I am not sure if it is possible to convey my excitement with words right now but I will endeavor to do so.

I just saw the trailer for Sherlock Holmes the movie starring Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law and I'm jumping with **happiness** inside! This film, directed by Guy Ritchie, stars Robert Downey Jr. as the original mastermind detective, Sherlock Holmes. Jude Law is cast as his infamous sidekick, Watson.

My obsession with Sherlock Holmes has been going on for the past twenty years (at least) since I was a little girl. I loved watching the Jeremy Brett version on PBS with my family and the first time I went to London, you better believe that 221b Baker Street was the first stop on my list of tourist attractions (yes, even before Buckingham Palace).

It looks like Guy Ritchie's movie will be a sexed up/ Hollywood version of the stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and I'm OK with that. In fact, I'm more than OK with that- I can't wait!

Sherlock Holmes comes out Christmas Day, 2009.

You can view the trailer here.

Movie poster courtesy of: sherlock-holmes-trailer.blogspot.com

Living in Santa Monica, my husband and I receive a lot of house guests- many of them come from England- many are friends and family from America. It might have something to do with our close proximity to the beach or the beautiful California sunshine, but I can't help but think it's because I've finally mastered the art of keeping a well-appointed guest bedroom.

Every now and then we receive an unexpected or last minute guest and I've learned (the hard way) that I should always have our spare bedroom shining and ready to go. The last time we were in England we had an unexpected house guest stay in our place while we were away- I was in agony wondering what state the guest bedroom was in and vowed to never have to worry about that again.

Here are my tips for creating a cozy guest bedroom.

- A spotlessly clean room, of course. Don't forget the cobwebs in the corners...

- Clean, white sheets, a fluffy duvet and new-ish pillows (get rid of any pillows that sag on both sides when you hold them up with one hand... that means they are full of dust mites and dead skin cells... yuck).

- Ample lighting. We recently installed recessed lights in the ceiling and also have an antique- looking lamp by the bed.

- No clutter. Be ruthless- the eye can become accustomed to seeing a stack of old computer manuals in the corner (this I know from experience *yikes*) Edit. Edit. Edit.

- Plenty of fancy hangers for your guest to hang their clothes on. I like the cloth kind with little bows. Also, at least two empty drawers for them to keep their folded clothes in.

- A few interesting books by the bedside table. If you have a television in the room, a stack of DVDs for them to watch if your guests have jet lag and can't sleep.

- A spotless bathroom, fully stocked with extra tissue paper and extra essential items they might have forgotten like razors, toothpaste etc.

- Fluffy, sumptuous white towels folded and placed at the end of their bed with a new bar of soap. (I also like to have a bottle of body wash in the shower, in case they don't like to use bar soap. Right now I love Nivea body wash in Happiness).

- And finally, if you have time, spend the night in the guest bedroom yourself and see if you notice anything that could use improving...

There you have it. My essential tips for a perfect guest bedroom. Now for all those other rooms in the house...

I would love to hear any tips that you use to keep your guests cozy...

It is rare when I use a beauty product that yields fabulous results instantly- so ever since I tried out Chi Silk Infusion this morning, I've been dying to tell you about it.

Chi Silk Infusion is a hair serum that can be used as a leave-in treatment after showering or as a styling aide for dry hair. It is meant to add a silky texture and sheen to your hair while protecting it from heat.

Now, my hair has always been dry- so the fact that this is a heat protectant really appealed to me. My major hair goal in life is to give moisture, I never imagined that my hair could have a silky finish. That was always for other women- namely supermodels. But today after shampooing and conditioning my hair I combed in a small, dime sized amount of Chi Silk Infusion and blow dried it as usual. I could instantly feel the difference. Silky, smooth, soft and (dare I say!) shiny, I'm calling this a miracle in a bottle!

I purchased mine at Rite-Aid for the sale price of $10.99. I've seen online that the product can run anywhere from $20 to $10, depending on the size.

