The secret to great skin isn’t only found in a bottle. What you eat can have a tremendous effect on your complexion, too. That’s why Women’s Health reported on the topic in their April issue. Lisa Drayer, a registered dietitian and author of The Beauty Diet, revealed 11 skin super foods you should start incorporating into your diet today. Here, four of my favorites.

Almonds: An easy snack to keep in your handbag or desk drawer at all times, this super food staves off hunger and the sun thanks to vitamin E. Studies suggest that the free-radical fighting antioxidant can help protect skin from UV light, possibly reducing sunburns.

Green Tea: This mighty leaf has had some mighty media attention over the last few years boasting it’s all-around goodness, but when it comes to your skin, it offers anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer benefits.

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Victoria’s Secret beauty just launched PINK Body, a new 100% vegan line, that’s packed with natural and organic ingredients. I’m always happy to see big brands jumping on the clean product bandwagon, giving us new options that are free of parabens and other nasty chemicals!

For active women, I love the Energizing collection. It promises to bring new life to dull, worn and weary skin. Organic citrus and mint give the lotion, body wash and sugar scrub an uplifting scent (great for jump starting your day) while organic coffee beans tone, complementing all that hard work you do at the gym.

Another highlight–the Nourishing Shave Cream. Traditional shaving creams often contain petroleum-derived ingredients that strip moisture from your skin. But this formula has organic shea and cocoa butters as well as antioxidant-packed grape seed oil.

Thanks to everyone who entered the Skin Appetit beauty giveaway a few weeks ago. We have a winner! Congratulations to Pamela Scott who revealed her favorite super food saying, “Gosh, this is hard. I love all of them, but I guess I would have to say dark chocolate.” She’ll get a set of all five Skin Appetit products.

But if you didn’t win, you’re not entirely out of luck! Click through to read more for a printable coupon that’ll save you $2 off any Skin Appetit product at Walgreens, Rite Aid, Longs or Duane Reade. Happy shopping!

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If you love working out and being active, I’m sure you’ve suffered from post-exercise sore muscles before too. And while you could pop a couple pills for relief I’ve found a couple of natural soothers.

Organics by Noah’s Naturals Sea Salt Soak ($16.99): I poured a bunch of this organic blend of sea salt and lavender into a warm bath for a very spa-like pain relieving experience. The intoxicating scent of lavender relaxed my mind and the warm bath combined with the sea salt (which they say helps draw out the impurities from my skin) did offer some subtle soothing. Now whether or not it came from the warm bath water alone or the stuff I was soaking in, I don’t know, but either way I felt better when I stepped out and it was enjoyable.

Topical Anti-Pain By142 ($35): This cream is like a luxe version of Icy Hot. Menthol and camphor work instantly to relieve your pain, but then you’ll feel another sensation sneaking up on your muscle aches. Cehami, a plant-based ingredient first used by Australian Aboriginal people, has an anti-inflammatory power 3,000 times that of Aspirin–with that kind of reputation why bother popping pills! Supposedly the effect lasts up to 4 hours, but I get the most relief in the first hour.

Nutritionist Keri Glassman just launched a new beauty line, Skin Appetit. The concept is brilliant–a healthy diet isn’t only good for our bodies, it’s good for our skin too. “Consuming a balanced diet that packs in lots of vitamins, minerals, fiber, essential fatty acids and protein is what produces shiny, glowing, hydrated and smooth skin,” Glassman says. Antioxidants aren’t only beneficial in our diets, they have similar anti-aging effects when applied topically.

So each paraben-free Skin Appetit product includes natural whole food extracts from 8 super foods: blueberries, cantaloupe, grapeseed extract, creamy yogurt, wild honey, fig, walnut oil and dark chocolate. The “Nutrx 8 Complex” helps smooth fine lines, moisturize, reduce inflammation, boost your glow and more. To celebrate the launch, Skin Appetit is giving away a set of all five products ($75): Optim-Eyes Firming Eye Gel, Nutri-Pro Night Serum, Nutri-Collagen Daily Moisturizer SPF 15, Detoxifying Nutri-Cleanser and Nutri-Moisture Balm Stick. To win, make a comment telling us which of the 8 super foods is your favorite before 5pm, June 30. One name will be chosen randomly. Good luck! [Note: This giveaway is now closed]

I wrote a beauty piece for Sprig.com on LaLicious a yummy line of all-natural beauty products and now I’m a little obsessed. The tropical scents like Coconut Cream and Lily Mango are amazing and all the body oils, butters and sugar souffle scrubs are filled with natural ingredients like almond oil, vitamin E oil and pure sugar cane.

