My trip to Belize was amazing on so many levels, especially because I got to hang out with adorable animals like this Aztec parakeet. Since it was the low season, I managed to score a good price at a swanky hotel in San Ignacio. When I checked in, I was offered a glass of rum punch. (Yes, please.) And my room was gorgeous — huge, pristine, luxe. Right away, I hopped in the shower, where I smiled at the sweetly coconut-scented shampoo in the wall dispenser. It left my hair clean and smelling fresh, so I figured it was some sort of spendy spa formula.

And then, a snag. Turns out I'd been given one of the more expensive rooms by accident, so to get the lower rate, I had to move to a smaller, simpler room overlooking a parking lot instead of the jungle. No big deal. But instead of a posh wall dispenser for shampoo, the bathroom simply had a bottle out for guests' use. Lo and behold, the "spa formula" I'd imagined was none other than Suave Naturals Tropical Coconut shampoo ($2.49). It isn't moisturizing enough to use every day without conditioner, but the scent and cleaning power are great — and with all the money I'll save using a drugstore standby, saving up for another trip to Central America won't take long at all.

Love it or hate it, Leighton Meester's right on trend wearing a semi-matte, deep-hued lipstick. As this Gossip Girl demonstrates, in order to pull off a so-bold-it-could-stop-traffic kind of color, it's best to keep the rest of your makeup toned down as to not overwhelm the look.

So, is a sassy red-orange lipstick something you might want to duplicate for Fall 2008 and beyond? If so, follow these tips on how to keep such a saucy color saucy, along with some department and drugstore finds to boot:

• Apply lip liner in a shade similar to your lipstick. Outline, following the natural shape of your lips, and then fill in completely. By using liner as a base, your color will wear longer and bolder. It helps prevent color from bleeding, too.
• Using a lip brush, apply lipstick. Start in the center, working out as you go. Fix any harsh lines or mistakes with a Q-tip.
• Splurgey choice: Back at Fashion Rocks in September, Leighton told me she loves Yves Saint Laurent lipstick. Try Rouge Volupté Lipstick in Extreme Coral or Red Muse ($34).
• Drugstore finds: Go with bright red-orange shades such as L'Oreal Colour Riche Lipstick Lipstick in Volcanic ($8.95) or Revlon Moon Drops Creme Lipstick in Hot Coral ($8.99).

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The headband trend has been going strong for months now, and in the past few days alone, it's been headbands, headbands everywhere. Long hair or short, metallic or baubled — I have a feeling this stylish accessory will be sticking around for awhile. Oh headband, you've really got a hold on us.

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These days, buying a neutral powder comes with many, many decisions. Mineral or regular? Loose or pressed? Oil absorbing or luminizing? Translucent? Sheer? SPF? Talc-free?

Really, the most important thing is that the powder does what you want it to: set foundation or concealer without caking, keep grease at bay and not break you out (or aggravate any other skin problems). Oh, and actually match the color of your face. Here are some tips for choosing:

• White and translucent powder can even make the palest complexions look grayish — so stay away.
• Pressed powder is great to carry around for touch-ups, while loose powder usually offers more coverage.
• Don't use the applicator that your pressed powder compact comes with for as long as the powder lasts. The grease you're blotting away is getting soaked up in there and could cause breakouts.
• Use a powder brush for a sheer finish (tap out excess before you use it) and a big puff for a smooth finish.
• If your skin is combination, use oil-blotting papers before powder.
• If you have very dry skin, you may only want to use powder to set under eye concealer.
• Sometimes your skin's oils or other products you use can change the color of a powder. If you're buying an expensive kind, you should test it in daylight before you buy (and give it some time to settle on your face).

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Beloved crunchy beauty brand Dr. Bronner's has gotten the green light to proceed with its lawsuit against other brands that claim to be organic, including Stella McCartney CARE, Jason Natural, Avalon Organics and Nature's Gate Organics. I have to admit, when the news first broke about this I wondered what E.H. Bronner, who would have been 100 this year, would have thought. Beauty nerd that I am, I'm well aware of the founder's complicated past (his parents were killed in the Holocaust, he escaped from a mental institution, and he read a lot of Kipling). But, Bronner was very concerned about morality and it will be interesting to see how his company's claim about "organic noise" in the natural product market will continue to unfold. This Summer the company settled with former defendant Juice Beauty who agreed to reformulate problem products and be petrochemical-free by February 2010.

To read the full press release from the Organic Consumers Association, click here.

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