Kelly says Oui!

Kelly Rowland is one smooth operator. Every now and then I read about something great that she's a part of, it's never hugely publicized but this glam girl does a lot of good. Her latest venture is all about S-E-X! Get your minds out of the gutter, it's all for a good cause. Kelly has teamed up with the Body Shop and MTV to make a difference and get the message out about safer sex. When you buy Tantalising Lip Butter at the Body Shop you let your pout support the cause of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. How does this all work? Well, hit up the Body Shop for the Lip Butter and the $8 you spend on it goes 100% to the Staying Alive Foundation! The charity's mission is to save lives through empowering young people around the world to protect themselves and their communities from HIV/AIDS. Kelly Rowland is the ambassador of the Staying Alive Foundation.

via essence.com

Give Good Face

I don't know what it is about birthdays but, my last one got me thinking about aging. It didn't hurt that I strolled right into a demonstration of anti-aging products! While cruising Bath & Body Works for a nice fragrant body cream, I was confronted with the realities of wrinkles. Did I mention that I had only turned THIRTY! I was so very skeptical of every fact the demonstrator threw my way. Then, she did the demo on my hand. She used these products by Patricia Wexler, M.D. The Dr. is a dermatologist out of New York and she's created her own line of products. The demo was done on my hand and I have to say the difference was amazing. She started with cleansing and exfoliating. I was hooked. Looking from one hand to the other the difference was SO clear. My left hand was smooth and supple and seemed to have plumped up. The other seemed a little dry and in need of attention. I thought if it does that for my hand, I need it for my face! What happened next? I grabbed a starter kit of the products and headed straight to the checkout. I have since been using the products for nearly a year and the hand demo wasn't a fluke! My skin has been consistently smooth and dewy. To top it off the moisturizer is packed with SPF 30! Love it!

Photo: Bath & Body Works.com

Kissable You

I was in Las Vegas this past weekend and it was a scorching one hundred and seven degrees. Even in the extreme heat, I had lip gloss on the mind. Not just any lip gloss, mind you, it had to be natural. I had my eye on the Korres brand for a while. I stumbled into Sephora for the air conditioning and stayed for the lip gloss search. After looking around for a bit, I asked one of the sales people for a natural lip gloss. The first thing to roll off of her lips was Korres. She said it was probably the most natural product I would find. Their slogan is, "active ingredients that benefit your skin, used the way nature intended."I looked them over and walked away with a lip gloss and lip butter. They are made with all kinds of good stuff including a little cherry oil that makes it smell oh-so-good! One thing I really appreciate is there is no sticky goop all over my mouth. Most glosses leave my lips way too sticky. So much so, that whenever the wind blows my hair is stuck to my mouth. Not good. That's not a problem with Korres. The company makes all kinds of products for skin care and I'll be checking them out in the near future.

Photo: Korres.com

Haute Nails

Fall is coming sooner than I'd like. Luckily, here in California, I can milk summer for another few months. By all accounts, the season is shaping up to be a lovely one. From the bags, shoes and clothes, I'm getting ready for all that fall has to offer. So far I've seen some trends I can definitely get on board with. One particular trend I'm feeling right now are dark metallic manicures. To get the look, I've got my eyes on the Lippmann Collection. Celebrity manicurist Deborah Lippmann has a collection full of colors to fall for. While her celebrity clients (Sarah Jessica Parker, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey) crave her skills, a celeb worthy mani isn't out of your reach. Of all of the new fall hues, my favorite is Pump up the Jam! This hue is all boysenberry goodness for your fingertips. Other faves include Fade to Black and Since I Fell for You. Seems her colors are named after famous songs. Coincidence? No. This manicurist is also a singer. Well, she's certainly hitting all the right notes. Her collection can be found at Nordstrom stores.

Photo: lippmanncollection.com

Sushi Anyone?

Something smell fishy? Point that nose down south toward your feet! There's a new pedicure utensil and you won't find it at a beauty supply store. The pedicure du jour features carp! About one hundred tiny fish nibble your feet until they're smooth as silk. A spa in Virginia features this pedi that uses fish to feed on the dead skin on your feet. So, what does it feel like? The process is said to be soothing and feel like a tickling sensation. Would you try it?

Photo: Associated Press

Fashionably Challenged!

If finances have you fashionably challenged? No worries, you can still be fresh-faced and fab with low dinero! Beauty.com makes it happen with a deal worth it's weight in gloss. The make-up maven is handing out three FREE, yes FREE beauty samples when you buy any full-priced item online. On top of that, get free shipping when you spend $25 dollars or more. How's that for upping your fab factor? Need a shopping suggestion? How about trying Lancaster Sun Care face and Body lotion. It's a water resistant lotion that's packed with SPF 30! It's a much needed addition to the summer beach bag! Get to shopping and get your free swag. You'll be glowing and glossing in no time. Hey, makeup is always cheaper than new Manolo's. Check out beauty.com for the goodies!

Photo: Beauty.com