Bath and Body Works

Eye Love Summer
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Eye Love Summer

I have a confession to make: I’ve become a little obsessed with eye treatments. I can’t stop using eye masks and I’m hooked on my new eye cream (more on that below). But here’s the thing: all this eye love seems to be working. When I look in the mirror I’m not seeing crazy dark circles and I’m no longer focusing on those little crinkles near my eyes. And these treatments aren’t just effective, they’re also quick and easy. Eye masks, for example, are generally very easy to apply and take about 10 minutes to work their magic. And since you can wear them while doing almost anything else, they’re a great way to take care of yourself when you’re feeling too busy to squeeze in anything extra.

Here’s a look at my new favorite eye treatments:

Context Vitamin C All Day Eye Cream: This product is actually a lightweight eye gel that glides right on to instantly brighten and smooth the under-eye area. I swear it makes fine lines disappear, and the second day I wore it my coworker mentioned that I looked especially bright eyed that day. I no longer leave home without applying a tiny dab under each eye.

Wander Beauty Baggage Claim Rose Gold Eye Masks: I kept seeing ads for these rose gold foiled eye masks and they looked so fun I had to try them. I ordered a box of them from Sephora (a box contains six pairs) and thoroughly enjoyed lounging on my couch watching the new season of Queer Eye with them on. They didn’t do a whole lot to reduce puffiness but they did brighten my eyes and I felt super glam with them on.

Sephora Cucumber Eye Masks: These claim to be soothing and they definitely are. I used them after work on a long, hot day and loved the cooling sensation of the serum. These masks were a little messy fresh out of the package but they stayed put and left me feeling refreshed.

Bath & Body Works Gold Hydrogel Under Eye Mask with Caffeine: By far my favorite of the eye masks, this pair of rubbery gold masks was easy to apply, fun to wear, and drastically reduced my eye puffiness – caffeine is the key. Next time I’m near a Bath & Body Works I intend to stock up on these little gems!

What are your favorite eye products this summer?

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Foot Fetish

It seems like most people either love feet or hate them. I know people who grimace at the mere mention of toes. I know others that live to flaunt their peds and accessorize them with sexy sandals, jewelry, and polish. And we all know that some people really love feet. Scandalous foot fetish videos, hilarious Sex and the City reruns, and creepy rumors keep us all aware of that fact.

Regardless of your personal stance on feet, I think we all can agree that we want ours to look nice. For some reason, being told I have pretty feet is a particularly confidence-boosting compliment.

If your feet are in really bad shape, get thee to a nail salon and get yourself a pedicure. If, like me, you just need a little maintenance to get yourself sandal-ready, here are some tips to keep your feet looking ridiculously pretty:

1. Trim your nails. Having talon-like toenails is sure to perpetuate the feet-are-ugly myth and will turn off even the most hardcore fetishist. Keep your nails trimmed, straight across, and on the short side.

2. Scrub-a-dub-dub. A good foot scrub is key to having soft, delicate-looking soles. I recommend giving yourself a foot soak once a week. After soaking your feet for 5 to 10 minutes in hot water (foot soak or salt optional), pat them dry and scrub them with a generous dollop of foot scrub. Right now I’m using Toe the Line, from the Bath & Body Works True Blue Spa line. Massage the scrub into your feet, paying extra attention to especially dry areas. I find using my fingernails to scrape off dead skin is the most effective way to get my feet soft and smooth – it’s kinda gross, but it really, really works.

3. Lotion up. Feet need extra moisture to keep them smooth. I follow every foot scrub with a healthy dose of foot cream. Bliss Foot Patrol contains aloe and peppermint and leaves freshly scrubbed feet feeling tingly and rejuvenated. To keep my feet soft between scrubs, I slather on a thick foot cream each night before bed. I’m currently obsessed with Ahava Dermud Enriched Intensive Foot Cream. It has a sweet scent and my feet still feel moisturized when I wake up. An alternative: try moisturizing gel socks. My grandmother, who appreciates a pretty foot as much as I do, gave me a pair for my birthday. The insides of these little gems are coated with a softening gel, and while it feels weird to slide your feet into a little gel sleeve, just 20 minutes gets your feet surprisingly smooth.

4. Pick a pretty paint. In the heat of summer I tend to spice up my pedicure with hot pink polish, but when I’m just trying to get pretty feet, I like soft nude shades. They look clean, lovely, and sophisticated. I’m still hooked on Essie nail color in Innocent, a soft nude pink, but I occasionally switch it out for Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Peachy Keen, a one-step light peach (it looks great on hands, too).

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Foam Sweet Foam

It took exactly one use of Bath and Body Works’ new Foam Burst Body Wash for me to be hooked. It was on sale the last time I stopped in said store, leading me to buy a bottle for me (in the Warm Vanilla Sugar scent; I’m a sucker for products that smell like baked goods) and one for my sister, who appreciates a good beauty find but rarely takes the time to go searching for one herself.

Having a stockpile of body washes, scrubs, and soaps, I did not try the new body wash right away. A few days later, however, my sister called to ask if I had tried it yet. When I answered that no, I had not, she informed me that I had to try it ASAP because, not only was it fun to use, it made her skin so soft that her boyfriend couldn’t keep his hands off her. Interesting.

So I tried it. Turns out, she was right. When squirted onto a wash cloth or pouf, the gel doesn’t seem too extraordinary, but lather it up a bit and start scrubbing yourself with it, and soon you’re covered in a soft foam that conjures up memories of foam parties from college (without the sketchy oh-my-god-what’s-been-going-on-in-here vibe). It left my skin clean, lightly perfumed, and softer than I can ever remember it being. A loyal body lotion user, I even skipped my usual post-shower slather and still felt soft and smooth.

The result? My boyfriend came over later that day, took one whiff of me and said, “Mmmm is that vanilla?” About 20 minutes later he ran his hand along my arm and mentioned that my skin felt ridiculously soft that day. I just used the last of the body wash and you can bet I’ll be buying some more the next time I’m near a Bath and Body Works.

My sister just bought five more bottles.