Sandals in summer are pretty…but not everyone has pretty feet! Dry, cracked feet with calluses tend to stick out like a sore thumb in pretty summer sandals. Make sure yours are sandal worthy by spending just a little bit of extra time!

First, some products you might consider buying:

Ped Egg Foot File: This is one of the best foot files out there. Diligently scrub away at your dead skin and calluses with these ergonomically designed stainless steel files. Concentrate on the heels, and any other dry and cracked areas of the foot.

Avon Foot Works Pedi-Peel: Glycolic acid in these treatment pads helps to slough off the rough, callused layer of skin that covers the heel so your moisturizer can more effectively penetrate the area.

Next, develop a consistent routine to keep your feet pretty.  It doesn’t have to take long! You may be surprised to find that you look forward to the foot pampering as it is a wonderful way to slow down and relax a bit! Try this out:

1. Soak your feet in warm water for 10 minutes. Add some bath salts, a little bit of bubble bath and some olive oil.  ( YES olive oil!!) The bubble bath soap will clean, the bath salts (or sea salt if you don’t have any) will soften dry skin and the olive oil will moisturize.  If you have more time on your hands… luxuriate with some nice music and some candles. See, this can be fun and relaxing!
2. Use toothbrush to brush the side of each toenail.    Massage a exfoliating scrub at the bottom of your foot and then use a pumice stone (or the Ped Egg mentioned above) while the scrub is still on.  Slough away dead skin and buff down those calluses to give your feet that smooth feeling.  Rinse away everything with cool water.
3. Trim your toenails in a squarish shape in order to prevent ingrown nails.  Gently push back cuticles.
4. Massage your feet for a couple of minutes with a nice moisturizing cream; massage in long upward motions. Try to massage your feet every night even if it is only for one minute!!!  It’ll make the skin look fantastic, it relaxes tired feet and just feels good!!!
5. Finish with polish–the ultimate way to pretty up your feet! NOW you are ready to call attention to your toes because your feet are ready to show off!

Don’t forget that these pretty feet will look even better without any unwanted hair.  Of course we can help you with that! Give us a call today.

Like so many things in life – preparation is key. You should always prepare the skin for tanning and this means scrubbing away dead skin cells that will cause major problems for your new tan. Use a good really gritty scrub -such as St. Tropez Tan Optimizer Body Polish to scrub and buff away all that dead skin sitting on top first. This dead skin flakes off naturally anyway, but if you’ve just tanned it and then it flakes off you’re obviously going to be left with a lighter bit of skin below – creating that tell-tale patchy look.

By exfoliating well prior to self tanning, all this dead skin is taken clean off in the shower, leaving a nice fresh layer of skin ready to apply your self tan onto. Your tan will go on more easily, will appear a lot more even,  and also fade evenly. It’s so easy to exfoliate, just do it whilst you’re showering, then dry yourself down and apply the self tanner to dry skin for the best results.

Top Tip: You can also exfoliate gently every other day to help your tan fade more evenly over the course of 5-7 days. Of course, you may prefer to keep your tan going, in which case regularly exfoliating simply ensures you’re always tanning the top and freshest layer of your skin which will result in a lovely even-looking tan every time.

Are you aware of our membership program? It is the perfect union of valuable discounts and will keep your beauty routine very seamless throughout the year.  Wouldn’t it be nice to purchase all of your favorite products at a discount EVERY time you need them? You’ll be able to take advantage of a monthly facial service for $80 (that is a savings of $19-45!) AND consistently receive 10% off all other products, services and treatments.  Did you catch that? 10% off all you need from sunscreens to fillers to laser hair removal. This is almost too good to pass up! Contact us today for more information or to ask questions about the membership program.

Belladerm For Life Club Details:

• For only $80 each month you can enjoy any one of the following monthly services: (regularly $99-125 each!)
  • Bella Classic Facial
  • Innovative Facial
  • Chemical Peel (does not include Vitalize)
  • Microdermabrasion

In addition, you will save 10% off all other products, services and treatments with your membership!

To learn more about our facials, click here and we’ll be talking to you soon!

Men are known for being less than enthusiastic about visiting doctors for regular checkups and many a woman has dropped hints and reminded her sweetheart to get an appointment every year.  With that in mind, we want to focus on a few things guys can be looking for as potential problems and signs that they should suck it up and make that dreaded appointment! ;o) C’mon guys, it is just because we love you! ;o)

• Visit menshealthmonth.org for some ideas of things you can do for Men’s Health Month.
• This year, an estimated 675,300 American men or boys will be diagnosed with cancer.  Know the signs and symptoms and get regular checkups with a doctor. Visit this page for some detailed information about male-only types of cancer and more.  This is one to bookmark!

