and would definitely not layer them as they might be too overpowering when used together.    When I first applied the Sweet Love Nourishing Body Cream, the fragrance was pretty strong, but throughout the day it became much softer and lighter.  I would certainly use this body cream when I want to embrace my girly, romantic side.  Read more

Posted on January 29, 2013 by Gail Lewis in bath and body, beauty Leave a comment
A Girl's Gotta Spa! (sm) Top beauty blog, spa, hair care, makeup, beauty trends, skin care > Articles by: Gail Lewis