This may be your last chance to relax before 2018 officially starts. Then it’s back to school…back to work…back to life…back to reality…

Still looking for inspiration to get the New Year off to a splendid start? Start with you! This is an excellent time to take care of yourself, even if you set aside 10 minutes to do so. You can multi-task to make the most of those minutes.

Relaxing Facial Masks When You Don’t Have Time To Relax

Start with a face mask—even if your skin is pitch perfect, any complexion can benefit from a reparative face mask once a week, especially during the winter months. Our skin requires an intensive reconstructive care product regularly to enable it to recover and reboot its cellular functions. For the severely time starved, Cosmetics 27 Plasma 27 Bio Lifting Cell Restoring Mask, is just the thing! This pre-soaked, pre-cut, single serve sheet mask is packed with high concentrations of Centella Asiatica and Proline to stimulate the skin’s ability to produce collagen. Just open the packet, pop it on your visage, have a cup of coffee and voila!

If you prefer a creamy mask format, try Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm. Yes, it’s a face cleanser, but it is so much more. Massage the balm into your face using downward strokes – this promotes lymphatic drainage. I store mine in the refrigerator: the cool temperature is refreshing and calms puffiness. Remember to apply it to the backs of your hands as well. When you embark upon 40, even if you take A+ care of your skin and have great genes, there is no place that is more revealing of age. The all-natural scent of moringa is also calming to the senses which is beneficial especially on hectic mornings. This multi-tasking treatment can also be used as a lip balm.

Hair & Scalp Treatments for Your Tresses

While your face mask is gelling, turn your attention to your hair and scalp. Christophe Robin’s line of hair treatment products is a must. Period. Especially if you highlight, bleach or chemically process your hair. You can sleep, workout and even golf in them. These intensive moisturizing treatments are magic!

For dry, damaged hair requiring some serious tender loving care, try his Regenerating Mask with Rare Prickly Pear Seed Oil. It contains powerful antioxidants and moisturizers sure to leave your hair frizz free, soft and radiant.

The holidays are stressful. Combine this with crisp, dry air and you’ll find yourself with a troublesome itchy, flaky scalp. If this sounds familiar, Christophe Robin’s scalp detox mask, Cleansing Purifying Scrub With Sea Salt, is calling your name.

Eye, Brow and Lash Treatments

Feeling a little bit of champ-shame about how much you drank (not to mention ate) this holiday season? Copious consumption could leave your eyes puffy and your skin sallow. No problem! Here are a couple of instant eye pick-me-ups that will get you going in the right direction:

Institut Esthederm Lift & Repair Eye Contour Lift Patches are fast penetrating under eye masks that target all concerns of the eye area: bags, shadows, fine lines, sagging skin and swelling. In as little as 6 minutes a few days a week, you can take years off your eye area. They also make the perfect travel companion – try them at the end of a flight, or the morning after a long night out to look “bright-eyed” (bushy-tailed is on you).

While you’re de-puffing your eyes, you can pump up your brows and lashes with Jessica Johnson Classic Beauty Brow and Lash Conditioning Serum. This conditioning treatment is the real deal! It is a two-in-one product for use on brows as well as lashes and contains additional treatment ingredients, including natural marine extract that not only boosts hair growth but conditions and hydrates for strong, lush brows and lashes.

We hope you take the time to indulge in a drop of self-care, not just this week, but all year long. For more tips, tricks and tools to perfect your look, find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

By: Travel Beauty Editors

Even if we are lucky enough to have lush eyebrows and thick, long eyelashes in our youth, as we age, they tend to thin. Many of us don’t realize how pivotal our brows and lashes are to our overall look until they begin to wane, or worse, become non-existent.

What to do?

There are prescription eyelash serums available like Latisse. Though they work for some, many are hesitant to go this route due to numerous side effects that can present including eye infections, allergic reactions or even the changing of one’s eye color. Forget it! For brows, semi permanent tattooing is available. This is a great solution if you can find an experienced practitioner, but they are difficult to come by and can be prohibitively expensive. Lash extensions are also an option but can be a struggle to maintain and care for.

