Shoulder Pads, Leggings, Minis Spring Ahead In 2009

We thought it would be fun to take a quick peek at NY Fashion Week!

If you really loved the 80's fashions, with the shoulder pads, leggings, and bold colors, you're in luck. There's a whole lot of glam goin' on.

We actually selected some of the 'tamer' looks ruling the New York City runway at Bryant Park.

We're not even showing you the fall fashions yet. Instead, we want to take you right into Spring 2009.

Our first photo shows a model in a design by Tracey Reese. Check out the semi-strong shoulder pads. We still find this quite chic and very wearable.

Oh, boy! You can't escape the leggings, ladies. Uber designer Karl Lagerfeld was showing off some black leggings and skirted tunic tops with very defined waists with big belts.



We love this cute little lace number by classic designer Diane von Furstenberg. It's simple and gorgeous.

Loving the tailored lines in this jacket/trousers collection by DSquared2. Nothing over the top. Sharp-looking and again, very wearable.

Also adoring this khaki, soft outfit by Donna Karan. Even bolder shoulder pads and stronger belt. But it also looks very comfortable, and Donna Karan believes in wearing clothes that are just that---fashion you can move in with simple lines.

Appetite Suppressing Lip Plumping Gloss Made With Hoodia

Huge lips...Skinny hips?!

Oh, yeah. That is actually the name of a new appetite-suppressing lip plumping gloss made with hoodia.

Purple Lab, based in New York City, has developed the unique, in 6-yummy flavors lipgloss with Karen Robinovitz, the brilliant mind behind the Hoodia-infused beauty product. Karen is a NY journalist.

Huge Lips Skinny Hips--- $20 for a luscious tube. The smart glosses will be launching come March 1st on the Space NK website, a British luxury beauty shop.

We're told the glosses all taste like candy. They range in shade from clear to a strong and daring red, with tongue-in-cheek names:

Red Sole Worship
Kate Kitty
Poledancer
Lychee Martini
Love Your Thighs
No Panty Lines

So do these glosses really stop you from eating? And do they really fatten up your lips?

First of all, hoodia (actually Hoodia gordonii extract), is found in nature from cactus-like plants growing in Nambia and South Africa. The plant extract contains special appetite suppressing elements to it.

This gloss is formulated with 10% hoodia. Hoodia is unique in that it fools the brain into thinking it has already eaten. So all you do when wearing it, is smack your lips, baby:

Once the gloss is applied, you merely run your tongue on the lips whenever you feel hungry. In a few seconds, the feeling of hunger will disappear almost completely. Almost.

Well, we're trying to believe this. As far as the Lisa Rinna lips, okay, that's not the effect you will see, but, there are good ingredients found in this Huge Lips Skinny Hips tube of gloss.

And Purple Lab claims their shiny lip color delivers big in a gentle way:

Because it contains vitamin B3, the gloss “stimulate[s] blood flow to the lip surface, diminish[es] the appearance of unsightly wrinkles around the mouth and create[s] a plumping effect without stinging or burning.” the manufacturers say.

If anything, we believe this is a very clever beauty marketing tool. And Karen Robinovitz is a smart cookie. As women, we are all looking for the beauty quick fix. So, bigger lips and skinnier bodies at the same time, sure sounds ideal.

We'll keep our eyes on this little number.

NARS Gets Naughty With Another Makeup Orgasm

Ladies, this one will curl your toes, giggle-giggle.

We are, of course, talking about the new, limited-edition of NARS Nail Polish in Orgasm!!! For a limited time only, you will be able to buy this fun and pretty shade at Sephora.com for $16 a bottle. And you can get it right now!!

Ever wonder why the NARS Orgasm shade is so-ooooo popular?

It's not rocket-science, people. All the ladies love NARS Orgasm because the color is soft and natural. Just enough to make your features pop!! Makeup artists love it, too. It's a sexy, peachy pink with golden sheen color.

It all began with an innocent NARS Orgasm Blush. The Sex & the City gals were all blushing in it.

It then escalated to a sinful NARS Orgasm Lip Gloss.

Why stop there?!

It has gone, er, multiple, with this gorgeous new NARS Orgasm Nail Polish.

And NARS makeup might cost you a bit more, but the products are very good, and you can see a difference.

Now you can paint yourself pretty in NARS Orgasm from your head to your toes.

Jessica Simpson Ready To Call Jennny Craig Diet People?

Okay, the rumors have been swirling like a tall, delicious vanilla-chocolate soft serve ice cream cone.

Word has it, that blonde beauty Jessica Simpson will become the new face of Jenny Craig. We have seen several news items about this.

Of course, the Jenny Craig diet people are not talking, and neither is Jessica Simpson.

The very popular weight management service company has paid famous women to join their diet program.....Kirstie Alley, Queen Latifah, Valerie Bertinelli, and now, maybe Jessica Simpson?

We don't believe Jessica Simpson needs to lose much weight. Seriously.

The above photos, which were snapped almost a month ago at the KISS Country Chili Cook-Off in Pembroke Pines, Florida, got tongues-a-waggin'. And the waggin' hasn't ceased.

Jessica was photographed looking a little heavier than she has of late. But in her defense, the double, leopard belt and high-waisted jeans, and huge hair, were not helping matters. In fact, we think the clothing was not flattering and was the reason for the expanded appearance of girth.

Jessica Simpson is really a short and petite woman with curves. We haven't found a guy who doesn't appreciate her beauty.

We thought we'd take a closer look at the Jenny Craig diet, which has been around since 1983. Their website has a number of FAQs:

Q: Do the menus include only Jenny Craig food?
A: Jenny Craig's daily menus include Jenny's Cuisine™ as well as your own food. You'll enjoy three Jenny's Cuisine™ meals and one Jenny's Cuisine™ snack every day, while you provide plenty of fresh fruit, vegetables, reduced fat milk products and heart healthy fats.

Q: What calorie level am I going to be on?
A: Your personal Consultant will help you determine your optimal calorie level based on your age, height, current weight, gender and your activity level. Our lowest calorie level is 1200 calories per day, based on the latest Dietary Guideline recommendations.

Q: How much weight can I expect to lose?
A: Whether you would like to lose a small amount of weight for a special occasion such as a wedding or reunion, or want to make more significant changes, Jenny Craig has Program options to meet your needs. The Jenny Craig Program has been designed to result in a weekly weight loss of one to two pounds or 1% of your body weight*. These results may vary based on an individual's personal weight history, body composition, level/frequency of physical activity, and motivation among other factors.

Q: What kinds of Jenny's Cuisine™ food items do you offer?
A: We offer a wide variety of delicious and nutritious breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack items. Because they're so easy to prepare in either a microwave or traditional oven, Jenny's Cuisine™ can fit into even the busiest lifestyles. All of our Jenny Craig foods are pre-packaged and pre-portioned, and are available in frozen or shelf-stable formats. Selections range from French Toast with Berries and Silver Dollar Pancakes with Veggie Sausage (breakfast) and Pan Pizza (lunch), to Chicken Fettuccine and Beef Sirloin Bowl (dinner) and Double Chocolate Cake and Cheese Curls (snacks).

Are you ready to call Jenny?

For more info, visit: jennycraig.com

TRESemme 24 Hour Body Collection For Fab Hair

We happen to adore TRESemme hair products.

For the price, we believe TRESemme is an excellent buy in these crazy economic times. And the quality is very good. Even the mega hit reality Bravo TV show, Project Runway, uses just TRESemme for its hair styling sponsor.





And now there's a new TRESemme collection out---24 Hour Body.

Treatments that do tons of beauty-licious things for your glorious mane of hair:

Creates volume and offers continuous shape.
New polymer technology allows for increased style retention and humidity resistance.
New formula also holds body for 24 hours.

There are 7 wonderful new hair products in the TRESemme 24 Hour Body Collection:

Sculpting Spray Gel
Versatile Creme
Foaming Mousse
Healthy Volume Shampoo
Root Boosting Spray
Finishing Spray
Healthy Volume Conditioner

"The new TRESemmé 24 Hour Body collection was developed to work in a set. Used together, the 24 Hour Body collection provides maximum results for voluminous styles by blocking humidity from entering the hair."

We like that! And the price for each hair product in the TRESemme 24 Hour Body collection is priced at less than $4. And you're getting a big amount of product, too.

Have a good hair day, ladies. One of these 24 Hour Body products should help you get the hair confidence you need. Who doesn't want more volume, shine, body, staying power, and humidity-resistant locks?!!

