Decleor Facial

Did you go to the Spa last week for Spa Week? I hope you did. It feels so good to have treatments for $50 at some of the best spas.

I think Spa Week is an opportunity to try expensive spas or special treatments. I wanted to go to the Mandarin Oriental in Boston or Caudalie at the Plaza in Manhattan, but I did not book on time. So I went to a spa I know well: Bella Sante in Boston. Bella Sante is consistently named one of the best spas of Boston and it is one of the most professional spas I have visited.

I have gone in the past to their location in Wellesley, but they did not have openings so I went to their location in Lexington. I had a Decleor facial. I love Decleor. I also love their product’s aroma, which comes from essential oils.

I was concerned, because coming out of winter my skin is a little irritated and as natural as the essential oils can be still they can irritate the skin. Fortunately I had no problems. My esthetician understood my sensitive skin and avoided the exfoliation part. I had a great facial.

The spa at Lexington was good, but the facilities were not as good as the ones in their Wellesley location. I invited my husband for a massage and he tells me that the locker room
for men was pitiable. It did not have steam rooms and the locker size was appropriate only to fit the wallet and a few other things. And the area is so tiny that basically only one guest can be there at a time. I guess they do not expect many men in this spa. He liked the massage, but it was a bit noisy due to a child crying and he is used to better facilities. The women’s locker room was not much better; it only had one shower/toilet/changing room
combination without a mirror. The locker area had mirrors and hair products. The facilities were very clean.

I guess next time even if the spa is famous when booking I have to ask about the facilities and amenities.

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How to improve cellulite appearance?

If you are a woman of almost any age, chances are that I don't have to tell you what cellulite is. You already are probably terrified of having it in the future in case you don't already have it yet.

What I like about this video is that it gives a more technical explanation of what causes cellulite and then goes on to discuss and demonstrate some of the treatments for cellulite.

As you might have read previously, some the tricks that seem to alleviate cellulite are dry brushing, mesotherapy, liposuction, self tanner, and use of lemon.

Product review: Annique Rooibos ResQue Crème

The Annique line is a South African cosmetics company. Most of their products are based on the use of Rooibos tea as a key ingredient. As you may know, Rooibos tea is a drink from South Africa rich in antioxidants and it has good flavor too.

The creator of Annique uses the same ingredient for skin care due to its antioxidant content. One of the products is the ResQue crème. I got to know the skin care line years ago at a skin care trade show in NYC. A few months later I tried the ResQue Crème.

According to its description, it provides relief for many every day skin conditions such as itchy skin, dry and cracked skin, minor scratches, heat rash, pimples, eczema, insect bites and everyday chafing and skin irritations. I used the crème while traveling to India, it helped to keep my skin hydrated during the long flight and also during the trip.

It has a thick consistency and that makes it difficult to apply, but it really helps to soften dry areas and calms the skin. This is a cream worth having at home.

It is not easy to get it in the United States, not even online. There are some sellers in Canada.

Product review: La Roche-Posay Nutritic

I got a sample of this cream at CVS. It is a moisturizing cream for dry skin and it comes in 2 concentrations: 2.5% and 5%. I tried the 5% concentration and this is what we found out:

My skin is not very dry and it tends to break out, but I was feeling it to be dry at the end of winter, so I tried the cream since I love to try new creams and cosmetics. I was pleasantly surprised by this moisturizer.

Most creams for dry skin are heavy or leave residues on the skin, but not this one. It is rich, but it gets absorbed fast and it leaves the skin fresh and hydrated. Besides that it helped my skin feel and look better. The cream has an ingredient that I do not like: Petrolatum. It may block the pores and cause pimples in people with acne tendencies. My skin tends to develop pimples and the cream did not cause them. Petrolatum (petroleum jelly or Vaseline) is a common ingredient in many creams, but with the growing tendency toward natural ingredients, its use is declining.

This is a good moisturizer for dry skin at a reasonable price of about $26.

Acne complete information

There are a lot of myths about acne and skincare companies have done their part in spreading wrong information about acne so that they can sell products that often do nothing more than give you comfort that you are doing something. In order to deal with acne effectively, first you have to understand how acne is caused, you can learn to live with it. Here are a complete set of excellent videos by dermatologist Dr Hadley King on acne. The first one shows you how pimples/zits are formed and what you can do take care of them.

This video explains the different types of acne that we can have.

How to treat mild acne?

