Spa Products – Page 2 – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

Get Smooth Feet this Summer with Kenzo

Kenzo has recently released Barefeet Fantasy ($30.00 USD), a rich balm to get the feel ready for sandals this summer. The ingredients include cupuaçu butter (an herbal butter belonging to the cacao family) and shea butter to nourish and sooth the feet. It also contains rice plant water which has been touted to reinforce the antiradical activity of anti-oxidizing agents.

Before applying the balm, I like to scrub my feet with Kenzo’s Milky Rice Body Scrub ($42.00 USD) — which is also a great scrub for the whole body. It has a very unusual texture from the exfoliating particles that contain rice wax and rice powder, but it smooths the skin very nicely.

Both products’ fragrance is from Kenzo’s Sensual line of body products, with the main scent being rice water. The scent is very soft and musky and is very nice.

To learn more or purchase these products and others from Kenzo, visit the website at www.kenzousa.com.

Get Smooth for Summer with the Borghese Forma Bella Collection

Yes I have cellulite. I am 40 (41 next month) and have three kids. I am unsure if anything can get rid of cellulite, but it has been proven in some studies that good exfoliation and certain creams can minimize the look of the offending dimply stuff.

I have been using Borghese’s Forma Bella Body Contour Collection about three times a week for a few weeks now. It is an invigorating treatment that leaves my skin so soft. I haven’t noticed much of a change in my cellulite, but my skin is very smooth to the touch and does look good.

Forma Bella Body Contour Scrub ($45.00 7 oz) — The ingredients include Guarana & Zedomine extracts to warm the skin and diminish the appearance of cellulite, Acqua di Vita Complex to revitalize the skin, Multi-Vitamin CO Q-10 Complex to provide anti-oxidant protection from free radicals and Adzuk Bean Powder, Jjoba Beans and Sweet Almond Seed Meal to exfoliate. I use this scrub in the shower on my thighs. As I rub it in, my skin is instantly warmed and the exfoliation feels great. I then add warm water to lather and rinse.

Forma Bella Body Contour Creme ($55.00 7 oz) — This luxurious cream contains Caffeine, Guarana, Ginger, Cinnamin and Iodine to help diminish the appearance of dimpling, cellulite and scars, Algae & Pullulan help tighten & firm the skin, Acqua di Vita Complex to revitalize the skin, and Multi-Vitamin CO Q-10 Complex to provide anti-oxidant protection from free radicals. I smooth this on my skin in circles and my skin starts to feel cool and firm. It is also SO smooth. I like to rub it all over my legs, especially when I am wearing a skirt or capris.

I think this line is quite lovely. And while I can’t say for certain that it will get rid of your cellulite, it will make your skin feel and look better. For more info, check out the website at www.borghese.com.

Lavanila The Healthy Body Butter in Vanilla Lavender

Lavanila The Healthy Body Butter in Vanila Lavender — Lavanila The Healthy Body Butter in Vanilla Lavender

Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there!

Lavanila’s mission is to create healthy skincare by using natural ingredients. They are proud that their products also contain vitamin-rich antioxidants & pure essential oils and are non-toxic. Lavanila products are eco-friendly and they don’t test on our furry friends!

I have tried The Healthy Body Butter in Vanilla Lavender ($25.00 for 8.5 oz). Vanilla Lavender is their newest scent. It is a blend of Spanish lavender, rose absolute, violet leaf and Madagascar vanilla. I love the scent of lavender and vanilla, but wasn’t sure how they would smell together. Luckily, I really like it. The scent is very warm and comforting. The lavender is dominant when I first apply the lotion, then the vanilla softly comes through.

The lotion itself contains 100% pure shea & cocoa butters and protects with the antioxidants goji berry and kakadu plum. It is a thick cream and it leaves the skin soft and very moisturized.

Visit the website at www.lavanila.com to learn more about this great brand and find a retailer near you.

Spa Products from Creative Nail Design Will Pamper Your Hands!

It is so nice to pamper your hands after a long, cold winter. Mine were a little dry and rough. Luckily I was able to try some of Creative Nail Design’s Almond Spamanicure products.

