When it is okay for men to use self tanners?

I recommend staying away from nylon bristle round brushes. They can start to melt and bend when coming in contact with heat. Using these types of brushes often cause hair to tangle during your blowout creating split ends and breakage. Also, I recommend staying away from non-ionic blow dryers. They are extremely damaging to your hair. Avoid using a blow dryer that is more than 15 years old. It may contain asbestos, which was formerly used as a heat resistant material in the power cord.

Gina Pieper is the Artistic Director at Empire Beauty Schools, the nation’s largest provider of cosmetology education in North America.

It’s almost as if we flew off to Hawaii, found the largest tree possible and chopped open our very own coconut. Only Desert Essence’s Organic Hand Washes does it for us at a much lesser cost. Four distinct smells (grapefruit, vanilla chai, lavender and of course, coconut), all apart of the new organic line to join Desert Essence, are known for their fresh “as if you are there” smells. These gentle hand soaps, made with jojoba oil and shea butter, effectively clean without drying out skin. Plus, they add a little something extra to mundane chores like doing the dishes!

Finally, a skincare collection just for men and we couldn’t be more thrilled! Dove’s Men + Care line includes body and face washes, bar soaps, antiperspirants and sprays in three titles that make you feel clean just by thinking about them – Clean Comfort, Deep Clean and Extra Fresh. What’s even more reassuring? Dove’s Active Clean Dual Sided Shower Tool serves as the best body wash applicator, encouraging extra scrubbing power and a deeper exfoliation that you can’t get from using your hands. Click to check out Dove’s newly released commercials.

Officially the coolest thing we’ve seen in a while, Paula’s Choice 2-Minute Teeth Whitener (brand new for spring 2010) looks like a lipstick and has the texture of a lip balm. This wallet-friendly, pocket-friendly, smile-friendly stick eliminates stains on an area we’re most conscious of, our teeth! An instant addiction for those fixated on wine, berries or coffee (or all of the above), indulge stain free thanks to a highly effective whitening ingredient geared to improve stability and block sensitivity. Plus, the fresh minty aftertaste leaves breath feeling refreshed.

How to Use: As Easy as 1, 2
1. Apply a light coating to your smile-zone (the teeth that are visible when you smile) as often as needed. If large clumps appear, use less pressure.
2. Wait approximately 2 – 5 minutes until it dissolves, then go! No need to brush or rinse after.

Where To Get It: www.paulaschoice.com

How Much It’s Gonna Cost: $14.95

Whether in the market for a quality moisturizer or a softer skin conditioner, here are four sites to make a mental note of.

1. Kiehls.com – Providing unique and efficacious formulas for skin and hair since 1851 proves to be a winner time and time again.
2. Getjackblack.com – The De-Tox and De-Stress products come highly recommended.
3. Lushusa.com – We can’t get enough of this organic, handmade bath and body store.
4. Clinique.com – Not just for women, the cosmetic brand known for its superior dermatologist testing offers top male grooming products and how-to videos for men only.

For the Stylist:
Right now I love the big and sexy tousled curl trend! Having the newest hot rollers is a must. I recommend The Babyliss Pro Ceramic and Ionic Hair Setter as my choice of tool to accomplish this style. Stick straight hair is becoming a thing of the past, but having the right flat iron to twist some locks into a sassy wave is without a doubt a necessity. I love the Babyliss Diamond Titanium Flat Iron because it leaves the hair soft and shiny.

For the Consumer:
A great “cheater tool” for someone that is not a professional is the InStyler, getinstyler.com. I also recommend having a professional ionic blow dryer at home to avoid damaging your hair everyday.

Gina Pieper is the Artistic Director at Empire Beauty Schools, the nation’s largest provider of cosmetology education in North America.

Sometimes staying up-to-date on a weekly mani and pedi is just not an option but that doesn’t mean the great tricks of the trade can’t be duplicated in a cost effective, comfort of your own home sort of way. “Nail and hand care needs always make for perfect at-home spa treatments,” says Shari Gottesman, founder of Perfect Formula. “It is so easy to do things to care for these workhorse body parts that are inexpensive, effective and incredibly pampering all at the same time.” Read on to learn Shari’s top at-home spa tips for hands and nails.

1. Drop your bottle of cuticle oil into a glass of hot water for a few minutes before applying to maximize penetration and effectiveness. It’s the cuticle version of a hot oil treatment!

2. Nothing beats a warm foot soak with some Epsom salt. It is such a great thing to do for foot health, and it makes it so much easier to buff away the dead skin. Epsom salt is detoxifying. It soothes aches, reduces swelling and is exfoliating. It’s literally the perfect gift for tired, unhappy feet.

3. Mix together olive oil and sugar for a luxurious and wholesome do-it-yourself exfoliating hand treatment.

Follow Dawn Del Russo’s six step smokey eye guide using Glamorous Cosmetics to perfect this seductive look.

1. Apply concealer on the lid and under the eye, followed by foundation and power that matches your skin tone to create a blank, flawless canvas to work.
2. Use an eyeshadow base to enhance and hold the final color. This will also help keep your liner from smudging. To create a base, apply a dark shadow to the lower part of the lid below the crease. Then apply a slightly lighter tone or deep blue shade in the crease itself. Blend colors together well.
3. Trace liquid eyeliner along the upper and lower eye line to define the shape of the eyes. Heighten dramatics a tad more and bring the liner out past your eye in an upward sweeping line.
4. Smudge the lower eye line with a Q-tip or small brush.
5. Apply black mascara to lashes.
6. Add a lighter off white shimmer to the corner of the eyes to brighten.

What to Use:

Duo Eye Shadow, $10

Liquid Liner, $10

Mascara, $13

Dawn Del Russo is a fashion expert and lifestyle stylist, owner of Bella Dawn Boutique (belladawn.com), and the author of 101 Glam Girl Ways to an Ultra Chic Lifestyle.

The latest addition to Jo Malone’s cult classic Vitamin E collection is their Vitamin E Body Balm.Instantly soothing and hydrating, this nourishing cream deeply conditions the skin with a high concentration of antioxidants, bringing maxium smoothness. But what we really love about it, this sweet scent is suited for both women and men offering dual pampering. Should we make a “whoever uses the last of it has to buy more” rule? Yes, I think we shall.

Dr. Nina Naidu, board certified plastic surgeon and founder of Anokha skin care, frequently uses the home remedies that her mother taught her, many of which provided the impetus behind her South-Asian-inspired product line. “I’d raid the dairy aisle for some of the best fresh skincare treats imaginable,” Naidu says and some of those skin treatments happen to come right from the kitchen.

Her Four Favorites: 

1. There is truly nothing more luxurious than cold yogurt for the face. It is an excellent cleanser that will not rob skin of its natural moisture, and it will not irritate sensitive skin. Both milk and heavy cream also make great non-stripping cleansers for the face as well.

2. Good for the skin, milk baths are an indulgence that everyone should be enjoying. Just pour a cup right into your bath water and let the milk proteins work their magic.

3. For a fantastic non-comedogenic moisturizer, try putting one to two drops of pure almond oil in water.

4. My favorite simple, yet incredibly luxurious toner is easy to make by boiling a few rose petals in water. Next time someone sends you flowers, snip a few petals for your at-home spa needs!

Made by the online beauty boutique, www.abeautifullife.com, this is a huge step in the category of eco-friendliness for nail care. The dramatic twelve shade lacquer collection, inspired by hard to find hues, replaces the chemicals found in most polishes with essential oils and natural compounds. Expect the same all natural treatment in the Soy Polish Remover, whose refreshing citrus burst makes us want to kick all our other polish removers to the curb.

The Twelve Shade Collection

Soy Polish Remover

Estee Lauder’s Sensuousmerges femininity with the depths of the forest through a new fragrance category called Woody Amber. Envision molten woods atop a rich, Earthly core intertwined by the atmospheric florals of an orchid-filled greenhouse, releasing a nectar-like warmth. Note to self– don’t forget to come back to reality.

1. David Beckham’s Signature Story For Him
This woody aromatic fragrance embodies modern glamour with seductive undertones of wild basil, violet leaves and rosemary.

2. Diesel’s Only The Brave
A fistful of amber, coriander leaves and mandarin symbolize the power, energy and success of masculinity.

3. Zegna Colonia
La Dolce Vita! That’s Italian for embrace the sweet life with the fresh, warm seductive blends of iris, neroli and cardamom.

Unfold into twilight with Thymes Moonflower Eau de Parfum, a mystical blend of cinnamon, fresh magnolia and dark amber. $49, at National Aquarium Store and The House Downtown, Belvedere Square.

Mix glamour and green with Sukicolor’s 3-in-1 palette for smackers and cheeks, loaded with an organic repair butter to treat chapped lips. $28, at Meadow Hills Wellness and A Brighter Path, Annapolis.

Forget the diamonds this Valentine’s Day. Borghese’s Serenity Now Gift Sets pamper, purify and deep clean for a total body experience. $47, at Fields Pharmacy, Pikesville.

Fountain of Youth, take that! Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist [CP+] Targeted Deep Wrinkle Filler uses intensive therapy to push up and reduce the deepest creases on contact. $40, at Nordstrom and Macy’s.

Tense? Kobi Salon’s European Facial and Swedish Massage Package has deep-pore cleansing, skin analysis and exquisite kneading to relax the muscles. Treatments start at $75 at Kobi Salon, Falls Road.

