Spa Week is pleased to announce that Spa de Soleil will be sponsoring the free gift with purchase for the entire month of February on TheRightDeal.com. As you know by now, TheRightDeal is Spa Week’s sister spa deal site where everyone walks away with a luxurious spa treatment (up to 90% off) and a free gift. In January, Crunch Gym sponsored TheRightDeal by giving everyone who purchased the 72-hour deal a free 1-week pass to Crunch. Spa de Soleil is a manufacturing company that creates professional grade spa products  for both retail and private label use.

There are three branches of Spa de Soleil: Home Spa Collection Retail Store, Pharmaskincare Brand and Spa de Soleil Signature Brand. Home Spa Collection will be featured on the first two Wednesdays in February, Pharmaskincare will be featured on the third and fourth Wednesdays and for the fifth Wednesday in February (yes, there are 5 Wednesdays in February!) the Spa de Soleil Signature Brand product line will be featured. Here’s how it breaks down:

Weeks 1 and 2: Home Spa Collection Retail Store

This online retail store is open to everybody (average joes and industry professionals) who want spa-quality skin care products. They have a wide range of organic, natural, and paraben-free skin care lines and carry brand names such as Olive Essence, O2CH, Dermatouch Natural Skin Care, Hydra Mar, Pure Minerals Ant-Aging, Mineral from the Dead Sea, and more.

Weeks 3 and 4: Pharamaskincare Brand Products

Spa de Soliel’s Pharmaskincare line is the unique result of modern biotechnology and dermatological research.  The primary objective of their products is to stimulate the skin’s natural ability to restore and rebuild cells. Pharmaskincare products have been created to treat every aspect of skin care under all kinds of conditions, ranging from the natural aging processes to UV damage to environmental assaults to stress and metabolic deficiencies.

Week 5: Spa de Soleil Signature Brand Products

The Spa de Soleil Signature Brand product line contains a unique blend of vitamins, amino acids and organic oils which penetrate the skin’s deepest layers to help rebuild collagen, neutralize free-radicals, and restore moisture for a long-lasting illuminating glow. Each product in the line is enriched with Hyaluronic acid (to fill fine lines for an instant plumping effect), Vitamin C (to reduce signs of photo-aging by promoting collagen synthesis), Vitamin E (to moisturize, soften and protect skin) and Vitamin A (to reduce skin discoloration).

PLUS: What’s Your Skin Type?

With all of these great skin care lines, we bet you have some questions about what products are right for your specific skin type. Don’t know your skin  type and want to know what products are right for you? Take their skin care analysis survey to find out. To help you start your skin care analysis journey, here are the most common skin types, according to HomeSpaCollection.com:

1. Normal: This skin type has small pores, a smooth and even texture, and a healthy color. Since it is perfectly balanced, it is the most uncommon of skin types. However, basic skin care is still needed to maintain health and prevent any possible damage.
2. Combination: This skin is oily in the T-zone with medium pores and some dry areas (usually on the cheeks). This skin will occasionally breakout.
3. Oily: The pores are enlarged and visible and skin appears shiny. It is prone to blackheads and blemishes.
4. Sensitive: This skin is delicate with fine pores. It flushes easily and is prone to allergies and frequent rashes or blotches. Sensitive skin usually has a low tolerance to most skin care products.
5. Dry: The skin feels tight, particularly after cleansing. It tends toward fine lines and wrinkles and has a dull tone.
6. Acne: This is most commonly very oily skin with large pores. The skin has multiple eruptions in the form of blackheads and/or whiteheads.
7. Mature: This skin is characterized by a loss of natural firmness and elasticity. Skin can appear thin and dry with an increase of fine lines and wrinkles. Sun or age spots may be present.

Happy Friday, gorgeous! Remember a few months back when I was a judge for Calling All Makeup Artists, the glamorous beauty showdown between six makeup artists? The competition included a day-long photography makeup workshop, and the winner scored the career-changing prize of being featured in the Spring 2012 lookbook for Your Name Professional Brands, seen by over 12,000 industry professionals.

Well – the lookbook has dropped, magazine style, springing to life with electric colors and editorial features. Scroll down to see the winner’s image, some daring makeup ideas, and Your Name’s Top 5 Trend picks for spring:

The Winner! Congratulations to CAMA winner Monica Verduzco of MOKA Cosmetics, whose final photogaph from the competition is featured here:

I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a colorful spring.

Are you a makeup artist? The next Calling All Makeup Artists compeition is set for NYC April 30. Join the CAMA Facebook page for updates!

There’s a French Renaissance happening, and it’s got nothing to do with the art and cultural movement that started in the 15th century. A few of us were sitting in the conference room this morning going over some (TOP SECRET SUPER-EXCITING!) stuff happening here at Spa Week in February, and being the girly girls we are, the topic turned from spa travel destinations to the resurgence of French Manicures. They had been relegated to boring nail-doers for many years in shades of Ballet Slipper, and over the past couple years have been reborn, now disguised in color, metallics, glitter, patterns… MUSTACHES!.. FRUIT!… and mindblowing innovation on the young and trendy set.

Our own Dina’s nails (above) are an all-gel clear manicure with orange French tips and glitter on top, which  inspired our French-obsessed meeting tangent, and this blog post.

All these are photos you’re about to see are ones we pinned on our new Pinterest account (follow us!). Check out our Mani Madness inspiration board for these and more.

TOP PICKS OF THE FRENCH (MANICURE) RENAISSANCE:

The contrasting matte/glossy blacks make these black nails anything but goth.

Anything or anyone with mustaches is hot right now. Especially this guy. Not only is this manicure on trend, it’s a great conversation piece.

