Lancome has very graciously released the consummate summer nail polish just in time for beach season. As I swatched Le Vernis in Ms. Perfectly Pink ($18 at lancome-usa.com,) I couldn’t help but notice that it almost perfectly match my most favorite of blushes, Jane Iredale’s In Touch Cream Blush in Clarity (janeiredale.com for locations).

A complimentary polish and sheer blush pulls together a fun, low-maintenance beach look. And as an added bonus, this bold color only needs one coat for a solid look, and it contains MSM, a naturally occurring compound that strengthens nails. But all that pales next to a pop of statement color that gives an instant summer lift.

It’s fitting that Molly Sims debuted her new jewelry collection, now, so close to Mothers’ Day, since she relied so heavily on her mother for inspiration. Sims’ mother had a ‘jewelry wardrobe’ that gained legendary proportions, thanks to smart shopping at estate sales and the like, so when it came time for the model/actress to turn her hand to designing, her mother’s love of jewelry seemed a natural starting place.

The fresh collection of Grayce by Molly Sims also owes its name to her mater familias – growing up, her mother always told her that a good Southern lady should always have a grace about her, no matter what. Sims embodies her collection down to a T, from her homey Southern accent to her candid take on the modeling industry today.

Now, at www.graycebymollysims.com and Bendel’s, Sims’ collection of bright and bold jewelry takes center stage.

The collection retails from $75-$250 and breaks down into four subsections: The All-American Girl, the Fashionista, the Bohemian/Hippie, and the Classic Timeless Woman. Sims herself loves the Multi Strand Metal Necklace with a Brooch Clasp, because it mixes well with just about every other piece of jewelry.

To share tips on how to mix and match jewelry, as well as other numerous pieces of beauty advice she’s picked up over the years, Sims will update a blog on her site. She shared a few with us, such as her love of Rodan facial oil – she mixes it with her moisturizer to get super soft skin. I know I’ll be following her blog regularly to pick up more insight from this grounded woman.

While high-tech sunblocks never fail to impress with massive SPFs and antioxidant bells and whistles, all those fancy improvements won’t do any good so long as dangerous myths about sun and skincare persist. With that in mind, the wise people at La Roche-Posay have chose to debut not another product but a lifestyle campaign at www.SOSsaveourskin.com.

This site functions as a hub of information where everyone can go to get the real skinny on what it takes to protect themselves from harmful rays. The site debunks popular fallacies about ‘safe’ tanning, Vitamin D deficiency, and protection for ethnic skin, but it also provides links to lists of free skin cancer screenings throughout the country.

Dermatologist Wendy Roberts, MD, gave us the following bullet points:

• 65% of Americans believe there are safe types of UV rays – there aren’t.

• 50% think that a base tan will protect them from sun damage. – it doesn’t.

• 26% of Americans under the age of 25 have used a tanning bed in the past year – frightening!

Take some time to visit the site and educate yourself, even if it’s just a cursory glance to make sure all the information you already have is correct. There is a small section of the website about La Roche-Posay products, but it had the feel of an afterthought – the focus here is on helpful information. 1 in 5 Americans will develop skin cancer at some point in their lives, but www.SOSsaveourskin.com is doing its hardest to make you one of the cancer-free 4.

- Katharine McKenzie

La Prairie recently killed two birds with one stone as they released their spring/summer collection, Whisper Shades, as designed by Color Ambassador Raychel Wade.

Not only does it give us something new to lust after for our spring make-up bags, but the new shades of lipstick and gloss fill some color holes in their existing collection. My own particular favorite is Quiet Fig Gloss, a deep, sparkling berry.

All the colors of this line are bright or strong, and complemented with their soft eyeshadow palette, Cellular Treatment Colour Ensemble in Les Lignes et Lumieres, which consists of two neutral shades and a pastel green and lavender. Likewise, last year La Prairie released a cool-toned illuminating powder that sat well on fair skin, so they rounded out their spring release with Cellular Treatment Illuminating Face Powder in Warm Glow, which gives just the barest of sparkles to warm-toned skin.

It’s a very grown up way to work the iridescent trend.

Overall, the collection brings to mind an impressionist painting with a canvas of gentle colors punctuated every now and then with a splash of bold color. The color collection can be purchased at Bloomingdale’s, Saks, and at www.shoplaprairie.com.

I remember it like it was yesterday, or at least last week: Fresh off the farm as a brand-new college student, I wandered into a Target to buy myself some shampoo, and I rebelliously bypassed the sensible White Rain and Suave to look at the ‘fancy’ options.

And fanciest off all was John Frieda and his Sheer Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner. I hemmed and hawed, then plunked my money down. $5 seemed ridiculously extravagant, but it promised to my hair blonder, and I always was vain about my hair. And that began my love affair with Mr. Frieda – or at least, with his hair products. I always admired his ingenuity when it came to tackling specific problems. Besides the color-specific lines, John Frieda has turned out anti-frizz, clarifying, and volumizing lines, and now he’s added a few more products to the family.

For devotees of Frizz-Ease, two new sets of shampoo and conditioner go to work before the groundbreaking serum: Smooth Start Shampoos and Conditioners come in both Hydrating, for extremely dry hair, and Reparing, for damaged locks. John Frieda stylist Harry Josh notes that frizz is easier to prevent than treat, so these new products help get the jump on misbehaving strands. Olive oil in the Hydrating line moisturizes hair so it won’t pull water from the atmosphere, while the Repairing line uses silk protein to reinforce abused hair.

