Obsession of the Day: Thymes Naia Foaming Bath

I am a bubble bath fanatic, so when I give a bath product the high praise of being the Obsession of the Day, you know that I am truly OBSESSED. This luxurious bath product from Thymes was given to me as a gift about a month ago and I've used it almost every day since.

The scent is really intoxicating: a mixture of water lilies and cyclamen with just a hint of citrus and lychee creates a scent that is rich without being overly floral (I would dare call it unisex). It also contains glycerin for ultra-soft skin and yerba mate extract to help revitalize your mind and body. It's like a little spa experience every day. I mean, who could turn that down?

Lushly fragrant, massive bubbles, skin-and-mind soothing properties? Yep. Now you know why I'm obsessed. Bath fanatics, this is a must-have.

Thymes Naia Foaming Bath ($20), available via their website

Cheap Thrill of the Day: Caress Whipped Souffle Body Wash

 Photo taken at launch event at Sweetiepie NYC

Sometimes you just want a little something in the bath that feels luxurious and sweet. Kind of like dessert. Well, hold onto your points, diet fans, because I've got a fabulous shower gel that will blow your mind with sweet goodness that won't impact your waistline in the slightest: Caress Whipped Souffle Body Wash.

Available in two delectable scents, Blackberry Cream or White Peach Cream, these washes turn your shower experience into a luxurious treat without being OVERLY sweet (think mousse rather than candy aroma). They're also chock full of goodness for your skin, including moisturizing and smoothing properties that nourish and hydrate. Add to that some serious foaming action and a thick, velvety texture and I'm madly in love. I mean, what woman wouldn't want the experience of dessert without having to count calories or pennies? I rest my case.

Plus, let's be real: at less than $7 a bottle, this is a treat you can totally afford. Get this totally yummy body wash in your favorite flavor and reward yourself properly. After all, when's the last time you treated yourself to something sweet?

Caress Whipped Souffle Body Wash ($6.49), available via your local drugstore or drugstore.com

FTC full disclosure: sample received for review

Beauty Discovery for Dry Skin: Ahava Dead Sea Mineral Mud and Mineral Botanic Body Wash

I have epic dry skin almost all the time. I'm the person who just stands there, miserable and itchy all the time. I drink water, I had tried everything and yet it seems to return regularly. I had almost given up until I received two samples that just changed my life. Women and men who have itchy change-of-season skin, there is relief from the heavens and it's called Ahava.

Here is your prescription for the skin condition that ails you. First of all, pick up Ahava Mineral Botanic Hibiscus + Fig Body Wash ($21.50). The scent is amazingly unisex but soooooo soothing. After you dry brush your skin (which you should be doing already - if not, start now), lather up a loofah with some of this goodness and wash away. It leaves behind the smoothest, most luxuriously hydrated skin. I've used it every night for three weeks and I can totally see the difference. LOVE.

Once a week, I invite you to create your own little spa treatment with Ahava Dead Sea Mineral Mud ($28). Slather this on your body in the steam room or just lie down on a towel in a warm room. These magical minerals cleanse and purify the skin and leave you balanced, hydrated and with your own little spa experience. I personally do this after spinning or my beloved yoga classes at the gym. Yes, people do look at me a little bit and no, I don't care. Just be careful not to get it all over the place. So amazing. Busy moms, I would suggest doing this as a little break when the kids are out of the house since you probably don't have time to get to the spa. See? Who loves you?

So when you see me smiling with gorgeous glowing skin without constantly scratching, I'll happily tell you the source of my newfound glow: Ahava.




FTC Disclosure: Samples received for review

Obsession of the Day: Weleda Pomegranate Regenarating Body Care

I love anything eco-chic, especially when it comes to skincare. This is why Weleda products and I have enjoyed a long, loving relationship. I keep Skin Food in my purse at all times, the Wild Rose skincare system is part of my life like a relative but now I think we're ready to make my love for the brand official with their Pomegranate Regenerating products.

