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Aspen Bay Candles are relatively new to us here at Beauty of a Site, but we can't seem to get enough of them! The new holiday line smells amazing and the jars are oh-so-cute. Don't know what benefits a nice smelling candle can give you? The Winter months are cold and dreary and while most of the country is stuck inside, the air in our homes can get a little stale. What better than a refreshing candle to breathe a little freshness into your home? Not only that, but they make great holiday decorations too. Give them as hostess gifts for all the snazzy holiday parties or just as part of your own table setting for those nice dinners coming up.

Here's our best description of the lovely scents:

From left to right

• Currant Candle - A soft floral scent. Great for a background smell that won't overpower.
• Spice Candle - A blend of cinnamon and pumpkin. Perfect for a crisp Fall evening.
• Juniper Twig Candle - A soft pine scent reminiscent of a Christmas Tree farm.
• Orange Clove Candle - A soft, sweet and citrus-y scent.

Every season, we wait patiently to see what the new nail trend is going to be. The great thing about nail trends is that they're cheap and if you don't like it, it's easy to remove. Great for those who have commitment issues! This Fall we have three BIG trends to discuss. So let's get started!

1. Army Green - This season army green is everywhere! We're seeing it on TV, commercials and especially our favorite magazines. If you don't already have one in your possession, we recommend Essie's Sew Psyched (pictured above, and we promise it's truly army green) and Zoya's Dree. Both will give you just the right shade of green that you're looking for. Plus, fear not because this color is absolutely a neutral and will go with anything!

2. Nudes - Nude nails will do for your hands what nude pumps do for your legs - elongate them! Having nails that fake the naked is uber chic at the moment and we just love it! It's a big change from last Fall's dark nails, but this look is polished and refined. A total moment of less is more.Our favorites are Zoya's Pandora, Essie's Case Study and Glamour Purse

3. Color Blocking - Color blocking has been huge all year, and it's definitely continuing into Fall. If you're not so keen on the moon mani or a colored french, try this instead: The accent nail. Paint all of your fingers on your hands one color with the exception of your ring fingers. Paint your ring finger in a contrasting color for the color blocking effect. One of our favorite color combos is Essie's Power Clutch with this Winter's Size Matters as your ring finger accent color.  Another fun color combo is to pair bubble gum pink with a glittery silver on your ring finger. Try Zoya's Sari with Trixie as your accent. (Pro Tip: when doing glitter polish as your accent, be sure to paint a base coat in the color that you're doing the rest of your nails. Then add two coats of glitter and two coats of clear polish). If contrasting nails isn't your thing, you can still rock this trend with different shades of the same color. There you have it, our top 3 favorite trends for nails this Fall. Have you tried any of these yet? Are you going to be trying them? Which one is your favorite? Let us know!

Congratulations, readers, you've made it!  March 20th marks the first day of Spring 2011. Embrace the new season with Beauty of a Site!

1. Wear Green

The most prominent sign of the new season is the hints of green popping up all over the country. Whether for your favorite St. Patty's day party or just for celebrating the season, green celebrates new growth and new chances.  It's an essential part of your wardrobe! Try Zoya's Gemma for a chic green hue.

2. Welcome Florals

More than any other season, Spring has its very own smell. Even before the flowers start blooming, get rid of winter's musty smell with fresh florals of your own! Choose Kai's Room and Linen spray for hawaiian-inspired freshness, or this lily-scented Springtime Tulips candle from Aunt Sadie!

3. Bring on the sun!

Warmer weather, short sleeves and flip flops are not far off. Prepare your skin for the challenge: scrub up, moisturize and bring on the bronze! We suggest Cake's Soothing Sugar Scrub, Get Fresh Rich Body Creme and at home tanning from St. Tropez.

Mid January, there's nothing I reach into my purse for more than my lip salve. I feel like my lips are terribly dry all the time, and I spend tons of time and energy fighting that dryness. Unfortunately, my skin is in bad shape too, but I rarely dedicate any time to protecting it like I fight off dry lips.  I slap on moisturizer so that I can apply makeup, I put on lotion so that my legs don't feel dry, but I often have to deal with breakouts and dull skin as the months progress. What's a girl to do? How can I "winterize" my skin?

