Korean Spa

For YEARS, we have been discussing going to a Korean spa in San Francisco or Las Vegas. We do not know anyone who has actually been, but from what we understand, it is a unique and amazing experience. Full body scrub downs and massages resulting in baby smooth skin. Our hesitation? Nudity. Full on nudity in crowded, communal spaces: the steam rooms, the massage areas, everyone is rumored to be naked everywhere. There are supposedly separate areas for the men and women, but this is a co-ed spa!

We considered wearing nude colored bras and panties, but even then, we would stand out and draw attention. We had almost convinced our most confident Glambo Girl to lead the way, but she has super sensitive skin. She backed out, and we have yet to gain enough courage to go on our own.

Thank you, Conan O'Brien and actor, Steven Yeun. (You know and love him from The Walking Dead.)  Hats off to these two (actually, pants off - ha ha!) as they allow a film crew to tape their Korean spa experience. They have simultaneously confirmed our greatest fears, and made us laugh out loud as they encountered other exhibitionist-minded spa patrons and endured the mother of all exfoliation treatments. This video is ten minutes long, but worth it!

What do you think? Should we 'put on our big girl panties' and head to the Korean spa?

Skinnygirl Face Care

Exciting times at the Wal-Mart aisle, as we perused the endcap full of lovely looking face and body care line launched exclusively for Wal-Mart by Bethenny Frankel of BRAVO TV fame.  Yes, that  Bethenny: Jill's frenemy on The Real Housewives of New York, the same Bethenny who has launched the successful line of Skinnygirl cocktails, and who has her very own reality show, Bethenny Ever After, which just began it's 3rd season last Monday.  With books, supplements, cleanses, and now skincare, she is a mega marketing machine!

Colleen: Wow, what can't she do? I think she's trying to take over the world.

Silvia: Definitely,  a'la Oprah or Martha Stewart.  Talk about building a brand. 

Colleen: Should we try it?

Silvia: Will it make us skinny?

We bought it anyway.  There lies her marketing genius: trademark the term "skinnygirl" and the world is yours.

There were so many products to choose from: lipglosses, face masks, body scrubs, lotions and oils.  All of the products were reasonably priced, and it was difficult to choose, but we settled on a set of 3 mini face "solutions", which cost us less than $12. Love it already.



The Good, The Bad and The Ugly



The Good: Detox Face Mask with Cucumber & Sweet Almond Oil.  We struggled for a minute to squeeze the product out of the tube (small hole, thick product, and we were reluctant to squeeze too hard--face mask dries like venetian plaster on the wall)  but once we applied it, we were pleased.  It smells pleasantly of cucumber, and it has a refreshing tingle to it upon application. We were unsure what to expect, since it contains sweet almond oil (we thought this would block our pores), but looked like a clay sort of mask, which tend to dry out to a crackly finish.  It dried a bit, but not to a crackle.  After removing it, our skin felt soft and refreshed, not stripped.  This gets a Glambo Kiss of Approval.

The Bad:   Energizing Lipshine with Caffeine and Peppermint.  This had a light peppermint scent, which was nice.  But, as you know, we like our energetic lipglosses to be just that.  When we use this type of gloss, we want to feel a zing that will make the blood rush to our lips faster than the thought of kissing Adam Levine (ahem, let me interrupt myself before this fantasy goes long).  When you say ENERGIZING, we expect the likes of Lip Venom or Buxom glosses.  This lipgloss, sadly , left our lips wanting more.  There was nothing energizing about it, and the feel of the gloss, was not pleasant.  Even worse, there was no high gloss to it.  Overall, it was disappointing.  And the tube is so small, it probably yields 6 or 7 applications.  So even if it was likeable, there wouldn't be much in the tube to enjoy.

The Ugly: Vitamin C Face Scrub with Shea Butter and Cranberry.  Our initial thought was: who puts shea butter in a facial scrub??   Shea butter is something we use on cracking elbows and sandpaper knees.  It keeps our hides from turning to leather, but it seems like it would be a major pore-clogger on the face.  Needless to say, we had to suspend disbelief while we tried the product and hope for the best.  

Unfortunately, our doubts were confirmed, and then some. Using this scrub was like exfoliating with a mix of rendered bacon fat and  glass shards!  It was too greasy and too rough to use on the face.  Even worse, once we rinsed, we were left with a nasty residue on our faces, and of course broke out over the course of the next few days.  This scrub may be more suitable as a body scrub, but is way too harsh for the lovely faces of our readers.  This gets a sad Glambo Dissssssssssssss.  