Having turned 40 this past summer, I’ve noticed that my eyelashes are becoming a bit sparse. To that end, I have been on the hunt for a product that would not only spur hair growth but condition my lashes. Lash extensions are not practical for me. They seem like way too much work. I tried a reputable, over the counter lash serum only to have an allergic reaction. I have extremely sensitive skin to begin with, let alone the skin around my eye area. I was almost ready to give up when I came across Jessica Johnson’s Brow and Lash Serum.

Jessica Johnson is the founder of – you guessed it – Jessica Johnson Classic Beauty and is known on the east and west coasts as the woman to see for sensational brows. With over 25 years experience in brow shaping, makeup and aesthetics, she is a recognized industry expert and innovator boasting a celebrity clientele. She has her own studio in Portland Maine and is the guest Brow Expert at the Yves Durif Salon at The Carlyle Hotel in New York City. Her Brow & Lash Serum launched in Spring of 2016 and has quickly gained recognition and endorsements by top physicians and prestigious salons and spas countrywide.

I sat down with Jessica to learn more about her philosophy.

What inspired you to create Jessica Johnson Classic Beauty? Tell us the story behind the brand.

JJ: Many years ago I came across a small book on personal style called “Simple Isn’t Easy” by Amy Fine Collins, a woman I admire greatly in the world of fashion. Interestingly, Amy is now one of my clients and a friend.

The book’s message was women don’t need more clothing, just the right clothing. There are staples every woman should own, and from this she can build a style that is unique and timeless. The same is true for beauty.

Women are buying more services and products than ever, but are frustrated with the results. Why? Because they’ve lost sight of the key staples every woman needs to celebrate her unique, individual beauty. In 25 years of practice working with thousands of women, I realized that the two critical elements to looking great are beautiful brows and healthy skin. You can have perfect skin and gorgeous makeup, but if your eyebrows don’t look good, everything is thrown off. I decided to open a special salon devoted to these two services and launch a simplified product line for lasting results at home.

I did much of my advanced studies in skin care in Germany and Vienna and noticed women received facials on a monthly basis as part of a healthy lifestyle, not a luxury. The specialized brow and skin services I offer at my studio are modeled after these classic treatment protocols, and are quick and affordable. Like a manicure or a blow dry, these services offer instant, high-impact results. Our clients are now making brows and facials a part of their lifestyle and love that they need a lot less time to get ready.

What differentiates your Brow and Lash Serum from Latisse and other treatments?

JJ: Along with our active ingredients, the serum:

• Has additional treatment ingredients to keep lashes intensely hydrated and strong
• Is a two-in-one product – it may be used on brows and lashes
• The active ingredient is natural marine extract
• Is clinically proven to be safe and to work. Clients do not have the reactions that typically accompany other lash treatments
• Has been endorsed by one of the top Ophthalmologists on the Upper East Side of Manhattan

There are lots of wonderful products out there. Latisse is a great product but you can only get it through doctor’s offices or with a prescription and for some patients there are side effect issues.

What lead you to focus on eyebrows and eyelashes?

JJ: I’ve been into beauty since I was 5 years old and I’ve always been drawn to the eyes. My mother was Greek. If you sat around a table with my Greek relatives, you’d want to go into the brow shaping business as well. But seriously, I’ve always been drawn to the impact that eyebrows have on the face. At my first studio in San Francisco, I shaped clients’ brows as a complimentary service. I knew once they left my spa this would be the first thing people would notice. Their face was a walking billboard for my business and I wanted it to be beautiful. It worked…I ended up with the largest brow clientele in San Francisco.

What do you love most about your work?

JJ: Making people feel good. Helping people feel and look beautiful.

What has been the most defining moment in your career?

Being named Guest Brow Expert at the Yves Durif Salon at The Carlyle Hotel and launching my product there. It’s always been my dream to work or live in New York City. They say if you can make it in New York you can make it anywhere. If you can make it at The Carlyle, then you’re really making it. After all, everything’s better at The Carlyle. It’s an honor to work alongside a great artist like Yves Durif and all his highly skilled stylists. When I stop learning or improving in this business is when I’ll get out. This group keeps me inspired to grow and always do my best.

