Beauty and fashion journalist Charla Krupp has a book out with a title that’s Holy Grail for anti-aging afficionados everywhere: “HOW NOT TO LOOK OLD: Fast and Effortless Ways to Look Ten Years Younger, Ten Pounds Lighter, Ten Times Better.”

Krupp will be signing copies of her book this Saturday, May 2nd, from 3 to 5 p.m., at the Saks Fifth Avenue Lancôme counter in New York City. Here are some tips from her book:

1) Pick pink for your pout.
2) Arch your brows upward.
3) Don’t outline your lips with a dark liner.
4) Whiten your teeth.
5) Cut some bangs.
6) Switch from powder to cream blush.
7) Soft is better than hard (makeup).
8)  Illumination is better than darkness (face, hair).
9)  Moist is better than dry (skin, lips, eyes).
10) Slim is better than heavy (eyeliner, clothing).

Like Aesop’s Fables, these pointers are pithy but brilliant — did you even think of half of these?!

If you spend $150 at the event, you can get a personalized copy of the book — GRATIS. The personal appearance is part of Lancôme’s “Ageless Beauty Secrets Event” featuring new skincare innovations, mini-facials and makeup touch-ups.

Space is limited, so call  212-940-2199  to reserve an appointment now. A $50 reservation fee is required and fully redeemable in Lancôme products.

Butterflydiary readers can enter to get an amazing giveaway sponsored by Lancome and win BOTH the BOOK and a FULL SIZE BOTTLE of GENIFIQUE by submitting a comment below. A winner will be picked in a week.

Solar activated antioxidants sound almost too good to be true, like fat-free Ben & Jerry’s or 100 calorie glazed donuts from Dunkins. But Clinique’s new Sun line that debuts in time for your beach-centric lifestyle has precisely that.

SolarSmart triggers a repair factor in your skin when you hit the sun….how “ER” is that?

The Clinique Sun SPF 30 Face Cream is my favorite sun essential. It’s actually light, given what it does, and fragrance free. ($17.50). This also comes in a SPF 50 version.

The SPF 50 Body Cream is luxurious enough to be a high-end cream but is so darn well priced enough to be affordable. $20.

The cute Targeted Protection Stick SPF 45 is great for fragile areas that need this SolarSmart: face, eyes, lips, nose….$17.50

The sheer genius that is the Clinique After Sun Rescue Balm with Aloe is for those who have spent a long day roasting like red lobsters at the seaside. This soothes and repairs traumatized skin and prevents it from peeling. An absolute beach must! $20.

www.clinique.com

Have you seen Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding? On occasion in the movie, she does manage to appear frizz free and sport some seriously rich “I want to run my fingers through your hair” curls. But more often than not, you wish you could give her one hefty appointment at the nearest salon for an intensive hydrating conditioning treatment.

What we’re looking for is this:

See how shiny, sleek and well managed Beyonce’s curls are? That’s what Sunsilk’s Captivating Curls aims to do (and does) so beautifully.

The Shampoo & Conditioner do a terrific job of infusing your hair with moisture. They contain silicone and Aloe-E ( a unique blend of Aloe Vera, algae extract and Vitamin E) and the result is silky curls, one rippling heap after another. And I did use this duo on a particularly rainy day and remained blissfully frizz free.

My favorite in the line is the Leave-In Creme. It tames my extra flyaways without making me look like a monkey steeped in a pool of oil. The Leave-In Creme is also great for beach days when you’re frizz prone and want sproduct in your hair to act as a barrier to UVA and UVB rays.

This eye-catching bottle of Double Helix -like Gel & Cream Twist is a product you apply to your hair when wet. It gives major curl control. It’s also recommended for ROMANTIC TWISTED TENDRILS (think Beyonce, above).

The scrunching mousse tames flyaways and is great to apply to damp hair and style if you want the more robust FULL BODIED CURLS  option (like Julia, above, but sans-frizz).

The major plus is this terrific line is yours for a steal. At prices ranging from $3.99 to $4.49, how the heck can you say no to this curl-lovin’ bargain?

