At Home Spa Pampering: How I Cram Hours of Pampering into 90 Minutes or Less

Sample Provided For Review, I Bought This

After my recent vacation (Disney World with a 2 year old), I fully admit that I needed a little peace and relaxation. It was fun but... super exhausting! Unfortunately, I didn't have the time (or money) to head to a spa for the full treatment for a day. I did have a few hours at home alone, thanks to a day I didn't have to work and my toddler at "school". So, I took advantage and crammed as much pampering into a 90 minute period as I could! I don't remember exactly what order I did everything in, but here's the kind of multi-tasking I usually do to fill a roughly 90 minute pampering session.

I'm not really one of those girls that likes to lounge around in the tub. I'm busy and have a lot of things to do (and multitask) and they aren't really easily done in the tub. I'm usually doing one thing while another works away, like scrubbing down while a hair mask is soaking, etc.

Things I usually do:

Hair
I have some eczema or atopic derm near my ear, and a small amount of Head and Shoulders Advanced once a week is all I need to keep it at bay in the fall and spring. Something with zinc just keeps my skin happy. I also really love the Green Apple Head and Shoulders, but I just ran out last week, so I'm back to the blue bottle. I'm going to repurchase in the Green Apple after this one runs out, I love the smell of the green apple.

While the H&S is on those little areas, I wash the rest of my hair. Lately I'm really loving the L'Oreal Advanced Hair Care line! I've been using the Total Repair 5 line, and you can see the Shampoo & Conditioner here. The collection is very hydrating and seems to be really improving the condition of my damaged hair with each use. I also have the mask (which I recently repurchased, you can see it on my Instagram), it's hiding under the DermOrganic Hair Masque. So, I wash my hair with the L'Oreal, then I'm masking with the L'Oreal, and then I actually did a second mask with the DermOrganic (I was super pampering!). My hair loved this and was super soft and silky, but not at all weighed down. It still had a lot of volume.

Face
I washed my face with my First Aid Beauty Cleanser, using my Clarisonic.

Body
Obviously, in the shower you need to get yourself clean. When pampering I like to use a really yummy scented body wash, and my favorites are the Aromatic Blends from Kiehl's. They smell ah-mazing and have a nice lather. They don't overdry my skin, but aren't crazy hydrating like my usual Olay, so I don't use them a lot in the winter. I used my Beautisol Exfoliating Mitt with the body wash, so I was super soft and glowy after my shower.

I'm usually afraid to not use my typical Cetaphil cream, when I'm not super hydrated my eczema likes to flare. For about the last week or so I've been using the new Dial 7 Day Moisturizing Lotion, and it seems to be working really well! It's a slightly lighter lotion, and I love that I can just use a pump instead of having to open a tub and smear very thick cream everywhere. (That pump really is so much easier!) It has a very light scent, sinks in to my skin pretty quickly and the lotion does keep me well moisturized for a long time. I'll definitely be using this throughout the summer!

Finally, under all of those products you'll see my Solevation Shower Mat, which I'm totally in love with. I stand on it while shampooing and washing, just twisting and turning. The end result is pretty feet!

Once I'm finally out of the shower, I like to spend some time masking/doing my nails. First I should point out that the Rembrandt strips are there because I actually start those before I get in the shower (this is the Rembrandt 2 Hour Whitening System).

Next I start masking!
Kiehl's Rare Earth Mud Mask: This mask still doesn't have its own page, but it is amazing. I use it right after getting out of the shower so it can pull as much junk out of my pores as possible. It gets the job done but is very gentle, which I love!

First Aid Beauty Instant Oatmeal Mask: After masking I like to do a soothing/hydrating mask. If it makes me smell like a cookie, so much better!

Next it is time for nails. You can read more about my preferences in my 8 Pedicure Essentials post from last week, but I use a lot of the same products for my manicure. I have the Nails Inc Kensington top coat here, which dries things in about 45 seconds (though it seems to take more like 4-5 minutes for really dry enough to do stuff). I also have a hand scrub and cream from Julep, which I've really loved. They sent them to me in a free Maven box, which I've found is a great way to find new products. That hand cream is amazing!

