Fall is one of The Advice Sisters favorite seasons. It's "back to school," shorter days, a crispness in the air, and the anticipation of the holidays to come.  This column focuses on for women and men,  and also all those "little things" that can help make life easier, more beautiful, and more fun. 

The Advice Sisters first reviewed Scarlett Cosmetics back in our 2003 Holiday What Works column.  I remember being impressed with this boutique brand. I knew great things would come from the founder, Scarlett Messina. Scarlett recently resurfaced, and suggested I try her Tantric Mascara, billed as the "world's first sex-proof mascara."  That opened my eyes, literally, as well as figuratively!  secretly tested this mascara at Fashion Week in NYC and makeup artists raved about it. Tantric Mascara has "tubes" that adhere to your lashes and stay until you wash it off (with traditional makeup remover, or just soap and water, and a little bit of "friction").  What makes it so different is that it isn't made with fibers that can drop off and irritate sensitive eyes (like mine), and contact lens wearers. Read More

If designer clothes aren't in your budget this Fall, the good news is that there are other, more affordable options to wear the creme de la creme, such as,  Armani.  For example,  For Fall 2010, Giorgio Armani is debuting three Rouge d'Armani Lipstick in “nocturnal” shades, inspired by the deep blue tones of night. That doesn't mean that the lipsticks are black or "goth" -- far from it. The rich, lustrous color will give you the defined, deep lips from the Fall runways in a mostly-matte formula. Lips will look full of saturated opaque color without shimmer, but lips will look moist, not dry. Read More

Armani Beauty has also launched an exceptional Lasting Silk UV Compact Foundation SPF 34 to help you be a winner in the "face race" for skin that looks flawless, but is also protected from the sun's damaging rays. This new solid foundation in a two-tiered, mirrored compact, has the mattifying effect of a powder, with a natural luminosity, but it also provides lightweight coverage. The powder arrives in eight shades, applied with the foam applicator that fits neatly into the bottom part of the compact. The foundation is simply smashing. Read More

If you're thinking of getting some new and upscale makeup for Fall 2010, you'll want to consider some of the trendy, wearable and truly luxurious products from Givenchy & Guerlain.  The Advice Sisters attended a special event called "Passport to Beauty" Passport to Beauty," featuring some of the launches for Guerlain and Givenchy. There are lot of great items to consider. such as the Givenchy Le Prisme Eye Shadow Quartets in this photo. I wrote about the newest Givenchy & Guerlain cosmetics launches on the Advice Sisters Blog as a sneak peek but now they're available in stores.  Read More

I love it when I discover a product that makes you feel good and helps you look good. PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics new 95% USDA Certified Organic YUM Balms fit the "great all around" category. In their slant-tipped squeeze tubes, these lip balms have just a hint of tint, and they look like the "Jelly" type sandals everyone wears to the beach. And, like the jelly sandals, the thing that grabs you is the clear, bright, shiny colors. But they do more than just shine your lips. They moisturize with delicious ingredients that are good for you: organic shea butter, gluten-free Vitamin E, red beet and cabbage juice, Goji berry, pomegranate, and sea buckthorn. If it's important to you, the fact that Yum Balms are not tested on animals, and don't have harmful chemicals, are a huge plus.  Read More

My Philosophy: There's nothing nicer than a new eye shadow palette, with colors that flatter, that are silky and blend-able, stay true to color, last a long time, and of course, multi-task. You should expect nothing less from the eye shadows you select this season. New to Philosophy (the brand) for the Supernatural Makeup collection are three "windows to the soul" eye shadow palettes. The four, coordinated shadow work overtime to make you look good. You get three shades of gorgeous mineral powder to color your eyelids, and or the crease, and for shimmer effects, plus a long-wearing, wet-to-dry powder liner. Each mirrored compact also includes a mini applicator shadow/liner applicator. Read More

I have fallen in love with one lipstick:  the new for Fall 2010 NARS "Rouge Basque." The name was inspired by the red brick and inside cover of a book from the Basque region of the French countryside. This is a deeply pigmented, red brick color, in a moistly-matte formula that looks more like a stain than a regular lip color.   You don't  have to have fair skin and freckles to love it, but if you are one of those people for whom red/orange is harsh, and most other reds are disturbingly bad with your skin, Rouge Basque is lipstick salvation! Read More

Did you enjoy the bronzed look of Summer? Weep not for its' passing, as  FACE Stockholm plans to keep those earthy, warm tones going right into Fall. The poster girl for this new collection is, fittingly, a Swedish pop star called “September.” According to the singer: “Wearing makeup is more than just making myself look pretty, it's about art. It's a way of expressing myself and creating my own fashion."  The collection is well edited, beautifully coordinated, and arrives in the shiny silver cases that make it look so elegant. Read More