I did a little home spa by using four products from the line. I started with the Almond Milk Bath. This is an oil that I heated up, rubbed on my hands (especially my cuticles), then after about 5 minutes I added a little water and it foamed up. I then rinsed my hands and scrubbed with the Almond Moisture Scrub, which contains fine mineral salts, refined sugar, jojoba soft beads and sweet almond oil. After rinsing of the scrub I applied the Almond Illuminating Masque and left that on for 5 minutes. This is a rich, pearly cream that is a blend of sweet almond oil, jojoba oil and vitamin E. My last step, after rinsing the mask, was applying the Almond Hydrating Lotion.

The almond scent of these products is so wonderful! It’s very soothing and lends itself greatly to a spa experience. And my hands were so smooth! I bet my feet would benefit from something like this as well!

To locate a salon which sales these fantastic products visit www.creativenaildesign.com. This a great pampering idea for Mother’s Day!

Aveda Shampure Shampoo and Conditioner

Aveda’s vision is to, “connect beauty, environment and well-being”. Their wonderful spa products that are infused with natural ingredients, seem to do just that.

I have tried both the Shampure shampoo and conditioner. The products in this line are very gentle and good for every type of hair.

Shampure Shampoo ($9.50 USD for 8.5 oz) – “Our pure, gentle daily shampoo—with Morikue^TMprotein—cleanses and fortifies any type of hair. Infusing it with one of Aveda’s original aromas: a calming mix of 25 pure flower and plant essences.” Coriander oil, Eucalyptus oil, Lavender oil, Morikue^TM protein, Orange oil bitter, Wheat conditioners, and Babassu are some of the ingredients.

Aveda Shampure Conditioner ($9.50 USD for 8.5 oz) — “provides daily protection from environmental stress and damage.” The conditioner has the same basic ingredients of the shampoo. I really like both products because they clean and moisturize my hair without harsh chemicals leaving me with soft, silky hair.

The wonderful fragrance is also available in a candle ($28.00 USD). Visit Aveda’s website at www.aveda.com for more information and locations where you can receive spa treatments as well as purchase the products.

Crabtree & Evelyn’s Aromatherapy Distillations

Crabtree & Evelyn is a classic brand that makes great bath and body products. Their Aromatherapy Distillations are as wonderful for the senses as they are for the body.

The Aromatherapy Distillations are available in three different collections; Relaxing, Revitalizing and Purify. The scents are:

Relaxing: Calming essential oil blend of lavender and rosewood, tonka, chamomile, vanilla and violet leaf.

Revitalizing: Essential oil blend of lemon, coriander, spearmint, mandarin and star anise.

Purifying: Essential oil blend of eucalyptus, lime, peppermint, grapefruit, mandarin and rosemary.

These ranges come in many different products such as Body Lotion, Body Wash, Body Scrub and Body Salts. Visit their website at www.store.crabtree-evelyn.com for the full collections and prices.

Smooth Shaving Part 2 — Gillette Venus Spa Breeze and Embrace Razors

Gillette Venus razors are one of the most popular brands for women, and with good reason. They are always introducing new, extremely effective products. When you buy a Venus razor, you know it’s going to give you a close, smooth shave.

I’ve been lucky enough to try some of the new and revamped razors from Venus:

Gillette Venus Embrace — $9.99 — $11.99 USD for the refillable razor, two cartridges, and a shower pod to hold the razor in the shower and $13.49 – $14.99 USD for a four-pack cartridge refills. This razor now comes with a new purple and turquoise handle and has five, yes FIVE, blades for an perfectly smooth and close shave. I love this razor! The head swivels and hugs every curve. This would be perfect for the summer when we wear way less clothes!

Gillette Venus Spa Breeze System — $9.99 USD for the refillable razor, two shave gel bar cartrideges and a shower compact and $11.49 USD for a four-pack of refill cartridges.

Gillette Venus Spa Breeze Disposables — $6.49 – $8.49 USD for a two pack.

What makes the Spa Breeze different than most razors is that it has shave-gel bars on the head of the razor above and below the blades. The shave gel bars are scented with white tea and you do not need separate shaving lotion or soap when shaving.

Both the Spa Breeze Refillable and the Disposables are practically the same. The handle on the refillable is a little bigger and more ornate. The only real difference is if the user enjoys a refillable razor or prefers disposables.

I gave my 13 year old daughter Hannah the refillable and I tried the disposable (the Embrace is all mine!). Hannah reports that the Spa Breeze’s scent is fantastic and it makes her legs smooth, but she had to go over some areas twice. I agree with her. It is such a cool idea to have built in shave gel and would be great to take on trips this summer. But the shave bars do kind of get in the way of the blades, making it necessary to shave twice to make sure you get all of the hair.

