Plumptastic Lips!

I can't tell you how many times I've bought lip balm only to be disappointed by the fact it continues to dry my lips out. I also can't find one that will stay on very long either.

Pharmacopia has a wonderful (and gigantic) lip balm that is magical. My lips feel hydrated and plumped and I don't feel like I have to continually reapply. It also has a nice sheen to it. All the ingredients are all natural so you don't have to worry about licking up toxic petroleum jelly. Pharmacopia's Lip Elixir contains organic calendula and comfrey in organic virgin olive oil and calendula wax to give it that heavy duty moisture. Shea butter, jojoba and castor oil hydrate and plump the lips. Essential oils of roman chamomile, pomegranate and rosemary sooth and packs the antioxidant punch!

Of all the lip balms out there, this is absolutely my favorite. Retail cost is $7.99 and the tube will last forevah! The only drawback to this lip balm is that it doesn't contain sunscreen.

And yet again the search for a decent pedi

On Wednesday, I decided that it was time to take my gnarly feet into a pedi place to girlify them. They resembled hobbit feet.

I've been in search of a decent place for pedicures around the grand lake area for some time. I'm kind of a snob when it comes to pedicures. When I owned my spa, there used to be a mani/pedi place next to me that had a 2 hour pedi on their menu. For $60 you were soaked,clipped, buffed, scrubbed, paraffin dipped, masked and massaged.....and not just rubbed, I mean a foot reflexology massage. Nothing compares to that. And I don't expect any of that in a $16 pedi, but I've had some decent ones that lasted a long time for as much as $18.

I chose UA Nails because it was right next to Adam's Burgers. And what a better time to grab a chocolaty milkshake, a phat swiss burger and a load of greasy onion rings before starting my fast. I place my order and off to UA nails I go.

It was the same type of thing....you ask for a pedicure and they yell for you to "Pick you polish!" Then you're told to sit (in the same usual massage chairs with the tub attached) and soak. Nothing special about the water. It almost smelled as if I was soaking my feet in chlorine. Maybe they needed more than a foo foo cleansing?

From here on out, my pedicurist did a fabulous job buffing and trimming to perfection. I was pleased because the last place I went to sucked. And I mean all they did was soak, clip my toenails, rub some oil on my legs for 3 minutes and then polished my toes and I don't mean just my toenails, she had that polish all over my toes.

Anyways, they looked all symmetrical and perfect. This made me happy. Then it was time for the massage.........not bad! She did a pretty good job making my feet happy and the polish was perfect.

There's not a whole lot exciting about this place. It has industrial carpet with all the outdated pictures of asian women (with flowers in their hair) posing with their freshly polished nails. I think Lionel Ritchie was playing when I walked in, but for $16, she gave me more than my money's worth and I would definitely go back in a pinch. It's been 4 days and the polish hasn't chipped one bit!

They also have a punch card too that gets ya discounts so that's pretty nifty.

It's not spectacular, but definitely worth the price.

Lazy days

Everyone knows that I'm the kind of person that springs out of bed as if I'd been sleeping with an i.v. drip of caffeine all night and my day continues that way until the late evening. I can't sit still and I'm juggling dozens of tasks. Yes, I'm a basket case of insane energy. Well Thursday, my batteries must have fallen out because I melted into a pile of drooling goo.

My good friend, Kat Ramos is a fabulous massage therapist and health guru. We started a 4 day juice cleanse after I managed to abuse my body for the last few months indulging in fatty, salty foods, savory wines and heavy beer....and yes, even the light ones.

On this particular day, my indulgence day, I decided to start the cleanse and receive my massage from Kat. Now usually, I'm chatty through my massages (surprise eh?) but as I lay with my face in the cradle, I was constantly sucking up the drool that was streaming from my lips. The massage was absolutely wonderful and I love that when she has me roll onto my back that she covers my eyes. I'm so envious of the massage space that I want to live in it. No really, I want to live in it. The space is located on Lakeshore, directly across from Lake Merritt. The view was so phenomenal on this gorgeous day! The music ain't your same ol new age stuff you hear from massage and spa places. The name of the artist was Deva Premal and her voice soared through the air, giving me goosebumps. It's absolutely beautiful.

By the time she finished my session, I could barely speak. Drool crusted to the side of my face and full blown eye boogers, I set out to the bank to try to make a deposit. Trying to add my checks was a challenge.