• Take advantage of a free, informative health booklet download here and pass on the news to your friends.                                                                    

It’s time to protect your eyes with some cool shades this spring/summer! Do you get a headache from trying to decide on sunglasses that actually LOOK GOOD on you? Have a hard time dragging your BFF or hubby into the stores to give opinions as you try on a couple dozen pair? Maybe we can help! We found a very interesting article on the Skin Cancer Foundation’s website and we thought you’d like to take a peek, too! Read on:

Sunglasses have become the ultimate fashion accessory. They not only make a chic fashion statement but protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Selecting the right pair for yourself, however, can be complex due to the ever-increasing number of designer brands — luxury names such as Chanel and Tiffany as well as All-American Ralph Lauren and DKNY are just a few of the brands offering a broad array of lens and frame materials with different technical advantages. With all this technology and style to choose from, there is something for everyone.

The Shape of Things To Come

So, how do you figure out what sunglasses best suit you? It can be daunting. For starters, you need to know which styles fit the shape of your face. Here are some simple guidelines that should help:

Oval Face: square or cat’s eye frames

Square Face: rounder oval cat-eye frames

Round Face: rectangular frames

Triangular, or Heart-Shaped Face: frames with a straight,
flat top, like aviator frames
(which have lenses that narrow
towards the bottom)

Once you have decided on a shape, consider size, color and material. Sunglasses come in a wide range of sizes. Larger frames provide more coverage for your face, and wraparound styles provide greater peripheral shade. There also are smaller frames for more petite faces. In terms of materials, plastic frames come in rich, complex colors and typically are easy to adjust for a custom fit. If you are looking for frames with multiple colors, plastic would be your style. Metal frames give a thinner profile and a lighter look. Titanium, for instance, is lightweight and very durable.

Regardless of frame shape or material, it is very important that your sunglasses feel comfortable and are not too heavy. Frames can slip down your nose if not properly adjusted. Avoid this by making sure the temples (stems) of the sunglasses fit comfortably around your ears.

Different types of lenses are appropriate for different activities. Polarized lenses are good for driving and water sports since they reduce glare from reflective surfaces like water, increasing visibility. Colored lenses serve a variety of purposes: Brown lenses create greater color contrast, providing better visibility on solid-color surfaces such as ski slopes by highlighting the peaks and valleys, while yellow lenses are good for both contrast and depth perception, making it a good choice for golfers and for bicyclists who need to be wary of debris on the road. Grey lenses offer the truest color correctness.

Finally, all sunglasses should block 99–100 percent of the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. Without UV protection, your eyes are vulnerable to diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and cataracts as well as cancers of the eye and eyelid. UV-blocking lenses will also reduce eye strain due to squinting on bright, sunny days. [For more information about the importance of protecting your eyes and the dangers of eyelid cancers, see “The Eyelids: Highly Susceptible to Skin Cancer.”]

With so many different brands and styles available in a wide range of prices, several types of sunglasses will be right for you!

It is time for LADIES NIGHT OUT!
Grab your girlfriends and relax together at Belladerm!

You may be so busy enjoying the beautiful spring weather that you haven’t looked at how fast Mother’s Day is approaching! It is only a couple of weeks away!

When moms are asked what they really want for Mother’s Day, most of the responses include pampering, breakfast in bed and an escape from the daily duties of the household and chores they are responsible for.  Another popular response is to spend a special day with lots of family time.  Have you planned something meaningful for your mom yet?

We’ve seen the smiles on the faces of moms who come in to redeem a gift card at Belladerm and we can’t stress enough how important it is for moms to feel pampered! Just a little time away for a facial or massage can feel like a mini-vacation and can rejuvenate her for weeks! Consider taking advantage of our easy way to purchase Belladerm gift cards! All you have to do is click this link and we’ll send it to you–or her! OR, if you are a mom and you’re hoping for a gift card, you can send them your secret wish by clicking here! Gift cards generally arrive within 7 days so don’t delay! You can also order a gift card by calling us at 763 494 9905.

If your plan includes getting Mom out of the kitchen that Sunday, we can help! Here are some good sites to check out if you are considering taking Mom out to eat for her special day:

Open Table

Twin Cities Dining Guide

Gayot

Do you have a special place you always go out to eat on Mother’s Day? What are you planning to do for her? Don’t be shy! We’d love to hear from you! ;o)

Out with the sweaters and in with the t-shirts! If you are like me, you dread the task of changing out seasonal clothes.  Once we hit this time of year, you can be pretty sure you won’t need that cozy turtleneck sweater anymore. So what do you do when you need to haul out the fall and winter clothes to replace them with your spring/summer wardrobe? Do you pack away the same beloved sweater every year wondering how you never wore it–even just once–for the whole winter. Parting with old favorites can be tough but is very necessary!

