Ah, Fall. The crisp weather. The cozy fashion. The new Bliss catalog (which you can sign up for here). Don’t you just love the amped-up energy that makes everything feel so exciting and new? (Or wait. Was that The Love Boat?) No matter. All I’m saying is that people have been abuzz about so many things lately. And, of course, the people that Miss Bliss rolls with have all been buzzing about–what else?–our favorite tension-taming, skin-smoothing, better-bodifying treatments! Here’s a primer in some of our most sought after:

The Youth As We Know It Facial
Miss Bliss has a beauty editor friend at a schmancy magazine who swears by this fine-line-fixing, age-attacking, glow-getting facial. So effective (yet gentle enough for this pretty pal’s delicate flower of a face) is this regenerating treatment , that she got asked to a fraternity mixer buy a cute coed at her college homecoming game. (Reader, said friend has been an alumnus since ‘93!) That is truly a victory for the ‘ages’. My favorite thing about this facial is that you can leave looking fountain-of-youth fabulous immediately. (No red, blotchy downtime to consider because extractions are totally optional.) And, you get your mug massaged with a mushroom enzyme peel that gives you a lit-from-within radiance.

Triple oxygen treatment
Since this is our most popular peau-prettifying pick, you know it must be a true crowd pleaser! A celeb-fave, this complexion perfecter includes a power cleansing, serious skin-sloughing, expert-esthetician extractions, an oxygen and milk mask that will seriously transport you to another relaxation realm (not to mention leave your skin looking luminous), and a major moisturizing pack plus bright-boosting oxygen spray. This has become Miss Bliss’ requisite go-to gift for all her bride-to-be buddies; it’s super for all skin types and guarantees a wedding-day glow.

Brazilian bikini wax
While I could sum this up by telling you that you’ll be saying “WOW” instead of “OWW!”, I think this Bliss customer says it best: “My only option when it comes to getting waxed. By far the best and pain-less…worth every dime.”
(– Tiffany, Bronx, NY). We agree, sister, we agree! Thanks to our special skin-saving wax, our experts’ gentle touch, and other Bliss-particular practices this wax will truly make you a believer in fearless fuzz busting.

Blissage 75
If ever there were a one-size-fits-all treatment, this would be it. The level of complete and utter calm you feel will melt your muscles and boggle your mind. We dare you not to fall asleep! Zoning in on your most overworked muscles, this 75-minute warming rubdown will make you feel like your reset button has been pressed. Head-clearing, skin-silkifying, and stress-soothing, this is the ultimate escape.

Hot milk & almond pedicure
This 60-minute ’sole’-saving pedi is such a ‘feat’ that it will earn a regular spot in your appointment calendar. After your tootsies are tenderized in a steamed whole milk and almond oil bath, they’re scrubbed within an inch of their lives, and then painted in the hue of your hankering. In fact, Miss Bliss and two of her friends ran the Chicago Marathon this year (in the freezing cold), and our most powerful motivation was not a medal, not seeing our loved ones at the finish, not even the bragging rights. Nope, it was the knowledge that we had the next morning’s first appointment for the Hot Milk and Almond Pedicure.
True story.

Try one, try all. You won’t be disappointed. And, if you already have a fave, won’t you please divulge? We’d love to know what makes you say, “spaaaahhh”.

Bliss on!

Whether the closest relationship you currently have is with the cute barista at Starbucks who knows exactly how you like your morning latte (double tall skinny mocha with whip) or you’re growing old (but not wrinkly because you wear spf 15 with pa++ every day) with the one you love, here are Miss Bliss’ top date + gift recommendations for every stage of the game.

1. For the couple who just started dating: Skip the candlelit dinners and avoid that uncomfortable feeling in your stomach as you watch couples get engaged. Instead, go ice skating together. It’s a great excuse to hold hands!

gift for him:-keep it practical bliss wild ‘beard’ stuff set ($32) includes a self-heating shaving cream that mimics an old-school barber shop shave and post-shave repair lotion to prevent ingrown hairs and minimize the appearance of 5 o’clock shadow, so his face will be kissable all day long.

gift for her: ‘Butter’ her up with our freshly-squeezed lemon + sage body butter.

