If you're interested in upscale, hard-to-find beauty, bath, and fragrance products, Beautycafe.com is where you want to go. The site is very easy to navigate, in part because of its boutique size. A few of the categories, like Baby,Men's, and

Hair Care have very few items; Fragrances has the most. One of the great features of this website is their products list. Easy to use and convenient for placing your ordering.

.Fragrances - all have delicious descriptions, with high prices to match; if you place an order (of any product) you can order samples of five fragrances of your choosing for $5.

Cosmetics - has a small selection of mascaras and lipsticks.

Bath & Body - has skin care, treatments and bath products for women and men. (Some products are listed in more than one category.)

 Baby Care - Has a link to British bath products Molton Brown. Heavenly Gingerlily is a personal favorite.

There is a "What's Hot This Week!!" feature on the home page that has hidden treasures, e.g. choose Ocean Candle and be presented with an entire fragrance line, of which the Ocean-scented candle is one of the last. Offerings change frequently, so if you're interested in a product, order it when you see it. The staff of Beautycafe will do searches for hard-to-find products and special orders.

Reviewed by R & RC Staff Member - Elizabeth Lady - S.F.

Fresh Thinking. Fresh Living.

Is organic living on the rise? It's a fact! "Sales of 100 percent 'certified organic' products are growing at a rate of 21 percent per year," according to data released in October, 2003 by SPINS, the leading provider of information on the natural product industry. Chain stores such as Whole Foods Market are popping up throughout the country, making organic living more accessible. Consider Organic Style Magazine your complete guide to everything organic.

Including topics such as: health, beauty, food, home, garden, travel, work, celebrity scene, and family; articles in Organic Style Magazine compliment the seasons and offer practical suggestions, forward ideas, and information on where to purchase featured items. A favorite issue is the December/January issue. One might compare it to Martha Stuart's Living goes organic as it is full of craft, gift, and recipe ideas for the holidays.

The current issue focuses on summer health and travel and includes such articles as "Bring the Sea Home" which demonstrates beach inspired home furnishings mixed with organic accessories. Featured fashion article, "Green Jeans," showcases the fashion designs and concept behind Loomstate Jeans, who use 100% organic cotton without sacrificing style. "New Leash on Life" highlights famous faces such as Orlando Bloom and Charlize Theron who own and/or work with rescued animals in Organic Style Magazine's Celebrity feature.

Targeting a cultured and aware "30 something" reader, advertisers include pop culture items and brands such as Apple Ipod as well as lesser know consumer goods such as "Soy Soft" organic beauty products and "Organic Mattress Store" bedroom furniture and accessories.

Organic Style Magazine is also available online at www.organicstyle.com and includes articles, online shopping, and contests. Whether you live a full organic lifestyle or are merely interested in the topic, Organic Style Magazine is engrossing and utterly informative. It may even persuade you to change some of your bad habits!

Reviewed by R & RC Staff Member - Karen Schultz

Citations:
Murray, Suzanne. "Fresh Style Celebrity: New Leash on Life." Organic Style Magazine July/Aug. 2005: 27.
Murray, Suzanne. "Fresh Style Fashion: Green Jeans." Organic Style Magazine July/Aug. 2005: 46.
"Organic Survey." Whole Foods Market. 13, Oct. 2003 http://www.wholefoods.com/company/pr_10-14- 03.html

Paper Magazine has long been known as the arbiter of everything that is hip or cutting edge. They began in 1984 as a black-and-white fold-out poster which sold 50 cents. Some twenty odd years later, they can still be counted on to be first with the popular culture. From AbFab to Zen is your guide to such figures as: Madonna, Jocelyne Wildenstein and Carrie Donovan.

According to Paper here's how we would define the following:

• Spin Doctor - An expert, generally in politics or public relations
• Hip Hop - Phenomena of rap, graffiti, break dancing, attitude and X-large clothes
• Aromatherapy - The ancient art of using plants and flower essences to heal and soothe.
• Phat - The 90 incarnation of "bad," as in good.
• Supermodels - A new breed of models, whose larger-than-life personalities and omnipresence on magazine covers and runways earned them the title, "supermodel".

Wonderfully illustrated, this book uses these photos as a companion to their concise and easy to understand definitions. By the way, for those who are wondering, Carrie Donovan was the lady with the huge glasses in the Old Navy ads and Jocelyne Wildenstein is the New York socialite who has had so much plastic surgery that she now resembles a cat. From AbFab to Zen will have you ready for trivial pursuit in no time!

Reviewed by R & RC Staff Member - Monika Earle