1. MATRIX Biolage Polishing Hair Scrub ($23/7.6oz @ jcpenney.com) – this pre-shampoo sugar scrub was made to clean the scalp and hair and I’m a fan of these pre-products lately. This one smells like fresh cut lemons.

2. WEN 'Spring Honey Lilac' eau de parfum ($109/3.4oz @ chazdean.com) – I think I may have found my springtime scent! Living in California, I don’t come across lilacs at all so it’s nice to be able to smell them again on the regular with this frag.

3. METHOD Foaming Body Wash in Ruby Orange ($4.74/18oz @ walgreens.com and target.com) – no waiting for lather with this one! Just a few pumps of this in the wash cloth and you’re ready to go. And the scent is really nice and uplifting.

4. REVIVAL Coffee + Rose Hip Natural Body Scrub ($21.95/8oz @ revivalbodycare.com) – if you need your coffee to wake you up in the morning, you may want to check this one out because coffee is the main ingredient. Also inside this Vegan scrub is coconut oil, brown sugar, virgin olive oil, sea salt, and rose hip oil. That’s it! #supportindies

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

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As we come to the close of April, I’ve been frantically testing out products I think are worthy of getting the favorite of the month tag. Here are a few I recommend. 

1. FRESH Sugar Sport Treatment Sunscreen SPF 30 ($25 @ fresh.com, sephora.com) – Since it’s in a stick form, you can slide it in your purse and never worry about spillage. Now there’s no excuse for not wearing SPF, right?

2. IT COSMETICS Heavenly Luxe You Sculpted! #18 Contour & Highlight Brush ($34.50 @ itcosmetics.com) - So why don’t I have a brush like this in my collection? I didn’t realize how much I needed one in this shape until I saw this one! Isn’t that always the case? Love this one for (trying) to sculpt my cheeks and to brush under the jaw line. 

3. KISS USA Ruby Kisses Matte Lipstick in Red Mangrove ($2.99 @ kissusa.com) – Wait, did you even know this brand made anything beside lashes and fake nails? I didn’t! I saw a few YouTube videos raving about their matte lipsticks so I had to try them and they are really all that. If you like a little moisture with your matte lippies then these are for you and how about that price?? I picked mine up at my local beauty supply store.

4. BENEFIT COSMETICS Dandelion Shy Beam Liquid Highlighter ($26 @ benefitcosmetics.com) – This is such a nice matte pinky nude highlighter that can be use anywhere on the face. Lately it’s been ruling the tops of my cheeks.

5. CLINIQUE Pep-Start Eye Cream ($26.50 @ clinique.com and sephora.com) – I’ve never needed an eye cream more than in the last few months for some reason. #aging. This one is light on the skin and on the purse strings. It hydrates, depuffs and really seems to wake me up.

6. ELIE SAAB ‘Le Parfum Rose Couture’ Eau de Toilette ($80/1.6oz, $108/3oz only @ nordstrom.com) – Anything rose always welcomes springtime for me and I’ve worn this one non-stop since I got it. Orange flower, jasmine, rose nectar, vetiver, sandalwood, patchouli, mandarin tree blossom, gardenia and warm honey rose. Every note says feminine.

7. TARTE COSMETICS Rainforest of the Sea Wipeout Color-Correcting Palette ($45 @ dermstore.com, sephora.com) – You don’t need to suffer from any kind of discolorations on your skin anymore! Color-correcting is all the rage for a reason. It works! This one has 6 creams shades to get your skin on point.

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

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My nose seems to come out of hibernation this time of year when the seasons change and everything just smells so much richer right now. Here are some of my favorites I can’t get enough of! What are some of your favorites? 

CLEAN Blossom Eau de Parfum ($40/1oz, $72/2.14oz @ ulta.com, cleanperfume.com) – released early this year, this one seems to fit perfectly right now. This floral contains notes of neroli, lilac, orange blossom, lily and musk and sandalwood. Super feminine and a little heavier than a traditional floral.  

FRESH Rose Deep Hydration Cream ($40/1oz @ freshbeauty.com and sephora.com) – made for normal to dry skin, I almost like applying some of this each night just to smell the roses! This cream will increase the skin’s hydration by including hyaluronic acids in it as well as rosewater and vitamin E to nourish.

SALVATORE FERRAGAMO Emozione Dolce Fiore Eau de Toilette ($79/1.7oz, $99/3.1oz @ macys.com) – this floral releases top notes of bergamot, grapefruit and white peach, heart notes of rose buds and peony and a base of white musk, vanilla and suede. Really unique and calming.

ST. IVES Nourished & Smooth Oatmeal Body Scrub ($5.99/9oz @ target.com) – this gentle body scrub uses walnut shell powder to slough off the rough winter skin to reveal a softer side.

Yes, we just passed the most gift-giving time of year but you will have more times come up throughout the year where you need a great gift. One of my favorites to give? A fragrances complementing lotion or cream. I find it's usually something someone doesn't buy themselves and finding out their favorite or signature fragrance is rather easy.

Here are a few from the more popular fragrances out there!

• VIKTOR & ROLF Flowerbomb Cream - $90/6.7oz @ nordstrom.
• CHLOE Chloé Perfumed Body Cream - $85/5oz @ sephora.com.
• NARCISO RODRIGUEZ for her Cream - $86/5.2oz @ sephora.com.
• CHANEL Nº5 The Body Cream - $82/5oz @ chanel.com.

