Current Obsession

My current beauty obsession isn't a product at all. It's my Clarisonic. It's made by the same people who made the Sonicare toothbrush, but it's for your face. It's a supergentle, sonic cleansing brush that leaves skin so clean, it glows. Plus, it makes everything else you use on your skin that much more effective. But what I love most about it is how silky soft my skin feels, and how it's kept my breakout prone skin clear for months. No wonder I'm hooked!

Eyebrow Expert

This might raise a few brows: The best eyebrow expert I've found isn't an official eyebrow expert at all. She's my cousin, Nancy Nashed, an artist. Nancy is a perfectionist, and she handles a pair of tweezers with such artistic precision that my friends are flocking to her to have their brows done. She did mine two weeks ago and they still look perfect. Yes, I've maintained them a little, but I stay true to her work, only removing any strays that sprout up outside the perimeters of my perfectly plucked brows. I often joke that I can't see when my brows are straggly, but it's no laughing matter. I really feel like my eyes are overshadowed by my unruly brows. But when they're clean and well shaped, it gives me the same clean, polished, perfectly groomed feeling I get after a good manicure. Sigh... Too bad she doesn't do nails.

Kimara Comes to Town

Okay, not exactly to town, but almost. Brilliant celeb makeup artist Kimara Ahnert (the woman Catherine Zeta-Jones credited with finally getting her eyes "right", and who did the makeup for Zeta-Jones' wedding) will be at Salon Margrit in Palm Beach for three days only, February 1-3. Palm Beach is not exactly the same thing as Daytona Beach, which is where I actually live, but it's only three hours away, 2 1/2 hours if I'm willing to risk a speeding ticket, and since one of my new year's resolutions is to get my makeup done by a real pro, and to take more risks with my makeup... It's too close not to go. I'm not expecting to look like a celebrity. I just want to look a little more L.A. and a little less lackluster. (The sleep deprivation is finally getting to me). So I will be booking my appointment, loading Lola into the car, and heading south to seek professional help.

Dangerous Beauty

This weekend, the “Dangerous Beauty” exhibit opened at the Chelsea Art Museum, and it’s a must-see for beauty fanatics. The exhibit is curated by Manom Slome and runs through the end of April. The point of the exhibit is to challenge current notions of beauty, and to investigate the gray area where beauty myth collides with reality. The roster of artists is impressive (Nelly Agassi, Beth B., Nicola Costantino, Jacob Dahlgren), and it’s supported by Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics and The Powder Group. For more info, go to www.chelseaartmuseum.org.

Hands On

I've always thought that my hands were one of the prettier things about my body. I have long thin fingers and I've never had a problem with my nails or cuticles. But recently, I've started to hate the way they look. I'm afraid that they are starting to look 36 years old. I just read a tip about a woman who applied a very thick hand cream under her dishwashing gloves, thereby giving herself a mini spa treatment every time she washed. Great idea, but I think I'm going to take it one step further and stock up on Mary Kay Satin Hands. It's genius. The set includes a hand exfoliant that leaves skin really silky soft, and two hand creams: one for daytime and a really rich one for night. Fortunately, a dear friend of mine has just started selling Mary Kay, so it should be easy to get my hands on some. She can hook you up, too. Just go to www.marykay.com/kpeterson9572. Oh, and I am finally going to start leaving a bottle of sunscreen by every sink and at every door to my house, so that I never leave the house without sunscreen on my hands. So important! Just think how much sun exposure your hands get when you're driving around!

A Beauty Cruise?

A press release just crossed my desk about the most tempting trip ever for beauty junkies like myself. Makeup genius Laura Geller is hosting a 7-day Carnival Cruise that's all beauty, all the time. It departs on March 25 from Florida, headed for the Bahamas, St. Maarten and St. Thomas. But the best part of the trip is the beauty on board. Guests will be treated to makeup workshops and consultations with the famed makeup artist, plus tons of prime beauty swag. Coincidentally, my birthday is in March. Unfortunately, as a new mom, I will be lucky if I make it out to dinner. Boo-hoo... If I were sans bebe, this would be the best birthday present. Instead, I am forced to live vicariously through some lucky beauty-obsessed traveler. If you go, please write and tell me all the gorgeous details!