After your mascara has out used its welcome and you’ve re-enter the search for another “absolutely perfect, I think I’ll call it THE ONE” stick, you must try DiorShow. Followed by a cult of mascara maniacs loyal to the big “D’s” volumizing lash capability, Show’s dramatic pops and lengthening tricks adjoined with height, height, height make your eyes alive. Buried in the bags of makeup artists all over the world, DiorShow delivers long, thick, must-have lashes. We give it an A.

It’s for the taut and young, the loose and old, the scarred, the splotchy, the spotted and the spotless. It’s a full-service collection specifically formulated to ease every skin woe known to woman and man. It is Sleek Skin, our “we can’t make it to the MedSpa for facial rejuvenation, but can still get state-of-the art five-minute skin treatment miracle.”

No matter what your skin type is, Sleek Skin has something for everyone.

The Anti-Aging Skin Kit is for those looking to enhance and maintain in office treatment results at home. It is designed to turn back the visual signs of aging and prevents further damage through the four step process: Glow, Boost, Renew and Transform

The Normal Skin Kit brings daily results, while keeping the skin in optimal condition. This system slows the aging process and creates a health matrix for new skin growth. Perfect for anyone seeking the best skin care the industry has to offer, the four step process: Soothes, Heals, Replenishes and Restores

The Oily-Acneic Skin Kit keeps oils in check and breakouts at bay without stripping and drying out skin. Allowing a reduction in sebum and a clearer complexion, the skin is brought back into balance through the four step process: de-clogging, taming, clearing and matting.

The Dry/Sensitive Skin Kit keeps the face moist, while restoring the hydro-lipid barrier, bringing relief to those who suffer from uncomfortable skin. This kit is customized by the four steps: Soften, Refresh, Calm and Enrich

What is your most important beauty advice for winter?
Moisturize, moisturize, moisturize! Make sure to always drink 8 glasses of water a day. This really does make a difference. Also, keep skin hydrated with a lighter moisturizer during the day and opt for a richer, more emollient moisturizer at night. Another one of my winter “must-haves” is bronzer. It brightens and brings life back to dull skin, but it must look natural!

What is the best way to apply bronzer so it looks natural?
Picking the perfect shade is crucial! Make sure to find a bronzer that is only 2 or 3 shades darker than your skin tone, and be careful that it does not look too orange or your skin will scream “fake tan!” You want to give your skin just enough color for a healthy glow.

How do you know if it’s the right shade for you?
A great way to test the color of a bronzer is by looking at it in natural sunlight. If it appears orange, toss it. Also, only apply bronzer to the areas of the face that the sun hits, so dust a little along the forehead, down the hair line, lightly on the cheeks and even lighter on the nose.  Finally, blend from the jaw line into the neck. This ensures a blended and believably sun-kissed look!

Any tips for minimizing wrinkles?
Nothing is worse than cracked, caked makeup because it enhances wrinkles, and this will happen very easily during the winter months if skin and makeup is not prepared and applied properly. Skip the powder foundation and opt for a liquid or cream foundation or a tinted moisturizer for sheerer coverage and dust a light translucent powder to set. If you need to “spot pat” throughout the day to minimize shine, use oil blotting sheets instead!

How can we keep lips healthy this winter?
Again, drinking water will help keep lips hydrated, but protecting lips with a repairing lip balm is the key to preventing extremely chapped, irritated and painful lips. Also, when applying color, whether it is lipstick or a stained gloss, I recommend using professional colors. They maintain color longer and do not break down as easily as generic brands, which have a tendency to bleed.

What’s your favorite beauty trick?
Can’t find the right gloss to match your lipstick? For a natural lip-gloss look that adds shine and color, draw a circle the size of a nickel on the back of your hand with your favorite lipstick color. Next, add a drop of your favorite clear gloss (or your winter lip balm!), mix together with your finger or lip brush and apply. This eliminates the dry lip look, protects lips and adds more color than just a clear gloss or balm would provide.

Gina Pieper is the Artistic Director at Empire Beauty Schools, the nation’s largest provider of cosmetology education in North America.

- Jessica Krznaric, Online Beauty Editor

An eight-piece ensemble of Sephora’s best-selling, ultra-shiny lip gloss shades. Mini Super Shimmer Gift Set,$20

Unleash a flurry of instant shimmer with just one twist. Borghese’s All Over Shimmer Powder, $29.50

Celebrity Stylist Umberto Savone’s “no measuring, no mixing, no mess,” one-step sachet packet system. Just snip, squeeze and smoosh. U Color, $12

A three-piece fairytale collection packed with all the essentials - shampoo, conditioner and bubble bath – in celebration of the holiday hit, The Princess and the Frog. Magical Beauty Gift Set, $24

Rice oil to intensify color and a splash of provitamin B5 for nourishing make an all natural, gift-giving experience. Abyssinia Oil Mascara,$18

Smoother looking skin after just one use. “Hello New Year’s Resolution. How are you today?” Biore’s Even Smoother Microderm Exfoliator, $14.99

Think professional makeup tips in your own home coming straight from the mouth of Sam Fine, the man responsible for touching up Tyra Banks, Jennifer Hudson and Vanessa Williams. FINE: The Basics of Beauty, $24.99

Mastermind perfumer Dominique Ropion notes his most recent love potion as “a captivating fragrance connecting people in a world of movement.” Mr. Ropion, we concur. A lightweight scent easy to fall in love with (really), Love Etc mixes together jasmine, vanilla and sandalwood for a sweet obsession. And the symbolism behind ‘et cetera’? Why, it’s the widespread force binding it all together – friends, family, memories and love.

Say goodbye to razors and razor burn, and say hello to the no!no! 8800. Promising smoother, barer skin, this fit-in-your-hand professional hair remover painlessly gets rid of hair, slowing growth and reducing density by up to 94%. Based on the Thermicon technology, hair growth is delayed by a pulse of heat that’s transmitted from the hair and down to the follicle. The result - thinner, lighter hair!

Think you’re ready to say yes to the no? Hold on a little bit longer. The no!no! 8800 will arrive November 17 for purchase on hsn.com, just in time for the holidays.

Ready. Set. Blast.

Brand new for January 2010, CoverGirl’s LashBlast has expanded to an entire collection of mascaras, shadows and shines. The next best thing since LashBlast’s Volumizing Mascara, LB’s Length Mascara builds extreme, notice-me lashes all day long with its new Elasta-Nylo formula.

Pile on the length; now give me some shine…

For the ultimate shine, ShineBlast Lipgloss (co-designed by celebrity makeup artist Pat McGrath), flaunts 4 times more gleam with the help of a unique applicator that hugs the curves of your lips. Visibly bright with a sixteen shade color palate and glittery infusion, your smackers won’t complain once after taking notice to the nonstick factor.

And, finally the cure for anyone who has ever tried to perfect the smoky eye – the Smoky ShadowBlast. This two step shadowing tool opens the gates of simplification for a sexy, smoky allure. No brushes needed. It’s so easy, you’ll want to go smoky during daylight!

Enticed? Go to covergirl.com/blastpresale to hoard the LashBlast Length, ShineBlast Lipgloss and Smoky ShadowBlast before they hit stores. Plus, buy all three and save $5.

Achieve star quality like Hollywood’s timeless actress Audrey Hepburn with la prairie’s new eau de parfum, Platinum. Of the Life Threads collection, this Cyprus scent infused with leathery and floral notes will emanate from your skin allowing you to become the sophisticated “fair lady” of your own screenplay. Wear this elegant fragrance with pride as your most enviable accessory, but remember less is more.

Ever wanted to be pleasantly plump? Probably not. But I bet you’d love your lips to appear larger, “plumper,” and even more desirable. Search no longer. L’Oreal Paris’ Infallible Plumping Lip Glosswill have boys drooling over your beautifully kissable lips. The patented petit couer applicator contours your lips at a 45-degree angle with sparkly, shiny gloss that lasts up to six hours. Ladies, choose from 16 shimmering shades and pucker up!

No room for clown make-up here. With Sonia Kashuk’s Shimmering Loose Mineral Blush, a natural flush is guaranteed every time.  Fine, microscopic mineral powders are kept in a little compact with a self-locking lid. The soft cotton blush pad that is provided catches the perfect amount of blush to give you those tickled pink cheeks. Best of all, its mineral composition means that this won’t harm your skin – it will help it! To accentuate those cheekbones with a glistening touch, ditch the cotton pad and apply this with a big fluffy blush brush instead. Now, those are some cheeks to talk about.

Revolting against aging and dryness is possible with a push from Dr. Vermen Verallo-Rowell. World-renowned dermatologist and founder of VMV Hypoallergenics, Rowell’s skin sensitive brand catalogs the number of allergens omitted from each product with an easy to follow rating system that diminishes the likeihood of having an allergic reaction. Educating us on the line and tackling our skin concerns (the chapped lips, old age, lifeless hair, etc, etc, etc!), Rowell’s skin smarts will shed enlightenment on your next walk down the beauty aisle.

What defines a product as hypoallergenic?
“Hypo” means less than, and “allergen” is a chemical that goes through the epidermis, or top layer of the skin, and becomes recognized as foreign. Therefore, hypoallergenic is a product that is less capable of inducing an allergic reaction than other products of the same kind.

