This every day at-home spa guide features inexpensive recipes, beauty treatments, and tips for head-to-toe beauty. Douglas and Pearlman are the best selling authors of The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets; in this new book they offer beauty tips to adhere to in these eco-conscious, economically challenged times.

Anything from fresh lemon juice to olive oil can help you achieve smoother, fresher more vibrant skin and hair – all in the convenience of your own home. Here’s a tip from a Victoria’s Secret model on how to restore hair after it is scorched and ironed; mix one tablespoon of fresh squeezed lemon and one teaspoon of olive oil, and slather your hair with it, focusing on putting more product on split ends. Leave on over night and wake up to restored, glossy, and super shiny hair. Be sure to sleep on an old pillow case when doing this, the oil residue will wreck your linens.

Women who have kids probably always have some spare Cheerios lying around the house – so why not use them for a facial treatment? Just grab a handful of the cereal, a teaspoon of honey, and few drops of fresh lemon. Blend the Cheerios until they are a fine powder, and once refined, mix in the honey and add the drops of lemon, and voila you have the perfect ingredients for a facial scrub. Apply the mixture to your face, and leave on for 10 minutes. Rinse with warm water, and feel smoother, more vibrant skin.

So, before leaving the house to buy expensive salon products, look in your pantry, fridge, and medicine cabinet first – you may already have the right mixture for an at-home facial, hair treatment, or moisturizer.

Want more tips that have been created and culled from Pearlman and Douglas? Beauty Chat will be giving away The Beauty Cookbook to one lucky winner. To enter to win this ultimate at-home guide, just leave a comment below with one of your “secret” beauty tips for your skin, hair, nails, or face. One of my useful tricks is to apply baby powder to my roots when I don’t have time to wash my hair. The powder absorbs the oils, and immediately makes my hair appear fresher. Share some of yours with me! A winner will be announced on March 26th.

And there’s still time to enter to win a basket of beauty goodies too! Be sure to check out our survey and giveaway!

Photo Credit: Amazon and Cheerios

In addition to providing Beauty Chat for y’all, our company is also home to several other websites, including iEnhance.com, PlasticSurgery.com, and CosmeticSurgery.com. So the writers of Beauty Chat also spend their time contributing to these online properties.

Beauty Chat was actually developed based on the idea that beauty isn’t just about surgery; it’s about finding beauty within and working your way outwards. Skincare, makeup, and fashion all contribute to enhancing your image, which are commonly the subjects of our conversations with you!

So, in order to serve your needs and continue to create a place where you can feel at ease browsing around and reading up on your favorite topics, we have created a survey for you to take. Not only would we simply appreciate this, as it will help to gauge the direction of our articles, but there is also something in it for you too!

As a thank you for being a loyal Beauty Chat fan, we have put together a basket of goodies. By filling out our survey and commenting on this post, you will be entered to win a basket of skincare and beauty products.

This contest, in which the winner will be randomly chosen, will last about two weeks – ’til March 19th! Thank you again for being so fabulous.

Chat with ya soon!

Elana

Photo Credit: Zazzle

I don’t like the clichéd candy hearts, teddy bears that say “I love you,” cards with over-used poems, and anything else that is just plain corny and associated with V Day. There is one thing I do agree with, spending time with someone special on this day – minus the Hallmark cards. Because, despite being single and bitter about Valentine’s, I still find it sweet to do something slightly romantic on this day.

Last year, I had my very first “real” Valentine, and I absolutely did not want to leave the house – I hate crowds, dressing-up, and over-priced restaurant menus. As an alternative, I made dinner for my “V,” and we hung out, watched movies, and drank wine. And instead of flowers, candy, and/or a card, he bought me flowers and herbs for my garden, which I thought was much more economical than a teddy bear that would sit on my dresser to collect dust. Even though that was my only Valentine’s Day spent attached, it has so far been my favorite!

As I am single this year, I asked my sister to be my Valentine, and she of course, said yes! So, we are going to a movie, and pigging out! Which I think will be just as special as my Valentine’s before.

