Always one to keep my eye out on what’s going on at Tarte HQ, I’m really excited about the new Ready, Set, Glow Kit. It’s an exclusive to Sephora.com and features the following items that will get your lids, lips, cheekbones and collarbones ready for any big night out:

The items are currently sold individually, and some of them I’ve already tried in the past so I can vouch that they are good ones to include in your collection (links to past reviews are noted).

This is the first time all of the items will be sold together. What is a $94 retail value is now available as one set at Sephora.com for just $45. A definite steal in my book.

Is it possible for perfection to come packaged in such an adorable and small container?

Apparently so. I am loving the new Trish McEvoy Be Prepared Pink Maxed Out Gloss Kit which features eight lip colors and glosses in a double-tiered mirrored compact. The compact is itty bitty and perfectly pursue size (yes, although I have a whale of a purse that must weigh 30 lbs empty and could fit a carcass inside, I am still under the compulsion to keep the items in my purse as small and minimal as possible).

What I love about the product is that it features both lip color and lip gloss, so you can mix and match your look depending on how bold you want to go that day. I do wish, however, there was a little lip brush included…though I’m not sure where you would fit one inside such a small compact!

The best part though? Net proceeds of the Gloss Kit will be donated to support the Girl Scouts. How can you not love that? Less calories than buying those cookies!

Retails for $21.

Honestly, every time I buy a lip balm, I swear it’s going to be my last. I must have about 20 of the suckers. But this time (I swear!), I might have found my last.

Einstein Lip Therapy is absolutely brilliant (as my British boss would say). It leaves a cool, tingly feeling on my lips. Plus, one swipe is all I need to last me through the day (more than I can say about some lip balms!).

The smell reminds me of Tiger Balm. And no wonder, since the creator of Einstein Lip Therapy, Ben Einstein (also former owner of Hard Candy), was working in Japan as a cosmetic consultant when he came up with the idea for the product.

There are two products in the line: the Hydrating Lip Cream described above, which contains cocoa butter and Vitamins A and E.

Then there’s the Cooling Lip Relief which is a moisturizing cream that contains little beads to exfoliate. Honestly, there aren’t enough beads in the product to actually exfoliate, but it’s an amazing product if only for the novel fact that you’re putting cream on your lips! It felt weird upon first application, but now I love it - and it works too!!

And you gotta love the packaging. Very Asian-kitschy-cool.

Plus, the products have a celebrity following that includes Mandy Moore, Kiera Knightly, Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprio, Johnny Depp and Christina Aguilera. I know - why should it matter if a celebrity likes the stuff? Call me shallow, but somehow the thought of Leonardo DiCaprio applying Einstein Lip Therapy in the rearview mirror of his Prius makes me want to buy buy buy!!!

Retails for $6 at CVS stores.

I’ve just about spent up my vacation time this summer having already traveled to Montreal in May and then to the Poconos over July 4th. But for those of you who have a vacation coming up, I thought I’d help you put together your beauty kit. Seeing as airlines have not let up on the liquid restrictions, here are some great options for all you ladies on the go this season.

Philip B. Nordic Wood Travel Size One Step Hair and Body Shampoo is great if you don’t want to mess with multiple products. The scent is clean and invigorating and unisex so that you can share with your mate as well. Retails for $8.

Can a product work harder than DuWop’s Revolotion Face which is a tinted moisturizer and sunscreen in one? I think not. Retails for $29.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge for Lips & Cheeks is a great two-in-one to give you a healthy glow without trying hard. Retails for $22.

You couldn’t ask for a lovelier fragrance than this Marc Jacobs scent which features gardenia, wild muguet, cedar and ginger. Plus, it comes as a solid compact to prevent against spills and mess. Retails for $55.

This Go Smile Jet Set Kit contains an AM Toothpaste, PM Toothpaste and a travel toothbrush. It all comes packed in a TSA-approved clear travel case. This is nice because you can keep it in your purse to freshen up mid-flight if need be. Retails for $12.

Keep yourself neat and groomed with this handy little Pop-Up Travel Brush by Sephora. One click of a button and the bristles pop out so you can brush away! Retails for $8.

Korres Guava Body Butter To Go is a rich, tropical-scented cream that will take you away to paradise whether you’re actually in paradise or wishing you were (I’m talking to all you business travelers). Try dabbing a bit on the ends of your hair if you’re experiencing flyaways and forgot the hair products at home. Retails for $8.50.

Check out this bad boy - the Japonesque ‘Go Curl Pocket Eyelash Curler. It curls your lashes and comes in such a cute, compact size. Retails for $10.50.

Leave a comment and tell me what you have in your travel beauty kit!

Last weekend I went shopping for the first time in a long time, and picked up the new Tinted Lip Balm in Brown by Bobbi Brown.

That woman is a sheer genius. Hahaha - sheer. Get it? Get it?

(See, this is why I did not pursue a career in comedy. Ah well.)

Anyway, this product is fantastic - hydrating with just a hint of color. I’ve noticed that some of the other tinted lip balm products out there tend to moisturize initially, but then end up drying out my lips afterwards. No such thing here. I’m sure it’s going to become a trusted purse staple.

Also, while I was at the Bobbi counter, I sniffed some of the products from her new Beach line. (You know, the stuff that’s supposed to be reminiscent of the beach and Coppertone.) I give it an “eh.” The scent wasn’t horrible, but it didn’t wow me. The nostalgic Coppertone scent was there, but it was a bit too faint for my tastes. I guess I was expecting something with more oomph. Instead, it felt like a sadly retreating wave on the, well, beach.

