PCA Skincare pHaze 9 Purifying Mask: We Have a New Favorite.

We love this pHaze 9 Purifying Mask from Scottsdale-based PCA Skin. The instructions say to use this treatment weekly but we find if once is good, daily is better. After using this Red Sea algae, French Clay based exfoliant on our neck daily for the last week we have seen a remarkable decrease in some nasty acne. We had a laser treatment at the Doctor's office that caused a massive breakout. Ego-crushing, really. But only one week later this mask has left us with a new favorite brand. This mask will nourish rough, dull, dehydrated and stressed skin, and also help clear breakouts. Plus, the addition of micro fine pumice allows for the gentle exfoliation of impurities. Enjoy!

Beauty's Product RAVE: L'Oreal Skin Genesis Towelettes

L’Oréal Paris’ new Skin Genesis Micro-Smoothing Towelettes hint at the faint memory of my high school boyfriend's bathroom cabinet packed with plentiful supplies of OxyPads. These towelettes however have come a long way since, dare I say, 1998. A moderns lady's, makeup removing gift from Saint Nicolas, packed with BHA and promises of anti aging, tightening elves dancing on your epidermis as you sleep. In fact, I hate to admit it, but one night after the Clarisonic these ingenious little wipes managed to remove still more minerals from a tremendously greedy poor as it clutched my Laura Merciers. Also, I am as sick of talking about the condition of my back as you are sick of hearing about it but sufficed to say, there is no longer anything to talk about after only ONE WEEK with these little beauties. At $7.99 a package and a brave, if brief, attempt by L'Oreal to associate these towelettes with something "green," I can help myself. I love them!

Beauty's Product RAVE: Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser in Lemongrass and Natural Sugar

Who doesn't need industrial strength exfoliants in the winter? Well, technically Sigrid has forbid me from using physical exfoliants on my face until the end of time. ("Gomage only!" Insists the brilliant French-Canadian wizard of epidermal health.) However as we all know my back needs serious help and well she was, at the time, speaking only of my face. I suppose we have a 'don't ask don't tell policy' on my back, mkay? Anyhow this winter from stress and excessive travelling my back acne has become a, perhaps irreversible, problem. Since I have finally decided I'd actually like a BF after years of being happily single I should probably 1) stop advertising my back ugliness on the internet and 2) fix the bane of my existence permanently. So after my full body salt scrub down at Bliss SF I have taken to two natural, yet powerful exfoliants to exterminate the pests that chew at my back like termites at an otherwise lovely country home. Suki's Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser is essentially a jar jam packed with rock hard sugar which melts into a pungent lemon foaming cleanser upon encountering water. It is amazing and the powerful lemon scent is a perfect remedy for the winter doldrums. (At only $10 a jar, this organic product is a must-have.) Dermalogica's exfoliating body scrub is not as pungent and slightly less masochistic in its exfoliating prowess however its combination of Pulverized Fig, Date and Olive seed powders leave skin smooth and supple. Enjoy!

Beauty Reflection: Eminence Pink Grapefruit Clarifying Masque

Back in April I told you about one of the best face masques ever made - Eminence Organics Pink Grapefruit Clarifying Masque. Tonight as I lay on my couch with chunks of organic pink grapefruit spread like buoys on the light pink colored, clay sea washing over my face it took everything I had to not blog while masked. So I began to think about my blog and here is what I came up with.

Because I am obsessed with spa treatments and the products that allow me to bring them home I began this blog. I want nothing more than to bring you the best of what I find and possibly some insight along the way that makes being a woman slightly easier and more enjoyable. In the name of bringing beauty and reprieve to my absolutely amazing, over-achieving readers I have smuggled my little Nikon camera into appointments for nostril waxing (sorry too vain to share), pedicures, eyebrow waxing, blow outs, haircuts, energy healing sessions, fashion shows, the best boutiques in LA, um - I even video taped Anastasia - ANASTASIA - rather than chat it up with her so I could record for posterity her bewitching brow makeover. (On the other hand, I'm kind of a wallflower anyhow so it's nice to have a camera to stand behind.)

My point is, I am obsessed with blogging. So tonight after a week of family drama, man drama, professional life drama, I put on this beautiful, organic, effective, masque and thought 'Two minutes on the couch. Two minutes of nothing but absolute, sweet-smelling, lovely perfection.' I can't buy the perfect man, the perfect family, or the perfect job but I can buy the perfect beauty product and this my friends is it. But there I sat during pure relaxation time and all I could think was I have to tell them about this. Other women have to try this. (Seriously you have not tried a face masque until you have tried the Eminence Pink Grapefruit Clarifying Masque. You can purchase it here.) My conclusion is this: I am grateful to be beauty blog obsessed. I bring you the best spa, product, organics, and travel that I can find in my ravenous search for reprieve and renewal. And if that means ten minutes of writing for every two minutes of reprieve so be it. And if you made it this far, through the dense thicket of my reflective banter, thanks for reading. Ok onto...eye creams...