Donatella Versace is calling her new Modeling Body Program a "shock treatment," and damn if it isn't aptly named. No voltage involved, just a minty-smelling serum that tightens your jiggly spots and dulls your stretch marks noticeably on the first application. (Therein lies the shock.) Daily application of the serum lasts for 24 days, and the companion cream, which should be slathered on twice a day for maintenance, lasts even longer. Soya protein and chrysanthemum extract are the active botanicals in both products, which doesn't explain the serum's menthol burn or the kit's insanely high price tag. Actually, the ticket-level is a bit of a stumper, but the relief you'll feel at firming what you thought could only be righted by diet (ew) and exercise (double ew) would make any truly sane person just say, "charge it." $200 at www.neimanmarcus.com.
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Unwilling to accept the sorry state of our fingers simply because we're working them to the bone, Beauty Duty is thrilled to discover Anna Sui's Hand & Nail Cream. With doses of botanical oils (apricot kernel, grape seed) and a shot of rice bran wax, the tea-rose-scented goop is emollient enough to smooth down the scruffiest hangnail, and does a nice job on raggedy talons and general ashiness, too. $15 at Anna Sui boutiques in New York (113 Greene Street, 212-941-8406) and Los Angeles (8669 Sunset Boulevard, 310-360-6224).
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There's not a glossy on the newsstand that hasn't extolled the virtues of posh skincare line SCO (stands for "skin care options"). In addition to the chic-ness and apparent efficacy of Theresa Ma's customizable line, customers can't get enough of its scent. So, according to SCO legend, they've put out an eau de parfum simply called SCO, which smells like their treatments (bergamot, white flowers, musk and citrus). Imagine a cross between that fussy posh face cream smell and that spring rain scented oil you get in a health food store: clean, bright, a wee bit floral. $68 for .95 fl. oz, at www.scocare.com.
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While those 25-hour week book-publishing friends of yours are slapping on the sunscreen and heading to the Hamptons, you're stuck tapping away at your computer. Fuck 'em. You can write the great American novel and still smell the part with a splash of Bobbi Brown's Beach Body Oil. Don't be confused by the name, this is not a beach product, but an olive, sesame and jojoba oil moisturizer that leaves behind a soft sheen and a mellower, er, beachier version of Bobbi's aptly named second perfume…wait for it: Beach. So slop some on, get back to work and snap rubber-bands at your mates' sunburns when they get back. Suckers. $28 for 3.4 fl. oz at www.nordstrom.com.
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We already loved Kiehl's for the maxi-samples. Now the company is amping up the altruism by donating 100 percent of the profits from sales of their much-loved Eucalyptus Bath and Shower Liquid Body Cleanser to YouthAIDS, a charity working in 70 countries to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS in people 15-24 years old. Kiehl's is also holding a contest for artistes aged 13-25. Whoever designs the most fetching Eucalyptus Cleanser label wins a trip to NYC for themselves and their guardian, and a $1000 shopping spree at the flagship in the East Village. Pick up your entry form at the store (109 3rd Ave, 212-677-3171), or www.kiehls.com.
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