It’s back to school time, who’s excited? We didn’t expect a cheering chorus, but before you start kicking and screaming we’ve got ten things for you to be excited about. For less than $100 you can pick up the best beauty products for all your skin, hair, and makeup needs that could last at least until Thanksgiving Break. Whether you’re a Mommy sending your little troops off for a new exciting school year or a busy teacher determined to maintain a fresh first-day-of-school-glow until June, it’s time to prioritize a list of beauty must-haves to face the looming year ahead.

Start your mornings off with a great moisturizing conditioner. Your ends will thank you.  Pantene Pro-V Nature Fusion Moisture Balance Conditioner, $5.24

No time for a red carpet do? Take a dollop to tame those fly-aways in a dash. TRESemme Tres Clean Hold Professional Formula Gel Firm Control for  $1.49

Three main ingredients go into a relaxing shower. Hot water, 30 minutes and a moisturizing body wash. Don’t skimp on either part, especially the body wash.  Olay Total Effects Body Wash, Deep Penetrating Moisture, 6.79

Sometimes all you have time for is an all in one. Use these towelettes to cleanse, exfoliate and go.  Pond’s Wet Towelettes Morning Refresh with Citrus and Cucumber, $5.69

Double you pleasure the night before a stressful return to work. Settle into a sinful chocolate face mask and blow your colleagues away with your smooth skin.  Bellaboo Face Mask Sweet Sin Chocolate, 9.99

Say yes to beautiful skin with a facial cleanser that’s organic, natural and paraben free. Yes to Carrots Nourishing Daily Creme Facial Cleanser, 7.99

Be gone in 50 seconds (who needs the other 10?) with quick, drying nail color. Maybelline Express Finish Advance Anti-Chip Color in Grape Times, 3.99

For windy days, sunny days, or any days, never leave home without smooth puckers.  Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm, $2.99

Yes, the sun goes down a bit earlier, but that doesn’t mean you’re free from harmful rays. Moisturize and protect your skin. Eucerin Everyday Protection Face Lotion SPF 30, $7.19

Bring your eyes from natural to dramatic in just 3 clicks. Almay One Coat Dial Up Mascara Blackest Black 8.49

The Little Luxury: St. Ives Apricot Scrub

Relationship status: During one lonely jaunt to my local drugstore, I stumbled across this find right in between a super expensive Oil of Olay option and a menacing generic type. For less than the price of a Subway Sandwich I slipped this baby into my basket and have since been completely committed.

What is it for? How often does your face just feel saturated with makeup, dirt, moisture or all of the above? Just splash a little water all over your face and get to scrubbing twice a week and your skin is guaranteed to feel like new.

Aromatherapy in a Bottle? Close. One up on your typical scrubs is that it doesn’t smell like some yucky hospital solution. Sweet and delightful, apricot is one of the sweetest smells you can ever imagine.

Why St. Ives? Aside from the ridiculously cheap price, I’m dedicated to this scrub because it lives up to it’s packaging and does what it says. It wakes up the skin cells through an invigorating mixture of exfoliating beads, Swiss Botanicals, and Pure Swiss Glacial Water. After just one use my skin felt clean, tout and refreshed.

Who does it work for ? It’s good for all skin types. Oily, dry, prone to breakouts– it works magic for everyone.

Add this gem to your regimen: If you’re anything like me and you enjoy the thought of splurging but hate to see the negations in your bank account then take the cheap but good route. This scrub is just as capable of delivering the glow you crave sans the sticker shock of Yves Saint Laurent. Cleanse, exfoliate, tone and moisturize!

Good, cheap fun: $4.29 (6 oz/ 170 grams). Order online at Drugstore.com

Get scrubbed like a pro: I have to say, St. Ives great for frequent usage, but there truly is nothing comparable to a scrub at a spa. Don’t believe me? Try one yourself for just $50 during Spa Week — see which spas are offering scrubs near you.

Hot Stone Scale: 5 out of 6

This Little Luxury Report was brought to you by: Candace Amos

How many of you actually paid attention in your high school science class? Did the periodic table resemble a warped game of hopscotch? Even if you weren’t a Bio-Chem teacher’s pet, one thing we all remember is that oxygen = good, and we need it to breathe and live. Apply that hypothesis to a facial, and it all makes sense. Beautiful skin not only requires a healthy level of hydration, but the skin benefits from being able to breathe better. Don’t be alarmed, but every now and then it’s healthy to take a break from your foundation, concealer and blush overload.

Melissa Benton, Lead Skin Care Therapist at Facelogic Spa – Encinitas, is a huge supporter of oxygen treatments. Whenever doing this or any facial, she keeps it personalized: ”First we start with a cleanse and a skin analysis, then we decide if you need extractions and which peel would be best for the client.” On the candidates and benefits of an oxygen facial, Melissa says, “The radiant oxygenating facial detoxifies, brightens, clarifies and evens skin tone by bringing oxygen into the skin. Anyone who has hyperpigmentation, fine lines and wrinkles and dull skin can benefit from the treatment. “

Spa Week on the West Coast is hopscotching away with oxygen-infused facial treatments (one of this Fall’s hottest spa trends), each for just $50 September 13-19. Sign up for Spa Week and call these spas to book now before they run out of air! Then you can breathe.

