Pucci perfumes

The New Pucci Perfumes
It's never too early to start planning your summer escapes, and nothing will get you in the mood faster than one (or all) of these terrifically evocative fragrances (Emilio Pucci Vivara Variazioni, $59 each; Sephora.com ) meant to conjure the sun, the sea, and the sands of Vivara Island, a small crescent of magic off the coast of Italy in the azure Mediterranean. Sole 149 radiates rose and vetiver; Acqua 330 is redolent of jasmine and frangipani; and Sabbia 167 fills the air with iris and sandalwood. And if you like all things Pucci, the stunning bottles are a lovely lagniappe.
Rem??de Hydra Therapy Lift Cr??me

Dream Cream
Though we find most chichi skincare trappings pretty silly (the tiny spoon, the mother-of-pearl box), we do love dipping into a luxuriously weighty jar of face cream, like Remède Hydra Therapy Lift Crème ($130; BlueMercury.com ). Inside you won't find caviar or 24-karat gold, but a rich blend of far more proven skin soothers: essential fatty acids and antioxidant vitamins. The cream soaks in quickly, leaves skin feeling silky for hours, and is paraben-free. If you want to splurge on yourself, this is chichi with substance.
EverPure shampoo

Delicate Wash
Sometimes you can have it all. Take, for example, L'Oréal Paris's new EverPure line ($7 to $9; drugstores)—its shampoos don't contain the foam-producing cleansing agents that fade haircolor before its time, but they still lather up beautifully. The secret, says Alan Meyers, L'Oréal senior vice president of research and development, is a blend of naturally derived cleansers that delivers all of the shampoo-commercial suds with none of the drying (or dye-stripping) side effects of the synthetic stuff. Forget compromise!
Wisps toothbrush

Simply Irresistible
File her nails in the office? Never! Comb her hair at the table? No way! But apparently associate beauty editor Kate has no problem brushing her teeth on a subway platform. After attending Colgate's launch party for these single-use toothbrushes (Wisps, $2.50 for four; drugstores), she stashed a set in her bag and headed back to the office. Waiting for the train, she couldn't resist unwrapping one of the tantalizing little brushes. The blue bead released a minty flavor as the plastic bristles scrubbed her teeth (no rinsing required). When the train pulled in, she realized that, yes, she was brushing her teeth in public. These brushes are irresistible: Don't say we didn't warn you.
Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder

Not in the Pink
Diligent and skeptical—beauty editors that we are, we recently put Clinique Redness Solutions Instant Relief Mineral Powder ($30; Clinique.com ) to the test. Could it really "immediately neutralize visible redness," as the company claimed? We enlisted our most flush-prone colleague, dusting the light, yellow-tinted powder on only the right side of her face, and then presented her to judges (in neighboring cubicles). They confirmed that the treated side was indeed more peaches-and-cream than cherry red. Our guinea pig was thrilled—the powder felt invisible on her skin (unlike the concealer she normally uses) and even contains anti-inflammatory ingredients like caffeine. We have a winner.
From the April 2009 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine