Enjoy Some At-Home Pampering With These Beauty Treats — As Seen On CBS Austin’s “We Are Austin”
We’ve all binge-watched The Tiger King on Netflix and wondered if, when it’s finally safe to come out of quarantine, we’ll wind up looking like some of the docu-series’ major players. And then, of course, there are the sighs that escape from our bodies when spot yet another stress-induced breakout or — even worse! — when we look at ourselves during our Zoom conference calls and realize our skin looks dull, tired, and lifeless. It’s perfectly natural to miss the creature comforts of our past lives: the beautiful blowouts and highlights we’d get at the salon, the perfectly polished fingernails we’d flaunt after a trip to the nail salon, and the clear and radiant skin we’d show off after an appointment with a aesthetician, and so on. But, in the large scheme of things, these are all indulgences that can (and should!) wait until health experts (and not politicians vying for votes!) deem it safe for us to engage in such activities.
In the meantime, you can indulge yourself from the comfort of your own home with some great beauty products that will help you create a spa-like experience. It may seem challenging, but it’s totally possible to keep your pretty — and maintain your sanity! —while under quarantine. In my latest “We Are Austin” segment, I chatted about pampering at-home beauty rituals and discussed some key products to help you give yourself some much-needed TLC. Check out the segment above or click here to view it on CBSAustin.com, then get more details on the products seen on air below!
SHEAMOISTURE CANNABIS SATIVA (HEMP) SEED OIL CALM & COMFORT BUBBLE BATH
Did you know that warm baths can actually improve your mood, promote relaxation, and lead to better sleep? A 2002 University of Wolverhampton study found that participants displayed an improved mood and more optimistic dispositions after taking a daily bath. Scientists speculate that, when our bodies are positioned horizontally and we’re immersed in a warm liquid, we subconsciously link our environment to the conditions we enjoyed in the womb, creating a sense of safety and allowing us to feel more vulnerable and open. So if you’ve scoffed at the notion that a bath could just help you unwind, now is the time to reconsider.
You can treat yourself and your skin to a lovely soak in the tub with the SheaMoisture Cannabis Sativa Hemp Seed Oil Calm & Comfort Bubble Bath ($9.99 at Target and ULTA.com).
This bubble bath not only helps you de-compress, but it also calms your skin, leaving it softer and smoother. It contains THC-free and CBD-free hemp seed oil, which is packed with essential fatty acids, antioxidants, and amino acids, along with soothing aloe and chamomile extracts. Plus, it has a slightly floral scent that’s fresh and delightful.
HERLA BEAUTY GOLD SUPREME ILLUMINATING BODY OIL
Once you’ve towel-dried your skin, you can pamper your skin further with this elegant body oil from HERLA Beauty, a clean, vegan, cruelty-free, PETA-approved skincare brand created by a grandmother and granddaughter.
The Herla Beauty Gold Supreme Illuminating Body Oil ($50 at HerlaBeauty.com) looks like liquid gold and its formula is just as precious, combining sweet almond oil, sunflower seed oil, Spanish lavender oil, and shea butter. Not only does the fast-absorbing, lightweight body oil moisturize, soften, and rejuvenate skin, but it accentuates one’s natural skin tone thanks to natural mineral pigments that bestow a dewy golden radiance. Every time I apply it, I feel like Shakira in the “Perro Fiel” music video — simply fabulous!
HERLA BEAUTY KAKADU PLUM DEEPLY HYDRATING AND REVITALIZING SLEEPING MASK
And to maximize your beauty sleep, reach for the HERLA Beauty Kakadu Plum Deeply Hydrating and Revitalizing Sleeping Mask ($45 at HerlaBeauty.com and Macys.com) and smooth it over your clean and dry complexion shortly before hitting the sack. The mask’s key ingredient is kakadu plum, an Australian citrus fruit that contains 50 times more vitamin C than a Florida orange. Because of its high vitamin C content, kakadu plum helps to brighten skin, fade dark spots and help yield a more even skin tone, and it stimulates collagen production, thereby leading to more supple and elastic skin.