2. For the couple who are in deep-like with each other: You haven’t said the 3 magic words yet. Save it for after Valentine’s day when the Godiva has worn off. Celebrating on a budget? Grab some gourmet groceries + cook up a fancy dinner at home, buy a bottle of wine, pop in a DVD and snuggle on the couch.

gift for him: building blocks iPod speakers available at Urban Outfiters are an adorable gift.

gift for her: Laura Geller Lip Makeover Set will leave her lips impossible to resist.

3. Call each other Snugglebums + Pookie Bear in public? Sounds like love to me!

gift for him: Our deep tissue treatment is a male favorite. You can’t go wrong with a deep-reaching rubdown intended to relieve those stubborn knots.

gift for her:Cook her breakfast in bed! Don’t know how to cook? No worries-foodnetwork.com has tons of recipe ideas and the level of difficulty is labeled on each recipe. Then, send her off to the spa. A bliss gift certificate makes the perfect gift and is guaranteed to please.

If you forgot the big day, you’re one easy click away from getting out of the dog house with an e-card!

Happy Early Valentine’s Day!
xoxo <3 Karen

I can’t believe I didn’t think of mentioning this product yesterday! The Bliss/Philips Bikini Perfect Deluxe Spa Edition is the absolute PERFECT solution to keep fuzz at bay between waxings. It’s cordless, re-chargeable, and SHOWER FRIENDLY! It’s everything I dreamed of and more from a trimmer.

When I got my paws on one last year, I was amazed at all the different features the trimmer has. Not to mention, it fits perfectly in the size of a woman’s hand. I have very petite fingers and anything bulky just would not do! This little gem is has six different attachments for all your hair removal needs:
•Precision Trimmer perfectly grooms bikini line with precision and comfort.
•Precision Comb ensures even grooming results. Adjusts to 5 length settings.
•Eyebrow Comb trims entire eyebrow to a uniform length.
•Micro Trimmer shapes and defines eyebrows or removes a single hair.
•Micro Shaver extra smooth & safe with hypo-allergenic foil.
•Epilator removes hair by the root for smooth skin for weeks.

My favorite attachment is the epilator-the lovely Miss Donna suggested using it to remove hair from the under arm. I thought she was crazy. “You want me to do WHAT with this thing to my delicate lady pits!?” but two days later, there I was in my bedroom epilating my underarms and singing Donna’s praises because I didn’t have to shave for the next 3 weeks. If you can handle cramps, childbirth, or a bikini wax, you can epilate. This is not the same as the 1980’s torture device that will remain nameless *cough cough* Epilady.

The trimmer came in so handy when I went on vacation, too. I went on a sun & fun vacation and brought the trimmer with me, which was great because it’s travel-friendly. Just put the trimmer, charger and heads you’ll need into its cute little Bliss bag and you’re good to go! If you buy the Bliss/Philips Bikini Perfect Deluxe Spa Edition you’ll also receive try-me sizes of bliss lemon+sage body butter (1oz), bliss lemon+sage body scrub (1oz), and 5 bliss ingrown hair eliminating peeling pads, which are great travel companions.

Bliss Kisses! <3 Karen

Recession-ista: “ree-se-shun-ee-sta”, noun, beauty diva who can sniff out affordable luxury! Math skills and elevated aesthetic acuity required.

Okay, I admit I love luxury products, yet I can’t always justify the price tag. I confess that a pit stop into my neighborhood chain drugstore for some cheap lipgloss when I’m having a bad day often does the trick! From a young age, I was programmed by economical parents to be a “budget babe.” So I have had to cleverly finding ways to get my beauty fix for less (thus my job in the beauty business…how smart am I?!) My Dad used to say, “champagne taste, beer budget!” He would shake his head in disbelief when, as a teenager, I would come home giddy from the mall to tell him all about how much money I had saved. He’d say “you can’t save money when you’re spending it.” Uggh total shopping buzz kill! He obviously did not understand the restorative powers of makeup, eye cream and shoes. Or recognize my math skills.