My recommendation is for the Venus Embrace — don’t let five blades scare you. They are awesome. If you love great scents and don’t want to buy a separate shaving lotion, try the Venus Spa Breeze. Visit their website at www.gillettevenus.com/en_US to learn more about the products and find a retailer near you.

Smooth Shaving Part 1 — Whish All Natural Shaving Products

I have been known to just use soap or shower gel to shave my legs. So it was a really nice change to use the luxurious Whish shaving products. This line uses natural and mostly organic ingredients. Without the harsh chemicals, my skin is even smoother after shaving than usual!

The Whish Pomegranate Shave Crave Pump Shave Cream ($24.00 USD), is a very moisturizing, thick cream. It has a wonderful pomegranate scent that is tart and sweet all at once! The ingredients includes organic shea butter, organic green tea and organic jojoba seed oil, and they leave your skin soft and smooth. Unlike many store brands of shaving cream, the Whish Shave Crave doesn’t dry the skin or leave it sticky. It’s kind of like a shower gel and body butter all in one.

After shaving, I use the Whish Flawless Ingrown Hair Serum ($22.50 USD) on the little red bumps on my legs. I’ve noticed that even after the first use, the bumps were less noticeable. After a couple weeks of use they seem to almost vanish. Their formula includes wheat germ extract to soothe, yeast extract to regenerate and willow bark extract to fight inflammation. It has a very mild scent and feels cool when you apply it.

The Whish products are “made in the USA with Earth friendly packaging and ingredients. Tested on us, not animals™.” These are a nice splurge, especially with warmer weather (hopefully) in the near future. You can purchase this products along with shower gels, body butters and much more at www.whishbody.com. Enjoy!

Essie’s Spring 2009 Collection

For this spring, Essie has released a fun collection of six colors to suit every mood. The season’s fresh, flowy fashions (I do love alliteration!) were the inspiration for this line and it “captures the femininity of the season with a fresh, hopeful attitude”.

Here is Essie’s description of each color:

One of a Kind — poppy red kiss

Eternal Optimist — spiced tea rose

Mesmerize — royal va-va blue

Status Symbol — feisty hot pink

Flawless — cherry blossom pink

Lacquered Up — red hot crimson

My favorites are the Eternal Optimist which is a very lovely pinky-beige and One of a Kind which is a really bright red-orange. My 13 year-old daughter of course loves Mesmerize, which I wore the other day and she said it was cool on me! Awesome!

These polishes sell for $9.00 USD each. Essie’s website is www.essie.com. You can visit it to find a store that carries the products or purchase online. Have fun!

Sea Results Line Menders from H2O+

The Sea Results Collection from H2O+ claims to, “visibly rewind signs of aging with firming phospholipids and restorative sea nutrients.” The Sea Resulsts Line Mender cream and Sea Results Eye Mender Plus also claim to improve the quality of aging skin in 28 days.

The H2O+ website, http://www.h20plus.com, also touts these statistics concerning the Sea Results Line Mender cream ($54.00 USD), “Over 28 days of continued daily use, 97% of those participating in a consumer panel test reported their skin to be more richly hydrated and 95% noticed smoother, more even skin texture. There was a 22% decrease in wrinkle depth and 19% increase in firmness over that same period of time. In addition to softening dermal creases and refining skin texture, this multi-tasking formula also provides antioxidant protection to help reduce the effects of free radical induced damage. ”

People who participated in a consumer panel test of the Sea Results Eye Mender Plus ($36.00 USD) reported that after a period of 28 days of continued daily use, a 47% decrease in wrinkle depth, a 24% reduction in puffiness and 19% increase in firmness was observed.

I have been using these products for approximately 28 days and I have to say that my skin looks clearer, it is softer and firmer and my eyes look less puffy. My lines on my forehead are a little less noticeable. I think that if I use it a month or two longer, they will be even smoother.

I really do love this cream. It absorbs quickly and can be worn under makeup. That is a big plus for me as I have little time in the morning to get ready for work. The eye cream is thicker, but also absorbs fairly fast. Also, they both smell really great. They have a lighter version of the H2O Spa scent.

My verdict? The price is a bit high, but the quality is excellent. I definitely recommend this line!