Spa Review: Canyon Ranch Spa Miami Beach

Gail Lewis
Receiving an invitation to visit the largest spa in South Florida (70,000 sq ft to be exact), was definitely one of the highlights of my year in Miami and it just happened to materialize when a visit to the spa was very much needed…at the tail end of the moving process when I was sore, running low on energy,  and anxious about fitting a studio apartment’s worth of stuff into a minivan to go across the U.S.  So the invitation to visit The Spa at Canyon Ranch Miami Beach was a very welcome diversion from the moving process.  As soon as I checked, in the staff was very welcoming and friendly...something that was rare during my year in Miami.  The Canyon Ranch Miami Beach property is impressive and absolutely breathtaking to say the least.  The service I received from the spa is called Yatra.  Yatra, as explained to me by my service provider, is a Sanskrit word that means journey.  The treatment  is a journey through the senses and is intended to unwind every sense, relax every nerve and melt every muscle.  My  100 minute sensory journey began with a natural rice scrub.  The scrub was gentle, but left my skin feeling uber soft and smooth.  I was then escorted to  a rose-scented, salt-infused bath where I lay soaking in bliss for about 20 minutes while also exploring a color-therapy journey. Finally, I received a gentle massage as I reclined on a therapeutic neuroauditory-sound table, where specially selected music vibrated through my body, melting away a lot of the “moving” tension.   The journey was truly incredible and each sense with the exception of taste was fully engaged and invigorated. One of my recommendations when visiting the spa is to either arrive early for your service(s) or stay later…at least an hour, to make sure you explore  Aquavana thermal suites, which will definitely enhance your spa treatment(s).  I especially enjoyed the Crystal steam room, Finnish sauna and Igloo.  The Thermal Heated Loungers also looked pretty amazing, but unfortunately I did not allow myself enough time for that experience.  I also recommend having lunch at the Canyon Ranch Grill while soaking in an amazing ocean view or taking one of the spa’s fitness classes.  The spa has a lot to offer so it’s probably best to make an entire day of your experience or better yet a very long relaxing weekend.

 *Disclosure, spa treatments were comp'ed.

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Curly Hair Product Review: Unite “Boing” Curling Cream

Gail Lewis
Before you know it summer will be upon us and, for me, warmer temps mean a drastic scaling back of my usage of beauty products, especially hair styling products.  In the summer I prefer not to fight nature and will shy away from blow dryers and flat irons, leaving my naturally curly hair as is.  The only product I will typically use in my hair during the warmer months is any type of a curling cream that will enhance, define and hydrate my natural curls.  The problem I often face is that just one product can never seems to do all three things, so I am always on constant lookout for that one product. My latest product testing (sent by a rep. of the brand) involved Unite “Boing” Curling Cream.  This curling cream promised soft, bouncy curls with the right amount of hold.  My curls were definitely bouncy, but they did not feel soft and it was not the right amount of hold for me.  My hair felt like I had applied hairspray instead of a curling cream and my curls felt a bit crunchy.  Lucky for me, summer has not arrived as yet so I still have time to find my miracle product for my curly hair. Have you tried it? How did it work for you? *Disclosure

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Brow Q&A with Christina Snead of blink in Minneapolis, MN

