Remember the old commercials from Noxzema? You probably don’t, it was well before you were born. We’re talking 1975 – like when your mom was in high school old. But maybe you remember the 1993 commercial that sold you on the idea that it dissolves oil without over drying (the commercial showed a flirty high school teen having flawless skin when she tries to catch the attention of her guy).

Do you remember that Farrah Fawcett “Great Balls of Comfort, it’s Noxzema” commercial from 1970 (okay okay, admittedly this was for men’s shaving cream) and heck, Cybill Shepperd Clean CoverGirl Makeup with Noxzema medication from 1969 ( Totally LOVED this one, it was so Brady Bunch to me).

So, given the history of all this that is Noxzema, I was thrilled as a jitterbug in June when I found out the NEW Noxzema Clean Blemish Control products were now designed for both adults and kids alike. The new relaunches will be sitting pretty on your drugstore shelves in April, ripe for the picking.

There are three versions of the products they are releasing:

CLEAN BLEMISH CONTROL

Clean Blemish Control Foaming Wash: This is a gentle foaming wash that treats and prevents blemishes without stripping the skin of its natural moisture balance. The promise? Skin looks beautifully clear and hydrated. The truth is, dolls, that it TOTALLY works.

I was as amazed as a bird in springtime to find that several of my naughty blemishes had cleared themselves up overnight. I give this an A+.

Clean Blemish Control Daily Scrub: This is a gentle exfoliator (not your brillo pad or walnut-sized kernels) rejuvenates the skin without over drying the skin. It contains salicylic acid to help clear and prevent breakouts.

Thee retail for $4.99 each at drugstores and get more information online at at www.noxzema.com.

NOXZEMA ORIGINAL DEEP CLEAN FORMULATION

These products reach deep down into the pores to stimulate and tingle your skin and deliver results with the classic ORIGINAL Noxzema fragrance. Remember? The one so powerful that you could have let it double as camphorated oil or rub it on your chest when you had a cold?

The oils in this melange are menthol, camphor and eucalyptus, and the collection contains four products:

The Original Deep Cleansing Cream: This little jar packs an “oomph” and this was the engine that started it all. It gives me that shiver me timbers tingle.

Deep Cleansing Cream Plus Moisturizers: This is the same original classic cream but a bonus of rich hydrating moisturizers.

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Okay, kicking back my heels late this Friday afternoon and humming the words to “Halo,” I caught sight of Beyonce’s first ever venture into the land of fragrance with her new fragrance HEAT.

Soon, she’ll be heating up Union Square with a dramatic play of light on February 2nd with fiery red light and smoky fog that will sizzle the landscape with true full blooded HEAT (the illumination is from 6:00pm until midnight).

The notes of this fragrance (which we have not sniffed, sniff sniff) are more incandescent than neon. Take a whiff of this: magnolia, neroli and red vanilla orchid balance luscious blush peach. The heart of the fragrance is almond macaroon, sweet honeysuckle nectar and crème de musk; the dry down is warm and sexy notes of giant sequoia milkwood, tonka bean and amber.

I personally think the poster looks a little slutty, but it’s there to turn up your core temperature, right?

This afternoon, despite the frenzy of the morning and the thickening New York lunchtime traffic, I went to Hiro Haraguchi salon to get my hair cut by the lovely and supremely talented Mordechai Alvow.

Let me tell you something about Mordechai. Having hair cut by him is like getting Saville Row to make your clothes for you. He will study your face like an architect, and be so cool and calm about trimming (or cuting layers of hair) your hair to suit your face that you will walk away looking like a more beautiful version of your former self.

Today, I chatted with Mordechai about what look would suit my hair the best. To be honest, I was long overdue for a haircut and my hair started to look more like the caveman in the Geico commercial than Padma Lakshmi’s.

This is when Mordechai, like a detective, took one look and decided to do my face in layers, with a U-shaped back and a few layers at the side to give a little volume to the back of my head.

The staff at Hiro Haraguchi salon is extremely professional and courteous, and I was fortunate to meet both Angela Barbado, Director of Operations, and star colorist Catalina Penna.

Mordechai snipped away at the several layers of my hair and blow dried it and styled it to perfection. The result was hair with such swing and style that it was positively singing its own tune. DAMN, this hairstylist is smoking!

Get your hair under the spell of Mordechai’s shears, ladies and your strands will play a little jazz number on your head when you’re done.

Hiro Haraguchi
41 East 57th Street, 4th FLoor
New York, NY 10022
Ph: 212 593 3030

We’ve used the silky Benefit Velvet Eye Shadows before, but there are six spanking new powder shades for Spring 2010: Bo Peep, which is a dusky rose color, Buns (which reminds us of strawberry); Fancy Pansy (a lilac or lavender color); Mermaid (a beautiful, completely swoon-worthy green); Nice Melons (the name is pretty self explanatory); and Shamrocker (for all you Irish fanatics out there).

These shades glide on so easily and the powdery finish leaves a very subtle silken shimmer on your eyes, not unlike stardust bits. The reason I love them is because the pigments are deep and rich and stay well on my skin tones. I really hate eyeshadow that washes away after a few seconds because the reapplication time is highly irksome.

Pair this eyeshadow with a killer gel eyeliner (like Maybelline’s new Eye Studio liner) and you’ll be well on your way to glam – and we mean SERIOUSLY GLAM – eyes.

