Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Shampoo, Color Care, $4.49 at drugstore.com

My hair is something I take very seriously - if we're being honest, I'm actually a bit of a snob about it. So it's frankly unusual that I'd deign to test drive a mass market shampoo or conditioner - I've been burned too many times by dried out strands, faded color and the like. BUT even my resolve was tested by the many rave reviews from on the new-ish Suave Professionals line, in particular the Keratin Infusion Color Care System.

Boasting a low sulfate formula infused with keratin, this duo leaves my color-treated hair protected from fading, voluminous and impossibly smooth for about 48 hours. Much to the horror of my colorist, I've never been one to skip a day between shampoos  - but the Suave Keratin Infusion Color Care Shampoo and Conditioner make that a viable option. Second day hair has inimitable body, but is still smooth and non-greasy.

You can pick up Suave's new Keratin Infusion Color Care system at a mass retailer near you, or online for about $4.49 a bottle.

Beauty sampling has become big business, and with good reason - no other category of merch lends itself so readily to testing before purchase. I've long been a hoarder of tiny, baby-sized beauty products (also: hors d'houevres, but that's another conversation for another day), so subscription-based sampling programs like Birchbox and Julep's Maven program are RIGHT up my alley. But this month sees the launch of two newbies to the mix. Let's take a look, shall we?

Already established internationally, GLOSSYBOX currently ships to 20 countries+, and the clock is now ticking for the US site launch. While currently in beta, hop on over to their site to register to be among the first to purchase. Monthly boxes are $21, and promise 5 travel sized products from a mix of established global brands. As you can see above, my first box actually included a mix of full size and minis, and from brands that were both new to me (basq's ultra-cooling Cucumber Tea Soothing Eye Gel is a treat!) and already on my radar (love me some Erno Laszlo.)

Total Beauty, best known as a media property/blog network, is also taking a leap into sampling with the launch of the Total Beauty Collection. Each $15 shipment promises 4-6 deluxe sized prods, through the first month included just three generously sized products (like Blinc Mascara, one of my favorite tubing varieties) along with a gift card to Pevonia. Again, the Total Beauty Collection will launch soon (no subscription required!) -  submit your email on site to be among the first to buy.

A few months ago, I was in the company of one of my favorite women in beauty, Butter London Founding Creative Director Nonie Creme. Nonie is wholly gorgeous, super smart and insanely stylish, so of course, I promptly drilled her on trends. And what did she tell me? Well, something surprising at the time, to be honest: matching, yet unexpected mani/pedi shades - think bright greens or crazy teals. Little did I know that Nonie's love of matching would lead to the launch of LIPPY, Butter London's new long-wearing, uber-pigmented lip glosses ($17 each) in five shades that match best-selling lacquers from the BL collection.  My pick of the bunch is easily Snog, a bright and happy pink - and yes, I do love pairing it with the matching, perfectly fuschia lacquer.

Along the same lines, MAC launches Fashion Sets later this week (above). The collection features MAC's most BELOVED hues from around the world, available for the first time EVER in matching Lipstick, Lipglass and Nail Lacquer shades. It's nearly impossible to pick just a shade or two from these best-sellers, but if FORCED, I'd first fight tooth and nail and I'd THEN recommend snagging the hat trick (available for $45) in Russian Red (my favorite red lipstick of ALL TIME, for the record), Girl About Town (a bold, blue-toned fuschia), and Rebel (seen above, and frankly flawless for fall.)

Visit a MAC counter or stand-alone store near you on May 3, or shop online now (and don't forget to peruse the full international selections - I dig both Saint-Germaine and Morange from Asia-Pacific, in fact.)

M·A·C Cosmetics clearly wishes for me to go broke, as today they announced a limited edition line of cosmetics with fashion visionary, muse and my personal GIRL CRUSH Carine Roitfeld.

Slated to launch in Fall 2012, the former Editor in Chief of Vogue Paris collaborated on all creative aspects of the collection, including package design, product names and colour palettes.  This essentially ensures PERFECTION, guys.

