Anew Clean Affordable and Effective Cleansing Brush

Introducing Anew Clean!

The new Anew Clean line of cleansing products offers an affordable cleansing routine to make sure your skin is fresh and free of impurities every single day.

I've been using the cleansing brush every day for a few weeks now, and I can say that it really does make a huge difference. I used to wash my face with just my hands (I never did like using washcloths), and I love using the cleansing brush because its so much easier, and I really know it is cleaning my skin thoroughly. (5x better than hands alone!)

There are three cleanser options to use along with the cleansing brush: cream cleanser and mask, rich cleansing foam and gel cleanser. Choose a cleanser to match your skin type.

Additional cleanser options, such as the incredible micellar water, give even more options for specific cleansing needs.

Check out my YouTube video about the Anew Clean line!

Let's Talk Lavender!

Lavender is a purple flowering plant that is known to provide medicinal properties in a variety of forms. The scent of lavender can be calming and relaxing. The lavender essential oil is used as treatments. Adding lavender to topical skin creams will help soothe skin issues, heal dry skin and help with itchiness.

The Lavender Overnight Cream gives your feet intense, overnight moisture to make them feel soft and smooth. Lavender plus cocoa and Shea butters soften skin and relieve dry feet issues.

Lavender Clay Mask is a real, at home spa treatment for your feet. If your feet are in bad shape: scaly, peeling, rough or cracked, the lavender clay mask works to help severe feet issues. Apply the mask, allow it to dry, then rinse clean. The mask exfoliates with sloughing micro beads, leaving feet soft.

Lavender Softening Balm is an ultra emollient balm that smooths and moisturizes rough feet. The softening balm will massage into skin, hydrate dry rough patches, and leave feet feeling soft.

Lavender 3-in-1 Pampering Oil is an excellent oil treatment for hands and feet. This oil is great to add to a foot soak to help moisturize dry feet and relax tired foot muscles. It dilutes and disperses well in water. The oil can be used straight from the bottle as a cuticle oil for fingers and toes. Use for a foot massage to nourish skin and relax. Three uses in one: foot soak, cuticle oil, and massage oil!

Enter to win my June Beauty Giveaway, which includes the Lavender Overnight Cream, nail polish and a pedicure tool.

Giveaway: footworks Lavender Overnight Cream, Gel Finish and Pedicure tool.

Skincare Game Changers: 3 Leading Skincare Solutions

Avon recently introduced three cutting-edge skincare products: Vitamin C serum, AHA refining cream, and extra strength retexturizing peel. This adds to our already innovative line of Anew Clinical treatment products. These game changers can truly make a difference in your at home skincare treatments.

If the sun and other aggressive environmental factors have damaged your skin, these three products will work to minimize that skin damage, repair collagen and make your facial skin look brighter and smoother!

AHA

Alpha Hydroxy Acid is an anti-aging staple, used to improve the look and feel of aging skin. AHA Refining Cream improves skin texture, reduces fine lines, and works to reverse photo damage from the sun. (Wear sunscreen while using this product). AHA is specifically designed to help increase collagen. 

Vitamin C

Vitamin C helps skin is an antioxidant to protect skin from environment damage works to make skin look smoother and clearer, fights inflammation and irritation, and contributes to skin healing. The Vitamin C Brightening Serum has 10% vitamin C to fight damage from the sun, pollution or other skin aggressors like smoking.

At home chemical peel

The Extra Strength Rexturizing Peel pads retexturize your skin for a smoother look. 5 acids, including glycolic acid, hyaluranic acid, and salicylic acid, combine to fight sun spots, fine lines and the texture caused by acne. (Wear sunscreen while using this product). Natural ingredients include cucumber, pineapple, papaya, honey and aloe. This is a highly concentrated at home peel that will deliver big results!

Hair Removal Cream To The Rescue

For whatever reasons, many people choose to remove facial hair. Men typically shave their facial hair if they don't want beards, but shaving for women is often not the best choice. The other ways to remove facial hair are waxing, lasers, electrolysis and creams.

Facial hair removal creams are actually pretty hard to come by. I don't usually go to Google first thing, but I didn't know much about hair removal creams and wanted to see what was out there.

So I Googled "facial hair removal cream". Surprisingly, Avon Skin So Soft came up first with the highest review ranking.

