“Stop biting your nails”

jlo1Nail biting is a fairly “normal” nervous habit that commonly derives from stress and/or anxiety.  It’s  actually a real medical condition known as onychophagia.  Even celebs like Britney and J. Lo have been caught with their fingers in their mouths, chomping away! 

But nail biting isn’t so glamorous.  Not only does it leave you with ugly, cracked, red, and often painful nailbeds, putting your fingers in your mouth is also unhealthy.  Think about all the germs that are around us that we touch!  

 Can’t “bite” the habit? Try these tips!

  1. Keep your nails manicured.  If your nails are pretty, without rough edges, you will be less likely to bite at them!  
  2. Paint your nails with bright colors, like ones from the new collection of  summer colors from Barielle.  If your nail color is noticeable to other people, you will be more likely to want to keep it in tact!  To keep the polish from chipping on its own, it’s important to use a quality top coat.  An amazing item we just got in is the Duri Miracote Fast Drying Top Coat.
  3. Try a bitter tasting clear nail polish like Orly No Bite or Mavala Stop that will deter your taste buds away from your fingers.
  4. Once your nails start growing again, be sure to apply a nail strengthening treatment like Duri Rejuvacote Nail Growth System or Olan Optimax Nail Strengthener so that your nails can continue to grow healthy and without breakage.

It’s time for camp!

Overnight and Daycamp Essentials

School is out, (finally!) which means before you know it, it’s time for summer camp.  Whether the kids are heading to overnight camp for eight weeks, or they’re just going to day camp, you can stock up on all your camp essentials here at Discount Beauty Center.  We’ve put together a list of essential items for both the day camper and overnight camper.

For Day Camp

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1.  Sun Block

We know we’ve said it before, but sunscreen is one of the number one skin care items that you should never go without!  Especially during camp season, when the sun is especially strong and your kids are spending most of their time outdoors.  We recommend No-Ad Kids Ultra Sun Block Lotion. This SPF 50 formula (approved by the Skin Cancer Foundation)  protects against both UVA and UVB rays and is specially designed for kids’ sensitive skin.  We like it specifically because it’s very water resistant (compared to many other brands) – it retains effectiveness for up to 80 minutes in water.

2.  Bug Spray

The warmer weather brings more than kids outside – it brings flies, mosquitoes, and beetles…yuck!  Make sure your kids are protected by using an effective bug spray.  We likeBurt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent because it’s DEET free, which means it’s non-toxic and safe enough for children.  This 100% natural formula is made with specialized oils that bugs and insects can’t stand and will effectively keep them away.

3.  Swimmer’s shampoo

With all that time spent in the pool, the chlorine can really take a toll on your child’s hair, causing green discoloring and lots of knots!  We suggest Circle of Friends’ Splish Splash Swimmers Shampoo.  It effectively removes dirt and dust while also healing harm from the harmful effects of chlorine. 

For Overnight Camp

Artec Kiwi Duo Promo at Discount Beauty Center1. Travel hair appliances

These used to be taboo at summer camp – but let’s face it, times have changed, and your child will probably want his or her own hairdryer at camp.  It needs to be compact and non-cumbersome like the X5 Superlite Mini Travel Hairdryer.  This dryer is only 10 ounces and it folds in half for extra convenience.  But it’s still just as powerful, with both tourmaline and ionic, ceramic technology.  If they want to bring a flat iron with them, try the Babyliss Ceramic Tools Mini Flat Iron - it’s only 6″ long!

2.  Shampoo and Conditioner to last all summer

We sell the 32 oz of Artec Kiwi Shampoo and Artec Kiwi Conditioner together for a special prices of $19.99!  (This is a $60 value if sold separately)

3.  Easy to use face wash

With all the time spent running around at camp, it’s unlikely your child will want to take the time to wash their face at night.  That’s why we recommend Biore Daily Pore Cleansing Cloths.  These easy to use, disposable wipes effectively clean and exfoliate skin without any hassel!

Check back with us over the next few weeks as we reveal some of our most popular camp products!

New coupon available!

Get $5 off any order of $25+ or get $10 off any order of $100+ - use coupon code NEW5 or NEW10 during checkout, offer valid until june 30, 2009 - limit 1 coupon per customer : sale items are excluded : not valid on prior sales

In honor of the dozens of new products we have gotten in the past month, we’re offering a limited time coupon

Some of the newest products include Keratin Complex Care Shampoos and Conditioners, Urban Decay’s Get Baked Eyeshadow Palette, and OPI’s BrightPair Mini Pack.

Click here to shop all of our new arrivals.

Kellie Pickler promotes Big Sexy Hair on Ellen

Last week, country music star, Kellie Pickler visited Ellen.  The American Idol finalist discussed in depth getting pulled over for running a stop sign.  However, she did leave just a small window of time to promote her favorite product from the Big Sexy Hair collection, the Spray and Play Hairspray.

Click on the video below to see the clip! We think she’s adorable! What do you think?

Phyto Celebrates 40 Years (20 in the US!)

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Happy 40th Birthday!  

