I'm Just Curious

I never thought I'd say this, but I like Britney Spears' new perfume Curious. It's a lovely, light scent that makes me think of a spring evening. Shhhhhhh. Don't tell anyone that I like something by Mrs. Federline. I mean, she really is becoming skanky. Anyway, I'll also plug Elizabeth Arden's new Green Tea Summer scent, which is fresh and fruity. Won't overpower you or your co-worker. I know some people fear perfume. Why fear it? I say, fear W instead. Perfume should compliment you, your mood and your sensibilities. It should not make you feel like you need to hold your breath. Now that's scary.

Top Shelf Recommendation: Essie Smoothies hand and body lotion. I like Pomegranate& Mango.

Ah Choo

You know how some people swear by zinc lozenges? I swear by Kleenex. Boy, do I have a nasty cold. Yep. And I'm on the radio to boot. What do you do when you have a cold? I think I'm going to take a bath and put some droplets of chamomile in the tub. Why not? Even my teeth hurt. I know. I know. Sinuses. So, when you don't have a cold and you want to accentuate your skin, try prepping it with primer. Laura Mercier has a great one that makes your foundation or tinted moisturizer glide on perfectly. As it should. I used to think primer was just an extra step. Then I tried it. Primer works. You'll see.

Top Shelf Recommendation: I know this isn't a beauty product, but if you're down and need a sweet pick me up, go for chocolate. I love Cadbury mini-eggs. Delish!

Jumpin' for Juniper

I know. I know. Last blog I bitched about BBW ... for those of you who don't know the lingo, that's Bath and Body Works. Anyway, I do like their products. And just to prove it to you I'm going to tell you about one of them. Well, make that two. Let's say you've just finished hitting the tennis ball around for 45-minutes and are about to spend another hour doing some power yoga ... you may want to cool off in between the two activities but may not have time to rinse off. The beautybabe says spritz, spritz, spritz. Thanks to my good friend Gabby, I've discovered BBW's Juniper Breeze Body Splash. It's not too strong, but still, try not to over do it. Gives you just the right amount of scent so you don't have to worry about offending any yoga buddies or the instructor.

Top Shelf Recommendation: So if you're in BBW, treat yourself to their Chocolate Fondue tutti dolce lip gloss. Delish!

Bath and Body What?

Have you noticed how upscale Bath and Body Works has become? Actually, that's not one hundred percent accurate. The store still carries its trademark soaps and scents, but it's recently added some top of the line brands like C.O. Bigelow and another line from Provence, France. I tried out some of these higher end products and have to say they are very luxurious. I enjoyed a lip balm made with shea butter from a honey-based line. I also tried some products with lavender and rose. I love rose products. I was going to buy some eye make-up remover but it was 15 bucks. I thought that was a lot of money for a small container of product. (Even the beauty babe has to resist temptation sometimes.) In any case, I've read that the company is also adding some high end cosmetic lines too, like Awake, but only in their flagship stores. I'm always amazing how busy BBW is on the weekends. We were in the Concord Mills store and people were lined up at the cash register.

Top Shelf Recommendation: Pop Beauty lip gloss: kitten. Give your lips something to purrrrrrrrrrrrr about. Available at Sephora and Nordstrom.

Say Cheese !

I'm a sucker for certain products (no, really?) but I'm still going to gush about my latest find. I love Go Smile's new AM and PM toothpaste kit. The paste is supposed to keep your teeth white, but I find it to be very calming and, well, soft on my teeth. I'm a teeth person. Not everyone is a teeth person. But if you find that you need a little pick me up, and you're not looking to spend a fortune, pick up some Go Smile toothpaste. Nothing against Crest and Colgate, but sometimes you need a little gourmet. Life's short. Go gourmet. You can find it online at www.gosmile.com. It's also available at Sephora. P.S. I've tried the company's other tooth whitening products, too, and I like their concept. Compact, clean, disposable and you don't have to worry about swallowing them. (I once swallowed a Crest white strip)

By the way, I want to thank my reader who has now enlightened me about the properties of quince. Apparently it's a forbidden fruit, a mix of pear and apple.


