Spring-a-ling-a-ling

RANDOM ANTM QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
"I know I'm a threat. I'm a strong-ass woman. I'm a soldier sista. Recognize."
--Jade, who is also a "bi-racial butterfly." Sweetie, please.

Hola chicas,
Oh, how INSPIRED I am to talk to my girls today! This past Saturday, I spoke to Howard University journalism students on a panel about breaking into magazines--and you guys were so sweet, graceful, supportive and generally lovely that I wanted to impregnate you ALL (and I was so excited to find that most of you were already SHAKE YOUR BEAUTY fans, that when I got home I checked my "stats" I discovered I have more than a million hits so far!). Huge special gracias to Stacy, Nakisha, Monica, Genae (who I had zero idea was LuxeDivaSoulSistaHuneyChile, in the flesh...hello! If I'd know I was hollering at one of the most dedicated beauty-shakers I would've done an interpretive dance for your ass) for your sweet words of thanks and just your general Howard Hotness. And an even bigger "hollaaa" to Miss Julia (allaboutthepretty.blogspot.com) for showing up at the conference to convince me that I am, in fact, not the Western Hemisphere's bigger beauty psycho (girls, the woman travels to PARIS every year to stock up on hard-to-get makeup and stuff...you have me beat, doll). Not only did Miss Julia put her Houston Neiman Marcus beauty counter chica, Juanita, on to SHAKE YOUR BEAUTY, but she made me all blubbery telling me that I've helped her teenaged nieces realize "it's okay to be brown." Wow. That's EXACTLY what I'm trying to do here. Good times, good times.

Ladies, its getting a tad bit warmer this week. After a winter that seemed to be in effect since 1979, I couldn't be more thrilled. Spring is totally the highlight of my year--and my favorite part is getting my flaky, ashy, dull, wack body prepared for tiny mini's, strappy wedges, and teeny tank-tops. I KNOW I'm not alone in this, so I've gathered my three most essential "spring into spring" products to help buff your winterworn skin into a frenzy of radiant, gleaming, suppleness. This is the stuff I whip out every single year to get my spring cleaning on. And, oh, what a difference they make! Jessica Alba, the most glowy girl in Hollywood, will want to slap your face for having such supernaturally stunning skin--I promise.

xoxo,
tia

TIA'S TOP THREE SPRING-INTO-SPRING PRODUCTS:

FACE: Origins Never a Dull Moment Skin-Brightening Face Polisher ($23.50): This is my all-time favorite face product!! Before spring starts, you must exfoliate the layers-upon-layers of nasty, dead skin cells that've built up on your skin's surface over the winter. Now, I hate scrubs with big, harsh grains in them (so bad for my sensitive skin). This face polisher contains nature's most gentle exfoliators--crushed papaya, apricot and mango--all fruits containing yummy enzymes that GENTLY slough off dead skin cells and encourage cell turnover to reveal the radiant, glowing complexion you'd forgotten you had. And I swear, it smells like a smoothie. Love.

BODY: Fresh Milk Bath ($35): This incredibly luxurious, deeply decadent bubble bath (a tried-and-true beauty editor cult fave) was inspired by the milk soaks Cleopatra used to dip in to soften her skin. The ancient sex goddess definitely had it right--milk contains vitamins A and D and lactic acid, all of which work together to give even the roughest skin a baby-soft, deliciously smooth finish. Also comes in nectarine milk, chocolate milk and ivy milk scents...each one more sensual and spa-worthy than the last. Oh, and if you really want to make the scent last, layer on the matching body lotion, too. Mmm, mmm, good.

HANDS & FEET: True Blue Spa Wax On Wax Off ($12.50): If you've had a paraffin wax treatment at a spa, you KNOW how your hands and feet feel afterwards--so soft you never want to wash another dish or scrub another toilet in your life. For the uninitiated, here's how it works: You dip your hands or feet into a heated, creamy wax that hardens like a mask onto your skin, imparting intense moisturization and tons of skin-nourishing benefits. You used to have to pay a small fortune to get this treatment, but now you can do it at home with this paraffin-in-a-jar. So easy, so inexpensive, and the results are positively EPIC. I wouldn't even dream about getting the hottest spring mani/pedi (think coral, by the way) without it.