The M·A·C Carine Roitfeld Collection will feature 20 pieces, with a focus on eyes and brows that reflect Carine’s signature look: smoky eye, bold brows and nude lips. A specially created Good Luck Star stencil will also make its debut and can be seen in the collection image for which Carine was photographed by Mario Sorrenti. This marks the first time M·A·C has worked with the legendary photographer.

Stay tuned for more information, and a more comprehensive review at launch...

With the change in seasons comes an irrevokable desire to shed my skin (in more ways than one - though that's another post for another day.) And while my tempermental and sensitive derma demands that I tread v. carefully when introducing new products to the regimen, I couldn't resist the siren song of these three new exfoliants:

Bliss That's Incredi-Peel! ($49 for 30 single-use treatments) lives up to it's name. These new, spa-strength glycolic resurfacing pads create an overnight facial effect in one single-step. I know, I know - it sounds too good to be true - I'm with you, my pessimistic reader. But after just one treatment, I'm convinced. This morning, I woke up with skin that looked pore-less and my peskiest pimple visibly reduced and flattened. These are super simple to use - simply swipe over clean skin in a circular motion, no rinsing required - they're incredi-peel indeed!

Dr. Dennis Gross is my MAIN man when it comes to exfoliation - I remain hopelessly committed to his Extra-Strength Alpha-Beta Peel, and it's CONTINUALLY recommended to me by aestheticians around New York City (most recently at SoHo's Wei Lang Spa at Devachan). His latest product intro -The Alpha Beta® Glow Pad for Body ($45 for 8 single-use treatments)- continues the trend of magnificance. Delivered through a large, textured, single-use towel is the most multi-tasking formula a girl can imagine - it delivers an insanely natural-looking streak free tan in just a few short hours, chemically exfoliates the skin, touts BHAs to address body acne and breakouts, and even includes Capislow™, which reduces shaving frequency by minimizing hair texture, length, and growth. All together now, ladies: THANK YOU, DR. GROSS.

Last but by no means least is Nivea's new Touch of Renewal Body Scrub. I loooooove a few notable things about this newbie to drugstore shelves - most notably the formula, which is FINE but still SCRUBBY. It also LATHERS, which assures my doubting mind that it's actually working - NEAT. Secondly (actually, thirdly, if accuracy is your thing), it's ENORMOUS - a full 12 oz tube. So many body scrubs are now sold in 6 or 8 oz packages and this is the kind of stuff that I love to use handfuls of. Snag it at a drugstore near you, or online at drugstore.com for just $5.99.

What scrubs and exfoliants are you loving these days? Tell all in the comments.

It’s hard to argue the point that nails are a pivotal style expression for many women, myself included.  I devote an hour or two every Sunday to assessing my mood, selecting a color and then indulging in either a salon manicure (Jin Soon Hand & Foot Spa and Blush Nail Lounge are my fave East Village joints) or, when I’m feeling THRIFTY, an at-home treatment.

But I’m no DIY’er, and when left to my own devices, I can’t do more than a simple one color manicure, preferably something forgiving like Rescue Beauty Lounge Grunge (sadly, no longer available) or the like. That’s when Sally Hansen’s genius Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips come into the mix.

This innovative formula of REAL nail lacquer (no, they’re not stickers!) allow me to experiment with bold and snazzy nail designs, no BNA required (that’s Bachelor of Nail Art, obvs.) My favorite kits from Sally Hansen are, surprisingly, the new limited-edition designs created in collaboration with pop star Avril Lavigne.

Despite a gap as wide as the ocean between both our ages and personal style, for some reason, I really CONNECT with Avril on a DIGIT-AL level. Choose from an assortment of glitters, ombre, snazzy leopard prints and more - kits come complete with all you need for the perfect at-home manicure, including 16 nail polish strips, a cuticle stick, mini file and buffer. Snag Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips online and at drugstores nationwide now – they retail for about $9.99.