How do you find the right product for each individual?
I pair products according to skin type and the expected problems for that skin type. Skin types include: dry and prone to wrinkles; dry/oily and prone to pigmentations; dry/oily and prone to allergies; oily and prone to adult onset acne, etc.

What would you recommend for someone who is prone to wrinkles?
Bland cleansers, light moisturizers that contain a lot of coconut oil, and a tinted SPF 60 sunscreen daily in the morning. Overnight, I’d suggest therapeutic products that contain acids like kojic, retinoic, glycolic and antioxidants with growth factors such as kinetin.

Products that fall under Dr. Rowell’s ingredient recommendations include:

Armada Face and Body Shield SPF 60

Glykeros Lift Primer with Glycolic Acid and Kinetin Growth Factor

Illuminants Comfort Cleansing Créme with Kojic Acid

How do alpha and beta hydroxyl acids prevent aging?
Oil based acids (retinoic acid/retinol and beta hydroxy/salicylic acid) are able to penetrate deeper into the dermis than water based acids and produce a thickness of collagen to prevent the clinical evidence of aging. Used over a long period of time, they can improve already photoaged skin.

What are a few guidelines to follow when selecting a facial product?
Start with the number of ingredients. Fewer ingredients are always better. Know your skin type and what it is prone to develop. Select a product that in general is hypoallergenic so that your chance of developing a reaction is minimal, and read the labels for your specific needs.

Is it true facial scrubs with micro beads are bad for your pores?
No. “Micro” beads are not small enough to get through the skin’s barrier layer. The natural exfoliation process of skin ejects any that may lodge on the surface of really wide pores.

What should you avoid to protect the skin from aging?
1. Smoking – causes oxidative damage
2. Sun exposure – onsets aging
3. SIMPLE sweets – affects the skin’s cellular level and makes the skin look old
4. Stress – degrades collagen in the skin

Can certain makeups harm the skin?
Definitely! Ingredients that are allergenic include the preservatives in plasticizers, which allow makeup to go on smoothly, the dyes themselves, and of course the scent. Our powders, eye shadows and blushes have sun protection benefits and are made with iron oxide pigments. Instead of mineral oil, we use pore-friendly, soothing coconut oil whose fatty acids are a natural component of the skin’s barrier to moisturize more effectively.

Shown Above:  Eye Oh My! Eye Colour Trio, Glow Lip and Cheek Tint, Lip Bliss Lipstick, Lipped Crème Lipstick, The Big O, Glow Spectacularly Glossy Lip and Cheek Lustre, Skin Savvy 60, Antioxidant 2-Way Foundation, and So Fine Pressed Powder.

Is there a huge difference between a SPF 10 and SPF 50 when it comes to sunblock protection and cancer prevention?
Absolutely! SPF 10 only partially protects your skin against UVB light, sunburn and direct damage leading to skin cancer. If the sunscreen indicates SPF only, this means it does not have a UVA protective effect, which is just as important in preventing skin damage and cancer.

What is the best way to quickly get rid of a blemish?
A product containing retinoic acid or retinol, and monolaurin is great also.

And for a rash?
The best thing is to stop everything you would normally use on that area from cleansers to makeup. Use coconut oil and water only to clean the face and give your skin a rest. Once the rash clears, restart your products one at a time giving a three day interval of no reaction before moving on to the next one.

Besides frizz control and smoother feet, what other at home beauty dilemmas does coconut oil solve?
For starters, it’s great for repairing dry skin. Just apply coconut oil from your face to your toes in the morning and again at night. On blisters or scrapes, use coconut oil to prevent infection and increase healing. If you want to improve dry, colored or frequently styled hair, wash hair in the evening with shampoo and massage coconut oil into your scalp. Then wrap hair with a flexible plastic like saran wrap. Keep on overnight and rinse out in the morning with a mild shampoo. It’s also makes an excellent makeup remover!

How can lifeless hair be revamped during the winter months?
Dry temperatures indoor and out are usually the cause for lifeless hair in the winter months. Try the coconut oil method above to give it some oomph!

What’s the secret to stopping dry skin and chapped lips?
To counteract wintertime conditions that predispose dry skin, just remember two things – adequate oil and water in the barrier layer of your skin. Drink lots of water, apply creams with water, and use a heavier ointment base overnight. Exfoliate on a weekly or semi-weekly basis so your moisturizer is effective. It’s also import to avoid stress, cold showers, low humidity and sun exposure. AND SLEEP 7 TO 9 HOURS DAILY!


To learn more about VMV Hypoallergenics and other skin sensitive products, visit http://www.vmvhypoallergenics.com/.

- Jessica Krznaric, Online Beauty Editor

Fountain of youth? Photoshop genius? No, the miracle is Estēe Lauder Resilience Lift Extreme Makeup.This foundation delivers a photo-finish flawless look. The 2008 CEW Beauty Award winning foundation, “Best Face Makeup Product – Prestige,” not only gives your skin youthful radiance, but also firms and smooths the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Packed with exclusive ExtremeLift Complex and comforting skin moisturizers, this dual foundation gives you the best of both worlds – more lift and more hydration. Not to mention, it provides a shield from damaging sunrays with its SPF 15. Its rich formula creates balanced reflection and avoids shadows so you are camera-ready anytime. Available in 15 closely matched skin shades, apply this foundation with a brush for that smooth and seamless look. Now, who wants to play the age guessing game?

Don’t cast a black shadow over your beautiful, Spanish eyes with generic, black mascara. Instead be as desirable as Van Morrison’s ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ with Benefit’s new BADgal brown mascara. Complement your natural eye color with this chocolate brown bliss in a bottle that perfectly coats your lashes while its petite wand separates and elongates them for a dazzling look that lasts all day. 

Short, round nails are in, and they’re polished with dramatic hues like deep reds, dark purples and shadowy browns. When scouring the shelves, keep an eye out for nourishing formulas like Dior Vernis,designed to strengthen nails and produce a long lasting shine. Chances are they’ll be more costly ranging around $20 a bottle, but it’s worth it for a little at home luxury. Plus, achieve the perfect polish with these 5 easy rules.

1. Before applying, wipe brush on the bottle’s rim to thin out your polish and prevent peeling.
2. Always use a base coat to give the polish something to cling to and make your color lasts longer.
3. Wait for nails to dry in between coats to avoid sloppiness.
4. Finish each coat with a sweep across the edge to prolong chipping.
5. Signs of aging polish are thick and goopy, and decrease in staying power. Add a few drops of polish thinner (not remover) for revitalization.

Besides being contagiously fun, lip crayons go on pencil smooth (no pun intended) creating soft, silk like lips. These freakishly fun sticks define lips in one of two ways - coloring them in all the way or flying solo as a liner. Sonia Kashuk’s Velvety Shine brought love at first sight meeting all the qualifications on our lip stick mate must haves: non-sticky texture, opaque coverage and a super shiny finish. Bobbi Brown’s Lip Crayonscome highly recommended as well. Which is better? You decide. I’ve made up my mind that two crayons in the makeup bag are better than one!
 

Editor Sarah Gilbert Fox plays with parting techniques on Online Beauty Editor Jessica Krznaric.

A touch of pink goes a long way in helping aging skin look more youthful.  And many who have aging skin love liquid foundation.  So here’s a helpful hint on making that liquid foundation turn into liquid gold, um, well, pink!  Add a few drops of Origins Halo Effect Instant Illuminator, Pink Potion. It’s a pearly potion that will cast an ethereal aura all over, taking you back to your glory days!

Oribe has styled the hair of Gisele Bundchen, Jennifer Aniston, Scarlett Johansson, Madonna and then some. His new line of hair products for brilliance and shine are a great post-summer hair treat guaranteed to make locks soft and hydrated once more. $44 to $49 at Blue Mercury, bluemercury.com, and at About Faces Day Spa and Salon, http://www.aboutfacesdayspa.com

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but not every pink has to be girly. Bobbi Brown has taken up the fight with her Pink Limited Edition line. Find Pink Quartz Glitter Lip Gloss and Tulle Lip Color— both offering toned down elegance for a cause. $40, at Nordstrom.

The new Jack Black Rx Series is pumped full of plantago, green tea, bamboo, pea peptides and more natural goodies that combat free-radicals, stimulate collagen and reduce shaving irritation, all while tightening skin. Men, take notice! Protein Booster Skin Serum, $60, and Protein Booster Eye Rescue, $40, at Nordstrom

Dr. Hauschka pulls a 180 on skin care philosophy: At night, don’t wear moisturizer. Let your skin breathe— moisturizers are for daytime. Even better, hit the newest in body oils: Moor Lavender, Lemon Lemongrass, Almond St. John’s Wort and more. All organic, all $29, at One Wellness Spa, http://www.onewellnessspa.com

Calm your stress with a Relaxation Facial ($80) at FX Studios. Request the Pear and Poppyseed Microderm Polisher by ƒminence to smooth your skin. Or, if you’re in the mood for a little spice, go for the Pumpkin Latte Hydration Masque facial. FX Studios, fxstudios.com

Lipstick is too dark, and you can’t get it off because it’s stained your lips?  Need a fast fix?  Simply dab loose, translucent powder on your smackers, then add a touch of gloss or lip balm.