Some models starve themselves to get a career on the catwalk, and some have the smarts and savvy to get a job modeling hands in major campaigns and commercials.

Until I heard about Ellen Sirot, I had no idea there was such a thing as a hand model. A “shoo-in” for hand shots for some A-list celebrities and TV personalities including Sarah Jessica Parker, Hilary Swank and Rachael Ray, Sirot has made a career of keeping her hands elegant, beautiful, and as ethereal as Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face.

Sirot’s beginnings were serendipitous. She wanted to be a dancer, and hand modeling turned out to be an avocation that eventually turned into vocation. What’s surprising is the upkeep that she had as a hand model: moisturizing her hands up to 20 times a day and wearing gloves to prevent sun expopsure, limiting sodium intake…..wow, wouldn’t it have been easier to just starve yourself silly into a size 2 and strut the catwalk?

The way Ellen turned her hands into Benjamin Button’s story is through these products (and mind you, if you’re serious about hand care, you’ll do well to follow her four step program just as rigorously as the 12-step AA guidelines).

Step # 1: Moisturizing Cleanser for Hands ($30)

This is a creamy formula that’s derived from coconut and helps preserve the hand’s natural oils. Guess what? Soap saps all the good stuff from our skin (who knew?). It has Borage Oil, an essential fatty acid.

Step # 2: Complete Day Cream ($50)

This cream, I love as much as I love Golden Retrievers and raspberry tarts. It’s thick, it’s heavy and it protects your hands like a strong picket fence.

This day cream has evening primrose and linseed oils, antioxidants, amino acids and is full of omega-3 fatty acids. The aim of this cream is to protect your hands from environmental assaults (yep, even if you live in NYC). Think of it as your personal Fort Knox.

Step # 3: Nail & Cuticle Treatment for Hands ($22)

We need those nails primed for your Lippman Collection, so lavish this gorgeousness over your nails and cuticles. Vitamins A and E condition, and the interactive pen dispenser makes this exercise the easiest A+ you’ll receive.

Step #4: Night Solution ($75)

This solution heals skin cells overnight. Water holding sugars help retain valuable moisture so it doesn’t evaporate and leave your hands looking like shriveled prunes the next day.

Sirot also retails some really neat gloves that will protect your hands from just about everything….except receiving your credit card bills.

Hand perfection is available at www.ellensirot.com

It’s hard not to think of my battle with acne as a pro wrestling match. My decade long battle involves screaming, scarring, and all manner of mayhem. (Perhaps Darren Aronofsky will tackle the epic struggle against acne for his next film.)

Several contenders have tried, and failed, against the undefeated champion pimples. I cautiously tried Clinique’s new Even Better Makeup SPF 15 ($24.50 at clinique.com). As an off-shoot of its Even Better Skin Tone Corrector, this wonder foundation puts the hurt on uneven skin tone caused by sun damage, age spots, and yes, even acne. The oil-free formula slides on smoothly and makes unappealing redness a thing of the past.

And beyond this great feat, the foundation includes a cocktail of Vitamins C and E, mushroom yeast extract, grapefruit peel and white birch extract, all in the name of reducing discoloration over time. While Even Better proves itself as a foundation, Clinique claims that these ingredients eventually correct unsightly spots with continued use. Tune in next week for the grudge match between Even Better Makeup and the all-powerful acne scars.

If eyelashes are the hottest beauty feature of 2009 then I thank my mama that she gave me good ones. Yes I’ve been lucky enough to be blessed with long lashes, but even DNA needs some upkeep. 

(After two weeks of using Neulash, my lashes were more hydrated, stronger and a teensy bit longer)

So when I got the Neulash Active Eyelash Technology to try, I was both skeptical (like Meg Ryan eyeing FOX Books with a cynical eye in You’ve Got Mail) and curious. 