How to treat severe acne?

How to treat acne scars?

What causes acne and how to stop it?

We all love stories and companies will feed them to us to sell their products. That is what results in myths. For this reason there are dozens of myths about our bodies, particularly skin. Joshua Fox, MD, founder of Advanced Dermatology and a spokesman for the American Academy of Dermatology exposes some common skin myths so that we can separate fact from fiction and take care of our skin:

Myth #1: Acne is for teenagers.

Unfortunately, plenty of people in their 20s and 30s (and beyond) experience breakouts, whether they were pimply teenagers or not. And more women -- more than 50 percent - will develop acne long after graduation from high school.

Myth #2: If your face breaks out, it's because you're not washing it as often - or as aggressively -- as you should.

Wrong, says Dr. Fox. "Sure, if you wear oil-based makeup or heavy creams and don't wash your face properly, you'll wind up with blocked pores, which can turn into blemishes. But acne isn't caused by dirty skin."

The bottom line: Keep your skin clean, but don't overdo it. Washing once or twice a day with a mild cleanser should be enough. Studies show washing more often doesn't lessen outbreaks. Scrubbing and/or using harsh products will only damage your skin and might even make your acne worse.

Myths #3 and #4: Eating too much chocolate, pizza or potato chips will make you break out. Or, conversely, diet has nothing to do with acne.

Both of these are untrue, says Dr. Fox. "Years ago," he explains, "teenagers were told that acne was caused by eating certain foods. But there was little evidence implicating these things in acne, and in recent years many doctors have taken the opposite position, telling patients that diet has nothing to do with acne."

He continues, "Today, we're seeing research showing a definite link between eating a healthy diet and having healthy skin. And there's even been a study showing that teenage girls who drink lots of milk have a higher incidence of acne than those who drink very little milk."

So what's the bottom line?

"Be sure you're eating plenty of nutritious foods," says Dr. Fox. "And pay attention to your own triggers. If you notice that you break out after eating a certain food, avoid it. Also, keep any grease from touching your skin as we know it is a precipitant. So if you eat pizza or potato chips -- eat them sitting down and wash your hands after eating them."

Spray for the legs

I am referring to the spray to make the legs look as if you are wearing stockings. They are not the same but come very close to it.

The absolutely gorgeous model Daniela Pestova told Shape magazine that she uses one of these products for bikini photo shots. Daniela uses Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs. There are many other brands and it is worth considering them. If the product can help Daniela look better, it can do more for all legs.

A trip to the makeup counter

If you like to learn more about makeup, your best bet is to go to a makeup counter such as Sephora or Mac. The makeup applications are free, but you need to buy something My advice is do not buy everything; buy foundation if you like it and maybe concealers. Think about the rest. Sometimes the makeup artists on these counters do not listen to you and you can end up not looking as want.

If you go to a counter such as Mac, go to a fine department store, such as Saks Fifth Avenue or Nordstrom, the products cost the same, but I know the service is much better. Also, go to a quiet store in quiet times so you get more time and attention.

Be specific on what type of makeup you like: natural, modern, etc. Or tell them you like how a celebrity looks (bring the picture in case they do not remember that celebrity). Ask questions and take notes on how they apply your makeup, I do not know about you, but I forget things.

I tell my friends not to be afraid of makeup. I suggest that they read magazines, pay attention to pictures and experiment. Just a little bit of makeup does not cover who you are; it only highlights your strong points. Beauty does not come from makeup, it comes from you.

Cleansers for dry skin

A large percentage of people think that they have sensitive skin and want to hear this when they go for a facial. Some times the esthetician tells them what they want to hear even though it is not the true.

Sensitive skin is nothing desirable. It is a kind of temperamental skin that reacts strongly to many things including temperature changes and cosmetic ingredients. However, most skin (99.999%) types do not require strong cleansers.

My skin hates strong cleansers, especially if they have too many detergents leaving it with the tight skin sensation. I have found that my favorite cleansers (I have tried a lot of them) are the products for sensitive skin with one exception that is a cleanser I got in TJ Max a while ago. I have never seen it in stores. It is the cleanser for all skin types from the Australian beauty line Bloom. It smells great, something like geranium and it does not irritate my skin.

Other brands that I think are great include: Avalon organics for sensitive and for normal skin, Clarins for dry and for sensitive skin. The cleanser does not need to be strong to clean your skin; if you feel your skin tight you may be overdoing it.