Great news for those of you that love your Gel Manicures! Sally Hansen recently introduced an easy to use, economical, at-home Gel Manicure Nail Polish Kit that costs less than $65. When you get a gel manicure at a salon, you can pay anywhere from $30 to $50 and up PER manicure. With this at-home kit, you can do up to 10 manicures that will last at least a week or more. Now, admittedly, I had never had a gel manicure before this, so I didn't have a lot to compare it to. That said, it wasn't as hard as I anticipated it would be. It took me about an hour from start to finish and I don't think it would take me nearly as long the second time around. The first 15 minutes was reading the enclosed instructions to make sure I knew what I was doing before I started. Always best to venture into these things well prepared!  I started with very clean, freshly washed and dried, naked nails. I then read the enclosed, easy to understand instructions one last time before I began. Then I placed everything out on the table to make sure I had everything easily accessible. You don't want to be digging around in the box with wet nails! Before you begin, you have to clean your nails with the enclosed Nail Cleanser Pads that come with the Gel Manicure Nail Polish kit to make sure your nails are totally and completely clean. You want to get into every crack and crevice and make sure that you cuticles are well moisturized (previous to this step) and do not have any loose edges. First, you put a thin layer of "Step One" bottle one each finger nail on your left hand. You then promptly place it under the UV lamp to "set". It leaves your nails looking like you put on a shiny top coat, but don't let it fool you. Nails are still tacky at this point and you do NOT want to let them touch anything. Second, you put a thin layer of "Step Two" bottle (the actual color - in this case it was "Red My Lips") on the same hand and put it under the UV light for 30 seconds. Repeat with another thin layer on the same hands and put under the UV lamp for an additional 30 seconds. At this points, nails are still tacky and you want to be super careful with them! The final step is what hardens and "sets" the manicure. After you apply a thin layer of "Step Three" bottle and dry it under the light for 30 seconds, you are left with an INSTANTLY touchable, totally hardened gel manicure. After you finish your left hand, you then repeat all the steps all over again on your right hand. Then you're done! You are left with a mirror shine, no dry time and indestructible, chip-free manicure that will supposedly last for up to two weeks. Mine lasted for 8 days before 2 of the nail edges lifted and got caught on stuff and ripped off. After that it was one nail after another that the edges lifted up, got caught on something and that was it. I attempted to repair one of them with the "Step three" bottle and 30 seconds under the light, but that only worked for a day. It warns not to get it anywhere near your cuticles. I made every attempt not to get it near my cuticles, but I thought perhaps I had put the polish too close to the edges and that's why it failed before it's alleged 2 week lasting power. My friend came to visit and I asked her if I could try the Sally Hansen Gel Manicure Nail Polish kit on her and she was more than happy to oblige! So I got a second shot at trying the whole process and it was slightly easier since I wasn't doing my own nails. I stayed far away from the cuticles and edges. The process from start to finish only took a little over half an hour this time. Much more reasonable. However... her manicure only lasted 5 days before all the edges lifted up and she ended up ripping them all off out of frustration. (I don't recommend doing that because it can take a layer of your nail off.) She said that if it had lasted longer that she would have loved it and totally bought one of the kits for herself. Overall, I would probably recommend this kit. It certainly lasted MUCH longer than regular nail polish does on me. It took me about the same amount of time to apply as the Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips, but didn't last quite as long. So the nail polish strips from Sally Hansen would still be my number one preference, but this would definitely be a runner up. It's on par with COVERGIRL Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss that lasted the same amount of time with a finish that was just as glossy as the gel manicure. Basically, it lasted more than a week, it had a high gloss finish the entire time and it never chipped. When the edges started to lift up, it wasn't visible, it was just disconcerting if you ran your fingers through your hair. I'm sure if I didn't play with it, I could have made it last a tiny bit longer, but as soon as the edges started lifting, I just couldn't leave them alone. Also, I was doing a lot of demanding activities like floor scrubbing, bathing two dogs, vacuuming, laundry, baking, cooking, washing 2 children, putting up Christmas lights outside, etc. I'm sure for someone with an office job, this Gel Manicure Nail Polish kit would easily last the proposed two weeks. You can purchase Sally Hansen Gel Manicure Nail Polish at Target, Walmart, chain drug stores such as Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, food stores and mass retailers nationally. The kit retails for $64.99 and it would make a great Christmas gift for someone who loves nail polish! For more information, visit SallyHansen.com Check out our other nail posts over at TheFashionableHousewife.com and our favorite nails on Pinterest! Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! for more beauty reviews! Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too! *Disclosure

