To that end, I asked you guys what you wanted to see here, and I got almost 40 responses, which is a fantastic amount of feedback! So, let’s see….

Julie asked for more product reviews, home treatments and giveaways. Don’t worry Julie, I’m working on all of those things. And girl, seriously, this holiday season, get your ass to a spa and indulge a little! How do I get ahold of your guy?? He should be making sure you get your butt there and soon!

Sharon is interested in more products for teens and tweens – skin care for those just getting started on a routine.

Paige has sensitive skin and naturally wants to know more about what she can use on that skin that won’t irritate. Paige, I think I have something here that will help… Let me check.

Janet is interested in products for aging skin, and Janet, I think I’ve got something for you as well… I haven’t tried it yet, but I know there’s a give away attached to it! Stay tuned.

Other opinions from readers who didn’t leave a link include products not tested on animals (I’ve got a couple of those to check out at the moment), spa gizmos and if those same gizmos are worth the money you have to pay for them; creating homemade spa treatments and more.

First, I want all my readers to know that I’ve got things cooking for all of your suggestions, and I’m pleased to see that what I was planning on is, for the most part, on track.  The next few weeks, at least, include reviews, recipes and information from The Green Beauty Guide, a review of The Ciminelli Solution, a 7-day Plan for Radiant Skin; review and give away for the Auromere Mud Bath and Mask, some fanastic hair smoothers and frizz tamers and much much more! When I say stay tuned, I really mean it! Also, I’ll have a shopping page where you can find all the products reviewed on Spa Beautifully so they’re easily searchable.

Second, I also want to let you know that I’m going to be looking at products that can give you a true spa experience right at home – everything from fluffy, luxurious bath robes, new towels, items to make your bathroom look and smell like a spa! There will still be reviews of spas for sure, but these days, it’s more important than ever that our money is spent wisely, and so that might mean an occasional splurge rather than a weekly trip to the manicurist.

Don’t forget that the Tassi giveaway ends tomorrow night (Sunday) at midnight PST! Drawing will take place on Monday the 22nd and I’ll email the winner right away!

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Slightly New Direction, Brand New Year

But, there are several products that you can buy at your local drugstore that can help protect your skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays, whether it’s hot or cold outside.

One of the best parts about these products is the fact that you can run down to your local CVS, or if you’re in Canada, like me, just run over to the shopper’s drug mart around the corner, and pick them up without having to make any special trips, and they won’t break the bank.

The RoC Retinol Correxion Deep Wrinkle Daily Moisturizer with SPF 30 is clinically shown to visibly reduce the appearance of expression lines and deep wrinkles after 8 weeks of use.  The lightweight, oil-free formula contains the latest sunscreen technology from Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products Company that is specifically engineered to deliver very broad and photostable UVA and UVB protection with an SPF 30.  Daily use of the protective moisturizer will help prevent premature aging. $19.99 for a 1.0 fl oz tube at drugstores everywhere.

Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream SPF 30 shields skin six layers deep from the sun’s skin aging UVA rays and provides effective, long-lasting protection from UVA/UVB rays that can cause up to 90% of the signs of premature aging. Your hands can give away your age, so get superior anti-aging protection for your skin with the first and only SPF 30 hand cream to contain Helioplexâ„¢ advanced sunscreen technology.

Clinically shown to improve overall age impression of hands in just 4 weeks. Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Age Shield Hand Cream improves what ages the look of hands most – roughness, age spots and fine lines. You may have seen this product on Oprah or The View – hosts of both shows love the Neutrogena Age Shield.

The AVEENO Essential Moisture Lip Conditioner with SPF 15 is a unique lip conditioner that provides long-lasting moisturization to condition and protect dry, chapped lips.

This new lip conditioner is enriched with natural oatmeal, long known to soothe skin, and a skin protectant to help protect and prevent dry, chapped lips.  And, its exclusive blend of natural skin conditioners, including jojoba oil and shea butter, leaves lips feeling moisturized long after applying.  This convenient stick form is hypoallergenic, ideal for everyday use and glides on easily with no waxy feel.

Make sure that you protect your skin – even if it is only your lips, hands and face! It’s vital for you to take care of your skin all year round, not just in swimsuit season.

(images provided by RPR Communications)

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Sun Protection is Not Just for the Summer

Instead of over-moisturizing, increase your exfoliation.

