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BENEFiT COSMETiCS
Silky Finish Lipstick in My Treat (the perfect vinyl pink) is a sensational sheer summer shade and is a wonderful winner. And ooh la la, the packaging just couldn’t be better with the character Lana adorning it. $16 @ benefitcosmetics.com ~Randi
Need a tough working foot cream? CUREL Deep-Penetrating Foot Cream ($4.79/3.5oz @ drugstore.com) contains all things hardcore for feet: Shea butter, coconut milk and naturally healing vitamin E. Now get to steppin' in those new sandals!
BLiSS’ new The Youth As We Know It ($79/1.7oz @ blissworld.com) is everything you want in an anti-aging cream and more. Really. It has the 10 major categories covered - from wrinkle relaxers to hydration. Just think of anything you could ever want a moisturizer to do and this one does it. I could go on and on about the ingredients inside but let’s face it, you want the bottom line, right? Go out and get it!
A new fragrance group is upon us from Canadian favorites Susanne Lang Parfumerie.
The collection goes by SULA PERFUME and is all about playering, as in layering and playing with the scents. How fun! I've always been kinda nervous about layering any fragrances together for fear of coming out smelling like a department store. While each scent is sold in a 1oz form, they also pair them up to make decision time easy. My pick of the litter is the Butterfly Kiss + Lily Lotus layered set, Girl Next Door ($30/.5oz each @ ulta.com). Butterfly is airy freesia, heliotrope and jasmine and Lily is purple lilac, lily, lotus, a touch of mint and a base of skin musk. Together they make a full sexy bouquet!
And since it is so affordable, there's no reason not to try one or two of the six scents, preferably at the same time. Don’t you deserve a mental break today? Create it with Sula.
MAKE UP FOR EVER Aqua Essentials Kit ($45 @ sephora.com) contains all the makeup prerequisites for summer. The Lengthening Waterproof Mascara not only resists all conditions (try swimming with it on), but it also contains D-Panthenol and Ceramides to nourish lashes. The Aqua Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner Pencil No. 7L is a highly pigments blue that glides on easily and really enhances peepers. If blue isn’t your thing, then try the black of Waterproof Eyeliner No. 1 and do up eyes a la Amy Winehouse. Also included in the kit is .40oz Eye Seal that will waterproof any shadow, pencil or glitter. And to get it all off at the end of the day? Use some of the .84oz of the Sens’Eyes. It will gently clean every feature and is mineral oil and perfume free.
Who has time to worry about their skin when they are running around all weekend? Forget about it with SKiNCEUTiCALS new Sport UV Defense SPF 45 ($35/3oz @ skinceuticals.com). It protects your skin when you’re sweating from exercising or running from one sale to another. You know when you see Lifeguards on the beach with the white stuff on their noses so it doesn't burn? It's zinc-oxide and this one contains a transparent form of it as well as other protective ingredients. It even protects your skin while you're swimming! Now that's amazing.
NEACLEAR's Liquid Oxygen Leave-In Conditioner is a must for dry hair and scalp in these upcoming months. It contains chamomile, rosemary and sweet almond oil, which stimulate the scalp and helps control and nourish dry, frizzy hair. I spritzed it on my dry scalp and hair, and it felt soothing on my scalp and left my hair smelling really clean and fresh and feeling soft. $7.95/8oz @ prskincare.com ~Celena
This is too fun yet functional at the same time! PONEME Facial Disc is the first of cleansing applicator of its kind. Use your favorite cleanser and enhance the procedure with hundreds of ultra-soft silicone bristles to massage the face while you clean and stimulate healthy blood circulation. The plastic storage case/platform is the most ingenious part. It’s a slim hard plastic square that has a notch to hold the disc to let it lie flat and air dry. Speaking of the disc, it fits perfectly in the palm of your hand and using it is so relaxing that I tend to spend extra minutes massaging and cleaning my face and neck. It’s like tiny fingers massaging every pore! The Facial Disc comes in four seasonal colors: spring green, misty rose, light orchid and lavender blue. It’s time to throw out your sponges and washcloths and go Disc. $22 @ poneme.com ~Lisa
This is a cool one if you are into styling your brows. LORAC Creamy Brow Pencil ($18 @ sephora.com) has a special formulation pencil on one side to fill in and define what you were not born with and a spooly to move the hairs in place. It really helps give your brows some oomph! Make a goal to focus on the look of your brows this week. After all, they really do shape your face. Available in four shades.
