Hands down, this is my all-time Holy Grail of a mascara. I buy them all, but I keep this one as the backbone of my day and evening routine. If I were going to the guillotine, I would make sure to keep this golden tube concealed in my cell, ready for the Big Moment. BUT! 12-08 addition: I'm not fickle; I still love YSL Mascara. But oh, sister! My go-to choice for a dramatic evening-out tool is now Givenchy Phenom Eyes Mascara. It's shape is unique, not simply because it resembles a medieval mace (and who doesn't want to get that close to your eyes?), but because it somehow coats, lengthens and highlights individual lashes to their fullest. I confess: I am not perfect. My right eye's lashes always seem better able to display mascara to their best advantage. With Phenom Eyes, both eyes get the full-court glam treatment, and the effect stays all day. I have it in black and brown, and my blue peepers looks so much peep-ier now.

It comes in Green Tea and Citrus, too, for me it's Pomegranate all the way. All the lip glosses lying fallow in my Drawer of Forgotten Failures bear testament to my search for something that will stand up to my East Coast winter chapped lips, where my favorite indoor sports were peeling off dead lip skin and watching tv. For the past 2 years, my lips have stayed chap-free and soft. And this gel balm tastes yummy but stays put.

My fair, sensitive skin looks too thin and washed-out without the lift a slight tan can give, but I don't want to spend all my time self-tanning, especially in winter. Two swipes of this gel stick in the a.m., over moisturizer alone or under a more elaborate routine, gives me a hint of sun without fuss or orange palms. The St. Tropez Glow stick also yields a delicious plummy brown blush to complete the look.