If you want to confound those who think they know you, the next time someone compliments you on the Marc Jacobs Daisy you're wearing, shrug and mumble, "Yeah, it was the grand prize winner at the Fifi's."

"The Fifi's?"

"You know, the fragrance awards—the Fifi's!" you'll blithely insist.

Someone will make a joke involving poodles or lapdogs. You will stand your ground: "It's the grand prize winner—you should go out and get some."

—Jean Godfrey-June, beauty director

Joie's sunny yellow shift seems like the perfect antidote to those days when you're feeling blah, can't figure out what to wear, and really just want to feel pretty and comfortable. The bright, elaborate pattern is distinctly upbeat, and the silhouette is loose enough so that you can feel relaxed wearing it (no need to suck anything in!), yet it's not so billowy as to make you look pregnant. Throw it on with flip-flops for a lazy Saturday, or with a cropped trench and peep-toe flats you might even be able to get away with wearing it to the office.

The drugstore is rarely thrilling, but on a recent visit, as I wandered the aisles and waited for my prescription to be filled, I was delighted by these three retro discoveries:

Flipping through one of my million magazines recently, I came across a photo shoot of the most beautifully sleek, modern house. In its dining room, offsetting all the harder-edged furniture, was a long dining table adorned with a bright, gorgeous tablecloth. Turns out it was actually a repurposed Indian bedspread and it totally changed everything in the space.

There's a lot going on with this shoe—and though objectively I recognize it's kind of weird, I really like the way it all coalesces. The shape is that of a traditional lace-up oxford, except that it's been slashed a bunch to give it a sandal-like airiness, and done up in pewter leather to give it a jolt of glamour. There's something very confident about the design, so if I didn't already know they were $125 and from Urban Outfitters, I would probably guess they were big-name European fancy and quadruple the price. The overall effect is very chic in an indie girl, Chloë Sevigny kind of way. As with any other piece that makes a really strong statement, I'd probably match this with pared-down items that won't compete for attention: dark slim jeans and a shrunken oxford maybe, or else a pencil skirt and drapey tank.

Somehow it's become shoe week here on eBay obsessed, and, although this does reflect my recent shopping habits (insatiable for new shoes), I find the girl cliché-ness of the whole thing a bit disturbing.

I read that the first thing Amanda Peet does when she gets up is brush her eyebrows. I found this concept truly staggering and also unfair—I never really even plucked my brows, as there isn't enough of them to brush. The scariest thing about having brows on the increasingly fairer, thinner side is that even if you go to the hottest brow shaper in the country, she invariably pulls out one hair and then use a pencil to draw on thick, Amanda Peet–style brows, which look fantastic on Amanda Peet but make me look like Bert from Sesame Street. The answer is Anastasia Brow Ex-press, a brilliant—if oddly punctuated—palette of wax, brow powder, and a brush. You dip the little slanted brush in the wax, dab it in the powder, and then use the combination to emphasize the shape of your brow. The result is defined yet incredibly subtle—and much longer-lasting than a pencil. Plus, the finishing step is to blend it all with a clean mascara wand, which is a lot like brushing, so I don't feel left out.

—Jennifer Scruby, contributing beauty writer, Miami

A few weeks ago I saw a girl on the street wearing a striped cardigan and looking so effortlessly cool and cute that I've been searching all over for one ever since. Oddly, while I can't remember any specific details about what her sweater even looked like, I've developed a fairly specific picture of my fantasy piece. Ideally mine would have a grandpa-ish shape (deep V-neck, with buttons running down the front) and be made of a really fine, tissue-thin knit and strike the perfect balance between loose and lean in terms of fit. In my head it's yellow and white, but I would happily settle for almost any bright color coupled with white. I've exhausted every site I can think of, and the closest I've come is this one by Millions of Smiles, which is very near what I'm looking for but not quite (love the shape but I fear the orange/blue combination might be a little much for me). Has anyone seen anything out there that could work? Or have an under-the-radar source that I should check out?

I had laser eye surgery (amazing! changed my life!) two years ago and now I'm especially cautious about always wearing sunglasses and never rubbing my eyes. Maybe I'm paranoid—but it was way too expensive to risk ever having to do it again. I also use the incredibly gentle Kiehl's eye makeup remover because it's the only one that doesn't sting.

Despite my precautions, my eyes were terribly puffy last weekend. I'm blaming allergies (have you read the science articles about the kudzu-like, pollution-mutated plants this season?) rather than the eight hours I spent in a Greenwich Village beer garden. My two-part solution: the new ZO Skin Health eye cream and frozen Vitamuffins, one on each eye (the latter are delicious after you've defrosted them on your face). And, if all else fails, a pair of tortoise Wayfarers totally count—in situations like these—as beauty items.

—Dawn Spinner, associate beauty editor

As utterly impractical as it might be, I kind of want a white bag. OK, I really want a white bag. I had been envisioning one that's oversize and slouchy and made of super-soft leather̬much like this carryall by Martine Sitbon. There's not a whole lot going on with it in terms of bells and whistles, which I love. It's appealingly un-branded, but you can tell from looking at it that it's really well made. The little details (crisscross stitching on the straps, teeny metal pegs to keep you from scratching the bottom) make all the difference. There's something about the side bands and buckles that suggests an equestrian vibe, but its tone-on-tone chalk white palette feels fresh and entirely modern.