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Burt’s waxes fragrant for new perfume line
On the hunt for a new personal scent?
Burt’s Bees has introduced a line of solid perfumes using fragrant essential oils and other ingredients, including coconut and sweet almond oil, beeswax, carnauba wax and shea butter.
There are four selections: Naturally Happy (citrus and floral fragrance); Naturally Beautiful (a mix of peach, jasmine, black tea, ylang-ylang and vanilla); Naturally Fresh (a combination of lemon, grapefruit and cedarwood); and Naturally Sensual (a combo of Italian lemon, wood, pineapple and rose/geranium).
The perfumes, which resemble lip balm and come in a recyclable tin, are $9.99 for 0.3 ounce. They are available at all Ulta stores (9607 Research Blvd., 794-0708; 9500 S. Interstate 35, 292-1784; 5601 Brodie Lane, Sunset Valley, 891-1581, www.ulta.com) and www.burtsbees.com.
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Cure the blues with orange treatments
In Austin, there’s no doubt: The Longhorns rule, even if the season is disappointing so far.
So if you need a quick respite from the football season (or perhaps after this weekend’s Austin City Limits Music Festival), Lakeway Resort and Spa on Lake Travis (101 Lakeway Drive. 261-7350, www.dolce-lakeway-hotel.com) has two Longhorns-inspired spa treatments available: the Orange Bliss Sugar Meringue Scrub ($90) to detox the skin and keep moisture looked in as well as the Orange Bliss Massage ($144) lift your spirits for what might be a wobbly season.
You can get a combo for $189 for the treatments available through Nov. 30.
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Mustique is an oasis for your skin and hair
Sometimes a tropical getaway is a good way to feel refreshed.
Dallas resident Niven Morgan (www.nivenmorgan.com), maker of the Jean Baptiste 1717 body and candle line as well as other kitchen, bath and body products, has introduced a new line of body products called Mustique, which was inspired and named after a 1,400-acre private island in the Caribbean.
The line, which sells for $16 to $32, offers body lotion, body wash, conditioner, hand lotion, hand soap and shampoo. The scent is a blend of citron, whitewood, patchouli, amber, bergamot, frangipani, spearmint and orange.
Morgan’s products are available online and at Austin retailers, including the Four Seasons (98 San Jacinto Blvd. 478-4500); the Menagerie (1601 W. 38th St. 453-4644); Northwest Hills Pharmacy (3801 Capital of Texas Highway. 329-8667); and Sue Patrick (5222 Burnet Road. 452-7701).
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Hair and hot looks for cancer support
Are you hungry for catwalk action?
Drop by the second annual Fall Fashion Walk Off at JR Salon Spa (4800 Burnet Road. 478-8040, www.salonjr.net) starting at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
You’ll see hair designs from JR Salon, Garbo, Austin Aveda Institute, Jackson Ruiz Salon, Avant Salon Spa, Sirens Salon, Deklynd Channing Hair Design at Mixx Salon, Maximum FX Salon Spa, Bella Salon and Electra Beauty Lounge. There will be fashion looks from Free People, SoLa, Savannah Red, Team Fabrication and the Boss Ladies House of Style and others.
Some of the models will be cancer survivors.
For a monetary donation, you’ll get refreshments as well as a chance to win gifts such as dinner at Galaxy Cafe, brunch at Blue Star Cafeteria, a gift card to Platinum Ink and a month of bootcamp training at Crossfit.
Drag queen Simone Riviera will perform, and break-dance and hip-hop group B-Boy City will entertain guests. Kesha Dirkson from KD Enterprises will host.
The event will raise money for the local patient services department of the American Cancer Society.
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Texas-themed fragrance at Saks for limited time
Want to smell like the Lone Star State?
That’s right.
Saks Fifth Avenue and Bond No. 9 have unveiled Saks Fifth Avenue Texas by Bond No. 9, a limited-edition fragrance ($360) available at Saks stores in Austin, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Plano.
This scent combines gardenia, jasmine and lily of the valley with vanilla, cardamom, vetiver and musk. Also, there’s a citrus combination of mandarin, bergamot, black currant and pineapple leaves.
The bottle depicts the flag of Texas in red and blue Swarovski crystals. It has been reported that only 400 bottles of the fragrance were made.