As indicated by the title of this post, I tend to lack any sort of motivation when it comes to styling my own hair.  Don't get me wrong, I will definitely spend time on improving the health of my hair with deep conditioners, but as far as styled hair I tend to stick to three insanely easy styles that require the minimum amount of effort. These include either a ponytail, loose bun/top knot, every once in a while a braid or I just simply leave it down...like I said, not a lot of effort.  This suits me just fine all year with the exception of the holiday season.  I, like most others, tend to get sucked into the sparkly glamour that seems to define the holiday season and I feel the need to do something a more with my hair, but I just do not have the skill, knowledge, patience or motivation to go all out. So I decided  to stick with what I already know but just add a bit of sparkle.  I figured that this would be a great time to make use of some of the barrettes I ordered from France Luxe and have never used.  Just in case you are unfamiliar with France Luxe, the site is utterly addicting!  They have the most amazing selection of hair accessories, perfect for transforming a "lazy girls" hair into holiday ready hair!   No matter how much or little effort your hairstyles require, just try adding a sparkly, fun barrette to give it an instant holiday feel! Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! for more beauty reviews! Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too!

This past summer I had the opportunity of traveling to the city of Cebu in the Philippines to shoot a show for Fashion One Television. While there I was fortunate enough to work with an amazing makeup artist by the name of Beatriz Lopez.  Beatriz is a  London based freelancer, who provides makeup and hair styling for a broad range of clients from fashion and advertising to private commissions. Fully certified in all aspects of makeup, including special effects and body painting, she is also experienced in styling natural and synthetic hair.  Bea is just downright super talented and I absolutely loved my hair and makeup whenever she worked on me on set, so I was readily accepting of any beauty suggestions/tips she was kind enough to offer.  The instructions for creating Beatriz Lopez's DIY Face Spritzer/makeup refresher are as follows: Combine the following ingredients in a small spray bottle that is bag size (100ml)

• 95ml of spring water
• 1tbsp of pure aloe vera gel
• 6 drops of lavender pure essential oil or 6 drops of sweet orange/orange/mandarin pure essential oil
• 1-4 drops of virgin olive oil (or coconut oil) - depending on how dry or oily your skin is (if very oily-leave out)

Give it a good shake and you have your very own face spritzer. Beatriz suggests throwing it  in your bag and spritzing whenever you feel like you need a quick pep-me-up, some hydration when you need cooling off... or you can even use it to freshen your makeup. One word of caution: she does suggest that if the spritzer is going to be used on sensitive or very fair skin which will directly exposed to sun - it may be best to only use one drop of the orange oil or completely eliminate from the ingredients as it may cause photo-toxicity. You can find out more about Beatriz Lopez by visiting her page at www.beatrizlopez.co.uk. Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! for more beauty reviews! Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too!

My sister is, and always has been, my beauty mentor.  Whenever I've had  a beauty ailment (which is a weekly occurrence,) I've always been able to count on her to steer me in the right direction.  Whether it be over plucked brows, breakouts or a lackluster complexion, she always seems to have a remedy in hand.  Her latest beauty advice for me was a body scrub using coffee grounds. This DIY body scrub was honestly one of the easiest and most enjoyable beauty adventures I've been on in a long time.  I got to enjoy a delicious cup cup of coffee then indulge in an amazingly effective...and cheap at home spa treatment.  I just took the leftover grounds into the shower with me and rubbed it all over my body.  The coffee grounds make a really gentle scrub, but also does a great job of exfoliating.  Caffeine is also known to be a fantastic anti-cellulite treatment. The strong smell of coffee in the shower also gave me an energy boost.  I do have to caution that the coffee grounds do tend to get very messy in the shower so it's a good idea to create more of a paste by combining it with olive oil...or shower oil.  My skin was soft and incredibly smooth and the best thing of all is that it did not cost me a thing! Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! for more beauty reviews! Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too!

