Quick Nail Tip: CND SolarOil Nail and Cuticle Treatment
Winter can be really hard on fingernails. Dry, cold weather turns usually strong, healthy nails into brittle, cracked versions of themselves. If you’ve been fretting over this problem, we’ve got a quick tip for you: CND SolarOil Nail and Cuticle Conditioner.
This super nail conditioning formula comes in a convenient little nail polish-sized bottle with a brush for easy application. Its sweet-smelling blend of oils (E, jojoba, and almond) is extremely moisturizing and feels wonderful massaged into fingertips, as well as nails and cuticles. The effects are immediate—nails go from dry and brittle to moisturized and conditioned after the first application.
For best results, keep on applying the CND SolarOil on a daily basis. Dry nails can be stubborn!
—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor
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OPI Nail Studio for the iPhone
Awhile back, Spa editor-in-chief, Julie Sinclair, blogged about OPI’s Nail Polish Studio—a website where you can test drive any color OPI carries. You just adjust the skin tone of the virtual hand to match your own, then you can see which colors look best.
But what if you’re out at the salon, standing in front of a rack of hundreds of shades? A computer isn’t going to do you much good. And that’s why OPI recently released a free iPhone app version of their nail studio. Just click here to see OPI’s app (warning: clicking the link will open iTunes if it is installed on your computer).
We know this will help us a ton next time we’re out shopping for a fun new color.
—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor
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An Airbrush Tan … But Way Faster
Airbrush tans are all the rage these days. And why not? They give you all the glowing benefits of a real tan with none of the harmful effects of the sun.
But those airbrush tans can take, on average, 8 hours to dry. And that’s a long time if you’re trying to fit a tan in before an event like a wedding, a reunion, or even a first date. Luckily, Sundara Airbrush Tanning in NYC is now offering a Velocity Quick-Dry treatment (+$25) as an add-on to their spray tans.
The Quick-Dry treatment cuts the wait time in half (4 hours or less). So you can actually get the tan and get to your event on time! FYI: Their full-body tan is $78 and last 5 – 7 days when cared for properly.
(If you want the tan, but would rather do it yourself at home, here are tips on applying self-tanner from skincare expert Celeste Hilling.)
—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor
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How to Personalize Your Bath and Body Products
If you’re sensitive to certain smells or have allergies, it can be difficult to find bath and body products with scents you love. The solution? Create your own in three easy steps.
Directions
- Choose an essential oil that appeals to you. (Try searching a local health store or mountainroseherbs.com.) If the choices seem overwhelming, vanilla (soothing) and lavender (relaxing) are good starting places.
- Add a few drops of essential oil at a time to your favorite fragrance-free lotion, shampoo, conditioner, or body wash until the product is scented to your liking.
- Mix well and apply as usual.
Image: Tim Street-Porter/Botanica/Getty Images
—Natalie Rios, editorial assistant/research editor
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Below-the-Belt Pampering
We receive A LOT of interesting information on new spa treatments here at Spa, but the Vajacial at San Francisco’s Stript Wax Bar definitely raised the most eyebrows.
According to the press release, the Vajacial (50 minutes, $60) is “a four-step ‘facial’ designed specifically to pamper and primp your nether regions.” Best performed within a week after a bikini wax, the treatment begins with a warm antibacterial wash and is followed by a Smooth-A-Peel Body Exfoliating Gel to break down dead skin cells. An expertly trained esthetician then extracts all ingrown hairs, after which a calming anti-freckle masque is placed on the area to help purge skin of impurities and reduce red spots. Once the masque is removed, a lightening cream with vitamin C, mulberry, and licorice extract is applied to lighten any discoloration.
Though you’d have to travel cross-country, we realized a Vajacial could go well with a service called Vajazzling offered at Strippers Waxing Salon & Boutique in Washington, D.C. The treatment, which involves decorating down under with colorful crystals, will be at a reduced price of $50 during Spa Week (April 12 to 18).
This could be just the excuse you need to take your little lady on a road trip.
Image: Corbis
—Maria Wakem, senior editor
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Chat with Dr. Murad Live Tomorrow
It’s not every day that you get to ask a world-renowned dermatologist about your skin issues. But tomorrow you’ll have just that chance.
Dr. Murad, founder and CEO of Murad skincare products, will be hosting a one-hour webinar tomorrow, January 27, at 11am PST. If you have a computer, you can participate.
