For whatever reason, this year my skin is dry, dry, dry.  And it most definitely isn't due to the long, hot baths I take, the steamy hot showers I take or the days where I sometimes forget to put on lotion after I get out of those long, hot, steamy, baths and showers. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I've been circulating my lotions in attempts of finding one that will give drastic benefits after use.  So far, some have come close, but nothing has won me over, especially when it comes to my dry feet.  Last night I remembered the Hemp Body Butter that I had purchased from The Body Shop last winter. (buy direct) I found it tucked away far in the back of my closet.

I put some on and read a book for a while before I tucked myself under my covers.  This body butter is thick, takes a while to soak in and has a very earthy smell so I really just wanted to make sure it soaked in before diving under the covers.

My feet look a million times better than they did yesterday and I've only used it one time. Score!  I'm keeping it on my nightstand to remind me to use it each night before bed.  As I noted, it's thick and powerful, something best to be used only on the driest of skin.  I wouldn't recommend Hemp Body Butter for a full body moisturizer, but more for hands, feet, elbows, knees...etc...

If you're thinking about trying it, The Body Shop is having free shipping on all orders Jan 17th only, with code: FREESHIP17.

More on Dry Skin

• Reader Writes In: Help Me with My Extremely Dry Skin
• 5 Dry Skin Remedies
• 6 Tips to Get Rid of Dry, Itchy Skin
• How to Exfoliate Dry, Chapped Lips
• Follow About.com Skin Care on Twitter
• Find About.com: Skin Care on Facebook

Don't forget to nominate your favorite products the 2011 Readers' Choice Awards: Skin Care by Feb 4th.

Image Provided by The Body Shop - Hemp Body Butter

Today marks the official start to the 2011 Readers' Choice Awards!  We're all excited to see who you, the reader, nominates for each category.

Here are some Style voting pages that might interest you.

• Skin Care - Budget Skin Care/Green Skin Care/Beauty Blog
• Makeup - Budget Makeup
• Beauty - Department Store Products
• Hair Removal
• Men's Hair
• Shoes
• Plus-Size Fashion

From Jan. 13 through Feb. 4, we will be accepting nominations for hundreds of award categories across About.com. Based on the nominations received, our experts will choose up to five finalists in each award category. Starting Feb. 11, visitors will be able to vote for their favorite finalists in as many award categories as they'd like. Voting will close on March 8, with winners announced March 15.

Thanks for voting!

Shellac nail polish is the hottest thing in the nail industry right now.  If you're not sure what makes Shellac nail polish so different from the rest, take a second and read our Shellac FAQ's that was written by nail professional, Hillary Fry.  It gives you all the info on Shellac and some great pictures of a few of the colors.

We have a page set up for readers to send in reviews of Shellac manicures, and last night we got a great one from Erica, a DIY Shellac-er.  Here is part of her comments on doing Shellac at home.

In most of the reviews I've read about not being able to apply Shellac yourself. Honestly it is just polishing your nails. The CND site gives direction and updates on the best practices to the product. It's easy and so incredibly inexpensive to purchase it yourself vs. paying per visit. I am not in the beauty industry...am not typically into the do it yourself but the first time I had it done at my salon as a test case I loved it and I have had excellent luck at home.

I did a little searching and found most of the polish options online, ready to purchase.  And the UV lamp you need to cure the nails, too! (Though, in reading reviews, it appears people have luck with some of the cheaper UV lamps that aren't specifically from Creative Nail Design, the creater of Shellac. Just do your research.)

If you want to see what it would cost to get all of the Shellac supplies at home, here's a breakdown.

• The cost of the polish is about $20-$25 per bottle.
• You'll need a base coat and top coat, each the same price as a color.
• A UV lamp. (CND's is just over $200, but one of the other brands that got good reviews from people doing Shellac at home costs just under $100.)

For one color, base and top coat and the UV lamp you're looking at a range of  $160 - $275.  Shellac manicures cost approximately $40-$50, so four to six at-home manicures will have you breaking even.  Not bad if you can afford the initial investment.