When the heat is on in the house and the air is cold outside, your skin will be depleted of its natural moisture, leaving your skin feeling tight and dry. People tend to load on the extra moisturizer to compensate for the dryness. This will not always solve the problem of dry skin. If your is dry, tight and flakey, it means that you have dry skin cell build-up on the surface of the skin. So rather than putting on extra cream to re-hydrate dead, dry skin cells (it doesn’t make sense!) try increasing your exfoliation with a gentle facial scrub to remove the dry skin cells so that when your cream goes on, it hydrates the new cells rather than the dry cells.

Avoid greasy hand creams if you’re prone to breakouts.

You may suffer from a condition we call ‘hand cream acne’ if you sleep with your hands on your face at night! We are more likely to use hand cream during the dry winter months than during the summer which leads us to using heavy hand cream to alleviate the dryness. Most often, this cream is applied right before you go to bed. If you sleep on your side with your hands on your face, the cream may be getting into the skin and clogging the pores. If you find that this may be happening to you, sleep with cotton gloves or change over your hand lotion.

Change up your routine.

Your skin acts differently from summer to winter and the best strategy for healthy, beautiful, problem-free skin is to adjust your home care routine to suit your skin’s needs each season. In winter, the skin produces less oil, so for many skin types, oil must be added back into the skin to maintain its balance. Look for moisturizers containing Safflower Oil, Avocado Oil and Shea Butter. Switch from a gel cleanser to a cream-based cleanser and eye creams are a must in the winter. Spring and summer products will likely expire or reduce their effectiveness for the following year, so it’s a good time to purge your products.

Don’t neglect your neck.

The friction caused from turtle necks and wool fibers can rub on the neck causing it to be dry and irritated. Use a hydrating cream mask on your neck once a week to replenish essential moisture. Make sure to exfoliate in upward motions with a mild facial scrub.

Properly care for your skin at the gym.

After working out at the gym, make sure to wash your face, use an alcohol-free toner and a nourishing moisturizer. At the end of the work out, the salts created from perspiration can have a drying effect on the skin, combined with the cold, dry air outside and the heat in your car. So removing the salts and locking moisture back in the skin will greatly reduce dry skin.

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Top 5 Winter Skin Tips

Kayla Fioravanti, co-founder of Essential Wholesale and von Natur, has some tips to help your skin stay supple, soft and healthy throughout the hard Winter weather.

Your skin’s goals this winter should be to moisturize, exfoliate and moisturize again. Keep moisture in mind with all the choices you make in your skin care regime. Your skin functions differently in the winter so you need to change your routines.

Cleanse:
Winter is the time of year when you need to put away your foaming and soap cleansers and stock up on crème cleansers. Cleansing crèmes, lotions and milks are very effective cleansers and they do not contain the typical surfactant or detergent ingredients that most cleansing gels contain which can be too harsh on your skin in the winter months.

Tone:
Put away your astringents and switch to a toner for winter. Your skin needs to be soothed and balanced and not dried out further by an astringent.

Moisturize:
Choose heavier crèmes in the winter than you would in the summer months. Feel free to use your heavy eye crème around your lips and entire face. If your skin is itching it is because the dry air of winter is causing the moisture in the top layer of your skin to evaporate quickly. You will need to slather those areas with extra moisture until you feel relief. Never be afraid of using pure oils on your skin in the winter months. A bottle of jojoba oil or olive oil is a great thing to have on hand all winter. During the cold and flu season you should wash your hands liberally but be certain to apply a heavy hand crème every time you wash your hands.

Exfoliate:
Exfoliate twice per week to remove dead skin cells and allow your skin to absorb the extra moisture you are lathering on. The central heating plays havoc on the sebum our skin normally produces, which makes our skin lose water which should be retained in the lower dermis of the skin. Have you ever wondered about the areas of your skin that looks like your skin is flaking off your body? What happens is that during the winter months there are thousands of dry skin cells ready to be sloughed off the surface and they become clumped together with oil which forms what appear to be flakes. Don’t be flaky, exfoliate! Exfoliate your skin with crème based exfoliates with jojoba beads and your body will soak up the rich oils of a butter or oil based body scrub.

Just following these four simple steps will help you get through the winter without the drying, chapping and cracking.

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Winter Skin Woes? Try this