For The Lips: Lypsyl LypMoisturizer is made with Swedish beeswax and SPF 15 for soft and safe lips. It goes on clear with no shine or stickiness, making it a great unisex balm. The scent is called honeyberry – it is a light, sweet blend of both scents, with no real taste. The oval shaped tube slips into your pocket more easily than traditional round balms, and rather that a twist-up stick, the balm pushes up with a tiny switch shaped like a bumblebee. Adorable.

For The Body: One Skin Conditioner Bar is good for your skin and the earth. The solid moisturizer softens the moment it touches your skin to impart a soothing blend of shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, linseed oil, lanolin, and coconut oil. The lavender scent is soothing and meant to be used before bed. One Skin Conditioner is all natural and cruelty-free. The bar itself is wrapped in paper and packaged in a recyclable, biodegradable box – kind of like a flat egg carton – with not a hint of plastic anywhere.

For The Face: After a long day by the pool, slather your face with Lavera Balancing Cream. No SPF makes this a nighttime moisturizer. Using an all-natural blend that includes organic calendula, witch hazel, mango seed butter, and avocado oil, Lavera Balancing Cream goes on lightly, yet moisturizes perfectly. Not too greasy, not too dry. It is soothing to stressed-out skin and I noticed a reduction in minor redness. Definitely a top-notch moisturizer.

For the feet: Sand is the best foot exfoliator, but it is often drying. Soften up after a tough day on the beach with Curel Target Therapy Foot Cream. Thick, rich moisturizing cream gives deep moisture without greasiness or stickiness. It works best when applied overnight so it can absorb and not send you sliding down uncarpeted hallways. Bonus: I woke up with buttery-soft hands after massaging Curel Target Therapy into my feet.

Suki’s products are pretty impressive, too. We gave the 21 Day Detox Kit a spin. This travel-sized collection includes exfoliate foaming cleanser, concentrated balancing toner, balancing day lotion, bio-resurfacing facial peel, and bio-active purifying face serum. The Detox Kit aims to return balance to your skin in the same sense that a cleanse detoxes your system. I loved how the Detox Kit left me feeling clean and soft, with skin that felt smooth – like it had been resurfaced (but not nearly as scary as that sounds). I will say that I wasn’t crazy about how many products you are supposed to put on – toner, then serum, then moisturizer. It just felt like too much. Not heavy or suffocating, but a touch sticky. I usually just use moisturizer.

While Suki’s goal is to produce products that are suitable for even the most fragile, delicate skin, everyone’s skin is different, and I found the entire system to be too much on my skin. I was pretty impressed with the results of using the system, but by day two or three of the full regiment (except for the facial peel, which I did not try), my skin was red and blotchy. Not itchy or uncomfortable – just a little red. I cut it down to once every 2-3 days, and did much better on that schedule.

My favorite product was the foaming exfoliator. It starts as a sugar scrub, then melts into a fab cleanser. Plus it smells like sugar and lemons (kind of like Fresh’s skincare line).

Created in 1957 by Japanese pharmacist Yoshikiyo Nowatari, it is one of the top-selling skincare lines in Japan. The combination of glycerin and vitamins E and B2 creates a velvety veil over the skin that is not greasy. The medicinal smell comes from the camphor – don’t worry, the scent absorbs quickly. The camphor soothes the skin for everything from eczema to sunburn. I love it to soothe my arms when the summer heat dries out my skin and leaves it itchy and tight. The moisture lasts all day, even through hand washing.

Explorer Sumiyo Tsuzuki trusts Yu-Be so much she took it on her Mt. Everest climb and exploration of both poles. If it is good enough to protect her against sub-zero elements, isn’t it good enough for you?

Clarisonic’s sonic skin cleansing system looked a little scary at first. You know those sonic toothbrushes? This is like a giant one for your face. I love my sonic toothbrush, but I was worried it would be too hard for my skin. My worry was misplaced – this thing is awesome.

We checked out the Mia, which is a compact, single-speed model that is perfect for travel. It’s simple: put a bit of facial cleanser on the brush head, turn it on, and work over the skin in circles. The Clarisonic will automatically shut off after 60 seconds. A full charge will last about 2-3 weeks of daily use. And of course, all the Clarisonics are water proof, which is perfect because I always do my face cleansing in the shower.

My major concern, that the bristles would be harsh, was unfounded. The brush was the perfect texture – soft and comfortable, but still offering good exfoliation. The product promises that the sonic waves loosen deep-down dirt, leaving a better clean. I believe it – after just one use, my skin felt infinitely softer and looked brighter with a more even tone.

The Clarisonic Mia came with a sample tube of their Gentle Hydro Cleanser, and frankly, I wasn’t a fan. I felt that I got much better results with this Juice Beauty cleanser.

