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To enlarge, click on the pictures below.

When I was a little girl, my mother, who permed her hair, would use VO5 Hot Oil Treatments. A magic ritual. So now, when I want something to pamper my hair, it's no mask, oh no, but a hair oil. And just in time, my ends are feeling parched. Philip B.'s Rejuvenating Oil ($30) is admittedly more posh than my mother's humble VO5. The uses for this are many (e.g. as a leave-in conditioner for dry ends), but it is more typically a pretreatment. It is applied to dry hair, and left in for an hour, or even overnight or a few days if you're feeling ambitious. A shower cap will lock in the heat, or use a blowdryer for greater effect. Then, shampoo and condition as usual. My favorite way to use it is to gently massage four or five dropperfuls to the ends of my hair. The trick is to massage it well, so that the warmth of your hands allows the oil to spread easily. Then, I pin up my hair up and go about my business as usual. The scent is wonderfully decadent, lavender and geranium and ylang ylang (much like fancy face oils from Decleor or suchlike), so it's not at all obtrusive.

I've been craving amber perfumes of late, and justly so, it's the perfect antidote for the big chill. Thus ETRO Ambra EDC ($90) transports me to the spices of the East, the dry heat of the Sahara, and the intensity of light (for is not amber crystallized sunlight?). So unbelievably rich, powerful, and sexy. ETRO's amber is intended to be a masculine, but I actually find it profoundly feminine, in its gorgeously ornate bottle, straight out of a Morrocan bath. Just plain addictive.

What doesn't Fresh Sugar Face Polish ($55) not accomplish? This multitasker addresses any number of winter ills. For flakes, it's a gentle scrub, the sugar crystals melt so no fear of scratching delicate skin (I apply it to wet skin, it's more abrasive when applied dry). For moisture, it's a mask, full of plant oils and waxes. For dull tired skin, it's a brightener, with natural fruit enzymes. And it smells gorgeous: brown sugar and lemon.

I've been feeling a little unprotected lately. My lips! How they have been suffering! Lip balms are everywhere, from Chapstick ($0.99) to By Terry ($50). But I've never met a lip balm quite as talented as Nuxe Baume Progideux Levres SPF 15 ($23). It's incredibly soothing, with mango butter, shea butter, and sweet almond oil. It has full-spectrum sunscreen. It plumps with botanical "microspheres" (whatever that means). It even has a little bit of sheer shimmer tint, almost lip-gloss-esque. It looks glamorous. And it smells faintly fruity, of mango. I swear, it's just straining to become a cult product. Every woman I've introduced it to, reaches for it, asks for it, loves it.

A bit of cheery color is just what we need. NARS Scandal Lip Gloss ($23), a watery cool red is just lovely, like Pucci for the lips. It's bright, but glossy and sheer, so it won't overpower winter-pale skin. Like you've been eating a cherry popsicle, in supersticky gloss, what could be more summery and girly than that? When the seasons move, it'll still look great on tan skin. I'll admit, though, for the money, I like Fresh Desire Absolute Gloss better. It smells nice, it's cute, it's plumping, and the color is more desirable (no pun intended).

The perfect complement to a glossy hint of cherry is NARS Key Largo Duo ($31), a combination of a sweet, satiny peach and a restful warm bronze. Wear these sunkissed neutrals alone (easy enough to do), or mix them together for the gentlest bronze for a bit of depth and shimmer. You'll find no end of use with Key Largo, it is the consummate warm brown, soft and delicate.

Give yourself a pedicure, in bright pink. Nothing's more cheery and feminine. I like Essie Cocktail Hour Nail Polish ($10), a bright shimmery candy hue, delicately awash with silver, with just enough coral to make you smile. (Fans of MAC Lipglasses will recognize the similarity to Lychee Luxe, save with silver, not gold, shimmer.)

I've been afire with curiosity over Red Flower's Hammam line, so when the opportunity to test it (what could be more decadent and self-pampering than Red Flower Hammam Lemon Coffee Blossom Olive Stone Scrub ($62)?), I leaped at the chance. I actually spent my first few minutes just wiping off the oils that had leaked out, and that was before I had even opened it (it was sealed tight four times over, with a seal, a cap, plastic wrap, and box). This stuff is incredibly potent (it should be, for the price). It smells mostly of coffee with some lemon to it (the copy cites coffee, black olive, crushed almond, sugar, neroli, orange peel, lemon rind, and fresh lemon juice), which is certainly an odd thing to rub all over your body, unless you really like the smell of coffee. Pungent scents, when it comes to body products, are a sign of quality. The scrubby bits are small, but dense, so it exfoliates well. It spreads easily and you don't need much. It does leave an oily film, but that is normal for these kind of scrubs, and in any case, leaves you with no need to moisturize afterwards. All in all, it's pure decadence, a concoction as complicated as a confection from the poshest chocolatier.

The incredibly luxe products from Claus Porto are some of my favorites. You cannot find better soap. They are rich and creamy, hefty in size, beautifully scented and packaged. I chose Claus Porto Favorito Red Poppy Soap ($14) for its spicy scent and warm red color. Soap is something one uses casually every day, and this little touch of luxury really brightens mine.

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1. Johnson & Johnson Head to Toe Baby Wash as facial cleanser, the ginormous two-bottle set at Costco.


2. Jojoba butter. I'm still working my way through my 2004 jar of this.


3. L'Oreal Feria haircolor components, again at Sallys Beauty Supply or other beauty supply shops. Get yourself a big bottle of creme developer, a couple of color liquids to custom-mix, and a big tube of...


4. L'Oreal Feria Deep Conditioner. Use this over several days after coloring your hair; hair is as soft as it was before coloring.


5. Nature's Gate Herbal Hair Conditioner. I use a glob the size of a quarter; it's very effective (and no silicones).

Labels: hair, natural beauty, skin

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