Beauty's Product: Introducing Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare.




The buzz about Liz Earle Naturally Active Skincare (LENAS) (billed as "Britain ’s best kept beauty secret") is building to British invasion heights. As a proud sponsor of the Environmental Media Association’s 18th Annual Awards, LENAS was honored as the first-ever British beauty brand to participate. Their 13 year history of serving as a leader and pioneer in the natural products movement made them well suited to aid in honoring this year's awardees, films such as "Into the Wild" and Planet in Peril". Liz Earle herself was in attendance at the Awards Show held recently in Los Angeles and is pictured above with the likes of Amy Smart, Wendie Malick, and EMA President Debbie Levin.

As we speak I have my hands wrapped around a Tiffany-blue box brimming over with said British beauty products and the early results are quite promising.

Beauty Bubbles: Need to Shed the Holiday Haze?

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18 Top-Rated Body Scrubs

Readers share their secrets to super-soft skin


18 Top-Rated Body Scrubs

Which is the ultimate fave? Clinique? Neutrogena? Bath & Body Works?

See reviews

No. 18: Philosophy Hot Salt Tub and Shower Scrub, $25

TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 8.7*


No. 18: Philosophy Hot Salt Tub and Shower Scrub, $25

Why it's great: "I love the scent but I love the scrub too. ... You can use it wet or dry and it gives you a good bit of friction, which I prefer, and no suds. I use it dry before my bath and it really gets my circulation going."
-- Careygram, TotalBeauty.com member

No. 17: Neutrogena Energizing Sugar Body Scrub, $9.99

TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 9.0*


No. 17: Neutrogena Energizing Sugar Body Scrub, $9.99

Why it's great: "Unlike some other scrubs which are difficult to wash off, this one is not greasy and smells good."
-- alonalena, TotalBeauty.com member

No. 16: Giovanni Hot Chocolate Sugar Scrub, $13.99

TotalBeauty.com average member rating: 9.1*


No. 17: Neutrogena Energizing Sugar Body Scrub, $9.99

Why it's great: "I can use [it] every day, and it keeps skin clean and clear with a fresh scent."
-- Stef42678, TotalBeauty.com member

Want to see the rest of the list? Click here

Beauty's Product: Free Holiday Treats from Aveda!


Always the busiest shopping day, this year Black Friday comes with more pressure than ever. Add long, pre-dawn lines and hectic bargain-hungry crowds to recent headlines and holiday stress is sure to reach record peaks. This season take refuge with Aveda’s gift ideas and the oasis choice oasis of shopping wellness at Aveda Concept Salons, Spas, and Experience Centers nationwide. Of these the choicest of holiday gift sets, my choice is the Himalayan Glow Holiday 2008 Gift Set.

Featuring, Aveda's signature soy-wax aromatherapy Holiday candle, infused with certified organic essential oils of cinnamon, clove, and vanilla. The Himalayan Glow Soy-Wax Candle - features an uplifting, organic aroma inspired by the rituals and culture of Nepal. It also features a 95 percent post-consumer recycled glass container and a reusable gift box made with Lokta paper from Nepal. $32.00 is a small price to pay for such an authentic Himalayan Glow, no? While you are making your pick don't forget to:

1. A Complimentary Boost. Pamper yourself mid-list with Aveda’s complimentary wellness rituals including: a Makeup Finishing Touch (where makeup is sold), Stress Relieving Scalp and Shoulder Ritual, Stress Relieving Neck and Shoulder Ritual, Stress Relieving Hand Ritual or Caribbean Hand Treatment.

2. Chill Out. Skip that high-priced green tea from your local “mega bucks” coffee emporium and enjoy a free cup of Aveda Organic Comforting Tea at Experience Centers near you.

3. Let Aveda do all the work. Cross off the co-worker, hostess, teacher, sister and
brother from your holiday shopping list with Aveda™ 2008 Holiday Collection limited edition gift sets. Feel good giving a gift that gives back, as each gift set supports the indigenous community and craftsmanship of Northwestern Nepal.

4. Breathe

Beauty Bubbles: Anne Hathaway's Hot Locks

Girls, I just saw Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married and I am amazed. The Devil Wears Prada is an actress. Seriously, she is so phenomenal. Let's take a moment and honor her hair story because not only is her acting amazing her hair in these photos is inspirational.

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Anne Hathaway's Hot Hairstyles

The "Rachel Getting Married" star shows how she can rock a bob haircut and long layers


Anne Hathaway's Hot Hairstyles

Anne Hathaway's got effortless beauty down pat, whether she's sporting a cropped bob, long wavy locks or an updo. Check out her hairstyles and find a look to steal this season.

