I’m always looking for new beauty products, and I’m glad for any excuse to find new ones. I’ve been perusing beauty magazines, and I’ve culled out some beauty products that they’re calling must-haves. Some of them I’ve tried, and some I’m just dying to.

Feminine floral perfumes are big this fall. Nothing too overwhelming, or strong. Something sublimely feminine, with a citrus or musk underneath. Try Pink Sugar by Aquolina. It blends sweet notes like vanilla, caramel, cotton candy and light florals for a fun, playful fragrance. Fresh top notes are bergamot, Sicilian orange, and fig leaves, against a lush heart of lily of the valley, licorice blossom, and red fruits. A sensual base is provided by vanilla, caramel, woods and musks.

Perfectly tousled hair with Powder Texturizing Spray. For fall and winter, a soft, tousled look is effortlessly sexy with dry texturizing spray. You get no stickiness, and you get the volume and texture you want. You just spray it evenly to get volume and style. Try Big Sexy Hair Powder Play Volumizing and Texturizing Powder.

Smokey eyes are big for fall, again. They never seem to go out of style. A smokey eyeshadow is sultry and sexy, and it’s a must have. Here’s a tutorial on how to get a great smokey, sexy eye:

For great smokey eyes, try the Kim Kardashian Makeup Compact. You’ll get products to give you luscious nude lips, sultry smoky eyes, and flushed cheeks. A chic mirrored compact holds your must-have eye, lip, and cheek colors plus applicators for on-the-go glamour. It’s a perfect Christmas gift for yourself or someone else.

Do you use any of these products? What do you think of them? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

Aloe Vera has been used in beauty products throughout history. It’s been documented that ancient Egyptians used aloe vera frequently – both Cleopatra and Nefertiti used aloe vera in their daily beauty routine.

The aloe vera plant is not a cactus, as many people believe it to me. It’s a lily. Whatever it is, this succulent plant packs a big punch in the beauty product world. A search for ‘aloe vera’ on StocknGo showed me more than 100 beauty products with aloe vera in their ingredients.

Why is this lowly plant so prized in beauty products? For one thing, it moisturizes and soothes skin – and it does so gently. Even if you have very sensitive skin, aloe vera is great. It won’t break you out, and it won’t dry your skin. You’ll be hydrated, with soft, smooth skin.

You find many razors with a soothing aloe vera strip, too. When you shave, the aloe vera soothes and moisturizes. That means no razor burn, and that’s a good thing.

It moisturizes hair, just as it moisturizes skin. You’ll find many shampoos and conditioners contain aloe vera, and there are lots of hair gels with aloe vera. Many Paul Mitchell hair products contain aloe vera.

Aloe vera quickly penetrates the skin. That means when it’s added to skin care products, they penetrate the skin more quickly, as well. That’s a great benefit for an anti aging face cream.

And speaking of anti-aging: Aloe Vera is supposed to have anti aging properties. I can’t confirm this with research, and it may very well have more to do with its moisturizing properties, but you find it in many anti aging face creams.

Aloe Vera is a nail strengthener, as well. How many properties can one plant have?

My absolute favorite beauty product that uses aloe vera is Matrix Biolage Hydrating Shampoo. It’s a great moisturizing shampoo that gently cleans and moisturizes your hair, leaving it shiny and manageable.

Do you have a favorite beauty product with aloe vera in it? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

I talk a lot about greening your life, but so far, I’ve left beauty routines out of it. I thought it was too hard … but I was wrong. I recently decided to find some ways to make my beauty routine as green as the rest of my life is. Surprisingly, there were some easy ways to do it.

Try more eco friendly products. L’oreal makes an Ever Pure brand of hair products that are sulfate –free yet still protect, condition and nourish your hair. They’re also 100% vegan – not tested on animals, with no animal byproducts. You can get great beauty products that don’t harm the environment.

Look for natural ingredients. More and more brands are using naturally-derived ingredients to give you the same great beauty results without harming our world. Aloe, tea tree oil, lavender and mint are just a few used in beauty products. Check labels – even if the label says organic – to see what is being used to make your beauty care products.

Cut your shower time. If you cut just three minutes off your shower time, you save about 50 gallons of water. Yes, you read that right. 50 gallons.

