I’ve slathered on a lot of different self-tanners all month … I know, I’m not a big fan because I can never seem to get it right but for those who can, the finished color you get with these three have parts of me realisticly glowing. Just don’t forget to exfoliate before applying! From L to R:

PUR MINERALS 'Get A Little' Self-Tanning Lotion ($21.50/4oz @ purminerals.com) – has a light citrus scent and infuses good-for-skin ingredients like vitamins A, E and grape seed extract. 

ST. TROPEZ Everyday Perfect Legs ($45/5oz @ sephora.com) – contains Aromaguard that just about eliminates the stink-ola that normally comes with tanning products. You can’t see it in the picture but this one is two-sided. The white pump is the gradual tan lotion and the black pump is your immediate bronzer color.

It’s been so hot the last few weeks that the last thing I want to do is turn the hair dryer on but I was so curious about THERMAFUSE’s new Heatsmart Serum Dry Oil Treatment ($19/2oz @ amazon.com for a salon near you) I just had to. It's a blend of three proven good-for-hair organic oils – Argan, Acai and Flaxseed. Who is this one made for? Those who need a little hair repair and for those with frizzies, which seems to be all of us.

Apply it to dry hair as a hair finisher or as I like to, right before blow drying. The heat really helps the oils do their work and beautifully. And if you are like me and love the smell of products, they infused it with a vanilla musk scent.

So what’s the difference between BARE ESCENTUALS new bareMinerals SPF 15 Matte Foundation and their regular finish foundation? Some have reported it gives the skin more of an airbrushed look and some have said this is the one for you if you have oily skin.It seems to be the same formula (and same choice of colors), just with a different end result. I did notice a slight difference in the finish but not huge. Would I go out and get this one special? Probably not. Would I buy this one over their regular powder foundation when the container is empty and I’m ready to purchase more? Probably yes.

And the packaging of this one is so cool. No more turning over to dump some out in the cover!

MAC’s latest Colour Craft collection is a big one. Lots of new twists on standards like the Lipglass – three colors swirled in the tube that give it a marble look in the tube and  the Mineralized Eye Shadows in a pinwheel design giving you more bang for your buck with four shades packed in each one. Here are the picks:

Mineralize Eye Shadow ($19.50) in Assemblage (white w/silver pearl, deep grey, black w/silver glitter, warm yellow gold), Natural Flare (copper, yellow orange, dirty brown and rich gold)

Mineralize Blush ($21) in Hand Finish (light pink w/deep gold veining) and Style Demon (dirty brick red w/copper veining – so pretty put apply with a light hand)

Lipglass ($17.50) in Crazy Haute (blue pink)

Lipstick ($14) in Made With Love (bright coral pink) and Madly Creative (pink neutral w/white pearl)

All @ ulta.com.

How many beauty purchases have you been able to make in the past 6 months? Yup, money is tight all around so don’t you think it’s time to finally check out BEAUTY FIX? They just put out their third release and you can read more about it here. It’s such a great deal so what are you waiting for? I mean, don’t you want to share your opionion on beauty products too? You can’t agree with everything we say, right? You can express your opinion on their site so get over to beautyfix.com and at least read what it’s all about!

I loved their makeup system so I was all, “bring it on!” when I found out about their at-home airbrush tanning system, LUMINESS TAN. It’s no secret that I am not a wiz with a self tanner that comes in a can, especially around the feet. I mean, there are some good ones out there and we’ve written about a lot of them, I’m just not that great at applying them flawlessly and I don’t think I’m alone.

Now I’ve had a custom airbrush tan before. The one where you get naked and someone walks around you and meticulously airbrushes the color onto you and it looks good in the end but it’s pricey and I can’t stand that just tanned smell. And did I mention I got totally naked to do it? Yeah, fun.

Using the same kind of Stylus wand applicator, this one is the same idea but you do it to yourself. Simply plug the bottle with the color in the bottom of the wand and use your finger to trigger the nozzle - open it a little or a bit more for a bigger dose of color to come out. No matter how fair you are, you can achieve a great looking tan. No orange to be found here, just their Immediate Bronzer and  and Tanning Actives for a sunny glow.

They say it lasts up to 14 days with the words up to being the key. I really think it depends on how many layers you apply in how long it lasts. But one of the best traits is there is really no stinky smell afterward.

If you plan on doing your whole body, One big recommendation – stand in the tub to do it. Yes, it’s only a mist of color but it’s still color and you don’t want it all over the house, right?

$129 or their site has a 30-day trial offer @ amazon.com and includes everything you’ll need that’s shown in the picture here.

CLINIQUE Butter Shine Lipstick ($14 @ clinique.com) is such a smooooth feeling gel-formulated, feels-like-a-gloss-but-wears-like-a-lipstick, lipstick and this Bamboo Pink is so YLBB w/ a kick of pink shimmer, I can’t stand it!

I’m headed to a long weekend outing at the beach next weekend and my skin has got to look top notch! To get it in tip top shape, I’ve been using BEING TRUE’s Energy Work Active Body Peel ($42/8oz). While I love all kinds of scrubs, I always wonder what they are doing to my skin by using sometimes jagged particles to exfoliate. I try to use ones with spheres but in doing what I do here, I test out all kinds and I’m afraid that most are of the jagged variety .

This one from Being True uses Salicylic Microcapsules, so you don’t have to worry about any damage. They capsules simply burst open when you rub it around the skin and the ingredients do their work. The gel also contains jojoba, green tea leaf extract, and soothing oils like lavender, spearmint and rosemary. I’ve been pairing this with their Energy Work Aroma Shower Gel ($26/6.8oz) for my all over cleanse for a total wake-me-up-in-the-morning duo. These help create a positive state of mind all in the shower. All and more @ amazon.com.

We wrote about PER-FEKT’s Skin Perfection Gel when it came out many moons ago and I was very excited to recently come across their new Eye Perfection Gel ($45/.3oz @ dermstore.com). Unlike other beauty products, I have to go super easy on the amount used, as you read correctly, the tube is a meer .3oz, but it does double, really, triple duty:

• makeup primer for lids
• eye treatment product for doing away with puffy eyes, shadows and fine lines (it contains cucumber extract, antioxidants, hyaluronic microspheres and those all important peptides)
• concealer for under the eyes as it comes in 4 tinted colors – Awake, Bright, Refreshed and Vibrant.

So when you weigh all the products out you use for all three of those, the price doesn’t seem so steep, right?

And I have to point out how useful the metal tip is. It is called a palladium tip applicator and it feels so cooling on the skin when applying the mousse-gel. I can't think of an eye treatment gel or cream that dispenses this way or is meant to be placed directly on the skin when dispensing. Big recommendation.

Baby oil, body oil, any kind of oil really, I am a fan. One I forgot about that we featured on the site many years ago and deserves a repost, is LEONOR GREYL’s Magnolia Oil ($42/3.2oz @ nordstrom.com). Made for the face and body, it smells so wonderfully of the Magnolia Blossom and contains a blend of pure botanical oils rich in pro-vitamins A. So put some on to help ease a sunburn or just for the sheen effect it leaves behind on the skin.
This oil is a little different than others out there in that it absorbs quicker than any I’ve ever used and a little goes a long way. Probably one of the reasons this one has quite the cult following. Big recommendation.