We all know that smiling has many benefits. For one, it simply puts you in a better mood (try smiling and being unhappy–it DOESN’T work!), it conveys positive energy to others, it makes you feel less stressed and it makes you look younger (the best no-cost anti-aging product ever.) And when you’re in love, love someone or feel loved: you smile.

VITACARE, my favorite whitening, vitamin-infused oral care brand (and recent winner of Delicious Living’s 2012 Beauty & Body Awards), wants to see those healthy, happy smiles this Valentine’s Day.  SMILES YOU LOVE kicks off today and ends on Valentine’s Day. When you participate, you’ll be entering yourself AND your loved one to win a VITACARE Smile Makers gift pack worth $21 (each)…but honestly, isn’t a healthy smile priceless?

(1) VITACARE Multicare Toothpaste (Your choice of Acai Mint, Pomegranate Mint or Key Lime Mint)
(1) VITACARE Multicare Alcohol-free Mouthwash (in Key Lime Mint)
(3) VITACARE Whitening Gum (1 of each flavor)
(1) VITACARE Eco-Friendly Toothbrush

To be entered to win, you must Like VITACARE on Facebook and post a picture of the person whose SMILE YOU LOVE on VITACARE’s fan page wall (and don’t forget to tag your loved one in the photo!) Optional: Follow VITACARE on Twitter too! (On both Facebook and Twitter you can find them as @vitacareworld.) To enter you must be 18+ and live in the US. There are no cash substitutions and void where prohibited. Winner announced on February 15th. Like and follow via the entry form below and add the photo to VITACARE’s Facebook. Good luck!

*Disclosure

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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Most of you, if not all, are probably very familiar with this scenario. You plan on having a great Saturday night out on the town with your girls.  Maybe dinner, followed by dancing.  You get all dolled up, the hair, the outfit, the makeup are flawless and you just know you’re going to look amazing in pictures.  At the beginning of the night you’re completely psyched because, you in fact do look pretty great, but as the night wears on you have to make it a point to approve anything before it gets posted to any one of the gazillion social networking sites because you’ve noticed your makeup has started to melt and wear off and you’re bordering on “hot mess” territory.  I’ve definitely been there and yes making multiple trips to the ladies room for touch ups is always an option, but unfortunately the only thing you can touch up is your powder and lip because that teeny clutch only has so much room. Besides, who wants to take a break from dancing to “Single Ladies”  to go touch up their makeup?

Well now, thanks to an awesome product from Skindinavia, you can continue tweaking out on the dance floor with your girls.

The product is called Makeup Finishing Spray and it is amazing.  It extends makeup wear, maintains color and prevents your makeup from slipping, melting and creasing and feels really refreshing on your skin.  I decided to test the spray out by applying my makeup then  hitting the gym (I know not good for my pores, but I wanted to see how it would hold up.)  The spray definitely held up to it’s claims. My workout sessions are pretty intense and I sweat like crazy but my makeup did not budge, it was pretty insane.

I know if it helped my makeup to stay put through an intense workout session it will definitely keep it flawless for a night out on the town.  I love this spray so much I use it even when I am not wearing any makeup because it prevents my skin from looking overly oily.  On my next night out, my friends will be free to snap and post to their hearts content and I won’t mind one bit because I know Skindinavia will have my back. Have you used this product?

Gail Lewis

Gail is at times a model, most of the time a blogger, but always a beauty junkie.

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By now you all know how much those of us here at A Girl’s Gotta Spa! adore spa treatments, we practically live for them.  But we can all agree that spa treatments are not always budget friendly, so I am always looking for ways to get the results of spa treatments without shelling out a fortune. Lately I’ve been experimenting with a few DIY at home (or in the sauna at the gym) spa treatments and I thought I would share two of my favorites with you.  I do have to warn you that you may get strange looks from a few people…just be prepared.

I love getting weekly deep conditioning treatments for my hair, but at about $50 per treatment and add in the  cost of haircuts and coloring–and I would be devoting a good portion of my monthly income to my hair. So instead of going to the salon for deep conditioning treatments, I cart my deep conditioning treatments  with me to the gym on the days I plan on using the sauna. While in the sauna I just apply whatever deep conditioning treatment I feel like my hair needs that week (a restructuring mask, hydrating treatment or nourishing oil) to my hair, wrap it in a towel and just sit there for 10-15 minutes and let the heat do its work.