Gail Lewis
It seems like thicker, fuller brows are suddenly EVERYWHERE…eyebrow implant procedures are becoming more popular by the minute, so for those of us who crave thicker, fuller brows but were not born with the brows of Arizona Muse and cannot afford eyebrow implants, I decided to ask Christina Snead of blink  in Minneapolis, MN for her recommendations on how to begin the process of growing our brows out.  blink is a brow beauty boutique in Minneapolis that specializes in waxing/threading, makeup application and facials.  Christina Snead Snead is one of the partners in beauty at Blink (the other is Brook, who is also amazing) and has been in the aesthetics for over 12 years and she is the only person I trust with my brows. Q: First of all, how does one even begin the process of growing their brows out?  A: When starting the process of growing out the brows... most people need to come back within 3-4 weeks.  Once the shape is where we want it, clients can stretch time between appointments to 4-8 weeks.  It all depends upon the amount of hair a person has, how much growth they get and if they want to do tweezer maintenance in between.  Patience is key.  It usually takes months to get the brow hair to fill in... even over a year for some people. Q: What should most people keep in mind when trying to grow their brows out? A: When growing out your brows... it's necessary to leave the brow alone and let the hair grow in.  This takes time. Self-discipline.  But has results!  It allows us to assess the situation and decide what's going to be the best for your features and face shape.  It's important to know how to maintain the brow while growing it out.  There is always one brow that is fuller than the other, and even slightly different in length or width.  One brow tends to grow faster than the other and fills in better...  it's common! Q: How do we fake fuller brows until they are grown out? A: In the meantime, we will teach you how to fill them in naturally during the re-shaping process.  A fuller brow is a more youthful brow, whether your 15 or 75!  Natural is good... because it's what you were born with... just "blink-enhanced".  The natural brow complements your features, doesn't compete. Q: What are some products you would recommend for creating a fuller brow? A: I love the ALIMA shadows to fill in the brows!  They have many different shades of browns which I think is essential when making the brow look natural.  Most of the time... makeup lines only carry a light, middle and dark brown.... but some people have more auburn, chocolate or espresso hues in their hair color so the ALIMA matches really well.  They also have an onyx that works well for black hair... it is a softer black which enhances the shape and doesn't make it too dramatic.  I use our blink angle brush to fill in... the right brush is essential.... too much fluff in the brush and you don't get definition that is needed.. too much stiffness and it ends up looking like a line.  Brushes are important especially around the eyes!  It's like painting your house.. you need to have the right brushes for the different areas! If you have any other questions about growing your brows out...or about brows in general, let us know and we will pass them on to Christina.  Christina is also available by appointments at blink in Minneapolis!

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Lavanila Healthy Deodorant

Amanda Huggins
Finding the right deodorant isn’t always easy.  Powders, gels, regular strength, clinical strength…there’s a ton of options on the market, but many women still struggle with finding a product that meets their exact needs.  Why is it so hard to find a product that smells good, gets the job done, and nourishes our skin? I recently came across Lavanila Labs, an all-natural, healthy beauty company promising high-quality organic goods. Among a slew of other beauty products, Lavanila Labs boasts a set of Healthy Deodorants. The collection of freshly-scented powder sticks promises long-lasting odor protection and powerful skin nourishment to boot. I was immediately intrigued by the deodorant collection, mainly because they had some delicious names like Vanilla Grapefruit, Vanilla Lavender, and Vanilla Passion (and I mean, who wouldn’t want their armpits to smell vanilla-y fresh?). Aside from the names though, I wasn’t immediately sold.  I was pretty skeptical at first because I’ve tried a small handful of other organic antiperspirants and deodorants, and no product has ever lived up to my expectations. I decided to put the Lavender-Vanilla scented Lavanila deodorant to the ultimate test: a cardio workout. After a 3 mile run and about twenty minutes of free weights,  I made my roommate smell me. Yes. I just said that. I made my roommate smell me after a good 50 minutes of working out. I’m happy – and not to mention relieved - to say that Lavanila totally works! I wasn’t once nervous about the product not performing, and after a few days of use, I’ve even started noticing my skin feels slightly more moisturized.   An added bonus? Lavanila deodorants seem to be slightly easier to get out of clothing if your hand happens to run awry while applying. Not that I would know anything about that, of course! Have you tried any Lavanila products? Share your experience with us in the comments? * Disclosure EDIT: 4/23/2012 Not too long after this was posted, we received the following tweet: Sara was kind enough to engage with us and said that it stopped working for her after about a month or so. At the time, Lavanilla was still working wonderfully for me....until this weekend, that is. One day I noticed that it completely stopped working, which is a total shame because I had high hopes for it. If you've had a similar experience, please feel free to let us know in the comments!