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New spa pampers moms-to-be with massages, ultrasounds
When you are pregnant, some days all you really want is a good back rub.
Well, at Blooming Pregnancy Spa and Imaging Center in Southwest Austin you can get that, and so much more.
The new spa (5601 Brodie Lane, Suite 640. 892-0808, bloomingpregnancyspa.com) offers therapeutic massage, manicures, pedicures, skin treatments, waxing and 3D/4D ultrasounds by certified technicians (you must be under a doctor’s care and have their permission).
The spa’s grand opening is 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday and features prenatal yoga instruction, an ice cream and pickle social, tips on newborn photography and child safety seat information.
“After working with pregnant women for years as a massage therapist, I realized that it can be really hard to find a good therapist. Some don’t use firm enough touch because they are scared to work on pregnant women. Others ask women to wait until their second trimester. I wanted to give women a place to go,” says owner Patti Justice.
Even if you aren’t expecting, the spa does various group packages and sells gift certificates for services that make great shower gifts.
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Upscale hair salon opens in Four Seasons Residences
With the heat and humidity, it might be time for a fresh ‘do. Drop by the Four Seasons Residences (98 San Jacinto Blvd. 448-0060, www.ronkingbeauty.com) as celebrity hairstylist Ron King opens his eponymous salon at the new condominium tower.
The salon will offer hairstyling as well as makeup services and use L’Oreal Professionnel hair products such as the new permanent color system called INOA as well as Ron King Cosmetics.
Also, the salon will offer hair extensions from Platinum Seamless.
The salon’s interior was designed by Melissa Shockley Interiors and King, and it combines French traditional pieces and an urban aesthetic.
King is the owner of Bo Salon on South Congress Avenue.
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Dress your eyes in denim, lips in rose with Bobbi Brown
Beauty is skin deep.
So in this live music capital, give your skin some rock ‘n’ roll attitude.
Bobbi Brown (www.bobbibrown.com) has introduced the new Denim & Rose collection of beauty products including Limited-Edition Denim & Rose Palette ($60) with deep blues, grays and pinks for eyes and rose shades for your lips and cheeks; the Limited-Edition Highlighter Pen of brush-on liquid shimmer in bronze, opal and rose ($32); Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Denim Ink ($22); Limited-Edition Sparkle Eye Shadow in Denim (think glitter for the eyes) ($24); Limited-Edition Extreme Party Mascara in Denim ($22); and Limited Edition Shimmer Lip Gloss in Raspberry ($20).
Available at Neiman Marcus (3400 Palm Way Drive. 719-1200, www.neimanmarcus.com); Nordstrom (2901 Capital of Texas Highway. 691-3500, www.nordstrom.com) and Saks Fifth Avenue (9722 Great Hills Trail. 231-3700, www.saksfifth
avenue.com).
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New Round Rock salon can extend your halo
The word “halo” might conjure up thoughts about angels, the video game series or the hit Beyonce song, to name a few.
Here’s one more for the list: Halo Hair Studio (1009 S. Mays St., Round Rock. 512-218-4256, www.haloroundrock.com), which recently opened.
The salon was started by Julie Pellizzaro and Misty Hill, who have been friends for 14 years. (The two have been educators for Sexy Hair Concepts, and are certified DreamCatchers by Paris Hilton hair extension artists.)
Halo offers haircuts, hair coloring, hair extensions, airbrush tanning and makeup applications. Women’s haircuts start at $50 and men’s at $35.
As a special, the salon is offering Xtreme eyelash extensions for $99 for a full set and Bronzed Envy Airbrush Tanning for $100 for four sessions.
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Downtown day spa has services for kids, adults
With streetview construction complete at Gables 5th Street Commons, you finally can see all the West Fifth Street building’s new eateries and shops, including a recently opened day spa that joins the city’s growing beauty district of salons and spas.
It’s called By Cindy Day Spa (1611 W. Fifth St. 474-2168, www.bycindydayspa.com).
The spa, which has a menu of options for men and women, offers massage, waxing, brow and eyelash tinting, nail services and other treatments. Treatments include a one-hour basic facial ($75), an express pedicure ($26), express manicure ($15), eyebrow waxing ($12) and a 60-minute massage ($75). Also available are spa packages as well as services for children: manicures and pedicures ($30 and $35) and nail polish changes ($20).