Chateau Marmont, and Secret World of Celebrities

I was chatting with a dear friend, Nash Yacoub, on the phone tonight. She's the former Editor in Chief of platinum magazine, and has just recently launched Succarra, which will be delivering exclusive, high-end gift bags to top celebs on special occasions. Genius. Nash is the best celeb-spotter I know. When we used to attend fashion weeks together, she's the one who would spot Elle Macpherson whizzing by us in Soho, or Sarah Jessica Parker pushing her baby pram across the street. Anyway, Nash recently stayed at the legendary Chateau Marmont in LA, and was stunned at the A-listers she spotted while dining there on a single evening: Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz, Jared Leto, Jessica Biel, Selma Blair, Sienna Miller, Paris and Nicky, Britney Spears, Mary Kate and Ashley, etc. After every female celeb's name, she would utter the same words: Her skin literally glowed. Forget great work and a top publicist. It seems the real secret to celebrity superstardom is unbelievable skin.

The Best Lipstick Ever

I've always loved MAC lipsticks. Love the range of shades, the texture, even the taste. MAC Frost in Sequin is my favorite shimmery pink-beige. It's neutral enough to go with everything, pink enough to impart a flattering rosy glow, and, miraculously, it makes my lips look fuller. And MAC Viva Glam (the original) is still my go-to shade for classic red lips. So it's no surprise that my latest favorite is also a MAC Lipstick. Now that I'm a mommy, I've temporarily, and reluctantly, shelved my Lipglass (goop, goop everywhere) in favor of longwearing lipsticks that stay put and don't come off on my baby. MAC Pro Longwear is the best I've found. Instead of making lips hyper-dry and papery, it leaves a smooth, suede-like finish, and it lasts and lasts. My favorite shade, so far, is Legendary, a truly extraordinary shimmery neutral that goes with everything.

Eye Opening

I sometimes need to be reminded that even a beauty veteran like myself could stand to learn a thing or two. Like the time my dear friend and beauty insider Kari Boatner (www.kariboatner.com), who happens to be a micropigmentation specialist and artistic genius, talked me into perming my eyelashes. My eyelashes have always been my best feature. They are long, thick, dark and curly, and most days I go without mascara, so I thought they were pretty much perfect as they were. But Kari convinced me that a lash perm would change my life. And you know what? It did! Suddenly, my eyes were wide open, awake, rested, and youthful-looking. It was one of those a-ha beauty moments. My lashes needed curling! Who knew? Since then, when I'm in between lash perms, I make do with my Shu Uemura lash curler. Since this lesson, I've tried to be more open-minded, and makeup is the last frontier. Normally, I prefer to do my own, but this year, I'm going to hire a professional makeup artist and let her work her magic with no interference on my part. Okay, maybe a little interference, but mostly, I'm just going to watch and learn. Who knows? I could be in for another eye-opener.

Only in my dreams

Now that 2007 is underway, I've started thinking about my beauty resolutions this year, and how they are the same resolutions I made last year, and the year before that, and the year before...

So this year, I'm finally going to solve my three most persistent beauty problems:

1. Find the perfect foundation. Year after year, I've searched in vein for a flawless foundation. Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (#7) came close. Love the texture, and the glow it gives, but the shade is slightly off. Shu Uemura Nobara Cream Foundation is not bad as an evening option, but offers a little too much coverage, and too made up a look, for everyday. And Bare Escentuals Mineral Foundation in Medium Tan only looks natural when I apply it very sparingly. If I actually apply enough to get some coverage, the shade isn't right. The final frontier? Custom. I finally contacted Beauty Insider Giella, who hooked me up with an amazing textured foundation in my perfect shade. She has this color classification system that's the most sophisticated I've seen. It's only January, and I can already cross one of my resolutions off my list! She can hook you up too at www.giella.com.

2. Get rid of fine lines around my eyes. I'm tired of dutifully applying eye creams that claim to be better than botox or to "freeze" lines away. Let's face it. If they were better than Botox, women wouldn't be lining up for the real thing. I've been craving Botox for the last couple of years, and this year, I'm finally going to go for it. At my age, it's more about prevention than anything else. I'd rather be preventing crows feet in my 30s than vainly trying to erase them in my 40s and beyond.

3. Flatten my tummy. This has been my new year's resolution every year since I turned 14. Amazingly, despite my otherwise scrawny frame, I've always had a bit of a pooch. I used to think it was mildly annoying. Now, following the birth of my first baby, the pooch has turned into a pouch, and it's gone from being annoying to downright embarassing. Even though I've lost all my baby weight, the stomach stubbornly remains. So I resolve to take walks with the baby, do crunches every day, and invest in the Wellbox to tone my lax tummy. www.wellbox.com