As a child, one of my biggest joys was getting a new box of Crayola crayons. . They were so beautiful, grouped together by color tones in that big, cardboard box, that I never wanted to actually use them and ruin the points. If you have also always been dazzled by color, you will feel like a kid again when you see the new, 120 color Eye Shadow Palette from BH Cosmetics. This new, 3rd Edition (I tested the 2nd edition, too) 120 Color Eye Shadow Palette comes in a shiny black, mirrored compact containing colors that are custom-designed to work together to create literally, very look imaginable for summer into fall and into the holiday season. In the first level tray, there are a lot of warm, earth tones, including a lot of corals, peaches and oranges and some yellow-toned greens.  Some of the colors are pretty interpretations of traditional eye shadow colors, and others will inspire you to go out of the box with fashion, and have fun! Read More

I have long been a fan of Korres cosmetics. This Greek company has it's roots in the oldest homeopathic pharmacy in one of the most revered and ancient places on earth: Athens, Greece. Korres products are environmentally friendly and use active natural extracts with antioxidant and skin-transforming benefits. That good-for-your-skin philosophy and formulas are coming to one of the sexiest lip products I've found on the market today: the Korres Raspberry Liquid Lipstick It has a patent leather shine that silkens and moisturizes. But this lipstick-in-a-tube is also a great for your lips,  antioxidant-rich natural product. Read More

One of the things about the dawning of a new season, especially Fall, is the chance to re-imagine your image with new colors, new clothing, new style. An easy and affordable way to add something new to your look, is with makeup. Elizabeth Arden's Fall Collection features lovely and wearable colors to enhance, update, and improve your look, such as this awesome, Color Intrigue EyeShadow Quad in "Sueded Browns" and a luxurious,  Color Intrigue Effects Lipstick $19.50. This one, in Cranberry Cream, is the type of deep, dramatic red that every woman needs in her lipstick wardrobe. Read More

Pur Minerals makes one of my all time favorites products: excellent Correcting Primers. and I'm very excited to be able to present Pur Minerals two new collections that launch in September:  "Earthly Treasures" and "Heavenly Delights (in the photo)," plus a useful new iPhone App. Read More

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I don't think I've ever smelled a fragrance from Giorgio Armani that I didn't like. Each is distinguished and stands on it's own merits Now, Giorgio Armani has created a new scent called Acqua di Gioia, literally translated to: "water of joy." This is not the same fragrance as the awesome Armani scent for men called Acqua di Gio (which the advice sisters reviewed in June 2006). This is a women's scent, and it just launched in June 2010. Read More

Who says fragrances can't be affordable and fun? Demeter Fragrances have  250 different scents in their "Fragrance library," and over dozens of single-note fragrances in a variety of themed collections. They have florals and fruits, and other traditional scents, but they also have dozens or really weird and unusual ones definitely not made in nature. For example, my husband's favorite Demeter Fragrance is called "Crayon." He keeps a bottle on his desk at work, maybe to remind him that all work and no play, is not a good thing. There are candy hearts and Necco inspired scents, and even some like dirt and celery. Even better, these scents are truly affordable. Read More

At the Passport to Beauty event where I tried products from Guerlain, Givenchy, Acqua di Parma, Pucci, Kenzo,  and more as a sneak peek. Hopefully I will have a chance to consider some of these new fragrances, launching this Fall, in greater detail in future posts such as the re-designed bottle for Shalimar, by Jade Jagger. For now, here is my sneak peek. If you are considering a new fragrance for Fall, you will want to Read More

Paris Hilton Tease is Ms. Hilton's latest scent. Like Madonna, Paris adopts a new persona on a regular basis. Her fragrances do seem to mirror Paris's image du jour. For this latest scent, Tease, the vibe is Hollywood Glamour, Marilyn Monroe style. As Paris matures, her style seems to get more flirty and sexy. Nothing has subdued Paris! Developed by Perfumer Steve DeMercado of Fragrance Resources (who also created Jessica Simpson’s new scent, Fancy Nights), Tease feels very young and playful. It isn't trying to be uber-sophisticated. Paris Hilton is quoted as saying: “I want to give women permission when they wear this fragrance to tease their man with all that flirting allows.” Tease, may succeed where words fail. Even the most dense guy will know you’re tempting him if you wear Tease--he'll know it even with his eyes closed. Read More

Jessica Simpson's latest fragrance,  Fancy Nights, is the third is a series of "Fancy" scents for Simpson. The presentation is lovely. Fancy Nights is a feminine floriental scent. It's not light and girly, but it's not "grandma" either. I think it reflects where Jessica is in her life right now. She's older and more mature than when she was first in love and married to Nicholas Lachey and her first fragrance line, Desert, launched. That collection was full of sugary sweet, "edible” fragrances that was all flirty girl. Even the first of the "Fancy" trio was a creamy, gourmand scent, geared to an audience probably about the age that Ms. Simpson was when she launched it. Fancy was created by perfumer Alexis Dadier of Mane, developed with Parlux Fragrances and the Camuto Group. Fancy Nights, is not "flirty girly" but is more sensual --a woman's floral.  Read More