Happy Thursday! I’m sure you’ve been working your little tail off this week. I don’t advocate slacking off on the job, but everyone deserves a little breather now and then. So I decided to take mine and check out what’s going on at Benefit Cosmetics.

They have a new line out called Love Your Look, and I personally love this line. The concept is a makeup line that matches your lifestyle. So you can choose from three different color families depending on your preference: light neutral, medium neutral or dark neutral.

You know me, I’m all about looking like you didn’t try. This line gives you the tools to look positively effortless. And as with the rest of Benefit’s offerings, expect fun packaging, quirky names and amazing performance.

The Love Your Look line includes Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner that is blendable, crease-proof and smudge-proof:

Silky Finish Lipstick provides sheer coverage that is buildable:

Sheer Cream Blusher is a blendable blush that dries to a powder finish for a totally natural look:

I’m impressed, and am definitely planning to check the products out further. Has anyone else tried them, and have anything to say?

I’ve come down with a horrid case of hives or a rash or something on my legs and arms. Probably some sort of product overload (it was bound to happen, right, running a beauty blog and all). So because of that, I am on testing hiatus at least where my body is concerned. Which is sad because I’ve got a load of new products I’m dying to try out.

However, being your dedicated beauty servant, I’ve come bearing news of some lip balms I’ve been enjoying lately.

Kiehls Baby Lip Balm

This one glides on smoothly and hydrates nicely. This is one of the few Kiehls products I’m not allergic to, so I rejoice and apply liberally.

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Lip Butter in Dark Chocolate & Peppermint

This is another one that goes on smoothly and gives your lips a lot of shine. And it’s flavored with dark chocolate and peppermint. Come on people - gotta love that.

Biggs & Featherbelle Soul Kiss Lip Balm

Biggs & Featherbelle use all natural ingredients in their products - no synthetics at all - which is what I love about this brand. Their Soul Kiss lip balm is made from beeswax, cocoa butter, sweet almond butter, kokum butter, sweet almond oil, apricot kernel oil, avocado oil and Vitamin E. Talk about a nourishing time for the lips! This one is harder in consistency and won’t give your lips much shine, but it will moisturize.

Carol’s Daughter Lip Butter

Are there enough words out there for me to lavish upon one of my favorite beauty brands? Their lip butter is a great part of the line, and has a gentle hint of vanilla and almond flavor. Yum.

My updates have been woeful, I admit. In fact, they’ve been so woeful that even my spam commenters are giving up on me. (FYI - I’m usually bombarded by hundreds of spam comments a day, which I weed out behind the scenes so that they don’t mar up the site.) You know it’s bad when spam commenters are giving up.

Anyway, seeing as it’s Valentine’s Day just around the corner, my thoughts have turned to all things romantic. And by romantic, I’m thinking big blooming flowers. Which is coincidental because Clinique’s Spring 2007 makeup collection is called Fresh Bloom.

The collection is a beauty indeed. Just check out the Fresh Bloom Allover Color for the face, which is a work of art in itself. It’s very reminiscent of the Yves Saint Laurent Opium Makeup Palette from this past Fall, but I prefer the Clinique version for its softness and femininity. This is neat as you can either select one color to use, or just swirl your brush through all of them for a blend.

The Color Surge Eyeshadow Trio is a limited edition palette (tell me, who isn’t doing limited edition these days?). But I love it because of the purple - my favorite color! By the way, Spring is all about the new smoky eye which you can achieve with these soft blush-based colors, deep black mascara and a stroke of black eyeliner on the top and bottom lash lines.

Finally, check out the Color Surge Butter Shine Lipstick, which is a blend between a lipstick and a gloss. As you can see, Clinique is offering lots of pretty pink shades for the upcoming season. Remember fall’s red lips? Well, pink is Spring’s take on it, and I’m breathing a sigh of relief. Pink feels tons more doable to me than those deep reds. I’ll leave that to the experts.

Zis is my nouveau beaute find from le Sephora.

Yes, my French is horrible (gotta say horrible the Francais way: ‘orr-eee-blah). I should probably save my French for some Dior product, but somehow my new Stila pencil inspired a bit of linguistic experimentation today.

Vant to see a close-up?

Over the summer, my friend, Jillian, showed me this awesome new Revlon product that she bought that was a lip gloss in pencil form. Of course I wanted it, mainly because I’d never heard of lip gloss in a pencil. See, my species is easily tricked when you take something old and just repackage it.

When I went out to buy the Revlon pencil, it was gone from the shelves, and I have yet to see it. It was a huge bummer, and all I could do was dream about it in my sleep. So I was so very happy when I stumbled across the Stila Lip Glaze Sticks at Sephora a couple weeks ago. It glides on just like a gloss…only, only…it’s in a pencil!

Mine is in the shade, Brown Sugar, which is a very natural beige-y bronze that perks my lips up just a wee bit. There is quite a bit of shimmer in the product as well. The pencil comes with a sharpener, which is a very nice touch.

I like how in the background there, the keys on my laptop glow blue in homage to my Lancome Color Fever Gloss.

I’m holding Combustible here. It’s a brick red / burnt orange shade with lots of fine shimmer in it.

(Please ignore the clashing nail polish color.)