Friday's Fab Five

Welcome to Friday's Fab Five, our newest feature here on the SkinnyLink. (Now, that sure sounds pro, doesn't it? As if I had any 'features' before.) Be sure to drop by every Friday to get the Skinny on the best of the best of The Best! Today, we're gonna take a peek at some cool products Skinny loves to love. I hope you'll love 'em too!

Cover Girl LashExact Mascara Don't you just hate mascara that clumps your lashes together and then globs them with goo balls? This virtually perfect potion promises AND delivers beautifully-defined lashes. Coat number one makes you look like you came from the womb with marvelous eye fringe-which is all I really ask for. Pump up to two or three coats if you're more of a drama girl. You're gonna like this stuff.

AQuify Contact Lens Solution, by CibaVision is by far the best lens juice I've ever tried. Here's the skinny: You can use this stuff for a quick, comfort refresher. Just rub each lens for 10 seconds, pop 'em in to soak for 5 minutes and you're ready to wear your lenses again! Yes. You read me right--5 minutes and you're ready to wear those babies again. You can also use it for your over-night clean, disinfect & store--even that is only 4 short hours.
Give it a try. Your baby blues (or browns or greens) are gonna love you for it.

Crabtree and Evelyn's Goat's Milk hand cream is a MUST if you're over 39 and live in a dry climate (only one of which applies to me). This stuff is heaven in a little metal tube. Yes, metal tube--very Swiss. The moment you twist off the cap, you can hear the cow bells wafting down on the Alpine breeze. Your hands will be as soft and lovely as a delicate Swiss miss and smell like a mountain meadow. It's a little pricey, but Crabtree and Evelyn has 2 for 1 sales now and again. Besides, it'll set you back lot fewer Euros than a trip to Zermatt, and it's almost as wonderful.

TLC Chewy Granola Bars, by Kashi Let's face it, folks. Most granola bars are about as good for you as a handful of sugar with a couple of peanuts tossed in for crunch. But the healthy thinkers at Kashi have rushed to the rescue. These yummy bars boast a generous serving of protein, plus Kashi's signature blend of 7 whole grains and sesame, whole roasted nuts, flax seeds, and get this: wildflower honey. There are no hydrogenated oils, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial nuthin'. I like the Honey Almond Flax and Peanut Peanut Butter varieties, but the Trail Mix are good too. Compare your labels. These guys are rock stars, hands down. Your body's gonna be so happy!

And now, my favorite for last. Since it's Friday night and Greg's out of town, I'll be snuggling up with bowl of buttered popcorn and a video. Let me tempt you with the little jewell I plan to enjoy: I Am Sam. Watching this movie is right up there with the magic of watching a lunar eclipse. It's the story of a mentally-challenged man (Sean Penn), who is suddenly thrust into fatherhood--a task which soon becomes much larger than his diminished abilities to handle. As his daughter (Dakota Fanning) enters school, social services get involved and Sam is threatened with losing her. This movie is intelligent, poignant, funny, heart-breaking and heart-warming. The sound-track alone will melt you at the knees. The cast is powerful: Michelle Pfeiffer, Laura Dern, Dianne Wiest, plus a few other faces you'll recognize with a smile. I wish I could find you an edited version--Pfeiffer's character has got a mouth on her--but I can't, so I'll caution you about language.