Now the cons of DIY'ing Shellac.

• Research - you'll have to learn from others, finding reviews and instructions online.  Make sure you take time to research to avoid problems.
• No help from the pros.  If your Shellac manicure doesn't last and starts peeling, as some reviews state, or you see any new problems with your nails while using Shellac, you're on your own to figure it out.
• Color options.  If you get them done in the salon, you'll get to choose from all of the Shellac colors, not just the one that you spent big bucks on and realize you hate.
• Might not look professional.  Let's face it, there are those who can color their hair at home and make it look like they spent hundreds of dollars at the salon.  Then, there are others who aren't fooling anyone with their at-home hair color.  Same goes for nail polish.

My advice: go get a Shellac manicure at the salon and watch carefully what your nail tech does each step of the way. See what you think of the results both right away and after 2 weeks.  If you're not sure you can do it yourself, don't waste the money.  But if you love it and want to take the time to research it, go for it! (Sorry Nail Pros, I'm a DIY-er at heart!)

Image courtesy PriceGrabber

About.com is product to announce the 2011 Readers' Choice Awards.  They are a chance for you, the reader, to vote for your favorite products, companies and services.

On the Skin Care site, we're focusing on budget skin care. Here are the categories:

• Best Budget Sunscreen
• Best Budget Wrinkle Reversing (Anti-Aging) Product
• Best Budget Facial Moisturizer
• Best Budget Body Lotion
• Best Budget Sunless Tanner
• Best Budget Acne Product
• Best Budget Eye Cream
• Best Budget Indie Skin Care Line (Think Etsy...)
• Best Budget Green Line (Eco-Friendly)
• Best Beauty Blogger

(OFFICIAL VOTING PAGE)

In the Style Channel of About.com, we have multiple categories for men and women: skin care, makeup, hair care, shoes and fashion. But Style isn't the only category participating! Check out 2011 Readers' Choice Awards site for all About.com sites participating.

Voting doesn't officially begin until this Wed, Jan 13th, and will run through February 4th.  The top 3 to 5 products/companies to get the most nominations will move forward to the official voting round, announced February 11th.

Think about who you want to vote for, and if you're a fan of an indie skin care line or beauty blogger, spread the word so they can have their loyal customers vote for them.

(Please vote on the official awards page and not by leaving a comment. Blog comments have been turned off for this post.)

This is one time where I'm happy to admit to living far away from NYC and some of the crazy things women do to look beautiful.  Case in point, Dr. Oliver Zong and his answer to unsightly feet: Pinky Toe Tucks, Toe Slimming and Toe Shortening.

I would gather that every podiatrist in my area would suggest not wearing high heels to protect your feet from damage, but Dr. Zong has a different outlook: surgery to enable your feet to look beautiful while wearing heals.

From the online Pinky Toe Tuck informational brochure:

The surgery allows the patient to choose between a vast variety of shoes that can be worn comfortably to complement any outfit. Not only is the toe more attractive and less painful, but the lucky lady is also able to wear the type of shoes that are not only high in stature but high in fashion.

The procedure is very popular in the winter months here in New York City since patients are easily able to wear their Ugg boots during the healing phase and then transform into their stylish heels for spring.

Well, isn't that nice? As someone who has had toe surgery on one foot and is avoiding the other due to the healing time and pain involved, let me just tell you that it's crazy how much pain can result from a simple 20-minute surgery. Take our poll on the issue.

Getty Images/Photodisk

Beautypedia.com, the online version of Paula Begoun's book Don't Go to the Cosmetic Counter Without Me, is an invaluable source for those wanting to dig deeper into the products that they purchase.  Paula breaks down the ingredients in the products, the packaging and evaluates the product's claims.

Here are some things you can find out from Paula's reviews:

• Will it actually help your wrinkles, or is it just marketing?
• Sure, it has good ingredients, but the bottle it comes in doesn't keep the ingredients active so you're wasting your money.
• You think you're getting a good product because you're spending a lot of money -- come to find out it's as effective as the cheap-o drugstore product.