Stay in the same color family for your French tips (just add glitter) and keep the shape classic for a subtly playful manicure.

For a more intergalactic rockstar look, try a totally contrasting glitter that fades from tip to bottom.

Use a jewel tone glitter on your base and pair with a glossy black tip – for a tres-glam combo.

Check out Chloe’s nail blog for more on her gradual blackout concept here:

Make a point.

Break it up and ditch the French pattern altogether while still being French-ish, but way edgier.

Neutral polish is having a big moment; bright pastels on the tips makes it playful and even more on-trend.

Go TETRIS! Need I say more?

Choose oozing and electric – this choice is not for the timid. 

The same idea – in white and pastel – is a totally different look.

Say HELLO to kitty, or pick another one of your favorite characters to poke out the tips of your nails.

Try in-versing the colors from one hand to the other.

The only way a traditional French manicure is still relevant… is if it’s attacked by a leopard.

REVERSE IT! The reverse French is a hot ticket – especially if it’s reflective.

The “balloons in the sky” look is the perfect birthday manicure.

We could pin cool manicures ALL DAY! But we have work to do. Tell us below: What’s the edgiest French manicure you’ve ever had? Link us to a picture of it if you have one!

From Swarovski crystals to spray paint and now to feathers and real fox fur, there is one woman not-so-secretly behind the beauty craze of decorating one’s bikini region like a birthday party.

Cindy Barshop, the owner of completely bare high tech spa, famous for both a season on the Real Housewives of New York and her fearless reputation for adorning the hair-free nether regions of women nationwide, has released the latest trend: The Foxy Bikini (real colored fox fur) and The Carnivale Bikini (an array of festive colored feathers). Merkin Madness! More on that here.

In the exclusive video above, Spa Week investigates.

Lorna gets the Foxy Bikini

Michelle gets the Carnivale Bikini

So there you have it – Vajazzling‘s out and pubic wigs are in!

Not totally sold? I’m not here to sell you on it – just to tell you what it was like. Yes, there’s a party in my pants, and yes, you are invited. As you’ll see in the video, Cindy Barshop performed The Carnivale on me, and it was a highly customized experience. I asked for a peacock, and a peacock I got. One by one, using a special completely bare glue, she placed the feathers on my freshly waxed bikini zone in a shape to slim my appearance. It was way more flattering than I thought it would be. All these years of diet and exercise, and all I ever needed was a feather merkin!

Does it hurt? Not at all. When my Carnivale was on, I actually couldn’t feel a thing. Unless I touched it, obviously. It wasn’t uncomfortable at all until 3 days later when they started to itch and come loose. At that point, I just peeled them off, painlessly. (Now they are pinned to my office cork board.) The Foxy Bikini and The Carnivale are meant to last 3-5 days (daily showering included) as a kitschy and unique way to spice things up – either for your sex life or your personal confidence. They may not be the most practical or necessary thing in the universe, but it certainly has that sexy shock value that appeals to us (bored?) lovers of innovative beauty.

Including the wax, it’s $225 for the Foxy Bikini and $195 for The Carnivale.

*A SPA WEEK EXCLUSIVE OFFER*

Curious to try? Get a year worth of unlimited laser hair removal at completely bare, and receive a FREE Foxy Bikini or Carnivale with EVERY session! Unlimited Bikini Laser Hair Removal: $1000. Unlimited Brazilian Laser Hair Removal: $2000. Mention SPA WEEK when you call to book. Available in New York only. Call for an appointment or consultation: 1.855.366.6060.

The Little Luxury: Spa Sonic Skin Care System Face & Body Polisher

Relationship Status: Going in circles (oh, and we shower together… a lot.)

Bringing the spa home: We spa girls cant get enough exfoliating, cleansing and polishing in our lives, so outside of our spa scrubs and intensive facials, we seek little at-home luxuries to make us feel like we’re at the spa… and get results like we are, too.

What is it? It’s a battery-operated face and body brush to thoroughly cleanse skin and remove dead skin cells to improve skin tone. It can be used to apply face or body cleanser for a more rigorous application, it can be used without soap, or even used dry.

Kit includes: The battery operated hand-held device (plus batteries), a large body brush, a small facial exfoliator brush, a pumice stone and a soft cushioned cleanser.

The Honda of the ‘sonics: The original Clarisonic device is often referred to as the “Rolls Royce” of brushes, and with good reason. The Spa Sonic “Honda” does a good job, considering the price. In comparison, the major difference is that the Clarisonic has 3 speeds, and has inner bristles that rotate while the outside remains still. This makes it more practical, because with the Spa Sonic spinning in only one direction, it makes your hand go in circles too while brushing.

FACE OFF: Clarisonic (left) vs. Spa Sonic (right)

Size matters! The Spa Sonic did a bit of a better job determining the sizes they would make their brush heads. The body brush on the Spa Sonic is considerably bigger and covers more ground faster than the Clarisonic. For the face, the Spa Sonic is a bit smaller so it can get into the curves and crevices of your face with more ease.

Might matter to some: The Spa Sonic is battery operated, while the Clarisonic is rechargeable.

My favorite secret Spa Sonic usage: Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been using the body brush to exfoliate my bikini zone to get rid of ingrowns, and it’s worked like a charm!

OVERALL… The Clarisonic may come in cute colors and patterns and be easier to handle, but it doesn’t necessarily do that much of a better job than its new lower priced knock-off.

Where to buy, and how much? The Spa Sonic is available for a fairly reasonable $65 at Target.com, as compared to around $225 for the comparable Clarisonic Plus.

Hot Stone Scale: 4 out of 6

This Little Luxury Review was brought to you by: Michelle Joni Lapidos