Look, I have really bad winter-dry skin. So much so that I've started sleeping with a humidifier next to my bed and it's not making a dent in the situation. I have skin that gets painfully dry, as in it will crack and really hurt if I'm not careful. Weleda to the rescue. Antioxidant-rich pomegranate seed oil renews gray (read: ashy) skin and the addition of macadamia seed oil adds moisture and soothing like nobody's business. I use all three products on a nightly basis: the Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash ($18) is used in the shower, then I follow it up with the Pomegranate Body Oil ($28) right onto soaking wet skin and then wrap myself in a bathrobe to let it sink in. Before I go to bed, I slather my hands in the Pomegranate Hand Cream ($12.50), which is reported to reduce age spots and helps seal the moisture into my hands. After typing, racing around the subways and slamming my hands in and out of gloves, my hands need all the help they can get at night. I'm sure almost ALL of you can relate.

Eco-friendly skincare that's soothing AND helps reduce the suffering from winter dry skin? For most of us, that's a miracle. For Weleda, that's just the way they do things around here.

FTC Full Disclosure: samples received for review 

Obsession of the Day: Kiehl's Mineral Muscle Soak Foaming-Relaxing Bath

After completing four hours of spinning this weekend and keeping a pretty vigorous exercise regimen lately, I admit it: I hurt. I have aches and pains in places that continue to surprise me. Still, I trudge on because honestly, all this exercise makes me feel amazing, even if my poor tired muscles might not always agree.

My recent discovery? Kiehl's makes this amazing Mineral Muscle Soak Foaming-Relaxing Bath  ($19) that delivers like Domino's when it comes to muscle aches and pains. Containing Sodium PCA, Aloe Vera and Calendula, it's a bubble bath that helps draw pain out of the muscles, soothes and hydrates your skin and helps you rest more comfortably and the aroma is to DIE for. It's a must for athletes, busy moms and those of us attempting to avoid the shame of turning our backs on your resolutions to get buff and hot this year. 

Nab some for your bath and I guarantee you'll have something to look forward to after that next workout.

Available at Kiehl's. 

Beauty Tips: Skincare Cures for Hangovers and Overindulgence

Ah...how YOU doin' today? Hmm, did you catch that monkey that's been playing drums in your brain this morning? Well, you've got all day to recover but there's no reason to look as badly as you feel, right? Here are some suggestions for what ails you today:

Swollen Face -  Usually caused by eating too much sodium (or you know, polishing off about four or five of my personal favorite, Top Shelf Margaritas with Rocks and Salt). Chips, dips, processed meats - all of this can leave you with a giant, puffy face and swollen hands. The solution? Go into your freezer and get a bag of frozen veggies like lima beans, peas, beans, etc. Wrap the bag in a towel and lay the cool compress on your face. You'll restrict the blood vessels and shrink your face back to normal.

Puffy Eyes - Sleep deprivation on the all-salt-all-the-time diet I just mentioned usually causes this. If you have eye pads like my personal favorite, Koh Gen Do Macro Vintage Stretch Eye Sheets ($53 for 12 sets of two), this would be the time to use them. Otherwise, here's a little trick that will help: cold tea bags. Make some tea with two tea bags. After the tea has steeped, cool the tea bags and then place them under your eyes. They'll get rid of the puffiness.

Extremely Dry Skin - Alcohol gives you Sahara Desert-dry skin and running into and out of heated rooms doesn't make the situation any better. Today is the day for a serious moisturizing masque. I keep Juara Avocado Banana Moisture Mask ($37) in my fridge for just such occasions as these. Just apply and listen to tv (or the jackhammering in your brain) and then wipe off with a wet washcloth in 15 minutes. Need to run errands or leave the house today. Dermalogica Skin Hydrating Masque ($36) is an excellent solution since its clear solutions will just naturally soak in. Apply and step outside.