Or better, think Estee Lauder Perfectionist Correcting Concentrate for Lip Lines. Instantly, you’ll see up to a 50% reduction in the look of deep, vertical lines, which means that you can wear any lip color… the darker or brighter, the better. The exclusive BioSync Complex amplifies natural collagen to help redefine the contours around lips .How to use: Twist top end of pen clockwise to release the Concentrate into the applicator. Apply A.M. and P.M.  Voila.  That simple.

Pssst. And while you’re at it, girlfriends, give your eyes a wrinkle-removing treat: .

Eye Liner rescues!  If your eyeliner has gone on spottily and not as a smooth line, add a dab of cream to your finger and blend that into the jagged line—this will give your liner a smokier look, bringing out the colors of your eyes.  If your eyeliner was put on too long or just short of its mark, use a Q-tip soaked in cream to direct the line in the way you’d like.

Or just cut to the gorgeous eye chase and use the Guerlain ‘Ombre Eclat’ Duo Liner.  This perfect palette contains everything you need to create a defined, sultry eye. Housed in a chic gold compact created by Herve Van Der Straeten are a trio of complementary hues; the combinations of monochrome browns, grays, coppers and blues feature deep, medium and light tones to create an array of looks. Line and define for a cat’s-eye effect, blend into the lash line and crease for a smoky result, and finish with a touch of shimmery highlight.

Get a Free Gift every Tuesday and Thursday!

Quick fingernail polish fix needed?  Think toothpicks!  If the polish has gotten on the finger’s skin, dip a toothpick in nail polish remover and work the polish off by rolling the saturated toothpick around the unwanted polish.  As well, if the polish has rolled up onto itself on the nail, itself (you stuck your newly manicured fingernail into your handbag too soon, didn’t you?!), then dip a toothpick in the polish remover and roll it around the varnish pileup until it smooths out.  Add/roll the same color onto the area, if color is needed.

Or forget all that nonsense and make sure to have the Essie Nail Corrector Pen on hand.  Talk about easy!  It cleans excess nail polish quickly and effortlessly… plus, it’s travel-friendly and refillable.  Life is good!

Problem: can’t get your foundation to spread and blend easily?  Here’s a simple fix.  If the foundation is liquid or cream, pat your skin with damp hands before applying.  If your foundation is powdery, use a big brush to dot, then swipe all over your face, fast.  Press with a damp Kleenex after to make sure the powdery look is gone.

Or forget the problem altogether. With a harmonizing blend of Safflower, Jojoba and Castor Oil,
NVEY ECO Organic Creme Deluxe Foundation
provides a high definition, full coverage finish. Its base is formulated to soften the skin while antioxidants: Vitamin A, C & E protect the skin from free radicals. Natural earth colourants provide the skin with a pure color match.   

Yikes!  A guilty pleasure?  You bet!  The reality show “Tori and Dean,” featuring Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott, might very well be the most romantic comedy show on television since the Dick Van Dyke Show or I Dream of Jeanie—only Tori and Dean is real life stuff. If you’re looking for a reality show that features one train wreck after another, forget it.  This show is about normal people who just happen to be stars, but go through all the normal crap normal people go through—only they are so dang cute together.  And they’re such a likable gang.  Tori is a real sweetheart.  Which helps answer the question: how can a woman be so completely and utterly gorgeous, when she’s spent her entire career being dissed by critics and non-fans alike as being not very attractive (to put what has been said mildly)?  The answer: she’s just one of those rare people who is so beautiful from the inside, that we’re left mesmerized. This girl GLOWS!  We’ve seen photos of her without her makeup—and she’s actually just as pretty without as with.  However, the makeup adds a touch of glamor.  And as we all want a little glamor in our lives, we, at Style magazine, have compiled a list of some of Tori’s favorite cosmetics and treatments.

Five of Tori Spelling’s Favorite Products

Dior DiorSkin AirFlash Spray Foundation - So sheer (and, if applied twice, can be heavier, for those with blemishes/scars, etc.) with a perfectly flawless result.

TheBalm Two-Timer & Balms Away Duo ($38 Value) Two-Timer & Balms Away Duo - just one swipe and makeup is gone—and better yet, your skin is left hydrated but not greasy!

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil Damned

MAKE UP FOR EVER HD Microfinish Powder 0.35 oz

IOIB Institute of Instant Beauty KIWI Body Scrub Wash Souffle Tori Spelling Treatment

So you want a nice scent, but not an overpowering scent.  However, the light scents just don’t last very long, do they? Here’s a secret to making sure light scents last longer: put a hot compress on the place where your skin will be sprayed or dabbed.  Let the pores open.  Then spray or dab. The perfume will go deeper into the pores, and when the pores close up, they’ll release the scent a little all day long.  Talk about pretty!

Three of our favorite light perfumes:

JEANNE LANVIN by Lanvin for WOMEN - a delicious mix of blackberry, raspberry and pear musk.

Calvin Klein euphoria blossom - A lighter floral bouquet of white orchids, lotus flowers and peonies roses.

Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey - A floral aquatic scent with juicy melon, lily, lotus, freesia and more, reminiscent of spring waters.

You’ve applied your mascara and… yikes!  The lashes dotted the mascara all over your skin and the stuff won’t come off.  What to do?!  A Q-Tip soaked in eye makeup remover is the only way to go.  But better yet, next time you apply your mascara, hold a Kleenex under your lashes before the application, so the mascara dots the Kleenex instead!

Best mascara to try this summer: Suki Rich Pigment Mascara Copper Brown (soft natural coppery brown)
is 100% natural, non-clumping and non-smearing, and with organic rose wax added to protect and enhance your lashes, it’s like a multi-vitamin for your lovely batters.  Perfect for enhancing your sun-kissed look.

Get creative with the basic headband braid and the French braid headband.

Learn how the difference between the hair pin and the bobby pin, and how to keep those darn pins from falling out of your hair.

We love— love, love, love, love, love, love, love—Yes To Carrots Pampering Carrot Juice Shampoo, as in, if it were our boyfriend, we’d marry it!  This is a must-try-immediately product. The shampoo suds up into a big, pampering bubble-bath for the hair, and we’ve just never smelled such a fresh smell—during the shampoo or after.  Plus, this shampoo leaves the hair soft and shiny.  It’s available at Target (always a plus, to have yet another reason to shop at Target, right?!) or, heck, just purchase it online right now, at drugstore.com..

Achieve the highly sought after “Hollywood Poof.”

Fox expands braiding basics with the fishtail braid, otherwise known as the Herringbone braid.

Nothing makes us more chuffed than to grow healthy, lovely nails.  What a challenge in the summer.  The drying sun, scuffy sand, chlorine, etc., cause more wear and tear than any one fingernail ought to have have to face.  And we have ten of them!  Thank goodness for L’Occitane’s Shea Butter Nail & Cuticle Cream—it’s zen for the fingernails.  This cream offers miraculous repair.

And for those who are having trouble with a horrid nail biting habit, try this helpful read: How To Stop Biting Your Fingernails.  You might finally be able to stop!

One doesn’t have to have flashy colors to be noticed, and Dior Vernis Sweet Orange Fingernail Polish is rich, high-gloss, long-wearing nail color that’s both subtle and chic—who’s not going to notice that?

And for those who are just desperate to wear nail polish but are stuck with a bad nail biting habit, read How To Stop Biting Your Fingernails.  You’ll be happy you did!

Similar to the French braid, learn how-to create an Inverted French Braid, a zipper like braid that uses the technique of crossing hair underneath your braiding sections.

Senior Editor, Sarah Gilbert Fox demonstrates step-by-step how to achieve the classic French braid look.

Expensive? Yes. Worth it? More than yes. Lancome ‘Absolue Progressive Cure’ Absolute Intensive Replenishing Program will most likely do for your skin what 225 visits to your dermatologist will—make the skin on your face as smooth and beautiful as it was, say, fifteen or twenty years ago. Once used, you’ll keep coming back.

Everything is in this kit, including the colors: a Le Rouge Absolu Replenishing & Reshaping LipColour, a Sensational Effects Eye Shadow Quartet, a Blush Subtil Delicate Oil-Free Powder Blush Duo, a Definicils High Definition Mascara and more.  And that’s just in the makeup department.

What makes this product sing exquisite is the skincare line within: a Cils Booster XL Super-Enhancing Mascara Base, a Primordiale Skin Recharge Visibly Smoothing & Renewing Moisturizer SPF 15 Sunscreen Cream, and four weeks of the Absolue Treatment—a unique series of formulas containing wild yam, soy and sea algae that progressively rejuvenates and revitalizes the skin. Radiance, luminosity, uniformity, elasticity, resilience, tone all seem to be reborn—your skin, once again, comes alive.