Neulash works on both lashes and brows. It’s a serum full of polypeptides and amino fatty acids. It also contains biotin (the same ingredient responsible for making your nails strong) and sodium Hyaluronate, a strong humectant. Hydrolyzed Glycosaminoglycans provide hydration to the lashes by binding in moisture.

The result? Elastic, plumper and stronger lashes.  Neulash claims you’ll see results in four weeks. I noticed stronger lashes in two– my lashes didn’t fall out so much. But it was hard for me to notice “length” (obviously the serum didn’t make my lashes grow like Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors –and thank God!). 

The serum is definitely pricey (at $150 a pop, how many of us can afford to splurge on this), BUT I will say that if you really want stronger, more conditioned lashes (your mascara will never really look “clumped” again because Neulash moisturizes and conditions the lashes), this is a great investment. 

And we are giving away ONE new tube to a lucky reader. Leave a comment below to be considered. A winner will be picked in mid May, 2009.

www.neulash.com 

Modern love? Think West Side Story meets Romeo & Juliette (the Baz Luhrmann remake) and a frail, beautiful heroine with lovesick eyes.

Perhaps the NARS Markeup creators have been watching too many romantic flix, but we’re thankful for that since their Modern Love Palette features both grit and glamour in six shades:

- Alhambra (top left) Metallic Rose Mist
- Jezebel (top middle) Shimmering Sable
- India Song (top right) Shimmering Walnut
- Tokyo (bottom left) Soft Silver-White
- Habanera (bottom middle) Sparkling Charcoal-Plum
- Pandora (bottom right) Matte Black

This palette retails for $50 and is available in May at Nordstroms.

So go ahead, indulge playing your favorite romantic heroine this summer.

Argan Oil is becoming the new “it” ingredient so quickly that Californian wildfires pale in comparison with their speed. Known as “liquid gold” in Morocco, this oil works as hard as Michael Phelps to keep your skin moisturizer and wrinkle free with its essential fatty acids and antioxidants.

One of the lines that features Argan Oil prominently is Kahina Giving Beauty.

Kahina uses argan oil found in Morocco. Apparently Moroccan women have used this beauty secret for centuries. It’s full of Vitamin E and antioxidants and it has been shown to minimize lines, improve skin tone and lessen inflammation.

Whew! Mighty Oil!

The Cleanser is my personal favorite. It’s suitable for the most sensitive of skins and it’s infused with willow bark extract, organic honey and papaya extract.

The Serum is great for inflammed and sensitive skin. It’s a little too rich for my combination skin, so a tiny pea-size amount is perfect.

The Argan Oil itself should be applied to areas where you need “wrinkle” zapping. But it’s not just a face oil — this is a multitasking wonder like Harry Potter when he juggles Hogwarts and his nemeses.

You can use it as a moisturizer; a body oil (recommended); bath oil (PERFECT for dry skin….eczema sufferers take note and get out your wallets); hair oil for anti-frizz (it does work!); hand treatment and for acne as well.

The company is called “Giving Beauty” because it sources its argan oil directly from the co-ops in the southwest region of Morocco, where the Berber women (Kahina was a Berber queen) still work and live. The company gives back to the community from which the oil is harvested. Law dictates that only Berber women can extract argan oil in Morocco, and it can take upto one day to produce a single litre of oil.

Kahina Giving Beauty is also ecologically responsible (all the packaging is made from recycled material) and is made in a wind powered, carbon neutral facility.

We’ll say this much: the recession has definitely not put the brakes on beauty innovation. Revlon’s summer lovefest with nailcolor will include a guest appearance by Mr. Fragrance. Yes, when the polish dries the fragrance flies.

There are some fruitful shades that are eye-catching and colorific, and have great scents to match:

- Raspberry Rapture

- Coconut Crush

- Mad About Mango

- Pretty in Papaya

- Sublime Strawberry

- Mon Cherry

- Passionate Fruit

- Not So Blue-Berry

And, honestly, at $5 a pop I’ll take the bottle for the eyeful shades themselves, let alone a gorgeous dash of olfactory satisfaction.

Click HERE to see the entire collection.