Thankfully, my income does allow a little more champagne these days. But with the economy so unflattering, it’s hard not to feel a need to shop smarter. So I have officially become a Recession-ista! ‘Luxury and value’ is not an oxymoron! First of all, it’s all about price per use. Premium products tend to be concentrated, so they last longer than cheaper products, because you get more uses per jar, tube, bottle. Second, prestige skin care products tend to have better ingredients and more extensive research and development behind every formulation. Bottom line, spend a little more upfront and get better value, such as these faves on my….

Recession-ista hot list:

1.Triple Oxygen Instant Energizing Mask– 5 minute facial for glowing skin! you get 4 to 6 months of uses! That means about $1 per use… for a spa quality facial treatment that delivers instant and long term skin that says WOW.

2.Steep Clean Professional Strength Mask – this is so good at de-clogging pores, brightening and smoothing skin, it is used in bliss spa facials! 15 minutes once per week for a more refined skin? Sign me up at about $1 per use… and radiant results!

3.Glamour Gloves – soft, smooth, supple hands, about 50 uses for $48 equals less than $1 per use, a year’s worth of treatments. Your hands are age tattle tellers… these beauty treatment gloves are a small investment to maintain beautiful hands!

See? You can splurge and save at exactly the same time! Grab a mini calculator and let’s go shopping!

I gave myself a good chuckle with that one. No, I have not been hitting the eggnog early this year. I can only blame the intoxicating scent of our new blood orange and white pepper body collection for that bliss-aster of a pun. Everyone is head over ‘peels’ with our newest scent! Our blood orange + white pepper collection hit shelves a couple of months ago.

Everyone has gone gaga over the scent, so we added two new treatments to our spa menu-the head over ‘peels’
scrub + rub and the head over ‘peels’ pedicure.

The head over ‘peels’ scrub + rub starts off with an energizing exfoliation with our sugar scrub, followed by a Vichy shower, and then a 30 minute massage.

TIP: take home a tan for all seasons after your treatment-your skin will be buffed and polished to perfection and in tip-top shape for applying the perfect self-tan.

Our second treatment, the head over ‘peels’ pedicure, will leave your feet looking so a-‘peel’-ing you’ll wish it was time to bare your feet in the latest fitflops all over again (don’t worry, the winter fitflops are fabulous and absolutely adorable!). You can recreate this pedicure at home with the sugar scrub and my all-time favorite foot files.

Diamancel makes professional strength foot filers for home use. They’re made with real diamond dust. After all, diamonds are a girl’s best friend! They’re easy to use, easy to clean, and their projected life-span is 5 years.

Recessionista tip: If you buy the foot filesfor $115, the cost over the course of the 5 year is $23/year. That’s much less than the average cost of ONE pedicure and you’ll be able to upkeep your feet whenever you want!

Two fabu-bliss treatments in the spa or at-home. Honey, you look spaaaaaaah-velous!

Last chance for standard shipping! Have you gotten gifts for everyone on your ‘nice’ list?

You have until noon today to place your order! In case you missed it, here is the shipping cutoff dates:
Standard: 12 noon (EST) 12/19
2-Day: 12 noon (EST) 12/22
Overnight: 12 noon (EST) 12/23

For 20% off bliss and remede, enter code 128914

Vanilla, my one true love!

