Spring is the perfect time to shake up your beauty routine. So get ready because I am going to walk you through some of my favorite products to help you get your best hair, skin, nails and even teeth! Warning, you might just find your new must-have products!

Ever since supermodel Niki Taylor turned me on to Nature’s Bounty Optimal Solutions, there is rarely a morning at my house that doesn’t start with a chocolate protein shake! Made by women for women, Nature’s Bounty Complete Protien & Vitamin Shake Mix is the perfect blend of everything that women need for energy, immune health, bone health, digestive health, healthy hair, skin and nails, and a metabolism boost. As if that list wasn’t enough it also tastes amazing! In addition to the shakes, the Optimal Solutions line has vitamins and supplements for a range of needs including menopause support; hair, skin and nail growth; and bone density. Remember, beauty starts from the inside out and Nature’s Bounty Optimal Solutions has everything you need to build a great foundation!

After your hair, skin and nails are looking great, it is time to move on to your teeth. There is nothing like the confidence that a radiant, white smile gives you! If your teeth aren’t quite there yet, have no fear Luster has the solution! Want gorgeous results instantly? Start with Luster’s 30-Minute Pro White System. This kit channels the same light-activated whitening technology that dentists use to produce visibly whiter teeth in less time than it takes to catch up with the Real Housewives! If you want to maintain these newfound pearly whites, brush your teeth with the Power White Toothpaste. This toothpaste (on it’s own) produces whiter teeth in 1 week, so pair it with the Pro White System and warn your friends not to look you directly in the teeth! Added bonus: both products are enamel safe and won’t cause tooth sensitivity!

Now that your teeth are movie star-white let’s move on to your skin. Is your face as smooth, bright and healthy as you want it to be? Don’t pick your face products simply based on pretty packaging and catchy commercials, trust in a line of products backed by 25 years of research. The Nia24 line is a cutting edge, Niacin-powered skin therapy that works its way deep into your skin to treat it from the inside out. This complete line of products will help balance your complexion and reverses the signs of sun damage. Nia24 is lightweight and non-greasy, so it is perfect under make-up or on a make-up free day. The whole line is wonderful but my favorite product is the Rapid Exfoliating Serum, which leaves my skin bright and smooth!

If you have read my previous beauty articles you have probably heard me rant about my Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream which has been my go-to face lotion for years, but I have found a new love and my days with my Beautiful Skin Cream might be history! So what is this new product that has stolen my heart, or um skin? Boots No7 Protect & Perfect line! Ok so I didn’t stray too far, but when you find a company that makes great products for a great price, you stick with it! The Protect & Perfect line has everything I loved about the Beautiful Skin line with the added bonus of fighting signs of aging! My favorite products from the line are the Protect & Perfect Serum and Protect & Perfect Eye Serum.

We are finally getting some warm weather and that means plenty of time in the sun. There are few things more annoying than reaching for your sunscreen or lip balm to find it’s completely melted! The solution is Cool-it Caddy! Simply throw these stylish little make-up bags in the freezer until frozen, then remove, throw in any make-up and products that you want to keep cool, and you’re ready for fun in the sun. These are perfect for time at the beach, picnics, the boat, or by the pool. Added bonus: the chilled products will feel amazing on your warm skin!

Have you ever wondered what the secret is to achieving an even complexion? For many people, the problem isn’t what product they are using but how they are using it. Fingers, brushes and angled sponges can leave your foundation looking streaky and unnatural. Do you ever wonder was celebrity make-up artists use to make the stars look flawless? The answer is the Beauty Blender. It is a sponge for blending your make-up that is simple in concept but perfectly executed! It has the beauty editors at Allure raving, naming it Beauty Tool of the Year four times. What makes it so special? The perfectly teardrop shape and satin-like texture allows it to glide over your skin, smoothing away any imperfections.