Afterwards, it was off to do some juicing at Kat's house so I could take my 3 plus days worth of detoxifying, freshly juiced fruits and veggies. There were times that my eyes were crossing and I could barely focus.

Just then Kat tells me she's got an appointment with a massage therapist and she's not going to be able to make the appointment at 1 p.m. and would I like to go? Without hesitation, I nodded and stumbled out the door and made my way to pill hill to see Anya Drapkin.

After answering a health questionnaire, I bolted to the massage area, stripped down and crawled into the sheets face down. What I loved about Anya's massage is that she makes sure that you are completely relaxed. In the beginning, she reminded me to erase whatever thoughts were running through my brain and that this was MY time. I also tend to get a stuffy nose when my face is in the cradle and she had me inhale some minty oils to avoid clogged nostrils. I really don't know what happened the rest of the time I was there. I was totally dreaming and at one point found myself jerking and flinching. I don't think I've ever been that relaxed.

Afterwards, I somehow made it home....thankfully it was only a few blocks away but I don't really remember the drive. In my zombie state, I stumbled to my bedroom and dropped to the bed, sleeping in a pile of drool for the next 5 hours.

I never take naps. It doesn't really matter how much sleep I get the night before. I am a machine. I don't take naps. But last Thursday, my body gave me no choice. It was like I was paralyzed. My mind kept telling me to do stuff but my body didn't budge. All in all it was great and the best night of sleep I had in a very long time. No regrets, it was all worth it and obviously I really needed it.

And if you're wondering about the cleanse, I'm on day 3 and have dropped 5 lbs and feel the best I've felt in a very long time! Hooray for sleep and detox!

The Dailey Method

So today I decided it was time to step up my workouts a bit. I can run the lake without thinking about pain. I can work out with my trainer and walk (not limp) out of the gym. But I'm stuck in a plateau and I need a challenge. At the advice of my friend, Kate (and monthly dinner date), I decided to give The Dailey Method a go after she described what the sessions were like.

Let me tell you, I've done everything. I've instructed kickboxing. I run at least 4 miles about 3 times a week. I see a trainer once a week and I have 2 hour private, grueling yoga sessions. At the advice of their website, I did my warm up before I arrived, which was a 20 minute brisk walk. I showed up, met the sweet, smiling instructor, Erin and off to the packed class I went. This class combines a lot of yoga and ballet barre workouts and I was super excited about this since I did ballet for so many years. I found myself gracefully pointing my toes and in my element. And then the torture began.......

We started off with arm workouts. People, you get no breaks here. Buck up and just deal. You look at those little blue or pink weights and laugh thinking it's just going to be another one of those workouts that I could have brought Grandma to. That wasn't the case. In the first 5 minutes, I was fighting for air. And thankfully, those around me were too, so I wasn't alone. We started with our arms and upper body. Within 5 minutes, I was sure that my upper limbs would be no good for the rest of my life and at this very moment, I'm still unsure of how useful they are. I can at least move my fingers.

The movements are short, precise and quick, take a lot of control.....and most of all, exhausting to the point of falling over. There's no chance to rest or "shake it out." You keep going until your body just gives out.

I fought the good fight and stayed tough. But not without feeling as if I should have strapped a barf bag to my head.

If that wasn't enough, I decided to sign up for a month unlimited for $100. Now this is a great price since a session with a personal trainer nearly 3/4 of that price.

What I enjoy about this class is that it is a challenge. You will get your butt whooped. Your muscles will feel insanely exhausted at the end of the class. But the class is well guided and your instructor will make sure that you have perfect posture and form during the exercise. It is so brutal but I am ready for my next class!

Afterwards, we indulged in a fabulous meal at Dopos, a sinfully delicious italian restaurant just two blocks down from The Daily Method's Studio. I had the most perfect glass of red wine and it was exactly what I was looking for when I described what I wanted to her (our server).

What we ate:
Roasted Beets
Yellowfin tuna seared with almond and mint pesto
Mozzerella with asparagus and egg (this doesn't sound exciting but I assure you it was the best thing we ordered!)
And arugula with lime (and some other sauce)

After all our hard work, we deserved a nice, light, tasty meal and here I am, writing to you with a bowl of goat's milk ice cream!