Body Aches and Pains - Dancing on table tops, strutting in painfully high heels and keg stands can leave you painfully sore the next day. Make it an easy solution, my friend: Epsom salts in a warm bath help draw out impurities. I stocked up on the Lush Jingle Spells Bath Bomb ($5.95), which is made with juniper berries and fennel oils to help you overcome the sensitivity to noise and light the morning after. If you're a party girl like me, I suggest you keep these in a huge container in your bathroom.

Acne - Fell asleep in your makeup again, did you? If you have lavender oil around, pour some into a bowl of steaming hot water and then throw a towel over your head. Lavender has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties to cleanse and calm your skin, and it will keep you from wanting to kill your boyfriend for blasting football all afternoon while you recover from too much champagne. If Mount Vesuvius still looks like it will erupt on your chin, Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Treatment Cream ($10) will help calm things down.

The rest of it is up to you. Advil, copious amounts of water and rest are really the best ways to get back into the swing of things. Now for those of you who woke up this morning next to someone you don't know? Yeah, can't really help you with that one. :)

Bedridden Beauty Rituals: Products That Make You Feel Better When You're Sick

Ugh. I'm sick.

I'm a firm believer that when you're not feeling well, it's a good time to curl up in your favorite sweats, draw the curtains and ride it out until you're ready to face the world again and the last thing you want to think about is what you look like. Don't let the word "beauty" in this post throw you off: there's nothing beautiful about being sick. However, there are beauty products out there that can help you feel better and recover from a bout with whatever illness you're facing.


A hot shower will make you feel a million times better and Shower Soothers ($4.99) are where it's at. Throw it under hot running shower water and it releases eucalyptus to help clear out a stuffy head. If you've got chest congestion, it's heaven on a stick.


If you're more of a bubble bath person, the Lush Aura Suavis Bubble Bar ($6.45) is really amazing. It contains clary sage, geranium, spearmint and coriander, which creates a bath that will soothe your cold and help clear your head.


I'm a big fan of facials and one of the best things you can do is put your head over a steaming hot bowl of water filled with essential oils when you're sick. You can clear your head AND make your complexion a little more presentable when FedEx brings all the stuff you've been ordering off HSN while you've been bedbound. Throw a few drops of Now Eucalyptus Oil ($7.99) into boiling hot water, pour it into a bowl and then throw a towel over your head as you inhale the steam for about five minutes.


Oh, and the best thing you can do for yourself? I don't care how sick you are, use moisturizer. Your skin takes a beating when you're sick because you're sweating and dehydrated. This Amore Pacific Moisture Bound Skin Energy Hydration Delivery System ($35) is a spray that delivers amazing portions of botanical moisture any time. Keep it next to the tissues and use it often (and not just when you're sick.)

I'm going back to bed but rest assured, these time-tested rituals will have me bouncing back in no time. If you're not feeling well, give these beauty products a shot and see how quickly they'll cure whatever ails you.

The Breakover Diaries: Five Ways To Take Care of Yourself

I'm not sure if this is a breakover post as much as it is a "life happens" post, but let's face it: stress can break a body down. If you're trying to do too much or you're feeling down and pulling energy from your reserves, you're going to wear yourself out. I hope these tips will help you:

1) Set limits and say "No" - Sounds easy when you read it but it's hard for most of us. Setting barriers doesn't make you selfish, it makes you smart. Saying "No" and spending time doing the things that YOU want to do (like watching Paula Deen make magic with heart-stopping amounts of butter) enables you to heal, recharge and figure things out for yourself. Start small but work your way into a good solid string of "No thank you's" and you'll create some space to think and heal.

2) Exercise - Working out isn't about physical vanity as much as it makes good sense. Exercise releases endorphins, which help with mood and physical exertion gives you more energy and helps you sleep better. Walk around the park, take a trapeze class or hop into a yoga studio, but working out is the daily appointment that you should NEVER miss. It's non-negotiable, even if you have to get up at 5 am to fit it in.

