So you guys all know by now that I used to be a beauty editor and there’s a part of me that always will be. Two of my behavior quirks as a result of this are that I will forever over-analyze skin and that I’m a total ingredient whore.

There are always certain shows (like Calvin Klein) where the dewy freshness of the skin makes me literally, utterly joyful and also compulsive about finding the next great product to try in an effort to make my own look even half as youthful.

Enter the ingredient addiction. I’m drawn in by new things, but I have to see them in action before I can become a true believer. (Past fixations include: diamonds, gold chips, stem cells, and caviar.) There are currently two very disparate things that have caught my eye: Acai and Volcanic Ash.

Along with launching their new body balm today, Kiehl’s also let us in on their Fashion’s Night Out plans. Emmanuelle Chriqui (aka Sloan from Entourage) will be hosting a party at their flagship store on Third Avenue. You’ll be able to sing for your supper from 7-11 pm. Or rather karaoke for your free lip balm—and enter a raffle for loads of other goodies.

Not to be outdone, the folks at Lancôme are blanketing the city with their beautiful people. Daria will be starting out her night behind the counter at Saks from 6-7. There will also be a limited number (only 30 bottles) of the new Hypnôse Senses fragrance for sale—it doesn’t officially launch in the US until next month. You’ll find Arlenis at Macy’s Herald Square from 6-7 as well.

So it’s officially September and the temperatures in New York dropped big time today. It was seriously chilly this morning.

On one hand, this makes me incredibly happy because I couldn’t love fall more, but on the other sad that this weird ass summer is really ending.

I also don’t look forward to the dry skin that awaits me once the heat has to go on at home and work. Thankfully, our dear friends over at Kiehl’s just today launched their new Imperial Body Balm. I’ve only tried a little sample, but it made my skin all kinds of supple and shiny. And not in that way too shiny way that Gwyneth showed up to Conan with earlier this summer. It’s packed with antioxidants, cocoa and shea butters, honey, and fruit glycolic acids. Perfection.

Now if the weather patterns can just hold steady for the season, we’ll be good to go.

Meet Blue Logan, if you haven’t already.

A couple of years ago a friend dragged the soft-spoken Brit to a show at London Fashion Week, Aquascutum he thinks, and he started to draw the models as they walked down the runway. Within a few shows he realized the people in the front row were just as, if not more, interesting.

Now his drawings pop up in Vogues, both UK and American, on Style.com and a bunch of other fashion-loving sites. He’s been in New York this summer preparing his sandwich shop, Cheeky’s, sketching the cool kids in the Hamptons or at the Jane and starting a project he might call, “I’m on the List” about the nature of waiting in lines in New York.

He was in Paris before this and counts India as his favorite place, but he’s in love with New York right now and we’re happy to have him. How he works, after the jump.

Growing up, there was one beauty rule that was always drilled into my head: stay away from oils. As someone prone to horrible breakouts, I thought greasy liquids were a death sentence for my skin and something I stayed as far away from as possible.

Fast forward to two years ago when I finally got over my fear and first tried the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oils. The slippery feel of it on my skin weirded me out, but once I forced myself to stick to it I found that it was unparalleled at removing makeup and helped my skin look better.

Now I use oils for everything. I cleanse off heavy eye makeup with the Shu Uemura Fresh Cleansing Oil (the new limited edition bottles by Manga artist Moyoco Anno are gorgeous btw) and I moisturize with the luxe Sponge Ladi Avokanto. I swear my skin glows and there’s not a zit in sight.

But it’s not just my face that benefits from the deluge — I’ve been experimenting with body oils as well. Kiehl’s Superbly Restorative Argan Body Cleansing Oil is fab, although it does take a little bit of time getting used to the lack of lather and how liquid-y it is. I also just started using the new Bamford Organic Nourishing Body Oil on my legs and I swear they’ve never looked healthier. And you won’t end up looking like Gwyneth on The Tonight Show.

I think oils get a bad rap and many women are still too scared to try them out. Are you an oil-phile or do you steer clear of the slippery stuff?

—MEGAN MCINTYRE

Major magazines have major closets - one filled with shoes, one with bags, one with clothes and one positively overflowing with beauty products.

Those beauty products get cleared out with major sales, up to four times a year with the proceeds going to charity, and I used to run them. I’d get an almost sick thrill from watching which items the editorial staff attacked. It could be the ugliest shade of bright orange lipstick, but if NARS ran its way down the side in bright white letters or interlocking C’s sat at the bottom, I’d place all my money on a Manolo beat-down.

The interns and I watched with eyes agog as usually composed women dived across tables for YSL foundation two shades darker than their skin, while less expensive but still amazing brands languished on the table.

Sure, everyone has their favorite brand, but there’s a fine line between brand loyalty and snobbery. I may be addicted to Kiehl’s, but I won’t ignore the recently launched Olay products on my desk. In fact, some of my favorite new products come straight from Duane Reade: Bioré Skin Preservation, L’Oréal Double Extend Beauty Tubes Mascara and Aveeno’s Nourish shampoos and conditioners.