Double up your products. Use a moisturizing body wash and then shave your legs with it, too – don’t use a body wash and then a shave gel. You’ll save on the amount of products you use, saving money and causing less harm to the environment.

Don’t run the tap. If you turn the water off while brushing your teeth, you’ll save about 3 gallons of water each time. If you add that up over the course of a year, it’s a significant amount of water.

Buy beauty products in bulk. Buying once means your products are shipped only once. A bonus to this is your beauty products cost less.

What are you doing to green your beauty routine? Have any tips? Leave them for me on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a message here on the blog.

Summer is almost over. School is getting ready to start. If you’re a parent, you might be breathing a sigh of relief. (Or even doing a little yay-back-to-school dance in private.) It might not be such a time of celebration for your children. Here are a few things that can help your child transition back to school.

Listen to your child and if she has fears, acknowledge them. Don’t try to soothe – it’s not necessary, and most likely they’ll have an argument for everything you say. ‘Yeah, but…’ isn’t productive. Just acknowledge their fears, and just doing this can help them go away.

Start your school bedtime now. Don’t wait until the last week to start making your child go to bed at school year times. Make them get up at the time they’re going to have to when school starts, as well. If you give them at least two weeks to get used to that routine, it will go much better during the school year. They won’t come home exhausted the first month of school while they acclimate.

Buy them something they really want for the first day of school. It doesn’t have to be huge, and you don’t have to go all out and spend too much money on clothes or accessories. Just one thing – even something as small as the erasable markers they want – will make the back to school blow easier to bear. Hunt thrift shops online, or spend one Saturday trudging through them looking for treasures if you’re short on cash. It’s not what you get, really, it’s the fact that your child gets something they want, not something they’re forced to have.

If you have teens, let them shop for beauty products for school. Being a teenager, they’re going to give you a list a mile long if you don’t set a price limit first. Hunt for bargains before you turn them loose on the retail world. Hey, I’ve got some for you already: Shop at Stockngo before August 31st, and you can use these coupon codes at checkout to save money.

5CASH35 saves you $5 off a $35 order, plus free shipping.

10CASH69 saves you $10 off a $69 order, plus free shipping.

25CASH125 saves you $25 off a $125 order, plus free shipping.

Back to school doesn’t have to be stressful. As a kid, even though I moaned and groaned about it most theatrically, I was always ready to go back to school. I’ll bet it’s the same for your kids.

Oh, and if you want even more ideas to beat the back to school blues, watch this:

You want healthy hair. Who doesn’t? Shiny, beautiful tresses are the thing we’re all striving for. What can you do to get them? You might be surprised at some of the answers.

Eat right. Yes, what you eat definitely has an effect on your hair. Eat walnuts, salmon, and sprinkle flax seeds on your cereal in the mornings. Don’t like any of those things? Omega 3 Supplements will keep your hair healthy, strong, and shiny.

Make sure you get plenty of lean protein in your diet, as well. The recommended amount of protein per day for women 30-50 is about 50 grams per day. That’s the equivalent of two eggs for breakfast, a 3 oz hamburger for lunch, and a chicken breast for dinner.

If you color your hair, don’t over do it. Don’t color more than once a month, or you run the risk of damaging your hair. You’ve stripped the outer layer off your hair when you bleach it; doing it too often strips more, and leaves it vulnerable.

Use shampoo for colored hair and conditioner for colored hair, as well. These hydrate and protect your hair, and keep damage at a minimum.

Use natural boar bristle brushes to brush out your hair. The natural bristles distribute oil more easily through your hair, leaving it more hydrated and less prone to breakage.

Deep condition your hair. If you use heat styling, you should use a deep conditioner once a week, at the very least. If you have very damaged hair, you should do it twice.

Unless you have oily hair, don’t shampoo every day. Try to shampoo every other day. On the days you don’t shampoo, rinse and use conditioner on the ends.

How do you keep your hair looking healthy? Tell me your tips on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a comment here on the blog.

Our sweepstakes Facebook game has been extended! I’m so excited about What’s In Your Hair?

The sweepstakes is an online instant win game. It’s called What’s In Your Hair? With your mouse, you ‘scratch’ the ornaments and combs in a head of hair to reveal coupons and discounts. If you scratch 4 stars, you win a $50 shopping spree plus free shipping. Every time you play, you win! That’s my kind of contest. You can play once each day, and you can win tons of prizes and discounts.