Chi Silk Infusion can be purchased at drug stores nationwide or online at: www.drugstore.com or www.target.com

Image courtesy of www.stylebell.com

My faithful and trusty iBook that I've had for the last five and a half years breathed its last breath yesterday... and I must say I was a little sad to let it go! *But* I am now writing to you from my gorgeous, shiny and new 13 inch MacBook Pro. I am in love with this laptop already. The design is so sleek: backlit keys (!), gorgeous titanium looking frame made of recyclable materials(!)

The website says that it is 'thin and light... polished and refined' and I have to agree. This is the type of laptop that James Bond would have. It will probably take me months to navigate around all of the new technology but luckily I got Apple's One to One service where I have an entire year of personal tutorials from a member of Apple's genius bar. I'm looking forward to writing on my brand new friend for many years to come.

I would love to know what you write on...

It has been about a year since I started my search (connoisseur-style) for the best in self tanners. I've come up with quite a few great ones- I love love love the self tanning veil by L'Occitane for my face, and I have an affinity for several of Clairins self tanning products, such as the self tanning instant gel and the delicious self tanning cream. These products are all wonderful, and produce the desired effect, but with one slight problem- they are un peu cher (read: expensive!).

So I decided to give the drug-store variety self tanner a try and I must say... I am pleasantly surprised! Neutrogena Summer Glow Daily Moisturizer SPF 20 is my latest in self tanning obsessions. This lotion is lightweight, and only has a subtle 'self-tanning' fragrance- in fact, it smells mainly like soap (which is a good thing- I have yet to find a tanning product that is fragrance-free). The color builds gradually and takes about a week to fully materialize, but when it does- it is, as promised, a natural looking 'glow'. I can't help but be really excited about the SPF 20 as well. Any product that takes out the added step of applying spf is welcomed by me. And, of course, the most alluring thing is that Neutrogena Summer Glow retails at around $8. Very affordable...

Neutrogena Summer Glow Daily Moisturizer in SPF 20 can be found in drugstores nationwide.

I like to call my skin delicate (which is a nice way of saying problematic). It is sensitive, prone to breakouts (even still in my late 20's!) and slightly dry all rolled into one exciting package. Other than these minor problems I love my skin. I just have to work a little harder at finding the right skincare regimen to keep it looking great.

For years I've used Dermalogica and have had stellar results. I've tried nearly every product in their line... my favorites being the daily microfoliant, the daily resurfacers and the special cleansing gel. They also have wonderful masques- my two favorite being the sebum clearing masque and the multivitamin power recovery masque.

Dermalogica's products have worked wonders for me over the years but lately I have noticed that my skin is starting to look a little dull. So I've decided to jump ship and try out another skin care line. I think it will be good for my skin- which appears to be currently suffering from boredom.

I am a huge Bare Minerals fan and am in love with their make up, so I was really excited to hear about their new line of skin care called Rare Minerals.

I've purchased the Rare Minerals cleanser, which is called Renew & Reveal. This is a soap-free, irritant free mineral cleanser (perfect for my sensitive skin) that has a similar texture to Dermalogica's microfoliant. It comes out like a powder on your hand and when activated with water, turns into a foam. I've only used it twice but I can already tell I love the delicate texture and squeaky clean, non-drying feeling I get when I use it.

The product I am most excited about using, however, is the Rare Minerals Skin Revival Treatment. This is a nighttime mineral treatment that supposedly helps to minimize pores and improve the overall condition of your skin. The powder actually comes in different tints and purportedly has skin renewing properties. I have just tried it for the very first time and must say that I like the tint it gives my skin... hopefully it wont come off on my pillow!

I'll be using these products for the next few months and will keep you updated on the condition of my skin.

The Rare Minerals Cleanser retails for about $32
The Skin Revival Treatment retails for about $60

Both products can be purchased at: www.bareescentuals.com or www.sephora.com