Top Shelf Recommendation: Green tea for its antioxidant properties. I bought some with mint. One tea bag with one pack of Splenda. Boil water and pour. Enjoy.

Airplane Lips and Hands

Why are airplanes so drying? Sometimes it feels as if the moisture is being sucked right out of my skin. Today I look a little like a lizard, even though I tried to stay hydrated both during and after my flight. At least there are products that provide relief. That's what it's all about. Finding the perfect products to alleviate things like the stress of flying. Imagine if someone made hand cream with a touch of valium that could be absorbed into the body. Rub it on your hands and your whole body floats. Ok, I better come back down to planet earth right now.


Top Shelf Recommendation: Aveeno Positively Radiant Lip Enhancer. I just coated my lips with this product. Right now they feel shiny and comforted. It's kind of like a lip balm, minus the pot and goo. I bought it at Walgreens.

For My Friend Leigh

I am not going to divulge her itsy bitsy problem, but my friend Leigh says she needs a new shampoo. She's called on the beautybabe for advice. I've made two suggestions: baby shampoo or Bumble and Bumble Hair Tonic. You can buy Bumble and Bumble online if you can't find it in the Queen City. But here's a third option -- wash hair infrequently. When you hair is coarse you don't need to wash it daily. I wash mine about three days a week. But I realize that not everyone has dry hair. Anyway, Leigh, you're beautiful with or without the special shampoo. Just keep smiling that pretty smile of yours.


Top Shelf Recommendation: C.O. Bigelow hand cream -- Quince. Amazing stuff. Available at Bath and Body Works. Try the purse size. Absorbs quickly and leaves a trace of a light scent. Does anyone know what a quince is?

Finding a Lip Gloss Even I Don't Like

Well folks ... even I found a lip gloss I can't stand. Can we say Yuck!

I've bought other products by Wet 'n Wild before and enjoyed them. So I tried a pink sparkle lip gloss (in a tube) because I liked the color. The gloss is nice but the texture was so gross and the product so foul I had to wipe it from my lips immediately. Here's my advice. If you buy a gross lip gloss and you've spent less than 5 bucks, dump it. If it's morethan 5 bucks and you still have the receipts, return it. Most stores, including drugstores and department stores will take back products -- yes used products with a receipt.

Top Shelf Recommendation: For a lip gloss that does taste good .. . try Wink's lip gloss. It comes with a gloss and a pencil. I have giggle. It may be the perfect pink lip gloss. And it tastes yummy - almost like cocoa, no need to wipe it from my lips. Enjoy it. Buy it at Nordstrom.

Modern Friction

I read about. I tried it. Now you can too. Origin's new Modern Friction gentle dermabrasion. Rub it dry on your face for a minute and then add water and make it soapy. Made my face a little red. But don't let stop you -- just don't use it right before a big event, like your own wedding.

Top Shelf Recommendation: Modern Friction. By it at Bloomie's, like I did.

Cocoa Therapy

If you like chocolate like I like chocolate, try Origins Cocoa Therapy. Love it. The perfect shade of lip gloss if you're a brunette like me. Run out to Bloomie's, Nordie's or Macy's and buy this stuff pronto. For my Southern Belles, even Belk has Origins. Can you believe a Yankee like me is talking about Belk. Anyway, a girl has to shop, wherever she may be living. So back to Origins. I tried this new lip balm (Cocoa Therapy) and then swirled a bit of Mac lip glass (clear) on top and my lips looked amazing. I'm not one to brag, but I looked hot. My husband thought so. Also at the Origins counter -- although I didn't buy it because I didn't want to seem greedy in front of my momma -- a new lip gloss in a tube with a bit of peppermint oil. I love peppermint and I love it in gloss. If you caught Sunday Styles this week
(and please tell me you read S.S.) you'll see a product that I recommended last week from Bath and Body Works. It's the Mint lip gloss. I have one. I need another. You will too. I tried to buy one at the mall, and they were sold out. Can you believe that? You bet.

Top Shelf Recommendation: Origins Cocoa Therapy lip balm. (Enjoy) P.S. The company says it's a mood booster.