What would you buy with your shopping spree money if you’re a grand prize winner? These are some of my picks…..

Chi Flatiron with free Silk Oil I love these things! They not only straighten your hair, but you can curl and add body as well. The Silk Oil is fantastic!

Chi Silk Infusion is my absolute favorite hair product. It protects your hair against heat damage, and makes it as smooth and soft as silk. You’ll still have lots of body and bounce, and your hair will be in great condition.

Almay Cosmetics Makeup Remover Towelettes I love these things! They contain aloe, cucumber and green tea, and they nourish your skin as they gently remove your makeup. You can take off anything with this stuff; eye makeup (even waterproof mascara), long lasting lipstick, or foundation all comes off without irritating your skin. It smells great, it feels wonderful on your skin, and it doesn’t clog your pores. When you’re too tired to wash your face, you just run one of these little things over it, and voila! Fresh, clean face.

Axe Deodorant Body Spray – Phoenix No, this isn’t for me. Well, it is, only I won’t be the one wearing it. I’d get it for my significant other. This body spray seriously makes me drool. When they call it ‘all-over body spray with long-lasting fragrance designed to seduce’, they aren’t kidding.

Make sure to play once a day until the sweepstakes is over. Good luck! If you win the shopping spree, come back and tell us what you got.

I read What Makes a Face Beautiful recently, and was surprised. Did you know that facial symmetry is a factor in beauty to our brains? To our brains, beauty has more to do with perceived good health than it has to do with aesthetics.

Beauty is also socially influenced. In simple terms, if we like someone or are close to them, that means we perceive them as more beautiful. Our spouses, daughters, and other loved ones are all more beautiful in our eyes. I’m sure this comes as no surprise to anyone.

Another thing that didn’t surprise me about this article – ‘A luminous, unblemished complexion is another factor in attractiveness… There are mainly two reasons for that: Flawless skin indicates good health and youth.’

Finally, something I can work on! I’m not able to change my genetics, but I can better (and maintain) my complexion. It’s often the first thing I notice about someone – their skin. Is it smooth and unblemished? Do they have dry skin, or does it look moist and well taken care of?

That’s not to say that a few little fine lines around the eyes make you less attractive. In my opinion, a laugh line or two just makes you more beautiful. (Of course, I might think that because I’ve got one…or two or twenty.)

How do you keep you skin looking flawless? There are three simple steps.

• Exfoliate.

When you exfoliate, you remove the dead skin cells that can make your complexion look muddy. Use a gentle exfoliating cleanser, and do it every other day. Three or four times a week is plenty, unless you have dry skin. If your skin is dry, you might want to cut that back to one or two times a week.

• Moisturize.

Moisturize daily, and start when you’re young. If you’re no longer young, it’s not too late. A daily moisturizer is a must, and it can undo years of damage. Just start now, and keep using it.

• Protect.

Protect your face (and your body) with sunscreen. The sun is your complexion’s enemy – and I’m not overstating. Look at the skin on the inside of your upper arm. See how smooth and soft it is? That’s because the sun never touches it. Use sunscreen and protect your face from UV damage. Laugh lines are great – sun discoloration and dryness, not so much.

Beauty is subjective. I find that when I feel beautiful, people perceive me as beautiful. To me, beauty has more to do with the inner woman than the outer woman. What do you consider beautiful? Has your opinion on beauty changed and evolved over the years? Let me know on twitter, Facebook, or let me know here on the blog.

When you buy birthday gifts, are you being green? There’s a way to let the special people in your life know that you care about them without giving up your green philosophy.

Make your own birthday cards. These can be absolutely beautiful. Take card stock and paint a small watercolor, if you’re creative. Know how to do calligraphy? This looks excellent on a card. Write a poem, use prose to tell them how you feel about them, cut out pictures from old magazines and make a collage…the possibilities are endless. Making your own card is creative, fun, and much more personal than a card bought from the store.

Get your birthday boy or girl an environmentally friendly gift. You can buy an acre of rain forest, buy beauty products in bulk, or purchase vintage toys or jewelry at yard sales and thrift shops. There are lots of ways to go green with a birthday gift. If you’ve got more great ideas, let us know on twitter, Facebook, or leave a message here on the blog.

