When you spot Mark Ruffalo in the fresh fruit aisle at Pusateri the last thing you want is a pimple getting in your way.

One of Tinseltown’s best-kept secrets, Acne Spot Tx by Leaf & Rusher is the key to a flawless celluloid complexion.

Celebrities swear by this potent yellow mixture—and hey—how often do you see zits on Zellweger, Hudson and Zeta-Jones?

Happy star spotting!

Available to buy at www.leafandrusher.com

It’s the last long-weekend of summer, and whether you’re sunning in Bermuda or the back yard you’ll want to make sure your delicate skin is well screened.

Try Pure and Simple’s new water-resistant, mineral sunscreen ($24.95) formulated with sensitive skin in mind. Not only does it protect the face and body from evil rays but it also calms and soothes irritated skin. Plus, (unlike most mineral sunscreens) it won’t leave a chalky film behind.

So splash about in the plunge pool/Atlantic without worry of turning into a radish.

725 King W. (and other locations), Toronto, 416-366-8558, www.pureandsimple.ca

Summer coughs, like their winter cousins, are relentless. If you loathe those gooey, over-the-counter syrups, why not try our Nana’s home remedy?

Cough-soothing ginger tea:
About 1 inch of fresh ginger root, grated

1/2 a fresh lemon, sliced (peel & all)

1 clove garlic, mashed

2 cups water

1 very generous spoonful of buckwheat honey

Pour water, ginger, lemon, & garlic into a saucepan; bring to boil, then turn down heat and simmer gently for 20 min.

Strain into a mug and add heaps of honey.

You know a product works when there is only a handful left in the whole country.

From venerable British perfumer Jo Malone, a new Vitamin E body treatment scrub ($85) sloughs away dead cells leaving skin feeling smooth and divine.

We nabbed a pot earlier in the summer and have since tried to grab as many as possible for gal pals jealous of our silky gams.

There are four pots left at Holts (last we checked) but if you don’t make it there in time Epsom salts and a decent loofah will do until the next shipment arrives.

At Holt Renfrew, 50 Bloor St. W., Toronto 416-922-2333, www.holtrenfrew.com

From plump red roses to modest bluebells, every girl has a favourite fleur. For Jackie O it was cornflowers in the spring, dried hydrangeas in the fall and lady apples in the winter.

Freshly sprung in Little Italy, a new florist (named after the First Lady of style) bursts with blooms one rarely sees in Toronto.

Think delicate campanulas, soft pink nerines and butterfly loving scabiosas. Plants are equally unique. We loved the Malaysian palm growing out of a coconut and the waxy, striped leaves of the Zebra plant.

Forget random nicknacks and plant your roots with an indoor garden ($65-$85) instead. 

Jackie O, 626 College St., Toronto, 416-901-7346, www.jackieo.ca

Recent pictures of Gwyneth Paltrow sans make up have prompted praise for natural beauty.

Thanks to brands like Eye by Design, au naturel looking peepers have never been simpler to achieve.

Developed by BeautyBank, each of the line’s must-have products focus solely on eyes. We love the glossy, jet-black Transforming Eye Palettes holding four complementary shadows made to match your eye colour. Plus a handy step-by-step guide offers goof-proof application techniques.

Think of it as nature by design.

Available exclusively on HSN.

Yves Saint Laurent said, “The most beautiful make up on a woman is passion, but cosmetics are easier to buy.”

If the rush of love hasn’t brought a flush of colour to your cheeks, look to our Gallic counterparts for easy inspiration on how to become plus belle.

For French women, a good moisturizer is impératif, and we love Decleor’s Aroma Purete Matt Finish Skin Fluid ($40/1.69oz.).

To make their doe eyes wide, Parisiennes use a lengthening mascara like Lancôme’s Defincils High Definition Mascara ($24/tube).

For the icing on that petit four, try a dab of tinted lip gloss. We adore Belmacz’s ($50/pot) indulgent, gold-flecked gloss that goes on sheer and adds just a hint of sparkle.

And, voila!

Products available at Sephora, www.sephora.com and Colette, www.colette.fr

A city girl’s life summer life is filled with stilettos, sangria and smog.

If your skin is wearing this month’s forecast of hot and hazy weather, it’s time to peel off a few layers and get back to nature with Nannette Pallrand’s organic line of skin essentials from Nature Girl.

Opting out of the chemical cocktail onslaught that is today’s skin care market, Nature Girl nurtures the skin with botanical face cream (2oz/$38), face wash (2oz/$28), and wild flower body cleansers ($36). We couldn’t resist the frothy cinnamon bark extract face mask ($46) that made our skin feel all tingly and smooth.

So, focus on the stilettos and sangria this summer and let Nature Girl take care of the smog.

Available at www.nature-girl.com

All those other lifestyle beverages were based on this clever bottle of ingenuity.

Always on the hunt for things tasty and nutritious, we would pack our suitcases full of bottles of Glaceau’s vitaminwater upon our return from jaunts made south of the border. Packed with good-for-you nutrients along with your necessary intake of H20, vitaminwater “says good-bye to bland water – hello to flavour.” We can’t stop chugging XXX with acai, blueberry and pomegranate.

Now that vitaminwater is available in Canada, tap just won’t do.

Glaceau’s vitaminwater ($1.99) now at Shoppers Drug Mart and other locations, www.vitaminwater.com

The notion of ones carbon footprint never really came into play in the world of cosmetics until very recently.

Toronto’s Upurea.com however, knows that what we use on our faces has become just as important as what we put in our mouths.

With the greening of health and beauty products, you no longer have to search high and low in the aisles of the cosmetic giants, but click through over 40 luxury and boutique brands like Ole Henriksen, Juice Beauty and Anthony Logistics and find your way clear to green, gorgeous beauty at Upurea.

Learn more about what is being billed as the “green grooming mecca” at Upurea.com