Skin Effects Enzyme Scrub

I recently had my first spa experience on a weekend shopping trip with girlfriends. It seemed well worth the money at the time and I loved getting my "personal prescription facial," but I couldn't help feeling guilty afterward that I'd spent so much money with no *real* lasting effects.

The one product the Aesthetician used that gave me amazing results was a high-end, European brand exfoliant that uses fruit enzymes. I was tempted to buy it at the spa, but when I saw the price tag I gulped and put it back.

At home, I was determined to research and find a drugstore product with similar ingredients and effects. This scrub is almost identical to the expensive scrub used on me at the spa. I've been using it for 2 months with great results. It's a gentle scrub (I have extremely sensitive skin) and you can really feel it working if you leave it on for a few minutes. It leaves my face bright and glowing, with no redness. It has reached holy grail status.

Oh, and the best part: only $6.99. The Skin Effects brand is available only at CVS.

Nailtiques

Yes, I knoooooooow I haven't posted in forever. I had a traumatic experience writing for another blog before the holidays. They were snotty and mean and I should have known better than to leave you guys for greener pastures. I know now; this is where I belong.

:: Nailtiques Nail Proteins ::

The tag line for this product is "nothing else even comes close"....and I would say they are not lying. I've been using this product for a long time, and there's nothing else like it on the market. I have never had acrylic nails, but I like to think that this product makes your real nails feel as strong and thick as those fake suckers. I like the way my nails look with a few coats of this: strong, thick, and righteously healthy.

There are different formulas. I recommend the Formula 2 or the 2 plus if your nails are dry, peeling, or weak. (They recommend you never start with 2 plus, but I am a warrior and I've done it. Nothing horrible happened to me.) 

I would start by trimming and filing your nails, doing a little at-home mani of sorts, and then apply this in one good coat, going over the tip of the nail to cover it as well. Apply one coat everyday, removing all coats every 3-4 days and starting over again. In a few weeks, your nails should look you are a QVC hand model. 

The one drawback is that a tiny bottle of this stuff is $10. It's well worth that price, but I have to flinch every time I buy it. Find it at salons and CVS.