I didn’t realize how far I had gone into sugar scrubs from the once loved salt scrub cateogry until I dove into PHiLOSOPHY’s Old Fashioned Lemonade Salt Scrub ($25/23oz @ philosophy.com). I reluctantly opened it thinking I would find huge salt granuels (this has been my experience with the last few) in thin lemon juice. What I found was sea salt granuels as big as sugar (forgot they pretty much can look the same) nestled in a thick lemon goo. Oh what a nice evening shower this one made! The website said this is a hot salt rub but I didn’t feel any kind of temperature change when using it. Did I miss something? It also claims to out perform any scrub on the market. I have not put it head-to-head with any others but I can say it’s up there.
I knew that I was going to, shall I say, have a shower and bath affair with any item from the NG SPA COLLECTION Sweet Nectar Spa because of the nourishing list of ingredients. I’ve been using Honeysuckle Blossom Bath & Body Syrup and this blend contains honey and watermelon, among others, which are two of my favorite scents and eats. This exceptionally unique syrup can also be used as a body wrap, face mask, and hair pack so the options are endless. Included with each jar is a handcrafted honey drizzlier and now both are sitting inside my shower so I can use it daily from head to toe. $32/13oz @ ngspacollections.com ~Randi
STiLA recently teamed up with a celebrity stylist to create the shapes and packaging for the new Beachy Keen collection. Get sunkissed and bronzy with our picks from the collection: Eye Shadow Trio ($32) in Acapulco is a rich bronzy brown in the center, green shimmer surrounding that and a white shimmer surrounding that. Couple this with the warm bronze of Summer Lip Glaze ($20) in Spiced Rum. Add a touch of cheek with the Cheek Duo ($20) in Quaint & Coral and you’re ready to hit the sand. All @ stilacosmetics.com
We’re starting a new section with products perfect for the season like this one for tips and toes... 
I’ve been thinking about the new driving laws coming down the pike in the state of California and what better way to remember the mandatory seatbelt law than with Click-It-Or-Ticket ($7 @ essie.com) from ESSiE's 2007Summer Collection. I like it best on my toes while I put the petal to the metal. This Coral will keep you tan looking fresh and the tickets at bay.
When we featured the BATH AND BODYWORKS True Blue Spa Bronze Bombshell collection a few weeks ago, little did we know that the Sunkissed Lipshine/Roll On Eau de Toilette ($17.50 @ bathandbodyworks.com) would become such a stape in our purse. This one is a total delight! It's a duo-wand and is two must haves for summer - their signature scent in a roll-on form on one side and a “look at the great tan I have” shimmery gloss on the other. A guy even came over to me in Urban Outfitters over the weekend to ask me what scent I was wearing. Yowza, this is a good one!
BOBBI BROWN has just added a new cateogry to her line - Tinted Lip Balms. Available in eight lip smacking shades, I’ve been wearing Citrus, an icy cool coral, and Pink Popsicle, a sheer pink-red depending on my mood of the day. But check all of them out if you are looking for a balm that provides long-lasting sheer color with marvelous moisture. Convenient for toting, this balm is easy to apply, and these colors are fun and offer the perfect protection for luscious looking lips. $17 @ bobbibrown.com ~Randi
When your hair is happy, you’re happy! It seems that I always come back to BiOLAGE hair care line when my hair gets unruly. For styling, the Smoothing Gel ($11.95/5.1oz) 
is my new favorite for getting a smooth, no frizz style. With avocado and grape seed oil, it’s wonderful for dry and disobedient hair and the signature fragrance is that clean fresh smell you always get from their products.
For serious conditioning try their small but mighty tubes of Cera-Repair ($11/5.5oz). Squeeze the contents of one tube and let it sit for about 3-5 minutes and rinse out. From the Forte-therapie line, this gives you healthy shiny hair in minutes. It’s an easy at home treatment you can use one time a week for 5 weeks to optimal hair condition! Both @ biolage.com for a salon locator near you. ~Lisa
I have always liked the ViCTORiA’S SECRET fragrances, especially the men’s cologne. I have worn the Very Sexy For Him Cologne Spray for the past few years and now I’ve got one that I wouldn’t call masculine in any way. It sizzles and has a very appropriate name, Very Sexy Hot! Each of the Body Wash ($15), Sheer Mist ($22), Body Lotion ($20) and Eau de Parfum Spray ($49/2.5oz) blend ripe plum berry, Startgazer Lily, Musk Sandalwood, and Vanilla, among others. Look for these hot pink products in September.
It’s a cute little gadget to pop in your purse for on-the-go powdering. 
