Too Early For A Pumpkin On The Porch: Try Pumpkin In Your Soap

Cucurbita Pepo.

In other words, pumpkin extract. This is one of the 'magic' ingredients that makes your skin smooth and soft all over.

Fall is fast approaching, and it's time for un-doing some of the sun and summer damage. And all you have to do, is think, pumpkin. It's too early to decorate your porch, so why not 'decorate' your skin.

Pumpkin has become very popular these days at expensive spas and salons. There are pumpkin facial masks, pumpkin body wraps, and so on. Applying pumpkin to the skin is a smart thing to do, because pumpkin is rich in anti-oxidants ---full of vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, potassium, alpha-carotene, zinc, beta carotene, and lutein.

And pumpkin acts like Alpha-Hydroxy acids. In other words, skin texture is improved, roughness diminishes, acne stays away, and skin is moisturized and smooth.

We stumbled on to a celebrity favorite---Horto Botanico Pumpkin Soap by Nesti Dante($9, at beautyhabit.com). It's an all-natural vegetable bar soap from Italy with a super rich lather and purifying action. Plus, it smells yummy and is carefully formulated with active and organic ingredients.

Dante Botanico Pumpkin Soap ia a luxurious, cleansing experience. There's not a bad thing in it.

Biotin and Apple Hair Supplement Promises Long Healthy Locks

When it comes to the hair of many beautiful celebrities, some of it is pure extensions. And we can understand why. When you need long, healthy gorgeous hair in an instant, you CAN have some fake hair fast!

But maybe you would prefer to grow your own. Who wants to sit in a salon for hours, as they 'sew' in some hair, even if it's expensive 'human hair'?!

If you want long, healthy locks, you CAN get them, by taking special supplements. These hair vitamins contain essential nutrients that support healthy hair follicles.

Even Manhattan celebrity stylist Ted Gibson recommends popping some hair pills:

"If you want to grow your hair, try taking a supplement called Biotin. I've told a lot of actresses to use this B Vitamin."

We have searched around for a sound hair dietary supplement, and discovered Hair Volume by New Nordic ($19.95, for a 1 month supply). This system is based on a Swedish apple formulation featuring millet and other key nutrients.

And yes, Biotin plays an essential role in the list of ingredients on a bottle of Hair Volume.

It's very simple, too. Just take one tablet with a meal per day.

The Swedish company is calling Hair Volume one of the best for growing strong, shiny hair. And they claim it's all about the apple:

"The Hair Volume™ tablet is a breakthrough that provides skin, hair and nails extra nutrition and strengthens the growth, volume and color of the hair. An effective tablet based on a new ingredient that no other tablet or shampoo has: a natural growth factor extracted from apples."

The way we look at it, an apple is an amazing fruit already rich in anti-oxidants and fiber, and just maybe, its special extract properties can do wonderful things for your hair. It's surely worth a shot.

How To Melt Away Fat With Your Choice Of 4 Natural Healthy Foods

It's your dietary choice:

Cinnamon.
Olive oil.
Chlorophyll.
White tea.

Take your pick, ladies, and melt away fat the natural way.

If you've had it with all these diet pills, diet drinks, detox potions, and generally, depriving yourself of a normal amount of calories, let's take a look at the 4 foods above, that are good for you, and are chemical-free. And best of all......Cinnamon, olive oil, chlorophyll, and white tea, can help you drop some pounds in a healthy way:

Cinnamon. A recent British university study found that women eating cinnamon lose 500% more weight AND 300% more belly fat! And the most amazing thing about it-------you don't have to change your diet! And you can lose up to 10 lbs. a week.

Some prefer to take supplements, and you can do that with 4 500mg. of cinnamon daily. 1 with breakfast, 2 with lunch, and 1 with dinner. And for those of you preferring your cinnamon from your kitchen spice rack.....that's the equivalent of four 1/4 tsp. doses of the spice.

Olive oil. 'Dancing with the Stars' Karina Smirnoff uses this clever oil to maintain her sexy, slender figure. Karina told US Weekly magazine that she avoids red meat, and dines on egg whites, fish, and salad. And has, "a tablespoon of olive oil on an empty stomach to help with digestion."

Does she have a point? Acccording to this tidbit from howstuffworks.com, yes!

"Research suggests that replacing other types of fats with monounsaturated fat, especially olive oil, helps people lose a moderate amount of weight without additional food restriction or physical activity."

Chlorophyll. Dietary experts say that chlorophyll acts like a mild laxative and encourages the liver into becoming a better fat-burning machine. The green pigment is also full of magnesium which helps to balance blood sugar and melt away stubborn belly fat. Chlorophyll is also high in vitamin and mineral content.

Ann Louise Gittleman, PhD, and an award-winning author of 30 books, tells First for Women magazine that, "the best absorbed form (of chlorophyll) is a liquid extract mixed with water." She suggests a twice daily drink of 1 tsp. of chlorophyll in 8 oz. of water.

White tea. It really does exist and tastes BETTER than green tea. And a group of German scientists have discovered that there are compounds in white tea that are capable of breaking down fat cells and preventing new ones from developing.

Wow!

"We've shown that white tea may be an ideal natural source of slimming substances," Marc Winnefeld says. And he led the team of researchers.

White tea is a fat-buster. This tea has zero calories. So that means the body has to work harder to digest and metabolize it. So your body is expending more energy.

White tea has less caffeine. Also a great feature. You won't get the jitters, and you can enjoy cup after cup, all day. This in turn burns more fat, because if you keep your caffeine level up all day, experts say the body burns calories evenly for hours.