Go snag these velvety beauties NOW at your Benefit Counter for $18.

If you’re an avid shopper of sites like Ideeli.com, GILT Group and the Fairest.com, then you are going to fall for Market for Drama, a beautifully curated site that houses hard to find names and esoteric brands like YesforLov (that offers cheekily name items like “Titillating Sheet Fragrance” and “Delicious Pearly Powder”) and Uslu Airlines Lip Gloss.

Yes, we did a double take on that brand too. What indeed is Uslu Airlines? This is an innovative makeup artist line that is known for catapulting airbrush makeup into the hands of everyday consumers. This line houses both lip gloss and mascara.

Other brands on sale include Sevin Nyne and Task Essential for Him.

The Valentine’s Day SALE that they are having now expires on January 29th, and some of these hard to find brands are having prices that are simply unbelievable (50% off or some such!).

Hurry, hurry!

Gee, this Avatar movie is spurring a lot of makeup launches, and one of the latest companies to jump on the merry go round set off by movie magic is Avon Cosmetics.

Its new perfume, Eternal Magic, taps into Avatar heroine Zoe Saldana for its spokesperson. The fragrance embodies timeless grace, beauty and elegance. Saldana will also be featured as the spokesperson for Avon’s color cosmetics line in the coming months.

The inspiration of the fragrance comes from the rare Princess Monaco Rose. Eternal magic debuts in April 2010 through Avon representatives everywhere.

Ever since Audrey Hepburn burst onto the silver screen sporting Givenchy’s Little Black Dress, the romantic staple has become a must for girls all over the world, especially New Yorkers.

And Barbie, every girl’s favorite doll, is now sporting LBDs and stylish, sparkling well-heeled accessories fit for grown ups to play with.

Start with these core pieces….

They are so gorgeous that I am literally drooling all over the keyboard as I type this.

Twelve fabulous dolls – each sporting classic versions of the LBD, facial features and wearing different hairstyles and skintones — can now be customized with chic accessory packs, scarfs and jewelry. This is the new LBD-loving Barbie basics line, each one’s dress styled by twelve CFDA fashion and accessories designers including Isaac Mizrahi, Kate Spade’s Deborah Lloyd , Tory Burch, Rachel Roy and Monica Botkier.

…and customize them to resemble these.

You can win these Barbies, babes. Each of these one of a kind Barbies will go for auction starting January 28 at 10pm EST through February 7. These unique works of art will be auctioned off on eBay with the entire net proceeds directly benefiting CFDA education initiatives and scholarship program. The opening bid begins at $100.

The Egyptians were smart to worship the sun. Along with its proverbial warm rays, the sun does us all some good in so many ways. It protects the planet from melting; it gives us Vitamin D; it fixes bone calcium levels in our body and treats several skin diseases.

You could well say that but for the sun, not only would the Earth turn into a ice ball and there would be no way we could survive. But the opposite is also true: too much sun can be a dangerous thing, especially those who bask for hours on the beach may well know.

Payot is a skincare company that makes one of my all time favorite products: the Regenerating Precious Mineral Dry Oil that goes on so beautifully and is made with semi-precious stones and gemstones.

Its brand new product, that launches in April 2010 is the Benefice Soleil line: a suncare line whose chief ingredients are the essential oil and milk of the sunflower. The line’s four products will be sold exclusively at salons and they aim to curb the effects of harmful UVA and UVB rays from the skin. Sunflower oil acts as an antioxidant, and sunflower milk soothes redness associated with sun exposure. The sunflower petals are primarily made out of flavinoids, and protect the DNA in cells as well as aid in cell turnover.

The first thing that impressed me the most when I applied the Benefice Soleil anti-aging protective cream is the faint aroma that is oh so heavenly. It’s completely transparent on your skin and the cream leaves a soft sheen on your skin that bodes well for a sun-kissed glow.

The scent comes from another ingredient in the mix: lotus flower, which is originally from Asia and considered as a sacred flower; this is blended with peony and jasmine scents to create a truly unique blend.

The four products are:

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Do you feel powerful? Like in Uma Thurman in Kill Bill powerful? Or Christopher Nolan in Batman Begins powerful?

Then tell Bobbi. Tweet @AskBobbi each Tuesday on what makes you powerful with the tag #prettypowerful for a chance to win one of four gift sets each week.

We don’t know what the gift sets are but we can only guess they will hold some pretty special shimmery treasures. The sweeps ends 3.30.2010 so don’t forget to @AskBobbi each Tuesday.

We are smitten over Zoya’s new Reverie collection, which houses a polish inspired by my lovely friend, Adina, of Krasey Beauty.

The Reverie Spring 2010 collection sampler has six lovely and swirly shimmer colors that remind me of gorgeous saris from India with their two toned pearlescence.

Here are three of my favorite swatches from the collection:

The “Adina” color is aubergine finished with a metallic oil slick sheen that just makes you want to be a fairy in Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream when you wear it.

Zoya’s pink nails in Happi are precisely that – a bubbly, effervescent shade that will make you juggle soap for 25 cents….or some version thereof.

And the third swatch of the day- a favorite from the collection – is Gwin. This orangey, almost Fanta colored shade is so spring-y that its almost summer.

Get your Reverie for $36 at www.artofbeauty.com