Summer On The Way Means Time To Zap Unwanted Hair

Hot summer days mean showing off lots of skin. And sometimes unwanted hair pops up in unwanted places....like chin, above the lips, bikini area, and more. Sure, you can have a laser zap these unwanted hairs for a more permanent and expensive fix. And of course, you can wax, shave, and depilatory it, so to speak.

But many women would like a quick and painless way to zap an unwanted hair they just found, for instance, and we've got a $9.99 drugstore solution.

It's called Finishing Touch, and it's been called, the number one facial hair remover in the world. If you believe the Lumina company stats, then some 30 million plus satisfied customers are out there, all happily erasing an unwanted hair, here and there.

So, let's take a peek at how the Finishing Touch Personal Hair Remover works:

The key is micro technology.

"Hair removal wand features a super-bright LED light that illuminates unwanted facial hair on the lip, chin or cheek. The Finishing Touch Personal Hair Remover by Lumina also features a pivoting head that adjusts to 45 degrees. Compact unit is also ideal for removing unwanted hair from eyebrows and bikini lines. Fits easily into your makeup bag or purse for hair removal on the go."

We probably would not use the Finishing Touch on the eyebrows, except maybe for a stray hair or two sitting in the middle of our brows. Eyebrow mistakes take a long-gggg time to grow out, so just proceed with caution if trying to wield this beauty tool in that area of the face.

Hey, for less than $10, the Finishing Touch is quick, easy, and discreet. You can take a look at it here.

Pickles Popular And Snooki Loves Them: Great Diet Food

Pickles. Such a briny delight! And you don't have to be pregnant to desire one. Pickles are popping up everywhere....inside expensive restaurants to the Jersey Shore.

Remember our pal Snooki Polizzi munching on pickle after pickle on season one of the MTV reality show hit?!

The other wonderful news about eating pickles---it's a dieter's delight!! The crunch, the texture, and the taste.

So, what's so healthy about munching on a pickle? 3 main reasons:
1. low in calories (about 5-10 in one pickle).
2. low in fat.
3. low in sugar(most are).

We found a great low-down on the common pickle, here, at FoodEditorials.com.

"Pickles are also a healthy edition to your diet for other reasons. Pickles, being made from cucumbers (or other vegetables), are high in fiber which is necessary for digestive health and fighting cancer. The cucumbers and (other vegetables) also contain antioxidants, which fight free-radicals, and depending on the veggie, can be a good source of calcium, magnesium, and iron. The recommendation by most health professionals is to eat five servings of vegetables and fruit each day. Eating pickles is a great way to get a daily serving or two of your five-a-day!

"Fermented pickles also have good bacteria that can control harmful intestinal microbes. When pickles are fermented, lactic acid is created. This acid helps to lower fat in the bloodstream, improve circulation, and lower high blood pressure. It also helps to support a healthy digestive system, reintroduces good bacteria into the intestines, such as Lactobacillus acidophilus, and is beneficial for diabetics. In fact, one study even found that eating fermented products regularly contributed to lower rates of skin problems, asthma, and auto-immune disorders."

And pickles all taste so darn yummy!! Even Martha Stewart has her faves. We've heard her mention McClure's Pickles often. The website displays a number of different kinds, including McClure's Spicy Pickles, dunked in "cayenne and habanero peppers, these pickles have a kick."

If it had to be Snooki, to bring back the pickle into high popularity, so be it. We are really hungry for a pickle right now!

Origins New Brighter By Nature Pads Gentle Alternative To Chemical Peel

Chemical peel.

Maybe you have had a string of them. Or you might be afraid to let the sting zap every facial pore. Lets' face it---a chemical peel can be quite painful depending on the strength of the peel solution and the type of peel being applied. And there can be some downtime....red, swollen skin, crusty peeling, etc. And let's not forget the cost when it's done in a derm's office.

But a chemical peel has its value when it comes to creating beautiful skin. And peels are big beauty business. Oh, yeah. Let's look at the facts we found:

The chemical peel is one of the most popular treatments for an aging skin. In the United States alone, 1.03 million chemical peels were performed in 2007.

