Great Bang For Your Buck: Sally Hansen Colorfast Tint + Moisture Balm $5

Let's get real.....At this time of year, cold, crisp, very dry air plays havoc with the skin for sure, but it also does a number on the lips.

You DO need a lip balm of some kind daily, and we've got a super tinted, hydrating balm for $5. You get the moisture and a pretty, sheer wash of color.

Great for on-the-go and especially, "Great bang for your buck!"

We're talking about Sally Hansen's Colorfast Tint + Moisture Balm ($4.99, at drugstores). They're getting harder to find lately in-store, so you might have to search around a bit.

We don't believe the product is discontinued, because the balm is amazing, and Sally Hansen still features it on their website.

It looks like a twist-up, chunky lip crayon. Plus it comes in 10 shades, like Plum. Mauve. Nude. Pink.

There is nothing heavy or peppermint oil-irritating about these jumbo chapsticks. In fact, "the lightweight formula smooths and hydrates lips, for 30% more moisturized lips, instantly!".

And it features a buildable sheer to medium sheer tint for the lips. And it has a nice, vanilla scent.

This is a good beauty budget buy!

Crazy For Cranberry Lipstick? Rihanna + Ariana Wear It

Cranberry lipstick is NOT an easy lipstick shade to wear. But as we can see here on Rihanna, the bold, dark red color is a recent fave she's been putting on.

Cranberry lips are a HOT trend at the moment. And the appeal has NOTHING to do with post-Thanksgiving.

Are you game?

We are on the fence about it, and yet when we observe Rihanna in cranberry lips, it looks so good! Plus, we love how the rest of the superstar's makeup is understated.

And Ariana Grande also debuted a cranberry lip shade + darker hair color at the AMA's last Sunday. So pretty.

Cranberry lipstick is both elegant + edgy. And the hue can go purple-ish or more burgundy-ish. But you will have to sample a few to find the perfect cranberry.

Here's a nice one by Rimmel London for LESS than $6:

Lasting Finish Lipstick-Kate Moss Collection

So, ladies....Do you have a cranberry crush you're waiting to try?

'Fraid Of Facial Oil? Even Olay Promotes New Oil Treatment For Radiant Skin

Okay....We have OILY skin, so we've been hesitant to get on the BIG beauty trend---which is facial oil for a clear, balanced complexion.

We STILL find it hard + bizarre to believe that oil on the face + neck doesn't have to be greasy or pore-clogging.

In fact, the beauty science shows us that facial oils like Olay's new Regenerist Luminous Facial Oil Daily Treatment really BALANCE the complexion, clean out pores and regulate oil production, halting excess sebum.

Well, you gotta believe.

We have tried deep cleansing facial oils to take off makeup and wash the face. Er...we DID apply it and remove the cosmetics, but after cleansing with the oil, we then resorted to our regular, facial bar soap and removed the oil remnants....LOL.

We just didn't trust the oil on an ALREADY oily complexion.

But Olay's Regenerist Luminous Facial Oil ($ 25.99, at Olay.com) promises a radiant, healthy, clear complexion, thanks to their unique, 9-blended oil formula, some of which includes---coconut oil, apricot kernel oil, tangerine oil, grape seed oil, etc.

So...how do we use the new Olay facial oil treatment?

"Apply 4-5 drops onto the palm of the hand. Use your finger to dab the facial oil in small dots over freshly cleansed skin. Then use your hands to gently massage Olay Regenerist Luminous Facial Oil smooth across your face or neck. Olay Regenerist Luminous Facial Oil can be used morning or night."

What do you think?

Are you in on the latest beauty, facial oil trend?

Medicated Bar Soaps By Ermis Labs Promise Beautiful Skin From Head To Toe

We happen to LOVE bar soap. We've talked about this before.

For one thing it lasts a long time. Plus, a bar of soap doesn't have to be used just on your body. There are some amazing bar soaps for the face.

The skin care experts at Ermis Labs have recently launched a superb line of medicated bar soaps.

And the great thing, you DON'T need a prescription.

Ermis Labs was generous enough to send their 5-bar collection to us--- to smell it, touch it, and test it. The line includes these medicated bars:

1. 2% Salicylic Acne Treatment Exfoliating Cleansing Bar
2. 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Acne Treatment Cleansing Bar
3. 2% Pyrithione Zinc Seborrheic Dermatitis & Dandruff Treatment Bar
4. 1% Tolnaftate / 9% Sulfur Antifungal Medicated Bar
5. 0.5% Coal Tar Psoriasis Medicated Bar.

Ermis Labs has pretty much covered you from head-to-toe here.

