Recently in Body Category

Neck and hands used to be the tell tale signs of aging no matter how flawless the face but thankfully we have many products and procedures to tend to those areas now.  So that just leaves the... elbows!?!?  Who woulda thought they'd be such tattle tales of our age?  Sagging, aging elbows show rings (like a tree!) and must not be neglected! 

I'm staring at Posh and I am actually frightened for her and her entire family.  She is literally disappearing before our eyes, raise your hand if you think Posh is too skinny.  Yup, I knew all of you would agree.  I'm even thinking the saggy elbows are due to emaciation, not age.  No matter, one must not neglect the elbows.  Here are a few tips to keep the skin there taut and supple:

1. Exfoliate, exfoliate, exfoliate!  See how her elbow looks really dry?  A good chemical exfoliant like glycolic acid would do the trick.  Unlike the face, the elbows are not sensitive and can stand higher percentage of acid.  (Try biting someone's elbow, I swear they won't feel a thing!)  If you lack the resources to buy glycolic acid-- cut a lemon in half, rub on to elbows, leave the juice and rind on there for 5 minutes, rinse.  I don't recommend physically scrubbing the elbows too hard as you'll just pull at the skin.  The acids are best in this case.

2. Moisturize!  Again, people forget to moisturize the elbows.  If yours are as dry as your heels, I'd turn to my trusty solution for extreme dry skin-- AQUAPHOR!  Eye cream is good too if you can afford to buy box loads of La Mer eyecream to rub on your elbows like Kimora Lee Simmons does. Get Aquaphor $5.99 here

3. Sunscreen!  Yes, the elbows suffer from sun damage everytime you drive, walk outside or play tennis.  We put sunscreen all over our face and body but most of us neglect to protect our elbows!

There that should do it.  Take a photo of your elbows, follow my instructions above and see if you notice a difference in a month.  

I attended a girls' lunch for 3 of my friends' birthdays last month and one of our friends (who shall remain nameless) came straight from Tennis without showering (it was 109 degrees!). I didn't sit next to her so I can't attest to her scent but would have offered her one of these Giovanni body towelettes had I had them on me! If anything, the sanitizing factor alone is worth it. Giovanni towelettes are also great to keep on hand for a quick refreshers even if you're just running around town. They're especially great to use while traveling with the kids. These tiny towelettes unfold to large wipes that hydrate and sanitize on contact. Each one is perfectly pre-soaked to thoroughly cleanse, cool and uplift. Giovanni Biodegradable Organic Towelettes come in three different scents:
 
· Lavender Calm: For an end of day moment to calm and cleanse

· Grapefruit Splash: For a fun, fresh, citrus feeling

· Peppermint Surge: For those who enjoy the mint tingle feeling of clean

Buy Giovanni Towelettes here-- $11.95 for a pack of 20 towelettes.  Be totally honest-- when have you skipped a shower after a sweaty work out and gone out to meet friends, dates, etc?  I'll go first, I went to lunch after kickboxing without showering.  I put my hair up in a ponytail, swiped myself down with Giovanni towelettes, and called it a day :)

Completely Bare is a chain of spas (and the makers of a wide range of wax-related products), in NYC specializing in waxing and permanent hair reduction for men, women, and countless celebs (from Katherine Heigel, Kimora Lee Simmons and Kelly Rippa, to Yoko Ono). It's constantly voted among the best spots to go for a quick, effective wax so I was looking forward (at least as forward as possible when it comes to pain), to trying their wax. I went to their first ever location on Madison Ave. between 65/66. It's so discrete that despite going to Nespresso across the street on a near weekly basis, I had never noticed the spa! I opted for a full bikini, relax wax.  A numbing cream is applied to the to-be waxed area and then you can relax for about 25-30 minutes laying down with some mags, while the cream works its magic. I'm not sure if it was the numbing cream or just laying back and relaxing for a half hour, but the pre-wax routine combined with the high-quality, slow-heating wax and the aesthetician who waxed me made the whole experience the most painless wax I've had to date -- seriously. My waxer, Heather who works at the Completely Bare location on Madison every Wednesday, has over 5 years of experience waxing and she was amazing. Quick and effective -- but not so quick that you're dying throughout the process, more quick like wasabi burn in your mouth! Hurts for a second and then poof, gone! I was red through the next morning and I applied Shobha's Ingrown Relief Lotion ($22) twice a day for the week following my wax. Its been nearly two weeks now and I have nothing -- no ingrowns, redness, bumps NOTHING! More after the jump. 

Don't be impressed by my flawless tan-- I spent most of my time on the beach under a big hat and long dresses!  My secret weapon is Versa Spa spray tan, the latest in self tanning booths.  I used to do Mystic Tan but it was always super messy and left streaks on my clothes and legs/feet.  And the smell, the disgusting weird scent that always made my son ask me "mama, did you take a bath today?".  With Versa Spa you can choose light, medium or dark and in clear or colored (I highly recommend the clear version!) and the scent is minimal.  It's a little complicated a natural and even looking tan is worth the trouble.  There is also a moisturizing option that you should get, it is sprayed on in the booth like the tanning mist.  The entire process takes about 2 minutes, including a blowdryer function that dries you off.  You must watch instructional video before you go to avoid confusion while in the booth and wasting your session.  Jump for the video!