The mask also contains baobab oil, which is known for its regenerative properties, and hyaluronic acid, which can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water and bind it to skin, resulting in a more moisturized and luminous complexion. Other ingredients such as raspberry, strawberry, kiwi, apple and papaya extracts further work to hydrate, plump, brighten, and reenergize skin.
PAUSE WELL-AGING FASCIA STIMULATING TOOL
You might be clinging to your jade roller, but it’s time to upgrade your beauty tool box with the Pause Well-Aging Fascia Stimulating Tool ($115 at PauseWellAging.com), an FDA-cleared device that improves elasticity and lifts facial contours. Kaen Kawahara, who has worked as the go-to makeup artist for Veep‘s Julia Louis-Dreyfus for 25 years, revealed that she used this tool on the comedienne before the 2020 Academy Awards. Similarly, Olivia Colman’s MUA relied on this innovative tool to massage her skin when creating her looks for the 2020 Golden Globes and Academy Awards.
Now, here’s what makes the Pause Fascia Stimulating Tool so unique: it’s specifically engineered to stimulate the collagen-producing cells known as fibroblasts located in fascia (the connective tissue below the skin). Why is this necessary? Well, estrogen is responsible for sending signals to fibroblasts to churn out more collagen and, as we age and estrogen levels decrease, those signals start getting a little fuzzy, leading to less collagen production. Collagen plays a key role in maintaining skin’s thickness, hydration, bounciness, and smoothness so, as we age, we need to stimulate those fibroblasts to ensure a steady flow of collagen.
To use, you want to first apply a moisturizer, then hold the tool at a 30 degree angle against your skin, using light pressure and a combination of long and slow strokes, then short and fast strokes, rotating the tool as you move from one area of the face to the other. You can use it on the forehead, cheeks, chin, neck and chest – massaging each area gently for about 30 seconds.
DR. DENNIS GROSS ALPHA BETA DAILY PEELS LIMITED EDITION 20th ANNIVERSARY TINS
Celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen, and Selena Gomez credit the Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Daily Peels with helping them achieve their radiant complexions. Each daily two-step daily treatment involves pre-moistened pads containing a combination of alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids that exfoliate and clarify, boost collagen production and promote cellular turnover, leading to brighter, smoother, and more youthful-looking skin.
This cult favorite product was introduced 20 years ago so, to celebrate its anniversary, Dr. Dennis Gross unveiled these Alpha Beta Daily Peels Limited Edition 20th Anniversary Tins ($88 at Sephora.com).
Each reusable tin contains 35 Daily Peels – that’s 5 more than what you’d typically get in a box. And with your purchase, you’ll be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a one-year supply of peels and a trip to New York City to meet with Dr. Gross, and Carrie receive a professional peel, and more.
CATRICE HD LIQUID COVERAGE FOUNDATION
You can put your best face forward on your next TikTok challenge video (or during your next Zoom session !) with the Catrice HD Liquid Coverage Foundation, which is the best quality foundation at an incredible value. It retails for just $10.99 at ULTA.com, but don’t let the price tag fool you! This ULTA top-rated foundation truly delivers, drawing comparisons to high-end foundations like the Fenty Pro Filt’r Foundation and the Estée Lauder Double Wear Foundation.
The paraben- and cruelty-free formula provides natural, full coverage that lasts up to 24 hours — and with 23 shades available, there’s a hue for absolutely everyone.
Through May 9th, you can enjoy 30% off that $10.99 price at ULTA.com so make sure to stock up while the sale is still going on!
BEAST BRANDS BALANCING FACE MASK
Want to have an at-home couples’ spa day? Look not further than Beast Brands, a unisex brand of personal care products made right here in the great state of Texas. You and your fella can detoxify your complexions with the Beast Brands Balancing Face Mask ($29 at GetBeast.com), which is made with kaolin clay and activated charcoal to draw out dirt, oil, and impurities, purifying skin, preventing and treating breakouts, and minimizing pore size. This mask also contains bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol that has amazing anti-aging properties.
