AT-HOME SPA SPRING BOUQUET ~ PART TWO

If you haven’t already done so, make sure to read “At-Home Spa Spring Bouquet Part One”. In this article I focus on aspects of transitioning from winter into spring, while my product reviews also focus on their suitability for creating an at-home spa experience. In Part One, I also provide some “tips” on ways to achieve and create your own special space to spa at-home, as well as “tips” on seasonal change. And just as relevant as are Parts One and Two to these “themes”, another must-read is my “Spring Transitional Tips” which provides some additional how-to advice on how to maximize transitioning into this lovely new season. Lastly, be on the lookout for my detailed guide on “How To Spa At-Home”, which further provides how-to advice on ways to achieve the spa at-home experience without much effort or cost.


The excitement in using many of the products I’ve reviewed is that luxuries need not be that costly, making your at-home spa experience more of a reality. Given the protracted economic concerns we all have, frugality doesn’t have to mean deprivation. Enjoy my spring bouquet as you spa at home!

~ PRODUCT REVIEWS ~

Aveda ~ Limited edition Aveda Spring/Summer 2012 Sea Blossoms Makeup Collection for face, eyes and lips, is perfect for welcoming the new season after winter’s end. The color palettes are reminiscent of a water-colored landscape and balmy sea breeze washing. The natural earth-gentle colors complement most skin tones with a delicate hint of the fresh new season’s best. Petal Essence Face Accents in Shimmer Shell, a trio of shell tones, adds a subtle hint of bronze, highlight and blush to the face; can be worn individually, or for a customized look, blend all three with the sweep of the handy applicator; adds a hint of fresh shimmer to the face. Petal Essence Eye Color Trio comes in two different color families; the Violet Coast pallet offers matte colors of subtle lavender, neutral gray and violet-petal purple; Sea Grass palette includes matte colors of muted sand, shell brown and sea green. Nourish-Mint Smoothing Lip Color comes in two beautiful plumping, super-hydrating and smoothing colors; Oyster Pink gives hint of natural color, and Star Coral gives a slightly intense subtle rose color; lastly, there’s Nourish-Mint Rehydrating Lip Glaze in Coral Sea, a peachy tone, and Beach Thistle, a violet pastel. Both products plumped and hydrated lips while leaving a hint of shine. Hydration properties of the Makeup Collection included jasmine, geranium and orchid emollient waxes and organic fruit oils, which gently moisturized delicate skin. The subtle colors were fade and crease-proof. My new spring/summer look was beautiful, fresh and healthy.

DermaQuest Skin Therapy ~ DermaQuest’s new K-Q10 Firming Cream, part of their Age Management targeted line, is rich and dense, so a little goes a long way. Some of the anti-age ingredients included Omega 3 and 6, matrixyl (a peptide) and Co-Enzyme Q10. The product was quickly absorbed without leaving any greasy or tacky residue. However, while I enjoyed how the product hydrated my skin and levels of hydration were maintained throughout the day, I didn’t like the aroma; fortunately, the aroma quickly dissipated once the product was applied.

Dr. Brandt ~ Dr. Brandt, a renowned physician and expert in the field of dermatology, is also an innovator of effective cosmeceuticals prized by celebrities and wannabes. Although I’ve never tried any of his products until now, I was impressed with their gentle effectiveness. I tried Lineless Cream with Age-Inhibitor Complex, Time Arrest Crème with Age Reversing Platinum Technology, and V-Zone Neck Cream with Age Reversing Platinum Technology. Overall: All three products were gentle, non-irritating, easy to apply, and were quickly absorbed without leaving any tacky or greasy residue. Hydration levels were also maintained throughout the day and accumulative effects were noticeable, especially skin’s firmness and elasticity. Product consistency: The Lineless Cream had a soufflé-like consistency and was tinted. I’m not a fan of any tinted moisturizers because the tints usually don’t complement my natural skin tone and often conflict with my makeup foundation or powder base. The Time Arrest and V-Zone products both had denser consistencies. Overall aroma: The Lineless Cream and Time Arrest had a subtle, pleasant lavender aroma from lavender oil, while the V-Zone’s predominant aroma was sour-from glycolic acid/aha. Key ingredients: The Lineless Cream and Time Arrest are based on the proprietary Age-Inhibitor Complex. Time Arrest and the V-Zone are additionally based on another proprietary complex, Age Reversing Platinum Technology. The website includes a very extensive listing of each product’s ingredients.

