DIY Summertime Spa Tips.

Itching for some spa time, but can't get to a spa? You can do it yourself and spa at home and all you will need are a few hours and the right products. Here are great DIY summertime spa goodies that make me feel like I spent the day at the spa.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm
This cleanser is actually from the luxe spa brand Elemis and I first fell in love with it when I had a facial at the Elemis spa. This unique cleanser feels luxe. It features a unique combo of oils & waxes that break down micro-particles of makeup and cleanse the skin without stripping it. And I have to say that it smells heavenly, blending mimosa & rose wax for an indulgent, spa-like experience. $60.00 at timetospa.com.

Elemis Pro-Collagen Cleansing Balm

L’Occitane Angelica Exfoliating Gel
I love the fresh scent of this exfoliating scrub. The all-natural exfoliating particles gently removes dead skin cells and impurities, while it massages my face as I rub it in. The angelica extracts keep skin feeling naturally hydrated and simply leaves me feeling incredibly clean, soft, and smooth.

L’Occitane Angelica Exfoliating Gel

Beauty Chic Facial Sauna
Have you ever tried to place a towel over your head and steam it over a sink? I have and it is nearly impossible to do it easily or safely. Luckily, Beauty Chic has developed an at-home Facial Sauna that gives me the deep pore cleansing results I crave. After just a few minutes of sitting safely in front of the steam, my pores are clear and skin is softer and more radiant. $24.99 at Ulta.

Beauty Chic Facial Sauna

WEI To Go Glowing Moment Revitalizing Face Pads
Made from natural plant fiber and soaked in a potent herbal concentrate and combined with plumping hyaluronic acid, these revolutionary face pads are super soothing. You'd never guess you were helping to correct dryness, dullness, redness and large pores while indulging in this treat. Place the mask on your skin and relax for 10 minutes. Skin feels cool and looks brighter and refreshed. $20 for 4 pads at beauty.com.

WEI To Go Glowing Moment Revitalizing Face Pads

Thera Pearl Eye Therapy Mask
I leave this super soothing eye mask in my freezer and love to apply it cold for a soothing pick me up in summer. The therapeutic gel filled pearls stay cold and lasts up to 20 minutes as I place it over my eyes and relax. The mask forms to my eye shape perfectly, soothes and gets rid of warm weather puffiness. $12.99 at therapearl.com.

Thera Pearl Eye Therapy Mask

Nuance Salma Hayek Green Tea Cooling Eye Gel
To keep eyes feeling cool and refreshed, I soothe this specially designed applicator around my eyes. It helps to continue to soother while it keeps puffiness at bay. Infused with Aloe Vera, Chamomile and Cactus Flower Extract, this treat is powerful enough to work, yet gentle enough to be used on the delicate eye area. $16.99 at CVS/pharmacy.

Nuance Salma Hayek Green Tea Cooling Eye Gel

RéVive Defensif Renewal Serum
This silky serum feels beautiful on skin as it soothes and shields. It's packed with antioxidants to correct and protect against daily environmental aggressors and free radical damage which are more prevalent in the summer. My skin tone instantly looks better and fine lines seem filled as they are gently plumped. $195.00 at Nordstrom.

RéVive Defensif Renewal Serum

Nuance Salma Hayek Hydra Light Moisturizing Gel
This lightweight moisturizing tinted green gel refreshes with the scent as it soothes and hydrates skin. The gel formula is cooling, yet hydrating as it sinks quickly into skin. Cucumber Extract soothes and refreshes as Apple Fruit Extract and Aloe Leaf Juice helps to lock in that moisture. $16.99 at CVS/pharmacy.

Nuance Salma Hayek Hydra Light Moisturizing Gel

Tocca Crema da Mano Luxe
No facial is complete without a little attention paid to the hands. Don't you love it when your hands get that little extra finishing touch at the end of a facial? I like this cream in Bianca, a green tea and lemon scent. Enriched with coconut oil, shea butter and aloe, this cream absorbs quick into my hands and leaves them softly scented and silky soft. $20.00 at Sephora.

Tocca Crema da Mano Luxe

Murad Renewing Cleansing Oil.

I've never been excited about cleansing my face with oil. In fact, I don't think I ever have until now. Why did I try this? Well, because Dr. Murad created this new Renewing Cleansing Oil and I am such a huge fan of his products; I knew it had to be good.

Topically, products featuring natural botanicals and essential oils offer a wide range of benefits – from plumping to hydrating, from dissolving makeup to boosting cell turnover – and doing it all without irritating the skin. Additionally, many types of oils, such as Safflower, Grape Seed and Sunflower, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties when used topically. When using oils for cleansing, the oil in the skin attaches to the oil in the cleanser, and when rinsed off, it results in clearer, unclogged pores. Oil cleansers also bind to makeup and other daily dirt leaving your skin clean, but not parched. -- Howard Murad, M.D. FAAD, Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at UCLA’s Geffen School of Medicine, Founder of Murad, Inc. and the Inclusive Health® movement

This non-comedogenic (meaning it will not clog pores) cleanser that utilizes a powerful combo of botanical oils, including Grape Seed, Pomegranate Seed and Sunflower Seed Oils along with Olive Fruit Extract to gently removes impurities, irritates and makeup. Additionally, it contains Jojoba and Licorice Extract which helps to improve dry, cracked skin and Sweet Almond Oil, which provides the optimal level of moisture to soothe and soften the skin.

I was surprised by how nice this feels on my skin. I need just a few drops of the oil. I pour it into my palm and then rub my hands together. I notice the oil doesn't lather, but it does thicken up and feels like more of a cleanser. I then simply wash my face. The cleanser removed every trace of makeup and grime. My face was left feeling super soft and supple. I usually feel parched pretty soon after washing and need to apply moisturizer immediately, but I didn't with this. My skin looked and felt like I had already applied moistuizer, when in fact, I had not.

I am not sure how often I will use Renewing Cleansing Oil this summer, because I don't need the extra hydration right now. Honestly, I already feel like a grease pit. Come winter, though, I think this will be my best friend. For now, I am going to use it to shave my legs. Yes, I experiment with products and this is making for an awesome close shave and super smooth legs that don't need body lotion.

Murad Renewing Cleansing Oil sells for $32.00 and is also available at Sephora.

Introducing DiscoverBeauty.

You know how much I love beauty products and sharing my new finds with you, that’s why I couldn’t wait to tell you about a nice site I discovered called DiscoverBeauty.

DiscoverBeauty.com is a one-stop, online source for all the latest in beauty and cosmetic industry news and tips. The site features current articles by physicians, and you can even purchase high-quality skincare products that you’d typically only find in your doctor’s office – right from the site!

Something that’s totally new – and unique to this site – is DiscoverBeauty’s easy-to-use BeautyCanvas tool. It’s the same facial and full-body photo morphing technology that many doctors use in their offices to simulate desired results during an initial consultation. Upload, tweak and share personal “before and after” photos directly with any number of doctors you select from the Doctor Directory right on the site.  You can even do this from the comfort (and privacy) of your own home. And as a next step, you can share your photos with friends and family to get their opinions on your new look. Being able to visualize the end result of a procedure helps you communicate your preferences and achieve the best possible outcome.

For those of you who just don’t know where to find a cosmetic specialist, DiscoverBeauty’s Doctor Directory (with more than 600 physicians) provides a quick and easy way to find board-certified doctors in your area – one you’re both confident in and comfortable with.

While the site and the BeautyCanvas are accessible to anyone, DiscoverBeauty is currently limited to Boston area doctors. There are plans to expand to other regions coming later this year.