MALLY BEAUTY's Perfecting Powder comes in a small container with a mirror on top so you can see where this lightweight powder is going. There is a soft suede like puff that makes it easy to control where you put the micro-fine loose powder. Hint: Give the top of the puff a tap on the back of your hand to release the powder and then blot away those oily spots on your face. Don’t rub it on, just buff it on the areas that look shiny. Portable powder that doesn’t spill? Mama would love this one! $28 @ mallybeauty.com ~Lisa
Leave it to LUSH to come out with a purse-friendly way to try their skin care. The new Fresh-Face Starter Kits ($19.95 @ lush.com) come with three of their top selling products to help Normal to Oily, Combination Skin or Normal to Dry Skin. The Cleanser is .7oz, Moisturizer .4oz and the Facial Toner is 3.5oz so you have a bit to give them a few go arounds.
And since Lush is earth friendly, they have a lot of suggestions on how you can re-use the tray that the three products come in. How fun!
I hate to be a
bandwagon jumper but the C.O. BiGELOW Mentha Lip Shine ($5 @ bathandbodyworks.com) IS the best three-in-one moisturizer on the market. Normally I’m not jazzed about products for my lips that have mint in them but this one has just a touch so it doesn’t irritate at all and it's quite soothing. Welcome to the Hall of Fame!
Today's WWD reports ORIGINS is coming out with a new line in the fall called Origins Organics. This is the first prestige-market organic collection of U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified body, skin and hair care products. Six of the collection's nine products will carry the USDA organic seal: the lip balm, purifying tonic, face lotion, body spritz, massage oil and hair oil.
BOURJOiS knows that our facial features are not always makeup ready. Here are two new ones that will keep your pucker in prime kissing shape.
I don’t think there is one night that goes by where I don’t apply some kind of lip moisturizer before bed. Now there’s one made just for that. Baume de Nuit Night Lip Balm in Rose Nacre ($10) contains nourishing oils and repair agents to get lips back in a presentable state … and ready for any lipstick or gloss. And it’s even slightly tinted so know I’ll look fab in my dreams.
If you need an instant fix, their Duo Scrub & Baume ($17) will gently exfoliate so that any lipstick or 
gloss you put on will sit snug on lips. It looks like any other lip gloss tube but the secret is the rubber mini buffer on the top and the inside moisturizing baume. The buffer is just small enough to move ‘round the lips to slough off dead skin. Such a cute product! Both @ sephora.com
There are 3-steps in the CALiFORNiA TAN process to give you a beautiful, natural looking tan. Prepare, Develop and Extend. Their system offers multiple products in each category to accomplish your goal of a fabulous sunless tan. My favorites are: Exfoliating Scrub, which exfoliates and prepares the skin for the next step, and smells so fresh and clean ($18/8oz). Follow with the Tinted Self Tanner Lotion, which does double duty as a lotion and a self tanner ($25/5oz). Then there’s the Tinted Self Tanner Spray if you like a spray better and Towelettes for spot buffing. The third step enables you to extend your beautiful tan with the Tan Extender with Bronzer ($18/8oz), which is also a moisturizer with enhancing bronzers. This system leaves a pretty golden tan with no orange streaks! Check out the entire system @ californiatansunless.com ~Lisa
You think you’ve got it bad? Think again. The new Oxymoron by LiPSTiCK QUEEN ($20 @ barneys.com) doesn’t know if it’s a gloss or a lipstick. It feels like gloss on the lips but it wears like a lipstick. There are four shades that are neutral enough to complement a slew of skin tones but not too neutral to wash you out. And if you find yourself in a pinch, swipe it on as a blush. Great product.
If you love the aroma of classic roses, lily of the valley, lavender and musk, you will definitely want to burn the Paperwhite Perfumed Candle from HiLLHOUSE NATURALS FARM. Packaged in a frosted glass or travel tin, this candle is splendid to add to your own collection and it makes for a unique gift when dropping in on friends or relatives this summer. This elegant and sensational smelling candle burns for 35 hours and sets a terrific tranquil mood. $18/5oz @ hillhousenaturals.com ~Randi
The MISTRAL South Seas (Mer du Sud) collection is one of my all time favorite scents (see Hall of Fame pics). Picture ocean mists, citrus and white flowers and you have South Seas. Our picks from the collection are the Bath & Body Massage Oil ($10/7oz), Exfoliating Shea Butter Scrub ($14/6.75oz), Large 100% Shea Butter Large Tin ($22/3.53oz), which is great for feet, and of course the French Shea Butter Soap ($7/7oz). Each is perfect for the season. All @ mistralsoap.com
According to today's WWD, Mariah Carey will be releasing a fragrance, M by Mariah Carey, through Elizabeth Arden. It's being called a "foriental" and come in the form of an Eau de Parfum ($38/1oz to $58/3.3oz), Parfum ($175/.5oz) and Body Lotion ($28/6.7oz).
