Five for Friday: Multitasking Beauty Superheroes

Everyone already knows that conditioner can double as shaving cream (another tip: mix with water in a spray bottle to keep crazy beach hair in check). Here are five more multitasking miracles that do everything from taming cowlicks to banishing nasty odors. What are your favorite beauty multitaskers?

1. Anastasia Brow Gel. I cannot live without this! Beauty experts have proclaimed clear mascara as the brow tamer of choice for years, but Anastasia Brow Gel has that weak stuff beat by a mile. It's stiff enough that it keeps your brows in place all day, but not so much as to make them crunchy. Its other use? As a flyaway/cowlick tamer. My morning hair routine always ends with a light swipe of the Brow Gel along my part and at my forehead, to keep my long bangs perfectly sideswept. See my original review here.

2. NARS Multiple in Copacabana. I talk about this stuff all the time, but if I haven't drummed it into your head yet that it's the BEST, here goes another try. This creamy silvery-beige stick works as a highlighter on cheekbones, browbones, inner corners of eyes, and upper lip, as well as an incredible body highlighter (shoulders, collarbones and legs). You can even smush some into your favorite body butter to add just a hint of an allover glow. And try dabbing on lips, too, to lighten up and add shimmer to any of your favorite lip products.

3. Antiperspirant. Let's be clear: we're talking about solids here, not gels. A solid antiperspirant can work wonders to eliminate shoe friction from heels and straps, not to mention helping to keep your feet nice and dry. And it's fabulous for keeping bikini irritation and razor burn at bay.

4. Hand Sanitizer. (First of all, make sure yours works by using alcohol; stay away from sanitizers with triclosan, which may contribute to the development of superbugs, and has some potential safety issues.) I use hand sanitizer for everything - for its intended purpose, of course, for an allover body refresher (it's particularly good for eliminating "beach hands" and "beach feet," that weird, not-exactly-sand residue you feel after a day at the beach), as a top-up for antiperspirant, and most interestingly, as a bad odor blocker. I've been guilty of rubbing a dab of hand sanitizer just inside my nostrils when confronted with an offending aroma on the subway. It's like Vicks Vaporub for stinky environments - I swear it works!

5. A classic moisturizer. Refer back to last month's Five for Friday post for an in-depth discussion of the five most quoted moisturizers that answer the question, "What's the one thing in your beauty arsenal that does EVERYTHING?" Everyone has a favorite - what's yours?

Five for Friday: Multitasking Miracles in a Jar (or Tube)

Ever ask someone about a classic moisturizer and get this answer? "Oh! I use ________ for EVERYTHING! Face, hands, cuticles, lips, eczema, elbows, feet, bug bites, windburn, sunburn, steam burns, even flyaway hairs!" The list of uses seems to go on and on, doesn't it?

Well, maybe they're on to something. And these five classic formulations seem to be the most popular answers. For the record, my go-to is Nivea. What's yours?

1. Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Created in 1930, this apricot-colored balm is a combo of petrolatum, beta hydroxy acid, and vitamin E. It was quite innovative at the time thanks to the beta-hydroxy, and it works just as well today. Check it out in the limited-edition 60's inspired jar, too.

2. Vaseline. Possibly the most unglamorous of the bunch, but that certainly doesn't make it any less worthy. Check out Tia Williams' "Vaseline is the New Black" post at Shake Your Beauty for some interesting Vaseline anecdotes. Apparently, a Real Housewives grandma owes her still-gorgeous complexion to the stuff, and now Tia's been using it as eye makeup remover.

3. Original Nivea Creme is the poor man's Creme de la Mer, though it's been around far longer. I remember my mom dabbing some on my face to protect it from windburn when we went skiing, and I loved how it felt. Like La Mer, it may be too thick for everyday use on your face, unless you have severely dry skin, but there are so many other ways to use it, who cares?

4. Creme de la Mer. Wait, if Nivea was around first, does that make Creme de la Mer the rich man's Nivea? Hmmm. Anyhow, I vaguely recall a supermodel famously saying that she uses CDLM for everything, even pimples. Of course, this was in the days before the bubble burst and conspicuous consumption became a no-no. But hey, if you can afford it, why not? I'm still not sure I buy into all the "Miracle Broth" hype, but it's a damn good moisturizer. (NB for mineral oil haters: get the scientific facts at The Beauty Brains. Or search on PubMed. If mineral oil bothers your skin, fine, but cosmetic grade mineral oil is NOT GASOLINE, or poison, nor is it the "#2 cause of death in the elderly".)