See Anne

Beauty's Product: Eve Lom - available at Beauty.com for the first time!

Beauty.com is now carrying Eve Lom! This is a very big deal, because it is FINALLY available online and not just at Space NK. Yay! Also, Vogue apparently called the face wash “the best cleanser in the world.” In case your not familiar here is a little background:

EVE LOM
In 1984, the first Eve Lom salon opened in London . For Eve, the minimalist regime she recommends works for all skin-types and places a strong emphasis on cleansing and exfoliation. The Eve Lom skincare range evolved from her cult Cleanser. The pared-down regime Eve recommends is based on the philosophy that less is more when it comes to effective skincare. I so agree. Made for Beauty's SPOT girls, no?

Beauty Bubbles: Let Reese Witherspoon Inspire Your Holiday Look!

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How to Steal Reese Witherspoon's Look

Recreate the hairstyles, updos and makeup looks seen on the "Four Christmases" star with these quick tips


How to Steal Reese Witherspoon's Look

It's tough to be jealous of Reese Witherspoon's classic beauty since she seems so darn nice. Since she's starring in the new flick "Four Christmases," we thought we'd glance back at some of her best looks and tell you how to do recreate the looks at home -- bonus!

See Reese

Beauty's Product RAVE: Physician's Formula Plump Potion Mascara - My New Favorite.

I have a new be all, end all mascara. It saved me from a compulsion with Benefit's indigo-colored BadGal Blue Mascara. What started out as a fun summer fling and a slight nod to the eighties turned into an awkward fall faux pax. Really who wears indigo lashes in the fall? Well I did until I found Physician's Formula Plump Potion. See, I needed something dramatic with a classic color. I couldn't simply go from a head over heels love affair with Badgal Blue straight into lashes as usual.




What BadGal offered in pigment, Plump Potion offers in volume, length, and drama. Honestly, this little wand reaches lashes I never even knew I had. The adorable, crooked, (yes the wand is bent just before the brush for greater access to all lashes - SO AMAZING) wand arrived on the market just in time. It's described as, "An innovative, plumping, mascara potion featuring a high-performance cocktail of plumping, volumizing, lengthening and stimulating ingredients for an instant, dramatic effect." In other words, the first application left me wondering, "Who the hell is looking at me in the mirror?" and I was instantly inspired to create a beautiful winter smokey eye. It also features ActiPlump, an exclusive Advanced Lash Maximizing Technology for instant and very long-term effects. $8.95 Enjoy!

Beauty Bubbles: Hair Healing

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Make Your Hair Look 10 Years Younger

Get advice on nursing drab, graying hair back to health


Make Your Hair Look 10 Years Younger

We get this question a lot, so here's our answer, backed by a celebrity hairstylist.

View answer

Beauty's Product: Clarisonic Holiday Special.

As of Friday, 11/21, you can personalize your Clarisonic and put in on lay away. No seriously. I don't kid about skincare. For the month of December, Clarisonic is allowing customers to break their $195 payment into 4 easy payments to make those holiday budgets stretch a little further. You will also receive a ½ oz renewal serum, and travel bag. I adore my Clarisonic travel bag mostly because if this fantastic little brush were to mingle with my other beauty products, I don't think it would work quite as well my greedy, dirt-hoarding little pores. Enjoy!

Beauty Bubbles: Thanksgiving Not Thanksgaining.

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Calorie-Free Thanksgiving Beauty Treats

These recipe-inspired beauty products make doing hairstyles and makeup looks so much more delicious


Calorie-Free Thanksgiving Beauty Treats

Better on your lips than on your hips, we say! With pumpkin season in full force and turkey day just around corner, now's a great time to try these holiday dinner-inspired skin, makeup and hair products. Be forewarned: Many smell good enough to eat... but please don't.

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Beauty's Product RAVE: L'Oreal Skin Genesis Towelettes

L’Oréal Paris’ new Skin Genesis Micro-Smoothing Towelettes hint at the faint memory of my high school boyfriend's bathroom cabinet packed with plentiful supplies of OxyPads. These towelettes however have come a long way since, dare I say, 1998. A moderns lady's, makeup removing gift from Saint Nicolas, packed with BHA and promises of anti aging, tightening elves dancing on your epidermis as you sleep. In fact, I hate to admit it, but one night after the Clarisonic these ingenious little wipes managed to remove still more minerals from a tremendously greedy poor as it clutched my Laura Merciers. Also, I am as sick of talking about the condition of my back as you are sick of hearing about it but sufficed to say, there is no longer anything to talk about after only ONE WEEK with these little beauties. At $7.99 a package and a brave, if brief, attempt by L'Oreal to associate these towelettes with something "green," I can help myself. I love them!

