The lips are one of the first things people see on your face, so make sure they aren’t chapped or burned. Here are some great, inexpensive ways to keep your lips soft and healthy this summer:

1.       Get Your Scrub On: Create an easy, yummy-smelling at-home lip scrub with sugar and honey. Mix two parts sugar with one part honey and rub all over your lips with your fingers once a week. Rinse with warm water to reveal smooth, supple lips.

2.       Double Time! When you wake and apply your daily dose of face moisturizer, rub a bit of lotion onto your lips. Aquaphor Healing Ointment is designed for both skin and lips, so you’ll save money while getting great skin. ($5.99,drugstore.com)

3.       Use Protection – from the sun that is. Make sure to always use a lip balm with all-natural ingredients and an SPF to keep your lips from getting dry. Try LypSyl LypMoisturizer HoneyBerry SPF 15. It rolls on smooth and silky and includes ingredients like Swedish beeswax, shea and avocado butters to keep your lips soft all day long. (2.99, Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid)

*Smartypanties received a sample of LypSyl for consideration for a post*

TREAT HER TO A REVOLUTION IN HAIR CARE

Philip B. Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo and Philip B. Katira Hair Masque ($50,00; $70.00 value)

If you really want to give your mom a gift of luxury this Mother’s Day, give her Philip B.’s world-famous Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo.  Russian Amber is truly like the Fountain of Youth for hair – it rejuvenates and revitalizes all hair types, giving even damaged strands a dramatically youthful look, feel and radiance.

And from now until May 31^st when you purchase a 3 oz. jar of Russian Amber Imperial Shampoo, Philip B. will give you a FREE 2 oz. Katira Hair Masque (a $20 value).

GIVE HER A TROPICAL GETAWAY WITHOUT THE COST

You may not be able to afford the tropical getaway mom deserves, but you can still make her feel like she is being transported to lush, warm destinations with Pacifica’s has amazing Mother’s Day sets.

South Pacific Spray Perfume Collection ($45.00; $66.00 value): Fall in love with the tropics with this set of natural grain alcohol Spray Perfumes, including Tahitian Gardenia, Hawaiian Ruby Guava and Waikiki Pikake.

South Pacific Bath Collection ($35.00; $58.00 value): Bathe yourself in paradise and indulge in lush hydration with this collection of Waikiki Pikake Body Butter, Hawaiian Ruby Guava Body Wash and Tahitian Gardenia Body Lotion.

South Pacific Solid Perfume Trio ($18.00; $27.00 value): Escape to the sunny, sultry South Pacific with these solid perfumes, enclosed in a sweet little box. Includes Tahitian Gardenia, Hawaiian Ruby Guava and Waikiki Pikake.

MAKE HER FEEL LIKE THE GODDESS SHE IS

She’s your source of strength, comfort and love, your go-to for advice and the light of your life. Whether mother, daughter, grandmother, sister or friend, give back to your goddess this Mother’s Day with a Carol’s Daughter Goddess gift set. Created with love by founder Lisa Price, each gift set honors a unique goddess, indulging her in the comforting love and care infused into every product.

Bare & Beautiful Goddess ($37.00)

Make her feel beautiful from head to toe with this decadent collection of conditioning, smoothing body essentials: Sage & Shea Foot Butter, Lemon Rose Hand Cream, Ecstasy Shea Soufflé, Goddess Rollerball Eau de Toilette and Loofah

Pampered Goddess ($49.00)

Every goddess deserves to be pampered. Give her the royal treatment with this assortment of luxurious bath and body indulgences: Mimosa Hair Honey, Lemon Ginger Mint Manicure, Mango Melange Bath & Body Oil, Almond Cookie Shea Souffle, Goddess Rollerball Eau de Toilette and Loofah

Goddess On-The-Go ($33.00)

There’s no holding her back—this goddess is on the go. Treat her to a collection of quick-fixes and pick-me-ups to keep her looking and feeling her best, anytime, anywhere: Tui Hair Oil, Lemon Rose Hand Cream, Lip Butter and Goddess Rollerball Eau de Toilette

David Babaii for Living Proof styled Kate Hudson's tresses for the 2010 MET Costume Institute Gala

Inspiration: A day spent sun-bathing in San Tropez 

The look: Elegant yet flirty, not too coiffed but still full of body and texture.

How to get the look: David Babaii used Living Proof Full to give Kate Hudson’s fine, limp blonde hair a thicker feel.  He rubbed the product between his fingers to activate the ingredients and applied FULL from root to shaft.  He rough dried the entire head to add additional volume. He then created a side part and formed a braid along the side of her face. He gathered all the hair back into a low bun at the nape of the neck, pulling the braid back with the rest, creating a sexy, cool up-do.

Babaii said, “Usually I am afraid to braid Kate’s hair because it is so fine, but Living Proof Full added the dimension and depth I needed to create this fabulous red carpet look.”

As you know, we LOVE moms almost as much as we love organic beauty products. Organic Beauty Now is teaming up with Epic Change, the masterminds behind Tweetsgiving to put together a very special Mother’s Day campaign called “To Mama With Love.”

