Beauty Bites: Doux Me...Pepped Up...Want a Quickie...Seals of Approval

Seal of Approval: Allure editors, along with beauty industry professionals, put on their best pressed powder yesterday to celebrate their annual Best of Beauty Awards, held at the Four Seasons restaurant. The awards are designed to honor the best of the thousands of beauty products introduced each year, with the magazine's editors, as well as 4,000 selected readers, awarding a Best of Beauty seal to a small percentage of the products. This year, 164 products got the seal, and are featured in the mag's eighth annual Best of Beauty issue. Just a small list of the winners includes the following: L'Oreal Double Extend Mascara, Revlon Color Stay Nail Polish, Neutrogena Hydrating Facial Cloth Mask, Cover Girl Multiplying Mascara, Thermasilk Moisture Infusing Shampoo and Conditioner, RoC Retinol Actif Anti-Wrinkle Treatment, Origins A Perfect World Hydrating Lotion, Chanel Precision Age Delay Nuit Time-Fighting Rejuvenation Night Cream, Estee Lauder DayWear Plus Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant Lotion SPF 15, and Prescriptives Dermapolish. We respectfully raise a glass of grape-polyphenol youth-restoring facial toner to all the winners!

Sexy Scent: In November, Frederick's of Hollywood will hit the fragrance world with a sexy signature scent. Launching in November and available only at Frederick's of Hollywood, the fragrance has hot top notes of tamarind and red pepper, along with silk blossom, California mandarin and geranium. It simply makes us want to put on the leopard catsuit outfit available on page 51 of the current Frederick's catalog -- and purr. ($28, 1.7oz, www.fredericks.com)

Pep in Your Step: Tired of spending $200-$300 on a face cream and looking for results? Now you can spend $570! Derm-to-the-stars Dr. Nicholas Perricone, who already has an extensive line of face and body products, has come out with a Neuropeptide Facial Conformer face cream. There is a "brain-beauty connection" theory behind it, which basically boils down to this: the product contains neuropeptides, which are amino acids found naturally in our bodies, and are active in the brain as well as the skin. Perricone claims a decrease in puffiness, increased evenness in skin tone, and reduced redness and blotchiness. ($570, 2-oz; Available exclusively at Neiman Marcus through December 2003, thereafter at Sephora, Saks Fifth Avenue, Henri Bendel, Nordstrom or at www.nvperriconemd.com)

Want a Quickie?: In a city obsessed with maximum results in a minimum amount of time, it's no surprise that the newest innovation in teeth whitening gives you results faster than the express line at Cosi. For a limited time, Manhattan's QuickBleach spa is offering an introductory membership package that includes six bi-monthly teeth whitening treatments for $999 (normally $1299). Although you can see results after the initial one-hour treatment, the five "maintenance" procedures will keep you gleaming for a year. Now go enjoy that cigarette or glass of merlot without any guilt. (QuickBleach Teeth-Whitening Spa and Dental Boutique, 212.308.5577; www.quickbleach.com)

Doux Me, Baby: In the era of everything organic, Swiss-born Caroline Wachsmuth saw a niche in the cosmetic industry and decided to capitalize on it, creating Doux Me living cosmetics. Using ingredients that are 100 percent organically grown, the five products in the brand new range are so fresh they are kept in the refrigerator for optimal use. You can find shea butter and sweet almond oil in the day cream for dry skin; lavender and Vitamin C in the eye contour formula; and geranium and roman chamomile for anti-inflammatory results in the lotion for sensitive skin. And although the line has yet to hit the department stores in the U.S., you can find it at a place where only natural plants are sold -- Polux Fleuristes on Mott Street, next to the fresh flower bouquets. (For more information, visit www.douxme.com)

All Through the Night: We're all guilty of it. Going to bed without washing the remains of the night can do a number on our faces, but the folks at La Prairie choose to save us rather than scold us. The Cellular Night Repair Cream is designed to work overtime while we rest our tired souls, using an anti-wrinkle complex, white tea and liquid silicones to replenish our skin cells. The miracle worker guarantees that you'll wake up to visually improved skin on the face, neck and décolleté -- all the more reason to stay out that one extra hour. ($175, 1.7-oz; Available at fine department stores nationwide)

Spark an Eternal Flame: After a quiet presence in the women's fragrance market, Hugo Boss is launching a new scent intended for those with a little fiery passion in their hearts. Intense by Hugo Boss appeals to the woman who is sensual, seductive and sexy, and its spicy notes tap into just that -- exotic kumquat, vanilla orchid, Turkish rose, amber and musk create a hypnotic scent. Packaged in a smoky black and grenadine bottle with a smooth lacquer finish and ruby jeweled cap, Intense is as visually appealing as the fragrance inside. ($60, 3-oz; Available in December at fine department stores nationwide and at Hugo Boss boutiques)

Oh, Canada: Now that they've successfully made a presence across the United States, Sephora is reaching up north. Just in time for the holiday season, the more than 250 brands of cosmetics will be available to Canadian customers through the Sephora.com Web site starting in late October. By simply logging onto the online store, beauty queens can stock their shopping baskets, which will be calculated in Canadian dollars, as well as receive free gift packaging and shipping for all orders over $75. (www.sephora.com)

		* A Very Betsey Birthday Bash * Martha Davis: Industrial Design Meets Shoes