It’s Friday! Here’s your weekly blogosphere round up!

Styleite has a really good, pretty thorough post on Spring nail polish trends. And they are super pretty. Makes me sad I can’t paint my finger nails.

Make up artist Carissa, who blogs at Hooked On Beauty, has a fantastic video on contouring and highlighting the face. This is not an everyday look, but great for special occasions, or for photography. Watch it all the way through–the beginning stages of the contouring and highlighting will definitely freak non-makeup addicts out.

And I am hanging with Lisa Johnson again this week, as she examines the soda industry’s new lobbying efforts towards stocking “healthier” sodas in schools.

Finally, transition into the weekend with this inspiring fitness post from Fitarella on giving your body the praise that its due.

Have a great weekend!

Ever notice how so much is all about the tweaking? Little shifts that end up making a really big impact? Same goes for your beauty routine. So I am sharing five low or no-cost, easy to follow tweaks to fine-tune your beauty routine.

• Cool down the H2O.

While hot steamy water is a serious temptation during the frigid winter months, you don’t need blazing hot water to wash the dirt and makeup off your face and body. Hot water dries out your skin, which is the last thing it needs when it’s fighting bitter cold winds and negative humidity. Turn the faucet to tepid.

• Mini-massage your skin.
  

Take an extra minute to massage your serum and moisturizer into your skin. Warm the product up in your hands and massage in an upward motion. This will help boost circulation and help plump up fine lines.

• Wash your face. No, REALLY wash your face!

It’s late, you’re exhausted and making it to the bathroom feels nothing short of the New York Marathon. So your face wash is a quick slap of product and a splash of water to rinse. Just one extra minute massaging the cleanser into the skin (using upward circular motions), and then really rinsing away the residue (more than a splash or two please), will work wonders on the complexion.

• Wash your makeup brushes.

It’s one of those things that we never seem to have time to do, but giving your makeup brushes a good scrub will not only increase the longevity of the brush, it will keep acne bacteria at bay. Use a gentle baby shampoo and swirl the brush bristles around in the palm of your hand, rinse until the water runs clear, blot out the excess water, reshape, and then air dry.

• Invest in those ugly-ass bug eye sunglasses. And wear them!

I think those huge sunglasses that the Olsen Twins regularly sport are crazy ugly, but I own a super cheap pair. And while I endure relentless teasing from the Manly Man Husband, those ugly-ass glasses keep the sun off the sensitive orbital area, where sunscreen is usually not applied. This not only helps shield this area from sun damage, but keeps your squinting to a minimum, staving off the crows-feet a little while longer.

It’s Friday! And welcome to our new Bombshell Blogger feature, where each Friday I link to some cool beauty bits from around the blogosphere.

Musings of a Muse turns us on to a kick-ass sale on the Victoria’s Secret Pout Collection. At a top price of $3.50, I see a visit to Vicky’s in my near future.

StyleBelle offers a home-brewed recipe for an all natural frizz fighter.

British Beauty Blogger sounds off on the Daily Mail for plugging a crap product with an even crappier marketing strategy.

And esthetician Renee Rouleau, guest blogging at Beauty Snob, investigates the differences between French and American skincare routines. (And guess who comes out on top?)

And here’s a fun weekend assignment. Do 5 – 10 minutes of yoga stretching, followed by a few minutes of quiet meditation, before bed each night. It will help you sleep better!

Have a wonderful, relaxing weekend!

My nails are perpetually ignored. The last time I went in for a mani, the nail tech was completely confused by my instructions. Nails short, don’t cut cuticles, and NO POLISH. Poor woman couldn’t handle it. She was especially apoplectic about the lack of polish. (I can’t polish my nails because it traps bacteria, so it’s unsanitary. If you have an esthetician who has polish on the nails, run the other way.)

So, rather than a repeat of this scenario over and over again, I opt for DIY manis. But those who read me regularly know I have a real problem scheduling my own treatments. Manicures particularly annoy because they feel so time-consuming. It’s the soak part that gets me every time. I never soak long enough because I can’t stand to sit still.