If only every day could be like this!

Today was my day off after working nearly 10 days straight and you'd think I would start off by sleeping in and enjoying a hot cup of coffee but it wasn't like that at all.

I made my way to the gym at 7:30 a.m. to meet my personal trainer, Rob Owens. I've been training with Rob off and on for about a year now and I decided it was time to change up my routine and get my ass kicked once a week in addition to my own daily workouts. Well that's exactly what happened. Ever worked out so hard that your eyes start to cross and you're seconds from collapsing in a pool of drool and sweat? Today was one of those days. But, I survived and made my way to pick up my friend Rachel to have breakfast at this cool new place that just opened up in West Oakland called Brown Sugar Kitchen.

My morning just got deliciously better with a hot cup of coffee by Blue Bottle and a display of delectable pastries and desserts to drool over as I read through the menu. What I loved about the breakfast menu is that you can actually build your own breakfast. It's hard to make up your mind with yummy items such as cheesy grits covered with poached eggs or fluffy biscuits with strawberry rhubarb jam. I had all of the above with tender, juicy strips of bacon, poached eggs and potatoes. Rachel gave me a sampling of her biscuit paired with the strawberry rhubarb jam and I nearly fell over in ecstasy. The pastry chef treated us to some of her waffles which was accompanied with brown sugar butter and I believe it was apple cider syrup. I highly recommend trying these waffles! They're light, airy and will melt in your mouth!

They've got an awesome staff and we had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Tanya, who I felt like bowing down and admitting my unworthiness for such a fabulous breakfast! We both stuffed ourselves for (brace yourself) a total bill of $17.50. I can't remember the last time I had breakfast for 2 for under $20.

After breakfast, I dropped Rachel off and made my way over to Piedmont Springs, where I booked an hour in their combo room. The combo room is a private room with a sauna and outdoor japanese style hot tub. I brought me some detox gel to slather on during my sauna and facial products to nourish my tired, dry skin!
The combo room costs a mere $20 per person which is well worth it in my book. It's large and you have the freedom to wander between rooms and there's nothing like taking a nice hot bath out amongst the trees and peaceful environment. I showered right outside next to the tub and made my way over to Grand Ave. for a spontaneous pedicure at The Nail Shop. I won't be going back. While the space is impressive, the service isn't all that great. I can't understand a word these ladies are saying to me and it took me damn near 10 minutes to figure out that she was telling me to pick out my polish. There was no direction whatsoever. And honestly, I could have done a better job in the same amount of time. She clipped my toenails but didn't even buff or shape them. So they just look all uneven and square. The polish was all over my toes too. The price was $15, but I've had better for the same price. Don't waste your time!

My last bit of indulgence brought me to Michael Mischer's chocolates for one of his divine, heavenly bars. I chose the designer bar with 65% cacao, toasted almonds, pecans, pistachios and sunflower seeds. I managed NOT to eat the entire bar. You can also enjoy some refreshing gelato in addition to designer bars and tasty truffles! I love this place....especially when they are sampling!

I don't know if I could have asked for a better day! It was somewhere around 75 degrees and I decided to finish my day off by searing some ahi and watching a few of my netflix that have been sitting around for a while. I highly recommend "Something the Lord Made." A very touching and true story!

I dig 302 Skincare!

Lucky me to know some of the most awesome people in the skin care industry. A good friend of mine announced to me that she's going to be 302's educator and I, of course, started asking questions about the line. A few of my clients were using some of the serums and raved about it, so naturally, I want to know what they hype is.

This winter did a number on my face and in the end, it became a dry, crusty, inflamed mess. Now I'm a lover of peels....lactic, glycolic and salicylic. Burn baby burn! But it seemed that my skin just wasn't responding very well to the peels. It was having a hissy fit and there was no stopping. What a great time to try out 302 and they generously allowed me to sample retail sizes of the line so that I could really see and feel a difference.

302 provides acid-free products that use natural and organic ingredients with proven science and clinically observed results. In fact, I have the very confusing manual of scientific studies right here. I have no idea what these diagrams mean, but to any scientist, they are facts and results of how these products can drastically change your skin.

The product line emphasizes treatment of skin depleted by chronologic aging, sun damage, acne and rosacea as well as skin that has become topically addicted to acids.

