Julyne's Beauty Blog

If you love freebies (me! me! me!), you must bookmark Faith Lawless's blog. Faith is About's new makeup guide and she's keyed in to all the freebies going on at department stores. Friday, she wrote about Estee Lauder's gift bags and Monday she wrote about Smashbox. Check out her site.

I once got my teeth professionally whitened for free from a dentist. It was the dental office's way of attracting new customers and it worked because I ended up getting X-rays as well and next thing I knew, I had a new dentist. But I digress. Having your teeth professionally whitened is wonderful. But if you don't want to part with the $300 it costs, consider a $30 box of Crest Whitestrips. Everyone I know who's tried them raves about them. Full disclosure: I have a box, but I'm lazy and inconsistent so I can't tell if they work.

On another note, I highly recommend Biore pore strips. I tried them at a boyfriend's (he was a regular user) and few things in life are more satisfying than pulling off the strip and seeing all the little blackhead roots attached. It sure beats getting extractions during a facial. Ouch.

If you have naturally curly hair, consider taming your curls by creating waves. My friend Laura did this to her curly hair for her wedding rehearsal dinner and she looked amazing. She said her stylist showed her how to do it. Her directions went like this: Blow-dry hair straight. As you straighten hair with a flat-iron, wind the flat-iron so it creates big spiral waves. Change directions with each section of hair. By the way, Laura (of Armenian and German descent) used to straighten her coarse hair with every washing but friends have convinced her to embrace her curls and she's never looked better.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms and daughters out there. In honor of all women who have battled or are battling breast cancer (my mother included), please take a moment to click on this The Breast Cancer Site. The non-profit advocacy group funds free mammograms for women. You click and the advertising sponsors pay for mammograms. And in case you're worried (I was), the site is not a hoax, it's a legit organization.

Some pencil eyeliners are super soft and break when you sharpen them. Keep this from happening by sticking the eyeliner pencil in the freezer. Give it half an hour and your pencil will be primed for sharpening.

If you have never experienced a Korean salt scrub, I highly recommend them. They involve lying (sans underclothing -- just keep your eyes shut) on a cushioned table while being scrubbed by a middle-aged Korean woman with a bath mitt and what seems like pounds of salt. If you dare open your eyes during the scrubbing you will likely notice you are covered in little balls of dead skin (or so I'm told -- wink). Then everything is washed away with warm buckets of water. It may sound awful, but it's surprisingly fabulous, if you can get over the naked-on-a-cushioned-table part. Plus, I think most spas provide disposable underwear for the shy types. You'll leave the spa with skin that feels like a newborn baby.

A good exfoliation is necessary before your spring self-tanner application, so I suggest booking a salt scrub, stat. And if you can't bear to go bare in a spa setting, invest in a good sugar scrub at your local drugstore. My favorite: Vitabath sugar scrubs, $11 at most drugstores or online.

Tomorrow, I'll write about the blissful benefits of a good salt scrub. In the meantime, About's new skincare guide, Jen Adkins, includes exfoliation in her 7 summer skincare musts. Plus, find out the right way to shave, how to apply self-tanner and more.

I don't usually write about new products unless I'd wear them more than once myself. I got a whiff of Guess by Marciano's new fragrance and it's worth checking out. I call it heady because it's a very rich, very sexy fragrance that's perfect for evening (according to Guess, it was created to "inspire glamour and sensuality"). The perfume is blended with star fruits, Curacao oranges, grapefruits and cardamom and a variety of florals including peonies, honeysuckle and jasmine.

Apparently, this is Guess's attempt at a more upscale perfume than Guess and Guess Gold. It's available at Guess stores, upscale department stores and on their Website for $49 for the 1.7 oz. and $65 for the 3.4 oz bottle.

If the women of "Sex and the City" had a gym, Club H Fitness in Manhattan's Murray Hill neighborhood would be it (I have Carrie and company on the mind because I saw Sarah Jessica Parker on the street today, yes, she looked fabulous). Last night, I got a massage and facial at Spa H, the spa tucked into the back of Club H Fitness and I resolved that the next gym I join has to be luxurious and has to have a spa. Too bad this place is nowhere near where I live or work because membership at Club H costs the same as my crappy New York Sports Club gym (sigh). Plus, there's nothing like working out for an hour then relaxing in a hot tub, following up the whole thing with a massage. Who needs a ticket to Canyon Ranch? Check out my review of the spa.

Julianne Moore, 47, had a fabulous quote in the May 12 US Weekly (my guilty pleasure). When asked why she often goes without makeup she said:

"I think that less is better, especially as you get older. Too much makeup on an older woman can really make you look like a freak."

I couldn't agree more. In fact, I believe nothing ages a woman more than pancake makeup, which is why some actresses (hello Miley Cyrus!) can sometimes look 30 when they're really, oh, maybe 10.

When it comes to foundation, don't slather the stuff all over your face. Instead, concentrate on the areas that need evening out: usually the areas under the eyes, along the nose and at the chin. When applying foundation, use your fingers rather than a sponge, which soaks up (and wastes) your foundation.

About's new makeup guide, Faith Lawless, breaks down the top foundations for women over 40.

Photo Julianne Moore April 26 by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival