I have hot feet. They don’t stink; they just get really, really hot. (Full disclosure: Sometimes, they get so hot that it wakes me up in the middle of the night and I have to run them under ice-cold bathtub water. So silly, I know.)

So when I heard that Earth Therapeutics was releasing these Clean + Cool Foot Wipes, I had to give them a try. And cool they are. Like little baby-butt wipes for your feet, these soft cotton towelettes are soaked in tea tree oil and smell of mint, making them not only core-temperature cooling, but also energizing and sweet smelling. Plus, they come in this cute reseal-able package small enough to fit in my purse so I can whip them out for insta-foot relief, instead of rolling my feet on just-bought ice-cold water bottles. Which yes, I used to do.

Spring is coming. I’m sure of it. The sun is getting stronger every day, and one of these mornings we are all going to wake up and find that we can, at long last, reach for that darling little sundress we bought when it first hit the racks in February, and has been taunting us from our closet ever since.

While spending Easter in Florida, I noticed one other thing, apart from my wildly untoned arms and winter-pale skin that was somewhat hampering my enjoyment of wearing such dresses: those blemishes that pop up on our shoulders and backs, after months of super dry skin being cooped up under heavy body creams and heavy fabrics. Good thing Clinique recently sent me their Acne Solutions Cleansing Body Bar, which has nicely promised to rid me of these particular troubles, that I may enjoy the clothes I blew my spring budget on that much more.

So far, I’ve only tried it a few times — but it’s got a surprising lather, and I must say, my skin feels literally squeaky clean after using it — it’s almost strange. And the results look promising: as I put on my daily white tank top this morning (sadly, the first of what would be many layers, now that I’m back in Philly), the coast was happily clear.

Clinique Acne Solutions Body Bar, clinique.com.

I’ve lost many a lunch hour to our city’s four-floor Anthropologie flagship store, which is conveniently just around the corner from the Philly mag offices. And by lost, I mean lingered so long that there’s often not enough time actually left for any lunch. But it’s a happy trade.

Along with a few other stores, Anthropologie is on my list of favorite places to get hostess gifts — which, in my opinion, are among the most fun kind of gift to buy. They’re sweet, simple and frivolous, are a thoughtful way to thank a friend who’s invited you over and fed you, and buying them often satiates the urge to scoop up a pretty candle, frame or vase that you don’t necessary need yourself, but are still dying to pick up. And on my last visit, I found the perfect one.

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My buddies, Steve Duross and James Langel, over at, um, Duross & Langel, recently moved their fabulous and darling hand — actually on premise— made soap/cream/lotion/shampoo/etc. shop to bigger and better digs at 117 S. 13th (Matthew Izzo’s old haunt). And while I couldn’t make their champagne-toasting party this past Saturday night, I was able to pop in during my afternoon errand-running.

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I am one of those girls who is constantly longing for other girls’ hair. Longing as in I wish their hair were on my head, and that my fine, thin, limp hair were elsewhere (notice how I so nicely did not wish it upon them?).

One of my main troubles concerns knots, and the ease with which my hair engages itself in them. One second outside and there are tangles; a whole day and there is, as my mother used to so lovingly call it as she ripped through it while I cried, a rat’s nest.

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I love Lush for its not-tested-on-animals bath-and-body products that contain tantalizing ingredients like cocoa powder, almond oil, honey and fresh bananas. But I must also admit that I love Lush for how it smells. In a city where I find myself holding my breath for entire blocks to avoid, well, city odors, this store makes more than its fair contribution to community beautification. The lovely aroma emanates from the shop and down Walnut Street so that I start breathing easier around Kenneth Cole. And now they’re even offering a brief escape to Hawaii without the full day of travel.

Tonight from 5 to 8 p.m., Lush is hosting a luau party where you can sample their products containing tropical ingredients (try the Volcano Foot Mask with fresh papaya or the Ocean Salt scrub with fresh grapefruit infusion). RSVP by calling the store or e-mail them at 621Walnut@Lush.com to get a goody bag with $40 purchase at the event.

Lush, 1428 Walnut Street, 215-546-5874; lush.com

Last Christmas, a craze went around the offices here at Philly Mag. Girls were happily trotting back to their desks after lunch, armed with … boxes of monogrammed soaps. Seriously, we couldn’t get enough of them, and I’m still obsessed. I’ve gotten them for my mom, my future mother-in-law, and pretty much all of my friends. I give them as housewarming gifts, shower gifts — basically, if you’re expecting a present from me, odds are it’s going to be a fancy, satin-lined box filled with three pale-hued, deliciously smelling soaps, each carved with your scripted initials.

It may seem small, but it’s all about the little, seemingly insignificant touches — and these Solebury Soap Company bars add that carefree, “I put thought into everything, even the bars of soap in my powder room” quality that makes for true style. (Plus, now that I’m planning my own wedding, I hope everyone will return the favor. Hint: my monogram will be EJG.)

$24 for a set of three bars with single initial; $28 for a set of three bars with three-letter monogram, plus $7 shipping charge (by special order), Details, 103 South 18th St., 215-977-9559; detailsphiladelphia.com

Dear Reader,

I would like to share with you my newly found motivation for not slapping the snooze button 700 times before falling out of bed and dragging myself to the shower: fragrance maven Jo Malone’s new Nectarine Blossom & Honey bath products. The bath oil, shower gel and bath soap are so juicy, each is like a glass of just-squeezed O.J. (except without the sleepy fumbling and subsequent spilling). A quick dousing will fill your tub with sweetly scented bubbles and encourage you to get on with your day. I mean, even if it doesn’t make you think “Yaaaay, WORK!,” it’s certainly a start, right?

$50 to $90, available at Neiman Marcus, King of Prussia, 610-354-5000; neimanmarcus.com.