With Thanksgiving upon us, gobble up these 5 pumpkin products and be thankful!

Healthy Sexy Hair Pumpkin Puree Treatment Masque from Amazon.com -  This scent-sational treat for your tresses is packed with moisturizing pumpkin fatty acids, wheat, soy proteins, aloe, Vitamins A, C and E, and natural fruit acids. The Beauty Bug  tends to always leave a product on a bit longer than instructed, so She left the masque on for about 15-20 minutes, while just relaxing and enjoying the scent. After washing it out, Her hair was incredibly soft, easier to manage,  and smelled like She had just slaved over the oven for hours making a pumpkin pie.

Philosophy Pumpkin Pie Shampoo, Shower Gel and Bubble Bath – What’s a holiday without Philosophy? There’s not much that hasn’t already been said about Philosophy’s 3-in-1’s – they are a staple in every product junkies shower. The Pumpkin Pie scent is sweet, scrumptious, rich and festive.  Also, check out Pumpkin Spice Muffin.

Bath and Body Works Antibacterial Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Foaming Hand Soap -A kitchen isn’t a kitchen without B&BW hand soaps.  The Beauty Bug loves this scent so much that She purchased several bottles last fall to last Her through the year. It’s light (both in scent and texture), high-foaming, and leaves hands feeling soft and smelling great.  Pick one up as a hostess gift, and two up for yourself!

Lamas Beauty Pumpkin Spice Polish 3-in-1 Instant Facial – This product was the sleeper hit of the bunch for The Beauty Bug. This sweet smelling organic wonder does everything but bake you a pumpkin pie. It cleanses, exfoliates and polishes to reveal smoother, more refined and even skin. Ingredients include pumpkin enzymes and oil, apricot grains, coconut oil, Aloe Vera, soy protein, and Vitamin E. Great in texture (not too grainy, stripping or abrasive, and usable for sensitive skinned ladies) and slightly foaming, skin is left refreshed and soft. Find it at Whole Foods or other health and natural food stores.

PCA SKIN Nutrient Toner - Infused with pumpkin wine, this product is for real pumpkin lovers and smells absolutely wonderful. The Beauty Bug applies this just before She goes to bed, and the soothing scent lingers for a bit (luckily The Beauty Bug husband likes the scent of pumpkin too).  This product has been a welcome addition to her skincare routine because it leaves Her feeling refreshed, and smelling like a spicy pumkpin treat! It contains a combination of vitamins, enzymes and amino acids which help to refine pores, remove superficial dead skin cells and dirt, and provide added nutrients.

And for those of you who made pumpkin pies today, and may have an extra can of pure pumpkin left, here’s a DIY Honey Pumpkin Exfoliating Moisturzing Face mask recipe:

8 ounces of canned pumpkin

12 almonds

1/4 cup honey

1/8 cup of oil olive

Pulverize almonds until fine.

Mix all ingredients well in a large bowl.

Spread a thin layer on your face and leave on for 5 minutes.

The Beauty Bug loves this time of year. The candles, the hot cocoa, the lights, the potato pancakes, the peppermint bark, and the Philosophy Gift Sets. Whatever type of gift you need this time of year, whether is be a gift for a girly or, a hostess gift, or a new years day brunch token gift, Philosophy has it all covered.

Here’s a round-up of all their holiday offerings:

The Recipe Box: The perfect hostess gift for someone that loves to cook! This set includes three 2oz bottles of their famous 3-in-1s (red velvet cake, sweet creamy frosting and strawberry shortcake) and an actual recipe keepsake box with recipe cards. Limited Edition, $18.

The Holiday Cook Book – The ultimate sampler of the Philosophy’s holidays scents! This set includes six 2oz bottles of all the holiday favorites (red velvet cake, cinnamon buns, spicy pear cobbler, pumpkin spice muffin, gingerbread, and double rich hot cocoa). Limited Edition, $35.

The Party Girl Set - It’s clearly all about parties this time of year so every girl needs this set. This set includes a 4.0 oz Bubbly Exfoliating Shower Gel, a 4.0 oz Shimmer Body Lotion, and a Lip Shine in a chic white cosmetic bag. Fresh, festive and happily contagious. Limited Edition, only at Sephora, $35.

First Snow Gift Set - For the snow bunny that loves to glisten, this set sparkles and shimmers just like the first snow of the season. This set contains snow shower exfoliating shower gel 4 oz., snow body shimmer lotion 2 oz., and snow kiss lip shine. Only at philosophy.com, $26.

Angel Cakes Gift Set - For the girl with the sweet tooth! Simply said, this set is absolutely delish! The holiday angel 3-in-1 high foaming shampoo, shower gel & bubble bath 8 oz. and holiday angel lip shine smell like the sweetest butter cream dessert. Only at philosophy.com, $20.