You can search through more than 45,000 reviews. We love this site!

While it usually costs $5 a month, they are giving away a free trial that runs through the end of February.  Head over and check out what you're using to see if Paula thinks it's worth your money.

More on Paula Begoun:

• Book Review: Don't Go to The Cosmetics Counter Without Me
• Book Review: The Beauty Bible
• Paula Begoun's Blog: The Beauty Bunch

Follow About.com: Skin Care on Facebook and Twitter.

Sephora is giving away free iphone cases in all of their stores.  All you need to do is download the free Sephora app and show your phone to an employee.

If you're a Sephora-nut, the app is worth the download.  Our favorite thing about it is the ability to scan products while you're in the store and get reviews and product tips instantly.  You can also shop from your phone and get info on the latest product releases.

The case is cute with the Sephora black and white stripes. It's only for iphones, so if you're like me and have a smart phone, you're out of luck for the free case, but you can still download and use the app.

Getty Images/Leigh Vogel

Some of us are finding our skin in the middle of a battle of the seasons.  With winter in full swing, maybe your facial moisturizer isn't hydrating enough for the dry cold.  My skin goes from a happy combination type to dry almost overnight.  Unfortunately, I'll still break out on occasion, but not as often.

I've found a moisturizer that I'm completely enjoying: Clinique's Even Better Moisturizer SPF 20. I will be honest and say that not all of Clinique's products impress me enough to rave about them, but honestly, Even Better Moisturizer has won me over.  It's nice and creamy, soaks in fast and is super moisturizing for my skin this time of year.  I never feel greasy after applying.

It promises better skin tone and reduction in discoloration on your skin's surface but it doesn't get the best reviews in evening skin tone from those with freckles, age spots and melasma.  My skin tone did improve, but I don't have any major discoloration issues to contend with. If you're looking for a great moisturizer with SPF that soaks in quickly and fully hydrates, this gets my vote.

Image provided by Nordstroms

More on Facial Moisturizers

• Do You Really Need to Switch Moisturizers in the Winter?
• Readers Share: How Does Your Skin Care Routine Change in the Winter?
• Does Everyone Need a Facial Moisturizer?

I hope that you have some great plans tonight to help you say goodbye to 2010 and ring in 2011.  If you didn't have a chance to check out our New Years Eve Beauty Tips, make sure you give yourself a little extra time to get ready tonight and knock off the list.

Tonight is definitely the time to wear a hot new nail polish, too! Check out the Hottest Polish Choices for Winter 2011 and pick one up.

I also just want to wish you all a very happy 2011. I appreciate you, and I'm so happy to ring in our 3rd New Years Eve together.

Have fun tonight, be safe and try to take some time to plan some amazing goals for 2011. (This series on designing your best year ever by "Soap Queen," Anne-Marie Faoila might help.)  I have some big ones, myself that include one of the most common: start exercising more, (which I will!) mixed in with some career building goals that I've already gotten a head start on this month.

If you want to share yours, please do! We can cheer each other on.

Getty Images/Digital Vision

You probably know that exfoliating is the only way to get rid of the scaly dead skin cells on your body, but when it comes to exfoliating, you have choices.  Some of us use a body scrub in the shower that is gritty, some make their own by mixing their shower gel with a handful of sugar, but some others brush their dry skin.

Dry skin brushing is probably the easiest and most economical way to exfoliate your skin because all you need is a brush and a few minutes before your shower.  It really is as easy as it sounds, but read our Dry Skin Brushing tips and advice on the right brush to buy.

Then, give it a try! You'll notice benefits after the very first brushing treatment.  Your circulation will be improved, your skin will be exfoliated and some even believe that it helps reduce your cellulite.  Not so bad for a simple skin treatment.

Image courtesy PriceGrabber

More on Exfoliating

• How to Exfoliate
• Why You Should Exfoliate
• Find Out What % of Your Home's Dust is Dead Skin Cells
• Exfoliator Reviews