This week I've posted our ever-increasing, constantly updating Gift Guide for any holiday shopping you need to complete before the end of the year. I've tried to pull together not just generic makeup items or the obvious gift sets that all the other sites are advertising, but things that I actually recommend and think would make a cool gift for any diva on your list. You can find the guide listed on the front of the site, or at this link: Holiday 03: Gift Resource Guide. We also have some new reviews here in this week's newsletter from our Panelist Tina. Enjoy!

Tina is a 27 year old Korean-Italian living in Boston. She has thick, black hair that's extremely processed, black eyes, and medium olive skin with yellow undertones that tans easily. Her skin is normal/combination (oily T-zone with occasional dryness in the cheek area). Tina has never had acne, and rarely gets pimples, but she can have allergic reactions due to extremely sensitive skin.

Now on to Tina's reviews...

Romeo Gigli
When I smelled the Eau de Parfum Spray, I immediately thought "very feminine". It's extremely sweet, but not in a bubble-gum kind of way. I believe the major note is vanilla. Although my perfume of choice is Christian Dior's J'Adore (which is crisp with a major note of mandarin), I didn't mind wearing this Romeo Gigli fragrance. It's definitely a romantic scent and not too overwhelming or musky.

I love the bottles that the perfumed Bath & Shower Gel ($35 for 6.76oz), and Body Lotion ($42 for 6.76oz) come in; they're so sleek and unique! Both items smelled wonderfully sweet like the parfum and felt good on the skin. Layering these two with the parfum made the scent last longer. I did not, however, find anything significantly different than other perfumed shower gels and lotions.

You can find Romeo Gigli fragrance products at Nordstrom. The Eau de Parfum Spray is $42 for .6oz, $60 for 1.3oz, and $84 for 2.5oz.

Liquidiva Citrus Mimosa Salt Scrub, Sweet Lavender Salt Scrub ($18)
I must admit I have a love-hate relationship with salt scrubs. I've tried a few different ones and found that the way they exfoliate and moisturize my skin is amazing, but they're absolute torture on my bathtub. The same holds true for the Liquidiva salt scrubs. Both smell wonderful and exfoliate to the max, (a little goes a long way, too). They left my skin uber-moisturized; I didn't even have to use a lotion after my bath! But I had to scrub the remaining oil off of my tub post use. It can also clog the drain with continued use. I think I'll have to pass on salt scrubs in general and stick to bath gels and body lotion.

AG Hair Cosmetics Waxx pomade ($14 for 3oz)
I adore this pomade (my boyfriend does, too). I've tried a myriad of pomades, waxes, leave-in conditioners, oils, etc. and am extremely impressed with this product. It takes away my fly-a-ways, but doesn't weigh my hair down. It gives my hair a healthy shine without making it look to greasy. I've used grooming products that seem to do nothing for my hair, which baffles me. I've even used products that are so hard and sticky they pull out my hair! Not this one. It comes in a tube with an opening the size of a dime, which I find unique and very convenient, and a little goes a long way. AG did an excellent job with this pomade. What more can I say? I'll be buying this again!

Find a salon near you that carries AG Hair Cosmetics by visiting AGHairCosmetics.com.

Lush Bath Bomb (around $4 depending on the size)
When I read the name "Bath Bomb," I expected some kind of small explosion when I dropped this yellow and green chalky ball into the water. But the ball just sank and slowly dissolved. Its scent was strong, but pleasing - one of heavy musk with spicy notes. This Bomb turned the water a yellow-green (chartreuse) color which was a bit odd. There were absolutely no suds or bubbles like I had anticipated, but it did softened my skin with its natural ingredients. I wasn't crazy about the presentation of the Bath Bomb. It was wrapped in clear plastic with a ribbon around it, and tiny bits of the ball were coming loose; it looked dusty. All in all I was pretty disappointed with the Lush Bath Bomb.

I hope you enjoyed this issue of The Cosmetic Report!