Another treatment I do while in the sauna is a face mask (again either hydrating, deep cleansing or exfoliating.)  I wait until about 5-10 minutes before I plan on getting out of the sauna then apply the mask.  My favorite to apply while in the sauna is the Kate Somerville Exfolikate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment because I have noticed a big difference between using this in the sauna and just using it at home.  Yes, it tingles more because the heat loosens the debris in my pores a lot more than just using it at home. My skin also looks and feels cleaner and brighter after I use this treatment in the sauna.

Whenever I use the sauna at the gym I always leave feeling a lot more relaxed and cleansed…very similar to the feeling I get when I leave the spa.  So combine that feeling of relaxation with a few mini sauna beauty treatments and you’ve almost got yourself a bonafide spa experience…minus the plush robes, soothing music and so on, but you’ll have better looking hair and skin without the spa price tag.  Just don’t say I didn’t warn you about  the perplexed looks might receive from a few people.

Gail Lewis

Gail is at times a model, most of the time a blogger, but always a beauty junkie.

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From the time I was allowed to wear makeup…actually even before then, I have always longed to wear red lipstick.  I have always associated red lipstick with being a  grown up as well as as being sophisticated.  I have been experimenting with red lipsticks since I was sixteen years old and have never found a shade of red that I truly, madly, deeply loved and could not live without.  Either they were too light or dark, sometimes after a while the red would start looking bright pink on my lips or worse yet, orange. Sometimes they just had too much shine and I am not particularly keen on shiny red lips…my lips are not Angelina Jolie’s size, but they are still pretty full. Shiny red lips have a tendency to make me look cartoonish or worse yet, like the female Gremlin in Gremlins 2 (just Google it and you’ll see what I mean!)

So for about a decade into my makeup wearing stage I have tried numerous red lipsticks without success and had given up until just recently.  With red lipstick seemingly being the item du jour lately, my longing for that perfect shade of red returned, plus Valentine’s Day is right around the corner so visions of myself in a pink dress with red lips were swimming in my head. I decided to visit my happy place…also known to many as Sephora.

Before heading to Sephora I decided to do some research and Googled the best red lipsticks for my skin tone.  I had already tried a lot of the red lipsticks that came up in my search results, but for some reason had never given NARS a try. I wanted a matte red lipstick that would look great on my brown skin.It actually did not take me very long to find the lipstick I craved…OK actually it ended up being a lip pencil.  Once I tried NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Cruella I knew my search was finally over.  The Velvet Matte Lip Pencil is a lip pencil and lipstick combined into one very easy to apply crayon.  The color is absolutely beautiful and I do not need to line my lips before applying it nor does it bleed.  I love that there is absolutely no shine to this lip pencil so my lips end up with a velvety look and texture…almost like a rose.

Since I bought the lip pencil I have been wearing it on a consistent basis…not just out at night, but also during the day with just jeans and a t-shirt and my red lips never manage to look out of place.  I cannot wait to wear this on Valentine’s Day…with or without the pink dress I had in mind.  Oh and did I mention that I have since returned to Sephora and purchased the Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bahama and Dolce Vita…methinks I have finally been cured of my addiction to lip glosses! If you have been struggling with finding the perfect red lipstick, I highly suggest to head to your nearest Sephora and give any one of the NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils in red a try.

Gail Lewis

Gail is at times a model, most of the time a blogger, but always a beauty junkie.

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 It’s been said by passionate careerists time and time again – if you love your job, you’ll put your blood, sweat, and tears into it. Now, beauty lovers can apply the same mentality (well, maybe not literally) to their beauty regime thanks to Rain Cosmetics.

The Vegas-based beauty brand has a lot to live up to. The line was inspired by the city’s glamorous nightlife, and they even refer to themselves as “The Sexiest Makeup in the World”….so when I tested out their Blood, Sweat, and Tears lip trio, I was hoping to be nothing less than amazed.

Naturally, each product in the trio serves a different purpose. While you can definitely wear each of the shades alone, I prefer using the three together for the best effect.

Blood: Blood is a red lip stain. Stains can be tricky, but this one is an awesome product for first-time users because it isn’t too dark upon first application. I prefer a darker lip, so I put on about 2 or 3 coats. TIP – Make sure you exfoliate your lips before applying ANY lip stain! If your lips are dry, you’ll wind up with uneven color that is hard to remove.