What is the most important piece of advice you can give with regard to lash & brow-centric beauty?

JJ: Don’t over pluck…especially when you’re young. I have many clients who bring in their teen daughters because that’s when girls start to experiment and they end up with thin brows for life.

Brows aren’t one size fits all. Don’t use a stencil or make them too precise or dark. You want to work with and enhance your natural shape and texture. I see the industry moving away from the high-maintenance, over sculpted brow and towards a softer, fuller, natural look.

By: Alyssa Barrie Weiss, Twitter: @AlyssaBarrie

My skin & body care product obsession started at a young age. By middle school I was doing my own independent reading about – and purchasing of – beauty products. One of the first products I fell in love with was St. Ives Apricot Face Scrub. This product has achieved cult status over the years, and for good reason – it left skin super-soft and glowing. I was thus distraught a few years later when one of the big beauty books said that my scrub with natural exfoliating particles should be shunned, as these irregular shaped bits can cause tiny tears in the skin. YIKES. Never fear, they said – swap in a scrub with manmade perfectly spherical plastic “microbeads”! No more mini-tears; totally skin safe.

This was all years before the green beauty movement took off, so no one really followed this thinking through to the obvious end…where we find ourselves today. These tiny plastic beads, which have become ubiquitous in thousands of products ranging from body scrubs to toothpaste, do not dissolve and therefore pose a major threat to the environment.

In fact, a recent study reported that more than 8 trillion microbeads enter the country’s aquatic habitats daily. These seemingly innocuous microbeads have contributed to an increase in microplastic polluting the planet’s oceans and lakes, and pose a threat to aquatic life. These little plastic perpetrators have since been banned by public policy. However, if your favorite exfoliators contain these microbeads, you might be reeling over the ramifications on your skin.

What To Use Now? What Works?

I’m proud to say that here at Travel Beauty, we’ve only carried scrubs with natural exfoliating particles. By virtue of them populating our virtual shelves, you know they get our stamp of approval as an all-around excellent and effective product. So if you’re on the search for a plastics-free scrub, look no further. Here is our list of the best of the best.

For Face

Lavido Gentle Exfoliator Peeling Cream: This exfoliator/mask is suitable for even the most sensitive skin. It contains Oyster Shell Powder and Pomegranate Peel Grains to provide a subtle scrubbing action, sloughing away dead cells and buildup. Scrub-a-dub for 20 seconds then leave on skin for another minute et viola! Glowing skin is yours.

For Body

Yu-Be Foaming Skin Polish: I find myself writing about and recommending this face & body scrub often. Here’s why: At $18 (for an almost 7 oz) tube, it’s one of the best bargains in beauty. Because it contains fine grains of Rice Bran and Bamboo as well as gentle cleansing (no sulfates!) agents, this polish not only effectively exfoliates, but also works into a luxurious foam as you scrub, so no additional cleaning step is needed. Skin is left totally clean and ready to soak up your skin care products like a sponge. It also has Ginger Root, Ginseng Green Tea, Geranium Oil and Camphor – all benefit skin in different ways and give this polish it’s refreshing and invigorating scent.

Mio Skincare’s Double Buff Dual Action Enzyme Exfoliator: you can easily buff away dull, lackluster skin with Mio’s Double Buff. This non-abrasive scrub is dedicated to revealing brighter, smoother, more even toned skin. In place of harmful buffing fragments, this omega-rich exfoliator utilizes perfectly spherical particles of pumice, lava and bamboo to gently but effectively slough away dead skin cells. Extract of Fig and organic Shea Butter hydrate and moisturize while organic Sweet Almond Oil soothes sensitive skin. The results? Smooth and supple looking skin with renewed clarity and radiance. Not only helping skin to look smoother and more even, its formula is packed with essential nutrients which work to maintain elasticity so skin looks and feels younger, firmer and extra dewy. Use on dry body, pre-shower. Like all Mio Skincare products, Double Buff is free from parabens, petrolatum, synthetic fragrance and colorants, xenoestrogens, PEGs, glycols and phthalates.