Lancome ‘Absolue Progressive Cure’ Absolute Intensive Replenishing Program - $225 at Nordstrom

If champagne were perfume, it would probably be the elegant L’Eau The One by Dolce & Gabbana. A touch of vanilla, vetyver, and bergamot, mixed with a tweak of madonna lilies and jasmine, then splashed with the oils of sun-warmed lychee nuts and peaches, and a breathe of musk, this perfume becomes the newest for those who love a classic, fresh-like-water scent.  Inspired by supermodel, Gisele Bündchen—the scent also carries a note of self-confidence for the woman who wears this.
L’EAU THE ONE by Dolce & Gabbana for women - $52 at Frangrance.net

This shampoo amazes us! One application is almost too much.  Oh-la-la, the suds!  You can feel your hair grow and poof up and out and get lusciously clean all with one small quarter size application.  And even better, it can be used on the body, too. This is luxury at a small price, for sure.
Philosophy Inner Grace Bath, Shampoo & Shower Gel - $30 at Sephora

What’s all the fuss about foundation?  What if we don’t have the money to plunk down for expensive beauty products?  Are we really stuck with thin, transparent eyelashes?  Help is on the way! If you’ve got questions about your beauty regimen, a new product—or want real information to cut through the hype, you’ve come to the right place. Send your questions to Beauty Beat expert, Meagan Shea’ at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Question:
I never wear foundation. When I go to makeup counters, the people working there always seem so shocked, as if I’m the only living woman walking around foundation-less (gasp!). Do most women need to wear foundation? If so, why? If not, why? What are the benefits and drawbacks of wearing or not wearing it?

—Bare in Baltimore

Answer:
You don’t wear foundation? What kind of woman are you? I’m just kidding… No woman on this beautiful, green and smoggy earth NEEDS to wear foundation—it’s all a matter of choice. It’s like saying all women need to wear stilettos, and well I’m sorry that’s just not realistic. I am a makeup artist, and on an “off day” (whenever I’m not working) I don’t wear any make up (waits for the cringing sounds of disappointment)!

If you choose to wear foundation, all that I ask is that you be sure to get matched properly for color (most important), coverage and finish (the last two are all about choice). And a word to the wise women of the world: before you buy a foundation, please go outside in the sunlight and look at yourself in a mirror! Those department store lights will make you look like Angelina Jolie on her best day, and then you get outside and you look like Courtney Love in the mid to late 90’s. No offense—I love Ms. Love, but the 90’s were not her friend! If you want more information on understanding coverage, color and finish, send in your questions.

Question:
Times are tough, but I’m willing to splurge on one skincare item that’s really worth the cash. What’s most crucial for a 30ish woman? Eye cream? Moisturizer? Night cream? Help a sister out!

—One-splurge Sue


Answer:
Skincare is important on so many levels, especially for a woman in her late 20s/early 30s. Your cleanser is important, your treatment product is important and your moisturizer is so important! At this stage in the beauty game we should be focusing on prevention! So, while I could talk all day about so many wonderful products, I will focus on the one that so many women don’t realize is THE most important: (drum roll, please!) a daytime moisturizer that contains an SPF of at least 15!

The sun is beautiful and radiant and warms our souls, but it is not a friend of our faces! UVA (aging), UVB (burning) and UVC (cancerous-usually only found in areas really close to the Equator) will do a number on your youth.  I could go on and on about SPF, but the most important thing to understand is that a moisturizer with a SPF is a necessity. It will prevent fine lines, age spots and other forms of hyper-pigmentation, and ultimately help to protect you from burning your face.

I recommend Peter Thomas Roth’s Max Sheer All Day Moisture Defense Lotion with SPF 30 (available at Sephora and online).  I use it and it’s lightweight and offers lovely protection.  If you need more moisture, they also have richer, creamier version with the same SPF protection.

Question:
Lately, I find myself jealous of little babies with long eyelashes (lash transplant, anyone?) What’s a short-lashed gal to do to make her lashes stand out? I’ve tried lots of different mascaras with no luck. And false eyelashes look a bit…dramatic….for everyday wear. Help!

—Lash-challenged in Lutherville

Answer:
My favorite topic: mascara! I am a mascara freak! I actually wear two mascaras everyday (that I wear make up)...Yes, I am aware I have a problem, but don’t judge me! I realize all women do not need or want to wear two different mascaras daily, so I have a basic question that will help you narrow down what your needs are and determine which product will suit you best: Do you want volume, curl, length, definition—or all of the above?

If you desire to treat your issue of shorter lashes and want to try a product for growth, here are three options (all available at Sephora).

• 1. Talika - Eyelash Lipocils
  
  
  Talika Eyelash Lipocils - $40 at Sephora



• 2. Tarte - MultipleEYE
  
  Tarte - MultiplEYE - $40 at Sephora



• 3.  Peter Thomas Roth - Lashes to Die For Conditioning Treatment
   
  Peter Thomas Roth Lashes To Die For Night Time Eyelash Conditioning Treatment - $125 at Sephora

Makeup artist and beauty consultant Meagan Shea’, a Baltimore native, has been in the industry for more than nine years. She has worked with international and national designers and photographers from France, New York and Sweden, as well as the best talents in Baltimore.

meaganshea.com
modelmayhem.com/MeaganShea
iqons.com/meaganshea

No time for that laser treatment? Rid your face of acne and sun discoloration without leaving the house, with the ANSR at-home LED.  $185. Available at Bliss Spa, opening in D.C., July 8, at 515 15th St., N.W., or ansr.com

Green tea, vitamins C and A, maritime pine bark extract, sea buckthorn and titanium dioxide make emerginC spf 30+ tinted sunscreen one of the most lightweight, non-greasy, powerful sunblocks for the face. $35 non-tinted, $37 tinted. Ahava Skin Care, emerginc.com

Get plumping power and an instant dose of moisturizer with Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster SPF 15 Lip Gloss. It protects and conditions with lip-enhancing colors to create the perfect pout for your kisser. $25 each, at Blue Mercury, The Gallery at Harborplace, bluemercury.com

Colors as bright as bikini prints await your blinkers in these Sue Devitt Eye Palettes. These long-lasting, lushly pigmented eye shadows contain sea and shea butter and are infused with vitamins to help hydrate the delicate skin of your eyes. $38, Ulta, ulta.com

Red Flower’s Hammam Lemon Coffee Blossom Olive Stone Scrub reduces the appearance of cellulite and varicose veins just in time for bathing suit season. $62, at Candles off Main in Annapolis, candles-offmain.com

This summer, shape up those eyebrows with the cutest tweezers in town: Hot for Dots by Tweezerman. $15, at Sephora. Tip for tweezing: freeze the area of skin with ice to prep it for pain-free plucking!

Calling all outdoor summer sports enthusiasts - don’t miss the excellent Yves Saint Laurent Water-Resistant Eye Shadow.  Whether swimming, gardening or playing a competitive game of beach volleyball, this waterproof eye shadow is perfect for women on the go.  With the consistency of liquid foundation, this eye shadow comes in a pot and is applied with a small brush.  It feels great on the eye and doesn’t dry, cake or crack.  I use it more as an eyeliner on the upper lid than as full-coverage eye shadow, but it works for either.  I can’t wait to check out the selection of YSL colors. With this fab waterproof eye shadow, no one will even notice if you can’t get the ball over the net!

Yves Saint Laurent ‘Ombre Solo’ Long Lasting Eye Shadow is available at Nordstrom.

Summer is here!  The temperature is warming, the sun is hot, and skins tones are tanning (hopefully with sunscreen).  All things aligned, this means it’s time for a beautiful, bright lip color - without the gaudiness.  Estee Lauder’s ‘Pure Color’ Gloss Stick is the perfect solution.  I’ve always loved corals and peach colors for the summer, and this is as summery as you can get.  Unlike your typical lip gloss, the ‘Pure Color’ Gloss Stick (available in my favorite shade, Orange Poppy) is fabulously sheer but adds an extra pop of color.  As an added benefit, against that bright color your teeth are guaranteed to look whiter.

Estee Lauder’s ‘Pure Color’ Gloss Stick, available at Nordstrom - $18.50

If you’re like me, dragging yourself out of your cozy bed for work in the morning is enough of an ordeal. A cup of coffee might clear the fog from your brain, and a hot shower can do wonders for the skin and hair. But one look at the dark circles under your eyes, and all those efforts have accomplished zilch. You’re not fooling anybody. Not to mention later, during those romantic dinners by candlelight, when the flickering candles suddenly cast your poor tired eyes into zombie-like relief.

Solution? Benefit has created a concealer cream, Erase Paste, which manages to tackle the dark circles under your eyes head-on. The cream comes in a little jar about the size of a lip balm container, but a little goes a long way. Thick enough to cover the most stubborn dark spots, “Erase Paste” requires only a small dab under each eye with the provided spatula. After blending, your skin is lighter and brighter. The product is available in several shades to suit your skin tone. Ingredients include soybean oil, petrolatum, and lanolin, among others. Be sure to moisturize under the eyes before applying, if you suffer from dry skin. The cream can be used for blemishes or other shadowy areas of the face as well, but it works best on the eyes.

Maybe you can erase that zombie look after all.

Benefit Cosmetics Erase Paste, available at Sephora - $26

This is the perfect touch if you’re looking for a quick lift in your look. Don’t let the nail-polish-esque packaging fool you: just a few drops of this luminescent pink liquid dabbed onto the cheek and brow bones is the makeup artist’s secret to a subtle but noticeably shimmering physique. I like this product because it gives you the confidence that goes a long with glowing skin without the feeling that you just smeared a pound of wax on your face. The more I use Benefit Cosmetics High Beam, the more I find myself thinking of it as the potato of skin care products: you virtually cannot go wrong with it. Whether applying it as the finishing touch to a glamorous evening look or if it’s the only think you put on in the morning, the dewy complexion enhancer is always appropriate. The other thing I like about High Beam is its versatility: this product looks great both in the dead of winter when you’re pale as a ghost and after you’ve gotten some rays. A good highlighter is a quintessential ingredient to any makeup kit, and this is one of the best I’ve ever encountered.