There are other hair removal creams: underarm, bikini, and leg depilatories. But those are often too strong for the sensitive facial areas like the upper lip, where facial hair tends to be a problem. So choosing a hair removal cream that is specifically for facial areas - or even better! specifically for sensitive skin - will help reduce the sensitivity.

How To Use Facial Hair Removal Cream:

1. Apply a thick coat to completely cover the area where you want hair removed. 
2. Wait several minutes. (Test an area after 2 minutes and do not exceed 8 minutes)
3. Wipe the cream off with a bit of pressure, using a cotton pad. 
4. Rinse the remaining cream with water and pat dry.
5. Moisturize the area with a facial moisturizer.

Avon Facial Hair Removal Creams:

SSS facial hair removal cream

SSS sensitive skin facial hair removal cream

Avon Hair Removal Creams:

SSS body hair removal cream

SSS sensitive skin body hair removal cream

SSS sensitive skin bikini line hair removal cream

3 FootWorks Products That Actually Help Muscle Aches and Joint Pain

Every day, I push myself. From the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep, I push. I wake up with pain and stiffness. Often, my body doesn't want to cooperate. My joints ache, and sometimes my hands and fingers will involuntarily curl up in achy spasms. By midday, I am taking Tylenol just to get through the day. Fatigue sets in. And often, by the end of the day, my legs hurt and burn so much that my only choice is to lay down, exhausted. I push on. I am a teacher during the day, run my beauty business as a side hustle, and a full time mom. Plus, sometimes, just sometimes, I like to do things, like, hike, go out to eat or visit museums.

I don't usually share my physical issues, and I'm pretty sure 99% of the people that meet me don't think there is anything wrong. But I know, I KNOW, I'm not the only one. So many people that I care about push through their daily lives in discomfort or agony. So many people are exhausted, achy, in pain, or just not feeling able to fully enjoy life. And the whole time they pretend that there is nothing wrong. It took me a long time to realize that not everyone actually felt like this! I thought everyone had fatigue during the day. Nope. Most people actually go through their days without pain, without challenges. Who knew, right? :|

If you live with arthritis, lupus, ankylosing spondylitis or fibromyalgia, you know the constant struggle to make your body feel good.

There are many invisible physical illnesses that affect our ability to function, affect our daily health, and we need ways to combat the symptoms. Rheumatoid diseases, such as arthritis, lupus, and ankylosing spondylitis sufferers are also more likely to have fibromyalgia as well.

When I realized that FootWorks had products that could help soothe arthritis and muscle pain issues, I have to admit - I was skeptical. This was constant achiness. There wasn't a topical that could help!

First, let's talk about the active ingredients in some of these helpful products. 

• Methyl salicilate can bring some comfort for fibromyalgia.
• Glucosamine and chondroitin as a topical can relieve joint pain. * 
• Peppermint is an essential oil frequently used for both arthritis and fibro muscle pain for pain relief and increased circulation. 
• Lidocaine is a topical anesthetic (analgesic). 

* In 2003, there was a double blind study done, and the result was that "in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, a topical cream containing glucosamine sulphate, chondroitin sulphate, and camphor was more effective than placebo for relieving joint pain." Source: http://ebm.bmj.com/content/8/5/154.full

Three specific FootWorks products that can help with symptoms of arthritis, fibromyalgia and other chronic joint and muscle pain.

Foot Works Healthy Peppermint Reviving Leg Gel
Lightweight gel. Infused with Peppermint Oil. Revives, refreshes and soothes.

What I think: This product was released in 2015, and it has made a WORLD of difference! Nearly every evening (and some mornings) I have what I call achy legs: burning, aching, tired muscles that start in my thighs and work down to cramping in my feet. This peppermint gel actually, seriously, yaaasss helps! It truly does. If you have any kind of muscle achy type feelings, try this peppermint leg gel.

Foot Works Healthy Arthritis Achy Foot & Muscle Cream
Keep feet feeling healthy with this intensive cream that provides penetrating pain relief for sore muscles. Contains glucosamine & chondroitin to soothe arthritis pain.
METHYL SALICYLATE 25.0%
GLUCOSAMINE HCL
SODIUM CHONDROITIN SULFATE

What I think: This is a wonderful cream for joint flareups. Using this on a painful knee, shoulder or other joints can actually give almost immediate joint relief while you are waiting for the painkiller to kick in. This can be used anywhere on the body, not just on the feet as the name says! Any joint will benefit from the glucosamine and chondroitin ingredients, and the methyl salicylate ingredient is immediately soothing for muscle aches.