Juara Invigorating Coffee Scrub: A much stronger choice of body scrub than the two mentioned above. This invigorating body treatment is made with Indonesian Sumatran Coffee Beans, finely crushed walnut shells and gentle, sulfate-free cleansing agents. This scrub will *wake you up* as it stimulates circulation, exfoliates, cleanses and helps to firm, tone and brighten skin. Coffee has been clinically proven to provide powerful antioxidant and tightening benefits for skin – hence the proliferation of coffee scrubs. Juara’s scrub was one of the first and is still the best in my book. This unique scrub also features Vitamin E-rich Rice Bran Oil, which provides additional hydration and helps maintain skin’s elasticity, leaving skin supple, soft and smooth. Many people have cured their pesky keratosis pilaris with it. A true therapeutic body ritual in a jar.

By: Claire McCormack, Twitter & Instagram

When cold, crisp winter weather makes our hair and skin freak out (i.e., break out…dry out…frizz out…), we make sure to stock up on our favorite multitasking product from Japan. No one can sing the praises of Vine Minus Ion Care Water better than Travel Beauty’s hair care expert, Ishi.

———

Where do I begin? Vine Care Water is negative ion water that was first developed in Japan for NASA to clean the lenses and mirrors on space bound vehicles and satellites. Bacteria cannot live in a pH 12.5 environment, so it was made as a germ-killing cleanser. Negative ion water is 170 times more absorbent than water, so on its own it provides moisture. Used in conjunction with hair and skin care products, negative ion water works as a driver – so it boosts the effectiveness of products used subsequently.

Negative Ion Water Benefits for Hair Care

The negative charge of the water is attracted to – and bonds to – hair.  It helps strengthen fine hair, making it feel thicker. It boosts the strength of conditioners, treatments and styling aids to amplify the benefits of these products. It can also be mixed with your shampoo or conditioner at a rate of 10%, or can be sprayed onto hair, roots to ends, before leave-in conditioners or styling aids are applied. This is a fabulous tool for thick, curly hair as well; read more here about how to use it.

Negative Ion Water Benefits for Skin Care

Care Water works well as a moisturizing skin toner or clarifier (most products that clarify tend to dry the skin). Many of my clients have had success clearing up some forms of acne with Care Water as well. Layered with other products, it boosts the benefits of those products. Here’s an easy experiment to give you an idea of what Care Water does:

• Put a few drops of oil into water. You will see it separates.
• Then spray the oil and water with Care Water.
• You will see it actually reduces the size of the oil drops so that the water and oil mix together.
• This is the same way Care Water breaks up and clears away oils on the skin.

Negative Ion Water Benefits for Scrapes & Cuts

Sprayed on scrapes or cuts, Care Water cleans the wounds (by killing bacteria) and moisturizes, therefore promoting healing. It’s currently being used in research at burn hospitals in Japan with very positive results.

Negative Ion Water Benefits for Teeth

Care Water also works for brushing your teeth – both cleansing and whitening. Read all about our smile-cleaning secrets here. Don’t swallow it, though! It is not for internal use. The pH is too extreme for that. Care Water is the ideal multi-tasking travel companion. You can find this cure-all wonder water in travel size here at Travel Beauty.

My skin & body care product obsession started at a young age. By middle school I was doing my own independent reading about – and purchasing of – beauty products. One of the first products I fell in love with (that I could afford to buy for myself) was St. Ives Apricot Face Scrub. This product has achieved cult status over the years, and for good reason – it left skin super-soft and glowy. I was thus distraught a few years later when one of the big beauty books said that my scrub with natural exfoliating particles should be shunned, as these irregular shaped bits can cause tiny tears in the skin. YIKES. Never fear, they said – swap in a scrub with manmade perfectly spherical plastic “microbeads”! No more mini-tears; totally skin safe.

This was all years before the green beauty movement took off, so no one really followed this thinking through to the obvious end…where we find ourselves today. These tiny plastic beads, which have become ubiquitous in thousands of products ranging from body scrubs to toothpastes, do not dissolve (DUH) and therefore pose a major threat to the environment.

