News from BelleRinger PR

WHAT A CLUTCH! Thank you, Blooming Lily , for sharing another great find with us. loungeluxe is a fairly new shopping portal for indie businesses. It's pretty on the eyes and is incredibly easy to navigate. Lots of links. Some of my favorites - Peggy Li Jewelry and Kailo Chic (isn't the clutch pictured here marvelous!) - are already on the site. I noticed there are a lot of items from Modishoppe - that's a great endorsement!

BEAUTY 411 I just discovered Beauty Banter and am I ever grateful! This well-written blog includes makeup reviews, recipes for facial products, step-by-step directions for applying makeup, styling hair and more. Talk about a treasure trove. One of the most helpful pieces of advice I found is for applying Oscar Blondi's Pronto Dry Shampoo. Given that the bottle has a narrow applicator at the top, this shouldn't be difficult. However, The Beauty Whore (this is the author's name, honestly) suggests putting the powder in the palms of your hands, pressing them together to remove excess then finger combing through your hair. Perfect for greasy bangs.

MY FAVORITE HAND SANITIZER Hand sanitizers can sometimes be hard on dry skin; the chemicals contained in many of them is death to eczema-prone (ick) skin. Thank goodness for EO's organic skin and hair care products. I've been using their organic lavender hand sanitizer for the past month and absolutely love it. The aloe vera and safflower oil actually soothes and moistens hands, combating the organic alcohol that cleans them. I also love their hand soap ; a great plant-infused antiseptic that contains no alcohol. The company also makes hand and body lotions and oils, shower gels, and lip treatment. Available at Body of Grace (which offers a 15% discount on most EO products).

MY NEW FAVORITE LIP BALM While shopping last week I paused at the Burt's Bees display - I always look at their new products. As soon as I saw their new lip balm I knew I had to have it. Lip Shimmers is the company's newest line of lip products. Unlike other lip balms (both Burt's and other companies') it's actually creamy. There's a great selection of colors (11!) that look like they'll work with every complexion. I love the Papaya. I can't think of enough good things to say about this product: it's 100% natural, comes in a nice little tube (no messy finger application), has just enough shimmer to look like lip gloss and is a budget-friendly $4 per tube.

BLOGS SPELL SUCCESS FOR SMALL BUSINESS There's a lot of talk about how blogs and social networking are changing the way PR and marketing are done today. They've turned it on its ear! Witness the phenomena of handbags. It's doubtful that many of today's smaller designers would be as successful as they are without word of mouth. Or rather, buzz among the bloggers. It's always gratifying to learn about an acquaintance or client who's gained national recognition through blogs alone. KLEAN Bath & Body recently reached out to beauty and fashion bloggers; what better way to gain exposure for bath and body products. The company hoped to see increased orders and customers - which happened. Many of the major bloggers posted product reviews (including product pictures and the company logo); smaller bloggers followed, having seen the first round of reviews. Social networking in action. But it gets better. KLEAN was recently contacted by a major national retailer (...

SCRUB-A-DUB-DUB - THERE'S CHOCOLATE IN MY TUB! While trying on last year's summer wardrobe (Do these shorts still fit? Do I really like this blouse?) I noticed that my legs are not only pasty white but they also have flaky scales. Not quite the look I want. I must be one of the only gals out here who's not clued in to the magic of sugar scrubs. Ever the brave soul, I decided to find one and give it a go. After looking at lots of pretty packaging (always an important consideration when buying unfamiliar beauty products) I decided to try KLEAN Bath & Body's German Chocolate Cake Body Polish . This certainly isn't the best time of year to eat chocolate cake (if I want to wear those shorts) so I'll take the no-calorie version for the bathtub! Now to the self-tanner. I'm not brave enough to try a new brand so I picked up a tube of L'Oreal's Sunless Sublime Glow Daily Moisturizer . It gives just enough color to my skin to make it look naturally tan an...

SOFT AND (SAFELY) SUN-DRENCHED SKIN My beauty product search just began! The Costa Rican coast is rich with sand, sunshine and salty air. I'm headed down there with a very special guy and want to look especially good! We all know that what can start out as the perfect all-natural no-makeup look (an hour plus to do it) can end with mascara running down your cheeks and hair ratted from the ocean water. No need to go into the skin damage from all the sun, sand and salt. Fortunately, I've been there and am going back armed with Skingenic's Regenerating Moisturizer (recommended by Julie at Almost Girl ) . It's made with antioxidant rich ingredients and includes lychee fruit. The cream is formulated to fight overexposure to extreme elements; I imagine it'll be great for those long, sun drenched afternoons at the beach. Now it's time to find the perfect shampoo. Know of anything? Posted by Stef.