While working at Beauty of a Site, I finally learned the best practice for keeping my skin clean, healthy, moisturized and protected during the harsh winter months. The two major steps?

1. EXFOLIATE, EXFOLIATE, EXFOLIATE.

We can't stress this enough.  More than any other time of the year, our skin gets dry and dead skin cells build up on the surface of our body.  We can apply lotion and they don't show, but the cells still hang around, and can cause irritation.  A quick scrub in the shower everyday will drastically improve the health of your skin, keeping your pores clean and clear of blockages and making way for your skin to get the essential nutrients it desperately needs. Try Skin's nourishing, hand mixed Sugar Glow for the perfect Winter exfoliant.

2.  Applying skin creams

Of course lotions do a wonderful job, but the creamier the formula is, the more powerfully it will deliver you from dryness. And don't be fooled: lotions off the shelf can a lot of time include all sorts of harsh chemicals that your body simply soaks up, that might cause you more harm than good by the end of the day.  That's why we suggest Skin, An Apothecary scrubs and creams, because they are hand whipped by our friends at Skin, full of ingredients that do only good for your skin and never harm. Decadent, rich and delightfully thick, these creams cure winter dryness like nothing we've ever seen! Try their Soy Body Whip today!

For the girl who has everything, the lunch lady you forgot to shop for, and your office assistant who deserves a little extra luxury, the Beauty of a Site eGift Card is a perfect and thoughtful gift to show someone that you care!

Let her use it to stock up on practical things like shampoo or indulge in luxurious spa quality products or try out something new, fun and flirty. Don't worry about figuring out their size, tracking down the perfect gift or trying to decide which color they'll prefer - instead, give her something she can use for whatever she wants, whenever she likes. Click here to give a Beauty of a Site eGift Card in the denomination of your choice!

For my sisters who sport auburn, chestnut and all-shades-of-brunette locks: Tigi's Bed Head Colour Goddess line was created just for you. A line specifically formulated for "racy red heads and bodacious brunettes" fighting fading color, the Colour Goddess Shampoo, Conditioner and Leave-In Conditioning formula fight loss of color and winter dryness that results in all over fading.

The Colour Goddess Shampoo is sulfate free, designed to soothe and shine while protecting hair from UV damage.  Deeply moisturizing and nourishing over-colored hair, Colour Goddess Shampoo is as gentle as it is effective. The Color Goddess Conditioner treats dark chocolate and sweet cherry hues with special care, boosting shine, softness and essential moisture while actively preventing premature color failure. The Color Goddess Leave-In Conditioning Spray makes your dark, rich color look absolutely radiant.  Providing a perfect balance of moisture, the Leave-In Conditioner keeps hair from looking dull and dry while strengthening and nourishing hair.

Browse all of Bed Head's Color Combat products here.

Skin, An Apothecary's holiday fragrance is featured, for a limited time, in both the Sugar Glow and the Soy Body Whip.  It's truly a fantastic way to celebrate the season.  We describe the fragrance like this:

A delicious blend of autumn nostalgia and holiday anticipation.  This mix of ginger, vanilla, nutmeg and cinnamon is an ideal way to soak in the season.

Simply oozing with the sensations of a quickly cooling November, Skin An Apothecary's decadent Ginger Snap Sugar Glow and Soy Body Whip are available for sale here. Skin an Apothecary Ginger Snap products are the perfect homemade, luxurious and thoughtful gift!

Checked out our section exclusively for men? Beauty of a Site isn't all glitz and glam, you know (though we certainly have plenty of that)! Jam packed with manly stuff to keep 'em clean, freshly groomed and smellin' fresh. Our new favorites from that section are Lightfoot's Pure Pine Soap and Omega's Shave Products.

Omega's Shave line features classic shave products, including shave bowls, a huge variety of high quality brushes and even gift sets (it's almost that time of year.... think stocking stuffers!).

Omega Shaving Brush and Cream Bowl Gift Set

Omega Eucalyptus Shave Soap Tube

Lightfoot's Pure Pine Soap Products boast a 100 year old tradition in New England, the powerful pine aroma is perfect for cleansing and freshen skin after athletic activities.

Lightfoot's Pure Pine Soap Bar

Lightfoot's Pure Pine Soap Gift Set

Browse all of the Omega products here!

