Give Thanks for Beauty: Have a second helping of these seasonally inspired products

by Melissa Cronin, 11-05-2007

A) Gooey, gloppy, sticky: good words to describe pecan pie, but probably not what you're looking for in a body lotion. But Pecan Passion Body Lotion ($8) from Bath & Body Works (425 Washington Street, Boston, 617.451.2793) will leave you with skin that's deliciously smooth. Its lush pecan-and-brown-sugar scent is finished off with a touch of whipped cream. Just try to refrain from licking your arms at the dinner table.

B) The potato's gotten such a bad rap the past few years, and urban fashionistas take particular care to stay away. Now rehabbed carb-a-holics like us can keep potatoes around with Redken Spray Starch 15 ($14). This grown-up product uses potato starch to protect hair, while retaining the shape created by curling irons, crimping irons, and other hot tools. Stop in at Beaucage Salon and Spa (71 Newbury Street, Boston, 617.437.7171) to pick it up. And when the potatoes come around your Thanksgiving table, keep on passing.

C) Every year, we gorge ourselves on mom's mushroom stuffing (and promptly pass out in a food coma). But Origins (One Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Boston, 617.742.7447) has come up with a better use for the fungi's calming properties. The type of mushrooms in their Plantidote Mega-Mushroom Face Cream ($60) usually signal flowers when to conserve energy. In the cream, they tell your skin cells to chill out, thereby slowing the aging process. Seaweed seals moisture in, vitamins defend against oxidation, and heather extracts keep it all super-firm.

D) Just one whiff of fresh-baked pumpkin pie and we're ready to dive face-first into the stuff. But who knew that such a move could be good for the complexion? Pumpkin enzymes are powerful detoxifying agents, and they're appearing in more and more beauty recipes. Among the best is the Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Peel ($44), available exclusively at Sephora (Prudential Center, 800 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.262.4200). The delicious pumpkin scent is enough to make you happy, but the underlying science will make you beautiful: the main ingredient dissolves dead skin, while vitamin A nourishes and repairs the new cells.

E) Is a mystery guest crashing your Thanksgiving table? Don't seduce him through the stomach with a luscious apple pie; take a more direct route with Maybelline's Shiny-licious lip gloss in Spiced Apple ($5.79). The rich maroon color is shot through with eye-catching gold highlights. It's easy to apply and doesn't dry lips, but those aren't its sweetest features. A cinnamon-sugar-and-baked-apple taste gives your kisser a yummy kick that's oh-so fun to share. It's available at drugstores, including CVS (various locations). @