Beauty's Product RAVE: You Must - Limited Edition Lip Gloss Duo


Limited Edition Lip Gloss Duo
Heidi Klum's Limited Edition Very Sexy Makeup for Victoria Secret has produced at least one must have product. You may have gathered that I'm lip gloss obsessed and in the world of Lip Gloss, where one is good, two is better. Or say five - which happens to be the number currently residing in my over sized bucket bag. Of those five, this lip gloss duo deserves attention because of its sweet scent, delicious taste, and icing-like consistency but also because it meets my top requirement for a lip gloss RAVE - absolutely no post-gloss chapping. A-mazing. The sleek packaging and the option to sparkle it up also delight the girly gadget fiend in me. You must.

Orig. $14. Clearance $8.99.

Beauty Bubbles: Botox for Christmas?

Girls I have been working with a brilliant plastic surgeon from Duke University and I have to say the Botox Bug is contagious. I haven't dipped in to the botulism just yet but the results are pretty plain. It works and unless you go overboard the look is, well, natural. I know I know I never.
So take this quiz with me and let's see if we're ready for the big BO.

TotalBeauty.com
Are You Ready for Botox?

Fillers, peels, lasers -- find out if one is right for you


Are You Ready for Botox?

Take this quiz to see what - if anything - you need to keep your skin looking great.

Take the quiz

Beauty's Product: Holiday Shopping for the Earth with Nature's Gate


Nature's Gate is featuring three adorable gift sets (Pineapple, Lotus Flower and Vanilla Bean) this holiday season! And your gift gives both ways - a portion of gift set sales goes towards Nature's Gate's partnership with WaterAid America- a nonprofit organization that helps underdeveloped countries build sustainable water systems.

Each set includes a body lotion and wash created around ingredients which are native to the countries Nature's Gate will be helping through this partnership. For instance, the Vanilla Bean gift set features ingredients from Madagascar and the Lotus Flower gift set features ingredients from India. Both countries are beneficiaries of WaterAid America. Additionally, ALL Nature’s Gate products are free of animal-derived ingredients and are NEVER tested on animals. Talk about spreading the love.

Nature’s Gate products are available at health and natural food stores across the U.S. and Canada or by visiting http://www.natures-gate.com/.

Beauty's Fashion: Minnie Rose Sample Sale.



Remember when I let you in on my LOVE for Britney and her Minnie Rose cashmere wrap? Well girls, now that the holiday sample sales have arrived, Britney, Miley, and Cameron aren't the only one who can afford Minnie Rose's cashmere. If you are lucky enough to call the big apple home, consider yourself rewarded.



When: Monday December 8th - Friday December 12th, 10 am to 6 pm

Where: 264 W. 40th St. (7th & 8th) 15th Floor



A Quick Fix for Black Friday: Hemloq Online Sale.


Let's turn Black Friday green! Hemloq, purveyor of natural, plant-based skincare is having a one day, online, 50% off sale! This anti-blemish Chocolate Masque is top on my list! In fact, I'm so inspired by Hemloq's sale that I think Green Monday - a pre-thanksgiving sale on all things organic and natural - should be the new Black Friday.

Beauty Bubbles: Get an Idea for Your Holiday Look from Celebs Like J.Hud and Victoria Beckham.

TotalBeauty.com
7 Ways to Look Gorgeous for the Holidays

From dramatic to glamorous, these celebrity makeup looks work for every festive occasion


7 Ways to Look Gorgeous for the Holidays

As the invitations start rolling in for holiday parties and New Year's Eve bashes, you're probably dreading having to figure out the best way to glam up your look. Well, look no further -- we've got seven dazzling celebrity looks with step-by-step how-tos courtesy of American Idol chief makeup artist Mezhgan that will help you turn heads at every holiday soiree.

See looks

Beauty's Product: Michelle Obama's Beauty and Style


Michelle Obama. Her M.O. is reminiscent of another First Lady by the name of "O", no? Whichever way you swing politically, we can all agree on one thing: thank God there is a woman with a brain and a beauty back in the White house. (On a personal note I happen to think it will be good for the country to have a president in the Oval office who clearly wants to eff his wife, but that's, almost, beside the point.) The point is that she's hot and I want whatever she's having. Seriously I'd die to find out what she's buying at the Nordie's beauty counter. Since I'm certain I'd be arrested if I tried to actually follow her on such an outing I'm posting this a-MAzing guide to getting her look. Enjoy!