This weekend, I had an epiphany. I got all my manicure implements out and then tackled the piled up dishes. By the time I was done, my nails were sufficiently soaked and softened. I used Clinique’s Deep Comfort Hand and Cuticle Cream on my cuticles and pushed them back, then trimmed and filed. I followed up with some Vitamin E rubbed into the cuticles and slathered of another layer of Deep Comfort all over my hands and nails.

Nails look great and dishes are done! Multitasking manis rock.

Here in the Northeast, it is officially Fall. The trees are just starting to turn and the air is getting a whole lot nippier, not to mention a whole lot drier. I recommend switching it up with the change of seasons. Skin’s needs change with the weather patterns, so now is the time to reinvigorate your skincare routine.

Try a cream cleanser

Dry, cold air literally sucks the moisture from your skin. For any skin type (except oily) I recommend a gentle cream cleanser that will remove the day, not the moisture. As regular readers know, I have a tough time with cleaners and have created my own formulation. But for backup (i.e. days when I run out and don’t have time to make a new batch), I have Sonya Dakar’s Soya  Wash on hand. It’s a light creamy consistency that cleans without leaving the skin greasy. While lots of ballyhoo has been made about the inclusion of soy, I actually love that the second ingredient is rose water, one of my favorite hydrators.

But only at night

You really don’t need to wash their face morning and evening. Is sleep really so strenuous that it merits another go in the morning? A splash with tepid water should be enough to wake you up, but leave the cleanser in the cabinet. Don’t strip your natural barrier against the cold,  dry air just because the label says to use twice a day!

SPF still matters

Yes, the sunlight is not as intense, but your skin is still absorbing the damaging rays. Keep using that sunblock! The only time you don’t need an SPF is when it’s pitch black.I prefer people use actual SPF and not those in makeup or skincare formulas. I don’t think those are strong enough blockers.

Think of your daytime moisturizer as a barrier

On particularly cold and blustery days, I love Jurlique’s Balancing Day Care Cream, which I layer under my SPF. It forms a great protective barrier on the skin. It can feel filmy for the first few hours of wear, but I actually love that. It makes my skin feel protected!

Now is a great time to add an AHA serum

Waning sunlight means that it’s time to go back to the alpha hydroxy acids (but only if you promise to keep wearing that sunblock)! Most AHA’s are great moisturizers, and the serum is an extra concentrated way to get the AHAs. It’s my preferred method to get my AHA boost! I love Juice Beauty’s Antioxident Serum, which is packed with vitamins A, C and E as well as a dose of CoQ10, resveratrol (a potent antioxident from grape seeds) and peptides to help fill out wrinkles.

Make that evening moisturizer a little richer

Readers will know I love my aloe for summer moisturizing. But colder weather means I want something more potent. Image Skincare’s Ormedic Bio-Peptide Cream has an aloe and olive oil base plus green tea, cucumber and more of those magic peptides. (Full disclosure: Image is one of the lines I use in my skincare practice and I do retail the products).

It was Spa Week a few weeks ago. While in theory it’s a good idea, friends who have gone to some pretty well regarded spas walk away from the experience totally thinking that spa is crap. And I know why.

Generally bookings are back-to-back without time to even PEE, and the clients are not terribly interested in listening to advice to improve their skin. This past Spa Week promo was spent with some serious skin know-it-alls, who clearly got their info from Allure Magazine, and we all know how I feel about THEM.  These clients just want a cheap treatment and lots of extractions no matter WHAT the damage. Extractions at any cost is asking for disaster.

Rant over.

I promised to share some tips and ideas for those willing to brave Spa Week, so here are eight for the brave souls willing to negotiate Spa Week:

1. If you have serious skin issues, pass over the promo, spend the extra 50 bucks and get a good facial where you and the esthetician can make a smart decision about what your skin needs, instead of this steam-and-cream business that goes on during Spa Week.