Spa: Facelogic Spa – Encinitas
$50 Treatment: 60 Min Peter Thomas Roth Oxygen Facial
208 North El Camino Real, Suite C
Encinitas, CA 92024
760.840.3223

Spa: Skin Care by Klara
$50 Treatment: 50 Min Microdermabrasion with Oxygen Infusion
16447 North Scottsdale Road, Suite 105
Scottsdale, AZ 85254
480.247.8240

Spa: Alexander Skin Care
$50 Treatment: Oxygen Infusion
9339 Genesee Avenue Plaza 40
San Diego, CA 92121
858.455.7558

Spa: Body by Melisa
$50 Treatment: 55 Min Skin Bella Deluxe, Oxygen Facial Treatment, Including Particle Free Microdermabrasion
4414 Piedmont Avenue, Suite 2
Oakland, CA 94611
510.655.BODY

Spa: Leaf and Water Holistic Skincare
$50 Treatment: 50 Min Diamond Microdermabrasion Facial with Oxygenating Facial Mask
701 North 36th Street, Suite 330
Seattle, WA 98103
206.694.9026

Image Courtesy of pvskin.com

Summer is in full swing and the heat is on! Now that you have been beachcombing, barbequing and baring your skin, Beauty & Style expert and Dove® spokesperson Polly Blitzer is back to share some mid-season tips for looking hot while staying cool.

Question: As a beauty expert, what do you recommend that women should be wearing this summer to look and feel their best in the hot temperatures?
Answer: During the summer months, sleeveless tops and dresses are a girl’s best friend. Opt for one-shouldered tops with draping and ruching, flowing Grecian gowns or shoulder-baring cocktail frocks. My favorite thing about this trend is that you can show a little bit of skin without a plunging neckline.

Question: Sweating and skin irritation are inevitable in the hot summer months. What is your recommendation to keep women feeling dry and confident when wearing summer styles like sleeveless tops and dresses?
Answer: Look for an anti-perspirant/deodorant that delivers outstanding skincare benefits while providing 24-hour odor and wetness protection, like Dove Ultimate Beauty Care Deodorant in Light Radiance. It not only keeps you comfortable, but its tri-moisturizing system also soothes shaving irritation and helps replenish delicate underarm skin. Shaving reduces the top layer of underarm skin by 20% and can result in irritation and skin dryness, but Dove Ultimate provides the moisturization that is essential for healthy underarm skin. You will feel and look fabulously fresh while sporting your sleeveless frocks!

Question: What are some other hot style trends for the summer?
Answer: This season, accessories are sizzling! For example, mega necklaces have been a huge hit on runways everywhere. Try dressing up a basic scoop neck tee with a statement necklace. They completely revamp an otherwise simple wardrobe and add a burst of color to any ensemble.

For more information on Dove Ultimate Beauty Care Deodorant, visit www.dove.com/deodorant.

Wrinkles! We all love the idea of growing older, becoming more independent and all that comes with it, but if there was a way to get the package sans the sagging skin, frown lines and crows feet, we would surely take it. Anybody would.

Anti-aging as a phenomenon has grown out of this world. Teens are trying Botox and women meet the enemy square in the face with the ritual glance in the mirror each morning. Celebrities are doing anything to prevent them as maintaining a youthful look coincides with success. According to Showbiz Spy, High School Musical alum, Vanessa Hudgens has already started using anti-wrinkle cream. “You might as well start now, put a little lotion on rather than having to get wrinkles. I think it’s smart to start soon, really. It’s a good beauty tip.”

Proper skin care begins at a young age by applying sunscreen on a regular basis, sufficient vitamin-A intake and antioxidants. Even with all these precautions, you still may need to take a more hands-on approach to turning back the hands of time. No worries, we’re not referring to surgery or Botox, because many non-invasive treatments at the spa can do the trick.

Here, a few of the best anti-aging treatments around. Each one of these can be found in our spa deals this month for a bargain, so book yourself a spa visit and give those wrinkles the pink slip.

Anti-Aging Spa Strategy #1 – Bio-Roller Anti-Aging Facial

New FDA approved skin care device, that increases absorption of active ingredients by 400%. Improves skin elasticity and texture by promoting collagen formation. Desert Bloom Skin Care Center in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Anti-Aging Spa Strategy #2 – Non-Surgical Face Lift

This ultra technology facelift that re-educates the facial muscles and provides dermal nutrition to increase collagen and vital nutrients in the skin. Using ultrasonic microdermabrasion, micro-current, ultrasound, and light therapy, all four technologies combine to improve both the tone and texture of the skin, producing healthier, firmer, more youthful skin. Bella Reina Spa in Delray Beach, Florida.

Anti-Aging Spa Strategy #3 – Anti-Aging Me

Target the aging process with firming peptides, vitamin C and fruity acids. Put time back into your skin with this luscious facial. The Carriage House Spa & Salon in Yardley, Pennsylvania.

Anti-Aging Spa Strategy #4 – Vitamin C Light Therapy

This is an Advanced Anti-Aging Treatment with no down time and helps heal sun-exposed skin. Facial Leaf and Water Holistic Skincare in Seattle, Washington.

Check out more anti-aging spa strategies on our Spa Deals page.

Images Courtesy of InhumaneExperiment.blogspot.com, Recreate Yourself , FirstAntiAging.com, Go Get Healthy Now, and Chivasom.com