Temperatures are heating up, the days are longer, but that drab and dreary complexion you’ve been hiding all winter isn’t exactly the hottest thing around! Nothing says summer like a goddess-like glow, and the safest and easiest way to get this is through bronzers.

There are tons of different formulas and shades of bronzers on the market today and the selection can be mind-boggling. However, there are some great products out there that are fool-proof and have buildable, sheer shades to complement most skin tones.

Take the Illuminating Finishing Powder by Stila for example, the baked, hand-milled formula goes on sheer and adds a totally ethereal glow along with that “just-hit-the-beach” color. Try it in the Bronze shade for a flattering and wearable way to get bronzed!

Another great option is purminerals’ Universal Marble Mineral Powder & Bronzer. These mosaic-like discs blend several shades of bronze to create a flawless glow. This easy-to-use formula is also packed with vitamins and minerals to condition the skin as well as evening out the skin tone. Just sweep it on and go!

For a quick dose of shimmer and bronze anywhere, we also love Lola’s Shimmer Powder Brush in Bronze. Its purse-friendly applicator has a handy built-in brush so you can sweep it on your face and shoulders when you’re in a hurry.

A great option if you’re planning on laying out poolside would be Stila’s Sun SPF 15 Bronzer. It adds lightly shimmering color while the SPF shields your skin from the harmful rays…which as we all know by now is a huge no-no! You can even dust this product on your décolleté and shoulders for glamorous, healthy-looking glow, like you just vacationed in St. Tropez or South Beach.



No matter what shade you choose for your complexion, the key is proper application using the right tools. It all starts with the right brush. Use a blush or bronzer blush like Stila’s #17 retractable bronzing brush. Keep it in your purse or makeup bag for on-the-go glow. For all-over color, the Perfect Powder Blush by Paul Dorf is also a great option. Its large, fluffy bristles disperse sheer color and make blending a breeze.

The best places to apply bronzers are where the sun naturally hits your face first, so start lightly on your forehead, then dust along the cheekbones and work up into the temples in a “heart” formation. Adding a touch of glow to those areas really bring out the cheekbones…now who wouldn’t want that?
Adding a darker shade of bronzer on the hollow parts of your cheeks (just below the fleshy part usually referred to as the “apples” of your cheeks), is also a great way to coax out those cheekbones to maximum exposure!

So if you're craving a bronze-goddess glow that rivals that of Jennifer Lopez, skip the harmful sun and reach for the safe and easy alternative: the season's must-have bronzers!

If you are like most guy, you like your beer cold, at the end of your day, with a few of your best buds and a ball game playing on the wide screen plasma t.v., right? Not necessarily. If you have ever been to Exsalonce Salon & Day Spa in Chicago, you get your hops served in the form of a facial. Yes, a facial. The Beer Enzyme Facial, a male-focused spa treatment, is a warm and soothing facial that includes a rejuvenating exfoliating cream that contains three percent beer hop enzymes, plus the normal skin nourishing oils . The enzymes in beer gently exfoliate skin dislodging dead skin cells and revealing a newer, more supple skin surface. After the exfoliating cream, you are steamed, re-moisturized and massaged into a beer-relaxed state of mind. Well, sort of. What is a guy's motivating incentive to have the facial? The spa offers you a cold one prior to your facial to help get you prepped for your hour-long treatment. Of course you could always opt for tea or water, but why go against the grain. To make an appointment, you can contact the Exsalonce Spa at 773.327.4848.

The Estee Lauder Companies, the purveyors of luxury cosmetics and stalwart beauty boutique anchor in most upscale retail shopping centers, has taken a mass retailing turn akin to a seismic shift in the shopping universe. It announced its partnership with Walmart and their plans to sell fragrances as its first step into the mass market fragrance category. Estee will sell fragrances under its Aramis and designer fragrance division, with a trio of scents called C-Thru launching in Walmart doors this December. Starting in January the roll out will continue to Target and Kohls, with additional mass retailing doors following soon there after.

Each fragrance is named after a gemstone, Ruby is concocted of rose, freesia, raspberry and sandalwood; Purple Diamond, with a juice of plum, black currant, Indian night-blooming jasmine and vanilla; and Blue Opal which is concocted of watermelon, red berries, lilac and a wet skin accord. Estee pulled out all of the stops when making each of the scents as they worked with the power three of fragrance makers, International Flavors & Fragrances, Givaudan and Firmenich. With a price point higher than most at Walmart, it remains to be seen if the collaboration will be successful. The company is targeting young women ages 15 to 24, with a fragrance price point of $17 (1oz.) and $25 (2.5oz.), respectively.

Why now? Is it the current world economic conditions, where just last week the Dow Jones was falling an average 300 + points a day? Is it the reality that the Wall Street unabashed spending boom has gone the way of the Studebaker, dressing for first class travel or getting a real meal on your flight? Or maybe it is simpler still, the competition for the single digit luxury customer’s income has become a very tight and competitive battlefield, where many opponents will be trampled in their efforts to obtain the holy grail, the elusive luxe market dollar. One wonders had this been ten or twenty years ago, would the firm have snapped close its upscale Fifth Avenue doors at the mere suggestion of such a partnership. Whatever it is, previously prudent times have proven the most successful luxury goods companies are those with designers that have lower priced lines — beauty or fashion — which provide quick turn around of quality items, variety and speaks to the masses.

He sings a falsetto that makes many gasp (wondering if it is painful to do so I’m sure), has a ‘sexy back’, dances, produces, acts — well, if you call it that. Yes, I’m discussing Justin Timberlake and his newest assignment, being the new face for Givenchy Parfums’ men’s fragrance. I suppose since his tour is finished, his clothing line William Rast is sailing along, and his current squeeze is away in London filming, he thought why not (we know he doesn't need the money). As for Givenchy, this a great coo for them, because Justin has a built-in audience. With that will come thousands of screaming fans — 13 to 40 — rushing the international doors to get the fragrance, and thousands more of amors, significant others, drowning in the scent to keep their partners happy. Cha-ching!

To say the Couture team loves makeup is an understatement. We love the glossimers, the gel mascaras, the Juicy Tubes, the bronzers, the Cargo, the Chantecaille, the Giorgio. Yes, we know makeup well. Doesn't almost every woman? So imagine our pure delight when Zappos.com started selling makeup. As we perused the website one evening to see what we would blog about next, we happened upon Lola Cosmetics. If you are a Sephora girl, then you know of Lola Cosmetics - adorable packaging, not-too-sticky gloss. I'm in love with the fab mini gloss kit, it lets me be a gloss mixologist. Since you're already on Zappos.com, why not sit, click and grab some of the fabulousness for yourself?