We have been using the Salicylic + Benzoyl Peroxide bars. LOVE them! We wash our face 2x daily with the Salicylic and use the Benzoyl Peroxide in the shower for those break-out areas like the back.

Despite what some people believe, soap does NOT dry out your skin. What these medicated bars do is CLEAN extremely well and nourish with "Vitamin A to keep skin cells healthy, vitamin E to protect skin cells from damaging free radicals, coconut oil to hydrate the skin, shea butter to heal the skin and sea whip coral extract to calm the skin."

So, if you are frustrated with common skin conditions like acne, psoriasis, and atopic dermatitis,  then you would be wise to check out the Ermis Labs' collection at MedicatedBars.com.

These medicated bar soaps are nice + dense. You're getting a lot of bang for the buck, as the saying goes. And the American Academy of Dermatology Summer Conference in ­Chicago gave these beauty bars the thumbs up for their unique + effective formulations.

When it comes to cleansing, many reach for the quick, liquid kind in the dispenser. We happen to believe the bar soap makes more sense and takes the cleansing routine to a much deeper, dermal level.

Each medicated bar costs $9.95 and comes neatly boxed with information + directions on how to use it.

Let's be honest, beautiful skin is not a given, but with the right products, we can ALL have clear, healthy + radiant complexions.

Would You Pop Pills For Healthy, Longer Hair? These Celebs Do!

Healthy, long, strong, shiny hair.

Who doesn't desire that?

We've all heard about hair vitamins and what these beauty pills can do for boosting hair growth.

But do they work?

And who's popping pills for enviable locks?

A number of celebrities claim they take hair vitamins. Are we to believe them, since most famous women wear hair extensions secretly?

Well, we will give these ladies the benefit of the doubt and believe they pop beauty pills.

Here they are:

Kim Kardashian.   Yes, she wears tons of hair extensions, but she's also been trying to get back her healthy, long hair. Kim claims to take Hairfinity ($24, one month supply).

Kyle Richards, a real Beverly Hills housewife reality star has said her strong, beautiful tresses were a result of these: Nourage ($59.95, one  month supply). Kyle claims that, ""My Nourage hair-care vitamins are heavy, but I don't care! After I had my kids, my hair was breaking off, but these have made a huge difference."

Nicole Kidman also takes hair pills. Her go-to brand---Swisse ($19.99, 2-month supply).

This is what she said last March: I always..."Take hair, skin and nail Ultiboost vitamins from a company called Swisse, which I am the global ambassador for. I down them religiously, and they've made my hair thicker. After I had my baby, my hair got so thin. I used to have really thick hair; now it has come back."

So, the question begs:

Would you take hair vitamins for healthy, longer hair?

Christie Brinkley Loves Olay + Clarins But Will Also Launch Signature Skin Care Line

Cleanse. Exfoliate. Moisturize.

That's what iconic model Christie Brinkley told Harper's Bazaar magazine she does for sound skin care. And yeah....she sure hit the DNA jackpot, because at age 60, Christie looks stunning, STILL.

 But even though one might look young for their age, good skin is NOT a given.

Christie is launching her own signature skin care line: Christie Brinkley Authentic Skincare, and the 8-piece collection will pop up at Kohl's dept. stores in March 2015.

Meantime....how does this ageless beauty + mom of 3 maintain that clear, radiant complexion?

Here it is, in her own words:

"I use Olay's Regenerist line and Clarins neck cream [$86], and I'm religious about wearing sunscreen daily. When I started modeling I was told to tan, but I always protected my face. Right now I use an SPF I'm formulating for my own skin-care line that I hope will be available in six months. I used to be big on fruit acid facials, but my skin is really clear these days. I also drink tons of water to keep my skin hydrated."

We found the neck cream here at Macy's for $86.

Can't wait to see Christie's skin care debut in 2015!

Burt's Bees New Brightening Dark Spot Corrector 99% Natural: But Does It Work?

Sometimes you have to blow a few bucks to test and see if a beauty product REALLY works for you.

We are all unique individuals, and some things improve our skin.......and other things do not. It's that simple. Period.

So, here's a fairly new complexion brightener by the folks at Burt's Bees. We like that this product is 99.0% natural.

Okay...great that it's almost PURE.

But, can we see real results?

Excellent question. And for $20, we could all find out.

We think this dark spot corrector is worth a shot.

Radiant, clear, evenly-toned skin is something we all desire. 

We would like to test this out on our decollete where we have the little, brown sun spots.  We have been applying Vitamin C serum and Retin-A when we have enough to spare.

Is it working?

Too early to tell.

Burt's Bees formula contains Daisy extract, which is supposed to be a skin brightening agent.

If you have tried this dark spot corrector or have a fave that improves skin tone, please tell us here.