Whenever I can do something, anything, that will lengthen the time in between beauty services, I am all about it.  Don't get me wrong, I love receiving any and all types of beauty services...the dreaded bikini wax included, but I never enjoy receipt of the bill for said services. I am always in search of a way to make my services last longer so as to go into the spa/salon less frequently.  My latest beauty budget friendly discovery is Aveda Clove Color Conditioner. This conditioner is a color enhancing conditioner, so it conditions your hair while rejuvenating and refreshing your color at the same time. The Clove Conditioner is supposed to enrich warm tones in medium brown hair, but I have dark brown hair and it worked just fine with my hair color.  My color looked a lot richer and my hair was super shiny and soft.  The scent is pretty great too, the only drawback of this conditioner was that it does get messy in the shower and my fingers were a bit stained after using it. If you have a white shower, don't be alarmed as it washes away pretty easily with soap and water...and it is after all a color conditioner.  It was recommended that I use the Clove Shampoo with the conditioner for better results, but I chose to use my regular shampoo and still loved how it worked with my hair. My absolute favorite thing about this conditioner (besides my soft, shiny, color enhanced hair) is that now I can go a lot longer in between colors!  Aveda also has color conditioners for blond, gray, red, auburn, dark brown and black hair, so I definitely suggest trying it out, the conditioner is only $18.00 a bottle! Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! for more beauty reviews! Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too!

Nail art tutorial from Kristie Burnett of Blushing Basics.

1. Paint your base coat. Apply two layers if necessary.
2. Using your leopard accent color, apply dots to nail.
3. Create your leopard print nail by using a toothpick to dot on black leopard dots. For more in depth instructions, see here.
4. Finish with a top coat and enjoy!

Review from my fabulous sister, Courtney “Breathe,” that is what I keep trying to tell myself amidst my crazy life as a mama of seven beautiful babes. “Self-care,” I’ve heard myself preach the importance of it to my pre-teen daughter and to my patients who I care for in the hospital a million times. So as the collection of dust mounted on the silver envelopes of my now two unused Breathe Salon and Day Spa gift certificates, and my daily drive past their ever-so inviting window treatments called my name, my summer fizzled chlorine-damaged hair could take no more and I decided that I WAS finally making an appointment for me. The only appointment that a girl can make that will last a couple hours, but will be sure to rejuvenate her for at least six solid weeks, if she chooses wisely. I am no beauty expert, but I know what I like, and I do have a gift for creative flare that’s easy on the eyes. 215-362-1277, my fingers dialed quickly with a finger flip back to my icalendar, as I listened to a smile answer the phone to help me make my appointment. Did you know that it is a fact that you can hear a smile over the phone? Indeed, I could and it put me at immediate ease that this would be the experience I had hoped. In saying that, I might add that more of my salon experiences have been negative then positive. I always described my experiences to friends as the scene in the 1996 A Very Brady scene when David Spade is Mrs. Brady’s hair dresser and he goes in with a chainsaw and all, then she comes out looking exactly the same with that damn hair flip on the ends, lol. Seriously folks. Just know as friendly as I am I don’t give my every day woman’s stamp of approval of a salon lightly. Here is my scoop and review: Breathe Salon and Spa was recently voted, “Best Beauty Salon” by Readers Choice. They are friendly and created a welcoming environment from the outside in. The atmosphere was bright, filled with beautifully flowing fabrics, clean, and a light spread of coffees and sweets were presented after entering the door. They offered a great deal of services from facials to massages to hair/beauty, as well as a specialty in ethnic hair. Although they educated me about what they had to offer in terms of services, it was more as an FYI without the uncomfortable push. Rebecca Cooper, the master colorist, brought me back within minutes of my arrival to discuss my wants and needs. I remembered her talent from a previous salon and was immensely excited to have her do my color. She has a real knack for listening, advising, then producing color with a pow, like no other that I have met. Before I came for my “me” day, I looked up new looks and was inspired by the Rose gold color tones that I saw in Allure's pics of the fall 2012 hair trends. Rebecca took the time to listen and she even look up what I was telling her I wanted. I had some other ideas that I also liked, so we decided to mix them a bit to give me the versatility I love. David Van Guilder, owner of Breathe, came over to introduce himself as my hairstylist and talk about my goals and plans for my hair. We discussed my typical styles, my likes, and my work parameters. Though I have an idea of what I want, I simply love to get a hair stylist’s advice, in-put, and ideas. When I meet someone who is talented I truly respect and will listen to what they say. David was the first hairstylist to ever respect my own layperson ability to do my hair and he was able to also build in the versatility I wanted. For instance, I wear my hair naturally curly, I straighten it, I put it in up-do’s, twists, braids, I wear it in all sorts of creative funkiness, but I also need to be very professional at times if I am public speaking or out on the floor for my nursing job. David was able to truly listen to my needs, advice me on best styles for my lifestyle and on what looks would be complimentary to my physical features. David and Rebecca worked as a team to get it done and the results were marvelous. Love the color, love the cut, and I LOVE how many styles I can do my hair in, each giving me a different look with a different color enhanced. Awesome job Breathe Salon and Spa of Lansdale, PA!

