Since the 1980′s, Nina Garcia has been blessing women everywhere with her fashion expertise. As a leading voice of fashion, Garcia has run with the best, from Project Runway to international runways and catwalks. A vast knowledge and incredible ability to forsee fashion trends mixed with her innate classic fashion sensibility has bought us a new book, “Nina Garcia’s Look Book: What to Wear For Every Occasion”.

Look Book is your ticket to chic in the simplest of day-to-day situations. Garcia preps you for a bevy of firsts – first day of work, first dates, the first time meeting your beau’s parents, and so forth. She even offers up advice on how to dress for a break-up:

This probably goes without saying, but don’t accessorize with jewelry that he’s given you. It’s just bad form, unless you want to make a statement. I personally wouldn’t. Karma does exist. That said, if the bastard cheated on you, wear his favorite dress, the jewelry he gave you, and make him cry.

A compilation of very valuable gems from your fairy fashion godmother, you must get your hands on this book today (the last Barnes & Noble I spotted this book in had it on sale along with Garcia’s other books. Let’s hope you get as lucky!).

A scrunch-tastic, spritz-sational all-natural texturizing spray for beachy texture and piece-y-ness. Pre Game adds a gentle hold (kinda like memory), gives ‘sproing’ to flat ‘dos and is a PERFECT compliment to The All Nighter Styling Powder! Formulated with Himalayan pink and Dead Sea salts (for those hair days highs and lows), pure Aloe, and a touch of nourishing Argan oil, Pre Game Texturizing Spray is beneficial for your hair and scalp! Use it before you style – it works great on squeaky clean hair OR for hair that suffers from the dreaded ‘mid-day drop’ (y’know around 3 pm?) – anytime your hair needs a little kick in the pants!

This line of lady things – from bubble baths to lip glosses – makes you want to curl up and just love yourself. I had the pleasure of trying out a couple of products…

The Sweet Potato Pie Grooming Day Bubble Stuff (try saying that five times) was quite the treat. Not only does it make your skin smoother, it fills your bathroom with the ooey-gooey love you inhale during Thanksgiving dinners. Though great, it takes a bit of the soak to make a big difference in your bath.

The Rub My Tummy, Milk and Honey Hand and Body Cream is a crowd favorite. My grandmother is still begging me to get more! Not full of filler like most store-bought lotions, this body cream is sure to keep you moisturized. Made of shea butter, kukui oil, honey, and butter milk, you will feel good and smell great. Not to mention, anything made with shea butter and honey is sure to please this natural hunny!

My favorite! Not only does Chick of the Sea smell great, the packaging is just delicious! This one-time-use can of bath crystals comes in three scents: raspberry, chocolate, and mint. Chick of the Sea also had my skin feeling smooth and left me craving some raspberry sorbet! Pick your preferred flavor and get to soaking!

Thanks to the owner and creator of Honeyvat Cosmetics, madame Terry! Be sure to visit Honeycat Cosmetics today!

RX for Brown Skin, brought to us by Dr. Suzanne Taylor, is a skincare line dedicated to brown skin. Whether it be African-American, Latina, Asian, and all that lies between, our skin has varying needs that need to be met. We must retain moisture, our acne must be dealt with differently, and our epidermic diseases must be attacked from different angles. 

I’ve had serious skin issues lately (see here, and here, and…here ), so I was incredibly relieved to hear of Rx for Brown Skin. I had the pleasure of trying two of the products, the Skin-Evening Body Butter and the Bright & Clear Collection for acne prone skin. 

I have the DRIEST skin I’ve ever witnessed. Really. In order to stay moisturized, I would probably have to lotion my body about three or four times a day. I’ve tried everything from Vaseline (bad idea, it clogs the pores!), raw shea butter (great, but takes forever to spread on skin), and just about every product that promises glowing, healthy, moisturized skin. Nothing works.

Rx for Brown Skin‘s Skin-Evening Body Butter has seemed to solve all my problems. With the first five ingredients being water, shea butter, jojoba oil, cocoa seed butter, and coconut oil, you can’t really go wrong. The label reads:

Provides rich, intensive, hydration for dry skin 

Brightens and helps repair skin with encapsulated multi-vitamin and anti-oxidant blend

Helps promote even skin tone

This product delivered all that and more. Not to mention, it smells great (it is infused with vanilla and citrus, yum)! I carry this body butter with me everyday, and I sometimes wish it came in a travel size.

My acne, on the other hand, has me on the down and out. The problem slammed me in the face seemingly out of thin air, and I’ve tried every homemade solution I could find. It was time to try something store-bought. The Bright and Clear Collection is said to clear and brighten acne prone skin. Honestly, I was not as satisfied with this line like I was with the Body Butter. After two weeks, I did not see much of a difference. I used the cleanser, toner, moisturizer and botanical brightener together and kept a tight regimen (morning and night application). The acne that I had when I started the regimen remained, but no new acne popped up (relief!). Once I broke out of the regimen, though, I started breaking out even more. 

The Verdict: The body care line is remarkable. The butter is thick enough to make a difference in moisture, but not thick enough to feel like a mask of some sort. The acne care line, though, left me unsatisfied. I would recommend for a milder case of acne though. 

For more information on Rx for Brown Skin, visit here. You can also find the company’s products in Sephora. Enjoy!