HAIR
Sleek, shiny and simple, Obama’s hair is a perfect accent to her impeccable style. Try:

Matrix Sleek.look Blow Down Extreme Crème ($15.00)
For a smooth blow out with tons of body, this weightless crème contains a long lasting medium hold and 24 Smooth Multi-Mend TechnologyTM to instantly smooth, repair damage and stop frizz before it starts – for silky, straight hair that lasts all day.
Price: $15 at fine salons. To locate a Sleek.look salon please log onto http://www.matrix.com/

MAKE UP
Natural yet polished makeup gives Obama a fresh faced glow that always looks great. Prescriptives embraces all women, all skins, all ages with products that enhance the unique beauty of the individual and shades that flatter every skintone. With over 170 shades and 9 formulas to choose from, Prescriptives has All Skins, All Women covered - from lightest to darkest. For Obama’s look, try:

Prescriptives Custom Blend Foundation
Only Prescriptives can create a shade to perfectly compliment any skintone for the most natural look possible. Customize your coverage, finish and specific needs such as oil control, moisture level and brightening and firming elements for an unbelievably flawless match.
Price: Price: $62.00 at Prescriptives counters nationwide

Prescriptives Colorscope Lipcolor in Mochaccino
The moisture-rich formula of Colorscope Lipcolor delivers extraordinary shine and comfort for lips you'll love at first sight. This rich brownish red shade will drench your lips in brilliant color and leave them looking luscious all day long.
Price: $17.50 at Prescriptives Counters nationwide and http://www.prescriptives.com/


Prescriptives Colorscope Eye Color in Bean
The long-wearing formula of Colorscope Eye Color has a soft, smooth finish that glides on skin and blends evenly for an incredibly silky feel. This shimmery brown shade is modern, sophisticated and adheres to skin for long wear and lasting pigment.
Price: $14.00 at Prescriptives Counters nationwide and http://www.prescriptives.com/



ATTIRE
Obama is not afraid to experiment with bright, bold colors and favors monochromatic color schemes. Knee length dresses in simple, feminine silhouettes flatter her shape and give her a fresh, stylish and always sophisticated appeal. Try:

The Limited Black Tie Satin Dress
Price: $79.50 at http://www.thelimited.com/




Shoshanna Ponte A-Line Dress
Price: $370.00; visit http://www.shoshanna.com/ for store locations



ACCESSORIES
Mixing classic accents like her trademark oversized pearls with current, on-trend pieces like a black cinch belt gives Obama a chic but playful edge. Try:

Aldo Flotard Heel
Price: $90 at Aldo Stores





Aldo Atella Necklace
Price: $15 at Aldo Stores





Aldo Padergnone Belt
Price: $25 at Aldo Stores


Hidalgo American Flag Pin
Price: Available upon request, visit http://www.hidalgo.com/

Beauty's Product RAVE: DDF Protect and Correct UV Moisturizer SPF 15 - it's the Marrying Type.


It's trite and true, you don't know what you've got 'till its gone. For the better part of the summer I tested ddf's protect and correct uv moisturizer spf 15 and I never once got the beauty butterflies over it. My skin looked decent but the bland silver dispenser and unscented semi-heavy cream didn't sweep me off my feet. At all. I stuck it out in the name of beauty editing fidelity - that and the inescapably sticky reality that it was, after all, summer - and a little extra SPF never hurts. Then I moved to SF. Then the reason I moved to SF fell apart and in my hurried flight back home to NC I left my DDF. I know - it's an alphabetical odyssey of beauteous proportions .

Then I cried. A lot. I am terribly happy to be home but I'm terribly sad I left my DDF and some other invaluable beauty products in SF. Products that have memory and meaning and yes, I'm entirely too attached to my products. In retrospect here is what I love about ddf's protect and correct uv moisturizer spf 15. 1) It is reliable, delivering every promise plainly printed upon it's packaging. 2) Nary a blackhead grew during the entirety of said beauty odyssey 3) I'm usually a sucker for sparkly bells and whistles but the beauty of this product lays quietly within the formula itself- a real scientist's product that slowly improved every aspect of my skin. 4) It's the marrying type - although not extremely impressive at first glace, it gets sweeter with every encounter.

Beauty Bubble: Pitter-Patter of Perfect Picks

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Perfect Picks! Holiday Gift Finder Quiz

Sponsored: Match everyone on your list with the perfect beauty gift (at every budget!)


Perfect Picks! Holiday Gift Finder Quiz

With so many friends and family on your list this year, it's no wonder you're stumped on what to buy them. Hello! Beauty products always make perfect gifts. But in order to find the best product match for your mother, sister, friend (you get the idea), take this quiz. It'll even help you stay within your budget. Bonus!

Take the quiz