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Bodycology Rich and Creamy Body Wash

“bodycology® seeks to empower women to look and feel their best by enhancing their lives through both knowledge and high quality, personalized products that are attainable by all.” www.bodycology.com

Bodycology is an affordable way to try some fab bath and body products this spring. I tried the new Rich & Creamy Skin-Softening Body Wash ($4.99 USD) in the Silk and Avocado Oil formula. This is a very moisturizing wash that leaves skin extra soft. And it smells refreshing, almost a little like raspberry.

I also use it to shave my legs, because it is so creamy. I like non-foaming creams for shaving because I get a smoother shave with fewer cuts.

The Rich and Creamy Body Wash is also available in Ultra Rich, Hydrating, Deep Cleansing, Refreshing and Nourishing.

You can purchase these products at a drugstore near you.

Try Eminence Organics Skin Care This Earth Month!

Looking to try some organic and natural beauty products this Earth Month? Eminence Organics offers, “European beauty essentials, which contain the highest possible levels of all-natural organically grown herbs, fruits and vegetables, hand-selected to guarantee their highest quality.” These products include fabulous body and face care that will make you look and feel your best!

I have to say that the three products I tried (listed below) not only made my face look much healthier, they were a pleasure to use. All three products are creamy and luxurious and smell insanely fresh and fantastic.

Blueberry Soy Exfoliating Cleanser ($38 USD) — This cream does double duty as both a cleanser and exfoliater. It contains naturally exfoliating AHA to cleanse and refine dry, dull skin, plus antioxidant- and tannin-rich blueberries combine with the healing and soothing powers of soy to purify and tighten pores. This cleans and softens my skin, giving me a glow, which is wonderful!

Raspberry Pore Refining Masque ($48.00 USD) — This smells and feels like applying fresh berries on the face! Raspberry, blackberry and blueberry provide an astringent effect to tighten pores and fights off free radical damage. This is suitable for all skin types. I love how this smells, but it is kind of hard to remove. Use lots and lots of water on this sticky mask, and it will come off!

Guava and Bamboo Age Defying Moisturizer ($58 USD) – This creamy and strengthening moisturizer is good for all skin types. “Elasticity and hydration are returned to the skin with the strength of bamboo, loaded with antioxidants, vitamins and proteins – and when partnered with exotic carotenoid-rich guava, the result is strong, healthy skin.” This is so thick that I thought it might be greasy, but it is not. It is very rich, but sinks into the skin after a few minutes. I like to use such a creamy product at night, but this can be used in the morning as well. It leaves the skin glowing and healthy-looking.

Eminence Organics is located in spas and salons all over North America and you can look on their website or contact them toll-free at 1.888.747.6342 to find a spa near you and to purchase the products.

White Sands Velcro Strips and Texture Spray

Looking for an easy way to curl your straight hair? Try the easy combination of White Sands Liquid Texture Spray ($19.00 USD) and White Sands Velcro Strips ($40.00 for 6 large strips and 3 straight sticks) for a quick and curly set!

I have tried 3 different looks with the large strips. they are:

Volume at the crown — I spray the Liquid Texture at the roots, roll up a velcro strip into a curler, then place the hair at the roots over it. I either let it air dry or use a dryer. When it’s dry, I gently take the hair off of the rollers and my hair is lifted at the roots.

Soft Curls– I spray the hair, place the velcro side of the strips down the length of a piece of hair and roll up, securing with a bobby pin. Once dry I unroll the hair and I have soft, curly hair.

Waves — This is the coolest set, but takes the longest to achieve. You spray both side of the hair with the spray and lay it on the velcro side of a strip. Next, place a second strip, velcro side up, on top of the hair. You then take one of the straight pins and weave it through the holes in the strips, creating a wave. Once it dries, gently take out the pin and take of the velcro. The result is some cool waves in your hair!

This spray is perfect for sets. The website puts it best, “because Liquid Texture Firm Hold is the “ultimate design tool” because it allows you to create and recreate any hair design imaginable. Liquid Texture has raised the bar for hair spray because it can be combed through and has incredible memory to provide long-lasting designs without regard to humidity. It is thermal intelligent, so the more heat used, the shinier the hair becomes. Liquid Texture leaves hair soft and silky without flaking or leaving residue on hot tools.” This is a great spray that leaves hair a shiny and gives great hold!

Visit www.whitesandsproducts.com to learn more about these products and to purchase them. Enjoy!

Carol’s Daughter Rosemary Mint Purifying Duo

Does your hair need some spring cleaning? I don’t mean the everyday shampoo you have been doing, but a deep, pure cleansing, getting rid of daily toxins and product build-up? Then check out Carol’s Daughter Rosemary Mint Purifying Duo. This set of shampoo and conditioner are touted to deeply cleanse hair and restore it back to its original shiny, healthy state.

