holiday gift guide: give wonderbar

Ready to break in a new favorite bar? Make room in your soap dish for Wonderbar--a new facial bar designed to firm, lift and make your skin glow in three minutes. Sound too good to be true? Wonderbar features a unique combination of Chlorey’nahre, an algae-based complex, and the natural, therapeutic 3000-year-old Heilmoor clay of Austria. The new soap alternative promises to reduce redness, tighten and minimize facial pores, remove free radicals and toxins, fight eczema, acne and psoriasis, and balance skin. You'll love the natural, healthy glow you get after just one use...and so will those who you decide to gift it to. It can also double as a shampoo, moisturizing the scalp and leaving hair shiny, or as a shaving foam to reduce razorburn and the incidence of ingrown hairs. The only downside: it won't fit in your soap dispenser. The holiday gift set includes four Wonderbars ($140) which should last about five to six months. Visit www.wonderbarUSA.com to order.

raise the bar

When's the last time you showered with a bar of soap? Can't remember? Well, put down your fancy cleanser or shower gel and pick up these individually wrapped Molton Brown soaps. Known for its luxurious soaps when it first opened its doors in 1973, Molton Brown has brought back two of its most popular formulas. I tried the Exfoliating Oatmeal and Milk Cleansebar ($22 per set of four) made with ingredients that have been used for centuries to soften and comfort skin. I really liked the creamy lather, designed to soften, smooth and rebalance as it cleans. I'm not sure about the exfoliating properties, though, as the oatmeal specs in the bar make you feel like you're getting smooth but I didn't really feel them. Maybe that's why it works so well! Also in stores is the Ultrapure Milk Cleansebar ($22 per set of four) which contains natural skin conditioners plus Vitamin A and D to improve texture and give skin a glowing appearance. It definitely felt smooth even while rubbing it all over my skin. Try them both or buy one for a friend; they'll make great houseguest gifts this summer! Available at Molton Brown emporia, select department stores and at www.moltonbrown.com.

VDay: give beauty (him)

Judging from my own personal experience, most men are hard to shop for. But give them something they could really use but won't go out and buy themselves--and you just may score points this Valentine's Day. Leave it to Lush, the fresh handmade cosmetics company, to come up with a solution. The company's Shave the Planet Gift set ($29.95) features three essentials he can use to look and feel his best. Sold in a special gift box that's wrapped up in a comic strip, it's designed for the superhero you know and love. Inside, he'll find Shave the Planet Shaving Cream (designed for super-smooth shaves), Cosmetic Lad Moisturizer (to soothe sensitive faces), Bamboo Soap (to tone and leave skin smelling like the rainforest) and a Business Time Massage Bar (for all the relaxation he needs). The trick now is getting him to use all of these little luxuries! At least I know the shaving cream won't go to waste! For more info or to make a purchase, click on www.lushusa.com.