Fit Flops?

At first, I was skeptical of not only their weighty appearance but their fitness claims, such as "Get a workout while you walk," when my sister gave me a pair in black.

"They tone your legs, everyone is wearing them in West Palm," she told me.

OK, but in New York City? I had not seen the same Fit Flop phenomenon just yet.

I first tested them out while doing errands—to the salon, grocery shopping, to the post office. People started noticing them. Maybe my sister was on to something. "Are those Fit Flops? I have them in gold," my hairstylist said. Still skeptical, I asked her, "Do they actually tone your legs?" "Yes!", she promised.

Some bra straps should go where the sun doth shine.

A friend of mine whose husband recently threw her a splashy 40th birthday party in New York City wore a stunning, fitted short black dress with a hot red bra underneath.

She made no attempt to hide the straps, and the va va voom! touch transformed what would otherwise have been a handsome if humdrum outfit.

Plenty of the fashion shows I have attended over the years made liberal use of undergarments that were meant to been seen rather than hidden.

Makeup palettes—with so many eye colors, lip colors and blush shades—could anything be more convenient?

I am so tired of searching my makeup bag looking for that one powder, lipstick, eyeshadow.

Even after organizing my bag, I end up carrying around at least five lipsticks, numerous blushes, glosses, etc.

How simple and chic is one kit that contains everything you need to look presentable?

The all-in-one makeup palette suddenly seems like the smartest time saver ever invented—not to mention, in a recession, it offers plenty of glam for one smart price. I love it.

Here are a few of my favorites this holiday season:

Yes! Yes!

Do make my excess hair go away. That goes for legs, arms -- even, yes, the dreaded chin.

When it comes to hair removal, I've done it all. Years ago, it was electrolysis (too painful and slow).

Then came the wax, both hot and cold wax (too many ingrown hairs).

That was followed by many, many sessions of professional laser hair removal.

All of which has collectively decimated my excess hair. But I can't boast of complete banishment. Every year, there's always some stray patch of new growth, even though it's finer and less dense than in previous years.

So it was with unrestrained glee that I discovered the No!No! device. The way it works is by heating the hair. If consistently used several times a week, the apparatus is supposed to reduce hair density and thickness (any shade, on any type of skin).

Brooke Shields batting her lush, dark lashes in the Latisse commercials nearly got me.

Who wouldn't want lashes that rich and thick?

However, the possible side effects (itching, skin darkening and hair growing in places other than your lashes, for instance) kept me from trying Latisse.

I'll stick to mascara, I decided. It's safer.

So for the past month and a half, I've been testing every mascara that has come into my contact.

Here are my top six drugstore and department store favorites, in alphabetical order—not preference, because all are excellent for different reasons.

I'm really not froufrou -- on the outside.

I don't wear fat pink watches with inlaid diamonds. Don't get my hair blown out in wavy curls every Friday. Don't even take bubble baths.

But deep inside, I harbor a secret diva.

She rarely reveals her tiara-adorned self. Yet when she does, all I can do is roll my eyes.

And succumb.

Thus it was when Thierry Mugler Angel Perfuming Body Powder arrived at my door.

Okay, the word "angel" is a turnoff. Is it possible to be any less original?

But once you get past it, pull out the puff, unscrew the top and start pressing the lavender powder to your skin, all is forgiven.

Got pimples, red blotches or busted veins on your face?

That's what comes with being a human older than 13.

Here's a solution I've loved for a long time: A collection of 16 tiny pots of flesh tones so you can concoct a color that's as close to your natural pigmentation as possible.

It's the Kryolan Dermacolor Mini Concealer Palette, for $27.90, made  by Alcone Company, which is known among professional makeup artists as a go-to vendor for stuff that really works.

By now, there are probably lines miles long at H&M stores where Jimmy Choo is launching today, but if you feel like braving the crowds, it's worth it.

I previewed the collection last night at a private shopping event at the newly-renovated Fifth Avenue flagship in New York City.

The crowd, full of editors and lots of editors' friends—as well as Christian Siriano, went crazy for the shoes, grabbing the blue boxes of Choo heels, flats and boots (the animal-print encrusted heels were a major hit).