Wrap your gift creatively. You can use the comics from the newspaper, a beautiful vintage scarf, or even place it in a reusable basket. Or stamp paper, make drawings, or collage your own wrapping paper. Gifts wrapped in this kind of paper look beautiful.

If you don’t think a birthday present is complete without flowers, buy a plant instead of cut flowers. It won’t end up in a landfill, and it’s much better for the environment. And what could be a better gift than a plant that lasts for years? Every time they look at it, they’ll think of you.

Green birthday gifts mean that you give the one you love something they love. You’ve put a lot of thought into this present. It’s not just something culled off a shelf at the last minute. That makes it more significant, both for the giver and the receiver. Go green for birthdays.

Whether you’ve got normal, dry, or even oily skin, you need daily moisturizer. If your budget can only stretch to fit one skin care product, it should be a good moisturizer.

You can literally take years off your face with a mild cleanser and a good moisturizer. When your skin is dry, it accentuates wrinkles and fine lines. You can plump up your skin with moisturizer, taking the emphasis off those lines and making them look reduced.

And don’t wait to start moisturizing into you’re in your thirties or forties; you should really begin in your twenties. It will give your skin the protection it needs. It will also keep the skin of your face from prematurely aging. Don’t forget the skin of your neck and chest when you’re moisturizing. The skin there is just as delicate as the skin on your face, and they are exposed to the elements just as much. You want to protect them, as well.

What’s a good moisturizer? You want to gently add moisture to your face. The type of moisturizer you choose should be based on the type of skin you have. If you need moisturizer for dry skin, you might want to look for a product that helps the skin produce more moisture, or seals in the moisture you already have. If you need moisturizer for oily skin, you want a light moisturizer. Don’t be tempted to skip it – oil is not moisture.

Is your skin sensitive or prone to breakouts? You can find a non comedogenic moisturizer that won’t clog your pores, and won’t make your face greasy or irritated.

You also want to think about a daily moisturizer that contains a sunscreen, to cut down on the UV damage your skin receives. This is important, no matter what type of skin you have.

Start moisturizing your skin now. Don’t wait. It should be an important part of your beauty routine. No matter what your skin care regimen contains, make sure a good moisturizer is part of it.

July is National Anti-Boredom Month, and a few other – um – sort-of holidays. In addition, July is also National Blueberry Month, National Cell Phone Courtesy Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month, and National Unlucky Month for Weddings.

National Anti Boredom Month has come along just in time. I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to stay inside more and more. It’s too hot to hang outside much, unless I’m lounging by a pool or having my own personal cabana boy bring me margaritas. Needless to say, that isn’t happening. I’m starting to get…well, bored.

I’ve come up with a few ideas to keep boredom at bay. If you’ve got any ideas of your own, hit me up with them on twitter, Facebook, or leave me a message here on the blog.

Go Tubing. Never heard of it? What you do is float down a river on an inner tube. It’s more fun than it sounds, believe me. Just make sure to stock up on sunblock with a high SPF before you go. Using a leave in conditioner with sunscreen also isn’t a bad idea. You can find places to go tubing by running a search on Google. Just enter the name of your state and tubing, and plenty of sites will pop up, believe me.

Play a round of mini Golf. Remember how much fun that was as a kid? It still is. It’s cheap, too. A local mini Golf course near me charges $4 a game. It might not be that inexpensive where you are, but I’d bet it’s under ten.

Take underwater pictures. This is a lot of fun! We did this recently, and some of the pictures were amazing. I loved it. It was creative, and we got to cool off while we took the pictures. Don’t have a camera that will work underwater? Get a waterproof disposable camera. They’re waterproof up to 50 feet. Just make sure to get it developed at a place that recycles the used ones. I always ask first.

Go for a picnic in the park. Pack up some sandwiches and drinks in a reusable bag, throw a blanket in there, and off you go. My local park has great picnic tables, all shaded by trees. Afterward, we always go for a walk by the pond and feed the ducks the leftovers. It’s heavenly.

Hey, I’ve got to go! I’m going to work on some more anti-boredom ideas. Also, in celebration of National Anti Boredom Month, I’m going to eat hot dogs and blueberry ice cream while talking courteously and considerately on my cell phone. And I’m NOT going to get married. Doesn’t sound boring at all, does it?