Also, I use the 30 second cuticle remover from Sally Hansen, which I've probably bought about 30 times over the years (no joke). I'm loving the CoverGirl nail polishes, they last for a looooong time. This one reminds me of my Chanel Particuliere, but with much better wear. I swear I buy a new bottle every time I go to the grocery store.

Finally, if I'd had time, I would have probably tried to include these items as well!

The Clairol Natural Instincts Clear Shine treatment: Since going dark my hair is definitely not as shiny. I'm about to get my hair done again so I'll have my hair dresser do something, but otherwise this is already sitting in my cart on Drugstore.com!

Beautisol Self Tanner: This doesn't turn my skin orange and it doesn't smell! I don't really have time for the "full" treatment, but my plan is to get a bottle to mix in to my lotion and just use it every day. According to Beautisol's Founder, Sinead, this should work really well!

SpaSonic: Like a Clarisonic, but not. It has a head that is big enough for your body! They sent me one to test, but I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet. I won't let it in my bathroom until I do, but it's in my office, taunting me.

14

8 At Home Pedicure Essentials: Things That Make My Life Much Easier!

Sample provided for review

I will fully admit that during the long cold Midwest winter, I completely ignore my toes. I usually have some leftover polish on my toes, and I'll trim and occasionally add more polish on to my toes, but I don't even bother removing old polish. I wear socks at all times (unless I'm in the shower pretty much), so that means the polish is really only seen by me and my husband. It's there so that when I look down at my feet (sans glasses, which I really need) things still look semi-decent.

But, now that the weather is getting a little warmer and I recently went on a trip to Florida (where it was in the 50's, so I was still not able to wear sandals at Disney)... anyways, it's well past time to brush up on my foot care so that my little toes can be seen again. I don't really have time to do a big pedicure routine, so I've found some products that speed things up. Some of these items I've purchased, some were provided for review on the blog (though I've repurchased most of them). Here are my must have items for a quick and easy at home DIY pedicure!

Nail polish remover pads are a must! I'm not a fan of cotton rounds with polish remover anyways, and the added friction from the felt makes polish removal easy. You can also just use a square of craft felt with a polish remover or acetone, but I'd only buy white felt if you do this, sometimes the color will bleed out and that is not fun. (Not that I'm speaking from personal experience or anything...)

This Sally Hansen Instant (well, 30 second) cuticle remover will remove pretty much any sins. Seriously, it is amazing. I use it on wet skin, just apply a bead at the base of the nail, spread it around with your fingers, and then I run my thumbnails over my cuticles and push them down with the same thumbnail. That's all it takes. Do it in the shower. Suddenly your cuticles will look amazing, rather than dry and gross and ratty. I will also use this sometimes on dry callouses if they look really bad, and it helps.

This is my Beautisol Exfoliating Mitt, and it's great for buffing up your feet! Just run it over your feet, around your ankles a little, and you're done! Don't over do it in areas that your shoes rub, you'll regret that. Just a light rubbing is all you need.

The Solevation is the cooling bath mat ever. EVER. I put it down after I wash my hair (that prevents most of my hair from getting stuck in it), and while I'm letting my conditioner soak into my hair and washing body/shaving, I stand on the Solevation. I'll do a little turning every now and then, and I make sure each foot spends some time on both the sand and the loofah sides of the bath mat. That's it. I no longer have to use a foot file! If your feet are looking gross it will likely take a few showers to get things looking good again, but I love that if I keep up with the Solevation I won't need to spend any extra time on my feet.

Once your feet are clean and dry, you'll want to moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! I like to use a cream that is heavy on the moisturizers, but also includes ingredients to help my feet stay soft. Lately my pick has been the True Blue Spa Cracked Heel Treatment (from Bath and Body Works), and then I'll cover it up with heavy cotton socks.