Jane Iredale ~ Just in time to welcome the new season is the iconic brand’s Feeling Alive Collection of fresh sun-influenced colors for face, eyes and lips. The beautiful collection includes Rose Dawn Bronzer, a color-quad of hues that go from cool pink to bronze tones, adding just the right amount of color to an all-over face highlighter wash, or use colors individually to create a customized face glow; colors are also suitable to color eyes; won’t irritate. Eye Gloss in Pink Silk and Aqua Silk; these liquid colors can be worn alone or combined to make a personal and dramatic seasonal statement. Just Kissed Lip Plumper in Rio and L.A.; Rio gives a lovely rosy-brown hint of color and L.A., imparts a lovely hint of pink; ingredients that drenched my lips with moisture include avocado oil, jojoba oil, lemon and tangerine oil, green tea, grapeseed, vitamins A and E, and shea butter. Lip Definer pencil in Pink gives just the right amount of color outline to lips before the Lip Plumper fill, or can be used as an all-over lip color; the non-drying formula and easy glide is due to ingredients like jojoba oil, mango seed oil, meadowfoam oil, macadamia oil, shea butter, and vitamins A and E. Each product’s colors remained throughout the day without drying, fading or creasing. The colors were beautiful, and enhanced my fair skin tone with a lovely healthy glow.

Jergens ~ Whenever I see this iconic brand name, which has been a mainstay for women since 1901, I think of my mother and aunts who used the delicious smelling Original Scent Dry Skin Moisturizer (cherry-almond) to soften their skin; the product is still available. Over the years, this brand has introduced many new products to cater to the needs of people all over the world with different skincare needs and who wanted effective products at reasonable prices. One of their newer varieties is their Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer, which is formulated with hydrating and healing ingredients that include glycerin, and a vitamin “cocktail” of C, E and B5. I enjoyed using the product; it was quickly absorbed without leaving any greasy or tacky residue; it also soothed a few of my irritated and patchy dry areas; and, its subtle aroma was pleasant and fresh. My winter-dry skin was left hydrated and supple throughout the day.

Thymes ~ A favorite brand for all-things body and home and one of my favorite lines, offers an impressive array of seasonal and timeless favorites. Just in time for spring, I tried a few of their seasonal must-haves, including their Azur Body Lotion, Eucalyptus Hand Wash and Hand Lotion Sink Set, and Lavender Aromatic Candle. Keeping with the theme of spring’s green freshness, these delicate aromas aptly depict the scents of the season. The Thymes website categorizes its product collections by fragrance profiles; the profiles include citrus, green, floral, aromatic, oriental, gourmand and woody; each category is broken down to reflect the dominant and sub-family fragrance notes, making it easier to zero-in on fragrance preferences. The products I tried are appropriate for this new season. The Body Lotion was deeply hydrating; hydration levels remained throughout the day; healing and hydrating ingredients include shea butter, Evening Primrose oil, vitamins A and E, sea kelp and other marine extracts and minerals, and glycerin; it’s aroma is uplifting, fresh and green. The Eucalyptus Sink Set was wonderful to use in my kitchen; the Hand Wash wasn’t drying and left skin feeling smooth; the Hand Lotion was exceptional; ingredients include shea butter, eucalyptus leaf oil, lemon peel oil, lime oil, tangerine leaf oil, aloe, honey, and vitamins A and E; product quickly absorbed without leaving any greasy or tacky residue; hydration levels were maintained throughout the day; subtle aroma was uplifting, fresh and green; includes a stainless steel caddy and is ideal in the kitchen or lavatory. The Lavender Candle burned clean; its lovely aroma of lavender, rosewood, clary sage and violet leaf defined the freshness of the new season.