Selecting a fragrance can be pretty daunting, especially if you're not sure what you like. I mean, look at all the choices and if you don’t know what notes you tend to gravitate towards, how on earth can you make an educated choice? Enter PINROSE. They will help reveal your scent personality by giving you a quiz on their site. And the quiz is quite interesting! It’s comprised of 11 pairs of shapes, colors, and images and has you choose between them like ...  

Do you like to touch sand or fur more? Do you like green or pink more?

And when it comes to style, do you like modern or hipster?

Next is an audio choice, a place choice, and then your birthday.

The site then displays 3 scent options based on your answers. Below are mine. I'm a Charmer!

One popular note in 2 of mine was vanilla and one is on the powdery side, which I usually don’t gravitate towards.

You now have an idea of scents you might like that you can sample or they have an option to purchase The Starter Kit for $9, which is 10 Pinrose-created scents.

Read more on their fragrances and their service @ pinrose.com.  

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

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Still stumped on what to gift your bestie? Or yourself? Here are some more suggestions.

VOTIVO Boxed Glass Soy Wax Candle in Red Currant ($28/6.8oz=60 hr burn time @ dermstore.com) – I don’t know anyone who doesn’t love this Red Currant scent. And a quality candle is always a great gift to yourself or someone else.

Click here to read more

Dry shampoos have come quite a-ways and now we have ones that infuse theirs with an eau de parfum. Waah? Yup, leave it to the Olsen Twins to come up with a twist to what has become a faithful stand-by to most. 

ELIZABETH AND JAMES 'Nirvana White' Dry Shampoo and 'Nirvana Black' Dry Shampoo ($28/4.4oz, $14/1.3oz @ sephora.com) each highlight the brand’s eau de parfum scent into the formula.

I’m quite tickled with the Nirvana White at the moment (notes of peony, muguet and tender musk) so I’ve been looking forward to not washing my hair so I can use it to layer my fragrance that day.

The formula uses rice starch to absorb oils and it doesn’t contain any talc, which is known to leave residue behind. Yuck!

And since the scent inside the can is not that strong, it’s also a unique way to wear your fragrance for the day by just giving you a light wisp of the notes.

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

So what’s on your beauty must-have list right now? I'm all ready for summer and on my short list is a fitting fragrance, a good sunscreen and a new essential beauty tool! Are any of these tickling your fancy?

ESCADA Turquoise Summer EDT ($25 rollerball @ sephora.com) – this scent screams everything warm and tropical with notes of fruity sorbet of wild red fruit, fleshy peach and a dash of floral with violet and orange flowers. Simply delightful all the way around!

MURAD Essential-C Day Moisture Broad Spectrum SPF 30 PA+++ ($60/1.7oz @ murad.com and sephora.com) – a UVB/UVA sunscreen is essential these days, everyday really no matter what time of year, and why not use one that does double duty? This one fights aging with added vitamin C.

THERMALABS The Ultimitt ($10 @ amazon.com) – kinda over using those flimsy mitts that come with the self-tanners. I took a risk with this one when I read about it on amazon and I’m delighted to report how much more effective this one is. It’s made of a microfiber cloth and can be used to apply any type of tanner – mousse, gel, mist or lotion. It’s machine washable and is guaranteed for one year. Now how can you go wrong with that? 

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.

RITUALS Foaming Shower Oil in Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom from the Sakura Spring Collection ($15/6.7oz @ rituals.com and barneys.com) – cherry has always been one of my top favorite scents and this one contains real cherry flower extract. And this cleansing body oil won’t dry the skin out like a regular soap can.

JEAN PAUL GAULTIER Classique Summer Edition EDT ($71/3.3oz @ macys.com) – JPG puts out one of my favorite scents found on a man so I was giddy when this one landed in my mail box. With pungent notes of rose, orange blossom, jasmine and woody lily of the valley, this is sure to become a scent-staple this season. 

COAL AND CANARY Super Powers and Fresh Cut Flowers Candle ($25 @ coalandcanary.com) – ok, picture a huge bouquet of fresh cut flowers … got it? That is exactly what this candle smells like!

L’OCCITANE Peony Perfecting Mist ($24/3.3oz @ loccitane.com) – I’m getting my summer face mists together this month for the upcoming heat and this one is for sure being included. Instead of just using a plain water, why not use one that not only hydrates but smells wonderfully of peonies from the real extract inside?

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.

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I know it has to be finally warming up where you are now that Spring is officially here so it’s time to think scents as in, time to update what fragrances you’ll be wearing this season. Here are 3 new favorites.

ELIE SAAB ‘Le Parfum’ Resort Collection EDT ($98/3oz @ amazon.com) – if rose isn’t your thing, then perhaps this watery/fruity floral will be. Created by world famous nose, Francis Kurkdjian, he’s included top notes of mandarin and fig, middle notes of jasmin, organge flower and frangipani flower and a base of cedar and luminous amber.

AERIN Rose de Grasse Parfum Spray ($185/1.7oz @ neimanmarcus.com) – nothing says springtime more than roses and this one blends 3 precious rose ingredients in the bottle. This is also the first launch in the Premier Collection, which will be a celebration of rare, expensive and artisanal perfumes by the brand.

Eau de Gaga 001 Eau de Parfum ($34/1.7oz @ ice.com) I’ve kinda shied away from the whole celebrity fragrance trend even though I did like one that I sniffed a few years ago. But I swear, if I did a blind sniff of this one from Ms. Ga, I would swear it was put out by Juliette Has A Gun or Agent Provocateur … seriously! This latest one is unisex and described as a woody-floral opening with notes of sparkling lime, white violet and a base of leather. 

Disclosure: Samples of these items were provided for review purposes.