During the webinar, Dr. Murad will talk about his research on health and aging, answer audience questions, and share before and after photos of people who have improved their appearance and health with simple life changes.
In order to participate in the webinar, all you have to do is click here to register.
—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor
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Emergency Winter Skincare and Skin-Repair
When planning and packing for a trip to cold climates, it is vital to have the correct clothing to stay warm. However, it’s just as important to have the right products to protect and soothe skin from the cool, dry air.
This was an essential tip I forgot to follow myself while spending the holidays in Lake Tahoe. My face moisturizer ran out the day I arrived; my lip moisturizer was nowhere to be found.
Armed only with my eye crème and borrowed ChapStick from my brother, my lackluster skincare regimen proved no match for the elements.
Upon returning from my trip, I made a beeline for my medicine cabinet, hoping to find a miracle in there to cure my parched face, hangnails, and peeling lips. And miracle (make that 3 miracles) I did find:
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(for the face) G.M. Collin Hydramucine Optimal Gel – specially designed with a botanical complex and vegetal peptides to hydrate the skin. This left my skin soft and moisturized, while not at all greasy (good for normal to oily skin). |
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(for lips) Jane Iredale Sugar&Butter Lip Exfoliator/Plumper – organic brown sugar buffs away dry skin, and tinted lip plumper moistens with shea butter and peptides. After a good scrub with the exfoliating end, my lips were kissably soft. |
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(for hands) Sephora by OPI Restorative Hand Moisturizer – blend of almond, avocado, and shea butter provides instant hydration. I randomly had a sample of this, and am now in love. The instant it is applied, skin becomes baby soft with no oily or greasy feel whatsoever. |
Though only meant to be a temporary fix, I can guarantee that these products will now become a regular part of my skincare routine!
—Veronica Sooley, photo editor
top image: iStockphoto.com
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Instant Makeover: OPI’s Polish Studio
I’m generally not one to wear nail polish, which makes it extra-fun when I do—for special occasions or when I just want to add a little something different to my day. Like wearing lipstick, adding a few coats of nail polish (or a color you don’t usually wear) can really seem transformational.
The other day I came across this cool online tool by OPI for trying out new colors. Want to know how purples, brights, or metallics would look on your skin tone so you don’t regret it later? Click here, then on the “Try On This Color” tab. Set your skin tone, adjust the nail length, and have fun testing out shades like “We’ll Always Have Paris,” “Tasmanian Devil Made Me Do It,” and “Blue My Mind.” (Who gets to name these polishes? I’m really enjoying them.)
After spending the past 10 minutes trying out some new colors, I’m now psyched for a mani/pedi — thinking I’ll go for “Yes…I Can-Can,” a fun purply-brownish-black.
—Julie Sinclair, editor-in-chief
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Get Protected: Kerstin Florian Oil-Free Daily Defense SPF 50
Now that the new year is just around the corner, I’m working on my list of resolutions. One of them is to be more consistent about wearing sunscreen every day. My fair complexion needs it!
Kerstin Florian’s Oil-Free Daily Defense SPF 50 ($55) is what I’m planning to use. I like it because it’s not too thick and not too greasy. It actually has a matte finish, which I love. And just a little dab of it is enough to cover my whole face.
The sunscreen also acts as a lightweight moisturizer and is enhanced with vitamin C and Co-Enzyme Q10 (a powerful antioxidant), so I feel like I’m doing all sorts of wonderful things for my skin when I put it on.
—Stephanie Kinnear, web editor
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Spa’s Holiday Gift Guide: Day 10 – Homemade Bath Products
Sometimes the best gifts are the ones you make yourself. And if, like me, you dread the maddening crowds of holiday shoppers, a homemade present is a great way to get in a festive mood in the privacy of your own kitchen.
In keeping with all things Spa-related, here are links to a few easy-to-follow recipes for bath products I found online. I have not yet tried these recipes myself, but if you try them at home, I’d love to know how they turned out!
- Brown Sugar Body Scrub: An all-natural scrub that sounds sweet enough to eat.
- Vanilla and Almond Soap: This exfoliating soap recipe doesn’t require lye, eliminating the risk of alkali burns.
- Milk Bath: Packaged in a simple glass jar, this would make a great hostess gift.
Check our collection of 13 DIY Beauty Recipes for more homemade gift ideas.
—Maria Wakem, senior editor
Image: Caren Alpert
