I hesitate to report on any skincare products before I’ve given them a fighting chance to work wonders on (or wreck) my complexion, but I’m tentatively in love with Nude Skincare, which I’ve been tearing through for the past week.  The line, made of mostly organic and natural ingredients and recycled, biodegradable packaging, is a collaboration between Bryan Meehan, the creator of Fresh and Wild (the UK version of Whole Foods) and Bono’s wife Ali Hewson, and bills itself as ethical, biocompatible skincare that reduces inflammation and helps prevent aging by strengthening the skin’s protective barrier through pre and probiotics.  All the thought and care that went into making the line as green as possible is impressive, but I’m hardly a skin hippie, so what really sways me is how soft and glowing my skin looks after I use the luxurious products.  Yes…I think I’m a believer. 

The Nude Selection Box is a great place to start: for only $38, you get all the bestsellers, including the Cleansing Facial Oil, Advanced Smoothing Complex, Miracle Mask, Moisture Balance and Hydrating Water.  (I am, by the way, obsessed with the Cleansing Facial Oil.  Obsessed.  There needs to be an intervention.)

Below is Kate Hudson, arriving in London at Heathrow airport after a transatlantic flight.  No doubt our darling Kate flew first class, as you do, and she looks cozy enough with her artfully tossed scarf, slouchy layers and oversized sunglasses hiding a makeup-free face.  Photos of celebrities disembarking from planes always amuse me, however, because even if Jolie sucks it up and tries–for whatever reason–to look glamorous when flying (Tom Ford glasses!  Louis Vuitton speedy!), she still resembles a homeless person.

Guest Review: Marco Pelusi Anti-Frizz Leave-In Conditioner Rated 9.5 by TotalBeauty.com Editor Charli Schuler It’s easy to see why Marco Color Anti-Frizz Leave-In Conditioner with Collagen Color Guard is hairstylist Marco Pelusi’s signature product. Just one or two pumps miraculously detangle knots and tame frizz on all hair types. …More

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M. writes: Love your blog and the book… I just have a little question regarding mascara… I know you love Lancome Definicils but you occasionally mention Max Factor Lash Perfection. I am always looking to try new mascaras, so what about the Definicils is better than the Lash Perfection to justify the $18 price difference? Thanks love!

Hi M.!  Thanks for your message! You won’t go wrong with Max Factor Lash Perfection—or Cover Girl Lash Blast, which is my new favorite drugstore offering. (One caveat; as much as I love Lash Blast, I’ve noticed it does have the occasional tendency to flake.  Combat this by running the closed tube under hot water.) Lancome Definicils is an all-time favorite because of the brush, which does a spectacular job at lengthening and defining. Lash Perfection, on the other hand, has a comb brush, which grabs all your lashes and thoroughly pulls the mascara formula through. Both are excellent in their own ways (Max Factor is great for lush, fat lashes, whereas Lancome excels at long and spidery) so in the end, it comes down to whether you feel like spending a few extra bucks for a tube that says Lancome on it!  (Yup, it’s all about marketing.)

By the way, two new mascaras I’m really digging—just in case I didn’t already give you enough options—are Too Faced Lash Injection Pin Point (gets every…single…lash!) and Loose Lips Ultimate Volume Mascara (for crazy volume).

High school’s awkward for many people, and Jolie was no exception.  I went to two different schools: for three years, I attended a large public high school in Alpharetta, Georgia, and then voluntarily shipped myself off to boarding school in Santa Barbara, California for my senior year.  (Jolie’s weird like that.  Her Georgia friends were not amused.)  The Georgia reunion was this weekend, and after the awesomeness of my Santa Barbara shindig, I thought nothing could compare…but I was wrong!

From a beauty standpoint, it was excellent to see how great everybody looked: few let themselves go, and many were even more glossy, fresh-faced and well-groomed than I would have assumed.  Sure, our high school closely resembled one of those clique-driven, individuality-crushing battlegrounds that you see in raunchy teen comedies starring Seann William Scott and baked goods, but over the years, the majority of my classmates seem to have matured, calmed, and learned the very crucial differences between good makeup (flattering!  subtle!) and bad (RuPaul!  spackled!).  Jolie, by the way, counts herself among the beauty enlightened, as you will see from the “before” and “after” photos below proving that a little beauty knowledge can make anybody (even me!) blossom.

14-year-old Jolie, in New York City, with her best friend A.  So, that’s what my natural color looks like!

Jolie, at 15, in the middle of her “I will only wear No Fear t-shirts and flannels” phase.  It led to (I kid you not) a style-intervention from my then-best friend’s mom.

At 17, beginning to resemble an actual adult.  (Away, baby fat!  Away!)  A., you will note, looks exactly the same.  (Damn her genes!)

Ahh!  Now, that’s better!  Thank God for highlights and smokey eyes.

Dear Everybody in Hollywood (famous or otherwise),

Please stop fatting your lips up with crap.  It does several things: 1) Causes you to resemble a trout; 2) Is so distracting that you can’t tell whether you’re pretty or not, because all you can see are the two Silly Putty things clamped on your face; 3) Automatically makes you look like a porn star (and not in a good way…if there is such a thing); 4) Is tacky as hell.  What it does not do is make your lips look real, make you look younger (quite the contrary), make you look like Angelina Jolie, or add any sort of aesthetic value to your face.  Oh, and it creeps guys out, too, in case you care.

For the love of Eddie Vedder, just quit it.  There is nothing wrong with your lips.  Perhaps you should have your vision checked, instead.

Kisses, Jolie

Blighty celeb Katie Price (aka Jordan) in Hollywood after a breast reduction and lip augmentation

Hi my beauties!  You might have noticed last week a few random posts that didn’t really look like Jolie content.  I’m part of a Beta test on Total Beauty to see how readers like little bytes of content they provide us with.  It’s really just a way for them to advertise, I suppose, but I love their stories so much (and I think you will, too!) that I don’t mind posting.  So, for your viewing/my procrastinating pleasure (I kid, I kid!), I’ll be adding one a day.  Like a multi-vitamin…but full of informative beauty goodness.  Enjoy!

17 Hairstyles That Take Less Than 10 Minutes Up ‘dos mere mortals like us can actually replicate at home With a few (and only a few) key products and styling tools, you can quickly give yourself a salon-worthy ‘do. And hey, if you hate it, try a different one — at least you haven’t blown 60 bucks and a hour of precious time on it. …More