She birthed you, raised you, and dealt with you all these years, now it’s time to tell her, “I love you!” If you have a Mom like mine, the woman who has it all, then it’s time to use that noggin and get creative!

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: More »

Whether overweight or thin, anyone can get it; it’s stubborn, it’s chunky, and the worse part- it’s incurable. I am talking about cellulite (doesn’t it bring a ring to your ears?). Some people may refer to it as “orange peel skin” or “cottage cheese,” whatever you would like to call it, it’s annoying.

As for treatment, there are various options out there to alleviate the appearance of cellulite, but not completely remove it. There are at-home treatments, plastic surgery procedures (lipodissolve or mesotherapy), and spa treatments (endermologie or velasmooth).

Unfortunately, spa and medical services are a little pricey, so I decided to try an at-home treatment called Java Junkie 3-in-1 cellulite system for my cottage cheese thighs. More »

We all have those long, stressful days that seem to go on forever. You know, the ones that leave you looking fatigued with dark circles around your eyes? Well, just because you feel worn out doesn’t mean you have to appear that way as well. eyeSlices can help!

eyeSlices are best described as a “hi-tech cucumber slice.” Not only do these disposable pads look like the green vegetable, they are also just as soothing. Apply them straight out of the container, or put them in the fridge for a few minutes to achieve a tingling sensation — either way, eyeSlices work to diminish dark circles, fine lines, irritation, puffiness, and redness in a matter of minutes.

Yup, that’s right. It only takes five minutes of your time to achieve refreshed-looking eyes! Although, it’s easy to put them on and drift off for a longer period of time

I especially liked that these slices stayed on the eyes. Unlike cucumbers, when applying eyeSlices to the skin, a slight suction is created so that the pads don’t fall off. This helps enhance the rejuvenation process, which can be felt as soon as the slices are placed on the eyes.

You can order eyeSlices online or at fine spas throughout the U.S. Each pair will last up to five uses, so for $20, it’s quite a deal. And once you run out of the pads, you won’t need to purchase another container, just the refill slices.

Photo credit: eyeSlices

Beauty Chat resident foot snob here, with yet another fabulous foot find! I recently tried the best foot scrub ever. You all know I am a huge pedi-snob, and I will do anything to make my feet happier and prettier. So, I found this whipped peppermint foot scrub from Gwendolyn’s Gate.

Whipped peppermint foot scrub, you ask? YES, and it is awesome. With the summer months here, my feet really take a beating between my pedicures. From the beach to the pool, they are subjected to some harsh elements and they show it! My poor feet become so dry and worn out and I needed to find an affordable fix to treat my tootsies. According to her Web site, the foot scrub is: “A delicious delectable blend of cleansers with sea salt and peppermint essential oil. After using this blend, you will want to ‘Dance the Night Away’ as your feet are cooled and refreshed.” More »

June 1st marked the day that Beauty Chat turned a year old [proud teardrop].

You see, this blog originally developed as a social networking project between me and Randy. Our goal at that time was to reach out to the beauty and plastic surgery communities, with our original “Look good, feel good, and speak on it!” philosophy. Turns out this idea not only paved the personality of Beauty Chat; we learned that there are a lot of others out there who feel the same way. You know, the non-judgmental chatterboxes (like us) who love talking about the latest this and that.

Turns out, there are TONS of you – our local, national, and international friends – who have subscribed to Beauty Chat and even have a favorite “Beauty Chatter.” I mean, with 10 writers on staff, including myself, a very productive project editor (Denice) and an eye-for-detail managing editor (Leeann), a fabulous in-house designer (Khevna), and a righteous programmer ( Randy), it only makes sense that you would connect with someone who is just as opinionated as you are!

Really, when it comes down to it, the team that makes up Beauty Chat is, like, the coolest group you could ever meet. (Sorta kidding, but not really.) More »

Are you feeling stressed, tired, or sick? A trip to your massage therapist may be the answer to your problems. I recently had the opportunity to chat with a Holistic Health Practitioner about massage therapy, including its history and benefits.

More »

Hair care is important to all us, whether you have a fear of hair loss and you need for a hair transplant, or you just love to pamper your hair and scalp. So I am happy to say that I have a new favorite product that has really helped my dry, damaged and thinning hair.

                                               (Photo Courtesy of Yes to Carrots)

Yes To Carrots is a company that uses the juice from orange colored produce, Dead Sea Mud, vitamins, and minerals in skin and hair care products. We all know these items can do amazing things inside our bodies, but who would have thought to put them in our hair?     

Yes to Carrots did! More »

The way I see it – the heart and soul of a company largely contributes to its success, and I love learning about the brains behind fabulous products. This is why I excitedly wanted to chat with Terry Carter of Travertine Spa – a line of natural botanical body care products and lovely loungewear. With a HUGE celebrity clientele base with products and apparel that is tailored for both and women, Terry wholeheartedly believes in what Travertine Spa stands for. With personal satisfaction using one of his “moisture therapy” products (as well as owning a comfy Yoga Wear top), I have to share one of my new favorite skincare lines with you.

Check out our exclusive Beauty Chat interview:

Elana: How did you develop the idea for Travertine Spa?

Terry: I was a corporate attorney who really didn’t like the atmosphere that I was working in; it was a hostile environment that I did not enjoy. I got away from my stresses in the workplace by going to spas. I wanted to share with people what I had learned and experienced by just taking time to take care of myself, so I decided to create Travertine Spa in 2005. More »

With everyone and everything “Going Green” these days, I did not want to be left behind. Although I own my “Green” car (a Toyota Prius, which I love) and I make sure that I buy energy-efficient appliances, I never really gave my skin care that extra-conscious thought until now.

So I started doing my research on what is actually in some of the products I use, and it is amazing how many things I cannot pronounce! Well, I found a company that is fabulous and specializes in natural skin care: Noodle & Boo. I am big on tag lines, and this one was great:

Think: glow – ol – o – gy (n.) the art of celebrating the beauty in every woman

More »

I am as light as light can be, so I need every bit of help I can get. I have tried everything… tanning in the sun, tanning in beds, spray tanning, and sunless tanning creams. Nothing seems to help. Either I burn, look completely fake, or turn a nice shade of orange – yes orange. Also, I cannot get over the yucky smell that the sunless tanners put out.

I recently stumbled upon a product called Sun Sauce while surfing the world of myspace. I began to research this product and started reading up on their Web site. I found out that, “Sun Sauce was created by Dale Hansen. Hansen’s Sun Sauce Research and Development team only use the finest ingredients. Sun Sauces proprietary blend of Monoi Oil and Kukui Nut Oil, enhance the skins appearance. Loaded with a special blend of vitamins and minerals, the Sun Sauce line also includes Shea Butter, Sweet Almond Oil and Jojoba Oil — all essential for quality skin care. These key ingredients are artfully blended with Aloe Vera, Tea Tree Oil, and Hemp Seed Oil. This trio enhances the skins naturally healing ability, and provides deep moisture replenishing.” More »