PRETTY GOOD ADVICE: hydrate your hair

When the temperature drops, I can never seem to infuse enough moisture into my hair. Static, split ends, the frizzies all end up being everyday occurences. That's why I always look for ways to revitalize my hair. Pureology Colour Care Ambassador Natasha Sunshine offers some simple ways to keep your hair looking great all winter long.

1. Keep a mini bottle of Evian spray in your purse. A light blast of water can help with static or even hat head. Spritz a light mist all over your head from about 12" away, then smooth your flat palms over your hair.

2. Condition, condition, condition. Choose a daily conditioner with extra moisture during the driest months. Plus, a once a week conditioning masque for five minutes will give you that extra dose of hydration your hair needs. Try Pureology's Hydrate Conditioner and Hydrate HydraWhip Masque.

3. When it comes to styling, be sure to lock in moisture by using a leave-in conditioner and a deeply nourishing styler. Pureology's MiracleFiller is a leave in that will give you a supple dose of protein while hydrating the hair as well. Choose a wet/dry styler like Redken's Argan-6. This incredibly light oil goes on wet and melts over the hair in a protective shine while blowdrying. You can add a couple drops after your style is complete to get extra shine, nourishment and protection.

4. Stay away from too many hot tools. If you're going to blowdry, skip the iron and vice versa. If you opt for the flat or curling iron, go to bed with a wet head and style in the morning.

For more information visit www.Pureology.com.

craving conditioner

Welcome to spring (we thought!) Between the cold air and dry heat, my hair's been having its ups and downs...or rather, more downs than ups. It's been craving moisture lately so you can imagine my panic when I reached for the conditioner in the shower and picked up a bottle of shampoo. Then another bottle of shampoo. Then another bottle of shampoo. They were all bottles of shampoo! No conditioner in sight.

Just as I was about to call out to my husband and ask him to rummage through the beauty stash in search of conditioner, I saw it: A silvery marine blue tub of product nestled in the shower rack between the shaving cream and the loofah. I picked it up and--yes!--it was conditioner. After unscrewing the top, I scooped a goop and smoothed it through my hair, dispersing it throughout. It felt soft and creamy and my hair seemed to drink it up. After rinsing, my hair felt smooth and sleek again. And it even looked smooth and sleek after blow drying.

Redken Nature's Rescue Cooling Deep Conditioner is ultra moisturizing and helps re-balance hair while cooling and soothing the scalp. What it's made of: A Sea Algae Hydracomplex, complete with sea algae to protect, soy protein to replenish, aloe vera to moisturize and oceanic calone for fragrance. Use daily after shampooing or after using Refining Sea Polish.

For more info, go to www.redken.com.

Get Set to Smooch: Enter Nivea's Kiss the One You Love Contest

Whether you're planning on giving your Aunt Esther a kiss as you walk in the door of her holiday celebration or snooching under the mistletoe with that special someone, Nivea's got you covered. The brand's A Kiss of Moisture Hydrating Lip Care SPF 4 promises uber-smooth lips with every application. But now there's another reason to keep your lips feeling soft and smooth.

Nivea introduces its Kiss the One You Love Contest on Facebook, a viral campaign that aims to bring together couples that may otherwise be kept apart this holiday season, to share their love stories for a chance to win the opportunity to spend New Year’s Eve together in Times Square. Facebook users can vote for their favorite couple and ultimately decide which two winning couples will be flown to New York City and prepare to be kissed when the clock strikes midnight. Two winning couples will experience one of the most important kisses of the year in Times Square during the world’s most exciting New Year’s Eve celebration.

Now through December 23rd, couples can log onto Facebook.com/NIVEAusa and share their stories of love and how they have been kept apart this holiday season on a personal profile page, complete with a (optional) photo and personal URL. The couple’s entry will also be viewable on the main contest page where consumers can view and vote on their favorite love stories.

Added features of NIVEA’s Kiss the One You Love Contest application include easy sharing capabilities featuring visuals of the couple so they can rally their friends and family to vote by forwarding their profile as well as posting contest details on personal walls and link to Twitter to capture votes. Voting will come to a close on December 23, 2010 at 11:59 PM and the winning couples will be announced on December 28th via Facebook. To upload your story and vote for your favorite couple, visit Facebook.com/NIVEAusa.

As the official sponsor of the Times Square Alliance New Year’s Eve Celebration for the third consecutive year, NIVEA will unite thousands of people in Times Square for one of the most memorable kisses as the clock strikes midnight. Throughout the evening, the NIVEA Kiss Platform will feature memorable moments to entertain the crowd. NIVEA will paint Times Square blue and white creating the signature “sea of blue” featuring New Year’s Eve accessories and NIVEA Lip Care products to protect the lips of revelers in Times Square as they prepare to be kissed on New Year’s Eve.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up for this exciting event on Facebook today at Facebook.com/NIVEAusa and beat the long distance relationship blues.

moisture where you need it

When it comes to moisturizers, it's hard to choose the one that's right for you especially when you skin craves hydration one minute but not so much so the next. Extreme Regenovive Hydro-Zone ($47.50) by Italian Beauty’s Perlier, which launched exclusively at HSN and hsn.com this past Sunday, uses ‘smart hydration’ technology, targeting the parts of your skin that need moisture the most. Thanks to Trehalose-2 alpha, a natural sugar found in the desert rose that absorbs moisture and gradually releases it, Hydro-Zone absorbs and distributes moisture according to the needs of the skin--even in extreme climate conditions. The first thing I noticed when applying Hydro-Zone is its smooth, moisturizing texture. Just apply twice daily after your cleansing routine and you'll be giving your skin the hydration it craves. It's also designed to fight the signs of stress, time and age...what more could you want in a moisturizer? No matter what your skin type, it's worth trying. Go to www.HSN.com to purchase.

smooth operator

I'm always looking for a new lipstick formula. Something that feels good on my lips and looks natural too. Shu Uemura's rouge unlimited supreme shine lipsticks ($23) do both. I tried 943, a natural looking beigy shade. The color is subtle so I don't feel too made up. There is a hint of shimmer so it looks a little glam. And a sheerness to it so my natural lips show through. The formula is ultra-moisturizing, thanks to ceramide, which protects and cares for the lips. It feels comfortable which makes me want to swipe some on whether I'm going to the grocery store or out at night. And I love the comprehensive color range--from fiery reds, berry reds and icy pinks to flat oranges, warm browns and necessary neutrals. The best part: They last for eight hours so you rarely have to reapply. Choose your hue at www.shuuemura-usa.com.

beauty on a budget: get suspended

Forget about the red carpet. The launch of new Vaseline Sheer Infusion ($7.99-$9.99),featured anything but. Instead of starlets stepping out into the spotlight, the company treated beauty insiders to an afternoon of trapezing to illustrate the product's suspension theory. Stylist and Just Try It On! author author Susan Redstone swung into action, trying her hands (and legs!) at the trapeze. She managed to perfect moves that even rivaled Sheer Infusion's innovative methods (see the pic for proof)! But back to beauty...Composed of ultra-moisturizing ingredients like Stratys-3, Sheer Infusion infuses and suspends moisture, providing ultimately hydrated skin that's soft and smooth, not dry or flaky. Glycerol Quat delivers optimal moisturization, staying on top of the skin to deliver moisture where it needs it most. Glycerin penetrates skin for immediate, long-lasting moisture at the core. Hydroxy Ethyl urea lures moisture to the deeper layer and keeps it there. Go to wwwww.vaseline.com for more info.