Stacy B here! It's getting Christmas-y around here. We are decorated and shopped and lit up and filled with sweet treats that my son loves to help me make. It's amazing I'm not gaining tons of weight right now with all the holiday food that's starting to make it's way around the home and office. Ask me if my clothes fit in 2 weeks, you might get a different answer!

This year, I'm going to have to ask Santa for some diet aids, or Spanx or miracle skin firming lotion or something! I've been in pre-baby pants for a few months now and I'm not going back!

I think the holidays mask us from what's really going on. The air is getting drier...hello static...the wind is getting colder....hello wind burned skin...the moisture is being sucked right out of us like a sponge...hello chapped lips.... It's not fun. I think Christmas, Thanksgiving, Hannukah, New Year's and anything else you celebrate is just a diversion from what's really happening. Maybe if you get enough presents you won't realize your face is cracking? Or, if you eat enough pie you won't realize your lips are about to bleed?

Well, it's not fooling me. I'm on serious beauty watch. My husband travels for work and occassionally goes out with friends so in the last 2 weeks, I've had a few nights to myself as soon as I get the kids to bed. My empty house turns into beauty central. The face masks come out, the nail polish goes on, the foot cream is opened, the chick flicks start rolling. This is really important this time of year. A mental break in all this holiday mayhem is much needed and a pampering session for your skin and hair is well deserved, too.

Along with some great skin care masks I've been using, I switched to a more natural face lotion from Nature's Gate. I had some success with their tanning lotion (yes, I've been more careful and my palms are now back to their original color) so I thought I'd try their Lemon Verbena Moisturizer.

This smelled really great, and was for normal to oily skin. My skin is not all that oily, but can get a bit slick in the winter when it works overtime to keep from cracking and falling off. Here's the best part...ready for some of the ingredients? White Tea, Olive, Aloe, Argan, Flaxseed, Vitamins C & E, essential fatty acids and antioxidants. All readable, all natural, and I actually have heard of every single thing.There are some other ones in there that are a bit more complicated, but there are no parabens, no animal based products, no nothing. Great, right?

Like the Glow Lotion, this did not moisturize as well as I hoped, but it wasn't bad. I felt great going to bed after using it, but woke up a little tight this morning. It is very thin, so it feels like a cross between a lotion and a serum and did take a few seconds to really soak in and dry enough so I could put my face on my pillow. The good part about that is you can use just a little bit, so this bottle will go a long way. My skin does feel soft and smooth today though. The scent is light and airy and doesn't linger too long. It almost felt...spring-y. A few days before the first day of winter, too! Maybe it was the light lemon scent. Citrus always makes me think of spring and summer.

Meg here and I don't know about this whole 12/12/12 thing but the sky in LA is totally grey and it loks like it's going to down pour any second. I hate this for a number of reasons. One, I think I suffer from Seasonal Depression. Whatever that is, the type of thing where a person gets down when it's gross outside. To help combat this ailment, I moved to sunny Los Angeles sixteen years ago. Now I just suffer from Body Dysmorphic Disorder, a slight case of anxiety and an extreme case of narcissism-the same as every other Los Angelino.

Since the sky is dark and eerie it may seem strange to speak about MDSOLAR SCIENCES Mineral Screen Tinted Gel. SPF 30+. It's not that far off, here's the deal. Even though Mr. Sunshine is not visible to you, harmful UV Rays are still shooting right through the clouds. People actually get a lot of sun damage this way because they're not expecting it.

Not to Bragg (Ha! See what I did there?!) Since my Apple Cider Vinegar routine my skin has been looking really nice. I do of course have a little uneven redness around my nose and chin. The ACV really helps but it's not photoshop in a bottle.

I am loving MDSOLARSCIENCES Mineral screen tinted gel SPF 30. It's so light but it provide enough coverage to even out my skin tone. It really feels like smooth silk going on, like a high end moisturizer. There is zero "cakeness" and it doesn't sit in my fine line or creases. Oh yeah, it's also protecting my from getting any new fine lines or creases and preventing the ones that I do have from getting worse. Thank you SPF 30+!

Sometimes, companies that use the SPF really concentrate on that and the almost medicinal aspect of their product and overlook the cosmetic end. This product feels more like a luxury cosmetic than a preventative one. Only a little is needed and it doesn't at all apply greasy. I'm reaching for this daily.

Meg here! OK, I'm going to try to do this again. I just wrote this all up and it was great! You would have laughed, you would have cried! This post would have changed your life. Then I accidentally closed the damn window before hitting "save" and I just finished calling myself every curse word I've ever learned. Yet, I trudge forward...

Maybe "change your life" is a bit strong, but you know what isn't? Change your skin. No B.S.

First off, Apple Cider Vinegar? You know it. I know it. I've heard the virtues of it for years. It's pretty vile. I mean, shots of apple cider vinegar? Ugh, and you know me, I'm not the type to shy away from a shot (or 3.) I mean, I dance so much better after a few and my date is so much better loooking after the third. But Apple Cider Vinegar? Come on. There are a lot of things in life that are unpleasant that I already have to do. I pay my parking tickets and the IRS, I get bikini waxed. Do I really need shots of this gag inducing liquid to make my skin better? In short, YES. You do too. I've done the research with Nick and here's the deal.

Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar, it will make your skin look a TON better. A TON. It's not "yummy" but you wont want to hurl after taking a shot. We've found it to go down the smoothest. Yes, it's a ritual that we started three weeks ago and I swear on all that is holy, my skin has NEVER LOOKED BETTER. EVER. After dinner we fill a shot glass, cheer and clink, then shoot it back. My cystic stuff has all but disappeared. Not only that but I'm getting the best gift in the world. The gift that makes my life worth living. The gift that fits every size, every gender, every age range and income bracket-I'M GETTING COMPLIMENTS!!

My friend Heather, my dermatologist, the butcher at Whole Foods "Your skin is looking really nice." 

My skin? In my younger years, I never had a problem with acne. I did have extrememly thick eyeglasses, braces for three years and a spiral poodle perm though. So yeah, I was super hot.

Since becoming an adult, my teeth are straight, I have flowing, gorgeous long (Indian extension hair sewn into my head) and contact lenses. Since the Lord Giveth and Taketh Away (that's in The Bible-right?) I also started to get adult cystic acne. You know God, what a jokester sometimes.

I really stand by the Apple Cider Vinegar trick, that's helping me on the inside and showing through to the exterior. I'm also trying a new face wash and I'm loving it. These two bad boys together are really making my need for all over foundation a thing of the past. Seriously, that is quite a statement, I know, I'm just feeling really good about my current dermis situation right now. "Current dermis situation?" I know, spoken like a true beauty blogger and complete skin nerd.

The new face wash? Clarks Botanicals Skin Clearing Face and Body Wash. I am really loving this. My friend Heather that I mentioned above? Well, I recommended it to her. Let's see if I can get her to comment on it. As she said to me yesterday "You've never done me wrong with product suggestions." I went with her to buy some.

I'm loving that this "skin clearing wash" also includes "body" since my neck had also decided to turn against me. Oh neck, I count on you to keep my head held high in times like these! I see there is no loyalty, none. Damn you neck!

Stacy B here! Rough week ladies. Nothing bad happened, thankfully, but it's just another crazy week around here, with more coming. I guess I should remember that my family is healthy, I have a roof over my head, food in my fridge and heat in my vents but still. Hectic weeks are hectic, no matter how fortunate you are.

I've been overloaded with Christmas shopping, and having relatives in LA really puts the pressure on because those gifts need to be either bought, wrapped and shipped by next week, or shipped directly with hopes that the right person opens the box and can wrap everything before the wrong person sees! Every day I have boxes outside my door and my list is not close to being done. Throw in a teething 7-month old, a very smart 4-year-old who asks about 10 times a day "how many days until Christmas?! And can we make MORE Christmas cookies today?!?", a sick husband and 3 full days of required corporate in-house training (fun, I know) and this week was over before it started.

Oh, and tomorrow's our team Secret Santa at work because my manager is on maternity leave starting next week. Which means two things. 1. I will be shopping for my $10 or less gift at lunch tomorrow before the 3 pm party and 2. I can't answer her emails fast enough about what is done and what must be done before she is out. Crazy.

Did I mention I'm in charge of refreshments for the party? Thankfully it's on the company dime but I still have to order food and go pick it up! Is it 2013 yet??? I'm sure no one will notice if I get a mojito at the bar while waiting for our team appetizers, right? They don't itemize the receipts do they? 

Guess what usually suffers when I get busy. Make-up and fashion. So sad. Well, that and sleep, but let's be honest, I have two kids, sleep is a luxury at this point. Now, I never give up entirely on my outward appearance but I am in 'multi-use product' mode. Soaps that moisturize, hair serums that dry straight and frizz-free so I don't have to use a flat iron, eye products that brighten and stay put for the entire whirlwind of a day so I don't have to reapply. Give me quality products that save me time and money and I can focus on what really matters: having enough red and green sprinkles for the Christmas cookies I seem to be making at an astonishing rate.

NYX to my rescue! Again! They have a great little shimmery eye shadow stick called the Slide On Eye Pencil. It's like a little sister to their jumbo eye shadow stick which I already love. These are much thinner and more precise though. It is so smooth and glides on so fast. I love their color selection, too, way beyond the typical eye liner colors.

Meg hair! A few months back I wrote about my visit to The fabulous Leonor Greyl Institute in Paris. Leonor Greyl is France's premier luxury hair care brand it is growing quickly here in the U.S.

I made my way to the Leonor Greyl Institue for one of their signature Hair Spa Treatments. I really don't understand why more salons here in the U.S. offer these relaxing (and the results! Woohoo!) experiences. I know we have a bunch of international readers so if you have something similar in your area, I'd love to hear!

If a picture says a thousand words then this YouTube will say a few million. It's really easy for me to describe how amazing my treatment was, but sometimes it is just easier to watch it for yourself.

The women in the beginning of the video is the wonderful Caroline Greyl. I'm sure you've put two and two together and figued it out, but that is Leonor's daughter. Caroline runs the ship over there and once you get a few glasses of wine in her, she's more fun than Disneyworld.

If you haven't had a chance to try these products-you must. I would suggest you start with the Holy Grail product Huile De Palme if oil isn't "your thing" you could always try Allure's Best In Beauty Winner Shampooing Reviviscence. All of their products are exceptional and find their way on the world's most famous manes. You know what's on tour right now with Madonna? I mean besides a hot 20 someting Latino? Yup, Leonor Greyl products. The list of celebrities that can't live without these items is a mile long. In fact, in this weeks issue of People Magazine, Emma Stone is styled to perfection with Leonor Greyl's cult Mousse au Lotus Volumatrice.

Stacy B here! I'm so embarrassed. I should be fired from writing on this site. I committed one of the cardinal sins of beauty.

I forgot to wash my hands after applying self tanner. For like 3 days in a row. So stupid of me! You know what happens, darker palms, orange spots between my fingers and weird splotches on the heels of my hand and wrists. I have been pretty annoyed for the past few days, everytime I look down I am reminded of my error.

I found a new natural tanner that I wanted to try, Nature's Gate Glow Lotion and I just dove right in. I guess I can state the obvious here...it works.

I think my mistake was trying it after getting out of the shower in the morning. We're like a well oiled machine in my house, my husband gets up and showers first, I get my younger son and lay him next to me for a few more minutes of sleep while we wait for my older son to get up. When I'm showering, he gets the kids dressed and fed and then when he leaves, I get them out the door and to wherever they are going that day.

 Yes, you read that right, my husband does the breakfasts and outfits each morning. I am really lucky to have a very involved dad as a husband! I would be willing to bet he'd pass off the outfits to me if we had girls, but with two boys, it's not like you have to worry about accessorizing!

Adding a new step to my routine wasn't as easy as I thought. The first day my older son decided he wanted to dry his hair, too. I had to help him hold the hairdryer to keep him from dropping it because the air flow 'tickled his head'. The second day we were running late because both boys chose to sleep for about 15 minutes longer than normal and the third day, my younger son decided to flip himself over onto his belly and then scream in frustration because he was stuck like that. He's not quite strong enough to crawl but deparately wants to move. I had to rescue him.

Really, I'm just lucky that neither boy has tan handprints on them somewhere. Even if they did, it's a natural product so I wouldn't feel bad about chemicals on them!

This company has been around for 40 years and is based on botanical, herbal and floral products. I thought this was great when I read it on their site: "Our Certified Organic botanicals are farmed without the use of synthetic or inorganic chemicals, utilizing methods that naturally enhance soil structure, conserve water and mitigate climate change." Not only is it good for you, it's good for the planet!

The lotion has readable and recognization ingredients, like shea butter, apricot, almond and soybean oil and Vitamin E. I bet it's great for those of you with sensitive skin or allergies. It goes on very smoothly, is thick but not sticky, absorbs fast and smells great. Sort of a floral, citrus blend. Or as my husband said, "you smell like Key Lime Pie". Um, thanks?

Meg here! Have you ever had a "wish list?" I mean it's a "wish list" so you don't ever expect it to be fufilled. The people that have their "wish list" fufilled usually can't deal with the amazing results so they end up in rehab (no judgement, in fact, how the heck do people NOT self medicate. I mean really.)

I have had a couple of water tumbler glasses of wine and need to not only give a "Shout out" but also introduce a new member of family to our Meg Head bunch!

You all know Prudence. Well, right now she is drinking tequila straight from the bottle and planning how to piss on my head. She's not in a good mood. The Queen has been getting a bit big for her britches and while I love Pru more than anything in the entire world. She needed to be reminded that she was, MY DOG And that I was not hers (I'm bad with delegating.)

 How could I make Prudence better?

At the same time, the battle of Prudence was taking over as lead supremacy leader of the house (she had a good run.) We needed a new roommate. Nick moved in.

I didn't know Nick at all. He moved in, I had to go to New York (as I do.)

God bless him. I'm not easy to "know" nevermind live with (true, you would never have to pay for another beauty product for the rest of your life.) I come with some perks.

I'm on these email lists of "dogs at the shelter about to be killed." They call it "Eauthanized." Whatever you want to call it. It's meaning is "death." I'm remembering David Sedaris who got the call about his cat. He pictured Chinese children hiding under desks when the vet called and said "have you thought about youth in Asia?'

The pounds of LA are the worst in the country. Once a dog is turned in they have 5 DAYS TO FIND A HOME or THEY ARE KILLED. I have breast implants and weigh 115 pounds, I was a Ford Model. I can't get a date in 5 days. This seems unfair.

I see the listing that my future dog is on the chopping block. This is the conversation...

Meg: (I've probably had a taste of wine)  RESCUE MISSION! RESCUE "CHOPPER!"

Nick : Shrugs shoulders. O.K. We'll get him.

We go to sleep. Separately by the way. I call the shelter. They wont even do a "hold." It's a race against time to save Chopper.

End of story? We saved him and he's fantastic. End of story? Nick came with me, drove and he's amazing. Even though we got lost a bunch on the way to Harbor Shelter.

WHAT IS YOUR POINT MEG? It's just this, we all need saving. Everyone of us. Sometimes the very best thing we can do to help ourselves is help someone or something else.

WHO IS NICK? He's my new roommate that write's "Manly Mondays." (he's hysterical.) Most importantly, he's good and kind and will wake up early to drive 3 hours to help you save a dog. He's a wonderful person and now we have "Chopper!"

Who is Chopper? We don't know much about me. Someone probably hurt me at some point. I get scared. I'm very, very good. I like to drive Prudence nuts. Just happy to be alive!

Meg here! I just wanted you all to see my powder room. I love languishing in my deep soak tub as I eat grapes and sip champagne by my roaring fire. Sexy music is usually playing as I stare out the windows of my slice of Heaven. I have a great, big cashmere blend robe waiting for me and my towels are imported from Turkey. Jacques is just a bell ring away. He's so amazing at scrubbing my lower middle back.Every bath time should be an experience so I just wanted to let you not only know, experience and really see mine. It's fabulous...And then the alarm goes off and I wake up. It was all a dream!? What?! Nooo!

Cue Dolly Parton

"Tumble outta bed 

And stumble to the kitchen 
Pour myself a cup of ambition 
Yawnin' and stretchin' and try to come to life 

Jump in the shower 
And the blood starts pumpin' 
Out on the streets 
The traffic starts jumpin' 
With folks like me on the job from 9 to 5"

Sorry if now that song is stuck in your head for the rest of the day. I love me some Dolly. But, 9-5? She's a little lazy. I've been working all day and now I'm blogging at 10:30 pm. Jacques!?!?

I love my shower time. My shower, while not a strung up hose, is not much better. I live in an older house and once the water is hot and steamy I hop in. I get a good 2 minutes before I'm cursing NICK! LISA!! SHUT OFF THE SINK!! (the kitchen sink.)

To where I get the reply "Oh, sorry! Didn't know you were in there!!"

After 30 seconds water pressure resumes and I'm not left shivering in my 1930's shower. Jesus, if I took this shower on Antiques Roadshow I'd probably be a millionaire.

So no, my powerball ticket has yet to give me the bathroom pictured above. But once that damn lottery pays off, it's on my top ten of purchases.

