.:: CybeleSays ::.

I have long been fascinated with the ingredient Shea Butter. The two words are luscious and how it is used in beauty products is very nourishing. So we decided to do a four-part feature on Shea Butter products that are out there and ones that are worth trying out.

A little history – the nut is indigenous to Africa and how they get the butter is by extracting the yellow to ivory-colored fat from the fruit from the Shea tree. This is achieved by either crushing it or boiling it. It has long been touted for its superior moisturizing traits as well as its ability to fade scars, heal rashes and even work magic on stretch marks.

I’m sure you are aware that the closer to the top an ingredient appears in an ingredient list on the back of any product, the more of that ingredient it contains. But what I find funny, well peculiar actually, is that a product with the word Shea in the name can sometimes have it listed far down the list. So check the back of your products when it comes to this awesome ingredient to see how concentrated it really is. It should be listed in the top three at least and these all below are list it second and will appear as either Shea Butter or Butyrospermum Parkii. Here are some with Shea right up at the top, where it should be.

• LUSH Buffy ($10.75/3.3oz @ lush.com)
• VON NATUR Grapefruit Whipped Butter ($42/5oz @ vonnatur.com)
• BATH AND BODYWORKS 'Shea It Isn’t So' Shea Butter Foot Cream ($15/4oz @ bathandbodyworks.com)
• MISTRAL Shea Butter Hand Cream in Milk ($17.50/2.6oz @ mistralsoap.com)

For a week long trip or a weekend, here are two take with you on the go kits that cover all your needs.

For Body - GOLDEN EARTH Travel Kit ($30 @ goldenearth.net) – Soothe Lip Balm, Desire Body Lotion, Nourish Hand Cream, Trek Foot Cream, Tranquility Bath/Hand Gel, Revive.

For Hair - VON NATUR Travel Pack ($15 @ vonnatur.com) – Crown to Sole Shampoo, Crown to Sole Conditoner, Complete Body Lotion.

Think purple is too much for some occasions? Then try its cousin Mauve. In addition to purple wine, green moss, and nude shimmer, mauve is kicking up quite a storm in fashion this fall. The best trait about the shade is that is can be a focus color or blend in the background. Here are our picks for our fourth color pick for the fall, Mauve:

1. DURI COSMETICS Nail Enamel in All About Mauve $5 @ duri.com
2. LORAC Lip Polish in Delicious $17.50 @ sephora.com
3. MAC Lip Liner in Dervish $12.50 @ maccosmetics.com
4. VON NATUR Lip Colour in Lovage $16 @ vonnatur.com
5. SUSAN POSNICK Colorforever Long Lasting Lip Color/Conditioner in Janis $24 @ beauty.com
6. KIEHL’S Lip Gloss in Icy Everest $13.50 @ kiehls.com
7. BARE ESCENTUALS bareMinerals 100% Natural Lip Color in Ripe Fig $15 @ sephora.com
8. ORLY Nail Lacquer in Not Your Mama’s Mauve $7 @ orlybeauty.com
9. SCOTT BARNES Creme Color in Sultry $24 @ scottbarnes.com
10. MILANI Powder Mosaics in Honey Kissed $7.49 @ walgreens.com
11. SEPHORA Nail Polish in #37 $4 @ sephora.com
12. BOOTS No7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in #75 Sugar Plum $9.99 @ boots.com
13. NARS Lip Lacquer in Sweet Charity $23 @ sephora.com

Fall is here and we couldn't be more excited! And with the season come some great color trends. Twice a month until December, we will be featuring two colors we are loving and the makeup products that highlight them. Here's our first installment!

Ask most men about NUDE and they think of well, besides that, one color. Women … well, we know all the variations. There’s fleshy nude, beige nude, beige-y pink nude and even metallic-y nude and the formulas can be sheer or very pigmented. I love that the color can really polish off a look if you’re going for simple and low maintenance or if you want to make one feature really stand out. Add a sprinkle of shimmer and you have one of this season’s “it” colors. And what’s great about this shade as it’s hard to go overboard. You can do all your features in different nudes and still look fab. Lips, face, eyes ... here’s our picks of Nude Shimmers for the season:

BOURJOIS Effet 3D Les Nudes in 33 Brun Poetic ($15 @ ulta.com) – looks darker in the tube than it actually appears in the tube
SPA RITUAL Nail Lacquer in Savant ($10 @ sparitual.com) – has a hint of gold shimmer
SHISEIDO The Makeup Lip Gloss in G27 Rose Toffee ($20 @ sephora.com) - light and glossy
JOEY NEW YORK Eye Shading Powder in Soulful Eyes ($16 @ joeynewyork.com) – apply up to the brow bone and then lots of mascara
CLINIQUE Touch Tint For Eyes, New Cream Formula in Natural Suede ($14.50 @ clinique.com) - water-resistant tint
SHU UEMURA Cream Eye Shadow in Soft Seashell White ($25 @ shuuemura.com) - sublte and sleek
VON NATUR Spruce Powder Foundation ($27.99 @ vonnatur.com) – a little on cheeks, cupid’s bow, under the eyebrows
DEBRA MACKI Lip Gloss in Sucre ($16 @ debramacki.com) – a beige-y metallic that’s all shimmer
SEPHORA Radiant Powder In A Brush ($18 @ sephora.com) - translucent powder with a kick
RIMMEL Glitter Eye Shadow Pencil in Starlight ($3 @ drugstore.com) – to highlight and add some fun

No matter where I am, I always make sure I have a great lip balm on my person. Here are some that wet my whistle. Clockwise from top:

V’TAE Lan-O-Lips Lip Balm ($5 @ vtae.com)
CAKE BEAUTY Cake Kiss Lip Butter ($10 @ cakebeauty.com)
SURGEON’S SKiN SECRET SPF 25 Lip Conditioner ($3.49 @ jamarklabs.com)
VON NATUR Forget-Me-Not Lip Balm ($18 @ vonnatur.com)
RELISH BEAUTY Shea Butter Lip Balm ($6 @ relishbeauty.com)
UPPER CANADA SOAP Lip Butter Bling ($7 @ uppercanadasoap.com)
TREAT Sweet Butter Sugared Rose Tinted Lip Balm ($10 @ treatbeauty.com)