The Secret to Making Your Skin Glow (No Spa Required!)
Prepare to look gorgeous because we have a slew of spa-inspired moves that'll leave your skin smooth and glowing all over.
Revitalizing Face and Eye Massage
Most spa facials involve some kind of face massage to boost blood flow and help the products absorb better. Here's how to get results on your own: Take a warm shower to soften your pores, then cut a chilled seedless red or green grape in half. "Grapes contain hydrating glucose and powerful antioxidants that fight skin-damaging free radicals," says Regine Berthelot, head aesthetician at Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa, in NYC. Slide the flat side of the cut grape over your skin, starting between your brows and moving out toward your temples. Sweep up to your forehead, then down your nose and over your cheeks.
Glowing Face Scrub
It takes two buffing techniques — physical and chemical — to look noticeably luminous, says celeb facialist Kate Somerville. "The beads or granules in a scrub rough up the dead skin cells, but you need a chemical component, like a lactic or glycolic acid, to dissolve them." Your best bet is to use a product that has both, like Somerville's ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment, $85, once or twice a week. And don't just slap the stuff on your face. Gently massage it into your skin for a full minute.
Energizing Citrus Pedicure
To get rid of the icky callused skin you've been hiding under your socks and boots, submerge your feet in a bowl of grapefruit, orange, or lemon juice (you can use one or a combo of the three) diluted with equal parts warm water. "The citrus acid loosens up dead skin better than a regular soak does," says Donna Perillo, owner of Sweet Lily Spa, in NYC. After 5 minutes, slough your heels and the balls of your feet with a pumice stone, then massage your entire foot with an oil-based sugar scrub. Rinse it off, and slather on a body or foot balm.
Easy Self-Tan
Before you even pick up a bottle of bronzer, thoroughly exfoliate your entire body. Here's something new you should do next: Use a sunless tanner that is one shade lighter than the hue you want to be at the end of the treatment. "If you apply a lighter color twice — once in the morning and again at night — it'll blend in any streaks," says Cindy Barshop, owner of Completely Bare spas. To make things more manageable, think of your body in sections; start with your legs and work from the front to the back.
Most spa facials involve some kind of face massage to boost blood flow and help the products absorb better. Here's how to get results on your own: Take a warm shower to soften your pores, then cut a chilled seedless red or green grape in half. "Grapes contain hydrating glucose and powerful antioxidants that fight skin-damaging free radicals," says Regine Berthelot, head aesthetician at Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa, in NYC. Slide the flat side of the cut grape over your skin, starting between your brows and moving out toward your temples. Sweep up to your forehead, then down your nose and over your cheeks.
Glowing Face Scrub
It takes two buffing techniques — physical and chemical — to look noticeably luminous, says celeb facialist Kate Somerville. "The beads or granules in a scrub rough up the dead skin cells, but you need a chemical component, like a lactic or glycolic acid, to dissolve them." Your best bet is to use a product that has both, like Somerville's ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment, $85, once or twice a week. And don't just slap the stuff on your face. Gently massage it into your skin for a full minute.
Energizing Citrus Pedicure
To get rid of the icky callused skin you've been hiding under your socks and boots, submerge your feet in a bowl of grapefruit, orange, or lemon juice (you can use one or a combo of the three) diluted with equal parts warm water. "The citrus acid loosens up dead skin better than a regular soak does," says Donna Perillo, owner of Sweet Lily Spa, in NYC. After 5 minutes, slough your heels and the balls of your feet with a pumice stone, then massage your entire foot with an oil-based sugar scrub. Rinse it off, and slather on a body or foot balm.
Easy Self-Tan
Before you even pick up a bottle of bronzer, thoroughly exfoliate your entire body. Here's something new you should do next: Use a sunless tanner that is one shade lighter than the hue you want to be at the end of the treatment. "If you apply a lighter color twice — once in the morning and again at night — it'll blend in any streaks," says Cindy Barshop, owner of Completely Bare spas. To make things more manageable, think of your body in sections; start with your legs and work from the front to the back.