The scent of vanilla reminds me of my first body spray that I bought when I was in 7th grade (that was a loooooong time ago). My entire cheerleading squad was obsessed with the scent of vanilla. Before football games, we’d spritz ourselves from head to toe with the sugar sweet scent. Many, many, many years later, this scent is still near and dear to my heart. However, the idea of smelling like a walking cupcake is not quite so cute anymore.

yum!

vanilla + bergamot is the sophisticated sister to regular ol’ vanilla. “What does bergamot smell like?” you ask. Ever have Earl Grey tea? That’s what bergamot smells like. It’s the perfect note to balance out vanilla, making it smell slightly musky and mysterious. My favorite product out of the vanilla + bergamot family is the body buff. It’s infused with shea butter, jojoba oil, and oat protein for hydration and conditions and smoothes the skin with sweet almond oil. There are perfectly round, soft exfoliating beads inside and specks of Tahitian Vanilla. YUM! Too bad it’s not edible.

The countdown is here! We’re seven shopping days away from Christmas. FULL SPEED AHEAD! If you’re placing an online order with Bliss, please remember that in order to receive holiday delivery , orders must be placed by the following dates so gifts arrive by December 25th.
Standard: 12 noon (EST) 12/19
2-Day: 12 noon (EST) 12/22
Overnight: 12 noon (EST) 12/23

Now that we’ve got that out of the way, what are you going to get?
Here are some tips on making the most out of your gift giving this year.

For the teenager in your life: Teenage skin can be really unpredictable and sometimes unkind (I have my 7th grade yearbook photo hidden from everyone, even my husband). steep clean mask is a mask that is an oil-absorbing mask that gently exfoliates with enzymes and brightens the skin. It’s great for combination/breakout prone skin types because it absorbs oil without drying the skin. You only have to use it once a week for 15 minutes and the mask should last around 4 months.

For the man in your life: Last year I went out on a limb and threw some shaving cream and post-shave repair lotion into my dad’s stocking. He’s been a devoted Edge user since the sighting of his first whiskers. He performed the obligatory show that goes along with any less-than-thrilling-gift: “oh, THANKS! I love it! Um….what is it?” Two weeks later, I received an amusing voice mail from him in his deep man voice “Hi um….I really like that shaving stuff you got me. Thanks.”

This self-heating shaving cream mimics the old-school barber shop shaves with heated towels and the whole shebang. The post shave repair lotion, which I raved about here is a must-have for your man. The shaving cream and lotion will only set you back $32. A must-give for any man on your ‘nice’ list this year.

For the frequent traveler: that one quart rule is really for the birds. face value set will make packing a breeze. Includes everything you need to take your beloved skin care to go. This is also a great set for the gym goer in your life! After 60 minutes of spinning at 6am, they deserve it!

For any 35+ woman in your life: : the youth group skincare kit contains five generous try-me sizes of our best selling anti-aging products and comes in an adorable cosmetics case.

Still don’t know what to get? gift cards are available in denominations of $25-$1,000.

Save 20% on all Bliss and Remede products on blissworld.com when you use code 128914!

Happy Shopping, ladies!

Unless you are living on another planet (or are very lucky and immune to recessionitis), you are keeping your money close, and your credit cards closer this holiday season. Here are a few deals you can warm up to no matter how low the dow dips:

Gift Sets:
Our ’scent’-ral park set is $25 and comes in an adorable, give-ready package. It includes three (4.2oz) tubes of our best-selling body butters. This is a great give for anyone you need to ‘butter’ up.

Need some suds before you slather on the body butter? The orange bounty set will have you starting your day off with our new freshly squeezed scent. This set is $28 and includes a generous helping of the blood orange + white pepper body butter and shower gel.

For the man in your life, our ‘homme’ improvement post-shave repair lotion is a must-have. Not only does this oil-free, lightweight lotion soothe just-shaved skin and help prevent ingrown hairs, but its natural ingredients actually help you shave less often. Goodbye five o’clock shadow! Hello, smooth kissable cheeks! You’ll both be glad you spent the $18 for this shaving savior.

If you’ve got a hankering for a bliss skin care smorgasbord, the best of bliss set will give you a glow from head to toe. This set includes five of our best selling skin care and body care products for all your beautifying needs.

The best part? Free shipping on orders over $50 when you use code SHIP50*
(*see blissworld.com for details).

the Bliss girls want you to get free shipping! Use code SHIP50