By far the most challenging part of Air Travel these days for beauty enthusiasts is fitting your entire beauty regimen into one little baggy.  Our mother’s and grandmother’s were spoiled with their spacious vanity cases, a la American Tourister.  Women are having to do more with less and still look as beautiful, so we have to adapt and look for great products in small sizes.

This trend is going to continue so get used to your carry-on beauty baggie.  Here are some ideas as beauty baggie builders…

Bath & Body Works Travel Size items are only 4 for $10.  Check out the Enchanted Orchid Body Splash for starters.

MD Skincare, a great brand you know and trust is now offering EZ4U skincare, packaged in little packettes so you can Leave Acne Behind once and for all.  They come in normal and Dry/Normal and Normal/Oily options.

 and the cornerstone of this Beauty Baggie Builder is Lisa Hoffman Packette system.  Choose from:

Spa Shower Packette (Cleansing Gel, Body Scrub, Body Oil, Body Lotion, and Hand & Foot Cream)

Spa Bath Packette (Bath Soak, Body Wash, Body Polisher, Body Cream, and Hand & Foot Butter)

Spa Facial Packette (mini doses of all ten products in the Spa Facial collection)

Have a favorite Beauty Baggie item? let me know what it is!

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Burn that image into your head and next time you go shopping for skincare make sure you look for the Natural Products Association (NPA) seal.  This seal is marking a new era for consumers, no more confusion about what is natural and what is not.

Under the new program, products must follow strict guidelines set out by the Natural Products Association to merit bearing the seal. The criteria include, but are not limited to:

• Product must be made up of at least 95 percent truly natural ingredients or ingredients that are derived from natural sources
• No ingredients with any potential suspected human health risks
• No processes that significantly or adversely alter the purity/effect of the natural ingredients
• Ingredients that come from a purposeful, renewable/plentiful source found in nature (flora, fauna, mineral)
• Processes that are minimal and don’t use synthetic/harsh chemicals or otherwise dilute purity
• Non-natural ingredients only when viable natural alternative ingredient are unavailable and only when there are absolutely no suspected potential human health risks

 I am super excited about this program because buying products is very confusing, consumers tend to think the term, natural, is being regulated but it is not.  This seal is really going to help people make choices in skincare so be sure to look for it.  Find out more at the NPA website.

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Here are most of the products I brought along on my trip to LA.  Some remained off camera but you get the idea.  My favorites are the Smokey Rose pallette by POP Beauty (I’ll review soon) because I can make up my whole face with it and my afterglow mascara and kabuki brush in that little silver pouch.  All of the others deserve and honorable mention, the pink T3 iron and Global Goddess South Pacific Shimmer and another favorite (I have to come up with a new word — too many faves!!) Lancome Christopher Kane Juicy Tube!  I’ve got to run, toodles…

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April showers bring May flowers?  April Showers May Bring flowers would be more appropriate.  I’m getting quite frustrated by the sluggish tulips and no-show crocus in my garden.  It’s enough to make me want to throw in the trowel and get a good stiff drink.  Thankfully body showering is much healthier and pleasant and I’m especially pleased to talk about a new product I’ve been using.

It is often said to make lemonade out of lemons but what I really love are limes.  I’ve quenched my thirst with a Brazilian bath and shower gel from Brazilian Fruit that has transported me to the beachside cafes and gum drop mountains of Rio.  The scent of Caipirinhas (a Brazilian drink made from rum, sugar and lime juice served on the rocks) is soothing and comforting.  The best part, there are NO parabens or mineral oil. 

Caipirinha shower gel is appropriate for all skin types, contains sugar cane and lemon pulp extracts to nourish your skin after a long day of work or play.  It’s important to note that the extract comes from lime pulp and will not cause photosensitivity to your skin.  I really love this at night, since I don’t go out to bars, it’s a nice compromise to carry the scent of a drink.    Check out the www.brazilbeautyproducts.com website for all the best skincare! 

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 Sephora: The Ultimate Guide to Makeup, Skin, and Hair from the Beauty Authority (Hardcover) by Melissa Schweiger

I got my copy of SEPHORA yesterday and I have got to tell you it is an amazing resource for all beauty chasers.  Wether you’re a makeup junkie, a skincare lover or just like to know what’s in the stuff you’re putting on your face, you’ll find valuable info presented in a compelling format.

I haven’t loved a beauty book like this since Cindy Crawford’s Basic Face back in 199x.  I carried it around with me and flipped back and forth, my husband was completely annoyed but oh well.  If I went, so did the book, I had an especially long commute from Tokyo to the burbs and Japanese women on the train looked over my shoulder and sometimes even asked me about it.

Basic Face was a how to apply makeup guide without mention of specific products which was fab since I had little access to designer brands back then!  SEPHORA takes it a step further by recommending specific products to get the effects shown.  I’ll be referencing SEPHORA in posts to come for a very long time.  I’m especially crazy about the quotes, beauty company founders, and secret ingredients sections of the book. 

It also takes into account different preferences and conditions you may be facing, no ‘one XX fits all’ mentality here.  SEPHORA is full of visuals that will stop you in your tracks but at the same time chock full of insider secrets and tips.  The back cover proclaims “It will make you want to be as beautiful as beautiful as you can be - and Sephora makes it easy!”  You know what?! I do, I do, I do!

You won’t have to wait much longer, SEPHORA will be released in a few days.  Pre-Order available through Amazon

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