Fashion briefs

Back-to-school skin

NEW YORK - What are many girls going to do as Step 1 in their back-to-school beauty ritual? Wash their face.

Forty-six percent of girls say more frequent face washing will enhance their appearance. Other steps include drinking more water, removing unwanted hair, getting a facial, consulting a cosmetics counter assistant, visiting a dermatologist, exercising and losing weight. Only 8 percent said they won't be doing anything special before going back to school.

When it comes to knowledge about acne breakouts, 47 percent of the girls said not washing one's face contributes to the problem. Other causes cited were popping pimples, junk food and chocolate, makeup and touching one's face. Few girls thought tanning and washing your face too much (16 and 15 percent, respectively) were contributors.

A majority of girls, 54 percent, believe flawless skin makes you prettier, and 40 percent believe it makes you more approachable.

Nearly half the girls said that pimple-free skin makes them more confident.

When asked about celebrities, Jennifer Lopez's skin was the most coveted (31 percent) followed by Paris Hilton and Beyonce Knowles.

The online survey of 750 girls, ages 13-17, was conducted by Leflein Associates on behalf of the American Counseling Association.

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Sweet-smelling shirts

NEW YORK (AP) - How sweet it is: a shirt that smells like a chocolate bar.

The Chocolate Shirt, a division of Scent Branding, infuses a long-lasting chocolate fragrance into 3-D appliques for T-shirts and other garments.

The first four appliques feature a shirt with a bite taken out of it, "chocolate" with hearts replacing the O's, "Hello, I'm a Chocoholic" and "I (heart) Chocolate."

Each month, more appliques will be added as will other flavors, according to the company.

The shirts have a milk chocolate-colored bodice and dark chocolate-covered trim.

If they're laundered properly - in cold water, without fabric softener and turned inside-out to dry - the scent should last for 50 washings.

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On the Net: http://www.chocolateshirt.com/

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Love in White

NEW YORK (AP) - French perfumer Creed sent its first bottle of Love in White to Laura Bush. It was sent to the first lady as a way to mark the first Creed fragrance to make its worldwide debut in the United States.

The ingredients come from five continents.

Love in White is the first new perfume for women in five years. It was inspired by the travels on the high seas by master perfumer Olivier Creed, sixth in family line at Creed, the company.

Creed first started producing fragrances in 1760 in London. It was a favorite with the English Court, and the House of Creed also was appointed a supplier to Napoleon, Queen Christina of Spain, and Franz Josef and Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary. The company moved to France in 1854.

A portion of the proceeds from Love in White will be donated to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

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Cellulite treatment

NEW YORK (AP) - Cellulite happens.

The appearance of swollen or lumpy skin can happen to slim women, it can happen to plus-size women. What matters is a woman's circulation and water retention, not her body fat, says Anne Bramhan, consultant for Spa Montage, part of the Montage Resort in Laguna Beach, Calif.

This is actually good news because it means something can be done about it beyond curbing calories.

Spa Montage offers a cellulite treatment plan that begins first with an evaluation to determine what stage a woman's cellulite is in. The earlier it's treated, the better chances are for improved appearance, notes Bramhan.

The treatment is a combination of counseling, including how to improve tissue movement through exercise and food awareness, and noninvasive therapies, such as connective tissue massage, and algae and clay wraps. Algae delivers nutrients to the skin, and clay assists in drawing excess water from the tissue.

The spa then sends clients home with a maintenance program they can do on their own. Suggestions include from deep abdominal breathing, water exercise, dry-body brushing, bathing three times a week in a seaweed bath, and ending showers with a cold rinse.

Also there are certain things Bramhan advises avoiding: junk food, diet soda, high pressure massage, high impact exercise that can overload the blood flow system, and tight and restrictive clothing, among them.

Cellulite does indeed seem to affect women more than men, she says. "Men don't have the same relationship to fat and hormones as women."