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Spa Review: Blue Harmony Spa, Orlando FL

Gail Lewis2 comments
What’s the best way to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon (or any afternoon for that matter) in Orlando, FL? At the spa of course! And that is exactly where I found myself on such an afternoon, at the amazingly beautiful and tranquil Blue Harmony Spa at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort. Upon checking into the spa, I was immediately offered a beverage and opted for a glass of water mixed with PURE Inventions Blueberry Antioxidant Fruit Extract (which is also available for purchase at the spa).  I was then taken on a brief tour of the facility which includes indoor and outdoor treatment rooms, Relaxation Lounge, outdoor spa garden, outdoor hot tub, full-amenity locker rooms, men's and women's steam rooms and chromotherapy experience showers, Couple's suite with side by side soak tubs, and a state-of-the-art fitness center. I also learned that each Blue Harmony experience reminds guests of the nourishment provided by the great blues of the world, water and skies.  After the tour I could’ve honestly just hung out in the serene relaxation lounge for the rest of the day indulging in healthy snacks, sampling the other flavors of the PURE Inventions Antioxidant Fruit Extracts while curled up with a magazine.  I was then taken to the women’s locker room where I slipped into my super soft spa robe in preparation for my massage. 

My massage was a truly amazing experience, I emerged feeling at peace…not to mention relaxed and rejuvenated at the same time.  I would highly recommend setting aside time before or after your spa service to indulge in the the steam room, outdoor hot tub or chromotherapy experience shower….or just hang out in the relaxation lounge.  For those of you planning a family vacation to Disney World this summer, a visit to the Blue Harmony Spa should definitely be on your “to do” list…trust me after the Disney chaos you’ll need it!

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On Set Beauty Tip: Ear Protectors

Gail Lewis3 comments
This past weekend I shot a hair care product commercial during which I got the opportunity to pick up a few beauty tips and tricks and thought I would share one of those tips with you in this post.  Hair care commercials normally means that the hair needs to look absolutely perfect, hence quite a bit of heat (blow-drying, curling, flat ironing) is required.  Another requirement is speed on the part of the hairstylist because as they say when on set "time is money."  So combine heat and having to provide the clients with shiny perfect hair in minutes and you might be looking at a recipe for models with burnt ears.  (I know I have had quite a few mishaps with both my curling and flat iron that have occurred when I was not in a rush!)  It's a good thing that most hairstylists on set always seem to show up prepared for every possible scenario and the hairstylist that was on set that day was no exception.   Before styling my hair that day the hairstylist gave me two slip on ear shields to protect my ear from the styling tools.  Some of you may be familiar with the ear shields, but I had never seen nor heard of them before that day but they immediately made sense.  The hairstylist accidentally burning my ears was never a concern for me, but I have to admit I did feel more at ease with the ear shields on.  The hairstylist said that the ear shields can be found in most beauty stores, so I will be headed to a beauty store in my neighborhood in search of them...I am actually looking forward to curling/flat-ironing those pieces of hair around close to my ear! Have you ever used ear shields to protect your ears when heat styling your hair?

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DIY Avocado Hair and Face Mask

Gail Lewis

Magic Bullet Avocado Face Mask Recipe #DIY

So let me begin this post by letting you all know that this recipe was actually compliments of my quick thinking sister, as I had originally intended to ingest this and not use it topically.  You are all well aware (based on my earlier post on the DIY Pineapple Strawberry Enzyme Facial Mask) that I started out the year, like a lot of you, on a health kick.  I received a juicer for Christmas and have been really enjoying juicing and coming up with different fruit and vegetable juice recipes, which led to me discovering how amazing the pulp of some fruits work as a facial mask. Well the health kick continues and in addition to juicing I also wanted to whip up fruit and vegetable smoothies. So I went out and got a Magic Bullet. My first smoothie was going to contain avocados, pure coconut water, honey and coconut oil. I've been reading up on the health benefits of avocados and was really excited about incorporating it into my diet.  Well I did not have coconut oil handy first thing Monday morning so I substituted extra virgin olive oil instead.