This campaign harnesses the power of Twitter and blogs to honor moms across the globe, and raise funds for one remarkable mama to change the world. We hope to raise $50,000 in just one week to fund a home for 50 children in Mama Lucy's village in Tanzania.  The contest starts May 3rd and ends May 9th, 2010.

Here’s how it works

• Create a heartspace on tomamawithlove.org to show a mama your love, and donate $20 or more in her honor. You can include photo, video, writing, and artwork. 
• Send out a link to the heartspace you created.
• Organic Beauty Now will donate $1 for every tweet that mentions #tomamawithlove up to $2000 to fund the first room in the children's home.
• Organic Beauty Now will give away 5 gift cards worth $50 each. Anyone that follows @organicbeauties on Twitter during the campaign will be entered to win.
• You can view the tagged tweets and heartspaces on  tomamawithlove.org

Our friends over at Organicbeautynow have even offered our readers 20% Off! Just use coupon code: TMWL20 for 20% off, good May 3-15 at organicbeautynow.com

As wedding and prom season quickly approach, that age-old question comes into play: How am I going to do my hair?  Getting the perfect hair style for any special occasion can be a tricky art.  There is a lot to take into consideration such as what style to go with and what style will be most fitting for your “look.”  For this one-shot deal, you don’t want to get it wrong!  Below, Latrice Strader, master hair stylist & owner of Washington D.C. based salon and spa, Destiny De’ve knows how stressful an up do appointment can be, and offers a few simple tips to make sure your up do’s don’t turn into do up don’ts! 

• Down and Dirty:  There is some prep work that you should be aware of before getting your up do.  You may want to be fresh and clean when you go to the salon, but try to resist the urge to wash your hair the day of your up do.  “Hair that’s a day or two old is easier to work with,” says Latrice.  “When hair is too soft, it doesn’t hold curls or tease as well.”   When planning for a glam hair style, forget the rule “lather, rinse and repeat!”

• Avoid a Wardrobe Malfunction:   Wear a button-up shirt or a top with a loose fitting neck when you go in for your appointment.  There’s nothing worse than trying to maneuver out of a small neck hole while keeping your tresses in tact!  “Some women are so distracted with everything else on their mind that they don’t think about the shirt they are putting on over their head the morning of an up do,” says Latrice.  Stick with an easily escapable top, or you might end up having to cut yourself out of one of your favorite blouses!

• Think Total Package: Make sure you consider your entire look when selecting an up do.  Although choosing a hairstyle based on your face shape or hair-type are both effective techniques, don’t forget to factor in what you will be wearing for that special occasion.  Think about the top of your dress and what would flatter it the most.  “Strapless gowns generally look nice with some romantic waves or loose curls hanging down, whereas dresses with busy tops would look the best paired with a French twist or sleek pompadour ponytail,” advises Latrice.  Do a run-through by fixing your own hair as close to how you want it as you can, along with trying on your complete ensemble (shoes, bag, jewelry, the works), to see the whole picture.  You may discover everything doesn’t fit together quite like it does in your head, and you’ll want to be able to rethink things ahead of time. 

• Don’t be afraid of hair accessories:  Never underestimate the power of a well-placed accessory.  If you see a piece in a store or magazine that attracts you, ask your stylist if it can be incorporated into your up do.  Again, think total package.  “If the rest of your look is simple, playing up your face with a stunning flower or sophisticated headband can add some high drama to your look,” says Latrice.  But just don’t go overboard.  You want one show piece that’s going to stand out, so don’t do this if you already plan on wearing an elaborate dress, necklace or other attention-grabbing piece.  Simplicity is the key here.

• Inject some personality:  You should still look like yourself (albeit an even more devastatingly beautiful version of yourself) for your special occasion, so try to incorporate some of your own personal style.  “If you always wear your hair down, maybe try an up do with a part that has some face-framing locks falling down,” Latrice says.  “This way it’s similar to your typical look, but with some added glamour.”  You will have pictures from this event for the rest of your life, so you probably want to be able to recognize yourself in them.  Not only is it important to look like you, but also if you have an up do that fits your personality, you’re more likely to feel beautiful, and therefore more likely to work it!

• Honesty is the best policy:  If you are not 100% happy with your up do, don’t keep it a secret from your stylist (chances are he/she can tell just by looking at your face).  Let them know how you really feel so they can make changes before it’s too late!  “You may not want to sound rude or demanding, but your stylist would rather know if things aren’t looking like you imagined,” says Latrice.  “They will be able to adjust the up do for you better in the salon than you will be able to do yourself at home.”  That being said, keep in mind up dos are works in progress, and may look a little crazy at some points.  Feel free to ask questions if something concerns you, but remember that an up do generally doesn’t look chic and polished until the very end, when the final spritzing and smoothing is administered.

Meet Master Hair Stylist & Owner of Destiny De’ve, Latrice Strader

Latrice Strader, a native Washingtonian, is the owner/master stylist of Destiny De’Ve Salon and Spa located in the revitalized neighborhood of Columbia Heights in Washington, D.C. Latrice began her career as a stylist by enrolling in her high school’s cosmetology program. During the summer months she worked as an assistant to master stylists which help her to perfect her craft. Latrice graduated from high school as a stylist and began working on historic U Street. During her 12 year tenure, Latrice built a reputation for her expertise in multi-cultural styling and fashion forward styles that demand attention.