The Gingerbread House Git Set - Just like most houses over the holidays, this one is full – full with sweet holidays scents. This set contains four bottles of their famous 3-in-1’s in spicy gumdrop, gingerbread, sweet creamy frosting and cinnamon hot dots. Available at philosophy.com, $30.

Orange Cranberry Spritzer 3-in-1 – While this isn’t a gift set, The Beauty Bug had to include this on her list because Philosophy bottled her favorite drink (cranberry juice with a splash of seltzer water) and added a dash of orange. Festive and rich! Limited edition. Available at Sephora, $16.

Under The Mistletoe Ornament - The perfect stocking stuffer is filled with 3 sparkley lip glosses in gingerbread, orange cranberry spritzer, and spicy pear cobbler flavors. Pucker up! Available at Sephora, $25.

Warm by the Fire - All The Beauty Bug must tell you about this set is that it includes a Ooey Gooey S’mores Flavored Lip Shine. Mouth watering yet? It also includes a 4.0 oz Double Rich Hot Cocoa Shampoo, Shower Gel, & Bubble Bath, and a 2.0 oz Melting Marshmallow Cream Body Soufflé. Limited edition. Available at Sephora, $25.

The Travel Agent – And finally, for those traveling over the holiday, meet your own personal travel agent. This includes all the essentials- a 2.0 oz Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser; a 4.0 oz Hope in a Jar Moisturizer (in a tube); a 2.0 oz Amazing Grace Shampoo, Bath, and Shower Gel; a 2.0 oz Amazing Grace Firming Body Emulsion; and a 2.0 oz Amazing Grace Hair Conditioner -in travel-friendly sizes. Limited Edition. Available at Sephora, $35.

Happy Holidays!

The set contains three 3-in-1 scents – cherry cola, fruit punch and The Beauty Bug’s favorite, root beer. As She was taking the bottles out of the box, The Beauty Bug’s Fiances eyes grew wide because 1) he never imagined that he’d be using something cherry cola scented in the shower – the only thing better that that would probably be something beer scented and 2) never had He seen a product that did so much (3-in-1 – shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath) – as I’m sure every woman knows, when it comes to products and men, everything must be very basic for them.

The cherry coke scent is sweet and tart, and somehow incorporates the fizziness and the “pop” that soda has. The new bottle is already about half gone. The root beer scent is just as addictive as those little root beer barrels. The Beauty Bug Fiance just tried to drink it. The fruit punch scent is just waiting to be spiked and ladled out in cups – it smells that real.

Never once did The Beauty Bug think that showering would make Her thirsty…

Philosophy’s the soda fountain 3-in-1 shampoo, bubble bath and shower gel trio is available at philosophy.com for $30.

It’s as if someone dared Philosophy to market and sell “refreshing in a bottle” and this was their answer. What a comeback.

Philosophy’s Foaming Purity Made Simple Cleanser is available at Sephora for $21.50.

To wrap up the Philosophy series, here are some fun facts about the brand:

• Amazing Grace is the #1 selling fragrance at Sephora.
• Their Cinnamon Buns Bath & Shower Gel is also coveted by men. If you don’t want to share, then don’t leave it in the shower!
• The Carrot Cake Bath & Shower Gel was formulated after a reader of Good Housekeeping Magazine entered a contest and submitted her carrot cake recipe.
• Use the Purity cleanser to clean makeup brushes or remove makeup from clothing.
• There are currently 2 free-standing Philosophy retail stores in Chandler, AZ. Philosophy plans an expansion in 2009 where they will open 5-10 more stores. The Beauty Bug hopes Boston will soon be the home of one of those stores!
• Philosophy was one of the first brands to market mineral makeup in the early 90’s.

So, what’s ahead for the brand in the coming months? In the fall, Philosophy will introduce Black Licorice and Spicy Pumpkin Muffin shower gel. Research shows that the two fragrances become an aphrodisiac when they are used together. After that duo, look for several new novelty kits for the holiday with new flavors including Snickerdoodle and Caramel Apple.

The crux of The Beauty Bug’s meeting with Philosophy was spent playing chemistry class. Everyone’s hands were lathered with cleansers, creams, lip exfoliants, and masks until they were smooth and glowing. The Beauty Bug will focus on the peels because She’s a huge fan of products that give instant results (who isn’t?!). Philosophy’s 4-step makeup optional regiment starts with a peel. For those who prefer smooth exfoliation, opt for the Oxygen Peel. It’s a 2-step hydrating and exfoliating peel for those with acne-prone or sensitive skin. Exfolation occurs when the capsule (step 1) turns to gel and is mixed with the oxygen foam (step 2). Reaction depends on body chemistry, but all the ladies in the room, including The Beauty Bug, saw a noticeable difference when they compared hands. The Beauty Bug heard lots of “Oooohh look at your hand!” and “You’ve got good foam going on” as everyone massaged the foam into the gel and revealed their brightened, smoother hands.