5. Aquaphor Healing Ointment, the choice of the sensitive-skinned worldwide (not to mention fragrance-haters, lip-biters, cuticle-pickers, and men). I had a friend in college who used gallons of it; to her, there was nothing Aquaphor couldn't cure. I bet she thought if she sent a few cases overseas, she could bring about peace in the Middle East. Now that's a miracle cream!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all my US readers celebrating the holiday! We're just wrapping up a MAJOR feast at my parents' house, and food coma is imminent.

I hope you're all having a wonderful day filled with delicious treats, friends, family and laughter. Personally, I'm incredibly thankful for the way this year has turned around. The end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 were pretty tough, with my dad's cancer and the robbery of my parents' house, so it feels good to get together with my family and know that everyone's healthy and happy again.

(And sorry for the snafu with the empty Steals & Deals post and the erratic posting the last couple weeks - I have a ton of fab posts saved up but forgot to schedule some of them, thanks to general holiday craziness and WORK - whew! So glad to have the 4 day weekend.)

Again, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Prada L'Eau Ambree

Prada L'Eau Ambree came to my attention when my friend K announced that she'd just purchased it. I'd never known her to wear anything but Hanae Mori and Chanel Chance, so for her to pick another fragrance, it had to be good.

So of course, I stopped by my trusty Neiman's beauty floor to sniff it. L'Eau Ambree is Prada's latest, a modern take on traditional amber. Notes include cedrat, rose de mai, amber, patchouli, vanilla, and opononax.

Much lighter than original Prada, L'Eau Ambree actually reminds me of an amber version of Infusion d'Iris. It's transparent and light, and has some of the same traditional cologne quality of the Iris. The base, though, is slightly spicy -- it reminds me a little of a very, very sheer version of Serge Lutens Rousse.

Overall, I'm loving it. It's light and wearable for either day or night, and a nice take on a fragrance note that can occasionally be heavy. Prices range from $76-$117 for the fragrance, and $44-$62 for the body products. The gorgeous 2.7 oz deluxe refillable atomizer, shown here, is $117.

Five for Friday: Autumn Fragrances, Part 2

When I finished my last post on autumn comfort scents, I couldn't help feeling that there were other bottles just waiting forlornly in my perfume cabinet for their very own mention. And indeed, there are more than five scents I wear this season. Here are a few more that tend to end up in heavy rotation during the autumn months:

1. Narciso Rodriguez wears a bit heavy on me during summer (if I'm looking for something similar in the hotter months, I reach for Sarah Jessica Parker Lovely, which is like Narciso Rodriguez lite). But in the fall, it's just right. It's built around a heart of Egyptian musk, which is somewhat soapy, not dirty, I promise. Notes include Honey Flower, Solar Musk, Orange Blossom, Osmanthus, Amberlyn, Vanilla, Tactile Musk, Tactile Woods, Vetiver. And it's available in a hair mist, which you know is a hufe plus in my book!

2. Fendi Theorema is the most wonderful discontinued gem of them all. My mom discovered this years ago and both of us are still in love with it. Theorema featured prominently in my Beauty Graveyard post, where I wrote of it: "Theorema smells like a stylized pomander, with notes of tangelo, jasmine, thai shamouti (orange), osmanthus, spices, cinnamon, pink pepper, sandalwood, guaiac wood, amber, macassar, sweet cream, and musk." It's delicious, and I always start reaching for it when the leaves begin to change. Discontinued, but can still be had from various online retailers if you do a little searching.

3. Hermes Eau des Merveilles. I love this scent so much that I've collected the original, the Elixir, and a limited-edition bottle. Notes include elemi, bitter orange, Italian lemon, Indonesian pepper, pink pepper, ambergris accord, oak, cedar, vetiver, balsam of Peru and tears of Siam (what are those?). It has a lot going on - citrus, spice, and this slightly aquatic feel as well - but the overall effect is warm, comforting, and somehow still fresh. It's something you'll want to keep inhaling all day long, at least for me. And the Elixir is more gourmand, with an opening that reminds me of chocolate-covered orange peel.

4. Bois de Paradis by Parfums delRae smells like spices and candied fruit (in the best way, I promise. It does not smell like a fruitcake). Definitely an autumn scent, one that I'd love to wear apple-picking and then maybe to a wine tasting afterward.

5. Serge Lutens Daim Blond. White suede. That's what it means. And somehow, that's what it evokes. Daim Blond smells softly leathery, creamy, elegant and expensive. It's dry, but a touch of what smells like cherries and almonds adds just a bit of sweetness. Notes: Iris Pallida, apricot kernel, cardamom from Ceylon, musk, heliotrope, hawthorn.