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Day of wellness springs from a cause
Mix beauty, wellness and movies this weekend.
W3LL People, a toxin-free beauty concept store, and Creekside Whole Health Center, which specializes in acupuncture, massage and skin care, will be hosts for a day of wellness and beauty from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 18, at W3LL (215 S. Lamar Blvd. 366-7963, www.w3llpeople.com).
A percentage of sales and donations will go to completing the documentary “Cancerpants.” (At 3 p.m., the film’s director Nevie Owens will screen a trailer of the film and discuss the film, which depicts the struggles, triumphs and joys that surround breast cancer.)
The day will include yoga, facial acupuncture, massages, and complimentary skin and makeup consultations.
Starting at 4 p.m., local musician Wendy Colonna will perform a live set.
Door prizes will include massage and artisan pottery. Other participating partners include Live Oak Pharmacy, Pink Avocado, Rain Lily and Farm House Delivery.
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File it up a notch
For Lisa McQueen and Wendy Pursch, nothing took the edge off the rigors of their MBA studies like their mani/pedi study breaks. Always in search of the perfect place, they tried various nail parlors and day spas, never quite finding one that met all their criteria.
As students of the business world, they couldn’t help but analyze how to improve the efficiency and the glam factor — and they dreamed of creating their own inspired pampering place.
Upon graduation, both took jobs in separate sectors of the corporate world. Nevertheless, they kept their femme nail fantasy on fire. And, when the time was right, in March 2008, they joined forces to open Embellish Nail Salon, a mani/pedi studio so indulgent in feminine excess it might be a grown-up version of Barbie’s playhouse.
With their first location at the Triangle thriving, the two pink-loving entrepreneurs opened their second Embellish on Bee Cave Road in February.
Glossy: What differentiates you from other nail salons?
Lisa McQueen and Wendy Pursch: Atmosphere is the key. We want guests to feel pampered as soon as they walk in the door. We offer complimentary sodas and white wine (and mimosas on the weekends) and an unlimited supply of M&M’s. All customers are given a warm neck wrap to enjoy during their services. We combine pink walls, chandeliers and big-screen televisions that continuously show chick flicks to create the ultimate fun, girly environment. Last but not least, we emphasize hygiene. We use non-whirlpool tubs because they are much easier to effectively sanitize. All of our metal implements go through a rigorous cleaning process after each customer, and we never reuse non-metal implements. Each customer is sent home with their own nail file and buffer.
What are your tips for keeping summer toes beautiful?
During flip-flop season, it’s important to keep toes polished and calluses in check — especially if you’re wearing sandals to the office. Pedicures should last about three weeks, but if you’re a runner, wear high heels constantly or spend time at the beach you might need to get your toes done more frequently. Between pedicures, we suggest using a pumice stone in the shower or tub to keep your calluses smooth. You don’t want to remove them altogether. We also suggest extending the life of your polish with a thin layer of top-coat. This helps protect the color from chipping, especially if you’re in the water a lot or exposing your polish to abrasive environments like sand at the beach or dirt in your garden.
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Latest comments
Ron’s new salon is fantastic and the service is excellent.
... read the full comment by Frances | Comment on Upscale hair salon opens in Four Seasons Residences Read Upscale hair salon opens in Four Seasons Residences
Would you ever consider serving martinis for a bachelorette party group? Bride would like to have mani/pedi’s and a martini……If you do not offer thsi type of service, do you know of a local spa that does?
any guidance you can provide
... read the full comment by Alma Castillo | Comment on Downtown day spa has services for kids, adults Read Downtown day spa has services for kids, adults
I’m not sure where to tell the rest of Austin about this, but Woodhouse Day Spa Austin is doing a sweepstakes with their services. Giving away a prize of like $500 or more. I thought you might want to blog about it!
Even if it kills my chances
... read the full comment by megan kingston | Comment on Upscale hair salon opens in Four Seasons Residences Read Upscale hair salon opens in Four Seasons Residences
Truly a fantastic line of cosmetics! We’ve used them for two fashion shows and the makeup was stunning. I love the products and will be buying more!
... read the full comment by Linda | Comment on Pamper your skin with products from new Evie Evan store Read Pamper your skin with products from new Evie Evan store
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