May 2008 Beauty Q&A

Q: I am super excited about my annual summer trip. But not excited about how dry my hair ends looks by the time I make it home. Do you have products that will help get it looking healthy during my trip? During the summer our hair usually takes a beating. Between chlorinated pools, salt water, the sun, humidity and lots of pulled back styles your hair is prone to dryness and breaking. The trick is to keep hair conditioned and protected with a penetrating product. Dr. Miracles created a prefect ready-to-go anywhere Tingling Intensive Deep Conditioning Treatment ($1.59, drmiracles.com). This simple, one step product combats breakage and slow growth wile revitalizing hair’s natural shine and beauty. The conditioner has a special formula that tingles as it penetrates deep into the hair follicle and treats the scalp. Just throw the portable package of conditioner in your luggage and your ready to go.

Q: I am tired of my go to lip-gloss. I want something fresh and new. What lip gloss would your recommend to me to get out of my lipgloss rut?
I love lip gloss so you have came to the right place. Two of my favorite glosses to join the ranks in my makeup bag are Tarte Double Dose Berry Boost & Gloss and Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipgloss. Tarte’s Double Dose Berry Boost & Gloss ($21, sephora.com) is a high shine color packed gloss with and added t5 super fruit complex. The fruit complex is a proprietary blend of the five most active super fruits. With each swipe of the gloss you get both beauty and treatment. The inner part of the gloss is a concentrated pigment that mixes with the outer high shine gloss. You are left with a shiny rich color that helps rejuvenate and moisturize your lips. Comes in 4 great colors. Beautiful.

Napoleon Perdis DeVine Goddess Lipgloss ($25, napoleonperdis.com) is another favorite. The lush gloss comes in two seductive shades that live you looking like a real movie star. Marilyn is a head turning iridescent pearl that has va-va-voom. And Muse is a soft, coral colored gloss that screams classic beauty. They both contain Vitamin E to heal lips and marine Collagen to repair lips. I love the light texture and sparkly color.

Q: Last summer I got bumps on my bikini line and underarms when I shaved. How do I avoid the bumps this summer? First make sure you are shaving skin that it’s not dry or irritated. You want to shave soft, wet, fully moisturized skin. Use a sharp clean razor every time you shave. And finally try one of the several anti bump products on the market now. I came across a great one not to long ago. Whish Beauty Flawless Bump Fighter ($22.50, whishbody.com). It ensures a smooth bump free shave and can be used on legs, bikini line and underarm areas. Flawless Bump Fighter combines clinically-proven, natural active ingredients that not only prevent bumps and ingrown hair but also inhibit future hair growth. The result is soft, touchable skin for longer periods of time than any shave you have ever had before. Plus it smells fresh and clean.

Q: There are a ton of makeup palettes out now and I find it overwhelming. Which one would you recommend for the summer? Women are busier then ever and we want are favorite must have items in a convenient easy to use and carry makeup palette. Cosmetic companies have taken note and almost every line has a palette out. But not all palettes are created equally. My favorite this summer is Sugar Cosmetics Round the Clock ($42, sugarcosmetics.com). This makeup palette combines the best hues that work in both in the sunlight and moonlight. The palette has an extra-large mirror and six must have beauty products that include a concealer, brightener, shadows bronzer and a moisturizing lip gloss. The colors work really well together and just with the six products you can create several looks for day and for evening. Round the clock.

Q: What fragrances are hot right now? I have two fragrances to recommend and they couldn’t be any different. One evokes fields of magical flowers and the other is a wild fruity floral. Bath and Body Works Enchanted Orchid ($19, bathandbodyworks.com) is the first fragrance and it is the essence of spring with its delicate scent. With every spritz you are transported to a exotic field of Orchids. The smell is silky, smooth, creamy and sensual. With notes of pink grapefruit, water lily, crisp apple, vanilla Orchid, Violet petals and creamy amber, this fragrance is warm, lush and tropical at the same time. Not overpowering yet not timid it strikes just the right balance.

The other is Ed Hardy Perfume for Women ($55, amazon.com). Created by the famous designer Christian Audigier this fragrance comes in a rock n roll package that lets you know that this is a different type of fragrance. And once you smell this delicious scent your realize just how original it is. The fragrance is a fruity floral scent with notes of apple soufflé, mango, wild strawberry, rudy red grapefruit, freesia petals, watery muguet, linden blossom, warm amber, musk, tonka bean and vanilla pudding. Truly unique and utterly surprising.