M·A·C has long taunted me with limited edition product after limited edition product - they're pretty much experts in the art of inciting demand and also, hoarding, if we're being honest.  And just when I'd given up on a few of my favorites, they've announced M·A·C by Request, a Facebook-exclusive campaign that invites fans to vote for the return of their favorite products, starting on March 12.

18 popular lipsticks, lipglasses and eye shadows have been selected from past collections and the three shades with the most votes from each category will come back as an online exclusive, limited edition collection. Here are the shades that are in the running:

Lipstick:

• 3N as seen in N Collection (January 2008)
• Candy Yum Yum as seen in Quite Cute (April 2011)-  yes, please!
• Eden Rocks as seen in Eden Rocks (May 2001)
• Moxie as seen in Retro Matte Lipsticks (September 1999)
• Rocker as seen in Time Rocker (Fall 1999)
• Shitaki as seen in Cuisine (March 2001)

Lipglass:

• 2N as seen in N Collection (January 2008)
• Bait as seen in Lure (June 2006)
• Cult of Cherry as seen in Cult of Cherry (September 2008)
• Emancipation as seen in Wonder Woman (February 2011)
• Flash of Flesh as seen in M·A·C D’Bohemia (May 2005)
• Icescape as seen in Love Lace (December 2009)

Eye Shadow:

• Cool Heat as seen in Cool Heat – June 2008
• Guacamole as seen in Salsabelle (May 2005)
• Heavenly Bliss as seen in Eden Rocks (May 2001)
• Jeté as seen in Danse (January 2006)
• Moth Brown as seen in Madame B. (March 2005) - my pick!
• Solar White as seen in Cool Heat (June 2008)

Voting will open to the brand's 3 MILLION+ Facebook fans March 12 -30, while the collection will be available online in North America in August and internationally Fall 2012. Like their page now to stay in the know.

Do you have a favorite shade or two? Start your own campaign on the Twitters by using hashtag #MACBYREQUEST!

There are many things that I love to indulge in but two of my favorites are clearly fine fragrance and a beautiful pair of shoes. Thereby, it's almost by default that my most recent obsession is the upcoming collaboration between renowned fragrance editor Frédéric Malle and close friend and famed shoe designer, Pierre Hardy.

Both French, and thus infinitely more chic than all people, places and things American, these two tastemakers have collaborated on a gorgeous series of limited edition Travel Spray Cases, seen below.

Designed to hold any 10ml spray vial in the Editions de Parfums Collection, these pocket-size perfume atomizers are perfect for carrying your favorite Editions de Parfums fragrance along wherever you go. Available in a series of colors, a total of 1,000 of the individually hand sprayed cases (500 within the US) will be sold exclusively via Barneys New York (the New York and Beverly Hills stores only) and the Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle boutique for $285 beginning in April, so mark those cals accordingly!

As a Leo by birthright, I firmly believe that my power center as a woman is my mane. Despite that fact, I've never been much of a blowout girl. But all that changed recently, when West Coast hair haven Drybar moved in a mere two blocks from my office.

Drybar's a simple place, but I mean that in the best way possible. They don't do cuts, they don't do color, they instead do ONE thing and they do it WELL. At Drybar, they're specialists in the truest sense of the word, delivering blowouts and blowouts alone for just $40 and in about 30 minutes - with a relaxing wash included.

Communication at Drybar is also easy-peasy. Simply choose from a menu of blowout styles named for my slash your favorite cocktails - think the fruity Mai Tai or oh-so-SATC Cosmo and the stylist knows in a snap what you're going for, be it a stick-straight Manhattan or something with more body, texture and sex (for the record, I lean Mai Tai for a nice beachy look.)

Learn more about Drybar, or book an appointment online here.

p.s. Oh, and for the perenially uncharged (I resemble this remark), you'll love the friendly iPhone/iPod charging units located at each Drybar station. Power up!