Browse all of the Lightfoot's Pure Pine products here!

Mother's Day is a particularly emotional and wonderful part of the year for me. Not yet being a mother myself, Mother's Day still very much makes me thankful for my wonderful mother. After spending a half an hour reading every card I could find at the grocery store, I decided to show her how special she was, with a few less words. Whether the woman in your life is a busy mom of five, a beloved parent figure or a dear friend, mothers everywhere deserve a little pampering on this wonderful holiday.

Pick out a gift that does all the talking

Help her pamper herself...

• ... with a pedicure.
  Chasing toddlers, running around the office or working on her garden, she probably needs to give her peds some loving attention. Principessa's Perfetto Pedicure Deluxe Pedicure Set includes Principessa's luxurious and oh-so-effective foot balm, along with the files, buffers and moisturizing accessories she needs, all gift wrapped in a beautiful pink box. (Shop pedicure supplies here)
• ... with aromatherapy
  You might not be able to send her away to her favorite vacation spot, but you can help to renew her mind and calm her spirit with just the right blend of essential oils. Skin An Apothecary's hand-mixed formulas feature unique fragrance blends that are designed to indulge, excite, calm or sooth.  Explore all of their unique aroma blends here. (Shop Skin An Apothecary here).
• ... with ageless skin.
  A woman's confidence and energy often come from her feeling beautiful. Help the cherished woman in your life to keep looking as young as she feels, every day. Help her indulge in professional Hale Cosmeceuticals skincare that will reduce the appearance of wrinkles, infuse a health glow and give her face a lift. (Shop Hale Cosmeceuticals Facial in a Bag here).

Kai Perfume Oil, Room / Linen Spray and Kai's brand new candle have been getting all sorts of attention this Spring. Check out what the press has to say about all of these wonderful products!

Lingerie is lovely, but taking a whiff of tuberose can also enhance romance by increasing sensual feelings, research shows. Before you and your honey hit the sack, spritz your sheets with tuberose-spiked Kai Home Room / Linen Spray.

"Jennifer's Pick: I love the way this makes a room smell sweet and flowery without being overwhelming." (Jennifer Garner)

At Beauty of a Site, our staff is totally crazy about Kai; we simply can't get enough! We're glad to see that everyone else agrees! Click here to browse all of the Kai products that we carry, including our exclusive Beauty of a Site Kai Gift Set!

We're about done with the drab rainy weather we're enduring here in Illinois, so we're turning our thoughts to sunny beaches, relaxation and Spring Break. In preparation, we've all started our daily self-tanning regiments so that we're looking beautiful and bronzed by the time we take off for the islands. Our self tanning regiment of choice is, unanimously, the range of St. Tropez. Forget "turning orange" or gross hands or streaks, lines or splotches. Using a truly unique and professional formulation, St. Tropez tanning lotions and whipped bronzers create an even and natural looking tan, every time. The neatest part is that St. Tropez offers a variety of products that give lighter tans or darker tans, quicker tans or gradual tans with special products for legs, face or body. For the month of March, receive a FREE St. Tropez Everyday Airbrush (usually $36) with any $50 St. Tropez order. Order soon; our supplies are limited! Click here to start shopping St. Tropez!

Phyto has recently revamped their entire Phyto Pro line and released eight new Phyto Professional products. These salon quality products have been expertly formulated to provide great hold, shine, shape and flex in a variety of hair fashions.

But what is it about the "Professional" that sets these products apart? All of Phyto's products use a botanical formula to provide hair with the essential nutrients needed for professional looking styles. However, Phyto's newest Professional products introduce acacia collagen to every single formula. This miraculous active is used in hair and skin products to provide deep moisturizing.  In the Phyto Professional products, acacia collagen hydrates and protects hair from external damage like sun, heat styling, weather dryness and pollutants, while smoothing the hair cuticle.  The result: hydrated hair with a gorgeous natural shine and a silky, healthy looking finish.

Phyto describes the Phyto Professional range as for "the eco-conscious, hip stylist and consumer alike who sees that fashion and beauty combined with the finest plant research and ingredients is the ultimate indulgence." (source)  We totally agree! We're proud to offer all of these incredible products for purchase at Beauty of a Site. Click here to browse the great Phyto Professional products!