Six Pack for Summer

With Memorial Day weekend right around the corner, I thought it appropriate to address the fact that women aren't the only ones concerned about their beach bods. Don't worry guys, it happens to the best of men - your six-pack abs have seen too many 6-packs of beer and are now lost underneath a layer of winter blubber. You'd think that the warm weather would jumpstart your dedication to the gym but somehow it just seems more conducive to day drinking... and believe me, from personal experience, margaritas do nothing to help your belly flub. So, when I saw that Billy Jealousy, in the brand's fantastic edgy style, had come up with the clearly named, SIX-PACK Slimming Solution, a product promising to tone, tighten & chisel the ab region, I had to try it out (for the sake of research of course!) http://www.billyjealousy.com/categories/body/products/six-pack.

Now, I'm no stranger to Bliss' FatGirlSlim http://www.blissworld.com/bliss-fatgirlslim/ (guys, I bet if you searched in your lady friend's medicine cabinet, you'd find this iconic tub squirreled away somewhere)... & I thought it interesting that there was a male equivalent of this on the market. So before you resign yourself to playing the Fat-Funny-Guy role in your efforts to get chicks this summer, hear me out about this product. Billy Jealousy claims that this is a "powerful resotrative cream that helps your lymphatic system detoxify your body & remove fat, while natural caffeines enhance the breakdown of fat" - hefty claims, no? As expected, this is no miracle-worker. You can't just sit on your lazy butt rubbing this stuff all over your beer gut twice daily (as they recommend) & expect to wake up looking like Ryan Gosling from Crazy, Stupid, Love. But I have to say, when I slathered the cream all over my body (heck, why just stop at the belly blubber?), I FELT much tighter & more toned. I guarantee that my boyfriend didnt' notice that I was looking especially svelte, but the way that I felt definitely gave me more confidence - and when you're strutting your stuff in essentially underwear on the beach, confidence is key.

So the bottomline here is: Go to the gym, eat healthy & why the heck not shell out the $44.00 to give yourself that little edge of confidence you'll get from feeling tight, toned & chiseled. Oh, and maybe stick to 3 beers instead of slinging back the whole 6-pack... not only will that small effort make re-discovering your own six-pack abs easier, you can share the other 3 with that cute little lady eyeing you from across the pool.

Bronzed & Beautiful

Now that the weather is slowly but surely warming up, it's time to start thinking about how to achieve that sexy sun-kissed glow we all want without committing the two major I-want-a-tan-fast faux pas. Faux pas #1: Caking on bronzer (Snooki called, she wants her skin tone back). Faux pas #2: Exposing your face to the sun sans sunscreen (One word: wrinkles). So what other options are there, you ask? Sunless tanning facial lotion, of course! But not just any one will do - I've tried more facial lotions promising me a "natural glow" than I care to admit & I can confirm, that they are not all created equal. Things we don't want from a facial sunless tanner: that nasty sunless tan stench (you know what I mean), breakouts or clogged pores, any hint of orange or streaks. Agree? Lucky for you, I've done the dirty work in testing out all these bad boys & I've come to one conclusion: you've got to splurge to get the right results. Clarins Liquid Bronze Self Tanning is perfection. http://www.clarinsusa.com/Liquid-Bronze-Self-Tanning/ Everything about this product merits it's $34 price tag. The second I feel Spring in the air, I switch from using my usual daily moisturizer to using this. Here are the praises I have to sing about Clarins Liquid Bronze: it goes on smoothly & evenly, it's subtle tint makes it virtually goof-proof, the bronze really gets glowing in the next few hours, the color is incredibly natural looking, no streaks, no orange, it smells just lovely, it leaves your skin soft, no chance of clogged pores or breakouts, AND it has Vitamin E to protect your face from free radicals & pollution! This sucker is worth shelling out the cash & the 4.2 oz actually lasts quite awhile if you're only using it on your face. Bottomline, don't waste your time & $$$ trying to turn your pasty face into a golden glow with anything else.

TGIFrugalista Friday!

So you face planted in your bed post Thursday Happy Hour sans washing your face huh? You know that's bad. You deserve that zit you woke up with (sorry, tough love). Even though we all know how dirty a habit it is to sleep in your makeup, we've all done it before (myself included). The thing is, your skin regenerates itself overnight & if you're all clogged with the dirt & makeup from the day, your skin can't do what it needs to do. Also, who likes waking up with that crusty spider-lash look - not a good look for anyone's eyes. Believe it or not, waking up with a naked, makeup-free face, is way more attractive than the nasty smudgy makeup leftover from the night before. Gross. But I totally understand the feeling when washing your face  feels like it would require a Herculean effort. The answer to this dilemma is to stock makeup removing wipes in your nightstand drawer. Or in your purse for those of you ladies who may not be sleeping at home...The point is, makeup removing wipes leave you with no excuse & Neutrogena Make-Up Remover Cleansing Towelettes are by far the best. http://www.neutrogena.com/home.do Don't be fooled into thinking that these guys aren't tough by the "ultra soft cloth" claim on the package - one towelette is strong enough to get industrial strength waterproof makeup off with ease. A great perk with these is that you don't have to rub or tug at your eyes to get stubborn waterproof eye makeup off (and there's nothing more annoying than having to rub your eyes to get that mascara off, only to find that you've lost lashes in the process). Neutrogena's towelettes feel amazing on your eyes & skin - the texture is softer than any washcloth & they leave behind no residue or greasy feel whatsoever - all you feel is super soft, cleansed skin. And then you can just toss that sucker in the trash - no water or rinsing needed. So before you head out for your Friday night drinks, stop by any drugstore & pick up a pack of these & put them in your purse. Don't go for any substitute, get the Neutrogena ones - believe me, I've tried every brand out there & these are the ones you want to go home with at the end of the night!

