Like in any industry, beauty companies tend to follow each other's lead. Tinted moisturizer, added SPF, and organic ingredients are just some of the recent trends that we have all benefitted from. Others, like vibrating mascara wands for instance, we've happily gone back to doing without. The latest beauty craze, however, is likely here to stay: it's an emerging product called BB cream and nearly every brand from the drug- to department store level is on board.

I recently spoke to Pierce Rees, beauty expert for Shoppers Drug Mart, to get the 411 on this new cream everyone is talking about:

The "Foxy Bikini" looks alarmingly like a troll doll. Click here to see.

First things first:
mer·kin  (mûrkn) n. A pubic wig for women.
Alright then, now that that's out of the way, let's take a look at why merkins are back in the news…

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has come out swinging against the luxury spa chain Completely Bare. The New York-based spa, which happens to be owned by one of the Real Housewives from the Big Apple, has added a fox fur merkin to their list of services.  They are calling it the "Foxy Bikini" and the cheesiness doesn't come cheap at $225 USD. Another addition to the menu is "The Carnivale Bikini" at $195 USD which consists of neon feathers (taped? glued? do I want to know?) to the business below. Having been to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, I'm sad to admit that these feather merkins would fit right in. As for the fox fur version, I'm coming up empty handed on a fitting occasion.

As if headbands weren't already enjoying newfound popularity, Sunday night's Golden Globes certainly helped to give them a resounding final push. The truth is, the headband is a bit of an unsung hero. Often dismissed as school girl chic, it doesn't get its proper due. A well-adorned, well-placed headband can be the ultimate in sophistication.

A screen-grab from the new Axe Anarchy ad.

Unilever, parent company to brands like Axe, Dove, Sunlight, and Degree, is well known for its award-winning advertising. The Dove Campaign For Real Beauty as well as the Axe Body Spray ads that show the aggressively fragrant men's products rendering women helpless to its draw are likely the two best known, which is a problem when you line up the messages back to back. How can one company promote real beauty for real women and show them as mindless objects at the same time?

Many journalists and feminist groups have put this question to Unilever in the past and the company has regretfully taken the heat… which is the very first thing that came to mind when I read today that Axe is set to introduce a new product, this time for women.

As I type this post, 10 long shiny red "nails" sit upon my keyboard, daintily pressing the keys. I say "nails" because, while my real nails lay underneath the rouge, these fiery talons are fakes.

If you know me, this is funny. I've mentioned a few times on this blog that while I think well-manicured nails look great, I've never invested in my own. This season, however, nails are the new statement necklace. More and more they are being used for self-expression, almost like an accessory, with pop stars like Lady Gaga, Rihanna, and Beyoncé, as well as runways leading the trend. So this weekend I reached down and found my inner diva to see what all the fuss is about.

 
'Tis the season for madness. Meetings, budgets, 2011 round-ups, 2012 planning, holiday parties, cookie exchanges - sleepless nights are in your future for the next month and the last thing you'll have time for is personal pampering. (Although if you can make the time, hi-five!)

My hair always falls short when I'm short on time. Luckily this holiday season I've built an arsenal of products and I recommend every gal follow suit.

Some things go without saying … or at least you'd think. For instance, if you said to me: "Come over to my house tonight. We're having a do-it-yourself filler party with real needles and everything!" I probably wouldn't come over. Because it goes without saying that at-home fillers are a bad idea, right? Wrong.

We're constantly being warned to "read the label" because it's important to know what's in our food, cleaning supplies, and especially our beauty products. The goal is to avoid dangerous chemicals and harsh toxins that can be easily absorbed by our skin, but some of the latest beauty items to hit stores are dangerous for a different reason. These ingredients won't harm you, rather they are being marketed to appeal to the bad girl in all of us.

Malin + Goetz has developed a new fragrance containing rum for an extra sweet and sultry scent. How intoxicating!

Bored of your beauty routine? These outrageous new beauty products push the boundaries far beyond mascara and lipstick. Check out the latest in makeup...or should I say facial accessories?

Paper Eyelashes
Inspired by Chinese paper-cutting, the London-based company Paperself has created laser-cut eyelashes. From peacocks to butterflies, keep your eyes aflutter with a myriad of images that attach just like falsies. As the company boasts, it's like jewellery for your lashes. Available at Sephora.com.

In his new book, Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People Are More Successful, labour economist Daniel Hamermesh concludes that beautiful people enjoy a higher rate of success in the workplace, mainly with regards to hiring and earning. Although I respect the fact that  Hamermesh has devoted his career to the study of physical beauty and its affect on employment, in my brief run-in with his results, I can't help but take issue with some of the findings.