Tuesday, February 03, 2009

Spring Primping... Feeling Lux For Less

It’s that blissful time of year again! But before you slip into your favorite spring dress, and open toe shoes, you may want to consider doing some body maintenance first.

Put Your Best Foot Forward
Before you decide to put on any piece of footwear that may expose your post winter feet you may want to think again. If you’re like many people you probably haven’t treated your feet to a pedicure in a long while. After all we do live in Canada and there’s not much chance that anyone’s going to catch a glimpse of your tootsies during the winter months. But with the long awaited arrival of spring you may want to treat your neglected tippy toes for a much needed pedicure. If you’re a do it yourself kind of gal, you can pick up the Lavender Bubbly Foot Collection at home pedi kit from Yyves Rocher for $22 (www.yvesrocher.ca), or you could book an appointment at Lucy Nail (3065 Dundas St.) where a pedicure and manicure combo will cost you only $25.

Your Epidermis is Showing
Shedding your dry winter skin is easy! But sometimes natural skin exfoliation needs assistance. If you have dry skin, dead skin accumulates quickly creating a dull appearance, and if you’re a victim of oily skin the skin has difficulty exfoliating or sloughing off the dead skin cells, due to the sticky nature of oil. Moisturizing often is definitely a good way to get your skin silky but most of us forget the most important step to skin rejuvenation. Exfoliating is a great way to give your skin a dewy glow, and if done regularly it can actually increase the skin's capacity to absorb moisture. The Body Shop’s Satsuma body scrub ($20.00) will leave your skin feeling, looking, and smelling amazing. Sephora’s in house brand also offers their own line of body scrubs at an affordable $12 to $16 and comes in a variety of delightful scents.

Get Glowing
New alternative ways of getting a sun kissed glow are much better for your skin than the real thing. It’s not quite beach season, but if you’re eager to get bronze, a self tanning cream is your best and safest bet. The world of self tanning lotions has come a long way and consumers no longer have to worry about turning a shade of orange and getting unsightly streaks. L’Oreal Sublime tanning lotion, offers a gradual tanning cream, and it leaves your skin smelling like the beach! (Shoppers Drug Mart, 15.99)

Use Protection
You hear about it all the time. Wear SPF, no matter what. Many of us have SPF in out facial moisturizers, but often the amount offered is not enough. Getting a good SPF is the most important thing you can do for your skin hands down. Look for a non greasy formula that has lasting power, with an SPF 30 or higher. Ombrelle offers a great line of sun protection products specifically for the body and face, which shields you against harmful UVA AND UVB rays. It’s available at Wal-Mart, Shoppers Drug Mart, Pharma Plus, and Loblaws.

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