We have all heard the term “beauty sleep” but do you ever wake up with a tired face and crazy hair and wonder where on earth that phrase came from? The problem could be your pillowcase! Standard cotton pillowcases can actually damage your hair, cause you to develop fine lines, and gasp even wrinkles! It has long been known that sleeping on a satin pillowcase can reduce these nasty sleep side effects but one company is taking it a step further. Cupron’s Cosmetic Pillowcase will actually reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and uneven skin tone while you sleep, allowing you to wake up looking and feeling younger! The pillowcase is made of a satin-polyester weave with a 270 thread-count, so it’s bound to be the comfiest place you’ve ever rested your head. It is also made with Cupron’s patented copper technology embedded in the microfibers which promote the growth of skin firming proteins. So go ahead and sleep yourself younger!

Finally, lets talk about developing a tactical plan of attack for your hair. While I’m sure some of you might think I have gone off the drama deep-end, another portion of you completely get it! There are those days that you spend valuable time styling your hair just so, only to step outside and get ambushed by weather that has a whole new (less chic) style in mind for you. Wind, rain and humidity are the biggest culprits when it comes to ruining your ‘do, but with proper planning you can fight even the worst of conditions. Nice N Easy created a hair-saver tool called the Local Hair Day Forecast. This free online tool lets you select your hair type and location, and it generates not only the weather forecast but also a tip on how to style your hair for minimal environmental input. Never again will your hair be at the mercy of Mother Nature! 

So hopefully some of my favorite products will help you update your beauty routine and have a beautiful spring!

The post Spring Beauty Spotlight appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

When I was 16 years old and working part time at a coffee shop, I will never forget the day I was running late so I went to work with no make-up on.  I had at least 5 different customers ask me if I was feeling OK.  My fragile 16 year-old self was mortified.  I quickly became a make-up addict and stayed that way for years.  It wasn’t until I started getting interested in skin care and developing a routine for myself that I braved the world with no make-up again.  As scary as it was at first, there is no bigger confidence booster that running to the store with little (or no) make-up on and getting a compliment!  I have all the information that you need to get your skin ready for the cooler weather, so you can rock minimal make-up with confidence!

I know that developing a skin care routine might seem like a lot of work and even a bit overwhelming, so I am going to break down the essential 5-minute skin care routine.  Follow my advice and you will have young, refreshed looking skin without a drop of make-up.

The first step to great skin is a good cleanse!  You know your skin better than anyone, so think about what concerns you have.  Do you have dry skin?  Find a cream cleanser that is great for adding moisture.  Oily skin requires a cleanser that is a little bit stronger.  For my normal to slightly oily skin, I love the new Ultra Rapid Action SuperFruit Splash Face Wash from the PerfectaWash system.  I use this wash for a few different reasons.  The first is that it has 2% salicylic acid, which helps to stop my skin from getting oily and it clears up any blemishes that might have popped up.  The next reason is the PerfectaWash dispenser is an automatic dispenser that gives you the perfect amount every time.  I tend to use too much product with everything from shampoo to laundry detergent, so this is a big help!  The problem is that using too much facial cleanser can really dry out your skin.  One tip, if your cleanser is drying out your skin after you wash your face and your skin feels tight and dry, it’s too strong.  The final reason that I love this cleanser is that it smells AMAZING!

The next step is one that I will call “the Extremely Optional Second Step: Toner.”  Although many people swear by toners, I have yet to find one that makes a noticeable difference without just drying out my skin.  If you have found one that works for you, great!  If not, take my advice and cut that step from your skin care routine.

Next we have arguably the most important step, moisturizing.  Even though we are making this skin care guide as easy as possible, I really recommend getting two different moisturizers, one for day and one for night.  For your daytime cream you want a light, oil-free formula that won’t leave you feeling greasy.  Stay away from fragrances that will irritate your skin and make sure it has SPF of at least 20!  Regardless of your age SPF makes all the difference in healthy looking skin, not to mention the actual health benefits!  My go to day cream is Boots No7 Moisture Quench Day Cream, it is light weight, doesn’t leave me greasy, and it’s sold at Target so I can pick it up any of the 12 times I am there each week, a big plus!

