I went in for my last massage at Camarillo’s Massage Envy, as I cancelled my membership after over 2 years of really enjoying the benefits of massage. Today I had an appointment with Harmony and she was absolutely the BEST. She had the best aromatherapy techniques and a really smooth and strong touch. I’m super sad that it’s my last one. Sigh…
25 Bucks, 1 hour chinese style foot massage is just right behind that door…the one with the neon OPEN sign right on Chatsworth in Granada Hills. I’ve been hearing major buzz on these mini-spas popping up all over town (there is one on nordoff & de soto, and on devonshire & mason) so of course, I had to go check it out, especially since the weekly money mailer pack has $5 off coupons, so you’re looking at 20 bucks for 1 hour.
Ok so, I found parking right outside the front door, and when you walk in, you have to hush it, because you step right into a room full of massage chairs, with people sitting in them and massage therapists crawling all over them. I kid you not…
I am immediately shuffled into a chair - and being that I travel now with my ipod and audio book, I was glad to hide behind the earbuds and not hear the weird silence that was overbearingly loud. My therapist came out with a hot bucket of plastic-lined herb infused water and put my feet in it to soak, while she reclined the chair and started working on my scalp & shoulders. By the time she she got down to my feet, they were super soft from whatever was in the water, and I got an amazing reflexology foot massage with some sort of thick salve that my feet seemed to drink in. AMAZING! She reclined the chair all the way down to a full laying down position and asked me to flip over. The chair even had the face cut-out thing - dud where did that come from?? A fabulous full back massage (btw you are totally clothed during this whole experience) and when I woke up, I was hoping that they used some sort of disinfection process after the chairs because I was drooling all over that chair - lol gross!!
Anyway - for 20 bucks, my feet feeling like velvet and all my muscles loosy-goosy, I will totally be making this a repeat spot! Fabulous!
Ok so the buzz word about town (at least here in Porter Ranch) is “Chinese Foot Massage” which is referring to the new herbal foot spa treatment that is at a few locations - which I intend on hunting down in the near future - for an hour for $20 bucks. What?? Must investigate!
There’s no denying it: when it comes to keeping things fresh, the diaper pail is one place that deserves a little extra attention. Caldrea’s Sweet Pea Diaper Pail Freshener eliminates odors with a combination of baking soda and vegetable protein extracts that’s both non-toxic and biodegradable.
Simply spray it directly into the diaper pail and enjoy the essential oil fragrances of Geranium, Orange, Jasmine, Coriander, Rose and Bergamot.
Lavender oil promotes healing of burns, wounds, bites, etc.; fights infection; eases muscle pain; eases headaches; calms; promotes sleep; reduces inflammation; repels insects. Grab a bottle of this essentail oil at your local Whole Foods or other Aromatherapy supply site (I haven’t had good luck with oils on ebay, they are usually old and yuck).
Here’s a list of links for different essential oil recipes that you can make at home with ranges from home made lip balm, hand cream, bath salts to cold remedies & other healing property recipes:
Lavender recipes for insomnia & calming nerves
Lavender Sugar Scrub
Control pet oder at home with Lavender aromatic spray
Organic treatment for acne control or blemishes
Sweet dreams Pillow Spray
Remember…make sure you make time to relax, it is the BEST beauty secret one can obtain! xo!!
I love LA! Reality show and international plastic surgeon to the nelson ratings imposter Dr. Ray is handing out rx weed cards. Now you can book a lipo appointment after indulging in marijuana induced munchi binges at a one stop shop…puff puff pass homie! (news clipping in the ventura county star edition)
Saaphyri is on the move ya’ll! Winner of Mo’nique’s Charm School on VH1 last season and infamous for scrapping some chick on Flavor of Love season 2 and offering her some ‘lip chap’, Saaphyri Windsor has officially launched her site selling 5 flavors of the fabulous balm - Mojito, Pina Colada, Bubblegum, Wintergreen and Cookie Dough.
AND you know you LOVE her site, because yours truly hooked it up thankyouverymuch…
AND Wait, there’s More (ok so I’m totally having sleepless nights and overdosing on the infomercials) you can also buy hair for your hair extension needs from Saaphyri’s Ultimate Indian Hair - there’s color charts and lengths available here.
As a house warming gift, I got an Archipeligo home diffuser which has actually lasted me over a year. I was so pleased with the look, the reed diffuser mellow scent for my living room and the long lasting size…but whoa I was not ready for the $60 price tag. Good gift, but definitely not something I would buy for myself LOL! After cruising the net for some home fragrance alternatives for the holiday season, I ran across this page and found this recipe:
Sugar and Spice Blend
The aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and orange blend to make a sweet, spicy aroma perfect for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The below directions are for creating a diffuser blend, but it is also lovely to use with potpourri. It is also a wonderful blend to use for the Scented Greeting Card & Tissue Paper recipe.