~ SPA BITS ~ THE LATEST INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS ~

Got Sun ~ Get Spa…head to the renowned Bliss Spa at award-winning W Fort Lauderdale (FL) for al fresco de-stressing poolside…a special spa menu of therapies that include massages, scrubs, facials and nail care perfect for the busy multi-tasker who hurriedly left home for the sun and oops, forgot getting spa tweaked…some of the witty indulgences include ~ head over heels in ‘scrub’, not so ‘up-tight’, the cold shoulder, ‘sun’-believably younger, ‘saving’ face, poolside paint job and the ‘sole’ shebang…it’s all there, sun, spa and fun…http://www.wfortlauerdalehotel.com

Any Space ~ Any Gym…fitness guru Melissa Paris offers realistic workouts that can be finessed into anyone’s schedule, regardless of their locale…a certified personal trainer, she’s the go-to-guru for inspiration and realistic workouts for those of all fitness levels...her website is a comprehensive resource for beginners and the advanced…downloadable fitness routines are also included…http://www.melissaparisfitness.com

Eat By Color ~ Optimize Health…Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has launched its Color Your Plate, which expands upon the brand’s innovative approach to guest fitness…in 2007, Sheraton partnered with Core Performance in offering guests a comprehensive fitness and nutrition options for guests...the Sheraton Fitness, Programmed by Core Performance has been very successful...this new program will feature 500 calorie or less dining options of well-balanced vibrant colored food choices…http://www/sheraton.com/fitness

Experience the Season…Four Seasons Hotel Chicago has announced their new Spa Menu…included is a Seasonal Pedicure, complete with Mint Julep and a keepsake pair of Havaianas flip-flops, and the launch of a Resculpturing Facial featuring popular Circ-Cell Skin Care…also added are the Vintage Bourbon Massage and the Men’s Bourbon Retreat, a hand and foot therapy…the bourbon-based treatments include a taste of a signature single-barrel bourbon in the hotel’s trendy Allium Bar…http://www.fourseasons.com/chicagofs

Global Spa Minds Congregate…The Global Spa & Wellness Summit (GSWS) convenes for their annual prestigious meeting of the minds event June 3-6 at the Aspen Institute…the GSWS attracts the movers, shakers and thinkers in the industry…global delegates meet once a year to delve into the latest research, trends, while strategizing on the imaginative and innovative that will continue to define and refine all that is spa…http://www.globalspaandwellnesssumit.org

Midwest Spa Minds Congregate…Face & Body Spa Conference & Expo Midwest held it’s annual event this past March 3-5 at Chicago’s McCormick Place West…the show was co-located with America’s Beauty Show (ABS)…I attended both shows…the Face & Body Expo was a much larger show than last year’s, including more exhibitors and attendees…according to show organizers, Allured Business Media, attendance for the Expo had an increase of 73% in attendance…there were eighty-three exhibitors presenting the industry’s best in product, equipment and services…attendees at both events were able to attend each others event…the ABS event was all hair and nail…ABS was loud and very high energy and entering the Expo confines was a Zen-like experience…serene and quiet…I’m looking forward to next year’s Expo and taking in the best the spa industry has to offer in skin and body care, beauty, equipment and technology…next year’s event is March 9-11, 2013…http://www.faceandbody.com

Lastly, be sure to visit each product website and checkout the full range of their product line. Many of these websites also include how-to videos, tips, trends and related. If you’re on Facebook or Twitter, most of these brands and properties also have individual pages for you to follow. Enjoy welcoming in the new season as you dabble in the products, colors, and trends, and read about about the latest industry happenings.

That’s it for this edition. Until the next one, enjoy the transitions of the seasons, and remember to take care of yourself and those around you.

By Terry Herman

Terry Herman is a recognized expert in the industry, and regularly covers issues that include business, management, operations, customer care, treatments, products, and trends. In addition to writing and reviewing, she is also a management consultant and motivational speaker. She also serves on EXPERIENCE | PREMCHIT Journeys In Retreat To Wellness Advisory Board, which is comprised of ten international experts in various fields of wellness and spa. She also serves as a Group Manager for the popular LinkedIn group, The Spa Buzz. You can email her at terry_h60559@yahoo.com.

ALL MATERIALS COPYRIGHT PROTECTED

(Photo credits as represented from the specific brand. Introductory photo from the Morton Arboretum website; “a garden path with respite bench”; Lisle, IL.)