Sweat: A shimmery champagne sparkle, Sweat adds some needed dimension to Blood. I found that when wearing alone, this product wears off pretty quickly…so for best results pair with Tears to lock the sparkle in.

 Tears: Tears is a standard, slick high gloss. The sheen lasted longer than other clear glosses and added the finishing touch to Blood and Sweat  that will make your lips pop.

Here I am testing out Blood, Sweat, and Tears lip trio from Rain Cosmetics.

I was very pleased with the collection and it has officially been added to my daily beauty routine – a girl can never have too many red lip stains! The set retails for $30.00. Check out  www.raincosmetics.com to learn more about other products in the collection.

Have you tried Rain Cosmetics products before? What was your experience?

Amanda Huggins

Amanda is a PR and communications girl living and working in the NYC area. She is a firm believer in the powers of a strong cup of coffee and fire-engine red lipstick.

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It has always been a part of A Girl’s Gotta Spa!’s  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.   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.

Amanda Huggins

Amanda is a PR and communications girl living and working in the NYC area. She is a firm believer in the powers of a strong cup of coffee and fire-engine red lipstick.

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Although I tend to be very loyal to the same fragrance and have been for a while, I always look forward to sampling new fragrances on the market.  My latest sampling was the Versace Yellow Diamond perfume, body lotion and shower gel.  Before getting into what I thought, I must first mention that I am drawn to really clean, fresh, light scents  and anything outside of that realm seems overpowering to me.

I found the Yellow Diamond perfume to be very  floral and fruity on my skin.  The top notes includes Citron, Pear, Neroli and Bergamot, the middle notes are Freesia, Orange Blossom and Mimosa and the bottom notes are Amber, Wood and Musk.

I applied very little, but the fragrance was still pretty intense, after a while I swear I could taste the fragrance in the back of my throat.  The perfumed body lotion was the same…much to intense for my liking.  I did however like the perfumed shower gel.  For some reason it did not seem as intense as the perfume and body lotion, it left a barely there, soft fragrance on my skin.  However, I would only use the shower gel if I were going out at night and did not plan on using any other fragrance.

If you’re into floral, fruity scents I would recommend giving this a try, what I would not recommend is using the shower gel, body lotion and perfume at the same time…not unless you enjoy being swarmed by bees or are intentionally trying to dissuade any form of human contact. If you’ve worn this perfume, I’d love to know what you thought of it.

*Disclosure

Gail Lewis

Gail is at times a model, most of the time a blogger, but always a beauty junkie.

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These are just some of the lip balms I’m carrying around in my handbag right now. For one, winter always wreaks havoc on my lips, even though this hasn’t been much of a winter here in Northeast PA. Warm one day and then freezing rain the next…my skin is going a little crazy. Second, I love that none of these lip balms smell alike. I adore scented lip products and depending on the kind of mood I’m in, each of the lip balms pictured always suits me perfectly.

eos Smooth Lip Balm Sphere: Not only do I love the scent of this pink sphere (Strawberry Sorbet), my 4 year old Brody, loves it too…and has been known to sneak some when I am not looking. It’s comprised of shea butter and Vitamin E. It’s 95% organic and 100% natural. It gives long lasting hydrating and I LOVE it.

NouriSHEA Lip Balm: This is another 100% organic shea butter and essential oil lip balm. The scent is Mango, which I typically don’t tend to gravitate to, however, it does smell good and the lip balm is very moisturizing.

Pacifica Coconut Pearls Luminizing Lip Quench: This is by far my favorite of the bunch.  It is 100% vegan and uses coconut oil, avocado oil, cocoa seed oil and Vitamin E to nourish dry, cracked lips. It gives a beautiful iridescent sheen to your lips as well, so many times it doubles as my “lip gloss.” The coconut fragrance is heaven. This is also a very large lip balm and has lasted me about 8 months so far (it looks like I’ve barely used it!)

Barista Bath and Body Indulgent Lip Balm: I love coffee. No, I mean I LOVE coffee. I have a Keurig that gets so much use, you’d think I’m the area Starbucks. I found Barista Bath and Body while at Cosmoprof North America last summer. They have a complete line of coffee-branded products, but froth is my favorite. It smells of peppermint and coffee, is vegan, and uses olive oil, shea butter and jojoba oil to moisturize the skin. Yum.