Both the Shampoo and Conditioner contain rosemary extract to deliver antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits to hair and scalp and peppermint oil to refresh the scalp. The shampoo also contains moisturizing marine extracts to hydrate and soften the hair and the conditioner contains jojoba oil and panthenol to creat shine and minimize tangles.

I really enjoy this duo. The fragrance is very refreshing with the combination of cool mint and the outdoorsy scent of rosemary. When I use the shampoo I like to massage it into my scalp, because it give a pleasant tingling feeling — it really feels like it’s cleansing. The conditioner is refreshing as well, plus my hair is so soft and shiny after I use it.

I (and everyone in my family) have been using this set for a couple of weeks and really love what it is doing for our hair. You can also use it once a week to really clean all of the product out! If you are looking for a great purifying treatment, this duo could be perfect for you!

WHAT IT COSTS: Shampoo, $12.50; Conditioner, $16.00 or $28.50 for the pair.

WHERE TO FIND IT: Carol’s Daughter stores, Macy’s, Dillard’s, SEPHORA, www.carolsdaughter.com

Living Proof No Frizz Restyling Spray

If you haven’t tried Living Proof’s No Frizz line, it is a great choice if you have perpetually frizzy hair or live in a humid climate. I live in Kansas City, MO and the humid spring and summers make my hair look like a poodle!

The newest addition to this line is the No Frizz line is the Restyling Spray ($24.00 USD). This product is touted to detangle, reduce static and add shine while restyling tired hair with light conditioning and hold. No Frizz’s exclusive humidity blocking technology, PolyfluoroEster helps disheveled, frizzy or flat hair be quickly refreshed into beautiful, shiny hair in just minutes without having to rewash.

To use, apply No Frizz Restyling Spray to dry hair until lightly damp and apply heat or reshape with hands and allow to air dry. I like to use this product at the end of a work day, when I look at myself and my sad hair in the mirror and know that I need to redo my ‘do. I then apply the No Frizz and air dry or use a blow drier. I can get a fresh new style in just a few minutes.

No Frizz Restyling Spray is available on www.livingproof.com and www.qvc.com.

The Wonderbar

Looking for a new cleanser that’s a little different? Try the Wonderbar ($40.00 for 25gm). This little facial bar packs a cleansing punch!

The Wonderbar is enhanced by two unique ingredients: Chlorey’nahre, a proprietary complex extracted from algae that is touted to help your skin stay supple, radiant and youthful by regenerating skin cells quickly and 3000 year old Heilmoor clay of Austria, a natural therapeutic ingredient that contains the essence of 3000 herbs and plants.

When you purchase the Wonderbar, you are told about the Healing Crisis — a period of a few days to a couple of weeks where the user might experience dry skin or breakouts. I didn’t really experience any extra problems in my skin. What I did notice is that after about a week, my skin looked smoother and less blotchy, and my pores seemed smaller. And after I stopped using the Wonderbar for about a week, I broke out and looked red and blotchy again.

Some of the benefits that you could see from this cool product are: Firm, lifted and glowing skin, tightened pores, removal fo free radicals and toxins from face, a balance to oily and to dry skin, a nice pink glow, smoother and softer, plus it may even lighten pigmentation and freckles!

Visit www.wonderbarusa.com to learn more and to purchase this amazing cleanser!

CLEAN Outdoor Shower Fresh

Do you love CLEAN fragrances? I do! Why? Because they are always fresh and soft and not strongly perfumey.

Clean’s new scent, Outdoor Shower Fresh ( $69.00 2.14 oz and $38.00 1 oz) includes extracts of water lily, violet leaves and sparkling bergamot with a hint of tropical rain accord and sandalwood. It is “inspired by the exhilarating experience of al fresco showering, secluded by nature. Heady exuberance and feel-good freedom, captured and bottled in a crisp, clean, leafy-green scent.”

I really enjoy this scent because it is clean and light and is perfect for spring. It is great for women of all ages, I know that my 14-year-old daughter loves it as much as I do. Plus, I feel better about her using CLEAN instead of heavier perfumes.

You can learn more about this great scent by visiting www.cleanperfume.com

Alterna Hair Care

Alterna Professional Haircare creates groundbreaking formulas in luxury haircare products. These products are indulgences for your hair and I was very impressed with the products that I tried:

Two of my favorites are the Caviar White Truffle Hair Elixir and the TEN Hair Masque. They are both products that have helped the condition and health of my hair.