Benefit Cosmetics High Beam 0.45 oz, available at Sephora - $24

McKey talks make-up, revealing what she uses and her review of Cover Girl’s AmazeMint lip gloss.

Our editor dishes the water bottle travel secret, while America’s Next Top Model, McKey, tells her must-have traveling products.

I like Stella McCartney. She always puts out original, cutting edge products, but hangs right there on always-wearable, which equals happily-wearable.  Plus, with her environmental slant on everything, her products deserve to be pushed.  Stella was really the first top designer to forge the way into making fashion and beauty eco-conscious-smart.  Now, not being a big heavy-perfume fan, I was pleased to try the Stella McCartney Stella Sheer Limited Perfume, because, frankly, heavy scents might be too much, but no scents are simply dull. Stella Sheer is a great scent for someone who wants to smell lovely and unique.  Also, most scents change on me.  What might smell like Ralph Lauren on someone else, ends up smelling like Raid when it comes within a foot of my skin.  The reviews I’ve read have said Stella Sheer smells like roses.  I don’t smell that.  The marketing material says it has notes of lemon, green apple, rose and amber.  I don’t smell those things, either.  But I do smell something. Something fresh, light, non-soapy, not really floral—something just right. If you’ve fallen in love with Issey Miyake or the lighter Kenzo fragrances, then Stella Sheer is another nice take on that type of scent that doesn’t do the elevator-linger. 

Stella McCartney Stella Sheer—available at Sephora—$58

Hello Essie Spring Mini 4-Pack Fingernail Polishes! Come to momma!  Wear the one-of-a-kind Poppy Red Kiss or the Cherry Blossom Pink with anything.  Smooth some of the Royal Va-Va Blue on for a night on the town (imagine those fingers wrapped around a mojito!). And for the office, when you must dress conservatively, make a break-through statement with Feisty Hot Pink nails. You also make a statement on your wallet - 4 colors for the price of 1!



With nails this pretty, there’s only one perfect handbag for Spring—the MICHAEL Michael Kors ‘Braided Grommet - Large’ Leather Shoulder Tote, with its high-shine grommets and sweet tassels.  Snap closures and interior zips makes for safe, fast cell phone grabbing.  Plus, the neutral hue allows you to wear any color—and it’s also an all-year-long accessory, as the brown isn’t too dark for the warmer seasons.

Now, to bring it all together, this Michael Kors ‘Pink Catwalk’ Chronograph Watch is a must!

The hot coral color will work with any red, orange, pink or even blue… and it will pull the color out of the handbag. If you want to see pretty—look at anyone with a bit of hot coral against their sun-kissed skin.  We’re talking oh-la-la pretty and we want some of that for our own!

Essie Spring Mini 4-Pack - available at Nordstrom - $17.

MICHAEL Michael Kors ‘Braided Grommet - Large’ Leather Shoulder Tote - available at Nordstrom - $498

Michael Kors ‘Pink Catwalk’ Chronograph Watch - available at Nordstrom - $195.

I don’t need a meteorologist to tell me there’s a cold snap or a heat wave coming. My skin works much better at weather prediction, thank you very much. If it’s going to be cold, my face gets so dry it can begin to look like it’s snowing, so vast are the flakes (sadly, this is not much of an exaggeration). But when the warm weather hits, I’m always the first one on the block to take on a pimple as red and glorious as the summer sun (make sure you have on UVA +50 when you’re in my near).

For cold weather, I continue to be hooked on Skyn Icelandic anything.

But I can’t make it into the hot, greasy days without my trusty Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. It’s a little bottle of humiliation-prevention. A dab of this Calamine-looking lotion on a zit will make that nasty go poof overnight!  The medicinal smell is reassuring, but the end result is what matters most—skin that’s smooth and gorgeous again.

Tip One: make sure to dip a fresh Q-Tip in the bottle each time to extract the liquid, as this will keep bacteria from growing inside (that’s a good thing), and it will allow you perfect placement on any bumps.

Tip Two: if you need a complete DIY facial overhaul, here’s a get-lovely-skin-quick routine that costs nothing but a little time: 12 Steps To Really Lovely Skin.

Tip Three: for great skin, make sure to laugh a lot.  Laughing takes the stress out of facial muscles.  Want to read something funny? Try our article on curly hair.

My weekend treat? L’Occitane Lavender Clarifying Shampoo.  It makes lovely tresses for sure, but the real pleasure is in the natural scent of lavender extract.  Real lavender. Straight from Provence lavender. Not chemicals cleverly pretending to be lavender—with their no-depth, thin smell. Everything L’Occitane makes has the very essence of deep, richness from whatever particular scent is being used.  And this shampoo is true to the L’Occitane line of quality scent.

This is also a performance shampoo (and it’s particularly great for curly hair, as it miraculously vanishes frizz)—and a shampoo that can be used daily.  In fact, the L’Occitane Lavender Clarifying Shampoo should be used daily, but I use it on the weekends only because I love to be surprised each Saturday morning with the heavenly scent, and I’m afraid if I wash my hair with it every day, I’ll become too used to the scent and forget the pleasure.  In these hard economic times, L’Occitane Lavender Shampoo is right-on-the-money indulgence for your hair and your senses.

How to use? For a splurge, wash with the shampoo twice, rinse, and then follow it up with the conditioner.  Then, once you’ve rinsed out the conditioner, go ahead and put half a pea-size in your hand and run that onto the ends (only) of your hair.  Then wrap your hair in a towel and go to sleep with your hair wet.  When you wake up and smell the lavender, feel free to lay in bed for a long time thinking to yourself, “Now this is how good life is supposed to be, always.”

L’Occitane Lavender Clarifying Shampoo - available at L’Occitane in stores and online - $17.

Lavender Detangling Conditioner - available at L’Occitane in stores and online - $17.

Clarisonic Skin Care Brush (a daily facial cleanser brush from the inventors of the Sonicare toothbrush), starting at $185. Available at La Papillon Spa, lapapillonspa.com and About Faces Day Spa and Salon, http://www.aboutfacesdayspa.com

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess line includes makeup in sun-kissed colors, skincare (infused with the warm, alluring fragrances of amber and coconut cream), Fragrance Collection (coconut milk, sandalwood and vanilla unwind into a tropical scent) and the new Pure Color Gloss Sticks (unique 3-D Optic Pearl Technology and microfine reflective pearl bits deliver fuller volume to lips). Starting at $22. At Macy’s in Towson, Owings Mills, White Marsh and Marley Station.

Aveda Sun Care offers a color-safe Sun Care Hair Cleanser that gets rid of chlorine, a Sun Hair Masque that restores moisture to sun-exposed hair and a Sun Care Protective Hair Veil that sprays UV-defense directly onto hair to help minimize color fade and sun damage. Starting at $20, available at Alpha Studio, 410-327-1300; East Bank Hair, 410-435-4414; Elements, 410-823-3942.

Ecosumo.com is a Baltimore-based, one-stop, green online marketplace that focuses on stylish, functional products (home accessories, furniture, apparel, baby items, pet goodies, shoes, health, beauty and more). For beauty fanatics, look no further than Pangea Organics, including our obsession— the Egyptian Geranium Facial Scrub with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry ($32), which removes dead epidermis cells and buffs up the new layer of skin with Geranium and Sweet Almond oils. The Pangea Shower Gel ($16) is the sine qua non of organic pampering, the Egyptian Basil & Mint is a wake-up blast, and the Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom, an insomniac’s cure.

Wouldn’t it be lovely to go swimming without needing waterproof mascara— to jump out of the pool with long and beautiful lashes, instead of invisible Dandelion wishie seeds? Now you can with Latisse, the prescription lash lengthener proven to grow your batters up to 25 percent longer and 100 percent fuller than what you have now — with the extra bonus of adding growth to sparse eyebrows. $120 for a six-week to two-month supply. Available through Dr. Ira Papel at Facial Plastic Surgicenter, 410-486-3400; Dr. Scott Gerrish at Faces Med Spas, 410-561-5041; and Dr. Adam Basner at The Plastic Surgery Center of Maryland, 410-616-3000.

As a hair fanatic, I’m compelled to try everything that comes down the pike. Most hair products are just ho-hum average.  But I’ve just discovered two new products that I have absolutely fallen in love with: ECRU New York Sunlight Styling Spray and New York Streets Liquid Shine. 

Talk about voluminous hair and unsticky-shiny!  Wow. Wow. Wow. Product number 1: ECRU New York Sunlight Styling Spray dries quickly and gives hair a weightless and free-flowing feel, yet holds strong.  Add to that the UV protection that covers the hair and scalp, and you’ve got summer fab in a bottle. 

Product number 2: New York Streets Liquid Shine keeps away the frizz during rainy days and gives hair a healthy shine without weighing it down or making it look greasy.  One of my favorite things about this product is that it smells deliciously sweet—(oh yeah… smelling sweet, looking hot).

These products are so new that you can only find them online right now. But hang tight. Great news spreads fast, and these are bound to crop up locally, sooner rather than later. 