I'm going to take lemons and make lemonaide! Or make Thymes NAIA. It is a floral/citrus fabulous lemon/flower invigorating scent. I love Thymes. I have yet to be let down on any of their products. When I grab my loofah sponge and pour this on, if I shut my eyes for a minute , while it deliciously lathers and suds up-I am transported.

It makes my limbs not only sudsy but silky and even though my tile has probably had Mary Pickford as a guest at some point. I feel luxurious and new.

The clear bottle packaging looks very lush and the scent? Well, this baby gets 5 out of 5 stars from independant reviewers and this sums it up "Think of a cool morning in a lush garden after a rainfall and the sun is just starting to kiss the flowers and evaporate the moisture into the air with all the crisp and delicate aromas...this is what this product conjures up in my mind. What a glorious way to start the day or wash away all the stress at night! LOVE IT!!!!"

Don't  take my word for it (but your here, so might as well.) It's a really great gift for under $20 for anyone that has a shower. Even if the plumbing is from the 19th Century.

While it will make your wet body and your entire powder room smell fantastic. I did the test. I asked Nick  to smell my arm after I had dried off, put my PJ's on and 45 minutes went by. "You smell clean but I can't smell anything else." It will not compete with your perfume. If you want it to? You can go "all Naia" Thymes has the complete set!

From bath salts to soap bars to cologne to even a home fragrance, you can become a true Naia Girl! I just might. I'd rather my house smell like Naia than "dog pee." Yup, I just rescued another one! His name is "Chopper" pics soon!

Meg here! Happy Thanksgiving! I'm so thankful for you and your support and comments! Today I'm talking holiday beauy with Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in the iconic shade of Cherries In The Snow. When I opened my pack from Revlon I was thrilled. I've been a fan of Cherries In The Snow since I was borrowing it from my Gram's vanity since I was 7 years old. The color is really great for the holidays and I always get tons of compliments when I wear it.

It goes on smooth and seems to make my teeth look whiter, as a coffee drinker and disgusting smoker, I need all the help I can get.

Lipliner has gotten a bad rap ever since the mid 90's. Am I the only one that remembers when women would line their lips with brown eyeliner and then fill in with a nude lip? Lord, that was awful, you know what was also pretty bad? When ladies mismatch shades. You don't want your liner to be darker than your lip color. When done properly, lipliner is a girl's secret weapon. I like to put it on after I've applied my lipstick. Revlon Colorstay Lipliner really does the trick.

Revlon is hosting another great give away! The first ten comments below with win both a Revlon Colorstay Lipliner and Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick!

Meg here and I have a secret to tell you. Some inside information...

"I have stupid apple magnets all over my fridge!"

"If I get one more lame apple picture frame I'm going to scream!"

"Seriously, like I'm going to wear apple earrings?"

"Thanks for this bedazzled apple sweatshirt. Yes, so clever. Awesome."

Um, if you're looking for a teacher's gift and you don't want them to off themselves, please divert from the cutesy apple schwag. A. You're not being original. B. Or get them something ridiculous like Apple's Ipad Mini. They hate that apple swag crap. Trust me. Apple stock or Ipad not in the budget? Then shake it up. Stand out, bring them pumpkin.

Arcona Pumpkin Body Lotion is a beautiful testament to an underpaid, noble woman that probably doesn't have an extra $48 to spend to pamper herself. The package is excellent, the brand is organic and it looks and feels like luxury.

You could paper me in thousand dollar bills and sprinkle diamonds on top and I'm still not spending more than 30 minutes in a room full of seven year olds, so listen up...

I don't have the greatest sniffer, it probably doesn't help that my first words were "does anyone have a lighter?" I applied Arcona's Pumpkin Body Lotion on. It's not greasy or sticky and dries almost instantly, my skin felt soft and healthy. 

The scent? Um, google Men and Pumpkin scent. Honest to God, articles come up that say "Men are more aroused by pumpkin pie than your favorite perfume." Blood flows quicker to a man's second head with the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon more than anything. Google it. I speak the truth. Just in case your child is in the care of a single, spinster educator with lots of cats-help a woman out!

Because I take my job very seriously, I did some reasearch walking around the Rage Cage (my house) yelling "Smell me you guys!!" I even stopped my neighbors doing laundry and asked them to take a whiff of my arms. This girl will stop at nothing I tell you...

"Ooh, you smell like the holidays, yummy holidays."

"I detect some clove I think, I love clove."