Now the rest of the tips are for those who simply cannot pass up a bargain:

2. Book your appt for early in the day. If that’s not possible, try to find out when the shifts change and book early in the change-over. Given the sheer volume of people that come in during Spa Week (particularly on the weekends), you are better off with an esthetician who is fresh and ready than one who has not eaten all day and probably has to pee. If a spa is open 9AM – 9PM, the shifts are generally 9-3 and 3-9.  If the hours seem odd, or they extend hours for Spa Week, try to find out when (and IF) there is a change over and book accordingly.

3. Try to go during a weekday. Weekends are crazy busy booked up and you will get a better treatment before or after work or during your lunch break. If that’s not possible, see above.

4. Be prepared to leave your credit card number to hold the booking. It’s standard. And you will get charged if you pull a no-show. The esthetician could have easily filled that appointment during Spa Week.  Most estheticians work on a commission only basis, so if the appointment is blown off, she doesn’t get paid. And that sucks. We are trying to make a living. Respect that.

5. If you think you had a great facial and are super happy with the treatment, tip on the regular price of the facial, not the discount price. The esthetician will remember the good clients for the next Spa Week, so you may get an add on for no additional charge. I’ll throw something in discounted or free if a client is a good one.

6. If you are not at all interested in purchasing product, politely tell the esthetician at the end of the treatment when the product sale happens. All spas work differently, so if you are in a spa were the esthetician walks you to the front desk to go over  product options, she will appreciate not having to spend the extra five or ten minutes. It could give her time to pee or gulp down a power bar!

7. Show up 15 minutes prior to your appointment to fill out paper work and get changed. This will maximize your treatment time. Because bookings are on top of each other, we simply cannot fall behind since there is no room for correction. If you arrive even “just on time” the clock has started and you will receive a shortened treatment since 10 minutes of that time was spent filling out forms.  This is actually a good rule to follow in general, but particularly crucial during promo weeks.

8. If there are spas you really want to try out, go to their website and get on their email list. Spas offer promos year-round, and you can snag a good deal without facing the Spa Week madness.

Since I started school, my skin has betrayed me. I am sure the added stress of working and going to school—both full time—may be the root of the problem. But the constant facials are also compounding it. Because as much as I love having a facial, doing them constantly just overworks the skin.

Now that I have been analyzing and working on different faces for several weeks now, I have noticed that sensitive skin is a quite common. Environmental damage plays a part, as well as stress and allergy triggers like food or animals. Sometimes all it takes is a change of season for our skin to sort out its issues (cold weather can over dry the skin, leaving it prone to inflammation). Other times, we just have to learn how to manage it.

If you do have sensitive skin, here are a few tricks to try to keep it chill:

Ease into extreme temperatures
Unfortunately for hot bath and shower lovers, you are just making your skin angry. Tepid water is the way to go. If you are going from the summer heat to an air conditioned office, try waiting in an entry way to let your skin get acclimated to the temperature switch. If it’s winter, wrap up your face with a scarf before heading out. Shielding your skin from temperature shock will help neutralize redness and irritation.

Lay off the product
Today’s skin care products throw in everything but the kitchen sink. While many of their active ingredients can be great for normal skin, if your skin is hyper-reactive try to keep it as simple as possible. When “sensitive skin” face wash started burning my skin, I began washing my face with olive oil (yes it is possible!) since there seemed to be nothing on the market that I could tolerate. You may need to experiment with different products (hit up the department store makeup counters for samples).

Check your sunscreen
Take a look at the active ingredients on your sunscreen label—you may be using a sunscreen with synthetic chemical blockers (generally anything starting with “oxy”). These can inflame sensitive skin like a sunburn. Find a sunscreen that uses the natural blockers titanium dioxide or zinc oxide instead. I had to dump my combination moisturizer with SPF in favor of Neutrogena’s Sensitive Skin Sun Block. It’s an SPF 30, oil free and it absorbs pretty quickly, without leaving a surfer-like white residue on the face.