I chose the creamy sensitive cleanser to use as my daily cleanser for my cranky skin. For a sensitive cleanser, this sure was invigorating! Packed with organic ingredients such as rosemary, clary sage, lemon verbena and mandarin lavender, my skin instantly felt smooth, softened and refreshed.

After that, I slathered on the 302 Serum. I could instantly feel it working. And the scent was much like the cleanser with additional oils of peppermint,lavender and tangerine. I wouldn't say that I enjoy the scent, but I enjoy the feeling of the serum. After a few days of using both the cleanser and the serum, I noticed that my red, irritated, crusty spots around my chin and mouth had completely disappeared. Over the course of a few weeks, I noticed my skin felt a bit plump and thicker....almost as if I had given myself a collagen injection to the entire face!

On the days that I don't use the serum, I use the 302 drops, which are nutrient rich lipids. It has the texture of a light oil and sinks right into the skin. Within a few weeks, my dry, irritated skin became smooth, hydrated and plump!

The line is very simple and easy to follow. I would recommend this to anyone with aging, sundamaged skin or better yet, someone who has had vigorous peels and microdermabrasion. This line is a reminder that you must nourish and replenish what you've taken away from the skin from deep exfoliants. Don't leave your skin high and dry people!

I also cannot say enough about the eye serum and the body treatment. The eye serum opens up the eyes and relaxes those fine lines. And it also feels very refreshing. I honestly do not go a day without it. It's my new crack.

The body treatment has done wonders for the crusty, red wonder on my back. I've had this spot for a couple of years now and none of my doctors can figure out what it is. I have an appointment to see my dermatologist this month, hoping they can come to a conclusion as to what it is. But in the last 2 years, this small spot becomes red, itchy, crusty, then flakes and bleeds like a scab. Since using the body treatment, it has given me total relief and doesn't itch or bleed anymore. It hasn't miraculously disappeared, but I feel much better knowing I won't be ruining anymore shirts and wasting bandages!

All in all, I'm sold on 302's products. And enough that I am carrying their Rosacea line to begin with and adding a 302 facial onto my treatment menu. It takes a lot for me to like a product because I've heard all the gimmicks and have tried a lot of luxury "crap."

I'll continue to do some enzyme peels and a lactic treatment here and there, but I'm happy to integrate some wonderful and result oriented products into my daily routine.

Cheers to 302!

Philosophy Microdelivery Peel

Philosophy Microdelivery Peel (step 1 and 2)

I’ll tell you first off that this does not have the same benefits as Microdermabrasion. This is a scrub folks, not a miracle facial in a jar.
You apply step one, which is basically orange scented silica crystals, preserved in 5 different parabens. The directions say to massage into the skin, which is exactly what I did. Leaving the crystals on, apply step 2, which is the lactic/salicylic activating gel. The packaging claims that a warming sensation would occur, which didn’t happen for me. This contains parabens and propylene glycol, which is the main ingredient of antifreeze. After one use of this product, my face broke out into a rash and large, dry red spots around my mouth. It took 2 weeks for my face to recover. $65 for garbage.

Ole Henriksen skin care......all-natural? Says who?

I received quite a few samples of Ole Henriksen's skin care line. The first thing I did was look at the ingredients. Parabens, fragrance and artificial coloring were a few of the named ingredients. Since when did artificial coloring mean natural?

The products were terrible. I used the Sheer Transformation renewing cream and it burned my skin upon application. So did the Ultimate Lift Eye Gel. The next day my skin felt raw and thin on my face and eyes and also had a red appearance.

I read through the rest of the ingredients and threw out the rest of the samples.

Don't waste your money on this stuff. You're no better off putting comet on your face!

Spa Junkie approves of Protective Nourishment

I set my standards pretty high with skin care lines. A good friend of mine happened to have a few full size samples of some Protective Nourishment products and I absolutely loved them!

I used the Cranberry toner, which is labeled for oily/acne and normal skin. The toner smells heavenly and it also moisturizes while providing a follow up to cleansing. There are no harmful or toxic ingredients in their line. It's completely herbal and uses awesome antioxidants such as Blueberries, Cherries and Vitamin C.

I believe that it comes in a 4 oz. bottle and retails for around $30. This is about the norm for a line as great as this and I, personally, would pay full price for a great toner.

Check out this sweet new line that smells almost good enough to eat!