ECRU New York Sunlight Styling Spray—$22.95—ecrunewyork.com
New York Streets Liquid Shine—$24—  newyork-streets.com

We first learned about this foundation primer from one of the models at our photoshoot. Her skin looked flawless (a.k.a. Nicole Kidman) and we were all ooo’ing and ahh’ing, and then she said, “Okay, enough.  The truth is, I have pretty bad skin.” After the shoot, she proved it by removing her makeup.  And although we can’t say her skin was horrible, she did, indeed, have some acne scars and discoloration.  Her secret to faking us out was the Smashbox Photo Finish Light Foundation Primer.  This is an oil-free and paraben-free makeup, so thumbs up immediately there.  It’s loaded with water (which we love)—60%!  And the vitamin C and peptides—plus all the other ingredients we can’t even pronounce—help absorb oil, and seem to raise up any pits, and lower any zits, and even out every different tone so that your skin becomes a beautiful palate for the next phase of getting dolled-up—the foundation.  We love that it’s lightweight, that it doesn’t cause more skin problems (in fact, it seems to help keep them at bay), and that it comes in an air pump, which helps keep bacteria out.  Yay, Smashbox.  Another hit!

Smashbox Photo Finish Light Foundation Primer, available at Sephora -$36

While hunting down make-up essentials to improve my collection, it was time to explore outside my morning go-to neutral brown shadows and pale pink glosses. Wanting to add some lights and brights to my bag of glam, I came across American Beauty, the affordable look worn by actress Ashley Judd.

My Picks

To liven the basics, American Beauty’s Celestial Purple Eyeshadow Duo (featured above) layers harmoniously and pairs ultra-soft tones for effortless application.

Worn with the fade resistant Ultra-Easy Liner, lighter browns like mocha make lids appear softer.

Conscious of the heat, I chose a deep berry lipcolor like Ginger Wine, which has a strong impact of color, ideal for skin types that tend to burn in the sun.

Always on the lookout for a gloss that isn’t sticky, American Beauty’s Lipshine does just that and adds a clean finishing polish.

The Lighting Line Smoothing Foundation SPF 15 was the most prized possession of the bunch. This facial steal illuminates while minimizing lines and smells heavenly!

Finish the look with Beloved Powder Blush, a rosy glow that’s easy to fall in love with.

Who in the heck plunks down $300 bucks for a hair dryer?  Probably the same person who plunks down $240 for a flat iron.  That somebody would be me.  But then, I’m obsessed with having beautiful hair.  Having grown up with way-too-curly hair in way-too-frizzy-humid weather, I’ve had to go to inordinate lengths to make sure my hair would behave.  From sitting in front of an air conditioner to style my hair, then running to the car air conditioner to keep it styled, to running inside to wherever my destination was so that it would stay styled, to never going outside, ever, missing the most amazing sunsets and cocktail parties, because, darn it, I’d rather look gorgeous inside than be around gorgeous outside, frizzing up.  That’s a heck of a way to spend one’s youth.


Then I met the love of my life.  The ghd flat iron. More to the point, the ghd IV Styler.  Hello, baby, come to mama! I have no clue why this flat iron is different than other flat irons, but it is. I can straighten my hair and stand in a heavy mist—and even have it rained on to some extent—and my hair still stays straight.  And sleek.  And lovely. And on days when I’ve gone insane and decided I wanted curls, I can even curl my curls to be tamed and lovely curls with this same flat iron.

I’m the first to cringe at marketing terms, such as “tourmaline-infused ceramic,” but all I can say is that whatever it is that makes these products work, they work!

As an ex-hairstylist, I’ve tried everything, and I’ve never ever ever ever ever recommended a product so highly as the ghd flat iron.  Okay… so there I go… off on the ghd flat iron tangent again, and I haven’t even gotten to the Bespoke Labs T3 Evolution Dryer.  So, without further ado… it’s fast become my next must-have.  Read about it and it will go on and on about all that “tourmaline” stuff, and discuss how it’s “ionized” and has “ceramic” blah de blah.  But forget that.  What’s important is that it dries the hair faster—really fast.  More than twice as fast as a regular dryer. And your hair won’t look frizzy and blow dried.  In fact, if you have wavy hair, the Bespoke Labs T3 Evolution Dryer can actually serve as a styling tool, alone, because your hair can look beautifully wavy simply by drying it upside down, then flipping it back and brushing it—and thicker, because the hair has been plumped up by the heat, but sleeker, because something about these products seems to “glue” the hair cuticles in place until the next wash.  Another plus is that this is a lightweight blow dryer, and it’s kind of fun to hold.  But, as anyone with hair that tends to frizz knows, comfort really is the last thing on our minds.  We want great hair at all costs.  And here’s the thing—these products might be costly once, but they earn back every penny spent—and then some.

These are guaranteed to give beautiful hair—or I’ll shave mine off!!

So you’re having one of those problems where your hair just looks weird today and everything in your closet seems to expand your thighs/stomach/hips/hair—yes, you look like the 80’s, darling.  All you want to do is scream.  Remember.  When in doubt, the eyes have clout.  (Ooo! Bad poetry and we just made it up!)  Fact: unless you’re wearing a jumpsuit (ignore this fashion trend, please) the first thing people are going to see when they look at you are your eyes, and what better way to dress them up than with the certified organic eyeshadow palette by NVEY ECO, made with soothing chamomile, natural corn silk, jojoba oil, A, C, and E.  These NVEY ECO Organic Creative Eye Color System come with a combination of five different colors that make it easy for you to decide how to deck out—or make “come hithers” out of your batters.  A smudge of this or that in the morning for a subtle, sweet look (and no need to smudge later in the day to keep up the color—it stays on well), and then a couple of darker smudges here and there from a different color in the evening for a more intense, dramatic look are all available in one little container—and with the right kind of contouring, you almost don’t need mascara!  (If you really want drama at night, dip the application in a little water before you swipe it across the color.  That and an Apple Mojito is bound to get your evening off to a good start!)
NVEY ECO cosmetics contain no parabens, no sulfates, no synthetic fragrances, no synthetic dyes, no petro-chemicals, no phthalates, taking the carcinogins out of beauty.
NVEY ECO Organic Creative Eye Color System, available at Sephora for $61.

Benefit’s Hello Flawlesscustom powder cover-up is sheer and spot worthy (and SPF protected)! Silky smooth with glide ability at a record high, the two-in-one customized foundation uses a brush to achieve a natural finish and a sponge to deliver extra coverage for an entirely flawless look.

The name says it all. Flirt Cosmetic’s Flowerific perfume blends water lilies and blue freesias in a sweet emersion. Lingering a sweet trail, this full-time flower garden in a bottle is light and refreshing, minus the daily upkeep.

A soon-to-be spilled secret for fabulous lashes, FLIRT! Cosmetic’s Lash-a-delic Mascara translates dark and separates lashes for a free, flirtatious feel. As enjoyable to apply as it is to pronounce, pull off fast, defining lashes every time.

MARC JACOBS ‘Rain’ Splash is everything you’ve ever wanted in an aquatic, fresh air scent. No florals and fruities here.  Just sweet rain smell that leaves you feeling clean and lovely.  (Plus, you’ll receive a ready-to-fill MARC JACOBS Splash to Go purse spray and funnel with your MARC JACOBS Splash purchase, tra la… only online.) We love to spray it on our hair and around our neck, because it isn’t overpowering.  Instead, it’s one of those really nice fragrances that make people ask, “Hmmm, she smells so good.  Does she have on perfume?”

This is a strange time of year for skin.  It’s so cool during some parts of the day that the skin still gets dry.  We use the Bobbi Brown Buffing Grains with Japanese adzuki bean powder to help remove dry surface patches and encourage skin cell turnover.  The nice thing about this product is that if you have a favorite cleanser that isn’t Bobbi Brown, you just add the grains to that and you still get the good benefits.  (But we do recommend the Bobbi Brown Lathering Tube Soap, because it’s about as decadently lush as any cleanser you’ll ever use.)

At the same time, the weather starts to heat up and your skin starts to get oily, so it’s time to break out a solution so you don’t break out!  NARS Perfecting Powdered Sheets are designed to eliminate shine and pulling up the surface oils, while allowing the skin to retain essential moisture. Very portable and convenient for quick touch ups.

Estée Lauder Hydra Complete Eye Gel Crème offers endless hydration, smooths fine, dry lines, helps reduce puffiness and completely revitalizes the eye area… all without making makeup slither off as the day gets warmer. 

Now, if you need a little more work in the moisturizing department, get the Guerlain ‘Orchidée Impériale’ Exceptional Complete Care Eye & Lip Cream to the rescue. It’s a doc in the dry skin box.

For the lips, time to add color and moisturizer and a little bit of shine.  M·A·C Tricolour Lipglass is the new wave of lip beauty.  Three colors are stacked, one on top of the other, with varying shades of pearl combinations in the vial vial.  Each layer smoothly gradates into the next, offering an in depth look once applied. Stunning.



And then you’ll need something to put it all in!

The Kooba Asymmetrical Belt Shopper is completely periwinkle blue beauty, and now you’re ready to go!

We’re still loving SkynICELAND products.  The newest fave is the SkynICELAND Stress Defense Cream.  Listen to this.  It has biotransformed tomato and ginseng extracts - which keep the muscles from reacting (or, in our case, overreacting), and calms the nerves (perfect for a day at the office, when someone is on your last nerve).  And it has Portaluca, which prevents the muscles from getting tight (yay, slather it between the eyebrows).  But why do we really love it?  Simple. Because it makes our skin feel so good.  We still go ga-ga over the SkynICELAND Antidote Quenching Daily Lotion, because of the massive cooling sensation that just wakes, wakes, wakes us up.  But for absolutely gorgeous, baby-bottom-feeling, Audrey Hepburn skin, a dose of SkynICELANDIC Stress Defense Cream can’t be beat.  Best $100 bucks ever spent.