Good luck. Maybe one of these 4 natural foods can help you get skinnier

Bothered By Weak Brittle Nails? Try Essie 'Grow Faster'

We need a new set of nails.

Seriously. We are so frustrated! Last week, our nails were looking pretty 'buff,' and growing longer, and looking healthier. And then-------

Four nails broke off. Three on the right hand and one on the left. And for us, our ring fingers are always the weakest links, so to speak.

We don't get it. We do NOT abuse our nails by over-painting them. In fact, we usually just put on a clear coat of polish, and go on with our life. We maintain a good diet and have strong, shiny hair. But for some reason, our finger nails are NOT a beautiful thing.

Weak, brittle nails That is us!

We have tried a few nail hardeners that seem to work for us, and then eventually fizzle out, resulting in a few breakages. But maybe there is more hope on the horizon for us.

Essie is proud of the product they have developed called, Essie Grow Faster ($8, at Walgreens). This one features a base coat in a clinical strength formula with conditioning Argan oil. And best of all, Essie promises that Grow Faster is the "only one that gives you 27% longer nails in just 5 days."

Now that sounds like a beauty product that delivers! We will try this formula soon and keep our fingers crossed.

SJP Teams Up With Manolo To Launch Shoe Collection For Fashion's Night Out

.
Even Carrie Bradshaw would have shown up at the midtown Manhattan Manolo Blahnik shoe boutique last night to buy a sexy pair autographed on the sole by actress Sarah Jessica Parker.

It was the start of Fashion's Night Out, and the beloved star of Sex and the City was there wearing her own stilettos to reveal a shoe collection she co-designed with the master himself, Manolo Blahnik.

How exciting! Wish we were there. A very long-ggg line of SJP fans snaked out the door of the elegant shoe boutique, just to get a glimpse of the fashionable actress and to do a little shoe shopping.

Sarah and Carrie most certainly share a huge love for shoes, especially Manolos. Shoes were often a major theme in the hit HBO television series,'Sex and the City', which still remains popular even in re-runs.

You have to admit, nothing beats a pair of Manolos with those sky-high heels. And SJP once said this:

"You have to learn how to wear his (Manolo Blahnik) shoes – it doesn't happen overnight... I've destroyed my feet completely, but I don't care. What do you really need your feet for, anyway?"

LOL!

As soon as we find a price for a pair of SJP/Manolo Blahniks, we'll update our post.

Getting A BooBoo Now Fun With Cynthia Rowley's New Fashion Band-aids

Say good-bye to the Sponge Bob band-aid and hello to some sequins, gold chains, gems and lace!

Designer Cynthia Rowley has created some sophisticated fashion band-aids that really take the paper cut up to a whole new level! For $4.25 you can take home a designer tin of band-aids and hide your boo boos in style. The band-aids are available starting today at CynthiaRowley.com, and at mass retailers in December.

Let's face it, band-aids aren't just for kids. We had a regular, boring beige band-aid on last week, and we would have appreciated one with some pretty lace.

"While the BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandage, and specifically our decorated adhesive bandages, have always been very popular with kids, we've seen increased interest from adult consumers who are looking for a stylish way to 'Dress Up' cuts during the healing process," says Bryant Ison, Senior Brand Manager, BAND-AID® Brand Adhesive Bandages. "Cynthia Rowley has been a great partner in lending her creativity to help us bring this category into the limelight for adults in the U.S., and having Cooper-Hewitt onboard makes the project even more special."

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week kicks off today in New York City with more than 250 scheduled shows sandwiched into the 8-day lineup! And if you're lucky enough to be there, look for the Cynthia Rowley 'Glambulance' making the rounds today for Fashion's Night Out. What a great promo!

You can also enter the Fashion Malfunction Facebook Contest during Fashion Week and tell us your worst fashion emergency story for the chance to win a $2,500 Cynthia Rowley fashion spree and styling session. Check out www.Facebook.com/Band-Aid for more details.

Kim Kardashian Swears By Sally Hansen Product To Hide Psoriasis Spots

When reality television star and new bride, Kim Kardashian, recently revealed to the world that she suffers from the skin condition, psoriasis, we were blown away by her honesty. And we admire Kim K for showing everyone, that no one is perfect, even in celebrity land.

Kim is not the first celebrity to talk about her psoriasis, but the very popular star puts a new face on the incurable condition, one that causes thick red marks and flaky white patches that look like scales, to form on the skin.

And the beautiful celebrity is now showing other women how to hide psoriasis spots. It's a product we have raved about, time and time again, for our own less than perfect legs. It's Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs ($13.99, at drugstores). We found a can here at Walgreens.

And it's been a key beauty staple for the petite, leggy Kim:

"I’m using Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs spray and it is my lifesaver at the moment," she writes on her website.

"I love this stuff! It really covers up my psoriasis so well!"

And we agree! We have used the bronzing leg spray to hide our own broken capillaries. We love the stuff! We buy the Airbrush Legs in Medium Glow, and it's a gorgeous, sun-kissed stocking-free look.

The spray-on pantyhose comes in 4 blendable shades: Light glow. Medium glow. Tan glow. Deep glow.

Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs won't cover imperfections like spider veins, completely, but the beauty product minimizes bothersome leg issues. Plus the formula is water-resistant, weightless, and moisturizing with Vitamin K.

If you are frustrated with psoriasis flare-ups and any other issue that attacks your legs, give Sally Hansen Airbrush Legs a try. This one is worth the price.