Smooth Operator: St. Tropez Applicator Mitt

Even though I'm a major self-tanner aficionado, I've always steered clear of gloves, mitts, or other devices that purported to provide an even application without messing up your hands. Gloves were always too big, and mitts didn't provide enough precise control, so I just opted to dirty up my hands and scrub them later (faves in this category: St. Tropez Tan Remover and ModelCo Tan Remover).

But

Taming the Beast: How to Make Self-Tanner Work in High Humidity Environments

You may think that high humidity's greatest threat is to your hair, but for the past year and a half, it's been wreaking havoc on my tan.

The very same self-tanners that turned me golden brown in New York just flat-out stopped working here in Hawaii. Lotion-based tanners would sit on top of my skin and never dry (blow dryers didn't help, either). Gradual tanners refused to build up.

I started

Five for Friday: Dessert-Scented Beauty Products

It's been a bit of a stressful week, friends. And stress makes me want to EAT. But since I'd rather not mess with my bikini bod, I'm reaching for some deliciously-scented body goodies instead. Behold, five of my favorite dessert-scented products:

Laura Mercier Creme de Pistache Souffle Body Creme. Here's how I described it when I first tried it: "like the most decadent pistachio ice cream - it

Let These Body Butters Carry You Away...to the Pacific

Pacifica, where have you been all my life? I can't believe I've gone this long without knowing about the brand's utterly delicious body butters. Honestly, I used to pass the Pacifica display at Sephora without a second thought, but now that I've discovered all this deliciousness, I'm hooked.

The body butters are available in a variety of scents, many inspired by various areas in, or neighboring,

VS Cocoa Butter Sensuous Escape Body Mist

Since we're not getting Bath & Body Works here in Hawaii until March 2011, my go-to destination for aimless bath product browsing is Victoria's Secret. (Yes, I frequent Sephora on the regular, but don't you have those days when you're all, "I just want to buy a $9 body spray, dammit?")

Now, I know I used to crap on Victoria's Secret Beauty--I was bummed when they revamped and pulled outside

Tocca's Latest Scent, With a Little Korres Kick

Don't you just love when two products combine to create something surprisingly special?

During a recent Sephora jaunt I sampled Tocca's latest, Bianca, an interesting melange of lemon, green tea, and rose. I'm a big fan of the brand, but I approached Bianca with trepidation, since Tocca's last two entries didn't rank high on my list (I was disappointed by the drydown of Brigitte, and just plain

Victoria's Secret Expands Secret Moments Line

More new goodies from Victoria's Secret this week! Remember last year I gave you the scoop on the new Secret Moments bath & body line from VS? Well, it finally had its official launch this past spring, with just five of the scents that I spotted the first time around: Island Escape, Good Day Sunshine, Room 504, At First Sight, and Girls' Night In.

When I first tried the products from the Secret

What's Your Favorite Way to Shave?

I know it's considered an annoying chore by many, but I LOVE shaving my legs (and, looking through my archives, I've realized that I seem to love posting about it as well). I love the feeling of lathering up my skin with something creamy and fragrant; love the way the razor smooths out any little bumps and dry patches as it does away with the stubble; love the baby-soft feeling of just-shaved,

Skip a Step in Your Morning Routine with Olay

Olay In-Shower Body Lotion, where have you been all my life? All those cold winters, stepping out of the shower, shivering, only to apply body lotion that made me feel even colder? All those rushed mornings when I was in too much of a hurry to slather myself up? All those nights when I discovered little flakes of dry skin sloughing off my body, the result of skipping that crucial moisturizer

Dispatch from the Man Cave: Bath & Body Works Signature Collection for Men

Bath & Body Works, that perennial let's-browse-aimlessly-after-work favorite of mine, has added four men's scents to its Signature Collection. Each is available in Body Wash, Cologne, and Deodorizing Body Spray, and the price points are in line with other Bath & Body Works offerings - meaning your man won't feel too frou-frou using these. Details on all four scents:

Citron: Crisp Bergamot,

New from Victoria's Secret: Secret Garden Fresh Collection

Victoria's Secret has added three limited-edition scents to its Secret Garden Collection, under the Fresh Collection banner:

Sheer Love is a blend of watery fruit and bright blooms. Pretty generic sweet fruity floral, but I did get a hint of, hmmm, possibly children's chewable vitamins, with this one. Personally, I'm not in love, sheer or otherwise.

Leave Me Breathless, composed of ocean

New from Bath & Body Works: Forever Sunshine and Dark Kiss

Friends, I got some of the most awesome news EVER yesterday. Bath & Body Works is FINALLY coming to Hawaii! Yes, come March 2011 there will be a brand spanking new BBW location at Ala Moana mall. And I'll be there as soon as the doors open.

Sure, we have Sephora, the beauty departments at Neiman and Nordstrom, local brands, and even good old Longs Drugs, but there's something about the browsing

Don't Sweat It...Even at the Beach

Picture this: you've just spent a long, luxurious day at the beach, complete with sunning, swimming, splashing around in the waves, and toweling off. On the way home, your phone rings with an invitation to an impromptu barbeque at a friend's house.

Do you go home and go through the whole getting-ready routine first, or do you just hit the party?

While most beach-day beauty snafus can be

From the Guilty Pleasure Files...Victoria's Secret Luscious Kisses

Luscious Kisses is one of the latest offerings in the ever-popular Secret Garden collection at Victoria's Secret. I spotted it while perusing the semi-annual sale, and it instantly transported me back to a simpler, more carefree time.

Childhood.

And not because this fragrance smells "kiddie," but because it smells like...doll heads.

Yes, doll heads. Or the dolls themselves, in their entirety.

Sensuous Skin, Even in the Dead of Winter

Ah! What's this I spy on the Estee Lauder site? Sensuous, in a dry oil spray!My dears, this has "holiday party" written all over it. I've already named Sensuous as one of my favorite fall scents, and now that it's available in a smooth, moisturizing body oil spray, it's even better.How can you beat a product that makes you smell sweet, keeps scaly winter skin at bay, and gives you a gorgeous

Five for Friday: The Forgotten (Travel Essentials)

Don't you just hate it when you go on a trip and forget some truly critical beauty goods? I tend to forget the same things every time, for various reasons, which I'll explain below. Check out my five most forgotten items, and my favorites in each category:Lip Balm. Oh, I always pack plenty of glosses, and sometimes some lipsticks, but good old lip balm? I always forget it. Let's face it - even

Just a Spoonful of (Lemon) Sugar

Friends, please indulge me an Andy Rooney moment. There's something I just don't understand; maybe you can enlighten me, or at least nod your head in agreement.Why is the smell of sugar associated with lemons?I like the clean, crisp scent of Fresh's Sugar line, but it seems completely incongruous with the name. I understand the use of the Sugar name as far as ingredients go; a few of the original

Add Some Sheen to Your Skin With Sephora Dry Oil Spray

If you haven't yet been convinced that I'm pretty unwilling to let go of summer, based on some recent posts, this one will definitely put you over the edge (and yes, I'm aware that we're into November now).I was browsing around Sephora recently and had warm weather on my mind. Again. I was looking for something vacation-worthy, and when I meandered over to the Sephora brand bath & body display, I

SmoothAway We Go

I'm sure you've seen the ever-present infomercials for SmoothAway, the hair removal product that the company touts as "the fastest selling, most popular women's product in Europe." Hmmm. Dubious claim. So, does this miracle product really work?I picked up SmoothAway for $10 at the drugstore and decided to give it a whirl. Each package comes with two pink plastic mitts, one large for areas like

Satin Hands, Courtesy of the Pink Cadillac

So. Let's talk about Mary Kay. I've gotten lots of earnest emails over the years from enthusiastic Mary Kay reps, offering to send me products or hoping I'll mention Mary Kay (and their name) on the blog. Generally, I politely decline, for two reasons:1. I just can't support some of Mary Kay's sales tactics. Mary Kay is multi-level marketing at its worst, and often leaves its reps worse off than