Giveaway: Great Skin Is In! Win a Skin Authority Touch Transforms Kit

If there's one thing Deacon loves, it's a great beauty product. Perhaps only next to a great spa treatment. But we get to try so many awesome things, it's hard to stick with just one - until we tried Skin Authority, one of Deacon's Favorite Things.

This luxe line was founded by Celeste Hilling, board member of the International Spa Association, with a focus on medical-quality products and Ph-balanced formulations. We're not ones to buy into a lot of product mumbo-jumbo, but we tried the line last year and have been hooked ever since.

Our favorite part of the line, other than the amazing products? A licensed esthetician calls or emails you after every product purchase to make sure you're happy and using the line correctly. Can you say amazing?

And what better way to share the love than with Deacon's dear readers? That's why we're giving away the line's brand new Touch Transforms Kit, a $59 value. It's a great way to get introduced to the line or travel with your favorite products in TSA-approved sizes (also saving money on bag check fees!)

This special edition includes four of the brand's most popular and Deacon-recommended products, including: 

• Daily Cleanser: Fragrance free wash gently removes dirt and oil from the face and body, leaving the skin refreshed, soft, and primed for daily regimen.
• Tri-Power Peptide Hydrator: Formulation combines intense hydration with the anti-aging benefits of peptides, neuropeptides, and vitamins A, B, C, and E to help promote healthy cell growth and reduce the appearance of fine lines and deeper wrinkles.
• Sunscreen Moisturizer SPF 30: Lightweight moisturizer for all skin types. Provides full-spectrum and SPF 30 sun protection.
• Olive, Fig, Shea Butter Body Cream: Drenches the body in moisture and heals the negative effects of toxins and the environment while stimulating the senses.

Want to snag your own? For each kit you purchase, Skin Authority will contribute $5 to Look Good...Feel Better® program, a free support program that helps individuals with cancer improve their appearance and self-esteem.

Entering the giveaway is super easy too, thanks to Rafflecopter. Simply follow the instructions below! We look forward to sharing the love with you.

Luxe Life: Washington Spa Alliance Formed

Yesterday afternoon, we had the pleasure of taking tea with several of the spa industry's leading minds at the formal introduction of the Washington Spa Alliance, at The Jefferson hotel.

The mission of the organization is is to "act as a knowledge center, connecting spa professionals in the nation's greater capital region. WSPA works to promote the exchange of education and innovation in the field, and to ensure that the highest ideals of spa are met through policy and action."

We listened to a rousing speech by Debra Szekely, founder of the famed Rancho La Puerta and Golden Door Spa, as she motivated audience members to action and shared some of her insights from more than 70 years of experience in the spa industry. “This is a singular time in our nation's history when Washington is looking closely at how our country can be healthier.” She added, “Americans increasingly have turned to spas to learn about the importance of diet and exercise, the benefits of organic plant-based diets, to re-define ideas of beauty and well-being, and to learn techniques of stress-reduction, and preventive medicine.”

Attendees and board members present included Szekely, Mary Bemis of Organic Spa Magazine, Bernard "Bernie" Burt of SpaGoer.com, Laurie Dieter of Glen Ivy Hot Springs, Mary Gendron of Middleton & Gendron, Inc., Mary-Elizabeth "Muffin" Gifford of Island Outpost, and Ada Polla of Alchimie Forever. Media included Stephanie Green of the Huffington Post, Kelly Collis Frederick of City Shop Girl and Kate Michael of K Street Kate.

We look forward to hearing more about the initiatives of this wonderful organization during the coming months and particularly during the iSpa national convention in November, this year taking place in our very own Washington DC at the Gaylord hotel.

Additionally, WSPA will hold an annual symposium as well as ongoing news-maker events, share best practices, and engage in advocacy. WSPA’s First Annual Symposium will be held at the National Press Club on March 24, 2011.