Mid-November hits and it you can almost feel something different in the air. Besides the crisp, cold wind chill, that is! You can feel it when you stroll into your favorite mall or store – a certain energy and urgency is felt everywhere you go. Do you ever get to New Year’s Day and think, “WHAT just happened? It was all a whirlwind!” The holiday season can be so much more enjoyable when you stay focused on taking care of yourself and letting the little things go. Yes, I know these days it is harder than ever to not want to keep up with everyone else and make impressive little custom Pinterest-inspired name placards for the Thanksgiving meal BUT really, wouldn’t you rather be in a better mood for your loved ones? Missing out on some precious sleep to make crafty goodies is something you might want to reconsider. Maybe pick a few special areas in which you will be an overachiever – an amazing Christmas lights display or tree decor, a couple of impressive new recipes at Christmas, extra-special gifts this year – but vow to not run yourself ragged doing it all perfectly.  In the end, the memories with your family are what counts, so stay focused on that!
A couple of tips for the season:

• Keep a bunch of generic but well-loved gifts on hand and stocked up so you don’t have to leave your house at the last minute. There is always someone that slips through the cracks or who you just spontaneously want to thank with a little gift, so this will come in handy!
• Experts suggest taking a time out from the holiday hustle and bustle to enjoy a hot cup of coffee, a steamy cup of soup or a “leisurely”, but healthy meal. This will not only fill you up but boost your energy and your immune system for all you still have to do. We have some fabulous ways to give you a little break from the holiday frenzy. Watch for specials from Belladerm to treat yourself! 
• Don’t cut out exercise during this time. You may need to scale back to fit in all of the things you need to get done right now, but keep up some sort of routine. You’ll need it to deal with the the holiday hoopla you’ll encounter.
• We know you can’t do this every night, but choose one night a week to wind down with a cup of hot chamomile or a hot bath about an hour before you head for bed. This will recharge your batteries.
• Keep eating well and making sure that your body is getting vitamins C & zinc to combat the germs circulating everywhere.
• If holiday weight gain is a worry on your mind, think about keeping a casual log of what you consumed each day. When you are accountable, you can make better choices. Better yet, find a pal or spouse to discuss progress with. And allow yourselves special treats. It is the holidays, after all! Even just focusing on portion control helps a great deal!

Even if you get to the pool and slather sunscreen on your face and body before you spend the day in the sun, you’ve likely forgotten something important — your lips. Using a sunscreen on your lips protects you in two ways. First, because the sun ages skin (lips included), the sunscreen keeps your lips feeling and looking healthy and vibrant. Second, skipping the sun protection in your lip products puts you at an increased risk of getting skin cancer or another skin condition.
Sun damage leads to skin losing some of its elasticity, and unprotected lips are no exception. Also, lips naturally have thin skin, and sun damage can make the skin appear even thinner.
If you like to add luster to your lips with lip gloss, keep in mind that lip gloss without SPF might increase the possibility of developing skin cancer by acting as a kind of magnifying glass for the sun’s rays. You might want to consider using a lip gloss with SPF, layering a lip product with SPF of at least 30 underneath or foregoing the lip gloss completely and switching to a matte lip product with SPF.
Since sun damage builds up over time, it’s never too late to start good practices to give your lips some sun protection! Belladerm has complimentary lip balm with SPF15 because we care about keeping your lips luxurious!

In honor of our daughter’s upcoming wedding next month, we are throwing in a little article about wedding beauty!
There are so many details to plan for when it comes to your wedding. Don’t forget to figure out what special treatments to do prior to your big day and when they should be done? Consultations are free at Belladerm and we love helping in any way to make your life easier and more enriching! Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

A month before

Get your eating on track. Proper nutrition is the key to kick-starting skin nutrition. Consider increasing whole foods/grains and as always, drink plenty of water!
If you haven’t started exfoliating your skin, now is the time to begin. Now is also a perfect time to consider treatments like microdermabrasion or chemical peels to slough off dead skin and provide a clean canvas to treat with topicals for the next month. This would also be the time to get any injectable like Botox. Laser hair removal is good to do anytime but keep in mind that it is a series of treatments so it does need to be planned out.

A couple of weeks before

Brow waxing should be done no sooner than 7-10 days prior to your wedding. Be sure you aren’t on any antibiotics, steroids, topicals (such as Retin-A) and that you aren’t sunburned. If by chance there is a mishap and skin comes off with the wax or you have a strange reaction to one of the products used, there will be enough time for your skin to heal a bit and recover. Of course, this is most important for facial waxing due to all of the wedding pictures, but just as important for waxing below the belt. No one wants to ruin their honeymoon by having irritated skin!

A week before

In the weeks leading up to your wedding, using a vitamin C serum at least once a day will help maintain a glowing, even skin tone.  Also, get horizontal. Lie on the floor with your feet elevated on the edge of a couch or a coffee table for 5-10 minutes to increase blood circulation to your facial tissues. This, in turn, nourishes the skin and gives it a glow.  Stay hydrated and minimize your intake of alcohol. Don’t try any new products, so you won’t have any allergies to them – that includes hair products.

The day before

Above all, get plenty of rest before you walk down the aisle! If you know your skin can tolerate it, the Hydrafacial will leave your skin dewy on the day of!

The day of

Yay, you made it! Now, just stay consistent with your skin care routine. Gently exfoliate in the morning to  slough away any dead skin to reveal a brighter complexion, as well as a smooth, even surface for makeup to be applied to.