The latest multi-tasking wonder from beauty innovator Jamie Kern of IT Cosmetics, is a 4-in-1 anti-aging lipstick, balm, gloss and stain. Vitality Lip Flush 4-in-1 Anti-Aging Lipstick ($20). I love the look of a lip stain–so natural like you’ve just been eating berries. The downside to most lip stains is that they are very drying. IT Cosmetics has managed to overcome that problem by creating an all natural formula with ingredients like plum oil, cherry oil, shea butter, aloe, argan and jojoba to avoid DFLS (dry flaky lip syndrome). As if that’s not enough, there are some major anti-aging ingredients in here too. Vitamins A,C, E, Acai, Green and White Tea all work to protect and ward off free radicals, while minimizing the appearance of lip lines and wrinkles. Perfect for us over 40 women, count me in!   Je Ne Sais Quoi looks and feels like a clear balm, but it adapts to your natural lip color leaving behind a pretty sheer pink. A true “my lips but better,” shade, the stain + gloss appears effortless, natural and sexy. The color will vary depending upon the pigmentation in your lips. I have super pale lips so my color is a medium pink. It will appear lighter on those with more pigment to their lips. The texture has a glossy, smooth balm-like feel that glides across lips leaving behind a hydrating, shiny finish.  Even after the glossy finish wears off you’re left with a pretty flush for a few hours. Je Ne Sais Quoi feels like a balm, lasts like a stain and is shiny like a gloss–perfection! Try it for the  office or a with a simple cat eye for a sex kitten look a la Brigitte Bardot. Je Ne Sais Quoi for $20. There are two more shades of  Vitality Lip Flush 4-in-1 Anti-Aging Lipsticks; Love Story, a rich just-bitten pink and Pretty Woman, a sheer berry. The trio (includes Je Ne Sais Quoi) retails for $29.50 on QVC.com *Disclosure

 

Serums are key to any good skin care routine. They help deliver key ingredients deeper into your skin and help your moisturizer to perform better.

That age old beauty myth, skin needs to breathe, will only make your skin dehydrated and fine lines and wrinkles will become more apparent.  

Lancôme's Génifique and Visonnaire are the perfect partners for younger-looking skin. These super serums are a powerful anti-aging duo to give you more perfect skin. And as they say, your makeup can only look as good as the skin underneath!

Lancome Super Serums:

Génifique Concentrate is Lancome's award-winning activating serum targeting radiance, vibrancy and softness. Génifique will give you visibly younger skin in just 7 days.

 

Visionnaire is their award-winning correcting serum. In just 4 weeks, Visionnaire radically improves the appearance of wrinkles, pores and uneven texture, leaving your skin visibly transformed.

The result? One out of two women tempted by a cosmetic procedure decided to postpone it. *

How to use: When using them together, apply one to three drops of Génifique to cleansed skin. Follow with two pumps of Visionnaire when layering, prior to applying your Lancôme moisturizer.

For best results, use Génifique and Visionnaire together in both the morning and evening. (Yes! You do need to use serum, toner and moisturizer before bed. Nighttime is prime time for skin dehydration.)

Have you tried Génifique or Visionnaire?

*After 4 weeks of consumer use. Consumer evaluations of women 35 to 49 years tempted by hyaluronic acid, laser or chemical peeling. Results not equal to a medical procedure

Why spend money coloring your hair if you're only going to use products that fade your color instantly? In my latest hair care video, I give 4 tips to extend the life of your hair color, along with my favorite sulfate-free shampoos, conditioners, dry shampoos and styling balm. These tips are applicable regardless of season, because I don't know about you, but I color my hair all year long (gotta hide those greys!)  Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel and subscribe to our blog for more beauty reviews! *Disclosure, press samples