Not Soap, Radio lip balm: The bottom two pictured are lip balms from Not Soap, Radio. The first one, Cherry Cordial, is from their Cocoa Nostra Confectionery collection. It’s vegan, natural and contains cocoa and fruit extracts. Cherry Cordial smells of milk chocolate and cherries and is yet another lip balm Brody steals from me (who can blame him?) The second lip balm is You’re the Cutest from their Greeting Card collection. It’s hard to pin down exactly what flavor this is as it is different in every batch (according to their website), but the one I have tastes to be a strawberry-cherry combo. The greeting card lip balm has a little more weight and lasts longer than Cherry Cordial, but both serve their purpose.

Have you tried any of these lip balms? Which is your favorite?

*Disclosure

Shannon Nelson

Shannon Nelson launched A Girl's Gotta Spa! in 2005. She currently works with beauty brands as a social media consultant, freelance writes for magazines and is a public speaker at beauty industry conferences.

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January is National Health Month, and at the close of the season A Girls Gotta Spa! discovered an inexpensive treat that will keep your skin looking young and fresh during the winter months.

At under five dollars per product, Calgon’s  Ageless Bath Collection is an affordable, easy way to give your skin the antioxidant protection it deserves.

I’m an unashamed bath product enthusiast, so I was excited to try the Luminous Bath Pearls.  Calgon’s exclusive Vita-Pearl technology includes Vitamin E and collagen to moisturize, while the pearl powder blend imparts a luminous glow.  The scent, though slightly overpowering at first, was quite nice and refreshing, and my skin had a soft shimmer once I dried off.

If you have ultra-dry winter skin, I would advise against using this product alone as a moisturizing agent – it’s best to pair it with a richer lotion for dry skin relief. Overall, the Ageless Bath Collection is wonderful little treat that feels much more decadent than the price tag would lead you to believe.

Learn more about Calgon’s Ageless Bath Pearls and kiss your dull winter skin goodbye! Have you used this product?

Amanda Huggins

Amanda is a PR and communications girl living and working in the NYC area. She is a firm believer in the powers of a strong cup of coffee and fire-engine red lipstick.

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I’ve been longing for a juicer for a really long time and I finally got one for Christmas thanks to my amazing momma.  Now I know a ton of people who have visions of  daily juice-fests, they envision the vast varieties of fruits and veggie juice they’ll produce on a daily basis…then a month goes by and the juicer ends up in the back of some kitchen cabinet only to see the light of day the next time its owners are struck by another health kick.  I knew I would not be one of those people and so far I have not been.  I juice just about everyday and store jugs of juice for the days when I get too busy to whip out my new best friend, Jack Lalanne.  The only issue I’ve encountered so far with juicing has been what to do with the pulp of the fruits and veggies I am juicing.  I always feel like I am wasting good stuff that I should be finding some use for.

My very helpful boyfriend tried to use the pulp of a few juiced veggies to make a veggie patty, but I could barely look at his attempt at a veggie patty without gagging– eating it was not an option. His attempts at veggie patty making did however give me a great idea.  Fruit enzyme facial masks and peels are EVERYWHERE these days, I’ve used a few and loved the results so why not make my very own facial mask with the leftover fruit pulp from juicing?

My first DIY fruit enzyme facial mask was a combination of pineapple and strawberry pulp from my juice of the same combination.  I have to admit when I first laid eyes on the pulp I was a bit grossed out…it did not look very appealing, it did smell great though.  Just 30 seconds after applying the mask I felt a bit of a tingling sensation, this lasted only for about a minute.  I left the mask on for ten minutes then rinsed and was I in for a pleasant surprise.  My skin actually looked brighter and felt smoother.  The mask can get a bit messy so it’s best to not walk around too much after applying it unless you want pieces of pineapple and strawberry pulp all over your floors.  I definitely plan on trying a few more DIY facial masks in the near future.  I noticed that Sephora is carrying  a Black/Blueberry Enzyme Mask and both fruits just happen to be residing in my refrigerator at this very minute…

Have you created DIY facial masks from your juicer? Share your recipes with me so that I can give them a try!

Gail Lewis

Gail is at times a model, most of the time a blogger, but always a beauty junkie.

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