Ingredients:
L by L.A.M.B...aka Gwen Stefani is totally reflective of my perception of Miss Gwennie herself…totally throwback and 80’s fab.
At first spray, it instantly reminded me of YSL’s Paris with strong notes of sweetpea and orange blossoms. It’s bright and fresh and uber-floral which totally makes it not for me.
Now Smell This has a really good in depth review of the fragrance note breakdown if you want more.
As a graphic designer I absolutely love the packaging, the retro throwback bling feel to the bottle and the gradient on the glass - very Gwen Couture! You can score L at your local Nordstrom or order it online at eLuxury.com and get a free cd/gift. Enjoy! 
Well, it’s actually a “Foot and Hand” spa according to the title, but is a fusion of a neighborhood nail shop and high end spa, with super affordable pricing.
The pedicure packages start at $22 for a basic treatment and go up to $45 for the ultra-delux (read: callus treatment, super scrub, hot towels, 10 minute massage, foot mask & hot towel treatment in addition to the basic pedi) but you also are pampered with an aromatherpy neck pillow, top of the line massage chairs that have the water part lined with a giant piece of plastic to elminate the germ-pool, complimentary beverage of your choice (I chose lime garnished ice water, but you can choose ice tea, hot tea, vanilla or mocha cappuccino, coffee, etc.) and a nice zen ambiance which is really hard to find in the neighborhood nail salon.
Plus in the month of October, PediSpa will donate $6 to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness Fund from the signature pedicure line. Fabulous!!!
A fab little treasure that smells light, fun & carefree…even when your not. Voluspa’s Mimosa Martini fragrance blends Mimosa Flower Petals, Fresh Italian Lime, Chilled Watermelon Martini, Japanese Quince, Vanilla Resin, and White Lily.
It also has a fancy-pants little tassle that holds the little tag in place and has a little brocade quilted pouch to keep it in your bag. Mucho Mucho Fabuloso!
I really try to stay out of any Bath & Body Works that I pass by, because I always end up with something that I absolutely do not need and end up wanting to break whatever diet I am on at the time. Today, I just couldn’t stay out - I walked by and the cozy scent of pumpkin spice lurred me in like a cat passing a warm dish of milk. I fell hook, Line and Sinker…and ended up getting a mini jar of the Pumpkin Pie Paradise body scrub, and a few of the fall home fragrance items (read: sugary pumpkin clovy stuff). I tried the scrub this evening and as hard as it was to not eat the stuff, it actually made my skin feel refreshed and silky after my shower, but what I did was rub the scrub all over before I got into the shower and then lathered/rinsed. And then got mad because I’m on a diet and good LORD that stuff smells divine!
I had a pumpkin facial last season at Burke William’s spa and they sent me home with a pumpkin enzyme peel mask which was pretty good. Pumpkin is rich in vitamins A, C and zinc and will get you glowing in a good way. I’ve got a coupon code for Spa-View readers to save 15% from Greatskin.com just use coupon code HW15 at checkout on any pumpkin products - and please send in your review for your favorite pumpkin stash!
Click here for a green-friendly at home pumpkin facial: Continue reading ‘Pumpkin Season is Here!!’
Ok so enter the world in which everything should really have dual purposes. If it smells good, it should be good for you, unlike most fragrance products that are out there, which is why I actually use alot of essential oils from Whole Foods and drop them into some basic lotion…but the these girls have stepped it up in the mainstream marketplace, namely Sephora, with the cult fave LaVanilla - Fragrance that is Good for you. Healthy fragrance? Yes!
Here is a quicklist of the most interesting details regarding La’Vanilla:
So there you have it - good smelling perfume that is a healthy alternative for overall fabulosity. I bought the $15 rollerball from Sephora “Vanilla Grapefruit” with notes of Grapefruit, Bergamot, Lime, Orange, Cedarwood, Heliotrope, Madagascar Vanilla. Delicioso!
The first of it’s kind - a perfume themed after the entire essence of the Fig tree is pretty nice, but has no staying power on me at all. I gave it a test drive for a week but unlike other fragrances, I got no compliments at all, nor did I smell it after only an hour after application. It does smell lovely though, but perhaps a room fragrance may be a bit more enjoyable.
Plus, didn’t Jesus curse the fig tree? I’m just asking…
