Need for Speed: New Quick Drying Nail Polishes
Today's modern polishes promise to dry faster than a speeding bullet, but which ones actually save the day? Top manicurists have known about pro top coats for years - those specially formulated clear coats that left lacquer intact for an extended wear manicure. Compatible with nearly every brand, topcoats like Read more
Verb Detangle+Defrizz Conditioning Leave-In Mist Review
To be completely up front about things, I hate washing my hair because it's a nightmare to comb afterwards. It’s much like that of a 6 year old little girl. It tangles like nobody’s business and is a nightmare to comb after washing. It’s so bad that my hairdresser Read more
Delfin Spa Cellulite Reduction Apparel and Anti-Cellulite Lotion Review
Everyone deals with cellulite. And no one is a fan of it. We've written about coffee ground products like Gail's DIY Coffee Scrub or isola Jamaican Coffee & Sugar Scrub, that are said to help minimize the appearance of cellulite due to the caffeine. Now there is another product system Read more
Mom: Get Glamorous Twitter Party
This year we're mixing things up with our Mom: Get Glamorous contest! We're adding a Twitter party, where some of the great brands participating in the contest are also giving away products during our party. Come join us on May 15, 2013 from 1pm-2pm EST and tweet with @TheMakeupGirl @ClumpsofMascara Read more
5th Annual Mom: Get Glamorous Contest
// // Are you ready for our 5th annual Mom: Get Glamorous contest? This year I am partnering with Lianne of The Makeup Girl, Brittany from Clumps of Mascara, Christine from 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic and Bryce from The Luxury Spot to find the most deserving mom to award Read more
Aveda’s a pretty well known cosmetics, hair care, and skin care company who strives to connect beauty, environment, and well being. They aim to care for the world we live in with the products they make to give back to society. I think Aveda has an all together pretty amazing cosmetic line. As many times as I have had the opportunity to work with their makeup, I have never been disappointed. I also enjoy the fresh scents the cosmetics give off while applying. Read more
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
Lip balms are a must in my daily beauty routine. Regardless if I’m relaxing at home or heading out, I always make sure my lips are moisturized and protected. A lip balm for me must moisturize without feeling heavy and oily on my lips. Even better if it has SPF.
Infinity Sun Avance Balme lip care is a blend of the finest certified organic ingredients, including Organic Beeswax, Organic Vitamin E, Organic Essential Oils, Organic Rosemary Extract and Organic Calendula to soothe and heal chapped lips, keeping the lips moist, soft, and supple. And to top it off, all four flavors – Citrus, Coconut, Spearmint & Vanilla Bean, have SPF15. Read more
Metropolis Soap Co.’s Honeysuckle and Violet Collection is a 100% vegan skin care line that features organic honeysuckle and organic violet leaf, both which are incredibly antioxidant-rich. The collection is scented with a citrus vanilla blend of Balsam of Peru and Bergamot essential oils. The collection includes an artisan soap, herbal spa soak, exfoliating scrub, and mini gift set of the three. I had the opportunity to review both the soap and sugar scrub. Read more
Massages after a long day or after a few hours at the gym are just heaven. And just pure bliss if the massage oil being used is therapeutic and smells divine. Eco-Beauty® by La Fresh have some amazing massage oils and I was lucky enough to be sent bottles of their Energize and Detox massage oils to use.
100% natural, these oils are a blend of olive, grape seed, jojoba, sesame and vitamin E; there is Chinese lemongrass essential oil for Detox and essential oil of Italian orange for Energize. Both smell heavenly! As a masseur wasn’t readily available to me, I used the Energize oil after a shower and yes, Energize it does! The orange aroma is invigorating and leaves a light refreshing scent on your skin that makes me sniff myself (not a good look in public), several times a day. I love that each bottle has a dropper so it’s easy to get the right amount of oil. These oils are so versatile; they can also be used in a diffuser or in your bath… Read more
We all know moisturization is key, but slathering on lotion does nothing if it’s sitting atop dead skin cells –the only way to rid your skin of impurities is to exfoliate. Now, I’ve been around the block when it comes to exfoliants, and I can say without a moment’s hesitation that my all-time favorite scrub is by Sabon, a luxury bath and body fragrance brand.
While doing my Christmas shopping months ago in Bryant Park, a Sabon employee convinced me (with a notable amount of zeal) to try out their body scrubs. I was pretty hesitant at first, but I was completely blown away by the product. Made with dead sea salt and various nut oils the tiniest amount used two times a week will leave your skin silky smooth and completely moisturized. Because I was Christmas shopping, I made an oath to myself that I wouldn’t purchase anything for personal use…but since I loved the scrub so much, I bought it for my roommate. Read more
It has always been a part of A Girl’s Gotta Spa! MO to highlight beauty brands that give back. We love philanthropy.
This week, we are loving Zolani Organics, a skincare brand dedicated to creating products that are not only high in quality, but help sustain economic income for needy families in Ghana, West Africa.
As someone whose full-time employment lies in nonprofit communications – a nonprofit dedicated to providing aid to Ghana, specifically – I felt an immediate connection to Zolani Organics. Â Zolani is a company I like to call Fair Trade Fabulous as all products contain lush, locally-harvested ingredients and a portion of each sale goes towards sending books and school supplies to children in West Africa.
Zolani Organic products are heavily reliant shea butter, a nut extract from the locally-grown African tree. Shea butter is a luxurious moisturizer, is rich in vitamins A, E, and F, and the collagen-boosting properties have even been connected to fading unsightly stretch marks. If you haven’t treated yourself to a rich shea butter product yet, this is the product to try, you’ll feel fabulous inside and out, knowing you are helping a child continue his or her education.
Visit Zolani’s “About Us” page for more information on the brand’s mission, and be sure to check out their blog to learn more about current fundraising goals.
Lately my sister, who seems to be very knowledgeable about any and everything that has to do with skincare has been raving about the benefits of incorporating a facial serum into my skincare regimen. My sister is in her thirties, but can pass for sixteen and often times does, her skin is absolutely flawless so whenever she gives me skincare advice I always take it. So for the past few weeks I have been using the greenbeauty youth boost facial serum twice daily, in the morning and at night. As indicated by the name, the greenbeauty youth boost facial serum is both natural and organic and contains apple stem cells in addition to vitamin A and C, green tea, amla fruits and licorice root. This combination of ingredients is supposed to  firm and even skin tone, smooth the appearance of fine lines, brighten skin and enhance skins’ luminosity and the results are supposed to be visible in just 14 days.
The first week I used the serum, I didn’t really notice much of a difference in the appearance of my skin, but since it said results in 14 days I thought I would wait another week to see if it delivers. It’s now been a little over two weeks and I do indeed notice a difference in my skin. First of all I have had absolutely no blemishes since I’ve started using the serum…even during that time of the month. My skin also looks brighter and healthier…I guess you could say it looks more youthful. I’ve also started using a bit of the serum on my hands to see if it will also improve the appearance of the back of my hands…I just started doing this so it’s too soon to report on the progress.
The youth boost facial serum is also a great product to apply before a workout. I personally do not like using facial moisturizers before a workout (even the oil free kind) because my face gets really oily and starts to feel clogged halfway through my workout, so I’ve been applying just the serum and my face is definitely less greasy after a tough workout…plus I’m being good to my face and body at the same time.
Have you tried greenbeauty Youth Boost Facial Serum? Share your experience in the comments!
As a fairly active, busy gal, I spend a lot of time outdoors and admittedly don’t take care of my skin as well as I know I should! It can be tough to take the time out to moisturize dry summer skin, but it truly doesn’t have to be such a chore. In fact, this the kind of pampering is truly necessary — especially in these hot summer months — so why not take the time to quench your skin and relax in the process with Adara Virgin Coconut Oil?
Eco-friendly, fair trade, and the highest grade Organic Virgin Coconut Oil available in the market, Adara products are all about providing the best nourishment for your skin while keeping up with ethical business practices, so you can have peace of mind while you hydrate! Available in six different scents, from green tea to lavender, this product will be your new favorite summer moisturizing agent — simply slather on rough patches to lock in moisture and be on your way to smoother, more supple skin!
- Alex Gambardella
Guest beauty post for A Girl’s Gotta Spa! from my friends at TheFind.com.
If you’re anything like me, shaving is one of those beauty rituals (chores) that most of the time (every time) you wish you could skip…it’s just not that enjoyable (and doesn’t make much sense) to drag a sharp object across your skin in pursuit of smoother, softer skin.   It is, however, kind of a necessity if you plan on wearing anything shorter than ankle length…or if you’re not in THAT stage of the relationship, when if your someone special runs their hands across your legs and encounters a bit of stubble you’re not embarrassed and they don’t immediately remember that the have an early deadline tomorrow and have to head home to get some sleep (I thought you worked for the government, they have Sunday deadlines…go figure). Nothing ruins a perfect, romantic Sunday morning faster than stretching seductively in bed and in the process revealing a not so sexy patch of underarm fuzz…and you even woke up with glowing skin, not so bad morning breath and sexy bed head…in which country is it again that women don’t tend to shave their armpits? Read more