3) Avoid activities that start with the word "over" - Overeating, overspending and overdoing are three examples of activities to avoid so you can stay away from deficits. Deficits mean you have to fill a lack or a void before you can even get back to some state of normalcy and that's before you can make things better. The best over is "over it" and that's what you're going for with this type of behavior.

4) Do not spend time with people who suck - Look, this is way more simple than you think it is. We have all reached a point in our lives where spending time with people who don't make us happy is time wasted. Hanging out with people who make you miserable or who take without giving back is a complete waste of good makeup and it takes years off your life. Cut them off and be done with it.


5) Indulge! - My favorite indulgences are great wine and amazing bubble baths with a good book. I turn off the phone, pour myself a glass of wine (and great wines are available at almost any price - ask your local wine store) and curl up with a tub full of bubbles and a good book. This weekend's picks are Barefoot Bubbly Extra Dry ($7.99 - see, told you about the price), Lush's The Comforter Bubble Bar ($8.75) and The Style Strategy: A Less-Is-More Approach to Staying Chic and Shopping Smart by Nina Garcia (Harper Collins). Don't call me tomorrow evening. This is what I will be doing.

The best investment is always made with the Bank of You and deposits are made by taking care of yourself and doing things that make you happy. Start with this little list and start doing only those things that cause you to feel good when you go to sleep at night. Life is too short to spend it worn out, drained and upset and taking care of yourself is always in style.

The Breakover Diaries: Soak Your Cares Away In A Fabulous Bubble Bath

Photo credit: Inga Marone/Pineapple Public Relations/MCT. Photo via Newscom

There are some days you drag your carcass out of the house only to discover that the day is a complete waste of makeup. When you get home, instead of crawling straight into bed, you need to do something nice for yourself. How about taking a bubble bath? I did the leg work (and boy, the research was TOUGH - not really), but here are some brilliant picks for the world's most rewarding tub o' bubbles to reverse the suckage of your day:


We already know that I am a huge fan of all things Lush and this Pop In the Bath Bubble Bar ($6.95) is like a therapy session. A mixture of lemon oil, orange flower absolute and gardenia essential oils in a solid bar you crumble under running water for pretty much the most mind-blowing bubble bath of your life. It's vegan, it's fabulous and best of all it contains bergamot oil, which is a known anti-depressant and mood enhancer.


Another genius product? Juara Tiare Jasmine Tea Bath Shower Gel ($22) is brilliant as either a shower gel or it delivers beautifully for an amazing bubble bath. The scent is intoxicating without being overpowering, the formula is anti-aging as well as hydrating and the antioxidant benefits of tea leaves you with healthier, flake-free skin. I dare anyone to be in poor spirits after using this product.


Can't sleep? The best solution ever is to squeeze two parts Johnson's Bedtime Baby Bath ($4.99) with one part Johnson's Lavender Baby Oil ($4.29) under warm running water. Even though you're an adult, sometimes you just need to feel like someone's giving you a warm hug and that's what this bath will do for you. Added plus is baby soft skin. Be sure to set you alarm before you take this bath because you might be comatose by the time you hit the bed.

Sometimes it's nice to just spend a little time soaking your cares away. These brilliant bubble baths will help chill out, float your cares away and put you back in the right frame of mind. After all, tomorrow is another day.

The Breakover Diaries: We've Got Your Back

One of the hardest things about a breakup are those special times when you used to rely on your ex to do certain things: opening jars, grabbing things off the high shelf and having someone do your back when you need to put on lotion or scrub your back in the shower. That last one used to be kind of hard...until now. Ladies, I present Do My Back.

The brainchild of the fabulous Kate Slavin, the idea came to her when she decided to take a vacation after the breakup of a long-term romance. She was sitting by the pool and realized that she didn't want to ask just anyone to put lotion on her back. Realizing other singles everywhere must have the same issue, she came home and began researching devices that would take care of the situation. Since there was no device that would put lotions and potions on her back, she invented one.