Many places offer Versaspa but I get mine at Palm Beach Tan.  What about you, have you tried either spray tans? 

(I heard Versaspa has merged with Mystic Tan, not sure if it will improve Mystic Tan but will report to you after I try the new version).

There's frugal and then there's FRUGAL! This is the second kind! I first across Udderly Smooth in the Virgin Islands where it's widely used. I'm not sure that I would have dared try it had I known that this cream was initially created for dairy cows! But, my feet were completely cracked and I needed a quick-fix remedy. Pretty much nothing in the line is priced over $6.50 and their Udderly Smooth Foot Cream with Shea Butter ($5.79) has just the right amount of thickness and grease (think -- happy medium between L'Occitane's Milk Concentrate and La Roche-Posay sunscreen), and while it's greasy, it absorbs quickly and is only lightly scented. I use it on my feet and my elbows and it's truly a life saver if you live or are traveling anywhere where you're faced with a very dry heat. Their marquee product however is Udderly Smooth Udder Cream ($4.49) which is like the foot cream only lighter (plus it's water-based so it won't leave a greasy residue). Both provide all-day moisture (unless your skin is severely cracked in which case you might have to use it more frequently). The only thing that stops me from using the Udder Cream on a daily basis is that the scent is too light for my taste. Would you dare try Udderly Smooth?:)

Lush is one of those brands that not only thinks outside of the box, but you can tell that their products are developed by people with a sense of humor. They always name, describe, and package their products in such fun and witty ways (anyone remember those Mother's Day gift sets -- how amazing were those??). Their latest launches include two new Sugar Scrubs. They're solid scrubs that are meant for one-time use and in going with Lush's eco stance, they don't utilize any excess packaging. They're priced at $4.95 each and they're pretty big (I wish breaking the ball of scrub was possible so that I could use one of them twice!). The price point is a little high for regular exfoliation and the balls take up a lot of room given that you can only use them once. In light of those two points I wouldn't recommend them for regular exfoliation, but they're perfect for traveling -- no worries about anything liquid, they smell wonderful, work great, plus you won't have to lug back a container of scrub! Jump for more info on each of the two new scrubs!

I have written about the "Beach" collection from Bobbi Brown before and want to remind you again how heavenly it is.  It was 109 yesterday in Dallas, yes, you read correctly a hundred and nine friggin degrees!!!!!!!  I showered 3 times and still felt grimy and sticky.  Thank god for the Beach products, I may be sweating like a hog but I manage to smell pretty and fresh.  I've used the Beach shower gel for years and recently started the body lotion but now think I need the Beach scrub $35 and fragrance $55 to completely immerse myself in its beachness. It's the most fresh scent you can imagine, not the usual faux coconut scent that most 'beach' products have. I can't even describe it except just imagine you're standing on the shores of Hawaii....... and who says you can't bring the beach to you!?!?!? At Bobbi Brown counters worldwide.

I have to preface this post by saying that there are incredible markdowns going on right now on Space NK products. Candles are on sale for less than $10 at their namesake locations, at Bloomingdale's, and online (they're not in a special sale section so just got to Space NK-branded product section and browse!). Space NK is discontinuing some items and re-packaging others hence these amazing markdowns (I just picked-up a few more new things at Bloomies -- they slashed prices by 75% and then a few days ago took an extra 50% off that price! I got bath soaps for $2, candles for $7.50 and body lotion for $5 -- all in original packaging!). Now from the old to the new. Space NK, started by beauty guru Nicky Kinnaird, has just launched a new range of everyday essentials all of which are free of parabens, sodium lauryl sulfate, and silicone. The products come in a range of scents (Tomato Rhubarb, Mandarin Grapefruit, Gingered Woods, Patchouli Suede, Midnight Jasmine), as well as unfragranced ones. Each fragrance is target towards a specific part of the day and the price points are slightly more mild than Space NK-branded items. Note the candles, which are the highlight of the collection, are available at Space NK boutiques now and I've also seen them at the Space NK section at Bloomingdale's (though the official launch isn't till July 8 which is when they'll be available online). The rest of the collection is hitting this fall, but I thought I would highlight it now so you can plan your Space NK shopping accordingly -- it's definitely worth leaving some room in your budget for this line!  Learn more after the jump!

I live right by Sabon's Upper East Side location in NYC so I'm fortunate enough to get a whiff of their delicious products every time I pass their open door. I'm partial to the brand because not only do their products smell great and work effectively, they're owned by Israelis (I'm a nice NYC Jewish girl after all!), and their staff is ALWAYS super-friendly, helpful and ready to let you test out their products right in the store. The line of bath, body, and face products is all about embracing aromatherapy and the benefits of the Dead Sea (their products remind me of a cross between Ahava and L'Occitane), and they've just come-out with a new organic line. I love the simplicity of all of their packaging and with everything they make a little goes a long way. Sabon Organic products are suitable for all skin types and they have a subtle apricot fragrance (while it's non-obtrusive, it's relatively long-lasting), which make them a great cosmetic or fragrance base. The line is also paraben and sulfate-free and packaged in recycled packaging. Jump for the scoop on two products I tried!