With so much of your skin showing in great summer fashions, it makes sense to pretty it up. One way to do that is to apply a bit of sparkle and glow to your eyes, lips, cheeks, shoulders and collarbone. With MAC multi-purpose glitter ($16.50 for 0.26 oz.) you can transform the make-up you already own — just add a bit of this product to it — or apply the glitter directly to your skin. The effects will be dazzling. Bloom’s shimmer body cream ($24) isn’t designed to blend with other makeup, but it does promise to add a subtle sheen to your skin. Plus, it’s scented with lavender oil to make you smell fantastic. Make Up For Ever was one of the first companies to make skin powder that captures and reflects light like a gem. A little bit of their pearly, iridescent Star powder ($18 for 0.09  oz., pictured), available in a complete painter’s palette of colors for mixing and shading, goes a long way. If maximum glitter is what you want, get the Diamond powder ($24 for 0.07 oz.). It’s composed almost entirely of pure synthetic mother-of-pearl and will “radiate extreme brilliance” upon application. For the eyes, be the first to own a Sparkle eye pencil ($17.50), which is available as a limited edition sneak preview item from Prescriptives. (Full product line to be launched in the fall.) Offered in plum and midnight blue, this eye pencil boasts intense color with dramatic sparkle. Over at Urban Decay, there’s Heavy Metal glitter eye gel ($18), eyeliner ($18) and, for the lips, a sparkler pen ($10). Turn heads with this make-up, but be careful not to blind anyone

The Swedes, responsible for the Volvo, have a knack for engineering forms that are as functional as they are fashionable. These days one of the country’s most successful exports is in the shape of the future – the SIGG reusable water bottle. It’s good for you and the planet, and comes in 144 designs with 22 interchangeable lids. Like a fashion house, SIGG rotates or drops designs each year. But if you’re thirsty for one of those Limited Edition Lifestyle SIGGs – its most popular line – you’d better shop around. Due to overwhelming demand, mysigg.com temporarily closed shop in May. In June, several internet retailers, including this one, announced that new inventory would not be available for the next 60 to 90 days. This blogger explains – simply – why SIGGs are hot and worth the price. You can find a SIGG to get you through this summer if you buy one that’s already available – and that’s good for the planet, too. Check out the colorful Maharadsha ($30) which comes in fuchsia, violet, ruby and turquoise, the Sunray ($25) and the Classic Red Traveler ($18). Hurry, because stock is limited and going fast. Go to www.isabellacatalog.com to find Spring Impressions ($25) and www.getngreen.com for Bubble Vision ($20). At rei.com you’ll find several SIGGS in stock and the recommended tool for hand-washing them, another hard to find SIGG item. If you must have one of the latest Lifestyle Limited Edition SIGGS, take a look at what’s selling on eBay, where you can acquire Wisdom Awakens and Flower Power (or others, as offerings on eBay is always changing). If you’re quick, you might get the sure to-be a collectible I Am Not Plastic.

“Life is difficult,” wrote M. Scott Peck in The Road Less Traveled. Some days are more difficult than others. The effect of stress on health is well-documented so it’s imperative that you find a reliable method for slowing down and relaxing. My tactic: Indulgence Day – kind of like spa day at home with truffles. It starts with a long soak in the bathtub, the at-home equivalent of a self-nurturing spa experience. Before sliding into the tub, light a scented candle. Le Cherche Midi ($50), is fragrantly reminiscent of an ocean-side retreat with beach grass and sundried driftwood and summer herbs. The appropriately named Ganesh Remover of Obstacles ($19.50) is scented with chamomile and lavender. A must-have is the Spa Sister bath pillow - or any number of other great at-home spa products at eBubbles. The pillows start at $7.50 and come in several soothing colors, including lavender. Consider this caddy with a magnified mirror ($65) for plucking eyebrows. Check out this caddy made with sustainable bamboo ($46.50, pictured), which has a place for your wine glass and a “Calgon take me away” girly book. Go to this site for a recipe for a cucumber face mask you can whip up in your kitchen and apply cold, straight from the fridge. Or head over to Perricone MD Pharmaceuticals for a firming facial mask and serum that promises to minimize the appearance of wrinkles and rejuvenate tired, stressed skin ($120 for set). Draw warm water into the tub and add essential aromatic oils and bath salts, including Therepe scented bath Salts (8 oz of Thai lemongrass ,$3). Use a long-handled bath brush ($125) to remove dead skin cells and invigorate the entire body.  After a nice long soak, dry off and wrap yourself in this fluffy Sonoma lavender spa robe ($135), made of soft microfiber plush, or the Diva Darling in pink ($68) with a shawl collar and generous patch pockets. Don’t forget the truffles (eight piece Godiva signature pack $16.50). Put on some relaxing music you love and breathe. Just breathe.