In fact, a recent study reported that more than 8 trillion microbeads enter the country’s aquatic habitats daily. These seemingly innocuous microbeads have contributed to an increase in microplastic polluting the planet’s oceans and lakes, and pose a threat to aquatic life. These little plastic perpetrators have since been banned by public policy. However, if your favorite exfoliators contain these microbeads, you might be reeling over the ramifications on your skin.

What to use now? What works?

I’m proud to say that here at Travel Beauty, we’ve only carried scrubs with natural exfoliating particles. By virtue of them populating our virtual shelves, you know they get our stamp of approval as an all-around excellent and effective product. So if you’re on the search for a plastics-free scrub, look no further. Here is our list of the best of the best.

FOR FACE

Lavido Gentle Exfoliator Peeling Cream: This exfoliator/mask is suitable for even the most sensitive skin. It contains Oyster Shell Powder and Pomegranate Peel Grains to provide a subtle scrubbing action, sloughing away dead cells and buildup. Scrub-a-dub for 20 seconds then leave on skin for another minute et viola! Glowy skin is yours.

FOR BODY

Sasawashi Mesh Body Scrub Towel: If you want to forgo scrubs altogether, or want to boost your scrub with extra exfoliating action, this towel is perfect. Can be used in shower in lieu of a loofah or you can put your favorite scrub on the towel. You can also use it for dry brushing skin, if you find a skin brush too harsh.

Juara Invigorating Coffee Scrub: A much stronger choice of body scrub than the two mentioned above – this is not OK for use on the face! This invigorating body treatment is made with Indonesian Sumatran Coffee Beans, finely crushed walnut shells and gentle, sulfate-free cleansing agents. This scrub will *wake you up* as it stimulates circulation, exfoliates, cleanses and helps to firm, tone and brighten skin. Coffee has been clinically proven to provide powerful antioxidant and tightening benefits for skin – hence the proliferation of coffee scrubs. Juara’s scrub was one of the first and is still the best in my book. This unique scrub also features Vitamin E-rich Rice Bran Oil, which provides additional hydration and helps maintain skin’s elasticity, leaving skin supple, soft and smooth. Many people have cured their pesky keratosis pilaris with it. A true therapeutic body ritual in a jar.

FOR FACE & BODY

Yu-Be Foaming Skin Polish: I find myself writing about and recommending this face & body scrub often. Here’s why: At $18 (for an almost 7 oz) tube, it’s one of the best bargains in beauty. Because it contains fine grains of Rice Bran and Bamboo as well as gentle cleansing (no sulfates!) agents, this polish not only effectively exfoliates, but also works into a luxurious foam as you scrub, so no additional cleaning step is needed (just like the Juara scrub!). Skin is left totally clean and ready to soak up your skin care products like a sponge. It also has Ginger Root, Ginseng Green Tea, Geranium Oil and Camphor – all benefit skin in different ways and give this polish it’s refreshing and invigorating scent.

Mio Skincare’s Double Buff Dual Action Enzyme Exfoliator: Another scrub that’s safe for face and body, you can easily buff away dull, lackluster skin with Mio’s Double Buff. This non-abrasive scrub is dedicated to revealing brighter, smoother, more even toned skin. In place of harmful buffing fragments, this omega-rich exfoliator utilizes perfectly spherical particles of pumice, lava and bamboo to gently but effectively slough away dead skin cells. Extract of fig and organic shea butter hydrate and moisturize whilst organic sweet almond oil can soothe sensitive skin. The results? Smooth and supple looking skin with renewed clarity and radiance.

Not only helping skin to look smoother and more even, its formula is packed with essential nutrients which work to maintain elasticity so skin looks and feels younger, firmer and extra dewy. Use on a damp face or on a dry body, pre-shower. Like all Mio Skincare products, Double Buff is free from parabens, petrolatum, synthetic fragrance and colorants, xenoestrogens, PEGs, glycols and phthalates.

By: Claire McCormack, Twitter & Instagram