One of my favorite products from the line is the Coffee Bean Sugar Souffle Scrub. It smells enough like coffee to awaken your senses, but I promise you won’t feel like a cup of Joe is following you around all day long! The abrasiveness of pure sugar cane and 100% Arabica coffee beans exfoliate your skin gently. And studies show that coffee and caffeine have firming and tightening abilities–caffeine is found in lots of anti-cellulite products too. So after a tough morning workout, why not give it a try. It might make you feel extra toned…or at least extra pampered.

If you have bangs or short layers around your face you know that those little pieces can be a pain while you work out. A lot of times I wear a hat because I just can’t deal with hair in my face while I run. But for some activities like yoga or martial arts, a hat seems inappropriate or gets in the way. The alternative? A headband.

In the past I’ve had trouble finding a headband that’ll stay put because usually my hair isn’t thick enough to keep it in place. But I found the FeatherWeight Head Wrap from i|m Active does just the trick. The lightweight breathable fabric keeps all the hair out of my face and doesn’t slide around so I can focus on the om instead of the “oh no my hair keeps falling in my face.”

If you haven’t already heard, May is National Skin Cancer Awareness Month so it’s a great time to get screened. The American Skin Cancer Foundation is touring the country offering free skin cancer screenings. If the tour stops aren’t convenient you’re not out of luck–participating derms around the country are giving free screenings during the months of May, June and July.

I’m going to take this opportunity to be serious for a moment and remind all of you to wear sunscreen every time you play outdoor sports or workout outside. Even if you’re only going for a quick 20 minute run, you’re exposing yourself to harmful UV rays and I don’t think I have to tell you why skin cancer is scary. Be sure to choose a formula that’s waterproof or sweat-proof to ensure the protection will last for the duration of your workout and to avoid that stinging ’sunscreen in the eyes’ feeling. I like easy-to-apply Coppertone Sport Continuous Sunblock Spray SPF 30 for bodies. And Neutrogena Active Breathable Sunblock SPF 45 is a good choice for faces. It contains silica powder that will absorb oily residue and allow your skin to breathe instead of clogging your pores.

As I mentioned before, I recently was lucky enough to check out a new green holistic spa in the Dominican Republic—the Cygalle Healing Spa at Casa de Campo. One of the most amazing things about the spa and its treatments is the on site “Spa Pharmacy”. Products used during treatments are 100% natural, preservative free, and mixed just before a scrub or wrap is applied. Even better, ingredients are grown locally and responsibly (coffee beans, honey, coconut oil and more), which means that guests are getting the freshest products possible and there’s no shipping needed.

While I was there I got to see the Tropical Daydream Body Wrap being created. It included fresh papaya, pineapple, passion fruit, organic yogurt and coconut oil blended together. The high level of active ingredients and fresh enzymes in a live formula like this will do wonders for your skin and the smell of the mixture is amazing. While you won’t be able to mimic the posh treatments of the Cygalle Healing Spa at home, you can experiment with fresh homemade beauty blends at home. Try a recipe from Health.com.

I’m jetting off to the Dominican Republic later this week and since it’s a last minute trip, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to get ready for my bathing suit. But here are three ways that I’ve been trying to get ready fast. Try these tips for quick results before your next beach escape.

1. Give your workouts extra oomph: If you run 3 miles, run another mile of interval sprints. If you like to take a sculpt session, hit the stair climber for 15 minutes after class. If you have a strength training routine, add plyometric bursts in between sets instead of resting.

2. Eat whole foods: Choose veggies, legumes and proteins like chicken or fish, to avoid extra sugar, fat and sodium. Processed, frozen, canned and restaurant meals can harbor a lot of hidden diet downfalls. Cutting back on salt can help you look and feel thinner quickly because sodium makes your body retain fluids. Get super serious a couple of days before you bare your bikini. Pay close attention to sodium levels on nutrition labels–you may be surprised how much you’ll find even in condiments like ketchup. Try to keep your sodium level under 500 mg a day.

3. Get a bronzed bod: I don’t know about you, but I feel more toned with a bronze glow than when I’m pastey white. I’m not telling you to visit your tanning salon for a fake bake, but I do advocate swapping out your normal body lotion for a tan-building variety like Dove Energy Glow.