Fave Moisturizer of the Moment

I'm a moisturizer freak. I slather myself with lotion from head to toe twice a day. I have an eye cream, a face lotion, a neck cream, a body lotion & a hand cream - all separate products & several different varieties of each (I'm fully aware that this is not normal). My latest favorite hand cream is actually a sample I got from one of my many Sephora shopping trips (okay, shopping SPREES is more like it). DERMAdoctor KP duty dermatologist moisturizing therapy for dry skin - not the world's most catchy name - but truth be told, I picked the sample solely for the funny purple chicken on the packaging http://www.dermadoctor.com/. Since I work in skincare, I love to use products that are actually "clinically proven" to do whatever they're supposed to do & this product fits the bill. The whole brand incorporates medically proven technology to combat a host of common (& not so common) dermatological issues. Turns out, DERMAdoctor's KP duty is formulated to not only improve dry, rough skin but also to get rid of those nasty "chicken bumps" too. I used to recommend simple exfoliant + lotion combo to help get rid of  chicken bumps (apparently Keratosis Pilaris is the formal name for "chicken bumps" - who knew?). But once I found out that there are actual products purposed just for that, I had to try it out. So I've swapped out my regular body lotion & have been using KP duty on the backs of my arms where I get those bumps & they're totally gone - seriously! You can't ask for more from a product than to do exactly what it says it will!

Good morning, bright-eyes

We all know that there's a plethora of unpleasant circumstances that can cause unsightly eye redness & there's nothing worse than having those bleary evil-eyes that make you look like either you're in allergy hell, haven't slept in days, or have been locked in your cubicle staring at your computer screen for 10 hours. All too often for me, I end up experiencing the aforementioned trifecta, which makes my eyes look like they need a serious dose of Visine. But wait! There's another, way less championed anti-redness eye drop that blows Visine out of the water. Rohto Eye Drops http://www.myrohto.com/ do everything those other eye drops do, but way better. They relieve redness, dryness & irritation with less drops & in less time than the other brands. And the added bonus with Rohto is the amazing cooling sensation - even if this stuff didn't make my eyes perfectly white, I'd probably still use it just for the instant feeling of total eye refresh! So get up from your cubicle (I know your eyes are burning) & go to any drugstore & buy these. Rohto drops are actually a product that found their way into my BF's daily regimen BEFORE I even came on the scene & started making him use all kinds of lotions & potions that he's never used before - so that means this stuff is legit - totally goof-proof & a must-have for both ladies & gents.

Must-have hair product for snooze-button babes

If you're anything like me, Monday mornings are rough. While I should be bright-eyed and bushy-tailed from a restful weekend full of catching up on sleep, I'm not. I'm haggard from too much Sunday Funday & my hair looks like a wild lion's mane. So after I attack it with my flatiron, I reach for the BEST dry shampoo product I've ever used (and I've used many a dry shampoo in my day). Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo powder is a god-send. The powder works into your hair (start at the roots) & absorbs all the excess oil from a night of tossing & turning & makes your hair smell like you actually showered (you'll fool everyone, I promise). I actually use this product too much - I have a travel-size 1 oz. that I keep in my purse so I use it after work if I'm heading out to happy hour or dinner - it gives it just the boost of freshness I need to feel confident going from day to night sans touching-up. Since I don't wash my hair every day (in my defense, my hair is very dry!) Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo, while the name is a mouthful, is the quickest hair freshen-up I've ever found. The only issue is, it's kind of hard to find in stores...thankgoodness the brand has a website! http://www.oscarblandi.com/products.php

Frugalist Friday!

Here is the first of many Frugalist Friday posts! The idea is that this is one cheap drugstore purchase you should be making on your way home from work that I promise you will use repeatedly over the weekend. First up, Maybelline's BABY LIPS www.maybelline.com/Baby-Lips. Baby Lips in Pink Punch has spread like wildfire through my office. It started with our E-comm & Social Media guru. When I saw her perfectly pink pout, I demanded to know what she was wearing. When she whipped out the crazy neon tube I thought, no way, that looks like something a 13 year old who just graduated from BonneBelle would use. But being the product junkie that I am, I went out on my lunch break & bought it anyways. And now I'm obsessed. Super hydrating, it's really helping out my chapped lip situation & the subtle color is perfection. I've been slathering it on right when I get out of the shower so my no make-up + wet hair look is a little less Swamp Thing & a little more fresh faced. I'm pretty sure my BF thinks this pretty pink pout is my au naturel look... at least he will until he reads this...

First One is for the Guys!

In the spirit of welcoming men to the beauty game, I thought I'd make my first post about an awesome product that every guy should keep in their gym bag. Think about when you hit the gym & maybe you haven't gone in awhile so you wake up sore. Really sore. First thing you do is rummage around in your medicine cabinet for that nasty old bottle of Ben-Gay.. or IcyHot. STOP. Do NOT put that muck on your aching muscles. Unless of course you want every woman within 5 feet of you to run away due to that nasty stench exuding from your pores. Eww. Instead, turn to Jack Black www.getjackblack.com. Dragon Ice Relief & Recovery Balm is what you need. Touted as a pain relieving cream, this goop is chock full of wild ingredients like Dragon's Blood, MSM & Willowherb that go way beyond reducing inflammation & soothing your muscle & joint aches - this stuff actually stimulates immune defense to help support your body's healing process! SO much better than the old school stuff. So now that you're using a modern man's recovery cream, maybe you're ready to ask your honey to massage it on to your sore self...I guarantee she wouldn't do it if you were still stuck in the IcyHot stone age... xx HBLR