READY FOR THE COSTA RICAN SUN I've learned while planning my Costa Rica adventure that products don't just pop out at you from the aisle shelves. Seek and you shall definitely uncover some amazing things. I plan on spending as much time outdoors as possible during this excursion, and yes, I'm aware of the adverse effects this may cause to my skin. Luckily, while browsing the Beauty Snob's blog I found Solar Protection Pads , created by Park Avenue Skin Care dermatologist Dr. Neal Shutlz. A set of 60 grease free pads is packaged in a container that could be mistaken for a compact (how convenient!) and has an SPF of 30. I'll be able to easily touch up or reapply - often! OK, maybe I'll throw in a backup lotion just to be on the safe side since I am traveling to a place in the neighborhood of our Earth's equator. I'm used to packing sunscreen with a consistency that doen't withstand an elevation of 40,000 feet, leaks onto everything, and has to be kep...

NO MORE THAN ONE COLOR AT A TIME, PLEASE I always notice other women's nails and manicures. Could it be because I've spent so much time, energy and money on my own? I hadn't given it much thought until I saw a post on The Beauty Insiders - you're missing out on some fun if you haven't read this blog by the beauty writers from Glamour. Before writing this post I thought about the history of my nails, back to the late 80s, when many of us in our first career jobs discovered that we could afford silk manicures from cheap nail salons. Ah, the glamour! I was the renegade in my office; I didn't wear pink or red polish - I opted for OPI's Gold Digger. It was a gorgeous shade of golden brown that wouldn't raise an eyebrow today but was definitely risky in those days. Silk, acrylic, gel, silk, natural, acrylic, gel, silk, natural . . . And the color wheel seemed to follow the nails - red, black, sheer or bright, dark, nude. That was the fun part. But who doesn...

THE LOST POST You're looking at a picture of me searching for the post I spent an hour composing. My tears aren't visible from the back but I'm sure you can visualize them. The beautifully written post disappeared when I tried to publish it. Enough said - no more whining from me today. Rather than rewrite the entry I'll just summarize it for you. It was an eloquent piece about some of the excellent blogs I read daily. A shout-out to some great bloggers. So here's an annotated version. I start my day with a cup of coffee and Dooce , Heather Armstrong's ramblings about her interesting life. I then do some virtual browsing at Design*Sponge , Modish and Cuteable . Then I go to A Girl's Gotta Spa , SheFinds and Cool Mom Picks for savvy product reviews. Trust me, readers, the original post was eloquent, humorous and insightful. All things that this one is not. But the blogs I've named are outstanding. The authors are all great writers and creative thinker...

PERSONAL ALL-TIME FAVORITE SHOES Isn’t that always the fun discussion? Before telling you about my favorite shoes I have to confess that living in a warm climate and loving regular pedicures has made me a huge fan of flip-flops. And I like pairing fashion and function - blending the two and looking great is a fun challenge. On that note, here are my current faves. 1) Joan & David "Circa" - Cream-colored sling backs with dark heel and toe accents. I paired these shoes with a cream, black and brown colored satin dress for a romantic dinner with a new boyfriend. I was one step out of the car when a woman across the street yelled out, "Great SHOES!" My boyfriend was impressed. 2) ROXY Telluride - Suede-upper/Fleece lined track shoes I ordered these from Zappos . My burgundy pair was so comfortable and lasted so long that I ordered a pair in camel. They kept my feet happy for 3 weeks of walking through Europe! 3) DANSKO Mary Janes - The soles of these shoes kept me c...

WHEN YOU NEED A SASSY 'DO I love this picture of Breanna with her horse. I also like Breanna's hair. That pretty cascade of feathers and ribbons she's wearing is a Sassy Tail . They're all the rage with girls, tweens and teens. Even Cheetah Girl Sabrina wore one on her latest concert tour (you guessed it - she wore the Cheetah Grrl design!). Sassy Tails was founded by Kim Madden and her daughter, Heather, a budding fashionista. Heather was tired of pedestrian bows and worked with her mom to create these fun hair accessories. There's a great variety of styles - some with feathers, others beads - to choose from. My favorite is the hip Classic Camo- too bad I don't have enough hair to wear one . . .

THE "MUST HAVE" FOR SLEEPING BEAUTIES This beautiful sleep mask is my choice for the best bedroom accessory. Indie designer Katie's use of silk dupioni ensures the mask caresses the face. This mask is reversible from red to black; it's also available in white polka dot/black silk. She cleverly padded the layers with soft fleece that makes it comfortable for side sleepers. Katie also makes jewelry travel bags that are so pretty you'll start packing for a trip!

PRETTY ENOUGH TO EAT I love the idea of a luxurious bubble bath at the end of a long day. It sounds so decadent to slip into a tub of warm water with candles, wine, a book, and luxurious body products. There's such a variety of bath products out there today - from the organic to the handmade to just plain fun stuff - that you can suit any mood. My current favorite is the Neapolitan Soapsicle from soapylove . Debbie's creations are so mouth-watering that I wind up craving something sweet! Here's a picture of one of her holiday creations.