On Friday the CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) announced their winners of the most innovative beauty products of the year.  The categories cover fragrance, skin care, hair care, cosmetics and newly added nail categories. What makes this different from other beauty awards is that the CEW awards are chosen by the more than 4,600 beauty industry professionals.

The 2012 CEW Beauty Awards winners are:

BATH AND BODY

Bath & Body Mass
Burt’s Bees® Richly Replenishing Cocoa & Cupuaçu Butters Body Lotion

Bath & Body Prestige
Shiseido Cosmetics America Replenishing Body Cream

FACIAL SKINCARE

Acne Treatment
Kate Somerville Skin Care 24-hour Pimple Punisher

Anti-Aging Mass
L’Oréal Paris Youth Code Serum Intense

Anti-Aging Prestige
Shiseido Cosmetics America Future Solution LX Ultimate Regenerating Serum

Cleanser & Scrub
Fresh Sugar Lip Polish

Eye Treatment Mass
Garnier Ultra-lift Anti-wrinkle Eye Roller

Eye Treatment Prestige
Estée Lauder Idealist Cooling Eye Illuminator

Moisturizer Mass
RoC® Multi Correxion® Lift Anti-gravity Day Moisturizer with SPF 30

Moisturizer Prestige
StriVectin TL Tightening Neck Cream

HAIR

Hair Care Product
Ojon Instant Restorative Hair Serum

Hair Coloring Product
Rita Hazan Salon Temporary Color Root Concealer

Hair Styling Product
Bumble and bumble Bb. Texture Hair(un)dressing Crème

MAKEUP

Eye Product Mass|
L’Oréal Paris Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara

Eye Product Prestige
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara

Face Product Mass
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer

Face Product Prestige
Smashbox Cosmetics  Photo Finish Hydrating Foundation Primer

Lip Product Mass
COVERGIRL Blast Flipstick

Lip Product Prestige
Fresh Sugar Passion Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15

NAIL PRODUCT

Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

MEN’S GROOMING

Lab Series Skincare for Men Max LS Overnight Renewal Serum

SCENT

Men’s Scent
John Varvatos Fragrance and Skincare Star USA

Women’s Scent Mass
Coty Beauty Heidi Klum Shine

Women’s Scent Prestige
Prada Candy Eau de Parfum Spray

SUN

Neutrogena Corporation Wet Skin Sunblock Spray SPF 50

INDIE BEAUTY AWARD

Supergoop!

ECO BEAUTY AWARD

Neutrogena Corporation Naturals Purifying Facial Cleanser

* Sponsored by Givaudan and vetted by The Natural Step

BEST SELLER AWARD

Mass Product
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Real Nail Polish Strips

Prestige Product
Lancôme Visionnaire [LR 2412] Advanced Skin Corrector

It’s baaaack, the dreadful summertime oily skin. I’ve been blessed or cursed, depending on how you look at it, with oily skin especially in the summer. Mother had skin so dry she slathered on baby oil, dad had skin so oily he was constantly wiping it off and mine is like his in the summer as well. Those of you who have oily skin know what a difficult time we have trying to keep it under control or at least somewhat manageable and my summertime go-to for my oily skin are these two Omorovicza products. Since I started using the Cleansing Foam and the Balancing Moisturizer my skin is significantly less oily throughout the day.

The Omorovicza line is inspired by the healing powers of the famous Hungarian thermal baths and they have created a patented mineral delivery system for their products to be absorbed by the epidermis and dermis in ways that other products cannot. Husband and wife founders, Margaret and Stephen de Heinrich de Omorovicza worked with Nobel prize winning Hungarian laboratory of Dermatology and Allergology at the Albert St George University. In doing so, they discovered the ability of minerals to treat a wide range of ailments.