If it's time for polish but my feet are cold (OMG, this frequently makes me skip polish), I'll grab a pair of Pedi-Sox. These are thick cotton socks (that heel cream is great under them), but the toes are gone to be free for polish.

Clean up on toes can be a little difficult. I typically do the same cleanup I do on a manicure, which is a small stiff angled makeup brush and a little acetone. You can also wait until your next shower and use a fingernail on any polish on your skin (it should come off pretty easily). Or you could use Liquid Palisades. This is a product that you brush on to your skin before the polish, and after everything is dry it lets you just remove the LP and the polish comes with it! I've found that it is a bit too much work for me with regular manis (I'd use this if I was doing nail art or something, I don't have to clean up with a regular pedi so the step isn't worth the time) but if you're messy with a pedicure this might be a big time saver!

Finally, a long lasting pedicure is all about the correct polish! Everyone's nails are a little different, but I definitely get the longest wear from 1 coat of base coat (Orly Bonder is my fave) and then a coat of Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure or CoverGirl Outlast polish. Both are longer wearing (they promise 7 days of wear or more) and they don't require top coats. (Yes, technically neither require a base coat, but I get better wear with 1 coat of additional base coat.) I love that they are cheap and come in a ton of colors too, though I usually go for a bright pink since that's my husband's favorite.


Are you starting to take better care of your feet yet? What are your tips?

6

Yet Another Way to Multitask: Solevation Brings You Better Looking Feet!

I'm all about the morning multi-tasking. In the shower I'm slathering things on, letting them work while I slather on other items... I swear that I'm doing the work of a shower twice as long as the one I'm taking! One job that I haven't managed to multitask yet is foot care. You know what I'm talking about... Bending over with some crazy little foot file to prevent the dry and crusty heels you hate? And you really do need to spend at least a couple of minutes doing it or why did you even bother? And let's face it, if you're like me in the winter you don't really bother.

Solevation is my answer to multitasking my foot filing! I can't believe no one thought of this sooner. It is a shower mat with 2 rough surfaces. One side is a tightly knit loofah, and the other is a rougher sandy surface. The idea is that you put it in your shower and simply shuffle, spin and scuff your feet against it while doing your "normal" shower activities. The Solevation will help get rid of the dry crusties, though if you have a lot of them it might take a few showers.

I found that the sand side was definitely best for the rougher bits of my heels, and the loofah was great on the sides of my feet. I didn't do anything very special when using the mat (other than spin around some and shuffle my feet while rinsing my hair and in between shaving my legs), so I wasn't expecting much. I was wrong! After just my first shower my feet were noticeably softer and better looking. No more dry crusties!

To care for the Solevation you simply rinse it off and hang it on the shower wall to dry off. It seems to really attract hair (especially long hair like mine), but if you hold it up and direct water on to it, the hair will rinse off very easily. A Solevation is meant to last about 9-12 months.

The Solevation is $28, and you can buy it in stores in Canada. In the US you can order from their website using PayPal.
Solevation

2

Beautisol's Hammam Deep Exfoliating Mitt Review: A Daily Scrub will Give You Baby Soft Skin

For years I've used that little round netting ball with my body wash. You know the one, it's a few bucks at Target? It does a great job of creating lather (love me some lather), and it does a little mild exfoliating, but not much. Mostly it is just easy to replace and I love that it hangs up to dry out.

I've just made a major (major) shower upgrade! This is the Hammam Deep Exfoliating Mitt from Beautisol, the self tanning brand that likes to sell out on HSN. If anyone knows the need for a little daily light exfoliation, it's a self tanning company! This baby costs $12, which is a lot compared to my $3.50 for a netting ball, but isn't much really.