There are plenty of brands that have earned their reputations by producing both efficacious and innovative products, there are also a lot of brands that create less than great products that ride the fashionable celebrities-love-it wave which defeats the purpose of any product.

When you’re shopping for products is it about the brand or do you actually research the product behind the label? Furthermore, are you loyal to one company or is your medicine cabinet home to every brand under the sun?

—MEGAN MCINTYRE

We’ve heard the three R’s eco-mantra since grade school. It’s practically ingrained into our psyche that if it’s plastic, paper or glass, you better toss it into the blue bin.

Sure it can be a little tedious, but it’s for the betterment of the planet, all of humankind, the love of Al Gore etc., etc.

If the constant preaching doesn’t get you all excited to recycle, maybe this will: Starting this month, Kiehl’s is offering a rewards program. Recycle and Be Rewarded features a punch card system that gives you a pretty sweet incentive for bringing in your empties.

I love the beauty shopping landscape here in New York. We’ve got it all, from apothecary chic at Kiehl’s and C.O. Bigelow to curated brands at Space NK and niche perfumery at Aedes de Venustas.

But when it I think about one particular store, I feel like there’s something missing in my life. I’m talking, of course, about the West Coast beauty mecca that is Studio at Fred Segal. The first and only time I visited California I made sure Studio was on my list of must-see destinations. How could I not after reading about it in every fashion mag and beauty report?

Fact: Kiehl’s customers are die-hard - they don’t call it a “cult” favorite for nothing - and will go on and on about everything from the Crème de Corps to the Grooming Crème until you kind of want to shove their Lip Balm #1 down their throats. If you’ve ever wondered how the 158 year-old brand keeps up such hype, you might like to know it’s because they actually listen to their customers.

Case in point: Late last year, they launched a stronger hold version of their Clean Hold Styling Gel. Not because some big name stylist declared that stiff hold was in, but because a group of customers said they’d really like it.

And now, they’ve launched their new Marvelous Mineral Mascara (on shelves as of yesterday), a direct result of fervent requests by loyal consumers who wished for a natural mascara that also conditions lashes.

I got my sample yesterday and tried it immediately even though I abused them with tests last week. The formula glided on without any tugging, and washed off with minimal discomfort to my lashline. There was some smudging around midday, but nothing too horrendous, and the crazy separation and decent amount of length means it’s officially entered heavy rotation on my bathroom sink.

And even if I wanted a totally smudge-proof option, I know all I have to do is complain to the right people, and poof, it’ll be a click away on their site. And with consumers dropping like flies, more beauty brands would be wise to focus their efforts on keeping their fan base happy instead of coming up with the next limited edition “it” nail polish shade.

—MEGAN MCINTYRE

Update: WOW, you guys are amazing - the winner is reader Julian, from NYC. Congratulations!

What do you get when you add half of Brangelina to one of the many (probably) amazing Kiehl’s products?

A gold mine.

But don’t say that to Kiehl’s - They’re newest partnership with Brad Pitt has nothing to do with his celebrity or his handwriting on the bottles of their Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Body Cleanser, and everything to do with Make It Right, Pitt’s organization which funds the construction of environmentally sustainable and affordable housing for victims of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

The cleanser is 100% Cradle to Cradle certified, meaning that if you dug a hole, dumped the whole bottle in, and left it, the whole thing would be biodegraded within 28 days (sort of).
100% of the profits will go to Make It Right.

Look for the cleanser in stores this October, but not a Brad Pitt bottle signing - this is serious!

Everyone - mainly the New York Times followed by the Wall Street Journal’s usual lag - is worried about the effects of big bags on women’s backs and shoulders. Yes, this could be a problem. But I’m kind of worried about the women who carry small bags - where do they put all their stuff?

I’ve carried a big bag around for as long as I can remember (or at least as long as I haven’t been carrying my red Jansport), and I never thought its size was a trend so much as a necessity.

It currently holds my wallet, two books, my Moleskine calendar, two Moleskine notebooks (one big and one small), W, orange juice, an apple, endless pens and Lipsmackers, my new pink lipstick, a water bottle, some gold bangles, a hat, a sweater, the black tights I just bought, my iphone, my ipod, my keys, my Kiehl’s cucumber lotion, and a lifetime supply of bobby pins. These are all things that I need everyday when I leave my apartment early in the morning and don’t return until bed time.

The only girl I know who actually carries a small bag on a daily basis is Natalie. She’s 1/4 my size and so is her bag.

I asked her where she puts all her stuff and she said, “In college, I carried the most ridiculously huge Puma bag everywhere - by the time I graduated I had serious back problems - so now I carry my little leather bag from a market in Florence, and I just hold my notebook in my hand. If I have to bring more stuff to work I’ll bring it in a shopping bag.”

So that’s why women carry shopping bags with their lunch and their shoes and their books? Because they carry small bags?

That sounds backwards - the only way I’ll abandon my duffel sized handbags is if I don’t have anywhere to go for the day, or if I ever stop reading/using lotion/writing/drink juice/you get the point.

How big is your bag? Or, how many bags do you carry?