Learn How DMAE Can Firm And Lift Sagging Skin

If you have read Dr. Nicholas Perricone's beauty books, ( namely one of his most popular ones, "The Wrinkle Cure") throughout its pages, you would see the letters DMAE, over and over again.

What exactly is DMAE?

In quick beauty speak, DMAE is a superb firming agent for the skin.

The real word is---dimethylaminoethanol.

If you believe Dr. Perricone's beauty research, then you would learn that DMAE is a miracle nutrient. It's even found in natural sources like salmon. You can take DMAE supplements, and use topical DMAE.

DMAE has the power to improve the appearance of sagging skin. It can remove soften and diminish undereye bags, firm neck lines, and even give you fuller lips.

"When DMAE is applied to the skin, the skin looks firmer, less lined and smoother. There is an immediate improvement in the appearance of elasticity and luminosity to the skin. DMAE enhances the appearance of facial contours. Clinical Results after 2 weeks of use:
74% of participants reported significant improvement in skin firmness
66% of participants showed improvement in fine lines and wrinkles, Perricone explains."

In other words, look for skin serums and creams containing DMAE in the list of ingredients.

Since we started talking about Dr. Perricone and his beauty obsession with this so-called miracle nutrient, then we will look at his products first:

1. ADVANCED Face Firming Activator - 2.0 ozBest of Sephora 2007 NomineeFeatured in InStyle magazine

ADVANCED Eye Area Therapy - 0.5 ozFeatured in Lucky, Real Simple, US Weekly & WWD Beauty magazines

.
Total cost: $215.00, at http://www.perriconemd.com/.

On a much cheaper beauty note, and looking at another well-respected skin care brand, we did a little digging and found a competitive DMAE beauty treatment:

2. RoC Protient Fortify Lift and Define Eye Cream ($25, 0.5 Oz, at local drugstores).

It works - the light, silky fluid absorbs quickly and begins working immediately with a unique blend of wheat polymer and DMAE a high performance tightening agent to help strengthen and tone the skin around your eyes.
Visibly lifts eyelids.
Firms skin around eye.
Reduces puffiness.

In addition to the eye cream, ROC offers several face creams and serums with the 'protient and lift' features.

As Dr. Perricone writes in The Wrinkle Cure:

"We do not have to age like our parents. We can hold on to our vitality and look well into our later years. Plastic surgery isn't the only way to keep the aging process at bay. With the proper care, you can have fabulous skin in your forties, fifties, sixties, and beyond."

Even Eva Longoria Can Have A Less Than Perfect Hair Day

Okay, maybe we are really stretch-inggggg it when we say that beautiful actress Eva Longoria has a bad hair day every once in a while.

In the photo above, courtesy of louislicari.ivillage.com, we think Eva Longoria Parker looks pretty darn hot. (We love reading Louis Licari's blog at i.village.com!)

But apparently, not everyone thought the hairstyle she pulled off for the SAG Awards show last month was all that. And time is nearing for the biggest night of makeup and hairstyles:

The 2009 Academy Awards Show next Sunday, February 22nd.

According to one of our favorite Hair know-it-alls, and he really does know hair, Louis Licari details the problems with Eva Longoria's hair:

"The first woman I noticed was Eva Longoria Parker. She had her hair highlighted since we saw her last at the Globes. I think it would have looked prettier if she had just softened the color with a single process. Her highlights looked brassy and it made her skin appear a bit sallow.

TIP: To look your best, make sure your hair color always provides contrast with your complexion."

We are curious to see how Hollywood's finest beauties will walk down the red carpet next Sunday. Will makeup be soft? Or will strong red lips match the red carpet?! And will the easy, carefree bob haircut rule the night?

Louis Licari says that wavy bobs, like the sexy style worn by Anne Hathaway, at the recent SAG Awards, are very popular with the Hollywood crowd.

There's just one tiny faux pas, Ms. Hathaway made, according to our hair genius:

"Next I noticed Anne Hathaway. Her color looked beautiful, but her wavy bob had lost its oomph. As the evening progressed, her hair became straighter and straighter. I think she was trying to keep it loose and modern, but the style fell apart.

TIP: Using the right strength hair product will maintain your hairstyle without making it look forced into place."

It's going to be an exciting night for the 2009 Academy Awards Show next Sunday. We will be watching.

Looking more polished is the biggest trend of the new year, says Louis Licari. Let's hope the most important Hollywood night of the year does not disappoint.

We're looking for the 'glam-slam.'