It's the time of the year to celebrate the most grand vegetable of them all, the pumpkin. And what better way to honor the gourd-like creation, than pumpkin inspired beauty products and cosmetics.

Multitudes of pumpkin-laced body products are all over the shelves, ranging from body scrubs to body washes and body lotions to body sprays.
Philosophy makes a three-in-one shampoo, body gel and bubble bath that smells exactly like grandma's pumpkin pie. Bath and Body works boasts an entire line of pumpkin-scented products. The scrub pictured to the left contains real bits of pumpkin!


Pumpkin extracts are known for their ability to smooth and even-out skintone. Garden Botanika has captured the incredible antioxidant power of the pumpkin, and incorporated it into their Pumpkin Ginger Body Serum. The product works to reduce the appearance of unsightly stretch marks and prevent new ones from forming. It also encorages natural collagen production in problematic areas. The pumpkin-ginger scent is fabulous, and this product lives up to its claims!


Don't forget to use pumpkin to pamper your face! Pumpkin contains enzymes that really work to produce a healthy, radiant face. It's properties calm and soothe overwhelmed skin, but steer clear of this product if your skin is sensitive. Pumpkin extracts tend to be strong, and can produce redness on certain skin types.

Photos linked to online vendor.

Don't we all have friends and relatives who are in need of a fashion intervention? Do you ever show up to a party and realize that your buddy is way underdressed--or worse yet, her ratty thong is sticking out from her jeans and she seems oblivious to it?

I'll admit it: I'm a libertarian for the most part. My motto is live and let live. If someone is committing crimes against fashion, it's their choice, their freedom, no matter how silly they look. (That doesn't mean I'm not going to skewer them on this blog though. Heh.)

Seriously, you can't make someone care about their appearance all of a sudden, and it's not your job anyway.

But if a fashion backward friend asks for you advice, or if you can tell that their whining about their lack of a proper job or boyfriend is directly related to the 1980's hot pink pantsuit-with-shoulder-pads they wear to interviews and/or clubs, give your friend some gentle, helpful advice.

First off, approach them kindly to see if they have an interest in fashion at all. Be gentle.

If they do, direct them to us. We can help. It's what we do.

You can also try casually watching What Not to Wear and other fashion TV shows together.

Whatever you do, don't make them over in your style or image. Let them develop their style into something that truly represents them.

If your style icon is Audrey Hepburn...

and your friend's is Betsey Johnson, learn to be okay with that.

And when appropriate, give the gift of fashion fun: spend time together looking at clothing, accessories and jewelry; find special things they would want to wear--things that would flatter them, not you. Help a friend figure out what colors and styles flatter her--you'll have a fashionable friend for life!

Is the changing weather making you feel tired? Hit the gym! Are you looking tired? Are your eyes puffy and droopy? The best way to combat the under-eye circles is to help the light catch the area around your eyes. Light colors around the eyes bring the eyes out instead of causing them to look sunken.

Pick up Benefit's Eye Bright, $18, available at department stores and Sephoras everywhere.

I've been wanting to try this product for a long time, but the price seemed prohibitive. I finally decided to spring for it anyway, and I'm glad I did. It's a light bright pink color which sets it apart from other concealers that typically have a yellow base. It applies very smoothly over regular makeup. I use it all around my eye area, upper and lower. It stays on for most of the day, but if you're an obsessive primper like me, then I recommend keeping it in your purse for reapplication purposes. Apply on your lash line, right below your eye, and especially in both corners of the eye. Blend carefully.


Final verdict: it's a handy little tool if you're willing to spend $18. However, I suspect there are concealers that can do the job just as well for less.


High Brow, on the other hand, is more of a must-have. This product goes along your brow line and is designed to help accentuate your brows. I love it!

It lasts all day without any need for reapplication. It brightens my entire eye area. It effectively eliminates the little red veins above your eyes on the brow bone. It makes a huge difference, I think. Apply in an upside-down Nike shape along your brow and blend.


Final verdict:
Definitely worth the $18. Give it a try if you're looking to highlight your eyes.

Building on F. Seattle's post from yesterday, I too, wonder what's up with all of this gratuitous bagginess and taffeta slowly creeping onto celeb bods.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

All of these unnecessary yards of material and lumpy humps only add weight and bulk to even the smallest of frames.

Valentino

I realize that "bag lady chic" is hot right now, but must we personify ourselves as a plastic trashbag?

Photos courtesy of SFF and Style.com.

Penelope Cruz is a pretty lucky gal. She's got a best friend who doesn't steal her boyfriends. She's dated some of the hottest men in Hollywood (Tom Cruise, pre-meltdown; Matthew McConaughey, pre-scruffiness). It's even rumored that she's dating Orlando Bloom, but of course, he's dating me, so don't believe the rumors, people.

She always seem to dress to accentuate her curves, but this dress appears to exaggerate her hips in a totally unflattering way. It's like she's got a clothing hanger stuck in the lower half of her dress. Yikes. Add that to the school marm tights and fairly fugly shoes, and you've got yourself a dud, folks.


That said, does forest green remind anyone else of the early 1990's? It just doesn't seem like a modern color any more (granted, a color is a color--and the popularity of colors is fairly cyclical), but I still like it. Anyone out there still rockin' the Christmas-tree green?