The microdelivery peel is for the scrubbers. The Beauty Bug is admittedly a scrub-a-holic. Similar to the oxygen peel, It’s also a 2-step peel that includes Vitamin C crystals coated with Vitamin C peptides to replenish skin (step 1), and an activator gel that cleans pores, dissolves the crystals and delivers the Vitamin C down into the skin. While it’s good for any skin-type, this peel is ideal for damaged skin.

Stay tuned for part 3 where The Beauty Bug provides some fun facts about the Philosophy brand, and gives you a sneak peak at some of their new products launching later this year.

Philosophy is 12 years old and was developed after its owner struggled with bad skin. To solve her problem, she developed Biomedic, a science-based skin care brand that was sold only in dermatologists and plastic surgeons offices. Who knew that Philosophy began as a cosmeseutical company? The demand for Biomedic products grew so high, that Philosophy was born to make the products readily available through retailers. Just as Biomedic did, Philosophy promises to treat sensitivity first, then treat the problem and deliver results.

Biomedic was sold eventually sold to La Roche-Posay, however two of the original Biomedic products remain in the Philosophy product line today – they are the Help Me retinol treatment (that recently won an Allure Editor’s Choice Award), and of course, Hope in a Jar.

Take a look at the old Biomedic pamphlet. The photo of the woman and baby is very reminiscent of the current Philosophy branding, no?

Stay Tuned for Part 2!

The gentle sulfate-free formula lathers into a rich, thick foam that dissolves makeup, dirt and oil. The Beauty Bug was particularly excited about this foaming action because so many foaming cleaners that She’s tried have been light, watery and separated easily.

Purity High-Foaming Cleaner shares the same recognizable, fresh scent as the original, and leaves skin soft hydrated, and most of all, refreshed. Think of it as Purity’s lighter, frothier cousin….

Even if you’re just an occasional foamer, this is a must-have for your cleanser repertoire.

foaming purity made simple is $21.50 (6 oz.) and $34.50 (12 oz.); both are available on philosophy.com, at sephora stores, sephora.com, nordstrom stores, other specialty stores.

The rescue pack includes a 4oz bottle of the untouchable, transcendent microdelivery exfoliating wash that’s a staple in The Beauty Bug’s cleanser stash. If there’s one product other than sunscreen that will save your skin this summer, it’s this.

Also included in the pack-o-summer is the supernatural poreless, flawless with SPF 15. It’s a mattifying sheer peach tint suitable for light to medium skin tones that minimizes pores. It’s a super-smooth silicon formula that glides on. The Beauty Bug was sure this color wouldn’t be a match for Her pale skin, but the peach tint blends well to a sheer base.

And finally, nestled in the corner of the box is the kiss me red lip shine – a perfect soothing red lip gloss that compliments a tan!

Philosophy’s Summer Skincare Rescue Kit is available a Sephora and Sephora.com for $35.

• When Dylan was inured in a surfing accident and stayed at the Walsh’s to recover. Watch the entire episode here. And then there was the time that Dylan took Brenda to Baja to teach her how to surf without Jim Walsh’s permission. Who doesn’t remember fixating on Dylan as he emerged from the Baja surf? Was this before or after he starting drinking again?
• When the gang from Saved By The Bell visits Kelly’s grandfathers Hawaiian Hideaway and Zack and Slater go surfing. Key the “Surfer Dude” Song.
• When Jason Segel and Mila Kunis go surfing in Hawaii in FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL. For those that haven’t seen it yet – you’re missing out. All the Beauty Bug has to say is, at least in this scene, Jason was clothed.

Then this little, playful set changed it all for the Beauty Bug. Gone were the memories of Dylan, Brenda, Zack, Slater, Kelly and Screech. They were replaced with thoughts of tropical aromas – of sweet kiwi and papaya with a hint of pineapple.

Exclusively available at Sephora, Philosophy’s Surfer Girl set includes an exfoliating shower gel, a shimmer body lotion, and a lip gloss. The shower gel and lotion are both a brilliant yellowy-gold color that leaves skin with a dewy glow. The lotion is perfect for the day at the beach – it’s shimmery, but not sparkly, and catches the sun beautifully. It has a beautiful sheen to it without being too tween-ish.

Apply with your right hand, while holding a pina colada in your left.

Philosophy’s Surfer Girl Set is available exclusivley at Sephora and Sephora.com for $35.