This little gadget can be extended to reach further down your back and it comes with four applicator sponges that you can use, detach, wash and reuse again. Lotion, sunscreen, self-tanner or just a general back scrub in the shower: all of these tasks are now completely doable on your own and the device never asks you if you shave you legs. Kinda special, isn't it? I love mine.

Do My Back retails for $22 and refill pads are available in a pack of six for $12. I recommend this product for those going through a breakover and even for those who aren't because, let's face it, sometimes sisters just need to do it for ourselves.

Eco-Chic Beauty: The Perfect Shower, Courtesy of Lush Cosmetics

I test a LOT of products, let me tell you, and when I have an experience that sends me bounding out of the bath as happy as I was this evening, I simply must tell you about it. Ladies, print this off and take it to your local Lush Cosmetics store because this is seriously the makings of what I'm going to call "The Perfect Shower."


I always do my hair first so I'm going to recommend their Solid Shampoo (more uses, less waste and, hey, no packaging). I personally love the Trichomania Solid Shampoo ($9.75) because I have dry, curly hair but there's literally a bar for every hair type. Rub it on your hair and work away at the luxurious experience.


I've come to adore Retread Conditioner ($22.35), a violet-and-orange scented conditioner that uses cantaloupe, protein-packed yogurt, and strengthening jojoba and olive oils to right all the wrongs I make my hair suffer during the week. Trick: I leave it on while I do other things in the shower, then rinse it out with a shot of cold water right before I get out of the shower.


Now for the ultimate in shower heaven, I demand you get yourself a Buffy Body Butter ($10.75 - $21.75, depending on size) and just try and tell me this isn't the most genius shower product known to man. It's a body butter that exfoliates skin with ground rice, almonds and aduki beans and then follows it up with an amazing, super-hydrating, lavender-scented body butter that makes your skin silky smooth. I didn't even need to moisturize out of the bath and that is a near miracle for my Sahara Desert-dry skin.

Even better, these Lush products are vegan and earth-friendly so while you relax and wash the cares of the day away, you can relieve the stress of your carbon footprint as well...well, as long as the shower isn't too long.

Head to Lush's website or the nearest store and rinse those cares (and that dry skin and hair) down the drain. Feel free to thank me later. :)

Beauty Shopping: Sabon NYC Gift With Purchase

Remember I was telling you of my love for Sabon NYC's amazing bath products. Well, for those of you summer travelers who want to take your bath luxuries with you (who doesn't?), Sabon has a little gift for you: once your order totals $50, you get this FREE deluxe travel set (a Loofah Soap Lychee and an Exfoliating Towel). Don't delay! Shop now! After all, life is too short. Travel well.

Fabulous Organic Beauty: Sabon NYC

I was recently invited to Sabon NYC's shop in Soho to experience their amazing beauty products. I have to say, if I were surrounded by these hand creams, soaps, bath and beauty products all day, I cannot imagine how I would ever want to leave. These products are just to die for: body scrubs and creams that penetrate deeply without having to slather on handfuls of products, soaps that clean without stripping - all made with the best, most natural ingredients.

You hear a lot about organic products - it's a big buzzword in the beauty industry. Let's be honest for a moment about why these products are good for you. Your skin is the largest organ of your body. Whatever you put on your skin gets absorbed or otherwise ingested into the body in one way or another. The less harsh chemicals you use, the less you have to worry about apologizing for "eating" things you shouldn't. Make sense? Moving on...


As a bath product enthusiast, I highly recommend the Organic Body Scrub ($30) for gentle exfoliation that leaves a hydrated glow, followed immediately by Organic Butter Cream ($39). A little goes a long way and the scent is pleasant without overpowering. As a desk or handbag staple, their Organic Hand Cream ($18) is a hand-softening, cuticle smoothing miracle.


If you're in NYC, I recommend stopping by the Soho boutique for a truly luxurious experience. Otherwise, get thee to the website and get to shopping. You deserve gorgeous, glowing skin this summer and Sabon is a fabulous way to get it.