To some, this may look like just a bunch of pretty bangles, but they're not quite just bangles. These are Alex & Ani bangles. Carolyn Rafaelian, designer and creator of the fantastic Alex and Ani jewelry line, has a following of celebrity fans so long, I can't list them all, but stars that have worn Alex and Ani include: Sandra Bullock, Carrie Underwood, Sir Paul McCartney, Kerry Washington, Ashley Tisdale, Miley Cyrus, Jessica Simpson, and Vanessa Hudgens...just to name a few. Now you can not only get some of these luxe bangles for yourself, you can design them just as you want them through the Alex and Ani Web Site's newest online feature, the ‘Create Your Own’ Bangle Bar. So luxe! So chic! So you! The neat thing about this new, online feature, is that you can design the number and type of bangles you want in a set. Each bangle has the clever, expandable bracelet design Alex and Ani is known for. It has a patented, sliding mechanism instead of a clasp making each piece adjustable, so you have a customized fit. Select your bracelet set from a variety of vintage beads and finishes for the bangles, and then if you wish, add some pretty charms. I added a fancy, gold metal beaded bracelet that needs no additional adornment (there are colorful beaded versions, too). If you're on a budget. Read More

here is nothing worse than getting dressed up and wearing a killer pair of shoes, that ends up being just that...killers on your feet! Andrea Padilla, the designer of Spare Soles, wanted an affordable, portable product that she could turn to when she needed to kick up her heels, but kick off her heels, too. The result was a fold-able ballet slipped that not only zipped into a makeup-bag-sized pouch, but with a pouch that could transform into a handled tote bag, too! I've seen fold-able ballet flats before, but never one that could be put into a tote and with a pouch that turns into the tote, itself. That, is clever! Read More

I have always liked Avon products, especially Anew. While other companies put high price tags on cutting edge technology, Avon seems to provide the same,. or similar, or better, nearly close to those launches, and at prices anyone can afford. That line started out with one, impressive, anti-aging product, and now has morphed into many others. One of the newbies, exclusively Avon Clinical, is Avon Anew Clinical Luminosity Brightening Serum. This is Avon’s first topical serum, and it features and inject able-grade skincare. The product information says it provides “an at-home option to a dermatologist laser!” They say it “instantly makes your skin look brighter and more even toned.” Furthermore, Avon claims that 80% of women saw the look of dark spots dramatically diminish and 100% of women showed more illuminated skin with visible reduction in fine wrinkles, over time (that appears to be about 8 weeks). Read More

Ever since I was a little kid, I have been fascinated by...foam! I used to love to make a lot of lather with soap bubbles or shampoo, and play around with it. Now that I am an adult, I find that I still love beauty products that foam. A new Facial Cleanser that satisfies my craving for fun and foam, while it does good things for my skin, is the Foaming Facial Cleanser by CeraVe. Designed for normal to oily skin, this cleanser gently removes dirt, oil, and most makeup, and helps to minimize an oily T-zone (if you have it, you'll find that the shine is worse during the hot weather). But while it removes all the things you don't want on your skin, it replenishes the things you do want. Read More

Luxury shaving cream in nice scents with skin-loving properties are all the rage, these days. Shaving products are a simple thing that can enhance your day, or perhaps, dry out your skin, assault your nose with chemical smells, and put you in a bad mood! Pure Silk Moisturizing Shave Cream by Barbasol has some nice benefits that women will love. For starters, the Pure Silk Moisturizing Shave Cream features 7 different scents, including "peaches & cream" for sensitive skin. Shaving creams can range from less than a latte, to more than lunch in cost! But inexpensive doesn’t mean cheap or bad. Pure Silk is enriched with aloe to soothe and moisturize, and it protects against nicks and cuts. Read More

How can you not love something called "Peace Soap"?Peace Soap, by Kiss My Face, it is not just an all natural, liquid castile soap touted as having 101 uses, it is also a nice, if indirect way, to help give peace a chance in this conflict-riddled world. Kiss my Face donates 10% of all profits from their Peace Soap to benefit Seeds Of Peace. This unusual organization brings teenagers together from opposite sides of a conflict, such as Israelis and Palestinians. The teens get a chance to learn (and live) with one another, in an attempt to humanize the "enemy" and bring about understanding, and hopefully, eventually, peace. Peace Soap is a castile soap--a product that has been around a long time--natural and simple. The Grassy Mint Peace Soap I tried (there are three others: Lavender Mandarin, Lemongrass Clary Sage, and Pomegranate Acai). Read More

The Body Shop always has been healthy and "green," but their new, Nutriganics line is their latest, certified organic skincare collection. From cleansers to toners to moisturizers, and masks to serums, these products will entice anyone who is interested in green and natural products. My favorite is the Foaming Facial Wash. I love the rich, frothy feel, and the fact that air is pumped into the product means you will also get more mileage out of it, per bottle. The product has Community Trade organic babassu oil from Brazil , to help smooth and revitalize your skin. Organic mallow flower from Switzerland and Community Trade organic sugar from Paraguay moisturize and soften. Essential oils and natural fragrances combine to create a slightly earthy scent. The bottle states that 99% of the ingredients are of natural origin, and 12% of the total ingredients are from natural farming. Read More