Foot Works Healthy Maximum Strength Cracked Heel Cream
Put the bounce back into your step with Foot Works Healthy Maximum Strength Cracked Heel Cream. The non-greasy formula repairs cracked and dry feet. Stop suffering from calluses by using this softening foot cream. This healing cream contains antiseptic and acts as an analgesic to soothe your pain and heel your feet even faster!
LIDOCAINE 4.00%
BENZALKONIUM CHLORIDE 0.13%

What I think: I react to the lidocaine in this, so I have to rely on what others say for this one. This can be used on areas other than the feet, but because of it's strength it is recommended for thicker problem areas, like cracked heels. But I know people with arthritis in their hands use this as a hand cream and that it makes a huge difference!

Fierce Foundations: Primer, Liquid, Cream, Cream to Powder, Powder

Foundation is an important piece of our beauty routines because it creates a smooth appearance, where color and accentuation can be added. Foundation helps to protect our skin, especially if it contains SPF, and it can act as a base for contouring and blush color. The type of foundation you choose is based on a few factors: preferred look and feel, coverage, and makeup goals (for example, natural look versus full glam).

Primer

Why do we even use primer? Well, primer does a few very important things: it fills in lines and creates a clean surface to begin the makeup artistry, it smooths your skin and allows foundation to blend, tinted primers and color correctors can help reduce discoloration, and primer helps to lock in moisture.

MagiX Face Perfector is a colorless primer that smooths your foundation application, and offers SPF 20. Follow up with your favorite foundation.

Liquid

Ideal Flawless Invisible Coverage gives complete coverage while still feeling lightweight and natural. Contains SPF 15, and comfortable to wear all day. This foundation smooths skin texture, and helps skin feel moisturized. 21 shades and Invisiblend Technology make skin matching easy!

Anew Age-Transforming is a full coverage liquid foundation with the added benefits of Anew skincare technology. Using this foundation helps to minimize the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, pores and age spots. 14 shades.

BB Beauty Balm Cream is lightweight liquid foundation, almost like a moisturizer. The BB cream is hydrating, with lightweight coverage and SPF 15 protection. 5 shades.

CC Color Corrector Cream is perfect for pigment issues, including uneven skin tone, redness, or dark spots on your skin. The CC also has powerful sun protection with SPF 50. 5 shades.

Cream 

The Anew Age-Transforming 2-in-1 Compact has delicious creamy foundation, with added aging ingredients in a delightful swirl. Easy to apply, with medium coverage, this foundation is infused with Anew Serum anti-aging technology for younger looking skin. I do recommend a translucent powder to set for a matte finish. 8 shades.

Cream to Powder

Extra Lasting Cream To Powder Foundation is an amazing time saver. It is so quick and easy to apply this creamy compact which turns to a soft powdery matte finish. SPF 15, comfortable and lightweight. 21 shades.

Ideal Flawless Cream To Powder offers Invisiblend Technology like it's liquid counterpart, to help you find your perfect match. Medium to full coverage, that is easy to apply with the compact that goes on creamy and and finishes powdery. 21 shades.

Powder

Loose or Pressed, Ideal Flawless Powder is the perfect finish. Matte coverage to set your liquid or cream foundation, or use directly over your moisturizer. 10 shades.

Smooth Minerals is the best choice for an easy natural look. Use your daily moisturizer (with SPF, of course) and set with this lightweight, medium coverage powder foundation. Pure mineral pigments provide amazing color coverage, or choose translucent to set a liquid foundation. 12 shades.

Types of Facial Cleansers

Liquid/Gel

Liquid/gel based facial cleanser is simple and effective. It usually comes in a pump, and when combined with water, will work into a lather. Acne cleansers often come in a liquid or gel form, but include acne fighting ingredients such as salicylic acid or benzoyl peroxide.

Cream

Cream facial cleansers have a thick consistency. There are foaming cream cleansers that can be applied to damp skin and then rinsed off. There are also cold cream cleansers that can be applied and wiped off with a soft, damp cloth. Cream cleansers are not recommended for oily skin.

Bar

Bar soaps that are specifically designed for facial use are the best choice. Other bar soaps are going to be too drying for the facial skin. The Neutrogena original transparent facial bar is the most well known facial bar soap product. The biggest clue that the bar soap is too drying is if your face feels tight after you have cleansed. To counter this, moisturize immediately and avoid using that particular bar soap.

