It's HOT. We need rain. And what's up with all this wind?
Instead of a nice, cooling breeze, we've had gusts so strong that Bob's been back-and-forth to Lowes buying buckets of bungee cords for the backyard. (Yes, he is in heaven.) You won't see that look in Southern Living but tying things down has been the ONLY way to prevent breaking, blowing and unplanned trips to our neighbors' yards.
If I'm not careful, such conditions will also leave my lips dry, chapped and sore not-to-mention un-kissable. But thanks to these ultra-moisturizing, new lip savers, I'm not worried. They help keep your lips healthy, happy and lookin' fine all the time.
Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balms
With these handy, 100% natural balms on board, you can reach for a flirty hint of color anytime ... no mirror required. Soft flower waxes, moisture-rich Shea Butter (helps reduce wrinkles, improve elasticity and protect against environmental aging) and Vitamin E soothe lips, leaving them ever so smooth and tinged with color.
The six sheer, easy-to-wear shades include two neutrals (Honeysuckle and Tiger Lily), two pinks (Pink Blossom and Hibiscus) and two reds (Boomer Brief favorite Rose and Red Dahlia). $6.99 each at Burtsbees.com and natural, grocery, drug and mass retailers
Lavera Glossy Lips
A smart, gentle choice for your skin as well as the earth, Lavera Glossy Lips pampers your pout with super-hydrating olive and jojoba oils, Vitamin E and other comforting vitamins and minerals. Besides promoting a soft, healthy smile, these girly glosses promise anti-aging sun 
protection and a touch of seductive shimmer.
You can choose from four subtle shades: Shining Star, Rosy Promise (a Boomerlicious pink), Magic Red and Almond Kiss. Natural aromatics add a whiff of vanilla, almond, cocoa or berry. This European beauty brand trades in harmful parabens, synthetic preservatives and fragrances for natural, plant-based alternatives that are certified organic whenever possible. $15 each at Lavera.com and Target stores
Rosy Promise
L'Occitane Incredible Lip Shine
Enriched with softening peony extract, this clever lip reader from L'Occitane en Provence adapts to your individual skin tone. It sweeps on smoothly (not sticky), adding delicious sheen as well as enhancing your lips' natural color with a personalized pink hue that appears within seconds. Want a deeper pink? Simply add another layer of this soothing blend of color-boosting oils.
Like the rest of L'Occitane's Pivoine Flora make-up collection, this paraben-free treatment features pure, natural mineral pigments ideal for sensitive skin. $12 at usa.loccitane.com and L'Occitane en Provence boutiques
Navitas Naturals Cacao Lip Balm
Many of us have a weakness for chocolate, but did you know cacoa is good for your skin? Navitas Naturals Cacao Lip Balm combines the pure, cold-pressed oil of the cacao bean with other natural, skin-friendly oils to hydrate and soften lips.
You'll love the feel as well as the heavenly dark chocolate aroma that comes with this buttery, antioxidant-rich lip quencher. It includes organic sunflower oil, beeswax, raw cacao butter, jojoba oil, rosemary extract, calendula and Vitamin E. $3.99 at Navitasnatural.com and Whole Foods
Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balm
Part of Neutrogena's new, results-driven Naturals skincare collection, this lip remedy contains Vitamin E bionutrients to heal dry skin and keep your smile looking its healthy best. The clear balm, a bedside must-have, has been shown to reduce lip moisture loss by about 40%.
It's packed with all-natural ingredients such as beehives; jojoba, sesame, sunflower and cocoa seeds; olive oil, and shea tree. Great for sensitive souls like me, this one has been allergy tested and is free of harsh chemical sulfates, parabens and dyes. $4 at Neutrogena.com and food, drug and mass merchandisers
ONE for Lips
Want a planet-friendly way to perk up your pout? Try these little lip treats from ONE:
Lip Balm - Uses natural shea butter to heal and hydrate. Perfect for dry, chapped lips, this nourishing treatment comes in a 100% recyclable cardboard pouch that's so cute you may not want to open it. Yummy Cherry Pie flavor reminds me of my favorite dessert! When you've used the last of this little lip saver, you can also recycle the tin. $2.99 at Target
Triple Play Shimmer Lipgloss Trio - Offers a trio of sweet glosses to up your shine factor. You can wear clear Sugar Baby, light pink Cupcake and coral-inspired Coconut alone or layer them together for a custom look. The threesome comes in an earth-kind aluminum tin with a bamboo brush. $6.99 at Target.com and Target
Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Exfoliating Lip Salvation
Another winner from Ole Henriksen, African Red Tea Exfoliating Lip Salvation moisturizes, nourishes and revitalizes your smile. (They tell me Katy Perry is a fan!) This petroleum-free lip salve combines jogoba and linseed oils; grapefruit, orange and tangerine conditioning extracts, and antioxidant-rich African red tea, which slows the aging process while calming and soothing the skin. Nice! Cranberry seed oil gives it a berry-licious crimson color.