BEAST BRANDS EXFOLIATING BODY SCRUB
If you’ve been working out more than ever during this time, you might also be noticing a little bacne. Or perhaps, due to the change in temperature and humidity levels, you may notice your elbows, knees, and heels feel a little rough and cracked. Well, worry not! You can go from ashy to classy in a flash with the Beast Brands Exfoliating Body Scrub, ($17.50 at GetBeast.com), which delivers next-level exfoliation. This body-buffing wash features heightened levels of volcanic lava rock, eucalyptus, menthol, peppermint, and green tea to detoxify, polish, and smooth skin while also giving it an exhilarating, invigorating tingle.
HELLO PRODUCTS NAKEDPASTE
Most dental offices are closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, but that doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your oral health or to just accept a life of stained, yellow-ish teeth. You can actually maintain a healthy, bright, beautiful smile at home with ease thanks to the new Hello Products Nakedpaste (15.99 at Target and Target.com), available in Activated Charcoal and Hemp Seed Oil. Housed in in a recyclable glass jar, the formula contains only clean and good-for-you ingredients like coconut oil, baking soda, activated charcoal, and tea tree oil to remove surface stains, eliminate, plaque and freshen your breath with farm-grown mint. The Activated Charcoal Nakedpaste is particularly useful when seeking a brighter smile thanks to a process called adsorption whereby the surface stains, food particles, toxins, and plaque lingering on teeth cling to the tiny holes (otherwise known as pores) naturally found in activated charcoal, adhering to them like metal bits to a magnet. When you rinse the Nakedpaste, then, you not only eliminate the charcoal but also all the impurities adhered to it. Fascinating, right?
And there’s a fun DIY element to using the Nakedpaste: first, you gently stir the paste with the spatula included, then scoop out a tiny bit, place it on your toothbrush, and get to work! Once you’ve emptied the jar, you can give it new life and upcycle it to your heart’s content — and who doesn’t need a great project right about now?
FOLIGAIN TRIPLE ACTION HAIR CARE SYSTEM FOR WOMEN
These are anxious times so, if you feel like you’re shedding way more hair than usual, it may not be your overactive imagination. After all, stress is one of the main culprits behind hair tinning and hair loss. To keep your mane healthy and voluminous, then, it’s key to prioritize scalp health — and you can easily do so with Foligain. Only Foligain contains Trioxidil, a triple-action complex with botanical bio-actives that promote scalp and hair health while also giving strands more fullness and body.
The clinically-proven Foligain Triple Action Hair Care System for Women is comprised of a gentle shampoo, a volume-boosting and shine-enhancing conditioner, and a scalp serum that contains 10% Trioxidil and powerful peptides.
Once daily, after shampooing and conditioning, you want to apply 4 sprays of the serum directly to the scalp, focusing on any problem areas, then massage with your fingertips and leave the serum on for at least four hours. You can leave it in indefinitely if you so wish but, if you do want to wash your strands at some point after the treatment, make sure at least four hours have elapsed so you can truly reap the benefits of the serum.
The products can be purchased separately (or as part of the 3-piece Travel Set shown above) at HEB and HEB.com . The full-sized Shampoo and Conditioner retail for $20.55 each, while the Scalp Serum is $27.50, and the 3-Piece Travel Set is $35.
BARE ORGANICS ENERGIZING COFFEE WITH SUPERFOODS & ENERGIZING TEA WITH SUPERFOODS
If you’re feeling a little sluggish and having a hard time focusing on your work-from-home tasks or on enforcing your kids’ distance learning curriculum, you can get an energy boost with these great options from BareOganics.
The BareOrganics Energizing Coffee with Superfoods is a fair-trade medium roast coffee that’s infused with probiotics, superfoods and adaptogens, while the Energizing Tea with Superfoods is a blend of organic black tea infused with probiotics, superfoods like maca and ginger, and tasty spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and vanilla bean.
Both offerings feature USDA certified organic ingredients and they’re non-GMO, and gluten-free. Each box contains 12 cups that are compatible with most single serve brewing systems and are recyclable, resulting in less overall waste.
Each of these is $12.99 at HEB and Sprouts stores