Cleansing Cloth

My personal favorite, the cleansing cloth is a disposable fiber based cloth that is immersed in a cleansing liquid. When pulled from the package, the cloth has moisture and can be used to gently cleanse the face. However, it is important to rinse with water to remove all of the dirt and oil that was loosened with the cleansing cloth.

Scrub/Exfoliant

Scrubs and exfoliants contain physical ingredients that exfoliate the skin to slough off contaminants and dead skin cells. There are scrubs and exfoliant products such as crushed or powdered fruit or nut seeds, salts, sugars, sands, oatmeal, seaweed, and microbeads (plastic). There are also chemical exfoliants that use acids or other chemicals. Exfoliants are great for the skin when used once a week, for example. Daily use is simply too abrasive.

Toner

Toners come in varying degrees of strength, from rosewater refreshing toners to alcohol based astringents. Many dermatologists suggest that using alcohol based "toners" (or astringents) are actually very damaging to the skin, causing severe dehydration. However, a rosewater or similar tonic can have positive contributions to your skin care routine, including balancing pH levels and managing oil on your skin.

Mask

Masks are so quintessentially spa, with the image of a delicious product slathered all over our face while we relax comfortably to the sound of running water or crystally new age music. There are also an infinite number of types of masks, including clay, cream, dry and peel, warmed, and cream or gel. Each of these could have a myriad of ingredients targeting specific skin concerns, so it is important to identify the purpose of the mask and follow directions carefully. There is even a new trend of multimasking where different masks are applied to different areas of the face to address multiple concerns simultaneously. That said, masks can really be wonderful tools when you have to freshen your facial skin for a big event, or manage a specific issue with some frequency.

Brush

The brush. It was the newest thing in skin care a few years ago, and you either love it or you hate it. The facial cleansing brush is motorized, and the brushes help to slough dead skin cells, reduce acne and increase blood circulation.

DIY Spa Day

I could use a relaxing spa day EVERY day. The fact is, I can barely manage some spa treatment time for me every few months. If I'm lucky. And the planets align.

When I do have an opportunity for relaxing spa time, you bet your pretty petunias I'm going to take advantage of that! My problem is, there is no way I could afford GOING to a spa. I mean a facial alone can be well over $100. There is most definitely a way I can recreate the spa experience myself and for much less.

Be prepared to spend some time alone, bathing and pampering yourself!

	Spa Treatment	Products I Recommend
Face	Brightening Facial: A facial mask will invigorate and hydrate your face, bringing back a healthy glow and helping you relax and recover from stress.	Clearskin® Pore Penetrating Black Mineral Mask $6.99 OR Planet Spa Amazonian Treasures Hydrating Face Mask with Brazilian Acai and Berries $10 Spa Cost: $100+
	Facial Hair Treatment: Remove unwanted facial hair with a cream or a wax.	Skin So Soft Fresh & Smooth Moisturizing Facial Hair Removal Cream $6 OR  Skin So Soft Fresh & Smooth Moisturizing Facial Wax Strip Kit $12 Spa Cost: $15-$30+
Body	Exfoliate: Use a body scrub to exfoliate skin, and refresh your body.	Planet Spa Perfectly Purifying With Dead Sea Minerals Body Scrub $12  Spa Cost: $50+
	Moisturize: Enrich and restore your skin with a soothing moisturizer, like a body lotion or oil.	Skin So Soft body lotions and oils - so many solutions and scents to choose from! $5 to $15  Spa Cost: $50+

Hands	Manicure: File your nails, care for your cuticles and polish with a trendy color.	Nailwear Pro+ Nail Enamel $6 Spa Cost: $25+
	Moisturize: Massage a lotion into the dry skin on your fingers and hands.	My personal favorite! Moisture Therapy Intensive Healing & Repair Hand Cream $5 Spa Cost: $10+
Feet	Pedicure: Trim your toenails, and color them with a made to last gel polish.	Gel Finish 7-in-1 Nail Enamel $7  Spa Cost: $35+
	Smooth: Rub in a hydrating foot cream.	Foot Works Beautiful Deep Moisturizing Cream $5 &   Spa Cost: $20+

Total cost for all of that pampering at a spa? Starting at $320, and could be much more depending on the spa!

Total cost if you do it in the comfort of your home? $75, and you can use the same products again next time you need a spa day! Check out my DIY Spa Day Pinterest board.