Something EVERY GAL should have in her Shower

Something that EVERY gal should have in her shower is a foot paddle/Pumice Stone. Giving the soles of your feet a quick 30-second scrub near the end of your shower, is a sure fire way to keep your feet in beautiful shape without having to book an appointment at the nail salon.

Just because it's winter-time, doesn't mean you should neglect your feet! It's much easier to KEEP them in great shape, than it is to fight at the last minute when spring arrives to get them there!

I think most beauty companies make them, so they are pretty easy to find. Your drugstore's nail aisle will have at least 2 or 3 brands of foot paddles for sale. The Body Shop makes them, Origins makes them, but the BEST ones are probably the ones you find at Beauty Supply stores, like the Dannyco brand foot paddles. Even a good ole Pumice Stone will do!

A good wooden foot paddle should last you quite some time, but even if you spring for one of the less expensive ones at your drug store, you will keep your footsies looking great!

Near the end of your shower, scrub the soles of your feet - paying close attention to the area on the balls of your feet, the bottom and sides of your big toes, and the heels. Feel for rough spots with your free hand, then gently massage them away with your foot paddle.

Also, when you are at the nail salon, DO NOT EVER let the manicurists take a razor blade to the soles of your feet. Shaving off the skin, makes it grow back thicker! It's less work for them to shave it vs. buffing it, so naturally they shave it! DO NOT let them!

Some of my favorite foot paddles include the wooden ones from Origins, Dannyco, and the cheapie Life Brand ones from Shoppers Drug Mart! Whatever you do, do not use the foot cutters that are disguised as foot paddles. Revlon just came out with one that even has a "Catch Basin" area, where the dead skin that is cut off is contained until you empty it out into the trash. YUCK!
Remember...CUTTING your skin will make it grow back thicker. So do your feet a favour, and buff away the dead skin in the shower with a handy foot paddle instead!

REVIEW: Philips SatinPerfect Epilator HP6570

I have been registered with BzzAgent.com for a few years now, and have reviewed various products for them...come to think of it, I think all of it has been food! FINALLY I received a vanity-related product to review. I was both excited and extremely nervous!

Most girls know what an epilator is...and the thought of it is mildly nerve-wrecking. It sounds painful and...dangerous!

If you dont know what an epilator is; it's an electronic device with a number of "pincers" attached...imagine 100 tweezers, constantly picking and plucking at your hairs, pulling them out by the root. These "pincers" are on a rotating device. Sounds scary, doesnt it?

The idea of epilating is very appealing. All girls I know want to remove their hairs by the root; it leaves you smoother, longer; hair grows back thinner and finer; and therefore stubble is reduced. But we're just afraid of the pain!

When I received my Philips SatinPerfect Epilator in the mail, I was VERY excited! I quickly opened up the box to read the instruction manual and to see what came with it!

The Epilator itself is pretty! It's white and shiny, with a pretty design around the On/Off button, an adapter (it doesnt run on batteries, only when plugged in), 2 additional performance caps, and the instruction manual.

So I turned it on. It sounded SCARY! It wasnt loud, but it wasnt quiet either. The ceramic tweezers whirred around and around. I held my breath, closed my eyes, and....placed the machine against my leg.

You are supposed to slowly run the epilator against the growth, up your leg, while your free hand pulls your skin up. It's kind of like when you are getting waxed...pulling your skin taut. Please dont skip this step, as it really helps your hairs to stand up and therefore make it easier to remove your hair, and it minimizes the pain you feel!

I have to be honest...at first it HURT! It was not an unbearable pain. It was definitely bearable, and with each stroke it actually hurt less and less. After a minute or two, it almost didnt hurt anymore! (the exception being the inside of my legs, below the knee - holy sensitive!)

My legs had not been shaved for about 2 or 3 days prior to my first use of the Philips SatinPerfect Epilator, so it was juuuust below an optimal level of hair growth, but it still pulled out a significant percentage of the hairs on my legs! I used it again the next day to remove some more hair.

I placed paper towels under my legs to catch the hair as it was falling...I wanted to see if it was breaking any hairs. And I couldnt believe it...not ONE SINGLE HAIR was broken - they had all been pulled out at the root! And my fear of being pinched or cut was completely unfounded - I didn't receive a single cut or pinch while using the Philips SatinPerfect Epilator.

Right now, I am not entirely hair-free, there is a tiny bit of stubble; these are the hairs that are just growing in. I will use it again tomorrow to remove some more hair. Even in the manual it said that the first few times you use it will be to remove growth that is coming in at different times. Based on the other reviews I read, women reported less of their hair coming in and with less stubble! I definitely look forward to that!

The beauty with this device is that if you are in need of wearing a skirt and cant let your hair grow for another day or two before epilating, you can just shave it off for the day...then let it re-grow before epilating!

One of the things I love about epilating as a form of hair removal is that you arent ripping off your skin, so ingrown hairs will be less of a concern! I still recommend you scrub well in the shower to minimize their occurence!

In the instruction manual, they recommend you use the SatinPerfect Epilator in the evening. You might get some redness, and if you do it at night, the redness will have disappeared by the morning.

I will continue to use this product as a means of hair removal for my legs! I'll definitely update you all again to let you know if my hair grows in more softly, what the stubble situation is, if I get ingrown hairs, etc.

I have to tell you though... so far, this has been an AWESOME product and I am so happy that I signed up with BzzAgent to review this epilator! At first I was PETRIFIED of this method of hair removal! I am soooo happy I tried it....and I think you should too!

I have $10 off coupons that are valid only in Canada. If you want to try this product and want a coupon, leave a comment with your email address and Ill get your address to mail it to you!

REVIEW: Yes to Cumbers! Shampoo & Conditioner

The good folks over at YES TO CARROTS came out with a shampoo and conditioner for those of us who want to protect hair colour from fading. So they came out with YES TO CUCUMBERS Shampoo and Conditioner (along with facial cleansing cloths, eye cream, masks, etc).

Because I absolutely adored the YES TO CARROTS shampoo and conditioner, I was really excited to try this one as well! The ingredients differed a little bit, there seemed to be less of the Dead Sea Mineral Mud as it was lower down on the ingredient list, but maybe thats just the way it appeared... either way, there was also Green Tea and all its antioxidants, Cucumber with its Vitamins A & C, Aloe Vera to hydrate, and its star ingredient, Centaurea Extract; a powerful ingredient that protects color-treated hair yet brightens and prevents brassiness.

That sounds really awesome.

It is a lovely shampoo and conditioner, I gotta say. But does it compare to the YES TO CARROTS? Not even close.

Not to say that this shampoo and conditioner arent good...its just that theyre not as good as the original YES TO CARROTS line.

After using this shampoo, I felt the need to double-wash. After using the conditioner, my hair still felt a tiny bit tangled. Out of the shower my hair looks and feels GREAT... it just doesnt feel right in the shower, compared to the YES TO CARROTS. My hair felt tangled and a bit coarse. I never got that feeling with the original YES TO CARROTS duo...

If you are really concerned about brassiness in your hair, or if you really colour your hair religiously, then I say give this baby a try! I think people with really fine hair would probably benefit the most from this very light feeling shampoo and conditioner.

I just wonder if people with seriously processed hair would want something thats RICHER and more moisturizing than this one.

Regardless, it is still a great shampoo and conditioner and definitely worth a try! If you have tried the YES TO CARROTS ones first, you may be underwhelmed by the YES TO CUCUMBERS line...

If you have tried both and feel differently, let me know!