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

I was feeling adventurous last week. Inspired by the hundred of talented girls/nail geniuses on Pinterest, I decided to finally try a trend I’d been eyeing: tie-dye nails.  Painting nails has never been my strong point, mind you, so this was a pretty ambitious task. I found an awesome step-by-step guide that outlined the whole process nicely, here. The concept is pretty simple: After protecting your skin and outlining each nail with tape, you drop different colors into a small dish of water, swirl together with a toothpick, and dip your nails in it. Once the paint is dry, simply remove the tape, clean up any remnants of polish on skin with a Q-Tip, and you’re good to go.  My first attempt (pictured) didn’t come out as flawlessly as I’d hoped, but I did learn some valuable pointers for the next time I try it out:

1.     Choose bold, bright nail colors. While the lavender/hot pink combo worked, using colors that are more strikingly different will have a better effect.

2.     Use more than two colors. Since I was doing this on a whim, I only used two colors. Adding in a third, bright color would have pulled it all together nicely.

3.     Thoroughly clean water dish between each nail. Since you’re dipping each nail into a new set of swirled colors, be sure to change the water each time – neglecting to do so (or in my case, changing the water every second nail)  will result in a thin film of pain atop the water, making the final result look sloppy.

Now that I know what I’m doing with it all, I’m excited to try the process out again!

Have you tried tie-dyed nails or another Pinterest trend? Let us know in the comments, or tweet them to @agirlsgottaspa!

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With reports of skin cancer, breast cancer, c-sections and cosmetic surgery – all on the rise – so too is the incidence of scarring. Not surprisingly, once the healing process sets in – both physical and psychological – the first thing people with fresh scars want to do is fade them.

I know that when I had my gall bladder out, it left behind a large scar that I quickly wanted to hide. From working with the team behind InviCible Scars there are something things I've learned when it comes to fading scars (and dark spots) -- there is more to it than just applying a cream.

Ironically, people’s first inclination in response to a new scar is to sit in the sun to help even out the color and texture. I know that with previous scars, this is exactly what I thought I should do.

While sun exposure is essential for vitamin D absorption, it’s perhaps the worst possible thing a person can do for a scar. UV exposure not only darkens a scar’s appearance (sometimes even permanently), especially among more olive-toned complexions, but it can also impact texture, causing the scar to thicken.

For those who can’t avoid the sun entirely this summer, Dr. Chrysopoulo (the plastic surgeon behind InviCible) recommends using a topical scar cream, like InviCible, and ALWAYS covering the area with a broad spectrum sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30. 

There are also various factors influencing the scar healing process:

• Age – younger skin is more prone to abnormal and exaggerated healing. This can lead to hypertrophic or keloid scars. Older skin takes longer to recover.
• Skin type – scar healing is typically worse in people with darker skin types. African and Hispanic ancestry is associated with a higher risk of developing hypertrophic or keloid scars.
• Genetics – abnormal scarring can be inherited.
• Location – Movement of scars over joints can make them wider.
• Infection – Infected wounds do not heal well. The final scar may be raised, wide, uneven and abnormally red or dark.
• Poor nutrition – Not eating healthily deprives the body of nutrients (like protein), vitamins (like vitamin C) and minerals (like copper and zinc) that are needed for optimal wound healing.
• Smoking – Cigarette smoke causes blood vessels to clamp down and decrease blood flow. Wounds that do not receive enough blood are more prone to poor wound healing and worse scarring.
• Sun exposure – Exposing fresh scars to the sun causes permanent redness. We can improve each stage of scar formation by using a high quality scar treatment.

Would you spend money to fix a problem and, at the same time, sabotage the outcome? Unless you watch your diet while your scar is healing, that is exactly what you may be doing…

Research has shown that certain nutrients play critical roles in wound healing, and that typical Western diets may not provide enough of them. This is a list of the most important ones. If you suspect your diet does not have enough of them, consider taking supplements while your scar is forming.

• Protein –breaks down into amino acids. Especially L-Arginine and Glutamine are very important. They can increase the amount of reparative collagen, help white blood cells and fight of bacterial infections.
• Vitamin C - is crucial for proper collagen production. Experts say that wound healing requires more Vitamin C than daily food intake normally provides.
• Vitamin B Complex – speeds up wound healing, increases protein synthesis and the amount of repair cells at the wound. It also prevents excessive inflammation. Vitamin B5 is particularly beneficial right after the wound occurs.
• Vitamin A – promotes tissue synthesis and enhances resistance to infection.
• Zinc – has reduced healing time after surgery by 43% in some cases. Zinc can also reduce inflammation and bacterial growth, whereas a deficiency can worsen the scar.

Other things to watch? Make sure you eat enough omega-6 or omega-3 fatty acids and drink enough liquid. Some guidelines say that men should drink 13 eight-ounce cups and women 9 eight-ounce cups of water, juice or milk. Soup, fruit and vegetables factor into the total.

So as you can see, if you want your scar to heal, there are many more things to do in addition to using a scar treatment. What I love about InviCible is that if you use it on your face for either surgical or acne scarring or to fade age spots (like I am), it also works great as a makeup primer!

*Disclosure, affiliate links

It's been a while since I've done a video for A Girl's Gotta Spa! so today is your lucky day... With my 38th birthday looming ever closer, I thought it would be a good idea to share a few tips for looking younger.

(Stila, Clinique, LashControl, Xtreme Lashes, Christopher Drummond Beauty, Shiseido, Pureology)

The above are the products that I used to get the look below (although my awesome hair did not translate on camera):

Check out my video and if you love it, share with your friends! And never mind my cleavage...yes, bad shirt choice...keep focused on the words coming out of my mouth. (Pretty please.) What are some of your makeup tips for looking younger? 

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