Fresh Face: The Beauty Patch

Realistic Resolutions for 2011

Canton nutritionist provides tips to make achievable weight-loss goals.

I am not a big fan of New Year's resolutions. While any steps towards self-improvement and a healthier, happier life are positive, the promises made in January are often broken by February. We tend to set overly ambitious goals which are abandoned at the first sign of failure. We've all seen the gyms flooded with good intentions immediately after the New Year, only to recede to normal levels within a few weeks. A friend of mine vowed to cut out all alcohol until she lost ten pounds. As of January 3, the pounds are still in place, but an exception has been carved out for one glass of wine with dinner. Following this stellar display of will power, I anticipate many more exceptions to arise over the next several months.  The problem is that …

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Fresh Face: The Beauty Patch

At-Home Beauty Splurges

Tips and tricks to save some cash and pamper yourself at home.

Our recent blizzard was all that a blizzard should be.  It tore through Massachusetts with the kind of blustery wind and copious snowfall that makes you thrilled to be cozily holed up at home.  With a state of emergency declared there was no choice but to embrace everything a snow day has to offer.  I enjoyed mugs of hot chocolate, movie marathons and fresh baked cookies to cap off the holiday leftovers.  By day two it was time to move onto slightly less guilty pleasures like reading that book I've been enjoying three pages at a time and getting the spare room organized once and for all. If you're still looking for more ways to pass the housebound hours, a little at home pampering is the perfect option.  There are a lot of great hair, face…

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Fresh Face: The Beauty Patch

Winter Skincare Tips from Alluna Skin Care

Helping your skin survive the season on a budget.

We just had our first snowfall of the year and the typical chaos ensued.  At the first sight of flakes residents hit the supermarkets, people working in Boston demanded early release and traffic slowed to a gridlocked crawl on 138. With only a few inches on the ground and a cleansing melt the following day, this was surely not the worst of the season. For at least three more months it will be unbearably frigid outside and thermostats will be cranked up as far as they can go.  I'll undoubtedly slip and fall down my front stairs and suffer through several tense, lengthy, commutes home.  The most dire consequence of all of this winter weather, however, is the toll it takes on your skin.  The combination of dry heat and bitter cold can …

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Fresh Face: The Beauty Patch

Quick Last-Minute Gift Guide for the Beauty Lovers on Your List

Check out Sephora.com to save yourself from hitting the malls during your last-minute shopping rush.

Christmas falls on a Saturday this year which really throws a wrench in the works for last minute shoppers like me. Like many of you, I will be thrust straight from the work week into the mulled cider without that precious last weekend before Christmas.  Sure, there's the 18th and 19th but for those of us who really need the pressure on to get the job done, that's simply not close enough.  My problem isn't that I can't figure out what to buy.  It's that having a reasonable window of time allows me to meander through Back Bay and from mall to mall expanding the mental list of things I hadn't realized I needed.  This quickly devolves into a sham Christmas shopping trip where I'm the only one who ends up with presents.  It's not until I feel …

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Fresh Face: The Beauty Patch

Beautiful Buys at Bath & Body Works

After a decade of Bath & Body detox, it's time to take a second look at the scented store.

For a while, maybe 15 years ago, there seemed to be a surplus of Bath & Body Works products in the gift exchange market. The wicker baskets filled with paper confetti and topped with bottles of lotion and shower gel made the perfect impersonal gift. It's not that it was ever a bad gift, but you can only use so much shower gel in one year. Baskets filled with fruity scented products piled up and came in handy when a great aunt unexpectedly stopped by on Christmas Eve or a Yankee Swap was begrudgingly remembered at 10:00 the evening before. At one point the store's décor began to resemble a country kitchen with red and white gingham and products displayed on beds of straw. I think it was that year that I looked around and decided it was time…

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Christine Smith

8:52 am on Thursday, December 9, 2010

I'm partial to the Black Amethyst scent myself. Also, almost anything from this store makes a great gift for teen or pre-teen girls.   more ›

Fresh Face: The Beauty Patch

Blonde Vs. Brunette: More Fun or More of a Hassle?

Our adventurous beauty columnist tries the change.

I think I have a good amount of fun in my life, but if blondes really were having more, I wanted in on it.  The first time I decided to leave my life as a brunette behind was a harrowing experience.  Between the hours spent researching salons, taking the plunge to make the appointment and driving from the Cape to Boston in the middle of July just for a consultation, I had proven my commitment. With the seriousness of a surgical consult I was informed that this would be a long process, that I would need to pack a lunch and that the outcome could not be guaranteed. After an awkward photo shoot with my mother documenting my last moments with chocolate brown hair, I departed the Cape once again with a banana, a sandwich and a massive bottle of…

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Fresh Face: The Beauty Patch

Staying Beautifully Fit This Thanksgiving

Tips to keep you on track, and fitting into your skinny jeans, just in time for the holidays.

Not only is today Thanksgiving, it's also my birthday. This means that I have an extra excuse to indulge as we kick off the holiday season. It would be rude to turn down my birthday turkey, birthday pie and of course birthday cocktails. Even for those of you who aren't able to justify each bite by putting "birthday" before it, there are enough dietary pitfalls on the Thanksgiving table and in the months to come to throw anyone's diet and gym regimen off track. Let's face it, New England winters are a struggle even for those of us with the healthiest intentions. Gone are the days of long walks with your dog, sunny bike rides with the kids and the discipline inspired by the realities of bikini season. In their place are cozy nights on the …