Get Summer Beautiful!

Are you battling frizzy humidity hair?  Do you spend too much time in your cubicle at work and now you have to wear a sundress to a party?  Never fear it doesn't take much in the summer to get beautiful if you have the right key ingredients.  With these new tools of the trade you can safely look sun-kissed at the pool or dazzling at dinner.  Our mom-testers bathed, soaked and sprayed some of the best new products out there and here's what they have to say:

Getting Ready For The Beach

It's A Slice Body Buffer  Cake Beauty  Okay, it will take everything in your power not to eat this body buffer.  It smells so good it makes you want to run out and buy a delicious cupcake following your shower.  I'm not kidding.  "It's A Slice" is a new product by Cake Beauty and it's sumptuous!  The buffer is made with apricot seeds to exfoliate, jojoba beads and shea butter to moisturize and the scents of orange and vanilla to, well, excite!  If you like sweets you'll love this body buffer! $24.00.  To purchase visit Cake Beauty or selected Nordstrom Department Stores.

Xen-Tan Body Scrub  If you like to scrub but want a fresh clean scent then try the Xen-Ten body scrub before you apply your self-tan.  This product goes on clean and smooth and leaves your skin silky soft and smooth.  Our mom-tester loved it and used it before applying her self-tan.  She said, "it's a really fresh, clean, feeling product – and I like that."  $18.00. To purchase call 1-866-XEN-TANS or visit http://www.nordstrombeauty.com

Tame those tootsies with Fresh Foot Forward by bath by bettijo.  This sea salt foot scrub has an invigorating smell to wake the senses.  Its ingredients include Mediterranean Sea Salt, Milk, Grapefruit and Peppermint.  It comes with it's own little scoop so you can soak your feet up to 30 times in this little tub of luxury.  Our mom-tester happily soaked her weary feet before she polished her toes.  She loved the scent and soothing feel.  She said it was a "real treat for her after a day of chasing the kids!"  $22.00 Available at www.bathbybettijo.com

Get your toes in tiptop sandal shape with the Bella Il Fiore pedicure set.  "First let me say – how cute is that box!" commented our mom-tester.  "This set comes with everything you nail polish in babydoll which is a nice light pink, foxy a hot to trot red and top/base coat.  It even includes pink flower toe-separators, which was great because I'm always using toilet paper! This cute kit is a real winner!" $20.00 Available at http://www.bellabeauty.net.  By the way, the founder of Bella Il Fiore is a mom too!  Jennifer Maloy and her rocker husband Zac were expecting their first child, and both agreed they wanted to be full-time parents, that's when this beauty diva turned to her bathroom and realized there was something missing.  She wanted to find a way to combine the slew of products everyone thinks they need into a few simple products that would help women feel glamorous, without having to keep a massive inventory of beauty goods on hand!  Thus became the beginning of Bella Il Fiore.

Need a quick, inexpensive body pick-me-up?  Check out Andrea's Foot Spa's Cooling Foot Gel in Peppermint and Cucumber is fresh, moisturizing and invigorating and at $0.99 how can you go wrong?  Top off your toes with China Glaze nail polish.  They come in a variety of colors from "On The Rocks" – a translucent blue to "An Affair To Remember" a summery red pink.  The polish dries fast and lasts.  At only $6.50 they are another beauty steal!

Soak away your stress with Sweet Grass Farm's Bath Salts.  These salts are a treat that are delicately scented and skin conditioning.  At $8.95 soaks your body, soothe aching muscles and relax your spirit.    Sweet Grass Farm also makes a Shea Butter Lotion & Liquid Soap set that have great fragrances.  They are rich, creamy and mild.  Also priced at $8.95 each they make great hostess gifts – so keep these in mind when you visit your friends! (www.sweetgrassonline.com)

Tahitian Noni Skin Supplement Seaweed Soap  We gave this to a mother of two and she commented, "She liked that it is a huge hunk of a bar of soap and a pretty color that reminds me of the sea.  The scent is not too perfumed or heavy (which is great for my husband), it lathers up well, rinses easily and makes my bathroom smell great after every shower.  I almost put the second bar in the guest bath but liked it so much I decided to keep it for mine!" $9.00 for a pack of two. http://www.tahitiannoni.com

 The Summer Glow Without The Sun

Xen-Tan Dark Mousse Self-Tan Foam   Our tester admits that she was extremely hesitant to try a self-tanning product.  She had only had one prior experience with a self-tanning product and it was not good.  Plus, she rarely (if ever) wears make-up; so putting something all over herbody in order to turn it an entirely different color took some convincing.  That said -- she loved this stuff!  Not only is it easy to apply, but also it is streak-free, looks totally natural, and it smells good!  Even her husband could not tell that it was fake.  It gave her a healthy glow almost immediately, yet was easy to wash off of her hands and didn't stain her palms.  This is a great product to use when you haven't the luxury of time to sit around sunbathing or just to make you feel like you don't look nearly as tired as you may feel after a sleepless night.  She stated that she would definitely will buy this in the future.  $29.00. To purchase call 1-866-XEN-TANS or visit http://www.nordstrombeauty.com