Single or attached, Valentine’s Day is always something I try to make fun without the clichés it often associates with. I hope you all have a great Valentine’s Day, or to some, “Single’s Awareness Day!”

Photo Credit: Verbumlogos

Brazilian-native Dr. Robert Rey, the star of E! Entertainment’s Reality TV show “Dr. 90210,” is now reaching out to women overseas. This September, he launched his lingerie line, “Shapewear,” in Brazil – a post-operative, body slimming undergarment line that has already gained popularity in the states. Having partnered up with retailer Polishop.com.br, Dr. Rey’s collection of body shaping, sexy, elegant lingerie is… Continue reading on iEnhance.com.

Photo Credit: Dr. Robert Rey

Thank you for your patience, dear readers. Currently, Beauty Chat is going through various changes – as many blogs do! So we hope that you continue to enjoy our site’s thorough selection of articles.

Missed all of 2008’s skincare discussions? Want to see before and after celebrity plastic surgery photos? Visit our archive and see what’s up. We continue to receive your comments, and appreciate your involvement.

…This is a sincere message from all of us Beauty Chatters! Enjoy your summer, and hope to meet up with us again soon.

*Please refrain from sending products and e-mailing pitches until Beauty Chat is back.

Flowers and balloons are always a nice gesture, but your Mother deserves so much more (at least mine does!), so make her feel special with some of these unique gift ideas.

•    Pamper, Pamper, Pamper! You could buy your Mom passes to the spa, or bring the spa to her; it will show you actually want to spend time with her. Set a day aside and have an at-home pamper day with your mom.
Some products I recommend trying out with your Mom:
Thymes: They offer an array of body lotions, washes, scrubs, feet care, etc. The ladies at PlasticSurgery.com and I love the Naia Hand Lotion and Hand Wash! Visit their website to check out some of the kits and gift sets that they offer.
En Pointe Skin Solutions: From cleanser, toners, and moisturizers, they offer all the products you need to put together an at-home facial kit.
Philip Kingsley: To get your Mom ready for Mother’s day brunch, Philip Kingsley offers a wide range of styling products to add texture and volume or tame and smooth while protecting the hair. For bounce, control, and shine, you may want to try out their maximizer.
Adovia Mineral Skin Care: Another great facial care line! My fellow Beauty Chatter, Audrey, and I love their products! This is great for those with sensitive skin (like me), because they are made from minerals from the Dead Sea, providing a natural skin smoothing experience.

•    Expand her horizons: Take your mom on an adventure instead of the usual dinner and a movie. I am taking my Mom wine tasting! Pick a place you know she would like to go, but wouldn’t normally take herself to. I know my Mom likes wine, but she would never think of going to a winery.

•    Put on your chef’s hat: Make your Mom her favorite dish or introduce her to a new one. My favorite place to go for creative recipes is AllRecipes.com, which has reviews on the dishes and suggestions for additional ingredients, side dishes, etc.

•    Clean, scrub, and shine: You know your mother works hard, so why not give her a day off from her typical duties of cleaning up (after you!), doing the laundry, and running the house. Get your siblings together and clean the house for her and let her relax for the day!

Your mom most likely is not expecting much, so if anything, give her a day of you. I know that through the rush and chaos it can sometimes get hard to spend time with anyone for an entire day – the least you can do is give her the time. And for all you mommies out there, Happy Mother’s Day!

Photo Credit: Adovia Spa and Laura’s Journey

Makeup is an obsession of mine, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, and whenever I get the chance to try something new, I jump at it! Especially when it comes to liquid foundation since I can never seem to find the right shade to match my skin tone. I’ve gone through countless bottles – from drug store brands to department store limited supply makeup brands.

Thanks to FACE Atelier and their Ultra Foundation, I can get the perfect match. They offer a basic array of tones and two adjusters. Zero Plus makes the base darker, while Zero Minus lightens it up. No more waste!