Michael Marcus demonstrates his innovative brush kit

There are a zillion and one makeup brush kits out there: complete kits, mini kits, travel kits, pro kits, synthetic kits, natural kits, kits in super-cute pouches… it’s a bit daunting. I admit that about 90% of my brush-buying decisions are determined by looks.

This Michael Marcus brush set is a no-brainer. The sable brush kit includes nine essentials in a compact (yet easy-to-grip) size that are packed into a hard case that is the size of a passport and less than an inch thick. The grown-up in me loves the high-quality brushes; the kid in me loves the presentation. When you flip open the case like a compact, the brushes fan up and out. They each have their own slot attatched to a center hinge. Every time you open the compact, your brushes are presented perfectly. Each brush has a designated slot, making it a breeze to find what you need. When you are done, the compact folds into itself easily without bristles getting bent or tangled.

Plus, I really like playing with it.

To order, visit MichaelMarcus.com

Unii cosmetics has come up with something to completely change the way you palette. Their palette does not have predetermined slots. Instead, the Unii palette is completely empty, allowing you to fit in whatever size makeup pans your heart desires. Even square pans, or the elusive rectangular pan, fit in Unii with ease.

The creators of Unii have literally thought of everything to make this product one of the most innovative I have ever seen.

UniiCosmetics.com

By “pinking up” the plums, it takes the color out of a smoky winter look and into something fresher. An eyeshadow quad with a blackened plum, a soft pink, and shades in between. An ombre blush that seamlessly hits a whole variety of shades without you ever noticing. Lipsticks that go on slightly sheer and warm up the lips. Purple lip glass that goes on nearly clear – just a kiss of color and a touch of shimmer.

Huge Lips Skinny Hips Lipgloss – From Purple Labs NYC, HLSH has everything you could want in a lip gloss – plus some stuff you never realized you missed! The “huge lips” come from vitamin B3 to plump your lips without the sting or burn, and the “skinny hips” comes from Hoodia extract, a natural appetite suppressant. The formula is light, creamy, and non-tacky – perfect for smooching away. Our favorite shade: Kitty Poledancer, a wonderfully neutral pink with just a hint of shimmer.

Sexy Smile – If your lips don’t need any more plumping, try Sexy Smile. This double duty gloss contains a long lasting blue-based gloss on one side (to avoid making teeth look unnaturally yellow). The other side contains a breath-freshening mild tooth whitener. Drink that red wine with confidence!

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Perfume – If you can’t get away to France, smell like it, with APOM fragrance from Maison Francis Kurkdjian. At once sensuous and light, this Oriental whiff combines orange flower, cedar wood, and ylang ylang flower. It will have him going “oh la la!”

Scandle – Finish the evening off with a Scandle. These wonderfully fragrant soy candles double as body oil. The wax burns two degrees higher than normal body temp, and is formulated with soy, shea, jojoba, and vitamin E. Pour a little bit for a moisturizing and fragrant massage – just remember to extinguish the flame first!

Dr. Perricone High Potency Eye Lift – Perfect for the morning after a night full of champagne and chocolates, High Potency Eye Lift has Perricone’s patented DMAE as well as phospholipids and pycnogenol to increase collagen, reduce dark circles, hydrate, reduce the appearance of wrinkles, and fights the loss of skin elasticity.

Hovan’s Gold utilizes resorcinol, bromelain, vitamin A, and tea tree oil to soothe the skin, and encourage straight hair growth. It is also good to soothe skin irritated by shaving or waxing. I noticed a difference in my skin after just one use – of course, continued use is recommended. Unlike other, similar products, Hovan’s Gold is emollient, so it won’t cause dry or flaky skin, and a small amount goes a long way.

Hovan’s Gold is safe to use on all areas of the body: legs, face, bikini line, wherever.

Cleansing Gel: Love. This foaming cleanser rinses clean and leaves my skin clean with the rosy glow of a child’s skin – yet still manages to not irritate or dry out skin.

Antioxidant Serum: So-so. Meant to be worn under moisturizer, it is a little sticky and feels heavy for a serum. I don’t like how it feels, so I don’t use it frequently enough to see what kind of effect it has on my skin.

Antioxidant Moisturizer: Love. Light enough to absorb quickly, yet actually hydrates the skin instead of evaporating like so many other light moisturizers.

SPF 15 Moisturizer: Like. A good moisturizer with good sun protection, but as is frequently the case with SPF moisturizers, it feels like sunscreen. It is heavier than the regular moisturizer, so I tend to use this only when I know I will be spending more than 20 minutes outside.

Green Apple Peel: I did not try this hydroxy acid peel due to sensitive skin.

The Age Defying Solutions set retails for $45 (a $75 value). You can purchase it from Beauty.com