Molton Brown has come a long way since specializing in haircare. Currently, the line is bubbling with skincare offerings that would even make The Body Shop jealous.

Travelers can be at peace when they look at some of the gorgeously packed choices. Stowed in a cute zip lock bag are bottles of delish stuff. (Okay, the TSA sucks, right? Show ‘em you know how to count. These bottles are exactly 3.3 fl. ounces or less. Wave the ziplock bags in their face!).

The Indulgent Traveler is my fave, and the salmon colored box features Amazonian passionflower, de-stressing pandano and celestial maracuja infused treats. The kit has Pandano Hairwash and Conditioner; Mer-Rouge Hair Hydramasque (a must!!); Celestial Maracuja Shower Cream & Body Souffle. Retails for $70.

There are other travel kits for women, men and for the “stressed out” workaholic.

Other new items include the “Stowaway” collection. I can’t rave enough about this. You can pick any six travel size bottles of hairwash, shower gel or face wash and they get stowed away in a stylish travel kit for $80. There are some premade stowaway kits on www.MoltonBrown.com but that doesn’t prevent you from going to the store and mixing and matching them.

We recommend:

• -Heavenly Gingerlily Bath & Shower gel (a subtle scent that energizes and calms. You’ll be doing cartwheels in your tub).

• - Coco de Mer Body Lotion (Perfect for a the beach fanatic…it has “sea vacation” all over it)

• - Rose Granati Hand Wash (Moroccan rose granati pomegranate with oils of ginger, black pepper and cardamom. Spicy sweet craziness!)
• - Skinfresh Facial Wash (This gentle cleanser with American willowbark is suitable for all skin types)
• - Re-charge Black Pepper Body Wash for Men (Kaboom! This spicy wash will make you wake up without resorting to your frappucino)
• - Bracing Silverbirch Body Wash for Men (Another kaboom! Infused with extracts from the bark and leaves of the silverbirch tree, it will make your skin sing)

As for skin singing, try the Eucalyptus Body Scrub if you’re into pepperminty flavors. Wow! This tub of scrub is my new BFF.

As though this weren’t good enough, www.MoltonBrown.com is offering free standard shipping until August 10^th. Summer just got a whole load better…

Summer’s shiny lip glosses, sparkly bronzers and glittery eye shadows are getting to be as old as John McCain. Straight from the runways, matte makeup is the new direction going into fall. So ditch the glitz and trade up to the Clinique Fall 2008 Modern Matte Collection. The on-trend line comprises lippies, blush and eye shadow for a polished and oh-so-sophisticated look.

Our new go-to product is Colour Surge Eye Shadow Stay Matte in Denim ($14). Those clever folks at Clinique have put a whole new spin on the ever-popular Colour Surge Eye Shadow range by adding a soft, matte finish to nine covetable new colors. We’re not talking about the chalky, pasty-looking matte eye shadows of the 90’s, but rather rich, highly pigmented color that goes from soft to smoky in a single stroke. Its slippage is like butter, and its crease-proof formula stays color-true all day. With buildable coverage, it’s versatile enough to go from office-appropriate to a night on the town. And for those of us with upper-eye issues, it smoothes and softens lines and crepiness. What’s not to like?

If the thought of wearing blue eye shadow makes you queasy, not to worry. Blue (think navy) is the new neutral, and couldn’t we all use a break from black? Even better, navy flatters all ages and skin types. Use it as an eye liner and watch the whites of your eyes pop. Blend it into the crease and feather it up and out for glamorous definition. Brush it from lash line to brow for elegant intensity. Whichever way you go, you can’t go wrong.

Colour Surge Eye Shadow Stay Matte launches in August at Clinique counters and online at clinique.com.

Angelina loves them. Reese Witherspoon sports them. Anya Hindmarch’s bags are getting better each second and her combinations of luxe leather and hardware had me in a tizzy when I walked by her store at the Short Hills Mall.

The English designer is well know for her “Be A Bag” which you can decorate with your digital photograph, as well as for designing elegant silk clutches for the late Princess Di:

This is one of her most coveted, sold out bags: the “Cooper” which Angelina adores (675 pounds):

Her “Loose Pocket” purses are timeless and never go on sale (price 60-80 pounds each):

She’s also featured in the August issue of Allure Magazine.

www.anyahindmarch.com

Which girl wouldn’t do a Betsey Johnson-esque cartwheel for white teeth?

According to the New York Times, more dentists are jumping into the cosmetic arena and offering products that even granny would be eager to try.

Over the weekend, I went to Oshkosh, WI (don’t ask!) for an airshow because hubby is a pilot. I saw acrobatics in the air that basically would have put Cirque du Soleil to shame. But everyone…everyone complimented my white teeth.

The accolades really go to the hip, silver-coated tube I was recently sent to review: Dr. Pia Lieb’s SexySmile. You must have heard about it…somewhere between sipping Bordeaux at a Hamptons socials or prepping for that cute boy to kiss you.

SexySmile has a tooth whitener on one end and a thick gloss on the other. I loved the compact tube that is so purse friendly and as shiny as an astronaut’s spacesuit. The tooth whitener is applied through a spongy brush and contains an innovative polymer complex that removes those dreaded caffeine stains (yep, can’t resist a jolt of joes!) and also protects the tooth enamel like a valiant Jedi Knight. MORE>> »

Ding, ding, ding. It’s time. Grab your copy of Women’s Health Magazine on newsstands now, and find out which of your favorite products made it into their 2nd Annual “Beauty Awards” issue.

To finalize these 65 products, several experts were consulted for recommendations on readers’ core beauty woes. The experts spoke openly about which magical products did their genius. The award winners are timeless and vetted by those who had nothing to gain by giving their stamp of approval. We love it!
The entire winner list can be found here. They even have a “green” category.
We’re delighted to see that some timeless faves were included in the list, including:

MORE>> »

To many, owning Chanel No. 5 has the same heft as owning a Ming vase. It’s precious, it’s pure and timeless. Of course the Ming vase can be auctioned off at Sothebys, but we’ll venture to guess that no one in their right mind would auction of their Chanel EDT.

Remember when Chanel rocked the perfume industry in 2007 with the release of its limited-edition “Les Exclusifs” collection? It was available only in Chanel boutiques and Bergdorf Goodman. The 10-sku range is housed in unusually large, 200ml spray bottles, with a high price point of $200 to match.At the time, industry insiders called it a “surprising” move. It’s common knowledge that women won’t invest in a 200ml bottle of perfume because they’re fickle, and love to flit from fragrance to fragrance.

This November, the element of surprise will definitely turn into shock and awe when Chanel introduces a 900ml bottle of Chanel No. 5, retailing for $3,200 at Saks Fifth Avenue. (We’ve done the math: that’s practically a quart.) For No. 5 devotees, it’s a unique opportunity to secure a lifetime supply of this object of acute desire. Note that you’re getting parfum, not EDT, which makes it a steal at $3,200, considering you’d have to buy 30.4 standard-size flacons at a much higher price to equal this gargantuan offer. MORE>> »

Ah, the nail lacquer trends have me in a Houdini knot this fall. On the one hand, you have deep, rich and vampy shades like Christian Dior’s Liquorice which is tinged with purple and metallic hues. On the other hand, you have Chanel’s obsession with gold.

But gold is not only a Fall shade. Look at Laura Mercier’s “Gold Digger” limited edition collection (from the summer) which houses a beautiful metallic polish, the 24 Karat. Being part reporter and part sleuth, I was interested in comparing the Mercier and Chanel and see how they measured up.

The swatches tell the story. The Mercier swatch is much sweeter with flecks of pink and the Chanel palette parlays a deep, lustrous chrome-like gold.

Personally, I’d pick the Mercier, even for fall. It’s only $15 compared to Chanel’s $30 and personally I feel that the latter’s gold needs to be a tad bit more interesting to justify the togs. What do you think?

PS: Check out Polish Addict’s great review and other options here for a Chanel alternative.

Jana of the Jungle would be proud of my adventure at my local Nordstrom. I tested Lancome’s new Black Carat virtuôse Mascara and guzzled up the dregs of the tester because they were sold out of the lanky tube.

Black Carat is an intense black color and shinier than the traditional Black virtuôse color. As you can see from the picture below, my lashes became as black as soot and more thickly coated than my intensely lacquered nails.

I used a tester brush so I’m sure the lash separation factor was not as good as the regular brush…that’s my only pet peeve about this mascara. Otherwise I think its glossy coat and intensely black color is a good addition to the Lancome virtuôse collection.

Because of my innate skeptical nature, I had to test out the MAC Lustre Twins to see if the color really did last the entire day as the salesperson assured me they would (she betted her firstborn on it…what a daredevil!). Luckily, she gets to keep her kid. MORE>> »

It is hot, folks! We may as well be in a swamp zone in Florida, and our makeup is migrating down to our knees. Watching our makeup, blush and eyeshadow vanish into an oil slick by noon isn’t our idea of fun in the sun. So hats off to MAC Prep and Prime Protect SPF 50 for giving us serious SPF along with a shine-proof complexion.

We love the convenience of a primer and sunscreen all in one (we’re singing hallelujah as we write this), and we’re in love with the Prep and Prime’s featherweight, fast-absorbing formulation that zaps oil breakthrough like Merlin.

This triple-acting potion also minimizes pores and shields our skin from discoloration, premature aging, dryness and other nasty effects of the sun. This is one multitasking bottle, folks. Too bad it doesn’t do household chores, but we have the Roomba for that!

Suitable for all skin types, a dab or two of Prep and Prime is all it takes for great coverage that mattifies and holds foundation in place all day. So regardless of the humidity, we can put our best face forward, go to the beach, party like Holly Golightly or run the Half Marathon looking like a goddess.

Retailing at $28.00/1 fl. oz., MAC Prep and Prime Protect SPF 50 is available online and at MAC counters everywhere.