Typically cleansing foams can be rather harsh and stripping the skin of necessary moisture (different than removing oil) on the face, but this isn’t drying at all. My skin just feels remarkably clean. The foam doesn’t foam up like typical foam cleansers, but works well to clean and the fresh scent makes me imagine I am relaxing at a thermal bath spa. The Cleansing Foam doesn’t contain any harmful sulfates, but it does contain copper gluconate to detoxify and regulate the production of sebum. The white lupin energizes and revitalizes the skin while the apple pectin restores suppleness and hydrates.

The Balancing Moisturizer is a lightweight lotion that keeps my skin hydrated and supple, but not oily feeling. It absorbs into the skin quickly and my excess sebum is under control, and my makeup goes over it very smoothly. It has pineapple and rosemary extracts to reduce pore size and clear dead skin cells enzymatically. Apple pectin is in this as well for suppleness and hydration and ruby crystal diffuses the appearance of fine lines.

Right now, Omorovicza has 30% off with the purchase of three products – some restrictions apply.

By D’Ann Zona, Fitness Contributor

Incorporating Yoga into Your Fitness Regimen

Kimberly Fowler has been called the “new face of yoga.”  In her book  The No Om Zone  she promises a “no chanting, no-granola, no-Sanskrit” approach to making yoga simple and easy for anyone to benefit from. Fowler is the owner of YAS Fitness Centers (YAS stands for Yoga and Spinning) in CA. Fowler’s sequence of spinning and yoga allows students to sweat out their aggression on the bike before lunging deeper into yoga’s warrior or surrendering a child’s pose-all to the tune of a fabulous Rolling Stones or Zeppelin track. Fowler’s Yoga for Athletes® program has gained a cult following with more than 500 YAS-goers frequenting her studio on a daily basis. Her unique blend of yoga and indoor cycling, coupled with her unique approach to yoga has proven to have mass appeal. The Yoga for Athletes® program was created when she realized that people would try to force themselves into a pose and end up injured. She teaches that every pose has a lesser or more advanced level so athletes don’t get injured and to embrace that it takes a while for the body to adjust.

Twenty-five years ago Fowler’s plans as a tri-athlete and a determined law student were temporarily put on hold when doctors discovered she had an inoperable brain tumor. With a “screw this attitude” towards surgical procedures that could’ve greatly impaired her joint movement-the unthinkable for a tri-athlete-doctors assured Fowler that her days were numbered.

Miraculously beating the odds through unconventional treatments and the “mind over matter” outlook, Fowler became cancer-free and steadily continued her law practice until 1982 when she was hit by a car during a bicycle race. Following the suggestion of her physical therapist, she explored the healing powers of Iyengar yoga. The yoga proved instrumental not only in her recuperation from the bicycle accident, but in the recovery from a near fatal rock-climbing accident more than fifteen years later that left her with a punctured lung and an injured kidney – a kidney that against the advice of her doctors, Fowler refused to have removed. She felt that yoga saved her life a couple of times when nothing else could.

To find out more about this fabulous woman, visit her website at go2yas.com or become a fan of her Facebook page for daily inspiration, fitness tips or to get information on how to order her books and DVDs.

Here are two easy upper & lower body poses to get you started or just incorporate into your daily routine.

Upward Facing Dog | Benefit: Opens chest muscles, improves posture by opening shoulders and strengthens arms, wrists, shoulders and chest muscles.  Lie flat on stomach, tops of feet on floor, bend elbows so hands are under shoulders, lift chest up while pressing into hands to straighten arms. Increase difficulty by pressing into hands and top of feet to lift thighs off floor. Hold for 30 seconds. 

Tree Pose | Benefit: Strengthens muscles around knee, engages core and help to teach the body balance.  Standing position, balance on right foot as you bring left foot to inside of inner thigh, keep hips even, bring hands to prayer position over head. If too hard to keep balance or foot to the inner thigh, drop the raised foot to calf or put big toe on ground and bring hands to chest prayer position.

Mind.Body.Spirit

Never give up on your dreams… Love, live and embrace them. They are not meant to impress others, but to offer you a more passionate life experience that may possibly spread inspiration.  ~ D’Ann Zona