My fellow Beauty Chatter, Audrey, tried out their Pout lip enhancer. Here’s what she had to say:

“The FACE Atelier Pout product worked fairly well. Although I did not see dramatic results, I could definitely tell that it had made a difference in the overall shape and color of my lips. The tingling sensation you get when you first apply it is light, but enough to convince you that the product must be working. You won’t look like Angelina Jolie with this stuff, but it will certainly make you feel a bit more sultry.”

FACE Atelier is cruelty free, doesn’t add scents or flavors to their products, and takes everyone’s unique skin type into consideration. Check out their website to see all the great products they offer.

Photo Credit: FACE Atelier

Have you often woken up to your husband’s or wife’s loud, yet endearing, snoring? Or perhaps you’re the guilty party being awaken to be told to stop? Well, no matter what side you’re on, you’ll definitely want to try out Silent Snooz.

Silent Snooz comes in three scents, Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Unscented. Each device is intended to be used for 30 days, is easy to apply, and washable. Now you, and your partner, don’t have to go another night with out sleep!

My fellow Beauty Chatter, Audrey, tried out the Lavender scent. Here are her thoughts on Silent Snooz:

“The Silent Snooz product really did work for me! It opened up my nose and made me feel like I could breathe effortlessly through my nose, which is rare for me since I have a deviated septum and have a hard time breathing through my nose while I am laying down. The Lavender Scent was a little odd to get used to since it was fairly strong, but even that started to be appealing to me after a few minutes. My boyfriend said that I didn’t snore at all while wearing this as well!”

For more information or to purchase Silent Snooz, be sure to check out their website.

Photo Credit: Incredible Scents

Thank you to our readers for participating in our Kiss Down Under sample contest by sharing your hilarious personal grooming stories, we had tons of fun reading them! Although we would love to give out prizes to all of the participants, we had to choose just one winner and there was definitely one story that stood out from the rest!

So congratulations to Alicia!!!

Thanks again to everyone who participated and be on the lookout for another Kiss Down Under giveaway in the near future!

Photo Credit: Kiss Down Under

That is until I found out about the latest in energy technology, Enlyten ™ - electrolyte strips that dissolve in your mouth. Enlyten offers four quick dissolving strips – Electrolytes Plus (achieve peak performance), Energy (recharge), Antioxidants (boosts your immune system), and Melatonin (relax and reduce stress).

Enlyten has become popular among athletes due to the strips providing the body electrolytes prior to and during exercise to help prevent cramping and delay fatigue. In fact, it was just announced that Shaquille O’Neal has signed a new endorsement deal with Enlyten, which he publicized on March 26th via Twitter.

“Stay tuned-prepare for SHAQ to ‘enlyten’ you!!!” tweeted Shaq.

I tried out the energy strips, which are fast acting, have zero carbs, zero sugars, zero calories, and refresh, rejuvenate, and reenergize; need I say more? With Enlyten energy strips I am able to get through my entire day without feeling groggy and tired, plus they help me to concentrate better. The strips have a minty taste, which makes my breath smell yummy and taste clean (another added bonus). On top of all of the positive features of these strips, I don’t get the immediate crash that other caffeinated products tend to give me.

Here is what a couple of my fellow BeautyChatters had to say about Enlyten:

Jennifer - “I was excited to try the antioxidant strips since I’ve recently changed my diet and started eating healthier, but I have to say that I wasn’t very fond of the taste. It has a bite to it and didn’t make me want to use them very much longer. However, if you don’t mind the taste, it’s an easy way to get some anti-oxidants in your body.”

Jacquie – “I tried the Melatonin Plus strips and they worked great to calm my mind and body.  They taste great and did not make me feel sleepy or groggy.  I would recommend them to any one who sometimes has a hard time relaxing after a busy day.”

If you are interested in trying out Enlyten – whether you are an athlete, work-out guru, or just want a boost for the day, you can purchase these strips online on their website.

Photo Credit: Allstrips.com and Facebook