We’ve compiled some tips for you that pertain to this topic:

Weed out the things that don’t make you feel good about yourself. If a shirt hangs funny, you’re constantly adjusting a skirt, or a jacket doesn’t fit through the shoulders, it’s time to get rid of it! Sounds like common sense, but it’s surprising how many clothes people keep because they “spent good money on that”. There are a number of worthy places to donate the clothing you are moving out of your closet! Visit this site for ideas of locations.  A number of them will come to your home to pick up the clothes!

Remember Clean, Cool, Dark, and Dry. Your storage area must be all 4 of these in order to protect your clothing. Clean any area thoroughly before storing. Choose a place that is not likely to be exposed to heat. Avoid areas near heating sources. A dark place will prevent fading and keep the area and clothing cool. Make sure the storage area is dry because wetness will attract mildew and insects.

Clean all outfits thoroughly before packing. Particles left on items can stain and set into your clothes after several months of storage. Cleaning the clothes also means that insects will be less likely to take up residence in your sweaters.

Be careful with the use of mothballs. Children are naturally attracted to them with deadly results. Another option would be cedar blocks or cedar lined storage. Mothballs and cedar can be effective against insects, but keep in mind that neither is a complete guarantee.

There are many websites where you can find help in organizing your clothing. Take a look at organizedwithstyle.com and lifeorganizers.com. Do you have any great tips to share about how you effectively manage/clean/organize your closet space and transition between seasons? Some of us are just naturally gifted with organizational skills! C’mon, share the love!

Did you realize how very good yogurt is for you? It’s full of beneficial active cultures that help prevent bad bacteria from taking up residence in your body. Yogurt is also a great source of valuable nutrients such as calcium, protein, and vitamin B2. Yes, you heard right: Yogurt contains bacteria. But don’t worry, it’s good bacteria. The live cultures in yogurt inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria. Yogurt is cream or milk that has has been fermented with live bacteria at a consistently warm temperature. The milk attains a pudding-like consistency, and the lactose is converted to lactic acid. That’s what gives yogurt its slightly acidic flavor.

Yogurt can even help you keep your breath fresh! Chances are, you didn’t know that! Yogurt can help diminish the levels of sulfite responsible for bad breath so instead of popping another breath mint, treat yourself to a cup of tasty yogurt!

Even better, yogurt can be eaten in a variety of different ways. You can even make a delicious smoothie with some yogurt and fruits. Pull out your blender to make your own fruit smoothies using just a bit of fruit, yogurt, and ice. If you don’t have time for a smoothie, toss some nuts or fruit on top of your favorite flavor and eat up! Have you looked at the enormous variety of yogurt flavors available today at the grocery stores? Wow! There is bound to be something you love.

Here’s a recipe for a basic strawberry smoothie:

1 cup plain yogurt  (Dannon Light & Fit vanilla is tasty!)
1 cup strawberries
A handful of ice (crushed ice works best)

Blend thoroughly, pour in a glass, and enjoy!

Experiment with other variations, too. Mix in a chopped banana to mellow the tart sweetness of the strawberries, or spike it up with some blueberries. It’s hard to ruin a fruit smoothie! Mmmm! Did we get your mouth watering!? We’d love to hear about your favorite smoothie recipes!

Boy Shorts/Hot Pants: Hemlines have crept up to shorter than short; in fact reaching the negative. Hot pants, boy shorts, and tap pants are all variations on this shorter-than-short style.

High Dress Slits: Long slit skirts or maxi dresses in light, flowing fabrics that give a not-so-subtle hint of leg as one walks – or rather struts – along. In fact, they give more than a hint of leg. They show off the whole leg with the split reaching the top of the thigh.

Sportswear Becomes Streetwear: We’ll all be looking to football for an injection of youthful tomboy cool into our wardrobes come spring. But while football is key, it’s not the only sportswear inspiration: we’ll also be looking to sports like baseball & hockey, tennis, scuba-diving, and dance.

Jumpsuits: Every so often, one-piece styles of clothing have a revival. What started with bodysuits and leotards is now becoming a fully-fledged trend towards jumpsuits, playsuits, and rompers. As a unique style for Spring 2010, they won’t be for everyone, but they will offer more options than you’d think.

Boyfriend Blazer: A slightly oversized jacket or blazer, sleeves rolled up, is the pinnacle of relaxed cool. And hey, it doesn’t require you to hit the gym, either!

We’ll continue to keep you posted about current trends!

Happy March! Spring is JUST around the corner!

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