Before you spray insect repellent on your kids this summer, you might want to check the label. Many insect repellents marketed for families and children contain DEET. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics has approved the use of DEET on children, the Academy recommends only applying these products once a day, and not on children younger than 2. In addition, applying DEET repellents in combination with sunscreen increases the possibility of DEET having toxic effects on the child. One way to not have to worry about DEET is to use repellents made without it. REPEL, for example, is a plant-based lemon eucalyptus insect repellent, available from Basegear in 4-ounce bottles for $7. This solution repels mosquitoes and deer ticks for up to six hours. REPEL has a very strong lemon scent; and it needs to be carefully applied to the face to avoid eye irritation. Bite Blocker is another good repellent which does not contain DEET. Bite Blocker’s herbal insect repellent spray, which works for up to 8 hours, contains soybean oil, geranium oil, coconut oil and vanillin, among other ingredients. Bite Blocker wipes contain that same repellent, and are safe for all ages. Burt’s Bees Insect Repellent contains eucalyptus and lemongrass oil (Burt’s Bees is well-known for their natural, child-friendly products). REI sells this repellent in spray form for $8. Avon has been very successful with their Skin So Soft Bug Guard line, some combined with sunscreen, that are meant for the whole family. The Skin So Soft bug guard plus disappearing color sunscreen lotion ($12) is a clever way to protect kids from bugs and the sun. It comes out of the tube blue, but the color fades once rubbed into the skin. That blue color makes it more fun to put on, a useful thing if your child is cranky about putting on lotions. There’s also a Bug Guard Plus regular version, which is white.

Summer is a wonderful time for swims in the ocean, dips in the pool and playing in the sun. Unfortunately chlorinated water, salt water and too much sun can wreak havoc on your hair, causing split ends, dullness and dryness. The beauty industry, aware of summer’s disastrous effects on hair, has created lots of products to protect, repair and enhance. Celebrities like Katie Holmes, according to InStyle Magazine, use Kerastase Soleil products to fix their damaged dos. Kerastase has a three-step system. Start by massaging their Crème UV Defense Active (a protective sunscreen and moisturizer) into your hair before you leave for the beach or pool ($34 from Kerastase USA.) This cream has two layers of UV protection, and works for color-treated hair. Next, after coming in for the day, shower with Bain Apres Soleil ($32). Last, spray in a couple of pumps of Serum Apres Soleil ($34) to make your hair shiny and well-conditioned. Kerastase is not your only choice, of course. Marie Claire magazine recommends the Davines SU Suncare system, available online from Blush Beauty Store. The Davines Suncare system offers two choices of protective product before you head out for the sun and water.  The Davines Su Cream, $19.40, is made with Absynnian crambe oil, extracted from a Mediterranean fruit. This cream can be rubbed into your tresses. The Davines Sun Oil, $19.59, can be sprayed into your hair. Either one will reduce the sun’s damaging and drying effects. Afterward, wash your hair with Davines SU Wash, $15, a moisturizing shampoo shower gel made with apricot oil and rice protein. A simpler approach is to use Paul Mitchell products. Paul Mitchell’s Shampoo Three, $11.40 from Goddess Within, removes chlorine and minerals using wheat protein and amino acids. Follow it up with Paul Mitchell The Conditioner, $19.32, which will remove any remaining dryness.

When you think of summer, what associations come to mind? The smell of chlorinated water? The sweetness of cantaloupe? The sound of cicadas? We visited Sephora to have a look at the variety of fragrances created with the season in mind and chose to feature only those that include the word “summer” in their names. Jean Paul Gaultier’s Classique Summer (3.3 ounces, $60) comes in a pink bottle shaped like a woman (pictured) and promises a “zesty citrus floral scent” marked by notes of rose, jasmine, and fresh musk. Issey Miyake’s water-inspired L’eau d’Issey Summer (3.3 ounces, $60) is a bouquet of lotus, freesia, cyclamen, rose water, peonies and other florals. Its effect is described as “relaxing, dreamy, sparkling.” Burberry Summer (1.7 ounces, $47) is a limited-edition summer version of Classic, its signature scent. Combining crisp fruits such as green apple, delicate flowers like the water lily, and cool mossy woods, the scent aims to be refreshing and sensual. Calvin Klein has two fragrances tied to the season. CK One Summer (3.4 ounces, $42) is the only scent we found intended for both men and women. It touts a “zingy freshness that mellows into a lush waterfall accord” (whatever that is). It certainly sounds delicious, with its notes of watermelon, cucumber and blonde woods. Eternity Summer is Calvin Klein’s new limited-edition fragrance that “opens with fresh top notes” and softens into a soft, spicy, musky scent (3.4 ounces, $52). Flower By Kenzo Summer (1.7 ounces, $52) mixes the tang of ginger with the headiness of litchi and zest of mandarin. Intention: to be striking, fresh and flirty. Last but not least is Givenchy’s Very Irresistible Summer Cocktail (2.5 ounces, $52), a seasonal version of the designer’s rose-infused scent, made cooler by the addition of star anise and mint leaves. All of these fragrances come in versions pour homme (for men).