All smart gals know that going in the sun without protection is the ultimate no-no so check out ERNO LASZLO Total Face & Body Protection SPF 30. This lightweight cream provides powerful protection against the sun’s harmful rays and we all know that the sun is the leading cause of wrinkles. I’ve been wearing this everyday now for weeks and not only does it easily absorb into my skin quickly but it’s not one bit greasy. I also love that it contains soothing Shea butter which helps promote cell regeneration, and vitamin E, which helps to keep my skin feeling like silk. You can be sure this will be a beach bag staple because when I hit the sand, I will be applying and reapplying this during those times that I’m not in the shade. $42 @ neimanmarcus.com ~Randi
This is something you have to ask yourself now when deciding upon a body scrub. Not only are you faced with, do I want a sugar or salt in my scrub but also do I want oil in my scrub or not? 
I thought we’d seen it all when it came to these body exfoliating products but then I experienced EMiNENCE ORGANiC Cranberry Pomegranate Sugar Scrub ($48/8.4oz @ buynaturalskincare.com). Wowee! The concoction is packed in a separate baggie inside the plastic container because it is so gooey. And in this case gooey is good. It stays where you apply it instead of sliding off your skin and down the drain or splattered against the shower walls. And it truly smells like fresh cranberries so much so that I could eat it. Well I didn’t eat it but I tasted a little. Sugar. And the ingredients read like a cooking recipe: Cranberry, Pomegranate, Raw Sugar Cane Granules, Green Tea, Comfrey, Butcher's Broom (relieves inflammation), Sweet Almond, Grape Seed Oil, and Ground Flaxseeds. And that’s all of them! It does have Grape Seed in it but it’s a very low concentrate so there won’t be any slipping in the tub. This is a line to pay attention to.
LAURA GELLER has some unique makeup helpers and the new Tint Hint is another blockbuster product. 
This sheer water based gel gives you just the right flush of color on your cheeks. My shade pick is Just Pinched (on the pinky side) that seems to go with all skin tones. And it’s sheer enough for your own skin color to show through and it really lasts all day! You can build more coverage if you need it through the sponge tip applicator (so clever). She also includes these cute finger puppet type sponges you could use for blending the blush if you don’t like to use your fingers. I’m a finger spreader, so I’ll save these sponges for other things. Thanks Laura! $22.50 @ sephora.com ~Lisa
I got home from
a long bike ride this past weekend and there was nothing more I was looking forward to then a nice long bath and some needed pampering and I did it with ZENTS. They just added a new scent to their collection, Oolong, which is a mature aroma meant to revive the skin and senses using green tea, lime blossom, Ylang Ylang and more. Our favorites from the collection are the Scented Body Oil ($28/8.4oz) and the Concreta ($32/1.25oz). The oil is light and perfect for the bath water or directly on the skin and just a few dabs of the balm on pulse points or in the hair and I'm back to my old self again. Both @ zents.com
Lights, Camera, Splashes! Waterproof Mascara. Ahoy mates! TARTE has a denim clad, anchor bearing insignia packaging for their new waterproof mascara. Wear it at the beach or boating with no worries about flaking or smudging. It’s dark pigment that thickens and lengthens your lashes. In black only for $18 ~Lisa
You’ll never have to settle with the same ol’ eye shadow colors this summer when you are out and about with their new Lock & Roll Eye Shadow Duo Set ($28). Also from the Stain or Shine collection these two will help your eyes truly make a splash, rain or shine. Each is a duo-ended cream on one side and powder on the other. The most important factor here is the no creasing. Finally, someone gets it right! And it’s also waterproof so feel free to splash around in the pool this summer without worry about your makeup. The most important pointer here is that you have to wear the cream AND the shadow at the same time as they work in conjunction with one another to keep your eye look together. Choose from Patina (shimmery soft green) or Bronze (shimmery bronze).
Both @ tartecosmetics.com
Voraciously vivid and brazenly bright is how MAC describes their new C-Shock collection. This is probably the most colorful collection I have seen from MAC or any line in a long time. Out of the Lipsticks, Lipgelees and Eye Shadows, I’d have to say my favorites are the Shadows. What better way to really get creative with your look than with the iridescent pinky magenta frost of Romping or the intense aqua frost of Big T. As with any look you go with, balance is the key. So if you are going to wear the metallic coral Lipstick, Overrich, don’t wear the matte red Passionate eye shadow at the same time. So take on the world one feature at a time. $14 each @ maccosmetics.com
I’m always on the hunt for the l