PHYTO, the world’s first botanical hair line is celebrating two major milestones this year: it is its 20th year in the Untied States and its 40th anniversary world-wide! The line was started in Paris by botany guru Patrick Ales, while creating concoctions of plant ingredients to treat hair.

We wanted to aknowledge this brand because it is one of the more unique lines of hair care products that we carry.  Phyto (actually pronounced “fee-toe”) is Greek for “relating to or derived from plants or botany.”  Every single product from the haircare line is an exclusive formula, created with plant-derived ingredients, many of which are also used in homeopathy and herbal alternative medicines.

In addition to being used in many prestigious salons world wide, including the famous Ted Gibson salon, in 2006, PHYTO opened its very own “PHYTO Universe” in New York City, a botanical spa oasis with an emphasis on healthy hair.  Click here to get an online tour! Style.com calls the salon, “more of a hair spa than a hair salon.”

There’s a PHYTO for everyone

PHYTO products are each individually designed for very specific hair types, so there literally is a product (or products) fit for everyone!  Discover the wonderous nature-inspired world of PHYTO.  

If you are going to be in the sun

The new and improved formulas of Phytoplage sun products are infused with the latest botanical resources and are designed specifically with the summer in mind.

If you have… dry hair

If you have… really, really dry hair

If you have… fine, life-less hair

If you have… color-treated hair

If you have… frizzy hair

If you have… gray/graying hair

Father’s Day Gift Ideas Part 5: ZIRH skin care products

Yes, ZIRH

If Dad’s not already familiar with ZIRH, he’s in for a real treat this Father’s Day.  ZIRH is one of the most popular men’s only skincare lines around.  And, to further validate our love affair with ZIRH, it was was recently awarded “Best Men’s Product” award in the 2009 CEW Awards.

Brian Robinson, the president of ZIRH gets it – men are nowadays just as conscious of their appearance as women, but they don’t want all the hassle or embarrassment that comes with picking out the right products. ZIRH recognizes the fact that Men and women’s skins are not alike, and thus women’s products do not have the same effect on men’s skin.  

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The no-fuss, no-hassle line of products is perfect for for men who care about their looks, want healthy skin,  but don’t want a complicated skin-care regimen.  Everything down to the names of the products are simple – they are called exactly what they do!  They even have on their website a handy “personal skin expert” which ask questions like “Do you suffer from acne or breakouts” and “Do you have puffiness or dark circles under your eyes?”  From the answers, the website calculates which products each individual’s skin will benefit from.

The ZIRH “Core Regimen” 

Step 1: Cleanse

Choose from CLEAN for normal skin, or WASH for dry/sensitive skin.  For once a week, exfoliation, there’s SCRUB., the aloe facial exfoliator for men.  (won FHM Grooming Award and Cosmopolitan Award - “Best exfoliant for him”) 

Step 2: Shave

PREPARE first primes skin for shaving by softening facial hair and reducing friction which helps prevent nicks and razor burn.  Next, choose from SHAVE CREAM (awarded the 2009 Men’s Health Grooming Award, best for coarser facial hair),or SHAVE GEL (non foaming gel, perfect for more precise shaving), both infused with Aloe Vera.   

SOOTHE is perfect for post-shave.  This product is made with special seaweed ingredients that calm redness and other skin irritations that may arise during shaving.  And to top it all off is ERASE, a special, soothing after-shave designed for extra sensitive skin.  It helps reduce razor bumps, burn, and ingrown hairs.

Step 3: Nourish

CORRECT - A men’s facial serum that adds essential nutrients while moisturizing. 

Step 4: Moisturize

Choose PROTECT for normal/oily skin, or DEFEND for more dry or sensitive skin, made with SPF 15. (DEFEND was named FHM’s #1 product in their annual grooming awards.)  Click here to read a review on DEFEND.  

Also great is REJUVENATE, anti-aging facial moisturizer whcih helps to reduce fine-lines and wrinkles.

Step 5: Solve

ZIRH also makes a number of specialty products for men like RESTORE, the herbal eye cream designed to eliminate dark under cricles and eye puffiness and FIX, a spot treatment formula (made with witch hazel).  Also available is REFRESH, an astringent for especially oily skin, but won’t dry it out, and the vitamin enriched CLAY MASK designed to absorb excess oils.

The Starter Kit makes a great gift

Dad’s new to ZIRH?  Let him try a little of everything with the ZIRH Starter Kit - which comes with the four best-selling products: CLEAN, CORRECT, PROTECT, and SHAVE GEL. It’s $100 value for only $49.99!

RapidLash featured on The Today Show!

The Today Show‘s Favorite Things

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This morning on The Today Show, Kathie Lee and Hoda discuss some of their favorite things. One of Hoda’s favorite things of the day is Clean Women Fresh Laundry Fragrance, the incredibly crisp  fragrance that really does smell like a fresh, clean load of laundry!

Kathie Lee’s favorite thing of the day is RapidLash Eyelash renewal serum!  Check out our first post about RapidLash when we first started carrying it.  Since then, the product has become even more popular and more and more people have been recognizing just how effective it actually is.

Click here to view a clip from the segment!