To round out the Root Awakening line, the Strength Restoring Smoothing Lotion strengthens hair, like other products in this line, using eucalyptus and vitamins, but in a light moisturizing form. Likewise the Gel promotes healthy hair with its alcohol-free formula that works on both wet and dry hair for a soft, brushable finish. Finally, the Hairspray uses an advanced pump applicator to create an aerosol-like mist without all the nasty aerosol chemicals.

All these products retail for $6.49 at drugstores and supermarkets nationwide, and are also available at www.johnfrieda.com.

Last week, Lierac celebrated the 35th anniversary of its signature product, Phytolastil. A French physician created the gel and serum duo as a gift to his wife to remedy her post-pregnancy stretch marks, and lo and behold- Lierac was born.

Many of us know all too well that stretch marks work their way into being during times of quick weight gain, such as pregnancy. As the holistic plastic surgeon Dr. Shirley Madere explains, the stretch marks are better prevented than treated, since no treatment, not even surgery, can completely remove the unsightly lines.

To that end, the gel ($33) contains a 35% concentration of their patented alchemilla, ivy, and horsetail to prevent stretch marks from forming, while the Phytolastil Solution ($39) uses an 80% concentration of the same formula to fade existing marks.

In some countries (not ours) health insurance plans cover Phytolastil because it’s considered the best treatment for stretch marks in existence – its potent concoction of flavenoids and tannins smooth and tighten the affected skin like no other. So here’s to 35th years of stress-free bathing suits and low cut blouses. With Phytolastil, women afflicted by stretch marks can diminish them into near-nothingness. Phytolastil is available in select Duane Reade’s, CVS stores, and at www.lierac-usa.com.

It’s March 2nd, and the weather is less angry than usual, so that makes it technically almost maybe spring, and the good folks at Physicians Formula have wasted no time in debuting their spring and summer product line. Bloggers from all reaches of NYC gathered at the Tanuki Tavern to get the dish on the latest releases from makeup artist Joanna Schlipp.

Plus we have a TERRIFIC GIVEAWAY for our readers, scroll down below to get the deets!

The Healthy Wear line features three products, all containing SPF 50. As a person of the pasty white persuasion, I get fanatical about sunscreen, and almost no products meet my standards. SPF 15 just doesn’t cut it, but often with great SPF comes great irritation. The new Healthy Wear Tinted Moisturizer, Powder Foundation, and Bronzer each contain mineral and reactive sunscreens, so they block both UVA and UVB rays. This line also makes use of SPF boosters – long polymers that help the sunscreen molecules adhere to skin. To further sweeten the pot, all three contain a bevy of feel-good ingredients: CoQ10, Vitamin E, Alpha-lipoic Acid, and Genistein to protect and Licorice and Tomato extract to restore skin to its optimum status.

The cosmetic scientists at PF put these products through a battery of clinical trials to ensure not only their SPF, but also to ascertain that they won’t irritate sensitive skin. Joanna Schlipp recommends using the Powder Foundation as a concealer – simply apply it with the packaged sponge. If you desire lighter coverage, put the powder on with a big fluffy brush. Each product retails for $14.95.

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No one expects a crop of heavy perfume for spring and summer, but the perfumers have outdone themselves to bring to life fruity florals with unexpected notes like tomato leaf and green tea. Sambac jasmine, patchouli, and musk also make appearances in more than one product. I recently sampled the latest olfactory offerings. I might have been lying in a field of artistically arranged wildflowers.

For an intense burst of sunshine, Aqua di Parma’s Blu Mediterraneo new scent, Bergamotto di Calabria. This eau de toilette with top notes of bergamot (surprise,) a middle of cedar wood and red ginger, and a base of vetiver, Benzoin, and musk made me want to curl up and take a nap in an orange grove. It’s available at sephora.com in 60ml ($70) and 120ml ($106), as well as a soft body cream ($67) for layering.

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Tommy Hilfiger’s Fall 2010 collection emphasized fresh collegiate beauty. Diane Kendal for MAC Cosmetics used minimal concealer and foundation when necessary, then started on the eyes with a Coffee Eye Pencil under a chocolate brown cream eyeshadow. After that, Kendal lined eyes with a black cream eyeliner and smoothed a clear gloss over the entire lid for a dewy effect. To get a windswept look, Kendal mixed Diva and Russian Red Lipsticks and patted it onto cheeks. After all that layering, she kept the lips simple with a coat of Black Cherry Lipstick.

To complement this scholarly blue-blood look, the models’ had their long hair parted to the side after a blowout and curled with a large-barreled curling iron. The hairstylists at Hilfiger then clipped the bouncy curls in place and allowed them to cool for a few minutes before styling them in long, flowing waves.

The models at Milly had a decidedly French feel for the Fall 2010 show. As makeup artist Romy Soleimani for MAC Cosmetics explained, they went for the Goddard feel, with lived-in, “next day” smoky eyes using muted charcoal eyeshadow in Wed as a liner and subtle cheeks with Personal Style powder. Soleimani dusted Silver Dusk Iridescent Powder at the inner corners of the eye and on the temples and upper cheekbones for a pretty pop of radiance. She finished the lips with a mix of Equality and Empower lipsticks uniquely blended for each model to get their own personal shade of nude.

After prepping with Aveda Volumizing Tonic, Frank Rizzieri blew models’ hair out long and straight with L’Oreal Elnett Hairspray to hold their side ponytails in place. Flirty headbands completed the look.

To tie off this flirty look, Roxan Valinoti for CND Nails kept models’ nails short and dark, with a Dark Ruby polish that read as almost black.