Skyn Iceland Stress Defense Cream with Biospheric Complex 1.7 oz

What do Jennifer Anniston, Penelope Cruz, Gwen Stefani, Scarlett Johansson, Natlie Portman, Jennifer Lopez, Kate Winslet, Blake Lively, Charlize Theron (whew… breathe….), Hilary Swank, Camreron Diaz, Gisele Bundchen, Madonna, Ellen Degeneres, Cindy Crawford and Kate Moss have in common?  Besides being incredibly gorgeous, they’ve all been spotted wearing the lovely hair products from Oribe.  He’s done covers and major spreads for W magazine, Vanity Fair, GQ, Elle, Allue, Glamour, to name just a few.  He did the hair for the Vogue 100th Anniversary Special. He’s worked with every celebrity in the book.  Diana Ross even showed him how to secure a wig.

And now Oribe has developed his own line of hair care products that, although expensive, are well worth the money paid. (That’s saying a lot for this Suave conditioner girl.) 

The Shampoo and Conditioner for Beautiful Color have baobab oils (the seeds of the boabab are used to thicken soup—your hair does feel thicker).  And perhaps it is the Lychee oils that give these products the oh-so-light, oh-so-fresh smell—almost of freshly cut grass, almost of some exquisite French perfume.  A smell so delicate that you just want to keep applying it over and over so you can figure out what, exactly, it is. A lovely mystery to revisit every morning while showering.

If you live in Baltimore, you’ll want to get your Oribe from the trained stylist (trained directly by Oribe, himself) at About Faces Day Spa & Salon (they have five locations, so check their website for addresses and directions: aboutfacesdayspa.com.)

Now, what to do once you’ve used Oribe?  Segue into this.

TIGI S FACTOR Dream Drops make the dullest hair shiny.  The silicone adds absolute brilliance and smooths out frizzy hair, plus, it smells so good you’ll have to make a supernatural effort not to eat it!  The perfect companion product for ceramic iron usage, which you’ll be using next.

The ghd Professional IV Ceramic Ionic Hair Straightener comes highly recommended by our senior beauty editor (that’d be me) because 1.) she used to be a hairstylist and knows what’s good, and 2.) she grew up in high humidity and finally found in the ghd the one thing that would keep her hair smooth and straight, even through heavy mists.

Now that your hair is as healthy as it has ever looked, yay, let’s go for some shu uemura ‘Flip Color’ False Eyelashes.  They appear black from the top view, but a vivid color peeks out from below once flashed. Very intriguing. (If you’re too timid to try the Flip Colors, try the shu uemura ‘Retro Graphic’ False Eyelashes, instead.)

Almay Smart Shade Makeup is nice and inexpensive, yes!, and has some secret something going on that blends into the look of your own skintone.  Plus, it has the nifty SPF 15.  There might be a better feeling makeup upon application, but for the money and the coverage (without looking covered), this is one we use often.

The Clarins Instant Light Perfecting Touch Concealer is a good bet for blending those dark undereye colors into whatever color your skin is… and the effect is very natural. None of that “Hey! Look at me!  I’ve used concealer under my eyes” look.

There’s a reason why allure gave the Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner their Reader’s Choice Award.  It goes on as you wish (in a line, or with a soft-smudge), and the color is just very natural and very pretty. It offers a shine within a matte look—very difficult to explain, very beautiful to see.

Our choice for the lips is the Geulain’s Kiss Kiss Lipstick. This lipstick makes lips look fuller, with a semi-matte finish, and it’s long-lasting with no color bleed.  However, it’s the intensity of color that makes us love Guerlain.

Now that your hair is so shiny and your face is gorgeous, let’s add a nice Springtime scent. Issey Miyake ‘L’Eau d’Issey’ Eau de Toilette Natural Spray is so light that nobody will know you’re wearing a scent, but people will be thinking, “Gosh, she smells good.”  The scent is simply this: fresh, country air.

As this whole hair and beauty regime is about simplicity with a touch of glamour in the hair and eyelashes, we offer the subtle
Hobo International ‘Jaclyn’ Tote in a soft bluebell colored leather.  Throw in any makeup you want to take with you, and a good book (may we suggest Pride & Predjudice, by Jane Austen) and go!  Life is good, and with your hair and face looking great, it’s even better than good.  It’s shining fabulous!

It’s this simple.  You wake up.  Your face is dry, but it also has its oily spots.  It isn’t behaving.  And you need a fix.  Fast. Plus, you need to wake up and that extra cup of coffee isn’t doing it for you.  What’s a girl to do?  Whip out the newest by Estée Lauder—the Idealist Dual-Action Refinishing Treatment.

This baby heats up on your face, while exfoliating (feel the gentle grains), while offering a moisturizer within a cleanser.  Apply every morning in a circular motion, have that cup of coffee, then rinse.  There’s just nothing else as good as this on the market.  Period. 

KAREN - NEEDS MACY’S LINK: Estée Lauder Idealist Dual-Action Refinishing Treatment

Follow it up with The Antidote Quenching Daily Lotion by Skyn Icelandic and we’re talking a perfect start to any day.

The eyes have it, right?  But what if they don’t?  What if your winkers have lost their gleam?  Head’s up, ladies.  The fix is here.  First, spend about five minutes with the natural, organic Suki Eye Repair Balm—loaded with organic carrot and rose hips.
Once the skin around your eyes has had a moment to accept that lovely moisture (give it about two minutes—about as long as it takes to brush your teeth), then you can begin adding your eyeliner.  We suggest the Stila Convertible Color For Eyes, Onyx, because of the mat color, that will allow the shine to come from your iris. (And Stilla always has such great eye products).

And for night, go with the Stila Smudge Pot Liner, Black, applying it heavier at the outer corners of your eyes.

For eye color, you’ll want to go neutral, but with a twist, so we highly recommend Smashbox Eye Shadow for Eyes, in the color of Zoom. This will give you just enough color that you’ll have accent, but other people will be drawn to the inner part of your eye.

With a Q-Tip, place a spot of Smashbox Eye Shadow for Eyes, Platinum in the very center of the lid (this will give the appearance of Eyes Wide Open).

Now it’s time to add your under-eye concealer.  Try to go one shade lighter than the rest of your skin, to “raise” the dark area.  One of the best cover-ups for eyes is the Dr. Michelle Copeland Skin Care Ageless Skin Under Eye Concealer with Anti-Wrinkle Complex.  Apply with your wedding-ring finger, gently dotting, then very lightly blending in… careful not to add too much manipulation, or you’ll defeat the purpose and everything will wipe right off.

Mascara now?  Not yet!  Set that concealer first. You’ll want powder, but you’ll want something very light, and you’ll want to add it lightly.  Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Skin Soothing Loose Powder, barely patted on, will do the trick.

And, yes, now for the mascara! For really lush eyes, we love the DuWop Lash Lacquer Mascara/Top Coat in Plum Black

And now you’ll want to curl those flashers (after you’ve allowed the mascara to set), with the tarte Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler.

And when it’s time to go to bed at night, remove everything with the gentle ARCONA White Tea Eye Makeup Remover.

And then you’ll want to head to bed, but not before first putting on the most healing eye cream of all, Amatokin Eye Cream, which uses stem cells to renew old skin and make it young—and it really works.

Keep this regime going for a week or two, and you’re eyes will be prepared for more paperwork, longer nights, more color and anything else thrown their way.

And just remember—no matter what, you’re gorgeous, baby!

Jute rugs offer an inexpensive solution to floor design, and their neutral, flax color brings a quiet touch of minimalism to any home. West Elm’s Round Hand-Braided Braided 100% Jute Fiber Rugs (8 feet in diameter) are reversible and naturally resistant to mold, so they can be used inside or out.

They have the perfect amount of texture to complement the bits of texture that might be in the accent pillows on your sofa or porch swing. Green plants stationed on a spot of the rug will help pull the brown tones from the furniture into a good look—and speaking of green, this is a certified green, organic rug.

West Elm’s Round Hand-Braided Braided 100% Jute Fiber Rugs - $249, available at West Elm

Allison, from About Faces, gives online fashion editor, Laurie Legum, three hairstyles for Spring, with tips on volume, how to tease, how to make a French braid and much more.

About Faces Day Spa and Salon
110 West Rd.
Suite 350
Towson, MD 21204

http://www.aboutfacesdayspa.com

Angela uses Ilike skincare that she gets from Ojas Wellness Center.  Ilike is a line that—instead of herbal extracts—uses organic herbal and whole fruit pulps.  And how does Arbonne fit into her routine?

Ojas Wellness Center
1501 Sulgrave Ave
Baltimore, MD
410-664-OJAS

Natalie has an obsession with mascara – Maybelline’s Great Lash – which she buys in bulk.  For her hair?  Suave Shampoo. Plus, she has some fashion tips for buying inexpensive clothes.

Dottie has been getting her hair done by Karen, the owner of Studio 1612, for 17 years.  Plus, her reasons for getting braces later in life.

Studio 1612
1501-A Sulgrave Ave
Baltimore, Maryland 21209
Phone: 410-664-3010