Although you might hate, you must exfoliate!!! And that is what a good peel will do, giving you back healthy, radiant skin in return.

Is there another way around the chemical peel? Yes. And it's brand new by Origins, Brighter by Nature High-potency Brightening Peel with Fruit Acids ($37.50, treatments, at fine stores like macys.com).

This little jar of beauty features a simpler, gentle, at-home way. All you do is swipe a pad across your face and neck, twice a week. And let the Origins fruit acid complex do all the work.

According to the pros at Origins, these little pads can do plenty! New Brighter by Nature High-potency Brightening Peel can deliver the restoring benefits of a professional 30% glycolic peel and instantly exfoliate dead surface cells to restore radiance.

The fruit acid complex includes powerful goodies like blueberry, Goji berry, and grape seed extract.

Used regularly, Origins Brighter by Nature will improve uneven skin tone and discoloration. It's a great price for 20 weeks of treatments. Definitely a worthy beauty tip today.

Celebrities Chopping Off Hair For New Trendy Summer Dos

Celebrities chopping off their hair for summer?!

Say it isn't so!

When a handful of pretty celebrities all start making similar beauty changes, everyone takes notice, and soon, the hot new trend hits middle town America. And right now, it's looking like shorter cropped styles and long bobs are summer trendy.

Kate Beckinsale, Heidi Klum, and at the moment, Hayden Panettiere have all traded their long, sexy locks for shorter new dos.

Love it or hate it?

Well, we suppose when you are that famous, good-looking, and glamorous, you wear it well. But usually when a woman chops off her trademark look of long, flowing tresses, it signals trauma of some kind, usually in the man department. Remember when Jennifer Love Hewitt recently dumped her boyfriend, and then chopped off her hair into a lob (long bob)?!

As far as we all know, the men in Hayden's, Heidi's, and Kate's lives are loving the new hairstyles. No break-ups there. Hayden Panettiere is a beauty chameleon. In other words, she changes up her looks often. Recently, she was sporting a wavy, long hairstyle of auburn locks. And now pictured above, there she was at an Earth Day celebration yesterday in L.A. You really notice those gorgeous blue eyes.

As far as model Heidi Klum goes, well, er, can you say Mommy haircut? Sorry, with a gal so glam, we were disappointed in the look, which we first saw on Jay Leno's show earlier this week. If it is low-maintenance she's looking for as the busy mom runs after her toddlers and hectic schedule, then, okay, we get it. But this blunt cut bangs 'n bob doesn't do much for the stunning Heidi. Meow! Sorry for being catty. Great shades, though.

British beauty Kate Beckinsale also let the scissors do the talking and styling. Although she had several inches chopped off, the trendy summer do is glamorous and full of soft volume grazing her collar bone.

And Kate told People magazine, “Oh you know, summer, let the breeze hit my neck!”

As the temperatures heat up and the days get longer, we'll be watching to see which new celebrities go for the new trendy summer dos.

Lane Bryant D-Cup Overflows In Dispute With ABC And Fox Over Banned Too Sexy TV Ad

Bras for plus-size women.

Apparently, there's a big-to-do over a new lingerie TV ad by Lane Bryant for their Cacique Intimates line. The bra size starts at 36C and goes up, and up.

Lane Bryant is calling foul over the ad, which was supposed to air during the time slots for the popular ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars' and FOX's 'American Idol'.

The plus-size retailer claims that the networks banned the ads for two reasons:
1. ABC and Fox don't like plus-size women.
2. The ads are supposedly too sexy.

Both television networks say the commercial was not allowed, simply because too much skin was showing in the ads for the family-oriented shows.

Well, there's even more...and our cups overflow....we wish, ha ha. There are some who figure that it is Lane Bryant exaggerating the story for publicity. Who knows. If anything, people are talking, and that's always a good thing, in the world of public relations.

First, let's take a look at Lane Bryant's allegedly, 'too risque' Cacique line. The undies are sexy and beautiful, just like the lovely Victoria's Secret underwear, which is proudly featured on lots of major TV networks at all hours of the day.