P.S. In an attempt to swatch the face mask for this post just minutes ago,  I attempted to squeeze the mask out into my hand, and the bottom of the tube burst open and squirted the mask all over my counter!!!



Unbelievable!  This is only the 2nd time I've used this.  I had closed it tightly after using it last time, but the tube still got clogged, and the tube burst.  The packaging for this product get a huge Glambo Dissssssssssssss.

We have to say that calling this gift set "Face Solutions" is laughable.  It's more like "Face Problems Waiting to Happen" in a box.  Too bad, because we were really looking forward to trying the Skinnygirl Margarita Body Scrub, Lotion and Shower Gel.  Not anymore. 

Why Does Everyone Love Hempz?

Every time we go to beauty supply, we sample the Hempz moisturizers, but had yet to buy a batch of them to try and review. Last week, we finally got an entire seventeen ounce bottle of the Pomegranate Herbal Body Moisturizer and have been hooked ever since. We knew that the brand was extremely popular, and now understand what all the buzz was about.

Instead of completely regurgitating the praise and information from the Hempz website, we’ll give you a quick synopsis and let you click that link to read more. Basically, all Hempz products contain 100% pure, organic hemp seed oil. They are hydrating, and ‘contain anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties to dramatically moisturize skin while minimizing fine lines and wrinkles’ while remaining 100% vegan, paraben free and gluten free. Add to that the antioxidant properties of pomegranates, along with shea butter and vitamins, and we have a hit.

Hempz Herbal Body Moisturizer has a medium consistency. It’s smooth and dispenses easily without being watery or overly greasy. It has a light, fresh scent; a little fruity-floral with an undertone of a note that we can’t quite place, but not to worry, you won’t end up smelling like pot!

While we procrastinated in reviewing Hempz products, others have not. We just discovered that it was an Allure Editors Favorite of the Week, and celebrities like Katy Perry have been known to use their Herbal Body Moisturizer.

Although we wish the Hempz price point was lower ($16-$24 retail,) we’ll give Hempz Herbal Body Moisturizer a Glambo Kiss of Approval.

On the 10th Day of Christmas

Benefit brought to me... a skincare intro kit to place under the tree.

If you're looking for a 'little something' any girl can use, Benefit has economical options. Their b.right! Radiant Skincare comes packaged in three and six piece sets. Starting at just $12 US, these trial sizes are sure to fit any elf's budget and will be appreciated by the lucky gift recipient.

b.right! Radiant Skincare by Benefit

The Glambo Girls love getting introduced to new products via trial sizes, and Benefit's three piece intro kit was the perfect way to review their skincare basics. At just $12 U.S., how could we not try it to share with our readers?

The three piece kit comes in a reusable, clear, zip-close bag. It includes Total Moisture Facial Cream, Triple Performing Facial Emulsion, and Refined Finish Facial Polish.

Total Moisture Facial Cream -

This has a semi-thick, creamy texture and is designed to hydrate normal to dry skin. We liked it, and used it around our eye area. It also worked well for us on the decollete and neck. As we both can occasionally get breakouts, we didn't use it regularly in the t-zone areas. It does contain mango-butter. One of us is allergic to mango, but still did not have any issues using around the eyes. That ingredient is good to know about though.

Triple Performing Facial Emulsion -

This is the product we are most excited about. It's light, and has a thinner consistency than the Total Moisture Facial Cream. Triple Performing Facial Emulsion is also oil free, which we love, love, love. What we didn't realize at first use (because we just dove right in and tried it without reading anything about it) is that it has SPF 15 sunscreen. Colleen L. wears oil free sunscreen every day, so this was a perk. From experience, we know that it is super important to apply anything with SPF evenly, so we are glad that we noticed the SPF element. We applied some mineral make-up right over our Facial Emulsion in the morning, and were good to go.

Refined Finish Facial Polish -

The idea here is that the facial polish has fine granules that will lightly scrub away dry skin and facial impurities which will give skin a softer look and feel. You can see in our photo that the lotion-looking base has texture. We each used it once, and it did seem to soften the appearance of our skin. However, the granules, although fine, were somewhat harsh and gave the feel of microscopic cuts afterward. Not bad, just noticeable. We can tell you that although we intended to each try our Refined Finish again, neither of us did when we checked back a month later. This is probably because we have another version of this style of product that we liked better. If you haven't used a facial polish before, or if you have been applying the drug store variety, you may really like the Benefit product. Our suggestion is to buy the travel size and see what you think.

Overall, Benefit's intro kit is worth buying and trying. Like us, you might discover a product you love and will use daily.

http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/