For your night cream you are looking for something slightly different.  You want a heavier formula that puts back all of the moisture and vitamins that a long day of make-up, environmental factors, and sweat can take out.  Unlike your daytime product, you don’t want your night cream to have SPF.  As essential as SPF is, it can irritate the skin if used 24/7 and since you wont need the sun protection while you sleep, pick a moisturizer that leaves it out.  I have used countless different night creams over the years and most are OK, but I have yet to find one to jump up and down about.  One day I will find the holy grail of night creams!

In addition to an all over moistuizer your eyes need some special attention.  The skin around the eye contains no fatty tissue which means that it is very thin and susceptible to wrinkles.  While this might be overkill, I have a different eye product for day and for night.  My go-to day product is Garnier Anti-Dark-Circle Eye Roller.  As most Mom’s probably understand, 9 hours of sleep doesn’t always fit in my schedule, so I usually have dark circles and puffyness under my eyes.  This product is tinited so it makes your eyes look bright and like you got significantly more sleep than you actually did!  Also, it helps reduce any puffyness with cafeen (what would I do without that stuff?) so even after you wash it off at night, your eyes look better.  For night, similar to moisturizers, you are looking for a heavier formula and you don’t want it to have any color that could clog your pores.

The last part to your essential skin care routine is exfoliation.  This only needs to be done 2 or 3 times per week.  Using an exfoliating scrub removes dead skin cells and gives your skin a glow that even pregnancy can’t match!  I like to keep my face scrub in the shower since the steam from the water will open your pores and soften your skin.  If you do exfoliate in the shower, be extra gentle as your skin will be much more sensitive.

Extra Credit–

If you want to go above and beyond, there are three more things to think about.  A weekly facemask is not only relaxing, but it is a great way to target your skin’s specific problems (or “opportunities for improvement” as my Mom would always say).  For me, my T-zone is prone to clogged pores and hence the dreaded blackheads can appear.  So I spot-apply an oil-absorbing clay mask to any area that needs a little help.  There are facemasks on the market for just about every skin need, so do some experimenting and find the one that is perfect for you!

Along the same lines as a facemask, I recommend using spot treatments.  Ranging from wrinkle reducers to acne treatment, this is another product that is going to take some trial and error to find the right one for you.  My personal go-to spot treatment is Clearasil Ultra Rapid Action Vanishing Treatment Cream.  It contains benzoyl peroxide, which causes the blemish to be noticeably smaller and less noticeable in just a few hours.  Another reason that I love it is that it wears really well underneath my make-up.  Some products crack and flake off when they dry, leaving my imperfection the only part of my face without make-up!

The third thing that you can do to ensure great skin watch what you are putting in your body.  You can spend hundreds of dollars on creams and gels to treat the surface, but making sure that you are eating the right nutrients can make all the difference.  Although I could right a whole article on the correlation between food and beauty, we will stick to 4 fun facts:

1. Berries have the antioxidant anthocyanin (as well as many others), which repairs and protects your skin’s cells.
2. Broccoli has quercetin, which is another awesome antioxidant.  What makes quercetin so great is that it is a natural anti-inflammatory agent that fights the number 2 cause of aging.
3. Green tea already has a pretty good reputation for the great things that it can do for your body, but on top of all the commonly known things, studies have shown that green tea can be used both orally and topically to help protect the skin from sunburns and UV-associated skin cancers. Research also suggests that drinking one cup of green tea twice a day over the course of six months may actually reverse sun damage and significantly improve any problems you have with redness and broken capillary veins.  Plus it tastes great with a squeeze of honey!
4. I talked about berries in general but strawberries are particularly great!  They are loaded with vitamin C, an immune-boosting antioxidant that stimulates collagen production and reduces damage from free radicals, which cause skin to age prematurely. Strawberries also contain malic acid, a natural astringent that can help remove discoloration from teeth.

The post Drop the Makeup and Let Your Skin Shine appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.