Around this time of year, most of you probably switch up your skin care routine and incorporate more hydrating treatments and facial creams.  Well, that’s great!     Just don’t forget about the skin on your body as well.  Be sure to exfoliate more and look for ingredients like shea butter to soothe rough, dry or chapped skin.

In the early 1980’s, Olivier Baussan, Founder of L’Occitane, made his first trip to Burkina Faso and discovered shea butter.  Since then, L’Occitane has worked with a handful of local women and entrusted them with the secrets of shea butter preparation – which is why shea butter is known as “Women’s Gold.”  As a company, L’Occitane has assisted these women in building a stable future for themselves and their families.

Click here to watch a fascinating video on the production of shea butter in Africa.

L’Occitane’s Moments in Africa Soap Set is a new, limited edition holiday set that benefits not only the women and families of Burkina Faso, but also ORBIS, a non-profit organization dedicated to fighting preventable blindness around the world.  100% of the proceeds are donated to ORBIS through the L’Occitane Foundation.

So take pleasure in these three hand soaps perfumed with essential oils of lemongrass, eucalyptus, and orange and enjoy the carved depictions of these special moments in African life:  The Morning Harvest, The Wedding Day, and Children at Play.  You’ll be doing a good thing not only for your skin, but for others around the world as well.

Click here to see more of L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Collection.

Until next time my beautiful people…  xoxo

Matte nails seem to be all the craze right now!  And I honestly can’t wait to jump on the bandwagon.  I have always been a little obsessed with nail polish ever since I was a little girl.  I mean, I was that girl in High School who changed her nail polish to match her outfits every day.  It was kind of ridiculous.  But ever since I’ve been an esthetician, finding a chance to wear nail polish has become slim to none.  It’s rather sad actually.  But this weekend I have a couple events to go to and I simply cannot go with bare nails.

Now here is an interesting tip about applying matte nail polish: They are best applied without base coat and definitely no topcoat.  Now because you are skipping these steps, there may be a chance that these polishes will chip faster but that is a risk I am willing to take.  You absolutely have to check out how fun and fresh this look really is if you haven’t already.

In this months issue of body + soul, the editors even highlighted some eco-friendly polishes by Zoya (my new favorite nail brand), Dashing Diva (one of my favorite nail spas in NYC), and OPI (an all time classic brand).  Stay on the lookout for their DBP-, toluene-, and formaldehyde-free colors.  It’s great to see that these amazing brands are thinking of our health and environment too.

And for those of you who are ready to try some of these out NOW, Zoya is having a BOGO promotion that ends TODAY!  Check out this great deal where you can get up to 6 free bottles here.

Until next time…  xoxo

Dull skin is usually due to an accumulation of dead skin cells.  When we fail to exfoliate and unveil that more youthful skin underneath, we tend to lose that “glow”.  Well don’t fret, there are so many options out there to help you.  The simplest one I can recommend is to exfoliate!  Find an exfoliant that’s right for you and start off using it 1-2 times per week.  Please keep in mind that overexfoliating can be very damaging to the skin so you could be doing more harm than good.  Steer clear of those overly abrasive exfoliators like St. Ives Apricot Scub.  Now I know everybody on the planet has probably used that one, but its way too much for the delicate skin on your face.  Scrubs like that can actually cause tears in the skin and really do a lot more damage than simply removing the dead skin cells that lie on top.  Overstimulation of the skin can also lead to breakouts.  So depending on your skin’s sensitivity, stay on the lookout for scrubs with soft rounded beads (a gentler option) or scrubs with grounded seeds (a more abrasive option).

Now on top of preventing a buildup of cells, you want to make sure you’re treating your skin to the best serums and moisturizers to keep the growing cells healthy.  All of this combined is what brings about that youthful, radiant glow.  Sephora has just launched 5 new limited edition sets for the holidays (can you believe its that time already?) and I have found the perfect one for all of you concerned with dullness.  Sephora Favorites Radiant Skin Regimen Deluxe Sampler contains deluxe-sized samples of top brand products that are guaranteed to keep you looking young and fresh this holiday season.

Sephora Favorites Radiant Skin Regimen Deluxe Sampler includes:

• 1 oz Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash
• 1.35 oz Cosmedicine Medi-Morphosis Self Adjusting Exfoliator
• 0.5 oz Perricone Advanced Face Firming Activator
• 0.23 oz DDF Wrinkle Resist Plus Pore Minimizer Moisturizing Serum
• 0.24 oz Kinerase C8 Peptide Intensive Treatment
• 0.14 oz Murad Essential-C Eye Cream SPF15
• 0.4 oz Philosophy Hope in a Jar
• 1 oz Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
• 0.5 oz Peter Thomas Roth Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion

Doesn’t it sound amazing?  And at a value of $143 for $38, you seriously CAN’T beat it!  Mine is already on its way in the mail.  I can’t wait!  Make sure you guys check out all the other value sets at Sephora as well.  They’ll make great stocking stuffers for those you love, even if that means stuffing your own! 

New from Dior’s Fall Collection is their Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in Night Butterfly.   It’s a seductive palette of 5 rich colors that can be played up or played down depending on your mood.  The texture is easy to apply and lasts all day long as you would expect of Dior.  If you’re looking for an alternative that won’t hurt your pockets as much, check out Maybelline’s new Stylish Smokes Eyeshadow Quad in Amethyst, or Covergirl’s new Eye Enhancers in Ice Princess, which both come in 4 shades to create several different purple smokey eyes.

For eyeliners, check out this liquid liner by Kat Von D- Autograph Eyeliner in Homie.  And if you’re looking for something similar, that also won’t break the bank, try Almay’s Intense i-Color Liquid Liner in Purple Amethyst.

And to get a fun look for those pretty lashes, try out Guerlain’s Le 2 de Guerlain Mascara in Violet or Butterfly Sparkle, which comes with two brushes to make sure no lash is forgotten.  Or if you want to stay on the safe side, try one of my favorite mascaras Dior’s DiorShow Mascara in Plum.

Last but not least, we cannot forget the nail polish!  NARS Tokaido Express is new to their fall collection and is best described as black amethyst infused with gold.  It’s so chic and by far my favorite thing on this list.  It’s just a shame that I can’t wear such colors on my hands being in my profession.  But that’s ok!  I have my toes too! 

Try these out and let me know what other purple finds you come across!

Until next time dolls…  xoxo