Now, let's take a peek at the TV ad that's got folks talking. Is there just too much of a great couple of things here? In other words....too much boob? Very deep cleavage? You be the judge. Click right here.

Almost 800,000 people have tuned into the so-called naughty, banned TV commercial. We can see that the Lane Bryant ad features a lot of breast, very deep cleavage. But the ad is not much different from the current Playtex ads featuring plus-size women. And we think the VS ads are even more provocative than most we've seen.

Our uneducated opinion? We believe the networks are afraid of too much cleavage. We don't believe the networks don't find plus-size women attractive, because they certainly are attractive. It's just too much boob...it makes people nervous.

How To Get Instant Elegance With The New Clip In Braided Chignon By Ken Paves

Elegance. Nothing beats the chignon. And now the new darling of the red carpet is the braided chignon. Remember SJP at the Academy Awards show 2010?!

Maybe you don't have long hair down to there, and maybe you are all thumbs when it comes to creating a classic, elegant hairstyle off the face. Not anymore! Hollywood stylist and one of Jessica Simpson's BFF's, Kenneth Paves, has coiffed a lovely new clip-in braided chignon just for you. And it's quick, easy, and best of all---affordable. Right now, it's $38.50 at QVC.com.

It's salon-friendly. In other words, you, too, can create this beautiful, timeless hairstyle. Here's how hot Hollywood stylist Kenneth Paves explains it:

"The braided chignon is attached to a flexible base with a large clip and a security comb. To begin, gather your hair in a ponytail. If your ponytail is long, wrap it into a bun and secure with pins if necessary. Open the large clip and slip into your hair behind the ponytail band. If needed, push the bottom comb attachment up into your hair. When the piece is securely in place, it should lay flat against your head. Check for any gaps between the piece and your head. If you find any, simply use your fingers to shape the flexible wire in the base of the piece to lie more closely to your head. Tuck in any stray hairs and finish as desired.

From hairdo by Jessica Simpson and Ken Paves."
Includes 5" x 3-1/2" braided chignon hairpiece.
Heat-resistant to 350F.
100% polyester.

And it comes in 11 gorgeous chignon shades!

To check out the very photogenic Jessica Simpson rocking the brand new clip-in braided chignon, click here.

Reese Witherspoon Never Leaves Home Without This Avon Beauty Item

Reese Witherspoon. She seems to have it altogether. A busy mom, movie actress, a woman who lends herself to several public causes, and an Avon spokesperson.

And the pretty blonde star always seems to do everything with classic style. From the outfit to the perfect locks to the beautifully polished face, she truly is one of America's sweethearts.

So we were curious to learn about the inside of her makeup/beauty bag, and here's what we found:

When it comes to a quick fix, Reese Witherspoon adores Avon's Glazewear Lip Gloss ($6, avon.com. In fact, the fair-skinned beauty won't leave home without it:

"Lip gloss! It's my favorite, and I carry it with me at all times. I love Glazewear, says the petite actress.

And at $6 a tube, you can't go wrong. What we like about Avon's Glazewear Lip Gloss is the texture and 3 gloss finishes- shine, intense, and sparkle. And there are 16 pretty shades to choose from, including a clear gloss with an SPF15.

Of course, Reese loves Avon beauty items, because she represents the company in advertisements, and has a longstanding relationship with Avon. Reese Witherspoon also gives the thumbs up to Avon's Anew Clinical Eye Lift ($28), which cleverly packages an upper eye gel with an under eye cream. "It makes so much sense to package a cream for the under eye area with a tightening gel for your eyelids," Reese says.

And there are other Reese favorites that don't come from Avon. She also really likes Johnson's Baby Shampoo ($4.50, drugstores). Yep, the 'No more tears' shampoo. Reese says she fell in love with it when she started washing her daughter Ava's hair with the gentle lather.

And Reese Witherspoon credits her beautiful, fair skin from her grandmother's good genes. She also plays smart by using sun protection with Neutrogena's Healthy Defense Daily Moisturizer SPF 50 with Helioplex ($14, drugstores).

Thanks, Reese. Great beauty tips today!