Before trying this pretty hydrator, I thought it would have a gritty feeling. After all, it is an "exfoliator," right? Instead, it goes on smooth and leaves your lips feeling nice and
soft. $15 at www.olehenriksen.com
Call Me! Red
Ramy Lip Remedies
"Minimum makeup; Maximum impact." That's the philosophy behind these good-for-your-skin lip pick-me-ups from Ramy Beauty Therapy. They're designed to keep your lips looking and feeling fine:
2Lips - Puts an automatic lip pencil in the top of a moisturizing, cream lipstick. A great one for your bag, 2Lips makes touch-ups a breeze. Dab on the glossy, non-sticky base, add pencil for definition and you're off. Now that I'm addicted to date-night-right Call Me! Red, I'm wishing for the two daytime shades: Not That Into Hue (shimmery berry) and Going Commando (shee
r nude). $24 each
Ramy Red!
Lipstick - Blends lip-pampering Avocado Oil, Vitamin E and sunscreen with long-wearing color. The 14 beautiful shades include everything from versatile neutrals like Maya to burgundy-infused Ramy Red! and other high-voltage hues. $17 each
Lucky Lip Gloss - Conditions lips while adding gotta-have-it shine. This lip-dazzler comes in three sheer shades blended to work for all skin tones: red Luck Be A Ladybug!, shimmery pink Lucky in Love! and au natural Gettin' Lucky. As a bonus, proceeds from Luck Be A Ladybug!, which was developed with The Real Housewives' Dina Manzo, benefit Project Ladybug for Children in need. $21 each
All available at Ramy.com and Duane Reade look boutiques
Luck Be A Ladybug!
Sally Hansen Vitamin Lipcare Collection
Sally Hansen offers four innovative, vitamin-powered lip treatments packed with Acai and Pomegranate superfruits that help promote moisture retention as they beautify:
Vita-A Lip Line Smoother - Get instantly younger looking lips anytime, anywhere with this peach-flavored lip-rejuvenator. Made with a Vitamin A peptide nutrient complex, it smoothes lines as it softens.
Vita-B Lip Moisturizer - Forget dull, dry lips. This Juicy Berry-flavored treatment hydrates with a potent blend of vitamin nutrient complex B, which boosts moisture, and hyaluronic filing spheres, which smooth imperfections.
Vita-C Lip Plumper - Want luscious lips like Angelina Jolie? You can be on your way with this tangerine-flavored blend of vitamin nutrient complex C, known to stimulate collagen production, and micro sponges that encourage fuller-looking lips.
Vita-E Lip Smoother - Heal chapped lips with this vanilla-flavored treatment. It uses nutrient complex E to repair rough skin and replenish essential fatty acids.
At $4.95 each, these problem-solvers are great drug store finds.
Smashbox In Bloom Limitless Long Wear Lip Gloss
Another of my favorite vitamin-and-mineral-rich formulas, Smashbox's In Bloom Lip Gloss, conditions while protecting your pout with SPF 15. That's great news for sun-shy boomers like me. This hard-working, flirty shine serum stays put for up six hours. And now it comes in two gorgeous, on-trend colors: soft pink Timeless and coral pink Endless Kiss (I'm smitten!). $21 each at Smashbox.com
We'd like to shout out a big "Thank You" to all the brands named in this post; they provided free samples for review and testing.
Prepare your own Mexican quick fix with this Chipotle-inspired bowl. Carbs are moderated by filling the bowl with beans, extra veggies and chicken. No need for rice, since the beans count as carbs.
Tips:
If you love tomatoes, increase the quantity to 1/2 cup, but note that the carbohydrates will also increase.
If preparing this recipe for one person, cut all of the ingredients in half. Or simply prepare the full recipe up to the end of step 2 and store leftover chicken and vegetable-bean mixture in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave on High for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through, and continue with step 3.
Health Bite: The iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc in black beans help to keep bones strong and healthy.
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