Courtesy Maddy Zollo:
Maddy Zollo, Beauty Assistant: My love of glitter started in middle school with Bath & Body Works. Not only did they have the most delicious/nauseating scented glitter rollerballs (which I’d bathe my arms and legs in), but they also had a lipstick called Glitter Bug — whic, you guessed it, was entirely made of glitter. So when the British brand Ciaté came out with their Glitz Fix (aka a lip glitter kit) this holiday season, I had to try it.
The premise is simple: Apply a glitter sealer to your lips, generously apply the loose glitter with a sponge applicator and then use the included brush to lightly dust off any excess. In less than five minutes, I took my lips from zero to a full-on glam. I thought it might look like I got in a fight with an art supply closet and lost, but I actually loved how it looked. Plus everyone else seemed to be into it too. Another added bonus was that I could drink — without leaving a sparkly mark on the glass.
The verdict? I’m a Glitz Fix believer! I think next time, I’d layer it over a red lipstick for an added pop of color. But however you wear it, t’s a surefire way to dress up your holiday look. I’m definitely going to be rocking it again this season (although maybe not under the mistletoe)!
St. Tropez Gradual Tan Plus Firming, $40. Ease of use: 10, Smell: 6, Staying power: 9
Courtesy Jackie Fields
Jackie Fields, Beauty Writer: I have a love/hate relationship with holiday style. I love that, for a month, I don’t have to defend my obsession with shimmery eye makeup. But I hate that I feel compelled to pair heels (which I loathe) with my festive frocks to keep my looks from falling flat.
I considered splurging on a pair of wedges, until I found a more wallet-friendly compromise: Invisible Heels. The hot pink inserts, when placed into any over-the-ankle shoe, provides a little lift (of 1.5-in., to be exact), propelling my whole look from cutes-y to sexy. I like popping them in my like my Loeffler Randall open-toe boots because then I get to elongate my legs and show off a festive pedi.
Courtesy Kate Coyne
Kate Coyne, Executive Editor: I have to admit, when I received a packet of Reviver clothing refresher wipes in a gift bag not long ago, I nearly tossed them out. These little dry squares, smaller than the palm of my hand, are supposed to remove all odors from clothes, no matter how strong, just with a simple swipe? Yeah, right. I assumed the results would be no better than rubbing a Bounce dryer sheet over my outfits (something I may have, ahem, tried once or twice.) But after an evening in which I loitered outside talking to friends who smoke — coupled with a desire to wear the same sweater the next day without dry cleaning it — I figured I’d give it a shot.
Well, I don’t know what’s in these things (the packaging says they’re non-toxic) but I suspect some sort of elfin magic is at work here. Incredibly, the Reviver wipes removed every last trace of smoke scent from my sweater, and left behind a clean, laundry-like scent. A week later, my dog came in from our yard having discovered, and then rolled against, something that had crossed over to a better place. (Dogs can be dumb, what can I say?) I washed her thoroughly, but a certain aroma still lingered. Reviver wipes worked again — I used the same one I had on my sweater and it still worked! (Though Reviver now makes a version specifically for pets; the packaging says the wipes also work on human hair, and there are even pheromone-spiked scented versions for men and women. Though that might be pushing it a bit, if you ask me. )
Finally, I spent the morning making French toast, and found that smelling like hot, smoky maple syrup — a scent that was so appealing at 9 a.m. — was less than ideal five hours later. Reviver came to my rescue one more time after I used a fresh wipe. Reviver says you can use a wipe multiple times but I stopped after two uses and started with a new one. It probably says something about these things that Tommy Chong is now endorsing them, but trust me: there are far less pungent (and more widely legal) reasons to give them a try. I’m sticking one in every purse I own, and if I can get away with gifting a few to some people without offending them, I will!