The Caviar White Truffle Hair Elixir ($26.00 USD) — This is an interesting product, because you can use it with other styling aids to enhance their performance. I like to mix it with my leave in conditioner. This product also strengthens hair and treats the advanced signs of damage, turns any product into an intensive reparative treatment, and provides protection against UV and environmental stresses. The ingredients in this product are:

Caviar and White Truffle: Delivers an effective blend of essential fatty acids and B vitamins which are critical for the simulation of proteins and amino acids and are vital to the promotion of healthy, beautiful hair.
Maracuja Oil: Made up of 77% Linoleic Acid and also rich in Vitamin C, calcium, phosphorus and iron. Known to aid in the prevention of transepidermal water loss (TEWL), a condition that can lead to hair damage.
Bio Complex: Organic Extracts of Aloe, Acai Berry, Goji Berry, Pomegranate, Avocado, White Tea, Cucumber, Lingonberry. Rich in anti-oxidants, amino acids, proteins, lipids, vitamins, important trace elements and an excellent source of minerals.
Seasilk®: A unique combination of marine botanicals that is essential for providing intensive moisture and nourishment. Helps increase follicle hydration and aids in retaining moisture.
Color Hold®: Provides the highest level of color protection from color fade caused by UVA, UVB and visible light rays including artificial light sources, as well as protects from color wash out.

TEN Hair Masque ($55.00 USD) — I love this thick mask because it really nourishes and repairs my hair. I use it after I wash my hair by massaging it in to my hair and scalp and leaving it on for at least five minutes. I then rinse it out and my hair is so hydrated!

This mask is infused with African Cacao Extract, Hyaluronic Acid, Caviar Age-Control Complex, Photozyme Complex with Color Hold, White Truffle Oil, Champagne Grape Seed Oil, Bulgarian Evening Primrose, Arabian Frankincense, Moroccan Quillaia Bark, and Amica to keep hair soft and silky.

Visit www. alternahaircare.com to learn more about these product and others.

Korres Quercetin and Oak Age-Reversing Face Primer

When I first heard about face primers a few years ago, I was skeptical. It kind of seemed like an extra product I was piling on my face — you know after serums, moisturizers and an SPF. But now, I feel that a primer can be an important extra step to take, if you have the right one. A good primer will make your face look instantly smoother, plus keep your make-up looking fresh all day and lasting longer.

So I was excited to try the Korres Quercetin & Oak Age-reversing Face Primer ($33.00 1.01 oz). This primer is not only a skin-smoother, it is a anti-aging treatment. The website describes it as:

Powerful treatment and skin-perfecting face primer in one that instantly fills wrinkles and provides a very smooth and perfected skin surface, ensuring long-lasting make up application. Enriched with powerful antioxidant Quercetin and Oak extracts that improve skin cell functioning, repair fine lines and wrinkles and improve skin texture and elasticity. Hyaluronic acid forms a protective shield on the skin, providing immediate moisture and increasing skin elasticity while Barley extract instantly fills wrinkles and refines pores. Improves skin texture, thus providing a healthy glow to skin even without make-up. Silicone-free; does not clog the pores.
• 97% saw improved skin texture
• 88% saw significant increase in skin elasticity
• 84% saw visibly firmer, tighter skin
• 75% saw immediate lifting

What I think: My first reaction to the primer was that it seemed to go on more creamy like a moisturizer than slick like a silicone primer. But when I looked at myself after application, my skin tone was more even and my skin tone was smooth. Concealer and foundation glided on easily, and yes, my skin looked great all day long. As a forty-something woman, my skin is redder and my pores more noticable than when I was younger. This primer really helped even all of that out!

This primer is one of the best I have tried, and I highly recommend it! Visit www.korresusa.com to learn more and to purchase this fab primer!

Kenzo’s Eau De Fleur De Plum

The latest in Kenzo’s Eau De Fleur collection, De Plum ($55.00 1.7 oz) is classified as a “powdery almond floral”. The website describes it as:

Plum blossom emerges from the winter chill, scattering a myriad of dainty petals. The spring then hums its powdery floral note with almond verses. Kenzo flower waters are picked from Japanese trees.

This fragrance smells so fantastic. It is a bit sweet, and powdery, and very sexy. It is very light so I spray it all over, even in my hair. People have been telling me how great I smell since I have been wearing it!

Kenzo’s Eau De Fleur collection includes the Plum as well as the other three that were introduced last year: Eau De Fleur De Silk, Eau De Fleur De Magnolia and Eau De Fleur De Tea — which is the other Eau De Fleur fragrance I own. The Tea is a sultry floral musk.

Learn more about these fragrances at www.kenzousa.com. Enjoy!