I was half listening to NPR on my commute home from work yesterday. Then, my intereste was piqued when I heard the word “soap” — as a beauty editor, I’m like Pavlov’s dog when I hear anything related to beauty products (a tad pathetic, I know). Anyhoo, here’s what caught my attention Monterey County officials say about 166 inmates are on a hunger strike because of a new policy that limits their toiletries to one bottle of shampoo, one tube of toothpaste and one bar of soap per week (now they really better not drop it badum-ching).

It looks like if sales continue as usual, the new moisturizer should be ready to ship out on the 17th (Friday) or the 20th (Monday). To get on the mailing list so you know the minute it’s available, go ahead and scroll to the bottom of any acne.org page and type in your email down there where it says Mailing List. Again, a few quick answers on this moisturizer: 1) It will completely replace the current moisturizer. The current moisturizer will no longer be available, even in limited amounts. 2) A few of you have asked about pre-orders. We are not accepting…

Manicures, shopping sprees, and was that a facial he got last week? Find out if your man is one-upping you in the beauty department. So what exactly is a metrosexual you ask? Well according to good ol’ “Merriam-Webster,” every one’s favorite scholastic companion, there is actually a proper definition for the word coined in the ’90s:

We’ve been prepping you for the new season with our Fall Beauty Guide for the last couple of weeks, but now that Labor Day has come and gone and all linen clothing at the GAP is officially 70 percent off, there’s no more denying that summer is O.V.E.R. Gentle nudging will no longer suffice so I’ll be blunt and say, “Ladies, grab that nail polish remover and get those nails in order.”

From smoky hot messes to glittery disasters — our readers recommend keeping your brushes far away from this eye makeup. Eye makeup has been evolving since around 10,000 B.C. from a number of civilizations and cultural uses ranging from reducing sun glare to burial rituals to restoring eye sight. Nowadays, whether we want to test out a new trend, have our makeup reflect our mood, complement our outfit, or make a statement — we wear eye makeup pretty much for aesthetic purposes. We use eyeshadow to play up our eye color, add dimension and depth to our eyes or just attract attention to them. And, eyeshadow no longer comes in just a basic powder form, you can find it in a mousse, liquid and even a crayon form — and in more colors and textures than you

Summer is coming to a screeching halt (cue sound effect), but that doesn’t mean you should necessarily stow your sunscreen in the back of your medicine cabinet. If you think you only need the ’screen when you’re beach- or pool- bound — you might be the victim of one of these sunscreen mistakes. Read the following skin care tips from expert dermatologists Dr. Linda Evans and Dr. Debra Jailman to find out how

Sometimes we tend to think of acne as a modern phenomenon. But quite the contrary, ancient people wrote of acne as soon as they could write at all. Ancient Egyptian writings mention how Pharoahs struggled with the disease. Traces of an essential oil used in the treatment of acne scars were found in King Tut’s tomb. Fast forward to Ancient Greece, and we find that people were affected at this time as well. In fact, we get the word “acne” from the ancient Greeks. Ancient scholars have uncovered evidence of sulfur and mineral water treatments in ancient Rome as well. As far as historians can tell, …

Hang on to summer with a few well-placed highlights the way TotalBeauty.com reader Julie did — it took her hairstyle from serious to sexy. Most women have the prerogative of being able to change their hairstyles and hair color whenever they feel like it. For actresses (especially ones that are newer to the game), however, it’s not that easy. Not only do they have agents (who signed them looking a certain way) to answer to, but there’s also the matter of those costly headshots to consider, not to mention that it could be very risky to gamble it all away on a whim.

Dear Celebrity,

The celebrity hairstyles and makeup looks you loved from the Emmy Awards minus the hours of prep time. Big night-out plans: Check.

Three additional strengths of the acne medication Solodyn (extended release minocycline) have been approved by the FDA. This brings the available strengths of this acne medication up to eight. Since the strength you need is determined by your weight, these additional strengths will allow doctors to be more precise in dosing Solodyn. … Read Full Post

I watched a segment on 20/20 last night (I had TiVo’d it, so I’m not sure when it aired) called “Albinism: Caught Between Dark and Light.” It really pulled at my heart strings — especially the story of 15-year-old Angel Stillman, a girl with albinism who has had to transfer in and out of eight different schools since preschool due to being teased. All she desperately wants is to fit in and have at least one friend. Sniff.

Get step-by-step instruction on how to easily transition your summer hair look into one that’s perfect for fall. The return of fall fills our hearts with joy because the arrival of crisp, beautiful weather means we also get to update our makeup bags and hairstyles. And luckily, the transitions (this year anyway) are simple. You can turn the beachy waves and messy-in-a-good-way braids and buns you’ve been wearing into more polished, sleeker styles without a ton of fuss. See how easy it is to update your hairstyle by recreating our favorite looks from the Fall 2010 Fashion Week runways.

Whether you’re new to the “mommy” club or hoping to get cast in the next TLC reality show documenting the birth of your 27th child, you’re well aware that having a baby is a seriously exhausting business. You might get a few moments here or there to, oh, I don’t know, do something totally self-indulgent like shower but that’s about it. Your daily M.O. is bottles, binkies and bassinets, not beauty.

Snag a little moment of bliss with simple ways to soothe your hands and body on the go. Whether your life is chaotic and out of control or calm, quiet and relaxing — we never give ourselves enough TLC. Especially since it’s in our nature to give to others, while forgetting about numero uno. That’s why we turned to — who else? The experts of soothing touch — massage therapists: Laura Meyers from Talisker Spa at Tuhaye and Randi Sharp from the Ojai Valley Inn and