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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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.

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

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!

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!

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!

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?

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.

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 how to make a face mask with avocado. It's definitely not something I considered, but was glad she mentioned it because that meant I wouldn't have to toss an entire glass of bad tasting smoothie.

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!