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Time To Check Your Beauty Calendar!

Enjoy a massage...

In the A.M. if you are feeling sluggish.
"Morning is the ideal time of day to get an invigorating shiatsu or Thai massage," says Diana Turk, supervisor of massage at the Golden Door Spa in Escondido, Califomia. "They stimulate pressure points to get your energy really flowing."

• In the P.M. if you need to chill out. After work is prime time for a relaxing rubdown, such as the Swedish kind (to unkink your phone-cradling neck) or lymphatic drainage (for debloating swollen legs that have been racing around all day).

The best time of month to... treat yourself to a body wrap...

During your period. Getting swaddled helps battle bloat by forcing your body to sweat out excess water.

Go for a wax...

A week after your period, in the A.M. We won't pretend that getting hair ripped out at the roots can ever feel good, but why make it worse? Right before or during your period, skin is more tender. Head to the salon early in the day for the most agony-free appointment, adds Dr. Green. "Your nerve endings are just waking up, so you don't feel pain as intensely."

Get a facial...

A week after your period. "Skin is most prone to irritation and redness the week before and during menstruation because your hormones are riled up," says Julie Lindh, skin-care director of New York City's Acqua Beauty Bar: "Those same hyperactive
hormones are also making more skin-clogging sebum, so you're likely to break out during that time no matter how scrupulously clean your skin is."

Fix your teeth...

At least one week before or after your period. Your gums are extra sensitive and prone to swelling and bleeding durng your period, notes New York City dentist Jan Linhart. Scheduling any dental procedures then-cosmetic or otherwise-will only sour your smile.

The best time of year to... switch your scent...

During fall or winter. "Fragrance fills the air faster when it's hot out, so scents that can seem suffocating durng the summer months may smell incredible to you once the weather turns colder," says Sara Horowitz, a Los Angeles perfumer and owner of Creative Scentualization. It also pays to be aware ofthe time of the month when your nose is at peak performance level. "Women's sensitivity to smell is especially heightened around ovulation," says Charles J. Wysocki, Ph.D., neuroscientist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. Going shopping for perfume then means you'll be better equipped to sniff out fragrance subtleties you might otherwise miss. In the market for a new winter scent? Get a whiff of the deliciously rich mix of vanilla and amber notes in Celine for women (above, $60, 866-235-4630).

Color your hair...

Highlight in spring or summer. Sun season is a golden opportunity for highlights, since they're actually enhanced by rays of light. Just limit allover dye jobs (especially red and brown shades) to the bare necessity, since color can get brassy at the beach.

Color and lowlight in fall or winter. You know how the sun gets that wonderful, warm tone in the late fall? Well, that's the direction you want your lowlights or color to go around that time. Deep gold, auburn red or rich brown hues won't wash out paler, winter skin (and a weaker sun means they won't turn on you). This is also great weather to color your hair, especially if yours tends to flop in winter when the humidity level drops below zero, says Louis Licari, colorist and owner of Louis Licmi in New York City and Beverly Hills, "Hair color opens the cuticle and deposits pigment on the strand, so it actually plumps up your hair, giving it more volume."

Have a laser treatment...

Late fall or winter. Since line-erasing, spot removing treatments take off the top layers of your skin, your newly exposed flesh is typically tender. "So stay away from laser procedures when you're going to be exposed to irritants like sun and sweat," says Dr. Green. Ditto for microdermabrasion, which sands off surface skin, and glycolic peels, which slough off dead cells with acid. (No one promised getting pretty was going to be pretty!)

Zap spider veins...

Late fall or winter. If you don't see yourself lounging poolside wearing tights, don't get your veins removed in spling or summer. Removing those blue squiggles takes several treatments, spaced a month apart. You get black-and-blue in between, and patients often need to wear protective support hose after treatments.