I don’t know about you but my tastes in foundation seeem to change from time to time. I go through phases of using cream foundation and liquid, as my consistency and coverage needs vary from time to time.

Foundation is a great way to cover blemishes and even skin tones, giving you a fresh canvas upon which you can create your make up look. But what if your foundation could do more? What if it could hydrate and firm your skin, protect it from harmful UV rays and give it a radiant glow?

Maybelline’s Instant Age Rewind is a foundation designed to give your face the boost it needs, regardless of the season.

Instant Age Rewind is a formula with avocado that restores moisture to your skin, essential in the drying days of mid-winter. It also adds caffeine to awaken and firm tired skin. Ultra-fine micro pearls help brighten skin for luminous, radiant coverage while SPF 18 protects skin and prevents new signs of aging.

Instant Age Rewind comes in both liquid and cream formulas, so you can choose the formula and coverage that’s right for you. There is even a concealer formulated with caffeine and silk to give a lift to the under eye area while hiding dark circles. The concealer comes in fair, light, medium, dark and yellow shades. The foundation is available in 12 shades that range from Porcelain Ivory to Cocoa.

If you love the smell of pumpkin, cinnamon and spice and if you need serious skin care, I have found the perfect kit for you.

If you have ever wanted to try the phyto-pumpkin products from Serious Skin Care, here is your perfect opportunity. For 29.50, you get a collection of products from face and body scrubs to shower gel and body souffle cream. The gift set even comes with a pillow and room spray to fill any room with the scrumptious scent of fresh-baked pumpkin pie. The items are packaged in a holiday box suitable for gift-giving and at this price you could cover every woman on your Christmas list.

Available at HSN.com.

Some time back I did a post on free samples available on the net and I told you that I signed up to receive some. One of the samples I received was a small (.24 oz) tube of Olay Definity.

Definity is a new product in Olay’s anti-aging line. The product is touted as being able to penetrate 10 layers of skin to fade discolorations and even out skin tones, diminish fine lines and wrinkles and make skin more “luminous”.

The cream has a lovely scent and it feels wonderful after you put it on, leaving skin feeling smooth and soft. The morning after my first application, I didn’t see any difference, except that my skin did seem more hydrated. I resolved that I would use it daily until the sample tube was gone. While I didn’t expect my face to light up or glow in the dark, I was hoping to see some difference after several days. For the next week, I carefully watched some freckle-type spots and the fine lines near the eyes and was unable to perceive any difference.

When I told a friend at work that I was trying Definity and asked if she saw any changes in my skin, she offered to give me the full-size product she had recently purchased. She had tried it and was not impressed by any difference in her skin. She also felt it was too expensive to continue to buy without seeing results. I declined her offer as I had meanwhile carefully read the product packaging and realized it says that it takes 8 weeks for you to notice your luminosity. I also read that it will make your skin “more flawless” - a strange claim, since if your skin was already flawless, it would be foolish to apply any product and risk disrupting that state.

Perhaps if I invested the 8 weeks, I would experience more results. I suspect that most women will abandon any product that doesn’t provide some results within a few days. I have read good things about this product and find that some women are experiencing the type of skin-tone changes that it claims to effect.

I believe that every woman’s skin is different and no product is for every woman. If your experience with this product is different from mine, please let me know.

Split ends are the result of damage to the cuticle, or outer layer of the hair. This allows the fibers of the cortex to unravel. Split ends keep your hair from lying flat and diminish sheen, making hair look dull and unhealthy.

Heat styling and excessive dryness are the major culprits in causing split ends. Using a brush instead of a wide-toothed comb on wet hair can stretch and damage hair. The use of chemical preparations to dye hair also causes damage.

Prevent split ends by using a deep-moisturizing conditioner on ends and by avoiding too much styling. Protect hair daily by being careful when combing tangles, keeping hair conditioned, and allowing the hair to dry naturally occasionally to give it a rest from heat styling tools.

There is nothing you can do to repair split ends once you have them. The only way to get rid of split ends is to cut them off. Have ends trimmed regularly, avoid harsh styling products and keep hair well-moisturized to reduce the occurence of split ends.