#DIY Avocado Face Mask

Not measuring anything (because I was so anxious to get going), I put one half of a very large avocado, a bit too much olive oil and honey and not enough coconut water in the bullet and blended.  It tasted absolutely awful, one sip was enough, I could not finish the rest.  When my sister asked about my smoothie I told her how horrible it tasted and she then suggested that it would make a great face mask...something I had definitely not considered, but was glad she mentioned it because that meant I wouldn't have to toss an entire glass of bad tasting smoothie.

Avocado Face Mask #DIY #Skincare

Later that night I applied the mask to my face, including under my eyes, since that area is so delicate and often feels dry. I also applied it to the ends of my hair since that part tends to get really dry and brittle.  My skin definitely felt softer and more hydrated after I removed the mask. The skin under my eye felt as if I had applied a heavy eye cream.  My hair felt the same as if I had just conditioned it and rinsed so I did not notice a huge difference right away, but I will continue using the mask on my hair and leave it in for longer than ten minutes to see if I notice a change in the condition of my hair with continued usage.  I am definitely thinking that avocados are my new health and beauty superfood! Have you made face masks with avocados? Share your recipe! If you found this DIY skin care post helpful, please Like, Share and Pin it! Subscribe to A Girl’s Gotta Spa! Watch our reviews on YouTube, see our pins on Pinterest and check us out on Instagram and G+. Got a Kindle? We’re on Kindle too!

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DIY Spa Treatments for the Sauna

Gail Lewis
DIY Sauna #Beauty Products 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.
DIY Sauna Spa Treatments #diy #sauna #spa 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.

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Hairstyle How To: Creating the Perfect Ponytail

Gail Lewis8 comments
Just like me, you've probably thought that creating a ponytail is just about the easiest hairstyle to accomplish. I mean how difficult could it be? You grab a hair tie, pull all your hair back and secure it with the hair tie and voila! Well as I have learned, mostly from being on set and watching hairstylists, that way is just fine and dandy, but if you want to create the perfect ponytail you have to throw a few additional steps in there.

How to Create the Perfect Ponytail

Step 1: Create a part from ear to ear (from the back of the ear, across the top of the head to the back of the other ear.) Step 2: Clip the front part of the hair out of the way and tilt your head back slightly (to ensure that it does not end up saggy or buckles.)

Step 3: After deciding on placement (low, high or middle of the head), brush rear portion of hair into your hand loosely holding it, and with the other hand grab the ponytail tight against the head and secure with a hair tie.

Step 4: Release the top section with your head still tilted back slightly and brush front portion directly into the other section of hair (trying to avoid disruption of the other ponytail, but don't be afraid to brush the hair straight into and over the previously created ponytail) and secure with an elastic hair tie in the exact same way as above.

Step 5: Using hairspray for fly-aways, lightly smooth and spray fly-aways with hands or a fine tooth comb...only lightly skimming the top of the hair.

Bonus step: If you would like to make the ponytail sleeker or dress it up a bit, try grabbing a small section of the ponytail near the elastic hair tie and begin wrapping it around the elastic to hide the hair tie.  Secure wrap with a hair pin and bobby pin making sure that the pin is not visible.

And there you have it, two versions of the perfect ponytail...thanks to amazing hairstylist Pearson Knight for walking us through creating the perfect ponytail!

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DIY Pineapple Strawberry Enzyme Facial Mask

Gail Lewis6 comments

I've been longing for a juicer for a really long time and finally got one. 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 floor.  I definitely plan on trying a few more DIY facial masks in the near future.

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

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