Baked Body Glow (Urban Decay) Here’s a great product that smells great, doesn’t require drying and goes on smooth as silk.  Shaped like a chubby chap stick you just push it up and spread it on.  It leaves your skin sun kissed without streaks, spots, dots or – the dreaded orange!  You put it where you need it and it stays put.  It’s a great way to cover up bikini or flip-flop tan lines!  $25.00  www.urbandecay.com

Body Drench Quick Tan is a fine-misting spray-on self tanner that provides immediate golden color.  It’s fast-drying, non-greasy and doesn’t have a heavy fragrance.  For the faint at heart this is a DARK tanner and you really need to read the directions or you’ll do what I did and wind up with dark brown purplish hands that you have to scrub.  First exfoliate – but this is true with all tanners.  Secondly, with this tanner I would recommend using gloves.  Then spray away and smooth in.  It dries fast and provides a nice even, real looking tan.  As with most self-tanners be careful around the elbows and ankles.  Body Drench is formulated with Aloe Extract, Black Walnut Extract and Chamomile Extract.  $27.50 Available at beauty supply stores, salons, spas and tanning boutiques nationwide.  www.bodydrench.com

Keep that glow going with Xen-Tan’s Tan Extender.  It’s a nice smelling moisturizing lotion that has a hint of the tanning ingredient so you slowly get that glow without looking dark right away.  It has a great smell and conditioning feel.  $28.00  To purchase call 1-866-XEN-TANS or visit http://www.nordstrombeauty.com

Hoola (Benefit Cosmetics)  Our tester is a huge fan of facial bronzers; in fact she uses them all year long for the constant glow, so when we asked her to test this she was thrilled.  She loved the cute box, the small included brush, which made it perfect for the purse.  She said the color was the perfect all-around glow and she loved that there wasn’t a hint of orange or shimmer.  She said, “it goes on like silk and looks great!”  $26.00 Available at http://www.benefitcosmetics.com and Sephora.

Shady Day Daily Sun Protection Wipes  SPF 30 www.shadydayinc.com
 According to our mom-testers these individually wrapped, pre-moistened wipes are terrific.  They are convenient to carry, absorb quickly and are so easy to use especially on the face.  Our mom-tester said, “My four-year-old son doesn't usually mind putting on suntan lotion but the area around his eyes is very sensitive and only tolerates a stick but he didn't mind using these wipes at all.  Not only is there a generous amount of lotion on each one (I could do his entire body with one wipe and not feel as if any section was left out) but it smells good too! I would definitely buy these and keep them in my purse, in the car and at my mom's house so that when we visit, I can feel confident that my children are protected.”  2 packages- 15 count in each package retail for $26.00 and can be purchased at www.exit15.com

De-Stress Your Tresses!

In the summer, I’m not sure how you feel about frizzy crazy hair, but we’re not big fans of it. Tahitian Noni Moéa® Smooth and Hydrate Shampoo and Conditioner helps to tame hair especially when humidity strikes.  The shampoo gently cleanses hair and leaves it smooth, shiny and great smelling.  The conditioner smoothes, strengthens, shines and even has sunscreen.  Another plus, both products are free of added parabens and sulfates.  They retail for $24.00 each.  http://www.tahitiannoni.com
 
The Skinny on Cream

Plantogen Protective Moisturizer with Sunscreens
"This face cream is wonderful.  Not only does it smell delicious but also it makes me feel better.  I don't like a lot of cream on my face but I have dry skin and need to moisturize every day so I am pretty picky.  Using Plantogen is perfect.  Not only am I protecting my skin but also I feel as if I am getting the benefits of a spa product right in my own home.  It's nice to feel a little indulgent, especially when using something that I know is good for me too," reports our mom-tester.  Plantogen is available at spas nationwide for $33.50.  To order over the phone or find a store near you please log onto: www.plantogen.com.

Lemongrass Body Butter with Shea and Aloe  (Aromafloria)
“This moisturizer which has the crisp clean scent of lemongrass is delightful” reports our mom-tester.  She loved the smooth creamy feel of the shea and aloe and light scent.  She reported it left her skin feeling smooth and silky.  It didn’t feel heavy or sticky which she said she had experienced before.  She said it’s perfect for dry skin.  $30.00  www.aromafloria.com
 
Shea Terra Organics is another mom-owned company.  Started in 1998 by Tammie Umbel, with the goal to form a company that produced natural products that preserved the environment and benefits third world nations.  Tammie lives in the Virginia with her eleven children (six daughters and five sons) and her husband.  Our grandmother tester just loved her Rainforest Wild Fruit Silk & Shea Body Lotion, which is scented with Mango and Papaya.  She loved its scent and creamy feel which she said, “soothed her pottery worn hands!” www.sheaterraorganics.com