I spend an inordinate amount of time at my local CVS/pharmacy. Primarily because of all the store’s super sales and the CVS ExtraCare Reward bucks I rack up; and secondly because the lines are usually super long.

During Fashion Week, I visited the CVS/pharmacy Reinventing Beauty event, where I found out the store’s beauty aisle shelves are lowered to 5′0″ so products are easily accessible for the average height woman (5′4″), and was introduced to the latest beauty trends and products for the Fall/Winter season. Here are a few highlights:
DIY: Sally Hansen Hair Remover Wax Strip Kit ($5.99 for 44 strips) is …read more

Paraben-free is beauty’s new buzz word.  But what does it mean?  I didn’t know either, so I looked it up.  Parabens are chemicals widely used as preservatives in the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.  They can be found in shampoos, shaving gels, deodarants, and toothpaste. 
 
 
While parabens are considered safe because of their “low toxicity profile,” they can cause skin irritation in people with paraben allergies.  And parabens can mimic the hormone estrogen, which is linked the development of breast tumors and cancers. Yikes!  No wonder the industry is trending towards paraben-free products.
 
 
Here are a few products I’ve tried and give the Hot Mama …read more

In case Hot Mama Daily readers haven’t noticed, I have a thing for Philly.  It’s a city on the come-up with trendy shops, boutique hotels, and foodie restaurants that rival those in New York City. During a recent visit, I discovered SA VA in Center City, which features owner Sarah Van Aken’s contemporary line of women’s ready-to-wear apparel and custom-designed jewelry, and local and fair trade accessories.
The hip, sustainable boutique uses recycled hangers, natural fiber packaging and reusable shopping bags.
Two of my fave Philly eateries are Distrito, a mouth-watering nouveau Latin eatery helmed by Chef Jose Garces (the top chef …read more

I love it when Hot Mama Daily readers hip me to new products.  This great beauty product tip comes from Ferris in Manhattan:
“I’ve been using it for a few years now and it’s honestly the best eye cream I’ve ever tried. This is the only cream I’ve tried that quickly reduces puffiness (like I cried the night before and fell asleep on my face puffiness).
It also works on fine lines and dark circles. It’s by Reviva and contains, DMAE, Alpha Lipoic Acid and Vitamin C Ester. These are the same ingredients in Dr. Perricone’s eye cream but at a fraction …read more

Shecky’s Girls Night Out came right on time.  When I received my overstocked goodie bag yesterday, I was psyched to find a bottle of Fanci-full Temporary Hair Color ($5.99; CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreen’s) in an appropriate shade (Black Radiance).  The gray hairs around my temples appear to be multiplying, and I need to cover them up before cashiers start calling me M’aam again. Since I’m not crazy about using a permanent dye,  I hope this “risk free hair color” will do the trick.
 
 
The instructions seem easy enough:  Fanci-full rinses in, shampoos out, and contains no ammonia or peroxide.  The enriched …read more

My skin becomes dehydrated during the fall and winter months.  So I need to keep it hydrated and moisturized.  What I didn’t realize until I was recently treated to a conditioning True Facial at the Hotel Gansevoort’s Exhale Spa, was that I was contributing to my skin’s dry and flaky state by using a deep cleansing, drugstore astringent.
 

 
I’ve been using an astringent since I was an acne-prone teen, and always thought it was a necessary skin care step for cleansing your pores and getting rid of excess dirt before applying a moisturizer.  As I’ve become more beauty savvy, I discovered …read more

Shopping and complimentary cocktails can be a tricky combination.  But it’s a winning combination for Shecky’s Girls Night Out shopping parties.  I’ve been to several over the years and the event is always a good time.  General Admission tickets are sold out for the upcoming NYC event — which runs Oct. 19-23 from 5 – 10 pm — however, Hot Mama Daily readers are an exclusive, lucky bunch!  Click here for free General Admission.
 
 
As an added bonus, if you would like one of Shecky’s Famous Goodie Bags stocked full of beauty freebies, click here and receive $10 off your Goodie Bag …read more

Earlier today, I explained a few of the health and beauty benefits of Epsom Salt. I love adding the mineral compound to my bath water, but as it turns out, Epsom Salt isn’t just for soaking your tired bones.  
Here are four helpful home recipes from the Epsom Salt Council that you can incorporate into your beauty regimen:

Gentle facial: Mix 1/2 TSP of Epsom Salt into cleansing cream for a deep-pore cleansing. Massage and rinse with cool water. Pat dry.

Relaxing soak: Add two cups of Epsom Salt to your bath water; soak for at least 12 minutes, three times weekly. …read more

Some may still regard Epsom Salt as an old wives tale remedy, however, its the secret ingredient in many luxury bath products and an A-list celebrity beauty staple. Personally, I like to stock up on cartons of Epsom Salt at my local $1 store and keep a 3 lb. bag of Dr. Teal’s Soaking Solution on standby to soothe my aching joints in a warm detoxifying bath.
Apparently, I’m not alone in my affection for this affordable, medicinal bath and beauty product. Hot Mama Daily reader Sandhi Schimmel Gold, writes, “My favorite [bath product] is Kiehl’s Lavendar Soaking salt, but when I’m …read more

In the fall I love to detox by sitting in a warm bath.  So I’m going to sample and write about several detoxifying bath and body products, including the D:tox line of products from Giovanni Cosmetics.
This organic detoxifying regimen contains charcoal and volcanic ash from the Mediterranean Sea. These active ingredients are intended to cleanse your pores, and absorb toxins, impurities and excess oils that interfere with skin clarity.
The purifying body care system is also made with hand – harvested goji and acai, and exotic super-antioxidants to nourish and rejuvenate, infuse the skin with vitamins and minerals, and rejuvenate your skin to …read more