5 Enchanting Soaps

My friend C is known for taking mass quantities of soaps and shampoos anytime he stays in a hotel. Me? I only snag it if the packaging is right. I'm a little bit obsessed with pretty beauty products. Today, I bring you five extraordinary (and affordable) ways to brighten up your bathroom, fancy-soap style.

1. Moon of Pandora Soap, Layla ($4.25, pictured). Yes, this one is Avatar-inspired. It sparkles and swirls and is generally enchanting. (Better than the movie, in my humble opinion.)

2. Large Turtle Soap, Pam Designs ($10). This one's less pretty and more, "Hey! There's a turtle in your soapdish!" Still cool.

3. Petal Soap, PurpleEgg (3 containers for $20). Soft textured petals that wash you clean! Mostly, they look neat.

4. Peas in a Pod Soap, Genesis Body Care ($3.50). Adorable, adorable, adorable. And reminiscent of Anne's brother's Edamames in a Pod blog, about the cutest twins on Earth.

5. Fortune Cookie Soaps, Fortune Cookie Soap ($2.75). These come in a white takeout box with a tiny little fortune tucked into them. And there are dozens of colors (even Kryptonite Glow, which -- as they put it -- glows in the freaking dark!).

Japanese Beauty Secret: Azuki Beans

When I was growing up, my mom used to make a tasty sweet treat with azuki beans. The beans are small and red, and when cooked for a long time with some sugar, the result is a delicious red bean sauce we ate with mochi or atop shaved ice. Yum!

But these little beans work double-time as a potent beauty secret that Japanese women have been using for centuries to keep their skin soft, smooth and blemish-free. When ground into a fine powder, these beans act as a gentle exfoliator that won't damage or over dry your skin. And luckily, it's simple to make:

What You Need:

-Azuki Beans
-Coffee Grinder
-Water

Instructions:
-Use the coffee grinder to grind the azuki beans into a fine powder. Put a few of teaspoons of the powder in a bowl, mixing in 1-2 teaspoons of water to make a paste.
-Wet your skin with warm water and gently rub the paste over your face or body. Rinse. To use as a mask, just make a thicker paste by using less water.
-Store the leftover azuki powder in an airtight container for later use!

All of this will cost you a mere few bucks. Let's hear it for beans, beans the magical fruit!

What's in Her Bag? Hillary Kerr from Who What Wear

Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power, the girls behind the essential fashion site WhoWhatWear, always have on the perfect lipstick. So when we saw them this week, we begged Hillary to open up her bag and show us what products she carries around with her on the fly for Fashion Week. People, it was a Sephora in there.

Let us count the reasons why Hillary's bag is so big and fun:

1. Stila Convertible Color ($25, shown). Hillary wears this lipstick and blush-in-one in Petunia.

2. Dolce & Gabbana Perfect Finish Foundation ($59). "The only one I've ever fallen in love with," says Hillary. She also has D&G eyeliner in Stromboli ($29).

3. Bumble & Bumble Brilliantine Cream ($19). Hillary's hair looked amazing and thick, but she says it's actually pretty fine. So is mine, so I'm definitely going to check out this styling cream.

4. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil ($17). "This one's for the inner eye -- it stays on!" says Hillary.

5. The Lip Situation: Hillary says she never met a lipstick she didn't like, and her bag can attest to that. She carries: Nivea's A Kiss of Flavor Tinted Lip Care ($3), Chanel Gloss ($27), rouge d'Armani long-wear lipstick in shade 401 (Rihanna's color, $30) and Revlon's ColorBurst in Coral ($9), which is "very Marc by Marc for spring," says Hillary. Her most-worn is Revlon Matte Lipstick in Pink About It ($8).

Now is that a beauty bonanza or what?!

Hard Candy's Fortune Gloss

As a lip gloss connoisseur, I thought I'd seen it all, but then I came across Hard Candy's Fortune Gloss ($6) and it was like I'd stumbled upon a fruity wand for the first time in my life.

Fortune Gloss comes in six tasty flavors -- Kismet Cherry, Fortune Banana, Gypsy Pink Lemonade, Fate Blackberry, Destiny Peach, Lucky Mint -- and glides on smoothly with a slightly tinted shine. Industry standard, right? But hold on a sec -- the cap doubles as a magic 8 ball!

So as you're applying the gloss, you ask a question ("Will I get into Harvard?" "Does my butt look good in these jeans?" "If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?"), and by the time you screw the cap back on, you will have your answer!

I asked my tube of Lucky Mint if I would have a Valentine this year, and it responded with a "♥." We'll see!

The Perfect Winter Lip Gloss

I'm all about lip stains, lipsticks and chapstick-type products, in case you haven't noticed. But there is one line that's been standing out for me this winter -- TESS. It stands for Teen Everyday Skincare System, and it's created by moms who wanted simple, natural products for their daughters, who are their inspirations for the lines, of course.

Let me steer you to a delicious trio of lip glosses ($18) -- Perfect Pout, Lovely Lips and Shimmer Smile (strawberry, peach and peppermint, respectively). They not only leave lips awesomely (and not overly) glossy, but they also have hints of flavor that kind of make me want to keep licking my lips. I don't, because that's gross and bad for my lips, but it's nice to think about. You can also purchase the wintry Shimmer Smile individually for $10.

And, just to show they care, TESS is creating Girls 4 Good, a space on the site where girls will share info about how to get involved with charities they love. You can sign up to join them -- and also email them about charities you're into.

Glossy lips + helping the world = YES.