The mitt is a very thin but indestructible fabric with a little texture to it (click on the pic to the right to see what I mean). Body wash doesn't really sink into the fabric, but instead stays more on the surface. I use a lot less body wash with this mitt, it makes me wonder how much product I've wasted over the years by just feeding it to my hungry netting ball. Because the fabric is thin, when you're washing your body you can really very easily vary how much pressure you use to exfoliate, you can get into every nook and cranny (this is amazing around stubborn areas like ankles), and you definitely get clean! When you're done, it rinses out super quickly (there's that thin fabric again) and it dries very quickly when hung up by its little tab.

I've been using this for over a week now, and I can say that in that short period of time, and in the middle of a Michigan winter, I've noticed a big difference in my skin! I'm definitely softer and I have fewer issues with ingrown hairs in certain...areas. This is an upgrade that I'm keeping!

2

Gillette Venus with Olay Razor Review: Finally an All In One that Works!

Recently I shared the news that there was a new Venus razor with Olay, and while I was excited about it... As usual I was a bit worried that the hydrating/razor gel strip things wouldn't be quite as good as a regular shave gel, and that they'd simply get in the way of a decent shave. This is usually a good idea that isn't well executed. I try them out only to revert to my normal razor and shave gel within the week.

Well, after having used this razor for about 2 weeks I can definitely that it is about time that someone figured out how to do this right! The Olay strips are every bit as good as a regular shave gel. They are hydrating, helped me get a smooth shave and they move so freely that they only got a bit in the way in the very tightest of corners (aka, near my bikini line a little), but it didn't make a big difference. That Olay strip actually lasts for the entire life of the razor as well. At the 2 week mark I need to change out my blade, but I still have about half of the Olay strips left. And, the 5 blades, in combination with the Olay strips, did give me a very close and smooth shave.

There really are 2 downsides to this razor. The first is that because the strips get moved a bit too much in tight spots (again, bikini line) they aren't as helpful there. I recommend still using a shave product there since that's the last place you want razor burn.

Second is obviously price. These things are a bit pricy. I'm planning to pick up a few more blades and use them throughout the summer. The results were definitely smoother than with my usual 3 bladed Venus razor heads, and I know I'll love it when running around in skirts and dresses.

Gillette Venus

0

Tone Fruit Peel Body Wash Review: Exfoliate While You Cleanse

Now that the winter(ish) weather has suddenly given way to near summer conditions here in Michigan, I'm scrambling a bit to make myself summer ready. Which is amazing since I'm already pretty on top of things. But, I feel like I need to be extra soft and smooth, which means some extra exfoliation and moisturizing.

So, since there's more daily maintenance to do, it helps to be able to multi-task some of it. This new body wash from Tone does help with the exfoliating bit, though not in the way that you're used to. Rather than adding a few little beads of.... something in there and calling it a day, Tone has gone a completely new and useful direction.

(A bit of an aside, am I the only one annoyed by the little beads that sometimes show up in body wash prompting it to be labelled "exfoliating"? And then there are so few of them that I feel like maybe I exfoliated a little bit near my ankle and then another tiny spot about 6 inches up my leg, rather than all over?)

Tone has added a ton of different fruit juices into this formula to take advantage of their alpha hydroxy acids. The result is the most amazing smelling body wash that I've used in a while. It's fruity, mostly apple, a bit sweet... really you need to head to the store and smell it for yourself. Seriously, love smelling this in the morning! It's a nice change for spring time. The body wash has a nice lather, gets me clean and rinses off easily. I had no skin irritation or after wash tightness.

It's probably too soon to tell if the AHAs in the body wash are making a difference, but my skin does feel soft. I like knowing that they're there and really, the smell is just a nice little change for the warmer weather.

(Citric Acid in very small amounts at the very end on the ingredient list, and all of the fruit juices have alpha hydroxy acids as well. When in fruit juices many feel that this is pregnancy safe. You're already drinking juice, right? I leave it up to you, I would have been fine using this when preggers, but since I did list all AHAs on my list I felt the need to add the extra info here.)



Tone Skincare

7